392 SWIMMING tive presidents for the time being, and to obtain from them a concise and authentic history of the swimming clubs at Oxford and Cambridge. Both at once kindly responded to our wish, and have assisted us to their utmost.
The history of the Oxford University Swimming Club is of necessity short. The club was started on May 22, mainly by the exertions of the first hon. secretary, Mr. E. D. Finch Smith, Worcester College. The first president was Mr. A. M. Langdon, New College, who, when a pupil at Winchester, won the Ulph Challenge Cup at Yarmouth.
Before the club was founded swimming had not been in any way actively encouraged at the University. Races had at one time been held in the river annually under the auspices of the Boat Club, but these had latterly fallen through. Even now, although there are, as might be expected, many good swimmers in the University, there is but little 'keenness' exhibited in supporting races and competitions; but it must be remembered that the summer term ends in the middle of June, and the season for outdoor bathing can hardly be held to begin till the end of May.
It is true that in Oxford there is a swimming bath which the club always uses ; but the accommodation and fittings are not such as to attract bathers during the winter months, especially bathers to a great extent spoilt by the fine baths they have been used to at the public schools. It may, there fore, be fairly said that, except for a few keen spirits, the swimming education begun at public schools is little continued at Oxford ; a condition of things which appears likely to remain until some patriotic person or energetic company comes forward and presents the University and town with a really good swimming bath.
The club itself has chiefly restricted its action to the cultivation of water-polo, a game which is doing very much for swimming, and shows a decided tendency to become popular in the University under favourable conditions.