Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-05-24
AT THE sATH.
Where Fashionable Attire Consists
of Just Nothing at All.
One Hundred Women OF all
shapes in a Temperature
of 100.
l.r. Ronoin cincinnati Enquirer.

OF I&O.
Clara Bellein Cincinnati EnOuirer.l
A friend told me yesterday that if
wished to become deliciously cool that
| should take a Turkish bath. The
after effect, she said, was something
wholly satisfactory to the paIched
soul and body. Several weeks ago
wrote a few lines about what women
wore in these baths. My information
was at secondhand. Here was a
chance to perform the duty O. investi-
CATION right along with the pleasure Of
Turkishly bathing. So | went straight
way to one Of the several large estab-
lishments in New York during the
hours when it was sacred to my own
sex. Not a man was to be seen about
the place. A woman took my$l.50 in
an outer office and let me into the
next room, which looked like the
cabin of a Hudson river steamboat.
1t was long and low, with soft carpet
on the floor and doors in a row at the
sides, opening into little dressing
rooms. | was told to go into n Of
these and disrobe.
Must | take off every thing?" !
asked.
Every thing? 0, yes" said the
attendant; but you will find a sheet
to wrap yourself in"
Just then a ghostly figure wound in
a sheet, emerged from a room and
disappeared through another door at
the further end of the cabin. She
was a tall, thin woman, with a blood
less face, and her back hair hung
loose. | wouldn't have liked to met
her in a grave yard on a dark night
But she was completely envelopeC
and that gave me comfort, Tor | had
felt
BLUsHINGLY sQUEAMIsH.
l might have been seen ten minutes
afterward coming sheeted out of my
room and sinking toward the entrance
of the bath. | pushed open the door
and had scarcely seen that | was in &
mepa anteroom, and | was in the con
dition of my grandma Eve before she
took to aprons. An attendant haC
grabbed off the covering.
Here" | said, budding mysel
together, 81 want that"
20, none Of the ladies' ever veal
anything" was the response, in expos
tulatory tone.
Well, it wonldn't do to kick agains
the fashion, and | allowed myself tt
be pushed into the bath room VIVA
q sight met my astounded eyes! Abou.
one hundred and fly utterly nude
women we're in that big room, loupg
ing in willow chairs and sofas, walk.
ing about, chatting with acquaintance
and p~erspiring like squeezed sponges
The temperature was 100, the dry hea
pouring in from registers on all sides
| was awfully ashamed at first, but tn,
u%nconcern of the great majority grad
ually treasured me, and at length !
ventured out of the corner in which
| had taken refuge.
The scene would have disenchanted
[ vow, the most ardent admirers o
my sex. There we're many comely
bathers, to be sure, with fine form
and smooth, white skins; but the rev
Citations of hollow chested maids an'
fabby matrons, of spindle shanks an,
hairy arms, or corns aud bunions, anC
of various unshapeliness, was some
thing beyond my power or desire Q
description. An old walrus of a wo
man waddled her red three hundred
pounds about with a lank, rib-display
ing wearer Of eyeglasses. l saw sew
eral persons whom | had seen before
and bless me, how altered they locke,
without clothesl One Of these wa
the
POPULAR LEADING ACTRESS
of a theatrical company, and / kneV
her by sight, because of having see
her half undressed on the stage. Some
body called me by name, and l, wit
considerably greater difficulty. recog
nized the face of an acquaintance
Perhaps that as~semblage was not fairl
representative, but, taking it as
standard, not more than ten Of us j
reasonably good in inery, and not on
in fifty would do for statuary. TIL
best figure in the lot was that of
woman who could not have been les
than forty five years old, and. it wa
perfection itselfin every curve an
proportion; but as a rule, the womer
Of twenty-five to thirty excelled j
form, the younger ones being scrawny
and the older ones either gaunt 0
1sbby. As for the cute little aprons
sashes and rudimentary skirts, whicI
| had expected to see land which
have since been told are worn, thong
rarely, by parties Of swell women whe
they hire the whole establishment 70
their exclusive %selves), not a shire
was to be seen. The only wearers o
anything were the dozen attendant:
all slender, sprightly young women
Each had a towel wrapped around he
body from waist to hips, and over on
shoulder and across the breast TO tn
opposite armpit, aud a third woun
turban like around the head. The
looked jaunty and agreeable. 1t wa
their task to show bathers how to US
the cold water douches, pools an
showers; and to scrub them wit
brushes as they lay on marble table.
[ like the bath well enough; but | al
sorry | saw the naked women, for the
somewhat disenchanted me.
The New Road Law.