The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-08-20

OCEAN HOUSE, CAPE ELIzABErH,

OCEAN HOUSE, CAPE ELIzABErH,
Aug. II, 1868.
Five weeks on the cool sea-beaches near
Portland, have made the fogs of July and the
more than tropical heats of these sultry Au-
gust days and nights pass like dream. Port
land, the place where poets and artists, and nov
elsts are BON, the beautiful "FoIest City"l looks
out from its empowering elms over the finest
haroor ON our coast = over a bay fairer than
the Bay OF Naples, studded with a hundred
Islands and whitened with the sails of all ma
tons. All the picturesque sea-beaches within
ten miles OF Portland are favorte places of
summer resort to the northern New England
ers and more especially to their colonial neigh
bors from the Canadas; but the Ocean House
on Cape Elizabeth combines, perhaps, as many
attractions and advantages for seaside hotel
as can be found in all this vicinity. A pleas
ant stage ride of seven miles takes you from
Portland through groves of evergreens to the
"Marine Villa" of "Uncle Joe" Chamberlain,
so called by his friends and familiars, and in
this category may be ranked nearly all the
guests OF the house, who come here summer
after summer and seem as thoroughly at home
in "Uncle Joe's" hostelry as in their own COM
Portable winter quarters on "the Avenue" in
Beacon hill, or in the granite palaces of Mon
treal and Toronto.
1t is a pleasant social place, this Ocean
House, on Cape Elizabeth. at has its yacht
ing and rowing parties, its bathing and bowl
ing amusements, It's Peacock, its parlor hops,
and occasionally its grand balls in the great
hall over the bowling alley, with their gallops,
tarantulas, cotllions, waltzes and contra-dan-
ces. 1t has also its gymnastic games on the
green after supper-its football, leap-frog and
feats Of "ground and lofty tumbling," per-
formed by emulous athlete for the amusement
of the fair spectators on the balconies.
At sunset, If you are not too sumptaously
dressed, you may 60 down to the long reef
stretching off towards Fishers Island to see
the breaekrs dashing over the rocks, or stroll
along the fowery paths on the brink of the
steep lodges, where the brier-rose and the eve
ming primrose give out an unwonted sweetness
to the damp sea winds; or you may Chamber
down the rocky terraces of High-Head, and
see the great waves following themselves into
caves of darkness, with the white foam break
ing over their concave walls of emerald; or
you may wander off over rolling hills and
through hr-tree grove to the tall beacon lights
on the outermost reaches Of the land. Or If
you prefer to keep the even tenor of your way,
and save your summer draperies from the
sharp teeth of the rocks, you may stroll along
the level sand beaches to the north and west,
and pick up sea-urchins and star-fshes, and
other marine monsters which my crustaceolo.
gy is incompetent to name.
Mde. Virginia Lorini and the fine contralto
Mile. Morensi, are guests Of the house, and Of
ten lend the well-known charm of their rich
voices to our evenings, while Giovanni Soon
ella accompanies them with the admired music
of his violin. When our great artists are not in
a mood TO favor us, we call in our accommoda-
ting host, "Uncle joe" whose resonant bass
is always ready for the chorus Of his favorite
songs, in which distant illusions to smelly
Gray" and "John Browns btby" may occa-
sionally be heard.
The style and fashion of New York, the sa-
gacity ard saroir fdire of Boston, the frank
cordially Of the "Grcat West" the genial and
gallant courtesy Of the Canadian men, and the
grace and candor of the Canadian women, the
merry children and the laughing, lettering
nurses, all combine to make the Ocean House
place of great social resource and variety.
The fretful fever of city life is forgotten here
In new sense Of freshness, and freedom and
repose. The sea-winds sweep away all shallow
tricks of custom. the surf breaks over all mar
row conventional restrictions. Our cool pulses
keep time to the grand tidal pulses of the sea.
We discuss the stirring events of the hour, and
the fateful issues involved in them. with re-
mote contemplative interest, as we would dis
cuss the. seige of Troy and the wars Of Aga
memnon. We read of the terrible New York
riots and the brutal sacking of her Orphan
Asylum, as we would read chapter in Car
lyle's French Revolution or st. Matthew's ac-
count of the Massacre of the Innocents; not
that our sympathies are blunted by the salt
sea-wind, but that our faith, and patience, and
courage are enlarged and strengthened, and
assured, and we doubt no longer that the
whole round earth is
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God"