The Pensacola journal., 1907-08-10


to be at her apogee. The
u species Of exhfIaration known
to the poets as 'the.mere joy Of living"
IL hers in its fullcet realization The
'fervid midsummer infIuence'-another
good thing indigenous to the realm of
poesy-is her inspiration. and she
fairly reyels in it. She permeates.
radiates dominates and occasionally
scintiilates.
1t is now that the midsummer maiden
is abroad in the land. The woods are
full Of her 50 TO speak, and SO are
mary of the desert places. Down by
the sad sea she is supremest Of all.
Would that this were TO be an ex
hausJlVe and exclusive disquisition On
the midsummer girl, her ways, her
fsraces, her potent allurements. But II
isn't II is 10 be 4 brief and rather
gossipy but entirely vcraciOus account
OF the summer resort industry as il is
practiced in America by the midsum-
mer girl
It 50 happens that this same mid
summer girl is an essential ingredient
Of that industry. Without her IL
would resemble the famous clam chow
der with the CLAIMS left out. She is
the one specific inspiration Of its up
from the discussion. No effort will be
made 70 dctract from her Importance
IN the matter.
Nor viii any attempt be made to
minimize the immensity Of the summer
resort industry Its growth has been
coincident with that Of the nation. It
may be affirmed Of it. however. that il
does not owe its existence to any for
eign initiative. When the jamestown
settlers and the Plymouth Rock folk
came 10 US, we-meaning the aborigines
knew all about it. having been bur-
dened with the vacation habit from
time immemoriaI.
So il was that we-meaning the great
American people this time-acquired
the vacation habit in precisely the
same fashion in which tobacco and
maize came to us. Both Of the latter
appealed to us so pathetically that we
adopted them at once.
The other made its way but slowly
1t seems almost incredible that a prop
osition 50 seductive should have hung
fire, but d possible explanation Of the
failure to assimilate may be found in
the fact that only the male Indians
were the victims Of the habit, the
sruaws remaining at home to look
after the maize and tobacco. The orig
inaI Plymouth Rock maiden Of the
Priscilla type was capable Of great self
sacrifice, but really that would have
been asking rather too much Of her.
Up to the period Of the Revolution the
Puritan maid and matron had not made
up their minds to consent to any such
ex paTte arrangement
In Virginia wc-meaning the more or
less immediate descendants of those
who were persuaded by the romantic
Captain John Smith and his fellow ad-
venturers to become pioneer citizens of
JamestOwn-wcre not overparticular in
most respects. but seem to have had
scruDIes concerning the summer outing
matter. II was not until we began to
say and do things that led up TO ''the
great quarrel with Britain that the
virtue of White Sulphur Springs began
TO dawn on us.
StupendOus as II is. half n dozen
typical summer resorts of the present
day are sufficient 10 illustrate the in
dustry as IT is to be found in this
country. a comprehensive selection OF
examples would be Manitou Springs.
Newport. Saratoga, Atlantic City,
Chautauqua and White Sulphur
Springs. NIanitou, the Incompatible
mountain resort Qf the continent; New
port, the most exclusive seaside resort
in the world: Saratoga, summer head
quarters Of politicians and the sporting
fraternity: Atlantic City, cosmopolitan
''havsn Of restful unrest" on the sands;
Chautauqua. curious and successful
combination of mental activity and
physical relaxation. and White Sulphur
Springs, the ancient and always aris-
tocratic resort Of the sOuth-these six
are types whose distinctions are es-
peCially well defined.
And the midsummer girl is the very
life Of all Of them-this most joyous
and satisfactory of creations in her
various types. What a rare and ra-
diant type of her lends To Manitou it's
most potent charm, The American
Continent-Or any other continent. for
that matter-could not afford her a
more exquisite setting. Among ma
lures beauty spots there is none other
that dims the splcndor Of this marvel
Gus work. The girl who selects Mani
tou for her summer habitat is not the
ordinary maiden of the less poetic re-
sorts. She is Il soulful creature, with
temperament attuned To natures
most enchanting moods. Does she ever
attain the summit of Pixies peak? OF
course she does. and when she stands
three miles above the sea level and
looks down upon the natural wonders
that lie clustered within the radius of
her vision she accepts il all at its full
value. She may calculate between her
little gasps for breath-the atmosphere
is rather oppressively rare al this alti-
tude-"How perfectly splendid" or per-
chance. How nice!" But il is reason
ably certain that she is capable of the
most intelligent appreciation. She is
so charmingly honest and direct in her
tribute that one does not look to her
for correct technical expression.
b. y
There is more than sufficient at New
port to draw strenuously on the en-
thusiasm of the midsummer girl, but
enthusiasm is not accepted as good
form in that highly specialized COM
munity. So she cultivates repression,
and il becomes her immensely. Per-
faps she is the prospective heiress of
the Newport cottageT of whom il has
been said rather irreverently, The sea
Is his and he made IL (that portion of
IL. that is. which bounds his estate on