The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-06

were women. Engiishmsn have their PERU
DIGS. but 1t was too late to retire without
making ones self ridiculous. Passing
through door found nltssif promptly
some eight feet long by four bread. down
one side of which was a narrow couch COW
cred With q sheet. This was the undress-
in groom. Must everything be left heres'
I shouted through the vail to tho Nor
wegian who was in the next cell. EVERY
towa19' I suggested. There was Z babel Of
Finnish from the attendant a. his door and
q manful effort on his part to understand.
Swedish will carry one through most parts
of Finland. but these bath women spoke not
a word Of it. Nothing at ALL was the YER
cells. turned q yard or two down . dripping
passage and entered foggy room. On
either side OF this were long. narrow wooden
shelves, about eight feet from the ground.
to which we had to climb by wooden step
ladders. According to directions. we re-
ciined at full length in the shevles, in
heavy, misty atmospheric, feeling like fish
about to be boiledis A handle was turned
and dense clouds Sf steam enveloped U.S.
rushing through apertures from the furnace
room, where jets Of water were pouring
over red hot bricks OF stones.
Three or four minutes in this atmosphere
produced the effect of half an hour in the
dry air Of Turkish bath. Streaming with
Precipitation, gasping for breath and half
boiled, we cried for mercy. The steam was
shut off and two women mounted the steps
with pals of hot water and great punches
ofleafy birch twigs fastened together in the
shape of half expanded fan. The peculiar
feature of the Finnish national bath was
about to begin. The steam bath is COM
mon throughout Eastern Europe, the "bas-
sang" (beating) is the differentiating fea-
ture in Finland. Dipping these fails in the
water, the attendants begin to lash our re-
cumbent FORMS not gently, but very Wig
oreusly, from foot to neck, and from neck to
foot, first as we lay on our backs, then as
we turned over to our chests The sharp
sting of the blows at first was scarcely
pleasant, but the sensation soon became one
of pure delight. 1t was like the fierce glow
which follows the plunge into ice cold
water, when, after the shock, the blood
rushes tingiing through the veins. Then
the steam was turned on again. A second
flashing followed, and We were ordered to
descend from our lofty perches and enter
another room.
Soaping. shampooing. rubbing with flesh
gloves followed, then dousing with pals of
warm water and standing under a spray
of first warm. then chilled. till cold was
reached. All this was the familiar process
of the Turkish bath But the strangeness
was in the attendant, and still more strange
was it to be taken back to the little room
in which / had left my clothes to be un-
tremendously toweled by the same attend
ant, like a baby, till I was dry, and then
ordered to dress Immediately. But where
were the hose? They had been carried OF,
and were brought back hot and dry from the
fire, an invariable attention at a Finnish
bath. Almost before I bad fully realized
that the bath was over I was out again in
the cold night air. the whole ceremony hav
ing taken scarcely 20 minutes. The An
lander is no believer In lying still to cool
down after a yapor bath. Glowing and
prespiring he plunges straight out into the
chill air Of Northern night, without even
an overcoat to lessen the shock. If the
feet are warm, all is right, ne tells you.
So he puts on his hot socks and walks off
leisurely to his dinner. And certainly we
ourselves felt no Ill effects from following
his example