This winter has seen considerable improvement in the accommodations of the gymnasium. New lockers and apparatus have been put in and several desirable changes made. But there still remains one department which is capable of change for the better. This is the bathing department. It has long been a standard complaint that the small stone bathtubs for sponge bathing are far from what they ought to be. Many men speak of this and shun them entirely after a single trial. Yet Dr. Sargent prescribes sponge bathing for many men and if his instructions are to be followed these tubs must be used. The trouble is that they are flat bottomed and do not drain well, so that much of the sediment remains in them after men have finished washing. This is particularly liable to be the case in such tubs where much water is not needed and the rather small amount used does not flow out rapidly so as to carry out all the sediment and leave the tubs perfectly clean.

There is but one remedy. The tubs must be reset. The cost of taking out the bottom slabs, altering the sides a little and replacing the bottoms would be considerable, but it would be well worth the money expended. These tubs are in such constant demand in the afternoons that towards evening they are often far from pleasant to use. To remedy this evil would put the gymnasium in a state one degree nearer the perfection which it aims at.