THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
PAGE 4
THE FOLLIES OF YOUTH
(Continued from page 1)
as a blot against the perpetrator. Certain conventions
must be observed or one may appear ridiculous, or
worse. For instance, it is thought alright to appear
at the bathing resorts in a bathing suit before the
multitude, but it would certainly render a person un
comfortable and ridiculous to walk down the principal
street of a city while thus attired. There is a time
and place for everything. There is the fittness of
things to consider.
Save us from the foolish young person whose folly
make him think he is smart, cute, or clever. We are
forcibly reminded by this class of one of Aesop’s fables,
as follows: An Ass climbed up to the roof of a build
ing, and, frisking about there, broke in the tiling. The
owner went up after him, and quickly drove him down,
beating him with a thick wooden cudgel. The Ass
said, “Why, I saw the Monkey do this very thing
yesterday, and you all laughed heartily, as if it afforded
you very great amusement.”
Those who do not know their right place must be
taught it.
WALKING
In order tha* the human body may be in perfect
health as to its circulation, digestion, nervous system
and muscular system, exercise is absolutely necessary.
More ills are caused by disordered activity in organs as
a result of errors in diet, rest, and exercise than are
caused by actual disease processes.
The various
physiological processes of the body depend for their
proper performance on activity. The lungs will not
function properly if the chest is not well expanded.
Indigestion will result if there is an inactivity in the
stomach and intestines. The heart structure will fail
in its efficiency if an excess of fat accumulates in and
around its muscular walls, or increases its work by a
disproportionate deposit of fat through the body gen
erally. The nervous system is prone to certain func
tional disorders such as irritability, insomnia, etc., re
sulting from the prolonged irritation by poison created
by the body’s inactivity.
Some form of exercise is necessary to keep the body
in perfect health. The most universal and beneficial
exercise is walking, for the amount, the rate, and the
type, are each easily regulated to the particular needs
of the individual. Walking is a pleasant form of exer
cise, easily obtainable, and meanwhile an abundance
of fresh air is possible. Almost two-thirds of the
muscles of the body are involved in walking; this ex
ercises the larger portion of the body muscles. The
nervous system, the circulatory, the digestive appar
atus, are all stimulated by walking.
To get the greatest benefits from walking, one must
have in mind proper attire. Properly fitted shoes are
essential; they should not be too wide and they should
be long enough so that the tip of the toes does not
touch the ends of the shoes, and yet at the same time
big enough to allow the wearing of wool hose. In
summer or winter, the use of wool as a covering for
the feet makes for comfort in walking. The rest of
the clothing will be indicated by the season, though
wool of different weights is to be preferred. Walk with
the weight carried on the outer side of the feet, placing
the feet on the ground parallel to each other. The
chest should be carried well forward and the arms
should swing easily at the sides. The stride and
rhythm are important because unless there is a free
swinging of the arms which is accompanied by a slight
turning of the body with each step, a very valuable ex
ercise of the body becomes a loss. Walking in the
manner descibed exercises practically every muscle in
the body, keeps you physically fit, and gives you an
added zest and enjoyment in the day’s work.
Do not consider walking a serious task. Walking
should be more than a means of progression—it should
be a real joy.
AN INCH OF RAIN
Here in the Willamette Valley in the course of the
winter we sometimes hear a great deal of railing at
the rainy weather. We confess it grows both tire
some and annoying, but—it is a necessity. A large
part of the noted fertility and productiveness of our
famed valley is due to our rain. We really need it,
even if some of us get the idea that we don’t want it.
We are publishing a little reminder of what an inch
of rain will do, as follows:
An inch of rain does not seem much to the layman
unless he realizes that, considering one acre of ground,
this fall represents slightly over 6,000,000 cubic inches
of water, or slightly more than 113 short tons, which
is equivalent to over 27,000 gallons. In other words,
an inch of rain falling on a single acre is sufficient to
fill more than 600 barrels of 45 gallons each, or a tank
20 feet square by nine feet deep.
Under normal conditions 20 inches of rain per acre
are required to grow a food crop. A difference of an
inch in the average rainfall, say in July in the corn
belt, will mean a difference of six to eight bushels of
corn to the acre. If the July rainfall is one-third
greater than normal it means an increase of half a
million bushels in the crop total. Thus, though rains
may annoy the city man and the holiday crowds they
are worth money to the farmer through better crops.
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