New-York tribune., 1903-02-10
B4THTUB FOE TO SALOON
DR.. T0lman Deals 1Cith Remedies
for Bod Social Conditions.

"A bath is an operation requiring privacy said
DR.. Tolrnan secretary for the American Institute
for Social Service. in his lecture al the home of
Miss Helen Gould yesterday In connection with
that fact, Il necessary remember that land is
expensive In New-York; consequently that rents are
high: consequently that poor people with large
families cannot afford space enough for much pri-
vacy. It is also necessary TO bear in mind that In
very large numbers of the tenement houses in New
York every drop Of water used in the house has to
be carried from the hydrant in the yard How
many baths DAY do you think We would take If
We had 10 carry all the up four five flights
OF stairs ourselves?'
The first three lectures in the course DR.. Tolman
devoted to existing social conditions In need OF
remedy. He now begins with the proposed RENE
dies first and foremost among which he places
public baths Throwing upon the screen splendid
views Of everything described. he told of the need
for more public baths in New-York-
Below Fourteenth-st. and east Of the Bowery.
he said. there live half million people-a city
larger than St Louis, larger than Birmingham, or
Naples II would make Dubns, two Washing
tons three Ornahas or three cities OF providence.
Imagine then the crowding necessary TO pack all
these people in SO small space. and you will get
an idea Of the difficulty OF privacy. One East SIDE
district examined by the Tenement House Commis-
sion in 1884 found to contain a population OF
2s5 oss Of whom only sos had access 10 a bathroom
The lack OF bathing facilities has close connec-
ton with the public health. In house on the
West Side, on Eeventh-ave-, near. the river. so
that the best conditions prevail TO light and air.
there is not Z bathroom and in five years the
official records reported hfty-three deaths from
that house In 1897 in a block between Sixty
sixth and Sixty-seventh sts. and Amsterdam and
West End aves $40 families lived, and there was
not = bathtub in the block
Possibly some one may say that these people
will not wash; that they prefer their dirt 1t is not
rr71e The record Of every public bath that was
ever established, in this country or any other,
shows that there is demand for public baths;
that the people willing pay for baths. II only
they can get bath TO pay for And those RECORDS
show furthermore, that the demand grows, and
that casual bathers become regular bathers; that
those who begin with the swimming pool for
pleasure progress to the bathroom as their tastes
are cultivated; that public health and morals are
conserved. and in the item of the prevention
Of sickness much social waste is saved If the tenn
re-ance people would let the saloons alone long
enough TO compel every property owner 10 put
water, at least. each floor Of his tenement
houses. better still in every kitchen, they wouio
have placed foe 70 the saloon in every tenement
What is true Of the difficulties of bathing ap-
plies with even greater force to those Of laundry
work How Immediately clean. dear ladies' wouio
Won keep your children If you had TO carry every
pail Of water for washing their clothes up four or
i've flights Of stairs or i you were 9olSeI ~ ~ ~
carry your family wash downstairs ana 90 IT N
the raoef dsaereea bic features of tenement house
life is the family washday Inc one snlaid afls
IS Sc uninvltpg & ,d eiri~ v from ii as quickly
~ itI lie TSe n5bic laundry is another foe TO
The "a loon and it should be adjunct OF every
public bath When the first public waShhouse was
opened in England the people had TO be eaucatggo g
~ f+s se Al first only fifty women useo IL Week-
II b,,t mat number has increased 10 l3vo In
the public washhouse at Liverpool the cnaTge @ loI
,}e se of the tubs is four cents for the nrSl hou
sDd three cents an hour afterward. and hol DIR
snrarstls IS provided which dries the cIothes VsIg
lIicl-Ix, Te puFIic washhouse in Philadelpnia mas
5eyeloped one new and excellent feature A coloreo
-, ,-,ent in one day asked for the use OF d tuD
80 - his shirt replaced his coat Washed ms
s,jrt and waited until it dried There rs nov 1 a
senarsre room set apart entirely Tor men VINO @
,,It one s1,it Of underwear where they can WASH
and dry the latter il they wish
GRANDEUR OF ROMAN BATHS
By way Of variety Dr. Tonan threw upon MN. tne
=. = I,t,la of The grandeur that was Rome
,n the way Of public baths
..1ve have modified the old Roman laws by stat
,,. satd the speaker: we have devised better
,,,Ii+arv system than they had; but we sth NOR
oughiy respect their roads ana tneH od'i ~
..t,,rfzatinr dpindles gazes upon