The Washington herald., 1908-05-17
ny THE ARBITER.

me fashionable summer resorts are 8
necessary evf of society-necessary, be-
cause they furnish breathing places for
the Inhabitants OF the crowded cities who
nave not the means TO maintain country
places OF their own; evil, because they
tnrn the summer into one long carnival;
because they aH the period Of vacation
which should be devoted 10 rest and
Wholesome recreation. with feasting
dancing. flirting, and strenuous pleasures
OF al sorts. and at the end Of the sum
mer those who went away from home TO
recuperate return worn and broken down
from the round Of dissipation they have
been indulglng in. The days dolngs OF
young woman at Narragansett Pier are
something like this: She awakes at 9 or
10 In the morning with a duh headache
from her dissiDations Of the night before
and an appetite too jaded to think. even.
OF breakfast, SO she begins the day with
some 'pick-me-ups" and comes down at
the bath hour, after dawdling an hour or
more over her toilet. with rosy cheeks
sparkling eyes. and the general express
sion that she is in for good time. for it
Is quite out OF fashion 10 be III or ailing.
As she walks 10 the bathhouse with her
string of escorts she keeps them all
laughing with the bits Of gossip picked
up the day before and INDUCES in a
string OF badlnage,
A half hour later she emerges a vision
or loneliness from the bathhouse IN a
white silk bathing dress. cut low M the
top and high at the bottom: shapely legs
incased In beautiful openwork stockings.
nair protected by a Roman scarf. and
win her stalWart train. pungeg into the
SURF There is much merriment. much
!aasning and shTiekirg. as they battle
with the sea. The excitement of the
bathing causes reel red 10 take the place
Of the artificial glow on her cheeks, the
sparkle IN her eye is the result Of nat
uFal stimulants, and as she is fioated on
the curling foam Of the great waves
bougereau's Venus would be pat 10
shame at her perfections.
After the bath there is a long Irritation
with the latest favorite lying out on the
sands, and then a toilet is made In the
stuny bathh0use The walk 70 the Casino
is languid one. There are no jokes. no
badinage. Every one is tired from the
pathi but refreshment awaits them on
the porch OF the general club. and there
our young woman, with several hundred
OF her kind, sits herself down at a small
table with her especial little group.
Where they are regaed with juleps.
smaShes hzZes punches, cocktail, or
Whatever their fancy Graves, until lunch
con- After which meal there is an hour
or so or gossiping on the piazza before
our heroine seeks her room. her cigar
cites, and the latest novel. for one must
have something 10 talk about. and the
latest novel is generally hectic enough
in tone 10 serve as a topic. At there is !
an automobile trip, a walk on the sands
ana rocking, as tete-a-tete among
the rocks IS called; a sail or row. and be
tore dinner another seance on the Casino
piazza nd more 'braccrs.'
Our young lady VIII probably dine
there and such a dinner as VIII be set
before her and her guests can hardly be
duplicated the world over. for the Nara
gansett Casino is famous for its cuisine. |
Dinner finished. she joins bridge party. |
goes FOR a stroll on the sands. dances at
the Casino, or ensconces herself in a dark /
corner with the last man that has pleased /
her fancy There IS more eating and
drinking before bedtime, and the hour for
disappearing into ones own apartments
is movable one, but 1t is generally |
somewhere between z and T. Now, isn't
that a wholesome life to lead for three or
four months every year? Isn't il inspir-
ing, developing, restful? Is it any won
der that young women brought up In
such an atmosphere go from one folly
10 another? Is it any wonder that with /
their vision impaired by artiaciality, their /
judgment warped by dissipation. they /
mistake such creatures as little Boni de
Castellane. the princellng sagan. and /
the Duke of Yarmouth for men?
II might be said that Narragansett IS /
unique. that no other summer resort IS 1
just like it. This is true; some are less i
dissipated ana frivolous, some are more /
disslpated and frivolous; but the differ /
ence between it and other fashionable /
resorts is only in degree. The same OBJ /
Jections can be cited against all Of them:
and when all Is told, they are a disagree
able blot on the civilization of the day.
still, it must be admitted that they are /
the natural product OF American civili- /
ZatiOn, Of the national thirst for excite
ment the national craving to be con-
stanuy doing, TO be constantly on parade.
and Of our gregariOus habits. our inabil-
ity 10 enjoy unless we have an admiring I
and envious audience
The monkey dinners at Newport were
not given for the enjoyment OF the par
ticipants, but to shock a prudish public /
The galioping Of their mounts around the
dinner table In a certain casino by pink /
coated huntsmen-Or pseudo-huntsmen-
was undertaken for the sole purpose of
creating scandal and when the young
woman dared her cavalier to drink a
bumper out OF her satin slipper she did /
il for the sensation it would make when
the details got cut. and the not0riety she
would achieve We have, however. out
grown many Objectionable things in our
hat gf.a
the vulgarlty from our fashionable water
Ing places is not to be doubted. Indeed
public opinion Is already aroused against
them. Every year Increases the number
OF those who own their own country
places and those who seek quiet and un-
pretentious spots in which to pass their
vacations. The sun Of the conventional |
watering place has set, and the crowds
who frequent these places now are quite
different from those of fifty years ago:
but nfty years ago the tone of these
places was better. There was, to be sure
more gossipiug over tatting and Gro
chet on hotel piazzas, but this form Of
amusement was much less harmful than
some of the pastimes that are indulged
in to-day.
Every one cannot have country place
many cannot have even bungalow
with bit Of land in the woods or on the
seashore-but for those who can have
neither Of these there are many heaIthfm
out-of-the-way places where one can get
away from the beaten track of fashion
and live ones own life unmolested. AN
through New England there are Quaint
little towns stretched along the seashore
or nestled down among the hills. where
the people are glad to take summer
boarders;" and If the beds ale hard ana
the fare plain, the scenery is beautiful.
the air glorious, and the communion with
nature soul-satsfying I never knew
what IL was TO live before last summer.