The Four Epochs of Womans Life | Page 8

and it gives rise to a sensation of energy and activity.
The common estimate is that meat should occupy one-fourth and
vegetable food three-fourths of a mixed diet.
Common salt in moderate quantity is essential, but all highly spiced or
seasoned foods should be avoided, also pickles and vinegar. All
"sweets" are harmful, because they destroy the appetite for other things
and upset the digestion. Tea and coffee should be tabooed, as well as all
alcoholic beverages.
Good digestion depends for the most part on serving the meals at the
same hour every day, eating leisurely, and masticating the food well.
There is a great tendency on the part of the school girl to sleep late in
the morning, then "bolt" her breakfast in order to get to school in time.
Nothing could be more pernicious to the digestion, unless it is the
eternal nibbling of candy.
A healthy girl needs nothing between meals. A delicate girl will be the
better for a glass of milk in the middle of the morning and at bed-time;
or pure beef juice may be given instead.
Water.-- Water is needed to keep the kidneys properly flushed. The
amount of urine secreted during the twenty-four hours should be three
pints. Of course it will be less than this if the quantity of water is

insufficient. In addition to the urine about ten ounces of water are lost
from the surface of the lungs, and eighteen ounces from the skin,
making a total of about five pints; and this quantity of water must be
taken daily in order to maintain the equilibrium of the body. The solid
food of a mixed diet contains from fifty to sixty per cent. of water, so
that about twenty-five ounces of water are taken into the system daily
as an integral part of the food. In addition, three pints more should be
taken as plain water. The bladder acts as a reservoir for the urine, and
should be emptied at least three or four times a day.
Constipation.-- In order to keep the digestive system in good condition,
the refuse matter which collects in the lower bowel must be evacuated
every day. And in order to secure this regular bowel movement,
regularity in the time of going to the toilet is a prime necessity. And
now is the time when the habits of a lifetime are being formed. If a
tendency to constipation exists, it can almost always be overcome by
increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten, also by eating
cracked wheat, oatmeal, corn and graham bread; all of which increase
the peristaltic action of the intestines. The small amount of water taken
by girls and women is another fertile source of constipation.
School Life.-- When it is considered that fully one-half of the girl's
waking hours are spent in school or in study preparing for school, it
becomes evident that the girl's attitude at her desk should be the correct
one. The malpositions at the desk are the most frequent cause of lateral
curvatures, round shoulders, and flat chests. And these deformities are
more common in girls than they are in boys.
The common faults of the desk and seat leading to these malpositions
are unsuitable shape of the back of the seat, too great a distance
between the seat and the desk, and the incorrect slope of the desk.
The edge of the desk should slightly project over the edge of the chair.
The top of the desk should incline downward about ten degrees toward
the student, and be low enough to allow the forearm to rest on it
without raising the shoulder. The seat should be sufficiently deep to
support almost the entire thigh, and close enough to the floor to allow
the soles of the feet to rest firmly on it. The back of the chair should be

arched so as to support the hollow of the back, and should reach just
above the lower part of the shoulder-blades, and so make it easy and
comfortable for even a weakly child to sit upright.
If the seat is too high, the feet do not rest on the floor, and so the girl
does not get the proper aid from the legs and feet to maintain an erect
position. If the desk is too high, the elbow can rest on it only by
curving the spine and raising the shoulder. The work is brought too
close to the eyes and causes extra strain. If the desk is too low, the child
stoops over it and becomes round-shouldered, and there is a tendency
to become short-sighted.
The pupil should sit erect with the weight equally borne by both
buttocks; the legs should be straight before the trunk, and the feet
firmly resting on the floor. The book