Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/123

 out and the hands only used. To these daily baths may be added a fortnightly or monthly visit to the public baths. Your landlady supplies you with two towels every week. All these arrangements must be made with the landlady before engaging a room so that no misunderstanding may arise in future. Whenever you go to engage a room, explain to the landlady what you want to have included in the weekly rent. Boot black, sheets, towels, service, hot-water in the morning, etc., are generally included. It is not true to say, as is commonly supposed, that owing to the severe cold one cannot take baths daily. On the other hand, it is necessary that one should bathe daily in order to keep good health. A landlady, I know, drove away her boarder simply because he would not take his daily bath. She often used to quote: "Cleanliness is next to godliness", and, no matter how cold it was, she used to see every morning that everyone in her house had a bath. Next to bathing come travelling expenses, which should not amount to more than 6d per week. By having your room in the neighbourhood of the place to be most frequented by you, you avoid the daily expense of travelling to the place, but on Sundays you may visit friends and spend a few pence in travelling. Of course, one week you may spend a shilling if need be and not spend anything the next week. It is always best, whenever possible, to walk so that you may have exercise at the same time that you save the money. Nothing can be better. Many do this purposely in England, not so much for the sake of saving a few pence, as for the sake of exercise. Walking three or four miles is a pleasure in the cold climate of England. Indeed, whenever it is possible in the cold weather, a brisk walk should be preferred to a ride in a train or a bus. Very often the latter proves injurious. I was once literally stiff in a bus. Even the bus conductors recognize the danger. At intervals they run with the bus and get into it when they are warm. Six pence per week on an average may be set apart for stamps, etc., though such sum is hardly necessary. If you have your hair cut twice every month, it would cost you 8d, so that 2d per week may be put down for hair-cutting. Of course, you shave yourself. One cake of Pear's soap would last a month. It costs 3 1/2 d. So then 1d per week may be allowed for soap. One penny per week may be set aside for tooth powder. This is rather extravagant. You can have a very fine and harmless tooth powder in precipitated chalk, four ounces of which can be