THE HOME.

White Ribbon, Volume 10, Issue 120, 15 May 1905, Page 11

THE HOME.

How to Live Long. Almost every week we publish the obituary of some eminent woman or man who has passed away from us, leaving unfilled a sphere of beneficent activity. And as I read the pathetic details of their lives and the inspiring record of their achievements, I feel saddened by the thought that in nine cases out of ten their activities might have been prolonged had they studied the laws of health, and thereby reached what physicians regard as the normal duration of human life —a hundred years two-thirds of it devoted to cheerful labour, and one-third to peaceful repose. The enfranchisement of women may well begin by enfranchising them from premature dissolution or decay. Physiologists tell us that there is no reason why human life should not be prolonged until 100 or even 120 years. Yet comparatively few reach the age of eighty, and in most cases people grow old and feeble at seventy, or earlier. This ought not to be. How shall it be prevented ? Longevity is usually attained by persons who eat moderately and reduce the amount of their food as they advance in life. Attention has recently been recalled, in an article in Scribner's Monthly , to the case ot Cornaro, an Italian, who was given up by his phy-

sicians at the age of thirty as a hopeless invalid. By limiting his diet, he attained health, lived more than a hundred years, and died without pain or illness. The writer affirms that people habitually too much, and that simple food, in moderate quantity, with sufficient time bet ween meals to thoroughly digest the previous meal, will prove a panacea for most of the ills to which flesh is heir. It does not seem to matter so much what kind of food we eat, as not to eat too much or too often.

\Ye have previously called attention to the almost universal healthfulness of Japanese women, due, it is claimed, to early scientific training in muscular development. There is no doubt that the general invalidism of women is largely due to lack of active exercise in the open air. Lack of sufficient sound sleep in pure air is doubtless, in m«»ny cases, the cause of nervous prostration, especially among women. Our theatres, concerts, lectures, and public amusements all begin too late, and last too long to accord with early business engagements next morning. The attempt to combine industrial or educational duties with social enjoyments often saps vitality, especially in young and growing girls. Much of tfie poor health of women is due to their very general habit of dosing themselves and their children with patent medicines. Bad as are drinking habits among men, the use of drugs for every real or fancied ail men i, so common among women, is even worse, because, in these deadly compounds, alcohol is often tne least harmful ingre-

dient. Opium, cocaine, iodide o! potassium, and other irritants or narcotics, give temporary relief at the cost of permanent deterioration.

One of the most hopeful signs of the times is the increasing recognition among women of the need of simpler and more natural conditions. Daily massage, bathing, exercise in the open air, simple food at proper intervals, avoidance of hurry and worry, ana eight hours sound sleep with windows wide open, are doing much to make women strong and keep them well. The old rule, “head cool, feet warm, body open,” has saved the lives of thousands, and would save tens of thousands if faithfully practised. Every form of rational self-help ought to be

a part of the woman movement. To govern others wisely and well, women must learn to govern their own bodies, and regulate their own lives. Let us hope that health and longevity may some day become the average lot of women, and sickness the rare exception. Let us hope that the present frightful inrant mortality may be lessened. Let us hear less about “ race suicide’ and more about “ infant preservation.” “In Santo Domingo,” an intelligent Dominican visitor once said to me, “ we expect our children to live, but in Boston people seem rather to expect them to die. What is the matter with your children ?” Let us try to follow the wise old maxim : “Two things it does not pay to worry over-the thing we can help, and the thing we can’t help.” If this is not a Bible text, it ought to be found in the revised version.

H. H. B. in Boston Woman's Journal.