a A Page Six THE MICHIGAN DAILY Sunday, Mayv 26..t957- 1 --- Sunday; May 26, 1957 THE MICHIGAN DAILY University Art Museum The Sport of Sailing (EDITOR'S NOTE: Prof. Charles . . Sawyer became the new director of i 3 the University's Museum of Art (in :x~a Alumni Memorial Hall) this year. The Daily has asked him to select ' ' and comment upon six selections ; which he regards as among the best }< In the University's art 'colections, and which also symbolize the signi- ficance of the collections as a whole.) By CHARLES H. SAVEX-ER FIRST, A BRIEF comment on the collections as they stand today: they are especially strong in con-" temporary art and in prints and drawings, for my predecessor, Prof.I Jean P. Slusser, very wisely decided to concentrate the limited pur-f°, chase funds available in those areas where good acquisitions are f{ possible at modest cost. With addi- h tional funds, we hope to broaden . the base of the collections to in- elude more examples of historicV art and at the same time continue to build selectively on the excellent foundation already established. A university art collection exists primarily for teaching purposes. Here at the University the Museum Paul Cezanne of Art has a primary responsibility to the fine arts department in the tions of the University. Possibly Literary College and the art de- these accidental contacts, motiv- partment in the College of Archi- ated by the individual, are the tecture and DEsign. At the same most effective and, in the long run, time, it should serve as a rich the most important. We intend, in source of reference for all courses the loan exhibits and in the collec- in the arts and humanities, and as tions borrowed from other mu- a stimulating center for visual ex- seums and private collectors, to perience for students in all sec- enlarge the opportunities for and I' .. ( I ""::.i-:,:i Alexader alde.ion?: and i Y:Acrobats}f it's been used for pleasure and profit since history's d The Bathers thus the numbers of this casual audience. MAX BECKMANN'S Begin the Beguine is to me one of the most impressive paintings in the contemporary collections. T h i s Gereman artist, who painted and See Page 7, Column Four ___ *- * Suntime and funtime... ,i 4, '\ , 1 i { h,. By PHILIP MUNCK Daily Staff Writer SAILING could be considered the oldest of man's sports. The first sailor was probably some pre- historic man who floated down a stream on a log one day, contem- plating the beauties of nature. While he was sitting there, a gust of wind came along, catching a leafy branch of the log that stuck up out of ' the water. The log picked up speed and our friend began moving quickly - more quickly than he desired - down the stream. Although he was much too busy trying to get back to shore to realize it, he had be- come the world's first sailor. Sailing can be defined as the art of moving a floating vessel with power derived solely from the wind. Sailing, however, is much more easily defined than understood. It was not until ex- perimenters discovered the prin- ciple of an airplane wing that the driving principle of the sail was fully understood. Still, sailing has been used for pleasure and profit since the dawn of history without its basic prin- ciples being understood. In their earliest days, sailing ships were nothing more than ships propelled by oars with a huge square sail to be hoisted when the wind came from directly behind. Since it was a simple mat- ter to put slaves to work rowing when the wind died out or came from the wrong direction, little attempt was made to construct a ship that could sail into the wind. It was on ships such as these that the early Phonecians built a mighty sea empire, as did Rome and Carthage. Early fighting ves- sels were much the same as trad- ing ships except for a sharp pro- jection attached at the bow below the waterline. To sink another ship, all a captain had to do was poke a hole in it with this "beak." T HE romance of the sailing ship began when the Spanish Ar- mada was annihilated. After her victory, England became mistress of the high 'seas. Her merchant vessels traveled to every major port in the world and her Navy was invincible. By this time, sailing vessels did not need to wait until wind blew in the right direction to go where they wanted to go. Ships could sail practically straight into the wind. From a single mast with one sail on it, ships became three-, four-, and five-masted with doz- ens of sails of many sizes, but all square in shape. The design of ships improved until, under Douglas McKay, the Clipper ship - the ultimate in ship design - was achieved. Clip- per ships are a uniquely American achievement. With long narrow hulls, they were the fastest ves- sels afloat. McKay's greatest sin- gle achievement was the design of the immortal "Flying Cloud." THE "Flying Cloud" is acknow- ledged today as the fastest sailing ship ever built. She epi- tomizes the Clipper ship design with a very narrow hull and enor- mous sail area. The Clipper's hulls were dwarfed by their huge masts and multitudinous sails. The day of the commercial sail- ing vessel, however, was soon to close, for steamships could carry more tonnage more economically than could sailing ships. Sailing remains today as one of the most universally popular sports of mankind. Sailboats are much smaller than the huge Clip- pers but yachtsmen still get the thrill of harnessing the forces of nature for their own purposes. Sailors tend to be grouped into three classifications: those who race, those who prefer to cruise, and those who just like to sail around their local areas during the day. MOST present-day" -racing is done by the "one-design classes". These are boats (most- ly under 25 feet long) that are built to exactly the same dimen- sions. Each boat is equal to all the rest in the race and the win- ner is the best sailor. There are literally hundreds of one-design classes but most rac- ing is done in about a dozen .classes. Included in these are Snipes (15 feet long), Stars (22 feet long), Ravens (21 feet long), International 110's (17 feet long) and Lightnings (18 feet long). They all resemble each other slightly in that they have an open codkpit, a single mast and two or three sails (one or two in front of the mast and one behind). The Snipe class is probably the larg- est one-design class in the world -it has a membership in excess of 10,000 boats. They are raced in practically every country in the world. The rise of the one-design classes came after the Depression in 1929. Before then, racing acti- vity was largely confined to boats with an overall length of 50 feet. It was in large classes such as these that the America Cup races were held. MUCH modern sailing is done by people who cruise. Using boats which place emphasis on comfort and seaworthiness, they have sailed to the most remote ports of the Seven Seas. Most of the sailing done in the United States today is known as "day sailing." Day sailors sail, not for the thrill of racing or the lure of far-off ports, but just for the joy of sailing. For the day sailor, the exhilar- ating feeling of. the sun and wind and water is reward in itself. There is almost no noise and no vibration. There is a gentle hiss- ing as the boat cuts through the water and the sail rustles quietly in the wind. As the sheets (lines which adjust the angle of the sail with relation to the boat) are hauled in, the luff (the back edge of the sail) ceases to snap in the wind. The boat tips farther to- See SAILING, Page 16 NAUTICAL TERMS--The terminology example, this boat is sailing "on the w The "jib"-the sail in front of the mas the one behind the mast are adjusted WILKINSOI FOR YOUR TRAVELIt THESE NEW GRAS WILL GET YOU Max Beckmann: Begin the Beguine i (Fianc s) 44A4AAAAAAAAAAAAAA have the most engaging ways! These are the shoes you'll wear most ... everywhere. Wonderful, rich spring colors and textures to complement a sleek sheath, a linen suit, a billowing bouffant. What a. gay spring and summer season you'll enjoy with your Fiancees! Only $10.95 to $12.95. Other styles in Calf, Nylon Mesh, Tintable Shantung Pumps, Slings; Hi and Low Heels. A. Patent & Vinjlite............... .. *.......*.*.*<4..........$11.95 White Silk Shantung (Tintable) Hi & Lo Heel. ..........$10.95 9. 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