The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-05-10

.S old age at last, we are
~ made to languish and
to suffer almost sveg
dav while We live, and ara carried II By pre-
yenfable diseases at every age from infancy
20 maturity. One-fourth Of al persons born
into The world die before reaching five years
Of aee. The average span ei human life IS
but from thiry-fye To forty years: Only three
or four in a hundred reach eighty-fye, and
scarcely more than two in ten thousand
round cut q century.
Even aside from the loss. By premature
Death, of millions Of years q productive Efs,
ihe loss to the world and 10 individuals, 81
time. money and labor. from sickness which
might easily be avoided. is too great 70 &c
readily estimated. If he could begin nos1
and the children in cur homes be taught the
laws OF their being and trimmed 70 observe
them, the gain in health and longevity 10 this
generation would be immense, while 70 their
succeeding ones it woald be beyond all COM
putation.
One difficulty Is, there has not yet come
into tho nliads 0: a large proportion OF peo-
pie, any dennit conception that there are
such things as laws Of health, and that every
violation Of these Laws IS sure 70 bring is
penalty. Even in this age OF intelligence and
electricity, there are still q multitude Il mea
ike the Sunday school superintendent, Who,
in apolo-lzing 70 his school for his absence
OF the previous Sunday, statedas his excuse,
that. he vas detained a. home BY a DISPENSE
ton Of Divine Providence, tie han Of the
Lord having been laid heavily upon him IL
sickness. Going On 70 explain the rlaliet
more fully, il appeared that his sickness
was brought on BY eating too freely Of clam
ehogder the night before.
This : tie way % the world. The last
thing that individuals OF communities think
Of doing, is to take the dame for their III
health upon their owa shoulders. where Il
rightly belongs. L Is easier 70 lay it on the
Lord,-.a mysterious dispensation." This
then, Is the first lesson 10 be taught and
learned that all disease Is the result q
broken law; that mueh more. which isbeyona
the reach OF individuals, might be presented
by the combined efforts Of communities and
thestate; and that those diseases which are
eatailed upon this generation b. the law q
h~eredity. might by obedience to law Be grad
ually stamped ont Of existence, and future
ages be freed from their curse.
The next thing to be taught is tbs law
themselves-and with the laws, and Of even
greater Importance. the habit Of obeying
them. We know a great deal more than we
put in practice. This is the fault Of the GEM
mon modes Of health teaching. Our news
papers and periodical literature contain a
vast deal Of popular instruction in these nat
49, rrL-- --.,@-F ~ a~#-aa-7-m-I-
well-written books which are within easy
reach Of all who care u read then. Our
schools are takinghold q the god work ald
instruction IN bygiene IS last eyaing . be
recognized e. an essential par q even -
elementary edueatIoa- II a. these Do not
reach this evli, or Il theg d.. ih=y CITY t5sea
it on the surface.
Our schools are FIJI of gs9d grauma-laus
who % not use respectable EagllsA IL con-
mon conversation. s.. 100, they NAY y fan
o. glib r~eciters q the laws q he4ilb, who %
not observe q single one Ct the laws they
have learned. Ths main point - 70 secure
Obedience. The greatest criminals ars usa-
ally well versed il tie Laws 81 the land Int
their knowledge docs not avail 10 keep them
OUT Of the peaitentiary when they hare broken
these laws. Neither viii q knowledge d the
Laws Of health keep Z man from being sick, 50
long as ne does not live up 70 his knowledge.
We are creatures Of imitation. Example
counts for more than precept. The parent
knows the lar, and the child knows II TOO.
When the parent keeps it, then the children
viii keep il also. L does little good for &
child 70 learn az school that the food should
bs properly masticated. whom three times
every day at home he sees u hungry group
er9ad about the table like pigs around q
trough, and bolt their food as nearly whole
as il can be made TO go dosTA. Tie child
whose mother gives It & bite Of something %
eat every tine II cries Tor it VIII not le iA
condition to profit from an understanding o.!
tie lag that food should notbe eaten between
meals, uatl il Is too late for the knowledge 10
be of service. The law Of pure air and
proper ventilation may BE- taught cTer
50 plainly II the text brooks, but - the boy
who II brought up to cit and 10 sleep in q
Close, unTentiiated room, foul VIII the
brez;h n living beings. and 70 shun fresh nit
as he would ii plague, the knowiedes vii. bs
of little avail. while his fathers cellar i
filed gih aecaying neat. vegetables. and ali
manner q Gitn, and the eesspool smells 10
iaageA from beneath TIE kitchen window. all
the teachings u tic schools VIII not prevent
rs having typhoid fever. o. dightheria. OF
sO.ae form of Alth discuss, when tic suasu1et
sun calls into activity the germs Of disease
which are latent there. II liquors arc kept
upon the sideboaad and wines are served
upon the table in his home, not al the teaeh-
ings q ali the temperance text books IN the
lad ean be relied upon to produces in him
habits Of sobrieiy and total alel.nenee.
It IL tho praetiee If the principles Of by.
eleue in our homes, aid this alone. which vii
lessen the rate 81 dlsease and death today
and develop a stronger nics tomorr9w. TIE
e.Ii4 wha Aazlearned the haas 81 heath from
HE fs,har and mother. ly anins flsm con,
tf.eaiiy AID persizfenly applied. sin CONF
- follow them III lis osn eate. G naturally
- se ai'l c5BIaet himself properly IA Gooc
society.
Iknew a nsan who feared ilth as he fearet
the deyi. A lad @4or WAS his L~:e noir. /
pat ifIa o. a7 ia'ai.r - onea, anf he eoul'
not rest until he had hsDted II dow aud
rooted it cut. His water supply must IL
pure beyond all question. His cellar must u
cleaned and kept eieaa. Soeesspooi or vault
was allowed 20 generate putrefaction on his
promises. Wien he bought a house, his afsi
care was to look after this ventilation and