The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-16

and the beach. Now that the mo1derA
Of public opinion have held their last
meeting and departed, the streets and
the sands, the hotels and the boarding
houses, that fairly swarmed with them
for six whole days. present a rather
lonesome aspect, and the Asbury girl il
somewhat at a loss as to how to dispose
of ler spare time. 1t is yet a little toe
early for the regular summer young
man. Indeed, IN the very height of the
season, save on Saturdays and Sundays,
he is not nearly SO much in evidence
here as his gentler counterpart, for the
summer young man of Asbury Park is
commonly q working young man.
.rhe Summer Girl.
If you are familiar with Asbnrv Park,
you do not need to have it explained to
you why the editors were taken with
the Asbury girl, the board walk and the
beach, but 1 shall assume that you are
not acquainted with the place and am
therefore going to say word or two
concerning these three surprising at
fractions And, of course, ladies first .
The summer girl, as she 151anifests her
self at Asbury Park, is unlike her sis
ters who disport themselves at other re-
sorts either by shore or on the mountain
side She is not swell like the beauties
of Newport or Narragansett; she is not
religious like the Ocean Grove young
woman; she has not the combined quail
tiles OF devotion, studiousness and love OF
aquatics and athletics that distinguish
the Chautauq IA girl, but she is bright
eyed and clear skinned, graceful and
healthy and with only one manifest OBJ
ject in life-to have a good time''
after her own innocent fashion. She
sits Oh the hotel verandas and reads
light summer novels. She rides the
wheel and rows on the little lakes to be
found just back of the beach, but she
never does either for a record. She
sometimes dances in the evening, and
she bathes. She lounges on the beach,
too, sometimes in her bathing suit, but
Oftener not. since Founder Bradley made
a rule a few years ago that no one
should wear one Of his bathing suits on
his beach for more than one hour in one
day Some Asbury girls fond of baslxing
in the sand in bathing suits circumvent
the founder by owning their own outfits,
and then they are prone to wear them
in the hammock as we'll as on the beach
and even occasionally on the street.
A Set of Rules.
There is no reason why the .Asburv
girl shouldn't be allowed to trip along
the sidewalks clad III an Asbury bathing
suit If she wants to, for it is a very
modest rig. There are two reasons for
this One is that she is most modest
creature and has no wish to attire her
self in vulgarIy striking fashion when
bathing. The other is. that Founder
Bradley has posted all about the place
a set Of rules regarding the conduct Of
summer folk and one Of these rules has
to do with bathing suits. Whose breaks
a regulation of his has to get off Found
Ell Bradley's beach
This Founder Bradley, though not
one of Asbury Park chief attractions, is
its mainstay, and any writing concern
ing it in which he should not be men,
toned would be like Hamlet with
out the Prince of Denmark Mr. Brad
ley is now pretty we'll along in years
He was middle aged almost when, in
1870, he began operations here. He first
became interested in Ocean Grove, then
newly opened as a Methodist camp
ground. What Is now Asbury Park was
at that time little better than a wilder
ness, but he saw its possibilities and
bought up acres and acres of its scrubby
timbered land and a long stretch of its
beach Then he offered great induce
ments to buyers Of lots who should put
up cottages, laid out streets, put in sew
ers and gas, built sidewalks encouraged
business enterprises and pushed things
generally Today, besides its population
Of tens Of thousands during the warm
season, it has thousands Of permanent
residents, seven churches, two weekly
papers, a public library, good schools,
an opera house, electric cars and lights
jim fact ''all the improvements = In
1869 the assessed valuation of property
here was not above SIS. 600; now It ex-
ceeds 81, 600, 600. Though not like its
neighbor, Ocean Grove, under the con-
troll Of the DIethodists, the management
" the two places is to a certain extent
harmonious. and no liquor is sold IN