748 Reading-Courses fur Farmers' Wives. 



feeble children may be developed into a sturdy manhood through the 

 influence of scientific methods, their children may in turn inherit this 

 same feebleness and the race become physically weakened. The pos- 

 sibilities of prolonging and fostering life are now greater than ever be- 

 fore but man's natural power of resistance is less. He must depend upon 

 his quickened intelligence to protect him against the evils which at one 

 time in the history of the race were harmless to him. 



THE HUMAN BODY 



The particular tree of knowledge which' should be planted in every 

 home garden has many important branches, but one of the largest is 

 that which deals with the right feeding of the human being. Even so 

 short a time as twenty-five years ago the housewife and mother could 

 furnish her table according to the dictates of desire and taste. Her 

 only guide was tradition which suffered one food and forbade another, 

 sometimes wisely, often unreasonably. Today the burden of knowledge 

 is hers and the responsibilities of the housekeeper of now are not unlike 

 those of tlie engineer who has charge of a train load of people whom he 

 must carry through the perils of modern traffic. Only an understanding 

 of conditions will enable him rightly to perform this service. Intelligent 

 feeding is as important to the human being as to farm crop and animal, 

 if man is to have a fair chance in the struggle for existence. With two 

 children of like inheritance, the child protected by a parent's knowledge 

 of nutrition has the better opportunity for developing into sound sturdy 

 manhood. 



It is impossible rightly to understand the conditions upon which the 

 welfare of the body depends unless something is first known of the 

 structure and activities of the body and of the relation w'hich its various 

 parts bear to the whole. 



In olden times, the ruler of a country stood in much more intimate 

 relations to his subjects than now. His power was such that the welfare 

 of his people was dictated by his whim or caprice. His word was nearly 

 absolute. If he proved an unwise and weak, or harsh and ignorant 

 ruler, the people suffered greatly from his faults. A gradual uneasiness 

 crept through the country until finally the ruler himself, not realizing 

 that his own happiness depended upon that of his subjects, began to 

 feel the depression and misery caused by his lack of virtue. It may seem 

 to many a far cry to compare the body to such a country, with self as 

 the ruler, yet the conditions are indeed closely similar, 



