92 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



ON THE PRESERVATION OF HEALTH. 



THE GOOD EFFECTS OF FREQUENT BATHING. 



With the mercury at 90 degrees of Fahren- 

 heit, what can be more natm-al, than to spend 

 a few thoughts on the means of counteracting 

 the ill effects of such excessive heat ? And 

 how can this be better done than by frecpient 

 ablutions of the whole body, so that every pore 

 may be kept open, and free passage given to 

 matter which the system rejects and would fain 

 throw off by perspiration. We write in the 

 full persuasion that bathing is too generally 

 neglected in the country — either from want of 

 thought upon its importance, or want of con- 

 venience for its enjoyment ; but with a little 

 trouble such convenience might be provided, 

 wherever there is a good pump, or yet better, 

 where there is a copious spring of water. The 

 facilities should not only be afforded, but those 

 who have charge of families should make it a 

 point to see that they are availed of, by every 

 member under his control. Ask the laboring 

 man, him who labors with mind or body, and 

 who is accustomed to being daily, or very fre- 

 quently refreshed with the shower or plunging 

 bath, what would induce him to forego it ? — 

 Rising in the morning exhausted and languid 

 from the eflPects of oppressive heat, he comes 

 out from his bath invigorated and capable of 

 thinking so much closer, and working with so 

 much more alertness and satisfaction that he 

 would much sooner relinquish one meal a day 

 than give up his bath ! He only who habitu- 

 ally enjoys it can estimate the privation when 

 DO moans are to be had for the indulgence. 



Tho.se who have most studied the art of pre- 

 serving health dwell upon cleanliness of the 

 person, as next in importance to be con.sidered 

 after air and food. 



The happiness and success of every farmer, 

 depends so much on the health of all his house- 

 hold that under the most fervid heat that has 

 l)een felt here for the last ten years we do not 

 see tliat we could better devote the space it 

 occupies than in giving to his perusal and re- 

 flection the following paper which seems to 

 contain about all that need be said on the sub- 

 subject of it : 



" This is Bot a mere matter of decency. It is 

 one of the positive commands arising from the 

 constituted order of things. Be it remembered, 

 that every thing that lives, vegetable or animal, 

 is wasting while life continues ; and that all 

 which is sent forth through the milllions of 

 openings by the skin, has run its round, and is 

 lifeless ; and that more dian half of all the food 



taken comes forth in this manner. If perspira- 

 tion, sensible and insensible, be permitted to rest 

 on the skin, and stop the way of that which is 

 coming. Nature is offended, and wiU show that 

 .she is BO. Such neglect is one of the causes of 

 disease. This fact was probably well known 

 to Eastern nations, since it was part of their re- 

 ligioiis dutiy to cleanse the skin. These na- 

 tions were ignorant of the modem comfort of 

 wearing a garment next the skin which can be 

 frequently changed. The ab.scnce of this com- 

 fort was one of the causes of those dreadful dis- 

 eases of which we read, and which are now 

 unknown among Christian nations. There are 

 classes of laborers and mechanics, whose health 

 would be presei-ved, and their lives prolonged, 

 if they knew how much depended on periodi- 

 cal cleansing. It may be said that there is a 

 connexion between cleanliness and moral feel- 

 ing. Perhaps it may be going too far to say, 

 that those who habitually disregard cleanliness, 

 and prefer to be dirty, have no moral percep- 

 tion : but it may be truly said, that those who are 

 morally sensitive are the more so from respect- 

 ing this virtue. There is a close affinity be- 

 tween moral depravity and physical degrada- 

 tion. The vicious poor are always shockingly 

 filthy : the depraved rich are visited bj' worse 

 penalties : they may have clean gannents ; but 

 what can wash away the impurities which vice 

 has made a pai't of themselves ? It is not for 

 one's self only that tlie virtue of cleanliness 

 connnends itself. Every one comes within the 

 observation of others. However uncleanly one 

 may be himself, he is not the less offended at the 

 like neglect in Uiose whom he observes. Now, 

 it is every one's duty to himself to recommend 

 himself to others, so far as he innocently and 

 reasonably can, and to obtain their respect. — 

 (^lean and costly garments may fall very short 

 of doing this, if it be seen that they are a cov- 

 ering for the neglect of this important law. If 

 there be a lovely object to the human eye it is a 

 clean, clear-faced, healthy, innocent, neatly-clad, 

 haj)py child. There are few children ^^■ho may 

 not, if they will, be neatly dressed, for this 

 does not depend on that of which the dress is 

 made. There are fe\ver who maj' not have a 

 clear skin, and healthy look, if they are proper- 

 ly fed, and sleep in pure air. There are none 

 who may not have a clean skin ; for we speak 

 to those who are old enough to judge (or them- 

 selves. And let it be added, for their induce- 

 ment, that, in obeying the command to be clean, 

 they are perfonning a moral duty ; in neglect- 

 ing it they are inflicting an evil on themselves 

 in two ways — first, in diminishing their own 

 comfort ; second, in losing the esteem of others." 



|tg6= The best mixture for filling up wounds in 

 trees is made with cow-dung 1 bushel, old lime-i-ub- 

 bish i a bushel, wood-ashes \ a bushel, and a little 

 river-sand, well worked together by spade, or beaten 

 until it is of the consistence of fresh plaster, such as 

 is used for ceiling rqoms. 



