5(;s 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Sept. 1 



to announce to you that the subject of t/iis 

 Home paper is to be 



NIGHTGOWNS. 



Professor Uook saici in his talk to his stu- 

 dents that morning something like this: 



" Boys, this matter of health and its pres- 

 ervation is of such vital importance to you 

 that I am sure you will excuse me if I am a 

 little vehement in urging you, if you have 

 not already commenced, to begin, each and 

 every one of you, to remove entirely, when 

 you go to rest, all the clothing you have 

 worn during the day; then before you retire, 

 or after you get up in the morning, take 

 some sort of bath every day of your life. If 

 you can not do any better, take a s])onge 

 bath: of if you have not a sponge handy, 

 dip your hands in a basin of water and then 

 pass them all over the body. Then take a 

 rough towel and rub every portion of the 

 skin on your body — not only to remove the 

 water and moisture, but in "order to get up 

 a circulation, and keep the skin in a healthy 

 and vigorous state. After having thus 

 cleansed the entire surface, and induced a 

 brisk circulation, put on your nightgown. 

 You may think this is too much trouble, 

 and that you have not time; but if you will 

 take my ad \ ice, in after-years you will cer- 

 tainly thank me, even if you do not do it 

 now while you are young." 



I felt impressed with this talk at the time, 

 and mentally resolved that I would follow 

 his advice; but I must confess to you with 

 shame that it was not till I was seventy 

 .t/ears old that I took the trouble to get a 

 nightgown and follow Terry and a host of 

 others who have advocated daily cold-water 

 baths. Let me digress once more briefly. 



More than sixty years ago, when I was a 

 feeble and puny child whom hardly any 

 one expected to live, a lecturer on physiol- 

 ogy came along who taught some very im- 

 liortant truths; and my father and mother 

 linally consulted him in regard to my 

 health. Among other things he said I must 

 have a daily bath; and after the bath I 

 should walk at least half a mile and back 

 before breakfast. As we were poor i)eoi)le 

 at that time, and bath-tubs and modern 

 conveniences were hardly yet invented, I 

 simply had a basin of water and a towel in 

 my little unwarmed bedroom. The profes- 

 sor said that, after I got used to it, I could 

 take my bath in a room where it was freez- 

 ing cold, even if I had to break the ice in 

 the wash-basin and bathe : and I found it 

 true. I commenced in the fall; and as the 

 weather grew colder I not only found no- 

 thing i)articularly disagreeable, but I rather 

 enjoyed rubbing my thin anatomy all over 

 with ice-cold water — at least the water was 

 that cold when I dii)]ied my hands in it; 

 but I suppose they may hiive warmed it 

 somewhat. As our family cow was i)astur- 

 ed about half a mile away I had a good 

 reason for my morning walk. In a very 

 few weeks tlie benefits of a bath and a 

 morning walk became ai)i)arent. I quick- 

 ened u)) and began to act more like other 

 boys. I can not tell now how long I kept 



u]) that daily sponge bath. I fear it was 

 dropped wlien the weather became very 

 cold. A few times since I have taken it up 

 for a limited period in very warm weather ; 

 but as it seems necessary for me to wear a 

 starched shirt, collar, and necktie, when 

 going out among people, and with so much 

 on my hands that needs doing, I have nl- 

 ways declared I could not take so much 

 time for dressing and undressing. 



When I was uj) at the cabin in the woods, 

 in Northern Michigan, where I had a foun- 

 tain that sent a spray clear u]) among the 

 tree-tops, T had a daily shower-bath, as it 

 was not a hard task t^o do so. Besides, 1 

 was not crowded every minute of my life 

 with a heap of letters, and books and papers 

 all piled uj) before me. 



I have told you how this big brother of 

 mine convinced me I would feel better to 

 omit cooked suppers, or su]ii)ers of any kind 

 except fruit. Well, he also tried to con- 

 vince me that I ought to take a daily bath, 

 especially in that Florida climate ; and 

 about a month ago, or a little more, I got a 

 pair of nightgowns and started to follow 

 Terry, daily bathing and all. 



Now, you people who have followed what 

 I am talking about, all your lives, perhaps 

 can ski]) all of this; and I would not go on 

 with it if I were not convinced there are 

 many others like myself who ha\ e not been 

 able to scrape up the energy needed to fall in 

 with God's ]ihysical laws. We are told that 

 various pernicious insects breathe through 

 their bodies, and that we can choke them 

 to death with dust or any sort of grease 

 closing the breathing-jjores. Well, it just 

 begins to be clear to me that human being-j, 

 like insects, breathe through their body as 

 well as through the mouth and nostrils. 

 Our great statesman and president, Abra- 

 ham Lincoln, used to remove his shoes 

 when writing, so that his feet might breathe. 

 Well, if you have not tried it. you will find, 

 as I do, I am sure, a wonderful benefit in 

 giving your body a fair chance to breathe 

 all over as God intended it to do. 



Whatever the dear Savior may have 

 meant in what our text says about "food 

 and raiment," lam sure it included plainer 

 and more simple raiment. The nightgown 

 and bathing sa\e the work of the women- 

 folks in the same way that uncooked food 

 saves work. If you are well washed before 

 you put on the night-dress it will keep clean 

 a long time: the same with the sheets and 

 the i)illow-cases. \>ry little washing will 

 be needed, and every thing will wash easily. 

 .Vnd, my good friend, do not be in a hurry 

 to remove your nightdress and get on your 

 heavy clothing, especially in warm weather. 

 The body is greatly benefited by a good 

 long air bath. When I got down to Florida 

 a few days ago my brother announced an 

 innovation in the way of health. He said 

 they had not lighted their " liest light" 

 gasoline-lam}) at all for weeks. In fact, 

 they did not have any lam]) — no coal-oil 

 can, no lamp-wicks, nor any thing of the 

 sort. When it became too dark to see they 



