The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-09
WOMEN AND HEALTH
Mrs. De Harris First Lee
ture at the Belmont
Avenue Exchange.
MEMS SHARE OF THE BURDEN
Physical Culture First in Import
ance-What Is Going On
In Society.
MEMS SHARE OF THE BURDEN.

| 1TOLeCIlNe SOlilitAtlSV1s "oO
! the parlor of the Woman's Exchange,
| No. l7 Belmont avenue, yesterday after
noon. The subject was. Physical Re
! lipion or the Duty of Health" Mrs. De
Hart said
The human body is the instrument
| through which the mind acts. and 1t is
the only medium of communication
with the outside world. If the organs or
the body are defective, they convey false
impressions to the mind, and these dis
| torted and untruthfui representations
lead to wrong ideas. These disturbed
| physical conditions interfere with intel
| lectual work and sometimes render 1t
impossible.
.sThat a sick body misrepresents the
| mind we all know, both from experience
| and observation-the brave soul is made
timid, the loving, generous nature often
| rendered selfish and peevish by suffer-
ing, until it sometimes seems as II the
whole character had been changed by
the altered conditions of this veil OF
| flesh, which shrouds the spirit. In view
of these facts. it becomes of the utmost
| importance that we should understand
the different parts of our nature, SO that
we can guide our lives in such a way as
] to produce the pest results.
First, we need to understand the an
/ atomy n physiology of our bodies;
| then we require a knowledge of psych-
| ology, that we may be familiar with the
| laws of the mind. We cannot afford to
| despise our bodies, as no amount OF
| moral or mental culture can repay us
for the loss of health. Indeed, we can
| accomplish little in any direction unless
| we first develop ourselves physically. "A
| SOUND mind is a sound body is the Ideal
| most generally accepted at this time,
but sthe way to attain this desired end
is not always easy, as the tendency with
all is to use and develop the parts OF
our nature which are strongest ana need
fhe least culture, and to forget and TO
neglect the weak side. 1t is praise
worthy to feed the hungry, oat " Is
vastly better to enable them to earn their
bread. So it is good TO neal one S hoM,
to keep well.
Health has been defined as that state
in which all the functions are performed
with regularity and harmony. Herbert
spencer says, The first step is to class
| fly, in order of their importance, the
Inherent kinds of activity which con-
stitute human life,' and he arranges them
| as follows-First, those which directly
minister to Misrepresentation; second,
those which, by securing the n~ecessaries
| of life. indirectly minister to self-pres-
ervation third. those which teach OF the
| rearing of children; fourth, those which
| political relations; fifth. those miscel-
| laneous activities which make up the
leisure part of life, devoted to the graft
1cation Of the tastes and feeilngs. which
| seems rational. the subject of physical
culture stands first in Importance. A
knowledge Of the laws of health is a
| iect is a sin. for which we pay the full
I penalty. Headache and backache, ner-
| vousness and neuralgia, depression OF
| dences that we have taken the wrong
| road and must turn around and go the
| other way. We must learn and obey
the laws of health. Huxley says he
| thinks the time will come when 1t will
| be considered as great an insult to ask
persons If they are well as to ask them
known and practised,. for several gener-
ations, the laws of health. all will be
well-born; that is. will inherit a SOUND
mind n a sound LIP Dody, WIN haa ,+n tnis
normal appetites, which can be safely
followed, as they will be a natural
language telling the needs Of the BODY.
we will get rid of the unsound and per-
verted mental states. and the peryerse
ind weakened will power which are now
he unfortunate legacy which parents be-
lueath to their children.
There are many reasons why women
especially need knowledge. First and
shiefy, because they are the mothers
# the race, and. as such, are entrusted
with a great responsibility. What our
shildren shall be largely depends on
through all nature, not on what we
seem to be. for heredity pays no heed
to our deceits, but striking. deep down,
below all DISCUSSES and subterfuges, it
sometimes astounds us with our own
likenesses, as we know ourselves, in our
children. Vices which We have spent
l. = 49, - Is.--n f~Aw 49, 4h~ E~~-~
instead of curing, stand forth in appall-
ng clearness in the little ones who are
our natural heirs, and then, if never be-
fore, comes our punishment. Nature is
not cheated, and the inevitable law thai
we must reap what we SOW moves right
on, regardless of our misery. And it is
ance of these laws. If we put our hand
in the fire, it is sure to be burned, and
if we violate any natural law the pen
MEMS SHARE OF THE BURDEN.
"But, you may ask, Must mothers
bear all this burden? Have fathers no
but women choose who shall be the
fathers of their children, and. If they
make a wise choice. the glory and Joy
the bitter anguish which comes to them
when they wake up to the awful con-
sciousness that they are helping to per-
misery ind that they are powerless to
stem the tide, has been, by far, the
greatest burden of motherhood since the
1 world began. If women once can be
made to realize, these truths. they will
not only try TO be pure and noble them
selves, but they will require purity and
nobility in those who are to be the
enable them the better to teach their
sons, even from their cradles, that If So
.leiety accepts and tolerates a lower
standard Of. morals. in them than it
does in their sisters. nature does not,
and that crime and punishment are ir-
revocabIy bound together in her realm.
Women> need knowledge because they
are the h~omemakers with all which that
implies.
ssOur children, looking to us for guild
ance, are not deceived by mere words.
bit are influenced by what we are; if
we say ono thing and do another the
acts speak more loudly than the words.
Have we taught our sons that they have
no right to treat any woman with dis
respect. no matter how low or degraded?
That there were sacrifices which they
should. be ashamed to accept and that
struggling virtue? II not, we have made
the downward road easy for them and
added to the dtficulties in the path of