Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-09-25
what Do You Think Of This7

AS l look back at the changes that
have taken place In recent years, they
are many and startling. In some re-
spects the resort has had a phenomenal
development-in fact, much greater
than the average citizen would imagine.
The streets have been well paved-good
boardwalks constructed-a large num-
Der of hotels and apartment houses
erected-numerous cottages and bung-
allows. are o to be seen on ground
that at one time was but q wild waste
of underbrush and semi-stagnant
waters.
The train service has made rapid
strides for the better, so that much of
the Inconvenience that were formerly
ex experienced by those who went up aud
down to their business each day, are
now completely done away with. The
entrance of the Reading lines into the
island has had a salutary effect for the
good of the people. The Pennsyl-
vania's summer schedule and Its treat
ment OF their patrons upon this divi-
sion are now In striking contrast to
what they were a few years since.
The resort has remained a compar-
atively orderly one, a. it always has
been in the past. The Government by
commission, SO far, has undoubtedly
been a benefit to the island. and yet
there Is room for much improvement.
1t would seem to me that the major
ity of the well-to-do people and the
business men who live on the island,
and more particularly the large real
estate holders, are more interested la
getting the excursion crowds to visit
the island than anything else. In
other words, they encourage the excur-
sion end of the business much more
than the building up of a resort.
There are hosts of people who come
from a distance to the seashore In
search of a quiet, restful resort where
they IAN be housed in up-to-date and
well maintained hotels, where modern
and commodious theatres with good
companies can be enjoyed. For such
people a central auditorium large
enough to seat In comfort at least $500
visitors should be built over the ocean
front. This would. enable them to be
entertained with fine music from a
band of so instruments.
Mr.. R. l.. Weaver has done remark
ably good work this season with his
band of q men. He had three artists
a first cornet player-a trombone play
er and a baritone-who were notably
good men in their profession, and to
whom | presume he had to pay large
salaries. His selections of music were
popular and with out exception as far
as l could hear, the numbers were rem
dered in a scholarly q MT.
Weaver conducted his baleAJmodestly
and with efficiency. In place OF two
bands and three band stands, $50 call
ed, y suppose you have the one large
auditorium, with one band Of fifty
instruments, with gifted and notable
singers, to make an additional attrac-
ton to the musical end of the resorts
entertainments. Wildwood would then
be ableto produce an occasional orato-
rio, or perhaps light operas, and thus
make for herself a reputation some
thing akin to that of Ocean Grove.
There, music of the highest class is
given every season, and it attracts
multitudes Of people from the west,
the south, and the north.
It is indeed time that the men OF
Wildwood should look ahead to see
whether the city is to become primarily
just an excursion resort, with a board
walk lined with yelling "barkers,n for
every sort of catch penny humbugs
that can be invented, or q resort that
will be capable Of attracting a high
class of business and society people,
who desire to live in a place where
modesty and property prevail-where
amusements are artistic and enobling,
and where they can have hotel accom-
%modations, equal at least in point o.
comfort and cuisine with other resorts
on the Atlantic Coast.
The crowds that surged up and down
the boardwalk this season will for
many a moon remember the "barkers''
with their blabant voices which were
heard on Sundays as well as week days,
The one thing that these talking, shout
ing ~nuisances couldn't spoil was the
pure air and the ocean bathing.
A LOCKER On IN WILDWOOD
Co