186 



BATHING. 



not mucli traffic. Some beautiful smooth roads tlirougli 

 the Luxembourg gardens have been made of this powdered 

 asplialte^ and without the use of heavy rollers^, the hot 

 smoothing irons only being nsed. 



Bathing. — With the boulevards one naturally associates 

 the quays^ planted in every available spot with trees^ and in 

 Paris the public swimming baths are all on the silent boule- 

 vard. However, the Seine at Paris is not a noble river^ and 

 the ugliest things to be seen from its banks in summer are 

 the floating baths, which in some places half cover its surface. 

 But public bathi^ig is a matter of the highest importance, and 



Fig. 50, 



Interior of floating bath on the Seine. 



it is perhaps better to have floating baths on the river than 

 tolerate the astounding exhibition of naked humanity which 

 may be witnessed on the Serpentine on any warm summer 

 evening. My friend Mr. Gibson, of Battersea Park, thinks 

 these floating baths would be a desirable improvement on 

 our river, and from its size they need not produce such an 

 ugly effect as at Paris. "With a clean river, a constant cur- 

 rent of fresh water is a great advantage of these baths ; and 

 then they are not costly, and are closed in from public view. 

 But whatever may be thought upon this point, it is certain 

 that there is no question connected with the healthful exer- 



