Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-09-30
A WoRp OR TWO ABour BEp.CoyERIyG.

| A WORD OR TWO ABOUT BED-CoyERING--
People are very often short" in that golden
product called commonsense-a in relation
| to nothing more than bed-covering. What
! one sleeps under has a vital connection with
health; and many day is made misera bic,
just as the sleep of the preceding night has
been beneath proper or improper clothing. A
popular writer has the following:
aThree-fourths. of the bed-covering of our
people consists of what are miscalled com
fortables. viz: two calico cloths, with glazed
cotton wadding laid between and quilted in.
"The perfection Of dress, for day or night,
where warmth is the purpose, is that which
confines around the body sufficient of its own
warmth, while it allows escape to the rest
Where the body is allowed to bathe protracted-
ly in its own vapors, we must expect an un-
healthy effect upon the skin. Where there Is
too little yentilating escape, what is called IN
sensible respiration is checked, and something
| analogous to fever superyenes. Foul tongue,
ill taste, and lack of morning appetite betray the
error In all cases the temper suffers, and
{. NV dear this is execrable Coffee is probably
| the table greeting.
! "How much is the rosy health Of poor children
| due to the air-leaking bedrooms OF their pa
rents-and what a generator OF pale faces IS q
close chamber? .,.t.
| "To be healthy and happy, provide your bed
with the lightest and most porous blankets.
The finer the better The cheapest in price are
the dearest in health Comfortables' are un.
comfortable and unhealthy Cotton, If It could
be made equally porous and keepso, we should
prefer to wool The same for daily under
clothes. But more than else, let your chamber
be ventilated. Knock in a hole somewhere to
give your escaping breath an exit, and another
to give fresh air to your lungs in place OF what
they have expired SO shall you have pleasant
dreams at night and in the morning cheerful
rising, sweet breath, and good appetite These
blessings combined, will secure to healthful
parents a houseful of bright and rosy checked
memorials of rich and fruitful affection"
!. THE VALUE OF AN OLD MAN IN CHlNA.-The
reasonableness and placabihty OF the natives
were on one occasion, evinced in rather re-
markable manner at Chusan, while ! was there.
/ An Englishman had come across some wild
ducks in the canal inside the city, at which he
fred with ball, all his shot having been previ'
ously expended The bullet missed the birds,
and, glancing from the water, killed an old Chi
naman, who was sitting at his own door, en-
joying his pipe. !.
The unfortunate sportsman, Mortified at the
result of his silly oughtlessness, hurried away
to take counsel with his friends, who recon-
, mended him to trv to settle the matter with the
relatives of the deceased, to prevent their CON-
! plant from being laid formally before the au-
, thorities, who would be obliged TO award Il
. heavy punishment for such reckless careless
moss, With this view, one of his friends was
dispatched to visit the family, to condole with
) them for their loss, and to explain how tho
, rouahly it was the result of accident. de de-
plored the unhappy circumstance which had
E aepr;ved the family of so valuable and so re-
+ spectable a member, and pointed out the cheer
inc fact that he was very old, and in the natural
+ course of things could not have been expected
: to live much longer and that pecuniary recon-
+ pense should be made to console the tamlly lor
! a few months society they might have antiei
}. pated enjoying with him. They admitted that
) he was old. very old, and as he could not have
# lived long. they mentioned hundred dollars,
as a sum likely to have a good eteetln assuag
ing the bitterness of their atiiiction.
= The ambassador, delighted at hearing de
! mand so much more reasonable than he anti.
cipated, but concealing his satisfaction, pointed
!. out that the deceased was so old that he conld
I hardly have estimated his short remnant OF ex,
; istence at such large sum; that he had died
| very quiet and easy death, and that very likely
he was wanted in the other world, SO that the
| unlucky bullet might be esteemed messenger
I dispatched by the gods. He thought, therefore,
that fifty dollars, 10 MAKE d iease anu uulA' ~
plenty Of joss-stick and paper money, would pc
sufficiently satisfactory to the spirit of their de-
! parted ancestor The matter was finally settled
to the satisfaction of alkparties, by the payment
! of seventy-fve dollars and question whether
one might not have shot twothirds Of the old
boys of Tinghe at the same reasonable rate,
Notwithstanding the veneration in which old age
! is held.-Io,cers Book on ChiRa. t.
DISCIPLINE IN CHILDHooD,-Young people
who have been habitually grati6ed in all their de-
, sires will not only indulge more in caprcious
desires, but will infallibly take it more amiss,
,, when the feelings or happiness Of others re.
. ouire that they should be thwarted, than those