The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-07-12

Warrington, D. C.. July 9.-Al-
most The only warm bs0oded ami
NAL on The fnce 81 the earth that
has not sense enough to keep out
a. the midsummer sum u the
American variety Of that arrange
creature ironically known TO-
science q homo sapiens.
The greater part Of the United
States, including most q the At
lantic coastal and central sections,
ID peculiar In that II has . tropical
climate for two or three months
during the year, while the rest OF
the time the climate varies from
temperate to almost arctic. There
are few other parts OF the world
where summers are 20 hot and
winters 20 cold - In the North
Atlantic states.
Most persons who have never
been to tropical countries imagine
that they are . great deal hotter
in the summer than the so called
temperate zone in the Unitd States.
Nothing could be more mistaken.
It il . positive relief, for example,
to 70 from Washington to Panama
In July. It Is hot at Panama, but
there are none Of those times when
you could cook an egg on stone In
the sun. and when the nights seems
Just a. hot - the day. In Panama
Q cool breeze usually comes In from
the ocean 1t night. reducing the
temperature, and there Ii apt to be
q shower late in the afternoon
which has tho same effect.
Tho Welcome Slesta.
But even more welcome than the
slightly cooler climate which this
equatorial country enjoys in COM
parison with our capital ID the dit
ference In customs which makes it
20 much easier to weather the heat.
In Panama, as in almost all other
tropical countries, the custom OF
the midday siesta is invariably OBJ
served. This means that during
two or three hours OF the hottest
part Of the day all activities are
suspended. Everyone sleeps or at
least rests in the coolest ana shad-
lest place he can find. All through
the day the sun is avoided as much
! as possible. A tropical city during
its hottest season does not awaken
to intense activity until after sun
set.
This habit Of the midday siesta
has been ridiculed and criticized
by visitors from the United States
ever since they began going to the
southern countries. They regard
it as proof positive that the Latin
American is a lazy fellow. As q
matter Of fact, he is not lazy; he is
merely sensible. He has learned
through long years OF residence in
the tropics that man whose skin
is white, or anywhere near white,
cannot expose himself to sunlight
and live. Only a man with q black
or very dark skin can do 1t. That
10 why practically all Of the field
work in all of the tropical countries
is done by negroes. 1t Is why Bar
badian negroes were the men who
dug the Panama canal.
The reason q white man, or an
approximately white man, cannot
stand the tropical sun is q matter
for some speculation. Some scien-
fists believe it is due largely to the
presence in the sunlight of the
ultraviolet or actinic ray. while
others believe that this has little
to do with it, and that the heat
itself does the damage. But they
are all agreed that the tropical
climate is literally death to white
men. They can survive in the
tropics only by keeping out of the
sun and the heat as much as pos
sible. This has been proved In
every tropical country where white
men have gone.
Tropical Sumner Here.
The important point for US tc
note in this connection 10 that In
the greater part Of the United
States for the greater part Of the
summer we have Just about a.
l
tropical q climate as any equator.
ial country. Both the actinic ray
and intense heat are present. AND
yet 1t is our general practice II
work in that heat just as hard Al
We work in the winter. Most o.
US take q little vacation, Of
course, and q few fortunate oneI
escape to the mountains or sea,
shore for all or the greater part O
this hot spell. But most Of US worl
and swelter on, losing weight. los
ing our tempers, occasionally ever
losing our lives.
Heat and Hard Work.
The Latin-American in q tropica
country has learned to take hi