SUN BATHING

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1929, Page 7

SUN BATHING

BY SIR W. ARBUTHNOT LANE IN THE “DAILY MAIL.”

During a holiday spent in several bathing resorts in the South of Europe one can not but be deeply impressed by the efforts which everyone is making fo derive as much benefit from the rays of the sun as is possible. Indeed, , sun-bathing has become a perfect craze with men and women of all ages. Girls are now making every possible effort to secure that graceful rotundity, of form which has in our temperate clime been rigidly avoided. They endeavour withiy...the 1 injitskof modesty, which vp the very rigid • cus r toms of the Latin rqce .so wisely , insist on, ■ to reduce .iheirt costumes so that as- large a) surface? of the body as possible shall be 'exposed to the rays of- the.- sun. in 'which they love to bask - for hours. ) ’’ , . The advantage- which the sun affords to the • child of the south; is manifested by) the complete absence of the deformed legs so painfully familiar to . us. By this exposure the skin acquires such a dark tint as; in many instances to be indistinguishable from that of the Eastern' - native. Perhaps the most characteristic feature of. these, worshippers''of the sun god is ■ the remarkable “joie .pde vivre” and the complete absence of rowdiness or misbehaviour of any kind. That Mr Cochran’s action has played a conspicuous part in inducing; our girls to make the most of •' the physical aspect of life is shown by the large number of English girls and women who flock to enjoy what has become a new season in the south of Europe, to the great advantage- "of their health and the finances"of the hoteliers who are doing their utmost to encourage it. '

USE OUR SUNSHINE. Those of us who have enjoyed the benefits of such a holiday should stimulate the Government and those bodies which control our seaside resorts to do their utmost to provide our people, and more especially the poorer members of the community who live in small dark surroundings in our smoke-laden atmosphere, with every means of obtaining access to the sun’s rays or failing that, substituting those violet rays so easily and cheaply provided by artificial means. Perhaps a holiday spent in the south of Europe would do much to educate many of those narrow-mind-ed, bigoted people who unfortunately are in a position to control the lives, and happiness of their fellow creatures as to the manner in which we can make the most of the limited opportunities our country affords oi adding to tho health and happiness of tho community. What could possibly be 'more icliotical and fanatical than the objections to mixed bathing, and how degraded and prurient mentality! To the members of the Latin race such an attitude is incomprehensible and is regarded as hypocritical in the extreme.