Child's Health Primer For Primary Classes Part 14

People used to think that alcohol made them strong.

Can alcohol make good muscles, or bone, or nerve, or brain?

You have already answered "No!" to each of these questions.

If it can not make muscles, nor bone nor nerve, nor brain, it can not give you any strength.

BEER.

Some people may tell you that drinking beer will make you strong.

The grain from which the beer is made, would have given you strength. If you should measure your strength before and after drinking beer, you would find that you had not gained any. Most of the food part of the grain has been turned into alcohol.

CIDER.

The juice of crushed apples, you know, is called cider. As soon as the cider begins to turn sour, or "hard," as people say, alcohol begins to form in it.

Pure water is good, and apples are good. But the apple-juice begins to be a poison as soon as there is the least drop of alcohol in it. In cider-making, the alcohol forms in the juice, you know, in a few hours after it is pressed out of the apples.

None of the drinks in which there is alcohol, can give you real strength.

Then why do people think they can?

Because alcohol puts the nerves to sleep, they can not, truly, tell the brain how hard the work is, or how heavy the weight to be lifted.

The alcohol has in this way cheated men into thinking they can do more than they really can. This false feeling of strength lasts only a little while. When it has pa.s.sed, men feel weaker than before.

A story which shows that alcohol does not give strength, was told me by the captain of a ship, who sailed to China and other distant places.

Many years ago, when people thought a little alcohol was good, it was the custom to carry in every ship, a great deal of rum. This liquor is distilled from mola.s.ses and contains about one half alcohol. This rum was given to the sailors every day to drink; and, if there was a great storm, and they had very hard work to do, it was the custom to give them twice as much rum as usual.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The captain watched his men and saw that they were really made no stronger by drinking the rum; but that, after a little while, they felt weaker. So he determined to go to sea with no rum in his ship. Once out on the ocean, of course the men could not get any.

At first, they did not like it; but the captain was very careful to have their food good and plentiful; and, when a storm came, and they were wet and cold and tired, he gave them hot coffee to drink. By the time they had crossed the ocean, the men said: "The captain is right. We have worked better, and we feel stronger, for going without the rum."

STRENGTH OF MIND.

We have been talking about the strength of muscles; but the very best kind of strength we have is brain strength, or strength of mind.

Alcohol makes the head ache and deadens the nerves, so that they can not carry their messages correctly. Then the brain can not think well.

Alcohol does not strengthen the mind.

Some people have little or no money, and no houses or lands; but every person ought to own a body and a mind that can work for him, and make him useful and happy.

Suppose you have a strong, healthy body, hands that are well-trained to work, and a clear, thinking brain to be master of the whole. Would you be willing to change places with a man whose body and mind had been poisoned by alcohol, tobacco, and opium, even though he lived in a palace, and had a million of dollars?

If you want a mind that can study, understand, and think well, do not let alcohol and tobacco have a chance to reach it.

REVIEW QUESTIONS.

1. What things were left out of our bill of fare?

2. How could you measure your strength?

3. How can you gain strength?

4. Why does drinking beer not make you strong?

5. Show why drinking wine or any other alcoholic drink will not make you strong.

6. Why do people imagine that they feel strong after taking these drinks?

7. Tell the story which shows that alcohol does not help sailors do their work.

8. What is the best kind of strength to have?

9. How does alcohol affect the strength of the mind?

CHAPTER XIV.

THE HEART.

[Ill.u.s.tration: T]HE heart is in the chest, the upper part of the strong box which the ribs, spine, shoulder-blades, and collar-bones make for each of us.

It is made of very thick, strong muscles, as you can see by looking at a beef's heart, which is much like a man's, but larger.

HOW THE HEART WORKS.

Probably some of you have seen a fire-engine throwing a stream of water through a hose upon a burning building.

As the engine forces the water through the hose, so the heart, by the working of its strong muscles, pumps the blood through tubes, shaped like hose, which lead by thousands of little branches all through the body. These tubes are called arteries (ar'ter iz).

Those tubes which bring the blood back again to the heart, are called veins (vanz). You can see some of the smaller veins in your wrist.

If you press your finger upon an artery in your wrist, you can feel the steady beating of the pulse. This tells just how fast the heart is pumping and the blood flowing.

The doctor feels your pulse when you are sick, to find out whether the heart is working too fast, or too slowly, or just right.