Before continuing this article I wish to again make clear that I shall expound no new theories, neither do I expect or desire that you, dear reader, will consider what I have to say as in any way authoritative, or to be followed merely because you have seen it here written.

They say, "What's one man's meat is another man's poison." I believe it to be true. We are undoubtedly made out of the same kind of soul stuff but in different degrees of development or unfoldment, and this pertains to the body as well as to the mind and soul.

The body is nourished by food, the mind by education, and the soul by aspiration, and these later in turn react upon the body, for, as a temple of the living soul, it is subject to mental and spiritual as as well as physical laws. In the evolution or growth of the mind, the education that is needed at one time is not needed at another. The nursery tales that are used to kindle the imagination of childhood are not the kind of mental pabulum that should nourish the mind in adult manhood. The aspirations of youth are not the outreachings of the full-grown man. The food that is used to nourish the body in its infancy is not necessarily the best for after years; we all started out on a milk diet, few would maintain that this is the proper food for the adult.

Now, let us see if we cannot get at this in an analytical way. Continuing our figure about the engine, the body, or human engine, is fed by three things: air, water, and vegetable growth, the latter term embracing fruits, nuts, and all manner of edible plants, cereals, etc.

By far the most important is air. The body can go for sixty or even ninety days without food, for many days without water, but, in its normal state, it cannot live for five minutes without air.

The blood is vitalized by passing through the lungs and coming in contact with the air; the more air, the fresher and purer the air, the more vitality. One cannot be healthy unless one breathes deeply, and breathes pure air. To live in small stuffy rooms with closed windows, especially to sleep in such rooms at night, is to commit suicide; the method may be slow but it is a sure one.

To live in a large city surrounded by smoke and dust, and often the nauseating stench of a "packing house," is to at once begin to weaken the physical body by impoverishing its main food which is pure air. You may not be able to move from the city, you may be compelled to breathe air unfit for the lungs, for you must breathe wherever you are - but you can, in a measure, make up something of what you have lost by frequent excursions out into the open, the parks, the lake fronts, and the outskirts of the city where the air is pure and where you can fill your lungs, over and over, with new life that will send your blood tingling through your body carrying vitality to every organ.

Even though your environment is not a healthful one you can avoid much that is bad and find much that is good, and, through a knowledge of the laws of health, you can prolong your life many years.

The first law is deep breathing. To observe this law you must often use the full capacity of your lungs. Ordinarily but a small amount of lung space is used. Some people breathe in little short gasps that never half fill the lungs, in fact, normal breathing uses but a part of the lung capacity, the larger that part the better. It is easy to increase the amount of air used if one will give but a little attention to the matter. But in addition to increasing the normal breathing not a single day should pass without bringing the full power of the lungs into play. A short brisk run will do this nicely. You can accomplish the same result with a brisk walk, holding your breath as long as you can, and then taking in as much air as you can afterwards. Do this several times until every inch of your lungs is filled with air, and be sure this air is pure; go miles after it if necessary.

Avoid dusty places, walk on the windward side of the street. Hold your breath when you see a cloud of dust coming your way, in riding this is often desirable when passing other vehicles that raise the dust. A little original thought applied to your own environment will help you to get the idea. If you live in a large city you are under some disadvantages, but it is better even to live in a large city and carefully observe known rules of health than to live in the country and violate them. The fact that pure air is all around you is no evidence that you are taking enough into your lungs to properly vitalize your blood.

The nose is the organ through which air should be taken into the lungs. Nature has graciously arranged so that, in case of emergency, the mouth may also be used, but it is not to be habitually used. If you are breathing through your mouth you are breathing wrong - quit it. Nature has purposely fitted the nose to receive the air, to filter it, and to protect the lungs as far as possible from impurities, both by its physical construction and its sense of smell.

One more thing about breathing; the clothing must not in any way interfere with the free expansion of the lungs. Deep breathing is abdominal breathing - nothing must restrict the waist. The logic of this is irresistible; the corset is a curse to the human race, one of the greatest curses of the age. By restricting the normal action of the lungs it strikes a blow at the very heart. It deforms the normal human body and is consequently a blow to art. This is not prejudice, but every word can be substantiated by positive proof, though this article is not the place to present it.

Consider this seriously, you positively cannot be healthy unless you breathe properly and copiously; it is the first rule of health - the most important - the easiest to observe. Cultivate at once the habit of deep breathing and of often filling your lungs to the limit of their capacity. And the beauty of it is that it costs you nothing but effort, the price you must pay for everything worth while.

No matter what your aim or purpose in life, see to it that you are a strong, healthy, physical animal. The brain is nourished by blood, the blood is vitalized by air. When the body is in normal working order it is the real agent of the mind and all its powers are available for effort in any directed line of activity. You might be sickly, diseased, or an invalid and succeed, but you would succeed in spite of these disabilities, not because of them, and no one would be so foolish as to think that they are aids to success. I am sure you will see that it is very desirable to have the body in strong, normal working order, and this is possible only when you breathe properly.

Life's pathway is strewn with physical wrecks, the victims of bad habits and a bad environment in early life.

Life's pathway is strewn with physical wrecks, the victims of bad habits and a bad environment in early life.