It is part of fallen human nature to make religion consist of forms and ceremonies, formulas and doctrines. Sacerdotalism is not peculiar to certain denominations; it is inherent in fallen human nature, and just to that extent that one loses sight of God, that formalism will manifest itself even in those who are most sincere. There are just as sincere souls among those whose religion consists of forms as among any people on earth. I have seen among Roman Catholics as much devout sincerity as among any people. Our danger lies in thinking that the truth consists of certain statements—of losing sight of the distinction between truth and the statement of truth. There is just as much difference between these two as there is between the law and the writing out of the law. The real law is living; the writing of it in the book is only a shadow. We are in danger of making a creed, and thinking that that is the truth.
No human words can express the truth of God. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.” The fullness of the truth of God cannot be stated in human language; otherwise it could be heard by the ear. It cannot be framed in human thought; otherwise it could enter into the heart of man. Truth can be revealed to man only by the gift of the Spirit of truth.
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1: 5-7.
Just forget the division of this epistle into chapters, with which John had nothing to do. This was a letter, containing but a few sentences, not so long as we ourselves have sometimes written. At the beginning of the letter he makes this statement of what his message is, and a little later he writes about the end of the world: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” This, then, is just the message for the last days, that which will make people stand when the world passes away.
Then the apostle speaks of “the anointing which ye have received of him,” so that “ye need not that any man teach you.” No man can teach you the truth; the things which God has prepared are revealed only by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. “And even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” So this is the message that will give people boldness at the coming of the Lord, so that they will look up and say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.”
This, then, is the message, that God is light; and if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin,—blots out all iniquity. The proof of whether or not we have the truth is in the effect that that which we have has upon our lives. Does it cleanse us from unrighteousness? If we walk in the light, then the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us. Light is the flowing forth of God’s life, which cleanses and blots out sin.
We need to be on our guard against the idea that the blotting out of sin is merely as the passing of a sponge over a slate, or an entry in a ledger, to balance the account. This is not the blotting out of sin. An ignorant man who saw a thermometer for the first time thought to lessen the heat by breaking it. But how much effect did this have upon the weather?—Just as much as the wiping out of the record of his sin has upon the sinner. The wiping of a leaf out of a book, or even the burning of the book containing the record, does not blot out the sin. The sin is not blotted out by blotting out the account of it, any more than throwing my Bible into the fire abolishes the Word of God. There was a time when all the Bibles that could be found were destroyed; but the Word of God—the truth—remained just the same, because truth is God himself; it is his life.
Truth is implanted in the heavens and earth; it fills the stars, and keeps them in their places; it is that by which the plants grow, and the birds build their nests; it is that by which they know how to find their way across the sea. When Moses broke the tables of stone, the law was just as steadfast as it was before. Just so, though all the record of all our sin, even though written with the finger of God, were erased, the sin would remain, because the sin is in us. Though the record of our sin were graven in the rock, and the rock should be ground to powder,—even this would not blot out our sin.
The blotting out of sin is the erasing of it from the nature, the being of man. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. Our bodies are but the channel, the border, the sand upon the shore, of the river of life. Impressions have been made upon us by sin. At the seashore, when you see a smooth piece of sand, your first impulse is to make some mark on it, to write some characters upon it. Then the sea comes up, and each wave that passes over it helps to obliterate the impression until it is entirely blotted out. Even so the stream of life from the throne of God will wash away and blot out the impressions of sin upon us.
The erasing of sin is the blotting of it from our natures, so that we shall know it no more. “The worshippers once purged”—actually purged by the blood of Christ—have “no more conscience of sin,” because the way of sin is gone from them. Their iniquity may be sought for, but it will not be found. It is forever gone from them,—it is foreign to their new natures, and even though they may be able to recall the fact that they have committed certain sins, they have forgotten the sin itself—they do not think of doing it any more. This is the work of Christ in the true sanctuary, which the Lord pitched, and not man,—the sanctuary not made with hands, but brought into existence by the thought of God.
R. D. HOTTEL
By R. D. Hottel
Is It True? And Does It Pay?
R. D. HOTTEL
If we remember correctly, the REVIEW had something to say some time ago about the chain-letter business, condemning the whole thing as being wrong morally, and also against the postal laws. This we presume applies when money is solicited. But there must be something fascinating about the chain letter whether money is solicited or not. Not long ago one came along from the far-away country of Australia, asking that each one receiving the letter write to three friends, soliciting used postage stamps, etc. Just recently one comes along from one of our prominent workers in America, asking that each one receiving the letter write to two friends requesting them to pray for a certain object. It asks that the ball be kept rolling till the thousand number is reached. The one from Australia wished only the one hundred and eightieth number.
Unless we are greatly mistaken, we do not believe that the means will justify the end in any such arrangements. We believe in praying for the work and the workers in all the fields of the world, and in giving of our means for the advancement of the message, but we believe that this is a trap of Satan to take money from the people, and put it in the wrong place. It seems to us that at such a time as this every cent should be made to count in the great work of God in the earth, and that there should be no distracting efforts made to draw means from the people to channels where it is not used for the work of God.9We have been tempted ourselves to try nothing of the kind to raise means for the needs of our field, where the work moves slowly, and the need is great, and the people poor, but since the thing has been condemned, we have not tried it. If we are to solicit means, let it be brought into the treasury of the Lord.
Let us see: it costs two cents for the man to start the letter. The second man is requested to write two letters to two friends, asking them each to do the same, and so on. It costs the second man four cents to write the two letters. These two friends who receive the two letters are to write to two friends each, and it costs them eight cents to do the writing. These four who receive the four letters from the two friends are to write two letters each, and it costs them sixteen cents to pay the postage, and so on, doubling each time the number of the letter is increased.
Below we have a table showing the cost of postage to the number of thirty. We do not have the time to compute the cost any further, and would not take the time for this if it were not for the purpose of getting right ourselves in the matter, or getting some one else right. Please study the table below, and see if the application is right, and then answer the questions:—
The Letter Chain
1
.02
2
.04
3
.08
4
.16
5
.32
6
.64
7
1.28
8
2.56
9
5.12
10
10.24
11
20.48
12
40.96
13
81.92
14
163.84
15
327.68
16
655.36
17
1,310.72
18
2,621.44
19
5,242.88
20
10,485.76
21
20,971.52
22
41,943.04
23
83,886.08
24
167,772.16
25
335,544.32
26
671,088.64
27
1,342,177.28
28
2,684,354.56
29
5,368,709.12
30
10,737,418.24
$21,474,836.46
It is said that figures never lie. We would like our wise men and mathematicians to go over the matter carefully and answer the questions, Is it true? and, Does it pay?
Suffering With Christ Without Seeking Trouble
Although happiness comes only through suffering, we are not to go out of our way to seek it. We are not to make trouble for ourselves. There is no virtue in making a martyr of one's self. There is trouble enough without making to try it. To court persecution is not to suffer with Christ. Our part is simply to know, and by faith to make sure, our complete oneness with Christ, and then, knowing when tribulation comes, that we are partakers of his sufferings, we must necessarily rejoice.—Present Truth.
Reverence for the House of God
By Florence Welty
FLORENCE WELTY
“Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.” In Leviticus, the book of the law, I read these words.
Is reverence a necessary element in our characters, or is it but a pleasing sentiment? It cannot be the latter, or we should not be enjoined so emphatically to exercise it. Men whose lives are not given to piety are apt to call it weakness, and attribute it to mere superstition; and thus many close their eyes to that which should be closely examined, being willfully blind, choosing delusion in preference to truth. But true reverence is an evidence of power rather than of weakness; of true knowledge of the existence of the unknown (if not comprehended in every detail) rather than a fancied delusion or mere superstition. What opinion could you have of a man who had no respect for principles too deep, too profound, for him to understand? Would not this very attitude declare his weakness? Phillips Brooks has said, and well said too, that “irreverence everywhere is blindness, and not sight. It is the stare which is bold because it believes in its heart that there is nothing which its insolent intelligence may not fathom, and so which finds only what it looks for, and makes the world as shallow as it ignorantly dreams the world to be.” How sad that just such characters exist, and sometimes within the church of Christ!
What would you think of a little child, who, standing on the sandy beach, with the waves laving his dimpled feet, and the straying winds playing hide and seek in his golden hair, would shake his tiny fist at the approaching breakers, and mock in skeptical and careless indifference at the coming hurricane? Now there are those who, being as ignorant as the child, though boasting of mature years, will dare to stand in the very presence of “him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters,” and yet fail to recognize his almighty power, acting as carelessly and as blindly as though they were not endowed with reason, and could not be expected to respond to the claims of the God who made them.
Reverence modestly veils its face from that which it does not know, and obediently waits.
We never can do any work, and do it “heartily, as to the Lord,” without feeling the existence of deeper and more distant springs, which we as yet are unable to comprehend. Do the seven octaves of the piano complete the musical scale of the universe? And are you persuaded that the compass of your ear must measure it all, regardless of the probability that there are many octaves of rich bass and silvery treble that none but celestial beings have ever heard? Man is perpetually reminded of the depths and heights beyond him, and of necessity feels the unknown continually coming into close contact with the known. We are finite beings, constantly aware of our ignorance and insufficiency, and yet glorying in the grandeur and beauty of all that is around us and within the range of our comprehension. What could be more fitting than that we revere the Author of all things, and not only in his sanctuary, but everywhere and all the time? If it seems difficult to do this, go to work for him, contemplate his character; and through beholding him and co-operating with him, you will grow into this blessed state of reverence. The highest reverence comes not by idle contemplation, but by earnest obedience and sincere co-operation with God in his work.
Now let us see where we are particularly admonished to be reverent. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” For many centuries God dwelt among his people by the symbol of his presence, and he says that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Since the days of the first sanctuary in the wilderness, God has met his people in his house, which is called the “house of prayer for all people.” The psalmist says, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth.” “Send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles,” “to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” There we find his presence, and as Joshua was commanded to loose his shoe to show his reverence for holy ground, so we are commanded to conduct ourselves with sacred composure when we come into his presence. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”
Permit me to present to your minds two pictures. Please consider the first one just long enough to make you as sorrowful as it made me, and may the second, in marked contrast, for all time be your inspiration. In one of our large cities, I once visited two churches. One beautiful Sabbath morning I made the first visit, which was to a church whose people professed to revere the commandments. I naturally expected much from such a church. Their doctrine being so sound, I expected some outward expression of this inward perfection, some outward sign of this inward grace. As10I entered, whispering and even chatting aloud greeted my ear. Men and women in groups were talking, and children were running to and fro. Fathers and mothers, with conscience reproving them, were casting uneasy glances around the room and toward the door, because their children were off somewhere in the yard or the vestibule. Every time the door opened to admit a worshiper, some one made himself offensive by an unwarranted stare. In other words, ill-mannered noise and confusion reigned supreme just a few moments before the service began. As I think of it now, I fancy that the angels from the glorious courts of heaven turned away in sorrow.
The second visit was made on Sunday morning, in company with the lovely young woman who had gone with me on the first visit to my church, and now, out of courtesy, I accompanied her. As we entered the large edifice, a holy calm seemed to rest upon the assembled people. The aisles and vestibules were clear, and almost perfect silence reigned. Families, parents with their children, occupied nearly every pew. If one child was missing from his accustomed place beside his father, nearly every one noticed it, and wondered if he were sick. I was at once filled with the spirit of prayer on entering such a quiet, orderly place of worship. By and by the stillness of that holy hush was broken by the singing of that beautiful old hymn of Watt’s, which opens with these words:—
“With reverence let the saints appear,
And bow before the Lord;
His high commands with reverence bear,
And tremble at his word.
“Blest are the souls that find a place
Within the temple of thy grace.
There they behold thy gentle ways,
And seek thy face and learn thy praise.”
And then the minister, filled with godly fear, invoked the Lord’s blessing. After this followed a discourse that seemed to transport us to the very gates of paradise. At the conclusion of the service, to the soft and melting strains of the organ, after having quietly greeted our friends and neighbors, we departed to our respective homes. As we walked home together, my companion said to me, “I can commune with my Maker in the stillness of that heavenly place. I am sorry that it is so, but I do not feel at home in your church.” O how I felt the truth of her words, and how they stung, when I so longed to see her unite with us! I could not blame her, O, no! for her orderly, reverent nature demanded just such a place in which to worship; but I was obliged to submit to the thoughtlessness of others, while long years of custom had established for her the favorable and much-to-be-coveted conditions.
What were her conclusions? I will leave you to guess; but of my resolutions I will speak more at length. I determined from that hour to resist this evil tendency by both precept and example, to seek to obey the plain commands of God with respect to our conduct in his sanctuary, and to encourage others to unite with me in bringing about a radical change of demeanor among our communicants. Why do we not more generally follow our Guidebook? Both the Bible and the Testimonies are filled with plain instruction. The facts are these: the enemy of all righteousness is the god of Babel, or confusion. He seeks constantly to divert our minds from the true purpose of our meeting. He desires nothing more than to cheat us out of the blessing for which we came.
In the olden time every devoted thing was called “most holy” when dedicated to God. Was your church building thus dedicated? Do you realize that you are in the actual presence of the King of kings when you enter his courts? Think of the respect that earthly sovereigns demand, and then compare them with God. Do your eyes of faith see him who is invisible? If so, order and quietness will control everything, and we shall endure as seeing him who is invisible. “For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? . . . God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
Even an outward manifestation of reverence has this virtue: it leads to a genuine regard for things sacred. We cannot afford to disregard even the least of God’s requirements. And now let us all, old and young, say with the sweet singer of Israel, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.”
Fellowship with God
EVERYTHING in the spiritual life depends upon the quality of our fellowship with God. All real life comes from God, and is dependent upon him for its sustenance. The air and the light of the sun are not more necessary to the healthful life of any one than is this vital communication between God and myself to the life of my soul. The air of yesterday will not do for to-day. The manna of yesterday becomes corrupt. Fresh infusions of life must be secured for the soul by a daily waiting upon God. Take time to meet God.
In all successful fellowship with God two things are necessary: I must set God in his proper place, and I must take my own proper place. Everything depends upon my humbly giving God his proper place. He is the chief, the only one. He is the excluder of all else. Let the heart say to itself that God is. God is near. God is longing to communicate himself to me. He longs to make himself known to me. The soul must take time to realize this precious fact. This being assured, the attitude of the suppliant’s heart becomes clear. Blessedness for the creature consists in a recognition of his nothingness. This is only emphasized by the consciousness that we are all sinful creatures. Self-abasement is the attitude of victory.
Having given God his place and taken our own, we are in a position to accept and appreciate the standing we have in Jesus. The only begotten Son of the Father is his chiefest delight, and he must be our chief delight also. In him dwells all fullness. Through him we are emboldened to enter the very presence of the Father. To do this is the great object of fellowship, and from it comes every good and perfect spiritual gift. In this way Christ is formed within us. And God, seeing Christ in us, and us covered with Christ, finds his delight in us.
Christ thus is in us as a power, his presence is with us as a person, and, mystery of mysteries, his likeness becomes wrought in us. He becomes formed in us in such a way that we partake of his nature, and his image begins to shine out in us. This is the great and blessed work that results from fellowship, and by means of fellowship is carried on day by day. So certain is this that it is worthy of all acceptance. God loves the image of his Son. He longs to see it everywhere. He delights to reproduce it in us. And this gracious work may be counted on so far as we wait on God and have fellowship with him.
This is the special work of the Holy Spirit. He loves to take the things of Christ and make them known to us. He does not speak of himself. He glorifies Jesus. As we wait before God, the Spirit takes these things of Christ, and ministers them unto us. Let every approach to God be marked by the definite attitude of self-surrender and a worshipful exalting of the Heavenly Father, and to the confidence of faith will be given the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, taking the things and the image of Christ and revealing them to and in us.—Selected.
Gratitude to God Shown Through Kindness
THE most effectual way to manifest gratitude to God is to help some of the great benevolent causes or institutions, or to relieve the suffering of some of his needy children. The prayers of the priest and the Levite weighed not one-thousandth as much on the scale of God’s estimate of gratitude as did the act of the good Samaritan. Long prayers, eloquent sermons, and loud speeches on thanksgiving day must be supplemented with real acts of kindness and relief-giving to his suffering children, if they are to count for anything in our Heavenly Father’s book of reckoning. A kind word spoken, a show of sympathy with the bereaved, a visit paid to some one afflicted in body, the directing of the thought of one far from God to the sinfulness of sin and the goodness and mercy of God,—these are the thank-offerings which are in the sight of God “of great price.”—Religious Telescope.
Obedience as the Supreme Law of Life
“ALL that God has to give he gives to those who do all that he gives them to do. Obedience shows men to be in harmony with the order of God, and in that order and harmony are to be found perfect peace and strength and joy. Obedience is the supreme law of all life.”
“That Is Not My Job”
By M. A. Loper
MRS. M. A. LOPER
Suppose it is not your job. Perhaps the proper performance of it, if you are out of employment, may help you to secure a job of your own. In these days when so many are seeking employment, those standing at the head of our different institutions are the recipients of numerous requests for positions, accompanied, perhaps, with recommendations from those who may have an influence in securing for them the desired employment. And many times people have been accepted on these recommendations only to prove a disappointment to their employers, their recommendations having been obtained, perhaps, through friendship, through sympathy, or merely because they were solicited, when it may be the writers knew nothing of the individual’s qualifications except in a general way.
The best recommendation one can possibly have is good, faithful service; and any individual who is willing to put forth the efforts necessary to obtain the enviable reputation of a conscientious, energetic worker, will make a success of life against all odds. He will neither shrink at the Slough of Despond, nor give heed to the lions in the way; for he knows that perseverance in the right direction will conquer every difficulty.
An army of workers is employed in carrying on the details of business at the present time; but even among the professed followers of Christ all are not faithful to duty. The conscientious employee performs his tasks with equal faithfulness when the employer’s back is turned; for he realizes that there is One who takes knowledge of every detail, and that he must surely meet his life record by and by. It is a pleasure for such a worker to be accommodating, to lend a hand to help others whenever opportunity is offered. How different is his life-work from that of him who aims to do only that which is required of him; who circumscribes his sphere of usefulness to such an extent that he fails to realize the blessing gained in helping some poor soul who is overburdened, or in putting forth an extra effort now and then to further the interests of the institution in which he is employed. He seems to excuse his lack of interest by saying to himself, “That is not my job;” and to have entered the work more for the benefits which he hopes to receive than for the purpose of becoming a blessing to the world.
“But,” says one, “people are not all constituted alike.” Very true. But whether one’s talents be few or many, the great Giver requires equal faithfulness on the part of every soul. And that individual who possesses ten talents along with a slothful constitution, has something to overcome in order that his record may be equal to that of him who possesses but one talent, but who is faithful in the little work which he is able to accomplish. It is not the amount of money one puts upon the contribution plate that counts, but the amount of sacrifice that goes with it. So it is not the number of talents one possesses which tells, but the faithfulness with which those talents are employed for the bettering of mankind.
Selfishness and slothfulness—the sentiment, “That is not my job”—keep many talented people from ever reaching success in any department of work. But God will help any individual to overcome these besetments who will cooperate with him in the undertaking.
How well I recall a youth who was permitted to share the comforts of a private home during a protracted period while pursuing a college course. He was talented, and fond of books; and consequently his reputation as a student was very commendable. But to him it was a much more agreeable task to master his lessons than it was to master the odd chores that fell to his lot by way of compensating for his board. The mental duties were much more easily seen and undertaken than were those which called for muscular energy. And had that youth pursued the course which his natural make-up indicated, he surely never would have realized the success which is his to-day. But he desired to follow Christ. And there is no such thing as a lazy Christian. He whose mental qualifications, when a mere child, were sufficient to confound the learned doctors and lawyers of his time, was also his father’s helpful assistant at the carpenter’s bench. And he just as surely leads his followers into the domain of physical exercise as into the realm of mental effort.
Time rolled on, and a gradual change came into the life of that young man. Instead of permitting himself to be a burden, he seemed to make it a matter of conscience to help lift the burdens of others wherever he might be; to be thoughtful of the comfort of others under all circumstances. God helped him in his efforts to overcome, and to-day he is an earnest worker for the Master.
The true Christian is the only one who ever really succeeds in life—and he always succeeds. For in following Christ, all selfishness and slothfulness are abandoned, and he lives to labor for the good of others. He does not slight the unexpected opportunity for doing good. It may require time that might be devoted to his own selfish interests. It may require some expenditure of muscular energy. It may, in fact, be something that is very distasteful to his natural heart. But instead of seeking consolation in the thought, “That is not my job,” and employing his time for his own selfish interests, he hails it as a precious privilege to get in a little extra time for the Master, as it were, and he does it, whether he feels like it or not; and he receives a blessing in so doing.
The Christian is in the world for service. He does not remain idle simply because he cannot be favored with such work as might, perhaps, be most agreeable. If he does not find a vacancy where he wants it, he accepts what he can get, knowing that—
“The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were upward toiling in the night.”
The Christian prefers humble service to idleness, knowing that it is better to begin below the position he desires, and by persevering faithfulness work up to it, than to secure some high position at the start, and not be able to maintain it. And he performs his tasks, however menial, so cheerfully and so thoroughly that in time his services are considered indispensable; and it is not surprising that he should receive promotion.
Some time ago I heard a lecture to boys and girls, in which instructive lessons were drawn from the flowers. The weak foxtail, for instance, bows its head, and sways in every passing breeze, while the stately blue grass simply nods, and regains its upright position, the difference being due to the fact that the blue grass grows more sand into its structure. The Christian appreciates the privilege of growing12more sand into his structure—of acquiring that strength of character which will fit him to resist the winds of temptation, and withstand the power of discouragement, and to fill successfully any position to which God may call him.
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
Life
By Henry Van Dyke
LET me but live my life from year to year
With forward face and unreluctant soul,
Not hastening to, nor turning from, the goal;
Not mourning for the things that disappear
In the dim past, nor holding back in fear
From what the future veils; but with a whole
And happy heart, that pays its toll
To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer.
So let the way wind up the hill or down;
Though rough or smooth, the journey will be joy;
Still seeking what I sought when but a boy,
New friendship, high adventure, and a crown,
I shall grow old, but never lose life's zest,
Because the road's last turn will be the best.
—Henry Van Dyke.
The Requisites of Clothing
By Lillian Eshelman
LILLIAN ESHELMAN, M. D.
Health has been defined as perfect circulation in a sound organism. The blood, besides being the great healer which constantly bathes every cell of the body, bringing nutrition and oxygen and gathering up the waste products to be eliminated, fulfills another important function as a distributor of heat. No matter what the temperature of the external world, the human body must be kept at a uniform temperature of about 98.4 degrees. This is accomplished, first, by the stimulation of nerves ending in the skin, which carry the impression to nerve centers when more heat is needed; second, by impressions sent from the nerve centers to the tissues to increase oxidation and the generation of heat; third, by the elimination of surplus heat through the skin by means of perspiration and evaporation; fourth, by means of the blood the heat is carried from the thermogenic, or heat-producing, tissues to the external surface. In health, the external temperature of the body is ten or twelve degrees below that of the internal organs; and as the blood makes the circuit of the body twice every minute, it has much to do with maintaining the balance of the heat produced by the oxidation of the nutritious substances and the elimination of heat by evaporation from the skin.
In the mild tropical countries, the body is capable of maintaining the normal temperature without the aid of clothing, and it is among the savage tribes that we find the most perfectly developed physiques. The children of the frigid zone carefully conserve the heat, normally thrown off by the skin, by muffling themselves in impervious hides. In the temperate zone, that great belt of civilization, clothing is a necessity, and should be thoughtfully and intelligently selected, that being chosen which will best permit and promote the vital processes of the organism with the least incumbrances and inconveniences of the vital economy, a department of the subject of dress to which fashion and custom have long failed to give prominence, but which is of vital importance to those who wish to maintain health, especially during the cold season.
The primary factor in the study of the requisites of clothing is the needs of the body; this includes several considerations.
The Capacity of the Body for Heat Production and Heat Elimination
The smaller the body, the greater is the proportion of eliminating surface as compared to the amount of heat-producing tissue; hence the smaller the individual, the warmer proportionately should be the clothing. Nature makes this provision in the finer and closer feathers and furs with which she clothes the smaller animals. Those who are ill, whose vital forces are weakened, and the aged, have not as large a capacity for heat production as those in health or middle age, and hence cannot bear as long-continued exposure to cold. The occupation, active or sedentary, also influences the amount of heat elimination and heat production. A man of sedentary habits needs to dress more carefully than an active laborer.
The Functions of the Skin
Such materials should be selected as will least interfere with the normal function of the skin. Evaporation of the insensible perspiration must be favored, and not enough clothing worn to induce sensible perspiration; the material should be porous and of light weight. A thin mesh of linen, silk, or cotton worn next to the body allows evaporation, and is easily washed and renewed daily; over this may be worn soft flannel of sufficient weight to maintain warmth.
The Distribution of the Blood Supply
The extremities, being remote from the vital organs, and having a large blood supply with a large eliminating surface, need to be clothed even more warmly than the trunk of the body, in order that an undue amount of heat may not be lost, or that the blood vessels of the extremities, being contracted by reason of the cold, do not offer such an amount of resistance as to throw undue labor upon the heart. The feet are one of the most important reflex areas of the body. They are connected and intimately related by reflex nerve routes with various portions of the sympathetic nervous system which influence the brain, the throat, lungs, kidneys, stomach, bowels, and other abdominal organs. If the feet feel the impression of cold and dampness through thin-soled shoes sufficiently to contract the blood vessels supplying them, the same impression is carried to the organs reflexly related to them. The blood vessels of these organs, especially the arterioles, contract, and if the exposure to cold is long continued, venous blood collects, until a state of passive congestion results, hindering the function of the organ thus affected, and if many times repeated, this condition becomes chronic. Thus colds, indigestion, “kidney troubles,” and the like are fostered.
Absolute Freedom of Every Organ Must Be Insured
If the feet are cramped and irritated by ill-fitting shoes or boots, the whole body suffers through the reflex irritation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Hot, high, tight, stiff collars are destroying the beautiful curves of the neck for our whole civilized race, and are also contributing largely to the cause of husky voices.
If we would but turn an anatomist’s eye upon a corseted figure, or even upon a person who likes to feel a snug adjustment of her clothing, we should see visions of floating kidneys suspended by delicate nerves and blood vessels, seeking a resting place; a liver indented and misshapen, sometimes a portion nearly constricted off from the rest; a stomach from two to seven inches below its normal position; a transverse colon sagging and relaxed, the small bowel crowded down; the chest walls contracted, the breath of life excluded from the lower part of the lungs; the whole internal anatomy distorted, displaced, deformed. The picture is not overdrawn; for we can find it all, and more, in the “beautifully formed” (?) figure so smoothly incased in its silken draperies which seek to cover a multitude of evils.
Unless an organ has absolute freedom, its vital activities are lessened, its blood supply hindered, its displacement assured, and its function impaired.
Perfect health depends upon perfect circulation in a sound organism. The requisites of clothing demand an observance of natural law in the life of the organism. Think first of this. Right dressing is an art, but every true art is founded upon science.—Good Health.
Beginnings of Intemperance
By A. B. Olsen
A. B. OLSEN, M. D.
MANY say that the first glass is the beginning of intemperate habits, but in the majority of cases this is not so. You must go back beyond that first glass, and inquire, What was it that made the man or boy want that first glass? And you will find, in many cases, that the appetite for liquor had already been formed before the first glass of wine or beer was taken. Some of us have thought, perhaps, that alcoholic liquors are the only stimulants; but there are others; there are foods that have stimulating effects on the body, and tend to develop in children, as well as in adults, an appetite for something stronger. Rich foods, often eaten with a large amount of condiments, produce an evil effect on the body, and create a desire for something stronger. Flesh meats of all kinds are stimulating. Thus in many cases the appetite for strong drink has been formed in a temperate home where no alcoholic liquors were used. This is an important question, and should receive much attention. The children and youth ought to have the most wholesome food, simply prepared and affording ample nourishment.