St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-08-09
The Health Women.

SOME OF THE INFLUENCES WHICH WAR
AGAINST 1T.
Miss Frances Power Cobbe has the
following sensible remarks in the Con-
temporary Review:
Women are generally prudent enough
about their money. | have heard an
observant man remark that he never
knew well conducted woman who, of
her own fault, became bankrupt. But,
as regards their health, the very best of
women have propensity to iUe on their
capital. Their nervous energy, stimu-
lated either by conscience or affection
OF intellectual interests, suffices to ell
able them to postpone perpetuallH the
calls of their bodies for food, sleep, or
exercise. They draw large drafts OIL
their physical strength, and fail to lodge
corresponding sums of restoring rest
and nutriment. Their physical instincts
are not imperious, like those of men :;
and they habitually disregard them
when they make themselves felt, till
poor nature, continually snubbed when
she makes her modest requests ceases.
to press for daily settlement of her little
bill, and reserves herself to put in an
execution by-and-by. The vegetative
and the spiritual part of these women
flourish well enough but (as Kingsley's IS
Old Sandy says) "there is lack of
healthy animalism" between the two.
They seem to consider themselves as
fre-fiies issuing out of a rose, fitting
hither and thither to brighten the world,
not creatures of flesh and blood, need
ing to go to bed and eat roast mutton.
| OF fhn NJ, IL
Bull in his robust middle age, we shall
notice that for forty years, with few in
terruptions, he has enjoyed those
''reg'lar meals" on which Tennyson's
Northern Farmer lays such stress as the
foundation of general stability of char
acter. He has also walked, ridden,
rOwed, skated, smoked his cigar, and
gone to his bed (as nearly as circum-
stances permitted) when the inclination
seized him. If now and again he has
omitted to crafty his instincts, it has
been for business-like reason, and not
merely because somebody did not hap
pen to wish to do the same thing at the
same time. He has not often waited
for an hour, half fainting for want of
his breakfast, from motives of mere
domestic courtesy nor sat mOped in a
hot room through long, bright day to
keep some old person company nor
resolved his dinner into tea and mullins,
because he was alone and it was not
worth while to trouble the servants
nor sat up cold and weary till three in
the morning to hear about parliamen-
tary debate wherein he took only a
vicariOus interest. At the end of the
forty years of wholesome indulgence,
the mans instincts are more imperious
and plain spoken than ever, and, as a
reward for his obedience to them, his
organs perform their respective Offices
with alacrity, to the great benefit OF
himself and of all dependent upon him.
Pretty nearly the reverse of this has
happened in the case of Mrs. Bull. AL
most her first lesson in childhood was
to check, control, and conceal her wants
and miseries; and by the time she has
grown up she has acquired the habit OF
rpOstponing them, as matter of course
to the smallest convenience of A, B, c.
and ID, father, mother, brothers, even
servants, whom she will not '.put out
of their way" for herself, though no one
would so much as think whether they
had way to be put out of, for hel
brothers. The more strain there is up.
on her strength, by sickness in the
house, or any misfortune, the more
completely she etfaces and forgets her
self and her physical wants, recklessl,
relinquishing sleep and neglecting food
When the pressure is relieved, and tn,