Tri-weekly journal. (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1847-188?, 1847-06-26
BATHING.

Animal life is sustained by three things-air.
water and food. The first is most essential,
and with the first two many may exist con-
siderable time. But most people appear to re-
verse the order. They make food their chief
aliment, and do with as little of the two others
as possible. They never think Of air, and seem
to be inflicted with universal hydrophobia,
blinking liquid in every possible form in prefer
ence. They appear to imagine that clear wa
ter is only requisite for washing, and then they
wash as little off the person as may be.-only
the hands and the face. ! was amused the
other day, to hear man in the BARRIERS shop
ask the barber, after he was done shaving,
"Does my neck want waShing?" as if mans
neck did not want washing every day. In my
early life was troubled with the headache, sad
ness and hundred other atrabilarious notions.
seldom passed summer without fit of sick
ness of longer or shorter duration. Three years
ago l removed to the seaside. where / have
abundance of free air, and where ! bath in salt
water almost daily, somtimes twice day, even
in March. Since that time, have scarcely had
an i'll day-my mind is as free as the air, and
my spirit buoyant as the wave. Myhealth and
strength are better than when was l6 years
of age. live in town containing Ii 900 in
habltaDts, and i suppose that half of them
never bathed in their lives-they would much
sooner think of taking voyage of 5000 miles
over the ocean, then Of being three seconds un-
der it. / know one man who Is over sixty
years ofage, who says he never washed all over
in his life yet he is healthy and respectable
man, and would be very much offended, if any
one were to call him dirty fellow. The cele-
brated Judge s., was remarkable for his mat
tention to personal cleanliness, and some times
wore his linen two weeks. One day young
lawyer undertook to demonstrate to him on
this subject. ''How often do you change your
linen?" asked the Judge. every day." was the
reply. "Well," said the Judge, what a dirty
fellow you must be!" Some people too, never
clean their teeth. | know one man who is a
good moral reformer, yet his breath is so Often
sive that is unpleasant to converse with him.
| have had some compliments paid me on ac.-
count of my writings, but never one which i
valued so highly, as the remark of a lady. "H;s
breath is sweet as new milk" can have no
idea of person being pious, who is not Clean
ly. 1t has been said, cleanliness is part of
godliness. | think it is very essential part.
There was great wisdom in the rabblnical
injunction, not to eat with unwashed hands-it
showed that he who first made it, thought bath
ing more important than eating. He who Great
ed the universe, evinced his knowledge OF the
properties of water, when he made 1t paiatable
to every taste; and he exhibited his sense of its
importance, when he covered three-fourths Of
the globe with water. If some people had Gre
ated the world, it would have been all land -
am often excited to laughter, when ladies ask
me, "Are you not afraid to live so near the wa
ter?' What do such ladies imagine water TO
be?
Multitudes of people shut themselves up b.
dozens, in shoemakers' shops, factories and
book binders, FASTING papers over the window
jornts to keep out the air, and then wonder
they are sick. If they would come outinto the
open atmosphere, and battle three times week
in the ocean, they might have less fancies, and
jump over five rail fence.