The Physical Training of ChildrenChavasse, Pye Henry
Science
The Physical Training of Children
Chavasse, Pye Henry
Child care; Children -- Health and hygiene
The VENTILATION of a nursery is of paramount importance. There ought to
be a constant supply of fresh, pure air in the apartment. But how few
nurseries have fresh, pure air? Many nurseries are nearly hermetically
sealed—the windows are seldom, if ever, opened; the doors are
religiously closed; and, in the summer time, the chimneys are carefully
stuffed up, so that a breath of air is not allowed to enter! The
consequences are, the poor unfortunate children “are poisoned by their
own breaths,” and are made so delicate that they are constantly catching
cold; indeed, it might be said that they are laboring under chronic
catarrhs, all rising from Nature’s laws being set at defiance.
The windows ought to be large, and should be made to freely open both
top and bottom. Whenever the child is out of the nursery the windows
ought to be thrown wide open; indeed, when he is in it, if the weather
be fine, the upper sash should be a little lowered. A child should be
encouraged to change the room frequently, in order that it may be freely
ventilated; for good air is as necessary to his health as wholesome
food, and air cannot be good if it be not frequently changed. If you
wish to have a strong and healthy child, ponder over and follow this
advice.
I have to enter my protest against the use of a stove in a nursery. I
consider a gas stove _without a chimney_ to be an abomination, most
destructive to human life. There is nothing like the old-fashioned open
fire-place, with a good-sized chimney, so that it may not only carry off
the smoke, but also the impure air of the room.
Be sure to have a fire-guard around the grate, and be strict in not
allowing your child either to touch or to play with fire; frightful
accidents have occurred from mothers and nurses being on these points
lax.
The nursery ought to have a large fire-guard, to go all round the
hearth, and which should be sufficiently high to prevent a child from
climbing over. Not only must the nursery have a guard, but every room
where he is allowed to go should be furnished with one on the bars.
Moreover, it will be necessary to have a guard in every room where a
fire is burning, to protect the ladies, who, in accordance with the
present fashion, wear such preposterous crinolines, and thus to prevent
the frightful deaths which are at the present time of such frequent and
startling occurrence; lady-burning is now one of the institutions of our
land!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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