Deming graphic., 1920-08-03
EARTHQUAKING AS A PAsTIME
tBy ID. Augustus)

WAS recreation Tor our Ihtnefs IN not
recreation for us. That which proved
highly entertaining to them Is duh and
uninferesting TO the common run OF
people Of today. Horse racing. the de-
light OF our fathers and a thrill pro-
ducer In their day and furnishing sport
ana amusement for countless thou
sands, today minus the pools, would
not cause an extra heart beat even in
the pulse OF an invalid. Automobile
racing, where the drivers flirt with
Death, suits US a bit better. But no
matter what the pastime, It must be
novel, unique and highly dangerous or
we enter without spirit and leave II In
disgust. IL must he highly satuated
with T. n. T.. or we want nothing 10 do
with IL.
California, long the playground Of
America, now offers TO the seekers OF
excitement and thrills and to those not
quite satisfied with the amount Of dan.
ger In the usual sports OF today, a new
pastime, a real lively, exciting, thrilling
hair-raising, blood-curdling sport; and
unlike most things In California, II Is
absolutely free. In fact. 1t Is forced
real estate jitney.
This new form Of recreation Is called
earthquaking, and II all that the name
implies. IL appeals alike TO the little
tot In his cradle and the old man Of
ninety, to the young beau of twenty
and the charming damsel Of eighteen
10 the matron OF forty and her spinis.
ter sister OF fifty. IL appeals to all
races regardless OF color and II dis
tinguishes not between nationals II
will hold the attention of even Il Boil
sheviki. and that In itself Is n guar
antee that IL Is more : exciting than
numbering kings and millionaires or
dropping bombs In the League Of Ma
tiOns' peace meeting.
Los Angeles, the city OF angels, and
now near Ia the angels for the house
next door, has at this time a monopo-
ly ON this particular line Of recreation ;
but unlike most Of the things of which
they might boast, they are leaving this
to the tourists TO advertise and exploit,
and ere long Los Angeles will he the
mecca of all lovers Of red-bl0oded
sport, q recreation worthy the name II
bears.
III you have never been earthquaking,
possibly you will be interested in this
brief and indicate, know, discrip-
ton Of this much enjoyed and patron
lied form Of recreation.
The things We do not anticipate give
us the most pleasure and the greatest
I,h,iiis. whether said thrills be- pleas
ant or unpleasant. In earthquakes
there Is no warning, no danger signal,
no command to hold tight and not
stand up. but all Of sudden everyone
Is doing IL; even the buildings, the
trees, the fences and the sidewalks, as
well as the ground. are doing the SHIN
mie. And there appears 10 be contest
to determine who or what can SHIN
mie the fastest and the fartherest In
moments time people shimmie from
the second, third, and fourth floors To
the middle Of the street below Some
shlmmie by the way of stairways and
others by the way Of open windows
and fire-escapes Chimneys often SHIN
mie off Of the roofs and meet a sad
fate ON the shimmieng ground below.
Dishes shimmie out of cupb0ards and
off of shelves, and pictures shimmie
away from the walls, and occasionally
a building shlmmies on TO an adjoining
lot or out into the street. Now and
then skyscraper forsakes the lowly
("lowly' here has no reference to near
ness to the ground) shimmie and very
closely initiates the movements Of I'M
EGYPTIAN muscle dancer. The contor
ticns of the buildings are quite as pro
lnonn,1rt In the lrtHuuc Of movements
and quite as varied as those of the
muscle dancer hut thousand times
faster. Everybody enjoys Il nightly
and Mother Earth often laughs until
her sides crack, and then she exudes
a little petroleum. to quiet the troubled
waters.
when you are earthquaking, when
your feet and hands and body are beat
ing time to the music Of the spheres,
your first thought, II you have any, is
where do we go. from here; and when
the quaking Is over yOu ask, am
here? Your nerves, those that are
left intact, tingle your heart gradu-
ally works down out of your throat,
your stomach returns 10 its moorings,
but possibly upside down and inside
out for the time being; your knees
cease knocking together and your hair,
now quite perpendicular, settles peace
fully down ON your head and your eyes
return to their sockets
Every muscle. nerve and fibre In
your body has had thrill, has been
awakened and made to live and your
whole being Is thrilled with JOY of liv-
ing and joy and happiness is yours
yours because you are still alive.
Yes, there Is no sport ON earth quite
80 thrilling and fascinating as earth
quaking. Whether II Is a pastime come
10 stay and have its countless devotees
as has baseball, football, auto racing
and boxing, etc, remains to be seen.
But II IL has come to stay, we hope IL
may never become capitalized and
placed under the control Of commits
sion. We are however, (the Bible says
covet not thy neighbor's goods, his
manseryants, his maidseryants nor his
asses; and while It does not say any
thing about earthquakes, we could easi-
Nv interpret the admonltion In that
way. from a moral point Of view, per
/ -. ...ttItu.. chat this uaNr and axCif.