Gazette and sentinel., 1860-03-24
AMATEUR GYMNASTICS.

A young Law Student" . nissan
thrupic dyspcptic, who was induced to
TRY" gymnastics, sends to the knlck-
erbocker Magazine some of his expert
cncey' in that department Of physical
science.
Il didn't attempt anything for a good
while. | sat and calmly surveyed the
scene. [ saw very little bows, who
seemed to be qualifying themselves for
the profession of India Rubber men.
saw great strapping men (new comcrs)
attempt and fail in things which fellows
whom they could put in their pockets
did with easc. ] saw featS performed
which seemed very hard, aud which
turned out to hc very easy; and tvats
| proved very simple TO look at, and split
ters' 10 try: and then took of my coat
and went in | pulled up the small
Weights five or six times; ! wcnt along
the horizontal ladder and the parallel
bars once or twicc. | went home and
found two fine hlistrrs onmy hands next
morning. Still | went there the next
evening: exercised twice aS much a. |
did before, felt convinced that | vas
getting along very fast: and lay awak"
almost all night. my arms achcd So.
II stayed away about u week, and
then fell to work again mantNlly, be-
came acquainted with IA young gentle
man who knew the ropes and, under
his guidance. | performed many marvel
louS fcats, and also met with more mis-
haps than l believe anybody ever met
with before, i'll the Sarnc space of time,
Being long and lean, and naturally
awkward. everything | learned was
ushered in with = disaster or two. Bnt
still | perscvcrcd, for ! now slept Ike i
top and ate ut "a rate very alarming To
my boarding house. | ~pcrscvcrcd for
two long months, and Wa still ia the
fun tide Of successful experiment,
wien, on going to the gymnasium at my
accustomed hour one evening. ! found Il
brilliant aSScmhlaScuf beauty. brought
together 10y invitation of the managers.
10 witness our performances.
Il disportcd myself on the iloor some
time, until ct length NY evil gcniuS i'm
PEELED me t. ascend. for the first time, 4
ladder which ran ~ one side of the room
nearly 10 ia" ceiling; then acr"s and
down the other side Of the Room. Under
the horizontal part of the ladder was
temporarily placed a spring-bpard, Of
whose existence | was ! wig
glcd up the ladder with ~convulSivc Jerks
of the legs, TIE audience lnoSing Oh in
respectful SILENCE, but when | had reach
/ cd the middle "a the horizontal part, loco
motion became impossible. | conll nci-
Their 90 backward nor forward, but hung
: suspended between heaven AMI earth,
like Mohammcd's coffin. ! squirmcd
about with my legs, but l could find no
rest for the sole of my feet. lcnuld hold
: on no longer; and as the distance wasn't
z very great, | determined to drop t. the
: floor as gracefully as possible, and per
suade the audience that it was done ON
purpose. 50 let go, and dorm | came
+ perpcndicularly-and gp / went flying.
| hrd come down IN my feet upon The
SRrinS-board.
My first impression was a chaos: my
I = 'cond was that dropped into the
: III nth of . cannon just A. il was going
I off. Up | went. like a ~Shuttlrcock, al.
% most 10 the ladder, at which ! made a
desperate but Intellectual effort To CLAW,
| which threw me out of the Pcrpcndicu'
, lar, and dorB | came, bang, bang in a
l sitting posture: up went again, gath.
cred my legs under me distractcdly rs
rose; 10 that when | dropped again, ]
: was shot in a slanting direction, head
foremost, ~ from a catapult, into the
waiStcoat of 4 two hundred pound man,
who was booking on III open-nlouthcd as
: tonishmcnt. Down he went with a
'Squclch,' and owe him | went, like
! lightning, into the dressing room ! ]
rushed into my clothes, and out of the
; building, and have never entered agym'
nasium since -