66 THE CORNELL READING-COURSES 



glass at table; yet at school, and in other public places, promiscuous 

 drinking from a cup is still too common, although railroads are fast abolish- 

 ing the common cup. Laws have been passed in some States forbidding 

 its use in public places. 



Railroad dust. The railway porter's income is derived partly from fees 

 for brushing the clothes of passengers. The dust from the clothing of one 

 passenger is stirred up and settles on the plush seats of the car and on the 

 clothing and persons of his fellow-passengers. Dust and money are thus 

 put into circulation! Considering the danger from germ-laden dust, it 

 is possible that the back platform might be less dangerous than the car 

 aisle as a place for the brushing. A better way still is for every passenger 

 to do his own brushing, in private, on his own back doorstep. 



Food exposed to dust. It may be difficult to cover all the left-overs 

 and all the food in process of preparation; but the housekeeper is likely 

 to attempt to do this when she realizes that the surfaces of uncovered 

 food catch many flying particles and germs that we would rather not 

 have made a part of our diet. Probably, if the bread had not been left 

 unprotected, the mouse would not have jumped into it. We can see the 

 mouse, however, in time to avoid making him a part of our meal, whereas 

 the obnoxious germ is so small as to escape notice. v A table filled with 

 left-overs, waiting to be prepared for the next meal, is a veritable dust- 

 garden, and who knows what additions it may make to our diet? Of 

 course, sufficient heat applied may kill anything dangerous, but we do 

 not want dirt in our food even though the germs have been killed. 



Food exposed in the market. Housekeepers are promoting the interests 

 of health when they buy only those foodstuffs that are protected, on 

 wagons and in the market, from the dust of the street. Handling foods 

 with clean hands necessitates in the grocery a place in which the hands 

 can be washed frequently. 



Washing clothes without boiling. There are pieces in the laundry that 

 should be boiled; handkerchiefs, bed linen, underclothing, and, in fact, 

 all clcthing are the better for sterilization. The newer methods of clean- 

 ing and pressing woolen suits are good from a sanitary standpoint. Clean- 

 ing processes involve steam, which is a sterilizer, and often gasoline, which 

 is a partial disinfectant. 



Tainted money. No one refuses even a grimy, dirty bank-bill, "but 

 every one feels the need of washing the hands after handling it. Placing 

 coins in the teeth shows decided lack of intelligence or reckless disregard 

 cf sanitary principles. The coins that pass through many hands may 

 have become infected with the micro-organisms of diphtheria, tuber- 

 culosis, or other specific diseases. 



