Chapter 71—The Science of Living
What can be done to stay the tide of disease and crime that is
sweeping our race down to ruin and to death? As the great cause of
the evil is to be found in the indulgence of appetite and passion, so the
first and great work of reform must be to learn and practice the lessons
of temperance and self-control.
To effect a permanent change for the better in society, the edu-
cation of the masses must begin in early life. The habits formed in
childhood and youth, the tastes acquired, the self-control gained, the
principles inculcated from the cradle, are almost certain to determine
the future of the man or woman. The crime and corruption occasioned
by intemperance and lax morals might be prevented by the proper
training of the youth.
Health and Self-Control
One of the greatest aids in perfecting pure and noble characters
in the young, strengthening them to control appetite and refrain from
debasing excesses, is sound physical health. And, on the other hand,
these very habits of self-control are essential to the maintenance of
health.
It is of the highest importance that men and women be instructed
in the science of human life, and the best means of preserving and
acquiring health. Especially is youth the time to lay up a stock of
knowledge to be put in daily practice through life. Youth is the time
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to establish good habits, to correct wrong ones already contracted, to
gain and to hold the power of self-control, and to lay the plan, and
accustom one’s self to the practice, of ordering all the acts of life with
reference to the will of God and the welfare of our fellow- creatures....
Jesus did not ignore the claims of the body. He had respect for
the physical condition of man, and went about healing the sick and
restoring their faculties to those suffering from their loss....
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