GYMNASTICS-PULLING THE ROPE. the hands alternately up each side till you reach the top, and descend slowly in the same manner. We often used to climb the pole, and, on reaching the top, walk along upon the hands, and descend either by the ladder, the rope, or the slanting pole. In all your ascents, especially on the ladder, keep the feet and legs as quiet as possible, and close together; for every time you throw them about, you inevitably throw away so much power. A rope-ladder, suspended from the cross piece, would be an excellent addition; it should not be fastened at the bottom; the gymnast, by his power alone, should learn to keep it steady.Should he be destined for the sea, such a training will give more confidence "Should sleep, upon the high and giddy mast Seal up the ship boy's eyes, and rock his brains. In cradle of the rude imperious surge." Now, boys, this is all I have to tell you about climbing; your own diligent practice must supply the rest; and I am persuaded you will have too much spirit to allow trifles to daunt you-only be careful. Pulling the Rope. 339 brought out more good humor than any other; it was not only a friendly contest and trial of strength, but tended materially to increase that strength, whether of the legs, arms, or loins. In conversing with my brother gymnasts on the feats of former days, I have invariably found they recurred to this part of the training, and recounted, with delight, the little manœuvres they used to draw their opponents across the line. I shall now divide you into two parties, endeavoring to keep each party as nearly balanced in weight and strength as I can. Let each party now march towards the rope. Take your stations opposite each other, and on opposite sides of the rope-the first boy on each side being a yard apart. When I give the signal, stoop down, pick up the rope with your right hand, and hold it till I tell you to put your left foot forward, and seize the rope at the same time with the left hand, hold tight, and plant your feet firmly on the ground, throwing yourselves a little forward, to add weight to your pull. Now watch me, when I have finished saying-One, two, three, and away!but not till I have said the last word Well, I declare, here is a tight rope! throw yourselves back and pull with all But what is it for? You shall soon see. Place it quite straight on the ground; then take your places in your ranks, under your respective leaders. Before I begin, I must tell you that, simple as this exercise at first sight appears in the Gymnasium, it was one which created more laughter, and Steady, Put your might, and see which party can draw the other across the ground. boys! Ah, that side is moving; take care, or you will be drawn over. out all your powers-that's right-bravo, the other side is giving way. Stop 'em, by hanging back, every man of you, with all your weight. There, you are a dead weight upon them, they can't stir you the ground; and then, without changing an inch now. But have a care, or they the position of the hands, as regards will let you all down on your backs, the grasp, bring it down sharply behind, and then pull you up like a perch out as you see me do. of a pond-after that, good bye to you. Up in an instant! and pull like artillery horses at a cannon, or sailors at a capstan, or a steam-tug at an Indiaman,or— but there they go; I told you so. rah! hurrah! we've won. How warm it makes us. Hur What fun! Throwing the Lance, or Spear. WHILE We have the pole in our hands, boys, let me show you two or three exercises, which will assist in developing your muscular powers. 1. Hold the pole before you, like this. Hands over, grasping it firmly; bring it up sharply in a horizontal line over the head-so. I Keep it elevated thus, at the full stretch of the arms, but with the feet firm on Return to the first position, by again bringing it up sharply above the head, and finally down to the front. 2. The same exercise with the pole behind you. In this case, may be begun the pole is to lie, as it were, in your hands, in the same manner as I directed you to take the leaping pole in hand. 3. Again hold the pole before you stoop, and bring the legs over it, between the arms, and stand upright. Now stoop, and bring the pole under the feet, in this manner. 4. Place one end of the stick on the ground; put the right hand near the top, the left near the bottom, the feet about four feet from the stick-then bend the body backward, head hanging downbring the head and body under the left arm, and rise on the other side by pulling yourself up. THROWING THE SPEAR. A variety of motions may be performed with these poles; I have given these as a specimen; your own ingenuity will supply the rest. very We will now make use of these poles as lances or spears. In throwing the spear, it has been customary with some merely to poise it between the finger and thumb, and then project it to the mark. This may do well with a light arrow-like weapon; but even then, the force with which it is thrown will be of little avail, compared with that obtained by grasping it with the whole hand, and hurling it with all the muscular strength of the upper and fore-arm, concentrated as it were into one focus. I shall therefore give you the two principal positions, 341 most necessary to be observed to give the aim its full effect. Grasp the spear in X the middle, like this-with the light end uppermost let the left arm hang down at ease by the side-look steadily for a moment at the object-raise the spear as high as the ear, at the same time drawing the arm back, so as to give it all the impetus you can-send it quickly on its errand; but take care not to go after it, as I have seen some, in consequence of not standing firmly on the feet. This complete System of Gymnastics, to be concluded in our next. Breakfast Table Science for Young People. CHAPTR XIX. Pewter Sixpences. Mr W. O, certainly; but of what use will it be to you? Kenneth. I shall buy six pennyworth Kenneth. O, what a beautiful sixpence of cakes and sugar-plums. has just dropt from the fire. Mr W. Let me see: it is indeed round, and flat, and shining, like a sixpence. Kenneth. May I have it? Mr W. Well, you had better go now; there, shut the door after you. Tom. Father, father, how could you send him with that pewter sixpence ? Amelia. Did she take it? What did she say? Kenneth. She looked at it, and said she knew it to be Tom's writing; and See, then she gave me all these cakes, and plums, and apples. Kenneth. She says it is a bad sixpence. Mr W. How can it be bad? it is bright and shining, like silver. What would the woman have? Kenneth. She says it is not silver. Mr W. Not silver! and pray why must every sixpence be silver? Tom. Is it because silver, like gold, is a very rare metal, whereas pewter is a very cheap and a very common one? Mr W. Oh! then the mistake we have made is, we have not sent her a pewter sixpence large enough? Tom. Just so: a silver sixpence has as much silver in it, as can be bought anywhere for sixpence. Mr W. And consequently is of a more convenient size to put in the pocket, than cheaper or bulkier metal. Now, Tom, I know you have six pennies in your pocket: scratch, upon this pewter sixpence of Kenneth's, "I promise to pay, on demand, the sum of sixpenceThomas W- Would she take it up? Kenneth. Do let me try. Mr W. Write it plainly, and sign your name. There, Kenneth-I wish you better luck this time. Ella. I hope she will take it. Here he comes, with his pockets quite full. Esther. I wish another sixpence would drop out of the fire. Mr W. Now, Tom-remember you have opened a bank, and that you have issued a sixpenny pewter note. Take care you always keep sixpence in your pocket, to be ready when it is presented to you. Tom. Oh, that will not matter much; Mrs. A. knows me, and will wait. Mr W. I have no doubt of that; but she may give it, instead of sixpence, to an apple-woman; and she again to & milk-woman; and some morning, when you little expect it, the milk-woman will bring it, and want six pennies for it. Tom. And if I have not got sixpence, what then? Mr W. Why the milk-woman will take it to the apple-woman, and the applewoman to Mrs. A. who will have to give her a silver sixpence of her own, and she will then bring your pewter one back to you. Tom. And I shall pay her; so there's no harm done to anybody. Mr W. No harm done, certainly; but she has lost her confidence in you, and will take no more of your pewter sixpences. In future, she will have silver sixpences, or you may go without your cakes and plums. Tom. And this is banking! BREAKFAST-TABLE SCIENCE.-SMOKY ROOMS. CHAPTER XX. The Smoky Room. Mr W. Pray, Tom, my dear boy, do open the window and let out the smoke. Tom. Why should this chimney smoke? Of all days in the year to smoke on my birth-day! 343 chimneys are enemies, and do each other all the injury they can. Tom. But what has all this to do with my birth-day? It seems as if the other chimney knew it was my birth-day. Mr W. And so it does. Tom. I cannot see. Mr W. Nor I neither, for the smoke Mr W. It smokes because it is your is pouring down upon us again. Pray open the window in the other room, so that the fire in it may not use our chim birth-day. Kenneth. How could the chimney know it was Tom's birth-day? Mr W. That is the chimney's business, not mine; it is sufficient for me to know that it smokes because it is his birth-day. Amelia. I never knew before that a chimney could think. Mr W. I did not say so; I said it smoked because it knew this was Tom's birth-day. Ella. How could it know that ? Esther. I wonder whether it would know mine! Mr W. No-it would not know yours. Est. Why not mine as well as Tom's? Mr W. Because yours is in summer, and his in winter. ney. Tom. I wish you would explain your self. Mr W. Well; you know that smoke will go up the chimney if nothing stops it. Tom. I know it will. Mr W. If the wind blows down the chimney the smoke cannot go up. Amelia. Certainly not. Mr W. Now, I think you know, fire cannot burn without fresh air; it must and will have air-through the key-hole, under the doors, through crevices in the window-any where; nothing can stop it-it will rush into the fire, especially Tom. It is certainly a very wise chim- when it is large, and burns brightly. |