The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-14

lori and brings out choicer brand of "mede-
SIM" Her female cousins call, and these she
takes all through the house. even into the
"mssuses best bedroom" and shows them
all the splendor of the abode These are
halcyon days for Bridget, and she does not
envy Dinah, who went with the family to
Saratoga to look after thin tiresome young
vans"
In many a house painters and frescoers
and cabinet-makers and upholsterers are at
work, putting in new fnery and retouchlng
the old, so that the palace may shine resplend-
ent when the tide of fashion comes sweeping
back in the fall and its doors are thrown
open for the first reception of the season.
The plethoric-pursed plumber comes, too to
see that pipes are made ready in summer
heat to withstand winters cold.
OCCUPATIONS OF THE sTAY-AT-HoMEs.
Despite the large exodus into the country
the overwhelming preponderance of popula-
ton remains i'll the city all summer, Doubt
less round million of persons do so. Oh
these perhaps 10000 to $4,000 daily, and
twice as many on Sunday visit Coney Island
Manhattan Beach, Rockaway, Glen Island
and other closely resorts But still the
great mass of metropolitan life seems un.
touched.
A very large number visit the parks every
evening, and the children go in the after
! noon. 1t is estimated that Central Park re-
ceives an average of 10000 daily. The old
Battery is visited by probably 10000, and
| other small parks are crowded in the even
| ing with perhaps 10000 more I suppose
10000 persons spend the evening on the docks
and wharves. Nearly all the theaters are
| closed. The four or five that remain open
have an aggregate nightly attendance OF say
5000. The East River bridge is not popu
lar resort. Not more than a hundred persons
! day visit it just for pleasure.
Church gatherings are, of course, almost
s. standstill. A few missions and the less
fashionable churches are running on hall
time" with slim attendance. The large
| fashionable churches are tightly closed all
summer, with the pastors in Europe or al
Saratoga. There are exceptions to the rule
it is true, the most notable one, perhaps, be-
ing Trinity Episcopal Church, on Broadway
at the head of Wall street. There, amid 8
wilderness of banks and business offices
| its doors are always open, and there
are two services every day all the
attended, however, principally by strangers
sight-seeing-for the church is one of the
| finest and most famous, and the music is the
best in the whole city.
| But, if religion takes vacation, sin doesn't
At no season of the year do saloons, beer
gardens, dance-halls, dives and disreputable
resorts generally do a more prosperous bust
ness The beer-gardens are cool and airy
and there is good music, and the beer is cold
and refreshing; and so thousands go there
simply because there is no other equally com
Portable place in sultry weather. the lost
sisterhood, too, are unusually active, the
hot weather giving them opportunity and
excuse for freely Haunting their venal
charms before the eyes of every passer-by
They take on additional boldness, and flock
into streets and places where at other sea
sons they would not dare to venture. The
banco- steerers and confidence men find now
their harvest time in preying upon the
country folk who come through the city tC
see the sights at the big watering places
House doors and windows being so freely
left open for air afford rare opportunity fol
the sneak-thief and burglar, and such crimes
| abound.
And so the city swelters on through the
long, burning days, longing for coolnes:
when there is none, and eagerly wishing the
advent of the all too-tardy autumn.