Piffle 
K* fli N&tira 
We hope our readers will make prac¬ 
tical application of the advice given this 
week regarding health. We wish par¬ 
ticularly to emphasize the importance of 
correct breathing. Ten minutes persist¬ 
ent deep breathing when one feels a cold 
coming on, will, in most cases, ward it 
off. When one realizes the importance 
of deep breathing and practices it, he 
raises a mighty bulwark against diseases 
of many kinds. Were we to elaborate 
that old adage “ An ounce of prevention 
is worth a pound of cure,” and faithfully 
apply all preventives of disease, what a 
healthy, happy people we might be ! 
* 
Washday, in winter, may be the source 
of many an ache and pain unless one 
takes more than ordinary precautions. 
It is not a sensible thing to do to leave 
the steaming tubs and step into the icy 
outside air to hang out the clothes, even 
if one be well wrapped. If possible, 
some other person should do the hanging 
out, than the one whose pores are opened 
by the steam and exercise attending the 
washing. A robust person may not feel 
any ill effects immediately, but they will 
appear later. 
* 
The winter is going, and we haven’t 
received that helpful hint you intended 
sending us. Do not let it be too late. 
Each of us can help the others if we will 
do promptly the little we are able to do. 
If it be our desire to help others, let us 
not fall short of it through mere negli¬ 
gence. 
WARMTH FOR A POOR COLD BODY. 
CAN WE HUB OUT THE CHILL ? 
The R. N.-Y. says, “Can’t you rub out this fear 
of the cold ?” Will you tell one poor body how to 
do this ? She is not old, neither is she sick, is in 
fair health, wears warm clothing, is not shut up 
in unventilated rooms, but is out every day more 
or less in all weathers, attending to the outside 
rough work connected with an old-fashioned, in¬ 
convenient farmhouse—carrying wood and water, 
sweeping porches and paths, etc., besides feeding 
chickens and cats three times a day. She drives 
on the road quite a bit, too, and yet she “ dreads 
the cold” every day in the week from the time 
“winter sets in” till “spring opens.” What can 
she do to “rub out” this fear of the cold ? c. it. 
R. N.-Y.—When we wrote that we did 
not have in mind physical cold, but 
rather the dread some people have of be¬ 
ing housed up and left to their own 
society and thoughts for amusement. 
We are glad this point has been raised, 
however, as it gives a chance to touch 
both sides of the subject and get in a 
thought about good health. 
Do You Dread the Winter ? 
It is unhappily too true that many 
farmeis, whether through indolence, 
misfortune, or misdirected effort, must 
answer in the affirmative. It is also true 
that many (and, let us hope the great 
majority) answer with an emphatic nega¬ 
tive. We—despite Mr. Gradgrind’s pro¬ 
hibition—fandy that, being asked for 
their reason, the latter class would 
answer : 
The busy summer with its rush and 
worry is over, our successes outnumber 
our failures, our crops are all gathered 
and are more than sufficient to keep 
the wolf from the door, and winter is 
welcome, not as a season of hibernation 
but of growth. Opportunity is now 
given to review the past season’s work ; 
to answer the question: How could 
this failure have been mitigated or 
avoided ? How could that success 
have been made greater? We incor¬ 
porate our answers in our plans for next 
year and look forward to more suecess- 
full work as reasonably certain. 
Not the least factor in determining our 
answer is the practice of keeping farm 
accounts. A series of years has shown 
us that some crops yield us a profit only 
under favorable conditions, while others 
fail to give us satisfactory returns only 
in the most unfavorable seasons. 
Acting from the knowledge thus ob¬ 
tained we are directing our efforts to ob¬ 
tain a maximum yield of the profit-pay¬ 
ing crops, growing the others only as a 
necessary evil in the rotation. 
As farmers we are not wielding the in¬ 
fluence in State and National affairs that 
is due to our numbers, owing to our in¬ 
difference to the importance of their con¬ 
sideration. 
The long winter gives us more time for 
such study than can be given by any 
other considerable number of people, 
and our duty and inclination impel us so 
to do. All that is best in literature is 
within our reach for our instruction and 
amusement, and again we repeat “ win¬ 
ter is welcome !” For if proper advant¬ 
age be taken of its opportunities, it is the 
most pleasant and profitable season of 
the year. G. A. pabcell. 
Warm Baths and Rubbing. 
My opinion is that The R. N.-Y. was 
on the right track when it suggested 
that it be “rubbed out.” I think that 
the circulation through the capillaries 
is, from some cause, too sluggish. It is 
designed that the blood, forced out of 
the heart into the arteries, should spread 
itself out through this intricate system 
before returning through the veins to 
the heart, and thence to the lungs for 
airing and purification ; but this is not 
absolutely necessary. If it were, and a 
person should become suddenly chilled, 
the result, instead of a cold, would be 
sudden death. C. B. says that she is in 
“ fair health.” This is by no means a 
definite description ; for of the two per¬ 
sons whose physical conditions were ex- 
FOLDING WORK BASKET. Fig. 4. 
actly alike, one might consider himself 
in fair health, and the other be a chronic 
invalid. It is probable that she has some 
dyspepsia. This would draw more than 
a proper portion of the blood to the 
stomach, and cause coldness over the 
surface of the body, especially of the ex¬ 
tremities. 
My mode of procedure, were I in C. R.’s 
place, would be to take a full, moderately 
warm bath at least once a week just be¬ 
fore retiring. After the bath, rub 
thoroughly with a coarse towel till the 
skin is aglow, dress in warmed night 
clothes, and retire. This will dilate the 
capillaries and bring the blood to the 
surface as well as open the pores of the 
skin. Each morning on rising, rub the 
whole body well. At least twice a week, 
(each evening will do no harm) bathe the 
feet in warm water ; if they are nearly 
always cold dip them a few times from 
the hot into cold water and then rub 
thoroughly. Don’t omit the full bath 
merely because the farmhouse has no 
bath tub. A large molasses barrel will 
answer if one can procure nothing better. 
With six inches of the top sawed off, it is 
more convenient than if left entire. Not 
the mouth, but the nose was made to 
breathe through. Frequently di*aw in a 
full, deep breath, hold it a little time and 
expel it slowly. At the approach of 
chilliness, breathe long breaths rapidly. 
This will help to consume the carbon in 
the system, and increase animal warmth. 
Eat regularly of pure food. Avoid much 
or all animal food. This must neces¬ 
sarily contain effete matter which helps 
to make the blood sluggish. Fine flour 
of the entire wheat is rich in phosphates, 
and a better brain and nerve food than 
fish, and is superior to Graham for most 
persons. This will tone up the organic 
nerves, so that they may not be so much 
irritated by a little cold. The above 
suggestions are easily followed, cost 
nothing, and cannot possibly do harm. 
G. G. GIBBS. 
Rules of Health for Women. 
1. Eat regularly of sufficient plain and 
easily digested food. Many women ruin 
their health by inattention to this essen¬ 
tial rule. 
2. Let tea, coffee, and all nervine drugs 
of that class, strictly alone. Whatever 
will make you feel remarkably “ good” 
when first taken, will enslave you, and 
make you feel remarkably bad in the end. 
It is the toper’s mistake. 
3. Wear sufficient woolen clothing. 
Running out thinly clad in the cold “ for 
a minute,” to hang out or bring in cloth¬ 
ing, etc., when heated, has ruined the 
health of millions of careless women. 
Put on a warm garment when leaving a 
warm room for out of doors. 
4. Keep the bowels open and regular, 
and don’t neglect the calls of nature. Eat 
noth’ng that tends to confine the bowels. 
Disregard of this rule keeps thousands of 
women yellow-skinned and dull-eyed. 
The way to rub out this fear of the 
cold is to dress according to the season. 
Wear good, warm, easy shoes; and put 
on thick woolen leggings when going out, 
either to walk or ride, but especially the 
latter. If you find yourself still cold, 
while riding, carry a warm soapstone for 
the feet. A woolen bag for the stone 
will keep it warm for a long time. Never 
stay out, feeling chilly, longer than is 
necessary to get into warm quarters. 
Take half the care of yourself that you 
would of a baby, and you will be all 
right. T. H. HOSKINS, M. D. 
May Be She Needs Iron. 
It is impossible to give accurately the 
treatment for a case like the one men¬ 
tioned in your note, without knowing 
something about the patient’s condition. 
Frequently the chilliness is caused by 
want of iron in the blood, and in all 
probability, elixir of quinine, iron and 
strychnia, in teaspoonful doses, three 
times a day, at me’al times for two or 
three weeks, would be effectual. 
J. 8. KEMP, M. D. 
The Usual Cause of Chilliness. 
C. R. does not state whether she feels 
the cold most when about her duties 
in the old-fashioned, and presumably 
draughty, house, or when actively en¬ 
gaged out-of-doors ; but the chances are 
that she is most uncomfortable in the 
former situation. Two causes are usually 
assigned for this morbid sensitiveness to 
cold. Imperfect digestion of carbon- 
aneous or heating foods, such as sugar, 
fats and starchy vegetables, and an ex¬ 
citable state of the nervous system, by 
which the capillary or minute circula¬ 
tion of blood in the finest vessels of the 
skin, is rendered uncertain or irregular. 
Either condition demands the considera¬ 
tion of a competent local physician, and 
cannot be successfully reached by gen¬ 
eral advice. 
Assuming that C. R. is not mistaken in 
her statement that she is in “fair health,” 
there may be some special reasons why 
she should feel the cold so keenly. Does 
she not sleep in a cold room? The weight 
of heavy bed clothing, necessary to protect 
one from an icy temperature, is injuri¬ 
ous ; the pressure retards the circulation, 
and the steaming warmth thus obtained 
renders the skin very sensitive to the con¬ 
tact of cold air. Notwithstanding the vol¬ 
umes of nonsense that have been written 
by fresh-air advocates, the personal ex¬ 
perience of most individuals shows that 
they pass the nights more comfortably 
with the thermometer between 50 and 60 
degrees, and with correspondingly light 
covering, than at either a lower or higher 
temperature. Fresh air is, of course, a 
necessity ; but cold draughts are always 
dangerous. Ventilation can usually be 
provided at some indirect and distant 
point. As a matter of fact, there is gen¬ 
erally an abundance of fresh air circu¬ 
lating through most old houses, no mat¬ 
ter how closely the rooms may appear to 
be closed. Another serious mistake, due 
in a great measure to the flood of hygienic 
“ writings ” lately appearing in the joui*- 
nals and newspapers, is the wearing of 
too heavy underclothing. The garments 
next the skin should be thin and of loose 
texture, not restraining in the least the 
play of muscles or the circulation of the 
blood. Woolen fabrics absorb the per¬ 
spiration and equalize the temperature 
by means of their low heat-conducting 
qualities, and should always be preferred, 
but they are scarcely endurable by many 
people. Heavy under garments may be 
desirable and comfortable when one is 
constantly exposed to severe cold, but 
are exceedingly trying when worn in¬ 
doors. Is is best to add the needed pro¬ 
tection, when going out, in the form of 
outer garments covering, as far as possi¬ 
ble, the whole body. It is troublesome 
to put on a cloak whenever one steps 
outside, but comfort and health are 
worth all the trouble it takes to maintain 
them. The morning cold sponge bath is 
usually recommended in such cases, and 
if C. R. has the time and courage to take 
it methodically, some good may result in 
fortifying the excitable nerves of the 
skin against sudden changes of tempera¬ 
ture. The cold bath fad has been worked 
to its last limit by enthusiasts, who see 
in it a cure for all ills. The gist of the 
matter seems to be that, while it is well 
adapted for people with robust constitu¬ 
tions and callous nerves, it is always a 
trying and even dangerous treatment for 
weakly individuals. Baths, as a rule, are 
best taken in a warm room, and the water 
should be at least as warm as the body, 
viz,, 98 to 100 degrees F. 
W. VAN FLEET, M. D. 
A FOLDING WORK BASKET. 
CHARMING little basket that 
might well be called the traveler’s 
basket, may be made from heavy colored 
linen, of which three-quarters of a yard 
of the 24 or 27-inch width, and half a 
yard of the 36-inch width will be re¬ 
quired to cut all the parts. We get the 
instructions for making this convenient 
little article from Harper’s Young People: 
The basket consists of three hexagons, 
as shown at Fig. 4, and its success de¬ 
pends entirely upon the neatness and 
exactness with which the work is done. 
Cut the three pieces carefully, and let 
the largest measui-e 15 inches from A to 
B ; the second, 13 from C to D ; and the 
third 11 from E to F. Then you will find 
that each hexagon is one inch smaller all 
’round than the last. When they are all 
Highest of all in Leavening Power.—Latest U. S. Gov’t Report 
ABSOLUTELY PURE 
