THE HOME IN RELATION TO HEALTH 371 



generations— from one country to another, from rural districts 

 to the cities, from one kind of occupation to another. As a 

 result people have come into new environments, to which their 

 old customs of preparing food, running a house, and managing 

 their work and their free time are not fitted. (2) Many scien- 

 tific discoveries have been made during this time, showing us 

 better ways of doing things ; but these new discoveries are 

 naturally unknown to masses of people. Every home should 

 teach the children the best that the grown people know, but it 

 is also well for us to recognize that new discoveries are con- 

 stantly being made ; we should be prepared to change our older 

 ways and make use of new science. 



Sound habits regarding eating, cleanliness, emptying the blad- 

 der and the bowels, drinking water, rest, and sleep can be estab- 

 lished early and will probably need little modification with the 

 growth of knowledge. 



One set of problems that arise from modern living can be 

 largely met by the establishment of certain habits during child- 

 hood. These have to do with so-called accidents. By far the 

 largest proportion of fires and of the accidents that cause in- 

 juries or death could be prevented if all of us made a point of 

 considering "safety first." There are times, of course, when one 

 should consider his own safety last— when it is necessary to 

 meet a catastrophe, to save lives, or to prevent suffering ; but 

 "safety first" means the habitual use of common sense in avoid- 

 ing unnecessary risks of all kinds, for others as well as for our- 

 selves. Children can learn to "watch their steps" almost as 

 soon as they learn to walk ; they can learn safe ways to handle 

 fire and combustibles ; and they can learn to be careful with 

 machinery, moving objects, and tools. Prevention of traffic ac- 

 cidents means caution on the part of pedestrians as well as of 

 drivers. We must learn to stop and look to the right and to the 

 left before crossing a roadway, just as we must learn still earlier 

 not to step into a stair well or a hole. Many accidents arise 

 from confusion. You may start to cross a street, then see a car 

 approaching and step back. In stepping back you may either 



