"Of the things which man can do or make here below, by far the most
momentous, wonderful, and worthy, are the things we call Books."
--CARLYLE.
"A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the most patient and
cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of
adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness."
--S. SMILES.
Of making books there seems no end. Some are good, some bad, and many just
an encumbrance upon the book-shelves, neither of much use nor particularly
harmful. Some books are to be read for cheer and amusement; some for
reproof and correction; others to be studied for useful information and
profit.
The Ideal Book.
There is a wide felt need for a worthy book of sound hygienic and medical
facts for the non-medical people. The Ideal Book for this mission should
be compact in form, but large enough to give the salient facts, and give
these in understandable language; it must not be "loaded" with obsolete
and useless junk of odds and ends which have long ceased to be even
interesting; it must carry with it the stamp of genuine reliability; it
should treat all the ordinary and most common forms of ailments and
accidents; it must be safe in its teachings; it needs to be free from
objectionable language and illustrations, so that all of any family may
study and use it with profit; it must frequently warn of dangers ahead and
urge the summoning of professional skill promptly, for there are many
cases requiring the services of experienced physicians and surgeons in
their treatment; it should advise remedies readily obtainable, as well as
those for which long journeys to a drug store are required; and finally
the book should be reasonable in price that those who most need it can
afford to own it.
Need of Brevity.
The facts of hygiene and therapeutic measures are widely scattered through
medical literature, and extend over hundreds of years of time. Many
volumes have been written on diseases of the eye, the heart, liver, and
stomach, brain and other organs, to understand which requires special
technical education. It would be the height of folly to present these
discussions to the laity in their original form, hence the necessity for
condensation and presentation of the needful facts in the language of the
people in whose interests the book is printed. In a book of fiction there
may be need for useless verbiage for the sake of "making pages," but facts
of vital importance and usefulness in our daily welfare need to be well
boiled down and put into shape for ready reference. This has been done in
"Mothers' Remedies" and I think it quite fulfills the ideal I have
outlined above.
The title is rather odd upon first seeing it, but the most plausible when
you become acquainted with its import. It surely becomes the best friend
of the whole family. "It does not turn its back upon us in times of
adversity," but cheerfully answers a thousand and one questions of vital
importance to the household. In the hour of distress, when illness or
accident befalls the dear ones, you may turn again and again to its pages
without meeting disappointment.