annot have daily
recreation outdoors and it becomes necessary to give our bodies some
type of activity to keep them normal. More than half the weight of the
body is made up of muscular tissue. If this muscle is not used the
health of the whole body is affected. Exercise is a necessary condition
of health, just as food and sleep are. The body is very responsive to
the demands made upon it. In fact, each one of us can mold her own body,
very much as a sculptor fashions a statue. This is done by giving the
body proper care and the right forms of activity. A weak, infirm
physique is nothing less than a crime. It is the duty of each one of us,
both for our own sakes, and for the benefit of future generations, to
perfect our physical frame. It is a duty to be strong and beautiful in
body as well as in mind and spirit.

The Nose

Always breathe through the nose. Fifty years ago Mr. Catlin wrote a book
called _Shut your Mouth and Save your Life_, and he showed how the Red
Indians for a long time had adopted that method with their children to
the extent of a cruel habit of tying up their jaws at night, to ensure
breathing through the nostrils.

Breathing through the nose prevents germs of disease getting from the
air into the throat and stomach; it also prevents a growth in the back
of the throat called "adenoids," which reduce the breathing capacity of
the nostrils, and also cause deafness.

By keeping the mouth shut you prevent yourself from getting thirsty
when you are doing hard work. The habit of breathing through the nose
prevents snoring. Therefore practice keeping your mouth shut and
breathing through your nose.

Ears

A Scout must be able to hear well. The ears are very delicate, and once
damaged are apt to become incurably deaf. No sharp or hard instrument
should be used in cleaning the ear. The drum of the ear is a very
delicate, tightly stretched skin which is easily damaged. Very many
children have had the drums of their ears permanently injured by getting
a box on the ear.

Eyes

A Scout, of course, must have particularly good eye-sight; she must be
able to see anything very quickly, and to see it a long way off. By
practicing your eyes in looking at things at a great distance they will
grow stronger. While you are young you should save your eyes as much as
possible, or they will not be strong when you get older; therefore avoid
reading by lamplight or in the dusk, and also sit with your back or si