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preceding thc bath. People w ho cannot stand a bright Sun on their heads should wear a straw hat or a wbite handkerchief as a protection. As a generał tliing, you should let the sun shine on your body (not forgetting the baclt) whenever you have the chance. By so doing you lay up a storę of liealth for yourself that you can draw upon in the gloomy season of the year. The ancient Greeks well knew how to appreciate sunshine as a health-giver, and, indeed, looked with contempt on a man with a wbite, spongy skin. Later on, likc so much other valuable knowledge, this sank into oblivion until rediscovered by Arnold Rikli¹ and Professor Finsen.f But there are still only comparatively few who properly appreciate the hcalth-giving properties of the sun s rays. Even in hospitals, where people go to be madę well, the blinds are drawn down to kcep out the sun even in the winter months, when it shows itself so sparingly, and is so badly wanted ; but those who treat it with contempt do not escape unpunished ! As it is the rays of light, and not the heat of the sun. wliicli have such a bcncficial effect on the skin, and througb it on the health of the whole body. we can derive great advantage in the summer, even early in the moming, from a sunbath of half an hour, which most people can manage to secure by getting np a little earlier. To make up for this we ought to provide for somewhat morę sleep during the dark season of the year. We shall only be adapting our habits a little to Nature s owu teaching. Babies, too, dcrivc an extraordinary amouilt of beneht from crawling about, or playing, without clothes on, in the sunshine, or in warm wcather. On the other hand, it is a quite mistaken method of " hardeuing '' children to let them go bare-legged during the cold seasons. It tends, rather, to binder the growth of the legs. Head-coverings, howcver, are super-iiuous for children in almost all weathers, and grown-up people, too, ought to accustom tliemselvcs to going about bare-headed, This is the best way of avoiding balclness and nen-ous headaches, and one comes by degrees to regard the much dreaded '' draught " as a morbid superstition. By the way, all these subjects are treated much morę fully in " My Sunbathing and Fresh Air System.”

The Importance of Relaxation

Whereas the most important principle in exercise is to breathe fully and regularly during all sorts of movements, the next in importance is to relax all those muscles which are not absolutcly necessary to the intended performance.

Those persons who understand these two rules will enjoy the ever-lasting benetit of quick and enduring muscles, with elastic, strong and active organs.

A saying such as ", . . With all muscles taut and the breath heldT used m so many novels about men and beasts who are on the point of effecting a coup, has done a great deal of harm by giving the pubhc false ideas. All nerves and senses must. of course, be on the ” qui vive " in such circumstances; but if the muscles be contracted and stifiened,

1

Arnold Rikli (died 1900), of Switzerland, who established light, air, aud sun-baths in the vear 1859.

. t Professor Finsen, of Copeubageu ^died 24th Sept.. 1904). diccovcr«d the modern system o( Light Therapcutics, and treated lupus and other skin diseases in his Light Hospital with great WJCcess. ile was awarded tbe Nobel Prue in 19U3.