Produced by Brad Norton, Elithe B. Proue, Emmy and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Music by Lesley Halamek.
KEEP-WELL STORIES FOR LITTLE FOLKS
BY
MAY FARINHOLT-JONES, M.D.
PROFESSOR OF HYGIENE AND SANITATION, AND RESIDENT PHYSICIAN
MISSISSIPPI NORMAL COLLEGE
_ILLUSTRATED BY_
PAULINE WRIGHT
SOPHIE NEWCOMB COLLEGE
[Illustration]
PHILADELPHIA & LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1916. BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER, 1916
REPRINTED NOVEMBER 23, 1916
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
FOREWORD
The Author, in her work with young teachers, has frequently noted the
great difficulty they seem to have in presenting hygienic facts to
little children in a manner so attractive as to catch and hold their
attention.
The child's mind dwells constantly in the realm of imagination; dry
facts are too prosaic to enter this realm. The "Land of Story Books" is
the most fascinating of all lands, and therefore the Author has
endeavored to weave hygienic facts into stories that will appeal to the
child's imagination. She believes the truths of hygienic living and
habits in the stories will "creep up on the blind side," so to speak,
and impress themselves upon the young mind.
The child can appreciate only those hygienic facts which can be applied
in every-day living: he has no interest in health as an end in itself.
Furthermore, that instruction in hygiene which is given as an end in
itself, and which does not reach beyond the school-room in its
influence, is a failure. Therefore, that instruction in hygiene which is
in line with the child's interest is also the instruction which is most
effective.
The effort throughout has been to make scientific truths simple and
concrete, and so captivating that the young pupil will at once find
interest in them. The early years of child-life are the most
impressionable; it is, therefore, especially important that we stress
during these years that which means more to the conservation of life
than any other one thing, viz., hygiene.
Lessons of personal cleanliness, the necessity for good food, fresh air
and exercise are the truths which are the underlying principles of these
stories. With these as suggestions, the teacher may easily develop
further.
The mother as well as the teacher will find them helpful as she gathers
her little ones around her knee at the evening hour, in response to the
request for "a story."
The questions following each story, a kind of catechism, supply more
information than it was thought best to give in the story itself.
The illustrations have been prepared especially for this work and make
the lessons of the story more impressive.
The Author desires to acknowledge her obligations to Mr. Charles Jerome
for permission to use "The Sand Bed"; to the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union for "The White Ship," and "Clovis, The Boy King," by
Miss Christine Tinling. To Misses Marion Chafee and Bessie McCann,
students of the Hygiene Department of the Mississippi Normal College for
the "Hygiene Song" and "Little Fairies": also to Miss M. Larsen for "One
Little Girl" and the poem, "Jack Frost"; to Mr. O. S. Hoffman for the
poem, "The Five Best Doctors," to Messrs. Flanagan and Company, for
permission to use the anonymous poem, "Merry Sunshine," and to Miss
Virginia R. Grundy for "A Child's Calendar."
M. F. J.
JULY, 1916.
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE WONDERFUL ENGINE 1
TWO LITTLE PLANTS 6
THE STORY OF A FLY 11
SWAT THE FLY 18
THE STORY OF THE RAIN BARREL 19
MALARIA 24
JACK FROST 29
JACK FROST, A POEM 34
A STORY OF TUBERCULOSIS 35
IT IS TIME THAT YOU SHOULD STOP 41
A TRUE STORY 42
TWO LITTLE WINDOWS 46
MERRY SUNSHINE 50
A WONDERFUL STREAM 52
TWO MILLS 57
A CHILD'S CALENDAR 61
THE TOOTHBRUSH BRIGADE 62
MR. FLY AND MRS. MOSQUITO 64
A HYGIENE SONG 70
OUR LITTLE ENEMIES 71
ONE LITTLE GIRL 77
CLOVIS, THE BOY KING 78
WHAT TEMPERANCE BRINGS 85
THE WHITE SHIP 86
A QUEER CASE 94
BREATHE MORE 97
THE LITTLE GIRL AND THE BUTTERFLY 97
LITTLE BAREFOOT 103
THE LITTLE FAIRIES 107
THE RED CROSS SEAL 111
THE SAND BED 119
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT 120
A NEW STORY OF THE LION AND THE MOUSE 124
FIRST AID TO THE INJURED AND THE BOY SCOUTS 127
AN INVITATION 131
A GREAT FIGHT 132
THE FIVE BEST DOCTORS 135
GLOSSARY 136
KEEP-WELL STORIES FOR LITTLE FOLKS
[Illustration]
A WONDERFUL ENGINE
We all have seen a steam engine, have we not? There are engines that
pull trains on the railroad, and there are engines that make factories,
gins, and saw-mills work. Then there are engines that run great ships on
the water. How many know what must be done to one of these engines
before it can do all this work? "It must have coal, or wood, or gasoline
put into it." That is right.
Now this coal or wood or gasoline, when it is used in an engine to make
it work, is called fuel. Would we put rotten or green wood into the
engine? No. We must always put in the kind of thing that will burn
best, and make the most heat and do the most work.
Let us see how this wood or coal we call fuel makes the engine work.
First, we must burn the fuel. Second, when the fuel burns, it heats the
water in the boiler. Third, the water changes into steam, and this steam
gives the engine the power to work.
Now we see how an engine is made to move and do work, such as hauling
great trains of cars, and pulling great ships across the wide ocean. But
we must remember that the engine will not do this work unless there is a
man near-by to put the fuel into the engine.
I want to tell you of another engine that is very like the steam engine.
It too must have fuel before it can run or work. It is unlike the steam
engine in as much as it grows all the time, and it does not need to have
an extra man to put the fuel into it. You must think of your body as an
engine and remember that it needs fuel to run it. The fuel that makes
the body-engine move and work is the food you eat.
You have learned that you must put into the steam engine the fuel that
will burn best and make the most heat and work. The same thing is true
of your body-engine. You must put in the fuel that will best make heat
and the power to work. Have you sometimes eaten something which made you
sick? It must have been that that was the wrong kind of fuel for the
little body-engine. This is the reason our mothers are so very careful
in preparing our food. They want the little engines to have the right
kind of fuel so that they will not run off the track.
Now what fuel must you use in your body-engine? In the first place you
must put in fuel that will make the engine grow so that it can do a
great deal of work. This fuel you get when you eat lean meat, eggs,
milk, and many other things.
If you want your engine to keep warm, you must use fuel that will make
heat. You get this fuel by eating plenty of fats, such as nice butter
and some sweet things. Potatoes, rice and syrup help to run your engine.
You need some fuel that will make you plump and round and healthy
looking, so you must put into your engine fruits, nuts, a little candy,
and a lot of vegetables. You need to eat things that have color, such
as: tomatoes, lettuce, greens, and beets,--not because they look pretty,
but because they have iron in them and help to make your engine strong.
You must remember that you eat food for three reasons: to make you grow,
keep warm, and able to work. You must be careful that you do not eat too
much of any one kind of food, but remember to eat a little of many
kinds. Your engine can use only a little of each at one time.
Wood is chopped into short pieces, and coal is broken up before it will
do good work in the engine, so the fuel must be prepared before it will
suit your engine. It must be well cooked and then chewed thoroughly
before it will do its best work in your body-engine. You should be
careful not to swallow any food until it has been chewed as fine as it
can be.
If you put into your engine the right amount of food, and the right kind
of well-prepared food, you will have an engine more wonderful than any
steam engine that ever pulled a train, or carried a big ship across the
wide ocean.
The engineer sees that his engine is kept clean and bright, in order
that it may run smoothly. Since you are the engineer of your
body-engine, you must keep it neat and clean that it may work well.
[Illustration]
QUESTIONS
1. What is it that causes the big steam engine to
do its work, draw long trains, or big ships, or
turn great factory wheels?
2. What must happen to this fuel--wood, coal, or
gasoline--before it can make the engine do its
work?
3. Did you ever wonder why it is that your body is
always warm? It is very much like the engine.
4. What do you call this fuel that your
body-engine uses? Just as the fuel for the steam
engine must be burned if it is to make heat, even
so must the food be burned in your body if it is
to keep it warm and able to work. Of course the
food in your body does not burn exactly as the
wood and coal burn in the steam engine. It burns
much more slowly--so slowly that you would not
know that it burns at all if it were not that it
always keeps your body warm.
Just as the steam engine needs the fuel if it is
to do its work well, your body needs the best of
food if it is to be healthy and do the best work.
You have learned that all foods do not serve the
same purpose equally well. For instance, some
foods such as lean meat, eggs, and milk build up
more muscle than other foods do; while others,
such as fats, syrup, sugar and potatoes, give more
heat than other foods.
5. What do all colored vegetables contain?
6. What kinds of foods do people living in the
very cold climates need a great deal of?
7. What kinds of foods do people living in very
warm climates need a great deal of?
TWO LITTLE PLANTS
Look at this lovely little plant with its pretty bright leaves and
beautiful pink blossoms. Well may we ask what makes the little plant so
healthy, strong, and pretty. It is a delight to the eye.
Now here is another little plant. It belongs to the same family. The
same kind of seed was planted, and when its tiny leaves began to peep
above the ground, it seemed to have as good a chance as its little
sister plant. But the leaves are pale and drooping; they look sick. It
has no pretty blossoms. Its stems are withered and weak; it can hardly
hold its little leaves up. "Poor little sickly looking plant," its
strong and rosy little sister seems to say.
[Illustration]
Let us see if we can find a reason for the difference between the two
plants. I do not believe that it will take us long to find the cause of
the sickness, for it is sick just like a little child.
Mother Nature prepares a special food for all her children, food for the
little plant children as well as for the little babies in our homes,
and food for the little piggies and the frisky little calves out in the
barn.
When mother feeds little baby brother she gives him nice warm, sweet
milk, because that is the food that he needs to make him grow big and
strong. Mother Nature knows that the little babies and the little calves
and pigs need this fresh warm milk, so she prepares it all ready for
them.
When we plant seed in the ground, the soft, warm dark earth furnishes
food for the little seed, until its leaves and stems are above the
ground. Its little roots run down into the moist, mellow soil and drink
up the food Mother Nature has there for it. The warm sun shines down on
the little plant and makes it green, and the pure air helps to make its
stems strong and sturdy that it may hold its leaves and blossoms up for
the passersby to enjoy.
What a beautiful sight it is as it seems to nod a morning greeting of
cheer and good health.
Now the little plant with the pretty bright leaves and wonderful pink
blossoms has had all the water and mellow soil and warm sunshine it
needed to make it grow, from a tiny plant into the large handsome one we
see.
The little sister plant with its sick, pale leaves and no blossoms has
not been treated kindly. When it was just a baby plant it did not have
enough water to drink. The soil in which it was planted was poor, and
did not have enough food to feed the tiny baby plant. The poor little
plant was shut away from the bright sunshine and the clean, fresh air.
Now its leaves hang down as if it were saying, "I am so sick; give me
some water to drink, give me some food to make my stems strong, give me
some sunshine and fresh air to warm me and make the nice green color
come into my leaves!"
We may give the little plant all that it asks for, and help it a great
deal. In a few days the color will begin to come into its leaves and its
stems will look stronger, but we doubt if the little neglected plant
will ever become as strong as the little sister plant which has had all
the good soil, water, air and sunshine that it needed when it was a baby
plant.
Little boys and girls need things to make them strong just as the little
plants do. They need simple, pure food to make strong bone and muscle,
pure water to drink, and to bathe their bodies with; fresh air to
breathe; and sunshine to give color to their cheeks and sparkle to their
eyes. If the little folks do not have the things that Mother Nature
intended for them, they will grow thin and twisted like the little sick
plant. Their cheeks will grow pale and their eyes will look dull and
heavy and lose their sparkle. They will not want to romp and play as all
healthy children do. They will not want to go to school.
Little children who are ruddy and strong like the first little plant
have mothers who see that they get all the food they need and plenty of
pure water to drink; that they keep their bodies clean and play in the
sunshine and breathe fresh air.
These little girls and boys are in all the games. They love to run and
play. They will grow into strong men and women and be ready to do the
work for which they were created.
If the little green plant is shut away in the dark, out of the sunshine
and fresh air, it will soon droop and die. Children are human plants and
need the same care and treatment that should be given other plants.
QUESTIONS
1. Why was it that one of the little plants in the
story was so healthy and strong, while its sister
plant was weak and sickly?
2. Did you ever see a boy or girl who did not have
enough wholesome food to eat, enough fresh air to
breathe, and enough sunshine to give a healthy
color to his or her cheeks?
3. What kind of a big boy or girl will such a
child grow to be?
4. If we are to grow into strong, healthy, hardy,
robust boys and girls--men and women--what rules
must we obey?
THE STORY OF A FLY
I was hatched one sunny day in May in the nicest, warmest, dirtiest spot
you ever saw. It was in a barnyard heap, just outside a city, that I
first saw the light. I was not very old before I had to take care of
myself, so you may know I was glad that I had opened my eyes for the
first time in such a dirty place, because it is much easier for a baby
fly to take care of himself in a dirty place than in a clean one.
My good mother knew this when she flew away that May morning and left
the tiny egg, from which I came, to Dame Nature to care for. Mother Fly
knew that warmth, dirt, and moisture were all that a baby fly needed in
its infant days. She knew that the dump-heap at the barn made the nicest
kind of cradle for her baby, and it was rent-free to all the mother
flies in the neighborhood.
Day by day, I grew and soon began to take notice of things around me. It
was not long before I saw that some of the other baby flies which were
in the dump-heap with me had grown some beautiful gauzy wings. On these
wings they began making daily visits from our fly-nursery to a near-by
farm-house. When they came back from these visits, they would talk long
and loud about the good time they had, and the nice things they had to
eat in the great world outside the dump-heap.
I was mighty glad that my wings were growing stronger each day. One
morning, bright and early, I sailed away on my beautiful wings to see if
all the wonderful things my little fly friends had told me were true. I
followed the lead of my friends, and we soon came to that same
farm-house. First, we went to a door--a screen they called it--and tried
hard to get through. To our great disappointment, we could not get
through; the screen was closed tight. One little fly said, "I will find
a way in, I don't believe the folks who live here have been so careful
with the kitchen door." So we flew away, and sure enough the kitchen
screen door was standing ajar, with just enough of a crack in it for a
busy little fly to slip through into the kitchen. I was next to the last
one to get through; and, alas! when I did get in, you never saw such a
disappointed little fly in your life. Everything looked very clean, too
clean for me to enjoy it. Presently, one of my friends called to me and
O joy! he had found some soiled dishes and bits of food on a table, just
the thing for a tired, hungry little fly. The sugar bowl was uncovered,
and, oh, how I did eat, for I dote on nice, sweet sugar.
The pantry door stood ajar, and I could see some nice things to eat in
there also. After we had feasted on the good things in the kitchen, we
flew into the dining-room. There on the table was a pitcher filled with
milk. I jumped into the pitcher and took a nice bath and a good swim. I
came out very much refreshed, for I had left there in the milk pitcher
all the dirt I had gathered on my feet and body in my early life. I
walked much better. I walked all over the food which was on the table
and I also walked on the baby's bottle which was on a nearby shelf.
[Illustration]
While I was thinking what I would do next, a lady came into the room.
She had a dear little baby in her arms. You know how I love little
babies. I love to tickle their noses and to lick the sweets from their
juicy little mouths. I sat and watched the little fellow, awaiting my
chance to make his acquaintance. Presently the lady gave the baby some
milk to drink from the pitcher in which I had had such a nice bath.
After the little fellow was fed, the lady put him to sleep and laid him
in his crib in the next room for his morning nap. My friends told me to
come with them into this room, the nursery. The lady had forgotten to
put a net over the little fellow; so I crawled around and ate some sugar
from his lips. It tasted so good that I crawled almost into his mouth.
Since that happy morning, I have spent almost every day between the
farm-house and out-houses. I have my daily bath in the milk pitcher and
my dinner from the nice juicy food on the table. Very often I get my
lunch of sweets from the corners of the baby's mouth, and I like this
best of all.
For several days I have felt lonely. I noticed that the baby did not
come to the dining-room to get his milk and sugar. I kept wondering why
he did not come, and finally I wandered into the nursery to see for
myself. What do you think? The baby was lying in his crib all red and
hot. While his mother was busy, I crawled on his mouth to see if there
was any sugar in the corners for a lunch. Then away I flew.
This morning I flew over to the farm-house again, through the kitchen
door, and into the nursery. I thought I would find a glass of milk and
have a nice bath and my breakfast. But, alas! the baby was not in his
crib. The room was so still and cold it frightened me and I flew out. I
saw several strange men and women; the women were all crying and the men
looked sad. A man was fastening something white on the front door. I
tried to understand it all, but I could not catch any word except
"TYPHOID." I wonder what that means, anyhow? As no one will tell me, I
must be off to the next farm-house to hunt a good dinner.
This was a sensible fly, do you not think so, children? Thousands of
other flies might tell the same story if we would only watch their
habits and listen to what they have to say.
QUESTIONS
1. I wonder if any of you can guess what was the
matter with the baby on the morning the fly found
it red and hot?
2. What had happened when the fly went back to
it?
3. What caused the baby to have typhoid fever?
4. What is a germ?
5. Where did the little fly say he was hatched? It
is in such places as this--in stables and other
filthy places--that all flies are hatched and
raised. They all like good things to eat. Flies
can smell a good thing to eat a long way off; so
they soon find their way to the kitchen and
dining-room. On their way to the kitchen, they
often stop by the out-houses and gather on their
feet and legs a lot of dirt and germs. I must tell
you now that the fly can get the typhoid germ or
plant only from human filth.
NOTE.--The teacher should have an inexpensive
microscope and show the children a fly,--its head
and its feet especially.
6. Have you ever seen a fly under a magnifying
glass? On the bottom of the fly's feet are little
glue-like pads and a number of little hairs on his
body and feet, to which germs and bits of dirt
stick. The fly in this story had come to the
farm-house for the first time, you know, when he
found the pitcher of milk and had such a nice
bath. He had been gathering germs and dirt on his
feet, both from his early home in the barn-yard
and from the out-house at which he stopped on his
way. Some of these germs gathered at the out-house
had come from some person who had typhoid fever.
As he crawled over the baby's bottle and its
little mouth, he left some of the germs there and
he left some in the milk pitcher also. It was
careless of the mother to give her baby milk that
was not covered. The mother did not know she was
giving the baby milk in which there were these
little plants, or germs, which cause typhoid
fever.
You have learned that the house-fly carries the
seed, or germs, of typhoid. These germs, or seed,
will grow and multiply in the body. So you should
never leave food uncovered where a fly can get to
it.
7. Since you know where house-flies are hatched
and bred, what may you do to keep them from
multiplying?
8. What else can be done to make sure that no germ
can get to our food or drink?
SWAT THE FLY
S is for Sunshine, keeps nature clean,
And makes Mr. Fly feeble and lean.
W is for Waste, where the fly breeds,
The fouler, the better it suits his needs.
A is for Anything dirty and vile,
On which the children may spend a short while.
T is for Typhoid, whose best friend is the fly,
It makes thousands to sicken and hundreds to die.
T is for Trouble he brings to us all,
From Spring's early green until far into Fall.
H is for Housewife, his unceasing foe,
Who traps, swats and otherwise brings him to woe.
E is for Energy she puts into work,
So long as there is one left she will never shirk.
F stands for Friends of which he has none,
If you look for his foes you may count me as one.
L stands for Labor, which is always well spent,
If it keeps Mr. Fly from enjoying content.
Y stands for You, who will help in the task,
Kill each fly you can is all we ask.
_Author Unknown._
THE STORY OF THE RAIN BARREL
O John! did you know that I almost fell on my head into the rain barrel
at the corner of the house this morning? I was looking at the picture of
myself in the water, when, all of a sudden, I saw the funniest little
things darting everywhere in the water. I forgot to look at myself or to
make any more faces at the broad face of the little boy at the bottom of
the rain barrel. There were lots of these queer little things in the
rain water. They were turning somersaults and standing on their heads
every few minutes. Here is a picture of one. I tried to catch some in my
hands, but they were too quick for me; they would just wiggle out of
reach. This was why I nearly fell on my head.
I ran into the house to ask Mother about them. Mothers know a lot, don't
they, John? At least, mine does. I just knew she could tell me all about
these queer little things in the rain barrel. When I asked her to tell
me, she put her sewing down and went to the rain barrel with me. As soon
as she looked she said she was so glad that I had come for her, that she
would tell me all about these little "wiggle-tails," and that I could
help her destroy them, as they would do much harm if they grew up.
She said that they were the little baby mosquitoes. Isn't that funny? I
did not know that mosquitoes lived in the water, even when they were
babies, did you? I will tell you just what Mother said. She said that if
I were near a pond or rain barrel, or even an old tin can, in which
water was standing, early in the morning before the sun was up, I could
hear Mrs. Mosquito come singing merrily to the water, and that if I
watched and did not disturb her, I could see her rest lightly on the
water and lay her eggs there in a little brown boat or raft-shaped mass,
little eggs like these. The mosquito mother now thinks her duty to her
children is done, for, after she lays her eggs on the water, she goes
off singing, never thinking of them again.
[Illustration]
If nothing disturbs it, the boat of eggs floats on the water a little
longer than a day, when all of a sudden the shells of the eggs begin to
break and the little "wiggle-tails" hatch, or come out of the shells.
These funny little "wiggle-tails" go frisking about in the water. They
dive here and there down into the water, hunting for something to eat.
These are the baby mosquitoes. They are very queer looking, with their
big heads and eyes and a funny little tube at the tail end of their
bodies. They push this tube up out of the water to get air to breathe. I
saw a number of them push these little tubes up to the top of the water,
but, when I got close to them, down to the bottom of the barrel they
would dive, head foremost, as if they were scared. They soon had to come
up again for another breath of air.
Mother said that if no one disturbed them they would eat germs and all
sorts of little water plants for about two weeks, growing all the time.
At the end of that time, each one would curl himself into a cocoon, like
a ball, called a pupa. After about four days of rest and growing in this
cocoon, the case would break and out would come a thing with wings, a
full-grown mosquito. It would stand on its case or cocoon, dry its wings
in the sun, and then fly away to begin life as a mosquito.
Mother said she did not want to give the little "wiggle-tails" a chance
to become mosquitoes, and that if I would bring her some oil from the
kitchen pantry, she would show me how to kill the little "wiggle-tails."
I ran for the oil, oil just like that your Mamma burns in her lamps.
Mother poured a few spoonfuls in the rain barrel, and that was the end
of Mr. Wiggle-tail. The oil kept the "wiggle-tails" from getting any air
to breathe through their funny breathing tubes, and they smothered.
[Illustration]
Mother says we must have a Mosquito Brigade and go about the place
killing all the mosquitoes; that we must not let water stand in any tin
cans or barrels; and that we must pour oil in the ditches and ponds
where water stands and where the mosquitoes can lay eggs. The mosquito
will not lay eggs on the dry land, for the "wiggle-tails" cannot take
care of themselves on dry land, and the mosquito mothers know this.
It seems to me that Dame Nature, as Mother calls her, has taught many
wonderful secrets to her children.
Mother told me why she wanted to kill all the "wiggle-tails." I will
tell you about it to-morrow, if you will come to the grape-vine swing
with me.
QUESTIONS
1. What did the little boy see in the rain barrel?
Why couldn't he catch them?
2. How did the "wiggle-tails" get into the barrel?
3. Why do they have to come to the top of the
water so often?
4. Why did the little boy's mother want to destroy
or kill the little "wiggle-tails"?
5. What is a Mosquito Brigade? Can't we have one
in our school?
MALARIA
You remember, John, I told you about the "wiggle-tails," or baby
mosquitoes, in the rain barrel, and how eager my mother was to put oil
on the water and kill them.
Well, Mother told me a long story about the baby mosquitoes and what
they do when they are grown up. She said that mosquitoes carry malaria,
or chills, from one person to another.
Don't you remember when we had chills last summer and Uncle John had to
come to see us and give us some medicine? Mother says that was because
some grown mosquito had bitten a person who had chills, and while
sucking that person's blood the mosquito had sucked into her bill some
malaria poison; then later when she bit us, she punched some of that
poison into our blood, while she was getting a supper from our blood.
The mosquito's bill is as sharp as one of Uncle John's knives.
Mother told me that a long time ago, when the English came to Virginia,
they settled at Jamestown, and they were afraid of the Indians, the
bears, and the panthers that could hide in the forest near-by.
The English did not know it, but they had a more deadly enemy then at
Jamestown than the Indians and the panthers. This enemy was so small
they could not see it, and then, too, they had not learned about it as
we are learning now. This enemy was the little germ or parasite that
causes malaria.
Mother says that it is easy to fight an enemy when it is out in the
open. The settlers knew only that many of their people got sick and
died. This was because there were many mosquitoes there, and these
mosquitoes bit them, and put these poisonous enemies into their blood.
But they did not know that the mosquitoes were the cause of the great
number of deaths in the colony.
All this happened many years ago. I believe the English thought their
old enemy, the Dragon, of which they had heard so much, but which they
could not see, had come to this new land.
We can know the mosquito that carries malaria because she looks as if
she is trying to stand on her head when she lights on anything. It seems
queer that the female mosquito is the only one which poisons us with
malaria. Perhaps the male mosquito cannot bite, because he has so many
feathery plumes on his bill.
The mosquito and the germ of malaria, which is carried from one person
to another, killed far more white people than the Indians or the wild
animals did.
Not many years ago, a very clever man found out that the mosquito
carried malaria, for, without her, the germs could never get into our
blood.
Mother says that the way for us to stop malaria is for us to kill all
the mosquitoes, and the best way to kill them off is to do so when they
are little "wiggle-tails" or "wigglers." She says the best way of all,
though, is never to have any standing water around where the mosquito
can lay her eggs.
[Illustration]
I am going to kill every mosquito I see. Mother says I can tell the one
that carries malaria, because she is always trying to stand on her head
like this.
I'll tell you, let's have a "Mosquito and Fly Brigade." You can be the
Captain. All the little boys and girls in our classes can march under
our colors, and we will make war on every fly and mosquito in the
neighborhood, and stop the children and grown people from having
malaria. Mother says sickness costs a lot of money--many millions of
dollars every year.
We will be little soldiers while all the country is at peace, but we
will wage a battle royal against these very small but strong enemies,
and we will win.
Our motto will be, "To prevent is better than to cure."
QUESTIONS
1. What causes malaria?
2. Can you tell the difference between the
mosquito that carries malaria and the one that is
called the house mosquito?
3. Where do the mosquitoes feed?
4. What caused so many of the early settlers in
the Old Dominion (Virginia) to die?
5. Which was their greatest enemy, Indians, wild
animals, or malaria?
6. How much does malaria cost?
7. Can we prevent malaria? How?
8. What medicine will cure malaria?
9. Is it better to cure a disease or to prevent
it?
10. Where was quinine first gotten?
11. If a person has malaria, how may we prevent
other persons from getting it?
12. Have you a "Fly and Mosquito Brigade" in your
school, or will you have one?
[Illustration]
JACK FROST
Children, do you know who Jack Frost is? Well, he is a frisky little
fellow. He never seems to lose his youth and freshness, although he is
as old as time itself.
When the days grow shorter and the nights get longer, Jack Frost is a
regular busybody--he is here, there, and everywhere. Jack does not make
long visits in the Sunny Southland. The warm sunshine and balmy winds
chase him back to the North, his native land.
Jim lives in the North where Jack Frost makes long visits, sometimes
remaining from early autumn until late in the spring. Jim says he likes
Jack Frost and the gay times and sports he brings with him for the
little boys and girls of the North. Jim loves to skate and sleigh ride.
Jack Frost is a mischievous little elf; he skips gaily around while you
are asleep. He peeps into your windows to see if you are tucked snugly
in bed. He dances on the window panes, and covers them with beautiful
crystals that he must have brought from fairyland.
He goes whistling down the street on the wind in the early morning. He
gleefully snips at the noses of the old gentlemen as they step briskly
along to their business.
Jack gives these old folks a bit of his youth as they feel his
frolicsome touch. He makes them think of the days when they were boys,
how they used to run out to meet him with a jump and a skip. He reminds
them of the days long ago, when they made a snow man in the school-yard,
and when they played snowball on the way to and from school. As they
think of these frolics with Jack Frost, each one seems to quicken his
step. Could you look into their eyes you would see how they sparkle with
the memories of youth that Jack Frost has recalled.
He frolics about among the trees. As he touches them with his wand,
their bright green coat is changed to a soft brown one. He tells the
little sleeping buds to lie still. They must not even peep out while he
is in the air.
Jack waves his wand and covers brown Mother Earth with sparkling frost
or downy snow. The little seed babies snuggle close, and whisper to each
other of how good Jack Frost is to cover them from the biting winter
wind with this beautiful warm blanket of snow. This blanket is finer and
warmer than any ever woven by man.
Even after the snow has melted, Jack Frost tells the little seed babies
not to lift their heads from under their blanket of leaves until the
warm spring days wake them.
He shows to the children of the Southland only a few of his pranks; now
and then a beautiful frost that is soon chased back to the North by the
warm sun; sometimes a wonderful snow-storm from the Northwest. How
joyous these children of the Sunny South are when Jack does give them a
touch of old King Winter! There are many children here as old as you,
who have never seen one of Jacks beautiful white blankets.
In the Northland Jack is a very terrible old fellow. There are ice and
snow on the ground for many months. The people build very warm houses to
keep Jack Frost out.
Did you ever think of the little Eskimo boys and girls in their cold
country? They wear clothes made of skins and furs. They live in snow
houses, but they manage to keep warm. The little Eskimo children are
used to the cold, for Jack Frost plays his pranks all the year round in
the land of the long, long nights.
They have great sport going here and there on their snow-shoes, and in
their sleds drawn by their faithful dogs.
In our own Northland, Jack is a very frisky fellow. He touches the lakes
and rivers with his magic wand and covers them with ice. Ah! now comes
the best of fun, for now old Jack Frost is ready for you to have the
finest of sports. You must put on warm clothes and high, heavy shoes and
run out to play with him.
Children who have colds and sore throats can not play. So he says, "Wrap
up warm, come out into the fresh air." Let the pure frosty air get into
your lungs, and sweep out old disease germs that may have hidden there.
Come with me to the pond. The ice is thick and smooth. Put on your
skates and let us go skimming over the ice. You will feel the warm red
blood, made clean and pure by the frosty air, tingling all over your
body. I tell you, Jack Frost is a good friend.
Jack Frost often hurts the poor, pinching too hard their fingers and
toes. So, while you are warmly clad and prepared for a frolic with him,
you must remember there are some children to whom Jack Frost is not such
a welcome friend.
He nips with his cold fingers the insects that do our plants harm. With
his icy breath, he kills many of the germs that would hurt you.
Jack Frost helps to give you health, and health means joy, strength,
happiness and success.
QUESTIONS
1. Who is Jack Frost, where does he come from?
2. What does he bring?
3. What does he say to the little seed babies and
buds?
4. What does he say to the young folks?
5. Who are the Eskimos, where do they live?
6. Of what, and how, do they build their houses?
7. What does Jack Frost do to some of the disease
germs?
8. Can you tell me something of the games the
children play in the lands where Jack Frost
visits? In the land where he never comes?
JACK FROST
A mischief-maker is old Jack Frost,
His pranks are many indeed;
He comes and goes with the speed of the wind,
But who has ever seen his steed?
He comes when the nights are clear and cold,
And the wind has gone to rest,
He comes with his magic wand,
And few things stand the test.
He rides o'er fields of waving corn,
And leaves them sere and dry;
He touches the flowers with his magic wand,
And they wither away and die.
He spreads on the walk a coat of ice,
That unwary feet may slip;
He freezes the leaves, the trees and grass,
And holds them all in his icy grip.
He pinches the apple's ruddy cheeks,
And the children's cheeks as well--
Oh, of all the mischief that Jack Frost does,
Who could ever tell?
But still we love this mischief-maker,
We could not do without him;
We think his little plays and pranks
The very best thing about him.
A STORY OF TUBERCULOSIS
PART I
Mary, did you and Tom see the poor, sick woman on the cars when we were
going to visit grandmother last week? Did you see how pale and thin and
feeble she looked? Did you hear her coughing so often that it seemed to
hurt her whole body?
How sorry we felt when we knew she was so sick. Don't you remember that
Uncle John, who is a doctor, told us that she had consumption. Uncle
John talked of the poor lady and of the dreadful disease which she has.
He called it by two other names, tuberculosis and the "Great White
Plague."
I'll tell you just what he told me, for Uncle John said that even little
children should know about this disease and that they could help to
prevent it.
He said that a very small plant, so small that we cannot see it with our
naked eyes, causes this terrible sickness from which so many, both old
and young, die. These plants are so small that a thousand of them could
be put on a pin head and still not crowd each other there. These little
plants are like tiny rods and are always found in the saliva or spit of
a person who has consumption. When Uncle John wants to see them he uses
a very powerful magnifying glass called a microscope. You have seen this
microscope in Uncle John's office.
Long years ago, a great German doctor tried to find out why so many
persons, young people and little children, died of this terrible
disease. Finally, after long years of study, he found that these tiny
plants are the cause of all this disease and sorrow. He also found that
these plants are different from the plants in our gardens, for they grow
best in dark, damp places where there are warmth and the kind of soil
suited to them.
These plants never blossom, but they grow and make more plants of the
same kind.
When father wants to grow more cotton he plants cotton seed, does he
not? He always sees that the ground or soil is well prepared for the
seed.
Our bodies are the soil or ground, and these little rod-like plants are
the seed of consumption. Persons who have delicate bodies and who live
in damp, dark places, and who do not eat good food furnish the best kind
of soil on which these plants will grow. They grow and make more
tuberculosis seed just as the cotton grows and makes more cotton seed.
Strong, healthy bodies are poor seed ground for consumption seed. They
do not grow well but shrink up and die just as cotton seed would if
they were planted on stony ground instead of nice mellow earth.
You have seen some plants that you were told not to handle or taste
because they were poisonous. Well, these little tuberculosis plants that
I am telling you about are more poisonous than the plants that you can
see.
If they get on cups from which you drink, and into your milk or any
other food, they may get into your bodies. If you think, I am sure that
you will remember some of your friends who have consumption.
You remember, Mary, you told me of your little friend, Lucy Stevens, who
has been ill a long time, and who is quite lame. She has to use crutches
to walk with because her hip is diseased. Uncle John says this is
because she has tuberculosis of the hip joint. It is strange, but often
after these little plants or seed get into the body, they may travel to
any part of it, and set up house-keeping for themselves in a gland or a
joint. They usually find their way to the weakest part of our bodies.
PART II
Uncle John says that the only cure for consumption is plenty of fresh
air, good food, and the proper amount of rest. He says that patent
medicines are fakes and do much harm.
You can, each of you, do a great deal to prevent these plants or seeds
from getting into your bodies and into the bodies of others by following
these simple rules:
1. Remember that fresh air and sunshine are necessary to good health.
2. Remember that cold or damp air will not do harm if the body is kept
warm.
3. Breathe through the nose only. Avoid dark, crowded, dusty, or damp
rooms. Breathe deep.
4. Hold shoulders up.
5. Use your own individual drinking cup.
6. Remember that consumption is spread by careless spitting. Do not spit
on the floor of rooms, halls, or cars.
7. Keep clean and bathe frequently, at least twice a week.
8. Always wash your hands before eating.
9. Brush your teeth after each meal.
10. Never put money, pencils, pens, or anything that another person has
handled, in your mouth.
11. Do not bite off fruit that other people have bitten.
12. Do not kiss babies or sick persons.
QUESTIONS
1. What do you call the little plants that cause
tuberculosis or consumption? How big are these
plants or germs?
2. What part of garden plants are these germs
like? Why do you think so?
3. Big plants in the garden get their food from
the water in the soil. I wonder if any of you can
tell me where these little germ-plants get their
food? When we see persons with consumption we know
that these little germ-plants are growing on the
cells of their lungs. This causes their lung cells
and the tissue that binds them together to decay.
Then these people have to cough and spit this
decayed matter up. Every bit of it is often filled
with these little germ-plants, or seed of
consumption.
4. Then what should be done with this spit to keep
any one else from taking the disease?
5. Germs are often carried in little particles of
dust. How may we keep from getting germs in this
way?
6. How else may these little plants get into our
bodies?
7. Can you think of another way by which we might
get these plants into our bodies? (From milk.)
What insect may carry the germs from the sick-room
to our dining-room table?
8. What did Uncle John say was the only cure for
consumption or tuberculosis?
9. What can each of us do to prevent these plants
from getting into our bodies, and to prevent them
from growing if they should happen to get into our
bodies?
IT IS TIME THAT YOU SHOULD STOP
"Whenever you spit, whenever you sneeze,
Whenever your rugs you beat,
When you scatter dust with a feather broom,
And shake it on the street,
Where rubbish you pile upon the road,
When ash barrels have no top
You're poisoning the air for somebody's lungs,
And it is time that you should stop.
--_Selected._
A TRUE STORY
In a little city near the great Mississippi River, lived two boys who
were the very best of friends. Every day they played together and had a
fine time. Life was as pleasant as a summer day to the little fellows.
One of the boys was named Oliver. He had a rich father who gave him
everything he wanted. The other little boy was Arthur. His father was
dead, but he had a gentle little mother who was as good as she could be.
Arthur's mother had to work very hard to make enough money to buy food
and clothes for her little boy and herself. Little Arthur knew this, and
he often said when he got big he would make enough money for them both,
so that the dear mother would not have to work so hard.
When the two boys were six years old, they started to school. They were
very happy and proud when the day to go came. Every morning Oliver's
mother would put his fine clothes on him and give him some money to pay
his way on the street car. After he got to the school he would not play
games with the boys for he was afraid he would soil his clothes. He
stood around and watched the other boys romp and play.
Arthur's mother could not give him the ten cents for car-fare to and
from school, so he walked to school every morning. He would eat his
breakfast early and start out for school in the cool morning air. As he
walked along whistling, his cheeks would get rosy and red and he would
run and jump; he was a happy little boy. He felt as if he would never
get tired. And all the time he would be thinking of the time when he
would be a big boy and ready to help to care for the little mother.
When he got to school he would join the other little boys in their play,
for his clothes were good and strong and not too fine to romp and play
in.
For a long time things went on in this way and Arthur was growing
stronger and taller all the time. He was learning very fast. Oliver was
getting pale and thin and he was beginning to be absent from school very
often. The teacher went to see his mother and found that the little boy
was absent because he often had headaches and colds. The two boys were
in the same class, but they were not as good friends as they had been.
Oliver could not keep up with his class, and after awhile he had to drop
into a lower class.
Arthur did not have much time to play after he came home from school
because he had to help his mother.
Their teacher lived just across the street from the two little boys. She
had noticed in school that Arthur could learn faster than Oliver. She
saw that Arthur was stronger and happier, and she soon thought she knew
why.
So one day she told them both to stay after school, that she wanted to
talk to them for a little while.
After all the other children had gone she called them up to her desk and
said, "Oliver, would you like to be like Arthur and have healthy, rosy
cheeks, and be able to run and play as he does?" Of course, Oliver said
yes, for he had long been wishing that he could feel as happy as Arthur
looked. He wanted to be able to come regularly to school, and he did not
want to have colds and headaches--he was tired of them.
"Well," said the teacher, "I want to tell you how you may grow as
strong as Arthur. You must stay out-of-doors, and play with the other
boys more than you do. You look pale because your blood is not red
enough.
"Boys and girls have blood in their bodies. You have seen it when you
cut your finger. The more you run and play, the more blood you will have
and the redder it will be. This good red blood is what makes you strong;
you must eat plenty of good food and play out in the open air with the
other boys. Keep your body clean, and get your mother to let you walk to
school each morning with Arthur. Now run along to play, and I am sure
you will soon feel better, and after a few days you will be as strong as
Arthur and the other boys."
QUESTIONS
1. Compare the two boys--Arthur and Oliver--as to
their pleasures and opportunities.
2. Why did Arthur study hard and love to work?
3. Why did Oliver ride on the street car to
school, and why could he not run and play with the
other boys after he got to school?
4. Oliver was sick a great deal and could not keep
up with his class. Why did his teacher say that he
could not do his work as well as Arthur?
[Illustration]
TWO LITTLE WINDOWS
In every house there is a window. Some houses have many windows to let
in the bright sunshine and the pure fresh air, and to let us see from
within the glorious world on the outside.
I am going to tell you of some houses that have only two windows; the
houses cannot do without them.
Many of the little windows are beautiful. On the outside are two
beautiful awnings with a pretty black fringe on the edge; the awnings
keep out the light when it is too bright, and keep insects and bugs from
flying in at the windows. At night these awnings are drawn over the
windows so that the little housekeeper within may have rest and quiet.
The window casings are white and on the inside there are dainty
curtains. Some of these curtains are blue, some are brown, some are
gray, and some are black. In the centre of these curtains there is a
round black hole. It is through this little hole that the housekeeper
can look out and see the beautiful world around.