JI?EEN MEDFORD (OREGOST) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday, April 29, 1956
Is That So?
ty EUSENE BURNS
Riner-NJturalist
leaving Honolulu, With Japan iness or gustiness all of which
Air Lines We are on our last enabled him to identify the wind
flight-leg from Honolulu to San
Francisco, a distance equal to
that which spans our North
American continent from Los
Angeles to Jacksonville, Fla.
The thought recurs: VSst as
is this trackless sea, angry and
wind-swept as it can be, how did
the Polynesians, surely the
greatest of all prehistoric voy
agers, pinpoint their tiny island
homes over 2.500 miles away,
making regular voyages in their
seemingly frail canoes year after
yeaf with their families?
Tradition is vaaue today as
to the methods employed by
these prehistoric ancestors of our
golden-skinned Hawaiians, who
are citizens of the U.S.A. But
this we know: These fearless
sea-rovers, born with the thun
der of the surf in their ears and
the ocean breeze on their cheeks,
had a wide and intimate knowl
edge of their surroundings. They
knew the heavens by heart
descendants today can still name
60 stars: they were keenly ob
servant of the winds about them
they still have names for 24
different winds; and they under
stand the waves, too they have
personal names for more than
dozen waves!
Their oral tradition much of
it gathered by that South Seas
expert, Kenneth P. Emory, and
recorded by my Polynesian
friend, Mary K. Pukui, both of
the Bishop Museum, Honolulu
tells us that father instructed
son, and he his son, that a string
of stars arose from the same pit
of the sea each night and beat
down to a complementary pit
across the horizon. Hence, if the
voyagers set their course by An
tares (the giant red star, Mars)
to a certain island, then any
other star from the same pit
might also serve as guiding star.
Star's Course Followed
So in bearing eastward, the
star from that certain pit was
used after it had risen clear of
the horizon haze. Its course was
followed until after it began to
curve high in the sky, when it
was dropped for another star in
the same string, following the
same path in the heavens.
But if headwinds demanded
that the helmsman take a tack
across the true course, then a
greater task was set for the navi
gator's calculation and judg
ment it was not enough to have
merely a guiding star ahead; it
was also necessary to have one
directly over the stern, so that
the line of these two stars con
stituted the true course. That
way, the navigator always knew
where east and west, north and
south were, and he could steer
near to his true course until the
forward and stern guiding stars
twinkled again on the horizon,
marking the precise course.
Of course, allowances had to
be made for ocean currents,
crosswinds, and storms and re
membering the tiny pinpoints at
which they were aiming, week3
distant, tolerances had to be
close for their lives depended
upon it. Less than a half-degree
change, and the canoe-load was
doomed.
What if clouds rolled in across
the sky, erasing the stars from
his only chart and blotting out
the sun by day? And what if
they persisted, as they can, for
a fortnight? Then the navigator
would summon his profound
knowledge of the wind and the
waves. He knew that from what
ever quarter the wind blew, it
took on a quality cf coolness or
warmth, dampness or dryness,
gentleness or strength, stead-
and name it and know what it
would do.
In Gentla Puffs
For example, there was the
Maoake which came in gentle
puffs from due east; the Maran
gai which blew heavily from
the southeast but less strongly
as it veered toward the east.
He knew too, according to sea
son, the likely number of days
a wind would hold from a cer
tain direction and the wind like
ly to succeed it.
Further, cloud formations and
ocean swells indicated to these
experts the coming of rainy or
clear weather, adverse or fair
winds vital factors which play
ed a life-saving part in the course
chosen. The choice always was
between life and slow death
when they pin-pointed lone is
lands, 2.500 miles distant.
With the angle of the wind,
the Polynesian depended too,
upon the angle of the waves. A
feather pennant fluttering from
the outer tip of the triangular
pandanus-plaited sails served as
a sensitive weathervane. Steer
ing by the angle of the wind and
the waves, the navigator would
notice immediately the shift in
one or the other, because the
change is never simultaneous
the wave action remains con
stant long after a wind shifts.
What of the night, when even
the light of the stars was blotted
out and he could not see the pen
nant or the direction of the
waves? Then this master of navi
gation lowered a stone tied to
the end of a fibre and from its
tug knew the direction his boat
was running.
Small wonder that songs were
dedicated to the helmsman's
steering paddle; that the navi
gator was celebrated in chant,
In the Day's News
By FRANK JENKINS
President Eisenhower's health
is a big political issue back here
in the East (where these words
are written.) The Democrats say
the wicked Republicans have
prevailed upon a VERY SICK
MAN to run again.
They intimate that prevailing
upon him to run is a personal
crime so far 'as the President is
concerned and from the stand
point of the nation, at large is
a political crime in that if he is
elected he can be only a "part
time" President because of the
state of his health.
This the Republicans vigorous
ly deny.
editors. He tras obviously en
joying every minute of it, and if
he felt any fatigue he concealed
it well.
YOU can draw your own con
clusions. But I'll offer this
advice:
Don't pay too much attention
to what you hear about Ike's
health. My personal faith in his
integrity is such that I'm sure
if he'd felt himself physically
unable to assume the strains of
a political campaign he would
have refused to run.
I'd say that HE feels he is a
WELL MAN.
4-H Club News
Phoenix Sheep Club
Phoenix Sheep club met April
21 at the home of their leader,
Charles Swingles.
Vice-president Fred Swingle
presided.
Pictures were shown of mem
bers and their sheep.
Renee Johnson
Reporter
Rogue River Dairy Club
The Rogue River Dairy club
met at Strickland's on April 21
at 1 p.m. Members present were
Ronald MeGee, Sandra McGee,
David Parson, Larry Moorman
and Zane Strickland.
We discussed our calves and
preparing them to show at Gold
Hill May 19, at 10 p.m. We also
discussed ways and means of
raising money for our club.
Parents present" were Mr.
McGee, Mrs. Strickland and our
leaders Ed and Betty Parsons.
Our next meeting will be May
12 at 1 p.m. at Parsons. Refresh
ments were served, and we ad
journed. Zane Strickland,
Reporter
MAPLE FURNITURE and LAMPS
To Buy or Sell - Use Tribune Classified Ads
ITfHAT is the truth?
Not being the President's
personal physician, I wouldn't
know.
I can only offer here
personal observations.
a few !
4-ia-s
and once dead, he was deified
by future generations. After all,
such navigation had never been
equalled by any other people,
much less surpassed.
(Copyright, 1956, by
Eugene Burns)
(Released by McClure News
paper Syndicate)
Free: By special arrangement
with the editors of the Encyclo
pedia Americana, my panel of
judges will award each week to
the reader who sends me the
best true-life nature adventure,
the best nature observation, or
the best questoin on nature and
wildlife, a complete 30-volume
set of this world-famous refer
ence work in a handsome Seal
craft binding. Each week new
submissions will be considered.
Sorrv. I simply can't answer
your many friendly letters
Please addresse your letter to:
IS THAT SO! co Medford Mail
Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito,
Calif.
San Francisco (U.RI Maurice
A. Hutcheson, general president
of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters, has criticized AFL-
CIO President George Meany for
threatening to suspend the
Teamsters' Union.
Hews About Books
From the Library
A LITTLE more than a week
ago, our President vetoed the
hodge-podge farm bill that had
been batted up to him by the
Democrats after they had hashed
it up to the point where he HAD
to veto it. (Their strategy was
to force him to veto it so that
they could claim he is the enemy
of the farmer, thus giving them
the chance to garner enough big
state farm votes to enable them
to win the election this fall.)
Shortly after his veto of the
farm bill, Ike made a personal
talk over a television hook-up to
explain his veto. The talk was
staged in the White House. It
was a good talk, but the Presi
dent's personal appearance on
the screen that night was cer
tainly not flattering to his can
didacy. He looked AWFUL. His
face was gray aand haggard and
lifeless. He seemed shrunken
and old and worn.
Someone sitting in the group
in which I was watching the TV
screen remarked in a shocked
voice: "Why, the poor man! I
don't believe he'll ever be able
to make it through the campaign."
On the evidence of the tele
vision show, it sounded like a
logical observation.
S.
MUCH for his TV appear-!
ance on the occasion ot his
farm bill veto.
A few nights later, he appeared j
IN PERSON before the nation's I
editors, assembled in their an-!
nual convention at the Statler j
hotel in Washington. That was I
a different story. In PERSON, !
Ike was tanned and husky. At i
the table, during the dinner at
which he was the honored '
speaker, he chatted animatedly !
with his neighbors to the right
and left.
When he arose to speak (at the j
exactly timed instant when all i
the lines were cleared so that at ;
the predetermined moment peo- ;
pie all over the land could settle
down in their living rooms to
watch their President in action)
he was full of zing and vigor. His
voice was strong and clear.
To everyone, Republicans and
Democrats alike, he seemed in
the pink of condition.
THEN i
When the TV show was '
over and the world was no longer '
looking in
He arose in his place to make
an extemporaneous talk to the
guests. He spoke for more than
a quarter of an hour. Through
out this informal appearance, he
seemed even fuller of zing and
energey and enthusiasm than he
had been before.
If ever there was a picture of
health and strength, it was pre
sented by Ike there in the Pres
idential room of the Statler
hotel, addressing the nation's
Mental illness is taking a
greater toll in the United States
today than ever before in our
history.
According to recent figures,
there are some 700,000 men,
women and children in mental
hospitals more people in men
tal hospitals than in all other
hositals combined.
In Observance of Mental
Health Week, April 29 to May 5,
the Medford Public library
called attention to books avail
able at the library on the coun
try's No. 1 health problem.
Mental hygiene information
can be found in such vrecent
books as John Schindler's "How
to Live 365 Days a Year," a
guide to mental hygiene written
for the average reader who
wants medical lingo translated
into the language of every day.
Everyday Problems
Another is Wendell Johnson's
"People in Quandaries." dealing
with the problems that plague
all of us day in and day . out.
"Psychiatry and Common
Sense, by C. S. Bluemel gives
a sane and sound interpretation
of the mind and emotions and
how they affect all of us.
A helpful and readable book
on this subject is "Why You Do
What You Do," edited by Rob
ert Linscott and Jess Stein. Da
vid H. Fink's "For People Under
Pressure," is a self-analytic
anodyne for the complexity of
contemporary living.
A number of books tell how
to overcome fear, worry, anx
iety and emotional strain. Tney
include David Fink's "Release
from Nervous Tension," Lowell
Ditzen's "Personal Security
Through Faith," Bonaro W.
Overstreet's "U n d e r standing
Fear in Ourselves and Others,"
George Lawton's "Aging Suc
cessfully." and many others.
The library also has many
books on self-improvement, psy
chology, personal living, psychi
atry, and other related subjects.
' All of these books are avail
able at the Medford Public libr
ary anil any branch of the Jack
son Co jnty Library district.
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