Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-20
ACOUAT|C CAMPAIGN
IS GREAT SUCCESS
f1tre Then a thousand Persons
Have Joined WiImington's
Swimming Glasses.

Interest in the water life saving ard
swimming campaign, conducted the past
week, has been so great that the organi-
flons back of the movement are consider
ilg asking for On extra day IN winch to
continue the instruction.
Ii is estimated that during the sum
mer more than thousand have at
tended the swimming classes and re-
ceived Instructions IN swimming, lIfe
30 wing. or in tb more difficult strokes
The volunteer instructors. to whose un-
tiring efforts the succeu OF the work Is
attributed, have been busy every
minute of their time, rnd m many
cases the period set apart for teaching
ma had to lie extended. The students
who come are Of all ages, ranging from
mere rhiIdren to gray haired women.
They are learning with a rapidity that is
astonishing the instructors. There have
been many cases where women have
learned to swim in one lesson: manv other
instances where with only few lessons
they have becn able to swim back and
forth acrpss the pool. w en- the season
closes this year, il is safe TO say that
more women than ever in the history OF
Wilmington will be able to swim and
many OF them will be able TO outpoint
the average masculine swimmer. In
fact, the keen interest exhibited by the
women and young girls seems To warrant
the assertion that they are about TO Trest
from the men ''the mastery Of the seas. :.
How does it feel to learn TO SWIM
Hero is the way one Of the embryonic
Ethelda Bleibtreys looks at it:
81 was most ANXIOUS TO learn TO swim,
but neglected To register until the middle
of the campaign week. On that date,
however, | went To the Brandywme
swimming pool at clock IN the even
ing. Classes wers entering the water
every half hour and one particularly nice
thing was that fresh water was constantly
running into the pool, 80 that in itself
made one have more confidence.
after sitting on the side and watch
ing the endeavors of the other ambitious
strugglers, it was time for my class to
| take its medicine and oh, how | did hate
1t! The water seemed 50 cold-till you
got in-and sthe thought of getting
my head under the water almost made
me give up. However, we were told
that learning to have the water above
your head was the first essential OF
swimming. | submitted, but with some
doubt as to the advisabihty OF acquiring
an art, the very purpose of which was TO
prevent that possibility. SeIzing my
nose firmly, | took the plunge, and
strange to say, it WAS not at all bad.
..The first lesson concluded with the
dead mans float and everybody knows
what that is--just the reverse OF good,
honest, self-respecting float, where you
| lie peacefully on your back and look
UP at the beautiful sky.
aThe Red Cross were offering little
swimming pins all campaign week to the
girls who during that time had learned
| to swim across the pool. | wanted one OF
these pins very badly and thought that
| if | worked very hard on Thursday and
Friday might achieve the difficult feat
Friday night | arrived at the pool as
early as possible, and, fortunately for me
we were allowed to stay III longer pm thai
night. However, try as hard as ould
half way acro&s was as far as | could
possibly get, and the proud vision of wear
| ing that little pin began to sink IN ths
deep end of the pool.
| sAt last, when 1t seemed hopeless
the swimming instructor came up to me
and kindly helped me by showing me
some new strokes and finished by teach
ing me to float on my back and also &c
swim IN that same position.
after that | felt vastly encouraged
and at the suggestion of an interested
friend, | yentured to swim on my back
scross the pool, if possible. To m,
surprise, | found il WAS very possible
and highly enjoyable, although eveT
now. j cannot feel that my performance
quite justified the pin 50 enjoy wear.
ing