The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-10-19
Coney Island.
TransfOrmeh from Dreary SRnd.beds 10 Amer
cn's Grand~st Seaside Resort.


painters pencil. la my travels have seen
many places that thought rather lively for a
Sunday-many where from mere observation
one would never think it was Sunday. Take
tor instance, the old French Market in New
Orleans. If there is anything like II Oh Il
Sunday morning, history has failed to mention
it, During the evening theatres, concerts AND
saloons are in full blast in that city, and many
trip the light, fantastic toe" In Texas and
all countries and regions where the Spanish
element is found the people enjoy the old time
sport of witnessing a bull fight or chicken
pitting; while in nearly all large cities IN
every country Sunday is n gala day for the
multitudes, especially the working classes,
who are dcbarrcd during the week. They en-
| 10Y themselves in innocent amusement by 60
| ing to pc.nics, excursions, visiting, etc
There was a time, not many years ago, when
the people of New England considered it a
crime for mother TO kiss her babe on Sunday,
and had other absurd ideas of keeping the
Sabbath day holy, while those on their way
home from church should look neither to the
right nor to the left and at home were made
sit with their back to the window on that day
but now the descendants of those same people
are found spending the Sundays at Newport,
Long Branch and other watering places, where,
like nearly everybody else, they manage to get
into yard of bathing suit founder about in
the surf for hours and when out enjoy their
drink and other innocent amusemcnts."
The mixture of nationalties who are flock
ing to our shore has made a great change In
the observance of Sunday. Many of them be-
| icvc in different forms of religion; but all
come to enjoy the privileges of this great re-
public, whose constitution guarantees that
congress shall make no law respecting an cs-
tabished religion or prohibiting the free exer-
else thereof" and where all can worship &C
cording TO the dictates of their own con
faith, nor educated in the same school, and
since Henry Ward Bcechcr and other promi-
nent divines tell us there is no hell, and none
but Catholics believe in purgatory, and others
believe in something else, it is no wonder that
thinking people grow skeptical, spend Sunday
about as they please, and content themselves
by allowing others to do the same.
But the picture which New York presented
to your correspondent on IL certain Sunday
morning IN August was one that will never be
erased from the tablet OF his memory. The
bright sun glared holly on the glstening
streets; the blue sky was flecked with gray
and gold; the houses looked as though they
had been deserted; the people were hurrying
along the avenues, singly, in twos AND in
crowds, all bent on days pleasure on river,
sound or sea. AT the docks and piers all was
life and animation. From every point Of the
compass gathered the multitudcs They came
on foot, by street car and in carriages-men,
women and children, fathers and mothers with
noticeably large families, clears" and bulls"
clerks, statesmen, and fellows with their Mary
Anns-all meeting together for a day of amuse
ment and enjoyment The docks soon begin
to get crowded, and then the uneasy ones begin
to scan the stream, looking for the boat which
Is to convey them to the salt sea air AT the
appointed hour and as if by magic the river is
filled with fast running steamers, gaily deckcd
with flags and banners, and looking as gay as
life Sweet strains of music from the bands,
which every steamer has for the occasion, min
gle with the heaving of the boat, the putting
OF the engine and the rattle of the wheels
Over the gang plank rushcs the crowd-some
for Concy Island and Rockaway Beach, some
for Long Branch, some for the Highlands, and
others for West Point and view Of the beau
ties of the Hudson river
1t would be useless on my part to attempt
anything like IN estimate of the number of
people these steamers convey every Sunday
morning to the seaside resorts, and no city in
the world has such variety Of attractions
within so short "A radius as New York and
none SO fine or pleasant; and the dcnizcns of
no city on earth more eagerly embrace their
Sunday holiday opportunities Than do the Ileo.
pie of this metropolis. But the gayest and
grandest Of them all, and indeed might say
in the world, is ...- ...
tbNEi lSlIhND,
located within nm hours ride of New York
City. If you want to study human nature in
all its phases 90 to Coney Island on Sunday
not that they sing Moody and Sankcy songs or
read chapters from either version of the Bible,
but because the crowd is SO large and cosmo.
poltan in character. There you will sec all
kinds, sorts and conditions of people-thc
lame, the halt and the blind the rich, the
poor and the shabby genteel; old men, young
men and fat meny large boys, small boys and
soldiers, sailors and lawyers; judges,
bankers and brokers; politicians and other
bad characters, rs well as women, fair, fat
md forty" old maids, young maids and ser
want maids; girls in their teens and out of
hem in fact all kinds, shapes and sizes, re-
presenting all elements of society, and as qui-
It, orderly and well behaved rs any class of
people could possibly he. No one seems toI