The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1871-07-15
Letter from the Sea Shore.

By THE Sea- July 5, 1871.
DEAR UNION With fingers that ache and
hands half-blstered after three mile row, but
with all the rest of me electric with the remain
der influence of an ocean dip, am going to try
to make few pen marks that shall not utterly
bewilder the members of your establishment. |
have thought how glad they must be not to have
to set up two columns of my hieroglyhics this hot
weather
Hot weather, I say, because that is canonical.
The almanac says hot weather and the newspapers
and the folks that come down here from the city.
We know nothing about it. We have scarcely
been an hour without a sea breeze, and when ]
think how large the number of men and wemen
who have to swelter in Cities guilty feeling of
exemption to which have no title, comes over
me. Why must life, to so many, be unre-
deemed mill-round of monotonous discomfort
and poorly requited labor?
Speaking of that, let me tell you about some
of my neighbors. Lowell, is, you know, the
great Yankee city of spindles. 1t is inland from
the sea about twenty-five miles. Along the top
and sides Of bluff about half dozen miles be-
low US, and within sight, is what looks like an
encampment. And such it is but not military.
The operatives of the Lowell factories have erect
ed here some one or two hundred summer houses,
rough enough, but answering the purpose ad
mirably, and all the summer long these are &C.
cupled by themselves and their families, some
staying longer and some shorter time, but
all getting here, at the seaside, change, recrea-
ton, health; spending recruiting Tins and
money sensibly, and preventing leisure from run
ming TO license and extravaganza as is so apt to
be the case where the man masculine leaves the
man feminine at home and in lordly indiffer-
ence goes off to have his good time alone. From
what | seeand hearI rapidly come to the cOnclu-
ciOn that very sonn No man will have a ripht that
any woman will be bound to respect, but in that
day of vassalage shall haveit as my Joy to look
back to the fact that have never taken my va
cations by myself One may not see so many
places or get so much of certain indulgence,
but believe he is safer, and ought to be happier
in feeling that those who share home burdens
share also in all release from them. We shall
not get at the art the luxury of enjoyment till
we learn to he as little selfish in it as in duty.
didn't mean to run off into that sermon
What was thinking of was this. Why shouldn't
the operatives at Woodbury., or at Canton, orn
Baltimore have their encsmpments for the sum-
mer months ? And why would not a little
thought ensure to all working classes more re-
spite than they get, safer, cheaper and healthier
both morally and physically-reaxatio than
they now get? Americans are initiative. They
import, they copy many good things, as we'll as
bad. They have followed French lead to no
good. Suppose they follow the Germansa while,
and Americanize the lager bier garden. The
bier is not bad, but the best thing is that the
garden calls for, admits, depends upon the ftmi-
ly When once we take our families along we
shall use the element of coase revel which vitates
our holidays, our places of resort and makes
some good people dread any relaxation for the
multitude.
Driving about the beautiful environs of Bali-
more, while nature spread for me very surfet
Of various delight, always missed and always
| longed for water 1t is the feature wanting in
an otherwise superb landscape. The longing for
it gets TO be pain AS we ran rapidly along
through the Connecticut villages we came sud-
denly upon broad view of Long Island Sound
that just there makes its way inland, and at the
moment that unmistakeabls breath of the ocean
swept into the window and smothered the dust
and the smoke and the cinders, from every one
of our little party, broke in the same instant the
shout, "the sea- the sea, +" followed by the long,
deep inhaling of its bracing aroma. And here
we have it day and night; under the sun, under
the moon, under the mist, under the cloud. Its
voice is never hushed. Itself is still
Throbbing and pulsng even with great heart
beat and regular cadence, ii speaks up above all
other sound, from midday to midnight, from
midnight to midday again, while It's ever chang
ing hues and moods make it the pleasantest of
companions as the most grateful of sights. !
have never found its equal as a tonic for body or
brain, sense or soul. j. +. W. W.