The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-11-05
COUNTRY UsGLEAELISEsS.
a Way Facilities May be For
Bathing MifhOnfa Bathroom.

80 s
Bathing without a Bathroom.
Very few country houses have bath
rooms or dressing-rooms, though it would
be far easier to arrange for them than is
generally supposed. They are not necess-
airy except in cold weather, for the bed
room, supplied with a pitcher Of water, a
a basin and plenty Of soap and coarse tow
els ers every purpose. 1t is a luxury,
of course to float ones self in plenty of
warm water; but q cold sponge bath, fol
lowed by a brisk application through tow
els, is much more inyigorating and takes
a very little more time. This is all very
easy and agreeable Of course III warm
weather, but the prospect is not SO invit-
ing to those who have a vivid recollection
or a shuddering anticipation of planging
out Of bed on 3 cold winters morning into
an unwarmed room, where the white frost
stands thick all oyer the windows panes.
and one has 10 break through a film of ice
to get at tho water in the pitcher. Under
such circumstances it is too much to ex-
pect more of weak human nature than
the hastiest scramble into the first
clothes one could pick up; and heroic in
deed would be that spirit which did not
substitute a dry polish" for a bath a
Ia the inmates of Dothcboys Hall when the
pump was frozen up. Yet in the vast
majority of country homes il is impractical
bic to have fires in the various bedrooms,
aad unadyisable, if not equally difficult, to
keep then burning through the night
The remedy for this matter is in having
such a family dressing-room as was dcscril,-
ed some time since in the C-ongregatt0nalisf,
the writer having seen the arrangement in
the house of a friend living in the country.
We remember nothing Of the plan save
this central idea, but this does not matter,
as details would vary with varying condi-
tons, and must be arranged to suit each
particular case. In almost every house,
however, it would be easy to set apart one
room during the winter months, at least,
for this purpose: or, if no room can he
spared for exclusive use in this way one of
the sleeping apartments might he made 10
serve a double purpose for the time. It
should be abnndantlY supplied with water,
towels, soap and a capacious slop jar or
pail; also with a rubber blanket or Il large
square of worn carpeting TO protect the
floor or carpet from spots. The fire could
be laid over night and started early by the
servant or some elder member Of the fam
lily. 4 very few minutes would suffice 10
make the room comfortable and give the
senior members of the household a place
where TIE dressing for the day could be
lone .decently and in order even to de-
tails. After this, and perhaps while the
early morning cares are being attended to,
the juniors can be called, the, boys first and
then the girls, unless there is a caretaking
elder daughter who will overlook tue rest.
If there are a good many of these little
folks and it is necessary to make haste, a
cheap folding screen may be used to adj
vantage in dividing the one d-ressing-room
into tive. Be careful to teach each child
in the outset the proper ways in bathing
and dressing, and then let each take care
o fhimself, even if it does take a little more
time. Correct habits in this respect can
not be formed too early, and once acquired
are simply Invaluable to tile possessor, for
they insure health in most eases, barring
accidents.
1t is a ~well-known fact that country peo-
pie do NOT look to be and really are not so
generally healthy as city people of the
same rank in life, so far as material things
60. And there is no doubt but that this
arises from their unsanitary modes of liy-
ing, which are forced upon them by the
conditions surrounding them and a lack of
that know ledge and experience Of other
ways of life which would teach them to
bend their condition to their needs. 1t is
only necessary to use a little energy. or
better still a little brains, to count the
seeming disadvantages of country lie into
positive blessings, or at the most not disa-
greeable circumstances, and make it. as
was said At the outset, the ideal existence
for reasonable beings.-B0s Globe.