The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-10


The athletic girl who wants to have
good time is passing the summer where
an occasional swim is possible Until
short time ago the only hope for this
sort of pleasure to the birmingham girl
or woman, If she had to be a stay-at-
home was the Athletic club pool, in
which two mornings each week young
women who. maybe taking every other
sport quite seriously, in the water pad
died about like children entering into
glorious splashing matches with sister
naiads, diving and swimming and jump
e down until one fancied they
a1ia anne web-footed.
ene We been greet mornings in the
fau a le club, and many a swimmer
q fag amount of experiences gained
hsa in this bit of water under
grouiiu For example, Mrs. w. L. Muir
doch, Miss Mamie Bum. Mrs J. f. Gra-
ham. Miss Helen Benners, Miss Helen
Eubank, Miss Mary George Green, Mrs
J. d, Kirkpatrick and two daughters;
Mrs. Saxton Crawford and Miss Serena
Kirkpat trick, who are excellent swim
ners; Mrs David Roberts and Miss Belle
Roberts. Miss Clara O'Neil and Miss
Margaret O'Nein Mrs. Bessie Vaughan,
Mrs Thomas Parke, Mrs. Solon Jacobs,
Miss Mary Sue Brazeal, Mrs. Benners,
Mrs. VIII Jordan, Mrs. James Bowron.
Mrs. Gray Mrs. A. II. Woodward and
Mrs. McGhee Porter are Just a few of
those who years ago interested themselves
in aquatic pursuits and are at home in
the water. There are many more.
Lately, though, the sport has become
a popular amusement entirely for it's own
sake. instead of being actuated as was
formerly true, chiefly by the desire to
become proficient so that the accomplish
ment might be another means of pleas
ure during the summer visit to the shore.
This is due to the fact that the Young
Women's Christians introduced
a splendid pool when it went into new
quarters, and placed this phase of its
work in excellent hands: also to the
discovery of the fine advantages of West
Lake, which has become more and more
the objective point for moonlight picnic
parties with aquatic pleasure as a fea-
ture and finally to the delightful little
stretch of water at the Roebuc1 Springs
Country club.
This summer, therefore, it is not enough
that one knows the art of the tango, or
the various "trots' to be really equipped
socially speaking, she must know how
TO swim and dive, and II possible to row.
c'or I'm no other way is the idleness of
hhe idle season to give full measure of
joy.
To show how completely has swimming
taken hold of the community since the
wave of feminism began to sweep over
Io-fro fx,.
equality of physical as we'll as mental
strength-look at the register up at the
Young Womens Christian association,
where members and non-members of the
organization, by payment of a nominal
sum, may become part of the daily
throng In the swimming pool and parties
of swimmers are assembled or indvid-
uals may join the company in the joy
ous gathering place to extract every
ounce of pleasure from the sport that
comes nearest of all to play. The regis
terE indicate that winter membership of
the Young Women's Christian associa-
tion with access to the pool was 900. Dur
ing the month of June the entries to the
pool numbered s05 The following month
--July-the number was 2050. SO much
for the growing popularity of swimming
as a diversion and the recognition of its
efficiency in banishing summertime heat,
fatigue and depression. The naiad over
there is frequently in a boys suit for
she is not on parade and the close fitting
suit In which her young brother would
appear she knows to be the best of all for
any one who wishes freedom for her
swimming.
AT Roebuck Springs the day never
passes without its swimming pool troupes,
gathered from among the members and
the women of their families. An outing
there is almost ideal, for it follows the
lof1u 1ea1 mi fn1 1pix nd who
enc passes within the shadow of the two
big trees that guard the approach to the
little neighborhood of lovely homesteads, |
all care is thrown aside and dip in
the cool waters outside the low, rambling
clubhouse is natural consummation.
Who wouldn't be a swimming girl when
she has been idealized as some of the |
prose-poets have made her this summer?
Yesterday I saw her described like this |
by one who has watched her tossed about |
by the big waves of the northern surf. |
and espied her, too, in her most quiet !
diversions in the "old swimming hole"
He knows her every type for he wrote
that "The swimming girl is usually a |
slender girl. slender and hard OF muscle, |
with long slight curves, bright clear eyes, |
sunburned skin and hair wavy from
the dampness and the summer warmth |
and glinting with evasive bits of gold with
which the sun has FURNISHED even locks
that are ordinarily brown or flaXen. Some
times, though. the swimming girl is pale. |
with long straight hair that never curls
at ali, with the sort of skin that retains
its deep creamy pallor even under the
kisses of the sun. She has liquid black
eyes, long and sad, sweeping black lashes
that do not curl but lie on her wet cheek
after the dip so that she looks like
melancholy Elaine. lovely and sad and
somehow prettily akin to the long green
grasses which wave softly i'm the breeze
md the pale water lilies lying flat on
the dark stream
Then there is the red-haired bather who
is like the yellow daisies which bend over
to see their faces, and the tiger lilies
that are clustered at the other end and
the yellow candoclIs that are filling up