The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-18
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

l If every boy and girl were taught how to swim we would not read with such frequency of deaths by drowning, for it
 is often the case that if people only knew even a little bit of how to keep them selves afloat they could be saved. | l l have Teen surprised to find how many grown persons of my acquaintance have confessed that they couldn't swim a lick. 1 I hope the time will come when parents tahout such vital matter, and that cities will provide swimming pools for all the people.
 have always been greatly interes,eo in
 the conservation of health and the pre-
 vention of accidents, and took great stock in "safety-irst week" It is all right to throw every possible precaution around the health conditions of the people, and am in sympathy with everything being
 done by the city. county, state ana na- Ition.
 We have it frequently brought to our minds about the ravages of tuberculosis,
 and every epidemic Of yellow fever is now looked upon as an indictment of the care lessness of health authorities, and great
 precautions are taken to stamp out the oubonic plague, and the flu" takes its awful toll in spite of the war against lit: and the maimed are a constant re- hinder Of the need of safety devices for the machines and of instruction for the lemployes.
 I never was good at remembering sta 1 tistics. and therefore will not attempt to set down the number of preventaple
 deaths from tuberculosis and other dis eases, nor will l marshal the figures showing the vast army maimed in indus trial enterprises. or the thousands who
 meet their death by being run over either by automobiles. street cars or railroad
 trains. From time to time our attention Is
 called to accidents by the insurance com
 panies writing such risks.
 l
 I wish however, that I had at hand the number of people who meet their ldeath through their inability to swim, for inearfy every paper we pick up during the summer season tells of some man.
 woman or child being drowned This be- ing the case, then I hold those who are
 teaching the art as public benefactors and worthy of all encouragement from
 the public. We Americans have always theld life too cheaply, and it will take a
 lot of education and publicity to remedy f1,t- ;- ito do my part in getting in behind all movements seeking to ameliorate present
 conditions.
 The Y M. CA A. and Y. W. c. A. have Ialways given much attention to teaching swimming as also has the Birmingham l Athletic Club. Then both at East Lake and West Lake there has been an effort not only to provide place for swimmers,
 but to teach swimming. Then, Hugh Hill
 at Edgewood opened his lake to the pub
 lie. Now all of these institutions are
 making it so that any one with desire to learn the art of swimming can do so. 1
 | But I sat down to tell of the good : work being done by the Birmingham Rail- way, Light and Power Company with it's swimming pool, which has been in oper- ation five or six years. I usually get on
 to all the good things at the syar,. but somehow ! oversiept my rights in regard to getting in touch with the splendid pool which is situated between the power } house of the above company and Crane : & Co, just south of the railroad tracks beyond the Louisville and Nashville
 depot.
 l used to frequently notice low roof tile building when passing out Twentieth , street or in going south on the various
 railroads, but never associated it with a
 place of amusement. but looked upon it as part of the power house. I had received invitations to come over and use
 the pool 'but somehow had never paid much attention to it, until last year out at East Lake I saw some of the swim
 mers from the B. R., L. & P entered in the contest; but even then I waited until about ten days ago before I ever vls- ited it.
 IL really d great place for swimming. It is 90 by 100 feet. small end where l the water is under four feet is cabled off } for beginners and a larger section with a
 depth of more than seven feet is reserved
 for the experts. There are low and high
 diving boards, and other gymnastic ap- paratus for those who care to do stunts, and naturally the adventurous boys and girls soon learn to avail themselves of them to the alarm of timia mothers who } watch them from the grandstand
 The first time boy or girl is seen in
 the pool. they are called ''tadpoles:'' the
 second time they come under observation they are classified as "bullfrogs'' and : when they are able to swim across the
 pond they are entitled to be known as fish" But there is fourth evolution for when they can swim 100 yards free style, 30 on back overland, side or breast ano make a three-foot front dive
 they are awarded the title of Neptune, ' 2 and are permitted to wear an emblem on } their bathing suit showing that they have qualified.
 Any company can build pool, but it takes moro than money to make such a , place a success. There must be the
 personal touch and living enthusiasm of
 some of the officers behind it. The B. : F., l.. & P. swimming pool is fortunate | in having Auditor R. O. Launey and the Superintendent of the power house. Bert Jordan, back of it with all they are
 worth. They just count it joy and a
 privilege to give it all the time they
 can spare from their duties, and befieve