St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-09-29
UH0 are the Heuithy UoNurn
UIllOUU US.'

may be competent TO testify that thcr
sill are healthy women among us-rosy
checked maidens, with ample waists IN
we'll expanded chests, who can walk
mile or two to school, and >omglim,
help milk the cows middle aged, III
married women, with stout. wcll-kni
physique, plenty to do and chccrft
hearts, accepting and glorifying the mo.
mcnlll duties mothers who can be,
the reasonable number of six or ciglI
children, and look - wholesome still i
their green country setting a. ripcne
apples in autumn banging up amon
their glossy, dark leaves. These are ou
healthy women. They all have some
thing 10 do: and yet they are not over
burdcncl either with care or never end
ing labor. Now who are the health,
wom.n Of the great world When
used 10 be among them taking notes,
w;Ia immensely impressed with the fac
that it was invariably the women VIII,
had something TO do, and did it alway
with vigorous and reasonable enjoy
ment in the occupation. In the field, il
the factory, in the household, on til,
platform, i'll the study, in tie stulio
and in hundred other places, have
seen such women; but | never knew 4
thoroughly healthy woman who ha,
nothing 10 do except 10 get other women
t. make her pretty things 10 wear, anu
10 wear them herself, chiefly at mid.
mi.ht.
| am prepared to make the broad as
sertlon that the average health Of the in
tellcctually working women Of the last
twenty years, i'll this country, Is quite on
a par with that of 4 similar class OF men,
| affirm, moreover, that the health Oi
mind workers among men Is rather be-
low Than above the medium standard Of
health for men generally-rcason obvi-
Gus; tEcy stimulate mind ut the expense
ot body. On the contrary, the average
health Of women who coin money with
their brains is above the average health
of women generally-rcason obvious
they have gained an additional object in
life, have established balance OF lar
mony between mind and body, mos; of
them still retaining a fair share OF the
ordinary duties and privileges OF woman
hood. 1t remains for the public TO de
eide whether these assertions are correct
or incorrect. If they are facts, here is
one direct avenue TO health for women
all cady indicated. | believe, moreover,
that the health OF working women of all
grades throughout all the various occu.
pations in which they arc now engaged,
Is fairly equal-othcr things being exact
ly balanced-to the health of men in the
same or similar vUcations.
Mis-. Child, with her uLrcsting, earn
est. graceful pen, which has Instructed
and delighted the nation for these forty
years, has Yet SO Judiciously balanced all
this with household duties, that today
she Is comcly, portly matron, who may
he put forward with pride rs Il bright
eNcmplar to either SEX. LIrreIia Mott
at eighty, after 4 long lie OF many ac-
tivltle$, retains to-day the same vigorou,
mind in the still beautiful body.
In the country, our unhealthy women
are the laborcrs' OF farmers wives who
have many children, many tolls, few as
sistants, few diversions aud therefore,
many nerves and ailments and lew en-
joymcnts or points OF cheerful outlook
into the future. Their young daughters,
thin and saplcss at birth, are perhaps
fed on pork and cucumbers, and chained
to heavy baby during all the years OF
growth; and in young lady yhood they
diet on poor novels and are claimed to
the needle or the sewing machine. Even
country fresh air is not 4 fair offset to Il
regimen like this, 50 that both the red
and white damscls are as common here
about us the two patches OF red and
white flax in the country gardens, the
varieties having grown 50 closely togeth-
cr that the colUrs are greatly mixed
The domestic women are not ali dead
yet, either in town or country, and the
female sex has not yet gone ut MUSE TO
Newport or TO Saratoga NO end of
toll is perhaps quite as lad rs no begin
ming. Incessant brain-work is doubtless
" S>'NiS i'"i " tiIS iiSi NuuS y sum Dul
ceasclcsS nursery details, added TO the
endlesSly repeating processes OF the three
meals-a-day administration, are Il tax
UNNECESSARILY more severe upon any hu-
man organization, male or female. The
one may have slain its thousands of
American men, but the other, with It's
steady twenty-iour hours Icat of care,
never wholly laid down even in sleep,
has slain lis tens Of thousands Of Amcri-
can women. Nerves Certainly. Not
until the maternal heart ui the nation
has found the conditions where it can
rest and ENJOY TRANQUILITY, free from all
haras,lng cares, some few hours at least
out Of every day, may we ever expect
except nerves, either for the
mothers or for their children. Give ev-
cry matron three full hours daily for her
own enjoyment, and persuade her to
spend 1t IN the open air exercise Of brain,
muscle and lungs; and depend upon it,
despite any exhausting pccnliarities OF
our Western climate.
Fashion will undoubtedly 90 on still
teaching her votarics that there is ex-
quiaitc beauty and refinement alike in a
lady's small waist and in her delicate
health. While she docs this her follow
ers will unquestionably continue TO lay
a little health daily Tor nightly as Il