The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-13

Once, long time ago. before the begin
ming of history, man was naked savage
with brutal instincts and extremely un-
cleanly habits. The foundation of civiliza-
ton may be said to have been laid on the
day when man first voluntarily took a
bath. From that point the rise of great
nations began. Those who bathed subju-
gated their bathless neighbors; these In
turn were overcome by men who washed
themselves oftener, until finally the great
est and most prosperous nations were those
which had bathrooms on every floor, hot
and cold water and all the modern Improve
ments. Rome's most distinctive national
institutions were her public baths; her most
enduring monuments are her systems of
plumbing.
So the maxim. Cleanliness is next to
godliness," was enunciated, and after a
while 1t began to be looked on as essential
to goodness. Bathing became religious
rite; the Moslem was required to wash be-
fore he prayed. the Christian must be i'm
mersed before he could become an inheritor
of the kingdom of heaven. showing the
spiritual application Of the idea. Sin and
wickedness were called "viie.' ''unclean"-
goodness became pure" Immaculate"
Dirt and evil were synonyms. and sin must
be washed away" So cleanliness came to
stand for all that was noble and uplifting;
dirt for all that was base and ignoble.
This idea became so firmly implanted in
the minds OF men that other figures Of
speech disappeared and every known Ian
guage exhibited the same deep-rooted no
ton.
Then England arose step by step to glory
and power. carrying the bathtub with her
and being carried by it. The bath became
a national fetch; without his daily Tubing
your true Briton soon perishes miserably
The ignorant and lowly he calls the Great
Unwashed." Upon his army in all parts of
the world he long ago imposed as a SOL
dier's whole duty the creed:
Fear God, honor the Queen;
Shoot straight, and keep clean!"
| Later arose a certain sect called Physical
Culturists" and water was to them a sine
qua non. The whole medical fraternity
followed after writing and prescribing
cleanliness as the first requisite for health.
| No health without the bath became such q
| truism as TO be considered self-evident.
Men have lost elections because they did
not wash their necks; they have gone to
| Jail on suspicion because their hands were
dirty.
| Does it not seem that the tub is on too
solid foundation ever to be dislodged 2
Not so. The inevitable reaction has
started, The first note of battle was
sounded by the London Lancet. which pro-
| claimed to an astonished world that Brit
aims physical decline was brought on by
an excess OF Tubing. England gasped,
America Uttered. But few scattered
heretics were found who admitted that
such might be the case. Even religion
might be overworked, they said-we may
be clean with less frequent additions But
thu reaction thus started could not stop
there; the breach was made for some dar-
/ ing hero to charge through. Glad and
proud should we be that hero was an Amer
ican
Prof. John Dill Robinson. physician. sur
geon. scholar. lecturer. Chicago man. says
that we should battle less? Nay. that were
mere repetition. He says that we should
not battle at ALL Pneumonia. colds and a