The action of the committee on athletics, in requiring that every candidate for any of the crews must know how to swim, again suggests the great need of a swimming bath, where students can learn and exercise this valuable accomplishment. It is well known that, at present, many of the men who try for the crews are unable to take care of themselves in the water, and the liability to accidents is really much greater than is generally supposed. A man who tries to row in a shell when he cannot swim is running a very great risk. Every one recollects the accident that happened to the '83 crew last spring. In that boat there were several men who could not swim, and, had not the other members of the crew preserved their presence of mind and relieved the boat of their weight, the result might have been very serious. In view of these facts we think that a swimming bath would indeed supply "a long-felt want," as there is at present no available place to learn this art in Cambridge.

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