The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-08-10

People fall into sudden panic in
the surf, or any other tideway for that
matter, and get drowned. Excited sur
vivors and still more excited writer's
hold forth on the terrors of the under
tow. the awful "cut" of the tide racing
along the shore, the murderous magic
of the sea purse" or "sea puss," as
the fisherfolk call it, that destroys lives
like the tabled dragon.
Bosh! Pathetic, but bosh just the
same. 1t is not the sea that browns.
1t is the folly of the victims them
selves. This statement is not a very
kindly epitaph for the poor creatures
who drowned last Sunday, are drown
ing as you read this today and will
drown next Sunday; but it is the plain
truth. The saddest thing is that these
deaths might be so easily avoided.
How? BY watermanship-that is, by
knowing how to employ the water as
friend, no matter how rough it may be
for while. This does not mean great
swimming ability; it needs only good
water-sense. ! guarantee that any one
who will abide by the suggestions here
to follow will be safe in the surf on
any bathing beach in the world. have
tried out these principles in the surf
of Jersey, Long Island, Fire Island,
Block Island, all the rest of the New
England coast, California, Hawaii and
Japan, and never have ] suffered one
moments uneasiness, let alone any
actual peril
What do ! mean by Workmanship?
The art of knowing that the water is
kind, benevolent friend, always will
ing to support and amuse me, rather
than to regard it as a treacherous ene-
my always on the lookout for chance
to pounce on me and take my life.
The water is like rough but good
dog-glad to be a friend If you will be,
but quick to attack if you show signs
of fear Yet many a man and woman
who would, in case of need, force
enough moral courage to walk up to a
savage Great Dane and pat his terri
flying head, finds it hard to do the much
simpler job of making friends with the
water. 1t is for precisely these per-
sons that this article is written.
Don't bother to remember that the
water is of greater specific gravity
than you are, and, therefore, is bound
to support you if you give it half a
chance. Leave that proposition to the
male student The thing for you to do
is to prove it to yourself, prove it to
that inner man, the savage, priemal
ego known to scientists as the sublim-
inal self; the wild man who takes
charge when you encounter some vast,
heart-jarring experience. He's the
boy! Convince him, and he'll keep
quiet for ever after when big sea
smashes you down or a galloping tide
runs you away from your chosen
course
First of all, assume that you know
how to swim in still water before you
tackle the surf. Surely you do. For a
nonswimmer to 60 into the surf and
hope to come out safe is as if he
should carry a blazing torch into a
powder magazine and hope that nc
spark would drop into the powder. He
might do it safely few times, and
then some day
But being a swimmer is only the be
ginning of workmanship. / learned
the real art from boy called Bull
head, who was the most obstinate little
chap in our village. He refused to list
en- to us big fellows of IL who tried
to make him study first how to keel
his head above surface.
I'D Just as soon swim underneath
as on top" he told us. And this is pre-
clsely what he did He stood about II
feet off shore, where the water was
breast deep, drew long breath and
iitHntN W VIC bpiNOlli Htlc GWd
along gayly-three, four half dozer
strokes-moving with the ease of ;
| fish. And when the breath became
sCant he just stood up on his feet ant
breathed all he wanted.
Soon that little rascal got to be ol
| the most chummy terms with the wa
ter of that creek. He played aroun'
beneath the surface until it was a
pleasant to him to be there as in tn
bottom of bathtub at home-an,
with no more idea of danger.
There was his happy secret He ha,
forgotten that the water had such
thing as destructive power 1t was hi
playmate. After while he discovere
| that he could swim near the top or o.
the top Of the water whenever h
chose, and from that time forth h
was easily the best swimmer and di,
er In the village. Why? Because h
was complete waterman.
| AnvhOdy who will give n little tim