Connecticut western news., 1899-08-24

regatta to find war vessels as to go among the light spray Of the summer watering place to find character that can stand the test of the great strug- gle of human life. In the battle of life you want stronger weapon than
 lace fan or croquet mallet. The load of life is so heavy that in order to draw it you want a team stronger
 than that made up of a masculine grasshopper and feminine butterfly. If there is any man in the communi- ty who excites my contempt and who ought to excite the contempt of every man and woman 1t is the soft handed, soft headed dude, who, perfumed until the air is actually sick, spends his summer In striking killing attitudes and waving sentimental adieux and talking infnitesimal nothings and find ing his heaven in the set of a lavender kid glove. Boots as tight as an inquisi- tion. Two hours of consummate skill exhibited in the tie of flashing era vat. His conversation made up of .Ahsp' and "'Ohsr and He hesw
 There is only one counterpart to such man as that, and that Is the frothy young woman at the watering place; her conversation made up of French moonshine; what she has in her head only equaled by what she has on her back; useless ever since she was born and to be useless until she is dead un- less she becomes an intelligent Chris tian. We may admire music and fair faces and graceful step, but amid the heartlessness and the imitation and the fantastic influences of our modern wa tering places beware how you make lifelong covenants.
 Baneful Literature.
 Another temptation that hovers over the watering place is that of baneful literature. Almost every one starting off for the summer takes some reading matter. 1t is a book out of the libra- ry or off the bookstand or bought of the boy hawking books through the cars. I really believe there Is more pestiferous trash read among the in- telligent classes in July and August than in all the other ten months of the year. Men and women who at home would not be satisfied with a book that was not really sensible I find sitting on hotel piazza or under the trees reading books the index of which would make them blush if they knew that you knew what the book was. "Oh," they say, -you must have intellectual recreationr' Yes. There is no need that you take along to watering place "Hamilton's Metaphys-1 fcso Or Soma rondarouS dtscouroo ,,, the eternal decrees or "Faraday's Philosophy" There are many easy books that are good. You might as we'll say, T propose now to give a lit- tie rest to my digestive organs, and in- stead of eating heavy meat and vege- tables I will for a little while take lighter food, a little strychnine and few grains of ratsbane." Literary poison in August is as bad as literary poison in December. Mark that Do not let the frogs of a corrupt printing press jump into your Saratoga trunk or White mountain valise. Are there not good books that are easy to read books of entertaining travel, books of congenial history, books of pure fun, books of poetry, ringing with merry canto; books of fine engravings, books that will rest the mind as we'll as purf- fy the heart and elevate the whole life1 There will not be an hour between this and your death when you can afford to read book lacking in moral prin- ciple.
 Another temptation lowering all around our watering places is intoxi- eating beverages. I am told that it is becoming more and more fashionable for women to drink. I care not how well a woman may dress, if she has taken enough of wine to flush her cheek and put a glassiness on her eye she Is drunk. She may be handed into . $2,5OO carriage and have diamonds enough to astound the Tiffanys-she is drunk. She may be graduate of the best young ladies' seminary and the daughter of some man in danger of being nominated for the presidency she Is drunk. You may have larger vocabulary than I have, and you may say In regard to her that she is ''con- yivial," or she is merry" or she is festive" or she Is "exhilarated," but you cannot with all your garlands of verbiage cover up the plain fact that 1t Is an old fashioned case of drunk.
 Danger. of TippIinx.
 Now, the watering places are full of temptations to men and women to tip pie. At the close of the tenpin or bill Hard game they tipple. At the close of the cotillon they tipple. Seated on the piazza cooling themselves off they tip pie. The tinged glasses come around with bright straws and they tipple. First they take Tight wines," as they call them, but Flight wines' are heavy enough to debase the appetite. There IS not a very long road between cham pagne at $5 bottle and whisky at 16 cents glass. Satan has three or -four grades down which he takes men to destruction. One man he takes up and through one spree pitches him into eternal darkness. This Is a rare case. Very seldom, indeed, can you find a man who will be such fool as that Satan will take another man to grade, to descent at an angle about like the Pennsylvania coal shoot or the Mount Washington rail track, and shove him off. But that is very rare. When man goes down to destruction, Satan brings him to a plane. It Is all most a level. The depression Is so light that you can hardly see It. The man does not actually know that he Is on the down grade, and 1t tips only a little toward darkness-just little And the first mile it Is claret, and the second mile 1t is sherry, and the third mile it is punch, and the fourth mile 1t Is ale. and the fifth mile 1t Is whis- ky, and the sixth mile 1t is brandy, and then 1t gets sleeper and sleeper and sleeper until 1t is impossible to stop. Look not thou upon the wine when 1t Is red, when 1t giveth its color in the cup, when 1t moveth itself alright. At the last 1t biteth like a ser pent and stingeth like an adder" The Safe Shelter.
 Whether you tarry at home-which will be quite as safe and perhaps quite as comfortable go into the coun- try, arm yourself against temptation.