368 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc, 



that foundation. Emerson says, "Health is tlie first wealth." With- 

 out health, what enjoyment has life? "Sickness is poor-spirited, 

 and cannot serve anyone. It must husband its resources to live. 

 But health or fullness answers its own ends, and has to spare, runs 

 over and inundates the neighborhoods and creeks of its own neces- 

 sities." Therefore, health is a duty, not only to ourselves, but to all 

 mankind. It is one thing to have health, but it is another very dif- 

 ferent thing to keep it. Has God, or has he not given our health 

 and our life, in large measure, to our own keeping? Is it according 

 to his eternal purpose that babies and young men and maidens shall 

 die, or that they shall do the world's work, and go down to the grave, 

 like a shock of corn in its season, fully ripe? Does He intend that 

 we shall violate the laws of our being, either through ignorance or 

 carelessness, and then resign ourselves piously to the dispensation 

 of Providence? Is it a dispensation of Providence? Is it not rather 

 a dispensation of improvidence? Some physical law has been vio- 

 lated, hence, we must pay the penalty. 



But what are some of these physical laws? Here they are summed 

 up in three words — temperance, cleanliness and industry. This is 

 the hygiene of the Bible. A "pathy" as old as the race. No sanitary 

 system is complete without it. 



It is applicable to all climes, and to all constitutions; it is always 

 safe, always efiticient; and to which not one radically new idea has 

 been added in a space of 6000 years. 



In speaking of temperance, we do not mean temperance in regard 

 to the liquor habit only, which habit is the most terrible enemy man 

 can encounter, but we must be temperate in all our ways of living. 

 Intemperance in eating and rinking, intemperance in our social life, 

 all these tend to undermine the health and lay the foundation for 

 various diseases. 



In order to build up every constituent of the body and to give 

 strength, we need a great variety of food, and kind Nature has fur- 

 nished this variety in great abundance of material. This material, 

 after undergoing the necessary preparation, is brought to the table 

 ready to be served. Now is the important step. If our food would 

 do us the good that it is intended to do, we must eat slowly, masti- 

 cating thoroughly each bite. But how many of us obey this injunc- 

 tion? Do we not far oftener hurry through the meal as if there was 

 not a moment to lose, and sooner or later we are suffering from indi- 

 gestion or dyspepsia. Aside from rapid eating, all cares, worries, or 

 anything unpleasant or disagreeable should be avoided. The meal- 

 time should be a joyous occasion. A cheerful face and light heart 

 are friends to long life, and nowhere can they serve us better than 

 at the table. In fact, cheerful conversation will, in a measure, pre- 

 vent rapid eating. 



