Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-20

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descant on the beautiful maidens and brave
SWANS. whose charms are only enhanced by
their piquant and scanty bathing suits, it re-
mains fact that to the ordinary run Of man
and womankind, however handsome they may
be in the garb Of civilization, the bathing
suit is most woefully unbecoming For while
its wearers undoubtedly look happy, they are far
from being picturesque.
Atlantic City, too, is a good place in which
to judge Of these general effects, as on its
beach 50,000 people have bathed in single
day. 1t is Philadelphia's playground, whittier at
every recess the big city joyfully hies, as well
as the occasional picnic preserves Of towns
more distantly situated
BATHING ORDINARY.
And just az in dreams one is not surprised at
anything that happens, or at any appearance,
however homogeneous, and unlike the world of
waking, SO in this world Of the seashore ones
conventional standards seem to have vanished,
and any depression from the ordinary mode
OF doing things somehow occasions no amaze
ment. When stout elderly woman arrayed in
garb that makes her look like an aged chorus
girl cast In the role Of a Swiss peasant steps
just beyond the waters edge and seating her
self on the sand with all the artlessness Of one
ceeds to ingenuously sop her gray head with
salt water one isn't shocked, one is merely
amused. and when q man sans sleeves sans
stockings and shoeless with a hat that looks
like q dilapidated fruit basket tied down over
his ears, walks up and down the sands with n
short-skirted, bare-headed Young woman the
only sentiment that one entertains toward the
pair is vague general feeling Of displeasure
and disapproval, such as might be elected by
the unsuitable and inharmonious dress of ones
vis-a-vis at dinner.
ON SUNDAY MORNING
particularly does Atlantic City despite its
eleven churches look as if it were given over TO
q worship of the heather deity Neptune, for
then the ocean gods devotees who have hurried
hither from the entire country side to pay their
devotions approach his shrine with unsandaled
feet by the hundreds. One of the facts that
one discovers while gazing at this band of pill
grims ia that the bathing thin woman has all
these years been slandered. everybody seeming
to have conspired to asseverate that in compari-
son with her fat sister she was on such occasions
but poor pale shadow.
THE FAT AND THE THIN.
Perhap one wouldn't select her as the en-
bodiment Of beauty, for it must be admitted
that broom handle slightly draped and sur
mounted by that other symbol Of domestic life
"a sweeping cap-a combination which she
strongly resembles-isn't the prettiest thing in
the world. but it, at least looks as well as that
aggravated specimen OF shapeless jelly fish
trembling about in the tide, and which upon
nearer inspection proves to be a fat woman in
cased in bathing suit The golden mean here,
as In other situations in life, is what is desirable
and difficult to attain. She must be neither
thin nor stout nor too tall. for, however
admirable her proportions, an Amazon in a
short skirt isn't pleasing. And then her hair
must be naturally curly, SO that when it peeps
out from under her cap the sea air and water
instead OF Strengthening it out like SO many
whisps OF twine, only gives It's tendrils an ad-
ditionai twist Of grace. Given all this with
pretty face and becoming costume one can
very well aMord to rave over the bathing sum-
mer girl but otherwise not. and this special
type is so rare as 10 scarcely affect the general
hldeousness OF the mass Of beach frequenters.
THE. SHELL GAUGE.
One can correctly gauge the time that per-
sons have been at Atlantic City by observing
the degree OF attention which they bestow on
the shells as they stroll the beach If they have
just come they will pick up everything in the
shape OF shell. sometimes even small clam and
oyster shells. BY the next day they have become
some what discriminating and nothing more
ordinary than the pretty huied black shells will
attract their attention. Twenty-four hours
later they neglect there and ktoop only for
musael and razor shells. and by the time another
sun has risen q six rayed star fish is the very
least they will look AT.
TIE sTorr WOMAN GETTING srourER
Apro2os of stou: women il il a little odd
that they should flock to the sea .hors in the
droves that they do and remain the length of
time that they do. seeing themselves growing
more and more flighifnliy healthy as eyinced
by their increasing ayofdupos. For il is a fact.
and melancholy one TO some. tina. at the sea-
shore gain of a pound day is by no means a
rarity and as ii to accelerate the eifec. tina: the
crisp mir which reminds one OF that innocuous
beverage. ginger a.e-it is SO cCidiy hot and
holly cold lis having upon your physical ma
turc. Your mind is also being treated By liter
ature that with artfui artleseness is lett living
about the hotel writing room. and which had its
origin In the maids OF such unbiased writers as
the authors OF the national mortuary report ard
me sereoloSicai statistics. and which goes in to
state that With tie exception of the rural town
of Arhtabula. Ohio. the death rate of Atlantic
City 10 the lowest of any place in the country,
tyoa ARE not supposed to reflect meanwhile that
the immense floating population OF Atlantic
City when 1t comes to die naturally proceeds TO
make AZ effort to go home TO do il. j that it has
ten inches less rain in a year than watering
place down the coast and six inches less than
one up the coast, and $4,000 miles less wind
than another resort, all OF which thrilling state
ments are reinforced By a feminine old inhab-
liant entering as you read. and with the en-
pnaSIs WHICH ZUo POUNDS OF personality natur-
ally lends to remark, assuring you that she
has gained Just ninety pound. since she came to
Atlantic City just nineteen years ago. TO all OF
which you interestedly listen and trust that her
yeracity has not decreased in an inverse ratio
to her gain in weight.
CITIES IN THE AIR.
On the wall Of this same writing room hangs
q map infinitely detailing Atlantic City Ad-
joining 1t depends similar define, sions Of neigh
boring coast cities. You have never heard of
them, to be sure, but that is due to inland i9no-
rance. You mentally resolve that the following
day you will become acquainted with one. at
least. of these interesting towns, which YOU
forthwith proceed to select by reason of its
parks depicted and broad meandering avenues.
The next day you take the train and when your
town il called. get of, wondering the while
that you should be the only passenger for so
large place. You look around, and to your
amaxement see no place, nothing but one feeble
boarding house apparently in its last expiring
gasps, with no one near to minister-to 1t but the
ocean. the sand dunes and q few dwarfed
bushes. You take seat IN what, on the map,
was amid the whirl and rush Of the city and
leaning your head against q clump of march
grass gaze seward and reflect - long as the
sand dies wiz permit you. You are surprised.
but you can not feel that you are displeased
with those sanguine people who have sent YOU
on this fools errand, for though, quite natur-
ally, you have not found their city, since it, as
yet, exists only in their minds and hopes, YOU
have found delichtfullv lonely niece of OCEAN