Evening star., 1912-06-02
ENGLISH MRS. GRUNDYS
TO RESCUE RELICS
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Star.
LONDON, May %, 1912
ENGLAND really is waking up-most of
Il England. anyway. And among the
other venerable institutions that progress
in this country has doomed is the bath
ing machine. an instrument of torture If
ever there was one. OF late years some
OF the more go-ahead English seaside
places have been superseding these hor-
rible little boxes by neat huts or boxes
erected on the shore, thus following the
American fashion of bathing. A notable
exception to this is Southend. a populous
coast town near London, whose retrogade
county council has suddenly become
shocked at this rational method of TAX
ing a dip in the briny and has just pub
lished a stringent set of regulations oblig-
ing you to use bathing machine, and
quite pretty little revolution is now
waging in that town between the ina
chimes and "anti-machines," as the two
sides are dubbed.
1t is astonishing that anybody can be
found to uphold the old-fashioned style
of bathing. for more uncomfortable way
can hardly be imagined. Bathing ma
chimes. briefly, are four-foot-square shan
ties on wheels, with sloping roofs, and
a door approached by steps at each end
To hire one it is necessary to tender L.
cents to its owner. generally a portly,
weather-beaten woman.
The machines are stuffy, ill-smelling
places, usually barren Of pegs upon which
to hang clothes, and, if you are not the
| first customer of the day, dripping with
| sea water left by your predecessor
Your clothes are left in a heap on the
the briny deep. trying to remember the
number and location Of your particular
| machine.
No one surely can regret the super
| seding of this form Of bathing by the
| method imported from the United States
| which is found at nearly every English
seaside place now. The bathing machine
was necessitated by the spirit Of the
Early Victorian age; the idea of any one
| walking down the shore in a bathing
| dress would have Mortified folks i'm those
days. In some Of the earlier volumes OF
Punch can be seen pictures of machines
with hoods right over the steps, so tha,
no vestige Of the human form could be
| seen before it reached the water. The
agitation in Southend. therefore, Ii
rather surprising, and 1t is not to be Won
| dered at that several Of the inhabitants
are in revolt. Here are two delicious
samples of the regulations proposed:
"A proprietor or attendant of a public
bathing machine or public bathing tent
| stationed on any stand or part of a stand
appointed for machines or tents Sor the
| use of persons of the female sex. shall
| not cause or allow any such person who
| may have hired or may use such machine
| or tent for the purpose Of bathing. to be
| set down for such purpose at any place
| less distant than twenty-five yards from
| any place at which any person of the
| male sex above the age of ten years may
be set down for such purpose.
"A person of the female sex shall not
| while bathing. approach within twenty
| five yards of any place at which any per.
| son OF the male sex above the age OF
ten years may exclusively be set dowr
| for the purpose of bathing, or at which
any such person may bathe.''