Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-03-02
a degree of exhileration that the period


of retirement in the company OF a
blanket and an alcohol lamp would
never bring about. Someone has called
an up to date chainIess bicycle zeai
inspiring wheel for women. The girl
or woman who has been out for a spin
on machine is made in such fashion
that she can come home with her skirt
in as good condition as when
she started,-as can be done with the
right sort Of a bicycle, -does not shrink
from the amount Of time she will have
to devote to her bath as she would ii she
knew dirty and stained frock was
awaiting her attention.
No matter how heated the rider may
be she should never make the mistake
OF using cold water the first thing after
ride. In fact, it is very hard to get
clean by the use of cold water alone,
even when accompanied by hard rub
bling. It is true that the exercise has
opened the pores and that great guam
tity of effete substance has been sluiced
out with the perspiration. But the dash
of cold water shuts the pores with a
snap and whatever matter is left there is
enclosed to be re-absorbed by the body.
So the first plunge must be into
warm water. The soaking feels CRATE
full after the tension Of the exercise, and
the relaxation OF the muscles is likely
to tempt any one to remain toe long in
the tub. But the time Of letting one
self go is not yet. There must first be a
vigorous rubbing either with flesh
brush or with rough cloth or with a
bath mitten of Turkish toweling or some
such material This is perhaps best
since the hand thus covered goes over
the whole body with an energy it cannot
gain when holding washcloth.
The use Of soap is open to discussion.
1t is generally taken as a matter of
course and yet I have known competent
physician who claimed that it did no
good. The skin that has been first
stimulated, as by the bicycle, horse back
ride or other vigorous exercise, and then
cOaXed into more work by the applica-
ton OF warm water does not need soap
in order to make it clean. The rubbing
[ have described will suffice for that
The waste matter is removed by the
friction without the use of soap. Yet
there is no objection to this if a good
plain toilet soap is used,-one that is
not highly perfumed or too drying in its
effect. Every bit of this should be
washed from the skin before the cold
spray is used to close the pores and
and brace the system after the relaxa-
ton OF the warm tub.
The cold spray seems a rather her BIC
measure, but it is only for a while
that it impresses the bather as a trial.
In short time she Graves it and feels
no shrinking from the tinging of ice
cold water, even after very hot bath.
The spraying need not last long,-onIy
minute. 1t is a mistake to continue
until one becomes chilled and loses the
bracing effect. As matter of course,
there are some bathrooms where a spray
cannot be used, because o. the arrange
ment of the faucets or for some other
reason. This is pity, but it need not
oblige one to renounce the douche. The
pitcher to which have already referred
to can be used or one can
adopt the simple expedient Of man l
knew who used the common or garden
variety of watering pot as a means for
attaining cold spray.
The stimulation of the skin is pursued
by friction with rough towel. The Or
binary towel will not serve. Sometimes
even the Turkish towel gets soft and in
such cases it is we'll to pass it through
little starch water before drying it..
1t should never be ironed, of course.