Evening star., 1897-07-28
RECEIVES A pErrr1os.
SuDerfntend of Bathing Beach
Asked to M~dify an Order.

Superintendent of Bathing Beach
Asked to MSdify an Order.
Superintendent Stevens. of the Washing
ton bathing beach has been importuned to
modify the recent order setting apart GER
tain evenings exclusively for the ladies.
The request came in the FORM Of a petition,
pleading in the name Of the children,
against the proposed restriction.
The appeal and the superintendent's re-
ply explain themselves the first being as
follows:
I'VE. the undersigned. our children and
friends. having enjoyed And been benefited
greatly by the opportunities for swimming
and bathing granted Ls by your kindness
and energy. do now beg that you will not
take from US one-half OF them Cruesday,
Thursday and Saturday evenings) at the
time we need them so much. We have al
ways respected. and always will respect,
the privacy Of the ladies' portion of the
beach. and hope that you will allow us
still portion of privilege for ourselves,
even in those evenings, the evening being
the only time that the employed man has
to himself"
To this Mr.. Stevens makes the following
reply:
THE above petition has eighty-hve sign
ers, and 1t would be extremely agreeable
to me to be able to grant their request, but
its shortcomings, the beach has to plead
poverty. The new floats made this year
have board floors One is three feet deep
and the other four feet deep. both entirely
surrounded by fences. SO that it is i'm
possible to get from them into deep water
accidentally. They are a great success,
being always filled, whether it is in ladies'
hours or public hours, and we have but one
set Of such appliances
THE dressing houses are located along
afsles, between which there Is no aonnec-
tfon at the further end, and by assigning
to the ladies the first rows and to gentle
men the further rows, all who have thus
Tar patronized the beach at one time in the
hours set apart for ladies have been prop
eriy accommodated, and, on this plan,
all who are likely to come this year can
De accommodated. But when you ask us to
throw the beach doors open to the public
on ladies' days you probably forget the
noisy street gamins and the impudent star
Ing loafers who cannot then be excluded.
am not yet prepared to invite the ladies
OF Washington to participate in such a pro-
gram.
Loud hallooing, ducking and all rough
sports are prohibited by positive order of
the Commissioners, but If a boy could not
yell dozen times to somebody away up
on shore to watch the scientific dive he is
going to make, nor the crowd deliver Co
manche warwhoop when that dive proves
TO be splash like a volcanic eruption, the
bathing beach would sink into oblivion So
long as good humor prevails there Is no
harm in hilarty and noise, unless cry of
distress should thus be concealed. In this
respect 1t Is very trying to the life guards,
but they soon acquire an acuteness of per-
ception that distinguishes between a cry of
alarm and the babel of other sounds and
their prompt action saves lives nearly
every day. a degree of propriety is here
demanded of every one to which the street
gamins aud loafers are elsewhere strangers,
SO the Influence of the beach tends not only
TO bodily health, but to a higher moral
standard.
Ladies who once try the beach become
regular and enthusiastic attendants, and l
shall do everything in my power to render
II attractive and convenient to them. AS
our plan is different from that practiced
elsewhere. we have to feel our way some
what eXperimentally, and our experience
mas thus far ripened into d large measure
OF success. Over 100 bathers were accom-
modated after o'clock Sunday, and the
whole number of entries thus far this sea-
son is over $1,000 So long as the appro-
prlatlon holds out, ladies' mornings will be
continued Monday, Wednesday and Friday
from Z to 10 o'clock, and we will try a com
promise by giving the ladies Tuesday and
Ihursday evenings from 80 to 7:3O or
sunset.
All other hours, excepting lunch time,
1fom 10 am. on week days and from a. M
on sundays, until the closing hour, will be
open to the public"