Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-08-11
How to live in Summer.


Food is part of drink, and drink a
part of food; both sustain the constant
changes of the body, and are necessary
for its maintenance. Man may have
early come upon the idea to manufact-
ure beverages from the various vegeta-
BILE substances, and so have originated
the habit of taking fluids, which are
never really meant to quench thirst on
ly. Some are taken for their aroma,
for their supposed strengthening and
stimulating qualities, as various wines
and spirits; others, as beer, for their
sustaining and satisfying properties
others, as some fruit and vegetable
juices, for their refreshing qualities.
We call the three former, that is,
spirits, wines and beer alcoholic drinks
their composition we cannot here enter
upon but their effect upon the human
system, if taken in any undue quantity,
is not healthful. AS regards the hot
season, alcoholic beverages require the
greatest care in their use, and to take
only such wines as are really of cool
ing tendency. When vitality flags
very much, it is possible to give sud
den stimulus to the nervous system by
taking small quantity of wine OF spir.
its with cold water, which will rally
an exhausted person Suddenly, and help
him to exert his energies for recovery,
but to drink successfully any quantity
of wines or spirits in hot weather is
equal to trying to commit suicide on
the chance-that the pistol will not
shoot or the rope will not hang. To
increase in summer the heat of the
blood, which alcohol does, is an irration-
al venture.
AS far as beer is concerned, the tax
ing of it is by many thought necessi-
ty, with the thermometer at 90 degrees.
More beer and more beer is called for,
while each glass makes the day hotter
for him who takes it. Beer should on
ly be taken in the cool of the evenirr =,
and it may somewhat restore the flag
ging strength after the labor of the
day. 1t is be ter to avoid it as much
rs possible during the day. We have
now many areated drinks, fruit and
lime juices, mineral waters and iced
lemonades, all refreshing and abating
the influence of excessive heat from
without.
Whatever these may do to cool us
they cannot do away with the results
of dry, parched up food, which occa-
sions thirst in an undue degree.
To keep drink down, in fact, we
must keep food up to its proper stand
ard.
A very cooling drink is made of light
clarets, with slices of pineapple, the
peels of cucumber, a lemon slice or
two, little nutmeg and white sugar /;
this is not at every ones door, but such
mixtures can be and are made with
cheaper materials, and at the corner of
our street good trade is done in them:
Rice water, barley water, oatmeal
water, with lemon and sugar, should
be ready in every house where children
are. These are surely better than cold
tea, which is often given, or milk, that
cannot always be trusted.
Small pieces of ice are very refresh
ing now and then for strong, healthy
persons; also q drink of water mixed
Win NlhCSdl stkll llOldSSCS IS lUlTSl
quenching for work people, or slice
of lemon dipped into white sugar.
Cool the blood without disturbing the
digestion and distending the intestineS
and you will get through the day.
A small amount of ice cream now
and then is refreshing, but a continual
use of it in sultry weather may have
very evil consequences.
The human custom to erect Eere and
there a drinking fountain is in the
highest degree praiseworthy; it will
save many headache, many falter.
ing spirit from giving way, and cool
many a parched tongue. But the wa
ter in such fountains must not be of an
indescribable taste and tepid tempera.
ture. Bright and clear it should spark
lie, refreshing truly. This is matter
of grave thought to those in authority,
who can escape from the heat of the
towns to the seaside and sylvan shades
leaving the hard worker in the dusty
hot smelling city.
The principal needs of life, until now
spoken of, have been food and drink
though the first place ought to have
been claimed by air.
In the Coils OF Three Snakes.