The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1899-05-18

the landing stage of the great iron pier
that extends for a thousand feet out
into the sea. Our place of landing is
known as West Brighton. This is the
Midway of the Worlds Fair. Indeed
many of the features of the Midway
were imported from West Brighton.
AS you 60 ashore you see that the surf
is crowded with bathers. Some timid
ones wetting their ankles only, but
others far out about the safety lines.
There is shouting and joyous laughter,
and as big white-capped breaker roll
in from the sea, some scamper away
to the beach, while others are engulfed
in the spray and foam that rushes down
upon them. Thousands of children.
some of them mere tots, are playing in
the sand. They are digging wells or
they are burying each other in shallow
graves. No cares are here, every one is
happy, and you are indeed a staid old
Quaker, if you fail to catch the infec-
tion. This is the peoples playground.
No proprieties, as to the hours for
bathing, are here observed. No nice
hair splitting conventionaIities to be re-
membered to rob you of your spon-
taneous cheer. So come along and we
will get bathing suits and have salt
water bath. Then wher we come out,
you rub down and you say you like it,
but you are so hungry. You always
get hungry when I tax. you out, but
dinner time is long way off, so you
must be content with a lunch.
We go up to Paul Bauer's pavilion
and have big bowl of hot clam
chowder, with pilot biscuit and butter.
This is the proper Coney Island lunch,
but if you don't care for it, you may
order couple of rye bread ham sand
wiches with German mustard and a
stein of beer.
But we must hurry and get done with
West Brighton, for there is much to be
seen. Following in turn, we take in the
Punch and Judy show, the streets of
Cairo, the Turkish theatre, the trained
animals, the switch back, the elephant,
and finally we take an elevator and find
ourselves on the top of the 300 foot OBJ
servation tower. By the aid of power
full glasses we make out the Lucania
with her red and black tunnels, as she
climbs over the horizon, 40 miles to sea.
10 the north is spread out a panorama
of Greater New York and it's suburbs.
The Statue of Liberty and New Jersey
just behind her, are in plain view. 1t
is said that Miss Liberty does not feel
the cold, even in mid-winter, because
she always has Jersey to her back.
Now we will stroll down to Brighton.
There is very little to see here, except
the big hotel and the beautiful grounds
that surround it. Manhattan beach is
really our destination, but to reach 1t,
we must either walk mile and a half
around a small bay or pay cents and
take train on the shortest railroad in
the world. The trip from Brighton to
Manhattan is made in one and a half
minutes; the distance is less than $500
feet. 1t is said this railroad pays larger
dividends on its capital stock, than any
enterprise in existence. We step out
of the terminal into the grounds of the
Oriental Hotel. There are no takers
here, no side show "barkers," no ven
ders of popcorn or hot Frankfurters,
no donkeys or carousels for the children
as at West Brighton. We are now in
the aristocratic part of Coney Island,
where to 60 in bathing before the bell
announces the hour, would be an un-
pardonable offense. The piazzas of the
Oriental are crowded with fashionable
folks, but they are all conventional and
you listen in vain for the sounds of
unalloyed mirth
1t is now o'clock and we are just in
time to attend concert, of two hours
duration, given by the only Sousa and
his superb band. The music pavilion
is built on the broad lawn immediately
in front of the Oriental, and extends
on piles out over the water some dis
tance. An immense sounding board,
the shape of clam shell, is built in the
rear of the stage. The first number on