AT THE SEASIDE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1974, 3 February 1914, Page 8

AT THE SEASIDE.

A STUDY IN CLOTHESiAND,,THE'ABT OF BROWNING,.

[Bγ BTivniß.]

!■.. ; Surf-bathing on our beaches,. a de- ■,'-.. velopment of the past three or four ;. years, has given riso to a good deal of , controversy one way and another, and also to a good deal of anxious thought on the part of parents whoao daughters liavo succumbed to tho spell of tho surf. i It is now. beyond all question that tho '. now recreation has.como to stay, and ; ■ that, of itself, it is a gloriously healthy pastime, and one moreover, that is as ; ; ?pen as the heavens to both sexes of all -)ges. Those normally hoalthy beings ■■ who do not know the felicity of shooting ■ shoreward on the crest of a breaker ' on a warm summer's day, have- not measured all the joys of earth; The ozone of. the air and the water act on , tho system like the first draught of strong wine, thero is a faint pleasing, tingling af. the blood, and every particle of tissue .eeems to be shouting out how.good it ; is to be alive. Visit Lyall Bay on any : ju:e Sunday and seo tho thousands who ! We found the new joy rovelling in the ' .oamy curlers, from the strait. .They' ; ,are but a tiny section of thoso who , '~ liave fallen to tho sirfn call of the sum- ;■'. hier sea. See them in their crowds on' the Cheltenham, Narrow Neck, Taka- - puna, and Milford beaches at Auckland ' (where the recreation is creating new ' and populous suburbs), on tho Marine, I'arade at Napier; at Castlecliff, Wanganui; at New Brighton and Sumner, Dhristcnurch; at Caroline Bay in Tima- .--, ru ; and on the St. Clair beach at Dunediu; Everywhere'whore there is a bit of sandy beach that shelves with rea- '.. sonablo. safety; surf-bathers aro to "be found^—either splashing in the briny or lying outstretched in the sun on tho ,< sand, of the world and its . cares. ' " ■ ' ■ ' '- ■ -..•".-.■ ,;.;..'.' Dyqd by the Sun. Every new recreation gives rise to : fads aud fauciesi. It is tho habitual . surf-bather's desire to allow the sun ( to ■ . dye his skin to the' rich brown shade of a Fijian. White skins are v iiot at all . fashioiiable on tho beaches. Oh, dear, no! This season , tho desirable tint is ; a. rich cotfeo brown —none other will do. So when in parading tlie beach visitors find that they'."have almost to step over, groups, of .figures,more.or less in a'stateof nature (frequently, more .'than'.'less), they are asked to, appreciate'that fact that the process of Drowning is.in operation. No one likes \ being- called "Chicken!" on a beach, however fond he . may be of wtiite meat when at the table, so the prentico surfer loses "no time in ; exposing as much of his body, as the law will permit to the rays of Old Sol , :, who, w ,, given a fair chance, does his work well. " * Medicos agree that we all coddle tip fpo' ..much,. fi-and'"i":"'that'j.':.were- : wo to brave : witH a little ]6ss in tho way of sartorial .einbellish- : ment, we woiild all.be the,hardier and healthier for it. Sun-bathing is one of the latter-day aids /to the rejuvenation : of the system.- vAllhospitals arid'sana-. toria are provided with sun-rooms, and bedrooms jrith a. siinny aspect are those ' sought;after, by: the intelligent. 'It has, however, been for the' surf-bather ;-.'..- to make the.most.of thenew idea. ~He (or she) lies sprawled out on the warm 1 aands.that.'woo tho flesh.to a sbrtjof dreamy>.ecstasy/i that as as iiot ends in--sleep, v. On the ..Cheltenham Beach at Aabkland Thaveseena party '. of young men artd , girls; all lying-asleep together- on the burning, golden sands ' in theinbathiiig, clothes. .Mrsl Gruridy may giW"_&*'snfiok;- : cannot wakoE.thenv. , ' 1 ' They are saturated with ozone,. aU as ( brown-skinned as South ' Sea Islanders, and care-as little for , publicoopiriion. ..They, lmve become .enslaved by tho surf and the siin, and are perfectly'happy in their,chains. -,/. .

Clothes. Everywhere sUrf-bathirig has brought in its train heated discussions, or perhaps it is only a tepid form of criticism of the costumes worn by bathers of both sexes; What, in an age of skjntight dresses, the lightest of.silk .lingerie, and "tho Empire split," should' be the correct costume for the seaside? That is a,poser that worried the feminine surfer for some , time,' and still worries, the raw. recruit. " But. the experienced surfer. has long since settled the question—wear as little -as possible within .the law.' There is a great lot of nonsense talked about bathers' dross and impropriety on the beach. Alison, in his "History of Europe," ..says: ."Dress is characteristic of manners, and manners are the mirror of ideas." Though' : ho was. probably', referring _ to' national costumes, the logic- iremains true; v; Those persons who would descend to wearing a costume> .that does not comply with the laws of decency reveal their standard of manners, and so reflect. on their own character. There is a by-law that bathers' must wear a "neck-to-knee" costume when .swimming off any of the municipallycontrolled beaches., That is nothing bnt a figment of. speech, that frequently is heard in tho'City Council chamber, nnd exists only in the qnaint minds of the 'mombors of the Reserves Committee. As a matter of fact, there are ■no bathing costumes for men, and few for womon that reach, the. neck 'upwards or the knees downward.; The "neck" of the average bathing costunio generally' rests on the extremity of the shoulders, and extends down to about halfway between the hip and the thigh. Some ladies wear short' pantaloons'and a loose skirt over them that reaches' to • the knee,. which/1 believe to be tho most convenient and certainly tho most becoming costume for tho sex. Others affect-flio natty two-piece Canadian (cotton or woollen) costume, which! cling 3 close to tho figure whether wet or dry.' This costume is becoming on either man or woman with a good figure, and is safe and comfortable in 'tho water. The one-piece ..cotton. or woollen dress is not one that is generally approved, as it too nearly approaches wnat tho artists in "Trilby" termed "tho altogether." Most of ■■ tho., regular , male surfers affect : these costumes, over which coloured trunks are worn, but it often happens that tho main garment is so, short that it ends oven with the trunks. In the warm weather this costumo is absolutely the best as far as swimming is concerned, but, as frequently v.'orn, is not one to bo unreservedly favoured! on a beach epen to the public—in fact, in some cases their may bo said" to ' overstep ■ tbo bounds of decency." .....-.■ ~ .. . .

' Cases nro not infrequent, where male -bathers have discarded nil sfivo thoir trunks in order to get the full, effect of the sun on their _bodies. The law ehould deal strictly with such in the interest of common 'decency. Some , frequenters of Evans Bay have recently been overstepping al! .license'respecting decenoy in dressing and undressing. Because there is not sufficient accommodation in the sheds that is no excuse fnr indecency. ■ At,tho some, .time .it is ■yilpa.sinjr to note that the Reserves Committee i 3 recommending more dressihgrcom accommodation at Evans Bay. Another dressing-shed for the ladies is also badly needed at Lyall Bay. .