Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-08
Keep Cool
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.


| can variety OF that strange creature
| ironically known To science as hofho
sapiens. r.., o.a
The greater part Of the United states,
| including most Of the Atlantic coastal ana
central sections, is peculiar III that ~ mas
| a trop,cal climate for two or three months
| during the wear, while the rest OF tho time
| the climate varies from temperate To al
mose arctic. There arc few other parts Q,
| the world where summers are so not ana
| winters so cold as in the North Atiahtio
J States.
! Moet persons who have never been to
tropical countries imagine that they are
great deal hotter in the summer thah t'ie
so-called temperate zone IN the Dnited
| States. Nothing could be more mistaken
| Ii a poeitive relief for example, 10 90
| from Washington to Panama IN July ~
| IL hot at Panama but there are none OF
those tunes when you could cook an egg
an a Stone IN the sun, and when the night
seens lust as hot as the day In Panama
| n cool breeze usually comes IN from ths
ocean at night, reducing the temperature,
| and there is apt to be shower late IN t'ie
afternoon which has the same ehect'
THE WELCOME sIEsTA
p,t oven more welcome than the slighti
| lv cooler climate which tins eqtiatofa
country enjoys IN comparison WIN oJ
,,;.al :. ,Ie difference IN customs winch
makes Il 40 much easier to weather ine
heat In Panama, as in almost all otnef
tropieal countries, the custom Of the tnlo- trI
day siesta is invariably observed. ihlS
means that during two three iouIs ~
the hottest part of the day, ali actiFlt''s
are suspended. Everyone sleeps .. ~
least reats IN the coolest and snadlest
~. bo can find. All through the day the
sun ,s avoided az much as possible.
tropical city during It's hottest scasol,
~. 20, a,yaken 10 intense activity until
after sunset. - has
This habit of the midday siesta mas
h.on ,id,c,Iled and criticized by VlsitofS
from the United States ever since they
hogan goIne 10 the Southern countries.
Tbev regard it as proof posicive that the
I.atin-Afnerican is lazy fellow As mat
for of fac. he IN no. lazy; be - merely
.ens;hle He has learned .hrough long
wears of residence in he tropics tflat
, man whose skin Is white, or any"Iheie
near white, cannot expose nnI,seh - g'1-
: bgI,t and live Only man with Diach ~
nss - dart slin can do it. That is why
pyacneally all Of the field work IN all oi
tbe troncaI countries is done by Negroes.
II is wbv Barbadian Negroes we're the
|, rnen who dug the Panama Canal.
: The reason white man, or an az
: | prox,ruafely white man, cannot stahd tiis
sronieal sun is n matter for some specuia-
t;on snrne sc,entists believe II II due
, | largnIy Ia the presence IN the sunlight OF
be Ultraviolet or actine ray while others
believe that this has little TO 20 with ~
and that the heat itself does the damage
| But thew are all agreed that the tropicai
' climate is literally death 10 WHITE men
, | They can survive in the tropics oniy ~
Loon,ng ont OF the sun and the heat q
ra,,ah e. r,ossible. This has been proved II
every tropical country wher White mel
= have gone.
: TROPICAL SUMMER HERE.
The important point for US 70 note Il
.h;s connection i that In the greater par
y nj the United States for the greater par
of the summer We have JUS about q
9 tropical a climate as any equatoria
Il country. Both the actinic.ray and intens'
heat are present. And yet II Is our genera
practice to work in that heat
IL Just as hard as We work In the WINTER
e Noef of ,is take a little vacation, Q
II no,,rse and a few fortunate ones escap
4 10 the mountains or seashore for all or IN
greater part of this hot spell. But most Q
ms work and swelter on, losing weagn1
l. losing our tempers, occasionally eVel
>, losing our lives.
10 HEAT AND HARD WORK.
a The Latin-American In tropical coun
try has learned to take MS siesta ana Z
reduce his exposure 10 the sun IN ever
Is way possible, because ne mas TINS no
E" summer all the wear round, and he woul'
~ not survive If he did not take these pre-
It cautions. But the native OF the Cnte'
states has to contend with q tTopIca
climate only three months IN the year
and his habits are formed IN the othe
nine months. Furthermore, he Is tn
slave Of an ideal of hard work. In TIN
country we believe that Il a man will Onl
work hard enough he can accomplish any
thing and that TO be deliberately idle an
considerable part of the time Is httl
short of criminal. Both of these article
of the national creed would perhaps stan
a little revision. As Tnstt1r 81 TACT, VIVA
a man can aceomplls Cs grea
deal more on the end nature gay
him than on the nui. r Of hours n
works per day Som" OF the gTeA1eS
achievements have N by men VII
worked only few hg, ) a day. Also tn
leisure to reflect, read, and observe,
Just as necessary as strenuous effort
any worth while development.
But the fact remains that we are
nation of drudges. There are few of |
who can loaf during what IS commonl
considered a working hour without feellr
guilty.
Now this strenuous activity, whatev'
its philosophical value, is at least con
patible with health on a brisk fall de
or mild spring one, but on brolllr
summer day it is enormously wasteful
human energy and even human life.
this country practically no activity
suspended on account of the heat III
midday rest. which has been found 4
necessary to the endurance OF inten
= heat everywhere in the tropics is unheal
- :, Of in this country.
HOT SELLS DEADLY.
It Just consider for moment the spectac
II of a typical American city during he
n wave-New York for example. All a
II tivities go on Just as usual; the streets a
Il scarcely less crowded than at any 9th
Il time Every days paper reports te
II deaths and many prostratlons. And {
II cases reported in the papers are about
II fraction of the whole How many ag
II and weak persons die during these spell
Il not directly of sunstroke, but indirect
Il of the effect of the heat, will never
II known. And the deaths and prostratio
It are small part of the loss. Suicide Al
It crime run high during these spells. Nj
! | IL hxst ks A,