Does Death Exist? New Theory Says 'No'

[alice wellintown]

The Wife of Bait for Snarks.

I always thought that Dixon would prefer not to punch slave traders or
marry women from Bath.

The bathing machine was a device which flourished in the 19th century
to allow people to wade in the ocean at beaches without violating
Victorian notions of modesty. Bathing machines were in the form of
roofed and walled wooden carts which would be rolled into the sea.
Some had solid wooden walls; others had canvas walls over a wooden
frame.

The bathing machine was part of sea-bathing etiquette which was more
rigorously enforced upon women than men, but was expected to be
observed by people of both sexes among those who wished to be
considered "proper".

Especially in Britain, men and women wishing to enjoy the sea were
usually segregated into separate areas, so that nobody of the opposite
sex might catch sight of them in their bathing suits, which (although
extremely modest by more modern standards) were not considered proper
clothing to be seen in by the general public.

"The third is its slowness in taking a jest.
Should you happen to venture on one,
It will sigh like a thing that is deeply distressed:
And it always looks grave at a pun.

"The fourth is its fondness for bathing-machines,
Which it constantly carries about,
And believes that they add to the beauty of scenes --
A sentiment open to doubt.



On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 6:23 PM, Keith <keithsz at mac.com> wrote:
> Is a bathetic tale a Swift allusion?
>