Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1864-02-18
LIVE THOUGHTS.


EDITOR INTEIlGENcER believing
that the sentiments contained in the
following extract cannot fail to be APP.
preciated by those who prefer liz.
thoughts to fossils, l send II TO you
with request to insert the same. II
is especially commended to parents
and young people. 1t is from a, dis.
course by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
The whole can be found in the " Y.
Independent of January 2Sth 1864.
Yours Truly, j. w. S.
A proper degree of attention should
be given to human and comparative
physiology. There is now shameful
ignorance with regard to the structure
and the laws of our own bodies, and
their relation to the natural world. |
say shameful, because to very great
extent men glory in this ignorance,
and are really ashamed to know any.
thing respecting themselves. | am
sorry to say that mothers do not think
it needful to know much about the hui
man system, aud that they think it
needful to tell their children less. The
day will come when The mother will
not only teach the child the Bible and
the Catechism, but the facts of its own
physical constitution. What the brain
means what the lungs mean what
the stomach means what the blood
means what food means what it
does, or ought to do; what air means
what the great laws of health are
these things will become a part OF
nursery lore. And when that time
comes, men will not be obliged to have
physicians, as they have engineers on
railroads, to run the train for them.
Every man will become his own engi-
neer. But now, if man is ailing. he
does by his body as he does by his
watch-sends it to the doctor, expect
int that when it is done it will be sent
back, ticking and all right think
that in multitudes of instances human
life would be augmented full fourth
part by simple knowledge of how to
use ones self. ..,,.
l may be permitted to give you the
benefit Of my experience. ta5
Ifrom year to year undergo great
deal of work, and have for more than
twenty-five years and it has been
predicted, ever since l could remem-
Der, that was ON the point of break
ing down under excessive work. And
people have said, How eau you en-
dure SO much labor ?" do it simply
by economizing my strength, and
knowing how to use it. With good
constitution to begin with, had the
blessing of father who told me some
thing about my own body, and inspir-
ed me with curiosity to learn more ;
and betook myself to the study OF
the structure of the bodily organs
and for twenty-five years the relation
of thought, and food, and exercise, and
rest, and sleep, to health, has been
such matter Of daily care with me,
that for me to observe the laws of ma
ture in this regard has at last become
an instinct. And to that | attribute
my power to labor so long and so
much. ! have been able to put a
fourth more work into my life on the
simple ground that knew the laws
of my own body.
Now feel that every young man
is entitled to the same knowledge. 1t
is his birthright, bis common right,
and his patriotic right.
/ am not saying that there is no
need of professional knowledge, or that
there is no need of professions. This
say, that just as soon as you can diff
fuse, as general knowledge, that
which hitherto has been locked up,
and supposed to be the property of the
professions, just so fast it not only be.
comes more and more beneficial to
the masses of men, but in a long run
it reacts. and raises the professions
higher and higher-because every pro-
fession is obliged to go up in proper
ton as it is followed up by the great
mass Of men. Sometimes it is said
that the Gospel is failing because men
do not attend church any more, and
cannot get ministers to interest them.
The reason is that the community is
growing faster than professional men
in moral things. think there never
was an age of the world when there
were SO many able ministers as now.
/ think the average preaching of to-
day is eminentiy wiser, and more prac'
teal, and more efficient, than it has
been at any former period. 1t is not
because ministers have run down SO
low, but because the people have gone
up SO high, that the gospel seems to
be on the decline. The wants of the
people increase, and their conscious
ness of their wants increase, more rap
idly than ministers are able to meet
them. And so it is with every profess
sion. As men increase in the know
ledge of the professions, that know
ledge reacts upon the professions, aud
obliges them to 60 up higher and
higher.
II DISORDERS from Lees army saw that