301. _If a child, while playing with a small coin (such as either a threepenny or a fourpenny piece), or any other substance, should toss it into his mouth, and inadvertently allow it to enter the windpipe, what ought to be done?_ Take hold of him by the legs, allowing his head to hang downward; then give him, with the palm of your hand, several sharp blows on his back, and you may have the good fortune to see the coin coughed out of his mouth. Of course, if this plan does not succeed, send instantly for a medical man. BOYHOOD AND GIRLHOOD. _’Tis with him e’en standing water, Between boy and man._ SHAKSPEARE. _Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet!_ LONGFELLOW. ABLUTION, ETC. 302. _Have you any remarks to make on the Ablution of boys and girls?_ How is it that a mother thinks it absolutely necessary (which it really is) that her babe’s _whole_ body should every morning be washed; and yet who does not deem it needful that her girl or boy of twelve years old, should go through the process of daily and _thorough_ ablution? If the one case be necessary, sure I am that the other is equally if not more needful. Thorough ablution of the body every morning at least is essential to health. I maintain that no one can be in the enjoyment of perfect health who does not keep his skin—the whole of his skin—clean. In the absence of cleanliness, a pellicle forms on the skin which engenders disease. Moreover, a person who does not keep his skin clean is more susceptible of contracting contagious disease, such as small-pox, typhus fever, cholera, diphtheria, scarlet fever, etc. [Illustration: BOYHOOD AND GIRLHOOD.—AFTER THE SHOWER.] Thorough ablution of the body is a grand requisite of health. I maintain that no one can be perfectly healthy unless he thoroughly wash his body—the whole of his body; if filth accumulate, which, if not washed off, it is sure to do, disease must, as a matter of course, follow. Besides, ablution is a delightful process; it makes one feel fresh and sweet, and young and healthy; it makes the young look handsome and the old look young! Thorough ablution might truly be said both to renovate and to rejuvenize! A scrupulously clean skin is one of the grand distinctive characteristics both of a lady and of a gentleman. Dirty people are not only a nuisance to themselves, but to all around; they are not only a nuisance, but a danger, as their dirty bodies are apt to carry from place to place contagious diseases.