The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-04
A PUBLIC BATH HOUSE,

Mass Meeting at Yale Hall To-Night. l The mass meeting at Yale hall, l45 Franklin street. at 8 D. m., tonight is
 an important step in the widespread
 movement designed to locate a
 thoroughly equipped public bathhouse
 somewhere near the center of the Sixth 1 ward. At this meeting J.. E. Miller,
 alderman-elect of the Seventh ward,
 will preside, and among the speakers
 arranged for are Walter Leigh, who has
 carefully enquired into the bathhouse
 systems of other large cities, especially Boston; A. F. Irvine, who has also
 thoroughly acquainted himself with the
 whole subject, and probably Samuel E. | Dibble, president of the health commits | sion. A number of other prominent citizens are interested in the success of | this movement, and are to be present at
 the meeting. Several have expressed | their sentiments in favor of 1t most warmly, and have promised their sup port. Judge Cleaveland expressed him l self as follows, when interviewed T heartily approve of the proposition to l have a public bathhouse established by the municipal authorities in this city which shall. be available to the masses
 either without cost or upon the pay
 ment of a merely nominal fee by those
 availing themselves of the privilege. l can hardly see how any one can reason ably object to an enterprise so well cal- 2ulated to raise the tone of a large num- Der of people, now practically deprived of all opportunities for bathing. I be- Hpyrp thpt tho ma 6psprupc. tl1n ont h1l- siastic support of all interested in the physical and moral welfare of the peo-
 pie and hope that it may be pushed to a successful finish without unnecessary delay. I feel confident that our muni- cipal authorities will be glad to coop crate in the movement by furnishing the
 funds necessary to make possible what is so much needed in this city, May
 or Driscoll. who would have presided at
 the meeting unless prevented by i'll
 health, is heartily in favor of the pro-
 posed step. Judge Townsend, when
 asked his opinion said: Put me down as thoroughly in sympathy with the
 movement to locate a public bathhouse
 in this city. I will vote for such a
 measure, and further it to the best of my ability" Dr. Munger, the chairman
 of the committee appointed by the Con-
 gregational club to cooperate in the undertaking, said that he was strongly of the opinion that such public bath house would not only be a splendid
 thing for the city, but that 1t was also necessary thing Moreover, that the movement was directly in line with what all other large cities of the coun- try were doing, and that 1t was only reasonable that New Haven should be as well equipped in this respect as were they. He spoke correctly, for Cam bridge has recently put up a bathhouse costing s50,00O, and Yonkers. a suburb of New York, one costing $40, o0o At mass meeting tonight petition will be brought up for signatures, requesting the city to make suitable appropria- tion for this purpose. A very large per cent of the residents of the district are strongly aroused on the subject. and in view of this and of the almost univer- sal feeling throughout the city, it seems highly probable that New Haven will not much longer allow herself to be far behind hand in respect to her bathing accommodations.