The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-31
MOUNTAIN INNS CROWDED
 TO FULLEST CAPACITY
Bv ANNIE KEN pRIck WALKER.

Asheville N. C., July 30.-(Special)-The mountain inns are crowded to the fullest capacity. There has never been so great an exodus from the south, and almost all of the southern cities are represent ed in recent arrivals, while August will continue to bring hundreds of guests from the far south.
 It is this charming month that finds the season at it's height of midsummer gaiety. The great hotels celebrate its coming with large and brilliant balls. The sum- mer gaieties are no longer confined to the weekend cotillon, but beauties and belles and beaux dance at morning CO., tllons, and every evening the bathrooms present an interesting scene. Some Of the hotels make of their large balls fete champetre, hanging Japanese lan- terms in the gardens, and here many hun dred guests enjoy the beauty of the sum- mer night, while within the dancing con- tingent keeps pace with the orchestra.
 It is often commented upon that the late hours that were once kept at the fashionable summer places are now quite out of fashion. Cotillons do not continue so late, and social life seems to be ad- justing itself on saner lines. It is really quite provincial to dance after Il or at least much later, and F o'clock finds the lights out in bathrooms at many of the gayest places.
 Newport sets the pace for early dances, and in New York and Washington the small and early dances were organized by the most fashionable coteries. Whether the Newport custom has been followed here in the mountain inns I do not pre- tend to say, but the early wave is spread ing itself over the social world much to the delight of many who have hitherto gone the social pace.
 whether people danced or played bridge it has long seemed an unwritten law to spend more than half the night awake, and cotllon and bridge parties for years have begun anywhere between 10 and Il o clock at the summer hotel.
 The late hours of society has furnished the specialists with patients and given more than enough cause for diagnosing the ease" of the belle who returns home to recuperate after her summer dssipa- tions.
 But" said an abservant woman today, while she was playing dummy at bridge, the society woman does not need any sympathy or diagnosing. She keeps late hours to be sure, but where will you find a more blooming creature than she who goes to parties at Il o'clock, dances until l or ?, has her late suppers, and continues this pace through the win ter season, going to two or three parties every day, and making it rule. like a certain bon vivant we all know, of never dining alone"
 Well" said another woman, women like that are just like the Wall street man. After awhile they break down or die out from pure excitement The rest cures are full of them. I've seen them in rolling chairs with doctors shaking their heads over them."
 But no one agreed with her. Rest cures were for women who were tired Of placidity The social woman avoided them When she felt fatigue coming on she played more bridge gave dinner or went out to dinner and was refreshed. Ouietude was not in her line.
 .sThe doctor once dared to tell me that I was suffering with nervous prostration and advised a rest cure.'
 "Did you take it?" summer belle asked when she paused.
 .'Oh," said the woman, a picture in her white serge and Panama, "I looked ovor my visiting list and sent out cards to