The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-03-16
Matters. of Health.

assimilation become weak and imper
feet if the man or animal is not daily
exposed to the direct rays of the sun.
Mr.. p, one of our merchants, came to
see me about his stomach. Dyspepsia
was written all over his face, was
shown in his movements and heard in
his voice. The conversation between
US was essentially the following:
Mr.. P.-"Doctor, if you will excuse
a street vulgarity, am played out.
l can't digest, can't work, have lost
my courage, fear l must stop"
Tell me about your diet"
''If you will excuse me, know that
is all right. have studied the subject,
and know my food is all right"
"How about your exercise?"
II have little gymnasium in my
store, and exercise an hour or two ev
cry day. / sometimes tire myself out
with these exercises"
"How about your sleep?"
"Wh,, doctor, / 60 to bed every
night with the chickens. At any rate,
l am always in bed by 8 o'clock, and l
rise by 6 o'clock in the morning, take
a hath, plain breakfast, and go to my
countingroom Once in the forenoon
and once in the afternoon ] exercise in
my gymnasium half an hour or so, but
| am getting worse all the time. Isn't
it cur;ousY My wife thinks l must
have cancer in the stomach. Moth
ing seems to help me. live the most
physiological life, but my digestion
grows worse and worse
about your counting-room; is that
light? is it sunny y
mo, that is one nuisance we have
in our store. The store is every way
pleasant, only that the counting-room
is so dark that we have to use gas
nearly all the time
That's it, Mr.. P, that explains your
cancer"
"Of course, you don't mean that
but 1 Isuppose it would be better if the
counting room was sunny"
"Why, Mr.. p, no plant OF animal
can digest in the dark. Try it. Plant
potato in your cellar Now watch it
carefully. If there is little light, that
pota.o will sprout and try to grow.
But surround it with the best manure,
water it, do the best for it, only you
shall keep it in the darI, it cannot di-
gest and grow. See how slender and
pale it is. Now open a window in
another part of the cellar, end notice
how the poor hungry thing will stretch
that way. Or give the stalk little
twist and see how it will lie down. 1t
has no strength to raise itself again.
No matter how much Of the best food
and drink you give it, it can't digest.
The process Of digestion, the great
function of assimilation can't 60 on
without the sunshine. Why, sir, with
your excellent habits, ifyour counting
room were in flood of sunlight, you
would be better in q week, and well in
q month. Mr.. p, did you ever go in
to the country late in the summer Z
OF course you have been. Well, did
YOU never notice where grain is grow
ing in an orchard that Part under the
trees is smaller than that outside and
away from the trees9 The land is ac-
tually richer there. For years the
leaves have fallen and decayed under
the trees, but Notwithstanding this. the
wheat is only half-sizc, and never fills
we'll. Now what is the difficulty
The sun shines upon it more or less
Yes, that is true; but that under the
trees does not receive as much sun
SHINE as that away from them. THAI
which is thus partly in the shade cam
digest so well. Why, sir, if you viii
move your counting room upstairs, ii
front, and stand where the sun car
have chance at you, even though it il
only three or four hours day, yol
will begin to digest your beef better
within three days. Have You ever no
ticed that the only grapes that become
perfectly ripe and sweet, that the only
peaches that take on those beautiful
red cheeks, and offer that lusciou.
sweetness, are those that are on tn,
outside, entirely uncovered by th'
leaves, and perfectly exposed to tn
sun? Gods laws are the same in th'
animal world. 1t is just as true tina
the only girls with red cheeks ant
sweet breaths, the only girls who be
come fully ripe and sweet, are thos
who baptize themselves freely in God
glorious sunshine. Don't you see
good many pale girls in your store
girls With bloodless, half. baked sor
of face, whose walking, whose voice
whose whole expression, Is devoid o
spirit and force2 Those girls are il