The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-12-07

~ series of school "readers" which
was most used a generation ago-it
may have been the third" or il may
have been the fourth" reader--was
one which, among other classic Sc
lectiOns, contained the account in
verse of how, VIXEN the queen
of the medieval fete had ban
tered Lord Francis 10 chase aft
er the glove she. had wantonly
thrown into the arena among ferO-
cious collection of man-eating lions,
The active and astute Lord Francis
Lightly leaped' down 10 The arena
sands, deftly snatched up the lady's
glove before the astonished lions could
figure out what he was up to, climbed
nilubly back to his seat by the fair
lady's side. and then good Lord Fran
ris!-lhrew the glove, slap bang, right
in the lady's face.
"Sot love-" quo'h he, "bnt vanity,
prompted such a deed as this"
The poet fails 10 in form us upon the
point. but one can imagine that after
This there were no wedding bans for
tle fair ladye and Lord Francis, who
was the catch Of The season, and that
she was exceeding sore about II, and
repented her folly at leisure.
There may be different mental atti-
tubes regarding the propriety of this
tempestnons conduct of Lord Francis,
some, no doubt, contending that no
true gentleman would under any stress
Of irritating circumstances return to
lady her glove by throwing it sharp
ly into her face, and that this breach
OF derorum at once stamped the knight
as a boorlsh-maDnered- and raeons-
minded person. whose name should be
stricken from he blue book of his day;
but IL appears TO be majority point
Of view that the lady was served ex-
Hrtly az She deserved. and that il she
went unmarried to he end of her days
She received only such measure as she
mr;ed. And strangely enough. it is
he ladies themselves who most ar
Genily uphold This latter view of
the case.
In he midsummer of this first wear
OF our newest century. the big city of
Chicago, stirred by the public spirit OF
q generous citizen. discovered in sud
drnness what had been readily ap-
parent fact for three whole genera
tions hat its far-Strr:ching shore of
sandy beach and cooling water WAS a
heritage of the people. and had not
been designed by nature as a riparian
asset for land grabbing corporations
ar an easy dumping spot for The refu,e
"f contractors. Accordingly. private
means having furnished the cunip-
meats of which The c.vir purse had de-
MED. or never thought of there were
established all along the shore. from,
the mouth OF the schsN Calumet tn
far Lake View. public bathing hearhee.
provided with convenient DRESSING
rooms. with soap and t"We!s and bath
ing suits. FREE for the uses of all whn
came, with li'r lines and floating raft s
nPon which the ha.hrrs could li.port
and. above all. With expert attendants
~ ''"'h '"' ar vi HN iihili'Hg anu 10
ne AT touch 10 any moment of peri!
which might unhappIy overtake the
inexperienced or the venturrsomc
The waters OF Lake Mich gan are cold.
and only when an east wind rolls it's
snn-hcaied surface in upon the shall
lows OF the western shore is it really
Hdap'"d for pleasure la hing.
Public appreciation of this new,
found l''Sury-and taeit condemna-
ton OF the civic stupidity which had
so long denifd ii to the people. its
real oWnrr*-aas evidenced AZ once
in the vast popularity these free bath.
ing hrachcs lenpcd into in an in.
slant and continued to hold until the
nippins air OF tall rendered undrrs $
dIsporting on fhe sands no longer n
pastime and a JOY. Hundreds of thou
sands of visitors, the records show.
parto"k Of their advantages during
HE brief season.
II WAS at the most freqaentcd OF
al! these beaches so opened to pub
lie use that young Elmer Armstrong.
n university mairiculant whose leg
ary had been Il stout heart and ann
biti"n to rise. II strong body and the
hardy constitution brgueathcd by
sturdy !nrhrarS. a pure mind and in
tr"pid resolution. Ike had. hrsides. a
Widows iirssnY and couple of
hundred dollars iG had earned rs an
amateur life saver before he became
freshman at 10.
Not much. you will say. when il
must be rcckoned that this was nb-
solutriy all he had in the world, be
yOnd the dear memory OF how his