The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1852-06-04

and overhDwlng with activities, all souret
and cramped with these ills of the body
usefulness checked, merry household;
darkened, character itself weakened, anc
worse than all, infinite ailments transmit
ted 10 other generations is bed enough
and does no. need many words wasted
on il. n
But wha. are the causes of it all? is
the practical question.
conceive for one cause, that the whole
race is no, thoroughly dccl;mdted, md
that the effects are felt most by the weak,
est part of 1.-THE woman. Bu: :the grea,
and all.sufficient reason is most plainly ia
be found in the habits of our women. II
is one of the best tokens Of American
civilization, that the woman holds here
20 high placer-bigher than in any soci-
ETY. have yet know. But there is dan
ger Of taking too much care Of her. We
can certainly honor her sufficiently With.
out resorling to such a hot house system
as our present. There is no country Of
Europe, believe; where women take
go little exercise in the open air as they
do in this. In England, on many day,
when 10 lady here would soil her shoe
out of doors, have walked with ladies' for
miles, through mud and snow or heavy
mist. In Berlin there was never brigh,
winters afternoon, IN which we did not
mike up skating party Oh the "mead
ows." where indeed all the "beles" Of
The city were collected. ln Hungary, a
horseback scamper over the plains, or q
walk in the gardens with the ladies', were
as common az the meals. And through
ont Southern Germany, Italy, France,
even where there are no more vigorous
exercises, an afternoons promenade in
the parks or on the baslions has come to
be almost necessary of life. 1t seems
as if.al the people Of those countries de-
lighted in The sun light, much more than
we. The ladies' read, sew, eat in open
air in arbers and gardens, far more than
is ever the custom here. Then, in the
lower classes, the women are obliged to
work much in the fields, in some respects
thing not to be approved, yet on the
whole, by no means so degrading GUS
tom as we often think in America. Ii
brings as one happy result a. least, The
full cheerful health which God "designed''
TO be the natural accompaniment Of life
There is an unnatural delicacy among all
our women about exposure. IT people
only would learn tha. rain and frost and
snow are not half such poisons as the
close, vlia,ed air, which sleams all day
within heated walls!
An English lady with her stout boots
and shortened skirts, makes no more of a
mud or snow walk than of the pleasantest
rambIe. The walk becomes as much a
necessity as a dinner, and there is soon
real pleasure in breasling the rough
weather. &
No one appreciates enough here the
value of mere sunlight TO the health. |
have often wondered 10 myself whether
il might not effect our more delicate ner.
vous organization, even as i: does that ol
flowers.
A good par, of the in door habits Of
American women is due probably TO the
absured costume in vogue for bad health.
Of this is ncombept on our sex
in the presen, stale Of public opinion
10 speak little. But we can at least say.
that if fashion is TO make our women a
set ofheIpless Chinese ornaments for the
household, only to appear in pleasan
weather, il is time some change was be
gun.
The contrast in Ills matter Of out.doo
exercises is almost as observable anon!
the men of this country, as the women
| have already, in my letters from Eng
land, spoken Of the universal love Of the
people for manly sports. Games, which
only boys follow here, are the amusemen
Of men there. The same fact is TO bt
observed in a somewhat different mode
throughout the continent. Studying men
business mon, everywhere in Europe
continually recruit and freshen themselves
with these open air sports. Walking
fishing, cricketing, rowing, riding, are
regular parts of a mans life as much al
work.
The truth is, it all connects itself will
another wide fact, which is stamping ouI
national character; zoe ,cork too hard =
There is no, enough Of national, health,
amusement. What amusement we have
are mostly ofa wearing, exciting kind
which injure the body as much as 'b
hardes, labor, and are vastly more de
stmctive to character. The aspect o
social life here, brigh. as it is with the in
cessant Intellectual power, is painful
The geniali,y, the sociality, the pleasan,
ness, the mutual confidence and self
sacrifice, which so cheer the Germal
family life, and the English and Iris
BONES, are not here. Men are great
and philanthropic, and good in gram
directions, but mol in petty.
| Families separate early, the young an
old do not live together, each one is
hero, and must press on, and the NOR
llender affections and relations are lorgo
ten. |. is, surprising, the contrast be