“You see there is a great difference here between our system and yours. You have a large class of people; in fact, nearly all who have to over-exercise by manual labor--have to work themselves stiff and deformed. Then you have another class who take scarcely any outdoor exercise--your city ladies, etc. It seems that you do not appreciate a robust lady. You teach her that she must remain quietly at home until her suitor comes to take her out; and he, perhaps, has his other girl out. Your society forbids your maidens to take a bicycle or a carriage to go after their suitors, except on occasional sham leap-year parties. The majority of your married city ladies, under the burdens of husband and children, are entirely unable to take sufficient outdoor exercise; and even if they had the time and opportunity, they would have no other place for it than a smoky city and a muddy sidewalk.” “That is very true!” exclaimed Mrs. Uwins. “Overwork on the one hand, and want of healthful outdoor exercise on the other, are playing sad havoc with health here. We see very few graceful forms and healthy looking faces as we pass along the streets of our cities and towns. “This reminds me of a question I wanted to ask you some time ago,” continued Mrs. Uwins, “and that is, How do you teach regularity of habits? For you undoubtedly are orderly, prompt, and regular in your habits. Health requires regular intervals of alternate activity and rest, which vary with age and other conditions.” “Yes, we attach a great deal of importance to order, promptness and regular habits. We teach them to our children by practicing them ourselves. We are regular with our set meals, our work, our leisure, our exercises, our studies, our bathing, our dressing, our games, our rising, and our retiring. We have learned, by sad experience, the same lessons that you are now learning; the lessons that regular periods of rest and sleep are absolutely necessary to good vigorous health, and as we aim to make all our conduct conform to the phenomena of life and health, it is certain that we have acquired regular orderly habits of life.