The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-10-07
EUROPE is CLEANLY.
Investigation shows That Nearly All
European Cities Have Public Baths.

a
European Cities Have Public Ba this.
Il Are Americans less cleanly than Eu-
ropeans'? &.
The labor department has been prob
ing this problem indirectly with some
startling results. It has just completed
a special investig ationoin a Il cities sEof
the world where people who cannot at
ford bathtubs at home may go tospub-
lie institutions and. battle themselves
for nothing or for q few pennies. Pc
rusal of data collected by, an agent of
the department who has travelled abroad
astride the public bath as his special
hobby justites the fear that, although
we smart Yankees can set the old world
many q good example, our European
cousins, nevertheless, can give us some
practical pointers anent public clean
illness. Perhaps we are too busy to keep
clean. R4
: Public baths, accessible to the poorer
classes and open the year round, are
found completed in only two localities
in the city Of Buffalo, n. Y. and in the
town. Of Brookline, Mass. It should be
added, however, that New York, Chica-
go and Boston have. appropriated for
such public estab lishments within the
past two years. IA a few ,cities---at
Washington, New York and Boston, for
instances public baths are, open H. in
summer only. But people should be as
clean in winter as in summer. Up to
date municipal housekeepers are agreed
that free public baths are a browning
need in all. tenement house. and other
overcrowded city districts. Authentic
statistics from IS hourishing American
cities, which represent cross section
of the country at large tell the dis
graceful tale that only E6ye7sixths Of
their citizens have facilities for wash
ing themselves other. than those afford
ed by pail and sponge or the flowing
stream planted by nature.
Although public baths are relics of
glorious classical times, when men
found time; to cleanse their bodies as
wellas improve their intellects, the gen:
eral introduction of the modern public
bath in Europe-where it is now found
in every progressive city of any size
is said to be due to John. Bull, who, in
spite of his faults and narrowness, has
always believed in keeping clean. Pub
lie baths have been the great thing in
Great Britain since more than a cen
fury ago., when they were first intro.
duced in Liverpool. In that city to-day
men and women of all classes can take
sea water bath in any season of the
year. In winter the water is pumped
out of the sea, warmed and collected III
monstrous tanks, where it may be en-.
joyed by anyone who has four pennies
to pay for it. nepubic baths and Is
sheltered swimming pools is the good
record of the mother city of the insti,
tuition which we most need. Three OF
these establishments have attached t.
them public laundries.
In America pure water is even cheap
er than in Europe, and our philan.
thropists and municipalities can afford
to expend their money quite as lavishly
for public cleanliness as can those OF
the old world. The individual should be
as rigidly bound by sanitary laws as
the community. We are a very busy
race, it is true, but we should take time
to keep cIean-N Y Herald