Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-10
REDONDO BEACH.

REDONDO BEACH.
This is a gem OF a place, and no mis-
take; and one feels as though one could
sojourn here for century, so inviting is
the samoa cameo cut from coquina, in
soft and dreamy lines, upon the hard
slate-like surface of ordinary life. This
is Elysium, indeed, and Hygeia reigns-
not that Elysium TO which Circe allured
her victims, though; but an Elysium in
which there are sapphire skies, zephyry
winds, and spices from far-off Cathay.
There is more real enchantment OF sky
and cloud and wave here than can be
found in many of the well-advertised re-
creative sports thousands of miles away.
Why should one go to Naples to see the
disjointed arches OF the acqueducts strad-
ding over Pontine marshes and pestl-
lential soils? or to Genoa, with its tester
ing foulness, its garbage and its atmos-
phere,reeking with an eff.uvium of putre
sent vegetable matter? or to the Etru-
rian capital, with all the drowsy, oppres
sive miasma OF the Campagna in the air,
and where the Tiber crawls in its Shiny
bed like the Pleiosauri and Ichthyo-
millions of years ago? Why, there
never was an evening like this, sum.
mer or winter either at Nice or Men
tone. Neither the dazzling daylight nor
the tinted glow of an Italian sunset COM
pares with the aggregated attractions of
this phenomenal place. Where is there
purer or more elastic air-not only i'm
pregnated with the eXhilarating ozone Of
the sea, with its lung-eXpanding sheets
of healthful brea in the distance, but
with the aromatic breath of harvest and
flower and shrub. Besides, there is good
fare. recherche appointments, and best OF
all, handsome and agreeable women-all
components OF felicity, grace and festivi
ty, which gayly rule the hour. 1t is an
entertainment indeed, to gaze upon bud
and blossom, and those human flowers
whose combined excellence the author
of Paradise Lost" so gloriously depicts
in the portraiture of their common moth
er. There is no doubt in my mind, that
the day is not far distant when the "Re
dondo'' will be the most beautiful and
attactive seaside resort in the world;
and, when its unrivalled attractions-th
most superior OF which is its perfect
equality of temperature theyear round
are made known, it twill become winter
as we'll as summer Mecca, and fashion
and frolic and good living and good cheer
will hold high carnival from January to
December. The hotel is charming and
sweet. There is an air of daintiness and
completeness about it that goes to the
soul. The manager seems to possess just
the exact combination of what is wished
for by the guest who unties his purse
strings. Extreme haughtiness or fa-
miliarity on the part of a landlord at a
place of resort betrays no majesty, and
| tr ha of hot q ic
social and dignified to the proper degree,
and his assistants have been seemingly
trained in the same school. Who ever
saw any brusqueness or familiarity on
the part of Arnold? He is as gentle as a
well-bred school girl, has talent in do
ing the right thing at the right time,
treats the mechanic and millionaire the
same if they behave themselves, is a
gallant at heart, but leaves the practice
to the guests and looks after their COM
forts and rights in the premises. All
the other attaches seem to have been
schooled property, and the "RedondO"
starts off as freshman, but is really a
sophomore at the head of the class.
There are already quite number of
guests here besides those from Los Ange-
les: There are nut brown maids from
| Pomona and Pasadena, bewitching
/ demoiselles from San Francisco and
l Sacramento, and high-born DANES and
: damsels from the east. And then there
: are enough men to see to it that nc
| maiden shall die forlorn, no madame be
left entirely to her lonely self, and nc
widow be permitted to utterly languisf
: by the sad sea waves. Dinner is set tc
music, and the ravishing diminuendos
l of the Blue Danube mingle with the
2 never-ending diapason of the surf. The
S clearinghouse invites a crowd to the
beach, where woman unadorned reveals
3 in the embraces of Neptune. Bu
hydropathy has not killed modesty, al
: though many Hebe with that beauty
de didble, which is very effective in com
5 bination with surah and lace, sometime!
makes cavalry officer blush when sine
throws herself outside of her costume Il
2 naer. The ocean is leveler, and knows
: no anatomical law. 1t makes Miss Flor;
e McFlimsey look like a superannuate(
Y figurante among a levy OF coryphees anC
: the one hundred and sixty pound girl
e of the two-bit restaurant appear like
Tunisan favorite, where eXceedin,
a plumpness constitutes the popular ide
d of female beauty and charm. A woman
e with limbs like telephone masts woul(
i paralyze member OF the Regency 0
d Tunis when a perfect Rosalind woul'
n step unnoticed into the wanton waves
e Yes, the sea is a leveler :-Gentlemal
e and stableboy, mistress and maid, mil
y lionaire and mechanic are all alike whel
e they emerge from his indifferent EN-
e brace. But, who cares? There is ful
!. and healthfulness in deeds which Civ
] glow and sunshine when the wearer
y change them for silks. Again, the wo
E man who dares surf and the tittle-tat
Y tie Of the lounger on the beach is tn
e fresher and the better for her frolic will
= the waves, and can put on her lily o
the valley manner when she returns t.
the verandah and hobnobs with her les
dainty sister with kalsomined cheeks
and the two can trot out the skeleton
t of their friends closets until the skull
of Golgotha take back seat and lister
tO tho naynr-an6ipp an ham of old ocpop ,