The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-07-02
Public Baths.


were far in advance of us in their
facilities for bathing. The famous
Turkish bath is only survival of what
was universal among the Arabs. Near
ly every Oriental region incorporated
bathing into its ceremonial system.
All Weather individuals among East
ern nations, including the Jews, had
private baths In their houses and ponds
in the gardens, while extensive provis-
ion was made for public bathing. Says
the Times and Register:
"Vipsanius Agrippa built 40 free
baths in one year. Other baths were
provided for those who were able to
pay, the price being equivalent to one
cent of our currency. Nearly every
well-to-do householder had his own
private bath. From the time of Angus
tus to that of Constantine fourteen hot
baths were erected Tin Rome), each one
of which accommodated thousands of
bathers."
Within the last fifty years public
baths have been established extensive
" throughout England and Scotland.
They wholly, or nearly, pay their ex-
penses. They provide not only for
bathing, but for the rapid washing and
drying of clothes. Says the journal
before quoted:
I'm Russia the poorest peasant could
not don his holiday attire without re-
sorting to his village bath. These
baths are found in every Russian vii
lage. The bathers, after being steamed
and soaped and rubbed with coarse
towels and beaten with softened birch
twigs, and from time TO time drench ed
with cold water, ending with dash of
the same, will frequently go and
plunge into a pond or roll in the snow"
In comparison with such opportuni
ties the arrangements for free summer
bathing in some of out American cities
seem meager enough, while in others
ample provision is made. In Boston,
for example, there Is an abundance of
free swimming baths for every part of
the city.
True, in the better class Of homes
there are ample conveniences for bath
ing all the year round Moreover the
importance of personal cleanliness has
now been so long inculcated that most
of the people manage to secure it with
very Inadequate means.
But all this is vastly short of our
needs, and equally short of our ability.
Who so much as the poorer people
need the wear round public bath
houses? Their unclean surroundings
make the need an imperative one.
Only somewhat less SO are the needs
of the thousands Of respectable people
crowded into teAement-houses. In
England wealthy and benevolent citi
zens anticipated the government in es-
tablishing public bathing facilities. In
this country We have large and open
field for similar effort by men of large
purses and large hearts.
How CabIegrams Are sent and Received
Although an ocean cable is in fact
telegraph line, it is so differently con.
structed that the rules for working
land lines are almost entirely dissim
liar. With the first long cables great
| difficulties were encountered in send
ing through them current of electric
| ity of sufficient power to record the
messages rapidly. The methods fol
overcoming these difficulties, and il
use at present, are described as follows
Keys which, when depressed, trans
init positive and negative currents are
employed at the sending station il
connection with the regulation battery
! The current of the battery does no
pass directly into the cable, but into
condenser, which passes it into tn,
submarine line.
This greatly III Teases the force o
the current used, and serves to cut of
interfering ground currents.
The instrument first employed il
receiving cablegrams was a rejecting
galvanometer. Upon the magnet O
this instrument Is carried "a small
curved mirror A lamp is placed befor,
the mirror and behind II screen, il
which there is a vertical slit. Flasher
of light moving across this slit as tn,
needle moved from left TO right indi
Gated to the trained eyes of the oper
ator the letters In the message being
transmitted.
But this method of recording mes
sages was found to tax the eyesight O.
the operator severely, few years
work often rendering them almost,
not totally, blind. Recognizing tn,
fact that there must be something
wrong with such a system, inventors
SET about repairing the defect, which
resulted In perfecting the syphon gal
vanometer, which has all but super
seeded all other receiving devices.
In the syphon receiver the move
ments of the needle are recorded bl
means of ink spurted from a fine tube.
This tube is attached to coil sus.
pended between two fixed magnets.
which swings to the right or left as the
pulsations pass through it, The syphon
galvanometer Is a great improvement,
is not hard on the eyes, and enables
the operator to receive much more
rapidly than with the old flash re.
ceiver. Golden Days.
Thought lie Was Exempt
Conductor (to Nose Eins:ein, who
is standing Fare, please.
Einstein-But | vos nod SLIDING.