The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-08-21
Can You Swim!

We do not mean Can you swim for
fun. or FOR sanitary reireshment: but can
you swim for your life, with your boots
on.
Swimming as an accomplishment Is
common we should like TO say common
enough. but that would not be true so
long a. there remains a single individual
who cannot swim at all, and unhappily
such individuals are numerous. We can
say. however, that swimming as ar ac-
complishment is common compared with
the art of swimming a. "a safeguard against
drowning.
This i distinction with a difference.
There are multitudcs. who are quite at
home In the water In Natures costume or
with light bathing dress on. especially
when they know how far il Is to the bot
tom and how far 10 the shore. who would
go to the bottom with discoumging haste
if suddenly pitched overheard in a strange
place with their usual clothing on. The
conditions are entirely different from
those of ordinary swimming; and 10 one
unaccustomed to the feeling and effect of
clothing in water, the difference is very
apt 10 nullify for the moment all his ex-
perieDce as a swimmer. The consequence
is "A sudden loss of self-contrOl. which too
often results disastrously, whereupon the
good swimmer should drown so easily.
An accident of this sort occurred but
few days ago. The victim was the master
ofan excursion steamer. a good swimmer,
his numerous friends say ; yet when he
found himself in the water unprepared for
swimming. he acted rs wildly as one
wholly unable TO swim. With all his
swimming, he had probably never been i'm
the water before in full dress; and the
confusion of mind which ensued. when he
found his limbs muilled with clothing. his
buOyancy reduced. and all the usual con-
ditions of swimming changed, kept him
from making good use of the knowledge
he possessed. So he tired himself and
strangled himself with frantic struggles,
and went to the bottom before boat
could reach him, though il was near
enough TO have saved one who could not
swim at all. had he been cool enough y
keep perfectly still.
The moral is plain. With all your
swimming practice. don't neglect TO ac-
custom yourself 10 conditions such as you
will be pretty sure 10 find yourself i'm
should you ever have occasion 10 swim
for your life. When you can keep your
self afioat with heavy boots on. when you
can tumble out OF a boat in ordinary
dress and strip in the water. and
not waste your strength i'm suicidal at
tempts 10 overcome the resistance of cloth
ing that cannot be removed. then you can
safely answer in the affirmative the ques-
ton: Can YOU swimg
There is forceful proverb about teach
ing old dogs new tricks. We do not inn
agine that many adults will act upon the
suggestion we have made. But the boys
will, if they have half a chance. And we
would urge upon parents the propriety of
allowing their sons TO vary their watery
sports In the way we have described.
They cannot put their old clothes 10 better
use. We can say from personal expert
ence that the boys will like the fun, and
and that they will never regret il.
OF course we would not exclude the
girls from such knowledge, if circumstan-
ces are at all favorable. At least let them
learn 10 make the most of the temporary
advantage their clothing offers for buoy
ancy. and also how TO relieve themselves
ofentangling skirts in case of emergency.
Scientific american.