Evening Star Newspaper, July 4, 1936, Page 13

News of Churches CONTRAS APPALACHIAN DAYS District Pleasure Seekers Are Found on Mountain Way Which Reaches 14 States—2,050 Miles Long. By S. M. Mullett. F YOU ever chance upon & motley gathering of some 60 or so people at the unearthly hour of 7 am. on the one day of the veek set aside for late sleeping, ten hances to one it is the start of a Potomac-Appalachian Trail hike. illing around in the back of the frreasury Building, they will soon be bmbarking in the big busses for the Blue Ridge in Maryland, Virginia or Pennsylvania The people are of both sexes, all izes. shapes and Most are voung, some are of mature years, but 1 in spirit. ‘There are irls in riding breeches. jodhpurs, and he initiates in shirts,; slacks or brother's knickers. Some are pretty, kome plain . . . fat, thin, long or hort legged. short-winded, thers with endurance and light- ootedness. The variety of men and heir costumes is equally great, Hunt- ng boots from Maine and Wisconsin, igh shoes, tennis shoes and the regu- ar garden variety shoe. All types of rousers, sweaters, jackets or shirts. ages. are young Some e most popular shirts are of plaid vool. They not only cheer up the interior of the bus, but aiso the trail nd later the dinner table Have we forgotten hats? me hat that so outshines the others hat the owner has been immortalized by newcomers as “the man with the it is a hand-knit overseas cap It puts all lothers in the background—even the 10-year-old weather-beaten and mis- | whose red ribbon e f multicolored wool. shaped wool hat dangles jauntily in honor of a trip Jeadership some years ago. Fach selects his own outfit hiking. The generally accepted for- mula is “Anything in which you are comfortable and for which you have no respect.” ©One day, not so long in the dim past, @ group of respectable, fun-seeking hikers, even before the disarray of a day's outing, were mistaken by some lequally respectable citizens of Middle- town, Md. for hunger marchers. (Hunger marchers were then holding | ome political and social attention in | nd about nearby Washington.) The best story is of the waitress in a drug tore in Leesburg, Va., who, while set- ting up a soft drink for a customer, lconversationally inquired how he en- joyed working on the local road-build- ng project of the C. C. C. The cus- tomer happened to be the head of a well-known welfare organization—out for a Sunday's recreation with the [Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. (P.A.T.C) There is for Iomnng weather. Winter offers stim- | ulating tramps in the snow. The mountains themselves are stim- | ulating at all times. Have you ever | felt the thrill of being on a moun- ;tlm in bright warm sunshine and looking down to lakes of clouds be- low, which, when unpiling and dis- | persing, reveal a deep valley? Have | you ever felt the power and calm | that rushes to you when, standing on | & pinnacle, you view the mountain range extending endlessly—a valley on each side dressed up in the patch- work quilt of freshly plowed and | planted felds, or shadow patches made by wandering clouds? Perhaps far off there is a secondary range of mountains nestling comfortably | beneath a blue sky. Have you then [ ever felt the sudden rush of philoso- | phizing, or the conviction and classi- fication of things into the permanent and temporary? The several sections of the trail in difficulty. The easiest is the new graded trail built by the National Park Service in Shenandoah Park. As the trail meets the Skyline Drive at a number of points, it is possible to take short, easy trips which afford breath-taking views. More taxing is the steep ascent of Weverton CIiff, one side of which offers excellent possibilities for rock and rope climbing. Many have had the opportunity and thrill of learn- ing how to rope climb under the careful and scientific direction of a club member, who has climbed with the old timers and professional guides of the Alps, and later the very diffi- cult spots in other European ranges and 1n our own American Rockies. | CHIMNEY ROCK at Harpers Ferry is an interesting rock formation | which may be roped up with some | | vary | he WASHINGTO little care in selecting foot and hand | ,holds. Big and Little Devils Stairs near Washington, Va., offer scrambles | over the rocks in deep wooded ravines | bordered by cliffs and traversed by | sparkling streams. In both of these there is a rise of about 1,800 feet in a mile and a half. The Appalachian Trail is a foot trail only. It is the longest marked path in the world, being 2.050 miles in length. It begins at Mount Katahdin in the Central Maine wilderness and ends at Mount Oglethorpe in Northern Georgia. It thus extends through 14 | Eastern States. It has been cut dur- | ing the last 14 years and is maintained | by about 25 organizations with head- quarters at various points. Inter- change of views is effected through the Appalachian Trail Conference, 901 | Union Trust Building, which is also | the office of the P. A. T. C. Guide A S DIVERSE as the clothing are the | ;oo 1 the more distant sections of weekday vacations of this l.rou""‘hfl trail may be obtained there, as whose Sunday avocation is a urip to the mountains. In it will be found | garding the portion from the Susque- high Government officials, a secretary | nanna River to Southern Virginia. of a national chemical organization, [well as more detailed information re- | an economist, a newspaper editorial writer, a correspondent for a Russian news service, college students, and % widely hiked man who has inex- haustible and interesting stories of his climbs in the Rockies and Alps and who studied Greek for a climb on Mt. Olympus, and is now study- ing Russian for a trip to the Caucasus. These people have a diversity of Interests—just walking, wild flowers, biras, geology, rock climbing, and during the past couple of Winters skiing and snowshoeing. For the trail is in use in all seasons and all weather. The hikers are equipped for rain or sun, and few are they who give up their reserved places lon a gray and rainy day. When I took my first club hike, 40 or 50 climbed out of the bus for lan eight-mile work trip, a clean-up trip to clear the trail of new growth to the 6-foot regulation width, and to remove overhanging branches. A series of cloudbursts that day wet most to the skin. The rain stopped only long enough for a fire to built, and a half-hour lunch to be eaten. The hikers returned to the bus after an unusual day, glowing with the satisfaction of work well done and hungry for dinner. It is hard to choose the season in which the mountains appear at their best. In the Spring, trips are planned to coincide with the full bloom of certain particularly luxuri- ant stands of wild flowers. Worth the climb for those not interested for its own sport is the breath-taking Arst view of the dazzling brilliance of wild azalea, or the lovely, airy urel, thickly scattered through the ountain forest. There are blankets bt trillivm, stately ladyslippers and bther thriving examples from the husky larger shrubs, to the dainty ittle planfs that hide and hug the round. “HERE are cool spots to be found in Summer. Bubbling springs re- 1l Summer lunches, light breezes nd birds singing in the trees. Many re the private overnight hikes at is time of year, when escape from he hot city is enjoyed in one of the rail shelters for a week end or week. hese shelters contain all needed amping equipment. Groups bring lood or arrange to eat nearby. They blan short hikes for the day, or loll round and read. Swimming is en- yable in nearby lakes or streams In the Summer, and Winter sports vhen snow is on the ground. Some f the shelters hold as many as 20 nc the shelter diary has accounts f many successful and varied parties pent there. Ip the Fall the trial is enhanced v the bright colors «f the season, be rustle of the leaves and invig- [ 4 | The Potomac Appalachian Trail | Club maintains the well-marked 260- | mile section from the west bank of the Susquehanna, 6 miles above Har- | | risburg, Pa., to Rockfish Gap in Vir- ginia. From the Susquehanna it is possible to walk south for 14 con- | secutive days to Skyland, in Shenan- doah National Park, without the | bother of carrying camping equipment. | Daily travel to utilize accommodations averages 15 miles. Three | along this route are maintained by the Trail Club, and in addition there are open lean-tos in the Michaux and Mont Alto State Forests in Pennsyl- vania. The distance from Washing- ton ranges from 56 to 148 miles, and many local inhabitants, exclusive of | the club, are enjoying the use of the | trail, Both the main and side trails were cut, marked and measured by the P. A. T. C, except for the mew section | | in Shenandoah National Park, which was graded and built by the C. C. C. | The A. T. is marked by white paint blazes, by painted signs which indi- | cate the distance (to the tenth of a | mile), and direction to the nearby | points on the trail and the highways. | Side trails are marked by blue-painted blazes. 'O COME back to the day's hike, each member takes a lunch. A suitable place is chosen about the center of the day's hike—preferably near a spring. A roaring camp fire is built and coffee made and served to the crowd. A great deal of trail lore has been built up since the local club’s organization in 1927. | There is an interesting story of a | lunch along the trail which gave the name of Applesauce House to an abandoned farm house. The club group had gathered around the roar- ing camp fire for the usual lunch and coffee, when it was sadly announced that the coffee had been forgotten. | Undaunted, these modern pioneers of the woods gathered apples which had | fallen under the nearby fruit trees, | cooked them, and soon the club was eating hot applesauce instead of cof- fee along with the lunch from their packs. After lunch the remainder of the trip is covered. The group straggles in to meet the bus—the leader with the first hardy hikers arrives. Later others, who have been slower along the way, lingering over lunch, or hunting rock formations, flowers or just enjoying the beauties of scenery. And finally the rear guard comes up with the last of the crowd, the bus rolls along with the tired, hungry group to dinner at some chosen place along the road. After dinner, on the ride home, some talk, most sing club songs, old-time favorites and new melodies—and some, let it be known. even sleep until they arrive home in ‘Was| ely and happily. ¥ shelters | ¥ FEATURES Foeni D. C SATURDAY, w Star, Books-—Art—Music JUL (1) Left, Orville Crowder, Club of Maryland. = Right, president of the Mountain Myron H. Avery, president of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club of Washington, D. C,, and chairman of the Appalachian Trail Conference. Photo by Heard. at climbing steep slopes. ‘Weaverton Bluff.” group on a mountain climb. (2) Helen Burton, showing expert skill Photo by Peterson. Photo by Blackburn. (3) “On (4) Washington The wheel at the top of the picture is used for measuring trail distances. MISS Linked indissolubly with the | spirit of Independence day is the world-famous Statue of Liberty, dedicated exactly a half century ago this year. And on July 4, 1884, two years prior to the dedi- cation, the statue was presented | officially by M. De Lesseps, presi- | dent of the French Committee, | to Levi P. Morton, the American Ambassador. Nation-wide celebrations are being held this year to mark Miss Liberty’s golden jubilee. The accompanying article tells of these plans, sets forth the in- teresting history of the statue, and notes many unusual details about the colossal memorial and the tiny island on which it stands. | By H erbert Hollander. | [E most famous lady in all the! world is celebrating her golden | anniversary. | Fifty years ago Miss Liberty | —more formally known as the Statue | of Liberty—took her stand on Bedloe Island in New York harbor. | Ever since Miss Liberty has held high her torch. To untold millions | that statue has provided the thrill of | thrills. The embodiment of the dem- ocratic ideal, the symbol of a land of opportunity free from oppression, the sight of Miss Liberty and her firmly upheld torch has strengthened the native in his Americanism and has given hope and inspiration to the im- migrant. That Miss Liberty is the best-known statue in the world cannot be ques- tioned. In every corner of every con= tinent it is recognized instantly. Miss Liberty speaks a universal language. ‘Throughout the present year cele= brations of local, national and inter- national scope are to be held to mark the fiftieth anniversary of this statue, which was presented to the United States by the people of its sister re- public, Prance. These celebrations will culminate October 28 when a cere- mony will be held duplicating the original dedicatory exercises on that same day of the month in 1886. Among the leading figures expected to participate in that ceremony are President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Ambassador of France, M. Andre de Laboulaye. The latter's participa- tion will be doubly significant in view of the fact that the Ambassador’s grandfather, Edward de Laboulaye, made the original suggestion for the presentation of such a statue to the American people by the people of France IT WAS in 1872 that a group of men in Prance began actively to work on the plan. Among these was Pred- eric Auguste Bartholdi, a noted sculp- | tor, who ultimately was given the com- wmissign. More than $700,000 was | raised in Prance by scores of cities, general councils, societies and individ- uals, to have the statue sculptured and placed on the pedestal. ¥ EBRA LIBERTY CEL International Recognition of Symbolic Char- TES BIRTH acter of Famous Statue to Be Given, With Nation-Wide Celebration. This is Miss Liberty’s 50th birthday anniversary, and, as ‘befits so important an occasion, it is being marked by . numerous celebrations here and abroad. —Night photo by Allen Rhinehart. In the United States, $300,000 was raised by citizens to construct the foundation and the pedestal. When the collection of money here lagged, ft was the New York World which began an active campaign in behall of the fund, through which the larger portion of the necessary sum was raised. Very early the sculptor Bartholdl suggested tiny Bedloe Island in New York harbor as the ideal site for the statue. His suggestion was acted upon by Congress in 1877 when the island, (3 theretofore used as a fort, was set apart for this purpose. By 1878, work had progressed to the point where it was possible to exhibit the head of the statue at the Paris Exhibition. A forearm pre- viously had been shown at the Cen- tennial Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876. Work was completed in 1883, and on July 4, 1884, the statue was pre- sented officially by M. de Lesseps, president of the French Committee, to Levi P. Morton, the American X Ambassador. In June, 1885. Miss Liberty was landed at New York. Later that year the corner stone of the pedestal was laid. | The principal address on the occa- sion of the dedication of the statue, October 28. 1886, was delivered by President Grover Cleveland. More | than a million persons are said by contemporary accounts to have watched the exercises. Few, of course, | could be accommodated on the island | ijtself. The nearby New York shore, | however, was & solid mas of humanity | for miles. Bartholdl, a great sculptor with many fine works to his credit. found in the statue an inspiration worthy | of his magnificent talent. Super-| heroic in size—larger even than the | ancient Colossus of Rhodes—the statue is equally impressive in its perfectly expressed symbolism. With & burning torch in her right hand, and in her left holding close a book of law inscribed July 4, 1776, Liberty is represented as breaking the shackle | lying at her feet and stepping for- | ward to enlighten the world. A bronze tablet sent with the statue from France bears the following in- scription: “A gift from the people of the Republic of France to the people of the United States. This statue of liberty enlightening the world com- memorates the alliance of the two nations in acheiving the independence attests their abMing friendship. Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor. Inaugu- | rated October 28, 1886." i 'HE physical dimensions of the | statue are amazing. The figure | itself is 152 feet high and the tip| of the torch is 300 feet above sea level. The width of the face is 10| feet and of the eyes 2!; feet, while | the arm is\ 40 feet long and 12 feet | in diameter at the widest point. The tablet in the left hand is more than 23 feet long and two feet thick. Forty persons can stand in the head of the figure and 12 in the torch. ‘The jeweled lights of the crown are found to be windows in ‘an obser- | vation platform. ‘The figure itself weighs about 450,- 000 pounds. It is made of hammered copper three thirty-seconds of an inch thick, supported on a sieel frame anchored in the pedestal. Today Bartholdi's original desire is carried out in the floodlighting of the 'statue by night. Every now and then one hears ru- mors that the Statue of Liberty is disintegrating. This, one is informed by Supt. George A. Palmer, is untrue. The statue is under Federal juris- diction and was declared & national monument in 1924. It is administered by the National Park Service. Re- cently a considerable amount of T PAGE B—1 TING.GROUPS MINGLE IN HIKES ON LONGEST TRAIL Ultra-Violet Rays Are Capricious in Treat- ment of Blonds, Brunettes, Rash Summer Enthusiasts. By James Nevin Miller. OW that the vacation seasom of us doesn't want a healthy- looking coat of tan? You characteristic of husky lifeguards and Amazons of the sports world. ing the recreation months, and no wonder. In these days, when all- for both men. and women are the rage, nobody likes to frolic about the iresh-water lakes looking like a sissy in his or her original pale white skin. foot with blisters or fiery-red sun- burn, some tan without annoying or ill effects? That is the question. Va- pleased to know that Uncle Sam's experts in Washington have been siderable care and, after months of study and experimentation, are pre- Furthermore, they have blasted a lot of foolish fallacies on the subject | cepted by the average person for lo, | these many years. is in full swing. which one know, that deep bronze shade so Nothing is more sought after dur- revealing bathing suits and shorts bathing beaches, swimming pools or Or, worse still. covered from head to But how best to acquire a hand- cationists the Nation over will be looking into the matter with con- pared to answer this question. which have been more or less ac- Since the United States Public | phasize is that a person ought to get “burned” quickly by lving for hours under the blazing sun. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Persons with sensitive skin often get burns that put them in bed for two or three weeks at a stretch. For a bad sun- burn affects the skin exactly like a burn resulting from direct econtact with fire. Yes, it is folly for the average per- son to lie stripped in the sun. in the terrific heat of the Summer between the hours of 10 am. and 3 pm. Sun baths, as mentioned earlier, must be taken gradually and progressively Wisest plan for Mr. and Mrs. Average American, says the Health Service, is to start your acquaintance with Old Sol by exposing the entire body for fonly 10 to 15 minutes the first d and extend the “dose” by five ad tional minutes every day thereafter for the next 10 or 12 days. If your skin isn’t too sensitive, by this time your body ought to be ready for ex- posure for several hours a day. During the first 10 days, and. in fact. at all times. when lying directls in the sun. & person should be careful to protect his eyves. Dark glasses will do the trick. Even if youre not & blond, vou might be one of those unlucky souls who “burn” rather than tan. If <o | Health Service is authority for all | this important information, let us all YOU must be exceedingly cautious in read, mark and inwardly digest the |AKINE sun baths. In fact. there are high lights of its newly revealed Plenty of folks whose bodies are so facts about Old Sol's rays, In fact, Sensitive to light that they ought to there’s nothing to lose and every. CrOSS sun baths off their list of out- | thing to gain by borrowing mother's scissors and cutting out these words of wisdom for your beach or pool trip today. IRST of all, while packing your vacation equipment, be sure to include at least one pair of good sun glasses, a large-brimmed hat or ,two +and this goes for the men as well as the ladies), plenty of olive oil and a few simple sunburn remedies which shall be mentioned later. Of course, in order properly to pro- tect yourself from sunburn, you must n affects the human body. With this in mind. then, here are some easy-to- understand facts: Its highly pene- trating action is not due, as most folks seem to think, to heat, but to the sun’s ultra-violet rays. Naturally enough, more rays are present during the months of June and July, when the sun is highest. The angle at which the rays strike the skin is a matter of great importance, because the amount of ray received varies directly according to the angle at which the light strikes. | In early Summer the rays strike ‘Irom overhead, except in the early | morning and late evening. and hence of the United States of America and | *fect chiefly the top of the scalp | and the shoulders, while in Fall and Winter the whole trunk and limbs | recelve rays at more nearly a right | angle. The amount of filtration of light by dirty atmosphere, or a greasy or ter, the light of the mountain top, ficient to produce considerable reac- tion. that light sand, water, or even an asphalt or cement road, can reflect edly. More surprising still, persons sitting under an umbrella and not directly exposed to the sun’s rays can get a burn, ingly slight and certainly constitutes no argument against using an um- brella while resting on the beach, repeating: The action of light on the body is such that sun baths have a triple sig- nificance—as a healing agent in the cure of disease, as a preventive of dis- ease by building up bodily resistance, and as sneer pleasure-giving tone, which increases the feeling of well- being. Nevertheless, few people know the proper method to be taken in sun- bathing, and fewer still have any reali- zation of the untoward effects that may come from getting ‘“sunburned.” (OF ALL the crazy notions about sun- tan that are widely accepted, the sprucing-up work was done on the worst one of all, Federal experts em- ¥ something about how sunlight | protected body, is high. Even in Win- | especially if reflected by snow, is suf- | It is also & well-known fact | T enough light to affect the skin mark- | But it's usually exceed- | This result of the Federal tests is, | of course, well known, but it's worth | door sports. But, as a rule, the sen- sitive-skin folks can enjoy sun baths without harm if they take them in the earlier morning tbefore 10) and late afternon hours (after 3) and avold the mid-day heat. Which, after all, is a wise rule for the average person to follow. How can you tell, off hand, if Old Sol is going to treai you rough? There's no sur-fire method. the health specialists find. However, they do know positively that there are certain | undeniable evidences of over-exposure: | Headache, fatigue, dizziness and irrita- bility. Most of us have long thought that. in order to get the full benefits of sunshine, we ought to lic in the hot sun. But it’s a silly notion, the Fed- eral experts point out. Another | widely accepted fallacy is that little | benéfit is to be derived from sun- baths unless they result in a tanned skin. The real truth is, as determined conclusively by a long series of tests and observations, that the rays of sunlight (ultra violet) that produce the desired chemical changes in the body are not the heat rays. There- | fore, the mere intensity of the sun's heat has nothing whatever to do with | the benefits to be derived from sun- light. So it is by no means necessary | to acquire a bronzed skin, however | stylish or attractive this may be, in order to derive health from sun- bathing. But if you still insist on getting a coat of tan. then don't accept any casual advice about the best method. Instead study these facts carefully gathered during the PFederal investi- gation and act accordingly: 'HERE are four distinct types of white, of Caucasian skin—the brunette, the blond, the sandy-haired and dry-skinned. and lastly, the clear | skin associated with deep red hair. Each reacts differently to the sun’s rays. As is well known, brunettes have a laugh on their blond rivals in the matter of sunburn. For a dark skin | A5 a rule produces a protective pig- ment and therefore docsn's burn so readily. Sandy-haired folks should be satisfied with very few sun-baths, | for otherwice they'll develop innumer- | able freckles. As for those with Titian | hair, they first freckle and then tan. | So they're wise if they exercise ex- treme care. | Naturally the brunette best stands excessive sunlight. If one studies the complexions in various lands it will be seen that the natives of the not sunny climates are deeply pigmented. while blonds flourish in cold and less | sunny countries. | But while most of these facts are | fairly, well known, there are others that are not generally recognized, or, perhaps, overlooked in the present (Cantinued on Page B-3. .