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them be well chewed, that no hard lumps may go into the stomach. When baked, they are much more wholesome, and often do good. Oranges seldom do harm, even to the most delicate stomachs; but the white inner skin should not be eaten; it is not more digestible than leather. Ripe strawberries and raspberries, in moderate quantities, are generally wholesome, though there are some stomachs which cannot manage them. The grape is cooling, and wholesome, but the husks and seeds should not be eaten. If a delicate person has a piece of melon given him let him not touch it. A few gooseberries may be wholesome, but take care to throw away the husks.

Currants are cooling and pleasant, but, with some stomachs, they disagree. People will soon find, from their own experience, what things suit them; but in all cases let them be moderate. Whatever

the food be, let it be eaten slowly. If it is not well chewed, it does no good, and very often does a great deal of harm. Let children be taught to eat slowly, and to chew their food well, that they may not get into habits which they will afterwards find it hard to leave off. Large lumps of bread, or meat, or cheese, bolted down into the stomach without being chewed do not go to nourishment, but to injury. These are often washed down with a quantity of ale or beer or water, when, if properly chewed, they would not require this. A moderate draught afterwards may be of use: but the teeth were intended to grind the food, so that it might slip easily into the stomach. Take care to employ the teeth well, and your food will do you twice the good. A gentleman died lately from eating his food without first chewing it properly. Some people are strong enough to take any kind of liberties, but it is prudent to get good habits, and they should be got early. Eat slowly then, and enough, but not too much. The old saying is, "Enough is

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as good as a feast:" but the truth is, that it is much better. One is likely to keep you well; the ill.

other to make you

V.

VACCINATION.

IN discussing the subject of vaccination in the House of Commons, Sir Joseph Yorke said that he did not consider it an effectual means of preventing the small-pox, as two of his own family, a son and a daughter, were vaccinated, and afterwards inoculated; and yet, several years afterwards, they both had the small-pox very severely. Sir Joseph's opinion was, "that vaccination would prevent the smallpox for six or seven years.'

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If it were only so, vaccination would still be a great blessing; for all people might be vaccinated once in six years, and thus, in time, there would be an end of small-pox. Dr. Jenner, however, himself paid great attention to this point; and having inoculated several people who had before been vaccinated, some two or three, and others ten, twenty, and thirty years before, he found no difference whatever in the power of resisting the disease.

In reply to Sir J. Yorke's remarks, Colonel Wood regretted that an attempt should be made to throw discredit on a practice which he believed to have produced the greatest benefit to the world. He knew there were instances of failure, but there had been as many, in proportion, under the old system of inoculation. Vaccination possessed the undoubted advantage that it did not propagate the disease, whilst one individual, after being inoculated for the small-pox, would give it to hundreds.

Mr. Peel thought most highly of vaccination, and lamented exceedingly that any thing should

pass in that house which might encourage those prejudices which had already been such a hindrance to the complete success of it.

Sir C. Burrell's own experience proved to him the utility of the system. He instanced a large school in Sussex, in which vaccination had been adopted without a single failure.

Mr. Hume said he had been applied to by many well-informed persons to introduce a bill to forbid inoculation for the small-pox, unless upon condition that the patient should be shut up in a pest house, or removed to a solitary part of the country. He knew an instance of a child in the Strand being inoculated, which gave the small-pox to the neighbourhood, and no less than fourteen children died. V.

GENTLENESS OF TEMPER A NECESSARY PART OF THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

NOTHING Contributes more to the peace and happiness of men than forbearance and gentleness of temper. But how little is this practised!-And why is it not practised? Why, because men naturally follow the immediate impulse of their own feelings, without stopping to reflect, or to make allowances for the feelings of others. And is it strange that men should do this?—No.-It is quite natural. But it is very strange indeed that men who profess to be guided by the Christian religion should do so; and it is very strange indeed that they should be glad of the name of Christians, and should expect the inheritance of Christians, and yet not see the need of a preparation of the mind for that kingdom which they thus hope to inherit. Moreover, the cultiva

Gentleness of Temper.

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tion of a gentle spirit is the method, of all others, the best calculated to make us happy upon earth. When our Saviour taught his disciples to cultivate this disposition, they seemed to fear that such gentleness might encourage others to insult and abuse them. And so we are all naturally inclined to reason;—but our heavenly teacher knew the contrary; He knew that gentleness would prevent injuries, instead of inviting them. Human wisdom would say, that forbearance encourages offences,but Divine wisdom says, "A soft answer turneth away wrath." And experience teaches us the same. In what families does peace and happiness most prevail? Even in those where a spirit of forgiveness and mutual forbearance is most cultivated. The directions to seek for this spirit do indeed apply to us all; we are to be as slow to offer offence, as to resent it. Even St. Peter thought that frequent forgiveness might encourage offence, and that, though he might once forgive a fellow Christian who had offended him, he must not go on forgiving if the offence was repeated; he feared that this would encourage the offender to repeat the injury again and again, even until seven times; and am I, says he, so many times to forgive him? "Yes," says our blessed Lord, "I say not unto you until seven times, but until seventy times seven :" thus shewing, that, as often as another shews a wrong disposition towards us, we are to shew a right disposition towards him. In fact, it is the duty of a Christian to examine into the state of his own mind, and to seek by divine grace to regulate that. If another does wrong, that is no excuse for him. He must not shift the question from himself to another. But the behaviour of another, we say, is often "so provoking." Certainly, it is. But this is our trial. And are we unwilling to undergo it? Christians must have their trials. We read of the dreadful trials, and persecutions of Christians in former days,

and we admire their constancy. We have great reason to be thankful that we are not exposed to such sufferings. But are we not called upon to shew under what influence we act, by the proper endurance of our trials? The sufferings of the martyrs were made the means of adding to the number of believers, because the lookers-on could not help feeling, that those who would bear so much for their Redeemer's sake, must be upheld by that Redeemer, and must, moreover, be fully convinced that his religion was the truth. And does not the forbearing temper, the mild and benevolent disposition of the Christian still prove the greatness of that power which guides him, and the excellence of that religion which produces such effects? What can be more effectual than this in alluring others to seek to be partakers of the blessings, the helps, the promises of such a religion?

Is there one of my readers who does not see how dreadfully quarrels and disputes destroy the peace of their neighbourhoods? And do not all these miseries arise from that quickness to take offence, which is wholly contrary to the disposition which belongs to a Christian? One person speaks; another turns the speech to its worst meaning, and prides himself on his spirit, and returns him a sharp answer:-then comes a sharper reply; and thus a quarrel is raised and those who ought to live like Christian neighbours, and to exercise dispositions of affection and kindness to one another, are involved in perpetual brawls, which call into exercise every bad passion of the human heart. What is a Christian placed in this world for? His Almighty Father might have raised him to heavenly happiness at once;-but He placed him upon earth among his fellow-creatures, that he might, for a time, be exercised in those dispositions which are his preparation for an eternal abode of happiness and love and peace.

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