The times., 1899-07-02

The society season OF sport IS wide open.
and the tendency of women In the smart
set seems steadily turning toward special
ties in one exercise or another. Few FASH
ionabie danes or damoselles appear to have
the time or inclination to develop them
selves into all around athletic women, end
she who scores best at golf does not pre-
tend to stand in with the circle OF horse
lovers or know an anchor from a binnacle.
On the other hand the swimmers are
supremely Indifferent to brassies and long
putting shots, and this summer the flock
OF fair human ducks Is bigger than ever.
All along the coast the women are making
stunning records in the water, and Mrs.
Regis Post. for example. has pretty nearly
broken all former standards for diving.
Given pool Of deep water and spring
board this slim woman. flexible as a piece
OF whalebone, can put your heart in your
mouth By her surprising exploits. She will
take the water head on after turning a
couple OF times in the air like a circus
rider, or plunge into the sea from the
highest point to which she can climb on
her husbands yacht.
Mrs. J. Bordman Hartman Is another
fashionable fish who learned TO swim at
Bermuda. and her speciality Is swimming
under water. dropping down to bring sand
up from the bottom and parting her long
hair under the green sea waves.
At Narragansett Pier the crack SWIM
mer is fair. slender Miss Robinson, who
can stroke out farther beyond the surf into
the cold Atlantic waves than most men
who have tried 10 measure her strength,
and Miss Helen Benedict has silver CUBS
TO prove that she is one of the most daring
and graceful divers that ever took the wa
ters Of Long Island Sound head on.
AT Newport Miss Alice Barnard and Mrs
Elisha Walker lead all the other mermaids.
and the fashion this summer is for the
women guests. of on yachting party, to
dive from the side or bowsprit of the GAL
liant schooner or steamer with all the non-
chaianee OF the most seasoned salt Not
TO be able TO do this much Is as great a
disgrace as to foozle your ball when play
ing with good golfer.
Curiously enough, it is not given the
women who swim. dive, and execute mar
yelOus gymnastics In the water to make
the most capable sailors, nor is It the
sailor women who develop into the first
class swimmers. and a short while since
the art OF yachting made small appeal to
womankind. Society of the gentler sort
has been recently, however, bitten with a
mild marine fever. and the ambition OF
every woman whose husband. brother, or
sweetheart owns boat is to quality her
self to take her turn at the tfller.
Mrs. George Gould is one OF the sner-
getic souls who thinks it more fun to
guide huge steamboat through the waves
than tool four hand, and last summer
she took course OF lessons in navigation
from her husbands yacht captain. This
season she takes the wheel as often as not.
and puts the handsome steamer through
her PAGES as cieverly as irst-class pilot.
Mrs. Frederick Vanderbilt is a new re-
cfuit to the list of feminine sailors, She
has chartered steam yacht, for cruising
about European waters. and is going to
learn how to run her boat herself, II Ii
Is necessary to get out papers and study
hard to do 1t. Mrs. Paget is third can
didate for nautical Joys. She, too, will
have superb steamboat for the summer.
and stand at her own wheel to explore
the coast or run down the ST. Lawrence,
and not least OF these lady pilots Is Mrs,
Howard Gould. who knows how to mako
the Niagara show her heels to plodding
merchant and passenger shipping.
Among the very capable sailing pilots,
who scorn the numbering steam pleasure
boats, is Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt jr.
On the Aleutis or Veda she uses the TIL
Ter with a wrist OF steel and perfect judg-
ment, and Mrs. II. C. Trevor Is not a bit
less skillful. Another smart yachtswoman
Is Miss Emily Hoffman. and Newport
knows no abler seawoman than the two
handsome young daughters OF Mrs. orms
Wilson, for they vastly prefer the sea to
the shore. a days hard work with tiIlsr
and sails to a nights dancing. and talk
with barnaeled old salt to the society OF
the smartest youth in the social register.
From all these evidences it will be gathered
that we are in a fair way to owning
1adi rfa .Ia1I e.
nous English women OF whose boats and
exploits we hear so much