1276 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1 



to de lady." This will apply to this last paragraph of 

 my letter. 



Hoping you will continue your good work and inter- 

 esting writings, also vigorous health, I remain 



Yours truly, Theo. P. Austin. 



Egypt, Me., Sept. 4. 



T. B. Terry, in a recent issue of the Prac- 

 tical Farmer, says: 



Letters like the following make us thankful we can 

 tell the story of simple, wholesome living to so many. 

 It is from a friend living in Chester County, Pa.: "I 

 feel that I can not better celebrate my sixty-first 

 birthday than by writing thee a letter of thanks. Six 

 weeks ago I was visiting friends where the Practical 

 Farmer was a part of their household. While looking 

 over its columns I became deeply interested in ' Health 

 Hints,' especially the one telling about intestinal in- 

 digestion. I was at that time under the care of a 

 doctor for this trouble. I resolved I would try thy 

 simple advice. It proved elTectual, and I can not ex- 

 press in words my thankfulness for what it has done 

 for me. I am now entirely well. I have always been 

 an advocate of fresh air, pure water, etc. But since 

 reading thy articles I am carrying all these things 

 out better. I would rather miss my breakfast now 

 than my morning cool bath. If many more would fol- 

 low thy plain teachings what help they might obtain! 

 By the way, what evil air there is breathed in the 

 house of worshipl I have come to the conclusion I 

 will not ask my lungs to endure such air. I can wor- 

 ship God without in a measure committing suicide. 

 Without multiplying words, 1 wish to say I can en- 

 dorse every word thee puts in print. Go on with the 

 good work. I rather prefer not to have my name giv- 

 en, but publish it if thee thinks best." Thank you, 

 my good friend. There ij no question that much 

 harm is done by the impure air in churches. I have 

 avoided it for the most part during the last four years; 

 this, of course, for the season when windows are 

 closed. Much sickness is caused and many lives pre- 

 maturely snuffed out by church and schoolhouse air, 

 where so many people are collected together and so 

 little attention is paid to ventilation. 



Now there is something in regard to this 

 matter of pure air in churches that troubles 

 me. Those who are well and strong, per- 

 haps do not mind the bad air in many 

 churches. Possibly they are not injured to 

 any great extent by it; but it is one of the 

 great trials of my life to be obliged to re- 

 main in a crowded audience with insufficient 

 ventilation, or, worse still', no ventilation 

 at all. Even in California or down in Flori- 

 da, with large trees laden with orange-blos- 

 soms right near the church, all windows 

 would be closed, and the minister would be 

 preaching, or trying to preach, to a drowsy 

 audience. Of course, this is not always the 

 case, and I think a reform is coming. Many 

 of our churches and public buildings are not 

 planned so as to permit a perfect ventilation; 

 and where they do admit of it, the man- 

 agers, in their endeavors to save fuel, keep 

 the windows closed, or nearly so. Please 

 consider, friends, that there are more or less 

 old people in every Sunday audience; and 

 there are more or less people with poor 

 health there — perhaps disease among them. 

 If there are any who ought to be on hand to 

 listen to a message from the man of God, it is 

 the older ones and the ailing ones; and these, 

 of all others, need an abundance of fresh air. 

 I hesitated somewhat about talking up this 

 subject, because I feared it might encourage 

 some, who are looking for an excuse, to stay 

 away from church. God forbid. I think I 

 should prefer to take my chances of dying a 

 little sooner than to stay away from church. 

 Although he does not exactly say so, I am 



afraid our good friend T. B. Terry, not- 

 withstanding the great influence that his 

 presence or absence might exert in any com- 

 munity, has been_staying away from church 

 because the ventilation is bad. 



Attention has already been turned to 

 this matter of ventilation in our public 

 schools; and I hope and pray that the time is 

 fast going by when these little ones shall be 

 scolded for getting restless and uneasy, and 

 wanting to be out in the open air, when in- 

 telligent ventilation might not only quiet 

 them, but help them to be well and happy. 

 Dear friends, will you not make it your 

 business to do all you can to have good ven- 

 tilation, both in the schools and churches 

 in your neighborhood? 



UNCOOKED FOOD— SOMETHING INIORE ABOUT 

 IT. 



While I am quoting f . om T. B. Terry I wish 

 to make another quotation from the Practi- 

 cal Farmer of Aug. 10. It answers the 

 question that a good many of us have been 

 asking, whether T. B. Terry is still living on 

 grains, nuts, and fruits, uncooked: 



It is quite possible that the great point is that one 

 must chew the dry flaked wheat, witin a little butter, 

 far more than people do chew soft co^kf-d wheat. A 

 great deal more saliva is mixed with tho si arch as a 

 result, and digestion is therefore more prfect. Per- 

 sonally I now like the dry wheat betfr than the 

 cooked, and certainly as well as I do the hc'^t of bread 

 and butter. It is better than the best whole-wheat 

 bread, because it is absolutely pure wheat and noth- 

 ing else, the simplest and m^^st natural food. Eaten 

 with unsalted butter I like the wheat, enjoy my meal 

 greatly, and there is no dan/er whatever of overeat- 

 ing. With salted butter one must use judgmect, as 

 the salt stimulates the digestive juices and appetite 

 unnaturally. For a long time I have eaten dry wheat 

 and butter and fruit only for breakfast when at home. 

 The results have been entirely satisfactory. I npver 

 enjoyed meals more or was in better shape for a hard 

 day's work of brain or muscle. These are facts, not 

 theories. In February I bought a case of Pettijohn's 

 flaked wheat, 36 boxes of a pound and a half each. 

 The cost was $3.75. * It will last about a year. No 

 expense for fire to cook it. Takes about a minute to 

 get breakfast. 



IS CANCER CURABLE? 



This matter came up because several have 

 written me asking my advice in regard to 

 the treatment of cancers. 1 made inquiries 

 of several friends who have been thus afflict- 

 ed, and I began to think there was no reme- 

 dy 1 could recomrttend except a surgical op- 

 eration; and many times this seems to offer 

 only temporary relief. While considering the 

 matter the following came to hand in a pri- 

 vate letter from a friend in whom I have 



*Now, look here, friends, do not go over this mat- 

 ter too hastily. Mr. Terry tells us about buying Pet- 

 tijohn's flaked wheat, enough for a year, for $3 75, or 

 practically one cent a day. Will people who have 

 found it a hard matter to furnish provisions and 

 "make both ehds meet" take notice of thisV And 

 that is not all. "It takes about a minute to get 

 breakfast." I know this is true, for I have got many 

 a breakfast of that sort myself. 'How about the sav- 

 ing in time of the good housewife'/ or, if you choose, 

 saving the expense of a hired girl? Just now the 

 hired girls are coming pretty near to a strike that 

 may be almost as far-reaching as that of the telegraph- 

 ers If the girls will not work for reasonable wages, 

 and be decent while they are about it, can't we get on 

 a strike and live on wheat, and get along without 

 hired girls— at least until they begin to be " hungry" 

 for a job? Are we as a people ready to learn the les- 

 son the great Father is striving to teach us? 



