458 NATURE 
re : wae. 
[April 17, 1873 
Office, in its present economical fit, will spend the money 
necessary to build a Museum for the proper exhibition of 
‘ts collections of manufactures and natural history, the 
following two solutioris of the difficulty may be suggested. 
(1) That an arrangement be made with the Commis- 
sioners of the Exhibition of 1851 to exhibit the collections 
at South Kensington, either in one of the existing build- 
ings, or in one to be constructed for that purpose. The 
French have an “ Exposition des Produits des Colonies” 
in part of the former Palais de V'Industrie in the Champs 
Elysées, and there is no reason why we should not follow 
so desirable a precedent. 
(2) If this cannot be effected, the whole of the collec- 
tions should be transferred to the trustees of the British 
Museum. It is, of course, quite certain that the trustees 
could not exhibit them, looking to the crowded state of 
their galleries in Great Russell Street. But at all events 
they would be thus saved from risk of further deterioration, 
and might be rendered accessible to working naturalists 
who have occasion to consult them. Piss: 
UNIVERSITY OARS* 
IIL. 
E have stated that in our opinion the evils of boat- 
racing as now practised are traceable to two 
causes, Ist to a misconception of the nature of the de- 
mands which it makes on the several energies of the 
body ; and 2nd, to the system of preparation, or, as it is 
technically called, ¢raining, which is undertaken to enable 
the body to meet these special demands upon its 
energies. 
In our remarks last weck we stated at some length 
wherein lay the first of these misconceptions, namely, in 
the nature and extent of the effort made by the muscular 
system and the respiratory and circulatory system, respec- 
tively, showing that while the exertion was slight, if not 
actually inadequate to the requirements of the former, it 
was both in amount and character severe, if not abso- 
lutely dangerous, in the latter. 
The origin of the first misconception, and the reason 
why it should have lived so long, and should still live, we 
think may be thus explained. When rowing was first 
adopted by lads at schools and young men at universities 
as a regular mode of exercise, and friendly matches of 
speed and dexterity were organised, the boats used, 
probably, were not greatly different in size, in shape, or in 
other points of construction, if in any, from those at the 
time in use by professional watermen; and the manner 
of rowing was also, very probably, after the water- 
man’s type. If this were the case then rowing 
furnished abundant exercise, not only to those portions 
of the rower’s frame which still receive a fair share 
of employment, but to those also which are at present 
virtually excluded from the task, or have a very inferior 
part to play in it; for the heavy, bulky, broad and 
deep boats, clumsy, unwieldy, and unskilfully arranged 
oars and rowlocks, would necessitate a slow and pro- 
tracted stroke, and both upper and lower limbs would 
have their part to play and their work to do in drag- 
ging the oar through the water. Gradually, changes 
and improvements would be introduced, lessening 
* Continued from p 418 
the labour, heightening the art, until art and labour 
in boat propulsion attained their present positions and 
proportions, the former reduced to a minimum, the latter 
standing eminently high: but just in proportion to the 
prominence of these conditions are its merits as an exer- 
cise in an inverse ratio to be estimated. There was 
plenty of muscular exertion for the whole frame in lugging 
along the old-fashioned boats. There was little or no 
distress to heart or lungs in its protracted stroke and 
deliberate pace. We frankly confess that there would be 
little in the old style of boat-racing to create and sustain 
the enthusiasm at present displayed in these contests ; 
and we are expressing no regret at the changes that have 
taken place, and no wish to return to their primitive, albeit 
safe conditions: what we do wish is to let rowing remain 
as it is, nay, to let it pursueits onward course of change 
and improvement like all other things, but to see if the 
old order of safety cannot be retained with these advance- 
ments, by obtaining from other sources those properties 
which recent changes have altogether eliminated or re- 
duced to inefficient proportions. 
To glance at the reason why the misconception regard- 
ing the actual nature of a boat-race as now rowed, should 
have so long existed, and should still exist, we think it 
needs only to be pointed out that only quite recently 
has any really critical inquiry been instituted on the sub- 
ject, and when the results of this inquiry were made 
known, they savoured to the oarsman like the prescribed 
“nasty medicines” to the child ; ze. whatever good they 
may have been calculated to effect, they were nevertheless 
unpalatable, and if not actually rejected were at any rate 
swallowed with dislike. But rowing men are not singular 
in this respect, in claiming for their favourite exercise, 
through all its changes, in all its attributes, perfection ; 
they are claiming no more than all enthusiastic votaries 
of a special exercise claim, and many with less excuse 
and less right to an indulgent hearing than the oarsman. 
“Tt gives exercise to every muscle of the body,” say they, 
“No exercise whatever,” we reply, “does this.” No 
single exercise gives more than employment to a portion 
of the body, and to that portion sometimes a very inade- 
quate share. : 
The errors involved in the second misconception in a 
great measure originate in the first, and their nature is 
revealed, and the manner of their connection explained 
as we proceed in making ourselves acquainted with it. 
Thus an oarsman at a given time will be called upon to 
row a race which will tax his bodily energies such as he 
knows them, or believes them, to be, to the uttermost ; 
the effort will be quite exceptional in its severity and he 
therefore desires to prepare for it, to fortify himself for it, 
by every means in his power. Now it need hardly be 
said that if he is ignorant of the nature of the demands 
which the effort will make upon him, he cannot rightly 
prepare himself for that effort; may, he may, and 
probably will, go wrong, for advice will be pressed 
upon him at all hands, and here at any rate, “In 
the multiplicity of counsel there is zoe¢ wisdom.” When 
it is remembered that this preparation or training em- 
braces the administration, or use, of all the material 
agents which sustain life and give health and strength, it 
will not be wondered at that mistakes have been made in 
this direction, and that man should have come to speak 
. 
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