Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-31
Swimming.

The swimming season Is approaching and
parents are beginning to worry ABOUT the
possibility of drowning accidents Some
know their boys cannot swim and they
also know that 1t is as natural for boy to
take to water in summer as for duck TO
waddle to the nearest pool They nope that
somehow their own particular boy VIII
learn how to swim, perhaps at the bathlhg
beach. maybe at the gymnasium. but many
fear that the lad will acquire his knowl-
edge in that dangerous school, the river or
the creek without tuition and supervision
The father has little if any time to devote
to this branch of his sons education and the
mother is helpless What is to be done?
II has lately been announced that hence
forth the public schools of Louisville VIII
include swimming in the curriculum. rms
Is an important development of the educa-
tional system. perhaps making for vaiuapie
results in the reduction of the percentage
of drowning accidents. No information Is at
hand as to Louisville's facilities for teaching
how to swim. Few cities have public pools
where a school course might be conducted
The Y. NJ C. A. buildings usually INCLUDE
tanks and few cities boast OF bathlnG
beaches. such as that in washington but
as a rule the equipment of the modern city
Is deplorably deficient in this respect.
In order to develop the public schooi
swimming course to practicable point
where the city boy can be given as thor
ough an instruction as the country boy ac-
ouires by experience, there must be a de-
cided Improvement everywhere 1t should
be almost as easy for the city lad to go to
the public pool or beach and take swim,
whether under instruction or not, as for
lad 1utth GuSDpnder
to slip down to the brook or the meadow
dam and with a minimum of dlsroo-
ing luxuriate in the cooling bath. But
the city boy must now as rule take
dangerous chances. If there is no gymna-
SUM tank available, and no public bath
house or beach. he is put to expedients
which rack the hearts of those at home.
In going to the river he must dodge not
only watchful parents, but keen-eyed po-
licemen. He runs grave risks of being
forced by circumstances into dangerous
waters.
Without proper facilities Louisville can
do little in this important work Of instruc-
ton. A course of lectures on the theory of
swimming and diving would perhaps be in
teresting, but not especially valuable. The
theoretical swimmer Is worse off than the
man or woman who is absolutely ignorant,
for the theory lends confidence and in
creases the risk. There is nothing like
few good duckings under the careful super
vision of determined trainer, in a pool
deep enough to call for genuine efforts, to
equip the swimmer with confidence and to
impart strength and skill to the muscles.
If any philanthropist wants to engage in
a wholesale campaign for the reduction of
the percentage of accidental deaths there is
no better field than this. Gifts of few
thousand dollars each to the cities where
there are no adequate swimming or bathing
facilities would result in a great stimulus
TO the line of instruction that is proclaimed
from Louisville, with certain diminution
in the number of summer deaths from
drowning