266 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 25, 1901. 



act. But ever and anon some little village (nothing else on 

 its comos-embracing mind) finds it necessary to put them 

 out. Page 179. 



DRONES AND WORKERS. 



I hardly think Mr. C. P. Dadant needs to cavil about a 

 drone eating as much as two workers. Sorry I haven't the 

 exact weight of drones at hand— but all similar objects are 

 to each other as their cubes. So for workers it should be 

 5x5x5=125 : and for drones 4x4x4^64. As the drone's shape 

 is somewhat blunter, it should take somewhat more than 

 125 workers to equal 64 drones in bulk. Why not expect 

 them to eat accordingly ? Again, the drone probably eats 

 all he can, while the workers never do except in rushing 

 times. If Mr. D. is right, that the drone's bulk is only a 

 half more than the worker's, then much of the above falls 

 to the ground. 



I ^ The Home Circle. ^ 



Conducted bu Frof. ft. J. Cook, Claremont, Calif. 



SUNSHINE IN THE HOME. 



How few of us understaiul what sunshine has done for 

 the world.- Except for the blessed beams which come with 

 their warmth of light, we could have no vegetable growth. 

 -The plants need the sunlight to change the carbon dioxide 

 which they inhale from the air, and the water which comes up 

 to them from the roots into the starch, sugar and oils which 

 are to nourish them and to feed their tissues. Indeed, we owe 

 to the sunshine the great coal-beds which make us so rich as a 

 nation, and which, of themselves, contribute so largely to the 

 comfort of so many of our home circles. 



Sunshine in the home is as great a factor in supplying its 

 best fruits as it is in the world about us in building up the 

 great plant portion of the earth. Some years since, a man by 

 the name of Alexis St. Martin, received a gunshot wound 

 over the upper part of his abdomen. The healing was imper- 

 fect and left a flap which opened into the stomach. Thus, 

 there was formed a sort of a door so that any observer could 

 not only look into the stomach and see its condition but could 

 also reach in and withdraw the injesta so as to note any time 

 just the condition of digestion. Some very interesting facts 

 were observed. St. Martin was taken around to various of 

 the medical colleges that the students might have the benefit 

 of direct observation regarding digestion. .Students are not 

 always considerate and thus St. Martin was often vest by 

 them. At times he became very irritable and peevish. With 

 age he became so susceptible to outward impressions that it 

 was very easy to affect his temper. He could readily be made 

 ■either angry or happy at the will of those who held him in 

 charge. It was found that it he was seriously irritated, 

 immediately after eating a full meal, that the stomach 

 remained pallid, showing that the circulation was held in 

 abeyance, the gastric juice or digestive fluid failed to appear 

 in the stomach, and thus there was an almost total failure of 

 the food to digest. On the other hand, if he was in merry 

 mood, the stomach flusht up as the blood courst thru the cap- 

 illary circulation, the digestive juices were poured out gener- 

 ously, and the food was soon liquefied, absorbed into the blood, 

 and hastened on to the tissues to help on the work of assimi- 

 lation. 



Here, then, we had a very graphic illustration of what 

 many of us have proved in our own experience. How often 

 has the letter bearing sad tidings, or the evil news told to us 

 just after meal-taking, seemed to stop entirely the wheels of 

 digestion. Often sudden grief of this kind has so checkt the 

 machinery of digestion as to give a fatal shock to the system. 

 It is now a well-known physiological fact that any thing 

 which disturbs the mind is a serious break upon all the bodily 

 functions. With mental depression, the heart beats more 

 slowly, the lungs fill less frequently, all the secretions are 

 poured out with languor, and the whole body seems to call a 

 halt. It is no wonder, then, that so important a part of our 

 functional activities as that of digestion should be one of the 

 most ready respondents to this evil effect of bad news. 



We see, then, how important it is, if we would maintain 

 ■ealth, that we should bring great floods of sunshine into the 



home, and should keep from it everything that incites worry 

 or brings displeasure. 



It is specially desirable that this matter of sunshine 

 should never be lost sight of at meal-time. Anything that 

 makes the table look more beautiful, as the neat and orderly 

 arrangement of dishes and viands, or the vase of flowers, 

 contributes not only to good digestion but as surely to good 

 health and long life. We are often urged to eat slowly that 

 the victuals may be more thoroly masticated and digestion 

 hastened. This is certainly excellent advice. But the long 

 sitting at the table, and the happy disposition of each person 

 in the home to do all possible to make the — I wish I might say 

 hour of meal-taking, an hour so full of glee that it will 

 brighten all the other hours of the day, is doing more than 

 they know to keep dread disease from the household. Is it 

 Shakespeare who says, "pleasure physics pain," or some- 

 thing to that effect. I wish I could say something in these 

 talks on the home circle to brighten all the homes of the land, 

 for I would in so doing add not only greatly to the health and 

 vigor of all our readers, but would also do very much to make 

 the work of life much more effective. 



There is another consideration in reference to this matter 

 which is well worth our thought. Discomfort in itself is very 

 apt to breed the sullen disposition and the irritable temper. 

 From what I have said above, these induce dyspepsia and ill- 

 health. These further build on to the discomfort, which adds 

 again to impede digestion, and thus we have a fearful com- 

 pound interest which will almost require a miracle to prevent 

 seriou.- disaster. 



We often hear it said that worry hurts worse and kills 

 more than does work. This is certainly true, and is easily 

 explained from what has been said above. Surely, then, we 

 make no mistake when we do our utmost to flood the home 

 circle with brightest sunshine. The kind word, the thought- 

 ful act, and the loving sympathy, not only give a foretaste of 

 heaven in our homes, but they tend more than anything else 

 to fence off disease and sickness, and to carry youth into old 

 age. If we could do anything to secure such homes every- 

 where in our country, we would do that which would be 

 greater with promise for the future of our good land than 

 does even the wondrous prosperity which I referred to in my 

 last article. A country full of bright, sunny homes would 

 also be great in patriotism, and would ever be invincible 

 against any foe that might dare to cross its borders. 



NURSING IN THE HOME. 



I am also minded to say a few words regarding nursing. 

 One has only to be sick and in bed a few days to appreciate 

 the kind ministrations of the loving hands and hearts that do 

 so much to rob even sickness of its terrors, and so much to 

 drive the unwelcome visitor away. It is often said, and I am 

 sure with entire truth, that, of the two, the good nurse is of 

 more value than even the good doctor. We know of a cer- 

 tainty that medicine at the best is only a minor aid in the 

 work of recovering lost health. Very likely many times the 

 medicine does more harm than good. We can never say the 

 same of the good, thoughtful nurse. I have often thought 

 that were I a girl or young woman, and time would permit, I 

 should take the training necessary to make a first-class nurse 

 even tho 1 might never wish to make nursing a profession. It 

 is certainly well for every young woman to be fortified by hav- 

 ing some business which in case of need would make her inde- 

 pendent. There are a few things that woman is preeminently 

 qualified to do. She alone can make the beautiful home ; she 

 alone can attain highest excellence in teaching children ; she 

 alone can reach the highest attainment as the nurse. Like 

 the good musician, so, too, the good nurse, wherever her lot 

 may be cast, will never find her skill and ability begging 

 opportunities to make themselves felt and useful. 



The first thing the good nurse will look to is such thought- 

 ful care and attention that the patient can not ha.ve even the 

 slightest worry over tlie closing of a window, the neatness of 

 the room, the taking of medicine, etc. Every need and 

 requirement will be foreseen and met with such promptness 

 that the patient will have no worry at all. Quiet in the room 

 and about the house, especially in a case where the nerves are 

 involved, will be insisted upon by the good nurse. Inquiring 

 friends will be courteously thankt for their thoughtfulness in 

 calling and the hope exprcst that the sick one will be able 

 very soon to see them. No pains will be spared to make the 

 sick one in the highest degree comfortable. Shaking up of 

 the pillows, frequent arrangement of the bed-clothes, and the 

 oft-repeated bathing of the face and hands, especially in the 

 case of fevers, will never be omitted. Perhaps the most 

 important thing of all, and we may say the hardest thing, f6r 

 the nurse is apt to become very tired and sleepy, is that she 



