KNIGHTS OF THE BATH

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18852, 15 April 1931, Page 3

KNIGHTS OF THE BATH

TUBBING THROUGH THE AGES. The history of the beginning of sanitation dates far back into the centuries, but its most recent chapters are being written in the western world. The ancient Egyptian filtered the muddy waters of the Nile. Rome built great aqueducts and sewers. At the height of her power and culture great men were produced in Rome, whether as a result of her progress in sanitation or not the fact remains that there was a close correlation. One of the greatest of the Romans was Marcus Portius Cato, a philosopher and statesman, who lived between the years 234 and 140 B.C. This philosopher-statesman was an important individual in the Roman senate. It was partly due to his influence, so say the histories, that Rome developed her famous public baths or Thermas. He was one of the first of the Roman noblemen to own a private bath. Cato, was more than 40 years old when his only son was born. He was proud of the boy that he would leave affairs of state every afternoon and go home to personally superintend the boy’s bath. Frequent bathing was practised by the majority of Rome's citizens. Probably as a result the citizens of Rome were the most vigorous and healthful men of all the civilised races of that day. Only recently archaeologists dug up perfect specimens of lead piping, well moulded carefully shaped, and intact after three thousand years of disuse. | The “Dark A?#c.” I After a thousand years of world rule the mighty empire of Rome gradually crumbled. A great body of barbarians from the north of Europe swept aver the decadent civilisation that Rome had set up in the south of Europe. Rome's famous culture and spirit of progress vanished from the earth. Thus began the period known as the “Dark Ages.” Small wonder that such a thing as a bath came to be a sign of nobility. Royalty made a ceremony of body cleansing. In 1399 Henry the Fourth, of England, founded a new military order—the Knights of the Bath. Knighthood was not new. For centuries kings and nobles had been promoted. Faithful henchmen were promised favours for the support of their warriors and their arms in battle. In war the lords created knights, before, after or during battle by the simple process of striking the kneeling soldier on the shoulder with the fiat of their swords, saying, “Rise Sir Knight.” At other times the creation of a knight took place with great solemnity with the

full rites of the bath. Under the care of two squires the candidate was shaved and had his hair cut. Then he was conducted to his appointed chamber where there was a bath hung inside and out with linen. Two ancient knights instructed him in the laws of chivalry while he was in the tub, the squires fulfilled their duties. At the end of the ceremony they poured water on his left shoulder, signing it with the cross. Thus slowly but persistently the plumber grew in influence and appreciation. Plagues that swept Europe only emphasised the need of sanitation. It might be said that if Europe had enjoyed earlier the services of modern plumbers the whole course of history would have been changed. Eastern Contrasts. In Japan, a quaint country of beautiful sunsets and colourful costumes people bathe twice daily. But, in India, where plagues continually cause the | death of thousands of families, little water is found, and no sewerage systems except the few installed by the British. The Indian women can be seen balancing on their heads huge water Jars, drawn from the town well or the sluggish, muddy river. The call for the bathtub and all that it stands for is nowhere better illustrated than in Jerusalem. Until the British occupied the city the people were entirely dependent upon the wells for their water supply. Epidemics swept the country, killing thousands. Now there has been greater sanitary progress during the past five years than in all of the centuries of Turkish occupation. As soon as the British were established, they made expeditions into the hills to find an adequate and clean water supply. They found several huge springs in the hills of old Judea. A reservoir was built and water was brought to Jerusalem by gravity. But this was not enough. Engineers began to clean and line the famous pools south of Bethlehem, known as Solomon’s Pools. These had been unused for several centuries. A channel for the water had to be cut from the solid rock for three miles, but water was obtained in abundance. Now the bathtub is following the engineer, and the demand is persistent and constant. The first bathtub in Arabia was installed in the palace of King Hussein in Dejeddah.