The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-16
EVILS oE BATHING

From the Washington Post
 Sir Almroth Wright, British authority on hygiene, is of the opinion that bath ing Ia not to be recommended as a prophylactic pastime. In his judgment, the making clean of the outside is not only useless. but positively injurious, since 1t opens up the way for the en- trance of innumerable enemies to good health. He says:
 ''There Is a belief that by washing peo- ple wash off the microbes. We do take off a certain amount of microbes, but we also destroy the protective skin which IS all round our bodies like the tiles of a house. When one has horny hand no microbes can ever get near the skin.
 This is a timely and well-directed blow against the soap, soup and salvation doc- trine, which has gained alarming head way in recent years, and which Is closely akin to the equally dreadful heresy that cleanliness is next to godliness. As with disorders of the body polite, the evil practice of bathing advanced by such im- perceptible strides that it became full
  aware. But now that reform movement has begun, we may hope to see the eus- tom gradually decrease, until happy hu- manity is thickly plastered over with health and dangerous microbes perish or hamilton within skin depth of abundant plenty.
 History certainly affords its significant ba nf ha thing Look at Rome and Greece, where the bath was the foundation of society and govern ment. They fell, and the glorious ages followed, during which there wasn't a single bathtub in all Europe, and the odor of sancity was so prevalent that one knew a holy man was in the neigh borhod if within 100 miles of him.
 But later generations fell upon evil times SWhen the black plague disap- peared and men gave up killing each oth7 CT as a natural pursuit the tenure of human life was so far prolonged as to leave much time on their hands. Every one knows what this means. The devn always finds something for idle hands to do. The trouble began in srnSl way, through the introduction of the Saturday night plunge, disrnalest of ordeals, when the struggling humunculus that went into the tub came out boy of quite differ ent color. AS time went on men grew careless, and were given to bathing at odd intervals during the week, whether they needed it or not. And now there are confirmed victims of the habit, who take a cold bath each morning. This vicious system was imported from England, fur thered by misguided doctors and preach CTS, and made popular by the writers or the class of fiction known as best sellers.
 Now that the tide has turned, we anx- iously await the moment when it's eob shall have left us high and dry. If life emerged from the water and. gradually evoluted to it's highest types on land, why should man fly in the face of science and providence by going back to water again? The present change means a whole new set of rules and system of morals but what of that? Henceforth we may eX- pect to hear the seashore maiden who dresses in part. but does not bathe at all, lauded as the pink of propriety instead of witnessing the finger of scorn pointed in her direction. She is merely fulfilling in measure the injunction of the ancient ditty:
 Mother, may I go out and swim?
 Oh, yes, my darling daughter;
 Hang your clothes on a hickory limb,
 But don't go near the water
 Of course, water may still be used In energ ergencies-internally, for instance. But even then it should be carefully diluted, despite Charles Lambs assertion that whisky and water spoil two good things.