Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-11-29
Chemistry for Girls.

This is properly styled utlitarian age, for the
inquiry, "What profit Z" meets us every where
IL has entered the temples oflearning and attempt
ed to thrust out important studes because their i'm
mediate connection with hard money profits cannot
be demonstrated. There is one spot, however,
into which it has not generally intrdued itself
the female academy-the last refuge of the fine arts
and fine follies. Thther young ladies are too fire.
quently merely to learn how dress tastefully
and walk gracefully, play, write French, and make
waxen Plurnes and silken spiders-all pretty, but
why not inquire "what pro6t!"
take my pen, not to utter dissertation on fe-
male education, but to insist that young ladies be
taught chemistry. They will thereby be better
qualified 10 superintend domestic affairs, guard
against many accidents to which households are
subject, and perhaps be instrumental in saving life
We illustrate the last remark by reference merely
TO toxicology.
The strong acids, such as nitric, muriatic, and
suphurc. are virulent posons; yet frequently used
IN medicine and the mechanic arts. Suppose
child, in his rambles among the neghbors, should
enter cabinet shop, and find saucer of aqua for
t's (nitrc acid) upon bench, and in his sport,
seize and drink portion of it. He is conveyed
home in great agony. The physician is sent for;
but before he arrives, the child is a corpse Now
as the mother presses the cold clay to her breast
and lips for the last time, how will her anguish be
aggravated to know that in her medicine chest, or
drawer, was some calcined magnesia, which if
timely administered, would have saved her lovely,
perchance her first and only boy Oh, what are
all the bouquets and fine dresses in the world to
her, compared with such knowledge
Take another case. A husband returning home
on a summer afternoon, desires some acidulous
drink. Opening cupboard, he sees saml box,
labelled ''sats of lemon" and making solution of
this. he drinks it freely. Presently, he feels dis
tressed, sends for his wife. and ascerans that he
has drank solution of oxaic acid, which she has
procured 10 take stains from linen. The physician
is sent for; but the unavoidable delay attending his
arrival is fatal. When he arrives, perhaps he sees
upon the very table on which the weeping widow
bows her head, piece of chalk, which if given in
time would have certainly prevented any mischief
from the poison.
Corrosive sublimate is the article generally used
couches A solution ofit>is laid upon the floor in
tea-cup, when the domestics 60 down 10 dine
leaving the children up stairs to play; the infant
crawls to the tea-cup, and drinks. Now what
think you would be the mothers JOY, If having
studied chemistry she instantly called TO recoec-
ton the wel-ascerained fact, that there's in the
hens nest an antdote toIhis poison She sends
for some eggs, and breaking them administers the
whites Her child RECEIVERS; and she weeps for
JOY. Talk to her of noyels-one little book of ma
tural science has been worth to her more than all
the novels in the world.
Physicians in the country rarely carry scales
with them TO weigh their prescriptions. They ad-
minister medicines by guess, from teaspoon or
the point ofa knife. Suppose common case
A physician in hurry leaves an over dose oftar-
taremetic generally the first prescription in cases
of bilious fever) and pursues his way to another
patient, ten miles distant. The medicine is duly
administered, and the man is poisoned. When the
case becomes alarming, one messenger is dispatch
ed for the DOCTOR and another to call in the neigh
bors to see the sufferer de- Now there is, in ca
mister in the cupboard, and on tree that grows by
the door, remedy for the distress and alarm-a
sure means of saving the sick man from threatened
DEATH strong decocton OF young hyson tea.
oak bark, or any other astringent vegetable, will
change tartar emetic into harmless compound
Vessels of copper often give rise to poisoning.
Though this metal undergoes but little change in
dry atmosphere, it is rusted if moisture be pres
ent, and its surface becomes covered with green
substance--carbonate or protoxde of copper. a
poisonous compound lthas sometimes happened,
that mother has, for want Of knowledge, poisoned
her family. Sourkrout, when permitted to stand
for some time in copper vessel, has produced
death in a few hours. Cooks sometimes permit
pickles to remain in copper vessels, that they may
acquire rich green color, which they do by ab-
sorbing poison
Families have often been thrown into disease
by eating such dainties, and many have died. in
some instances without suspecting the cause
That lady has certainly some reason to congratu-
late herself upon her education, if under such cir
cumstances, she knows that pickles rendered green
by verdigris are poisonous, that the white of an
egg is an antidote. Illustration might be multiplied
but our space forbds. Enough has been shown
we hope to convince the utilitarian that knowl-
edge of chemistry is an important element in the