The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-07-29
From OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE,


STOCKTON HOUSE, July %, 1876.
For while have left the hot, healthy,
and hospitable city of Philadelphia, and
am at the Stockton House Cape May, the
largest hotel on the Atlantic coast. find
many here who have fed here for season
from the Centennial sirocco in Fairmont
Park, while others avail themselves of the
excursion facilities offered by the West
Jersey Railroad, to make brief visit to the
cape, get gasp Of cool air, and take dip
in the ocean, returning, if they desire, the
same day. In contrast with the scant At
tendance at the Centennial Ell position there
seem to be afoat q very large number Of
summer tourists, who have bought the sx-
cursion tickets sold by the Pennsylvania
Railroad Co. and they appear to be
taking in" pretty generally, in their
course, the popular health and pleasure
resorts in New England, and middle states,
Virginia, and the Dominion Of Canada,
combining travel, pleasure, and hygiene,
/ WIN thC AbbChOAFl W UbicNluk NlAl autumn
their visit to the Centennial Exposition.
Cape May ID pretty village Of hotels,
churches and cottages, having permanent
winter population Of about ], 800, its tran
silent summer population is of course not
easy TO estimate. Two small daily papers
the Star, and the "Wave" are published
here, devoted chiefly to advertising the at
fractions of the place and social gossip.
The churches are FIVE in number, repre-
senting the Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist,
Presbyterian and Baptist denominations.
The steamer Richard Stockton makes three
trips each week between this place and
Philadelphia, but the cape can be most
conveniently reached by the West Jersey
Railroad, which runs four daily passenger
trains at excursion rates, making the trip
in about three hours, thus giving the Wis
itor an opportunity to try his strength
with Old Ocean, and return to the city by
evening. There are many hotels and
boarding houses here. chief among which
| 10 ShC O1OSAbOu AAOuDCy tAiO kCoS 80 WolA
as the most commodious hotel on our long
Atlantic coast. 1t il within few yards Of
the ocean edge, and has bathing rooms at
tached. The discreet bather will have his
valuables taken and checked in the hotel
Office, where he will receive ticket which
entities him to bathing habit, hat, shirt,
and pantaloons, (the same with very slight
changes in cut for ladiesl and little six
by six feet apartment in which to make
his toilet for the sea. There are three or
four hundred of these boxes. built in rows
like pigeon holes, with aisles running be-
tween, each containing q wooden seat,
hooks on which to hang clothing, and .
bucket of water to wash the sand off the
feet after walking from the bath. If you
are OF the male persuasion you don coarse
blue wooden, sleeveless shirt, and panta-
looms Of the same material, reaching Just
below the knee. If it is your first time,
you will perhaps be q little embarrassed,
but you will soon be treasured by that
most reassuring of all facts-Ghat no lady
or gentleman is dressed any better than
you are, and you walk barefoot over the
dry, hot sand, till you reach the margin
where the waves made furious and yeasty
by the resistance of the shore, fret and
fume in way that the '.pOttgtoisbos thaia-
sas, Of Homer 50 well expresses. Now il
you are woman, and cannot swim, you
will hesitate and simply extend your toe for
the ocean TO kiss, but you do not know the
treacherous old mystery; you thought you
were safe on terra .svBsa, but he has slap-
ped you AZ high a. the knees, and before
you have time to scream the wave has
melted INTO the sand and you are ON dry
land again. Soon you begin to like it, the