Washington sentinel., 1898-12-17
IT, 49, SENTINEL

No one can be many days IN
Finland without hearing murmurs
of the bath house. A Finnish bath
once taken by man or woman can
never be forgotten A real native
bath is one Of the specIaities OF the
country. Even in the old songs Of
the "Kalevala" they speak o the
cleansing and healing vapors Of
the heated bathroom Poets
have described the bath in verse,
artists have drawn it on canvas,
and singers have warbled forth its
charms; nevertheless, 1t is not
every traveller who mas penetrated
the stranger mystery. Most mYs-
ferrous and most strange It is. But
l anticipate Every house in the
country, no matter how humble
that house may De, boasts its
"bastu," or bathhouse, called in
Finnish Sauna" ." AS we passed
along the country roads, noting the
hay piled up in sort OF tent erec-
ton made OF pine trunks, TO dry in
the sun before being slowed away
in small wooden houses for pro-
lection during the winter, or nearly
drove over one of those strange
long haired pigs the bristles on
whose backs reminded one OF a
hog named polo pony, one saw
these "bastus" continually, In
the cluster of little buildings that
from the farm, the bathhOuse, an
deed, stands forth alone, and IS
easily recognizable, one its walls,
against which the stove stands,
being usually black, even on the
outside, from smoke. Every Sat
urday, year in, year out, that stove
is heated, and the whole family
have a bath mot singly, oh, dear,
no, but all together, men, women
and children; farmer, wife, sisters,
brothers, laborers, friends, and the
dogs, too, II they have a mind; so
that once in each week the entire
population OF Finland is clean, al
though few of them know what
daily ablutiOns, even OF the most
primitive kind, mean, while hot
water is most difficult to procure
IN Suomi" as a great auk's egg
IN England!
Naturally any institution so
purely national as the Finnish
"bastu" was worth investigating;
in fact, could not be omitted from
our programme. Bathing with the
peasants themselves being impos-
sible, we arranged to enjoy the ex-
traordinarY pleasure at a friends
house, where we could be washed
by one OF her own servants; for be
it understood, there is always one
servant in every better class estab-
lishment who understands the
"bastu," and can, and does wash
the family. On the event
full night Of our initiation, supper
was over, the house party and
guests were assembled on the bal
cony, the women engaged in
needlework, and the men smoking
cigarettes, when Saima, the Fin
nlsh servant, arrived to announce
that the English ladies bath was
ready Taking fond farewell OF
the family, we marched soIem mnly
behind the flaxen haired Sauna,
who had thoroughly entered into
the spirit Of the joke of giving an
English lady Finnish bath,
neither the bather nor attendant
being able to understand one word
OF what the other one spoke.
Down an avenue overshadowed by
trees we proceeded, getting a peep
OF a perfectly glorious sunset which
bathed one side Of the lake in vel
low hues, while the other was
lighted by an enormous blood red
moon, for in those northt m chmes
many strange natural effects occur
we little wot ofin England. Ii was
a wonderful evening, and we
paused to consider which was the
more beautiful, the departing day
or The coming night. Saima would
brook no delay however, so we had
to hurry on. Immediately before
US was the "bastu "a wee wooden
house like a small Swiss chalet"
the outer room, where we un
dressed, containing a large oven.
The inner room boasted only one
small wiEdow, through which the
departing day did not shine very
brilliantly, l. ckily for our mo iesty.
Its furniture was only a large sized
tin bath, filed With cold water.
opposite to which were seven very
wide wooden steps like a staircase,
the top step forming a kind OF plat
form where there was Just room TO
sit without ones head touching
the tarred ceiling alb We. The
steps and the platform were COW
cred with straw-Finnish fashion
for the great occasion. We
wondered what next, but we had
not much time for speculation, for
Saima-who only took off her
outer dress-grasped US by the
hand, her face aglow with the in
tense heat, led us up the WOODEN
staircase, and signed her will that
we should sit on the straw strewn
platform afore honorably men.
toned.
Oh. the heat! Many OF US know
Turkish baths, but, then, we take
them gradually, whereas IN the
"bastu" one plunges into volcanic
fires at once. Blinking in the dim
light, we found that beside US was
a brick built stove, Tor which the
fire, as we had noticed while dis
robing, is IN the outer chamber:
and when the washing woman
threw a pail Of water upon the sur