140 THE WONDERFUL HOUSE THAT JACK HAS 



statement by passing from pure air into a closed cold 

 room in which people have been sleeping all night. 

 The lifeless, bad-smelling air observed is the best 

 possible argument. There is, however, foundation for 

 the prejudice some people have against night air, 

 especially in localities where the ground is moist. 

 In daytime the numerous germs that breed in such 

 ground are destroyed by the sunlight, but at night 

 they may >e present in the lower strata of air. On 

 this account, it is usually more healthful to sleep on 

 the upper floors of a house than on the first floor. 

 The lower air naturally contains more dust, and for 

 this reason is less desirable. 



As has been said in previous chapters, care must be 

 taken not to let the atmosphere of a room get too dry, 

 for then it will take up from our bodies moisture that 

 the tissues really need. A dry or parched feeling in 

 the nose or throat is usually a warning that the air 

 we are breathing needs more moisture. In caring for 

 a furnace the water box should be filled just as regu- 

 larly as coal is supplied. If this does not moisten 

 the air sufficiently, a small basin of water may be kept 

 before the registers of the rooms that are much occu- 

 pied. An open dish of water on either a coal or a gas 

 stove improves the quality of the breathing supply, 

 as the air takes up some of the water. 



What boys and girls cannot tell how they like the 

 bread and eggs, the potatoes and beefsteak, that are 

 served for breakfast or dinner? As to whether these 



