such matters, that they might go forth into life with at least
some rough notions of the causes which make people healthy or
unhealthy, rich or poor, comfortable or wretched, useful or
dangerous to the State. But as long as our great educational
institutions, safe, or fancying themselves safe, in some enchanted
castle, shut out by ancient magic from the living world, put a
premium on Latin and Greek verses: a wise father will, during the
holidays, talk now and then, I hope, somewhat after this fashion:

"You must understand, my boy, that all the water in the country
comes out of the sky, and from nowhere else; and that, therefore,
to save and store the water when it falls is a question of life
and death to crops, and man, and beast; for with or without water
is life or death. If I took, for instance, the water from the
moors above and turned it over yonder field, I could double, and
more than double, the crops in that field, henceforth."

"Then why do I not do it?"

"Only because the field lies higher than the house; and if--now
here is one thing which you and every civilised man should know--
if you have water-meadows, or any 'irrigated' land, as it is
called, above a house, or, even on a level with it, it is certain
to breed not merely cold and damp, but fever or ague. Our
forefathers did not understand this; and they built their houses,
as this is built, in the lowest places they could find: sometimes
because they wanted to be near ponds, from whence they could get
fish in Lent; but more often, I think, because they wanted to be
sheltered from the wind. They had no glass, as we have, in their
windows, or, at least, only latticed casements, which let in the