, 1905-09-27
A PROPHETIC VISION

1t is as perfect a day as God in his
infinite goodness ever vouchsafed TO
the dwellers upon earth. In the pre-
vious week suffering humanity had
wilted for two days from a heat of
some So degrees and of humidity of
80 degrees. Then the heavens were
filled with lurid lightnings and terrific
thunder storms, accompanied by high
winds and a deluge of rain.
This morning being the oath of Sep
TENDER, 1905, the atmosphere having
been washed clean and purged from
all humid humours, and the earth and
all upon its surface in our locality lib
orally secured with the torrential rains
the air was unusually sweet and re-
freshing. The sun is warm and the
wind from the southeast is sharp and
bracing. My fancy led me, under the
circumstances of wind, sun and wealth
er, to put on a bathing suit and start
for a walk from the end of the board
walk at North Wildwood to the far
thest point at Holly Beach. After
leaving the board walk | found my
way to a large purse net fishing boat
that was hauled up on the beach. l
climbed in and as the wind, playing
upon my bare limbs is chipping and
eager,u / am fain to hide them in a
friendly recess which / have found by
lifting up a board in the bow of the
boat. Here then let us note what al
be seen that is worthy of mention.
The sky is absolutely cloudless, not a
leck or a speck of vapor is to be seen.
The tide is nearly in, and surges and
washes under the boardwalk. Twelve
fishing yachts and steamers returning
from the fishing grounds enliven the
horizon while the pale green of the wa
ter harmonizes with the equally pale
blue of the eky. To my left are three
young ome with heavy wraps on
sitting on the sand in the shelter of a
huge sign which bears upon its face
the legend "Wildwood Crest" To the
right Cape May and its water tower
and light house stand out in bold re-
lief and in the distance at my back is
a forest of holly trees, cedars, sweet
gums, persimmons and scruboaks, in
terlaced and woven into almost a COM
pact mass of vegetation, with wild
grape vines, Virginia creepers and wild
hop vines, with wild grasses, flowers
and cactus almost covering the soil.
Many people are coming and going,
some in carriages, but most of them
walking along this matches stretch
of compact, even and gently sloping
beach. An approach at right angles
to the boardwalk at this end has a set
of steps down to the sand, the tide is
just high enough to occasionally wash
over the bottom steps. Three women
in black essayed to reach the beach 10y
these steps and of course endeayored
to do so without getting wet; two of
them succeeded, the third hesitated
but a second, but alas for her that was
a second too long, for just as her feet
touched the sand a wave Topped by;
tIClO was a ivan u uNNSh III VI
a dress, a glimpse of black hose encased
in a pair of high French heeled shoes,
and an angry woman stamped her feet
on the ground, and swish swish went
the water out of her shoes as she passed
by my point of vantage. Another
young woman with her clover bold'
wants to 20 up the steps; he takes a
firm hold of her arm; she also lifts her
skirts, they wait until the opportune
moment, and presto! they're up the
steps and out of danger. Sitting here
watching and listening to the pound
ing waves on the shore | cannot help
becoming reminiscent. 1t is the end
of my third season at this resort, and
what marvellous changes have taken
place since kind Providence first gui-
ded my steps TO it. How it has been
beautified, improved, developed, EN-
larged; how its fame has spread and
is spreading over the land. How mar
velously well the business men, the
landed interests, the cottagers and Wis.,
iting public have pulled together; how
enthusiastic the denizens of this favor
ed isle are in its praises, and then l
think of the venison it has been to hun
dreds, and perhaps thousands, of wea-
ried and weakened business men and
oyerWorked women that the worries