. 



MICROBES AND KEEPING CLEAN 



37 



If her lips had been cracked or chapped, and if the 

 microbes on the penny had been of the dangerous kind, 

 she might have caught a dangerous disease. Lips that 

 are slightly cracked are like apples that have their skins 

 broken ; if disease microbes get against them, they settle 

 there at once and cause trouble. 



We must not forget that most microbes are harmless, 

 but we must be sure to remember that some of them do 

 us such great harm that the safest thing is not to run 

 any risks. It may be that the well-dressed woman whom 

 I saw had never heard of microbes, for some people are 

 quite behind the times in this matter. 



Clothes need to be clean as well as hands, also houses, 

 schoolrooms, cars, and churches. The cleaner such places 

 are, the safer we shall be; for wherever people live or 

 go, wherever they breathe the air or die, there we are 

 likely to find things that are soiled and microbes that 

 are multiplying. Since we know all this we must try to 

 keep clean every day; we must live in clean houses for 

 the sake of keeping well. 



QUESTIONS 



1. What does a warning sign on a house sometimes seem to say? 



2. Why are we. careful not to touch certain people? 



3. What is one great reason for washing our hands and keeping clean ? 



4. How may microbes get from the hands to the mouth? 



5. Mention ways in which microbes may be exchanged? 



