This last line was altered in the next catalogue to ‘Their powerful influence afford.’[p. 54]
Will their possessor ever win
Respect and love and all akin.
Yet grace and beauty, too, are given,
To cheer us on our path to Heaven.
Let graceful mien and charming word
Then beckon on to joy and God.
We had the best of instructors procurable, and if we did not become physically, morally, mentally, and gracefully proficient the blame must not rest on the teachers. It was claimed, and admitted, I believe, that this was the only seminary in the country where the two branches of physical education, swimming and horsemanship, were taught. To produce experts in the former branch, swimming, three bath-houses were built on the river-bank near the old lock of the Middlesex Canal—another tradition? Well, in those days, there was just enough water in the canal to make skating in winter. It was quite a little walk from the school. One had to go down Canal street, cross the railroad, and continue on to a gate, through that down a short declivity, then climb up the rocks by the side of the old lock and run down rather a steep path. I trust that old Mystic is still salt at high tide, it was then, and that was the swimming hour. I do not remember any expert swimmer, save, perhaps, a pupil from Cuba. The others confined their feats to holding on to a rope secured to the steps, and jumping up and down. None ventured far toward the aqueduct as many large snapping-turtles were caught there, and we were often prevented from ranging farther up by the seines being set on certain days by the menhaden fishermen. For horsemanship there were four horses. Fairy was a small mare that one could only mount by rushing down
