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April 07, 2006
OFF LEASH: On baths
"Off Leash" is an occasional column by Fiddler. Past columns can be found here.
Cleanliness and godliness have long been linked. Christian theologian John Wesley believed the two are next to each other; a couple of centuries earlier, Francis Bacon wrote that bodily cleanness is due to divine reverence. The concept of ablution is older still, going back to the Torah, in which ritual washing is prescribed for removing spiritual impurities.
I was thinking about this during my monthly bath. In the summer, I am subjected to a backyard hosing-off; in colder seasons, I am carried upstairs and placed in the tub. I often make a half-hearted escape attempt (the sound of running water frightens me) but my resistance is brief and futile. In the end, I emerge dripping and defeated, whereupon I scuttle downstairs.
If this is the price for godliness, I suppose it must be paid. Still, I can't help but wonder what the devil has to offer.
Posted by teb at April 7, 2006 10:37 AM