Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-06-14
Light IN the House.

havo been cited 50 much, in recent Euplish
public ;tiou produces an article called Health
of Home" which is reIl,,e With wisdom. A
most import point, aud one On which he dwes
is the fact that 80 many people are afraid of the
light. IN dark aud gloomy house you never
can see the dirt that polIu,cs it. Dirt
ccunulates on dirt, aud the miud soon learns
10 apologz, for this co Idition because the
gloom conceaIs it, Accordingly, when house
is dark and Gingy, the air becomes impure. not
from the impurities which are accum 1lated.-
Now, as DR.. Richardson ceverly puts il. We
plsc1 ,Wers 10 our windows that they may
hav, the li9ht. If this be the case, why should
We deprive ourselves Of the sunshiDe and ex
poet to gain health and vigor? Light, aud
plenty OF it, is not only purifier of things in
auima1e, but it absolutely stimulates our brains
II is 10 regard TO sckroOms that this eX,elleut
authority is particularly impressive. 1t used to
DO the habit OF physicians 10 old Zines to sedul.
ousy darker the rooms, and this pracic, con.
| tuues to some extent even 10 day. 10 certaio
very acute Gases of nervous diseases where light,
the least ray vi it. dSturbs 10 Ov,r exoitiog the
visual org aus, this dsrkenng Of The room may
be pc1m,ted. bu: ordinarily to keep light GU! of
| the room is 10 deprive the patient of one of
the vital forces. Chi dren or old people cou-
| dcmnei TO tivs 10 datkoess are pale sod wau,
! Y .cy lk, thrs, plants which, deprived OF
| light, grow white. Darkoe,s 10 the daytime
| undoubtedly makes the blood f)w less strongly,
| and checks the beating of the hear, aod these
condlIioos are precisely such as briug ooUstltu-
| tioual suffering aud disease. The suppression
| = a. L. ~ i To- ~
| tagious maladies whlcn feed on uoc eaoIioess.
| Dr.. Richardson states: II once found by ex-
pertinent that certain organic poisons, analogous
TO the poisons whicb propagate these diseases.
are raudered innucu JUS by exposure to light"
| Oao1 10 England there was tax pac ID on Win
| doSs but this was driven out OF Eagllsh legis-
atiun after awhile, never to be brought IN
agsiu, because it was q tax on humao health,
| This iesdiug authority on hygiene has o great
| deal oil fault to hod with some OF the srchitec-
| tural demeotia of 10 day. A fashion intro.
duced 10 Eugsnd, aud which has some feeble
limitations 10 this coun.ry, is to repro iuc, the
| yles Of the O leen Anne houses. This pecu
| liar method iudulges 10 small paues OF glass.
| oVerhspgns windows sharp, long roofs, with
tiny opeulogs Il is relic Of ancient perVersity,
picIuu sq1e. if you please, bus psrfec ly at var.
| aoce with the die stss of commoo sense Ii you
| have big windows, which say admit too much
Iipht the glare oil W6ioh Is uLc mfortabls, q shade
or curtain viii keep out the SUP; but have small
| window, barely admitting the inViRorating air
and light, do what you please, you cannot in
e.osss either air or lignt. Such oramD ped windows
interfere With the great work ID gave to the
SUD- Architec ural elegatcs ought always to be
| subsidiary to the necessities of health. 10 the
Uoited States, though with climate differing
materially from that of + ,gland. the laws of
health are the same. Our August glare heats
our houses but still it should be admitted at
times. A house darkeoed and kept datkenod
from the middle of June to the lst of Septem
Der is au uuwholesoue house. Its GOODNESS may
lapparen.ly be refreshing, but the air Of the
rooms, which stsgnatss. contains undoubtedly
germe of disease, which are not the less dan
gerous because they are unapprs ciable. As it
is, then, only the windows OF the house. with
psnes of glass which admit the light. the pre-
utions to keep them clean and bright arc not
30 much measures OF tdiness as absolutely by,
eieplc necessities As regards windows aod
their construction, American i-v.ntion has 10
this respect not advanced anything like 10 pro-
portion to other thiogs. The usual widow
with lis counterpose weight presents unusuaI
difficulties as to cleansing it. 7 You can get iu'
side of it, but the outside presents great diff
culties. Save in the lower stories, it may be
pretty generally ssser;ed that the upper win.
dows of bouss the mos important of all,
which give light to the sleeping rooms, the
glass is rarely bright and clean. Tnere seems
to be decided reluc ance 90 the part of build
ers to put 10 houses either the French window,
which sinrly works like door or those Windows
which, huug 10 tn, middle, revovs on tie
oeutre. For venlain alune, such windows
have great advantages over the cid style. and
they can b. cleaned with perfect ease.-N 7
Times