Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1881 — Life at the French Watering Places. [ARTICLE]

Life at the French Watering Places.

Liverpool Mail. Trouville. Deanville, and Dieppe are crowded; the most wonderful Parisian toilets prevading the beach, and still more marvelous battling dresses, almost putting old Neptune, with his repertory of shoaling greens and blues, out of countenance. One can imagine a mermaid trying to take the pattern in her eye, for doubtless, cut-out paper models are unknown in the kingdom Under the sea. I spent two days there last-week amid the concourse of French marquises and countesses, with all their attendant courts of cavaliera servant!; of rich English, to whom the rather fast lone of Trouville manners and customs is not deterrent; and of sparse Americans, with costumes that outworthed Worth himself, and eyes that opened wider ever day at the unaccustomed sights they saw. The pretty American is no prude; she has been accustomed to receive her daily meed of admiration, and thinks no more of it than she does of breakfast or dinner. She is very often fast, but her fastness, compared with that of Trouville, “is as water unto wine.” I should like to see some of the letters she writes home from her pretty home in the Hotel de la Mer. One of them might run somewhat as follows: “ she people here do the most extra ordinary things; not only do men and women bathe together, but they sit and walk about on the beach in the mow astonishing bathing costumes you can imagine. I w’ill describe that worn this morning by a pretty woman, rather inclining to embonpoint. Trousers of stripped scarlet and yellow ticking, barely covering the knees, even though supplemented by an edging of gold lace; tunic or similar ticking, commencing a good two inches below the neck, and with a collar made of gold britfd and gold lace. This tunic is confined at the waist by <a gold braided

band, and reaches to within six or seven inches of the knees. The sleeves are very short, so that arms and legs are practically uncovered. What would you take to Walk about, laugh, flirt, and chatter with half a dozen men in such a garb? It 6 thought nothing of bene In fact, it is what every one does. Mos. of the baigneuses look as if they wee) dressed for opera bouffe. Aa for the flirtations!!!