22 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



which burns the animal matter and particles of lint from the 

 clothing and makes the air too dry for respiration. This 

 causes irritation of the delicate air passages, and fits of 

 coughing. Every window is shut to keep the place warm 

 for evening service, and at the evening service the air becomes 

 so bad that the lamps will almost go out. To make sure 

 of keeping it bad every window and door is kept shut all 

 the next week, when it is again warmed up for Sunday 

 service. This goes on from year to year with little inter- 

 ruption except perhaps for a few weeks in the summer. 

 Is it any wonder that people are overcome with stupor while 

 the minister preaches ? Some attempts have been made to 

 improve the ventilation of our schools, and in the last school 

 built in this city, " The King Edward," the best known sys- 

 tem has been introduced ; but there is much still to be done, 

 and I do not hesitate to say that I believe the day is not 

 far distant when much closer government inspection will be 

 exercised over the sanitary conditions and ventilation of all 

 public buildings. 



A commission appointed by the City of New York to in- 

 quire into the cause of disease in that city, reported that forty 

 per cent, of disease was caused by breathing impure air. We 

 hear much about " fresh air treatment " for consumptives. I 

 am in full sympathy with the improvements for dealing with 

 this very numerous class of sufferers ; but what are we doing 

 to lessen the foundation of the evil ? Why build one Sana- 

 tarium on the top of the mountain to cure the disease while 

 we build places without number in the valley to propogate 

 tubercolosis and kindred diseases ? The Black Hole of Cal- 

 cutta, 



" Roused the vengeance, blood alone could quell," 



from one end of the British Empire to the other. There are hun. 

 dreds of black holes in the country just as deadly, though 

 somewhat slower in their action, causing catarrh, consump- 

 tion, bronchitis, pneumonia and other kindred diseases. All 

 physicians admit that consumption can only be cured by plac- 

 ing the patient in the open air. It follows that the only way 



