ROWING AQUATIC AXIOMS.
I may add here some axioms which have been printed before,* but which I may venture to repeat in a treatise on rowing. The years that have passed since they were first set down have not weakened my conviction that they are accurate. I still believe myself justified in stating— (I) That if two crews row a course within ten minutes of one another, the wind is always more violent and the stream more powerful against the crew in which you yourself happen to be rowing.
(2) That it is always right to take off at least five seconds from the time shown on your stop watch in timing your own crew, and to add them, by way of compensation, to the time shown on the same watch when timing a rival crew.
(3) That your own crew is absolutely the only one which ever rows the full course right out or starts at the proper place.
(4) That if your crew is impeded while rowing * In "In Cambridge Courts."
a course you must allow ten seconds ; but if any other crew is impeded you must allow only two seconds.
(5) That if you row a slow course, No. 5's stretcher gave way, or his slide came off.
(6) That you could always knock a quarter of a minute off when you row a faster stroke, but that— (7) You never do, as a matter of fact, row a faster stroke.
(8) That your crew always rowed a slower stroke than the rest.
(9) That you are sure to do a faster time to-morrow.
(To) That your private opinion is, that if every body in the crew did as much work as you do yourself your crew would be many lengths faster, and— (ii) (and last) That you always lose by the steering of your coxswain three lengths, which all other crews gain by the steering of theirs.