With the subject of the bathroom before us, it would seem to be in
order to promulgate the only really true theory of bathing. But this
is not a treatise upon hygiene, and the world already has been flooded
with advice on this subject, ranging from the urgings of those
amphibiously inclined folk who would each day run the whole gamut of
splash, souse, and scrub, to the theories of the dauntless Chicago
doctor who would put all humanity on a level by abolishing bathing
altogether. So we shall merely discuss the means of making the
bathroom attractive and serviceable, trusting to our individual good
sense for its proper use.

Everyone has heard of the good woman who was showing some friends about
her new home. The bathtub was an object of special pride. "Why," she
exclaimed, in a glow of enthusiasm, "it's so nice that we can scarcely
wait till Saturday night." We may laugh at her naïveté, but there is a
good deal more of the "waiting for Saturday night" proposition than is
good for--some of our neighbors. And, on the other hand, there is more
of the heroic sort of bathing by faithful devotees of cleanliness than
is necessary.

The persistent spirit will have his bath, if it has to be with bowl and
sponge in a cold room. But while most persons are persistently
cleanly, bathing in the interest of healthfulness should be regular,
and it should be enjoyable, and it cannot be either unless the bathroom
is properly equipped and is ready for service when wanted. Even at
some extra cost, it should be made possible to secure hot water
promptly, and without agitating the whole household, at any reasonable
hour of any day of the week. No family that we ever knew went bankrupt
on account of the cost of hot water for bathing, and if they did they
would have a pretty valid excuse.