Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-17
Old and New Summer Vacations.

| the enormous increase in the custom and
the relative advance in the cost of sum-
mcr. He brings to mind that thirty OF
forty years ago the Wilmington men OF
afflucnce and their families seemed con-
tented if they were able TO spend three OF
four weeks in the country. Christiana
hundred and over the line into Pcnnayl-
vania were the preferred places ANY,
| where along the Brandywine hills over
looking some Of the pretty valleys of the
adjacent country was sought, and the
farmers wives usually opened their parlor
and best room for the entertainment
of city boarders. Probably they would
take two families at succeeding intervals
and thus keep their houses filled all summer
and increase the family exchequer in
order that the eldest daughter would be
able to go to finishing school after ex-
hausting the fount at the little red house
down at the corner of the road
Usually after the Fourth Of July
when people thought they could leave
their houses safe from the possibility
of fire our first citizens would gather
their summer wardrobes, and collect
the babies and pets. If the family was
zone of the wealthiest," as they used To
be classified for the convenience of news
paper description. the fat, sleek team OF
bays, cornfed and overfed, were harvested
to the big family carriage and the Negro
driver landed the party at its destination.
remaining to take the women folks out
for daily airings.
The mother of the family sat out
under the trees and sewed or knit, while
perhaps the sons read from the famous
Bcedle library and the girls consumed
volume after volume of r. p. Roes
soothing literature with it's burning but
we'll restrained love situations. The
father of the party found frequent
recalls to the city but while he stayed Mt
the country house he was intensely bored
and for sheer need of recreation and
diversion would go into the harvest field
under the scorching suns rays just to sec
the hired men at work and perhaps al
otms unconsciously be an object OF envy
to every man on the farm. who too want
cd to be rich idle and dressed up. The
farm wife worked herself 10 frazzle, but
was always submissive and smiling TO her
paving boarderr, and how she got through
the summers without attacks of nerves is
still an undiscovered mystery. BY Sep
tember first-or, to be exact, the summer
season always closed August 81 no mat
ter what the weather or ether cons:dera-
tions-the city folks would depart with
untruthful expressions Of regret that the
season was at an end and with the prem
Use to return again the next year. And 1T
did
At that period our informant declares
the rates for family of four persons,
even OF the richest Of our rich, wns about
$40 or SIS a week, while the horses keep
was thrown in as good measure, except
the oats, which was bought by the
wealthy boarder"
A few others of the very rich went TO
Cape May in summer, where plain little
home kept cottage furnished entertain
ment for the select few who objected TO
the earlier Of the hotels as being ex-
pensive. noiry and mixed Here fifty
dollars a month for each person was the
charge for the best accommodations and
here the guests were we'll bestowed and
but the surroundings were,
measured by present-day standards. far
from luxurious. Rehoboth. Of course, was
less expensive and somewhat crude IN
these days and the rates ran only up 10
about forty dollars q monitor ten dol
lars a week. For indoor baths-well,
they were hardly worth considering as
baths
The rush away for the summer these
DAYS of big bank balances and the love OF
spending money is entirely the opposite
of those old times The farm homes, with
their wash tubs filled with hot water on
Saturday nights for the "city boarders
weekly bath have been deserted. Now
people are on the hunt more for excite
ment and congenial companionship rather
than repose and cool. II is said that there
are Delawareans at every summer re-
sort from Nova Scotia to Coney Island
and south to Ocean City
Instead Of awakening the old family
team and jogging away on a vacation the
Sl2, 900 or $4,000 motor car is brought
forth renewed in all essential points and
the family is ''whirled' to fashionable
hotel where there are probably no rates
below fifteen dollars day. The wardrobe
Of the simplest Of the young girls would |
cost not less than two or three thousand |
dollars, and the mother, instead of sew
ing under the shade of a tree In the |
farmhouse yard is motoring, playing |
bridge, entertaining and probably dressing |
so often each day that the service of a |
maid are required. The father will prob,
ably join one or two clubs at the resort |
and play golf and spend money like
perhaps wish that he was back
nome and in his Office where he might |
lave real rest. Or possibly he may be
overcast as he looks backward to the |
lime he could order a mint iulep, gin /
hickey or Scotch highball, and wonder
the old days will ever come back again.
The same family of four that spent |
100 a month while on vacation along the
in the eighties, would if re-