The Washington weekly post., 1900-06-05
C0keY ISLAND CHANGES.
The Phoenix Exemriihed by Her Rise
After the Fire.

From the Nss Tsrk Commercial Advertiser
| Coney Island has every spring renewed
its youth like the eagle but this year its
| retuvenation is rather that Of the nboa-
nix For not only has u sprung hre-new.
triumphant. and clsrion-voiced from las;
years coniagraii0u. but II has also an
/ that photographic brilliancy Of pIumare
and piniOn-flapping. uncomfortable atti-
| tude which all pictorial portraits"-io
/ borrow phrase from a Surf avenue
barker-have made so prominent in that
/ noble fowl. And its charms are not alone
those Of refurbishing and reincarnation:
C0ney has this season countless features
which. ladies an gents, are both new.
novel, and unique. and never before par
alleled upon this continent"
At first blush-the word is somewhat
| inappropriate. but let 1t pass-Coney has
not changed At all. You will see every
where about you that limsy tardness Of
structure and that serene vulgarity Of ad-
vertisement which have always distin-
guished this capital OF fakirdom Your
| ears will be drowned in the rising vol
ume Of nssally discordant musics-the old
voice of ''The Island" with no note :
variation. Letting yourself go with one
of the aimlessly flowing currents Of the
crowd. YOU pass through the old zones Of
odors-the pungent cheerfulness of roast
ing peanuts and popping corn. the uippi-
ness of the peppermint tsffy, and the
warm, kitchen smell of sizzling. brown
frankfurters and spiJted steaks sputter-
ing before the red-coaled open-air fire.
places. And above the hubbub OF shut
fling feet. shouting, laughter, hurdy-gur-
liEC nd Ebnnriurr all . h.
of the hung-y-eyed fakir as he filings his
arms and vociferously reviews the incon-
sequently drifting multitude. Every few
minutes he mOps his face. glares at his
next-dOor rival, and strives desperately
to raise his pitch. We'll now, well now.
we'll now. this is the place. ladies an
gents, this is the old reliable. this is the
one an only"
You work on down the main thorough
fare, and suddenly begin TO notice the
destinations of this years display of lager
signs. on every side the glance is lured
by yard-high schooners. generously over
flowing with liquid cOrnucopias. The le-
geHds they bear add the temptation OF
the spoken word 20 the longing of the
eye: COyly, Il guess I'm II, friend;' CO.
qUettishlv, "Oh, | don't know" caresSing-
ly. Il m your honey, all right all right"
ifEls ltl III y ltlS NtuI mart dStlitSl the Gl-
biOuS charms Of COney Island beeT, you
push steadily on. BY a sort of predesti-
ration you will sooner or later come with
in the horrible magnetism Of the great
merry-gO-rOund cdlliOpe. When you hear
it. you know with d sick certainty of the
mariner in the maelstrOm what II is. For
years there has been nowhere else any in
strument like unto ii. This season its
power has been three-fOld added TO, and
it now surses resistlessly along, a very
chUrning Niagara of music. Its roar is
like the voice OF unnumbered hurdy-
Surdies. At times sounds as Of fifty Ger
man bands rise champing to ,he surface
Dut in moment their blare and brsssi-
ress ara again ingulfed in the sweeping
rolling tide of organ notes. And i'm that
thunder there seems to dance and
riot d spirit half siren, half Bacchante
She beCkOns. she faScinates, she mad
denS In another moment YOU will have
lCapad upon one of the carrousel horses
and be Whirling to your destruction. Then
" hen all resistance seems over, YOU re-
rlember a talisman; you call into your
mind the picture Of the COney Island COW,
and a blessed calm DeTVadeS your soul