112 The Essentials of House Sanitation — 



We should, therefore, consider the matter with special reference 

 to the three points — A, Apathy ; B, Business ; and C, Common 

 Sense. 



This sanitary question is not a purely moral one, and yet it 

 is one that involves very serious moral responsibility. 



The health of body and mind — that is, our physical and 

 moral well-being — is powerfully influenced by our surroundings. 

 " Cleanliness," says the proverb, " is next to Godliness." If so, 

 the development and maintenance of religion and morality, as 

 well as the personal comfort of every individual, depends in 

 some degree upon the cleanliness of our persons, habits, and 

 dwellings ; we may take for granted that physical impurity is 

 the emblem, if not the sign, of moral impurity ; hence the im- 

 portance of sanitary reform, from a moral point of view. 

 Clearly it is every individual's duty not only to try and preserve 

 his own health, but he should take care that by his person or 

 habits he is not the cause of disease to others. This being our 

 double duty, we should at once look to the sanitary condition 

 of our dwellings. We are too careless on this point, because 

 our daily observation proves that there are hundreds of cases 

 exposed to obviously unsanitary conditions, and no evil effect 

 seems to follow ; the connection between a particular case of 

 disease and a defective sewer cannot always be traced to the 

 satisfaction of the ordinary observer. This is so. Neverthe- 

 less, we should remember that germs are not always matured 

 at the spot on which they were generated. For example, the 

 thistle-down originated on one farm may be matured into plant 

 and flower in a distant townland ; and the tern-spore shed in 

 the moist and shady valley finds a lodgment, and develops into 

 feathery fronds, in the crags of the mountains. So also with 

 the germs of disease ; they may be nursed into being in the 

 close alley or filthy court, but they may bring forth their deadly 

 fruit in the luxurious chamber of the suburban villa. The 

 owner of the villa and the lodger in the alley therefore are each 

 dependent one upon the other, and are equally bound to further 

 every effort made for the promotion of sanitary reform. 



