Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-02-18
Teach Your Children Physiology.

y ~
y parent who entrusts to his child a
delicate toy will explain to him its
delicacy, and in what ways it may be
broken or destroyed. But in the ages
which have passed, coming gloomily
out of the dark ages, the parent has
been in the habit of entrusting to his
child a piece of machinery more deli.
cate in its construction than any toy,
and misunderstanding of which has
led to more misery than any other kind
of ignorance under the sun. There is
much discussion going on just now as
to the advisability of thoroughly in.
structing children in regard to the
wonderful organs and vital processes
within their own bodies. The more
intelligent writer's take the gro md that
children should be taught, and fully
taught. in this department of science.
Now and then a hippant newspaper
man will throw off something OF an ad.
verse character. A few years ago when
Comstock was giving us trouble the
New York Herald speaking Of US said,
that this man who is oorrupting the
minds of the youth" should be Use.
verely dealt with" We quickly re-
membered that the same charge was
rung on Socrates, and a host of others,
working for the betterment of the race
who lived long before cur time. Lin
naue, the greet botanist, was condemned
for teaching the sexes of plants. and
his publications were suppressed. But
this was hundred years ago. We
hope it will not take q hundred years
for even the New York Herald to be-
come impressed with the fact that chill
dren should be taught physiology just
so soon as they can comprehend it.
Unfortunately there have been but
few books written adapted to the youth
full mind. Prof. Burt Wilder, of Cor
nell University. issued a work some
years ago, entitled, "Whas Children
should Know" or something like that.
1t is good work, and parents should
obtain it for their children. In 1874
we prepared a work for children, en-,
titled " Science in Story" The prin-
cipal characters are physician, col
ored door-boy of unusual aptitude, and
monkey, the latter serving as the
clown, 30 to speak. throughout hui.
morous or comic story, in the course
of which general description is
wrought Of the bones, cartilages, mus.
Giles and the various vital organs of the
body. The publication has received
the warm endorsement of over five hun
bred newspapers in their book reviews,
including some of the very best papers
published ia New York city and else
where. We have received many let
ters enthusiastically commencing the
publication. 1t is supplied in one vol
ume at So, or in the FIVE volumes for
IS. For those who have any prejudice
to the instruction of their children in
some of the most important organs and
processes of the body, the five-volume
edition is preferable. Everything
which could possibly be considered
Questionable to this class is contained
in volume FIVE, and the series seems to
come to close in volume four. Alter
the humorous narrative has been
brought apparently to an end ct the
close of volume four, it is reopensd in
volume five for teaching all which re-
lates to elimination and reproduction.
A clergy man who purchased two sets
of the work for his Sunday school Lii
brary, wrote us letter in which he
said that he thought the fifth volume
was worth more than all the rest. He
did not hesitate to include the fifth vol
ume in the series to be placed on the
shelves of the Sunday school Library.
Now, what handsomer present can a
parent make his children for the holt
days than a set of these instructive
books? If they cannot be readily had
at the village or city bookstore they can
be obtained directly of the Murray Hill
Co., whose announcements
appear in this paper. By ordering
them a few weeks previously to the
and then hiding them away
until the joyous Christmas morning
arrives, they will be all ready to gladden.
the hearts of the children. Those who
feel unable to buy the beautiful set OF
books could doubtless afford,to pay the
81 necessary to obtain the five volumes
in one. The work has already had an
extensive sale. but as a matter Of course,
in our immense country, not one family
in one thousand has ever seen it,
whereas, considering. the paucity of
such works for children, a copy of it
should be on the center table, of every
household throughout the land Dr..
Foote'S Health Monthly.