New-York tribune., 1905-06-16
BATHING UNPOPULAR.
Public Baths Sighted by People for
Whon1 They Were Intended.

with view TO getting New-Yorkers to batho
more the Association for Improving the Condition
Of the Poor. which owns the splendid Milbank
Memorial Bath, Nos. S25-S27 East Ssth-st and the
Peoples Baths, No. Centre Market Place has
started a vigorous campaign among the shop
fsepers and tenement house dwellers IN the neigh
hornood of the bathhouses-
.After having built the first free public bath
house ,n United States.' said R Kingsley, one
OF the visitors the society, "and succeeded in
stirring I'D the New-York City authorities to open
three more making five in all. going to work
bard this year TO popularize them We want the
people for whom they built to wake up and
them
TO illustrates. The free public bathhouse built by
ne cty IN West Est-st- has capacity OF 400 The
essly average IS only 300 The Mlbank Memorial
Bath on East 3Sth-st. with capacity Of 45oo. has
0 caily attendance of only about 1000. On some
vxry hot Saturdays the attendance rises to 5000
bat this Is With possible daily attendance
ea a0eo the tree public baths exclusive OF COURSE
ct those which open up in summer along the river
nsulzs) have an actual attendance of only 5000.
Recognizing that this is all wrong. the Association
TOR Improving the Condition OF the Poor has got
eus very attractive calendar. giving half tones OF
the exterior of the AIilbank Memorial Bathhouse.
the mems waiting room and school bath party,
End falling all that anybody could want to know
about towels, hours. etc. They are placing this
calendar In windows shops, factories, barber
shops olubroouas and saloons-in fact IN all places
where people congregate-within 10 blocks north
and south Of the Milbank bath
sour idea to advertise the bath In some form
that would keep 1t constantly before people, and
Al the same time would be pretty enough for peo-
ole TO want to keep it, said DIr. Kingsley, 80 we
IA on the calendar. We had already distributed
email cards with a picture OF the exterior of the
NiIbank bath It, but they proved too small,
snd besides we found that people wanted pictures
OF the inside of buildings not the outside In dis
tr1buting the calendars talk with the shopkeep-
ers about baths and ask them to tell their Gus
toraers II is astonishing TO find people who live
within four or five blocks who know nothing about
them. -
among the tenements with smaller calendars In
the fan we would like distribute blotters adVer-
tising the baths among the school children OF the
district.
Already we have gone through all the schools
talking about the baths in every rooIn rhen taxing
the schools off bodily to baths
1--WE also plan TO beautify the interior OF our bath
houses. friend Of the association is going TO give
US potted ferns. and we are now waiting Tor the
borough president to give US stands to set them on
preached under difficulties An italian presented
himself DAY for q batn
Where is your towel?' asked the attendant
'T shall use my undershirt. replied the man.
You can't do that-you must go out and buy
yourself a towel" he told.
You've got to let me In II l want to 60. he
retorted This is a free public bath"
Finding the attendant firm. the votary OF cieanli-
ness went OF and brought a policeman, whom he
ordered to place the attendant under arrest, and
the polfcernan's refusal he went 10 the nearest
police station and lodged complaint against the
ANT