, 1873-09-28
In THE WATER OF THE SEINE.


Pnrlslnn lrhthtng- g-Plnccs--I1oxv tho
French SsvtlnminE-N Master Stimu-
Jntcs His PnrAls--A Visit To Chntons-
A Free n,ad Easy taiatll nnd u jay
Gus People.
art' tAug 2S c'ryf,enasf<e z$tuns e' tao Se' to'e
think tho French 1,yin. s~l,nmpg g-astcr oyordocs
his business, mud indoa1 thtR holds good Of tho
gonoral teaching Of athletic oxorcaos In France.
In foncing the tongue Of tho mahtor IL ns active
as his s@ord With bis "Pey sttsnslon "iooh
sda IN tss fos pFs Ths sGH 6 ea!s !sssass s
lating tho pupil, and ia usod also in tho water.
A broad baud oncIrclos tho upper, part
Of tho pupil's body. to which is attached
feot above tho wator III which tho learner is I'M
meraed. As soon Us tho tyro gots into tue
water, or rather ia lot down into II, the toacher,
habitcd in nautical costume OF. tho Theatre
on with Rorios OF orlors like drill-aorgoaut
putting d sound Of raw recruits through tie pre-
fiminafy 1noyemonts 'Arc YOU ready down
there?" iB tho first apeoch addressed to tho
affirmative IL tho signal for running fro Of ln-
structionB Ecoutoz-moi bion, jeuue lommo
raaaemb1czyoua levez Ia toto, rogardoz on
avant coat cola; mnintonant partez! Q 10
iasnbos; partozl Zutl Quol tlaseol En-
| coro; un, doux. Encora-un, deux--Roposona
| nous IN instaut. Jeuuo hommo vous
| In Opera Comiqua costume looks as if he Lad
dono his duty nobly and desergea veil Of his
country. asked linn why ho did not put tho
young man on the end Of besra a.. ana ID let him
gala garments, " and have him humping against
! all tho clients Of tho establiBhmont With his
board 2" Swimming has always boon taught IN
this way, aud people mnns conform to IT accord"
Here my gayly-oararisonol fresh-wator man
put lis finger, without knowing II, on ono of tho
| ccharaotoristics Of the French nation-the lovo
| Of administration and tho absence Of individual
| Initiative. Thus the lad must be harnossod up
In bolt and rope, and made to learn according to
ruo, with the Bacrameutal uu, doux, Hi, deux,
and tho rest Of it. Besides, he doea not take to
tho water kindly ho becomes excited, swallows
water has q fit Of coughing, and, as aoon as ho
recovors hiB voice, tho ilrst use he makea Of it
| Ia to cali on tho man overheard to draw linn up,
who does 1t with Bhrug and q non. dun chicn.
| But when tho Frenchnaan las onca learned so
through the water he derives much pleasure from
It, as he does from every other act of Gfo from
which It Ia possible to extract enjoyment. In the
great bathing-housos Of the 6elne 10 drapes him
self in his peigHotr--a Wlfte muslin gown-.and
| basks il tho sun OIL one OF tho houclea looking
down into tho wator, whore he amtlso8 himBof for
| fow minutes in watching others disEn"ting; then
he throws OF his pei9noir aud loans luto It him
self. The aame politenoss exists in Tho watcr
10 asks pardon II under the water ho bumps
against lin Ae n,akes tho proper amend Us
soou "a his mouth rises above the watcr-lpo.
11o is capable Of y submarine bow. Ho seldom
ever swins until his flngors wrinkle and hia lips
! arc blue-auother national trait-modoration in
ploasure. Sam Patches and Byrons arc only
found in tho Apglo-Saxon rnco. Tho Gaul,
emerging from tho water, resumes Ills gown,
| mud lounges about On tho bonches for fow
minutca. A collection OF such shoeted figures
In different groupings suggests tribc Of Do
| douna at home on tho desert.
This IL In tho city, wlere wooden walls sur-
ronna tho bathiug places, but beyond tho city
boundaries thoro iB no restriction. In tho ell
virons, provided tho calccou girds tho loins Of
tho bather, he may swim wlorcves he pleaseB.
country, and about ten minutos bo-
yond bouglral: Il ia thiekly-Eoolol
Island in tho seino with eyory description Of
Bmall boat moorod on its shores. repnircd to
the place tho other evening about o'clock.
when 1t presented IN animated appearance.
Several balconicd inns IN the wooda were tho
headquarters Of gaiety. Horo gayly hablted
File do 1ladamo Angot," accompanying them
eeIyos on tho pluno, and at tue chorus, bringing
everything into requieition under hand, canes,
forks, or umbrellas. III the inn at tho water-
Of tho small rooma to reappoar III his costume Of
bather. soft white robo, with . blue bordor,
covered his body, mud . brjghtiy-tsimmod straw
hat crowned him: A!ttiiriug myaslt in like
sido t to tle boat OF aay companion, which was
lying woll up on tho shore. A stout young
woman came to his aid in showing tho boat into
tho water. During tho operation ho threw OF
his gown and thus appeared only in calecop, at
which tho young woman manifested 10 surprise,
On my romarling to him, whom wo were out in
tho riyor, that sho had taken his nudity as q
mattor OF course, ho said thut tho idea had never
l.S.x 4,aFnr Fr41 ,$r t.aA
sec any improprioty in tue proceeding. and added
TINT, If tho boat-women took 1t into their heads
to be pEudcs like tho English Meeses, It was timo
for them to quit tho buairlosu:
NY COMPANION rowed in hia cnlecon, and We
mot mony othora, III; likc meagre costume, in
boats and along tho shore. We also met parties
Of ploasuro OF men md women-bons boryeois
out for q days pleasure, grlsettea aud their
rowcd. Hore and thore wero men and women
bathing from broad yawls, with steps descending
from tho stern into tho water. Several uon
werc tonching women to swim, holding them up
With ropo aud bolt, and ~ olla INSTANCE 7 was
accompanied with lit.lo 'scroans Of delight and
laughter. The Dathing costume Of tue women
loft tho neck, arms, and loga to, tho
kEes. bare, considerable coquetry being
Of tic aun 70 lopt noar tho oyor-roaching
boughB Of tho shore, and midway botwoon tho
Startling point and 1ougiral, wo calna upon
"Tho Froggery." much froquontea hy women
Of then,, nexing hold Of our cochlO-shol boat
can,e near capsizlng ua, OF oourAo ullirstention-
nearly falliug into your ar~y." ." XoM might 70
nlessspp sssspe WI yao g Ae: S ii lay grosS "
the bottom Of the river, a,lsworel, sho. Az
9Th eshPr s vol US. know" wy II tho Sot$ eAstsa 4s TS {
{ntn tItn Vator nfDHHiollrH. eu1 11.nI,o ynur-