Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-09-26
TIE WEST rc,NT CaCETJ.
ss"" Ihcy Arc Instructed in <.yiM-
na>tic- a,,;i Swimming"


na>ti"- ani Swimming.
Tor. Nrw Yori 1ima..I
fT";.oH, /" 1~~2 !iorc was 10 ~.n.oiai
training ii gymnastics a' ''!c ;rr;irmy.
The ATHLETIC APPARATUS va> limited. and
TIE ca!'t> r-"d 80 - AMI lr;'cr,r,
when they pleased ouT~i''" "i stud,
h"G'>. In iN~I Lieut. Edward =. Far.
r"N, wh" sra'.ualrd iron; her, in is;G.
rtt'i'H'F! H'i.!' I've years ll.,i,n warfare
oi ia" t."l.ilcr ao INSTRUCTOR of tactics.
!il~ "N"rti..llcr III the ~:i,Gi" and hard.
sh'F'- 81 c;,mp lit" convinced hiin of III.
nt'' SHY Ol Il st>;tmat;c course of gym.
na~t'"S To develop and increase the pliys-
lea powers ot the cadet by gTiuhlaly
aH}ar'ln@ mn from preliminary move.
lr"}ii> L. the most ar';llnuS and cnnpli-
cHt"d machine cXrrcl>rS Ry Jnnc. 1889.
w. "arr"w ,ucccc'icd IN ~cfiin., he old
r.'l"G->''is.ol in t:ic academy huiliin.
nti'! w aS gymnasium. and began Ia
pat his tllcori'@; INTO practice.
!hr h"lgi;t. weight ani measurement.
ana c'irSt measurement ni every cadet
III ~ fourth riaS> WAS entered in n hook.
a'id each "n" put through an hours sy>-
t"matlc drill every day. At the end of
Ii" first Year the advantages of this
treatment were apparent, even to those
Wh' had at ;irS, been "pPo>cd to the
plan. The average gain IN weight for
each cadet i'll the cl ios was rs pounds,
III" average increase of chest rirtI A.
Inches. the aNcrag.. increase i'll for. arm
l. lnc,c til" ave Il e incIct,cin upprr
arm :: inches. The largest gain IN
weight for any individual member in the
cli>s wa' l9l pounds; the largest in
cieaS" III chest g.rth - inches, and the
largest increase m the UPPER arm 3
lncii''S. ndcr the system arranged and
carri.d ont hy Lieut.. Farrow, the de-
vcl"pmrnt b. low the waist is uniform
with the development above il. The
transform ton i'll some of the hovs at
the end of the first year is ,oHrtimcs
marvellous. From awkward, STOPPING,
shamhing boys. hardly capable of IA
brisk thrremilc walk. they becomc,
strong, supple, athletic young fellows,
capable OF Il forcc.l march Of twenty-five
m.l.> Il dav for three consecutive days.
and performing difficult and seemingly
impossible fcatS on horseback. climbing
pa!apc.s, mounting scal'pS, and crossing
ditchrS.
in this study, "a in all others here, the
cadet goes through his lessons with mill
tary precision and discipline The see
tions march into the gymnasium, aud
each man stands crccr IN the line until
his turn comes 10 perform lh. lesson of
the day. M unnecessary talking or
shouting is allowed. and the cadets ale
81 II. a., e.. L. l..
ness of a beginner. Very frequently
some absurd performance OF a timid fpl-
low makes the Instructor laugh TOO. The
l", son over, each man wraps himself up
III his oV,rcoat and marches back 10 his
quarters The exercise is Iii, n,rd be-
tween recitation hours. and ,hr change
stimulates the mind to study Not since
the prcS' nj gymnasium was started has
there been an accident. Care is taken
to arrange the mattresses to break the
force of Il fall The course includes eX-
ercises in running, l"apiny, jumping.
wrestling. carrying. and pyramid build
inE. The agility displayed by the cadets
in the TWO last-mcntloncd exercises is
astonishing. FeatS that the New Yorker
is accustomed to ste only bv trained and
high >aa:lcd athletes al il circus they per
form with apparent ease Six men will
form pyramid ard reach window
twenty fee; high without putting on any
one man Il greater proportion of the
strain than he ont to bear.
These exercises rank among the most
useful in wall climbing or entering
houses. Indian clubs. dumb bclls, bar
bells. weights. Nauiiing- horses. horizon
tai bars. rings, the trapeze, and climb
ing poles are all brought into play in de.
veloping the muscles. In this wears
class two young men can clear j feet Il
inches i'll running jump, which is more
than an inch better than Iarvard's last
record. Three men do feet ) inches in
n standing jump. and two-thiids of the
class will not fall short OF the mark. In
pole-lcaping. cadets easily do Sl feet.
and they could excel this if the ceiling
was higher. In fact the gymnasium
room is Il poor place at beSt-low-roofed
and narrow, in the crampcd basement of
4 building. A bill is before congress
now to appropriate $1,000 for a new
building and additional apparatus.
which, If passed. will enable the a academy
TO lt up one of the best-equippcd gym
III sums in the country. In vaultinC
several of the class can easily clear
double bucks. fifteen feet apart. The
ca' C., all enter the gymnasium with zest
and thoroughly enjoy the exercise After
the first year they are left TO their own
resource and enter the gymnasium
when they please; but ali arc thoroughly
trained for the more difficult duties of
the riding school. First year men do not
try the live horses until they have be-
come thoroughly at home in any position
on the leather backs of the wooden ones
In the gymnasium.
During the summer months the cadets
are taught how To SWIM how to rescue a
drowning person. and the quickest
method of restoring the apparently
drowned. In last years class siAty-seven
were unable To swim stroke when they
reported for their first lesson. Before
the summer w;.S over, every one of that
number could swim across the III ldSOn
river from the bath-houSeS near iii tar
gets i'll Washington valley, and part of
them could swim back a..aln. The river
Is thrcc-;iuartcrS OF Il mile wide at this
point he cadets are taught all the
motions al swimming in the gymnasium
during the winter. So that when they get
INTO the water they have comparatively
little to learn.
What She Put In II.