The Republican journal., 1904-03-24

WHICH uedllu May NC couAu Ill GAe1-
else, Correct Diet, Clothing and Habits.
Harm Done to Women and Children by
Neglect of Ordinary Health Precautions.
BY CHRISTINE TERHUNE HERRICK,
Author of "Cradle and Nursery, '"First Aids
to the Young Houseke. pers, ""Housekeep-
ing Made Easy" what to Eat" "In City
Tents" Etc.
Copyright, 1904, by Christine Terhune Herrick.)
AS nation we have never learned
that an ounce of a prevention is worth
a pound of cure. We forge gaily
ahead, doing what pleases us and fail
to awake to the fact of our folly until
we reach a point where we have to go
to work to repair injuries.
1t would be great comfort ii those
who take a deep and peculiar joy in
saving 81 told you So" could feel that
this sort of blunder was confined to
men. But women hold a prominent
place in the ranks of those who possess
a capability for recklessneSS and faith
in remedies. Several causes have
joined to produce this state of affairs.
In the first place, women are too
busy. They always cut out more than
they can accomplish and go on the
principle that there are at least twenty
seven hours in every day. If their
work were purely selfish one could con-
denim them unreservedly. But as a
rule big share of it is done for others.
Had the ordinary woman a sense of
proportion she would see that some
times she does more for those about
her when she does less, so to speak
In other words, if she would spare
herself little there would be likeli-
hood that she would be able to stand
for more in her family and social life
But this is something that is hard for
her to learn.
A woman almost always means we'll.
If she didn't there would be more
chance for her She might be con-
verified from the error of her ways.
But her ways are SO good that there
seems no ground for criticism. Yet
even while she justities herself in her
course of overWork she feels that
something is wrong, somewhere. |
heard one woman voice the opinion of
many not very long ago.
Il have so much to fill my hands, !"
she said. Il work all day and have
comparatively little time to be with
the children. And when the active
employmentS are out of the way and
! want to give myself to my family
there is nothing left worth giving"
There is the trouble. The woman
breaks herself down by over exertion
III some good object. She does not
take time to preserve her health, She
wears her nerves to what is popularity
known as a ''frazzle," and then she
takes medicine to build herself up
On the ground of live and let live"
her attitude and action might be JUST
fled. For what would become of
quacks and patent medicines if it were
not for the women? Men patronize
these, too. but after all, the women,
with their generous confidence that
there is a pancea for every evil under
the sun are the best patrons of propria-
tary remedies. | have said that
women lack sense of proportion. In
nothing do they display this more than
III the faith that they can labour for
years to make thmselves physical
wrecks and then restore themselves to
health and strength by a few bottles OF
some well advertised heal-all. IT they
could have it borne i'll upon them that
earth bears no balsam for mistakes, -
that it takes longer to climb up hiIl
than it does to run down and that it is
easier to keep we'll than to get well,
they would have made a long stride
towards health and happiness.
OF course it might not be SO interest
ing There are still plenty of women
who ''enjoy poor health" If they did
not have something the matter with
Than, what ,yn111I thara TO f,ll
about: They would have lost one Vt
then most absorbing topics of CONVEX
Sation. Moreover, they would miss
the delight we all know in being worse
off than our neighbors. Every one
who has read THE Mill on the Floss
recalls the pride Mrs. Pullet felt in
the amount of physic she had taken, a
pride which her husband shared
''Pullet keeps all my physic bottles,
said Mrs. Pullet. Gle won't have one
sold. He says is nothing but right
folks should should see 'em when I'm
gone. They fill two of the long store
room shelves already. The pill boxes
are i'll the closet in my room,-but
there's nothing to show for the boluses.
if it isn't the bill"
The American husband may not be
quite SO complacent about his wife's
physic record as was Mr. Pullet, but
there are plenty of women who openly
OF unavowedly, cherish the same mod
est pride as to their doctors and drug
gists' bills
Apart from this class are women
who are SO busy at their various avo.
cations that they do not take proper
care of themselves. 81 never know |
am tired until | break in two in the
middle" | heard woman say once.
There are many like her When the
breaking in two comes, it is natural
that the victim should turn to what
paliatives she can find and endeavour
to repair damages by drugs.
Not for a moment would | critcise
the physician Or belittle the advantages
of medicines. But it is much better
to keep we'll in the first instance, or if
one can, to bring oneself up after
one is run down, by natural common
sense methods than to make ones
stomach general deposit for drugs of
sorts.
Such common sense ways are not far
to seek. In fact, they are so close at
hand, SO every day, that sometimes
something nasty taken out of bottle
they are condemned on that very ac-
count The patient feels as Naaman
did If some hard thing were required,
it would be done, but diet, exercise,
correct clothing seem futile, useless