The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-08-30

be formed. They who form compan-
ionships amid such circumstances go
into a lottery where there are ~ blanSs
to one prize. In the severe tug OF lite
YOU want more than glitter and splash.
Life is not ballroom where the music
decides the step, and bow and prauce
and graceful swing Of long Train can
make up for strong common sense. You
might as well 60 among the gayly
painted yachts Of a summer regatta to
ind war vessels as TO go lmong the
light spray Of the summer watering
place to fnG character that can stand
the test Of the great struggle OF human
life In TIE battle Of life YOU want a
stronger weapon than a lace fan or a
croquet mallet. The load Of life is so
heavy hat in order to draw it YOU
want a team stronger than that made
up of a masculine grasshopper and a
feminine butterfly. If there is any man
in the community who excltes M con-
tempt and wLo ought to excite the con-
tempt 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. ard waving sentimental adj
eux, and talking in6nitesimal nothiDgs,
and finding his heaven in the set Of a
lavender kid glove. Boots as tight as
az ;nau;sition. Two hours Of consum-
mate skill exhibited in the tie of a
flashing cravat. His conversation
made up of Abs aud Obs. and
He hes
There is only one counterpart to such
man as that, and that is the frothy
young woman at the watering places;
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
heartiessness and the imitation and the
fantastic influences of our modern
watering places beware how sou make
lifelong covenants.
Another temptation that hovers over
the watering place IS that Of baueful
literature. Almost every one starting
off for the summer takes some reading
matter. 1t is book out Of the library
or of the bookstand or bought Of the
boy hawking books through the cars. |
really believe there is more pestiferous
trash read among the intelligent classes
in July and August than in allthe other
ten months of the year. Men and wo
men who at home would not be satisfied
with a book that was not really sensible
l find sitting On hotel piazza or under
the trees .eadilg 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 intel
!igent recreation. Yes. There is no
need that you take along to watering
place 'Hamilton's Metaphysics" or
some ponderous discourse on the eternal
DEGREES or "Faraday's Philosophy.
There are many easy books that are
good. You might as well say, II pro
pose now to give little rest to my di-
gestive organs, and instead of eating
heavy meat and vegetables l will, for a
little while, take lighter food 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 engraving;
books that aiIl rest the mind as well as
purify the heart and elevate the whole
life? There Will not be an hour be-
tween this and your death when YOU can
afford to read book lacking in moral
principle.
Another temptation lowering all
around our watering places is intoxicat-
ing beverages. am told that it is be-
coming more and more fashionable for
women to drink. l care not how well
woman may dress, if she has taken
enough Of wine to flush her cheek and
puta glassiness on her eye, she is drunk.
She may be handed into a s., 500 carri-
age and have diamonds enough to as
tound the Tinanys-she is drunk. She
may be a 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 |
have, and you may say in regard to her
that she is convivial' 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 it is an old fashioned
case Of drunk
Now, tie watering places are full Of
temptations to men and women to tip
pie. At the close of the tenpin or
billiard game they tipple. At the close
of the cotillon they tipple Seated on
the piazza cooling themselves off they
tipple. The tinged glasses come around
with bright straws aud they tipple.
First they take light wines, as they
call them, but light wines" are heavy
enough to Gebase the appetite. There
is not very long road between cham
pagne at S. a bottle and whiskey at 10
cents glass. Satan has three or four
grades down which he takes men to de-
struction. One man he takes up and
through one spree pitches him into
eternal darkness. That is rare case.
Very seldom indeed can you find man
who will be such fool as that. Satan
will take another man to grade, to a