New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-27
Healthy Girls.

Canon klngeleys new DOCK on Health
and Education" is out. Its views and
girls, and are likely to be read with inter
est. Mr.. Kingsley acknowledges that there
ia in England what he calls period of ex-
haustion-a falling off in health and vigor,
for which ne seeks the causes. He finds
them first in the wars which ragged from
1879 till 1915, and which carried of ."the
stoutest, ablest, healthest young men, each
of whom represented, alas! a maiden left
unmarried at home, or married in default
to a less able man. The strongest went to
war; each who fell left a weaklier man to
continue the race; while OF those who did
not fall, too many returned with tainted
and weakened constitutions to inlure, it
may be, generations vet unborn" The sec.
ond and third causes of the evil are the un-
wholesome lives that people live, in bad
air, with insufficient exercise. and the pro.
gress of civilization and science which
keeps alive the class that used to die, keeps
them alive in their weakness-"preserves
them to produce in time a still less power
full progeny"
Mr.. Kingsley believes that not among in.
ralids only but in great majority OF cases
in all classes, the children are not equal to
their parents; and that this degrading pro.
cess goes on most surely and most rapidly
in the large towns, and in proportion to the
antiquity Of these towns. and the time
during which the degrading influences have
been at work. The first step toward the
cure of the increasing evil is. he thinks. to
establish public schools OF health. where
every girl, boy. woman and man shall ba
taught physiological laws. how to take care
which pres4 upon him: and where, too.
knowledge Of drainage. OF the value OF pure
water and air. shall be given to all young
men and women. In these schools the sexes
shall be separated. and the girls taught by
a thoroughly educated and practical woe
man. and the boys by man. He maine
tains, too. and thinks be. finds his proof in
the history Of Rome. Alexandria. Byzaue
tium and Paris, that the mental work done
by clever people without health is not good
or trustworthy work. The type Of brain
that belongs to q weak, scrOtulous, etunteG
body ''may be very active, very quick at
catching at new and grand IDEAS, but it
viii! be apt TO mistake capacity of talk foss
capacity of action. excitement tor earnesse
ness; yirulenee for force. and too ottsH0
With reference to the health and hardse
ness OF our ancestors. Mr.. Kingsley reite
crates that only the strong and active
lived. Population Increased very slowly in
the time. and the devastation by epidemic
was terrible. The average human life in
England has increased twenty-five per cent?
more rational and cleanly habits OF lite. So
it seems that life is saved by civilization
and science, but saved in miserable
condition: and now the study of political
economists and philanthropists is to ine
prove that condition. Besides the plan Of
health schools. Mr.. Kingsley proposes some
improvements in The English methods Of
teaching children. He says they are keeps
too still and too silent: they need to move
about q great deal. to shout, sing, and laugh
loud. and every teacher who enfOrces
silence commits an Otfense against reasOus
az we'll as against her or his pupils.
Ut course, there is vehement denuncias
ton Of the usual dress of women. and Of
the drunkenness of both sexes, which they
owe to ''this prefent barbarism and anarchy
of covetousness, 1niscalled modern civiliza.
ton. Ball playing is especially RECON-.
Mended tor girls, and the account of the
game as played by the Greek girls with the
accompaniment of song, sounds like the
report of a kindergarten. Sea bathing dOea
given OF 1t Is not attractive. In comparing
the modern English girl, whom be calls
Nausicaa, with his favorlte Greek maiden,
Mr.. Kingsley says:
''She goes TO the seaside. not to wash tho
clothes in fresh water, but herself in salt.
the very salt water, laden with decayiug
organism. from which. though not polluted
with a dozen sewers, Ulysses had to cleanse
himself. amounting. too, with oil, ere he was
ut to appear in the company OF Nausicaas
Of Greece.
She dirties herself with dirty sars wa.efs
and probaly chills and tires herself b&
walking thither and bacR, and staying inv
too long. and then haunts on the pies bee
Cizened in garments which for mOnstrositv .
OF form. and disharmonv OF colors woul1
have set that Greek Nausicaa'S teeth on
edge. or those OF any average HintiOD