consequence that the exercises should be taught systematically, by an experienced teacher; because, moreover, a gymnasium should be an institution of general utility, and it cannot be selfsupported without limiting its usefulness. Besides, the state has an interest in such establishments, as they form able-bodied men for its defence. The expense of a gymnasium is very trifling, compared with its advantages, which we will explain, by and by, more particularly.

The second course may be taught apart from the public gymnasium; and a liberal community might easily appropriate a large hall to the purposes of vaulting, boxing, and fencing. In winter, several exercises of the lower course might be conveniently performed here. On the continent of Europe, the governments have always aided in the erection of gymnasia; and if we are told, that, in a free country, public spirit will always support institutions of general utility, (and the example of England is appealed to,) we may reply, that experience shows, that gymnasia, although very useful institutions, always need support from the arm of government.

We suppose the reader to agree with us, that bodily exercises should be made a part of every system of education. All that has been said in their favour applies with much force to this part of America, where the frequent changes in the weather make it peculiarly necessary to harden the body against their influence.

Every town ought to appropriate a piece of ground for a gymnasium, large enough to admit all the necessary apparatus, with room for the performance of gymnastic games and for running. A teacher should be appointed, with a fixed salary, and one or two assistants, as the number of the pupils may require, who are best taken from the class of soldiers. These two or three can direct the exercises of a great number of boys,-a thousand even,as most of the immediate instruction is given by monitors, chosen from among the pupils. Here the boys of the town should receive instruction, on the two afternoons in the week when they are released from school; except at those seasons when excessive cold or heat make it expedient to discontinue the exercises. During the hot months, swimming should be taught. When the gymnasium is not occupied by the boys, it should be open for adults, who have learnt the exercises when young, or are desirous of taking private lessons, especially should they be allowed the use of the open space, intended for active sports requiring considerable room. We know that our young gentlemen are not much inclined, at present, to mingle in athletic exercises; but their ideas may change.

The high repute of ball-playing, among the Greeks and Romans, appears from the frequent mention of it in the works of the an

cient poets. In the Greek gymnasia, it is probable that there was a place called Sphæristerium, particularly devoted to this exercise, and in the Roman villas, a Sphæristerium was always found in the shape of a circus. From what we have read of the ancient mode of ball-playing, we should suppose it inferior, in the varied and agreeable interchange of different exercises, to the German. It is difficult, however, to judge of its merits from a written description, and we shall not pretend to speak positively on this subject.

The game called prison-bars, which we believe to have originated in France and French Switzerland, (at least it was introduced from thence into Germany,) is an agreeable one, adapted to all ages, giving agility to the limbs and quickness to the eye.

The principal advantages of a public gymnasium appear to us the following:-First, it strengthens and hardens the body of the pupil in early youth, and lays the foundation of lasting health, while the variety of its exercises calls into action every part of the frame, and many of them, particularly those on the horizontal bars, strengthen the abdomen-an organ which the sedentary habits of our day make a source of continual torment.

Gymnastic exercises, when commenced in manhood, are undoubtedly of much use in bracing the bodily frame against infirmities, existing or anticipated, but of still greater advantage in the case of boys, to whose susceptible bodies they impart strength and consistency, counteracting the influence of climate, and the tendency to a too rapid growth. Perhaps, even in this country, it may be objected that the great development of the physical powers may be purchased at the expense of the intellectual. We will not at present take up the subject of the intimate connexion subsisting between soundness of body and of mind, but only state, that the enemies of gymnastics in Prussia (what system at its introduction does not meet with enemies?) made this same objection. Whereupon, the minister of state, for the department of education, ordered the instructers of youth, throughout the kingdom, to communicate to him the result of their experience on this subject. The answer of all was, that the best performers in the gymnasia were almost uniformly the best scholars.

It has been generally agreed, among the teachers in Europe, of whom we need only mention Pestalozzi and Salzmann, that gymnastic exercises have an important moral influence, in preventing the growth of certain vices, which are seldom found existing to a great degree in boys of a healthy, gay, and active constitution. Plato acknowledged their great utility in this respect,

For example, Propertius, lib. iii. Horat. Sat. lib. ii. sat. 2. Martial, lib. iv. 12. 14. and many others.

Sueton. Vesp. 20. Plin. epist. ii. 17. v. 6.

and allowed them admission into his imagined republic. Were they only productive of health and the serenity of mind consequent thereupon, their moral influence would still be great; for an open, composed spirit, is itself a barrier against many vices.

Another great advantage to be derived from public gymnasia, is the opportunity afforded to instruct the older boys in some military exercises-a circumstance more important than it may appear at first view, in a republic whose military strength lies in its able-bodied citizens. Whoever has had to do with soldiers, and particularly with militia, whoever has served in the army, or is acquainted with military history, knows the absolute necessity of strict discipline, and the great difficulty of introducing it to any degree into a militia composed of free citizens. The Romans deemed it so necessary, that every soldier was considered, in many respects, as the slave of his commander; and we cannot deny, that, even in the time of the American Revolution, examples are not wanting to show, that a deficiency in this particular, more than once exposed the country to great danger, and needlessly prolonged the war, which was finally brought to a close, by the hero whom every misfortune found armed with at least one means of success-unconquerable perseverance. It is very easy to teach boys military exercises, and to make them obedient to military discipline. In manhood, these results are obtained with much more difficulty, on account of the increased eares and occupations of this period of life. There is no danger that such instruction will give them notions inconsistent with the love of liberty that should distinguish a citizen of a free state, which, thanks be to God, is the basis of our political Constitution. No such effects are to be feared from such a cause, in a country where this spirit is fostered by all political and domestic influences. On the contrary, the effect will be an increased readiness to obey the laws-one of the main pillars of freedom.

Another advantage of a public gymnasium is, that it nourishes a spirit of union and mutual regard. It assembles the youth of all ranks, and affords the best opportunity for the formation of early friendships, which so often survive the period of boyhood, and exert a favourable influence on the lot of the man. It is not to be feared that rudeness of manners and looseness of morals will be the result of this promiscuous intercourse. On the contrary, experience teaches, that assemblies of active and joyous youth, engaged in the free exertion of their powers, are productive of refinement in both, which springs up like a beautiful flower under a serene sky. It can hardly be denied, that, in a free country, it is of incalculable importance that the youth of each town should grow up in mutual knowledge and competition; for if law is the pillar of freedom, public spirit is the element in which and by which it has life, and every means of strengthening this spirit

must be welcome to a land of liberty. A genuine public spirit is the true preservative against party spirit-the canker of free states, the common cause of their dissolution, recorded in their epitaphs which history hands down to us. The early growth of a public spirit is much aided by the pedestrian excursions, frequentÎy undertaken by the pupils in the German gymnasia, and greatly dreaded by the enemies of freedom. The parties, in these cases, went out in bands of twenty or thirty, under the conduct of a teacher or friend of mature age. They acquired a knowledge of the country, inured themselves to fatigue, and became united in bonds of stricter fellowship. We are informed that the instructers of the school at Northampton are in the habit of making similar excursions, with the boys under their charge. All that we have enumerated as reasonably to be expected from a gymnasium, may be stated more briefly, as follows:-Its benefits are physical and moral to the individual and the state. To the individual it imparts soundness of body, which is almost essential to soundness of mind. To the state it furnishes a body of able defenders, acquainted with some military exercises, and imbued with public spirit. With such advantages in prospect, it cannot be considered unreasonable to hope, that public gymnasia will be established in a country, where every good institution finds supporters as soon as it is understood.

Gymnastic festivals, perhaps, might be introduced here, similar to those which were celebrated in Germany. Our readers may find some interest in the description of one, such as we have witnessed, in that country. We have already mentioned, that three days, peculiarly interesting to Germany, were selected for these celebrations. Besides these principal festivals, the pupils in the gymnasium at Berlin, commemorated the anniversary of the battle at Gros-Beeren, one of great importance to their city. The village of this name, is about nine miles distant from Berlin; and there, on the 23d of August 1813, the French general, Regnier, was defeated by the Prussian commander, Bulow, and the crown prince of Sweden; although Bonaparte had proclaimed to his troops, that General Oudinot would, on that day, enter the capital city of Prussia. Similar establishments in several parts of Silesia, celebrated the day of the bloody battle at Katzbach; where Blucher, on the 26th of August, cut to pieces the French army, under Macdonald. Other places, likewise, had peculiar festivals. The three celebrations which we first mentioned, however, were common to the whole country. The exhibition at Gros-Beeren, was as follows: On the 22d day of August, in the afternoon, all assembled who wished to be present at the games, (often to the number of six or seven hundred,) at the gymnasium in Berlin, from which we went, under the direction of Dr. Jahn, to the village of Gros-Beeren, singing pa

triotic songs. There we took up our lodging for the night, in the barns of the peasants, who admitted us for a trifling compensation, sleeping on straw, or rather not sleeping at all; for it may easily be imagined, that such a number of boys and young men, were sufficiently noisy, notwithstanding the presence of many older persons. We usually made our supper on potatoes and bread and butter; for nothing better could be obtained for the greater part of the assembly, and all were satisfied with their fare. On the next morning, the best singers assembled, and sang a camp-song, to wake their comrades. Those whom the song did not rouse, were wakened by a horn, which was blown through the village. The band of singers too went round, repeating a few verses in derision of the French. After breakfasting on bread and milk, the whole assembly went to a neighbouring hill, from which the field of battle was visible. Here the position of the troops, and the circumstances of the engagement, were pointed out to us. Next we traversed the battle-field, examined particularly the positions of the several bodies of troops, sought for relics of the fight, such as balls, &c., sang, and returned by the time when the religious service began; which, on this day, was celebrated in the open air, and consisted of a hymn, sermon, and prayer. After its conclusion, tents and huts were erected, in which provisions were exposed to sale. By this time, many relations of the performers had come upon the ground, and mingled in the groups, who now sat down to dinner. When this meal was finished, the gymnastic party collected in a body, and proceeded to a neighbouring plain, where the exercises were always celebrated in the midst of a large concourse of spectators, beginning with a general foot race, in which the whole party, at a certain signal, ran to a given line. After the race, such exercises as could be performed without the aid of instruments, began. The party carried out no apparatus, except that required for leaping, both with and without poles, and some ropes for dragging. The exercises were usually concluded by contests in pulling, between large parties, at the opposite ends of a long rope. About six o'clock, they left Gros-Beeren, and went home in groups, singing and joking, or engaged in serious conversation, with deep impressions of the important labours and hard conflicts of their fathers and brothers, and with renewed determinations to keep what they had gained.

It may be questioned, whether it be well to fix on the minds of youth, such vivid impressions of bloody fights-whether national hatred be not thereby unduly strengthened. This is not the place to discuss the question, if a Christian is permitted to take up arms against oppression, or in defence of the weak. To those, however, who believe that it is not merely lawful, but a holy duty, which the Christian may discharge with the whole