Earlier text: WISDOM'S COUNSEL“In the world to-day where selfishness, greed, oppression rule, many of the Lord’s true children are in need and affliction. In lowly, miserable places, surrounded with poverty, disease, and grief, many are patiently bearing their own burden of suffering, and trying to comfort the hopeless and stricken about them. Many of them are almost unknown to the churches or to the ministers; but are the Lord’s lights, shining amid the darkness. For these the Lord has a special care, and He calls upon His people to be His helping hand in reaching their wants. Wherever there is a church, special attention should be given to searching out this class and ministering to them.” THE GOSPEL OF LIFE.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
ALL life is from the Lord; “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” He “giveth breath unto the people” upon the earth, “and spirit to them that walk therein.” In His hand “is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” God’s personal presence by His Spirit doing for every person just what He did for Adam in the beginning, is that which keeps us all alive. This must ever be borne in mind. This life—“the Word of life” “which was from the beginning”—is very near to us, in order that every soul may “feel after” God, and find Him to his salvation. See Acts 17: 27, 28; Rom. 10: 6-10; Deut. 30: 11-14. It is this life, freely given to all mankind, that cleanses from all sin, whenever it is acknowledged, with humble confession of sin, as the only source of righteousness. The life of Christ is not divided, even as Christ himself is not divided; in giving us His life, Christ gives us everything; it only remains for our faith to grasp the gift. The same life that saves from sin is the life that gives health, so far as men have it; there is no other source of life and health. The case may be put in another way, that may make it still plainer. We are now alive; of that we are sure. But we did not bring ourselves into existence, neither have we power to prolong our life. “There is no man that hath power over the spirit, to retain the spirit.” We do not create the air that we breathe, and we have no control over it; neither do we provide the food that nourishes our bodies; we simply take that which God has already provided. So, then, we are alive, and alive by the power of God. Our life is not an accident, neither is our state of health, whether good or bad, an accident; but all depends upon our relation to the Giver of life. The fact that we have not perfect health is owing to our failure to recognize the Life that has been manifested, and to yield to it, so that it may have full and unhindered sway in us. The life is ours for everything that it was in Jesus, for “of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” If we are in possession of good health, that is not an accident, but is because, either consciously or unconsciously, we have been living in harmony with the life of God, or at least have not succeeded in holding it down by our wrong habits. Now when we admit, that our life to-day is the manifestation of Christ’s presence, it is evident that He can continue indefinitely, since “He ever liveth.” Some one will ask, “Are we then to understand that if we fully recognize and yield to the life of Christ, we shall be immortal?” The answer is, Not until the coming of the Lord, for that is when immortality is bestowed (see I Cor. 15: 50-54); but we shall have the life of Jesus “made manifest all in our mortal flesh.” Christ has “power over all flesh,” and by that power He is able to keep a man sinless even in sinful flesh, and to keep him in life and health, even in mortal flesh. This is the gospel of life. GOD'S REGARD FOR MAN'S PHYSICAL NATURE.
By S. N. Haskell
It is, and ever has been, Satan's plan to sever every truth from its relation to other truth, so that the blessings of obedience promised may not be received. The blessings of health, both physical and spiritual, are closely united in the gospel. It was God's design, and it is the Holy Spirit's desire, that every individual prosper and be in health even as his soul prospers. “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.” 3 John 2. “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” Ps. 103: 3. When Adam bore the image of God, both physically and morally, before sin had marred the soul, before any pain had been felt in the physical frame, God gave special direction concerning the diet and physical exercise of the man He had created. “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Gen. 1: 29. “The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Gen. 2: 15. The eating after God's direction, according to the original bill of fare, would not have given him eternal life; for that life was in the “tree of life.” The diet and exercise placed him in a physical condition most favorable for eating of the tree of life. This was God's arrangement for unfallen beings. After man had sinned, God was no less particular in regard to these two conditions which relate to health and happiness. “Thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.” Gen. 3: 18, 19. The compulsory labor after the fall of man was of a character that revealed the plan of salvation. Every weed destroyed taught him the lesson of removing sin from his own heart. Every seed planted was, in its growth and harvest, an object lesson, setting forth the kingdom he had lost, and how to regain it. Mark 4: 26–29. When Christ, the true seed, came and entered upon His ministry, His first temptation was on the point of appetite, which was the only avenue that Satan had to man while in the garden of Eden. If this door was closed, his heart was barricaded. In this condition the soul of man was more easily kept under the control of the Spirit of God. So, as man prospered healthwise, he would prosper spiritually. It was for Satan's interest, therefore, to break this connection, and to a great extent he has succeeded. Mankind do not realize how much diet and exercise have to do with a sound Christian experience. There is religion in a loaf of bread, in fresh air, and in the healthy action of every organ in the body. MORAL AND PHYSICAL LAW.
By Ellen G. White
There is a close relation between the moral law and the laws that God has established in the physical world. If men would be obedient to the law of God, carrying out in their lives the principles of its ten precepts, the principles of righteousness that it teaches would be a safeguard against wrong habits. But as, through the indulgence of perverted appetite, they have declined in virtue, so they have become weakened through their own immoral practices and their violation of physical laws. The suffering and anguish that we see everywhere, the deformity, decrepitude, disease, and imbecility now flooding the world, make it a lazar-house in comparison with what it might be even now, if God's moral law and the law which He has implanted in our being were obeyed. By his own persistent violation of these laws, man has greatly aggravated the evils resulting from the transgression in Eden. How dishonoring to God is all this! how opposed to His design that men should glorify Him in their body and spirit, which are His! How destructive, too, to the health and happiness of mankind! Against every transgression of the laws of life nature utters her protest. She bears abuse as long as she can; but finally retribution comes, and the mental as well as the physical powers suffer. Nor does the punishment fall on the transgressor alone; the effects of his indulgence are seen in his offspring, and thus the evil is passed on from generation to generation. Many complain of providence when their friends suffer, or are removed by death; but it is not in the order of God that men and women should lead lives of suffering, and die prematurely, leaving their work unfinished. God would have us live out the full measure of our days, with every organ in health, doing its appointed work. It is unjust to charge Him with a result which, in many cases, is due to the individual's own transgression of natural law. Because mankind have, by the transgression of these laws, departed so far from God's purpose in their creation, and have brought upon themselves such untold woe, a reform in habits relating to health has become an important branch of the great work of God in the earth. The soul temple has been polluted, and men are called upon to awake, and win back their God-given manhood. There is an intimate relation between the mind and the body; they react upon each other. In order, then, to reach a high standard of moral and intellectual attainment and to secure a strong, well-balanced character, the laws that control our physical being must be heeded; both the mental and the physical powers must be developed. Such a training will produce men of strength and solidity of character, of keen perception and sound judgment,—men who will be an honor to God and a blessing to the world. In the providence of God, the laws that govern our physical being, with the penalties for their violation, have been made so clear that intelligent beings can understand them, and all are under the most solemn obligation to study this subject, and to live in harmony with natural law. Health principles must be agitated, and the public mind deeply stirred to investigation. As in everything else, the Bible is the standard on this subject. The teaching of the Bible has a vital bearing upon men's prosperity in all the relations of life. Compliance with its requirements will be a blessing to both soul and body. The fruit of the Spirit is not only love, joy, and peace, but temperance also,—health of body as well as health of mind. PARENTAL DUTY TOWARD CHILDREN.
By Mrs. E. E. Kellogg
ALL parents owe it to the children intrusted to their charge not only to give them proper physical care, but also so to educate them in regard to the body and its requirements that they may be able to render intelligent obedience to nature's laws. Every child should be taught to look upon his body as something lent to him by his Creator for use in His service, and that he has no right in any way to cripple or abbreviate its usefulness through lack of proper care of it. He should understand that a headache is one of nature's reminders of some transgressed laws, and that the discomfort experienced might well arouse within him a sense of shame akin to the consciousness of guilt which ought to follow the transgression of moral laws. He should be taught that his body, so fearfully and wonderfully made, was created in the image of God, and that it is his duty to preserve it as nearly as possible in conformity with the original pattern; that he should in no wise defile or deform it; that by every means within his power he should cultivate it, seeking if possible to improve its faculties and its vigor, that it may become more like the perfect pattern. He should be taught that God made man upright; that for this reason he should try always to stand erect, to look up, to strive for the best things. He should be encouraged to aim to possess a good physique, a good digestion, a countenance aglow with health, strength of sinews, and grace of movement, that he may the better fulfill the purpose of his Maker, and the more fittingly represent Him before the world. Selected from the Writings of Mrs. E. G. White. GENUINE medical missionary work is bound up inseparably with the keeping of God's commandments. In placing among us the poor and the suffering, the Lord is testing us to reveal to us what is in our hearts. Blessings, both temporal and spiritual, will accompany those who impart to the needy that which they receive from the Master. By humbly and earnestly engaging in the work of doing good to all, God's people will exert an influence that will tell in every town and city where the truth has entered. NEXT WEEK.
By W. W. Prescott
The first of the series of studies, of which mention was made in the last issue, will begin next week. It will require the prompt and united action of all who are interested in the success of this movement to make the proper arrangements for the organized study of these lessons. We know that the principles to be considered are important. We know that they will be of interest. We know that all who will give them faithful study will be abundantly repaid for the time and effort. We know that many can become a greater blessing to others by using the information which can be gained from these studies. Knowing all this, we would study the lessons for others, and assign the benefits to them, if that were possible. But it is only through some active effort on his own part that each one can receive these gifts of God, and we therefore earnestly urge all the people to take up this work promptly and systematically. If it is found impossible to interest the whole church in this matter, then let those who are really interested come together for study and mutual help. Those who know what the message for this time really is, know that these health principles cannot be divorced from it, and they will have no desire to make the attempt. The work of preparing the way of the Lord includes a hearty co-operation with God's revealed provision for the care of the temple in which He is to manifest himself. Carelessness in this respect must grow out of ignorance or unbelief. There is a distinct call now for a revival of the complete message. This Forward Movement is a part of the call. Will all the people respond? Will you respond? Act at once, and get as many as possible to act with you. Remember that the first study will appear in this department next week. In behalf of the Central Committee, W. W. PRESCOTT, Chairman. MINUTES are life's cherished angels,
Little angels;
Oh, how briefly here they dwell!
Ever going, ne'er returning
(Use them well).
Each wings some report on high;
You will meet them in the sky,
They will face you by and by;
Then will all be well?
All be well? Swiftly speed these white-winged angels,
Little angels;
Pause, and ponder what they tell;
Send by each some golden message
(Use them well).
Press them into service all,
Then, when in Christ's judgment hall,
You shall stand and never fall,
And all will be well,
All be well. STREET EDUCATION.
By Mrs. M. A. Loper
MRS. M. A. LOPER.
(St. Helena, Cal.) Many who seemingly fail to see the importance of availing themselves of the ample opportunities afforded for the acquisition of useful knowledge, patronize instead that counter-system of education which calls into requisition the flood of trashy literature consisting of “yellow back novels,” exciting stories, police news, biographies of evil men, etc. The street school, as we may call it, has its kindergarten, its primary, and all other grades, to meet the desires of those who wish to engage in the pursuit of evil knowledge. In the number of pupils, and also in the number of hours devoted to school work, this institution stands without a rival. Its principal—Satan—keeps a large corps of competent instructors in active service, the school being constantly in session, both day and night. Pupils of all ages are accepted. Every inducement is given to make the attendance as large as possible, including those of tender years, there being a possibility that if they do not enter while young, they may be forever lost to the school. Nonprofessors of religion, as well as representatives from every denomination, find a hearty welcome. Satan is especially pleased to secure the patronage of those who once opposed his teachings, but having given up faith in the Bible, have finally joined his ranks. A very successful manual-training department is carried on in connection with the school, where students may become skilled in the manufacture of cigarettes, counterfeit money, burglar’s tools, implements of torture, and every other device that will promote wickedness. Thorough instruction is also given in drinking, lying, gambling, forgery, robbery, murder, etc. Those opposed to children’s attending the street school, especially its night sessions, have established in some places a curfew ordinance, which is a hindrance to some extent. But after all, if small pupils can be thoroughly instructed during the day, they will be quite sure to join the night school when they become older. Children who once really enter the street school find it very easy to be punctual in attendance. To them the endearing name of home seems to lose its attraction, their affections are gradually transferred to their street companions, and finally home becomes to them little else than a place in which to eat and sleep when a more attractive resort is lacking. It is a sad comment on the neglect of parents that so many children from professed Christian homes have their names enrolled as pupils in Satan’s world-wide educational institution. It is deplorable that parents so far neglect their duty as to render it necessary for the civil authorities to look after the children, to see that they are not on the streets after a certain hour in the evening. Just how many of those who to-day look out from behind gloomy prison walls took their first step downward when they learned their first lesson on the street, we know not; but we do know that since this system of education has become so far-reaching in its influence, crime has been fearfully on the increase. Nor is this evil confined alone to our large cities. Every village has its street school. And the evils resulting from the common practice of allowing children to run the streets cannot be overestimated. Those who are never allowed to form this habit are saved from many a snare laid to entrap unwary feet. We as parents are sometimes strangely asleep to the interests that should lie nearest to our hearts. If the family horse or cow is missing, an immediate search is instituted, and kept up until the missing animal is returned to its accustomed place. But if one of the children is absent,—nobody knows where,—that by many a parent is not considered so serious a matter. He always has come back, and it is consoling to believe that he always will; that “my child would not misbehave,” “my child would not remain in bad company.” But the fact is, “my” child is human just like every other child; and how dare we presume that he is fortified against the attacks of the enemy? Years ago, in a small suburban town in the West, a law was passed prohibiting the picketing of cows on the streets; and some one aptly remarked that if they would only pass a law compelling parents to keep their children off the streets, it would be productive of much more good to the town. Not that it is to the best interests of a town to picket cows on the streets, but it is infinitely worse to allow children to roam the streets at will, as they did in that village, some of them far into the night; and as years went by, the deplorable results of youthful waywardness brought many a heartache to fond parents and friends. The mother especially should surely know the whereabouts of her children at any and all times. If a child is out from under parental care for even a short time, we know not what damaging experience may come to him. He may unnecessarily be led into the wilderness of temptation. He may be among the rabble, or he may be induced to join the conspirators against Christ. We may flatter ourselves that as parents we have carefully sown with precious seed the garden of our children’s hearts; but if we neglect to watch over them and tend them with diligence, at an unexpected moment the enemy may sow tares sufficient to choke out the good seed, and bring to naught the grandest work ever committed to our care. In Gen. 18:19 we learn why it was possible for Abraham to become such a channel of blessing to the world: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.” The Lord designed that the children should be under the immediate care of their parents both day and night, as seen from Deut. 6:7; 11:19. After God had given His commandments to Israel, He emphasized their importance by saying, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” If such constant care and diligent instruction were necessary in the time of ancient Israel, how much more necessary in these last days, when crime is rampant, and when the world is fast becoming like the ancient “cities of the plain.” If we as parents to-day would heed the instruction to teach our children diligently the truths of God’s word, by both precept and example every hour of the day, we could command our children and our households just as did “faithful Abraham.” Many children are permitted to run the streets when mere babies, and they become so accustomed to freedom from restraint that they soon feel quite independent and able to care for themselves. And along with this independence is developed a boldness which is by no means an ornament to childhood. Little girls talk about their “beaux,” and little boys talk about their “girls;” and their little minds become so poisoned that nothing but the grace of God can ever purify them from the contaminating influences to which they have been subjected. “God is not pleased with their disorderly, boisterous ways,—their unrefined deportment.”—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. II, page 698. After becoming accustomed to being absent from home during the day, it is not strange that the street should become attractive during the evening also, and far into the night. But it is strange that even among professed Christians there are those who do not seem to sense the danger of street education, who can even retire while aware that a lamb has strayed from the fold. Let us flatter ourselves that our children are so well trained that they would not do as others who have become entangled in the snares of Satan. If we neglect our duty plainly laid down in the word of God, we may be sure that the enemy of all righteousness will not fail to improve his opportunity. “But,” says one, “my child is harder to control than many others. He is different from other children.” Every child is different from every other child, and it is the parents’ work to study from babyhood each individuality, and to govern and train it accordingly. If a child is especially hard to control at times, remember the blessed assurance, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” When human efforts fail, how precious is the privilege of taking the little one and in the tender spirit of Christ presenting his needs to Jesus. O the blessedness of such a prayer-meeting! It will do for a child what scolding and punishing will never accomplish. “Prayer is the key which unlocks heaven’s storehouse.” Teach a child from babyhood that the street is not to be his playground. But see to it that home is to him the most attractive place on earth—where he loves everybody, and where he knows that everybody loves him. Strive daily so to thrill the harp of life with endearing home memories, that the reverberating echoes will bring sweet harmony into all the varied notes of life after years. Endeavor to strew his pathway thickly with the fragrant flowers of righteousness87that in coming days he will turn instinctively from the thorny paths of sin. Seek to surround his childhood with such a radiant halo of blessed influence as will light up the somber pathway of this brief life, and guide his feet even to the portals of the eternal city. And we have the blessed assurance, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Smallpox means small sacs which first contain serum, and later, pus. Smallpox has prevailed in India and Africa for thousands of years. It is said to have invaded China in 200 A. D., and Galen tells of a marked epidemic in Rome in 160 A. D. Its progress from east to west has been slow. It entered England in 1241, Iceland in 1306, the West Indies in 1507, Mexico in 1520, and Boston in 1649, from Europe. The Indians were decimated by the disease. It traveled westward with the slow onward march of emigration, reaching Kansas in 1837, and California in 1850. From 1700 to 1800, the century preceding vaccination, it is estimated that fifty millions of people in Europe died from smallpox. In a very short time after the Spaniards invaded Mexico in 1520, more than three and a half millions of the native Mexicans were swept off by the disease. Macaulay, in speaking of the smallpox, called it the most terrible of all the ministers of death. But since the introduction of vaccination in 1798, by William Jenner, and also in consequence of improved sanitary regulations, the disease has lost much of its former horror. To-day there are many other diseases that are to be feared much more than smallpox. The number of deaths from smallpox reported in the United States last year was 2,385; from tuberculosis, 150,000; diphtheria and croup, 44,411; from typhoid fever, 13,284; scarlet fever, 9,211; measles, 6,424. Smallpox is feared because of the rigid quarantine regulations, while tuberculosis and diphtheria go stalking through the land with but little thought from any one except those who are directly afflicted. The real cause of smallpox is not known. It spares no age, and is most common between one and forty years of age. Children are more susceptible to it than adults. Smallpox is the most contagious of all diseases. More individuals, if exposed, and unprotected by vaccination, take the smallpox, than take any other disease as the result of like exposure. Filth and unhygienic living favor the spread of the disease. It is more common during the colder months of the year. As to the element of contagion, Dr. Osler says: “The contagion develops in the system of the smallpox patient, and is reproduced in the pustules. It exists in the secretions and excretions, and in the exhalations from the lungs and the skin. The dried scales constitute by far the most important element, and, as a dust-like powder, are distributed everywhere in the room during convalescence.” As a rule, one attack protects against subsequent attacks of the disease. During the last four years there have been frequent epidemics of smallpox in the United States, the disease having been brought from Cuba by the soldiers. It has been exceedingly mild in most cases, and with a very low death rate. In many epidemics it was at first diagnosed as chicken pox by the physicians because of its mild nature, and this partly accounts for its rapid spread. Smallpox appears in several forms. In one type the pox are scattered all over the body, with healthy areas of skin between them. This is called the discrete type. In a more severe form the pox run together, especially on the face. This is the confluent type. Hemorrhagic or black smallpox is almost always fatal, and may appear in both the types mentioned. There is also a mild form of the disease, called varioloid, that may appear after one has been vaccinated. Varioloid and smallpox are one and the same disease. A mild case in one individual may give rise to a very severe attack in another. The time intervening between exposure and the first symptoms is called the incubation period, and is usually from twelve to fourteen days. The first symptoms of smallpox are very much like those of la grippe. The onset is sudden, with chills, rapid elevation of the temperature to 103° or 104°, often vomiting, aching all over, with a very severe headache, and intense pains in the small of the back. These last two symptoms are prominent in smallpox, even in mild forms, and disappear when the eruption appears. The respirations are rapid, and the pulse is from one hundred to one hundred and twenty a minute. If the fever is high, the face is flushed, the patient is very nervous and restless, and delirium may be present. This usually appears at the end of the third day or on the fourth. It appears first on the forehead. Little red spots, looking like flea bites, are noticed near the border of the hair. A few hours later they may be noticed on the wrists, and later on the body. Within twenty-four hours these little spots are raised, and feel like shot under the skin, and are called papules. By the sixth day of the disease these little papules are filled with a clear fluid, forming blisters, or vesicles, or sacs. They are distended, and, if noticed carefully, a little depression will be seen on the summit of each. This is called umbilication. By the eighth day the vesicle is filled with pus, and forms the pustule. It is tense, surrounded by a red ring, smarts, burns, itches, and is tender and sore. If these run together, the patient suffers intensely. These pustules form under the thick skin of the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, and ache like boils. About the tenth day the pustules break, discharge, and dry up. Scaling begins about the fourteenth or fifteenth day. The temperature drops when the eruption appears, and if the eruption is severe, it rises again on the eighth day, when the pustules form. If the disease is mild, the secondary fever will not appear. In the confluent form the face is very much swollen, the eyes are closed, and the patient suffers intensely. The pox may appear in the mouth, throat, and breathing tubes. In mild forms of the disease, the scaling is complete by the twenty-first day; in severe forms it may take several weeks. If the pox extend down into the true skin, there will be pitting. Pitting is increased by scratching the pox, and opening them, and by intense light. Mild forms of smallpox are often mistaken for chicken pox. In chicken pox the onset is mild. The eruption appears on the first or second day, is more pronounced on the body than on the face or limbs, is not shot-like, passes quickly through the vesicle form, and dries. The vesicles are not umbilicated. It is only in severe cases that pus forms in chicken pox, and then the pox is not surrounded by the red ring. There is no secondary fever. Chicken pox almost always occurs in children. When an epidemic of smallpox appears in any neighborhood, those who have not been vaccinated within two or three years should be vaccinated at once. To sanitary reform as well as to vaccination is due the credit for stamping out the terrible epidemics of this disease. Infants three months old may safely be vaccinated. According to the best authority, vaccination is useless three or four days after exposure to the disease. There are probably some objections to vaccination, and it certainly does not represent the true principle of preventing disease; but until we know of a better means of preventing the disease, it should be resorted to. Many valuable lives have been lost because of the prejudice against vaccination. If repeated vaccinations from a pure source do not work, you probably will not take smallpox if exposed. The room where the patient is confined should be stripped of all needless furniture, carpets, rugs, chairs, pictures,—in fact, it is better for the community if all smallpox cases are confined in one house, or in tents, if the weather is warm enough. Before the eruption appears, the patient should be given a hot-blanket pack two or three times daily for ten or fifteen minutes, immediately followed by a cold wet-sheet pack, continued for twenty or thirty minutes. The sheet should be wrung out of water at 65°. During this treatment, towels wrung out of ice water should be kept on the neck and head. The first day the patient should have a hot enema, and during the next three days, if it is difficult to control the fever, an enema at 75° may be given every four or five hours. The fever may also be controlled by placing cold compresses over the heart, with frequent changes, for twenty minutes at a time, three or four times a day, afterward sponging the patient with cold water, and following this by light, rapid friction. The great pain in the head and back may be relieved by placing an ice bag to the back of the head, by cold compresses to the neck, and a hot leg bath or pack continued for ten or fifteen minutes. Hot treatment will bring out any eruption quicker than cold treatment. When the eruption appears, the fever goes down, much of the pain disappears, and the patient needs but little treatment aside from attention to the eruption. After the eruption appears, no friction of any kind should be given. For a mild fever, simple cold sponging is all that is necessary. Compresses made of several layers of cheese cloth, and wrung out of cold water, should be kept on the face, and changed frequently. In one or two hours apply a hot compress for three minutes. This will relieve the pain and reduce the swelling. The eyes should be watched carefully, and washed several times a day with a saturated solution of boric acid. The face may be oiled with simple vaseline, carbolated vaseline, or with an ichthyol ointment,—one part of ichthyol to three parts of vaseline,—and the cold compresses may be applied over this. The windows, or the exposed parts of the patient's body, should be shaded with red cloth if the light is bright. If the mouth or nose is sore, use a wash of listerine,—one part in four parts of water. If the eruption is severe, and the secondary fever appears, the prolonged bath at 95° will be of great benefit. If this treatment is impossible, give cool sponging, or the cold wet-sheet pack. The patient should have a light diet. Fruits may be eaten freely. For thirst, give water, fruit juice, barley water, or oatmeal water. Gruels and toasted breads, and milk and soft-poached eggs may be eaten. During convalescence the patient should be careful to avoid exposure to cold or drafts, for pneumonia or inflammation of the kidneys might result. When scaling begins, the patient should have a soap bath daily. The bath should be followed by the application of a carbolated ointment. This should be rigid. For disinfection of the house, formaldehyde gas is the best disinfectant. This is used under the direction of the health officer. Sulphur is also good. Three pounds should be burned to every thousand cubic feet of room space. After sealing up the windows and cracks, place a tub or large pan partly filled with water in the room. Place in this an iron kettle, in which are live coals; place the sulphur on the coals, and leave the room, which should be kept closed for at least twenty-four hours. The woodwork should be washed with bichloride of mercury, one part to one thousand parts of water, and the walls should be repapered. Linen and towels may be soaked in a bichloride solution (1 to 5,000), and then boiled. Quilts and blankets are better burned, but after being subjected to the sulphur fumes, they may be hung out in the sun for several days. Bedticks should always be burned. When a case of smallpox is in a private home, all other members of the family, excepting the attendant, should be excluded from the room. A sheet kept constantly moist with a weak carbolic-acid solution should be hung at the door. All the dishes used by the patient should be scalded and washed alone. All other members of the family should bathe frequently, eat lightly, take plenty of sleep, and avoid exposing others. Smallpox is rapidly spreading through Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and many other States. It doubtless will continue to increase through the remaining portion of the winter and throughout the spring. Mild forms of the disease are often not reported, or detection is avoided, and so the disease spreads. For this reason it doubtless would be a wise plan to see that all the camp-meetings this coming season are under careful sanitary inspection. One or more cases of smallpox in a camp-meeting will mean much inconvenience and delay. If each individual is conscientious in this matter, all large assemblies of our people may be free from this disease. I HAVE had spinal disease for many years, and the past nineteen months have been a patient in the insane asylum. Pray for me that I may be healed. *