Every person, male and female, should endeavor to acquire the power of swimming. The fact that the exercise is a healthful accompaniment of bathing, and that lives may be saved by it, even when least expected, is a sufficient argument for the recommendation. The art of swimming is, in fact, very easy, and those persons who take the few brief hints we are about to offer, will soon find themselves rewarded by complete success. The first consideration is not to attempt to learn to swim too soon. That is to say, you must not expect to succeed in your efforts to swim, until you have become accustomed to the water, and have overcome your repugnance to the coldness and novelty of bathing. Every attempt will fail until you have acquired a certain confidence in the water, and then the difficulty will soon vanish. When this confidence has been gained, the following hiars by the celebrated Dr. Fraklin will be found all that can be required: -

2801. Dr. Franklin's Advice To Swimmers

"The only obstacle to improvement in this necessary and life-preserving art, is fear; and it is only by overcoming this timidity that you can expect to become a master of the following acquirements. It is very common for novices in the art of swimming to make use of corks or bladders to assist in keeping the body above water; some have utterly condemned the use of them; however, they may be of service for supporting the body, while one is learning what is called the stroke, or that manner of drawing in and striking out the hands and feet, that is necessary to produce progressive motion. But you will be no swimmer till you can place confidence in the power of the water to support you; I would, therefore, advise the acquiring that confidence in the first place; especially as I have known several, who, by a little practice necessary for that purpose, have insensibly acquired the stroke, taught as it were by nature. The practice I mean is this: choosing a place where the water deepens gradually, walk coolly into it till it is up to your breast; then turn round your face to the shore, and throw an egg into the water between you and the shore; it will sink to the bottom, and be easily seen there if the water is clean. It must lie in the water so deep that you cannot reach to take it up but by diving for it. To encourage yourself, in order to do this, reflect that your progress will be from deep to shallow water, and that at any time you may, by bringing your legs under you, and standing on the bottom, raise your head far above the water; then plunge under it with your eyes open, which must be kept open before going under, as you cannot open the eyelids for the weight of water above you; throwing yourself toward the egg, and endeavouring, by the action of your hands and feet against the water, to get forward, till within reach of it. In this attempt you will find that the water buoys you up against your inclination; that it is not so easy to sink as you imagine, and that you cannot, but by active force, get down to the egg. Thus you feel the power of water to support you, and learn to confide in that power while your endeavors to overcome it and reach the egg, teach you the manner of acting on the water with your feet and hands, which action is afterwards used in swimming to support your head higher above the water, or to go forward through it.

2802. "I would the more earnestly press you to the trial of this method, because I think I shall satisfy you that your body is lighter than water, and that you might float in it a long time with your mouth free for breathing, if you would put yourself into a proper posture, and would be still, and forbear struggling; yet, till you have obtained this experimental confidence in the water, I cannot depend upon your having the necessary presence of mind to recollect the posture, and the directions 1 gave you relating to it. The surprise may put all out of your mind.

2803. "Though the legs, arms, and head of a human body, being solid parti, are, specifically, somewhat heavier than fresh water, as the trunk, particularly the upper part, for its hollow-nese, is so much lighter than water, as that the whole of the body, taken alto-get her, is too light to sink wholly under water, but some pait will remain above, until the lungs become filled with water, which happens from drawing water to them instead of air, when a person, in the fright, attempts breathing, while the mouth and nostrils are under water.

2804. "The legs and arms are specifically lighter than salt water, and will be supported by it, so that a human body cannot sink in salt water, though the lungs were filled as above, but from the greater specific gravity of the head. Therefore, a person throwing himself on his back in salt water, and extending his arms, may easily lay so as to keep his mouth and nostrils tree for breathing; and, by a small motion of his hand, may present turning, if he should perceive any tendency to it.