Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-07
First Glimpse Of the
New Dress Goods

movement which has in so short tiine
so greatly changed our entire nablti
and sentiments With regard 10 on" OF
| the most intimate ana familiar forms
of conduct? There is a partial answer
to the question. which is Al once on
vious and simple. Tic movement has
been caused. or al least accelerated, py
the development of medical and SAINT
tary science. and it has on scientific
grounds been largely justified by itS
results. All kinds of diseases whose
origin was formerly misunderstood
have been traced Ia contaminated air
or deficient personal cleanliness, ana
though modern science protecting us
against the dangers thus arising some
times rrintroduc.s them III i new ANA
more insiduous form they are on the
whole being greatly ana increasingly
minmzcd. But this unitarian ~
PLANTATION Of the phenomenon is a
partial explanation only. 1t throws no
light on that sentimental attachment
to cleanliness which IL distinct from
its approval and practice based on
utilitarian grounds.
The sentiment Of cleanliness hd.'
existed at All times. though III some
strongly developed. while in others IL
is to ~ traced only in almost imprr-
ceptible rudimcnts II existed in Eng
land IN days when the necessary tub
was unknown. ANA wnca the germ had
not yet been dreamed Of. II has h"en
developed since those days. bat it has
certainly not been created. IL no
doubt has always-as II was among the
JeWs-hCen consciously or unconscious
Is associated with some general sani-
tary experience. but il has constantly
exhibited natural tendency to become
fastidious. fanciful and passionate 70 a
degree which is not explicable ~ any
unitarian wisdom. whether con
Sciously acquired or unconsCiouSly in
hcrited. The Jewish rabbis. for *
ample. would never in this conn-C ton
| have deduced from the Mosaic law
their gTotcsqUely interesting inter
+, prrtations of it, If they had not been
prompted ana guided by some curious
| human instinct. With whose origin
the law had nothing to 40. one rah-
/ biniCal party. as a recent writer mas
reminded us, maintained that cup
must be washed before il was filled
J with Wine because otherwise the cup
ana the vine would be- rendered I'M
clean by the pcrspiration of the fin
gers which would remain clingins ~
| the cup. Another party maintained
| that this view was erroneous. and en-
! dcaVored To demonstrate that the real
danger to De obViatcd was the contain
| nation of Tho fingers by the cup They
accordingly taught that the proper
| time for washing the hands WAS not
before the filling Of the cup. but after
| ii one school taught that after the
| bands were wiped the towel should Do
| placed on the table. ana not on a
cushion. lest the perspiration Of tn"
| hands should contaminate the cushion.
and the cushion in turn, contamnatr
| whatever touched it. Another school
taught that equally terrible ConSe-
quences might arise from using Inc
| table as 4 rest for the dirty towel. be
| cause the impure towel might be made
yet more impure by the table, which
| would thus infect the perspiration
which he unfortunate towel had i'm
| bihed and render legally impure amy
hands that might touch il subsequent
| ly. Another matter of dispute between
| these two schools was whether
| servant who was sweeping house
with a broom would contaminate the
broom with his hands or hay" III"
hands contaminated by the broom
and whether. consequently, IN the in
| tercSt of legal purity he ought to wash
| his hands before tonching the handi"
or afterWard.
The modern Englishman may t"ngrltu-
| late hi.Lse,i on being free from 'hrT
pious >cruI les: but it is not 10 be denied
| that he has in his nature the inst utt
| which alone could have given th"r"
scruplcs any possible meaning. ana THIS
| Is = horror of what he regards as dirt,
| for it's own sake quite apart from either
| its unhealthiness or its unsghtIiarss. He
| detcsts il. no doubt. on these latter
| grounds as wcl. \ dirty stree I 81; an Oh
| viouslv diity man rouses in him ideas OF
| all kinds; Of infection. and dirt on his coat
| or dust on his vanished boots oTrnGS
| his sense Of what is due to his own ap-
pearance, as Il coat does that is torn ar
| boots that are down at the heel Iut
besides these simple feelings there is an
| other that sues far d"epor-a feeling cX-
dressed in his indignant FhHldcr OF re
| vulsion ut the thought of drinking ouI
| nf an unwashcd wine glass. eating
, with an unwashcd fork. which ms been
| used by another person; or ut the marx
silver nlatc
This feeling manifodts itself in 4 vari,s;A
of otncr ways, too numerous to mention.
too familiar to require mentioning; but in
all such cases its ma ure is essentially the
same. ara there is an essential samcneAS
also in the nature ofrthc things exciting
it. The origin of the feeling is dislike
of physical contact with others. SOM
people excite this feeling in us NOR,
/ keeiilv; some excite It less k"enlN: Er-
rsP1ny nus some n@ inJida H"w w,h his whom
he feels it is q pollution even to shake
'Ends. though he may possibly entertain
no other form Of dislike to them Most OF
as. on the other hand. have friends wnom
we might. in case of necessity, forgive