Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-12
FOR PUBLIC BATHS
Commissioners Also Favor
LaundrieS for General Use.
ISCHOOL SWIMMING POOLS
Instructions in the Art of Swimming
Part of Plan.
APPEAL TO BE MADE FOR FUNDS
Estimate to Be Included in Commits
sioners' Recommendations to Con-
gress-Public Benefaction.
APPEAL TO BE MADE FOR FUND!

gress-Public Benefaction.
Preparatory to submitting their annual re-
ports and estimates to Congress at the
coming session, the Commissioners are con-
sdering the ACCESSIBILITY of provid ng pubic
baths in the District They strongly favor
the establishment of Pubic baths, and last
year recommended that appropriation
be made sufficient TO build two. but Con-
gress turned it down This year. it is
stated, the Commissioners will ask for an
appropriation for the two public baths and
an appropriation With which to establish
public baths for lie accommodation of
pupils of the public schools, and the estab-
lishment of public laundres in connection
with the public baths.
All of the Commissioners are anxious to
provide some kind OF bathing swimming
scheme for the school children. 1t Is their
aim to make the scheme of such a nature
as to have swimming lessons as part of the
course of studies at the schools. They
think every child, boy girl, should learn
the art of swimming.
Possibly no one in the District is more
enthusiastic over The public baths in con-
nectiOn with the schools than is Henry B.
Davis, inspector of plumbing. He strongly
recommended their adoption by the Com
mssioners in his annual report, which was
submitted to them Yesterday and which
was printed in detail in The Star last night.
Backs His Suggestion.
In advocating this form of exercise and
pleasure for school children, he quoted the
following from authority on swimming:
Il have never yet found a boy or girl
who could walk who could not learn to
swim, and it is difficult for me to under
&c,
possessed by all, women as well as men.
girls and boys alike. Had l my way
would make 1T compulsory on every boy
and girl who attends school to learn to
SWIM.
He also said IN the Technical World for
August famous swimmer notes the water
annual yield of sorrow and misery, and
says: / have no hesitation in saying that
nearly all these sad events might be pre-
vented if elementary instruction In SWIM
ming and lifesaving were made compulsory
in public schools. And in the old world,
at any rate, new era Is dawning in this
ma tier, especially in London, where the
various school swimming associations, with
hundreds of thousands of adherents, are
teaching first of all "dry-land' swimming
in the Fairgrounds and then practical in
struction in specially erected swimming
baths under competent instructors engaged
by the school authorities
But learning the knack of keeping afloat
in the water, whether at school or else
where, is only a beginning. Men and wom-
en- of average strength ought to be able to
go more than a few hundred yards without
be coming utterly exhausted. They have the
strength, the wind, the endurance. What
they lack is knowledge Of balance and
breathing. Those who know how can swim
a mile with less exhaustion than their fell
lows who swim only $50 yards.
Little Time Required.
1T would appear to me- Mr. Davis said,
"a more useful part of the curriculum than
perhaps gardening, which knowledge nine
tenths will never use. A half hour a week
during one year would make every student
swimmer, and many of them experts, If
properly taught. Many learn to swim when
young without instruction and set to be
fairly good swimmers, when a little in
struction would have taught them in a
proper way and they might have been ex-
perts. equipped to save their own and
others lives If necessary If swimming
had been compulsory in our schools some
years ago the community would probably
have been spared the series of distressing
fatal accidents in the river during the past
years.
ut is the best of exercise when moderately
INDUCED in, and half an hour a week would
tend to make vigorous citizens as well as
teach the art of swimming properly, and
would also be of :undoubted value to teach
familiarity with the water and cleanliness
Baths SO provided for the teaching of school
children could be well used for free bath
houses at times not in use by the school
authorities"
Public Laundries.
In connection with the effort of the Com
missioners to secure these public baths it
IS also likely they will endeavor to establish
one or two public laundries In the District
This idea is something new and novel in
this part Of the country, although such
places are common throughout Europe and
Commissioner West, whose eagle eye is al
ways alert for something new and novel,
if 1T be Of benefit to the District is respon-
stble for proposing public laundries for the
District
1t is Commissioner Vests belief that a
public laundry should be connected with
every public bathhouse erected in the Dis
trict and to have each laundry supplied
with not less than thirty stationary wash
tubs, where the women of the poorer classes
can take their clothing to be washed, re-
qurinG only a trif1ing sum for soap and
other incidentals. Connected with each
laundry it is the Commissioners idea to
have drying ROOM, where the women
can take clothes after tine washing, to De
dried. either by hot air or steam. Commits
sioner West, in arguing in favor of this
public benefaction, says that such an estab-
lshmelt will be an incentive to cleanliness
and healthfulness and at the same time
prove economical to a large class of citi-
zens.
He is Of the opinion that these public
laundrles will be comparatively inexpensive
Although he has not inquired on them he
does not think each laundry will cost more
than 81 600. and If the Commit sioners sue
coed in obtaining at the next session of Con-
gress an appropriation for a couple of pub
lie lighthouses he says he sees no good
reason why two or three thousand dollars
cannot be devoted to the establishment of
public laundries
Approved by Mr.. Maefarland.
Commissioner Mcfarland is also of the
opinion that these laundries will serve
good puTposS, and he will lend his support
TO their naturalization He said they are
common in Europe. He pointed out, how
ever. that there is not as great a need for
such a public charity in this country as in
Europe, because there is not the same
amount of absolute poverty here.
Capt. William Kelly, acting Engineer Com
missioner in the absence of Commissioner
Morrow, refrained from giving his opinions
upon these public conveniences and bene-