New-York tribune., 1908-07-12
PARIS BATH PEDLER OUT ON THE DAYS HUM ~"
'"'o 0''
MORNTNG TUBS IN Paris.
Y Pedler TrundIes Hot Wdter from
House to House.

r,bo s,,n,n,er heat wave that reached PARIS
arrine the present week is accompanied by the
,nnearance in the streets of thousands OF neat
LITTLE handcarts surmounted by brightly DUR
nished copper cauldrons containing polilhs "a'o.
TO fill the small bathtubs of Parlslans Oh sliidii
means This is a revival of custom Oh tne
Middle Ages and is curious to note IN a Guy
where all the latest comforts are suppheo III
he large luxurious apartment houses, ont "here
coTnparatively little has so far been accolh-
,lished for the dwellings of the poor. The aV-
praee Partisan is a firm believer in hot water
phlutions and the hotter the Weathel tile AoN
Per the bath seems to be the rule.
II is a cheerful sight when the pedler trunoies
tis cart along a line of apartments crying:
"Eaths messieurs! Who desires to take
hath this week? Take wash before you WISH
the Grand Prx, Doctors recommend IL peioie
you so to the country on vacation! F1ne not
bath for ladies and gentlemen! ENJOY clp III
-FOUR own rooms in an iron tub guaranteed ho'
70 leak. Two pals of genuine and exceedingly
warm water supplied to each bather, all for the
small sum of 80 cents! / wait while you batne
but | do not hurry you. NO. nlaodiie,
we do not furnish the soap since tastes olief
in that rticlc and there is truly little call for it.
Many Of our customers hold that beauty suffers
from reckless use of soap O.. regret we
bo,a no towels Yes m'sieu, two pals
are the regular allowance, ample for an eXten-
sive bath but furnish quart extra for five
cents l guarantee the water hot, since nave
I. -elIed but a few blocks from the central sta
ton and washed only three persons IN this tub
Ie+ me see four including the fat cabaret keeper
of the RatignolIes Pardon, madame,
do not think it in the line Of duty to inform you
whether your neighbor, the milliner, bathed to-
day However since you are so generous-IO
cents is my usual douceur-1 Will not deny she
has been strangely negligent for lady of her
position Only one pail she ordered this week
and that without the tub 1t Is as you
saw madame-what she does with the water is a
mystery Perhaps she bathes in the dishpan
But am not used to gossiping about my Gus
toners"
Naturally there is a great cranng of necks at
windows and spying behind curtains as the bath
pedIcr comes down the block and all the neigh
bors want to know Who's Who to Get Washed
The cart and its ambulatory bath is direct
descendant of the bath man of the thirteenth
century. who in the early hours of the morning
used to pass up and down the streets crying
Ladies and gentlemen, the baths are ready!'
In the year 1892, there were tWenty-six of these
bathing establishments in the infant city, and as
soon as the bath crier had passed, there was
general stampede to the baths. In fact, SO
prompt was the action of the public that a po-
lice regulation was issued forbiddfng the bath
cricr TO start on his rounds before I in
the morning, as the streets were unsafe for
honest citizens until the sun was well up, by
reason OF the thieves and marauders who in
tested the dark, crooked alleys by night
In thus practising the daily bath, taken IN
more or less luxurious public bathhouses the
Parisians were but continuing the excellent
hygienic education given them by the Romans
., tho courSe of the four centuries of their
domination in France. The Oldest building in
Pa,is-the Abbey now the Museum of Cluny-
contains a magnificent and we'll preserved speci-
.,, ne .,. Roman hath There were natural