Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-09-10
AN EARTHLY HEAVEN.
IT is FOR CHILDREN, AND IS IN FRANCE
ABOUT SWIMMING
The Beach at Langrune-A French Water
ing-place-A Ghostly Gathering
A Bathing-m4ster.
LANoRUNE, August Il, 1881.

LASGRUNE, August IA, 1881.
Langrune is certainly the earthly heaven
of children, They here reign supreme j;
they are the Lawmakers, and grown-up
people are but their obedient subjects.
Even were it not that they exercise moral
supremacy, they are sufficiently strong in
numbers to carry the day, and it is easy
to imagine how helpless was CULVER in
the hands of the Lilliputians, to Judge from
the activity and enterprise of these small
inhabitants of Langrune. II seems as
though the French. who are not noted for
their extensive families, delight in proving
the fallacy of the saying by congregating
their numerous children of sevens and
mines and other odd numbers, and added
to them are the twenty-five or so of the
traditional English woman, that the man,
mas and papas quite disappear in the midst
of their little focks. Since their habits
compel them to retire early these young
people have prohibited the establishment
of casinos, kursaals or any evening
HueItaS RISat
ment is given to circuses, exhibitions of
mechanical dolls and other infantile enter
tainments They have already decided
upon their future professions, and to judge
by their pronounced avocations the country
will hence be flooded with civil engineers,
for the construction of forts form their
chief occupation, when it is not imaginary
railroad tracks extending through tunnels
! -, b,,s11 e LII
forts is a ll-organized proceeding, and is
conducted by leader who instructs the
Others in their work, and did the naval
honor of the nation depend On their eNer-
tions they could not exhibit more earnest
ness or more ardor. The high tides which
began this week gave them a good oppor-
tunity of proving the comparative ex-
cellence OF their systems.
TWO LARGE FORTS
We're constructed, one by the French and
one by the English, in which stones and
varech was mingled with the sand. The
French fort consisted of solid point of
considerable elevation, and behind that
circular wall the English fort was built
with principal fort with very high walls,
and just in front smaller fort, although
extending over a greater space. On the
highest point of one was placed the
French flag, and from the ramparts OF the
other waved the Union Jack. As the tide
came in encircling both forts party feeling
grew very strong, and had there been in
reality naval battle no greater patriotism
could have been manifested. AT the same
time the waves washed away portion of
the point belonging to the French fort,
they invaded the first English fort, when
there was great deal of hurrahing from
the immense crowd collected on the beach,
and when the water filled the French fort,
leaving the English intact, the young
Britons waved their flag and their hats in
the air, crying " Victory !" amidst the ap-
plause of the multitude. The beach of
Langrune, which was exceedingly pretty
some years ago, is gradually losing
its beauty, caused by numerous
stones and quantity Of gravel
being deposited by the waves on the
lower ground. 1t is this year even less at
tractive than usual, owing to the quantity
of vqrech which has been thickly deposited
over the sand up to the very cabin
doors. Fortunately this varech does not
long incumber the beach, for as soon
as the tide commences to go ont men
in wagons come to gather it up and carry
it to the fields, where it serves to enrich
the land and take the place of manure
The principal point OF interest at Langrune
is the Place au Marche, in the center of
which is large stone bench. 1t Is on this
bench the fish for sale are placed, while all
around stand the bidders, a singular crowd,
composed of servants, the proprietors of
the neighboring houses, the peasants, and
so on, who are anxious to purchase, while
their numbers are augmented by crowd
of children and curious spectators.
HIGH UP IN THE AIR
Near this stone bench is hung bell, whose
vibrations, heard long distance of, sue
coed in deafening the ears of the boarders
of the two principal hotels. which face this
square. The bell is ordinarily rung at
o'clock in the morning and at . in the af-
ternoon, but the weather Of late has been
go capricious that the good fishermen have
not been able to fish at their accustomed
hours, and just as soon as one arrives with
basket of fish he wants the bell
rung and the people collected, SO
that he may enter Immediately
into his profits and as the number
engaged in that trade is not small, the bell
is almost constantly rung, much to our
grievance. Besides this bell, a bell is rung
by both hotels for the different meals, one
of the hotels ringing once again the num-
Der of times for the reason that two large
English families are among their boarders,
who live the fashion of their native coun-
try, and take their meals at different
hours. Then there is the bell rung for the
hostlers, consisting of three strokes at
three different intervals, and as there are
four hotels in all who delight in bell-ring-
ing, and aspire to out-ring each other, one,
like the old woman with bells on her toes,
has music wherever he goes. But the
most interesting of the bells is one mysteri-
GUS tap given to the fish bell late in the
evening, when the beach and square are
abandoned by the good people, who have
retired to their couches, and should you
look out from your window you would
perceive one ghost after another arrive and
cluster around the stone table; they pre-
sent strange appearance in the half
clouded moonlight, their white forms
standing out against the grey sky, aud you
are seized with an awed sentiment of the
spirits Of drowned men coming together
for some
UNEARTHLY PURPOSE.
And you would continue to be SO impressed
were it not that the ghosts sometimes
speak with human voices, and one climbing
upon the stone table will declaim very
much like a stump speaker, in the midst of
whose animated sentences may be heard
the words, "Republic" Liberty and
so on. This nocturnal rendezvous is held
by the different cooks throughout Lam
grune, whether from the hotels or the sum-
ner residences of rich families. They
come in their uniforms, which is composed
of an entire white suit with the necessary
white cap, and, leaving behind them the
odor of stews and grease, collect to discuss
the important questions Of the day and
the best methods of preserving the repub.
lie. The cooks throughout France are
well-organized society. They have their