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Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene
Some houses are furnished expensively, more to gratify pride than
for the comfort, convenience, or health of the family. The best rooms
are kept closed and dark, lest the light might injure the rich furniture,
fade the carpets, or tarnish the picture frames. When visitors are
permitted to be seated in these precious rooms, they are in danger of
taking cold because of the damp atmosphere pervading them. Parlor
bedrooms are kept closed for the same reasons. Sleeping-rooms should
be large, and so arranged as to have a free circulation of air day and
night. Those who have slept in an ill-ventilated room awake feeling
feverish and exhausted. This is because the vital air was excluded,
and the whole system suffers in consequence. Whoever occupies beds
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which have not been freely exposed to the air and sunlight, does so
at the risk of health, and often even of life itself. There should be a
circulation of air and an abundance of light through every apartment
of the house for several hours each day. If you have God’s presence,
and possess earnest, loving hearts, then a humble home, made bright
with air and sunshine, and cheerful with the welcome of unselfish
hospitality, will be to your family and the weary traveler a heaven
below.
Upon rising in the morning, most persons would be benefited by
taking a sponge or hand bath. This will remove all impurities from
the skin, and keep it moist and supple, thereby aiding the circula-
tion. Persons in health should on no account neglect frequent bathing.
Whether a person is sick or well, respiration is rendered more free
and full by bathing. The mind and body are alike invigorated. The
muscles become more flexible, every faculty of the intellect is made
brighter. The bath is a soother of the nerves. Instead of increasing the
liability of taking cold, it fortifies against cold, because it improves
the circulation; the blood is brought to the surface, and a more easy
and regular flow of the vital fluid is obtained.
A yard beautified with scattering 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. Those who occupy the sleeping-rooms are
troubled with rheumatism, neuralgia, and lung complaints. Then the