The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-10
MRS. DE HARRIS LECTURE
First of a series on Physical Gull

The first of a series of six lectures to
women was delivered yesterday afternoon
by Mrs. Madana F.. De Hart, NJ. D., before
an intelligent and attentive audi ence that
completely filled the lecture room OF the
Tabernacle. Mrs. j. L. Scudder introduced
DR.. De Hart, saving as she did SO that to the
audience an introduction was hardly neces-
sary. DR.. De Harris lecture was upon the
subject, Physical Culture and the Ethics Of
Health" the physiological side relating to
the skeleton and the muscles. She introduced
her subject by emphasizing the necessity Of
physical health, saying in part
I'VE have all doubtless heard in our youth
the old hymn,
Diseases are Thy servants, Lord,
They come at Thy command.
but a latter day theology teaches us that
health is a duty, and that physical religion
is by no means to be neglected while we are
striving for spirituality. In response to this
radical change in belief, there has come d
corresponding change in action, SO that now,
instead of quietly accepting sickness as in
|.evitable, science teache s that much of it can
be prevented, and that this is the true field
for successful work."
Women as mothers and home makers
need the widest culture, for the field of their
labors is vast and varied, and requires not
only good health. but the best intelligence,
the widest knowledge, combined with great
IlOIal dtlQ 5pllAtuhl LOICS. CulJ ny d CoilA-
bination of all these can she meet the de-
mands made on her by a family of young
immortals, launched on his sea of life, look
ing to her for their first and most important
directions. That her soul sinks within her
at the terrible responsibility is not strange,
and that she asks as her right the best OPP
~portunities for education to tit herself for
these duties shows that she realizes the inn
~portance of this work. The old idea, that
because woman's sphere was domestic and
her field of work the home, she did not need
this culture, is, happily, outgrown; the fact
that we are women is no longer an excuse for
Ignorance, and for this change let us all be
truly thankful. An enlightened mother
hood, with all which that implies, is one of
the brightest hopes of the race"
In continuing, DR.. De Hart described the
skeleton, telling the composition of the bones,
how they are nourished, and how allowed to
move upon one another. She spoke of the
different shapes and sizes of the 200 distinct
bones of the human skeleton, adapted to their
uses: the diseased conditions to which they
were liable, such as ricketts,, spinal diseases
and deformities, and the effects of tight lac
ing upon the bones. She devoted some time
to the muscular system, its uses, and the value
of exercise in its development, as well as in
strengthening the muscles, promoting circu-
lation and digestion, relieving congestion or
unequal circulation, quoting nervousness,
and producing sleep.
The audience gave a close attention to the
lecture from beginning to end. and it would
seem that the plan of giving these lectures at
the Tabernacle has been a wise one. The
second will be held next Friday afternoon,
January 10, at half past three o'clock in the
Tabernacle lecture room. Admission is en-
tirely free, and at the last lecture Mrs. Scud-
der extended a cordial invitation to all
women. The topic will be Digestion