The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1893-03-22
AN UNCLEAN PEOPLE,

THE GREAT MASS OF HUMANITY
LACKS CLEANLINESS.
0etefal Useful and Beuedoisl WAYS II
which Oas Writer Would spsnd d. 600,
ooo; Providing She Had Them-Caeelsss
ness of Nice Folks.
There is no immediate danger Of m,
filing d millionaire's grave, and ye,
stranger things have happened. Either
you or may fall heir to colossal for
tune. I don't lose sleep over the pros
pect myself, nor need you, my deat, but
In this world Of ups and downs who car
tell what day may bring forth7
Shall I tell you few Of the things
propose to do with my possible millions
In the first place, shall build bath
houses and stock them with soap, per
fumes and towels for humanity at large
Next to saving the soul comes the carr
Of tho body. and most people are fully
- needless Of the ono as the other. In
deed to my manner Of thinking sancti.
fed soul In an unwholesome body would
be hardly worth the keeping.
I declare unto You. and II I do moi
speak tho truth come forth and dispute
me, ye who can, that the masses Of man.
kind know less about cleanliness than
animals do. Watch tho old cat sitting
In the sun Or by the corner Of the kitchen
hre washing her face and cleaning her
paws. She enters into tho thing with q
complete understanding that cleanliness
makes her moro welcome 6reside com
psnion. a. well as q healthier cat and Q
more self respecting member OF society.
A bird delights in its morning bath more
ostentatiously than in its breakfast. /
have seen horses at the seashore who rev.
eled In . dip" far more than any human
ever did. A dog will not enter your pres
ence if there is any soil upon his person
which his own limited ingenuity can re-
move, and the most beatifc experience
Of . pampered poodle IL its perfumed
bath and careful shampoo.
Now. take tho case Of humans. There
Is not day Of my life that business
dealings do not force me into companion
ship with people who are both unwhole-
some and repulsive by reason Of Lack Of
personal cleanliness. I ride with them,
I walk by their side, I sit next them.
They dress well, their clothes are Of ex-
pensive material and carefully made,
but they bear about with them an aroma
Of stale cuticle and closed pores. From
weeks end to weeks end these men and
women do no moro than dip their hands
In little water and rub of their faces
with inadequate wash cloths. II tho
natural smoke Of Chicago settles upon
such portions Of their anatomy a. arc
exposed, they dab it Of with hard water
and cheap soap, or they counteract It
with filthy powder rags They 90 for
weeks at time without . change Of un-
derwear to seve laundry bills, and they
sleep in the same dannels that they wear
by day.
A good, thorough bath Is as unknown
to them a. Gods grace TO lost soul, and
for my part ! would rather encounter q
thug with scluh. You can dodge . club,
but you can't escape an odor. Ride for
an hour In one Of our cars, either cable,
horse or steam; could anything be worse,
without It was q stock transit And yet
al these unwashed and unwholesome
people pride themselves, and often most
Justly, Of being good citisens. well edu,
Gated and circumspect. They would re.
sent the idea Of being classed outside the
circle Of gentlemen and ladies'" They
never sneeze in your presence without
begging pardon, nor commit any breach
Of the proprietiAs without the kesnest
anguish Of remorse for the, IhfSdeed. |
Their crime against society. then, 10 not
IN active one. Il Is merely the result Of
Q neglected education. Their parents |
believed in making them obedient, no
doubt, and polite and well behaved.
They had them taught to dance and play |
the piano ana speak French, but they
forgot to teach them cleanliness
The poor and uncared for we expect to
take a. we find them, and by means OF
prayer, faith and good works raise them
10 higher levels. But what shah be done |
for the folks who ought to know enough
II the laws of hygiene and beauty to
keep clean, but who in fact know q lit.
tie a. the totally ignorant and the very
poor7 When I get my millions, then 1
hall erect 1000 lighthouses right here in
Chicago, and I shall legislate laws that
shall make cleanliness compulsory.
Women shall find it moro profitable to
20 to the bathhouse than to the club, and
men shall find more attraction in the
physical laundry than IN the saloon.
rhers thall be no uosGble entree for tho