The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-22


step. and bow and prance and graceful
| swing of lorg train can make UP for
| strong common sense You might as well
| go among The gayly-painted yachts OF a
| summer 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 struggle OF
| human life.
High Contempt for a Dude.
'In the battle of life you want a strong
| er weapon than a lace fan or a croqIet
mallet. The load of life Is so heavy that
| in order to draw II you want a team
! stronger than that made up of a nascu-
| line grasshopper and a feminine butter
| fiy. II there Is any man in the commun-
| ity 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 sum
| mer in striking killing attitudes, and wav-
ing sentimental adieux. and talking infini-
tesimal nothings. and finding his heaven
in the set of a lavender kid glove. Boots
as tight as an inquisition. Two hours of
consnmmate skill exhibited in the tie of
flashing cravat. His conversation made
up of 'Ahsp 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 con-
versation 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. unless she becomes |
an intelligent Christian. We may admire |
music and fair faces and graceful step; |
but amid the heartlessness and the infla- |
ton and the fantastic influences of our |
modern watering places beware how you |
make lifelong covenants.
Another temptation that hovers over 4
the watering place is that Of baneful lit |
erature Almost every one starting OFF /
for the summer takes some reading mat |
ter 1t is book out of the library, or OF |
the bookstand, or bought of the boy hawk |
ing books through the cars. l really be-
lieve there Is more pestiferous trash read |
among the intelligent classes In July and |
August than in all the other ten months i
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, read
ing books the index of which would make |
them blush If they knew that you knew
what the book was. Oh they say, you
mrst have intellectual recreation. Yes.
There is nc need that you take along to a
watering place 'Hamiltons Metaphysics !
or some ponderous discourse on the eter-
nal DEGREES. or 'Faraday's Philosophy,
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. | will. for little while;
take lighter food-a little strychnine and
few grains of ratsbane.'
Literary Poison Is Always Bad,
Literary poison In August is as bad as
literary poison in December. Mark that.
Do not let the frogs Of corrupt printing
|
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 will rest
the mind as well as purify the heart and
elevate the whole life? There will not
be an hour between this and your death
when you can afford to read book lack
ing in moral principle
Another temptation lowering all around
our watering places is intoxicating bever-
ages. l am told that II is becoming more
and more fashionable for women to drink
/ care not how well a woman may dress,
II 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 a $3.50 carriage, and have diamonds
enough to astound the Tinanys-she is
drunk. She may be a graduate Of the |
best young ladies' seminary, ana the !
daughter of some man in danger OF being |
nominated for the Presidency-she is |
drunk. You may have a larger vOcabu-
larry than I have and YOU may say in re-
gard 10 her that she Is 'convy;al'' or she | I
is merry or she is festive, or she Is |
YOUR gsrlands OF verbiage cover up the
plain fact that fl is an old-fashioned case
Of drunk.
Temptations to Tippie.
Now, the watering places are full n ,
to men and women TO tip
pie At the close Of the ten-pin or bill ,
lard game. they tipple. At the close ;
of the eotillIon. they tipple- Seated on )
he piazza cooling themselves on, they !
-ipple. The tinged glasses come around ,
with bright straws. and they tipple. First.
hey take light wines as they call
hem: but light wines are heavy enough
10 debase the appetite. There is not
very long road between champagne at
i've dollars a bottle and whisky at ten
,ents a glass. Satan has three or four /.
grades down which he takes men TO de-
One man he takes Up and q
through one spree pitches him into etern- !
Il darkness. That Is a rare case. Very !
seldom. indeed, can you find a man who
viii be such a fool as that. Satan will
axe another man TO a grade TO a de- !
cent at an angle about like the Penn !
iiyvania coal snOot or the Mount Wash
ngton rail track, and shove him OF.
But that Is very rare. When a man
,oes down to destruction. Satan brings
I'm 10 plane. II is almost a level The
repression Is 30 slight that you can
lardly see IT, The man does not actually |
NOW that he is on the down grade. and
tips only little toward darkness-jus.
little And the first mile IL IL ciaret.
md the second mile it IS sherry and the |
bird mile II Is punch, and the fourth | :
nile IL is ale, and the NTH mile Il Is
whisky. and the ciEth mile II Is brandy. |
nd then II gets sleeper and sleeper and !
,eeper, until IL n impossible 70 stop 8
Look not thou upon the wine when II is .
ed. when IL gfyeth iis color IN the Gun. |
Fhen IL moveth Itself Alright Al the lssi !
Diteth Ike serpent and st!ngeth like :
n adder
safe Shelter In Gods Or e. s
Whether you tarry a. home-ghIch
VII be quite as safe. and. perhaps. quite
= comfortable-or 20 into the country. =
rm yourself against temptation The
race OF God II the only safe shelter
Whether In town or country. There are :
faiering places accessible 20 all Of VA. :
'ou cannot open book Of the Bible
Fithout hnding out some such watering
lace. Fountains open for sin and un- =
lesnness. Well of salvation. Streams 4
rom Lebanon. A food struck OUT Of he
ocS BY Moses Fountains In the wilder 2
ess discovered by Hagar Water TO
rink and water 20 ba,he In. The river
God. which In full OF water Water OF
Thich II man drink he shall never
hirst- Wells Of water IN the Valley OF
,sca. Living fountains OF water. 4
yre river Of water as clear as crystai
rom under the throne OF God. These arr
iatering places accessible 10 aii Of us
ve do not have a lsborlous packing up
efore we start-only the throwing away
2 HfIr frS axxa.s..tz II