Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-13
Old Orchards "Deeeneracy."

Grafton of great beach resorts. Nature
was munificently kind to Old Orchard.
but man eventually spoiit it for people
of taste. Time was when it attracted a
clicntage that brought it much money
| and gave ii wide fame. 1t might have
been made place of beauty and value.
| But soon came an era of cheap anu
| hideous houses, a Crowding in of unde-
sirable elements and general lowering
of the tone of the place. Finally came
the trolley bringing its loads of t"ughs
| from Portland, Biddeford and Saco. and
now the result is patent to anyone VINO
! revsits the spot after an absence Oh
several years.-Boston Journal.
| 1t is true that Old Orchard was once a
f. shionable and aristrocratic resort
such as Saratoga was a generation ago.
ana such as Newport and Bar Harpor
have become in later years, and it is
also true that in recent years the en-
clusiycness has departed, and that y
has become Il great excursion center vi
Sundays, especially, and with sum
mer population made up of the masses
Of the common people rather than OF
representatives Of the smart set. but
we cannot help feeling that our Boston
lcouteinporary is worked up into I'M
necessary grief over the change. PROD
ably it has been somewhat misled by
the agitation which has followed the
discovery made by clergyman that
objectionable souvenirs We're for sale AT
one Of the booths upon the pier. From
this little circumstance has come an
endless amount of abuse from pulpits
all over the land. and long editorials III
many papers dcnouncing the great re-
sort i'm the most extreme terms.
To those who know Old Orchard the
hole thing seems to be very large
cloud of smoke from a very small fire.
T, IL .,hsurJ to arraign Old Orchard as
being any more immoral or indecent or
dcpravcd than any other summer resort
" her, crowds go to enjoy an outing or
spend their vacation. ON recent sun
day, when there We're many thousands
of eAcursionists at the beach from
n"ighburing cities, and brought by
special trains from a distance, thee
WAS not d single arrest for drunken
ness made that day. and the only cases
observed where persons were the worse
OF tor liquor were two men at the rail
road station, and these two individuals
had just arrived in town.
Dld Orchard is no longer the great
shore resort of the exclusive and arts
tocratic circles in our big cities, but it
is tn" place whcrr increasing thousands
go every summer from All parts of our
own country. and particularly from
tn" greatest beach on the Atlantic
coast. If the crowds which throng
thcr" have spoiled it for people Of
taste" then let them 20 elsewhere. The
great hotels there ar, not cheap and
hid""us," and the crowds, whether they
be cXcursionists or vacationists or
cdinplnctting followers. are not O1 the
| undesirable element" unless TIL" great
| middle class of our population is to he
declared undesirable. The crowds
| which come from noiChborinE cities by
trolley are 10y no means crowds of
"toughs" As far as money and wide
| fame" 90. there is certainly more of
both for the resort than in tn" earlier
days.
old Orchard is not the Old Orchard
Of old. but it is something to he re-
| ioircd at and not regretted that is surf
| it's magnificent beach and its many at
| fractions are being enjoyed by the
multitudcs. rather than by a few as il
the earlier days before the vacation and
Excursion habits were so generally de-
| rrIopcd. In the height of the summer
season Old Orchard is a cosmopolitan
city Of pleasure seekers, and yet con-
silcrinG the many thousands gathered
there it is very orderly and law is well
| enforced. Those who find 'degcncracy"
| there are the kind who would see only
the fly spcck on a beautiful painting
ana hear only the one false note in the
/ t,.., e J,