Summer Meeting. 133 



central Europe, from erroneous liabits of eating than from habitual use 

 of alcoholic drink, considerable as I know tKat evil to be." 



Observation and experience can not but impress the fact that some- 

 thing is vitally wrong. Waves of influenza and la grippe sweep at inter- 

 vals over our country from some supposably malarious vicinage, or 

 because of some unusual exposure; epidemics come yearl.v it will be 

 found on examination, to the lame and the lazy, the illfed, careless 

 livers, the gourmands, and gluttons, but leaving intact and in touch with 

 the world, the hygienically disposed portion of the community. Obser- 

 vation and experience, therefore of scientists leads them to make every 

 effort to correct these errors that the physical health standard may be 

 raised, tliat the moral health may be improved since morality must have 

 good physical conditions as a basis. Until very recently, dating back 

 to the revival of domestic science study, little attention even by the 

 intelligent people has been paid to these things, while the lower classes, 

 influenced wholly by the dictates of the palate have been held in check 

 only by the emptiness of their pocket-books, displaying their ignorance 

 by spending their slender income upon incongruous and innutritions 

 materials, feasting upon some extravagant dainty one day, and having 

 a veritable famine of nutritious foods the rest of the week. The result 

 of course, is a pallid, pinched look upon the face of the iimocent little 

 ones, a constant succession of colds, fevers and intestinal troubles pro- 

 ducing mortality that is appalling. An entirely wrong impression 

 among this class of people prevails; if the word of economy be so much 

 as mentioned, they retort that it is impossible for any one to be more 

 economical than they are — not realizing that it is an economy depending 

 upon a proper balance of food elements necessary for right body building, 

 which is meat, and that no economy can exist if ignorance underlies it, 

 since it must result in waste of material and some form of disease. Dr. 

 Schrodt says, "I have long ceased to doubt that, apart from the effect of 

 wounds, the chances of health or disease are in our own hands. If 

 people only lialf knew the facts pointing that way, they would be 

 ashamed to be sick or have sick children." 



It is to an investigation of these facts we urge all of you mothers. 

 Tlie first principles may seem a little dry, but some dry bones are nee- 



