The morning call., 1890-06-23
THE FLOATING
BATHS OF PARIS.
Those ON the Seine-What They
Are and the Frequenters.
The Crush, Noise and Confusion-Putting on
Airs During the Prcmenads-Curious
Characters in the Water
Special to THE MORNING CALL.


When / cross the bridges these warm
evenings the Seine calls to me with
friendly sounds. 1t flows along, wide,
cool, full of loving slowness, offer
ing itself, lingering among the quays.
The water rustles like a woman's silken
skirts. 1t is willowy sweetheart, and IT.
resistibly attracts me.
The propriet0Is of the floating baths,
who saw with CONSERVATION the continuous
rains of May, perspire with beattude be-
meath the hot sun of June. At last the
water Is OF suitable temperature for the
bathers. From o'clock in the morning
there is crush. The bathing-drawers do
not get time to dry. and promenading
wrappers are secured with difficulty toward
evening.
remember my first visit to one of these
baths, one Of these huge wooden tanks, in
which the bathers turn like straws dancing
in the depths of pot of boiling water.
had come from a small town, from a lit
tie river in which | had sDlashed about in
full liberty, and l was dismayed by that
trough In which the water assumed the hue
of SCOT Toward 6 o'clock in the evening
the swarm is such that one must calculate
his spring if he would not land on some
body's back or plunge into somebody's
stomach. The wafer loans, the whitenesS
OF the bathers' bodies fills it with a wan re-
lection, while the bits OF canvas suspended
by ropes IN gulSe Of a roof let fall dubious
light.
A FRIGHTFUL DIN.
The noise is terrible. At times, under
the impulse of sudden dives, the water is
thrown upward and falls back with a
sound like the distant rpnnrt a a
The hands of j0kers beat the river with the
tic-tac of mill-wheels; and there are those
who learn to fall backward in order to
make the utmost possible noise and mum
date the establishment. But all this is
nothing compared to the lntOlerable cries,
10 the shrill yells, which suggest an army
OF unruly scho0l-boys at recess time. Men
become children again In the pure water.
The grave promenaderS who are passing
along the quayS east frightened glance at
these tlapping bits of canvas, between
which they catch an indistinct glimpse of
what seems to them big devils capering
about In almost the original attire of
Adam. The ladies' rush by as quickly AS
they can.
l have, nevertheless, spent pleasant hours
in these floating baths very early in the
morning willis the great city of Paris was
yet asleep. Then the bather avoids the
throng of bOny shoulders, bald heads and
enormous stOmachs sure to be there in the
afternoons. The baths are almost deserted,
only a few young fellows who are passion
ately attached TO the water being visible
swimming about in them and quietly enjoy
ing themselves in rational manner. The
water is at its coolest after the refreshing
sumbers Of the night. 1t is in its purest
and best condition.
THE TIME TO GO
To thoroughly enjoy the baths they must
be visited before 3 o'clock in the morning.
l'f.aR has niSh al-an fnu 4 h
ing is more delicious than to follow the
quays at that hour and gaze at the tranquil
tide which you will soon be breastng. In
the bath the water still slumbers. 1t is
you who will awaken IL. You can take it
in your embrace in silence. You can feel
the current pass all along your flesh, from
your neck to your heels, with fleeing
caress.
The rising sun stripes with rosy bands
the bathing drawers hung to dry from the
canvas roof, and which deck it like multi
tude of white flags. Then little chill runs
over the skin, from the too keen kisses of
the river, aud you will find it exceedingly
pleasant to slip on a promenading wrapper
and walk leisurely beneath the galleries.
Ii you are Imaginative you can easily think
you are in ancient Athens, with sandaled
feet, free neck and simple robe fastened
about your waist. Trousers, vest, coat,
boots and hat are not present to destroy the
poetic Illusion. You can enjoy yourself at
your ease in that flowing garment IL you
wish you can extend the dream TO the TO-
mantle spring time of Greece on the strand
of the eternal blue of the Archipelago.
But as soon as the throng of daily bathers
arrives you must flee and leave the new
corners in complete possession. They bring
the heat of the city payements at their
heels. The river speedily loses its purity
of the early dawn. 1t becomes the common
property of all and is bruised and heated
by the embraces OF the crowd.
HUMAN UGLlNEss.
What an array Of ugliness is then to be
seen. The ladies upon the Quays do well
to hasten their steps. A museum of the
monstrosities Of antiquity could never reach
such a high degree of dismal comicality.
1t is a terrible trial for a modern man of
the average type, especially a Partisan. to
appear in state OF nature. and, in cOnSe-
Quence, prudent people are inclined 10 avoid
these floating baths. One day a friend
pointed out to me a Counselor of State
among the bathers. He was such ptiful
spectacle with his sharp shoulders and his
poor fiat chest that every time | encoun-
ter his name associated with some grave
political affair | cannot resist the tempta-
ton to burst ont laughing.
There are bathers of all shapes and sizes
fat bathers, slim bathers, tall bathers and
short bathers those who float upon the
surface Of the water like bladders, those
who sink and seem to melt away like Jumps
of sugar; those who appear 10 swell out
and these who appear to shrink; with the
latter the flesh falls, the bones protrude,
the heads withdraw between the shoulders
or perch upon necks like those of picked
chickens. while the legs are drawn up like
the twisted limbs Of a duck. Some are all
back, others all stomach and some have
neither back nor stomach worth mention
ing no shape whatever admitting of an ill.,
telligent description. 1t is grotesque and
lamputahlp collection uf humanity which
arrests the burst Of laughter in an excess of
pity.
CHARACTERISTICS PRESERVED.
The worst of it is that these poor bodies
preserve all the pride of their black coats
and Eortem0nnaies which they have left in
their dreSSng-roOmS.
During the promenade beneath the gal
leries some dIape themselves, fold their
wrappers about them with the lofty airs of
wealthy property-ownerS. Others march
in their singular attire with the extrava-
CANT dignity of department heads. passing
amid their hosts of humble clerks. The
younger men strive to be graceful, as if
they imagine they are in full dress in the
coulisses of some third-rate theater; the
elderly swells forget that they have re-
moved their corsets and that they are not in
the salon OF some handsome countess who
is a leader of fashion.
| saw during an entire season at the Port
Royal baths fat man as round as hogs
head and rs red a ripe tomato, who endeav-
ored to play the fascinating AIcibiades. He
had studied the folds of his promenading
wrapper before some painting by David.
When he delgned 10 cast himself into the
Seine he was Leander crossing the HelleS-
pont to rejoin Hero. Poor, infatuated man!
still remember his stumpy body on which
the cold water brought out violet patches.
Oh, human uginess! Nowhere else can it
be seen in all its phases than at the floating