Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-18

expira ton of this time. Then the bather
is allowed fifteen minutes in which to dress
and vacate the room. On two days of each
week. reserve for women, there Is large
attendance of shop gir's On Chicagos
South Side-:n a locality inha bited by tene-
ment jewellers, with no better bathing IA
cilities than a kitchen sink-there is
newer bath of this kind, the basement con-
tanning a soup kitchen as we'll as laun-
dry. Indeed, in the Windy City there are
seven free shower baths. supported by the
municipality. Among Boston's thirty-five
municipal baths there are eleven Of this
type
Boston's Dover street bath has fifty-two
shower cabins, each containing a dressing
alcove with a seat The 500 women and
girls and 1900 men and boys who may
here be cared for each day are charged
a cent each fer piece Of soap and a towel
except on saturdays, when these articles
are supplied free. The bath department
of the Hub supports also five gymnasia.
where hot and cold shower baths may be
had the year round. One of these Is pa
tronized by thousands of girls working in
factories, stores and offices.
Perfection in Public Baths.
But the perfection Of baths is that COM
bining these showers with the plunge.
New York has just completed one Of these.
at the foot of East 23d street, at cost Of
$4,000. 1t supplies accommodations for
900 persons per day, and the capacity Of
the plunge is $4,000 gallons of filtered
Croton water, raised to 20 or 80 degrees
in Temperatures. according to the weather.
The cleansing room,' which the visitor
must use before entering the pool, contains
thirty-two showers. Elsewhere in the
building are eighty additional showers for
bathers who do not wish to enter the pool.
Swimming competitions are held in this
great tank, 100 yards being made In five
turns about it. hair-drying room for
women is another feature Of this, the most
complete municipal bath in the United
States.
Another model establishment of the same
category is at Brookline, Mass. It includes
an obstruction room," used wholly for the
teaching Of swimmers; shower and tub
baths, each with dressing room attached;
also a great swimming hall or natatorium,
a gallery for spectators The water for
these pools-the same as drunk by the cit
| liens Of Brookline-is heated before enter
ing. and every day or two Is drawn on
brick walls and mosaic floors Of the tanks
are thoroughly cleansed. The women's
hair-drying room, semi-circular In shape,
has a terrazzo floor, dado OF cypress,
marble bowls mirrors and six steam hair
DRYERS A steriizing plant for bathing
suits and towels is an adjunct OF the laun-
dry in the basement, and there are also
reading rooms for men and women.
Bathers are charged from half-dollar to
nothing. depending upon the day OF the
week and whether they be residents OF
Brookltne.
Municipal Laundries.
The municipal laundry. where women
may take their soiled clothes and In COM
paratively short time wash and iron them
! under the most desirable conditions, Is
feature of a number of public baths Of Bal
timore. Chicago. Cleveland, Troy and Pn NJ
adelphia These are a special boon to the
poorer classes. In the best equipped OF
these the tubs are provided with steam;
and there are drying closets. centrliugai
driers. mangles, etc. In the baths OF Buf-
falo bathers may wash their Undertaking
! before entering the water. and after placing
it in drying closets find 1t ready for service
by the time the bath Is finished.
In the laundry Of the Gaskill street BATH
Philadelphia. where are anorded all moo
ern improvements, including hot-air drying
cabinets. women are charged out Hve
cents per hour for fuel and materials.
Free School Baths.
The cultivation of the habit Of cleanliness
among the young by the attachment OF
| shower baths to the public schools is the
latest phase of the free bath movement in
ger of the United States bureau of labor.
to whom the writer Is indebted for the
facts Of this article. says that experiments
in the introduction of shower baths have
been entirely successful in Boston, New
York and few other cities The principal
of the Brookline (Mass) High School has
made provision on his program for SWIM
ming during school hours Wednesdays and
Fridays at the adjacent model public bath
described above. Squads Of children. are
sent to the bath before and after recess,
and within two months after the expert
ment was commenced every boy and girl
knew how to swim.
Boston. our city. Of baths. par excellence,
has established showers for each sex in
several public schools Of the districts most
destitute of home bath rooms. These
shower compartments are Of marble on
three sides and have entrances screened
by rubber curtains. There are dressing
closets each containing seat, while soap
and towels are furnished free
A period for bathing is assigned each
class no one being allowed to remain un-
der the shower over three minutes. Bath
ing has not yet been made compulsory
there however. The cost Of bath Is esti-
mated at about three and a half cents per
person in these schools. The experiment Is
one which should be repeated In every city
In the land.
Once the twtg ds bent next to Goodness,
so will the tree incline!
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.
n