The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-17

close the doors every half hour to exclude
the throng of applicants until those already
within have enjoyed their allotted twenty
minutes. On the "Women's Day" two
polite feminine attendants easily man
age and superintend the scores of
= Naiads that disport themselves in the
"brinv wave. and seldom have occasion
to reprove an individual. In the evening
: more difficult class Of subjects appear,
frisking, diving, and splashing about with
an energy one would deem impossible at
ter hard days labor in July, These re-
quire an occasional looking after, but
all things considered, are very well behav-
ed. On the other days of the week four
| policemen are present to preserve order
among the more boisterous devotees OF the
national art, and little boys and big swim
about in wholesome fear of those gilt-but-
toned and starred lords of creation
watching them with an eagle glance. In
the evening on women's day the scene Is
most singular and enlivening, the bath be-
ing brightly lighted by gasIjets that flare
and fash upon the waters and jackets Of
| the bathers Every variety of color and
material has been brought into requisiton
for the stipulated costume; calicoes, strip
ed and Powered; bed ticking; ginghams,
checked and plaided; and fannels vel
low red and blue" some cut bag and pill
lowcase fashion, and others gracefully fit |
ted, scalloped, and trimmed. Amusing |
transformations are constantly occur
ing as the fair bathers enter their
dressing rooms in all the glory of hoops
and hounces, chignons and floating curls.
therefrom sans hoops, sans hair, |
boz oopctifufac tho tan,ipipa l
toilets of to-day. And after the first splash |
what Hebes and Venuses, what quaking
masses of solidity, what shaking anato-
mics are revealed Here wisp of hair
and a pair of skinny arms; there rosy
face, long tresses, and shining, snowy
shoulders flash through the waters. Peals
of laughter and shrill screams ring through
the air, and the bathers, lean and plump,
are altogether happy, save few that SHY
er, with blue lips and woeful faces, on the
steps or clutch THE rope in the despera-
ton of fear. Among the regular habitaes
of the baths magnificent blonde is notice
able; of noble figure and commanding car
riage, she moves queen like in all her mo-
tons amid the throng, and swims with
easy, unduating grace. A dark eyed
witch of about eighteen plays all manner
of pranks under water and above, turning
somersaults, diving floating, disappearing,
and reappearing when least expected, and
is in fact as much at home in one element
as the other, being the ack nowledged best
swimmer in the bath, where scores are
adopts in the art The striking contrast
presented between the grimed faces and
dropping forms of the ingoing tide aud the
clean, radiant faces and elastic tread of the
outgoing tide of women and children
speaks volumes in favor of the free baths
In city comprised by noble rivers aud
sea air, and teeming with wealth, every in-
habitant, however obscure. should have !
the privilege OF bathing in the rivers and
breathing the sea air in safety The baths
should increase 10 number year by year to |!
meet the needs of the hitherto great I'M
washed until that epithet is a term Of
the past or no longer known. If the city |
government should borrow one of the pre-
cepts of the Mohammedan religion, which !
makes cleanliness obligatory, and furnish |
the means to the lower classes, we shall
take a long stride in the path of reform.