The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
WOMEN ATEAST SIDE BATHS
EoV THEY ENJOY THE WATER AFTER
DAT OF TOLL.

TbeIr Temper, as Well ms Their Health
generally Good misunderstanding suits
often Picturesque If Crudely Made.
Tissue building, muscle training, athletic
a1ercisc Of one sort or another has front rank
tbose days In public notice and a large share of
public observance. Even people with mere
odds and ends OF timo to count on, and scant
chance for fun Of any sort at that, have shifted
The athletic craze from afar, or from anear
actual distance be reckoned. and have
made over and reputterned their notions Of re-
taxation. The east side has caught the infec-
tion along with the rest. and has developed
muscle and elasticity of temperament that
would do credit to better opportunity.
The old-time commonalty, the washers and
Ironcrs and scrubbers Of floors and kitchen
places, after a days steady output OF work sat
themselves down In some convenient corner
and did not move II they could help it now, tho
east side worker at such functions adopts
another regimen. After being on her feet all
day Juggling with iron or scrubbing board or
ocrubbing brush. she betakes herself to the
free bath and swims and cavorts about there as
long as the matron will let her,
1learnt to swim because the exercise in
The salt water does me good" said a big
limhed. Rood-natured-lookinG, middle-aged
woman at a certain east side bath the other at
ternoon. whose face and bathing suit were lus-
trous and shining from her recent dip. I've
ironed off four dozen pieces to-day and tended
store besides. but no matter how hot and tired
lam. Just let me have my fling here Of an even
ing and I'm toned up fresh. There's a shin OF
corn beef on the fire now for supper. and I'll
eat it with q relish when l get home, all on ac-
count OF this bath. The days 1 can't come |
ache for it. and seldom is the woman's day l
miss after the place opens. 1 thought 1t was
fne before l knew what swimming was. but
now | never expect a summer season to go by
without getting my share of the sport, and all
on the block what will listen to me will be doin'
Che same"
At this particular bath. devoted to the wants
Of an especially teeming neighborhood. four
such housewives and steady workers are to be
seen each after q o'clock time of a ladies'
day" swimming and cutting didos that are
vastly entertaining to themselves and to the
younger and more timid frequenters of the
tank. Tho matron knows them all by name
and occupation. and is proud of their swim
ming ability.
I've watched 'em filling out and getting
bigger and stronger week after week. says the
obsorvant matron. Only one was as sound as
che is now when she first took to coming to the
bath and the second biggest one was almost
Sickly looking. but they are the brag swimmers
vi Nllt l'ltNc llilo AVuls wv " vi lIlo
factory girls who come in before worktime in
The morning have a good stroke and swim Off
fine. but they can't keep it up like these women
can. They urposely pick out the slack time
when everybody round here is getting their
supper 40 that they can have room for their
antics, but a good many Of the girls have taken
20 waiting to see them. The work they've been
at all their lives is regular woman-taming
work. calculated to take tine spirit out Of most
folks. but for, all of that, they cut up in the
THAT black-haired woman with the big
arms. the one in the blue suit. is a street seller.
spGles s'rG fq Ike al such en- she she's a hustler; out
tothings. Them, other two are washers and
%ironers, and the biggest one amt, in business /;
and she does all the work for a family Of seven.
two Of EN- twins. She don't come here of an
evening till after her husband gets home so he
can see to the children: then she slips off. To-
morrow evening this time will be his turn for a
swim. and she'll have to stop away and tend the
These four bath hahitues.. as they come in
from the street. all flushed from the heat
Of all the patrons TO do anything worth looking
o.. put. once rid OF their bundles and budgets.
shoes and clad in bathing regalia, a new light
kindles in their faces. the years seem to slip off
Of them. and they take on a certain definiteness
they step out OF the stuffy little dressing stalls
onto the crude platform beside the tank.
familiar figures. are rrimed and on the lookout
forevents and capcrs OF some sort. No. no,
MifE d RTitte1 umI INKS calls the mat Teax as a hsipE
body looms up suddenly on the Platform
t fsI,: fS Im, u on f tSjE y two rd inches he %, Of
mountain waves. Mary is head downward at
the bottom even As The words, are SPOKEN. and
Meter SkeIter, pell nell the other white-'imhed
dark-bodicd figures plunge in bc-idr her. caus-
ing S"Atteratlon among IN" h1ihrrS who a"e
bobDinG up ana down nIacidly besid" the ropes.
nuI VINO. LcyefthcI IS. Io"N wei! plea 'eI at the
performance.
~ won't do it again, but [ couldn't help it
the matron's cane is ~brandfshcd threateningiv.
and thai, administrator Of the city's hospitality
looks hall ready to quarrel
Nhcu you've been crumped up light to it
all day. its great to get in here" says one Of
the otherswimmers in condoning tones, and the
inatrOnS "qnaninity returns and she smiles
lndulgently at n" dclinIuents. The big. pudgy
figures that have somehow gained, grace from
oL q porpolse, which pufiy suggestion Of q fish
thsIF SMGStantiqI PROPORTIONS call to, mind.
mnatron number two. moved to enthusiasm,
.Iheyve got more spirit than half the girls,
You IMSy dr. TT ai tSg3yytt Try, (bry5nS some new tSapers
Gol"ful times like other folks. but | happen to
xaIE q ,hnt they don't lay u beds Of ease nor
peen the maxim Of that second biggest one
VIII TIE scar on her neck, the one in the red
wrapper that a peddler let go for next to nothin'
When she first used to come here she'd sort Of
taught her the trick and she's as in for the
Lroiic nov as any of EN-, They do say. round
nj MAKE trouble once. and was parted from hel
olu man Tor awhile on account OF her nasty
temper, but that's all gone by now, and she's
Eeet nice children and three rooms that she
THAT one they call Mary" she went on
her husbands mother is a fortune teller
everybody knows her horeabOutS, and all the
girls get their fortunes told by hcr. | should
Say she had done right well at the business. I'M
she don I help her son along any, and Mary ma.
uoW9rH hard. and sometimes take in work from
outside, 70 make. ends meet. This salt water
ssmmpple5 her up, she says. but, as you see, she'l
nlup the biggest-si2o bath suit they make. 1
sle wanted 70 buy one she'd have TO have i
made L" order, We hire suits for 10 cents
. cents for, children; but few rents them
except people. now, like that apple woman, who
meyer nave u rhHnco TO sew"
You listen to the chat OF the matrons con
GGrning thrir charges. and look at the womer
VINO ille IN for Il dip, and come to have under
standinG Of What these free baths with whicl
the city provides its people mean to those Ger
tain neighb"rhoods. A slight, dark haired
somewhat paI"-lOOking girl comes In with tn
ANlAN mar ~ NLEH