Year: 1878




rily pleasant place Of summer residence.
A citizen of Albany or Syracuse, of Cincin-
natl or ST. Louis, if he reads such an ac-
count of where New Workers spend their
Sundays as appeared in q recent number
of the HERALD, can hardly help envy
ing our people, who have SO large
choice of means cheaply to reach
fresh air. salt water and green fields In
fact, New York is half emptied Of its popu-
laton on Sundays this summer. Last
Sunday hundred thousand people mean
dered through the shady byways OF the
Central Park; probably thirty thousand
sailed up the Hudson on steamers and
barges hundred thousand and more
spent the day at the various beaches on
Coney Island twenty thousand found their
way to Rockaway many thousands sailed
up the Sound, down the Bay, to the Fishing
Banks, to Long Branch, and yet other
thousands sought places nearer than these
such as Fort Lee, Pleasant Valley, College
Point, &c


The present year has seen q notable in
crease in the number Of easily and cheaply
accessible breathing spots, and the num-
bers of our people who take advantage, not
only on Sundays but during the week, OF
those means of health, comfort and pleasure
was never so great Yet in this matter, so
important to the health of the city and the
comfort OF all it's residents, we have but
lust made beginning Seaside hotels and
seaside excursions for people of means we
| h.l in cuff
years; but the provision of this kind for
mechanics artisans and clerks and their
families - for the bulk of our population,
that is to say, who cannot afford to spend
much money or time, has been until this
year wofully lacking and is still insufh-
cient But there are signs that it will not
long remain So Within the last two years
capitalists have discovered that in this, as
in nil other matters, he who caters to the
million and caters well makes much greater
profits than he who caters to the few, even
at much higher prices, and the result is al
ready seen and telt this year in large in
crease OF the number of short excursions.
The matter is one so important to the
welfare Of the city that we are moved to





of excursion steamers and railroads, and
the managers of Coney Island and other
seaside places near the city, and to capital
lists who may be inclined to embark their
means in new enterprises OF this kind, tor
which there is abundant room, because half
the demand is not yet filled. or, to speak
more accurately, half the demand is not yet
created and there is plenty Of room in this
business for originality OF devices.


l. 1t should be remembered that the
wealthy class are already provided for
They have means and leisure Tor longer ex-
cursions, or to leave the city permanently
during the hot season with their families
What is needed is an increase of the facili-
ties for getting out Of town conveniently
and cheaply for few hours in the evening
and on Sundays. The Coney Island beach
railroads are IN admirable beginning in
this direction, but they are only a be-
ginning. 1t is great boon to hardworked
people in the city that for fifty cents they
can get away to the beach and back in the
evening alter work hours, returning in. time
to get a good nights rest. But it is our
belief that the company which offers an
evening or Sunday excursion to the beach,
with a chance of dip in the ocean, for q
quarter of dollar, or perhaps for twenty
cents, will make in the end the greatest
profits


II. But prime condition Of success in
such an enterprise is that its managers
shall maintain perfect order. The curse of
cheap excursions and Sunday resorts out of
town has been hitherto that they were in
tested by gangs of drunken rowdies. who
drove off the decent families and compelled
these to stay at home. Once make the
thousands OF families of mechanics, arti-
sans and clerks absolutely certain that they
can make cheap excursion within their
small means without the danger of coming
in contact with roughs or drunken or dis
orderly people, and an immense custom il
assured for those who guarantee this. The
Central Park is so popular not merely be-
cause it is a beautiful and delightful place,
but because it is thoroughly policed, and
rowdyism, the bane of Sunday excursions,
has been vigiantly kept down there.
III. There is one way of getting fresh air,
accessible to New Workers, which has not
been used nearly as much as it deserves.
We refer to barge excursions. Every year
the Sunday school children are treated by
most of the churches to picnic by barge
up the Hudson or the Sound, and every
Sunday during the summer months dozens
of barges laden with excursionists are
towed down the Bay, up the river or into
the Sound. But where there are dozens
there might well be hundreds. The Sun
day barge excursions are used by people
who take Sunday for q day of merrymak-
ing; but is there any good reason why the
members of city church should not go
upon the water on Sunday in body, with