Swimming Compulsory at Princeton

All members of Princeton University are required to pass a stipulated test in swimming before they are eligible to receive diplomas. This rule was put into effect with the class entering in 1911 and so will apply to the present senior class at Princeton. The test requires every man to swim 200 yards using the back stroke and one other recognized stroke. It was found that about 60 men in each class were unable to swim at all and about 100 were poor swimmers and from this it was thought expedient to introduce some rule to overcome this. In England, Germany, and Austria, swimming is included in the requirements in high schools and grammar schools, and this regulation by Princeton is interesting in that it is one of the first steps toward compulsory swimming instruction in this country.