Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-12-24
TO the ChuTe11e $.


Mr.. EDIToR:-AlloH me to make
critical remark through the columns of
your paper upon the much neglected
ventilation of the churches of our vii
lage. Although what Z shall say may
be alike applicable to each and every
one of them in general, yet | speak
more particularly and pointedly of the
NJ. E. Church.
Ventilation is one of the most nee
essary requisites to good health. And
yet there is no law Of hygiene more
frequently or more grossly violated.
There is,perhaps mot single house il
our village constructed upon proper
sanatory principles, and none more
worthy of censure,- severe condem-
nation, than our churches. We eat and
sleep, day after day, in poorly venti-
lated ouses;-send our children to
school four or five days week, to de-
velope their minds at the expense OF
their health, by combining them in foul
ly heated and vitiated recitation rooms;
go to church on Sunday and sit for
an hour and half in an over-heated
and unventilated auditory, and sum-
moning up what little vitality remains,
in dull and sleepy condition listen to
a dry and lifeless discourse, and then
wonder why it is our head aches; our
spirits are depressed; our chi ldren al.
ways complaining and ailing; our min
lister always dry, uninteresting and un-
instructive, and ourselves sleepy, mat
tentive and i'll at ease. Know, there
fore, if we are afflicted sour children
petulent, and our pastors sermons in
sipid, that of the prime causes Of all
this distorted and abnormal state of
affairs is the poorly ventilated atmos-
phere in which we live (exist) and
move. But if it is SO necessary that
our homes should be we'll ventilated,
where only limited number are con-
gregated together at any one time, how
much more nece Bsary is it that our
churches should be iudiciously and
we'll ventilated where such large con-
course of people usually assemble
Both the audience and the speaker de-
mand this. For how can a speaker
yentilate his thoughts in proper and
agreeable manner, or his audience at
tentively listen, and digest the thoughts
suggested, in an unventllated auditory?
Impossible! This was precisely the
status of affairs at the NJ. e. Church
on last Sunday evening { Dec. l9th);
and not person present, [ venture to
assert, but was more or less effected by
the oppressiveness of the atmosphere
therein Now, there is fault some
where,-no recent, but become chrom-
&c to all apprenticeship the temporal
management at least, of the above named
church. 1t is either gross negligence,or
willful disregard, or want of proper
knowledge of the laws of hygiene, by
those whose duty it is to attend to
this most necessary regulation of
church.; as we'll as gross insult to
those who are induced to worship
there. Nay, it is that which from a
spiritual outlook the church should be
free from the very.apptarance of--d Sun.
Directly it is sin against nature, and
indirectly against God;-io be little
metaphy sical--for whoever transgresses
the laws Of nature, is thereby guilty of
SHINING against the Author of those
laws.
Let the church take notice Of this
much-needed sanatory reform, and act
speedily, prudently and continuously,
for the comfort, and convenience Of
their minister and their audience, by
seeing to it. that the auditory at oil
tines is judiciously ventilated. This
it must do or be accused of pouring
out the souls elixir with one hand,
while sowing broadcast the seeds of
bodily infrmities and death with the
other. Verify, "Venenuns IN auro
bibtar. "--"Poison is drank from
golden vessels" But word to the
wise is sufficient Hoping that it may
prove so in this case,is the earnest wish
of your correspondent. HYaEIA.