Chapter IV: Part 4

Pre-eminent business success can be achieved only by turning over to subordinates the numerous details which occupy so much time, and which any trustworthy and experienced secretary or assistant might do. By this arrangement, time would be saved for necessary recreation and rest, thus keeping the physical systems of the employers and managers in the best possible condition, and securing to the mind that alertness and vigor which the sharp competition of the times demands.

=Professional Men.=--Looking over a list of eminent divines, it is surprising how many of them were men of rugged frames and sturdy physique. It required a man with the physical vigor of Luther to declare he would attend the Diet of Worms “though the devils there were as numerous as the tiles on the houses.” How much of the success of Spurgeon, and Beecher, and Dr. John Hall may be fairly ascribed to their splendid outfit of vital organs, and to the glowing health which each enjoyed. Nor were Phillips Brooks, and Joseph Cook, and Dwight L. Moody lacking in these physical qualities which count for so much in influencing the minds and hearts of men. These knew nothing of “blue Mondays” or “ministers’ sore throat,” and needed not to be sent abroad by their congregations, every summer or two, in order to recruit their health, and keep them up to their work.

By virtue of his profession and because of its onerous and responsible duties, no one stands more in need of robust health than the physician. Called from his bed at all hours of the night, brought in daily contact with disease, and that often of a contagious character, the largest demands are made upon his vital forces. He is expected, not only to dispense the necessary medicines, but also to carry comfort and cheer to the bedside of the sick. The very countenance of a healthy, cheerful physician acts like a medicine.

The country practitioner who rides or drives long distances, over rough roads, and who often attends to his horse himself, needs but little further exercise, and that little should be applied to the least-used muscles, in order to preserve a well-rounded development. The city physician, whose coachman relieves him of the exercise of driving and of the care of the horses, will find a half hour daily, with pulley-weights, clubs, or dumb-bells, and an occasional visit to a gymnasium conducive to his best physical condition. As a dentist should himself have the best of teeth, the doctor also should enjoy the most robust health.

And what of the legal profession? Rufus Choate inherited a strong, healthy body, but took so little care of it, that, towards the close of his life, he was accustomed to say of himself that “latterly he had worn out his constitution, and was living on the by-laws.” He died at fifty-five, while his contemporary, Daniel Webster, who appreciated the importance of keeping his body well toned-up, and who, with fishing rod in hand, found recreation among the streams of his native State, preserved his robust physique and imperial bearing to the allotted three score and ten. Lord Brougham, as a boy, was the swiftest runner in his neighborhood. His physical strength and endurance were such that upon one occasion he spoke in Parliament seven days consecutively. He kept up his activity to the end of his life, and died at the age of eighty-nine.

President Eliot, of Harvard College, who has enjoyed exceptional opportunities for observing the effects of exercise upon young men, says: “A singular notion prevails, especially in the country, that it is the feeble, sickly children who should be sent to school and college, since they are apparently unfit for hard work. The fact that, in the history of literature, a few cases can be pointed out in which genius was lodged in a weak or diseased body, is sometimes adduced in support of the strange proposition that physical vigor is not necessary for professional men. But all experience contradicts these notions. To attain success and length of service in any of the learned professions, a vigorous body is well-nigh essential. A busy lawyer, editor, minister, physician, or teacher has need of greater physical endurance than a farmer, trader, manufacturer, or mechanic. All professional biography teaches that to win lasting distinction in sedentary, in-door occupations, which task the brain and the nervous system, extraordinary toughness of body must accompany extraordinary mental powers.”

=Heredity.=--In the matter of bodily health and vigor, the sins of the parents are visited upon the children. What narrow-mindedness the father displays, therefore, in devoting himself so assiduously to business as to neglect his health, and to entail upon his sons and daughters such a low standard of vitality as to impair their usefulness in life, and to deprive them of the power to enjoy, as they should, the inheritance he hopes to leave them.

=Exercise for the Stout, the Thin, and the Old.=--It may seem somewhat paradoxical that the same means that are employed to increase flesh and weight should also be recommended to reduce obesity. There is a difference, however, between superfluous fat and solid, healthy, active muscle.

=The Stout.=--It is a well known fact that persons of moderate weight, in preparing for some unusual or extraordinary test of strength, reduce their flesh and toughen their muscles by a course of severe training. It is not an uncommon thing for college crews to reduce their weights, by a month’s training, twelve pounds per man. A prize fighter will often come down thirty or forty pounds in preparing for a contest. An instance is cited of a student, who, after carefully weighing himself, sat down to a fifty-five pound rowing-weight, pulled forty-five full strokes a minute for twenty minutes, then, with the same clothing as before, weighed himself, and found he had lost one pound.

Many men, and women, too, if persuaded that there was, at hand, a convenient and comparatively easy method of ridding themselves of their burden of flesh, would doubtless avail themselves of it. The following well authenticated cases may be suggestive and helpful. A young lady, inclined to fleshiness, by vigorous horseback riding, reduced her weight twenty-five pounds in one year. A policeman, whose weight was three hundred and fifteen pounds, took a position as stoker on a war vessel. The exercise, coupled with the free perspiration induced by labor in the heated quarters, lowered his weight to one hundred and eighty-four pounds. A man in middle life, whose occupation was a sedentary one, and whose weight, over three hundred pounds, was a source of great discomfort, resolved to try what exercise would do. Being much engrossed through the day, he began by taking long, brisk walks in the evening. Soon he was able to cover five miles at a fairly good pace. Whatever the state of the weather, and however tired he might be with the day’s exacting duties, he suffered nothing to interfere with his evening walk. He gradually increased the pace and the distance, and, with little or no change in his diet, in five months he had taken off ninety pounds. He says that he often perspired so freely that, in cold weather, small icicles were formed on the ends of his hair. Free perspiration is a necessary element in the rapid reduction of flesh. The fat-producing foods should be avoided as far as possible.

While exercise is one of the best means of reducing superfluous fat, there is no class of persons more loath to take exercise than the obese. The reasons are largely physiological. The greater weight is a burden to carry. The muscular tissues have in part changed to fat, and are therefore less able to do their work. The action of the lungs and the heart is interfered with by the pressure of the fat, and the individual quickly becomes exhausted and short of breath. There is the greater demand, therefore, on the part of those who incline to obesity, to exercise with determined persistency and regularity, in order to reduce their weight. Exercises involving quickness of movement, and a degree of mental activity, are the best.

=The Thin.=--The old proverb says: “It is a poor rule that will not work both ways.” Judged by this standard, the rule of exercise must be a good one, for the instances of lean arms and legs filled out, and of scrawny necks and hollow shoulders made round and plump by exercise, outnumber the other ten to one.

Many lean persons, impressed with the apparent discomfort and inconvenience of obesity, are content with their slender measure of flesh. This is especially true of men, who, as a rule, have less regard for beauty of form than those of the other sex. They overlook the fact that the man whose bony structure is well overlaid with thick layers of healthy muscular tissue is able not only to accomplish more work, but to stand greater exposure and endure more hardships than the lean man. His stronger, heavier muscles will not only carry his greater weight with less effort, but his larger body will possess a momentum that the other man does not have.

In the severe training preceding the inter-collegiate boat races, while the over fleshy lose their superfluous fat, the thin gain as rapidly in weight. Many lean people whose occupations are of a physical nature do too much, daily, in proportion to their strength. Mind and body are kept in such a constant state of activity that their energies become exhausted. If such persons will take an occasional rest through the day, when it is possible so to do, and will add an hour or more to the period of sleep, their weight will soon begin to increase. Then, by special exercises aimed at the weak points, and persistently sustained, the gain in weight will be that of solid, healthy, muscular tissue, which will not only fill out their leanness, but will give them power to do more work with less fatigue.

A short rest after meals, with the practice of deep abdominal breathing, begun, if need be, as a special drill, but ultimately established as a habit, will go far toward improving the digestion and converting the food into good, healthy blood, so indispensable to the growth of every part of the human body.

=Exercises for Gouty and Rheumatic Persons.=--Gout and other uric acid conditions, whether hereditary or acquired, frequently yield to systematic physical exercises. These conditions are generally the result of indigestion or overfeeding. By exercise, more oxygen is brought into the circulation of the blood, and the chemical process is promoted. By free perspiration, the action of the skin is stimulated, and the work of the kidneys is lightened. In the case of those afflicted with gout, special care is needed for a time. A mild form of exercise should be employed at first, and gradually increased. A free perspiration should be induced daily, followed by a bath and vigorous rubbing.

=Exercises for the Dyspeptic.=--If the system has become much weakened by dyspepsia or indigestion, begin with mild forms of exercise--walking, bicycling, golf, and other out-door sports. For a lack of tone of the abdominal muscles, swimming in warm weather is found useful. The in-door tank is not quite so good as the stream or surf. If the liver is chiefly at fault, horseback riding is a capital remedy. Gradually introduce more vigorous exercises. Daily bathing and rubbing must not be neglected.

=Exercises for the Development of Special Muscles.=--Few persons, even among those who have given considerable attention to physical culture and have spent much time in a gymnasium, could, if asked, tell what special forms of exercise were best calculated to fill out a hollow shoulder or flat chest, or strengthen weak loins or back. The following suggestions will therefore prove helpful.

The different muscles of the human body are so closely interwoven that it is impossible to exercise one without, at the same time, giving exercise to another lying contiguous to or co-operating with it.

=The Chest.=--While it is important that all the muscles of the body should be exercised, those that are most closely allied to the vital functions of respiration, circulation, and digestion claim the first consideration.

=Breathing Exercises.=--For the purpose of chest expansion, nothing can take the place of regular breathing exercises. While respiration is an involuntary act, yet the manner is, to some extent, subject to the control of the will. There are three commonly recognized forms of breathing--the clavicular, the costal, and the abdominal. These are not wholly independent, but overlap each other.

=Clavicular Breathing.=--Place the palms of the hands on the chest, with the tip of the middle finger resting on the clavicle, or collar bone. Inhale slowly, directing the breath toward the upper chest. Hold the breath a few seconds, then exhale slowly. Repeat ten to fifty times.

=Costal Breathing.=--This is a fuller and better form of breathing than the clavicular. The lower ribs are more flexible than the upper, and, supplemented by the action of the intercostal muscles, admit of freer movement of the lungs. Press the hands against the sides. Inhale through the nose, and inflate the lungs to the fullest. Hold the breath as long as convenient. Exhale forcibly through the open mouth. Repeat five to ten times. Repeat, exhaling slowly through the nostrils. Repeat, exhaling through a small glass or other tube, with an aperture about the size of an ordinary knitting needle. While the lungs are inflated, strike the chest gently with closed hands. This will drive the air into the remotest cells. With the lungs filled, and the arms akimbo, bend the body at the waist, forwards, backwards, and from side to side, and return to erect position before exhaling.

=Abdominal Breathing.=--This is the best method of breathing, and should be cultivated by all. Singers and speakers find in this the fulcrum of their vocal power. The contraction and expansion of the diaphragm, that wonderful muscular partition, which separates the thoracic from the abdominal cavity, affords the largest and freest movement of the lungs, and, by its pressure upon the viscera, repeated with every breath, it aids greatly in promoting digestion. Many persons, especially women, do not employ abdominal breathing to the extent they should. Some, indeed, hardly know its meaning.

Upon retiring at night, remove all constricting bands about the waist, lie upon the back, and rest the hands upon the abdomen. Direct the breath so as to raise the hands. Fill the lungs full as possible, and hold the breath for several seconds. Exhale, letting the hands fall with the outgoing breath. Take two or three ordinary breaths, then repeat, drawing in the breath slowly through the nostrils, lock in the breath for a few seconds, and exhale slowly as before. A better position of the body would probably be secured by folding a comfortable, spreading it upon the floor, and lying flat upon the back. Heavy pillows and yielding bed-springs crook the body, and often prevent the best results. The abdominal movement, in breathing, is not quite so apparent when standing or sitting, but if the exercise be taken as frequently as possible, with the mind directed to the freest diaphragmatic movement, the habit of full, deep, abdominal breathing, with its numerous attendant advantages, will soon become established.

=Chest Muscles.=--Not only should the lung cavity be enlarged by breathing exercises, and by any physical exercise that stimulates respiration, as steady and protracted running, but the front chest should be well covered by the pectoral muscles. With the arms at right angles to the body, and with head thrown back, so as to face the ceiling, raise and lower the dumb-bells from twelve to eighteen inches. As strength increases, increase the weight of the bells and the number of lifts. Swinging with the hands upon the horizontal bar is another good exercise. The “dips” exercise, elsewhere referred to, is also good for the pectorals, but must not be attempted until after strength has been gained by lighter exercises. The relation of the biceps and triceps to the pectoral muscles is so close that any exercise for the former will be helpful to the latter.

=Respiratory Exercise, No. 1.=--With arms at sides and elbows stiff, raise the hands as high as possible above the head. Rise upon the toes at the same time, so as to give the body the longest possible upward reach. Inhale slowly through the nostrils while the arms ascend, and hold the breath a moment or two, then exhale, lower the arms, and rest back upon the heels. Repeat ten to twenty times. It is needless to say that in the in-door exercises, and especially in the breathing exercises and those which stimulate respiration, the room should be well ventilated. The head and neck should be held erect, except where a different position is required.

=Respiratory Exercise, No. 2.=--Lie flat upon the floor, face downward, hands folded upon the back. Inflate the lungs and lift the head and shoulders as high as possible, giving out the breath slowly. Repeat several times, and as strength increases, oftener.

=Abdominal Exercise, No. 1.=--Several good exercises for the abdominal muscles are here given, which can be taken upon rising in the morning and upon retiring at night. With just enough clothing to keep the body from chilling, lie flat on the back upon a folded comfortable spread upon the floor. Without bending the knee, raise the foot toward the ceiling as far as possible, then the other foot, so alternating ten times or oftener. Next raise both feet together. While these movements should be brisk, the limbs should not be allowed to drop back upon the floor, but the muscles should be kept tense. Next, from the vertical position of the leg, bend the knee and press it closely upon the abdomen for a moment, then restore to the vertical position and lower to the floor. Alternate the limbs as before, then take them together.

By means of a loop, or other simple arrangement, to keep the feet from rising, lift the head and trunk to a vertical position by contracting the abdominal muscles. This is a severe exercise, and should not be attempted by those who have any special abdominal weakness. The strain may be relieved, however, by propping the head and shoulders with pillows, so as to make, with the lower limbs, an angle of about forty-five degrees. Gradually, as the abdominal muscles increase in strength, take out one pillow after another, until able to raise the body from the horizontal position. The latter exercise may be still further graduated by first resting the arms at the sides; next cross them on the chest, and then clasp the hands behind the neck before lifting the trunk. In gymnasiums it is not an uncommon thing to see a person with well developed abdominal muscles lift another person lying prostrate across his chest, and weighing anywhere from one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds, by the sheer force of these muscles.

=Abdominal Exercise, No. 2.=--Sit on a bench or stool, and with feet under a couch, or hooked into a strap fastened to the base-board of the room, with arms folded upon the chest, bend forward and backward, as far as possible, without strain. Repeat ten to twenty times. After a few weeks, increase the bend.

=Abdominal, Side, and Back Muscles.=--Stand erect with hands on hips. Keep head, neck, and legs rigid, and lungs well filled. Bend slowly backward and forward several times. Bend from side to side. With feet firmly planted, bend forward, and revolve the head and trunk to the right, back, left, front, and assume an erect position. Bend forward again, and reverse the order of movement. Repeat several times. Next, stand erect, with hands firmly planted on hips, and twist the body from the waist upward, first to the right as far as possible, then to the left, and repeat ten to twenty times.

=The Loins.=--The muscles in the small of the back, running up and down on each side of the spine, come into play in many forms of manual labor, and should therefore possess strength and endurance. Working with the shovel, or fork, or bar, or saw, or any exercise requiring a stooping posture, brings them into action. Several of the exercises recommended for the abdominal muscles will prove of advantage here. Raising dumb-bells above the head, first with the left hand, then with the right, then with both, beginning with bells weighing a pound or two, and each month, with daily practice, adding a pound to the weight until it reaches about one-twentieth the weight of the person, will bring the desired results. Running or rapid walking, with the body erect, will prove helpful. Hopping straight ahead for from five to ten steps on one foot, then on the other, and thus alternating for from twenty to one hundred steps, or more, will soon beget strength, and give a firm, steady carriage.

=The Back.=--The muscles of the back, above the waist line, participate in nearly all the movements recommended for the chest, shoulders, and upper arm, and do not require special exercises.

=The Shoulders.=--To round out hollow shoulders and put muscle on the upper back, stand erect, with light dumb-bells, arms hanging at the sides. Without bending the elbow, keep the arms parallel, and carry the bells backward and forward as far as possible. Hold for a few moments, and slowly return to the sides. Repeat five to ten times. As strength increases, gradually add to the weight of the bells and the number of lifts, also endeavor to carry the arms a trifle higher. For developing the muscles of the shoulders, back, and wrist, few exercises are better than light Indian-clubs.

For the outside of the shoulder, bring the arms to the horizontal, elbows rigid, and move the bells up and down through a space of twenty inches. Repeat five to ten times. Carry to the front and repeat. A few weeks of daily practice should show noticeable results, and a year of persistent drill will produce a shapely shoulder, and make it unnecessary for the tailor to pad the coat in order to make it fit.

=The Neck.=--The muscles of the neck may best be developed by the use of a strong rubber strap, about two feet long. Attach one end to the door frame, about the height of the head when standing, and fasten the other end to a band which loosely encircles the head. The front, back, and sides of the neck may all be strengthened and filled out with firm, shapely muscles, by changing the position of the body for each change of exercise desired. Keep the head firm to resist the pull of the strap. Increase the length of the movement and the strength of the pull, as the muscles grow strong to bear it.

=The Upper Arm.=--The biceps is the large front muscle of the upper arm. It bends the arm and brings the hand toward the shoulder. A large biceps is the envy of many young men who regard it as the criterion of physical strength, and who often develop it out of all proportion to the rest of the body. It is, however, an important muscle, and should receive due consideration. Most persons will find that one arm or one leg or one side is weaker than the other. Give to the weaker member much the larger practice until the equilibrium is restored, then exercise them equally.

With dumb-bells, flat-irons, window-weights, or other objects in hand, slowly bend the arm until the hand almost touches the shoulder, then slowly lower to position. Repeat ten to twenty times. Gradually increase the weight and the number of lifts. If pulley-weights are used, stand so that the outstretched hand barely reaches the handle of the rope. With palms upward, draw the hand toward the shoulder. Slowly relax and repeat.

When away from home, and having no access to anything that may serve as apparatus, in this, as in many exercises, one arm may serve as lever and the other as weight. With the right hand, grasp firmly the wrist of the left. Press down vigorously with the left, but use enough force to overcome the resistance, and with the right raise it to the shoulder. After several repetitions, reverse the hands.

Some persons ignore the use of all apparatus, preferring what is known as free gymnastics. This extreme is greatly to be preferred to that of using heavy, and often dangerous, appliances. In many exercises, the weight of the body or its parts affords sufficient resistance to develop the muscles. In other cases, the imagination supplies the want of resistance, and, by due concentration of will, making one set of muscles pull against another, the muscles may be given as much work as though actual weight were present. To children and young persons, light and suitable apparatus will furnish added stimulus and interest.

Climbing a ladder or rope, hand over hand, or lifting the body so that the chin may touch a horizontal bar overhead, are exercises better suited to later stages of biceps development. To be able to lift the body to the bar with one hand, three to five times, should satisfy any reasonable ambition.

The triceps are the back and inside muscles of the upper arm, and contribute much to the shapeliness as well as usefulness of that member. Instead of stopping at the shoulder, as in the biceps exercises, push the dumb-bells high overhead. Any exercise of pushing with the arms is of advantage. Stand back about two feet from the door, grasp the sides of the frame a trifle higher than the shoulders, and, rising on the toes, with head erect, thrust the body forward. Press back until the body again assumes an erect attitude, and repeat ten to twenty times.

=The Forearm.=--Many of the exercises for the upper arm and shoulder have a very direct bearing upon the forearm. Most of the mechanical occupations requiring the use of axe, saw, plane, hammer, shovel, plow, or any tool or instrument requiring a firm grasp of the hand, develop these muscles. The lifting of a heavy weight suspended from a bar or handle, to be grasped by the hands, produces speedy results, but must not be attempted until the muscles of the back, abdomen, and shoulders have had preparatory training.

=The Hand.=--In the exercises already described, the hand and wrist will have received much valuable training for strength of hold or grip. A firm grasp of the oar, the bat, the bar, or the heavy hammer is apt to leave the hand with an ungainly hook when at rest. Counteract by pressing the fingers forcibly against the wall, or, in lifting the body from the floor in the triceps exercise, use only the fingers and thumbs instead of the palm. The wrists may be exercised by twisting the dumb-bells at arm’s length in front, at the side, and overhead.

If the fingers are weak, train them individually, beginning with the weakest. Always bring up the weakest part first, and aim to secure and preserve proper symmetry throughout. The pulley-weights are excellent for the purpose. Attach a small strap to the handle, and begin with such weight as will afford exercise but will not overtax the finger. Pull ten to thirty times. In the absence of pulley-weights, lifting, by a strap, a box of sand or bricks or any weight that can be gradually increased will serve the purpose. Drive a stout nail or screw into the upper part of the door frame. Throw the strap over the nail, and lift the body, first using two fingers, then one. Trained gymnasts lift the entire weight of the body several times by the little finger alone.

=The Thigh.=--Fast walking, running, jumping, hopping, skating, and dancing are all good for developing the front of the thigh. More rapid development will be secured by standing erect, slowly bending the knees as if about to sit in a chair. Hold the body in that position for several moments, and slowly rise to an erect posture. Repeat ten to twenty times. After two weeks of daily practice, lower the body until the back part of the thigh rests on the calf. Rise slowly as before. Repeat ten to twenty times. After a month, increase the weight by carrying dumb-bells, bricks, or other objects in the hands. When this has become easy, hold one foot front or back, and have the other leg do the lifting.

The under part of the thigh, in the ordinary occupations and recreations of life, does not get as much exercise as the front muscles. A slovenly, shambling gait is characterized by a feebleness of this muscle, while a strong, elastic step is accompanied by a well developed under thigh. With knees unbent, stoop over and try to touch the floor with the fingers, making five or ten thrusts before assuming an erect attitude. Walking or jumping up and down on a plank elevated at an angle of forty-five or fifty degrees with the floor, with the toes toward the higher end, is a good exercise for the calves and the under thigh. Stand on one foot, weight the other, and swing it backward and forward as high as possible.

=The Calf.=--Climbing up hill, running on the toes, hopping long distances on one foot-any one of them, if persistently followed, will, in a short time, result in strengthening the calf and increasing its size. Professor Maclaren declares that in four months of Alpine climbing his calves increased from sixteen inches to seventeen and one-quarter, and his thighs from twenty-three and one-half inches to twenty-five.

Another exercise, very simple, has been found productive of great good. Stand erect, chest out, shoulders down, knees stiff, feet slightly apart, toes turned outward. Raise the heels as high as possible, throwing the weight of the body upon the toes. Repeat at the rate of fifty to seventy times a minute. One minute’s work will prove sufficient for the exercise. Increase to two, three, or four minutes a day for a month. A gentleman, approaching middle life, who was not satisfied with a calf that girthed fourteen and one-quarter inches, in four months, by this exercise, added another inch. He devoted fifteen minutes to it, morning and evening, and after a time carried a twelve pound weight in each hand.

=Pulley-Weight.=--The uses of the pulley-weight are so numerous and so varied that it constitutes almost a complete gymnasium in itself. One of its prime advantages is, that by gradually multiplying the number of weights, it adapts itself nicely to the increasing strength of the individual, and to the varying powers of the different members of the family. It reaches directly every muscle of the hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, chest, abdomen, back, and neck. By the use of an extra pulley near the floor, necessitating a longer rope, excellent drill of the leg muscles is afforded. By sitting on the floor, the latter arrangement is converted into a rowing machine, affording exercise for the arms, back, and legs.

=Dumb-Bells.=--These are less expensive but scarcely less valuable than the pulley-weight in the scope and variety of the exercises they afford. They may be of wood or iron, and should not be heavy. For the average person, one and one-half pounds, each, is a good weight. For children, one pound is sufficient.

=A Home-Made Gymnasium.=--By a home-made gymnasium is meant the use of such appliances as the ordinary home will furnish, or as a person, with a little mechanical skill, can supply.

=Chair Exercises.=--A light chair, grasped firmly by the outer upright supports of the back, with the two hands, and swung vigorously around the head ten to twenty times, first in one direction, then in the other, will afford one of the best simple exercises known. It brings into play the muscles of the hands, arms, legs, and many parts of the body, and if repeated at short intervals will not only increase the respiration and stimulate the circulation, but will also start the perspiration. The intervals should be occupied with exercises that bring into play other muscles, as rising on the toes, stretching the legs, breathing exercises, etc.

Another valuable chair exercise consists in placing two chairs, front to front or side to side, with a space between them of about six inches more than the width of the body. Place the hands flat on the chairs, then slip the feet back, and with the toes resting on the floor and the limbs and body rigid, lower and raise the body several times. For deepening the chest and strengthening the arms and shoulders, this will be found an excellent exercise.

Unless the chair feet are spread, care must be taken to place the hands well within the edge of the seat, to prevent the chairs from tipping over. One chair may be used instead of two, by grasping the sides of the seat firmly and bringing the chest nearly or quite to the front of the seat.

=Door-Jamb Exercise, No. 1.=--A light form of chest and arm exercise may be had by grasping the side jambs of a door-frame, about as high as the shoulders, and planting the feet a short distance back. Keep the lower limbs and trunk rigid, the head thrown well back, and thrust the body backward and forward from ten to twenty times.

=Door-Jamb Exercise, No. 2.=--For those having weak chests and weak arms there is no better exercise than that known as the “dips,” for which the parallel bars of the regular gymnasium are largely used. An excellent substitute for the bars may be made by boring a hole about two inches in diameter into each side of the door-frame, about waist high, and fitting to each hole a strong wooden handle or peg. These should project into the doorway with a space of eighteen to twenty inches between their inner ends in which to stand. The exercise consists in placing the hands on the pegs, and slowly raising and lowering the body a number of times by the muscles of the arms alone. At first, some assistance from the toes may be necessary. Soon the arms will be able to do the work alone. Beginning with five lifts, the number may be gradually increased to fifty. It is understood that the pegs may be removed when not in use.

If the disfigurement of the door-frame between two rooms, or room and hallway, is a serious objection, the jambs of a roomy closet door may be used, in which case the closing of the door shuts the holes from sight. Two high tables, or a foot rail of a bed and a table, or box placed firmly upon two chairs--in short, any two pieces that will afford a lift of the body, such as that described, will serve the purpose nearly as well.

=Door-Jamb Exercise, No. 3.=--By fastening two cleats or supports on the inner faces of the door-frame, with a niche or slot in each, to support a horizontal bar, extending across the doorway near the top, just within reach, a simple but very valuable piece of apparatus is ready for use. For strengthening the fingers and the grasp of the hands, as in swinging back and forth by the arms, and in developing certain arm, back, and abdominal muscles, as in lifting the body so as to touch the chin to the bar, few exercises are better. The latter was a favorite exercise of William Cullen Bryant, and one to which he attached much value. It is attended with some danger, however, and should not be attempted without preparatory drill. The sides of the bar, at the ends where it enters the cleats, should be slightly flattened, so as not to turn with the swinging motion of the body. Two or three sets of cleats may be used, adapting the height to different members of the family.

REST

=Its Necessity.=--Rest is as necessary as exercise. We cannot be active continually. Repose must succeed labor. Alfred the Great is credited with the recommendation that each day be divided into three parts, eight hours for labor, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for sleep.

=Change of Employment.=--A change of occupation affords rest. The wood chopper finds relief from his ax by using his saw. A different set of muscles is brought into play. Persons might often save themselves from excessive fatigue by the adoption of this principle. When physical labor is made to alternate with mental activity, the sense of rest is more apparent.

=Sleep.=--The best form of rest is found in sleep. All voluntary activity then ceases. Even the involuntary processes of circulation and respiration seem to share in the general restfulness, for during sleep their action is more tardy, and, as a result, the temperature of the body is somewhat lower. More covering is needed during sleep than during the waking hours.

While the body is in action, the process of pulling down predominates, but during sleep nutrition goes on, the wasted tissues are built up, and we rise refreshed and prepared for the new day’s duties.

=Amount of Sleep.=--All persons do not require the same amount of sleep. It is said that Frederick the Great slept only five hours each night. Napoleon Bonaparte could pass days with only a few hours’ rest. Persons whose labors are mental require more sleep than those who work with their hands.

The average person in good health requires eight hours’ sleep. Children, invalids, and the aged need more. Those who take less should make a careful study of themselves to ascertain whether they get all the refreshment of mind and body that they need. If sleep is insufficient, it will show itself sooner or later in general lassitude and weakness. The imperative demands of Nature are shown in the recorded instances of sailors on war vessels falling asleep on the gun-deck while their ships were in action, of soldiers falling asleep on the march, and even persons falling asleep on the rack in the intervals of their torture.

=Position While Sleeping.=--An active, healthy child will sleep well in almost any position, but a nervous, wakeful person, who is obliged night after night to woo sleep, must study what conditions are most conducive to its attainment.

Most persons sleep best on the right side. In this position the stomach is easily emptied, and the liver does not press upon the heart and stomach. Those affected with heart trouble will experience less oppression and distress in this position than by sleeping on either the back or on the left side.

=The Pillow.=--A high pillow, especially if firm and unyielding, cramps the neck and interferes with respiration and circulation. Some writers upon health advocate the use of no pillow, but most persons, either from habit or for more substantial reasons, find a pillow of moderate size to be of advantage.

=The Mattress.=--The old-time bed-ticking filled with clean oats straw, thoroughly shaken up each day, and renewed once or twice a year, made a thoroughly comfortable and wholesome bed. In these modern days, hair, cotton, felt, and corn husk are the substances most commonly employed. A good mattress is neither too soft nor too hard, but yields to the exterior bony processes of the body without engulfing the sleeper. Feathers, once very widely used, are now generally condemned by physicians and sanitarians.

=Rest During the Day.=--Almost everyone has experienced the invigorating influence of an after-dinner nap during the long days of summer. Many persons would accomplish more work by taking a rest of ten or fifteen minutes once or twice a day at all seasons of the year. To women in poor health, and to those who are overworked, this suggestion has special application. It not only rests the tired muscles but it soothes the nerves, and serves as a most refreshing tonic. Instead of being a loss of time, it will prove to be time saved. More actual work, both of hands and brain, will be accomplished, and with less expenditure of vital force. Dr. William Pepper accomplished an immense amount of work with but very little sleep. It was not unusual for him, when sorely in need of rest, to break off in the midst of his work, lie down and immediately go to sleep, and after five or ten minutes wake up refreshed.

DWELLINGS

=Site.=--In the selection of a home, due regard should be had to the site. High ground is more healthful than that which is low; a loose, dry, sandy, or gravelly soil is better than one that is wet and clayey. Made ground, as a rule, is unhealthful, as it is usually low to begin with, and is commonly filled up with earth which contains more or less organic matter.

=Soil.=--The interstices of the soil are occupied by air, or water, or both. The impurities of the soil mingle with the ground air, and render it unfit for breathing. When this ground air is forced above the surface by an influx of water or by the pressure of the heavier air above, much danger lurks in the surface atmosphere. Damp cellars and basements should be avoided, and the upper rooms of the house selected for living and sleeping rooms. Careful scientific investigation has established a close connection between cholera, typhoid fever, malarial fevers, and the rise and fall of the water in the soil.

Dr. Henry I. Bowditch, of Boston, some years ago, formulated these two propositions:

First, A residence in or near a damp soil, whether that dampness be inherent in the soil itself or caused by percolation from adjacent ponds, rivers, meadows, or springy soils, is one of the principal causes of consumption in Massachusetts, probably in New England, and possibly in other portions of the globe.

Second, Consumption can be checked in its career, and possibly--nay, probably--prevented in some instances by attention to this law.

The truth of these propositions was, later, corroborated by Dr. William Pepper, of Philadelphia, and by Dr. Buchanan, of England. It is even suspected by certain physicians that some of the prevalent diseases among horses and cattle are due to dampness of the soil.

=Drainage of the Soil.=--In view of the above facts, the importance of draining wet soil is obvious. A noted scientist states that ground in which the water is sixteen or more feet below the surface is uniformly healthy; when it is less than five feet, it is always unhealthy; and that a fluctuating level, especially if the changes are sudden, is very unhealthy. Certain trees and plants, such as the eucalyptus and the sun-flower, whose roots absorb a prodigious quantity of water which is given off through the leaves, are useful in drying wet soils.

The close connection between various forms of disease and the condition of the soil has many times been pointed out. Some years ago, the British government instituted an examination of the effects of drainage in twenty-four towns. While the results indicate a general diminution of the death-rate, the deaths from consumption show the greatest reduction. All forms of malarial disease, fever and ague, neuralgia, influenza, dysentery and other diseases of the bowels are also greatly reduced by draining wet soils.

=Duty of the Householder.=--It should be the first duty of every householder to secure perfect means for conveying beyond the walls of his domicile everything of a dangerous character that is generated within it, and to secure his home against the entrance of foul air, impure water, or unusual dampness. While the responsibilities of the dweller in the city are shared by the city officials, in that the city supplies the water and provides the sewer to carry off the waste from the kitchen, lavatory, and toilet, yet the householder needs to see that absolute cleanliness is observed, that the pipes are regularly flushed, and the traps kept in good working order, that no decomposing substances are permitted to give off their poisonous gases in cellar, alley, or yard, and that the cellar and foundation walls are free from excessive moisture. The dweller in the country has the additional responsibility of securing and preserving a pure water supply, and of providing proper means for the disposal of the waste of the household.

=Dry Cellars.=--The floor of the cellar should be covered with an impervious concrete. The foundation walls, especially if built of soft stone, should be furnished with a course of hydraulic cement or other impervious material, and the inside surface thoroughly coated with the same. Where there is a heater or furnace in the cellar, the evils of dampness are somewhat reduced during the winter months while the fires are kept going. If the soil is wet or springy, a drain of ordinary field tile of small size should be laid all around the inside of the cellar walls, and, together with the rest of the cellar floor, should be covered with concrete.

=Kitchen Drains.=--In many country houses this is the only drain, and it is often the source of incalculable mischief, due in most cases to sheer carelessness. The drain pipe need not be large--four inches in diameter is sufficient--but it must be kept free of obstruction, so that the waste from the kitchen may pass off rapidly, and no part of it be suffered to lodge, to decompose, and to send its death-distilling gases back to the kitchen, and thence through the other rooms of the house. Not only should the outlet of the kitchen drain be kept away from the well or cistern, but no part of the drain pipe should come within twenty feet of it. The best of pipes and joints, unless frequently renewed, are apt to break, and a very small aperture leading from the drain pipe into the source of supply of drinking water may endanger not only the single household but the entire community. A well of infected water in London, spoken of as “the Broad Street pump,” and famous in the annals of epidemics, is known to have caused the death of over five hundred people in a single week.

=Drinking Water.=--So large an amount of sickness has been directly traced to an impure water supply that too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the need of proper precaution. Not only should the ground about the top of the well be banked to throw off surface water, but the upper wall of the well, for a distance of five or six feet from the surface of the ground, should be laid in cement, and the space between the wall and the ground filled in with wet clay well puddled around the curbing.

If a gravel seam or loose porous rock lies between the well and the cess-pool, even when these are a considerable distance apart, there is absolute danger, unless the receptacle for the waste products of the household be made thoroughly water-tight. Without this precaution, the well may be safe for a few months or even a year or more, but sooner or later the foul fecal matter will reach the source of water supply, carrying with it disease and death. No odor or taste may mark the inflow of polluted matter. Some of the most dangerous well-waters are sparkling in appearance and refreshing to the taste.

=Sewage.=--Few subjects relating to health are of greater importance than the proper disposal of the refuse and waste matter of the household. Even if free from the specific germs of disease, the organic matters contained in sewage give rise to noxious emanations, which, when inhaled, lower the tone of the system and render it an easy prey to disease.

=Dangers of the Soil Pipe.=--It is chiefly through the soil pipe that cess-pool and sewer gas finds its way into the house. The return of these foul emanations is often caused by the force of their own expansion and sometimes by the pressure of the sewer air behind them. The water-traps afford but a slight barrier to their progress. Every drain pipe leading to cess-pool or sewer should be connected with a ventilating shaft which will carry the foul vapors above the roof of the house, and as far away from the windows as possible.

The Medical Officer for Edinburgh, in a recent report, declared that wherever water-closets had been introduced, in the course of one year there were double the number of deaths from typhoid and scarlet-fever, and that any epidemic fever occurring in these houses assumed a character of malignant mortality.

=Disinfectants.=--Chemical disinfectants are used by many good housewives, and are helpful, but they cannot be wholly relied upon. Cleanliness, ventilation, and dryness are the natural disinfectants. Artificial disinfectants can no more be substituted for them than perfumes can be made to take the place of soap and water.

=Sewer Gas.=--This poisonous gas is known chiefly by its effect. It frequently passes the water-traps and enters our sleeping and living rooms, there to do its fatal work. The alternate floods of hot and cold water open the joints of iron pipes, and allow the gas to escape. Leaden gas pipes decay and become perforated, with the same result. Dr. Fergus, in his pamphlet “The Sewage Question,” says: “For some years I have insisted on a careful examination of the soil pipes wherever I have cases of typhoid or diphtheria, and in every case where I could get this carefully carried out I have detected perforated pipes, or have found sewer air getting into the houses in some other way. In many cases the plumbers have declared pipes to be all right, which turned out to be very defective when uncovered.”

=Water-Traps.=--These are not so effective in preventing the escape of sewer gas as they are considered to be. Experiments with glass tubes shaped and arranged just as the ordinary water-traps in sinks and closets are arranged have shown that the light gases pass through by the top of the bend, and the heavy gases by the bottom. A rush of wind up the mouth of a sewer, or a heavy dash of rain which fills the sewer and reduces the air space, so increases the pressure of the gas within the sewer and soil pipe that the ordinary water-traps are not able to resist it.

Water-traps that are not used for a time become death-traps. The water soon evaporates, and affords an unobstructed channel for the conveyance of foul gases from cess-pool or sewer to the rooms of the house. Houses that are vacated for the summer, and that are without tenants for a time, should be thoroughly cleaned and ventilated, and have all pipes and drains flushed with water before being occupied.

=Size, Flow, and Fall of Drain Pipes.=--The efficiency of a drain or sewer depends upon its capacity, its slope or incline, and the velocity of its flow. If the amount of water flowing is proportionate to the size of the conduit, sewers of different sizes give the same velocity at different inclinations. A ten-foot sewer with a fall of two feet per mile, a five-foot sewer with a fall of four feet per mile, a two-foot sewer with a fall of ten feet per mile, and a one-foot sewer with a fall of twenty feet per mile will have the same velocity provided they are filled in proportion to their capacity. The ten-foot sewer will require one hundred times as much sewage as will the one-foot sewer. If it has less, the velocity of its stream will be correspondingly diminished. It is especially important, therefore, that the size of the conduit be adapted to the volume of the stream, as well as to the slope or inclination.

An experienced engineer gives a velocity of three feet per second as the least that should be allowed for the outlet drain of a house. To secure this flow a four-inch drain should have a minimum inclination of one inch in ninety-two; a six-inch drain, one in one hundred and thirty-seven; a nine-inch drain, one in two hundred and six; and to attain the above velocity of three feet per second at these inclinations they must run not less than half full. The great purpose of all modern sewage systems is to carry off all waste matters before they have time to decompose.

=Joints of Drain Pipes.=--These should be made so smooth within as not to impede the flow of sewage, nor become obstructed by catching thread, strings, hair, and other floating substances. They should be so tight as absolutely to prevent any leakage of either fluid or gaseous matter, and render impossible the entrance of the small filaments of the roots of trees growing along their course. They should be supported on solid pillars of brick or stone, and not spiked to cellar walls where a slight settling will force the joints and cause a leak. They should be so firmly supported at every point that after the joints have been cemented no possible change of direction or slope of pipe can occur. Any such change is sure to work disaster.

=Sewer Ventilation.=--No sewer is safe that does not have a free current of air passing through it. Motion and aeration are the safeguards against infection. Sewers should be constructed so as to secure a constant flow, with no sharp angles or short turns to impede its progress, and with frequent vents leading to the surface of the street. Thus diluted, the sewer gas becomes harmless, the pressure in the conduits is relieved, and the danger of the gas forcing its way through the water-traps into the living and sleeping rooms of our homes is avoided.