334 METHOD OF COMPOSITION. overcome, both by the action of the State and of individuals; and in an eloquent peroration returns to his previous expressions of astonishment and regret at the actual condition of ignorance, degradation, and wretchedness, while he congratulates those humble individuals who, by their own strenuous and assiduous exertions, have raised themselves above it. Such is a brief analysis of Foster's celebrated essay; but each of the main parts we have rapidly indicated is susceptible of a similar analysis, and in this way the student will arrive at the method of composition adopted by all thoughtful writers. Part III. PHYSICAL SELF-CULTURE. "There is but one Shekinah in the universe, and that is the body of man." -St. Chrysostom. "Instead of vilifying the body, complaining that our nobler part is chained down to a base partner, it is worth recollecting that the body too is the gift of God, in its way divine, 'the temple of the Holy Ghost;' and that to keep a body in temperance, soberness, and chastity, to guard it from pernicious influences, and to obey the laws of health, are just as much religious as they are moral duties; just as much obligatory on the Christian as they are on a member of a sanitary committee."-F. W. Robertson. how un "You will begin to know what a serious matter our life is; worthy and stupid it is to trifle it away without heed; what a wretched, insignificant, worthless creature one comes to be who does not as soon as possible bend his whole strength, as in stringing a stiff bow, to doing whatever task first lies before him."―John Sterling. "A man cannot be kept healthy merely by attending to his stomach. If the body, which is the support of the curiously complex fabric, acts with a sustaining influence on the mind, the mind, which is the impelling force of the machine, may, like steam in a steam-engine, for want of a controlling and regulative force, in a single fit of untempered expansion blow all the wheels and pegs and close-compacted plates of the machine into chaos. No function of the body can be safely performed for a continuance without the habitual strong control of a well-disciplined will. . . . Therefore, if you would be healthy, be good; and if you would be good, be wise; and if you would be wise, be devout and reverent; for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."-Professor Blackie. "Life is not to live, but to be well."-Martial. ... 336 66 PHYSICAL SELF-CULTURE. “By the ancients, courage was regarded as practically the main part of virtue; by us, though I hope we are not less brave, purity is so regarded now. The former is evidently the animal excellence, a thing not to be left out when we are balancing the one against the other. But purity is inward, secret, self-sufficing, harmless, and, to crown all, thoroughly and intimately personal. It is, indeed, a nature, rather than a virtue; and, like other natures, when most perfect, is least conscious of itself and its perfection. In a word, courage, however kindled, is fanned by the breath of man; purity lives and derives its life solely from the Spirit of God."-Augustus Hare, "Guesses at Truth." "I call a complete and generous education that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfully, and magnanimously all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war."-Milton. "MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO." R HERBERT SPENCER is of opinion that nothing conscious," he adds, "that there is such a thing as physical morality. Men's habitual words and acts imply the idea that they are at liberty to treat their bodies as they please. Disorders entailed by disobedience to Nature's dictates they regard simply as grievances, not as the effects of a conduct more or less flagitious. Though the evil consequences inflicted on their dependants and on future generations are often as great as those caused by crime, yet they do not think themselves in any degree criminal. It is true that, in the case of drunkenness, the viciousness of a bodily transgression is recognised; but none appear to infer that, if this bodily transgression is vicious, so too is every bodily transgression. The fact is, that all breaches of the law of health are physical sins." This view of the subject is now accepted by all thoughtful men, and no self-culture would be considered complete which did not include the due training and discipline of the body. Among the sciences which form a regular portion of a well-considered educational curriculum, physiology, therefore, justly holds an important place. It is surely as essential to our well-being that we should know something of the wonderful mechanism by which the operation of "living" is carried on, as that we should master the propositions of Euclid or learn to conjugate TUTTO. When the body ails, mind and soul ail also; a healthy body is the condition of a healthy intellect and a sound moral nature, and the preservation of physical health is not only our duty as men, but as Christians. We are responsible to our Creator for the right use of every faculty with which He has endowed us. We are responsible also to our fellow-men, as the welfare of the community depends upon the relative welfare of each member of it. We are responsible to ourselves, for we are clearly bound to inflict upon our nerves or energies no excessive or unendurable strain. Y 338 LAW OF HEALTH. The great law of health may be put in this form: it is necessary to take proper measures for repairing the waste which the body is daily, nay, constantly, undergoing. It throws off heat and suffers a loss of substance, as we are reminded very urgently by the sensations of hunger and thirst. Like Oliver Twist, it cries out for "more;" it imperiously demands to be fed, or, as an alternative, threatens rebellion. The wise man prudently complies, as it is both his interest and pleasure to do; and accordingly furnishes fresh air, drink, and food. The organs by which the fresh air is utilised are called organs of respiration; those which receive the food and convert it into nutriment, organs of alimentation; those which diffuse the air and food over the body, organs of circulation ; those which throw off the superfluous product, organs of excretion. To a great extent, under certain recognised vital conditions, it is in every man's power to keep these organs in a sound and satisfactory state, so that they can readily perform the work allotted to them. If he does not do so, the waste of the body will largely exceed in amount the sustenance it receives, and the consequences will be disease and death. The brain and the heart, which are the two pillars of life, its Jachin and its Boaz, will refuse, because unable, to perform their respective offices. But if he fulfil what is clearly his interest as well as his duty, he will then direct his attention to two great points-exercise and diet. Exercise assists the equable and regular action of the organs of circulation; diet controls the action of the organs of circulation and excretion. Of course, there are other considerations to be borne in mind; as, for instance, the supply of an adequate quantity of fresh air-an adult of eleven stone weight requires about 800 cubic feet of thoroughly ventilated space-suitable clothing, according to the seasons, and a prudent adjustment of the hours of sleep, work, and recreation; but, roughly speaking, a man may enjoy good health by a careful observance of the dictates of prudence in regard to exercise and diet. I am supposing, of course, that he lives a cleanly life, both physically and morally, and does not pursue any notoriously unhealthy calling. Now as to diet, it is at least as necessary that you should not eat or drink too much as that you should not eat or drink too little. Indeed, the danger from excess is greater than the danger from parsimony. You must not throw upon the organs of alimentation and nutrition a work they cannot perform, a burden they cannot bear, or they will incontinently strike. Temperance should be the student's watchword; or, as the old adage puts it, "Eat to live, not live to eat." Do not indulge, but simply satisfy, the appetite. For the proper nutriment of the body, however, it is requisite that the food we eat should contain certain elements, and these elements in adequate proportion. Thus all food may be divided into four classes : 1. Proteids, of which the elements are carbon, bydrogen, nitro |