The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1871-03-29
Keep Your Mouth Shut.

Keep Your Mouth Shut.
A few years ago, George Catlin
wrote a pamphlet, which was pub.
lished in England, and is now be
ing translated in most other Eu.
rOpean languages, on the impor.
tance of breathing through the
nose, in order to preserve health
lie has made observations on this
subject, first among civilized ma
tions. finding that individuals who
habitually kee. their mouths oper
are never very healthy or long
lived Aherward, he observed the
same thing during sojonrn OF
many years among the Indians OF
North and South America and he
has come to. tho conclusion that
there exists a definite law for
breathing and sleeping, obedience
to which mnst exercise the most
beneficial influence on the well. be
ing OF the human race, and which
cannot be too strongly insisted mp
ON. Mothers, and all others who
have children to educate, should
be persuaded Of it's great impor.
tance. that they may inculcate upon
their children and pupils the gold
ell lesson contained in these four
words. Keep your mouth shut"
Hitherto this advice has been con.
sidered only rs moral injunction,
to restrain children from talking
too much but Catlin prescribes it
literally, and insists that air should
only pass in or out of the lungs by
the nose, except in the act of speak.
ing or singing. lie is SO enthusi-
astic concerning the great value of
this simple hygienic recipe that he
closes the book will. tho following
remarks "If I had a million Of
dollars to spend for a charitable
purpose, surprising all others in
value, l would spend it to print
four millions Of my books, and dis
tribnte them among tour millions
mothers, rich as we'll as poor. l
would not obtain therefor any mon.
nment nor decoration of nobility {;
but | would, which is much better,
have obtained the peculiarly Joy.
ful satisfaction that I lad left pos
ierity a legacy of much higher
value than money ever can have"
There is no doubt that the ad.
vice is good. The air, by being in.
inhaled through the nose, is more
pc tcctly freed from dus;, and in
winter reaches the lungs in warm
er condition than when inhaled by
the mouth, (which is of great im.
portance to people with weak
lnngs.) 1t keeps the lower forward
portion ot the brain cool, when in.
hailed by the nose; while it dries
the saliva, and thus interferes with
when inhaled by the
month and those who sleep with
their mouths shut will not have
that dry, unpleasant taste when
they awake in the morning. and
are less subject to that nOctural
social misunderstanding.
There are a few other points of
minor Importance, but worth men.
Iioning. A habi,nally open mouth
gives most stupid expression to
any face, and. usually, only the ig.
norant classes have this habit !;
while the more refined generally
possess the opposite habit, aud
keep their mouths instinctively
shut.
However, in regard to the theory
hat life is shortened by the habit
II breathing through The mouth,
We are satified that it depends on
.nothsr canse, namely, q defect in
he primary organization OF the in
lividual. The channels OF the
,ose are often not left wide enough
o admit sufficient air for respira.
ion /; so that the individual is com.
,ellsd to fespire at least portion
Il 1t through the mouth. 1t lie q
act known by connoissears Of
,orses, toat when their nostrils are |
90 narrow they cannot stand |
much fatigue, are sbOrt-winded, |
,eyer live long, and soon break |
iown. Bot, as the horse cannot |