n to
whom a full life was possible for fifteen hours a day, and that he would
have been wrong to be satisfied with less.

And now, second, _how_ shall girls be thoroughly well? The laws of
health are few and simple. They are so well understood by the parents
of this generation that it may seem a waste of time to allude to them
here. Yet I am writing for girls whose ideas are often vague.

One word in regard to the study of Physiology. It is a fine study. If a
girl thoroughly understands how her body ought to work in health, how
one organ acts with another, then, in case of any local disturbance, she
will probably be capable of seeing how, if the general tone of the
system is raised, the particular difficulty will disappear, and she will
no longer follow blindly rules she has learned by rote. Yet people learn
more by practice than by theory, and it is probable that the fascinating
study of Physiology is of more use intellectually than physically to
most school-girls. If they are allowed to dwell much on diseases of the
body instead of on its normal action, the study may be a positive injury
to them by leading to morbid conditions.

And now again, What are the essentials of health? Several things may be
regarded as equally necessary, so that I cannot lay down rules in
exactly the order of importance, yet it is purposely that I begin with

_Breathe fresh air._

Food is important, but we can live hours without taking food, while we
must have air every moment. Moreover, the oxygen of the air actually
nourishes the body as food does, by forming a part of the blood.

How shall we get fresh air? First, by spending all the time possible out
of doors, both in summer and winter, in storm and sunshine. Every one
acknowledges the advantage of exercise in the open air for its own sake;
but in New England we have not yet learned how far it is possible to
live in the open air. I was once at a country-house in Switzerland which
illustrates this ideal. The breakfast-table was spread on a terrace
shaded by plane-trees, outside the dining-room door. The table was then
cleared and books and work brought out. The family devotions were
conducted there. The students studied and wrote, the ladies sewed and
knit, and the maids prepared the vegetables for dinner which was also
eaten there. For six months in the year this was the ordinary course of
life. It would not, to be sure, be possible in all climates, but oftener
than we think.

Yet