The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-02-04
5elrtt Mistrllonl(.
BATHS AND BATHING,
IN THEIR HISTORICAL AND
HYGTENIC ASPECTS.
BY OSCAR HERZBERG.

1t is a common observation that
many of the ordinary practices of hu-
manity to-day had at some time a re-
ligious significance. Even the art Of
bathing did not escapc this stage in its
Developments; and what is to-day re-
garded merely asa cleansing agent was
for centuries looked upon as sacred
religious rite or ceremonial for the re-
moval of legal pollution or as the SYM
bol of repentance. Every Bible reader
! will recollect how the Jew who came
into contact with certain diseases, or
who ate the flesh of animals which had
died OF themselves, was commanded to
battle, and was considered unclean an
til the evening Of the day he had done
so. Nor were the Jews alone in re-
garding the bath as religious cere-
monial. In nmany other localities, regu-
lar ablutions and immersons of the
body were made compulsory: and we
find that baths and lighthouses were
established at All early day in India,
Persia, Assyria, and Egypt. Even
the vapor bath. now widely known as
the Russian, has existed in Japan for
centuries, while a notification oft was
found III Mexico when Cortes discov-
cred that country The ancient Irish
and Scotch are said to have utilized it
to some extent. The Turkish or hot
air bath is also ofundoubtcd antiquity.
1t is in fact not Turkish at all, having
been invented by the Laced;emonians;
its subsequent introduction into Europe
by the Turks created the impression
that the Mohammedans were its origi-
nators.
Among the Jews. the art of bathing
has always been highly regarded, and
the religious significance attached to
it has not been dissipated even to the
present day. Regular ablutions of the
body were ordered by Moses to he
taken before the daily meals. before
wedding festivities. before birth cele-
bratlons, l'rturc entering the temple Of
worship. and before all rvIi.iuus cerc-
| monies. Hebrew girls and women
were commanded by strict laws to
bathe at regular monthly intervals. a
custom still widely prevalent am ng
| the orthodox Jews of to-day. The
Jews understood little of any form of
bathing save immersion in pools and
rivers; they were unacquainted with
vapor OF air or other artificial baths
| The Old Testament ahounds with ref
crences to bathing The first histori-
cal bath in the Bible is that o' Pha-
raoli : daughter. who went down to ne
| Nile to hathc and thcr. discovered the
infant NJ oseS, whom it was her kismet
to save in orl,r that h. mi yht lead the
| chosen people to the promised land
| That tn Jews were agreed that per-
sonal cleanliness is a virtue, many
scriptural references show. Thu,
! Elisha. the prophet, directs Naaman.
| the leper, to bathc seven times in the
River Jordan, while Jesus commands
| the blind man to bathc in the pool OF
| Sloan. The waters of Bethesda were
regarded as Of great healing quality
among the Hebrews, and were widely
used for bathing purposes.
The 'chosen people" are today as
hearty advocates of the bath us they
were in ancient times, although this is
sometimes difficult to believe when one
encounters poor Polish or Russian
| jew to whom water and soap appear
| to be entire strangers. This is due,
| however, to the fac. that these poorer
! Jews live in quarters where no h'thing