The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-08-19
Waste Of Health and Strength in
the Young.

Waste Of Health and Strength in
the Young.
Let me ask you, ladies, with all cour-
tesy, but with all earnestness, SAYS
Health and Education, are you aware
that more human beings are killed in
England every year by unnecessary
and preventable disease than were
killed at Waterloo or Sadowa7 Are
YOU aware that the great majority Of
those victims are children7 Are You
aware that the diseases which carry
them off are for the most part such as
ought to lie specially under control of
the women who love them, pet them,
educate them, and would in many
cases, if need he, lay down their lives
for them? Are you aware, again of the
vast amount of disease which $50 both
wise mothers and wise doctors assure
mc) is engendored in the sleeping room
from simple ignorance of the laws of
ventilation, and in the schoolroom
likewise. from simple ignorance of the
laws of ply siologyf fiom an ignorance
Of which | sha mention 10 other case
here save one, that too often from igno-
rance Of signs of approaching disease a
child is pun ished for what ic called
idleness, listlessness, wilfulness, sulki.
ness, and punished, too, IN the nnwis-
est way, by an increase of task and
confinement to the house, thus over
tasking still more brain already over
tasked, and depressing still more, by
robbing it Of oxygen and of exercise, a
system already depressed7 Are you
aware. l ask again, of all this7 I speak
earnestly upon this point. because T
speak with experience. As a single
instance medical man, friend Of
mine, passing by his own schoolroom,
heard one Of his own little girls scream
ing and crying, and went in. The
governess, an excellent woman, bnt
wholly ignorant of the laws of physi-
ology. complained that the child had
o. late become obstinate, and would
not learn; and that therefore she must
punish her by keeping her, indoors
over the unlearned lessons. The faith
err, WHO knew that the child was usual
ly very good one, looked at her care
fully for little while, sent her ont of
the schoolroom, and then said "That
child must not open book for year."
"If I had not acted so," he said to me,
81 should have had that child dead of
brain disease within the year."
Now. in the face of such facts az
these, is it not too much to ask of moth
ers, sisters, aunts, nurses, governesses
all who may be occupied in the care
of children, especially of girls-tlrat
they shonld study thrift of human
health and human life. by studying
somewhat the laws Of life and health?
There are books Il may say whole
i literature of written by scien-
entific doctors on these matters, which
are, in my mind, far more important to
the schoolroom than half the trashy &C
comp'ishments so called, which are ex-
pected to be known by governesses.
But are they bought? Are they even
to be bought from booksellers? All, for
little kuowled &c Of the laws to the
neglect of which is owing so much fear
full disease, which if it does not pro-
dnce immediate death, too often leaves
the constitution impaired for years to
come. All, the waste of health and
strength in the young; the waste, too,
of anxiety and misery in those who
love and tend them !! How much of it
might be saved by a little rational ed
ucatiou in those laws of nature which
are the will of God; about the welfare
of our bodies, and which, heretofore,
we are as much bound to know and to
obey as the spiritual laws, whereon de-
pend the welfare of our souls.