In this connection, a word may be said about what are known as 1Mikveh Baths?' These are very common in New York city and are usually located in the basement of tenements in the crowded sections. They are conducted as commercial enterprises, the charge for a hath usually ranging from 5 to 10 cents. At certain times of the year (e.g., the Passover) the use of these baths is compelled by religious custom for both men and women; and all women are required to use these pools tegularly within seven days after menstruation. The method of using the bath is minutely pre scribed in the Hebrew liturgy. The first compulsory legislation was by New York State in April 1895 (though a bathing and washing association was incorporated there in 1849); it obliged all cities of over 50,000 people to establish public baths and comfort stations, kept open the year round, with both hot and cold water, and 14 hours a day, and under such conditions as the local board of health judged proper; river, lake or sea baths not to be deemed a compliance with the act. Cities under 50,000, though not compelled, were permitted to use their funds or credit for the same object The first city to comply, and perhaps the first in the United States to furnish such con veniences in their full extent, was Yonkers, N. Y., not within the compulsory section. This town opened one on Labor Day, 1896; and an other of brick in 1898, with accommodations for 400 daily baths. Within the act, Buffalo opened its first in 1897; Albany, Rochester, Syracuse and Troy have since complied; and in New York the first one, five years after the act was passed, was opened in Rivington street in a closely-packed quarter, during 1900, at a cost of $100,000. It furnishes 3,000 baths a day of 20 minutes each, from 67 spray baths. In 1902 three additional municipal interior baths were contracted for in Manhattan, providing facilities each for 103 persons at one time.
At present New York maintains and operates under the jurisdiction of the borough presi dents free public interior baths, free floating baths and a large public bathing beach at Coney Island. For the use of these baths no charge whatever is made (except at the seaside baths, where a fee of 10 cents is charged). In Man hattan there arc 12 free public interior baths and 11 free floating baths (all of the latter, however, arc not put in commission each year). Brooklyn has eight interior baths, a large public bath at the seaside, and in normal years two floating baths. The interior baths are open daily to the public from 6 A.M. tO 10 P.M. and on Sunday from 6 A.M. tO P.M. Swimming pools represent a very important and attractive feature of these public baths. In addition the city provides baths in many of its public schools. Almost all of these are of the shower type. At present 67 schools are thus equipped and the High School of Commerce has a swim ming pool as has the College of the City of New York. The seaside public bath at Coney Island is a substantial concrete structure con taining 1,300 individual dressing rooms for women and 700 dressing rooms, each for eight persons, for men. In this manner 7,000 patrons are accommodated at one time. In a recent year (1914) there were over 10,000,000 free baths given by the city of New York in both floating and permanent baths. The average cost per bather during that year was a little over four cents. In Philadelphia the Public
Baths Association was organized in 1895; but the first to be opened was in 1898. in a crowded quarter between Fourth and Fifth streets. It is a building of 254 stories, 40 by 60 feet, constructed of brick and iron, with concrete floors and iron partitions. It cost about $30,000. It was built without a swim ming pool, having only shower baths—a sys tem favored where economy of space and water is essential; the People's Baths and the Baron de Hirsch Fund Baths in New York adopt the same plan. The Philadelphia establishment has a public laundry in connection with its own suit and towel laundry, where women and men in separate compartments can wash their cloth ing for a small fee, and single men make much use of it to wash their underclothing. Some of the old warm-season baths have since been made permanent, as in Newark, N. J., which so extended two in 1898, and in 1900 voted a third. Boston front 1897 to 1899 increased its publk baths to 33-14 floating, 10 beach and 9 others; 17 south of the Common and 16 north; and prepared to erect permanent structures in each industrial section of the city. The first of these was opened at Dover street in 1898— a fine brick and granite structure, with marble partitions and staircases, the whole with land costing $86,000. It has gymnasiums also, and medical directors for each sex to give courses of training, and for cases of accident or sud den illness. The intention is ultimately to make these baths places of public recreation, corre sponding to the summer playgrounds; thus reaching in the 20th century the point at which the Romans had arrived in the first. Brookline, adjoining Boston: has a handsomely appointed permanent municipal bath house. The State of Massachusetts has erected several splendid bath houses at the prominent beaches. Pitts burgh, Worcester, Kansas City, Utica, Holyoke, Providence, R. I., and numerous other cities have built substantial public bathing establish ments. Saint Paul, Minn., through the public spirit of Dr. Ohage, a German physician, now has a public playground, pavilion, etc., con nected with permanent bath houses on what was till recently a waste island in the middle of the Mississippi, near the business centre of the city and between tvvo main bridges. Like most of the other bath establishments, it is free, save a small charge for soap and towels; has free instruction in swimming, and is open every day, including Sundays. The expensive amuse ment grounds at Pulaski Park, Chicago, in clude swimming pools and locker houses that cost $70,000. The deep pool is 40,60 feet and the shallower pool 60x180 feet. The establish ment accommodates 500 bathers an hour. The installation of baths in public schools began in Germany, Gottingen leading the way in 1885 under the headship of the mayor and a pro fessor in the university. In the United States it was first taken up in Boston and suburbs; in 1900 a number of baths were put into the Paul Revere School in the north end, and in Brookline swimming is regular part of the school curriculum. But most of the school baths are confined to shower equipments. Many Y. M. C. A. branches, gymnasiums, clubs and hospitals now maintain semi-public bathing establishments, mostly equipped with showers but sometimes with pools.