The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-08-05
CAPE MAY LETTER.


Is u much more ieaSlDle Journey than Il
was in Xenaphon's time. A Katdbasii
may be made in little more than two
hours from Philadelphia to Cape May oil
Atlantic city, and the American citizen
be he rustic or urban, who has never seer
the ocean and been on it, and in il, is de
void Of one of the grandest complementa
experiences of life, l, never, before thi,
summer, realized the Importance of New
Jersey in the sisterhood of States, knew
that she produced huckleberrics, and oys
ters, and an exhilerating beverage calleC
Jersey Lightning, but | did not know
that New Jersey was almost peninsula
fianked on the north by Long Branch anC
on the south by Cape May, and that the
ocean laved on her eastern shore more
than half u hundred health and pleasure
resorts OF these the oldest, safest, and
best, is Cape May. Fatal accidents tC
bathers very rarely occur at this place, the
beach is considered the safest on the coast
the depth of the water increasing very
gradually, but, Notwithstanding the safety
of the beach foolhardy swimmers occa
sionally go beyond their depth aud are
brought in by the life boats that are sta
toned outside the surf from IL n. m. til
! p. IN. II is u remarkable fact that only
the swimmers are drowned at the seaside
resorts. The sea is mysterious and decep-
tive, the breakers dashing against the
beach give the impression of constant
current, and the swimmer thinks that il is
only necessary for him to float in order to
be borne safely to the shore, but, the IN
dertow, as the receding wave is called, is
quite as likely to bear him out to sea, and
it requires no common effort to make pro-
gress in any direction through the dense
salt water, A good swimmer can ordina-
rily ride the waves, for the water is re-
markably buoyant, but the breakers are
irregular in their ways, and are sometimes
broken and foamy on the crest. 1t re-
quires the greatest skill to keep this foam
out Of his mouth and eyes and nose.
With ladies this is believed to be impossi-
bic, since it is said they will talk in the
presence Of the most imminent waves aud
are constantly shipping heavy seas.
This will long be remembered by the
Landlords of Cape May as a very pros
porous season. The hotels and boarding
houses have been full for two weeks, which
is considered remarkable since the season
here does not, as a usual thing, reach its
hight until the LIST of August. There are
about 5000 guests at present, number
nearly one'fourth as large as the average
daily paying visitation ut the Centennial
Exposition. Good board may be obtained
at from ten to thirty dollars per week and
bathing suit, room, and attendance, costs
from % to 80 cents per day. The sea-
side resorts are much less frequented this
summer by the shoddy and snowy social
element than formerly. This class has not
been altogether extirpated by the panic,
there is remnant hanging round here
still, but | learn that none of the watering
places are so loud with them as in the
years succeeding the war. There is n
healthful dearth of fast horses, fast women,
and fast men. The explanation may part
ly be that shoddy being human is suscep-
tible to the refinement which attrition with
tho world and life must sooner or later
produce, at any rate the advent Of a quieter,
more respectable class must be hailed as q
hopeful social symptom.
The ladies here dress very well, l sup
pose; am no connoisscur, but feeling it
my duty us your correspondent to take
notes, | observed that the young ladies'
usually appeared in the forenoon with u
dress made of light colored calico, or, may
be it was linen, exquisitely laundried; in
this they would walk on the beach, promo
made or sit on the piazzas Of the hotel at
noon, or little before, they don their
bathing dresses, which, when dry are fan
tastic, when wet, clinging and natural I;
after the bath, they dress more deliberately
for dinner; this toilet am not learned
enough to describe, but they look more or
less like the fashion plates in Harper's
Bazaar. A few ladies dress again for the
evening, but most of them wear the din
der dress for the remainder of the day.
Gentlemen as rule have two suits, light
business suit costing from thirty to forty
dollars, which is worn in the forenoon, and
fashionable frock coat with light colored
pantaloons for the afternoon, but the
greatest latitude seems to be allowed and
taken by both sexes, some gentlemen who
have money enough to buy out first-class
merchant tailor, wear only the business
suit. Others who never pay the tailor
make tia business to wear three suits per
day. Full dress at the hops is very rare;
few gentlemen have swallow tails, and 1
have not yet seen lady naked as to neck,
breast, shoulders and arms, "decolette, I"
| believe it is called. C.
Dog Days.
The folloWinp examination of dog DAYS