POLE LEAPING.-The pole should be made of some tough, hard vood, not liable to snap, and adapted to the height and strength of the pupil, and to the length of the leaps he is to undertake.

The pupil should begin with a short pole, and practise leaping without a run. Rest one end of the pole on the ground, holding it by both hands, placed near each other, a little above the head. Then spring up evenly on both feet, managing the arms so that the elbows are bent when the body passes the pole. Push yourself forward as far as possible, leaning all your weight on the pole, and continue this practice gradually, increasing the distance of your leaps.

For a horizontal leap, with a run, stand at some distance from the space you wish to clear. Hold the pole with the right hand above your head,

thumb upwards, and with the left hand at the height of the thigh, thumb downwards. Then start with a run, keeping the lower end of the pole in front of you. On reaching the edge of the ditch, or space you wish to jump, stick the end of the pole into the earth, and by a sudden and powerful spring, raise the body, leaning the weight on the arms as you rise, making a half turn as you clear the space, and alight on the balls of the feet, on the other side, bending the knees to break the force of the descent. The longer the distance you have to leap, the nearer the top must you grasp the pole, the distance between your hands and the lower end of the pole being in fact the radius of a half-circle, of which your feet, in leaping, describe the circumference.

Low walls and fences may be jumped by means of the leaping pole. Here it becomes necessary to lift the feet high as you rise, so as to clear the wall, and as you descend bring the upper hand smartly down, so as to jerk the lower end of the leaping pole upwards, that it may clear the wall.

DUMB-BELLS are excellent for opening the chest, and developing the muscles of the arms; but care must be taken not to put too heavy a pair into the hands of a novice. In ancient times, they were used by the Greeks and Romans in their gymnastic evolutions. The first exercise consists in raising the dumb-bells alternately to the height of the shoulder, the hands of the pupil being brought steadily up, straight before him; all appearance of jerking or effort must be avoided. The movements of dumbbell exercises are generally pretty much like those in hand-exercise, described at page 37; but they are more efficacious, inasmuch as the weight of the dumb-bells develops the muscular powers of the arms, and opens the chest. The motions must, however, not be continued too long without rest, as the work is rather heavy.

INDIAN CLUB EXERCISE is very much like that of the dumb-bells in character. The illustration will show their appearance, and the method of using them. Indian clubs are said to have been first imported, not from India, as their name would imply, but from Persia, by a

DUMB-BELLS.

colonel in the British army, who had seen them used in that country. They are very useful in strengthening the arms and shoulders, and developing the chest and wrists; and if their use is persevered in, they will render the person

who practises with them ambi dextrous-that is to say, he will be able to use his left arm almost as well as his right in hurling, flinging stones, lifting weights, and similar operations. The exercises consist in lifting the club to the shoulder, first with the right arm, then with the left, then both arms together. Then the clubs must be whirled slowly round the head (see illustration), each arm being used alternately, and the foot of the club depressed towards the shoulder as the club passes round the head. The motions must be made slowly at first, and gradually increase in rapidity as the pupil becomes proficient. Other exercises consist in lifting the clubs perpendicularly in the air, first alternately, then both together, and in stretching them out horizontally at arm's length.

THROWING THE JAVELIN, OR BAR.-This useful exercise is practised in two ways. The first method is to poise the bar horizontally on the palm of the hand (not in the fingers, for by this means you would lose much of the force of your cast), and to discharge the javelin from the shoulder, at a target. The other (shown in the engraving), is to seize the javelin, or bar, in the middle, with the right hand; he must then advance the left foot, and poise himself firmly upon it, bringing forward the left hand at the same time.

Then, after swinging the bar twice or three times to and fro (always keeping it in a vertical position), he must launch it with all his force, and it will fly through the air to some distance.

We now come to the third part of our gymnastic course, and have to describe

EXERCISES PERFORMED WITH FIXED APPARATUS. -It would require a space far exceeding our limits to describe all the exercises performed in gymnastic institutions by the help of fixed apparatus. It will be sufficient for our purpose, and our young readers' too, if we enumerate those most frequently practised with the more ordinary kinds of apparatusnamely, parallel bars, poles, ropes, and ladders.

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PARALLEL BARS-A good gymnastic ground ought to have at least two sets of parallel bars-a set of moderate height for beginners, and a larger one for the more advanced gymnasts. The first exercise is as follows: -Standing at one end of the parallel bars, grasp the two bars with the hands, and spring from the ground, so as to support the body on the hands. Then advance through the bars, by shifting each hand alternately, keeping the legs as still as you can, though at first it is almost impossible to avoid jerking them a little. When you are perfect in this, try advancing through the bars, moving both hands together, keeping the body stiff, the arms straight, and the chest well forward.

Swinging in the parallel bars by the hands is also a good exercise; and after swinging for some time, jump out of the bars to the ground, either back.

wards or forwards, taking care not to hit your ancles against the bars as you swing out. Other exercises :-Swing steadily to and fro in the bars; then, as your feet come forwards, drop your elbows slowly, so as to rest the forearm against the bars; as the feet swing backward, recover, yourself with a slight jerk, and return to the first

position. The fol-
lowing is more
difficult. Enter-
ing the bars in
the usual manner,

let yourself down

gradually

by

bending the el-
bows, until you
hang in the po-
sition shown in
the cut. Then
swing, then pass
through the pa-
rallel bars in the
same position, by
moving each hand

alternately. This exercise should not be persevered in too long, as the strain on the muscles of the shoulders and chest is rather severe.

THE LADDER.-The first use of the ladder exercises in gymnastics is to give confidence to the pupil, and to teach him to depend on his power of balancing himself, in mounting or descending, without the aid of his hands. To do this, keep the knees a little

bent, and hold the hands slightly forward in front of the chest, as shown in the illustration. Keep the body always in the same position, fixing the eye upon one point-for instance, the fourth rung of the ladder above the lower foot-and take care that the eye moves upward in the same ratio with the feet, always keeping four rungs above the step on which the lower foot is resting. Observe the same rules in descending the ladder.

To mount the ladder by the hands, stand underneath it, and grasp the sides of the ladder, above your head, and work the hands alternately upwards, slightly drawing up the body by the elbows, keeping the feet quite still. Work your way downwards in the same manner. To mount with the hands by the steps, stand under the ladder, grasping the highest rung you can reach, with both hands; then, raising yourself by the elbows, grasp at the next rung, and so work your way up till you get to the highest; descend in the same manner.

CLIMBING ROPES AND POLES.-It is usual to supply ropes, knotted at intervals, for the benefit of beginners. To climb one of these, the rope must be grasped firmly with both hands, one just above the other, raising the body by the arms; the feet should be brought together above one of the knots, against which the feet rest, while the climber seizes the rope higher up with his hands. He then raises himself again, grasping a higher knot with his feet, and thus works his way, by alternate movements of the hands and feet, to the top. In descending, move first the hands, and then the feet, from knot to knot, in an inverse manner.

In climbing the plain rope, seize it as before with both hands, as high as you

can reach; then draw
up the legs, holding
the rope firmly between
them. It is advan.
tageous also to pass
the rope round the
outside of the calf of
one leg, before it is
grasped between the
ancles, as this gives an
additional support, and
relieves the arms of
part of the weight of
the body. When the
feet have a good firm
hold, the hands should
be lifted up to get a
fresh hold, and draw
up the legs as before.
In coming down the
rope, the hands must
be kept further apart
(see illustration), to
steady the descent.

The hands may be permitted to slip along the rope, or may be moved downwards alter

nately. The latter method is the best.

Climbing the pole is more difficult than climbing the ropes, because the feet cannot obtain so firm a purchase. In climbing, raise the hands, and pull the body up by them; in descending, clasp the arms round the pole, in the manner shown in the illustration.

THE HORIZONTAL BAR.-A great many exercises are practised with this favourite bar; but to some of these we decidedly object, as fit only for acrobats and exhibitors, and in no way calculated to strengthen or

develop the body, or answer any of the legitimate purposes of gymnastic exercises; of this kind is the difficult and dangerous practice of hanging by the feet with the head downwards, which may result in concussion of the brain, or dislocation of the neck by an unlucky fall, but seems adapted for no more useful purpose. The first thing to be learned is to grasp the horizontal bar. properly, and to traverse it from end to end by means of the hands. To do this, leap up from the ground, and catching the bar with both hands at the same time, remain suspended by grasping it firmly, the four fingers being on one side of the bar, and the thumb on the other. In some gymnastic schools they adopt the plan of holding thumb and fingers side by side; but the way we have indicated is the safest. In traversing the bar, first use each hand alternately; then both hands together, accomplishing the feat by a series of side jumps, but without any ungraceful drawing up and jerking of the legs. When this is perfectly understood,

begin to practise swinging. This is a capital exercise, and, if proceeded with gradually, may be continued until the learner can swing himself into a horizontal position, or even send his heels higher than his head.

The next thing to be done is to round the bar. To do this, swing until you have a good impetus, and then suddenly lifting your legs upwards, bring them over the bar, turning your body till you

can bring yourself into the position shown in the cut. To come down from the bar, bend the body forward, and grasping the bar firmly with both hands, turn completely over, and you will return to the position shown in the first illustration; from which leap lightly down.

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To sit astride on the bar, swing two or three times, then raise the right leg close in front of the body, so as to hitch the foot, and then the knee, between the arms over the pole. A swing or two more will bring you up in a sitting position on the pole. If these exercises are well understood, the horizontal bar may be said to have answered its purpose. We entirely differ with those teachers of gymnastics who advocate the perpetration of such feats as the "lover's knot," and similar antics, which often have sprained wrists, and ancles, and muscles, and strained, not strengthened, muscles for their results.

THE VAULTING HORSE is a capital piece of gymnastic apparatus, and deserves to be more universally admitted into our gymnastic

grounds than it has yet been. The exercises performed with its help, consist chiefly of vaulting and leaping into the saddle, and present no great difficulty to boys who have gone through the proper preparatory training in the game of leap frog; nor do they require any lengthened explanation here.

THE "TRAPEZE," though an accredited piece of gymnastic apparatus on the Continent, and especially in France, was almost unknown in this country until quite recently, when the marvellous feats of agility and skill performed with its aid by the wonderful gymnast, Léotard, have brought it into universal notice. That it is eminently useful in many respects there is no doubt; and in particular, we can conceive of no better preparation for a youth who, intended for the sea, will have to mount the high and dizzy mast, and cling among the swaying ropes; for him, we say, no better preparation could be found than a course of trapèze exercise, which will give him confidence in his own powers of balancing and clinging, and prevent him from feeling that terrible sensa tion of dizziness on first "going aloft," which is the bane of the embryo sailor. Of course, in this, as in all other exercises, moderation must be observed; and although we feel bound to describe the trapèze exercise exactly as it is practised at the present day in the French gymnastic schools, we must at once observe that the portion of it which consists in swinging with the head downwards does not meet with our approbation, though it is attended with far less danger than a similar proceeding would be on the horizontal

bar.

Among the various exercises undertaken with the trapèze, we have selected the following, as the most universally taught :

The pupil stands beneath the trapèze, which is a kind of lofty, narrow swing, consisting of two long ropes suspended from a cross beam, with a round short pole, or staff, instead of a seat. Raising his hands above his head he grasps the pole, and swinging gently off, raises his chin to a level with his hands. (See illustration.) Another effort must bring him up with