1.The first lesson on health that I have to learn is this-I must keep my body clean.At school a boy will sometimes be seen with dirty hands or a dirty face.This should never be.It is a disgrace to the boy，and a disgrace to his school.
2.We should never be seen with dirty hands，dirty nails，or a dirty face.All should be kept clean and tidy.But that is not enough.The parts of the body that are covered with clothes also need to be washed.
3.Most of the dirt that gathers on the body comes not from the outside but from the inside of the body.The skin is full of little pores.These are the mouths of short pipes，which run from the flesh out through the skin.You can see them in this picture，which showsa little bit of the skin，cut through from the inside to the outside，and very much enlarged.These pores are like tiny windows in the walls of our house，the body.
4.When we open a window，it lets in fresh air and lets out foulair.This is just what the pores do.They breathe in fresh air like little lungs，and they allow bad air and moisture to get out.If the skin is not kept clean by frequentwashing，the little pores become filled up，and cannot do their work.In this way the health is injured.
5.In a warm summer day we perspire more freely than in a cold day.We also perspire freely when we run a race or play at football or at cricket.When we cool down，some of the perspiration dries on the skin，and there it remains till it is washed away.
6.If the skin is kept clean，the pores do their work day and night.They are outlets for what would be hurtful to the body.But nothing can pass through them if they are chokedup with dirt.So we must keep the skin clean，or the health is sure to suffer.
7.Once upon a time a king was coming to visit a certain town，and the people went out to meet him，dressed in many kinds of gay and curious dresses，so as to amuse their great visitor.They took a little boy and covered his skin all over with thin leaves of gold，so that ho might look like a golden boy.
8.No doubt he looked very pretty，but he turned ill and died before the gildingcould be removed.All the pores of his skin were closed up by the gold，and it soon caused his death.
9.Water is useful for a great many purposes.It is good to drink，and it is good to wash with.Soap is also cheap and plentiful.Water and soap are all that is needed to keep the skin clean and ready for its work，and every one can get as much of these things as he requires.
10.In Holland there is a village which is said to be the cleanest in the world.The houses inside and outside，the streets and everything about the place，are kept in a state of spotless cleanliness.
11.Women wearing clumsy wooden shoes may be seen scrubbing the outsides of their houses and squirting water on the windows to keep them clean.We should be like these Dutch people，in keeping that wonderful house the body clean.It is only by frequent washing of the whole body that we can keep in good health.
