The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-07-28

| above or below the place, that he nay be
| carried into before he.is aware OF 1t.
| The best time TO go in IS IN the morn
ing.
Suppose the boy undrtssed, his clothes
| neatly laid. away on the bank of the Tlyer
or pond, and he just ready to go In. Now
standing where you are, jump in where
( the water is a foot or a foot and hall
deep. II will seem cold at first, but il is
altogether better thar to wade in, because
waaing in drives the blood upward TO the
head, which is liable to work serious in
Jury. After you are wet all over, then wade
quickly in til you stand with the water
up to your waist, then give spring to-
ward the shore, at the same time striking
out with your hands sideways TO your
body and kicking with all your might.
The first time trying you viii sink TO
the bottom, and if your feet are notunder
you, your head will 60 under water; but
you must scramble up quickly and go
back and try again. The next time, per-
haps, YOU will go several feet without
touching the bottom-yOUr first success
in learning to swim. Keep repeating this,
always wading in, and then striking out
for the shore.
OF course, all this will weary you ane
put you out of breath, SO you should not
stay in over fifteen minutes at the long
est Il is very important To remember
this. If you stay IN longer and get tired
and cold, you will be uncomfortable the
remainder of the day; besides, if you
continue the practice OF staying in the
water too long for any length of time,
your health viii &c permanently injured.
When you come out OF the water, wipe
your body until t is thoroughly dry, AID
when dressed, commence active exercise
at once.
After you have learned so that you can
wade out rod or more from the shore
ard then swim to it, you can try swim
ming down stream If you arc In river,
or alongside the shore il you arc in
pond; but you should always remember
that you will get tired in a few minutes;
and should you "iose your wind" as the
boys say, when you are III deep water,
you viii be in great danger Of drowning.
When you have learned To swim, then
YOU can learn to float. Go in where the
water is up to your arms, and where it
grows more shallow instead OF deeper as
you go down the stream. Then stand
with your face up the river, aud gently
fall over backward, with your hands at the
same time crossed under the small OF your
back, giving a good spring with your feet
that will send your body up TO the top OF
the water. You will go under il q second,
but hold your breath ard keep your mouth
shut till you spring up as your feet touch
the bottom, and then try il again. The
next time you viii do better, and with
constant practice you viii soon have such
confidence and such skill that when y0u
are tired swimming, you can tGrn over.
cross your arms undcT your back, and
with little else than your nose out of
water, float until you arc rested an. ready
TO swim.
Three things should always be remem-
bered. Never venture into deep water
until YOU have learned 10 swim aee'f, and
never then unless it is necessary. There
is as much fun IN swimming where the
water is four feet deep - where il is ten,
and far more safety Never stay in after
ven are cold or chilly, or after you are
tired. And last, twice p day is enough for
the wsrmess weatheT, and the most favor
able circumstances once 9 day when Il is
coid, or ycu live 6 considerable distance
from the watec- Ks1rN and H1Bie.