Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1860-09-28
decentralization.
Amateur Gymnastics.

4 young " Law stadcnt,' a missn-
thropie dyspeptc who was induced to
try gymnastics, sends to the Kniekerbock-
cr Magazine some of fis Sc experiences
in that department of physical science.
We clip and quote -
" didn't attempt anything for good
while. sat and calmly surveyed the
scene. saw very little boys, who SEEM
ed to be qualifying themselves for the
profession Of India Rubber men, | saw
great strappmg men (new eomers) at
tempt and fail in things which fellows
whom they could put in their pockets did
with ease. | saw feats performed which
seemed very hard, and which turned out
to be very easy and feats which proved
very simple to look at and ssplters' to try.
and then | took of my coat and went in
pulled up the small weights five or siz
times ] went along the horizontal lad
der and the parallel bars once or twice. l
went home, and found two fine blsters OH
my hands next morning. Still | went
there the next evening; exercised twice
as much as ! did before felt convinced
that | was getting along very fast, and
| lay awake all most all night my arms achcd
| So
& staid away about a week and then
fell to work again marfdfly; became ac-
quaintcd with a young man WHO knew
the ropes" AND, under his guidance, per-
formed many marvellous feats. and met
with more mshaps than [ believe any
body ever met with before in the same
space Of time.
i" Being long and lean, and naturally
awkward, every new thing learned was
ushcrcd in by Il disaster or two. But
still pcrscyercd, for I slept :" like top
and ate at a rate very alarming to my
boarding-house keeper. pcrsevered for
two long months, and was still in the "fu'l
tide Of successful experiment. when. on
going to the gymnasium at my accustom-
cd hour one cYcnine,L found brilliant as
-embly Of beauty, brought together by
invitation of the managers, TO witness our
performances.
i" | disportel mvsclf ON the floor some
time, until at length my evil genius I'M
pclcd me to ascend for the first time,
ladder which ran up one side of the roem
nearly to the ceiling; then across. and
down the other side oil the ROOM under
the horizontal part OF the ladder was tenn
porarily placed over Il spring board, ofthc
existence Of which was unaware.
wriggicd up the ladder with convusiye
Jerks ei the les, the audience looked on
in respectful silence but when | had
reached tive middle Of the horizontal ladder
l,...g,,,.t,,,, I....,,n ;,,,o,.;LI,i | .o,II
neither 20 backward nor forward, but
hung suspended between heaven and earth
like Mahommets coffin. | lsguirmcl about
with my legs, but | could find no rest for
the SoIes OF my feet could lrotd on no
longer and rs the distance wasn't very
great, | determined to drop to the floor
rs gracefully rs possible, and persuade
the audience that it was done ON purpose.
50 let 90 and d0tc4 came perpcndic-
ulary-;nd up went flying" | had
come down upon my feet upon the spring
board!
My first impression was chaos my
second WAS that had dropped into the
mouth Of Il cannon just as it was going off,
Up went, like Il shuttle-cock, almost to
the ladder, at which | made desperate
but Intellectual claw" which threw me
out Of the perpendicular, and doaca
came bang in Il sitting posture; up
went again, and gathered my legs under
me distraetcdly It's rose, so that when |
dropped again, was shot in sIanting
direction, head foremost, as from cata-
putt, into the waistcoat OF two hundred
pound man, who was looking on in open
mouthcl asotnishmcnt. Down he went
with Il . .squclch,' and over him went.
like lightning, into the dressug-room
rushed into my clothes, and out of the
building, and have never entered gym
nasium since -