A Holiday in Bed, and Other SketchesBarrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
General
A Holiday in Bed, and Other Sketches
Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
Essays; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
If ladies, who are ever purchasing new clothes, were aware that disease
often lurks in these, they would be less anxious to enter dressmakers'
shops. The saleswoman who "fits" them may come daily from a home where
her sister lies sick of a fever, or the dress may have been made in some
East End den, where infection is rampant. Cases of the kind frequently
come to our knowledge, and we would warn the public against this danger
that is ever present among us.
Must we again enter a protest against insufficient clothing? We never
take a walk along any of our fashionable thoroughfares without seeing
scores of persons, especially ladies, insufficiently clad. The same
spectacle, alas! may be witnessed in the East End, but for a different
reason. Fashionable ladies have a horror of seeming stout, and to retain
a slim appearance they will suffer agonies of cold. The world would be
appalled if it knew how many of these women die before their fortieth
year.
We dress far too heavily. The fact is, that we would be a much healthier
people if we wore less clothing. Ladies especially wrap themselves up
too much, with the result that their blood does not circulate freely.
Coats, ulsters, and other wraps, cause far more colds than they prevent.
Why have our ladies not the smattering of scientific knowledge that
would tell them to vary the thickness of their clothing with the
weather? New garments, indeed, they do don for winter, but how many of
them put on extra flannels?
We are far too frightened of the weather, treating it as our enemy when
it is ready to be our friend. With the first appearance of frost we fly
to extra flannel, and thus dangerously overheat ourselves.
Though there has been a great improvement in this matter in recent
years, it would be idle to pretend that we are yet a cleanly nation. To
speak bluntly, we do not change our undergarments with sufficient
frequency. This may be owing to various reasons, but none of them is an
excuse. Frequent change of underclothing is a necessity for the
preservation of health, and woe to those who neglect this simple
precaution.
Owing to the carelessness of servants and others it is not going too far
to say that four times in five undergarments are put on in a state of
semi-dampness. What a fearful danger is here. We do not hesitate to say
that every time a person changes his linen he does it at his peril.
This is such an age of bustle that comparatively few persons take time
to digest their food. They swallow it, and run. Yet they complain of not
being in good health. The wonder rather is that they do not fall dead in
the street, as, indeed, many of them do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account