The Portland daily press., 1890-10-28
MISS Reecher's Lecture.

The first Of a course of three lectures on
"Tne Ethical Basis Of Physical Hygiene
was given at the Falmouth parlOrs yesterday
afternoon before a cultured and critical au-
dleLce composed chiefly OF women.
Miss Beecher is too well known TO Port
land audiences to need words Of praise, al
though the recent ridiculous mistake Of q
compositor might lead people to believe she
was to appear In a new role. It may per-
haps not be Inappropriate to say here that
Miss Beecher never gave a test" in her life
The lecture occupied about an hour in its
delivery and as usual each point was brought
out in that terse, quaint manner for which
the Beecher family have been always re.
nowned
Yesterdays discussion was upon food and
clothing. There Is. said Miss Beecher, a re-
liaion Of food and clothing. We need dress
making ethics; we must have table ethics as
we'll as table etiquette.
Health, whOleness. holiness are the trim
ity Of this religion. Upon each of US rests a
personal responsibility. Ignorance. heed
lessness and the Grundy family are chiefly
responsible for the violations Of the ethics
of food and clothing. We should eat. drink
and behave In such manner as to do no
violence to our mental, moral or physical
welfare.
Intomperance in eating In the estimation
Of the medical fraternity, does more harm to
the entire system than intemperance In al.
coboic drinks. The misery Of the glutton
Is only excelled by the misery Of those who
live with him. At no time should there be
more cheerfulness, more harmony, more
freedom from care ora anxiety than at the
table. The aesthetic side Of the human be-
ing cannot be divided from the ethical, and
nowhere should the beautiful be more In
sisted upon than at the table. AS far as cir
cumstances will permit let all the surround
ings Of the daily life be ornate and beautiful.
In dress the aesthetic and the ethieal need
| not clash. Let natural morals guide, and
| what are natural NORA. In eOntra-distinc-
| ti0n TO the supernatural morals they are
those which are deducible from the uni
| form course Of nature, and In consciousness
i In our feilOwmen, and instead OF being put
i Tito man In some supernatural way, they
/ have come as the natural product OF human
| development under the law OF development.
| What are called natural laws and what are
| called moral laws are Identical. They have
| the same author and tend 10 the same end,
the ultimate perfection Of the universe. In
elusive Of the beings who from atom TO an
gel have been through all the cons, speeding
their way towards this perfection. The NOR
al nature Is as susceptible Of cultivation and
Improvement as the physicsl and demands
cy and physical decadence are more often
produced and fostered by an oVerween-
ing desire for appearance than
In almost any other way. The
goddess fashion must be appeased.
This can never be endured; what lmmOr-
tai soul destined to an immortal career,
along the line Of spiritual growth extending
infinitely beyond the longest stretch Of fpite
inspection OF Tetrospectlon could stand this
slight upon Us b cause Of our refusal TO be-
come an abJrct slave to an absurdity!
How shall we escape self condemnation
when we compare the privileges and pOssl-
biltties Of divine nature = ith the worse
than foolish expenditure OF our forces upon
an evanescent contest for SUPREMACY In the
domain Of personality where we ever de-
scend into tho arena Of competition.
Nearly an hour Of Informal discussion fol
lowed, Mrs Jordan believed tine excuse Of
ignorance would shelter very few. Rev. DIR.
Blanchard made some very practical remarks
on the domestic problem.
The second lecture will be given this after
noon at 8 o'clock and will treat of Air and
Exercise Tickets may be obtained at the
door. The opportunity Is rare one and
oua that Ia dulv aDDrecta atcd.