Mr. Boggs A Mason.

and sure enough it was early—m the morning ; he bad turned the hands the wrong Avay , and they marked the hour , three o ' clock . When Ave get into trouble the next thing is to get out of it , and it too often

happens that Ave jump out of the pan into the fire . " Boggs , this is a prett y Avay to treat 11 nie . " But , my dear , Ave had the fifth degree , an extra occasion . After the fourth degree all the brethren went clown to Killduff's bil "

Gracious Jupiter ! Avhat had he clone ? Exposed himself ! he tried to make the story run smooth , but the more he said the more he aot tangled . " Boggs , " she said , " stop just Avhere you are ! That ' s a failure ; you can ' t blind my

eyes with any such nonsense . IYe found you out ; you can ' t come your fifth degree dodge over me . " Quite a little time elapsed and not a word ivas spoken , when she continued : " Boggsif you Avill come home at a

, reasonable hour in future , I will forgive you ; " and he was only too glad to promise that he Avould . / -TqT ^ Canadian MaymA-lm /& l £ v GRAND

Meal-Times.

MEAL-TIMES .

( COMMUNICATED BY THE EDITOR OFTSE SANITARY RECORD . ) "To everything there is a season , and a time for every purpose under the heaven , " says the preacher .

" What are the most seasonable times for meals V is a question oftener answered than asked . Almost everybod y has got a set of proverbs , dogmas , or traditional rules , derived apparently from his great-grandmother , on the subject to which he contends

the assent is due , not only of himself , but of all Avho have to discuss the matter with him . And very seldom does he ever seek to test these rules by the experience w others or physiological science . As is the case with all proverbial philosophy , no distinction of individual circumstances is ' « ac e , and the particular instance is made applicable to the universal .

It is worth while to examine into some of these current notions about a necessity which occupies us and affects our comfort at least three times a day * , and often has a serious influence on our future health also . And at the outset let it be stated that any universal rule about meal-times which takes

no count of the occupations and bodily peculiarities of different persons must necessarily be wrong . It is absurd to require that the duties and pleasures of existence should give way to the task of supply ing nutriment ; that would indeed

be " propter vitam vivendi perdere causas . " And it is equally absurd to ignore the idiosyncrasies of individuals induced by orig inal constitution or acquired habit . Everybody who is led to think about a subject at allin its bearing either on

him-, self or his dependents , should honestly and fairly try during sound health experiments on the prevalent ideas concerning the arrangement of meals , and test IIOAV far the self-knoivledge thus acquired is capable of application to social and professional

requirements . As an aid to his investigations it may be stated that the physiology of digestion confirms the truth of the folloAA'ing general observations bearing on the times of taking solid food and the intervals betsveeu them ; it being assumed that the said food is of average digestible quality , and in quantity proportioned to the reasonable appetite , not

in excess : — 1 . Food for the supply of the daily wants of the system is most rapidly and thoroughly digested when taken early * in the day , ere the nervous and secretive forces are exhausted by toil . 2 . Rapid digestion in the early part of

the day contributes to the immediate demands of motion and innervation . 3 . Food for the repair of the continuous wear and tear of the tissues is in less immediate request ; the completeness of its solution is of more importance than the rapidity ,

and it is best taken towards the evening , Avhen an opportunity is afforded for its leisurely absorption during sleep . . 4 . The duration of digestion bears a proportion to the quantity of food eaten . 5 . In youth the digestion is quicker , and the stomach sooner emptied than in

grownup persons . 6 . Llest before meals makes the digestion more complete . Exertion immediately s