174 



PRENATAL CULTURE. 



training. By proper physical culture parents who 

 have only a moderate degree of strength and 

 vitality may endow their offspring with a com- 

 paratively strong constitution. 



The personal habits of the prospective father 

 should be carefully considered ; if addicted to the 

 Personal Habits. llse o f opiates, alcoholic drinks, or tobacco in any 

 form, he should give them up. The importance 

 of this will be considered in a succeeding chapter. 

 It is enough to say here that no self-respecting 

 man, who has the slightest interest in the well- 

 being of his offspring should think of parenting 

 a child while addicted to the use of narcotics. If 

 he is gluttonous, he should be temperate; not 

 only for the sake of withholding an abnormal 

 appetite from his child but that his own organiza- 

 tion may be healthy and not inflamed by excessive 

 carbon, nor stimulated by irritants. 



"Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Habitual 

 filthiness is not only unhealthy but most demoral- 

 izing. No man who is uncleanly need expect to 

 have a pure mind, nor to give a decent inheritance 

 to a child. The weekly, or semi-weekly, warm 

 bath, should be a part of every person's religion. 

 The morning sponge-bath, followed by a little 

 brisk rubbing with the palms of the hands, is a 

 luxury that should be enjoyed by all, save the 

 extremely feeble or delicate. 



An idle moment is a dangerous moment. The 

 modern custom of loafing is the mother of bad 

 habits. If a man has formed the habit of spend- 

 ing his evenings down town, standing around 

 street corners, in pool rooms or club houses, he 

 should learn to make better use of his spare time 



Cleanliness. 



Dangers of an 

 Idle Moment. 



