CHAPTER I 



" BREATH IS LIFE." 



IS it wontedness and use, or perhaps, that un- 

 speakably deadening factor thoughtlessness, 

 that has robbed the pregnant aphorism 

 " BREATH IS LIFE " of every atom of its pro- 

 found significance? 



None has ever gainsaid it, yet to the mass of 

 mankind it means no more than if one were to 

 write omicron muf And to that suicidal mania, 

 fear of fresh air and draughts, and its accom- 

 panying folly, flagrant neglect of the primal 

 function of breathing, the world pays an annual 

 tribute of at the lowest estimate a quarter million 

 lives; all sacrificed to -preventable disease! Even 

 without a regret for those sent thus prematurely 

 through the " Gates Ajar," think of the crushing 

 weight of sorrow this entails upon the world! 

 Though not our loss, the sorrow affects all within 

 its environment. 



