The San Francisco call., 1906-04-04
URGES BUILDING
Of FREE BATHS
DR.. Simon Baruch of New
York Confers With Mayor
Schmitz and Physicians

"a system of free baths should be
established in the schools of San Fran
ciEcO-not OId-fashiOned tub baths,
which are unhygienfc, but clean, new
shower baths, where there is plenty
of warm water and soap-in the pub
lie schools of San Francisco so that the
little children can keep their bodies
clean and allow their brains to grow
better. Then If both cannot be done
at once a free public shower bath
should be built, to be followed by
others, so that the great unwashed of
this city can battle regularly and with
delight.
"On these lines 1 am now writing
letter TO Mayor schmitz explaining the
work of such institutions in other cit
les of the world and showing what re-
suits can be quickly accomplished I'm
this metropolis of the West. L believe
that in a short time San Francisco will
take her place with the other great cit
ies and keep her citizens washed Glenn.
"MayOr Schmitz and DIR. Ward of the
Board OF Health have promised to do
everything in their power to aid my
cause. For this reason / look forward
to success"
Dr.. Simon Baruch, physician of New
York City, the worlds greatest living
authority on hydrotherapeutics and the
man who first planned the free baths
of New York City and afterward in
troduced them to nearly every other
large city of the United States. de-
clared yesterday evening at the ST.
Francis Hotel that San Francisco would
soon have cleanly free baths like other
cities. His words are fraught with i'm
portance, for in view Of his actions in
the East his assurance is to be relied
upon.
SCHOOLS FIRST IMPORTANCE.
in this city Immediately on his arrival
last week. He first visited the Lick
baths, where tubs are used. and then
stopped for a time at the various
plunge baths about the city. He saw
that San Francisco really had no free
public baths and he set out at once to
interest Mayor Schmitz and several
about San Francisco in a
movement to build such baths
His first idea is the establishing of
free baths in the schools He will point
out TO Mayor Schmitz in his letter to-
day that these baths can be instituted
at a very slight expense. He will show
how they have succeeded in other
cities; how the little children clamored
to bathe regularly; how they grew
neater in personal appearance each
day; how en era of respectability about
the schools began to grow and how
the lNHuenC6 OIL ln6S6 DdIDS IRdCHeQ
the homes and raised them up to a
cleaner standard of living.
Dr. Baruch declares that the free
public bath is needed more in San Fran
cisco than in most cities. He points
out that because of the cool, medium
perspiration flows to less de-
gree than in warmer cities and that the
people do not realize the necessity of
bathing because of this fact. All the
he said, because the perspiration here
is not great enough to carry off much
of the dirt
SHOWER BATHS BEST.
DR.. Baruch is working for the estab-
lishment of shower baths where every
one can enter and battle. He does not
intend them for municipal charities nor
for places of amusement, but as sani-
tary necessities, just as public parks ]
and food laws. The shower baths
alone, he believes, solve every problem
pensive Of installation. they are clean, J
do the cleansing perfectly and require !
little attention.
In New York City there are now six
great public baths and in another year |
these will be increased to eleven. They |
viii then battle 100000 people an
nuaIIv One bath alone took care of |
lU.UuU pbOpl6 Adol tdi anu OIljy COSL 4
$4,000 to maintain. Philadelphia |
free bath was built for $4,000 and in |
one year 100000 people were given
baths.
San Francisco is the only great /
,ity." continued DIR. Baruch, that has |
40 free public baths The Lick Baths
were supposed TO be free baths, but II
ind that they are not really so. They |
are antiquated tub baths. requiring |
hours of attention every day. The ,
shower baths are more convenient, far /
cheaper, quicker. take less room and /
10 the work better. Get them into the /
schools first and then let the idea grow
lpon the public that public baths are ,
-eauy the necessity that they are"
DR.. Baruch has been in California re-
,ently investigating the properties of
he mineral springs in the State. He I
iays that he has found wonderful hot |
springs and waters charged with
minerals that will cure chronic diseases
Ind that Californians will no longer
De compelled to search for foreign
Iprings when suffering from gout or
DR. Barueh will leave for New York