The record-union., 1897-10-17
Plea for Public Baths.

Eds. Record y mon: Inc alarming
increase in deaths of our children by
drowning in the rivers surrounding this
city, while bathing, before knowing
how TO swim, seems to suggest the ne
cessity Of providing some means to
prevent this calamity. Herewith l
hand you the sum of S25 as the nucleus
of a fund to be raised by public sub
scription to provide and maintain a
free public swimming bath, where our
boys and girls will receive the necessa-
ry instruction in the art of swimming,
which nature has so mysteriously de-
prfved them of, while comforting the
same on all other animated creatures.
There is in this subject moral, as
well as philanthropic and sanitary ele-
ment, which should be seriously con-
sidered. as there are few Of US who
can deny that our first temptation to
violate the sacred injunction OF the
eighth commandment was TO satlsty
our parents that we had obeyed their
ever-timely warning. not to go near
the river to bathe, and the many little
fiower-clad mounds in our graveyards,
give sad lessons to lamenting hearts,
which would be otherwise happy if our
children were taught the simple and
easily acquired knowledge of swim
ming.
1 viii here name what l think would
be satisfactory Board of Control and
Management of the proposed bathing
house. who could incorporate bylaws:
The Mayor of Sacramento. the President
Of the Christian Brothers College, and
the Superintendent of our City Public
Schools, on the part of the boys. The
reverend Mother of St. Joseph's Acad-
emy, and the lady President of the Pro
testant Orphan Asylum, in behalf. Of
| the girls.
Richard Dale, who is a good au-
thority on water life, informs me that
child can be taught to swim safely
in six lessons. The cost to taxpayers
for Coroners' services on boys drowned
in and about this city annually would
pay the salary of a swimming teacher,
for the bathing months of the year.
And the baths could be kept open for
the public at a small fee, say about 10
cents, for those who do not use private
baths at % cents, and not become rivals
to them in business. With this income,
and water furnished free by the city,
the baths could be made self-suppOrt-
ing. 1t seems strange that our edu-
Gators have overlooked the matter of
water culture in mankind, when we
know that three-fourths of the surface
of the globe is covered with water, and
the desire for its use as a necessity and
a luxury surpasses that of all other
things in use by mankind. 1t costs us
| 5000 to educate a child through the
grammar schools, which gives them a
reasonable understanding of the future
duties of life in all things of a local
character Now, why not at a small
cost teach them how to enjoy the use of
Gods greatest luxury, water, and re-
move this greatest dread to fathers
and mothers, the lurking dangers
awaiting our children by the treacher-
Gus quicksands and pitfalls Of our
river banks?
Local government takes great pleas
ure in making laws, providing means of
easy access to all-night saloons and
hasty exit from theaters, dance halls,
also bicycle paths, baseball parks and
race tracks, all to crafty the vanity of
] pleasure, but when Johnnie wants to
swim he must choose the revolving al
/ tentative Of telling a lie or getting a
whipping, a condition which should not
exist.
| I hope that this subject will meet
with your approval and receive the
support of the widespread influence of
| the Record Union" and accept the
gratitude of parents and children, and
/ yours sincerely,
JOHN r. WHITE.