The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-07-21
Xod,ia women Niiai Swim.

"NnASn lSatu W 6Wltu uCrC( ell
yes, l should say they do," said swim.
ming master, In reply to the query Of a
reporter. 1--WE generally have from five
hundred to six hundred women end oirl
puplis every season, and the desire TO learn
the art seems to be extending among the
sex year by year."
"ls 1t IS easy to teach O woman or a pir)
10 SWIM as 1t is man or boy ?"
"Not quite; but, then. there are excep-
lions 10 the rule. A woman Is more con-
fding than man, generally, and puts her
trust IN her teacher more fully than q man.
but when she first touches the water and
goes through the motions Of swimming she
Is apt to be very nervous. She is slow of
cohnprehenslon for time. A man plunges
IN recklessly, digests his instructions with
OUT parleylng and has none of that nervous
fear that retards the progress of nearly all
women."
Are there any good swimmers among
your female pupil>3"
"oh, yes, several. We have one Young
lady or nineteen who can do two miles of
fast swimming. Several of our girls would
DC able, under pressure, to swim across
the Delaware. Teaching gives thom con-
hdence in themselves and fits them for an
emergency that everybody Is likely to meet
once at least IN lifetime"
'Our process of teaching is very simnlo
and easy one. When the punil presents
herself and has donned her bathing suit,
which consists OF a sack, skirt and broad
trowsers, she is taken to the preoar.,torv
room and lie taught the proper motions of
her arms and legs on carpet. These
mastered, she is taken to the bathing pool,
where strap, 30 padded as not to hurt
her' 10 passed around her body, and she 10
placed In the water with her face down
ana Kept anoat by a rope passed through a
pulley. Here she goes through the motions
OF swimming, which, like her music lesson
at home. are indicated by the voice of the
iemaie teacher, who counts one, two, three
III a.monotone that gives the time to the
motions Of the limbs. The next stage ,s
swimming with float or hfe-preseryer
around the body. In this the actions of
the Hmbs are perfectly free, and the pupil,
accompanied by the teacher, often succeeds
IN lnaKlng round Of the bath In the Sec
ond or third lesson. All her motions are
closely watched and her attention is sharp.
~ called to any false stroke or laggard
movement. The motions once perfectly
learned, the pupil soon gathers confidence
In her ability to swim and 1t Is only in q
lew cases that we are not able to dispense
with the hoat at the fifth lesson and send
the young lady out to SWIM without any
other aids than those given her by nature.
Girls are taught the same stroke as boys,
out think there ls an essential difference
between them In the matter OF using the
propell:ng power of the lower limbs. The
poy ID more vigorous and more propulsive
I'D his legs than in his arms, while with the
girls the reverse ls the case. Many of our
lady swimmers dispense with the skirt,
which somewhat retards their motions and
wear SIMPLY the sack and the trousers. l
thlnk that is the most reasonable swim.
ming costume, for the skirt ia apt to hold
the water and lessen the speed of the
swimmer by giving her a heavier load to
carry"
''Do old ladies ever take a fancy to
swimmlng2'
''Sometimes. One day last summer we
had party here that Included three gene
ratlons Of one family. There were the
grandmother, hearty old lady of go; the
mother, plump matron of 10, and four
daughters, ranging from IL to 18 years of
age. All could Gwim except the old
lady, aud could oco as eho etood in tho
shallow water that she envied her descend
ants the enjoyment Of their ACCOMPLISH
ment. Many medical men prescribe swim
ming baths for ladies, and we have regular
visitors who come because the exercise is
beneficial to their health"
"la the art ever likely to be useful to
Jadles2"
10 show you that the art Of swimming
Is often useful, even to women, l can recall
two or three incidents in the career of GER
tain pupils of ours that will prove very
interesting. One of our pupils was a
daughter OF Ex-Secretary Of the Navy
Bore. Sho was an expert swimmer and
perfectly fearless. One day IN the summer
or 1877 when she was bathing on the beach
at Cape May two children that belonged to
a party near her were seized by recsdipp
wave and carried out beyond their depth.
Neither could swim, and the ladies who
were with them were equally helpless.
Taking IN the situation at q glance, Miss
Borlc swan out into the swelling surf and
in moment had rescued the drowning
children.
Another young lady, also a pupil of
ours, Miss Laury, whose father is a coal
dealer at Lombard street wharf, saved a
minister and another gentleman at water
s'oSS VII l1Oue ulGCT u DCrllOuS
swim. The men could not swim, and hav-
ing been seized by the undertow were
drawn out into deep water, where they
were helpless. Miss Laury swan to them.
and by her noble aid they got safely
ashore. What would have been her feel
lngs at that moment If she haA not known
how to swimP Still another pupil of ours
las distinguished herself by saving life.
This was Miss Fanny Relgel. One day
when she was riding near Hammelsburg,
little village on the Delaware, she saw
come children playing in boat on large
mill dam. Suddenly, to her horror, the
boat upset and the three little children
were struggling in the water. Without the
loss OF second she sprang from her car
rlage, and only stopping to throw off her
bonnet and shawl plunged into the pond.
She was enabled fortunately to save three
lives, whereas. had she not been swim.
mcr. aho would have had the horrible
memory all her life OF tho death struggles
OF the little lnnocents.
II only cite these instances to show that
an opportunity tor dong good often occurs
to woman who can swim. A d,st,n-
guished author says of the art: There IS
no exercise more graceful, more easy, more
pleasant, more health. giving to the human
frame than swimming. 1t expands the
chests, it rounds the arms, develops the
II