The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-08-25
THE sEMlwEEkLY MESSENGERS: FRIDAY, AUGUST Is. 1889.

and prance and graceful swing Of long
train can make up for strong common
sense lou might as well go among the
gayly painted yachts OF a summer re-
gatta to find war vessels as to go
among the light spray OF the summer
watering place TO n character that
can stand the test Of the great strug-
gle Of human life. In the battle OF life
you want a ron ape than a
a fan Or a croquet mallet- The load
OF life is so heavy that IN order TO draw
il you want a team n than that
made up of a masculine graSshopper
II a feminine butterfly. II there is
IN man in the community who ex-
cites my contempt and who ought TO
excite the contempt OF every man and
woman il is the soft handed, soft head
ed dude, who, perfumed until the air is
sick, spends his summer in striking
killing attitudes and waving sentiment
tai adieux and talking infinitesirnal
nothings and finding his HEAVIER in the
set Of a lavender kid glove. Boot as
tight as an inquisition. Two hours Of
skill exhibited in the tie
of a flashing ava His conversation
made up of "Ahs!' and Obs" and
He hes"
There is only one counterpart to such
a man as that, and that is the frothy
young woman at the watering place.;
her conversation made up of French
m~oonshine; what she has in her head
only equaled by what she has on her
back; unless ever since she was born
and to be useless until she is dead un-
less she becomes an intelligent Chris
tan. 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
tarin0 nIaoeS hQW4rp how Won mako
lifelong covenants.
BANEFUL LITERATURE.
Another. temptation that hovers over
the watering place is that of baneful
literature. Almost every n starting
off for the summer takes some reading
matter. It 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
telIigent 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 / 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 recrea-
ClOn. les. luOIS Is III lSSu I'D yoo
| take along to a watering place Ham
ilton's Metaphysics" or some ponder
Gus discourse OF the eternal DEGREES of
"Farraday's Philosophy" There are
many easy books that are good. You
might as well say, Il propose now to
give a little rest to my digestive or
gans, and instead of eating heavy meat
and vegetables 1 will for a little while
take lighter food, a little strychnlne
and a few grains of ratsbane." Litera-
ry poisons in August is as bad as liter
airy 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 puri-
fly the heart and elevate the whole life?
There will not be an hour betWeen this
and your death when you car afford
to read a 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
we'll a woman may dress, il she has
Z LINK O11ouSh III '1AAS $3.50
cheek and put a g~lassiness on her eye
she is drunk. She may be handed into
a 81, 500 carriage and have diamonds
enough to astonish the Tiffanys-she is
drunk. She may be a graduate of the
best young ladies' seminary and the
daughter Of some nan in LANCER OF
being nominated for the presidency
she is drunk. You may have a larger
vocabulary than I have, n o may
say in regard to her that h is ICON
vival," or she is merry" or h il
Festive or she is ~"exhilarated," but
you cannot with all your g~arlands OF
verbiage " up the plain fact that
it is an old fashion case Of drunk.
DANGERS OF TIPPLING.
Now, the watering places are full OF
temptations to men and women to tip
pie. At the close of the tenpin or bill.
lard game they tipple. At the close
Of the cotillion they tipple. Seated on
the piazza cooling themselves on they
tipple. The tinged glasses come around
with bright straws and they tipple
First they take light Wines" as they
call them, but light vines" are heavy
enough to debase the appetite. There
Is not a very long road between cham.
pagne at IS a bottle and whiskey at II
cents q glass. Satan has three or fou1
grades down which he takes men tG
FOn1-Sme11inU