ompanionship, and to become quite tame and
friendly. In fact, there are very few animals in the world that cannot
be tamed by man, if man is but kind enough and patient enough.

GYMNASTICS.

Every one who has a body that is worth anything at all, ought to do
his best to keep it in good order, and there is no better way of
attaining this desirable object than by a proper course of gymnastics.
And to know just what is proper for certain ages and certain
individuals, demands a great deal of thought and judgment. Improper
gymnastics are much worse than none. We can generally, however, find
those who are able to advise us in regard to the exercise one ought to
take.

This necessity of training the body as well as the mind has been
recognized from the earliest ages, and the ancient Greeks and Romans
paid as much attention to their gymnasiums as they did to their
academies; and from their youth, their boys and girls were taught
those exercises which develop the muscles and ensure good health. Some
of their methods, however, were not exactly the most praiseworthy. For
instance, they would encourage their youngsters to fight.

[Illustration]

This engraving, copied from an ancient picture, shows how spiritedly
the children practised this exercise.

It would have been better if the individual with the stick had laid it
over the backs of the young combatants, instead of using it to direct
their struggles.

There are three kinds of gymnastics. By the first we take exercise,
simply for the sake of the good we gain from it; by the second we
combine pleasure with our muscular exertion; and the third kind of
gymnastics is practised for the sake of making money.

The exercises of the first division are carried on in regular
gymnasiums or at home, and consist of exercises with dumb-bells, bars,
suspended rings, poles, and many other appliances with which most boys
and girls are familiar. Regular practice in a good gymnasium, under
the direction of a competent teacher, is considered, by those who best
understand the education of young people, an exceedingly necessary
part of their education, and gymnastic instruction, both for boys and
girls, is becoming more popular every year.

We need give but little time to this well understood division of
gymnastics, but will pass at once to the second class, where diversion
and exercise are combined. This is by far the best method of gaining
health and strength, and should be pre