The Child's Day by Woods Hutchinson
page 17 of 136 (12%)
page 17 of 136 (12%)
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[Illustration: USEFUL TOOLS] Trim and clean the edges of your nails carefully and thoroughly, but don't fuss much with the roots of them. That little fold of skin there may strike you as untidy, but it covers the soft growing part of the nail; and if you push it back with a nail-cleaner, it may cause the nail to crack and roughen or become inflamed and start a "hang nail" or "run around." If you push it back at all, do so only with the ball of your thumb or finger. The edges of the nails should be trimmed in a curve to match the curve of the end of the finger. Of course you know that you should never bite your nails, not only because it is a bad habit and will bring a good deal of dirt into your mouth, but because you may bite, or tear down into, the tender growing part of the nail, sometimes called the _quick_; and then this part may become inflamed, and you will have a troublesome sore on the end of your finger. [Illustration: DO YOUR NAILS LOOK LIKE THESE?] Just as your nails are a part of your skin,--hardened from it and rooted in it,--so, too, are your teeth; and, like the rest of the skin, they should be kept thoroughly clean. Every morning and evening at least they should be carefully brushed. If you take good care of your first teeth and have them filled when they need it, you will probably have good permanent teeth, and you won't have to suffer with toothache. The skin of your head, which grows such beautiful hair, and the hair |
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