The Penn's Grove record., 1914-02-20
lNTOTHEOPENFIELD
Should GO the Seeker of Spiritual
as Well as Of Physical
Welfare.

CnoOuDteQly one OF the most SdIH
tary discoveries. of modern medical
science is that of the value of fresh
air as an agent of general bodily
health. In the old days we use to-
mufie up our threats to keep out
bronchitis, pad our chests against con
sumption and sleep behind closed win
dows to escape the c~ontagion of the
night atmosphere. Today all this is
changed. The victim of a bad throat
or weak chest is taught to expose the
affected parts to the outer air as much
as possible. The fresh air treatment
Of tuberculosis is now universal The
wise man sleeps in winter as well as
in summer with every window wide
opener, still better, out of doors! To
keep out in the open air is in our time
the first law Of health.
Now, very impressive is 1t to note
that what is true as regards the body
Is no less true as regards the soul. In
the spiritual life as well as the physi-
cal we + learning the value Of fresh
air. No longer do we drive the tempt.
ed soul into the ways Of solitude or
separate the sinner from contact with
his fellows.
Active Life Beneficial.
No longer do we regard the monas-
terry as the refuge of virtue or the
dark silence of the hermit cell as the
cure of spiritual corruption. We
know today that retirement is danger
GUS and active life in the outer world
always beneficial. If a man be over
weighted with cares or beset with
temptations Or stricken with some
loathsome moral cancer let him fee
from the lonely chamber where he
knows only dull brooding and sterile
remorse and desert the towering al
tars where he makes confession and
does pennance. Let him take his anx-
iety or sin into the open air Let him
go down to the sea, and look unto the
hills Let him heed the skylark, and
dance with the daffodils. Let him seek
the company of the sun, and bow to
the benediction Of the stars Let him,
In a word, hold Communion with Ma
ture in her variable FORMS" and 10!
his cares viii fall from him like a
ragged garment and his sin vanish
away as a little thing. The air will
make him pure. The sun win give him
light. The shining armament will lift
him to its own expanse of beauty. In
the words of Mrs. Browning:
The little cares that fretted me
/ lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play
Among Ahe husking of the corn
Where drowsy peoples nod,
Where Ill thoughts die and good are born.
Out in the fields with God.
Getting Rid Of Troubles.
And If it is beneficial thus to bring
our ills under the influence of Nature,
how much more beneficial still is it to
bring them under tie influence of our
fellows What unworthy thought can
flourish in the presence of a good man.
or what ignoble motive survive the
grace OF a good woman? How shall
we maintain our petty envies and de
ceits in the face of little children, or
keep our selfishness alive amid the
sweet influences Of c~omradeship and
family love? Where is there cruel pas
sion or secret sin which is strong
enough to resist the wholesome i'm
pulses Of the crowd? What we need.
If we would keep our souls free of all
unhealthiness. is simply the open air
the open air Of rubbing elbows, clasp
Ing hands, making friends, knowing
people. going with the m~ultitudes"-
above all, of seeking the neal com
partnership, if possible, and the distant
influence. If nothing better. Of men and
women who are stronger, Drawer,
purer than ourselves! To know men,
to love men, to work with men. to live
with men-to know the grace OF
brotherhood and the joy OF fellowship
this is the first law Of the spirit
Out In the open, therefore! Away
from solitudes and silences-from win
dows closed and doors barred against
the world! And lol it shall be e
that strength and beauty are the
sanctuary Of the soul as well as Of the
body.