108
The Adventist Home
influences; hence the greater necessity for the aged to have plenty of
sunlight and fresh, pure air
Avoid Lowlands—If we would have our homes the abiding place
of health and happiness, we must place them above the miasma and fog
of the lowlands and give free entrance to heaven’s life-giving agencies.
Dispense with heavy curtains, open the windows and the blinds, allow
no vines, however beautiful, to shade the windows, and permit no trees
to stand so near the house as to shut out the sunshine. The sunlight
may fade the drapery and the carpets and tarnish the picture frames,
but it will bring a healthy glow to the cheeks of the children
The Yard Surrounding the House—A yard beautified with scat-
tering trees and some shrubbery, at a proper distance from the house,
has a happy influence upon the family, and, if well taken care of, will
prove no injury to the health. But shade trees and shrubbery close and
dense around a house make it unhealthful, for they prevent the free
circulation of air and shut out the rays of the sun. In consequence, a
dampness gathers in the house, especially in wet seasons
The Effect of Natural Beauty on the Household—God loves the
beautiful. He has clothed the earth and the heavens with beauty, and
[150]
with a Father’s joy He watches the delight of His children in the things
that He has made. He desires us to surround our homes with the beauty
of natural things.
Nearly all dwellers in the country, however poor, could have about
their homes a bit of grassy lawn, a few shade trees, flowering shrubbery,
or fragrant blossoms. And far more than any artificial adorning will
they minister to the happiness of the household. They will bring into
the home life a softening, refining influence, strengthening the love
of nature and drawing the members of the household nearer to one
another and nearer to God
Let the Home Furnishings Be Simple—Our artificial habits de-
prive us of many blessings and much enjoyment, and unfit us for
living the most useful lives. Elaborate and expensive furnishings are
a waste not only of money but of that which is a thousandfold more
1
The Ministry of Healing, 274, 275
.
2
Ibid., 275
.
3
Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 107
.
4
The Ministry of Healing, 370
.