Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-09-13
Long Branch.
Correspondence Of the Beacon,)
Lone BRANCH, NEW JERSEY,
Ga,t 4 tonn


LoEG BRANCH, NEW JERSEY,
Sept. 4, 1900
/ Dear Beacoa From this city by the
sea, my thoughts turn backward to dear
old Leonardtown in It's quiet little niche
How would love to gather the friends
from there who would enjoy the beauty
and majesty Of this old ocean have
seen il it in the last week all its caprieious
moods In raging fury aud in it's calm
Long Branch is composed chiefly Of no
tells and cottages, the summer popula-
ton being not more than ten 10 ffteen
thousand, the winter less Some bust.
ness is done, but ncs to any great ex-
tent.
In the seventies the place was made
famous by General Grant and his fami
Iy spending their summers there. The
four hundred have changed for "frosh
fields the smart set being now habi.
tues OF Narragauset Pier and other places
further north. For beauty, elegance and
rest, one would stop at Ocean Grove
The summer population Is estimated at
fifty thousand, and is controlled by eight
policemen only. No burglarizing, no
drinking Of intoxicating liquors, no dcns
Of iniqully ~ any kind not q vehicle a.
lowed through the streets on the Sab.
bath after the gates are closed at IL
o'clock Saturday night
There are several religious denomiua
tIons other than which We have a, home
represented here; all denominatjonshayc
service three times on Sundays. There
was what Il known as beach service
held At sunset hour. II was stirring
scene. The congregation numbered fol-
ly from seyontY.Gyc to hundred lhous
and souls They sat In the sand on the
shore partaking Of the services II re.
minded me Of the story ofthe loaycs aud
fishes being distributed to the multitude
A hundred thousand lisa large concougEc
Of people. They not only represented
Long Branch Ocean Grove, Sea Girt,
Ashury Park aud all the hamleis on
the coast, but came Ia car loads from MI
over the State to be present at the annu.
al bleach meeting" and In numbers
think of the Isle Of patmos, which no
man could number, for truly they reached
from pier 10 peir, and seemed as numcr.
Gus as the sand Of the sea
The music was furnished from a vast
Auditorium, whose choir consists Of
three hundred trained voices, Que large
organ, four steinway pianos, eight yio
Inns, played by women. and two yiois by
men. The hoarse doxology Of the ocean
ctept in us an accompaniment 10 this
grand music and the waves flung them.
solves on the shore and receded as II to
carry back to the dim isles OF the ocean
the sounds Of prayer and Thanksgiving
that came from the crowd, Soon the
hush fell upon all save the seattle sea
which is never quiet
In my widest flights Of fancy have
never heard anything or in actual life
seen anything TO compare to the sun.
rise on the ocean. II comes like great
jewel, flashing its beams from the heart
Of the sea. One would think surely II
arose with some great wave, for appar.
emily you can see as far behind il as is
the distance between II and the shore.
There are thousands on the beach as
carly as a. m to watch its coming,
There seems 70 be every kindred and
tongue and tribe, even Chinese, here,
and not woman has the least regard
for her complexion. Hats are seldom
used,
How lavish has been the hand Of ma
ture in the distribution Of her gifts.
New Jersey has the choicest coast range
Just here the sea is dotted with pleasure
boats, fishing smacks and feet of white
winged schooners, schooners whose sails
in the breeze look like the wings OF sea
gulis.
Life, one would think, was long hol.
iday here, but, Of course, back of all this
leisure lies the brain and energy, the
sinew and muscle of some whose task
were set in the long past. The COMPARE
son between this pleasuring place with
no hurrying--time enough for all things
ALI happy and joyous, to the hustling,
hurrying throng which greeted me in
New York, whittier my steps tended for
few day, was deep contrast, and as
each pedestrian rushed on by / felt like
stopping him and asking what had hap
pened. 1t is rushing city. Unlike
poor little Leonardtown, we are not
rushing there, but dear to the heart is
the home, no matter whore 1t may be.
L. A. j.
Having bought directly from the larg-
4 - ~ Il