Evening journal., 1922-08-19

81 more or less, Is vacationing on
or near the water, few warn
y kings 'anent safety are in order.
The Red Cross Society are sending out
such warnings by radio to thousands
OF people who nightly listen TO the
programs provided at the great broad
casting stations. One OF the warnings.
the other evening, was Don't rock
the boat" II seems almost absurd to
give such a warning to sensible people
who have heard, time over time, OF
tragedies resulting from this ancient
game of the incorrigible joker.
But only last month the writer was
in a small motor boat on an Adiron-
dack Lake. the boat weighted down
with grown-ups and children. when
the owner of the boat who was holding
the tiller rope while his four-year-old
niece toyously imagined she was steer
ing at the wheel, rocked the loaded
craft ito give the baby a scare" Five
people in that boat could not swim.
and though the rocking was not very
strenuous everybody but the Joker
looked rather nervous. very little
rocking of a loaded boat will bring
water over the side. and the conse-
quent panic and movement of the pas
sengers may very well tip that boat
Just far enough more to precipitate an
accident.
So don't rock the boat" seems
good warning even in this day and
generation, for the practical joker is
not drowned yet It appears. Another
warning sent out by the Red Cross is:
Don't try to rescue drowning per-
son unless you are. yourself. strong
swimmer" If you dash out to his as
sistance and are grabbed around the
neck and feel yourself going down, you
will wish you had made your dash the
other way for a board or for assist
ance-but It will be too late to wish
anything then. Instead of swimming
toward the person in the water. call TO
him to keep cool and push piece OF
board. an empty box or anything that
floats toward him. Or IL there is any,
one else in sight call for assistance.
If you must swim toward him go feet
first. He will grab at your legs. OF
course. but that may give you a chance
to reason with him while you manage
to keep yourself afost.
OF course, everybody should learn to
swim and because you are no longer
young is no reason why you should
not tackle the job this summer. Any
body can learn to swim; all It requires
is patience and perseverance. Don't
imagine, because Cousin Jim or broth ]
er-in-law Tom holds on to your belt
while you take a stroke or two tina;
you are making progress in swimming.
Where would you be without Cousin
Jim or brother-in-law Tom7 Work at
It by yourself 1t Is pretty certain that
II you go in the water every day and
keep nracticing persistently the swim
ming strokes. first with hands. then
with feet. you will by and by try
these motions .together-just to see
what will happen and in shallow water
with your face toward shore. Get
somebody to hold finger under your
chin while you try, so that your face
Is out of water I venture to predict
that you'll be swimming very shortly
for hands and feet will naturally and
nstinctively take up the motions prac-
ticed so long.
Most non-swimmers seem to feel /
that their head and shoulders must be /
out of water for safety But watch /
any swimmer and see how the wholeJ
head, save the face-and all OF the
submerged. Practice
his, while you stand on the bottem.
sink your shoulders under, throw back /
your head until the water comes up to
he level of your chin and well up
around the base of your neck and
back of your head. Get accustomed to =
being so far under water and you will
30 less uneasy and frightened when 4
'ou actually try the swimming strokes
With feet off the bottom.