THREE HUNDRED THINGS
A
BRIGHT BOY CAN DO
BY
MANY HANDS
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LTD.
1914
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. IN TRAINING 1
II. HOW TO BECOME A GYMNAST 7
III. WALKING, RUNNING, AND JUMPING 22
IV. HOCKEY AND INDIAN CLUBS 26
V. SWIMMING, ROWING, AND WATER POLO 42
VI. PAPERCHASING, FOOTBALL, GOLF, AND BOXING 48
VII. ON THE ICE 57
VIII. ANGLING 67
IX. CANOES AND YACHTS 84
X. COOKING IN CAMP 112
XI. BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 117
XII. HINTS ON AQUARIUMS 131
XIII. IN THE PLAYING FIELDS 138
XIV. THE GARDEN 150
XV. THE BOY AS ARTIST 157
XVI. VENTRILOQUISM AND POLYPHONY 191
XVII. THE BOY AS MAGICIAN 208
XVIII. PETS 228
XIX. THINGS BOYS CAN MAKE 255
XX. FIRESIDE AMUSEMENTS 273
XXI. WORK AND PLAY AT THE BENCH 350
XXII. SCIENCE FOR THE PLAY-HOUR 365
XXIII. HOME-MADE TOYS 389
XXIV. CONCERNING MANY THINGS 416
PREFACE
The Editor hopes that this volume will be the means of inspiring boys
to adopt some hobby and to follow it diligently. At any rate he has
arranged that they shall be able to have a wide choice of occupations,
and shall begin with expert assistance. Too many youths fall into mere
aimless dawdling, and waste the golden years of their life loafing
about smoking cigarettes, watching others play, chattering endlessly
about games, but never engaging in them. Though this book is written
for the boy's play hour, it will not be without value in aiding him
upon the sterner side of his career, if it shows him how to train hand
and eye, how to strengthen his will and muscles, and if it inculcates
patience, exactitude, and perseverance.
THREE HUNDRED THINGS A BRIGHT BOY CAN DO
CHAPTER I
IN TRAINING
There are few things about which so many mistaken notions exist as
about training. There are several reasons for this, but most of the
erroneous ideas may be traced back to the days when professional
pugilists and runners were the only men who ever entered on any
athletic exercise with any sort of organised preparation. For them
a severe course of training was possibly a necessity. They were for
the most part men well advanced in years and naturally fleshy; and
to achieve the feats which they accomplished they no doubt found it
necessary to reduce their weight, and for this purpose to take a great
deal of exercise and to avoid all food tending to the formation of
flesh; but for the average school-boy who plays football or fives,
or goes paper-chasing, or, in fact, takes the ordinary amount of
boy's exercise, training, as it is generally misunderstood, is quite
unnecessary, even if not harmful. He has no superfluous fat of which
to rid himself, so any sweating which he may do only weakens him and
renders him liable to cold. His lungs are in proper order and therefore
his wind is good, and so there is no need for him to deprive himself
of vegetables or his favourite pies or puddings. All he wants is to
lead a healthy active life, and to do a fair amount of practice in the
particular branch of athletics in which he hopes to excel.
If a boy be accustomed to walk to and from school, or even a part of
the way, or to take his place regularly in the school games, he will
already be in proper condition of wind and limb. He will now only
require to develop the muscles which, in his contests, he will find it
most necessary to use. These vary in nearly every branch of athletics;
so his practice must be specially directed to the races or events in
which he intends to take part. Now this practice is often as much
overdone as in the old days the dieting and sweating used to be. I
remember that when I was at school and training for a mile race, I was
seldom content unless I had run two or three miles each day. Since then
I have found out the error of my ways. The result of my long practice
run was that when the day came for the sports I was much over-trained,
and in the state usually described as "stale." I could have pounded
along for miles, but I was as slow as the proverbial cart-horse, and
when it came to hard racing I was beaten by boys who had practised less
persistently than I had, and whose limbs and muscles were therefore
lissom and pliant.
The exact amount of practice required depends a good deal on the
stamina and build of each particular boy. Big, muscular boys can
undergo far more work than lightly-strung ones of less robust
constitution; but it may be taken for granted as a general rule that
it is better to do too little than too much. Practice should never be
continued after one begins to feel tired; and if one is still feeling
the effects of the previous day's practice, it is always a good thing
to rest for a day from active work, and instead to take a good sharp
walk of four or five miles. When your muscles are stiff, as they are
bound to be at the beginning, never force them. Get them gradually
into working order, and never hesitate to rest entirely if you feel
disinclined for exercise.
Rest, in moderation, is always good, and for this reason I advise boys
of all ages who may be training, to make a point of going to bed early.
To get up early is another aid to leading a healthy life, but I would
especially warn my readers against taking any violent exercise before
breakfast. Have your bath, followed by a brisk rub down with a rough
towel; dress quickly, and then, if you like and can manage it, go out
into the open air for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. Put on
plenty of clothes, and eat either a biscuit or a piece of bread and
walk quietly about, breathing freely. In the same way never do any
practising immediately after a heavy meal. An interval of at least two
hours should elapse to allow of the digestion of food.
Remember that your one object in training is not to force your powers,
but to so increase and nurse them, that when the day for the sports
comes you will be able to do your very best without fear of hurting or
over-straining yourself.
Before entering for his school sports a boy must realise the important
fact that it is given only to a few to excel at everything. The
majority must be content to discover the branch of sport for which, by
their natural abilities, they are most suited, and then to practise
quietly and persistently so as to gain the best possible results.
School games and odd trials of skill will probably give the aspiring
athlete some idea of the direction in which he is better than, or as
good as, his fellows. In running races it is generally found that the
heavily and powerfully-built boy is best suited by short-distance
races, that is from a hundred yards to a quarter of a mile; but a long,
loosely-knit lad usually excels at distances from half a mile to a
mile. A short, sturdy boy, as a rule, develops into a long-distance
runner, but as events above a mile are generally excluded, and very
wisely too from the programmes of school sports, he has very little
chance of distinguishing himself until later years, when his frame is
set, and his heart and lungs are in a fit condition to withstand the
strain caused by prolonged contests.
The prime object of the boy who desires to train for short-distance
running should be to improve his speed. With this purpose in view, he
should practise running from thirty to fifty yards at a time--running
hard from the very beginning, and going at his fastest possible pace
the whole of the way. He should do this three or four times each day,
occasionally--that is, once or twice a week--running the full hundred
yards. Races of two hundred yards and a quarter of a mile in length
may be prepared for in just the same way, except that for the latter,
a practice-run should seldom exceed three hundred and fifty yards. A
quarter of a mile is a very fatiguing distance, and although it may be
run in practice at a moderate speed, it should not be taken at racing
pace, except in an actual race. In the intervals of training it is a
good plan to obtain the assistance of a friend, and practise starting.
In a short race so much depends on the start, that one who is able to
go right away directly the signal is given possesses a great advantage.
[Illustration: "HE SHOULD JUMP CLEANLY."]
The boy who intends to take part in the half-mile and mile races must
pursue a somewhat different method, but he also must make a point
of practising for speed. Most of his work must consist of running
a quarter of a mile, or six hundred yards, with an occasional spin
of half or three-quarters of a mile. The former distances must be
accomplished at almost top speed, but without quite exhausting oneself;
the latter must be taken at a regular, steady gait, bringing the legs
out well to the front, but not carrying the knees too high. One run a
day is quite sufficient, and perhaps once before the sports the full
mile may be run, but this should not be done within a week of the
eventful day.
Walking races are sometimes included in the sports' programme, the
distance usually being one mile. The best training for this is to walk
half a mile, or sometimes three-quarters, at one's best pace, taking
great care to be perfectly fair, to keep the head erect, and to avoid
all semblance of wriggle or shuffle.
For the hurdle race and steeplechase the beginner should practise
persistently over obstacles similar to the ones which are to be used on
the day, but never going the full distance, and occasionally running
fifty yards or so on the level with a view to an improvement in speed.
Of jumping competitions there are usually two kinds--the high jump and
the long jump, and much the same kind of advice applies to both. In
each instance practice should be daily, with an occasional rest for a
day, and taking great care to leave off always at the first symptom
of fatigue, coupled with the feeling that what has already been done
cannot be improved upon. In the high jump a beginning should be made at
a height well within reach, the jumper going gently and lightly over so
as to gradually extend the muscles. Then as he approaches the summit
of his powers, he should pull himself together so as to put full force
into each effort. He should jump cleanly, and start facing the bar. He
should avoid all contortions and straining of the body, and above all
things, refrain from the somewhat enticing-looking practice of jumping
from one side--a practice which I once heard described as "putting one
leg over the bar, and then going round and fetching the other." It
may pay up to a certain point, but after that point is reached it is
absolutely useless.
The best and most successful jumpers have been those who have depended
entirely on the spring from the hips. It is thence that all the power
is obtained. Byrd Page, the famous American jumper, who often cleared
6 ft., and once reached 6 ft. 4-1/4 ins., was a thorough believer in
the straightforward method. To show what persistent practice will do,
I may mention that when he was very young, his legs were so weak that
he was compelled to wear irons to support them. One day the doctor told
him to attend a gymnasium and practise jumping in order to strengthen
his limbs. He did so, with the result that his weakness was entirely
cured, and that he became, as well as an expert bicyclist, the most
famous jumper the world has ever seen.
To long jumping many of my previous remarks apply. In preparing for the
jump, too long a run should not be taken, and in making the spring, the
feet should be placed firmly together. The whole of one's force should
be put into each effort, and care should be taken to avoid making false
attempts. When once he has started, the jumper should make up his mind
to go right through. Both the jumper and the short-distance runner
will find that a few minutes' daily practice with a skipping rope will
greatly strengthen the legs and the fore part of the feet, on which
much of the strain is placed.
To all aspiring young athletes I would say: Be moderate, and take
care not to overdo it; lead healthy, active lives; and avoid stuffing
yourselves between meals with pastry and sweets.