Smyrna times., 1894-07-04
The Superior Summer Happiness of
Americans.

There is solid ground for the belief
that the American people of to-day are
happier in hot weather than their
grand1athers or even than their fathers
were. To begin with, we work less
and play more in summer time than
they did. The long vacation used to
be known only to the bench and bar.
All professional workers know it now.
The minister, the school teacher, the
doctor and the lawyers are all agreed
to do as little as possible in the way
of professional labor while the ther-
mometer is at it's work.
There are probably no enterprises
that have grown so much in the last
twenty years as those which cater in
various forms to the general determina-
ton of all up-to-date Americans to be
happy, though hot. No statistics are
at hand to tell us exactly how many
more summer hotels and boarding
houses are doing business in 1891 than
were open in 1874. But The evidence
of our eyes as we travel or glance at
the advertising columns of the Sun
about this time is enough to satisfy us
that the summer outing is a growing
fashion and that the accommodation of
the summer tourist is certainly one in
dustry that needs no protection.
The beaches and the mountains are
thrOnged with the vacation takers and
their families. So, too are the railroad
cars, in whatever direction they move;
and the steamboats, along our coasts, as
well as our majestic lakes, are similar
ly occupied. To all this we must add
the great movement toward Europe
that began a full month ago and will
go on for another month, when the re-
| turning tide of home-bound Americans
will begin to set. Nor does the survey
of the enormous summer traffic that
has for its basis the eager demand of
the people of all classes for rest and
recreation properly end here.
| About this times the newspapers of
all the metropolitan centres-New
York, Chicago, st. Louis, Philadelphia,
| Boston, Baltimore and the rest-have a
fixed habit of announcing that "every-
body is away" But the big wheels OF
trade and industry run on endless belts
and never stand still. Everybody is
not out of town. The majority of peo-
pie stay at their posts of duty all the
year around because they must
Nevertheless, they go about and enjoy
themselves, perhaps, as much, though
they do not travel so tar, as the more
ambitious summers tourists who &c
half across the Union or possibly across
the Atlantic and scurry through Eu
rope in search of "a rest"
The lot of the stay.at-hOmes, there
fore, is no longer so hard as to call for
sympathy. The Saturday half-holiday
is all but a universal city custom il
summer. The early closing of store:
and Offices during the two hotties
months of the season is also quite gen
eral. So that, take it all together
families that must stay in the city, pro
vided they have fair appreciation 0
their own local attractions and a prac
tical talent for turning the longer ever
ings and the Saturday half-holidays t
good account, can easily secure a fai
share of the outdoor refreshments o
the period.
Hon. Abram Hewitt, addressed tn
graduates of New York college tn,
other day and said: young men, i wei
come you to better world than tn
one of sixty years ago" The truth o
the observation is vouched for mos
emphatically by the abundance ant
variety of our summer recreations whel
compared with those of our fathers
We have only to cast our eyes over tn
passing show of midsummer to see tina
both abroad and at home American
are enjoying themselves as no othe
people on the face of the footstOol ar
able to do; that every week sees ther
sailing off to Europe by thousands
where it is believed they spend not les
than a hundred millions in summe
travel and diversion, while those VIII
stay at home make the seashore an
forests of their own land ring with thei
vacation and mirth, and support be
sides athletic sports, as we'll as musica
and dramatic amusements, such as oil
Greece in the zenith of her pride q
the land of beauty and art neve
dreamed of.
No doubt times have been hard an
business bad of late for a large fractio
of the people of this country. In spit
of that fact there is no land visited b
the circling sun to whose inhabitant
summer brings so many pleasures 6
this Columbia, happy land" whic
we claim as our Own.-BGltinlOre SUl