FRESH AIR. 
17 
of tlie Ladies* Sanitary Association has raised fnnds by which 
it has been enabled all the fine summer weather to send parties 
of poor children into the parks. Of the danger of keeping 
children indoors I had a good illustration a few weeks ago. 
I had occasion to compare the health of two streets, one a 
street with well-to-do artisans and small tradesmen, the other 
a tumble-down street where lodged the very poor. To my 
great surprise, the children of the very poor were less sickly 
and died less than those of their better-off neighbours. On 
examining* the mothers of these families, I got what I think 
was a satisfactory explanation. The mothers of the poor 
children confessed that their children were seldom or never in- 
doors ; but few of them went to school, and they consequently 
spent their days in the street. The more opulent class kept 
their children out of the street and sent them to school. Of 
course, no rule can be laid down as to the number of hours people 
ought to keep in the open air, but there can be no doubt of 
the soundness of the advice — (< Get as much as yon can.** Get 
it for yourselves, get it for your neighbours. Let the Govern- 
ment, let corporate bodies, let munificent individuals do what 
they can to tempt men and women into the parks of great 
towns and neighbouringfields. Above all, let there be attrac- 
tions sufficient to draw men and women from the public-house, 
from the dancing- saloon, and other vicious places, where, in 
addition to the poisoning* atmosphere, there is the poisonous 
drink and poisonous morality. W ould that in England a taste 
for light refreshments could be given to the population, so 
that tea and coffee, with honest nutritious viands, could be 
substituted for the present system of drinking beer and 
gin — a system that annually destroys hecatombs of our hard- 
working*, honest, intelligent artisans. It is especially on those 
whose occupations are sedentary, and to whom fresh air is 
most necessary for health, that this destructive habit entails 
its greatest evils. 
A more difficult thing to do is to keep the air of houses 
fresh. The multitudinous things it involves, and its apparent 
simplicity, are the great difficulties with which this practice 
has to contend. W e call the act ventilation, and most intelli- 
gent people believe their houses are ventilated. If they did 
not they could not rest a moment. They would not lie down in 
their beds at peace one night if they thought the evils I have 
spoken of as resulting from want of fresh air were coming- 
on their families. Nevertheless, I will put this question to 
them, — Do you believe for one moment that with your closed 
windows and doors, with your brick drains or your cesspools, 
with your dustbins, and your dirty (I mean no ill compliment, 
it is too true) furniture, that the air of your rooms is pure ? 
VOL. in.— no. ix. c 
