27 
ture has reason as well as 
when she refuses to call for two quarts 
of drinking water daily. Also many 
other fads which are now seeking to 
win attention show themselves sooner 
or later as but fallacies. Nature 
should be the detective of every false 
thing. Her ways are the ways of good 
health, and in disease her methods and 
those in alliance with her methods are 
the surest way to recovery. 
An ancient writer in describing the 
course of sickness pictures it as a bat- 
tle between nature and disease. The 
physician who steps in to settle the 
ditticulty is described as a biind mu: 
armed with a club. And physicians 
often are as blind men. They may do 
their best vet often they cannot see 
what they do. The physician, writes 
the Irish philosopher tries first to*make 
peace between nature. and disease. 
Failing in this he lifts his club and 
strikes at random. If he hits the dis- 
ease he destroys it and restores the pa- 
tient but if he strikes nature he kills 
the patient. Much of this may be ap- 
plied to medical fads. There are 
among them many random shots some 
of which fall upon disease or disease- 
producing lhabits, while others just as 
surely are a blow to nature itself and 
are to be studied only to be avoided. 
OLIVE EDDY ORCUTT, M. D. 

PHYSICIANS ON ALCOHOL. 
The following statement has been 
agreed upon by the Council of the Brit- 
ish Medical Femperance Association, thé 
“American Medical Temperance A'ssoci- 
ation, the Siciety of Medical Abstainers 
in Germany, and leading physicians /in 
Engiand, on the Continent and in Amer- 
ica:— 
ils think it ought to be known by all 
ast 2 
Experiments have demonstrated that 
even a small quantity of alcoholic l- 
quor, either immediately or after a 
shcrt time, prevents perfect mental ac- 
tion, and interferes with the function of 
the cells and tissues of the body, im- 
pairing self-control by producing pro- 
gressive paralysis of the judgment and 
of the will, and having other markedly 
injuricus effects. Hence, alcohol must 
he regarded as a poison, and ought not 
to be classed among foods. 
Total abstainers, other conditions be- 
ing similar, can perform ‘mare work, 
possess greater powers of endurance, 
have on the average less ‘sickness, and 
recover more quickly than .non- -abstain- 
ers, Reveualy from infectious diseases, 
omar & 
instinct. 
28 
While they altogether escape diseases 
specially caused by alcohol. 

FLOWERS AND THEIR MISSION. 
Yes, almost every fiower that grows, 
Jn its sweet life some romance knows, 
And some heart at once will wake, 
A joy or sorrow for its sake. 
IKven the fragrance of pine trees, 
Recalls a long gone mountain breeze, 
Ini vain we hoped health would restore © 
Tc the dear peerless child once more. 
Yes, and a iittle bright green spray, 
“he teacher wore that summer day, 
3 the folds of her soft brown hair, 
Make such green leaves forever fair. 
VWrith silent ianguage all its own, 
Some flower will make its mission known 
And thrill the heart in after years 
Withthoughtsthat fill the eye with tears. 
—Mrs. EH. BE. Orcutt. 
RANDSBURG MINING DISTRICT. 

A topographic map of the country ad- 
jacent to the Randsburg and Johan- 
nesburg mining districts, California, is 
now in press and will soon be issued by 
the United States Geological Survey. 
The area covered by this map is known 
as the Randsburg quadrangie, and em- 
braces -almost equal portions of Kern 
and San Bernardino counties, and ~ 
shows part of the location of the 
Randsburg Railroad, which connects 
eCcChannesburg with Barstow, San Ber- 
nardino county. 
The scale of this map is approxi- 
nmiately one mile to the inch. The con- 
tour vertical interval of 50 feet shows 
weil the topographic features of the re- 
gion. All roads, trails, mines, and 
nouses are shown with great exactness, 
and—most important in such an arid 
country—the positions of all wells, 
springs, reservoirs, and dry lakes are 
accurately located. This section is 
practically a desert, and unless water 
can be found within reasonable dis- 
tances and at depths easily reached 
from the surface, prospectors and min- 
ers can not prosecute their work. The 
water for Randsburg and Johannes- 
burg is piped from. wells about 5 miles 
northeast of these places. It is of fairly 
good quality but is insufficient in quan- 
tity, and while the water company 
charges are not there regarded as ex- 
cessive, the lowest rates would aston- 
ish those who are not familiar with 
