Girls and Women | Page 8

so
cold! Do you know that the moment you begin to breathe it you begin
to grow warm from the increased action of the blood? But
Do not take cold.
The results of colds are more serious than one likes to say.
Consumption, pneumonia, catarrh, deafness are some of their names.
And the whole tone of the system is lowered by them. But the
over-careful people are precisely those who suffer most from colds,
because here, as in so many other directions, the nerves have sway.
Now, most colds are taken in one of four ways: By sitting in a draught,
by becoming thoroughly chilled, by wetting the feet, and by breathing
raw air. But none of these things are necessarily injurious to a young
girl in ordinary health--provided she at once does what she can to
counteract their effects. Move out of the draught, warm the body as
thoroughly as it was chilled, dry the feet before sitting down, and cover
the mouth with a veil so that the air is slightly warmed before breathing.
Then one need never stay in for the weather, even if one already has a
cold.
Of course there are very delicate girls who need special care, but I am
speaking to the average girl. Do not forget that a cold is a terrible thing,

but also remember that it can be avoided by a little care at the right
time, and by entire forgetfulness at other times.
Take plenty of exercise.
The more you can exercise in the open air the better. And if you take
exercise you will find it possible to be out of doors on very cold days.
If you are not strong on your feet, perhaps you are strong in the muscles
for rowing. If you cannot row, perhaps you can ride. If you cannot ride,
perhaps you can drive. If you cannot drive, perhaps you can exercise in
the gymnasium. If you cannot do any of these things, do what you can.
Walk from your door to the street and back again. Do the same thing
over in fifteen minutes, and unless you are a miserable bonâ fide
invalid your muscles will soon become more useful. Doing errands, and
going about to people who need you, will give you valuable exercise
for which you take no thought.
But some of you are too busy to exercise many hours a day in the open
air, and so you ought to be. The next best thing for you is housework.
Perhaps you do not like that because you see it under the wrong angle
of vision. Whether you like it or not, it is within reach of most of you,
and would do you good.
But suppose your books and your sewing are necessary and keep you
busy all day. Then you are to remember to change your position often.
At the end of every hour, when you open the window, take a few deep
breaths, stretch your arms and legs and fingers, and you will be better
able to go on with your task.
Eat such food as you can thoroughly digest.
There are persons who are always troubled as to what they shall eat,
and who, with all their care, are always ailing. I do not want you to
think about your food so much that you can digest nothing, but I
believe that a very little observation will teach you what is good for
you individually. If you have a dizzy head, or rising of food, or a bad
breath, or uneasiness of the bowels, you may be pretty sure that you
have eaten something that disagrees with you, and by a little

watchfulness you may discover what it is and avoid it.
Food that you can digest very well when you are fresh may be much
too heavy for you when you are tired. And if you are thinking intently
while you eat, the blood is drawn from the stomach where it should be
to the brain where it should not be. Few people can digest vegetables
not thoroughly cooked, or fruit not thoroughly ripe. I think the study of
Physiology is of more practical hygienic value in teaching the absolute
necessity of using food that can be readily assimilated by the body, and
in showing how different foods should be combined to that end, than in
any other way. A little fish or meat, especially beef, considerable bread,
especially of the coarser grains, some vegetables, and fruit according to
individual organizations, make up the necessary daily fare. A tired
stomach should begin with soup. As for the thousand appetizing viands
set before us, each must decide for herself what to eat. As long as you
have none of the symptoms of indigestion, it is probably safe to