890 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



jt)Ke:9, 1S41. 



AM) HORTICULTURAL RKCiSTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, Juke 9, 1841. 



PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 

 Halt thou daughters i 



Have a cure of their body. 



EcCLFSIASTICUS. 



and pure air. Let il nr.t forget that winter's snows and 

 summer's funs help to liardon and strengthen the grow- 

 ing body. 



the young of each sex would go down to their graves 

 unwuddcd and chililless, and this too, not oftener from 

 any faults of their own, ihan from tlie faults of parents 



feeble. 



The inh:ibitant3 along the shore in the old Bay State, 

 are becoming less robust and hardy than their fathers 

 were. The present generation has less vigor and health 

 than the last possessed. The causes are doubtless many 

 —and not a few ot them are hidden. But a hisiy 

 glance at society will disclose some departures of the 

 present generation from the habits of the past age, which 

 obviously tend to debilitate. The closeness of our 

 dwellings, rendered desirable by the high prices of fuel, 

 causes us to breathe a less pure atmosphere than per- 

 vaded the dwellings of the yeomanry in the times when 

 the chimney corner would hold half a score of children; 

 tho extensive substitution of coffee and tea for milk, 

 bean porridge and the like, have brought on a degree 

 of feebleness; — the general use of fine wheaten flour 

 instead of the coarse rye ami Indian of former days has 

 over loaded and weakened the digestive organs in many 



cages ; the fashion which excludes the thick shoe and 



boot, and exposes the foot to cold and wet, has helped 

 to bring on many maladies ;— the abandonment of wrest- 

 ling and other games requiring great muscular efforts, 

 (though perhaps the abandonment is wise,) may be a 

 cause of the increase of feebleness. In short, less of 

 hardship and more luiury in modes of living, have ex- 

 erted their enervating influences upon our community 

 for the last quarter of a century. And though we are 

 still a vigorous, energetic and enterprising people; yet, 

 as these characteristics are becoming less prominent, it 

 is proper for us to inquire into the causes and help to 

 stay their operations. We feel the duty incumbent, be- 

 cause wo think that the intellectual, moral and reli- 

 gious character of individuals and nations has a close 

 and intimate connection with the health and strength 

 oflh«body. The public good, (not its prosperity in 

 money-making merely)— the public good— in the high- 

 est, broadest, deepest sense of tho terms— is closely in- 

 terwoven with the general health and strength of the 

 people. Therefore necessity is laid upon those who 

 would be faithful public teachers, to discountenance all 

 customs which tend to bring on general feebleness. 



We commenced with a quotation from a wise man of 

 olden times — " Hast thou daughters ? have a care of 

 their body ; ' and it was our purpose to say distinctly, 

 that the physical education of those who are to be the 

 mothers of the next generation, is the first duty of pa- 

 rents; yes, we distinctly put this bianchof education 

 6rst; for while we would have habits of truth and ube- 

 dience early formed, we are persuaded that these and 

 other good habits are of much less worth to the world 

 when found in one of feible constitution, than when 

 connected with a healthy frame, that has power to act 

 out the promptings of the soul. Make the child hardy ; 

 and to do this, the food must be simple, the cloihlng 

 loose and coinfortable, and exposure to the weather in 

 all its slates, must be habitual. The dirt, and wet and 

 cold into which the child will rush with diliglit, are all 

 contributors to its health and energy nfcharncter. There 

 is much imprudent prudence in keeping children within 

 doors, — much crvcl hindness in keeping them from ex- 

 posure — much weakening poison in the healthful deli- 

 cacies furnished for their feeble digestive organs. Let 

 kindness to your offspring be fnr-sighted. Let it re- 

 member that health is promoted by vigorous exorcise 



Preserve the child from immoral habits iind e.xercise and of fashion, which have rendered them permanently 



little more restraint than is necessary for this, until the 



foundation of firm health is apparently well laid. There 



has been a tendency for a few yisirs past to force the 



growth of the intellect in advance of physical growth; 



but this is a contravention of the course of nature, and 



must in many instances bring either death or debility. 



He who formed the mysterious connection between the 



body and soul, has obviously designed that the growth 



of tlie former shall precede that of t'.e latter; and any 



course which shall prematurely develope the mind and 



call it into highly vigorous exercise in early childhood, 



is necessarily attended with danger of destroying the 



body. 



But we designed to apeak particularly of th<i physical 



education of daughters. Let them he accustomed to 



regular and vigorous exercise, and that too in the open 



air. It is becoming almost barbarous to send the girls 

 to the milking stool and to the lighter work in the field. 

 We arc not without a share of the feeling on this sub- 

 ject which peruades this vicinity; and yet looking at 

 the future and reasoning from well known facts, the 

 conclusion is irresistible that it would be better — far 

 better — belter fi)r them and better for tho next genera- 

 lion, that our daughters should engage in the out-door 

 labors which their grandmothers performed. Then a 

 fresher bloom would spread over their cheeks, and more 

 healthful blood would flow in all their veins. They 

 would discharge their household duties with more de- 

 spatch and less fatigue. Their spirits, graduated by 

 their health, would diffuse more life into the family cir- 

 cle — and the mind, sympathizing with the body, would 

 be clearer in its perceptions, more prompt in its deci- 

 sions, more efficient in all its operations. 



Looking forward to the future, we see not how it 

 s possible for any other than a feeble race to be pro 



THE LETANG AND MAINE LIMES. 



" The L'Etang lime contains 99 3-10 per cent, of put© 

 limes in each 100 lbs. of the quick lime. 



" About 300 lbs. in a cask — 2 1-10 only of impurities. 



" The Alaine lime averages about 60 per cent, of pure 

 lime and 40 p. r cent, impurities." 



On seeing the above paragraphs appended to the state- 

 ment respecting the L'Etang lime in our last paper, Mr 

 Davis, the agent of the company, called upon us imme- 

 diately to say, that he had not authorized any such as- 

 sertions as they contain ; and that he considered them 

 highly improper and unjust, as the Maine limes which 

 were manufactured for the market, were not only good, 

 but 7nos( of them very good. The comparison was made 

 without his knowledge, and never received his signa- 

 ture. 



LARGE CUCUMBER. 



Mr J. Crawford, of Bedford, who sent to us a fine cu- 

 cumber when the weather was so cold that the thought 

 of eating such a vegetable made one shiver, has now fa- 

 vored us with another, 17 inches long, which in these 

 bright warm days is very lempting. Tliis gentleman 

 must be uncommonly successful in the growing of the 

 cucumber, and if his process is peculiar, we invite hira 

 to make it public. 



BEES IN A BARN CHAMBER. 

 Wc have been informed that bees which Gov. Lin- 

 coln had put in a chamber in his barn, made an atteck a 

 few days since upon his oxen, when they came from 

 the field, sweaty. The cattle were so annoyed that 



they broke down the fences in various places and be- 

 duced from the pale-faced gitls, of compressed forms, came entirely unmanageable. We remember having 



that are growing up in both city and country. The 

 subject is one of delicacy, but il is so closely connected 

 with human welfare, thai some obvious truths connect- 

 ed with it should not be suppressed. We say that the 

 same laws by which, in brutes, the offspring partake of 

 the characteristics of the parents, operate in the human 

 species ; and no female can reasonably expecl to be the 

 mother of a healthy family of children, who has not a 

 firm and robust constitution. The weaknesses produced 

 by stimulants, by unwholesome food, inactivity, impu.e 

 air, li"hl lacing, thin shoes, ir avoidance of vigorous 

 exercise, will bo transmitted lo their children. The 

 sins of the parents are visited upon the children for gene- 

 rations. TJiese irulh.s teach a lesson that should be 

 heeded. Could the young of either sex, but be made 

 acquainted with the facts which we have witnessed, 

 thiy would learn that the marriage relation ol'te* — very 

 ofien results in a family of feeble and inofficient chil- 

 dren, and this too in consequence of such weaknesses in 

 the parcnis as should have deterred them from enter- 

 ing into the married «lale. for we liuld it to be wrong 

 for any intelligent being to be voluntarily instrumental 

 in bringing others into existence, when tho probability 

 is strong that the chidren will inherit such weaknesses 

 as will rcndei them unhappy or burthensome to society. 

 This subject of physical education is more closely con- 

 nected with human welfare than almost any other that 

 can be agitated. We have not discussed it ; but the 

 hints here given may cau^e some of our readers to make 

 it matter of serious and useful reflection. Should we 

 but feel it a duty lo disclose all our convictions relative 

 lo this subject ; and could our advice be taken, many of 



seen, when a boy, the old horse similarly attacked, 

 when taken from the plow and tied near the bee house. 

 These facts may render it desirable to place bees remote 

 from places where we must regularly bring our beasts 

 of labor. 



Maaaachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Saturday, June 5, 1841. 

 Samuel Walker, of Roxbury, exhibited twelve stalks 

 of Rhubarb, weighing 3-4 pounds — very fine. 



AARON D. WILLIAMS. 



FRUIT COMMITTEE. 

 The Committee on Fruits of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society, will please meet at their room on Sat- 

 urday next at 10 o'clock, A. M , in relation to premiums 

 foi the ensuing year. 



B. V. FRENCH, Chairnum. 

 June S. 



The Maine Farmer stales a method by which Twitch 

 or Couch Grass C TViticvm repens,) was effectually de- 

 stroyed. The . x|ierimenler plowed it under all of a 

 foot deep, then iiarrowed and enltivated the ground as 

 usual, and il never troubled him afterwards. Ho look 

 good rare to lay the furiows complelely oyer, so that 

 every part of the grass should be laid fairly and deeply 

 under. 



fVarm. In this city, on Monday, the mercury rose to 

 88 in the shade. 



