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THE HYGIENIC SYSTEM. BY JNO. STAINBACK WILSON, M. D. Hygiene is that department of medical science which treats of the prevention of disease. But the same agents, or health conditions, which are found to be necessary to the enjoyment of health, have been found more safe and effectual in the removal of disease than any others ; and hence the hygienic system of practice is rapidly grow ing into favor among intelligent, reading people to the exclusion of all kinds of druggery. Still, the great mass of people know but little of this system, and even the few who are better informed entertain many erroneous ideas as to its nature and powers. 1. As to its Nature. Many confound the Hygienic treatment with what is known as the ‘‘ Water-Cure.” But the water-cure is only a part of the hygienic system. This system embraces, besides bathing in vari ous forms, proper diet, having reference to the time of eating, the manner of eating, the choice and preparation of the different kinds of food, according to the wants of the body in health and disease. Its province is also to teach the conditions of health as to the air we breathe, the sleep and ex ercise we take, as to the regulation and direction of all the passions and, indeed, everything which per tains to the welfare of the human organism, phy deal and mental. And yet with many—we might say with most people—hygiene is nothing more than the use of water in the form of hip-baths, foot-baths, wet sheet packs, shower-baths, etc. ; and this, with them, is all of hygiene or water-cure, which, to them, is one and the same thing. And with such people as these, the water-cure or hygiene is all emb.Aoed in the idea of dabbling in cold water in the various forms mentioned. But the water cure is much more than the use of cold water, and hygiene is much more than the use of water in any or every form. Indeed, the hygienic system is very comprehensive, and the most safe ami effectual of all curative systems. It em braces the only true curative agents, and is com petent to meet almost every exigency of health an J disease. 2. As to its Powers. But while, as just stated, the hygienic system is comprehensive, and the most safe and effect ual of all medical systems, many think that its powers are confined simply to the prevention of disease, ami that in actual disease drugs are the only efficient remedies. These people have yet to learn that drugs have no curative virtue in themselves, that Nature cures all our diseases, and that all the doctor can do is to remove diffi culties in her way and to give the patient such surroundings as will enable Nature to do her work. Yet, how often is it the case that the doctor hinders, instead of helping Nature, giv ing her the unequal task of combatting both the disease and the remedy (T). How often is the poor diseased, debilitated body still more debili tated ami poisoned by nauseous drugs, while no attention is given to the air of the patient's room and but little to his diet -about which his doctor knows nothing and cares less, believing that he can cure by introducing drugs into the system which would kill a well man with all his powers in vigorous exercise. If doctors would rely more on hygiene and less on drugs, and if people would use less of the latter, the world would be vastly benefited in health, and we would have much less of that almost universal chronic invalidism which is the result of excessive drugging and disregard of the laws of health. Drug* may sometimes be necessary in the present state of things, as a tcmporixing expedient, or as a means of imme diate relief from pain or some other urgent symptom ; but to rely on these for a cure is the height of folly, and to resort to them on all oc- ■THE R»L SWWEK & PWATM casions is positively murderous. And we repeat, that the world would be far better off if drugs of all kinds were abolished. A strong exemplification of our position is found in the fact that all honest and intelligent physicians, notwithstanding the prepossessions of a false education, use less and less drugs as they advance in knowledge and experience, un til their reliance is placed almost exclusively on the powers of Nature, aided not by drugs, but by pure air, proper diet and, in short, by all the hygienic agents. And this same great teacher, Experience, testifies to the truth, that the less drugs and the more hygiene, the greater the suc cess ; and why not? Can any one who will rea son for a moment believe that a dose of Dover’s powder, or camphor, or ipecac, or any other so called diaphoretic will cause as great a determin ation to the skin, or as profuse perspiration, as the wet-sheet pack, the warm bath, or the Turk ish bath? Why, either one of these is worth a ship-load of drugs, and one Turkish bath will do more to cleanse the blood of all impurities than all the drugs in the whole long catalogue. And yet people go on drugging themselves from year to year with nauseous medicines for the purpose of removing imputities from the system, putting confidence in agents which are generally inefficient and often positively injurious by add* ing to, rather than removing impurities. And again, what is equally strange, many are incredulous as to the powers of such remedies as bathing, exercise, pure air, proper diet, etc., in the removal of disease. The idea seems to be that it may be well for a person in health or slightly sick to give some attention to these things, and then that Nature may be able to do the balance ; but if one gets really sick there is no safety, no hope of cure except in drugs : and this in the fact of the fact that drugs are never curative and often injurious in their action, while hygiene offers remedies which are positively cu rative and far more effectual in accomplishing any object for which drugs are given than any or all drugs combined. Some may go so far as to trust to hygienic agents in simple cases of sickness ; common sense and experience may have taught them that it is good practice in a case of diarrhoea to cutoff the supplies or to eat less ; they may have learned also that the best remedy for nervous exhaustion is good, natural sleep ; that the best thing fora “bad cold” is to get up a free perspiration by taking a warm bath ; but then, when these people are attacked with any serious constitutional disease, such as rheumatism, fever, scrofula, syphilis, etc., their first thought is to resort to drugs, never believ ing for a moment that bathing, dieting, exercise and the other hygienic agents are far more pow erful than drugs in such cases, and really the only true, proper and reliable remedies. But, happily, this ignorance is passing away with the diffusion of hygienic knowledge among the peo ple, many of whom are turning to Homeopathy, which is only a step to the final and total aban donment of drugging in all its forms; and not a few have already taken this last step, and are much betterotf in health and purse by thechange ; and we venture the prediction, that in fifty years from this time the use of drugs will be almost entirely abandoned among the better informed class of people. For this “good time coming” we labor, feeling assured that, in the establish ment of a Hygienic institute in Atlanta, and in the diffusion of hygienic knowledge, we are do ing more for the health and happiness of the people than we could probably do in any other way. Can’t Do ant H arm.—We should like to know bow many medicines there are that can't do any harm. “ Castor oil,” says a mother, “ can't do any harm;” and yet a little girl overworked at school, coming home one day to her mother tired out. and needing only rest and sleep and some thing to eat, was dosed with castor oil because, fonooth, it wouldn’t do any harm, and some thing must be done. Next day no belter. Next day senna and salts—perfectly innocent stuff. Day after, child no better. Then an emetic— emetic can't do any harm, that is sure. Next day child worse, mother frightened. Man of a little common sense sees her and says: “Stop these innocent medicines ; give the child a warm bath and feed it properly ;” and lo ’ it is well in twenty-fuur hours.— Herald of Health. 1 g | iit 111 wMiM 111111 The vast mineral wealth of our Southern country is almost beyond human competition. Our minerals are unequaled in quality, quantity and variety. We have the finest farming and timber lands and water-power of which any country can boast, and our climate is the finest in the world. The columns of this paper are every ready to encourage the development of our enormous natural wealth. Cotton Factory. ORGANIZATION PERFECTED, At last there seems to be good grounds for believing that we are going to have a Cotton Factory. The Subscription Committee reported at its meeting, on the 27th of February, that over $140,000 had been subscribed. A stockholders’ meeting was held the same evening, at which the following-named gentle men were elected a Board of Directors : H. I. Kimball, Jos. E. Brown, J. C. Peck, Geo. W. Adair, J. W. English, Anthony Mur phy, E. P. Chamberlin, 8. M. Inman and C. W. Hunnicutt. This is emphatically a strong Board, and has been received with much favor by all classes of our people. On Saturday last, the Board met for the pur pose of electing officers, and perfecting the or ganization, when the following officers were elected: President, H. I. Kimball; Secretary and Treasurer, E. E. Rawson ; Constructing Engi neer and Superintendent, Francis Cogin, Su perintendent of the Augusta Factories. Mr. Kimball accepted the office in an earnest little speech, in which he laid down the platform upon which his administration would be con ducted. He said, first, that no officer should re ceive any salary until the Company had earned the means with which to pay. In other words, he did not propose that one single dollar of the money subscribed to build and equip the factory should be paid out in salaries. Second. That he should require from the Di rectors and Officers a strict compliance with their duties. Third. That he should enforce the most rigid economy in every department of the Company’s business; and in the erection of buildings and selection of machinery, he would not consent to the expenditure of a single dime for ornamenta tion or show. He urged upon the Directors the importance of taking hold of the enterprise with a degree of energy that would ensure its completion in time to celebrate the Nation’s Centennial, by starting in motion her 10,000 spindles and looms on the 4th day of July, 1876, and promised his very best efforts to secure this desired result. The meeting throughout was very harmonious, and much enthusiasm was manifested. This organization, in our judgment, is every way qualified to push this great enterprise to speedy success, and we earnestly hope it will be thoroughly supported by all classes of our people. The Mineral Wealth of Georgia. Villa Rica, Carroll Co., Ga., Feb. 27, 1875. Editor Rural Southerner: Dear Sir—l have noticed in several of your numbers something said about the mineral wealth of Georgia, and I desire to let your thousands of readers know something of the gold and copper mines of Carroll, which need only capital to develop them. First I would call attention to the Hart mine, next the Jones’ and the Tine Mountain lot, which has been worked superficially for over thirty years. This lot alone has enough gold ore upon it to furnish a dozen or more mills for twenty years work upon it, and then have plenty left ; and right adjoining it is the McDonald lot, which is now in the hands of a company, who are now erecting a steam mill with twelve stamps, and will be in operation by the Ist of May next. As for the copper, the same vein that the celebrated Wood mine, just over the edge of Carrroll, in Alabama, is on, runs direct through old Carroll, and the largest outcrop is within one and one-half miles of this place, on the Roberts lot. A Tennessee company have already struck a fine bed of the yellow sul phuret, which aasays over 38 per cent, pure copper, and this at only a depth of about forty feet. Our place is almost wild with the excite ment over it; for every lot north, east, south and west of it has just as good top indications upon it. We will only have to haul the ore sixteen miles to Carrollton, some eight or ten miles less than from the Wood mine, to get it to the railroad. If we only had the Georgia West ern Railroad finished from Atlanta to this place, and is graded to within ten miles of us, and the survey runs within one-half a mile of the copper lead, we could furnish hundreds of car loads of ore. Do urge upon your people to finish it. Will write you again for your next number. 8. Southern States. The Southern States embrace an area of near ly 1,000,000 square miles, or more than 600,- 000,000 acres, with a population of about 15,- 000,000. The natural capabilities of this sec tion surpass those of any other land beneath the sun, while their productive results are of vital importance to the commerce of the world, the annual cotton product reaching 4,000,000 bales and bringing a revenue of nearly $300,- 000,000 ; while the rich agricultural products, timber and naval stores contribute in no small measure to the general wealth. To these sources of revenue may be added the mineral resources of the country, now being developed. The success and economy with which this work is being carried forward will be conceded, when it is known that pig iron is actually being made in Tennessee, at less than sls per ton. But the development of this section is hardly begun. It is said that the State of Mississippi alone, if her soil were properly and entirely tilled, would bring forth an amount of cotton equal to the present entire annual product. And surely the aggregate mining interest of the whole section could find ample scope in about any one of the rich mineral States we could name. If to-day this section, still bearing the scars of war, is able to contribute so heavy a share to the prosperity of the nation and of the world, it is not possible to measure the magnitude of her products a few years hence, when the hand of man shall bring her resources to the light. The Southern States are destined to be the seat of a great population, of vast industries and of un told wealth. A Virginia Mica Mine. Among the varied minerals with which Virginia lands are underlaid, perhaps none is more valuable or less known and appreciated than mica. Chemically al most if not quite identical with the kaolin, always found with it, its geological for mation is but poorly accounted for.— Much of our red clay land is mingled with comminuted particles of mica which, washing out from the clay, are often an annoyance in our spring and well water. Its value increases in proportion or rather out of all proportion as the size of the clear cuts grows larger. * * Surface in dications are valuable aids in finding the deposit, but frequently mislead the inex perienced from the fact that the commin uted mica so abundant in the masses of pure kaolin naturally induces the miner to follow that, while the streaked masses of mixed red clay and kaolin are the real ground in which to find valuable mica. ATLANTA’S CUSTOM HOUSE. The Bill Finally Signed by the Presi dent. (Special to the Atlanta Constitution.) Washington, March 5, 1875. Atlanta’s custom house is’safe. The President to-day signed the bill authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to use his discretion in the se lection of material for the building. Livi City.—The way to make a live city is to do all that you can to make the business of your neighbor a success. Advertise your busi ness men by speaking a good word for them wherever you go. Always be on the alert to | induce new branches of industry to locate in your midst ; judiciously aid every enterprise that promises to add business facilities ; support I local newspapers by taking and paying for them, and feeling an interest in their welfare ; if you know of any item of news which would interest the public, take some pains to let the editor know it ; don’t hold your vacant lots at a price too high ; don’t hold a penny so near your eyes as to hide a dollar at arm’s length. The real estate assessment of Atlanta foots up $13,255,390. Population, 35,133. 5