The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-01-29
Avoid Tainted Atmosphere.

In this age Of sickness, disease, and
premature death, there is no theme
frought with more Importance to the
happiness and life of man than that
of health and how to keep it. No
subject more worthy ofthe attention
of wise men, philosophers and NOR
alists, and that really demands attcn-
ton like this. Every day develops
the fact anew that people are suffer-
ing and dieing because they do not
know how to take care Of themselves,
because they have not yet LEANED
the art of self preservation Many
people in spite OF adverse surround
ings live to be aged. Men have died
at hundred years old who had
used whiskcy and tobacco the great
er part of their lives, and conse-
qucntly there are people foolish
enough to believe that these two
forms of intcmperance are not par
ticularly hurtful. Some people live
in low lily ventilated houses, and do
not seem to think the question of air
Of any moment so long as they are
not smothcred. Some, again, will
keep a cesspool of decaylng filth and
vegetation at the kitchen door and
the thought never occurs to them
that these things poison the air, and
that poisoned air is one of the surest
generations Of troublesome and dan
gerous diseases. The air is the med-
um which surrounds the human fami-
ly as water does the fish, and is just as
essential to life. Study to keep it
pure and and hcalthful if you would
not have your choicest blessings
transformed into curses instead. The
Atlantic furnishes the following SEN
siblc words on this subject:
While we know, thus far, compar-
atively little OF the exact causes Of
disease, our knowledge at least points
to perfectly wcll-cstablishcd truths.
One of these is that man cannot live
in an atmosphere tina, is tainted by
exhalations from putrcfying organic
matter, without danger Of being
made sick--sick unto death. 1t is
true that not all Of those who live in
such an atmosphere either fall sick
or die from its effects; but it is also
true that not all who go into battle
are shot down. In both cases they
expose themselves to dangers from
which their escape is matter of
good fortune. Fewer would be shot
if none Went into battle, and fewer
would die of disease if none were en-
posed to poisoned air. Our adapta-
bility is great, and we accustom our
selves to withstand the attacks of an
infected atmosphere wonderfully
well; but for all that we are constant
ly in danger, and though insensibly
resisting, arc too often yielding to it.
Some, with less power to resist, or
exposed TO Il stronger poison, or
finally weakened by long exposure,
fall sick with typhoid fever or some
similar disease that springs directly
from some putrid infection. Ofthese
portion die; the community loses
their services, and it sympathizes
with their friends in mourning that,
sin the wisdom of a kind but inscru-
table Providence, it has been found
necessary to remove them from our
midst.
In this way we blandly impose up
on Divine Providence the response
bility of our own shortcomings. The
victims of typhoid fever die, not by
the act of God, but by the act of man;
they are poisoned to death by infec-
tons that are due to mans ignorance
or neglect.