New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-05-26
SALVATION BY SOAP.

In one sense the Cholera, however much we may
deprecate its visitation, is the poor mans friend
Stern i'm its methods il is resstleSsly benefccnt in
It's influence Other philanthropists have plead the
cause of the poor year in and year OUT they have
described the hideous dens of disease and sin with
which our Sixth Ward abounds, and they have zeal
ousy urged the necessity of enforcing cleanliness and
an outward regard to deceucy in them. No response
has been made by the powers that be. But the Chol
era has done by a single threat what ElOquencc and
Bencvolence prayed for in vain. The grim and bony
philauthropist whose pen is shovel and whose paper
is cofnd is neither to be treated with silent con-
tempt nor to be sneered away. Him no talk OF prop
erty rights can quiet or drive from his purpose lie
has issued his orders, and 10 an army OF cleansers
are busly at work in every city. Unlike other excel
TONERS who infict capital punishments he kills, not
those who do evil deeds but those who leave good
duties undone He is the Ketch of sins OF omission.
Like certain other philanthropists this distinguished
visitor is somewhat fanatical Mohammeds celebrated
alternative of believe or die is paralleled by the
Choleras ultimatum of-baths or collins. He has
more than a Catholic faith in good works. BY these
alone can we be saved from his death-giying grip
Wash We and be saved is the gospel he brings us
Cleanliness is not only next to godnesS; in the Cho
eras formula of faith it is the sole condition of life
on this earth. His disciples have the shortest cate
chsm on record:
What is mans chief duty on earth :"
ITO scrub
That is ALL and that is enOugh for ii is destined, if
acted on to save hundreds OF thousands of lives dur
ing the present year.
Boston has just established free public baths, per
order Of the great humanitarian General, whose head
quarters are in our harbor. They will be opened in
June.
Liverpool was the first city in England to establish
baths and washhouses for the people and to perse-
we're in maintaining them, until it was proved that
they were popular with the poor aud that the re-
cepts would pay the current expenses The first eX-
pertinent made in lci2. Two years of success IN
Liverpool caused Model Establishment to be built
in Iondon which has been copied by nearly all the
great cities of England and Scotland, as well as by
Paris, Hamburg Brussels, Berlin, Venice Munich,
Amsterdam and Turin. The latest statistics
accessible to American students are those
of 1857, from which we learn that in Lon
don i'll less than seven years "the gross
number of baths given was 5,25l,e05, and
the number of bathers was l,6lG,576, washing the
linen for about 5000 600 of persons. The number of
baths given annually in the London establishments is
now above 200 Goo and this out of population of
500 900 souls The figures show that every poor man
in the Vicinity of these baths INDUCES in the luxury
at least in two months. Experience also has
shown that in every welconducted and well-situated
establishment there will always be a surplus beyond
the current expenditure, to assist toward the payment
of the annual insallments of the capital invested in
building and furnishing. The model establishment at
whitechapel with % baths and II wash-tubs, had an
income in 1857 Of G2 76i and the expenditure nclud
ing interest upon fs,00O and ESQ rental was just
over CARGO In this case from some cause the