The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-10-16
Topeka Girls Right at Home at
Seaside Bathing Resorts.
Y. w. C. A. Swimming Pool
Popular With Topeka Women.
GOOD RECORDS IN CONTESTS
Floating, Diving, Life-Saving
and All Water Stunts Mastered.
Octavia O'NeiI, sBaby of POOL
Receives Great Applause.


Receives Great Applause.
The ancients kept the festival of
Neptunalia on the 23d of July, but in
Topeka, Kansas, U. S. A., it is kept on
the 8th of October, in this year of
Grace, 1915.
And think of remem bering a sea
god in coastIess land, where one of
it's rivers hides away under the sand,
and the others go half dry good part
of the year. In this barren waste,
though, is an oasis, all nicely rooted
and that little sheet of water is the
swimming pool at the Y. w. c. A.
You wouldn't think it, but it is a
fact that hundreds of women and girls
have taken the plunge this summer
past and are learning the gentle art
of swimming. A group of these mer-
maids gave an exhibition the other
night for the public.
Show Real Form.
They say that down in the beach
cities of the eastern coast, there are
ever and ever so many girls who can't
swim a stroke. They go into the
water. and they can ride the big
waves without fear or difficulty, but
| they hug the shore without a blush,
and get their toes wet no further than
their shoulders.
|
swim, for when the spring rains come,
| they hunt the nearest creek, and by
some mysterious gift that belongs ex-
clusively to the very young male hu
| man, they learn to swim without in
struction, advice, or demonstration.
With the girls it is different, and their
| requirement of the knowledge of
swimming is something they feel en-
| titled to boast of just a little, especially
when they master all the curves of
| floating, diving, life saving, etc., which
is not bad for a set of land lubbers in
the core of the heart of the continent.
And then how these same dry state
people can splurge when they go to
the lakes or the seashore!
Roster of Mermaids.
Those who were chosen to put on
the stunts before company of inter
ested spectators were girls and women
who lave won awards in the various
classes, as follows: Helen Campbell,
| Miss Hazel Clark, Miss Anita Heinz
man, Miss Lillian Boone, Miss Alice
| Hughes, Miss Gladys Cav, Mrs. Marie
berta Mcdonald, Miss Anna Helwig,
Miss Edna Peppmyer, Miss Dorothy
Smith. Miss Georgia Cleveland, Miss
| Octavia @ Neil, Miss Lois Ferguson,
Miss Margaret HILL Mrs. A. Mitchell,
Miss Rachel McGiffert, Mrs. Jean Nor
RS Miss Cassie Mathews, Miss Annetta
Nicool, Miss Roxanna Proctor, Miss
| Alberta Rosen, Miss Helen RoSen, Mrs
A. o. Rosser, Mrs. F. Whelan. Miss
| Edna Atwell, Miss Anna Brown. Miss
Helen Berry, Miss Helen Campbell,
Miss Elsie Campbell. Miss Helen
Ruth Holt, Miss Leona Hare, Miss
Marian Helwig, Miss Frances Jones,
| Miss Minnie LIGHT and Miss Dorothy
Reddick
| Frrhe Instructor, Miss Kate Williams,
stood on the cement bank and gave
1.-THE signals. The girls tumbled or
Owed into the water with an eager
ness and abandon that made the thing
look easy. But having tried the per-
formahce, we no longer let appear
anceS deceive US.
Ready To Be Heroine.
The class A contest was for swim
mers who have learned since May 1
any stroke. The class exhibit was
for swimmers who could make fifty
yards and demonstrate any three
standard strokes. The G class, or blue
can Red Cross life saving tests, as fol-
lows: Swimming 100 pards, one or
two strokes; be able to tow a person
Of her own weight 10 yards Dy four
different methods; be able to show
method of releasing herself from a
person in peril of drowning when
grasped by the wrist hold, front or
back neck hold or the waist ho.d
vester methods of artificial respira-
ton. The stunts for the class D per-
formers are: Three dives, 800 yard
swim, dead mans float % feet, div
ing under a person floating on the
lack, swimming with hands and feet
tied rolling in the water three or more
times; standing on the head in the
water; steamboat, 10 yards; marching
on water; swimming on the side with
feet only, so feet; bringing up object
from five feet by diving; propeller
stroke, torpedo stroke soInersauit
swimming under water 80 feet; sitting
on the bottom of the pool in 4 feet OF
! water; floating on the back, holding
the feet with the hands, swimming
| backwards on the face.
Baby of Pool.
, Every one cheered the littlest swim
mer, Octavia O'Neil, the baby of the
pool who made a plucky and sue c,
, is one of the good swimmers of the
. group. She has lived by the sea, and
has been a swimmer about all her life
, Miss Gladys Cav. who belongs to the
: class, got her first instructions in the
r English channel, from the champion
: swimmer of that part of the world
She was his interpreter, he being
French, and he was her swimming
| teacher.
The association kept rally day will
[ a dinner in the big dining room.
program occupied the entire evening
e after the banquet. Mrs A. A. GODDARD
e presided. making the opening speech
S Mrs. Katherine Willard Eddy of Kan
i sas City, Mo-, made an address OF
: strong, secretary of the girls depart
: ment and the employment section
s made short address short pro
: gram was given in the lobby, as fol
4 lows: Violin solo, Miss Gladys Cav
n reading, Miss Mildred Coover; sol'
!, dance. Miss Ards Wolverton; solo
!, Miss Enid StrickIer; reading. Mis-
y Coover, and solo dance. Miss Wolver