Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-05-23

is involuntary service. They arc equally
ambitious with the men to get ahead they
are too ambitious, and hours that should
be devoted to sleep or rest are given to
toll. The saying that "a woman's work is
never done" is literally true on the farm,
where she rises with the lark, and con-
tinues her work late into the night
But we intended rather TO speak of sani-
tary matters more general In their charac-
ter. Sickness is often brought into house,
hold by the neglect of very simple precau-
tons. A cellar that contains decaying
vegetable or animal matter may breed n
pestilence. One of the first things to be
done in the spring is thoroughly 10 cleanse
the cellar, 10 remove every thing that Is
offensive or that may become so. liza Gel
lar is damp, owing TO a want of drainage,
this should be attended to. Fevers have
been generated, and have gone through
whole family, originating from no other
cause. The civilizations of damp though
clean cellar may he deadly.
Sufficient attention Is not paid to the re-
moval of everything in the shape of stand
ing water or hidden cess pools in the vicin-
ity of the dwelling. We have often seen
such pestilence breeders within few yards
of the farmhouse when they might have
been removed by little grading of the
surface of the ground, or by draining. A
regard to appearances should be enough TO
lead any farmer TO abate such nusances,
but the health of his whole family may be
involved.
tNc c,,o al 1nr Il nt,,nr
upon the water of wells is discussed very
forcibly, in connection with other kindred
topics, In q volume on health recently pub
lished in Massachusetts. Judge French,
in a paper on "Drainage for HEALTH" shows
how wells become impure, and cause of
disease;
"Common soil is one of the best deodori-
zers. 1t will absorb and retain great a.
mount of corrupt and Cecomposing matter,
depending much on the character of the
soil. 1t may, therefore, be a long time be-
fore the deposits in the soil, however foul,
will extend even twenty or thirty feet.
Bearing in mind, however, that the clouds
give us three and a half feet in depth Of
water annually on every foot of our land
that, in addition 10 this, all that falls on
our buildings is poured down upon the
soil near them, and that all that is used in
kitchens and wash rooms is added thereto
and we see that there is flood Of water
which goes somewhere. The water in the
well stands ten to thirty feet below the sur
face. We know that drains in our fields,
four feet deep and fifty feet apart, carry off
all the water of the heaviest rain in forty
eight hours merely because the wafer, by
gravitation, seeks the lowest outlet. 1t is a
general rule in drainage that drains draw
water from distances in proportion TO their
depth. A well, therefore, operates as Il
very deep drain. No water will he found
near it, without digging TO the level Of the
wa err in the well. The well drains all the
soil in its neighborhoOd. Whatsoever fluid
permcates the soil tends toward the well,
and the problem is whether the soil through
which it passes from vaults and sinks AMI
stables, has capacity 10 purify it Oh the
way, so that ii is fit for daily family use"
No person of any sense will erect new
dwelling without attending to these impor-
tant ma tiers, and no one ought 10 occupy
an old one single season without making
Il thorugh examination into its sanitary
condition, and removing all probable
causes of disease. Health is worth great
amount of care for its preservation and a
thorough investigation Of the condition of
ones home should bp made every year.
The spring is the time to do il, and remove
all causes Of disease.-N. Y. Observer.