The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-10-17
BATHS IN ALcIERs.
How the unluclxy Mortal is Pounded an'
Roasted While Taking Bath.


No traveller in the East can consider |
his sojcurn complete without the ex-
perience ut least, If not luxury, of =
Turkish or Moorish bath.
If You 90, you 90 TO perspire, and 10
see everybody and everything around
you perspire After undressing and
depositing your watch and valuables
with the proprietor, go to the hot room
and stretch yourself upon a raised
platform in the center of the tepidari.
um, built Of large slabs of marble over
an oven in which raging fire is eager
to roast you. Think Of the dolnens of
old upon whose backs the Druids offer-
ed their sacrifices, and imagine YOUR
self any animal you please. When you
are roasted on one side, turn over and
try another corner of your altar to ind
q cool spot. Then lie on the stone floor
and let your grinning attendant cracb
your bones, pull your joints, and twist
EDur neck. and knead 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
yon long strips of your worthless hide,
a dozen of them in a row; then you be-
gin to realize that YOU have had one
bath in your lifetime that has been Of
some genuine use TO your human exist
ence- Pumiee-stone for the soles Of
your feet, and strong soap, and wisps
of hemp OF some similar fiber, help TO
take of your second skin, but You keep
on your third TO go home with by fixing
it with bucket or two of cold water.
Then, to 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
sheets, and your head in a turban,
and perches YOU on high wooden san
dals TO keep your feet out of the water,
for the pavement is also perspiring
freely: small rivers flow in every direc-
ton. In this becoming garb, like a
man buried by mistake in the cata-
combs, you come forth and lie down
with the other mistaken corpses, and
help 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 viii.
baths are the great places OF
rendezvous for the Arab women, who
spend an afternoon there frequently
ftheir hours being from noon till sevenl
and they certainly deserve this much Of
social intercourse. They are seen with
their children in the streets going TO
the bath, accompanied by a gorgeou:
negress carrying a bronze vessel filled
with recessary articles, and other bas.
kets and bendles containing complete
change of linen, also several strings o.
orange blossoms. Orange-fower watel
is not to be forgotten, for it enters ex
tensively into their luxuries as a drinl
with their meals and as perfume. Fol
the latter purpose a bottle of brass, sill
yer, or gold, With long neck and pep
per-box termination, is used, witt
which they sprinkle guests at home anC
friends at the bath as well as them
selves. The baths, again, take il
Washing especially of heNvy woollel
burnooses, haiks, blankets, etc. wlfcl
the attendants and the nl0utelto G
Young boy-seryant, whose name is evi
IDENTIFY of Spanish origin) wash wit
their feet and plenty of soap and waite
on the pavement in the hotroom- Thes
articles are hung, with the bath towel
and other linen, to dry on the terrace:
To make a study under drippings o
such an entire laundry may be locke
upon as a feat, aside from the fact tha
the moutcho seemed afraid to leave m
within reach of such valuable wet lin
en-. With sulphur funigations the ye
Tow burnooses, arranged ike tents owe
the smoke, are bleached. This opers
ton is equal to a thousand matcht
burning unwelcome incense under tn
artists nose. The bath attendants al
apparently wonderfully constituted |
avoid rheumatism and pneumoni;
they 90 in and out of the heated roo
for hours together with only tow,
round their loins, but they do cato
cold all the same. a. B1id9nadH,
H1rDeT1s Magazine.