Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-08-15

IT,
Aow TAsy AArs Hnssrss4s,a n Gym.
ss35 Ssss Aasslsa asaA- avyiaMming.
lg,1e. New York Tinsesl NJ
Previous to 1852 there was no special
fsyniaipg ain gymnastics at the academy.
u Thu AthlotiG apparatus was limited, and
theIcadcts used TO SO and practice
h when they pleased outside of study
4 hours. In 1881 Lieut.. Edward s. Far
B row, who graduated from here in 1875,
4 returned after Ave years Indian warfare
ON tho frontier az instructor ii tactics.
Y His experience in the saddle and hard.
ships Of camp life convinced him OF the
necessity Of q systematic course Of gym
4 hAstics to develop and increase the phys
L tcal powerS OF the cadet by gradually
!, advancing him from preliminary move
ments to the most arduous and compli-s
Gated machine exercises. By June. 1882,
+, Mr.. Farrow succeeded in getting the old
riding school in the academy building
!, Atted up as q gymnasium, and began to
4 put his theories into practice. .s.@
The height, weight and measurement,
! and ui,6N measurement of every cadet
4 II the fourth class WAS entered in a book,
and cach one put through an hours sys-
4tematic drill every day. At the end Of
the first year the advantages of this
treatment we're apparent, even to.those
who had at first been opposed to the
d plan. Tho average gain in weight for
each cadet in the. class was 1871 pounds,
i the average increase of chest girth Al
inches, the average increase in foEe-arn
u INCHES, the ave, a 20 increase in upper
arm 2a inches. J. The largest gain in
weight for ans individual member in the
class was 19t pounds; the largest in
crease i'll chest girth u inches, and the
largest increase in tho upper arm 81
y, inches Under the system arranged and
carried out by Lieut.. Farrow, the de-
selop,nent below the waist is uniform
with tho development above it.. The
, transformation in some Of the boys ut
the end Of the first year is sometimes
marvellous. From awkward, STOPPING,
stumbling boys, hardly capable of =
brisk three-mile walk, they become,
strong, supple, athletic young fellows,
capable of forced march Of twenty-five
, miles \ day for three consecutive days,
and performing difficult and seemingly
impossible feats on horseback, climbing
! fNaAapc'sl AAOhueAAS SeaAPHI anu @1OosAAE,
bitches. ~. ..,.<. >
In this study, as in all others here, the
cadet goes through his lessons with mill
tary precision and discipline The Sec
tions march into the gymnasium, and
each man stands erect in the line until.
his turn comes to perform the lesson Of
the day. No unnecessary talking or
shouting il allowed, and the cadets are
not allowed to poke fun at tho awkward
ness of beginner, Very frequently
some absurt, performance of >tinlid fel-
low makes the instructor laugh too. The
sesson over, each man wraps himself up
In His oyeYtoat ind marches back to his
quarters. The exercise is divided be-
q tween recitation hours, and the change
stimulates the mind to study. Not since
the present gymnasium was started has
there been III accident. Care is taken
10 arrange the mattresses to break the
force of a fall. The course includes ex-
ercises in running, leaping, jumping,
srestling, CARRYING, and pyramid build
lag. The agility displayed by the cadets.
In the 1.-TWO last mentioned exercises is.
astonishing. feats that the New Worker
is accustomed to SEQ only by trained ind
high -salaried athletes at;a circus they per-
form with apparent ease. Six men will
form = pyramid and reach q window
twenty feet high without putting on amy
ono man 4 r greater proportion of the
strain than he ont to bear ....-
These exercises rank among the most
sseful lin wall climbing or entering
houses. Indian clubs, dumb-bells, bar
bells, weights, vaulting- horses, horizon
tai bars, rings, tho trapeze, and climb
ing poles are all brought into play in de-
seloping the muscles. In this years
class two young men can clear: 5 feet a
inches in running jump, which is more
than on inch better than Harvard last
81 record. Three men do feet inches in
a standing jump, and: two-thirds of the
class will not fan short of the mark. In
pole.ieaping, cadets easily do St feet,
and they could excel this if the ceiling
WAS higher. In fact the gymnasium
room Is q. poor place at best-low rooted
=. and narrow, in the cramped basement of
building. A bill is before congress
aow to appropriate SIS, 900 for new
building and additional apparatus,
which, Il passed, will enable the academy
to fit up ono Of the best-equipped gym.
us$SIuMb IA tuC Sooietys Ill iFSUNASLAE
several of the class can easily clear
double bucks, fifteen feet, apart. The
cadets ali enter tho gymnasium with zest
and thoroughly enjoy the exercise. After
the first year they are left TO their own
resources and enter the gymnasium
q, when they please; but all are thoroughly
trained for the more difficult duties d
1 the riding school. First-year men do moi
try the live horses until they have be
I'll, come thoroughly at home IN any position
EN- the leather backs of tho wooden ones
N the gymnasium. y
During the summer months tho cadets
are taught how to swim, how to rescue d
drowning person., and the quickest
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I, were, stEE,ke when the,
:iss y i;s
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