The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-10-02
OLD TINES AT CAPE MAY.
A Watering-Place Which is Pro-
life in "reminiscences.
Cor. the New York Evening Post.

In its "reminiscences of old times
Cape May is rich and prolific. Its
fame as watering place runs fal
back, for nearly three quarters of a
century. Old generals of the Revolu
ton have sauntered on lis sands. and
naval heroes of 1912, after their sea.
guns had ceased to echo, brough,
hither their danes and families fol-
prolific summer sojourns. The first
hotel dates back to the teens Of our
century. 1t was for those simple
times a pretentious structure, on the
present site of congress hall, and with
internal accommodations hardly bet.
ter than those of a barrack. The
vast upper sleeping room had no sep
arate apartments, but merely a set Of
partitioned aIcoves opening at the top,
50 that TIE ancestral prayers and
curtain lectures could be heard from
one end to the other. Philadelphia
then, as now, was the tuteIary patron
of the cape, the solemn berghers driv-
ing hither over the long Jersey sand
roads, or more often sailing down the
Delaware in some clumsy sloop de-
scribed in stilted nautical phrase as a
packer. All the modern craft of pleas
ure.meking, the bands of music, the
dancing, and even flirting were stern
~ ostracised.
The prim and sedate pleasure-seek-
ers of that stiff era, as rule left their
young folks severely at home in the
Quaker city, and tolerated few senti-
mental liberties among the few lads
and lasses that came. There was a
mild modicum of amusement in bath
ing, the ladies breasting the surf in a
loose gown like night-dress, made
of some thick stuff, while the men ig-
nored appearances in pair of rusty
pantaloOns and a homespun shirt. y re
of the several oldest Inhabitants of the
present Cape May, whose grandmoth-
er was the oldest inhabitant before
him, has drawn for me some funny
portraits of the typical pleasure-seek-
ers at the old cape the men clad in
uncouth garb of yellow jean, shaped
by the maternal shears, and of cut
to astound the tailor. These an
tique, garm nts wer, always shear d
large the thrifty housewife having an
eve to their ultimate Use when cut
over for the younger generation of
sciors of the house. Besides these
clumsy integuments the father owned
a respondent forked-tail coat of blue
broadclotb, effulgent with brass but
tons, only brought out on stately &C.
casions, and with care, lasting through
his lifetime. The venera bic bellies of
the early summer regime at Cape
May were even more staid as to dress
than their lords. Tue seashore was
rare occasion for the economies.
Gowns on the castsway verge were
the fashion, and a silk dress was 30
rare that its startling appearance on
any dame save the most aristocratic
was supreme symbol of extrava-
gance. What a sombre contrast with
the gay Saratoga or Newport of now.
adays was this old watering place
then, with its quaint mothers riding
to church seated in chairs on a box
wagon, clothed in their homespun and
crowned with colossal hour-glass bon
nets, fitted with string which, when
pulled threw back the front much as
one drops in these days the cover of
top buggy.
Human nature among the few
young sojourners at the cape, never
theless, invented some amusements.
Quoits was with manv of the young
men, a passion, and there were awful
rumors among the old folks of betting
when occasionally two champions met
for a match. Another not too NOR
bidly exciting diversion was furnished
by hook set in wall, at which the
young people threw ring, fastened
to a rope-a game antedating the
ring the peg" by which the passen-
gers on Atlantic steamers beguile the
tedlum of the modern voyage. As to
dancing or music they seem, as stated
to have been completely outiawed at
the old cape, as being both of them
inventions of the adversary.
the young idea at Cape May was,
however. allowed to shoot-on the
marshes and with gun and to this
day for him who scorns the frivolities
of hotel life these marshes are bound
less field for sport and milder pleasure.
Fay Fever.
/ can recommend Ely's Cream Balm