The Cairo bulletin., 1914-01-03
"Shall We Battle. +"

"Shall We Battle.
Health Culture, a magazine which
must purely feel the need of public
ity and scent an early means of get
ting it, raises the question of wheth-
err bathing is beneficial or hurtful,
and reaches the conclusion that il
can do no good and may do harm,
says the Memphis Commercial APP
peal.
To quote:
Bathing is an acquired habit, UNI
necessary and even harmful. Cold
or hot water showers or sprays, and
any form of immersion, will be in
furious in the end.
"Man is an air animal, not q
water-beast
An aged woman asked ne il
1t was good practice to chill the
human skin with cold water to
warm 1t? Cold bathing is recon-
mended as body warmer, as is q
hot teddy of whisky, also a cold
cocktail Of whisky. Man has &C
quired many conceits.
"A bathtub is an enemy In th'
house. 1t is expensive and adds T.
the toll of women. Bathing begetS
false security against disease, weak
ems and Injuries the skin, extracts
bodily energy and magnetism. and
entails on society a needless habit.
IT there were no other argument
in behalf of the bath. than that Its
omission is anti-social that would be
sufficient to uphold its existence
Behind nearly all of the conventions
there is reason. The Celebrations OF
conventions often leads to Stiffness
and causes the thoughtless to con-
denim custom without looking under.
meath the surface for the hidden
principle. Bathing is as convention
al as observing the seventh, or any
other, commandment, Persons who
obviously, do not battle are ineligi-
BILE for the companonship OF persons
who do. Those who assert an anti
Tubing leaning are held in con
tempt in accordance with their sue.
cess in impressing the auditor with
their sincerity
Being conventional bathing Is
elaborated, oftimcs, into absurdty.
We are told by some fanatics upon
the subject that II will cure prcttv
nearly anything and that those who
battle rightly may safely throw phy
sic to the dogs. Some lay down a
rule Tor the frequency Of baths and
hold others to it, arguing that no.
body is decently Clearly who does
not battle az often as they do. or as
often as they say they do, which is
sometimes very different matter.
1t has been said truly no doubt,
that more lying is done about in.
comes and cold plunges tnan about
anything elese, and only the rarely
courageous will admit that they take
fewer baths than the very conven.
tional assert that they habitually
take.
Behind the convention that w
must battle often, and its offshoot
the Injunction to battle early ant
make 1T a cold bath, there is ius
as much sound reason as there Is be
hind the conventions for the main
tenance of moral order and cleanli
ness. Moreover The reason is mucl
The same. IS fsAagiets- ~ fssi
There arc clever sophists who cal
argue rursuasiyely that there is n,
earthly virtues as truth. chastity an,
a due regard for property right
should be held in high esteem. Leav
ing aside all points customarily gon
over in ethical disputation for an,
against the Seventh Commandment
and Others, 1T may be said that
code OF morals such as is provided /,
the portions Of the Decalogue deal
ing with mans relations with hi,
fellow beings is good working plar
for civilized society or for less en-.