Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-05-31
BATHS IN ALGIERS.
The Almost Indescribable Luxury Of q
Turkish or Moorish Bath.

The Almost Indescribable Luxury Of
Turkish or Moorish Bath.
No traveller in the East can consider
his sojourn complete without the ex-
perience at least. if not luxury, of
Turkish or Moorish bath.
If you 60, you go to perspire. and
to see every body and every thing
aroand you perspire. After undress-
ing and depositing your watch and
valuables with the proprietor. 60 to
the hot room and stretch yourself
upon a raised platform in the center
of the tepidarium. built of large slabs
of marble over an oven in which
raging fire is eager to roast you
Think of the dolmens of old upon
whose back the Druids offered their
sacrifices. and imagine yourself any
animal you please. When you are
roasted on one side. turn over and
try another corner of your altar to find
cool spot. Then lie on the
stone floor. and let your grinning
attenda ant crack your bones. pull your
you with his hands. and walk over
you with his knees; then let him roll
off your old skin, and with evident
pride lay before you long strings of
your worthless hide, a dozen of them
in a row; then you begin to realize
that you have had one bath in your
lifetime that has been of some genuine
use to your human existence. Pumice-
stone for the soles of your feet. and
strong soap. and wisps of hemp or
similar fiber. help to take off your
second skin. but you keep on your
third to go home with by fixing it
with a bucket or two of cold water.
Th ell, 10 keep what remains of you to-
gether, and to prevent your third skin
from trying to get away, your attend
ant wraps you tightly in towels as big as
sheets, and your head in turban, and
perches you on high wooden s andals
to keep your feet out of the water. for
the pavement is also perspiring freely;
small rivers flow in every direction.
In this becoming garb. like man
buried by mistake in the catacombs.
you come forth and lie down with the
other mistaken corpses. and he'll them
drink tea, and perspire once more.
and throw another mantle-of smoke
about you with long pipe. Then
you are fit for nothing; lie still and
let the world wag as it will The
hours set apart for men at the baths
are from seven o clock in the evening
until noon. thus furnishing them with
good sleeping quarters for the night.
The baths are the great places of
rendezvous for the Arab women. who
spend an afternoon there frequently
(their hours being from noon till
seven). and they certainly deserve this
much of social intercourse. They are
seen with their children in the streets
going to the bath, accompanied by
gorgeous negress carrying a bronze
vessel filled with necessary articles.
and other ba skets and bundles contain
ing a complete change of linen, also
several strings of orange blossoms
Orange flower water is not to be for
gotten. for it enters extensively into
their luxuries as drink with their
meals and as perfume. For the lat
ter purpose Il bottle of brass, silver,
or gold. with long neck and a pepper
box termination, is used, with which
they sprinkle guests at home and
friends at the bath as we'll as them
selves. The baths. again. stake in
washing" especially of heavy wooden
burnooses. haiks. blankets etc, which
the attendants and the moutcho Ga
young boy-servant whose name is evil
IDENTIFY of Spanish origin) wash with
their feet and plenty of soap and wa
ter on the marble pavement in the hot
room. These articles are hung with
the bath towels and other linen, 10 dry
on the terraces. To make study
under the drippings of such an entire
laundry may be looked upon as a feat.
aside from the fact that the moutcho
seemed afraid to leave me within
reach of such valuable wet linen. With
sulphur fumigations the yellow
burnooses, arranged like tents over
the smoke, are bleached. The opera
ton is equal to thousand matches
burning unwelcome incense under the
artists nose. The bath attendants are
wonderfully constituted to
avoid rheumatism and pneumonia;
they go in and out of the heated room
for hours together with only towel
round their loins, but they do catch
cold all the same.-E H. Bridqman,
in Harper's Magazine.