WALKING FOR HEALTH.

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 21 March 1919, Page 1

WALKING FOR HEALTH.

There was never a time when a walk was oi : such priceless value as now. As a means of keeping in health and warding oil' tho “ llu” it is more precious than rubies. Tho townsman is not fond of walking, llailway trams and tramway-cars have killed tho habit. Most folk take their walks abroad in summer. Such people have no conception of tho country in winter. They crouch before the lire and conjure up a picture of the wind-swept road, the stinging blast, the frosty air. As a matter of fact, the real lover cl the country woos it mo,(t in waiter. TaKo tramway-car or train to a suburban station, grasp your stick, open your siioutders, and hit up your liead —and waili on till your lungs are bursting with toe keen, sharp modicum of the countryside. What is there to beat the joy of the open road Y However dull tho day, there is always, as George liarrow saia, tho wind on the heath. The road ironbound with frost, is hal'd and linn to the ti'ieud. The hedges sparkle with rime. Tho trees, bane thougli they be, do nut cower and shiver in tlie wind, but lilt their arms lo heaven and cm draco the gift of tho gods. The hills are black when the cloud rests upon them, but tho sun bursts ■througu and the tints of winter glow m its golden radiance. The stream runs quick and heavy, but as you near it you see a shaft of sunlight striking through and making every stone shine like a pebble of gold on Jits gravelly bed. f our spirits rise, your body glows, you aro ready to sing with the sheer love ol hie, and as you make your way through mo gathering dusk to where the iigius of the village twinkle through tho gloom, you are bathed in a radiance which makes even your finger-tips tingle, But take this warning to heart. .Do nofi hang about on a draughty platform at the end of your walk. That way lies disaster. Find the shelter of the waiting-room. Or. better still, get to the village hostel and eat and drink to repair the energy you have used. He that takeith his walks abroad is a wise man, for ho shall find it to the joy of his soul and the comfort of his body.