HOW THEY BATHE IN AMERICA.

Evening Star, Issue 4319, 30 December 1876, Page 4

HOW THEY BATHE IN AMERICA.

The Philadelphia—correspondent of the Melbourne 'Argus' sent that jourtoal aii. interesting'sketch of one phase, of American society, from which ■we take the following^— Kcftmff'c&n say that it is as easy or as comfortable" to swim ini salt .water, with clothes ori as without encumbrance of'any sort, but to see old gentlemen and old ladies, Jrotmg gentlemen and young ladies go hand n hand into the surf, arid sport like water animals at play, prejudices the onlooker strongly in favor of the-*iovel custom, and makes 'him look out some lovely daughter_of_ Eye...with whom (on proper introduction) he may join... hands, : and enter into the festive "ringi As a role,, however, folks- go out in small parties. Atlantic City Beach is Hat, and trnpicturaque. The town folk resort to it in July and August, and at-"'the:-time of the excursion some .5,000 visitors were present. Just above high water niark) staridJong lin- s of wooden boxes. On' payment oj 50 cents (2s) we received the key jof a door and a dress and were.at the same time advised to leave watches, &c, in the office.'" The dress for fenthmfiVLf consists of a .pair of knickerockers .-and a blouse which .comes down within five or six inches-ef the knees. The material is ooarse serge.' When we had exchanged our ordinary clothes for the new onts we came modestly forth, and noted that ladies arid gentlemen occupied the seats in front of the line of boxe3. They had had their turn in the water, and wanted noft tolook on. Ladies are not shocked at our bare legs. The dear creatures themselves show some inches of leg above the ankle. The Bloomer costume is what the ladies - affect. The skirt descends) to the knees, and the trousers to the ankles. This simp e garb becomes all except the stout ladies, whose proportions it fails to set off gracefully, bub they don't mind appearances in the least. Ladies confine their hair in little skull-caps, and on bright sunny days everybody puts on a straw hat. Regular visitors to the seaside bring their own dresses, which are often an improvement on the common wear. They fit the figure loosely—too loosely to seem graceful—which is the reason perhaps that attention is never diverted from the water to the attractions of individuals, inasmuch as all attractions are for the most fart disguised. The favorite hour is high water, for then the waves roll, in in splendid style. Boats float on the outside boufidary line, to render assistance to venturesome persons who go out too far. The clothes impede the swimmet considerably, and as he leaves the water he fancies he carries a hundredweight of a load, but the clothes get light again very quickly. Few of the ladies attempted to swim, but it was pleasant to see those few in motion. Some took lessons. The wife rested her hands on her husband's shoulders, with instructions given in advance to kick out vigorously, and off the pair went on an excursion. We were under no temptation to take a solitary swim, but, as most of the ladies were strangers to commissioners, judges, &c, could only regret that we had not brought wives or lovers with us. Ladies and gentlemen form par ties for the hour of high tide as they form them for a game of croquet. The fashion has many things to recommend it and one of the wholesome results is that it renders bathing more common than it might be undtr the solitary system. No exclusiveness was apparent, but the rates charged by the boxkeepers probably act as regulators ; at any rate they seem to separate the colors, for we found the negroes at a different part of the beach. Trie love which the whites have for the blacks increases with the distance in leagues between them. When the parties are side by side lam afraid it stands at zero. There should be no need to say how people behave thomselves. From the numbers of the bathers, and the pleasure with which parties look forwarcfto'thetiip to the seaBide, the reader can draw satisfactory conclusions for himself, and then go to work to persuade fellow Australians to follow the example of the Americans, who have followed the French. That the manners of the people are good everybody will testify, but one must honestly confess, as a defect, that they lack the influence exercised on middle classes by a high-bred aristocracy, who, even if deprived of all political authority, may still be of service in thi state. The time that the bathers stay in the water or on the margin of the shore varies from half an hour to an hour. Wet woollen clotle? are less awkward and inconvenient than one would .expect when one strolls about with only the feet in the water. The boxes are roughly fitted up. Part of the floor is open like a grating and each bather is allowed a bucket of fresh water and two towels of the size of pocket-handkerchiefs. The return we get Jor our 2s is small enough to make it wok ,like an extortion when one considers that in Australia a sea-bath can be obtained in an enclosed space for 3d or 6d. There the outlay pf the box-keeper is small—only what is sufficient to erect 100 or 200 boxes of undressed pine, and to purchase 200 suits of serge. There must be accommodation Jor several thousands of 1 athers at Atlantic City, and the fact that competition does not bring down, the price shows that the custom is laige.