Putnam patriot., 1930-11-26
Monte carlo.

Monte Carlo itself. in the heat of summer, gives less of dreary effect than in the winter months, though as we noted during our last winter visit.
 much of its romance, most of it's pie turcsque figures. not little of the glamour of its tradition has passed
 into the history of an era that was.
 The gaming rooms still attract in summer. as in winter. hoards of in- tent old men and women into the Kitchen, as the great roulette rooms on the first floor are commonly called. And m the Hotel de Paris there are few shadowy souls floating in from the bright sunshine outside for a cocktail in the bar and luncheon in the vast, overdecorated, deserted. din- ing rooms. As in the winter season, too, the far too-frequently advertised negro with the itching palm opens and closes the door of motors, greet ing, as he has for these many years, each visitor in the language of his or her native land
 Across the lonely place We lunehed at the Cafe de Paris with less than dozen others, Restaurant in former days crowded with the gayest of the gay. An excellent little orchestra played pleasantly and the "langouste' was perfection. Then we entered the Casino and wandered from table 10 table. There was little to interest, though we had momentary excite ment when We saw mouse-like little American schoolmistress win, at a throw. the limit of thirty thousand francs. Instead of packing her treas ure into her handbag and going back to her hotel, as we wanted to beg her to do. she wandered from table to table. Somewhat dazed and with a silly smile on her face she lost a mile" here and another there. We do not doubt that within an hour or so her suddenly gained thousands were one more safely in the coffers of the Casino treasury.
 
 But, after all, gambling is not the
 predoniinatinF pleasure of this sum-
 mer Riviera. Bathing and the sun
 are the two passions of those who
 gather from the four corners of the
 globe. To become bronzed and lean
 and hard. to dive and swim and float,
 to sail or to lie in the sun, to play
 tennis or handball or water polo, to
 gain strength and vigor and supple.
 ness of body is the true aim of the
 majority of visitors. If there is dis.
 sipation at hand, it is neutralized by
 the health-giving program of daily
 life Because there are bars here
 and bars there has never meant in
 France that drunkenness predomin. ? ates. IL is. in fact. very much in tht n minority of both indoor and outdoor sports. Here on this delightful French coast as well as over on the Atlantic strands from Seheveningen to La Boule, the joys and the advantages oi
 sea-bathing are indulged in to the full limit.
 sea-hathing is. after all, a eompa- ratively young diversion. In his ex. cellent and very sophisticated travel ogue, Prom Deauville Co Monte Carlo" Mir. Basil Woon, able Europ- can correspondent, has described the very beginning of sea-bathing in Europe.
 Sea bathing, writes us Wooni ''became fashionable in 1907. Queen Hortense- Eugenie. wife of King Louis-Napoleon of Holland in- herited some land in Biarritz and on 1t built a chateau. One day, the sun being very hot. she ordained that a special part of the beach should be reserved for her private use, and went in bathing in complete set Of petticoats, bloomers, stockings, high shoes, blouse and cap, designed for the occasion by the Queens dress maker.
 Her courtiers and in fact the whole royal society were mortified. A Queen taking bath in the sea! This was terrible-and SO vulgar.
 Until then only common people dared to bathe in the sea, and these did SO without any costume at all. Aristocrats confined their fun to watching the shameful creatures and commenting loudly on their foolish ness.
 ..The Queen enjoyed her bath very much. So much so, that the next day she cast bombshell into the ranks of her concerned court by command ing that the entire court take a bath with her. There being no bathtub in every room in those days it is likely that some of the court hadn't had a bath that year. They were mortified. Also, they were indignant. The Queens Chamberlain thought of n way to stop this foolishness. lie sent a courier post-haste to the King. Sire, Her Majesty has taken bath in the sea, was the gist of the message. Then he sat back and chortled. Hal That would spike the old lady's crazy plans.
 But when the courier returned he brought King Louis-Napoleon' reply, somewhat to this effecti
 Congratulate the Queen on her excellent idea. Wish could take one myself the King being at that time a the midst of q dusty campaign. By this time the word had spread far and wide. King Louis-Napoleon, with many chuckles. told Napoleon about 1t. My wife's gone sea-bath-
 ingl' he would say, skipping his thighs. IL was fine joke.
 English society heard it and con demned it as another French absurd ity. When French aristocrats were told Britain's opinion they vent hath ing wholesale, and one noble even
 proposed making it penal offense for anyone to sea-bathe who hadn't patents of nobility. He failed in this 1 k,& thara ,yau rn douht that from