Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-09-25
No. z |.
DELUSlVE NEWPORT.
Tho Famous Resort Not What It Is
Represented To Be.
Dampncss and other atmospheric
Defects-VicIvs of Salt Water Much
Nceded-Charnling Bath
ers II Myth.
[Newport Letter in Chicago Times. !

Newport Letter in Chicago Times1
One reason among Others why the hotels,
such as they arc, nre hardly half full in the
latter part of July il that the recent weather
has not been favorable to soiourn by the
scnshore. The last fortnight has Leen any
thing but genial 1t has been a good deal of
the time cloudy, rainy, foggy, windy, de-
cidoily ad for outdoors, and at this season
and place no one wishes to be within walls.
The climate of Newport is much praised, and
far beyond its deserts, as think. 1t is noto-
rious for fogs; Bellevue avenue Is afflicted
with dust, and many days, even in
midsummer, are disagreeabe. Weather
is of small conscquen Q to me as long hS
it is cool ! can bear any kind of inclemency,
but most persons cannot, and lam acquainted
with many who dislike Newport at any sea-
son. They do not find the grateful tonic SO
often mentioned, and its dampness gives them
aches and disteniper. | do not object to the
damplc5s nor to many of its atmospheric de-
fects. The fact that it is almost never hot or
sultry rosigns me to the place, which, So
cia'ly Is the reverse of what should enjoy
Bellevue avenue is but a prolongation OF
Fifth avenue. with change of temperature,
and if one must be fcstal and dissipated,
winter is preferable to summer in point OF
time The mental wear and physical fatigue
of II high social campaign at Newport, only a
delicate. nervous American woman can ell
dure without approach to exhaustion.
THE PLACE DISAPPOINTING.
Persons who have formed their idea of
Newport from what they have heard of it
must be greatly disappointed, ard many of
them ar, They imagine that Bellevue
avenue skirts the sea, or at least has grand
s,a view. They ar, rot prepared to tind 1t
almost nunl. From one side of the thor
oughfalp the rear grounds run down to an
inlet Of Narragansctt bay, but from the
front the water is hardly visible. And Oh
the other side there is not n glimpse or suG-
gcstion of tke ocean. To be at the seashore,
nnl to have no vision Of the sea, is like read
ilg novel that is not interesting, or attend
ing u ball where no one dances.
What a msn1lneris is the name of the Ocean
house, which is no more marine in surround
in.r or outlook than if it were in the middle
of Manhattan island. 1t is an ancient old
fashioned, incungruous inConVencnt hosiery,
built nearly II generation ago-gocd for tho
day, hut now wofuly behind the times. lt
is nos r!odelnizcd or Improved, because it
has TO compet.tition-the A4udneck is q
modest inn without pTatcnSc-nor Is 1t likely
to have; for no man would be 80 rash as to
pllt up hotel where there is at best but a
small hotel patronage The Ocean could rot
be Eo3t open if it were not o"ned by its pro
prictor.
The only really pleasant part OF this place,
ms a scaslore resort, is, to my mind, Marine
avenue, which has view up the bay opening
into tie Atlantic, and where you may Sc" the
waves breaking ON the cliffs. The cottages
there are delightfully."- situated; but scarcely
any Of the others are. Many of them are, as
L., I,,., Il oct
they are ro.,lly mal!sions-anl yet they
are, 50 to speak, out of range Of the sea. l
nm unacquaintei with any resort abroad
that in any way cqual5 this for what | may
call the sun,ptuJrNre,s and extravaganza OK
it, domal c.iuipmcnts. The one thing New
port needs IS views OF salt water,
Even the ocean drive, of which so much Is
SAID, is u de.usOn The road is not good,
and it does not border the water only hero
and there and is a5 times quite distance
tEcretrom. 1t looks gay when all the vehi-
cles of an endless variety arc rolling over 1t
On a radiant afternoon, but it has very Little
that is attractive or picturesque
CHARMING BAT!IERS 4 MYTH.
The bathing is also OF an inferior order
The principal beach at the cove is good for
women and children because it is shelving
and the breakers are mild, us If they had SUBJ
dutd themselves to agree with the widely
bruited gentility of The place But the water
is not very clean. The waves often bring in
straw broken bottles, docaycd vegetables,
old hats and fragments OF certain garments,
donoting some marine CONNECTION WIN
boarding houses and junk shops At certain
hours of the day the water Is comparatively
clear
The character of the bathing, however, is
= oil, Ia, y.
here meaning the feminine portion particu-
larly. Correspondent, are everiastinS!y de-
scribng the appearance, costume ANA man.
nor Of the charming young women lii the
waves, but their accounts are usually imaG-
incd Charming Young women, even with
much modified form of charm, rarely ven-
ture into the sea in public. They know that
whatever nature or art may have done for
them it will all be lost in tho sulf. The love-
| lest girl that America ever produced shows
after the waves have rolled over her to no
more personal advantage than the homeilest
| dowCy. Every vestigo of beauty, every limo
of grace, every dainty fold OF Ler costume,
is for the nonce erased. Why should she
wreck herself and her fine effects for sim
nle din in the ocean! She would be foolish
| to do it; and she is not foolish in that way.
Besides, it is rot to be expected that she
would willingly look Ike 4EiSh' III III"
presence of any number of spectators. Even
though nobody should recognize her in her
dripplng garments it is unpleasant to be-
an unidentified spectacle, when one is aware
that the spectacle is uninvitin&s. Here sho
might bathe in comparative privacy, for
bathing is not part Of the show; but ct
Coney Island, Long Beach, Atlantic City,
Long Branch, or Cape May, bathers are
watched by hundreds from the shore, and
any mishap to them is greeted with dcrisiTe
laughter. A woman must be bold as well as
inscnsible to regard this with Indifference.
The fashiUnubles of Newport are almost
never seen in the surf. Some OF them, nota-
llv those who have hygcnic theories, 60 to
their private bathing grounds III tie rear OF
| their cottages ali have a brief tuss!o VITA
old Neptune. Bat they would not b, ob-
served On any account. They do rot con.
skier publicity at ell proper; indeed they
would rank it as a horrid and objectionable
yulparty. I think it rather queer myself
that refined women should make su III all ex.
lihition OF themselves, which, by the way.
they scll, IN DO The bathe,'s here and else
where arc mostly of the grsette or run or
der, who run down to the seaside for an att
ernoou or n day.