The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-28
ABOUT BATH ROOMS.
Americana Lead the Modern World il
Making Them Attractive.

The modern bath room is q superfine
reflection of the Roman bath, wherein a
luxurious people took their stub" once a
week. Perhaps it was oftener, but the
parade they made over visit to the
famous public baths leads US to presume
that once in seven days was as
much as the majority of the populace
could endure. The chappies and smart
ies-tbat is the mem bers of the so-called
''smart set" of the period-as history re.
lates, INDUCED in frequent bathing, and
they originated a taste for water which
eventually spread over Europe with more
or less success. But water was a scarce
commodity, and the rivers or mountain
springs were choked with ice in winter, SO
il is not surprising that the baths built by
the early Romans fell into desuetude, even
in England, where cleanliness was in its
infancy. The Saxons, however, must have
been impressed by this trait of the crum-
bling Roman empire, for, though they
covered up all traces of the newly con-
structed baths, they early gained repu-
tatlon for Tubing" that will survive our
present day.
Real lovers OF the bath, however, origi-
mated in Eastern lands, where personal
cleanliness, entering as it did into religious
rites, was literally next to goodness. That
pallid love of the bath developed centuries
later into passion among refined peoples.
CiviliZation-and shall it be said the dis
covery of America ?-has lent novel aspect
to this pastime of the wealthy; it has be-
come a necessity with all classes. No one
who can be reached is now permitted to re-
main unwashed. This free and enlightened
country may take credit to itself for actu-
ally having made bathing popular
Thanks to the unstinted water supply
throughout our broad lane there has been
no need to economic, as in European
countries and their crowded capitals, in
the consumption OF this precious element.
However, the early settlers of this coun-
try may have neglected their privileges in
that respect, it cannot be said OF their de-
scendants, who take the uttermost COM
fort and delight in an inheritance which
has been multiplied thousandfold.
We have only to remember the primary
Introduction of running water into Ameri-
can residences to appreciate the influence
it had on the sanitary condition of the
whole community. Both London and
Paris have felt the benefit, for Ameri-
cans abroad so bewailed the loss OF
their home bathrooms that the old
tangled customs are passing away. and
now houses over there are being
fitted up in accordance with our ideas.
The rich classes even had little knowledge
OF those. improvements that made the
humblest house in the States a palace in
point of comfort. But the world cannot
stand still, and gliding the lily is an every
day performance in this age of luxury.
Therefore we find men and women are no
longer content with sbare comforts" but
they insist on having them dressed up in
the finest feathers.
Take, for instance, the EN- beliished mod
ern bathroom; it is as much work of art
as Dresden casket. and, indeed, with its
art tiles, porcelain tubs and silver plum b.
ing, 1t might serve as novel piece of brio
a-brac. But this is by no means the chief
attraction of the modern bathroom in the
House Beautiful. 1t is really the hydro
pathic devices by which every description
OF lavatlon may be enjoyed by the
owner, Extraordinary magnificence dis
tlnguishes the bathrooms in many New
FORK abodes, but Boston's taste is con-
tent with supreme elegance and Goes not
crave carved marble tub while there are
noble recepta bles of Immaculate white por-
celaln, decorated with floral and gilded
gariands, to be obtained for that purpose.
Ihey appear to be quite good enough, even
Tor angels use, and the silver swan faucets
are SO deliciously Wagnerlan they lend
quite an operate air to the elaborate sur
rounolngs.-Boston Herald.