GYMNASTICS-OUT-OF-DOOR RECREATIONS.

A DESIRE for indulging in active sports and exercises | caution is necessary on this subject. The best guide has evidently been given to youth for the admirable purpose of promoting bodily health and strength, at a period of life when mental occupation or sedentary employment would not only have been unfitting, but positively injurious. Instead, therefore, of railing at the boisterous pastimes of boyhood, ridiculous as they may sometimes appear, we ought to view them, so long as kept within the bounds of moderation, as consistent with a great providential design in creation, and worthy of our warmest approval and encouragement. Impressed with these considerations of the value of youthful recreations, particularly those carried on in the open air, we should by all means afford reasonable scope for all the usual and harmless sports in which young persons are pleased to indulge; we should say to parents, let the boy have his marbles, ball, nine-pins, and bat; and the girl her doll, skipping-rope, and hoop, besides any other toys which would call their respective faculties into harmonious exercise. But an indulgence in physical recreations and general amusements is not to terminate with the period of youth. In advanced and middle life, it is of the greatest importance to health to relieve the tasked brain, to soothe and compensate the drudgery of our current labours, and to bring into exercise those parts of our muscular frame and intellect which professional duty has left unoccupied. To young men, especially, whose frame requires regular and bracing exercise, those out-of-door recreations which afford a certain degree of amusement are indispensable; and to them the contents of the present sheet are more particularly submitted. Our endeavour will be to point out what sports may with propriety be indulged in, suitable to the different seasons of the year, and how they may be pursued with advantage to health and other circumstances.

we can have,' observes Dr Andrew Combe, in his work on Physiology, is to follow the footsteps of nature, whether it is in harmony with the mode of action assigned by the Creator to the parts which are to perform it. If it be so, we may proceed with perfect confidence that it will not only improve the health, but add to the freedom, elegance, precision, and strength of our movements; whereas, if it be opposed to the obvious intention of the Creator, we may rest assured that no good can accrue from it. If, for example, we examine the various attitudes and motions of the body which occur in fencing, dancing, swimming, shuttlecock playing, and some of the better class of gymnastic exercises, we find that they are not less graceful and beneficial to the young who engage in them, than pleasing to those by whom they are witnessed-just because they are in perfect harmony with nature, or, in other words, with the structure and mode of action of the joints, ligaments, and muscles by which they are executed. But it is far otherwise with some of the anomalous exercises which were at one time so fashionable, and which are not yet extinct in schools and gymnasia, and which seem to have for their chief object the conversion of future men and women into foresters, firemen, or savages, rather than into beings who are to continue to have the use of stairs, ladders, carriages, steamboats, and the other conveniences of civilised life. It is no doubt a good thing for a boy to be able to climb up a perpendicular pole or a slippery rope, when no other means present themselves of attaining an important object at its upper end; and it is an equally good thing for a young lady to be able to sustain her own weight hanging by one or both hands, when there is no possibility of resting her feet on terra firma; and where boys and girls are strong enough to take pleasure in such amusements, there is no great reason to hinder them, provided they are impelled to them, not by emulation or any secondary motive which may lead Gymnastics are those exercises of the body and limbs to over-exertion, but by the pure love of the exercise which tend to invigorate and develop their powers.* itself. In all ordinary circumstances, those only who In an ordinary course of living, without due regard to are vigorously constituted will attempt them, and if rules for promoting bodily strength, the frame becomes left to themselves, will be sure to desist before any relaxed, the muscles are soft, the circulation of the harm can be done. But the case is entirely altered blood languid, the bones and joints debilitated, and the when such extraordinary evolutions are not only enstomach weakened and dainty. To avert, as far as pos-couraged, but taught to all indiscriminately, whether sible, these imperfections, gymnastics ought to form a part of education in youth, when the joints and muscles are flexible, and time is permitted for the various kinds of exercises. To be largely useful to the wellbeing of the economy,' says Dr Robertson, the exercise must not be confined to any set or series of muscular movements; but, as far as possible, should bring into play all the moving powers of the body. It may be said, in general terms, that the greater the number of muscles concerned in the exercise, and the more completely it involves the full contraction of each muscle, the more influential will the exercise be.'

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GYMNASTIC EXERCISES.

Precaution. It has not been unusual of late years to conduct the gymnastics of schools on an improper scale, by impelling young persons of comparatively feeble frames to undertake feats and exercises which have been at variance with the bodily organisation, or at least highly dangerous, and of no practical value. A

* The term gymnastic is from a Greek word signifying naked, the athlete or young persons who practised bodily exercises in the public arena or gymnasium of ancient Greece, being, for freedom of motion, nearly in a state of nudity. The more gentle kind of gymnastics for females are termed calisthenics, from words signifying elegant or graceful exercises. No. 91.

they are strong or weak, resolute or timid. We have only to reflect for a moment on the structure of the shoulder joint, and on the sphere of action of the muscles surrounding it, to perceive at once that the position of the one and the strain upon the other, caused by the exercises alluded to, are so forced and unnatural as to exclude the possibility of the Creator having intended either to be practised except upon occasions of urgent necessity, and to discover how preposterous it is therefore to make them a subject of general instruction. Nay, the very violence of the effort required to sustain the body when hanging by the hands, is far beyond that moderate exertion which adds to nutrition and to strength; and in delicate subjects it may even induce relaxation and stretching of the ligaments and blood-vessels, and thus, as in the case of the young men at Cambridge, lay the foundation for future and fatal disease. The same remarks apply to a common practice of making the pupils slide down an inclined plane resting on the hands alone, by which unnatural effort the shoulders are pushed half way up the neck, and the wrists, arms, and chest severely tried. But in these and other similar evolutions, it requires only to look at the dragging and distortion which they produce, and which form such a painful contrast to the ease and

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grace of all natural motions and attitudes, to perceive | gradually; the great object is to exercise the muscles that they are out of the order of nature, and that bit by bit, and perfection is not desirable at first. neither health nor elegance can result from them. In Then follow other motions-as throwing the arms the selection of exercises for the young, then, we horizontally out in opposite directions, swinging the should not be misled by a vain desire of surmounting arms, stretching them to the full extent forward, difficulties and performing feats at the serious risk of while the palms are in contact, doubling the arms inducing aneurism or rupture, but rather endeavour up so as to make the tips of the fingers rest on the to strengthen the body by active amusements, which shoulders, making the palms come fully in contact shall call the social and moral feelings and intellect while the arms are thrown behind back, &c. In these, into play at the same time, and by the practice of such it is of importance to exercise the left hand and arm gymnastic evolutions only as tend to improve and give fully more than the right, in order to make them tone to the natural action of the moving powers. And equally active and strong. in endeavouring to attain this object, we should be always careful to avoid great fatigue, and to modify the kind, degree, and duration of the exercise, so as to produce the desired results of increased nutrition and strength; and to remember that the point at which these results are to be obtained, is not the same in any two individuals, and can be discovered only by experience and careful observation.' With the precautions suggested by these observations, the following gymnastic exercises may be pursued:

General Directions.

The exercises are best performed in an open court or piece of ground, firm below, but without any stones to injure the feet or person; a grass plot is the most suitable. The fittings are a climbing stand, vaulting bar, leaping poles, &c. The dress of the gymnast is to consist of easy-fitting trousers, and encircled with a belt or girth. The belt should pass round the loins, and not be too tight. The performances should be in the forenoon, or at least before any heavy meal.

Positions and Motions.

The body must be drilled in the art of standing and throwing out the limbs. In standing properly, the person should be erect, the head held up, and the face looking straight forward; the shoulders are to be square, with the chest fully exposed, so as slightly to curve the back; the legs closed; the heels in a line, and closed; the toes turned out; the arms hanging straight down; the elbows held in to the body; the hands open to the front; the little finger touching the legs; and the thumb flat to the forefinger. When perfected in the art of Fig. 1. standing in this position, which is called attention, as shown in fig. 1., the next thing is to be taught to march or walk, as in the case of a soldier on drill, the feet being alternately thrown out, and both brought together into position, at the order to halt.

Fig. 2. third is to

The pupil next learns to bend the body and extend the arms. The first exercise of this kind is to carry the hands to the front, the fingers lightly touching at the points; now raise the arms, the hands still together, till they are held over the head, as in fig. 2.

The second motion is to learn to hold the arms out in front, the tips of the fingers touching, and returning to the position of fig. 1: this is to be done repeatedly. The extend the hands separately, and raise them over the respective shoulders, the fingers pointing upwards. The fourth motion is to keep the arms and legs straight, and to bend the body forward, with the head down, and the tips of the fingers towards the ground. This somewhat difficult motion is represented in fig. 3.

A fifth motion is to resume the position of attention, allowing the arms to fall freely to their place, but still without bending the legs. These motions are trying to the pupil, and should be done

Fig. 3.

Indian Club Exercises.

The pupil having advanced in simple personal exercises, is supposed to be somewhat strengthened; and to further the operation, he proceeds to the Indian club exercise. The main object is to expand the chest, and increase the power of the arms. For this end some sedentary persons regularly exercise themselves with dumb-bells; that is, heavy pieces of metal, one being held in each hand. The club exercise is an improvement on that of the dumb-bells. The club bears a resemblance to the bat for cricket, and varies in weight from two to twelve pounds. One is used in each hand. The following, according to Torrens, are the regulation-exercises now adopted in the army:

The recruit being placed in the position of attention, with a club in each hand pointing downwards, as in fig. 4, must be exercised as follows:

First Part.-1. At the word one, the club in the right hand is slowly carried round the head, until the hand arrives in a perpendicular line above the shoulder, with the large end of the club pointing in a diagonal direction to the rear; 2. The club in the left hand is raised in a similar manner, and carried over that in the right hand till it reaches a corresponding position; 3. The hands are carried slowly to the right and left, until they become in a true horizontal line with the shoulders, the large ends of the clubs still remaining to the rear; 4. The hands are brought slowly to the first position. Care must be taken that the recruit does not stand with a hollow back during this and the succeeding practice.

Fig. 4.

Second Part-1. Raise both hands to the front, approaching them close together, in horizontal line with the shoulders, the clubs being held perpendicular, with the large ends upwards; 2. With the body well poised forward, separate the hands, and carry them to the right and left line with the shoulders, the large ends of the clubs remaining upwards; 3. With the head well kept up, let the clubs turn over till they point in a diagonal direction to the rear, the hands still remaining out in a line with the shoulders; 4. With the arms extended, drop them slowly to the first position.

Third Part.-1. The club in the right hand is circled round upon the right of the body for a few revolutions of the circle, or until the word halt is given; 2. The one in the left hand is used in the same manner on the left of the body, until the word halt is given, when the recruit will remain perfectly steady in the first position; 3. With the body rather leaning forward, circle both clubs at the same time, on the right and left of the body, until ordered to halt.'

Leaping-Vaulting.

Fig. 5.

The simplest kind of leaping is that of jumping on level ground from one point to another, with or without a run. The run accumulates power in the person, or momentum, and enables a person to leap considerably farther than without such an aid. In all kinds of

balls of the toes, or fore-part of the feet. If the fall be upon the heels, the whole body is almost certain to be jarred, and the legs stove. Keep the body compact in the descent, with the hands well forward, so that, when alighting, the person may spring lightly up from a crooked or bent posture.

Vaulting is per

Fig. 7.

leaping,' observes Walker in his Manly Exercises,' | it is of great importance to draw in and retain the breath at the moment of the greatest effort, as it gives the chest more solidity to support the rest of the members, impels the blood into the muscular parts, and increases their strength. The hands, also, should be shut, and the arms pendent. The extent of the leap Vaulting is that kind of leaping in which the body is in height, or horizontally, is proportioned to the power helped forward by a momentary leaning on an object employed and the practice acquired. As it is per- by the hands. The art of vaulting may prove useful formed with facility only in proportion to the strength in many circumstances in life, as, for instance, in getting exerted, and the elasticity and suppleness of the arti- quickly over a palculations and muscles of the lower extremities, muching, fence, or gate, to exercise is necessary to attain that degree of perfection elude danger. Exerwhich lessens all obstacles, and supplies the means of cises are performed clearing them without danger. Lightness and firmness with vaulting bars, are the qualities necessary for leaping; everything of which an illustrashould be done to acquire these two qualifications, tion is given in fig. for without them leaping is 7; they are of various neither graceful nor safe.' heights, and some are Pupils begin by leaping shaped like a horse short distances and no great with a saddle. height, and as they become expert, the feat is increased, To regulate the exercise, a leaping-stand is employed; it consists of two movable posts, about six feet high, having, above eighteen inches from the ground, holes bored through them, at the distance of an inch from each other; a rope stretched across from pins, Leaping with a pole is a combination of simple leapand held tight by sand-bags, ing and vaulting, and is also a most useful and an eleis the bar to be leaped over. gant accomplishment. The pole should be smooth, light, In leaping without a run, hold the legs and feet and from seven to ten feet closed, bend the knees well up, hold forward the head, long. Held in the hands, as and throw out the hands, as in fig. 6. Skill in throw-represented in fig. 8, the left ing forward the body with a jerk, thus doubled up, is only acquired by experience. Let great care be taken to descend with an inclination forward, and to fall on the fore-part of the feet, so as to touch the ground lightly, and by the spring or elasticity of the feet and limbs, to deaden the shock.

Fig. 6.

In leaping with a run, the run preceding the leap should never exceed ten paces; the rise into the air to take place at a distance from the cord equal to half the height of the cord from the ground. Skill should be attained in leaping from either foot, or from the spring of both feet. It is considered a good leap when five feet are cleared; a first-rate one is five and a-half; and an extraordinary one six feet; few, however, ever reach more than four feet. For a man to leap his own height —that is, for a man of six feet to leap six feet high, or a man of five feet eight inches to leap five feet eight inches high-is usually considered the perfection or ultimatum of the high leap. It may be noticed, however, that, all things considered, the man of medium size (about five feet eight inches) is almost always the most successful at this species of exercise.

What is gained in height is lost in distance. To make a long leap, therefore, it is not necessary to go high. The measurement of long leaps is by marks on level and soft ground, and he who clears the greatest number of marks is the most proficient. As in high leaping, the body must be inclined forward, and the spring made from the balls of the toes. To clear twelve feet without a run is considered a good leap. With a run of ten to fifteen paces, increased in velocity as the runner approaches the springing point, a leap may be performed of fourteen or fifteen feet. In this running leap, it is best to spring from the foot in which there is most proficiency, and to rise to a moderate height from the ground; too low a spring defeats the desired end, as must be evident to every one at all acquainted with the doctrines of Projectiles.

Leaping from a high to a low situation is another useful exercise. To acquire proficiency in it, begin with moderate heights, and learn to fall softly on the

formed with or without a run. The spring, as usual, is from the toes; and resting the hands on the bar, the legs are raised, and, by a jerk, pitched over to the other side. The pupil is to learn to vault in this manner, either towards the left or right. When perfect in the exercise, he learns to vault straight forward over the bar, between his hands, in which feat very great skill is necessary in doubling up the body and limbs during the spring. The methods of vaulting on and off horse-blocks are innumerable.

hand below and the right
above, the pole is planted
with its lower point on the
ground, and by a spring from
the left foot, the body is im-
pelled through the air to the
desired distance.

Fig. 8.

In performing this exercise, the pupil must learn not to lean too much on the pole, and not to keep too close to it. The knack of pole-leaping is, like all other kinds, dependent on the spring of the feet, and the presence of mind in throwing the body forward lightly and gracefully. The best plan is to begin with short leaps across ditches, and to increase the distance as expertness is acquired. When the method of springing from a fixed situation is acquired, proceed to advanced practice by making a run, a rapid plant of the pole, and a spring to a considerable distance, as across a brook of twelve or fifteen feet in width.

The next step is to learn to vault over a high object by means of the pole. Two posts and a cross cord, as in fig. 9, are usually employed in this exercise. The leap is taken by a run, and upon this run,' observes Walker, 'principally depend the facility and success of the leap. As the spring can take place only with one foot, and as this must arrive correctly at the springing place, it is necessary that the order of the steps should be arranged so as to effect this object. The fixing of the pole in the ground and the spring must take place at the same instant, because by that means the upper and lower memFig. 9. bers operate together; no power is lost, and the swing performed with the greatest facility. The leaper must carefully observe that the spring of the foot, and

the plant of the pole, are in the direction of (in a line | is, of keeping them down in an easy, quiet position, with) the preparatory run.'

Carrying Weights.

A regular course of gymnastics embraces the art of
lifting and carrying weights; but lessons in these exer-
cises must be conducted with much caution, and only
when the body has been otherwise well disciplined.
In lifting a weight, power is best exercised by doub-
ling the body, as if about to sit down; the hands then
grasp the ring of the weight placed between the feet,
and the body gradually straightening, the arms rise
with it, and lift what is in the hands. By this means
the whole force of the body is exerted, and no part
more than another.

Loads of any kind are most advantageously borne
on the back and shoulders, with the body erect.
arrangement of knapsacks on the backs of soldiers is
The
on this plan, the weight depending from each shoul-
der, and not hanging too low. The closer the load is
to the shoulder, the shorter is the lever, and the less
the pull on the point of resistance.

A man exercises his power of draught with the greatest advantage by pulling a rope over his shoulder, for in this case he throws forward the weight of his person, and he acts both by muscular energy and weight. The least advantageous exercise of his power is to carry a load up a ladder; for he has to carry up his own weight as well as the load which is on his shoulders.

Walking-Running.

The art of walking with ease, firmness, and grace, forms a necessary part of gymnastic or drill exercises. Few persons walk well naturally; the constraint of dress, distortion from labour, or bad habits of some kind, generally contributing to give a slounge to the figure, and an awkwardness to all the motions.

To walk gracefully, the body must be erect, but not stiff, and the head held up in such a posture that the eyes are directed forward. The tendency of untaught walkers is to look towards the ground near the feet; and some persons appear always as if admiring their shoe-ties. The eyes should not thus be cast downward, neither should the chest bend forward to throw out the back, making what are termed 'round shoulders;' on the contrary, the whole person must hold itself up, as if not afraid to look the world in the face, and the chest by all means be allowed to expand. At the same time, everything like strutting or pomposity must be carefully avoided. alone desirable. In walking, it is necessary to bear in An easy, firm, and erect posture, is mind that the locomotion is to be performed entirely by the legs. Awkward persons rock from side to side, helping forward each leg alternately by advancing the haunches. This is not only ungraceful, but fatiguing. Let the legs alone advance, bearing up the body. In setting down the feet, let the outer edge of the heel first touch the ground, and the sole of the foot bear and project the weight of the body. The length of step is of course to be determined by the length of limb. Efforts at taking long steps, out of proportion to the power of motion, are always ungraceful. Reckoning from heel to heel, or toe to toe, the length of a military step at drill march is thirty inches, which is considerably more than the length of ordinary steps in walking. The length of step at a moderate pace, of a man five feet nine inches high, is usually twenty-four inches; and this will be found a convenient length for most persons to acquire the habit of using.

The motion of the arms to and fro, in cadence with the movements of the legs, greatly helps the locomotion, and is advantageous in exercising the muscles of the shoulders, and expanding the chest. The motions of the arms, however, should be on a moderate scale, the hands not swinging through a greater space than eight or nine inches before and behind the leg. The practice of working forward the shoulders and swinging the arms at a great rate is inost odious. It may be added, that the art of comporting the hands-that

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and without meddling with the person-is one very necessary in polite behaviour, and should be acquired by all young persons, before bad habits are confirmed.

being from each foot alternately, and the motion being promoted by throwing forward the weight of the perRunning is a rapid leaping kind of walk, the leap which we illustrate by fig. 10: The upper part of son. The following are Walker's definitions of running, the body is slightly inclined forward; the head slightly thrown backward, to counteract the gravity forward; the shoulders are steady, to give breast is freely projected; the muscles of respiration; the a fixed point to the auxiliary upper parts of the arms are kept near the sides; the elbows are bent, and each forms shut, with the nails turned inwards; and the whole arms an acute angle; the hands are move but slightly, in order that the muscles of respira tion on the chest may be as little as possible disturbed, and follow only the impulse communicated by other parts. There exists, in fact, during the whole time of running, a strong and permanent contraction of the muscles of the shoulder and arm, which, though very than to keep the chest immovable, toward which the arms are brought close, the flexors and adductors of violent, is less serviceable to the extended movements which are especially contracted.

Fig. 10.

kept as straight as possible, the feet almost graze the At every step the knees are stretched out, the legs toes nor with the whole sole of the foot, and the spring is made rapidly from one foot to the other, so that they ground, the tread is neither with the mere balls of the pass each other with great velocity.

proportion to the development of the lungs, and consequently the volume of oxygen and blood which they Speed, and still more duration in running, are in can combine in their parenchyma at each respiratory movement. minal members developed, and the other possessing good lungs, the former will run with the greatest speed Thus of two men, one having the abdofor a short distance; but if the distance be considerable, he will soon be gained upon by the latter. culty of breathing long before the repetition of the after performing a certain space, is seized with a difficontractions has produced fatigue in the abdominal A runner, members. To excel, therefore, in running, requires, like walking and dancing, a peculiar exercise. muscular contractions depend, for their principle of excitement, on the respiration, the chest should be firmly fixed, so as both to facilitate this, and to serve As the as a point of support for the efforts of the lower members. The best runners are those who have the best wind, and keep the breast dilated for the longest time.

and slow expirations are of the greatest importance;
and young persons cannot be too early accustomed to
During the whole time of running, long inspirations
this practice. To facilitate respiration towards the end
of the race, the upper part of the body may be leant a
little forward. Running should cease as soon as the
breath becomes very short, and a strong perspiration
takes place.'

moderate distances, and for short periods of time; and
great or fatiguing feats are only to be attempted after
Exercises in running should commence with very
the body and lungs are strengthened by training.

TRAINING.

trian feats and other laborious undertakings, does not
differ materially from that pursued by the ancient
The method of training in modern times for pedes-
Greeks. The great object is to increase the muscular
strength, and to improve the free action of the lungs

or wind of the person subjected to the process. The nel at the top of his speed. Immediately on returning, means adopted to accomplish the end in view is eva- a hot liquor is prescribed, in order to promote the percuation, to cleanse the stomach and intestines; sweat-spiration; and of this he must drink one English pint. ing, to take off the superfluous fat and humours; daily It is termed the sweating liquor, and is composed of one exercise, to strengthen the muscles and system gene- ounce of caraway seed, half an ounce of coriander seed, rally; and a peculiar regimen to invigorate the body. one ounce of root-liquorice, and half an ounce of sugarAnd to this we add the use of the tepid bath, to remove candy, mixed with two bottles of cider, and boiled down impurities and promote a healthy action in the skin. to one half. He is then put to bed in his flannels, and We present the following graphic account of the pro- being covered with six or eight pair of blankets and a cess of training from Walker's Manly Exercises: '- feather bed, must remain in this state from twenty-five to thirty minutes, when he is taken out, and rubbed perfectly dry. Being then well wrapt in his greatcoat, he walks out gently for two miles, and returns to breakfast, which on such occasions should consist of a roasted fowl. He afterwards proceeds with his usual exercise.