1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



103 



upon him at the bake-house, m which he baked 

 and eanied his bread, Dick delineated to him, by 

 means of flour upon a board, the geographical fea- 

 tures and geological phenomena of his native 

 county, pointing out the imperfections in the ex- 

 isting maps, which ho had ascertained by travelling 

 over the county in his leisure hours. On further 

 inquiry, Sir Roderick ascertained that the humble 

 individual lieforo him was not only a capital baker 

 and geologist, but a fu'st rate botanist. "I found," 

 said the Director General of the Geographical So- 

 ciety, "to my great humiliation, that this baker 

 knew infinitely more of botanical science, ay, ten 

 times more, than I did ; and that there were only 

 some twenty or thirty specimens of flowers which 

 he had not collected. Some he had obtained as 

 presents, some he had purchased ; but the greater 

 portion had been accumulated by his industry, in 

 his native county of Caithness, and the specimens 

 were all arranged in the most beautiful order, 

 with their scientific names affixed." — Self-IIelp, 

 hy Samuel Smiles. 



LITTLE "WILLIE AND THE APPLE. 



Little Willie stoofl under <an apple tree old. 

 The fruit was all shining mth crimson and gold. 

 Hanging temptingly lo\7 ; — how he longed for a bite, 

 Though he knew if he took one it wouldn't be right. 



Said he : "I don't see why my father should say 

 'Don't toixeh the old apple tree, 'Willie, to-day ;' 

 I shouldn't have thought — now they're hanging so low- 

 When I asked for just one, he should answer me 'No.' 



"He would never find out if I took but just one, 

 And they do look so good, shining out in the sun, 

 There are hundreds and hundreds, and he wouldn't miss 

 So paltry a little red apple as this." 



He stretched forth his hand, but a low, mournful strain 



Came wandering dreamily over his brain ; 



In his bosom a beautiful harp had long laid, 



That the angel of conscience quite frequently played. 



And he sung : "Little Willie, beware, 0, beware, 

 Your father has gone, but your Maker is there ; 

 How sad you would feel if j-ou heard the Lord say, 

 'Tliis dear little boy stole an apple to-day.' " 



Then Willie turned round, and as still as a mouse. 



Crept slowly and carefully into the house ; 



In his own little chamber he knelt down to pray 



That the Lord would forgive him and please not to say, 



"Little Willie almost stole an apple to-day." 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



SWIMMIWG FOB, "WOMEIvr. 

 THE SWIMMING SCHOOL AT PARIS. 



As many parents are wishing to know how girls 

 can be taught to use their limbs in the water, it 

 may be interesting to them to hear how the art is 

 taught at Paris. The water is that of the Seine. 

 This is the least agreeable circumstance in the 

 case, as the water of the Seine is quite as unfra- 

 grant in the summer months as that of the Thames. 

 Whether it is purified on entering the baths, I 

 do not know. Let us hope that it is. The bath is 

 moored in the river, and the space occupied by 

 water is 120 feet in length ; a course long enough 

 to aff"ord room for all the exercises connected with 

 swimming. A wooden platform, three or four 

 feet under water, reaches to about the middle of 



the width of the bath ; and this is for the use of 

 children, and mere bathers who do not swim. The 

 other half is of a considerable depth in the mid- 

 dle, admitting of practice in genuine diving. The 

 cbess is excellent for the purpose. It is made of 

 a light Avoollen fabric, which does not absorb 

 much water. The trowsers are loose, and fas- 

 tened at the ankles. The upper dress, also loose, 

 extends to the knee, and is belted round the waist, 

 and closed at the neck. 



It is just as decent a dress as English ladies 

 used to wear when Bath was called '-The Bath," 

 and when wigged gentlemen and powdered ladies 

 used to Avade about in full trim, and chat in the 

 water. The first step in the process of teaching 

 is to make the pupils understand how to keep on 

 the surface, and know how to sink to the bottom. 

 Most people know that to sjiread out the limbs is 

 to float, and to double one's self up is to sink ; 

 but it is not everybody who knows that the quick- 

 est way of going to the bottom is to raise the arms 

 above the head. This is precisely what Avomen 

 do when they fall out of a boat, or find themselves 

 overboard in a shipwreck. Up go their arms in 

 their terror ; and down they go to the bottom like 

 a shot. This is the action used by divers, who 

 want to reach that point by the shortest way. 

 From the ceiling of the Paris bath hangs a rope, 

 which travels along on a sort of crane.- Where 

 this rope touches the Avater a broad belt is at- 

 tached to it. The belt is fastened easily about the 

 pupil's waist, supporting her in the Avatcr, and 

 leaving her at liberty to learn the action of the 

 limbs in sAvimming. She is made perfect in these, 

 and must then try her poAvers without support. 

 To render her safe and preclude fear, the instruc- 

 tor, (Avho is a master and not a mistress,) Avalks 

 along the edge, just before her, holding a pole 

 Avithin her reach, Avhich she can gi-asp in an in- 

 stant, if fatigued or alarmed. It does not follow 

 that Ave must have SAvimraing-masters in England. 



The art is taught all along the rivers of Ger- 

 many, and invariably by women in the Avomen's 

 baths. In that case the dress is less elaborate 

 and there is more freedom and simplicity in the 

 practice. It is a remarkable sight Avhen the mas- 

 ter is followed by ten or tAvelve pupils, his pole 

 reminding one of the magnet Avhith brings SAvans 

 or fishes to the bread in a basin of Avater, in the 

 old-fashioned toy Avhich astonishes children. The 

 second pupil has a hand on the shoulder of the 

 first, and SAvims Avith the other three limbs ; the 

 third on the shoulder of the second ; and so on, 

 looking like a shoal of mermaids. When so 

 thorouglily at ease as to amuse themselves for a 

 long time in the AA-ater, the ladies sometimes get 

 hungry ; and then is seen another remarkable 

 sight, not quite so pretty. They rush from the 

 bath to a confectioner's shop, Avhich opens upon 

 it, and may be presently seen SAvimming Avith one 

 hand, and AA'ith the other eating their lunch, com- 

 pletely at ease. After learning the art in fresh 

 Avater, it is mighty easy to SAvim in the sea, from 

 the density of the Avater, and scarcely possible to 

 sink. A Avoman Avho knoAvs hoAV to float is safe 

 for many hours in the sea, as far as keeping on 

 the surface is concerned. Among breakers or 

 sharks, or in extreme cold, the peril is not of 

 droAvning simply. The simjjle peril of drowning 

 might be reduced to something very small, if 

 everybody could SAvim. — Once a Week. 



