Page:What to do for Uncle Sam; a first book of citizenship (IA whattodoforuncle00bail).pdf/92

88 care of their bodies. Catching rides on wagons, jumping on or off cars while they are in motion, sending off fireworks, crossing the street without looking both ways, getting in crowds, and playing in partly finished buildings, are the causes of many accidents that have to be cared for in public hospitals. Eating cheap candy, drinking from a common cup, going to see other children who have had a contagious discase, drinking milk that has been uncovered, leaving the cover off your garbage can, letting flies get into the house, taking medicine without a doctor’s orders, staying up late at night, and sleeping with your windows closed, cause many of the diseases that the hospital has to cure.

There is one more help toward growing up a useful member of Uncle Sam’s family. Just as soon as a boy is old enough to go into the manual training room at school, or a girl into the cooking room, Uncle Sam wants this boy and girl to rub Aladdin’s lamp. See, somewhere ahead of you, the home your handwork is going to help make for you. A boy who learns to be a carpenter, or an engineer, or an electrician, or a printer, or a farmer, or any one of the other useful tradesmen the public schools will make him, can earn a home. He can rent a house at first, and buy one, perhaps, later. He can save some