Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-08-23
UNCONVENTIONAL SCENES
On the Beach at Atlantic City-Women
Fat and Women Thtn--Scanty Bathing
suits Compared With Civilizations Gerb.
Nothinp IA surorisIns at the Seashore.

On the Beach at Atlantic City-Nomen
Fat and Women Thtn-Scanty Bathing
Suits Compared with GIVilization's Gerb
Nothing Is Surprising at the Seashore.
ATLANTIC CITY, August 19.-At the
bathing hour the entire coast from
Maine 10 Florida looks nowadays like
bad dream, wherein feminine night
mares-fat Nightmares and thin night
mares-stalk up and down the sands or
SPORT In the waves with escaped con-
victs and poor, puny, would-be athletes.
Por despite the correspondents who
descant on the beautiful maidens
and brave SWANS, whose charms
are only enhanced by their
piquaut and scantY bathing suits,
il remains q fact that to the ordinary
run Of man and wemanklnd, however
handsome they may DE in the garb OF
civilization, the bathing suit is most
woef1lY unbecomipg. For, while its
wearers undoubtedly look happy, they
are far from being picturesque.
Atlantic City, too, is q good place in
which TO judge Of these general effects,
as on It's beach $4,000 people nave
bathed in single day. 1t is Philadei-
phia's playground, whittier at every re-
cess the big city joyfully HES, as well
as the occasional picnic preserves OF
towns more distantly situated.
And just as in dreams one is not sur
prised at anything that happens, or at
any appearance, however incongruous,
and unlike the world Of waking, so in
this world of the seashore ones conven-
tional standard seems 80 have vanished,
and any depression from the ordinary
mode Of doing things somehow occs-
sions no amazement. When the stout
elderly woman arrayed in a garb that
makes her look like en- aged chorus girl
cast in the role Of Swiss peasant
steps just beyond the waters edge
and seating herself on the sand
with all the artlessness OF one
Of her own two-year-old grandchildren
proceeds TO ingeniOuSly SOP her gray
head with salt water one isn't shocked,
one is merely amused, and when man
sans sleeves, sans stockings and shoe
less, with hat that looks like dilapi-
dated fruit basket tied down over his
ears, walks up and down the sands with
a short-skirted, bare-headed young wO-
man the only sentiment one entertains
toward the pair is vague general feel
ing of displeasure and disspprovsl, such
as might be ELECTED by the unsuitable
and iuharmouious dress OF ones VISA
vie at dinner.
GA a Sunday morning particularly
does Atlantic City despite its eleven
churches look as IL it were given over
20 worship of the heather deity Nep-
tune, for then the ocean gods devOtees
who have hurried hither from the en-
tire country side to pay their devoti0ns
approach his shrine with unsandaied
feet by the hundreds. One OF the facts
that one discovers while gazing at this
band Of pilgrims is that the bathing
thin women has all these years been
slandered, everybody seeming to have
conspired to asseVerste that in cOmper-
ison with her fat sister she was on such
occasions but poor pale shadow.
Perhaps one wouldn't select her as
the embodiment Of beauty, for it must
be admitted that broom handle
slightly draped ana surrounded by that
other symbol of domestic life-a sweep
lng cap-a combination which she
strongly resembles-isn't the prettiest
thing in the world, but it, at least, looks
as we'll as that aggravated specimen Of
shapeless jelly dsh trembling about IN
the tide, and which upon nearer inspeC-
ton proves to be fat woman incased
In bathing suit. The golden
mean here, as in other situations
in life, is what Is desirable and diff
cult to attain. she must be neither
thin nor stout nor too tall, for, however
admirable her proportions, an Amazon
in 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 Irvine, only gives its tendris
an additional twist OF grace. Given all
this with pretty face and becoming
costume one can very we'll afford to
rave over the bathing summer girl, but
otherwise not, and this special type is
80 rare as 20 scarcely affect the general
hideousless Of the mass of beach fire.
Qucnters.