BUILDING THE NEST
Now that I have told you so many things about the mother-nest,
especially about how it is growing all the time, I must tell you more
about the many helpers you have who assist in its growth. This they do
by providing it with food and by carrying away the waste material. We
found the body was composed of many parts or organs, each one of which
had its own especial work to do. If any one organ could not perform its
work, some other one would have to assist it, but, although the organs
are willing to help each other, it would not be fair to make one do
more than its share of work, except for a short time.
You remember, the stomach had a great deal of work to do in digesting
the food or preparing it so it could be taken up by the blood and
carried to the womb and all parts of the body. But the stomach does not
have to do this all alone. It has several helpers. One set of helpers is
the teeth, which cut and grind the food into small particles. In order
to do this, they must be kept in very good condition; otherwise, they
could not do their work. You know if your mother would let the kitchen
knives get dull or rusty, she would be unable to cut the bread, meat and
other food materials with them. The same is true of the teeth. We can
keep them in good condition by brushing them. It is as important to do
this as to wash the dishes. Then, too, we must be careful not to break
the teeth by biting nuts and other hard things. Nothing so detracts from
a girl's appearance and nothing is more conducive to indigestion than
poorly cared for teeth. They should be brushed at least twice daily and
the mouth afterwards rinsed with a mild antiseptic solution. The teeth
should be thoroughly examined by a good dentist at least every six
months.
Another assistant that the stomach has is the intestines or bowels,
which not only help to digest the food but also carry off the waste
material. The bowels are very good, and will tell us when they have
waste material to be disposed of, but sometimes people are too busy and
do not pay attention. If we neglect them many times the bowels get tired
of telling us, and then their work is not done. We think they are lazy
and so we try to whip them up by taking a laxative. This seems to help
at first, but we soon find we have to do the same thing every day.
All this time the fault was our own, for we did not understand. The
best way is to have a regular time of going to the toilet, say, right
after breakfast. If we always go at the same time the bowels will
remember it. Then we need have no trouble with constipation nor take any
horrid medicine to whip the bowels. A regular daily action of the bowels
is necessary to health. Constipation often may be relieved by drinking
a glass of cold water upon rising, at intervals during the day, and
upon retiring. Fruit at breakfast or figs taken after meals often will
relieve a tendency to constipation. Regularity in going to the toilet is
one of the most important measures in treating constipation. Laxatives
or cathartics should not be taken except for an occasional dose or
during illness, upon the advice of a physician. So common is the
practice of taking daily laxatives that it has become a "national
curse." People do not realize that they are slaves to this habit. So
cleverly worded are the advertisements of many of the laxatives that
people are led to believe that if they drink certain "waters" or "teas"
they are avoiding medicine, while often these same teas and waters
contain drugs more powerful and harmful than any pill.
The bowels have some one to assist them, too, for the kidneys carry off
much of the waste material of the body. Indeed, they carry off so much
that they sometimes are called the sewers. It often is necessary to
flush the sewers of the city, that is, to send quantities of water
through them to clean the system. In the same way it is necessary to
flush the kidneys. We do this by drinking plenty of water. Every one
should drink about two quarts of water a day.
There is another worker that helps both the kidneys and the bowels.
This is the skin, which sends off waste material through the tiny pores
or openings. If dirt accumulates on the skin, it clogs the pores so the
skin cannot use them. So you see how necessary it is to take frequent
baths to keep the pores open.
Other helpers that carry some of the waste material from the body are
the lungs, which send out the impure air. The lungs also take in the
pure air, which, you remember, helps to make the red coloring matter
in the blood. If you want to have nice red cheeks, you must breathe in
plenty of fresh air. Also you must have plenty of exercise, so as to
help send the blood all over the body. You know when you run, the blood
flows much faster than when you are quiet. It is a good plan to stand by
an open window every morning and every evening and fill your lungs with
good, pure air, taking about twenty-five deep breaths.
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I want to help you to grow as beautiful as God meant you to be when
He thought of you first.
George MacDonald.
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