elief of the sick and wounded?

_But our Young Folks are weak._

[Illustration: Fig. 1 John. Fig. 2 Thomas.]

Your weakness is in your bodies. Here lies your danger. I see nothing
which distresses me so much as the physique of the children in our
public schools. Great heads, beautiful faces, brilliant eyes; but with
that attenuated neck, thin, flat chest, and languid gait. Look at these
two boys, John and Thomas. John is a native Yankee. I found him, without
long searching, in one of our public schools. Thomas is an imaginary
boy, composed by the artist.

_Causes of John's Deformity._

He has lain several hours every night in the position seen in Fig. 3.
Much of that ugly pushing forward of the head among girls is produced by
thick pillows.

Young people should sleep on hair pillows two inches thick. Ambitious
girls and boys throw the pillow aside. This is the other extreme, and
wrong. It is unhealthy to lie constantly on the back. You must
frequently change to the side. But when you turn upon the side, if you
have no pillow, you must either twist the shoulders into a mischievous
attitude, or let the head fall down to the level of the shoulder, as
seen in Fig. 4. This disturbs the circulation in the neck.

[Illustration: Fig. 3. Fig. 4.]

_False Positions while sitting._

Another cause of the bad shape of John's spine we find in his bad
positions while sitting. Fig. 5 represents the position in which he
should sit. You observe his feet rest on the floor. His hips are against
the back of the chair. His spine is erect. In this position he may sit
two hours without fatigue, provided the chair be a good one. About
chairs I shall presently say something.

[Illustration: Fig. 5. Fig. 6.]

Fig. 6 shows a position in which I often see John. Do you observe how,
_with his legs crossed_, he must push forward on the seat? The small of
the back is no longer supported. The strain will soon produce weakness
and pain.

Fig. 7 represents a still worse position. The strain upon the small of
the back must not only produce weakness there, but must soon incline the
spine to bend backward, while its natural shape at that point is a
beautiful curve forward.

Writers on manners say the positions seen in Figs. 6 and 7 are vulgar.
In this case, as in most others, propriety and physiology are in
harmony.

_Positions in School._

Fig. 8 shows a bad posture. Sitting thus three hours a day must soon
produce round shoulde