The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-08-11

that bis teachings be performed in the open day,
and Lot in secret. The spirit Of the age de-
mands concessions, which, if not granted now,
will ere long be seized amid the fires Of revolu-
ton and carried in triumph with the light of
burning thrones. The monarchical systems of
Europe cannot 60 on much longer in the path
they have been pursuing in the recent past.
Mary of them have bankruptcy staring them in
the face; others are laden with staggering load
of debt, and all are rotten in principle to the
core. Reform in England, intellectual freedom
in France and Germany, political disenthral.
ment in Italy and Spain, must be granted, or Eu.
rope will soon be overrun with the lava torrent
of revolution, which distinguishes not between
good and evil, and which destroys all things.
Expenditure at the Fashionable Watering
Places.
One Of the expenses which render living so
costly in this country is the annual trip or sum.
mer excursion which it has become the habit Of
people of all classes to make. If the sums spent
in this way were calculated, it would probably
be found that they add something like fourth
to the expenditure of families 1t is all very
we'll to say that their limit is fixed by the amount
disbursed at the hotels, but every pater taailias
knows that the hotel bills form but small pro.
portion of them. Going to the country neces-
states vast amount of expensive preparation,
beginning-curiously enough-with doctors pre-
ecriptions, it being common idea that the sum-
mer cruise for health requires previous dosing
and publication just as in Catholic discipline we
Cd I'll 81 H.
an indispensable preliminary to the obtainment
of the privilege to commit new ones. Then come
| the dressmakers' aud milIiners' bills, which, in
the necessities imposed upon people by watering
place habits, form truly formidable items.
Amongst fashionable aspirants Of doubtful
position, it is now an established rule to
calculate the number of toilettes which they
shall take to such places by the number of days
that they intend remaining there. To wear the
same dress or couture twice would be giving to
their aristocratic rivals an advantage to which
no woman of spirit, as spirit is nowadays mea-
| sured, would be disposed to submit. When the
routine prescribed for the stock of inery on hand
expires the only resource left is the transference
of its brilliant effects to some other sphere Then
recommence fresh expenses, and probably fresh
orders to town tradespeople; for gauze and fea-
theirs are but perishable materials, and cannot
stand the wear and tear of long campaign.
1t is, of course, impossible to form any near
estimate Of the amount which these annual car
nival extravagances add to the expenditure of
our American families. We have hazarded
guess at onefourth of their annual incomes but
in many instances we have no doubt
that 1t considerably exceeds that proper
ton. One thing is certain, that in no other
country is this folly pushed to such txtremes
as with us. On the contrary, in Europe
the rule seems to be that when people seek the
repose and relaxation that are to be found in ru-
raj life they shall discard as far as possible the
ostentation and artificial restraints which the
habits Of large cities impose. Fashionable wo-
men generally fix upon s,period of retirement
to use up the faded glories of their torn nnery.
II it be difficult to arrive at an approximative
Idea Of the amounts squandered by our people
in this way, we can at least form some notion of
the profits made each season by the hotel keep
ers in the different watering places Let us jast
take Saratoga as starting point, and see how
the calculation will work out in the aggregate.
There are at that fashionable resort at the pre-.
sent moment, divided between the different
hotels and boarding houses, about FIVE thousand
visitors. AllottiDg to the United States Hotel,
Congress Hall and Union Hall their relative
proportions of this number, we may set down
their profits at the end of the season as follows
United States. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 900
Congress Hall. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 10000
OmOu HAL. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. lS,UOU
Giving total Of $4,000 between these three
establishments. At Newport the number of
visiters is probably thousand less than that of
Saratoga, and at Cape May it does not exceed
three thousand. The profits Of the principal
hotels will, however, be in the same proportion
as at Saratoga; and if we estimate the total
amount of the gains that will be made by the
whole of the hotels at these three places at half
million Of dollars, we think that we should be
within, rather than over the mark.
There are certainly not less than two hundred
watering places and fashionable summer resorts
large and small, throughout the Union, and if
we set down the average gains of their hotels
and boarding houses, this season, at $4,000 for
each locality, it will be admitted that the calcu-
latlon is moderate one It will nevertheless give
total Of 100000 Of profits made by the coun-
try hotel keepers in the course Of single
season. When we add to this the large sums
spent in dress, travelling expenses, carriage
hire, and petty items Of expenditure, it will be
seen that our summer enjoyments swell enor-
mously the general cost of living, and necessi-
tate us to provide for it at that overstraining Of
the mental and bodily faculties which is deterior-
ating 60 rapidly the physical condition of our
people.
1t will be pleaded that our climate renders