The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-15
BATHS FOR THE BRITON.
Great InstitHtio ter Promotion of
Cleanliness Among the People.


William E. Curtis in the Chicago Record.
Manchester-It is remarkable how
many inconveniences and old-fashioned
methods that are obsolete in America the
people of England will put up with. Take
the item of bathrooms for instance In
the modern hotels, which draw most of
their patronage from American tourists
and the upper classes of English society,
suites Of rooms are now to be found, and
even single apartments with bathrooms
attached. But the average Englishman
and his family, and he constitutes 80 per
cent of the local patronage, still insists
upon patronzing the old-fashioned inns
that are not supplied with running water
and have tubs of tin brought to their
rooms every morning with buckets of
hot and cold water, so that they may take
a bath. They prefer this method. 1t is
what they are accustomed to. and it is
difficult to persuade an Englishman to
change his habits as a leopard to change
his spots. At the leading hotel in Man
chester a modern building erected within
the last few years, there is a modern bath
room on every floor, but the majority of
the guests prefer to have tin tubs brought
to their rooms The charge for all the
trouble they thus entail upon the cham
bermaid is only sixpence while you have
to pay / shilling and pence for a bath
in a stationary tub.
In very few modern residences and in
none of the old ones is running water TO
be found. There is a prejudice against
it. There is a hydrant in the yard and
the stable, faucets in the laundry, and per-
haps in the kitchen and buffers pantry
also. if the house has been built by a
young and progressive architect within the
last few years; but in 80 per cent. of the
dwellings of England there isn't even so
much as d faucet People who will toll
crate these Inconvenience in their own
dwellings may therefore be excused for
enduring corresponding arrangements in
their municipal public works, although it
should be said that the water supply of
the cities and towns of Great Britain is
not only adequate but generally as extern
siVe and pure as can be found in the
world. This is a matter of national pride.
Pure water and plenty of it is considered
essential to the health and a criterion of
the civilization of the community. and 1t
is the effort of every town to obtain pure
water from high sources so that ii may
| be introduced and distributed by gravity
| Not only is the expense of pumping thus
saved, but the gravity system enables the
authorities to sell hydraulic power. which
is customary in nearly all of the cities.
It also furnishes a pressure that is usu-
ally Sufficient for the fire department
without the use of steam engines. At ths
same time there is a theory, which is
undoubtedly well founded that the high
er the source the purer the water.
Nearly all the water supplies of Great
Britain are owned by the municipalities,
and represent a bonded investment of over
s200000,0C0, which is nearly one-ffth of the
entire municipal Indebtedness of Great
Britain. Ii Is the usual plan to fix the
water rates sufficiently high to meet not
orl4s tIa Of mo int s..,It
interest on the Indebtedness, but to provide
sinking fund which will pay off the
bonds at maturity and leave the city the
free owner Of the establishment at the
end Of twenty-one years, which is the
usual term for municipal bonds. In some
OF the cities this Indebtedness has al
ready been paid and their water works
are now a sOurce of revenue to cover
other municipal expenses
Although Great Britain is so far behind
the United States and other countries in
private bathing arrangements It's system
of public baths is the most convenient and
extensive in the world, except, perhaps,
that Of Japan, where the people are am
phibious. In every parish in this coun-
try except those which are entirely agri-
cultural, there is at least one place where
for a nominal fee, men, women and chill
dren can obtain a fresh-water bath win
ter and summer, and at any hour between
sunrise ana bedtime Az nearly all of these
bathing houses there are swimming pools
one for men and one for women-suffi-
GENTLY large and deep to enable the bath
ers to cultivate the art Of swimming.
Where there Is only one pool it Is reserved
for women exclusively certain hours Of
the day, and the men have the use Of IL
the rest of the time.
AT many Of the bathing houses there are
two classes OF pools. The second class is
not so large nor so deep as the first class,
the finishing and furnishing is not so lux
urious, the stalls for dressing are not so
convenient, and the bathcrs are required
to furnish their own towels. But there
is a corresponding different In the charges.
IL may cost from to 10 cents IN our money
for a bath IN the irst-class pool, and only
or 4 cents IN the second class Al near
ly al the public lighthouses are tub con-
veniences also for those who do not wish
10 go into the swimming pools. The water
ana the air arr artiflcially warmed dur
ing the winter and are kept about the
natural heat Of the body.
In some Of the large cities. like London,
Liverpool Manchester and Birmingham.
the charge for a second-class bath is only
! or cents. and 10 is customary, partcu-
larly during the warm weather, for the
workmcn 10 the mills and the operatives
IN the factories TO start for a swimming
pool as soon as the bell announces tho end
OF the days labor. Thus. at sunset the
swimming bdiNN are 1lNMAfNf ana the size
nihcance Of the posters warning people
that they must not remain IN the water
or occupy che dressing stalls Tor more than
a certain number OF minutes Is thus ex-
planned. AZ some Of the public bathhouses
che number OF patrons runs up into the
thousands daily The man in charge OF the
baths at Seven Dials. in London. told mo
that their daily average was above 1000.
and on holidays in summer the attendance
often exceeded twice that number
Hardly less important has been the work
~ the 'asHociauOn Tor promoting clean
Illness among tho people in ostahllahlnR
public lnuudrios Tor che use OF the poor
This society owes ita existence 40 tho benz
evidence OF the earl of 6haftsbury who
seems 10 have been the most practical ami
far-fighted phiinnthr0pist Boz history
Nearly an the great social reforms which
have reEcnoratrl Great Britain we're horn
in biz brain. Tho movement began boo 1874
lf was a matter ~ charity az first. but fhn
municipalities have taken if up until now
nearly Oh che cities that have o0nHdffa.
be working population provide public
launlliea where, fof nominal price-irom