The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-05-20

r"Shfs DAtnS>-JNe FRSNes,-WRt e~a0 ~!
the Common Council have sems bali dossu or
ioie public baihs, constreied on the cheapest plan,
tor the benefit of the poorer classes in certain To-
caties about the wharves, &C., in this city? There
Is no city in these United possesses such
advantages as this city, in point of location and
general capabilities, for such an improvement, and
no city stands more in need of free baths for Its
humber and poorer classes of citizens. The ad-
vantages OF frequent bathing and cleanliness, as a
means of preserving health, need no recommends
ton; but where timber is so cheap, and our island
city is so surrounded with pure, wholesome sea-
water on every side, immediate steps should be Ia
ken by the Common Council to insure this blessing
to the citizens now, in the commencement of the
warm weather. The restrictions of the Common
Council, In respect to bathing, is an arbitrary and
unjust course of policy, and totally at variance
with the principles of our free institutions If
little boy, with the dirt and mire of a weeks gath
ering, on his person, make an effort to steal
washing out of the water that rolls freely
purely and invitingly around us, he is no sooner
seen than he is pounced upon by some police
man, and placed under arrest. And what for :? For
violating an arbitrary and unjust law, which places
the Common Council in the position of the tabled
"dog in the manger," that would neither eat the
hay itself, nor allow the hungry OK to do it either
The citizens fully entitled to the use of the ri.
ver if they choose to contest the right; but few
hundred dollars would furnish sufficient appropra-
ton for the construction of cheap and useful pub
lie baths in the vicinity of some of the wharves
to be constructed at convenient distances on
the North and East rivers. Some Of these could
be attached to some Of the public docks or piers
or 1t not there, 1t is quite easy matter to select
locations. care taker for each could be selected
to be paid by the Common Council, to whom he
should be directly responsible for the proper dis
charge of his duties; anda code of regulations could
be passed into a law by the Board, which
would give character and efficiency to
the plan. This would be so obvious an
improvement, that we feel confident the
new Common Council will take it up, as
one of their reforms, right away To deprive
the poorer classes of citizens of the advan-
tages of free bathing by law, and not to provide
them with the means of availing themselves of
such necessary comfort, to be within the
pale of the law, is as unjust it is arbitrary, and
makes the people feel, during hot summers day,
like Tantalus himself, stepped chin-deep in the
water which, thirsting for, he could not even catch
drop to swallow. The Common Council, also,
in not making some effort to cause owners of the
ferries to lower their prices pepetuate this arbitra-
ry ordinance-for the poorer classes cannot well
afford to pay the ferriage to cross over the rivers
to some convenient spot in which to battle and
thus they are kept completely prisoned in. They,
also, cannot with safety walk any allowable dis
lance within the precincts of the city for this pur-
pose, without their blood getting up to fever heat,
when II is always dangerous to go into the water.
We trust to see this matter taken up with becoming
spirit, and immediate efforts made to carry out so
desirable plan-as between high ferriage on the
one hand, and arbitrary and oppressive restrictions
on the other, they kept completely prisoned up
in our city for it is fact, beyond contradiction,
that many of the poorer citizens, who wallow in
filth and idleness in the lanes and purleus of our
city, often pine away in squalid flthiness unable
to get an opportunity of washing themselves tho
roughly through want of means. If we had public
baths, too we could have proper health regulations
introduced and the sooner these reforms are ef-
fected the better.