4343 ---- None 15069 ---- Diet and Health _With_ Key to the Calories By Lulu Hunt Peters, A.B., M.D. Ex-Chairman, Public Health Committee California Federation of Women's Clubs Los Angeles District Chicago The Reilly and Lee Co. 1918 Dedicated by permission to Herbert Hoover Illustrated by The Author's Small Nephew Dawson Hunt Perkins The little rascal Read This First I am sorry I cannot devise a key by which to read this book, as well as a Key to the Calories, for sometimes you are to read the title headings and side explanations before the text. Other times you are supposed to read the text and then the headings. It really does not matter much as long as you read them both. Be sure to do that. They are clever. _I wrote them myself_. I have been accused of trying to catch you coming and going, because I have included in my book the right methods of gaining weight, as well as those for losing weight. But this is not the reason--though I don't object to doing that little thing--the reason is that the lack of knowledge of foods is the foundation for both overweight and underweight. I did want my publishers to get this out in a cheaper edition, thinking that more people could have it, and thus it would be doing more good; but they have convinced me that that idea was a false claim of my mortal mind, and that the more you paid for it, the more you would appreciate it. I have received many times, and without grumbling on my part, ten dollars for the same advice given in my office. Perhaps on this line of reasoning we should have ten dollars for the book. Those of you who think so may send the balance on through my publishers. L.H.P. Los Angeles, California June, 1918 CONTENTS 1 Preliminary Bout 11 2 Key to the Calories 23 3 Review and More Definitions 30 4 More Keys and More Calories 37 5 Vegetarianism vs. Meat Eating 54 6 The Deluded Ones--My Thin Friends 59 7 Exercise 69 8 At Last! How to Reduce 77 9 Autobiographical 88 10 Testimonials 96 11 An Apology and Some Amendments 98 12 Maintenance Diet and Conclusions 102 13 Three Years Later 106 Diet and Health 1 Preliminary Bout _Rule to Find Ideal Adult Net Weight_ Multiply number of inches over 5 ft. in height by 5-1/2; add 110. For example: Height 5 ft. 7 in. without shoes. 7 x 5-1/2 = 38-1/2 + 110 ------- Ideal weight 148-1/2 If under 5 ft. multiply number of inches under 5 ft. by 5-1/2 and subtract from 110. _Are You Thin and Do You Want to Gain?_ [Sidenote: _Don't Read This_] Skip this chapter. It will not interest you in the least. I will come to you later. I am not particularly interested in you anyway, for I cannot get your point of view. How any one can want to be anything but thin is beyond my intelligence. However, knowing that there are such deluded individuals, I have been constrained to give you advice. You won't find it spontaneous nor from the heart, but if you follow my directions I will guarantee that you will gain; providing, of course, you have no organic trouble; and the chances are that by giving proper attention to your diet you will gain anyway, and maybe in passing lose your trouble. Who knows? [Sidenote: _Bad Business_] In war time it is a crime to hoard food, and fines and imprisonment have followed the exposé of such practices. Yet there are hundreds of thousands of individuals all over America who are hoarding food, and that one of the most precious of all foods! _They have vast amounts of this valuable commodity stored away in their own anatomy_. [Illustration: contents noted] Now fat individuals have always been considered a joke, but you are a joke no longer. Instead of being looked upon with friendly tolerance and amusement, you are now viewed with distrust, suspicion, and even aversion! How dare you hoard fat when our nation needs it? You don't dare to any longer. You never wanted to be fat anyway, but you did not know how to reduce, and it is proverbial how little you eat. Why, there is Mrs. Natty B. Slymm, who is beautifully thin, and she eats twice as much as you do, and does not gain an ounce. You know positively that eating has nothing to do with it, for one time you dieted, didn't eat a thing but what the doctor ordered, besides your regular meals, and you actually gained. You are in despair about being anything but fat, and--! how you hate it. But cheer up. I will save you; yea, even as I have saved myself and many, many others, so will I save you. [Sidenote: _Spirituality vs. Materiality_] [Sidenote: _A Long, Long Battle_] It is not in vain that all my life I have had to fight the too, too solid. Why, I can remember when I was a child I was always being consoled by being told that I would outgrow it, and that when I matured I would have some shape. Never can I tell pathetically "when I was married I weighed only one hundred eighteen, and look at me now." No, I was a delicate slip of one hundred and sixty-five when I was taken. I never will tell you how much I have weighed, I am so thoroughly ashamed of it, but my normal weight is one hundred and fifty pounds, and at one time there was seventy pounds more of me than there is now, or has been since I knew how to control it. I was not so shameless as that very long, and as I look back upon that short period I feel like refunding the comfortable salary received as superintendent of an hospital; for I know I was only sixty-five per cent efficient, for efficiency decreases in direct proportion as excess weight increases. Everybody knows it. _The Meeting Is Now Open for Discussion_ Jolly Mrs. Sheesasite has the floor and wants some questions answered. You know Mrs. Sheesasite; her husband recently bought her a pair of freight scales. [Sidenote: _Mrs. Sheesasite_] "Why is it, Doctor, that thin people can eat so much more than fat people and still not gain?" [Sidenote: _Me Answering_] "First: Thin people are usually more active than fat people and use up their food. "Second: Thin people have been proved to radiate fifty per cent more heat per pound than fat people; in other words, fat people are regular fireless cookers! They hold the heat in, it cannot get out through the packing, and the food which is also contained therein goes merrily on with fiendish regularity, depositing itself as fat. [Illustration: Fireless Cookers.] "And there are baby fireless cookers and children fireless cookers. The same dietetic rules apply to them as to the adult." "I recognize Mrs. Tiny Weyaton; then you, Mrs. Knott Little." [Sidenote: _Mrs. Weyaton_] "We have heard you say that fat people eat too much, and still we eat so little?" [Sidenote: _Me Again_] "Yes, you eat too much, _no matter how little it is_, even if it be only one bird-seed daily, _if you store it away as fat_. For, hearken; food, and food only (sometimes plus alcohol) maketh fat. Not water--not air--verily, nothing but food maketh fat. (And between you and me, Mrs. Weyaton, just confidential like--don't tell it--we know that the small appetite story is a myth.)" [Sidenote: _Mrs. Knott Little_] "But, Doctor, is it not true that some individuals inherit the tendency to be fat, and can not help it, no matter what they do?" [Sidenote: _Doctor_] "Answer to first part--Yes. "Answer to second part--No! It is not true that they cannot help it; they have to work a little harder, that is all. It is true that being fat is a disease with some, due to imperfect working of the internal secretory glands, such as the thyroid, generative glands, etc.; but that is not true fat such as you have. Yours, and that of the other members who are interested, is due to overeating and underexercising. [Sidenote: _Not_?] "Those diseased individuals should be under the care of a physician. Probably the secretory glands are somewhat inactive or sluggish in the healthy fat individual. I use the word _healthy_ here in contradistinction to the other type. In reality, individuals very much overweight are not really healthy, and they should also visit their physician." "Yes, Mrs. Ima Gobbler?" [Sidenote: _Mrs. Ima Gobbler_] [Sidenote: _Doctor Dear_] "But, Doctor dear, what's the use of dieting? I only get fatter after I stop." (Answering delicate like, for I'm fond of her and she is sensitive): "You fat--! You make me fatigued! _You never diet long enough_ to get out of the fireless cooker class. _If you did, you wouldn't."_ "Is there anyone else who would like to be recognized? No?" [Sidenote: _Nothing That I Don't Know_] It is well. I will probably answer more as I go along, for there is nothing that I don't know or haven't studied or tried in the reducing line. I know everything you have to contend with--how you no sooner congratulate yourself on your will power, after you have dragged yourself by the window with an exposure of luscious fat chocolates with curlicues on their tummies, than another comes into view, and you have it all to go through with again, and how you finally succumb. I hope sometime it will be a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment, to display candy as shamelessly as it is done. Many fond parents think that candy causes worms. It doesn't, of course, unless it is contaminated with worm eggs, but, personally, I wish every time I ate a chocolate I would get a worm, then I would escape them. The chocolates, I mean. I will tell you more about worms when I discuss meat. [Sidenote: _Vampires_] [Sidenote: _Malicious Animal Magnetism?_] I know how you go down to destruction for peanuts, with their awful fat content. It is terrible, the lure a peanut has for me. Do you suppose Mr. Darwin could explain that? Perhaps I was a little too delicate like in my answer to Mrs. Gobbler's question,--What's the use of dieting, she only gets fatter after she stops? So many ask me that question, with the further pathetic addition,--Will they always have to keep it up? And it ever irritates me. The answer is,--Yes! You will always have to keep up dieting, just as you always have to keep up other things in life that make it worth living--being neat, being kind, being tender; reading, studying, loving. You will not have to be nearly so strenuous after you get to normal; _but you might as well recognize now, and accept it as a fact, that neither you nor anybody else will be able to eat beyond your needs without accumulating fat or disease, or both._ I love Billy Sunday's classical answer to the objection that his conversions were not permanent. He responded: "Neither is a bath!" WHEN YOU START TO REDUCE you will have the following to combat: [Sidenote: _A Combat_] First: Your husband, who tells you that he does not like thin women. I almost hate my husband when I think how long he kept me under that delusion. Now, of course, I know all about his jealous disposition, and how he did not want me to be attractive. [Illustration: _Green!_] Second: Your sister, who says, "Goodness, Lou, but you look old today; you looked lots better as you were." [Illustration: _Sweet Peace_] Third: Your friends, who tell you that you are just right now; don't lose another pound! And other friends who tell you cheerful tales of people they have known who reduced, and who went into a decline, and finally died. [Sidenote: _To Avoid Slack in Your Neck, Double and Triple Chins, Massage Vigorously Up and Down, Not Crossways_] [Sidenote: _I Am Interesting_] But you must not mind them. Smile, and tell them that you know all about it, and don't worry. Go serenely on your way, confident in your heart that you will look fully ten years younger when you get down to normal, no matter how you look in the interim. I don't see why women, and men, too, (secretly) worry so much about wrinkles. If the increased wrinkles on the face are accompanied by increased wrinkles in the gray matter, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. I'm sure I am much more interesting with wrinkles than I was without. I am to myself, anyway. However, you will not be any more wrinkled if you reduce gradually, as I advise, and keep up your exercises at least fifteen minutes daily. [Sidenote: _I Have a Beautiful Complexion_] [Sidenote: _I Attended an Art School Six Months Once_] Take care of your face, alternate hot and cold water, glycerine one-quarter, rose water three-quarters, cold cream packs, massage gently, a little ice--you know what to do--you need not fear. You will not only look ten years younger and live twenty years longer--I assert it boldly--but your complexion and efficiency will be one hundred per cent better. [Sidenote: _Joy_!] If there is anything comparable to the joy of taking in your clothes, I have not experienced it. And when you find your corset coming closer and closer together (I advise a front lace, so this can be watched), and then the day you realize that you will have to stitch in a tuck or get a new one! But don't be in a hurry to make your clothes smaller now. If they are loose they will show to the world that you are reducing. A fat person in a tight suit, unless it is perfectly new, should be interned. [Sidenote: _Food Only_] [Sidenote: _Impossible_] I have said that food, and food only, causes fat. That gives you the cue to what you must do to get rid of it. No anti-fat medicines unless under the supervision of your scientific, educated physician. They are dangerous; most of them contain thyroid extract, arsenic, or mercury. Even the vendors of these harmful compounds in their advertisements are now saying to "stop harmful drugging," but urge you to adopt their particular delightful product, and, "without dieting or exercises, you will positively reduce," and so forth. No drastic purges, no violent exercises, especially at first, and not too frequent nor prolonged Turkish baths. Epsom salts baths have little effect. If salts are used habitually internally, they are harmful. All of these are unscientific and unsuccessful, and the things they bring on are worse than the fat. Now, if food is the only source of body substance, you see that you must study that question, and that is what I will give you--some lessons on foods and their values. [Sidenote: _Candy Cake, Pie, Rich Meats, Thick Gravy, Bread, Butter, Nuts, Ice Cream_] [Sidenote: _Whipped Cream, Candied Sweet Potatoes_] Heretofore you have known only in a dumb, despairing sort of way that all the foods you like are fattening, and all the advice you read and hear is that you must avoid them as a pestilence. And you settle down to your joyless fatness, realizing that it is beyond human strength to do that forever, and that you would rather die young and fat, anyway, than to have nothing to eat all your life but a little meat, fish, and sloshy vegetables. Study on, and you will find the reason your favorite foods are fattening. But cast off your dejection. _You don't have to avoid them_! Eat what you like and grow thin? Yes; follow me. I know it will be an exertion, but you must persist and go through with it. Nothing in life worth while is attained without some effort. So begin now; it is the price of liberty. _Review_ 1. Give rule for normal weight. 2. How much excess food have you stored away? 3. Why more important than ever to reduce? 4. Why are fat individuals fireless cookers? 5. Give causes of excess fat. _NOTE: The Reviews which follow the chapters are important and the questions should be answered. To get the full benefit, Little Book must be studied, for it is the only authorized textbook of the "Watch Your Weights_." 2 Key to the Calories Some one page the thin? They come back here. [Sidenote: _Don't Skip This_] Definition to learn: CALORIE; symbol C.; a heat unit and food value unit; is that amount of heat necessary to raise one pound of water 4 degrees Fahrenheit. [Sidenote: _Pronounced Kal'-o-ri_] There is a good deal of effort expended by many semi-educated individuals to discredit the knowledge of calories, saying that it is a foolish food science, a fallacy, a fetish, and so forth. They reason, or rather say, that because there are no calories in some of the very vital elements of foods--the vitamines and the mineral salts--therefore it is not necessary to know about them. They further argue that their grandfathers never heard of calories and they got along all right. That grandfather argument always enrages my mortal mind. [Sidenote: _A Unit of Measure_] Now you know that a calorie is a unit of measuring heat and food. It is not heat, not food; simply a unit of measure. And as food is of supreme importance, certainly a knowledge of how it should be measured is also of supreme importance. [Sidenote: _Yes, They Are Kosher_] You should know and also use the word calorie as frequently, or more frequently, than you use the words foot, yard, quart, gallon, and so forth, as measures of length and of liquids. Hereafter you are going to eat calories of food. Instead of saying one slice of bread, or a piece of pie, you will say 100 Calories of bread, 350 Calories of pie. The following is the way the calorie is determined: An apparatus known as the bomb calorimeter has two chambers, the inner, which contains the dry food to be burned, say a definite amount of sugar, and an outer, which is filled with water. The food is ignited with an electric connection and burned. This heat is transferred to the water. When one pound of water is raised 4 degrees Fahrenheit, the amount of heat used is arbitrarily chosen as the unit of heat, and is called the Calorie. Food burned (oxydized) in the body has been proved to give off approximately the same amount of heat or energy as when burned in the calorimeter. [Sidenote: _Approximate Measures_] 1 oz. Fat = 275 C. --about 255 in the body. 1 oz. Protein (dry) = 120 C. --about 113 in the body. 1 oz. Carbohydrates (dry) = 120 C. --about 113 in the body. (ROSE.) Can you see now why fats are valuable? Why they make fat more than any other food? They give off more than two and one-fourth times as much heat, or energy, as the other foods. [Sidenote: _See Next Chapter for Definitions_] Notice that protein and carbohydrates have the same food value as to heat or energy, each 113 Calories to the dry ounce. However, they are not interchangeable; that is, carbohydrates will not take the place of protein for protein is absolutely necessary to build and repair tissue, and carbohydrates cannot do that. But fats and carbohydrates are interchangeable as fuel or energy foods. _Calories Needed per Day for Normal Individuals_ [Sidenote: _Business of Growing_] This depends upon age, weight, and physical activities; the baby and the growing child needing many more calories per pound per day than the adult, who has to supply only his energy and repair needs. The aged require still less than the young adult. As to weight; I have told you why overweight individuals need so little. As to physical activities; the more active, obviously the more calories needed, for every movement consumes calories. [Sidenote: _Many Know Nothing of This_] The Maine lumbermen, for instance, while working during the winter months, consume from 5000 to 8000 Calories per day. But they do a tremendous amount of physical work. _Mental work does not require added nourishment._ This has been proved, and if an excess be taken over what is needed at rest (if considerable exercise is not taken while doing the mental work) the work is not so well done. [Sidenote: _Calories Required for Normal_] Per pound per day Infants require 40-50 C. Growing Children 30-40 C. Adults (depending upon activity) 15-20 C. Old age requires 15 or less C. _In Round Numbers for the Day_ Child 2-6 1000 to 1600 C. per day Child 6-12 1600 to 2500 C. per day Youth 12-18 2500 to 3000 C. per day [Sidenote: _Growth Demands_] (Remember that in general the boy needs as much as his father, and the girl as much as her mother.) MAN (per day): At rest 1800 to 2000 C. Sedentary 2200 to 2800 C. Working 3500 to 4000 C. WOMAN (per day): At rest 1600 to 1800 C. Sedentary occupations (bookkeeper, etc.) 2000 to 2200 C. Occupations involving standing, walking, or manual labor (general housekeeping, etc.) 2200 to 2500 C. Occupations requiring strength (laundress, etc.) 2500 to 3000 C. (ROSE.) _Example of Finding Number of Calories Needed_ 1. Determine normal weight by rule. 2. Multiply normal weight by number of calories needed per pound per day. For example, say you weigh 220 or 125 lbs., but by the rule for your height your weight should be 150 lbs.; then 150 would be the number you would use. [Sidenote: _Work Out Your Requirements_] By the rule I have given, adults require 15-20 Calories per pound per day, depending upon activity. For example, if you have no physical activities, then take the lowest figure, 15. 150x15--2250. Therefore your requirement, if your weight should be 150, is 2250 Calories per day. Now, if you want to lose, cut down 500-1000 Calories per day from that. Five hundred Calories equal approximately 2 ounces of fat. Two ounces per day would be about 4 pounds per month, or 48 pounds per year. Cutting out 1000 Calories per day would equal a reduction of approximately 8 pounds per month, or 96 pounds per year. These pounds you can absolutely lose by having a knowledge of food values (calories) and regulating your intake accordingly. You can now see the importance of a knowledge of calories. [Sidenote: _1 lb. fat 4000 C_ _1/2 lb. fat 2000 C_ _1/4 lb. fat 1000 C_ _1/8 lb. fat 500 C_ ] If you want to gain, add gradually 500-1000 Calories per day. _Review_ 1. Define Calorie, and tell how determined. 2. How many C. in 1 oz. fat? of carbohydrates? of protein? 3. Why are fats so fattening? 4. How many C. per day do you require? do mental workers? 5. Upon what do C. needed per day for normal individuals depend? Discuss. 3 Review and More Definitions [Sidenote: _This Is Dry but Important_] FOOD: That which taken into the body builds and repairs tissue and yields energy in heat and muscular power. [Sidenote: _Approx. %'s if Normal_] CLASSES OF FOOD: 1. Protein, 18% of body weight. 2. Fats, 16% of body weight. 3. Carbohydrates, 1% of body weight. 4. Mineral matter, 5% of body weight. 5. Vitamines. 6. Water, 60% of body weight. [Sidenote: _Nitrogenous Food Compounds_] PROTEIN: Builds tissue, repairs waste, yields energy, and may help store fat. One-half, at least, of your protein should be from the vegetable kingdom. A large percentage of protein is contained in Eggs Meat Fowl Fish Nuts Milk Cheese Gluten of Wheat Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, etc.) [Sidenote: _Protein 113 C. Per Oz._] There is about one-fourth ounce protein in 1 egg 1 glass milk (skim, butter, or whole) 1-1/2 oz. lean meat, or fish or fowl 1 oz. (1-1/5 cu. in.) whole milk cheese 2 slices of bread, 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 1/2 (white, whole wheat, corn, etc.) 3 heaping tablespoonfuls canned baked beans or lima beans 17 peanuts [Sidenote: _255 C. Per Oz._] FATS: Yield energy and are stored as fat. Animal Fat: Cream, Butter, Lard Oils: Cottonseed, Olive Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts Chocolate, etc. [Sidenote: _113 C. Per Oz._] CARBOHYDRATES: Yield energy and are stored as fat. Sugars (candy, honey, syrup, sweet fruits) Starches (breads, cereals, potatoes, corn, legumes, nuts) Vegetable fibre, or cellulose MINERAL MATTER: Shares in forming bones and teeth, and is necessary for proper functioning. Carbon Lime Sodium Potassium, Sulphur Iron Phosphorus Etc. [Sidenote: _Whole Grain Products Not Devitalized_] These elements are contained largely in the outer coatings of grains, fruits, and vegetables, and in animal foods and their products. Do not pare potatoes before cooking. Cook vegetables in a small amount of water, saving the water for soups and sauces. WATER: The universal solvent, absolutely necessary for life. Contained in purest form in all vegetables and fruits. The average person needs, in addition, from three to five pints taken as a drink. If not sure of the purity, boil. Do not drink while food is in the mouth. [Sidenote: _Absolutely Necessary for Growth_] VITAMINES: Health preservers. Vital substances necessary for growth. The chemistry of these products is at present not thoroughly understood, but their importance has been demonstrated by experiments (not torture) on animals. By this work we know that diseases like beri-beri, scurvy, rickets, and probably pellagra, are due to a lack of these vital elements in the food, and from that fact these are called "deficiency" diseases. [Sidenote: _Guinea Pigs vs. Babies_] Of course I realize that nations can be saved from horrible diseases, and hundreds and thousands of babies saved from death, through this experimentation on a few guinea pigs and other animals; but what is the life of a baby compared with the happiness of a guinea pig? Down with animal experimentation! Let us do everything in our power to hamper scientific work of this kind. We are giving up our husbands, fathers, sons, perhaps to die, for the cause of humanity, but a guinea pig! Horrors! It has been found that the vitamines, like the minerals, are most abundant in the outer coverings and the germ of grains, and in fruits and vegetables. They are also present in fresh milk, butter, meat and eggs. Babies fed pasteurized or boiled milk should have fruit juices and vegetable purees early. Begin with one-half teaspoonful, well diluted, and gradually increase the feeding to an ounce or more between meals once or twice daily. Most animal fats have the vitamines, but vegetable fats are deficient in them. That is the reason cod liver oil is better for some therapeutic uses than olive oil. [Sidenote: _Balanced Diet_] BALANCED DIET: Should contain 10-15% Protein (children may need more) 25-30% Fat 60-65% Carbohydrates [Sidenote: _To Get the Elements Necessary for Health_] For example, suppose you are a fairly active woman and need 2500 calories per day. Then for a balanced diet you would need: 10% Protein, or 250 C. 25% Fat, or 625 C. 65% Carbohydrates 1625 C. ------- 2500 C. 250 C. of P. = 2-1/5 oz. dry protein (250 ÷ 113 = 2-1/5, approximately) 625 C. of F. = 2-1/2 oz. of fat (625 ÷ 255 = 2-1/2, approximately) 1625 C. of CH. = 14-1/2 oz. dry carbohydrates (1625 ÷ 113 = 14-1/2, approximately) Two and one-fifth ounces dry protein equals the approximate amount of protein in 10 ounces lean meat, fish, or fowl, or 9 ounces cheese, or 9 eggs. (You should not take all of your proteins in any of these single forms.) Two and one-half ounces fat equals approximately 5 pats of butter. [Sidenote: _If Appetite Not Perverted_] But listen! You don't have to bother with all this fussy stuff. _Be careful not to over-or under-eat of the proteins_, and your tastes will be a fair standard for the rest. You should remember that a balanced diet contains some of all these foods, in about the proportions given, and that, while _watery vegetables and fruits contain very few calories, they contain very important mineral salts, vitamines, and cellulose._ The latter is good for the daily scrub of the intestinal tract. [Sidenote: _A Pretty Nearly Universal Error_] CONSTIPATION is many times caused by a too concentrated diet, or one containing too little roughage. It has also been discovered that some individuals who are troubled with faulty elimination digest this cellulose, and only the more resistant, like bran, is not absorbed. For those, the Japanese seaweed called agaragar in the laboratory, but more familiarly known as agar by the layman, is excellent. The most industrious digestive tract apparently can not digest that. It has the further property of absorbing a large amount of water, thus increasing its bulk. [Sidenote: _C.S._] [Sidenote: _Have Enough Water, Else You'll Choke to Death. I Did Once_] Mineral oils (refined paraffine) also are not absorbable, and they act with benefit in some cases. About the worst thing to do, in general, is to take physics constantly. These are not physics, however; they act mechanically. Even the C.S. (common-sense?) individual can take these. The agar may be taken two or three heaping teaspoonfuls in a large glass of water before retiring, or in the morning before breakfast, or in lieu of 4 o'clock tea. Drink it down rapidly--for goodness' sake, don't try to chew it. Mineral oil will make fine mayonnaise dressing. It has little or no food value, so the constipated overweight individual may indulge freely. For faulty elimination, then-- 1. Correct diet. 2. Exercise--especially brisk walking. 3. Regularity of habit. 4. Possibly the addition of bran, agar, or mineral oils. 5. Sweet disposition. Mean people are always constipated. _Review_ 1. Give classes of food, with examples of each. 2. What are vitamines? How importance discovered? 3. Where most abundant? 4. What is a balanced diet? 5. What should be done for faulty elimination? 4 More Keys and More Calories [Sidenote: _List of Foods to Follow_] The following list probably does not contain all of the foods you might like and want to know about, but from those named you can judge of the food value of others. In general, the caloric value, and therefore the fattening value, depends upon the amount of fat and the degree of concentration. [Sidenote: _Important_] But remember this point: _Any food eaten beyond what your system requires for its energy, growth, and repair, is fattening, or is an irritant, or both_. [Sidenote: _A Moderate Sized Chocolate Cream_] If a food contains much fat, you will know that it is high in food value, for fat has two and one-quarter times the caloric value that proteins and carbohydrates have. Dry foods are high in value, for they are concentrated and contain little water. Compare the quantity of two heaping teaspoonfuls of sugar, a concentrated food, and one and one-half pounds of lettuce, a watery vegetable, each having the same caloric value. A moderate sized chocolate cream is not only concentrated but has considerable fat in the chocolate. [Sidenote: _Enuf Sed_] It is not necessary to know accurately the caloric values. In fact, authorities differ in some of their computations. The list is not mathematically correct, but it will give you a good idea of the relative values, and is accurate enough for our purposes. I have purposely given round numbers, where possible, in order to make them more easily remembered. In reckoning made dishes, such as puddings and sauces, you must compute the different ingredients approximately. About how much sugar it has, how much fat to the dish, and so on. In reckoning any food, if you are reducing, give it the benefit of the doubt on the high count; and if trying to gain, count it low. It is well, if you are much overweight or underweight, to have some of these foods that are given weighed, so that you can judge approximately what your servings will total. [Sidenote: _A Mixture_] A mixture of foods should be used, in order to get the different elements which are necessary for the human machine. It is not wholesome to have many foods at a meal; but the menu should be varied from day to day. Any regimen which does not allow some carbohydrates and fats for the fuel foods is injurious if persisted in for a length of time. [Sidenote: _Thoroughly Masticate Everything_] As to harmful combinations; there are not many, and if your food is thoroughly masticated you need not concern yourself very much about them. However, if you find a food disagrees with you, or that certain combinations disagree, do not try to use them. Underweight individuals sometimes have to train their digestive tracts for some of the foods they need. Coffee, tea and other mild stimulants are not harmful to the majority; but, like everything else, in excess they will cause ill health. Alcoholic drinks make the fat fatter and the thin thinner, and both more feeble mentally. [Sidenote: _I Love Her_] I hope I have stimulated you to an interest in dietetics. There are many books which go into the subject much more deeply. I recommend, especially, "The Home Dietitian," written by my beloved colleague and classmate, Dr. Belle Wood-Comstock. Others I have read that are especially suitable for the home are "Feeding the Family," by Mary Schwartz Rose, and "Dietary Computer," by Pope. There are doubtless many other good ones. The Department of Agriculture publishes free bulletins on the subject. Farmers' Bulletin No. 142, by Atwater, is very comprehensive. Other authorities I have consulted are Lusk, Friedenwald and Ruhräh, Gautier, Sherman, Buttner, Locke and Von Noorden. Measuring Table 1 teaspoon (tsp.) fluid 1/6 oz. 1 dessertspoon (tsp.) 1/3 oz. 1 tablespoon (tbsp.) 1/2 oz. 1 ordinary cup 8 oz. 1 ordinary glass 8 oz. Average helping a.h. _One Hundred Calorie Portions and Average Helpings_ (Approximate Measures) (ATWATER, LOCKE, ROSE) MEATS Beefsteak, lean round..............2 oz. 100 C. A.h....... 3-1/2 oz., 185 C. Beefsteak, tenderloin..............1 oz. 100 C. A.h.................. 285 C. Beef, roast, very lean.............3 oz. 100 C. A.h.................. 150 C. Chicken, roast..................1-2/3oz. 100 C. 1 slice.............. 180 C. Frankfurters, 1 sausage............1 oz. 100 C. Chops, lamb or mutton..........1-1/2 oz. 100 C. Average chops.... 150-300 C. Pork: Bacon, crisp...................1/2 oz. 100 C. 1 small slice, crisp 25 C. Chop.........................1-1/2 oz. 100 C. Medium..........160-300 C. Ham, boiled..................1-1/3 oz. 100 C. A.h..........3 oz., 250 C. Ham, fried.....................3/4 oz. 100 C. A.h..........3 oz., 400 C. Sausage..........................1 oz. 100 C. 1 small, crisp.......60 C. Turkey.........................1-1/3 oz. 100 C. A.h........3-1/3 oz., 260 C. [Sidenote: _Fish Boiled or Broiled_] FISH Fish, Lean, Cod, Halibut...........3 oz. 100 C. A.h........... 4 oz., 135 C. Fish, fat, salmon, sardines ...1 1/2 oz. 100 C. A.h........... 4 oz., 260 C. Lobster............................4 oz. 100 C. A.h.................. 100 C. Oysters.......................... 12 100 C. 1 oyster............... 8 C. Clams, long....................... 8 100 C. 1 clam................ 12 C. SOUPS Cream soups, average...............3 oz. 100 C. A.h........... 4 oz., 125 C. Consommés, no fat.................30 oz. 100 C. A.h........... 4 oz., 15 C. DAIRY PRODUCTS AND EGGS Butter, 1 level tbsp. scant .... 1/2 oz. 100 C. 1 ball............... 120 C. Cheese (American, Roquefort, Swiss, etc.)..... 1-1/8 cu. in 3/4 oz. 100 C. Cottage Cheese.................... 3 oz. 100 C. A.h.................. 100 C. Whole Milk........................ 5 oz. 100 C. 1 glass.............. 160 C. Skim Milk........................ 10 oz. 100 C. 1 glass............... 80 C. Malted Milk (dry).............1 h. tbsp. 100 C. Buttermilk, natural.............. 10 oz. 100 C. 1 glass............... 80 C. Koumiss........................... 6 oz. 100 C. 1 glass.............. 130 C. Condensed, unsweetened............ 2 oz. 100 C. 1 tbsp................ 35 C. Condensed, sweetened, 1-1/4 tbsp....... 100 C. Cream, average.................1-1/3 oz. 100 C. 1 tbsp................ 50 C. Cream, whipped................ 1-1/3 oz. 100 C. 1 h. tbsp............ 100 C. Eggs, 1 large..................... 1 100 C. Average egg........... 80 C. Boiled or poached; if fried, C. depend upon fat adhering. VEGETABLES When not otherwise indicated, the method of cooking is by boiling. The caloric value of sauces served with them not included. Asparagus, large stalks........... 20 100 C. 1 stalk................ 5 C. Beets........................... 1 lb. 100 C. 2 h. tbsp............. 30 C. Beans, Baked, home.............1-1/2 oz. 100 C. 3 h. tbsp............ 300 C. Beans, Baked, canned...........2-1/2 oz. 100 C. 3 h. tbsp............ 150 C. Beans, Lima....................... 3 oz. 100 C. 3 h. tbsp............ 130 C. Beans, String..................... 1 lb. 100 C. 2 h. tbsp............. 15 C. Cabbage....................... 1-1/2 lb. 100 C. 3 h. tbsp............. 10 C. Carrots........................... 1 lb. 100 C. 3 h. tbsp............. 20 C. Cauliflower....................... 1 lb. 100 C. 3 h. tbsp............. 20 C. Celery, uncooked.................. 1 lb. 100 C. 6 stalks.............. 15 C. Corn, canned.................. 3-1/3 oz. 100 C. 2 h. tbsp............ 100 C. Corn, green, 1 ear............ 3-1/3 oz. 100 C. Medium size. Cucumber...................... 1-1/2 lb. 100 C. 10 to 12 thin slices.. 10 C. Lettuce....................... 1-1/2 lb. 100 C. A.h................. 5-10 C. Mushrooms......................... 8 oz. 100 C. Onions, 2 large................... 8 oz. 100 C. Parsnips.......................... 8 oz. 100 C. A.h............ 2 oz., 25 C. Peas, green....................... 3 oz. 100 C. A.h., 3 h. tbsp...... 100 C. Potatoes, sweet............... 1-1/2 oz. 100 C. 1 medium............. 200 C. Potatoes, white................... 3 oz. 100 C. 1 medium............. 100 C. Potato Chips......scant........... 1 oz. 100 C. A.h., 8-10 pieces.... 100 C. Radishes.......................... 1 lb. 100 C. A.h., 6 red button.... 15 C. Spinach....................... 1-1/2 lb. 100 C. A.h., 1/2 cup......... 25 C. Squash............................ 1 lb. 100 C. A.h., 2h. tbsp........ 25 C. Tomatoes.......................... 1 lb. 100 C. A.h., 1 large......... 50 C. Turnips........................... 1 lb. 100 C. A.h., 2 h. tbsp....... 25 C. FRUITS Apple............................. 7 oz. 100 C. 1 average size......... 50 C. Banana............................ 5 oz. 100 C. 1 small............... 100 C. Berries.............average....... 5 oz. 100 C. 1 small cup........... 100 C. Cantaloupe........................ 1 lb. 100 C. A.h., 1/2 melon....... 100 C. Cherries.......................... 5 oz. 100 C. A.h., 1 small cup..... 100 C. Grapes............................ 5 oz. 100 C. A.h., 1 small bunch... 100 C. Lemons (5 oz. each)............... 2 100 C. They won't make you thin. Average size........... 30 C. Oranges (9 oz. each).............. 1 100 C. Peaches (5 oz. each).............. 2 100 C. Average size........... 50 C. Pears (6 oz. each)................ 1 100 C. Average size........... 90 C. Pineapple, fresh.................. 7 oz. 100 C. 2 slices, 1 in. thick. 100 C. Plums, large..................... 3 or 4 100 C. 1 plum................. 30 C. Watermelon.................... 1-1/2 lb. 100 C. Large slice............ 15 C. Dates (dry), large................ 3-4 100 C. 1 large................ 25 C. Figs (dry), large................. 1-1/2 100 C. 1 large................ 65 C. Prunes (dry), large............... 3 100 C. 1 large................ 35 C. Stewed, 4 medium, with 4 tbsp. juice....... 200 C. BREAD AND CRACKERS Brown Bread, 1 slice, 3 in. in diam., 3/4 in. thick 100 C. Corn Bread, 3 x 2 x 3/4 1-1/2 oz. 100 C. Victory Bread, 1 slice, 3 x 4 x 1/2 in. 100 C. White, gluten, rye, whole wheat, etc., practically same caloric value per same weight. There is so little difference between the caloric value of gluten bread and other breads that it is not necessary for reducing to try to get it. (Toasted bread has the same caloric value that it had before toasting. It is more easily digested, but just as fattening. Advised, however, because it makes you chew.) 1 French or Vienna roll 100 C. Zweiback 3/4 oz. 100 C. 1 slice, 3-1/4 x 1-1/4 x 1/2 in., 35 C. Graham Crackers 3 100 C. 1 c., 3 in. sq. 35 C. Oyster Crackers 24 100 C. Soda Crackers 4 100 C. 1 c. 25 C. Pretzels 5 100 C. 1 p. 20 C. BREAKFAST FOODS, ETC. Farina or Cream of Wheat 6 oz. 100 C. 2 h. tbsp 60 C. Force 1 oz. 100 C. 5 h. tbsp 65 C. Grapenuts scant 1 oz. 100 C. 2 tbsp 100 C. Griddle Cakes, 4-1/2 in. in diam. 100 C. A.h., 3 cakes 300 C. (This does not include butter and syrup, remember.) Hominy 4 oz. 100 C. 2 h. tbsp 85 C. Macaroni, plain 4 oz. 100 C. 2 h. tbsp 90 C. Macaroni and cheese (depends on amt. cheese) 2 h. tbsp 200-300 C. Muffin, average 3/4 m. 100 C. 1 muffin 125 C. Oatmeal 5 oz. 100 C. 1 small cup 100 C. Puffed Rice 1 oz. 100 C. 5 h. tbsp 50 C. Popcorn (cups) 1-1/2 100 C. A.h. depends on butter added. Rice, boiled 4 oz. 100 C. 1/2 cup 100 C. Shredded Wheat Biscuit 1 100 C. Triscuits (_2_) 100 C. Waffles scant 1/2 w. 100 C. 1 waffle 225 C. CANDY, PASTRIES AND SWEETS Chocolate creams, medium. 1 100 C. Chocolate, 1 lb 2880 C. Cherries, candied 10 100 C. Cup Custard, 1/3 cup 100 C. Chocolate Nut Caramels 1 x 1 x 4/5 in. 100 C. Other candies, reckon sugar, nuts, etc. Cookies, plain, diam. 3 in. 2 100 C. 1 cookie 50 C. If raisins or nuts in them, count extra. Doughnut scant 2/3 100 C. 1 average size 160 C. Ginger-snap 5 100 C. 1 gingersnap 20 C. Honey h. tbsp. 1 100 C. Thick syrups approximately the same. Ladyfingers scant 1 oz. 100 C. 1 ladyfinger 35-50 C. Macaroons 2 100 C. 1 macaroon 50 C. Pie with top crust, about 1/4 ordinary slice, or 1-1/4 in. 100 C. A.h., 1/6 pie 350 C. Pie without top crust, 2 in. 100 C. Custard, lemon, squash, etc. A.h., 1/6 pie. 250-300 C. Puddings, average cup 1/4 100 C. A.h. 200-350 C. Depends upon richness. Ice Cream h. tbsp. 1 100 C. A.h. 200-350 C. Depends upon richness. Cakes 1 oz. 100 C. A.h. 200-350 C. Depends upon size, icing, fruit, nuts, etc.; compute approximately. Sugar cubes 3 100 C. Granulated h. tsp. 2 100 C. Saccharine, a coal tar product 300 to 500 times sweeter than sugar, but of no food value. Not advisable to use habitually. Better learn to like things unsweetened--it can be done. CONDIMENTS AND SAUCES Mayonnaise m. tbsp. 1 100 C. A.h. 200 C. Olive oil and other oils. dsp. 1 100 C. Olives, green or ripe 6-8 100 C. 1 olive 10-15 C. Tomato Catsup 6 oz. 100 C. 1 tbsp. 10 C. Thick Gravies tbsp. 3 100 C. NUTS Almonds, large 10 100 C. 1 almond 10 C. Brazil, large 2-1/2 100 C. 1 Brazil nut 45 C. Chestnuts, small 20 100 C. 1 chestnut 5 C. Peanuts, large double 10 100 C. 1 bag 250-300 C. Pecans, large 5 100 C. 1 pecan 20 C. Walnuts, large 3-1/3 100 C. 1 walnut 30 C. Cocoanut, prepared 1/2 oz. 100 C. Peanut Butter 2-1/2 tsp. 100 C. _Key to Key_ [Sidenote: _Remember This_] If you will remember the following portions of food, you will have a standard by which to compute your servings: Lean Meat: a piece 3 x 2 x 1/2 (2 oz.) 100 C. Now if your serving of meat or fish is fat, mentally cut in two for same value. If very lean, you should add a little. White Bread: slice 3 x 4x 1/2 100 C. Compute other breads by this. Butter: 1 scant tablespoonful 100 C. Sugar: 1 heaping teaspoonful 50 C. Potatoes: 1 medium, boiled or baked. 100 C. Watery Vegetables: 1 helping 15-35 C. If food is fried, or butter, oil, or cream sauces are added, the C. value increases markedly. _Review_ 1. Why is a mixture of foods necessary? 2. Give the caloric value of the following: 1 glass of milk, skim; buttermilk; 10 chocolate creams; 1 bag peanuts; 1 pat butter; 1 piece pie. 3. Name foods low in caloric value. Why are they valuable? 4. How many calories of bread and butter do you daily consume? 5. Reckon your usual caloric intake. How much of it is in excess of your needs? 6. Memorize caloric value of foods you are fond of. _This Table of Foods, With the C Given Per Oz. Will Help You_ The caloric value of pure fat is 255 C per oz., dry starches and sugars (carbohydrates), and protein (the meat element), is 113. This means fats are 2-1/4 times more fattening than other foods. Most foods contain considerable water, so the following is an approximate table of foods 'as is.' I have given round numbers in the table so you can more easily remember them. _Memorize it_. Calories per oz. Fats 255 Nuts, edible part 200 Sugar 115 Cream cheese 110 Cottage cheese (no fat) 30 Breads 75 Lean meats 50 Lean fish 35 Eggs (per oz.) 40 Milk, whole 20 Milk, skim and buttermilk (no fat) 10 Milk, condensed, sweet 100 Milk, condensed, unsweet. 50 Cream, thin 60 Cream, thick 110 Fruits: Dried 100 Sweet 25 Acid 15 Vegetables: Potatoes, plain (oz.) 30 Cooked Legumes, (peas, beans, etc.) 20-35 Watery and leafy 5-15 5 Vegetarianism vs. Meat Eating [Sidenote: _Protein_] As protein is the only food which builds and repairs tissue, it is the food which has caused the most controversy. First: As to the amount needed. Second: As to whether animal flesh protein is necessary. [Sidenote: _Chittenden_] AMOUNT NEEDED: It was thought for many years that 150 grams or 5 ounces of dry protein (equivalent to about 1-1/2 pounds lean meat) per day was necessary. But experiments of Chittenden and others have proved that considerably less is sufficient, and that the health is improved if less is taken. Chittenden's standard is 50 grams, or 1-2/3 ounces, dry protein (equivalent to 1/2 pound meat per day). This is considered by many as insufficient. A variation from 1-2/3 to 3 ounces dry protein per day will give a safe range. (ROSE.) [Sidenote: _Approx. 240 to 360 C Per Day_] _The amount of protein needed is comparatively independent of the amount of physical exertion_, thus differing from the purely fuel foods, carbohydrates and fats, which should vary in direct proportion to the amount of physical exertion. In general, 10 to 15 per cent of the total calories per day should be taken as protein. An excess is undoubtedly irritant to the kidneys, blood vessels, and other organs, and if too little is taken the body tissues will suffer. Not all of the protein should be taken in the form of animal protein; at least one-half should be taken from the vegetable kingdom. _Animal Flesh Protein_ [Sidenote: _Necessary?_] The following are a few of the chief reasons given by those who object to its use: [Sidenote: _The Negative Side_] First: The animal has just as much right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as we have. Second: They may be diseased, and there is the possibility of their containing animal parasites, such as tapeworms and trichinæ. I would like to tell you more about worms, they are so interesting, but He says not to try to tell all I know in this little book; that maybe he will let me write another sometime, although it is a terrible strain on him, and that I have given enough of the family history, anyway. [Sidenote: _Some Word_] Third: The tissues of animals contain excrementitious material, which may cause excess acidity, raise the blood pressure, and so forth. Fourth: More apt to putrefy and thus give ptomaine poisoning. Fifth: Makes the disposition more vicious. (Honest,--animals eating meat exclusively are more vicious.) [Sidenote: _The Affirmative Side_] Those who believe that animal protein should be eaten answer these points as follows: First: Survival of the fittest. Second: If you give decent support to your health departments they can furnish enough inspectors to prevent the marketing of diseased meat; and if some should slip through, if you thoroughly bake, boil, or fry your animal parasites they will lose their pep. Third: Most of the harmful products are destroyed by the intestines and liver. Fourth: True, but see that you get good meat, and don't eat it in excess. Fifth: Unanswerable--to be proved later by personal experiments. In addition, they say that animal protein is more easily digested, that 97 per cent is assimilated because it is animal, and so it is much more to be desired, especially by children and convalescents; that vegetable protein is enclosed in cellulose, and only 65 to 75 per cent is used by the system; thus the diet is apt to be too bulky if the proper amount is taken. [Sidenote: _Strong Vegetarians_] It has been proved, however, by several endurance tests, that the vegetarian contestants had more strength and greater endurance than their meat-eating competitors, so there is no reason why we should be worried by one or two, or even more, meatless days, especially when animal product protein, such as milk, eggs, cheese, and the vegetable proteins, as in the legumes and the nuts, are available. [Sidenote: _A Confession_] I confess that for quite a while after studying vegetarian books I took a dislike to meat, but now I am in the comfortable state described by Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography. It seems that he had been converted to vegetarianism and had decided that he never again would eat the flesh of animals that had been ruthlessly slaughtered, when they so little deserved that fate. But he was exceedingly fond of fish, and while on a fishing party, as some fish were being fried, he found they did smell most admirably well, and he was greatly torn between his desire and his principle. Finally he remembered that when the fish were opened he saw some smaller fish in their stomachs, and he decided that if they could eat each other he could eat them. [Sidenote: _Most Noted Picture of B. Franklin Extant_] _Protein Calories in 100 C Portions of Food_ In 100 C's Bread, 1 slice, (W.W. the highest) 12 to 16 C's P In 100 C's Cooked Cereals, 1 sm. cup, (oatmeal highest) 10 to 18 C's P In 100 C's Rice, 1 small cup 10 C's P In 100 C's Macaroni, 1 small cup 15 C's P In 100 C's Whole milk, 5 oz. 20 C's P In 100 C's Skim and buttermilk, 10 oz. 35 C's P In 100 C's Cheese, 3 heaping tbsp. Cottage cheese 75 C's P In 100 C's Eggs 1-1/3 36 C's P In 100 C's Meat or fish, Very lean 2-3 oz. 50 to 75 C's P In 100 C's Nuts, peanuts, almonds, walnuts. Peanuts the highest 10 to 20 C's P In 100 C's Beans 1/3 cup average 20 C's P In 100 C's Green peas 3/4 cup average 28 C's P In 100 C's Corn 1/3 cup average 12 C's P In 100 C's Onions 3 to 4 medium 12 C's P In 100 C's Potato 1 medium 12 C's P In 100 C's Tomatoes 1 lb 15 C's P In 100 C's Fresh fruits: berries, currants, rhubarb 10 C's P Others 2 to 5 C's P 6 The Deluded Ones--My Thin Friends [Sidenote: _What!_] I am going to sandwich you in between the food calories and my fat friends, and maybe you can absorb some of them. In the first chapter, you remember, I said I was not particularly interested in you, but I have changed my mind, and I will treat you tenderly and carefully. I will have to preach a little bit first, but I don't mind that; I love to reform people--Yes, you need reforming! The first thing many of you have to do is to learn to accept the trivial annoyances and small misfits of life as a matter of course, for to give them attention _beyond their deserts_ is to wear the web of your life to the warp. Elbert Hubbard never said anything better than that. Have that reproduced in motto form and put it on your bureau, and repeat it fifty times daily. [Sidenote: _Good Philosophy_] Adopt my philosophy. If I have a trivial annoyance I analyze it carefully. Was I to blame? Yes? All right, I am glad, because then I can see that it will not happen again, so I stop worrying. If I am not to blame, if I could not help it in the least, well, then I don't worry about it, for that will not help it any, and I wasn't to blame! If it bobs up in my mind again, I say: "Now, look here, you annoyance, I have given you all the attention you deserve; avaunt, depart, get out!" [Sidenote: _Simple_] Now, how is this philosophy going to help you gain? [Sidenote: _Lost Calories_] When you worry needlessly, notice how tense your muscles are. You are exercising them all of the time and using hundreds of calories of energy. You raise your blood pressure, the internal secretory glands may overact (re-read what I have said about these glands in the fat people), and thus many more calories are used. The intestinal secretions do not flow so freely, you have indigestion and do not assimilate your food, and thus hundreds more calories are lost. It certainly is impossible to gain unless your food is assimilated. [Sidenote: _Develop Poise_] So the first thing you have to learn is this mental control and to relax. Remember that word, relax. After you are better nourished your nervous system will not be on hair-trigger tension, and it will be easier for you. [Sidenote: _No Pain In Matter; No Matter In Pain Why Worry?_] If you are ill in mind or body, remember that it is natural to be well, and that within your body nature has stored the most wonderful forces which are always tending towards the normal, or health, if not obstructed or hindered. Nature sometimes needs help to stimulate those forces, or to reinforce them, or to remove obstructions. This is where the physician comes in. But you yourself can aid nature the most by realizing that _nature is health and it is normal to be well_. By so doing, all of your organs function better and you are restored to normal more rapidly. [Sidenote: _Sleep_] [Sidenote: _Fresh Air_] Second: It is very important to have enough sleep. Dr. Richard Cabot says that probably resistance is lowered as much by lack of sufficient sleep as by any other factor, and that all you can soak into your system in twenty-four hours is not too much. Don't forget the fresh air. You generally suffer from sleeplessness, I believe. The overweights are always advised not to sleep too much. They will find while reducing that they won't want to sleep so much, anyway. They will like to stay awake--they feel so much happier. [Sidenote: _Sometimes_] Now, when you retire and try to sleep but cannot, try this--it works with me. You know when you are passing over your mental images become distorted and grotesque. I artificially induce that state. If I find myself rehearsing about two hundred times, with appropriate gestures, the keen, witty, logical remarks which I could have made in favor of my pet legislation in the club discussion, but didn't, then I begin after this fashion: Pink elephants with green ribbons on their tails--red rhinoceri (is that right, or should it be rhinoceroses?)--smiling peanuts--Woman's City Club--Social Health Insurance--why didn't I say--I wish I had said--(here get out, you annoyance!)--pink elephants--and so forth and so forth. [Sidenote: _Picture of Pink Elephant Adorned_] [Sidenote: _Woe Is Me_] Now I realize I have ruined myself. I am my own worst enemy. I have exposed my whole life before those modern vivisectionists, the army of amateur psycho-analysts. [Sidenote: _Exercise_] Third: Exercise. Great muscular exertion should be avoided, but the setting-up exercises that I advise, if begun with moderation and increased gradually, will undoubtedly stimulate the appetite and help the body functions to be better performed. [Sidenote: _Food_] Fourth: Since food is the only source of body substance, you must gradually train your stomach so that it can care for enough food to not only supply your bodily energy, but to leave a little excess to be stored as fat. [Sidenote: _Your Stomach_] If you have a small appetite--and many of you have--your stomach is undoubtedly contracted, and you must gradually add to the amount you have been eating, even though it may cause some distress, until you have disciplined it so that it can handle what you need without distress. The stomach is a muscular organ and can be trained and exercised somewhat as other organs can. You will not have much appetite at first, but it will develop. Sometimes a short fast for a day or two, drinking nothing but pure water, seems to be beneficial in the beginning. Do not drink much with your meals, unless the drink has food value by the addition of lots of cream or sugar, or both. [Sidenote: _Eat More_] Decide how many calories you need for your activities, gradually add to your dietary until you have reached that number, and then some more, and you will gain as surely as the overweight individual will lose by doing the opposite. It may take a long time, or you may get results very rapidly, depending somewhat upon the individual characteristics. Gradually increase your butter, cream, sugar, chocolate, and so forth, as they are very high in food value. Study the Key to the Calories and reckon your calories every day for a while. You have already noticed that the foods that you like are low in food value. Here are some of the things you can take to add to your fuel: [Sidenote: _Try Some of These_] A glass of milk, hot or cold, taken between meals and before retiring, will add about 500 calories. Cream sauce on your vegetables will add to their value. Cod liver oil, or olive oil, or cream, begun in small doses and gradually increased. One malted milk, made with milk, syrup, egg, ice cream, whipped cream, and the malted milk, will add about 500 calories. [Sidenote: _Learned Phraseology_] You remember the painful time that I spoke of when there was so much more of me than there ought to be? Well, the aforesaid concoction, made with milk, syrup, egg, ice cream, whipped cream, and the malted milk, was accessory before the fact, and also particeps criminis before the law. I absorbed this phraseology by being president of the Professional Woman's Club, with its high-class women attorneys, ministers, dentists, Ph.D.'s, and "Medical Trust" doctors. [Sidenote: _Explanatory Note 1_] "Medical Trust."--The American Medical Association (A.M.A.), a powerful trust you can't get into unless you have a high preliminary education and are a graduate of a high-class medical college. Eleven years' training after the grammar school is their minimum standard now. [Sidenote: _Explanatory Note 2_] "League for Medical Ignorance."--The so-called "League for Medical Freedom"; the opponent of the above mentioned trust. Their standard--any old kind of a medical or religious training, two weeks or longer, engrafted on anyone who has the money to pay for the course. No education, no barrier; in fact, those of limited education make the loudest boosters for the league. In justice, I must say that many splendid, estimable persons belong to this league, not knowing these facts. [Sidenote: _Thorough Mastication_] Fifth: See page 92 in my advice to the fat. It is as important for you as for them. (It always makes me mildly furious when I look up a word and am directed to seek some other locality. If it affects you that way--seek page 60 in my advice to you.) Also have your teeth X-rayed. Blind abscesses at the roots will cause all sorts of aches and pains, as well as underweight. [Sidenote: _Especially About Your Ailments_] [Sidenote: _Organ Recitals Wednesday Evenings Only_] Sixth: _Don't talk so much_. See if you can't leave out two-thirds of the totally unimportant, uninteresting details. A tremendous amount of energy is used in talking. This habit I would not say was confined to you, by any means; it is another one of those pretty nearly universal errors. I will not give you a sample fattening menu, for it might be all out of proportion to what you could handle, and it would upset you. Make out your own menus, realizing that you must work gradually to the desired amount. I am taking it for granted that you are organically sound, that your scientific, educated physician has said there is nothing the matter with you, except perhaps your "nervous" disposition. Have I not been nice to you? All right, relax and watch yourself get into the class of the plumptically adequate. And if you don't succeed after a faithful trial, take the milk-cure, with its three to six weeks' absolute rest. _Recapitulation_ 1. Calm yourself. 2. Sleep. 3. Exercise. 4. Food. 5. Masticate 6. Delete the details. 7. Milk-cure. _Review_ 1. Repeat Elbert Hubbard's advice. 2. Give three reasons why worry can make you thin. 3. Define "Medical Trust" and "League for Medical Freedom." 4. Memorize paragraph about nature 5. Enumerate the things you can eat to increase your calories. 7 Exercise It is practically impossible to reduce weight through exercise alone, unless one can do a tremendous amount of it. For the food that one eats is usually enough to cover the energy lost by the exercise. [Sidenote: _Light On Your Feet_] However, exercise is a very important feature of any reducing program; not because of the fat that is burned up in the exercise--and there is some burned--but for the reason that it is necessary to keep one in a healthy condition. The muscles, the internal organs, the bones, the brain, are all benefited--in fact, the entire system. [Sidenote: _Duty Dances_] The exercises described hereinafter will help make you fat or thin, and they will keep you supple, graceful, and light on your feet, so that when I tell my husband that he must dance with you, Madam, he will not say, "Nothing stirring," and when you, Professor, ask me to dance, I will not curse the day I was born. [Sidenote: _Warning_] If you have not been accustomed to exercise, I warn you to take up only one or two at a time and do each one a few times only. You will be atrociously sore, and you will realize that you have muscles of which you wotted not. However, persist, if you are sure there are no organic reasons why you shouldn't--such as a weak heart. (In case you are very much overweight, I think it advisable to wait until you have reduced somewhat.) [Sidenote: _Or Classic Dancing_] It is splendid if you can belong to a gymnasium or to a physical culture class, but ten to fifteen minutes' systematic daily exercise practiced with vim, and each set followed by deep breathing, will do more good than a gymnasium spasmodically attended. Brisk walking with a long stride isn't so bad; in fact, if taken with a very long stride it will twist 'most every organ you have in your body. There are hundreds of exercises you can take. If you will notice little rascal's illustrations you will find many good ones. Those illustrating the beginning of this chapter are excellent. If possible, it is best to take the exercises on arising in the morning, but if you have a household to care for you may not be able to do so. For those who have to do their own work, it may be well to do the work first. You can do it in half the time if you plan it carefully and speed up. (This advice is not for my thin friends; their speedometers register too high already.) It does not matter so much when the exercises are done as that they are done, and done every day for the rest of your life, with the possible exception of two or three days a month. Gallstones, permanent stiff joints, and other little things like that will have a hard time forming. _My Exercises_ [Sidenote: _They Reach Most of My Muscles_] (The services of my noted artist I was able to obtain with great difficulty, as he was engaged in the more important work of making a swagger stick. I finally secured him by the promise of an ice cream cone and twenty-three cents to go with his two cents so that he could buy a Thrift Stamp. He is given due credit on the title page.) [Sidenote: _Turn On Your Music_] These exercises executed with vim, vigor, and vip--deep breathing between each set--will take ten to fifteen minutes. Re-read my warning. [Sidenote: _Little Movements with Meanings All Their Own_] 1. Feet together, arms outstretched, palms up, describe as large a circle as possible. Fine for round shoulders and fat backs. Do slowly and stretch fifteen times. Smile. 2. Arms outstretched, swing to right and to left as far as possible at least 15 times each. [Sidenote: _Important! Keep Facial Expression Throughout as per Artist's Idea_] 3. Bend sideways, to right and left, alternately, as far as possible at least 15 times each. 4. Revolve the body upon the hips from right to left at least 10 times, and left to right the same. 5. Bend and touch the floor with your fingers, without bending your knees, at least 15 times. 6. Knee-bending exercise, at least 15 times. This is hard at first. 7. Hand on door or wall, swing each leg back and forth at least 15 times. To the side 15 times. Turn head, raise arm, and tense both. [Sidenote: _You Will Soon Be as Graceful as Annette_] 8. Step on chair with each foot at least 10 times. This is good for calf and thigh muscles. After a while you won't look as though you needed a derrick to get onto a street car. 9. Arms on sides of chair. Come down and touch abdomen. Fine for back and abdomen. Fifteen times. [Sidenote: _It Has Been Called to My Attention that Bone Back Brushes Should Not Be Used by Some; i.e., There Is Danger in Affinities_] 10. Brush hair vigorously at least 200 double strokes all over the head, N.S.E.W., using a brush in each hand. [Sidenote: _Good Exercise_] (Military brushes are best. If you can't purloin a set of your husband's, two ordinary brushes will do.) Now shake out the loose dandruff. This is one of the best exercises and must not be omitted, for it accomplishes two purposes. It is a good arm and chest exercise, and it gives a healthy scalp absolutely free from the dammdruff. NOW This for a few minutes, followed by this, the hot preferably at night. 8 At Last! How to Reduce The title of this chapter indicates to whom it is addressed. All others please refrain from reading, for it is strictly private and confidential, and is intended only for those who need it. You thin and you normal had better save it, though, for you may qualify later. You are keeping right on reading now! I'm surprised. I wanted to tell my fat friends that the first thing they have to do is to get control of their will power, and now I can't do it. Somehow, will power with a layer of fat on it gets feeble. Don't laugh, you too thin! It gets worse than feeble, if there is no fat at all and the nervous system is starved, it--well, I won't say what it does, for I don't want to worry you. [Sidenote: _Now That Order Is Restored I Will Resume_] Will power, being feeble to a greater or less degree, must be bolstered and aided a bit, to begin with, so-- _First Order_ [Sidenote: _Watch Your Weight!_] [Sidenote: _Nature Always Counts_] Tell loudly and frequently to all your friends that you realize that it is unpatriotic to be fat while many thousands are starving, that you are going to reduce to normal, and will be there in the allotted time. If you belong to a club, round up the overweights and form a section. Call it the "Watch Your Weight--Anti-Kaiser Class." Tax the members sufficiently to buy a good, accurate pair of scales. Meet once a week to weigh. Wear approximately the same weight clothes, and weigh at the same time in relation to eating. Do this whether or not you belong to a club. Once or twice a week is often enough to weigh. Scales vary, so try to use the same ones. Don't be discouraged if some day after you have dieted well you seem to have gained. Nature sometimes seems fiendish that way. The excess weight is probably due to a retention of water, and will not be permanent. However, don't depend upon this too often! Usually, if you have gained when you think you ought not to, it is because Nature has been counting calories and you haven't. Have the members listed on a weight chart conspicuously placed near the scales, and record accurately the weight weekly. +-------------------------------------------------------+ | WATCH YOUR WEIGHT ANTI-KAISER CLASS | +-------------------------------------------------------+ | |Normal| Weight on | +------------------+------+-----------------------------+ | Members' Names |Weight|Date|Date|Date|Date|Date|Date| +------------------+------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | +------------------+------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | +------------------+------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | +------------------+------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | +------------------+------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | +------------------+------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ [Sidenote: _No Funds for the Red Cross_] Those not reducing at least one pound per week to be fined soundly and the proceeds given to the Red Cross. That won't be a good way to raise funds for the chapter, though, for there will be no fines after the first week or so, when the members find what their maintenance diet should be and are consuming less than that. I will explain this maintenance diet business. You shameless thin ones, call back your more polite comrades--this is important for all of you. (I shall also tell you more fully about this in the last chapter.) [Sidenote: _Maintenance Diet_] The maintenance diet is one which maintains you at your present weight, _i.e.,_ you are not gaining or losing. You may be over or under normal, but are staying there. The intake equals the outgo. When you eat less than your maintenance diet, you are going to supply the deficiency with your own fat. So commit yourself on your honor that you are going to reduce or perish--no joke; you can't tell how near you are to it if you are much overweight. There are two general stages of fatty heart. In the first stage the heart is surrounded by a blanket of fat, and it also penetrates between the muscles. Later, if it goes on too long, the heart muscle itself degenerates to fat, then-- [Sidenote: _Good-night!_] Shakespeare warns you to make thy body less, hence thy grace more; leave gormandizing, and know that the grave doth gape for thee thrice wider than for other men. _Second Order_ [Sidenote: _Shrink Your Stomach_] Your stomach, long used to an excess of food for your needs--it may not be a large amount--but still, I repeat, being used to an excess of food for your needs, your stomach must be disciplined. It is undoubtedly distended, as it should not be. [Sidenote: _Shrink Your Stomach_] A good way to show it that you are master is to fast for at least one day--drink nothing but pure water, hot or cold, as you prefer. It will protest vociferously and will tell all its friends, the different organs of your body, how you are persecuting it, and they will join the league against you and decide they will oust you from your position, and you will feel like--but don't mind it; it will soon know that you mean business, and, much chastened and considerably contracted, will take the next day a very small amount of food very gratefully. [Sidenote: _Shrink Your Stomach_] If you do not want to be so severe with it you can allow it five glasses of hot or cold skim milk or buttermilk, one every three hours, say, at 10,1,4,7, and 10 o'clock. One glass is 80 calories, five equal 400 calories, which is not so much. [Sidenote: _Or Mashed_] The baked potato and glass of skim milk diet, three times a day one day a week, which has its devotees, depends upon its low caloric content for its results. There is no magic in it, no yeast business which reduces. This is most wholesome, however, for potatoes contain a large amount of the potassium salts, which tend to counteract the effects of uric acid, and thus are good for the gouty type. [Sidenote: _Mono-Diets_] The beefsteak, the milk, and the fruit diets are also good. One can gain as well as lose on the milk diet, all depending on number of calories consumed, and it is an excellent method for both. The beefsteak diet is beneficial for a short time, but too much protein over a long period has been shown to be harmful. An exclusive fruit diet is excellent for reduction. Low calorie days can be repeated once a week if necessary in order to keep the stomach in good order. Fruit juice, one-quarter glass, or fresh fruit, can be substituted for the skim milk, and you may prefer it. [Sidenote: _But You Do Not Have To_] You could keep on this for some time, or fast for some time, and probably be much benefited. I fasted five days once, or rather fruit-juiced five days. I lost about ten pounds, I think, and my heart, which had begun to carry on, was relieved. [Sidenote: _Sob Stuff_] It was during that period of which I have spoken, and of which I am ashamed; for I had my M.D. degree then and should have known better. But you know we have good authority that it is easier to teach twenty what were good to be done than to be one of twenty to follow our own teaching. _Third Order_ [Sidenote: _You Are Down to Business_] [Sidenote: _And Maybe Diabetes_] Now you will have to reckon on the amount of food or number of calories you need per day. Review the rule I have given. You find for your age and _normal weight_ that you will need, let us say for example, 2200 calories. You have probably been consuming twice that amount and either storing it away as fat or as disease. (It is surprising how small an excess will gradually add up pounds of fat. For instance, three pats of butter or three medium chocolate creams a day, if over the maintenance limit, would add approximately _27 pounds a year_ to your weight!) Now you are to reduce your maintenance diet--the 2200 calories we are taking for example--to 1200 calories--quite a comfortable lot, you will find. You will be surprised how much 1200 calories will be if the food is judiciously selected. [Sidenote: _After All, Hunger Is Much More Agreeable Than Apoplexy_] You may be hungry at first, but you will soon become accustomed to the change. I find that dry lemon or orange peel, or those little aromatic breath sweeteners, just a tiny bit, seem to stop the hunger pangs; or you may have a cup of fat-free bouillon or half an apple, or other low calorie food. (Count the calories here.) One thousand calories less food per day equals four ounces of fat lost daily--approximately 8 pounds per month. If you do not want to lose so fast, do not cut down so much. _Fourth Order_ [Sidenote: _You Register Joy_] You may eat just what you like--candy, pie, cake, fat meat, butter, cream--but--_count your calories!_ You can't have many nor large helpings, you see; but isn't it comforting to know that you can eat these things? Maybe some meal you would rather have a 350-calorie piece of luscious pie, with a delicious 150-calorie tablespoonful of whipped cream on it, than all the succulent vegetables Luther Burbank could grow in California. My idea of heaven is a place with me and mine on a cloud of whipped cream. [Sidenote: _You Registered Too High_] Now that you know you can have the things you like, proceed to make your menus containing very little of them. _Fifth Order_ This is going to be your chief business and pursuit in life for the next few months, this reducing of your weight. However, keep up your Red Cross and all other activities, fast and furiously, so that you won't be thinking about yourself. [Sidenote: _More Warnings_] Don't reduce more than two or three pounds a week; two or less is better. If you are too cannibalistic, your heart, kidneys and nervous system are liable to suffer--you yourself are supplying too much fat in your dietary, and there are other scientific reasons against reducing too rapidly. However, you may find that the first week or so you may reduce five or seven pounds; but don't worry about this, for that is a slushy, watery fat that goes easily. If a claim like a cold should attack you, and after spraying nose and throat frequently with an antiseptic, and then denying the claim vigorously, it persists in running a severe course, better go back to maintenance diet for a few days. [Sidenote: _Not Even While Cooking_] _Don't "taste"!_ You will find the second taste much harder to resist than the first. If you have allowed in your daily program something between meals (a good plan), take it, but not otherwise. Try not to overeat at any time, and thus undo the work that perhaps has taken you two or three days to accomplish. It will be all right occasionally, possibly one day a week, to eat up to your maintenance diet, but don't, I beg of you, go over it so that you will gain. You will be tempted quite frequently, and you will have to choose whether you will enjoy yourself hugely in the twenty minutes or so that you will be consuming the excess calories, or whether you will dislike yourself cordially for the two or three days you lose by your lack of will power. [Sidenote: _I Ought Not to Do This_] I am afraid I am going to tell a story. I feel as though I were, and I don't want to. It is one I heard years ago at a teachers' convention at Riverside, when I was a tender, unsuspecting young school teacher, so it is perfectly good, albeit senile--and it illustrates my point so well--so well--well, you have to put yourself in the place of the little chaps, Billie and Johnnie, of the kindergarten. [Sidenote: _A Little Anatomical Story_] It seems it was customary to bring a lunch, and Little-new-boy had come without one. Teacher asked Billie would he share? No, sturdily; not he. But little Johnnie, he would. Some time later, Johnnie, with a frantic waving of his hand, and with just pride in his generosity, informed the class that he had shared his lunch with Little-new-boy and he felt good is his little heart. Billie stood his ground and stoutly declared that he ate his and he felt good in his little belly. 9 Autobiographical I did not give our thin friends a sample menu for fear it would upset them; but nothing can upset your digestion, I know. However, I will not give you a sample menu, either, but will tell you what I eat when I go on a reduction regime, which for me is 1200 Calories. You will notice, most of my calories I have at dinner in the evening. You may not like this, but would rather have yours spread over the entire day; and you can suit your fancy, for it makes no difference as long as your total number per day stays within your reduction limit. [Sidenote: _Make Out Several Menus if You Like_] Don't think you have to follow my menu. You might gain on it! Study the Key and select your own. Many will lose by going on the no-breakfast plan, or the no-lunch plan. If they do reduce, it is because they have lowered their daily consumption of food, and not because of the no-breakfast or no-lunch plan _per se._ Fat seems to melt faster when the chief meal is in the middle of the day, and with only 200 or 300 calories of fruit for the evening meal. In this way you slim while you sleep. MY BREAKFAST 1 slice very dry coarse bread toast 1/4 in. thick 50 C. Butter, 1/4 cu. in 25 C. Hot water flavored with coffee 00 C. ----- Total 75 C. [Sidenote: _Slim While You Sleep! Clever?_] You may prefer many more calories for breakfast, or none at all. This may not look good to you, but it means an awful lot in my young life, after my exercise and bath, to sit down to my little breakfast and read the papers. Recently I have found that two cups of moderately hot water with the juice of a lemon answers just as well as the toast and watery coffee, and is probably better. You might like some fruit. MY LUNCHEON 1 corn muffin--I am patriotic 125 C. 1 pat butter 100 C. 1 cup coffee with 1 tbsp. cream 50 C. ------ Total 275 C. If you are patriotic and constipated, substitute one bran muffin. You can see that this is in reality a further extension of my sumptuous breakfast. If I get tired of this, I add a salad of Lettuce, large amount, practically 00 C. Roquefort cheese dressing 100 C. I am very fond of this Roquefort cheese dressing; 1-1/8in. cube of cheese in a little vinegar, no oil, keeps it within the hundred calories. You might prefer a baked apple or two tomatoes, or a dish of prunes, or 3 oz. of cottage cheese. The chief thing is to take what you like, not what I like. Count your calories. MY DINNER [Sidenote: _I Don't Mean Your Husband's Dessert, I Mean My Husband's. My Word! I Got Out of That Quick!_] Vegetable soup, or bouillon, no fat; or small oyster cocktail 25 C. Lean meat, or "unthinking" lobster or fish, 5 or 6 oz 300 C. Large serving of uncooked lettuce or cabbage, practically 00 C. Mayonnaise or oil, 1/2 dsp 50 C. 1 large dish tomatoes, or cauliflower, or string beans, or carrots, or turnips (I hate turnips--just put them down so you can see you can have them if you like) 25 C. 1 medium slice bread, or 1 medium potato 100 C. 1 pat butter 100 C. 100 calories of your husband's dessert 100 C. Water 00 C. 1 cup cereal coffee, clear, practically 00 C. -------- Total 700 C. SUMMARY Breakfast 75 C. Luncheon including salad 375 C. Dinner 700 C. ------- 1150 C. That leaves me 50 more calories to total 1200, to take before retiring if I am hungry. You should leave this 50 calories to take before retiring, because if you are hungry you will find it very difficult to go to sleep. A small cup of hot skimmed milk tends to be a sedative. Hunger, like cold feet, is hard to go to sleep on. [Sidenote: _For Both Sexes_] _If there is one thing more important than another, it is thorough mastication._ [Sidenote: _Sometimes I Take More Than 100 Calories of My Husband's Dessert. I Love Fat Men, But I Don't Want to Be Married to 'Em_] This applies to the thin as well as to the fat, and to the child as well as to the adult. Take a moderate mouthful and rassel with it until it is automatically swallowed. Chew until it is all gone before you put any more in your mouth. There is no better way of jollying yourself into thinking that you have had all you want than this Fletcherizing habit, and it takes the same time to consume one-half the amount of food you have been in the habit of eating. I will allow you all the water you want, in reason; in fact, I advise it while you are reducing, both at the meals and between meals. The only precaution is that at the meals it should not be drunk while food is in the mouth, for this would tend to lessen thorough mastication. Now, Madam and Madam's husband, when are you going to begin this important business of reducing? After the holidays? Tomorrow? _No! Right now._ The sooner you get started, the better. The chief thing to do, and the hardest, is to get started and to get the habit. After the first three days you will not dread it; in fact; you will feel so much better that you will not be willing to go back to your old habits of overeating. Now let's review a bit what you are to do. [Sidenote: _Plan the Day Before_] First: Pledge yourself to yourself, and to someone else, so you will be ashamed to fail. There is a great deal of psychology to reducing. Use strong auto-suggestion. Decide just how much you are going to eat in advance of the meal--so many calories, _no more!_ This sounds foolish, but it helps wonderfully. Second: Begin with a fast or a low caloric diet for the first day; keep it, if necessary, one day weekly. [Sidenote: _Low Bridge on Fats and Pastries_] Third: Study food list and make out menus the caloric totals of which _are less_ than your maintenance diet. Have a fairly balanced diet, some fat, some carbohydrates, some protein, and a good amount of green vegetables and fruit. _Have 200-300 C's of protein._ Fourth: Masticate every morsel with such thoroughness that it is automatically swallowed. Fifth: Keep up your activities--Red Cross and other relief work. Sixth: Remember that you will feel good in your little heart when you resist temptation to overeat, and when you don't, you won't feel good anywhere. Seventh: Some vigorous exercise every day. [Sidenote: _There Is Life Substance and Intelligence in Chocolate Creams!_] NOTE: If there comes a time when you think you will die unless you have some chocolate creams, go on a c.c. debauch. I do, occasionally, and will eat as many as ten or so; but I take them before dinner, then me for the balance of my dinner-- 1 bowl of clear soup 25 C. 1 cracker 25 C. ------ Total 50 C. And thus, you see, every supposed pleasure in sin (eating) will furnish more than its equivalent of pain (dieting) until belief in material life (chocolate creams) is destroyed. _Review_ 1. Describe your stomach. 2. If there is one thing more important than another, what is it? 3. Repeat the five orders in chapter 8. 4. Repeat the warnings. 5. Work the following example: X gains 25 pounds during the year. How many calories has he averaged daily over his maintenance diet? KEY: 25 lbs. fat = 400 oz. fat. 1 oz. fat represents 275 C. food consumed. 400 oz. = 400 x 275, or 110,000 C. 110,000 ÷ 365 = 301 C. _Answer_. X has eaten 301 C. per day more than necessary. 6. How many calories have you averaged daily over your maintenance diet? And what could you have left off your menu and kept from gaining all that weight? 10 Testimonials [Sidenote: _From the Field_] After you have reduced or gained, let me share your joys. Write me a little note. You need not sign your name if you don't want to. I anticipate the following: DEAR DOCTOR: I am so grateful to you, Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters, for what you have done for me. After reading your book, "Diet and Health, with Key to the Calories" my chronic case of meanness--I mean leanness--was absolutely cured. My weight, which was ... now is ... and I am on my way to normal. I am fond of you. * * * * * DEAREST DOCTOR: I cannot be too grateful to you, dear Doctor Lulu Hunt Peters, for your book "Diet and Health, with Key to the Calories," for I have lost ... pounds! My weight was ... and now is ... and I am on my way to normal. I should be ungrateful indeed if I did not mention that while reading the book a chronic case of dammdruff which I had had for years, and which had been given up by six specialists, was absolutely cured. I adore you! * * * * * [Sidenote: _A Wonderful Demonstration_] DEAR DOCTOR: For your book, "Diet and Health, with Key to the Calories," words are inadequate to express my thanks. For I have been delivered from a chronic affliction of many years' duration, for which I had tried all known methods of cure. I refer to the smoking of cheap cigars by my husband. He suddenly found he had no desire for the noxious weed! Your arm and leg exercises are wonderful. * * * * * 11 An Apology and Some Amendments On re-reading this literary gem, humorous classic, and scientific treatise on weight reduction and gaining, I see that I have a very intimate mixture of the thins and the fats. But that is as it should be for balance. I had intended to keep you strictly separate, but the preaching, the exercises, the dry definitions, the Key to the Calories, and so forth, was matter that was applicable to both, so it could not be done. [Sidenote: _Watch Your Weight_] I have just got to bring this to a close now, if I have it ready as I promised, for the lecture, "Watch Your Weight!" I am glad of it, too. I am getting so ... funny it is painful. I will close with the next chapter. It will be beautifully scientific, but not funny, I promise. _Some Amendments_ [Sidenote: _No. 1_] You perhaps have noticed that my first chapter is called "Preliminary Bout," and then I have gone on to describe a club meeting. I am aware that P.B. is a prize fighting term, and I meant it for the picture of me fighting myself, not for the club meeting. I have attended many club meetings, and in none of them have I ever seen any fighting that would have taken any prize anywhere, although I will say I have seen and have myself personally conducted some very classy stuff. [Sidenote: _No. 2_] I do not use slang. I use only the purest, most refined, and cultured English. I leave slang to those who can get by with it and put it over. So where I have used dashes you may use your favorite slang words. Mine were deleted by the censors. [Sidenote: _No. 3 (a)_] Mrs. Ima Gobbler is not really fat enough to be called a fat--! She is only 40 or 50 pounds overweight, but she is fond of me and I took liberties with her. She is a darling. [Sidenote: _No. 3 (b)_] She is a purist, too. I called her up after I put her in my book, and I said, "You are fond of me, aren't you, Mrs. Gobbler?" And she said, "Youbetcha." "And you are a good sport, aren't you?" "Surest thing you know!" "That's good, for I have said a horrid thing to you. I had to, in order to stop the club discussion." And she responded soulfully, "Go to it, Kid!" [Sidenote: _No. 4_] Mrs. Sheesasite's husband did not really have to buy her a pair of freight scales; that is just a gentle josh. The ordinary scales will weigh 300 pounds, I believe. She is also a dear. [Sidenote: _No. 5_] My husband's eyes are not really green, nor is he cross-eyed. They are the loveliest, softest brown. The green eyes belong on the maternal side of this house. [Sidenote: _No. 6_] My artist is not really noted. He is just an ordinary adorable ten-year-old boy kiddie. Aren't his little figures the dearest ever? * * * * * [Sidenote: _Doing My Bit_] All the characters in my book are friends of mine. Perhaps you had better substitute _were_ for _are_. There was one woman mentioned in my original manuscript and my husband said what have you put her in for Pattie? (a corruption of Pettie, a H.moon hangover) she is no friend of yours: she knocks you. And I said loftily like, I want you to know Ijit (corruption of Idiot, also a H.moon hangover) I am above personalities she is prominent and besides she is fat especially in the feet and head and she doesn't know it and he said that doesn't make any difference you do not have to immortalize her and I said I would look up the authorities on the subject and he said he was authority enough and I said I would see what the other authorities said anyway and I did and I found one most eminent that said you should love your enemies but none that said you should immortalize them so I said I'd drop her and he said he should say so and so I did. [Illustration: Dear Enemy Unimmortalised] --All the characters in my book are friends of mine. Perhaps you had better substitute _were_ for _are_. 12 Maintenance Diet and Conclusions [Illustration: Maintenance Diet 1000 C. over 1000 C. under] [Sidenote: _1st Circle_] THE HEAVY circle represents the amount of daily food (number of calories) which will maintain you at present weight. It may be your weight is too much or too little, but this is your maintenance diet for that weight. [Sidenote: _2nd Circle_] THE SECOND circle represents a daily diet containing more than necessary for maintenance; for example, let us say 1000 calories more. This 1000 calories of food is equivalent to approximately 4 ounces of fat [1000÷255 (1 oz. fat = 255 C.)]; 4 ounces of fat daily equals 8 pounds a month which will be added to your weight, and, if not needed by the system, will deposit itself as excess fat. Or the toxins arising from the unnecessary food will irritate the blood vessels, causing arterio-sclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which in turn may cause kidney disease, heart disease, or apoplexy (rupture of artery in the brain), and maybe death before your time. On the other hand, if you are underweight and the added nourishment is gradually worked up to, it will improve the health and cause a gain of so much (theoretically, and in reality if kept up long enough). [Sidenote: _3d Circle_] THE THIRD circle represents a diet containing less than the maintenance; again, for example, say 1000 calories less. Here the 1000 calories must be taken from the body tissue, and fat is the first to go, for fat is virtually dead tissue. This 4 ounces of fat daily which will be supplied by your body equals in six months 48 pounds. There are in America hundreds of thousands of overweight individuals; not all so much overweight as this, but some considerably more so. If these individuals will save 1000 calories of food daily by using their stored fat, think what it would mean at this time. [Sidenote: _Savings_] Not only an immense saving of food to be sent to our soldiers and allies and the starving civilians, and of money which could be used for Liberty Bonds, the Red Cross, and other war relief work, but a great saving and a great increase in power; for there is no doubt that by reducing as slowly and scientifically as I have directed, efficiency and health will be increased one hundred fold. If, as illustrated in the third circle, the 1000 calories or less is eaten and the individual already is underweight, with no excess fat, then this amount will be taken from the muscles and the more vital tissues, and the organism will finally succumb. Before this time is reached there will be a great lowering of resistance, and the individual will be a prey to the infectious diseases. It must be remembered that in children the growth of the whole body is tremendously active, and especially that of the heart and nervous system. If the nervous system is undernourished, it becomes disorganized and undeveloped. This is apt to be expressed in uncertain emotional states, quick tempers, and a predisposition to convulsions. The heart, if undernourished, lays its foundation for future heart disease, and the whole system will be injured for life. Anything that impairs the vigor and vitality of children strikes at the basis of national welfare. [Sidenote: _The Food Administration Emphasizes This_] You can see from this how extremely important it is that, in our need for the conservation of food, only those who can deny themselves and at the same time improve their health and efficiently should do it. It will be no help in our crisis if the health and resistance of our people be lowered and the growth and development of our children be stunted. We, the hundreds of thousands of overweight citizens, combined with the hundreds of thousands of the normal who are overeating to their ill, can save all the food that is necessary. We are anxious, willing, eager to do this. Now we know how, and we will. _Food Will Win the War_ WATCH OUR WEIGHT! 13 Three Years Later _February, 1, 1921_ An Added Chapter in Which Are Offered Twenty-one Suggestive Menus After nearly two years with the American Red Cross in the Balkans I return to find the little book has been carrying on in my absence--I write this for the fifth edition--and my publishers insisting that I must furnish some more menus. They affirm that there are many who do not care to or cannot figure out their own. After being so long under military discipline I obey now instinctively, although I do not want to do this. But you know publishers. They say that if there are menus for those who do not have the desire to compute them, the usefulness of the book will be increased. Publishers are so altruistic. Now far be it from me to scorn the possibility of increased sales myself. So I comply, and after you are reduced you will have the energy and the increased keenness to scout around in the calories and make out your own. * * * * * A little of my Balkan experience in the reducing line may not be amiss. In Albania, where I was stationed most of the time, life is very strenuous. We all had to work hard and expend a great deal of nervous energy. Medical calls on foot in the scorching sun over unkind cobblestones, long distance calls on unkinder mules, long hours in nerve-racking clinics, ferocious man-eating mosquitos, scorpions, centipedes, sandflies, and fleas, and other unspeakable animals kept us hopping and slapping and scratching. But there was one consolation to me. With this work, more intensive and more strenuous than I had ever done before, I would not have to diet--I would not have to watch my weight--I would not have to count my calories! Oh, joy! We lived a community life, we Red Crossers. We had plain blunt food, American canned mostly, supplemented with the fare that could be eked out of Albania, and cooked by an Albanese who could not be taught that we Americans were not Esquimos and did not like food swimming in fat. However, it tasted good to famished Red Crossers, and I ate three meals a day, confident that I would retain my girlish middle-aged slenderness and not have to diet. We had no scales and no mirrors larger than our hand mirrors. Our uniforms were big and comfortable. * * * * * The French who are in charge of Scutari depart, the officers leaving to us some of their furniture, including a full length French plate mirror. Ordinarily when I look in a full-length mirror I don't hate myself so much--so it is with some degree of anticipated pleasure that I complacently approach, to get a life-size reflection of myself after many months of deprivation of that pleasure. "_Mon Dieu!_" I exclaim. "_Bogomi_!" (Serbian--'For the love of Allah!') "This is no mirror," I mutter. "This is one of those musee things that make you look like a Tony Sarg picture of Irvin Cobb." "What's irritating you, Dockie?" asks one of the girls, coming up and standing back of me. I look at her reflection. She does not look like Irvin Cobb! "Peggy," I say tragically, "Peggy, do I look like my reflection?" "Yes, dear, we have all noticed how stout you have been getting. Aren't you supposed to be some shark on the subject of ideal weight?" And the bitter truth is borne in upon me--no matter how hard I work--no matter how much I exercise, no matter what I suffer, I will always have to watch my weight, I will always have to count my calories. This is what I did then: I stopped going to the breakfast table. I kept some canned milk and coffee in my room, and made me two cups of coffee. For lunch I ate practically what I wanted, limiting myself to one slice of bread or one potato (we had no butter), with fruit for dessert. For dinner I came down only when the dessert was being served, and had a share of that with some coffee. I was jeered and derided. You know how in community life we all are as disagreeable as we like, and still love each other. Did not I know the desserts were the most fattening part of the meal? I was some authority on how to reduce, I was! In vain I told them that it did not matter so long as my total caloric intake did not equal the number that I needed. It was not until some months after, when they saw that I was normal weight again, that they began to realize I knew whereof I spoke. Then came our withdrawal from Albania and release from duty. After months of canned goods came Paris with its famous dishes; Crème d'Isigny avec crème! Artichauts an beurre! Patisseries francaises! Oo lala! Again I said calories be _dashed_! I can reduce when I get home. I had no delusions now, you see. * * * * * And now I am home trying to help raise the funds for the starving children of Central Europe, and explaining to my friends that while there is a food shortage in Europe it is not because I was there; and that I am reducing and the money that I can save will help keep a child from starving, and that they can do the same; that for every pang of hunger we feel we can have a double joy, that of knowing we are saving worse pangs in some little children, and that of knowing that for every pang we feel we lose a pound. A pang's a pound the world around we'll say. Every once in a while you hear that the caloric theory has been exploded. There is no caloric "theory." Therefore none to explode. Calories are simply units for measuring heat and energy and never will be exploded any more than the yard or meter "theory" will be exploded. Foods must contain essential salts and the growth and health maintaining elements. These cannot be measured by calories. The quantity of heat or energy production but not the quality of the foods is measured in calories, and one must have a knowledge of the qualities also. No scientifically educated individual has ever thought otherwise. The chief objection to following the advice of the numerous laymen who write eat-and-grow-thin menus is that they advise the elimination of all fats, sugars and starches. They lose sight of the fact, or they do not know, that the obese individual--I dislike that term--will have to have a balanced diet even while reducing if he is to maintain his health. One will lose weight on these menus, but as very many can testify they lose their health also. One cannot live on an unbalanced diet for any length of time without becoming unbalanced also. And furthermore the over-weighter will always have to diet more or less, and will have to have menus which he can continue to use. After normal weight is reached he will not have to be nearly so abstemious, _but_ the same dietetic errors which produced overweight in the first place will produce it again. So he must know something of dietetics and he must have a balanced diet. Now I shall make out some balanced menus, 1200 C's a day, being careful to include a large amount of the leafy vegetables and some milk or its products, the foods that McCollom calls PROTECTIVE FOODS because they contain in a large measure the essential mineral salts, and those vital elements he has called "Fat soluble A" and "Water soluble B"--others call vitamines--which he has proved to be so vital and necessary for growth in the young and the maintenance of health in the adult. I shall also include 200-300 C's of protein. The leafy vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, celery tops, lettuce, onion, Swiss chard, turnip tops, and other leaves employed as greens, water cress, etc., not only contain these vital elements, but they also exert a favourable influence on sluggish bowels and kidneys. They are low in caloric value, hence are low in fat-producing properties, and can be consumed with indiscretion, properly masticated. It is better while you are reducing to stay away from the dining table when you do not expect to eat. If you are rooming, get a tiny sterno outfit, some substitute or coffee, some canned or dry milk, some sugar if you use it, and you can make a hot drink in your room and be independent for your breakfast and your evening meal, when you decide some day to go without that. Do not take more than 100 calories for your breakfast. That leaves you 1100 calories to be divided during the day if you go on a 1200 calorie schedule. I suggest the following distribution of the calories: Breakfast 100 C's. Lunch 350 " Tea 100 " Dinner 650 " You can reverse the dinner and lunch if you desire. If you do so then have your 100 calories I have allowed for tea time to take just before you retire. On a 1200 calorie schedule arranged as I have it you will not be hungry, I assure you. It will not be more than three or four days before your stomach will be shrunk and this amount I have allowed you will almost seem like overeating! That is the big idea. Shrink your stomach. Go on a fast or low calorie day for a day if necessary to get started. See page 81. I can safely say that any up and around adult will reduce on 1200 calories, for that will not supply the basal metabolism, i.e., the body's internal activities, such as the beating of the heart, respiration, digestion, excretion, etc., and some of the body's stored fat will be called upon to supply the deficiency. How much one will reduce depends on how many calories are actually needed for the internal and the external activities. See pages 26 and 27. It is not advisable to reduce too rapidly. See page 85. Now you have 1200 calories a day to eat. Let us think of this in terms of money. You have a limited amount of money every day to spend for food. You must spend it judiciously and get the food you need and want. If you spend the most of it on one article you have that much less for other things. It is possible that some days you will want to spend more than your allowance and you draw on your next day's supply. That will be all right if you remember that you have done so and will spend that much less the next day to equalize your account. You must study to spend wisely and carefully so as to supply your needs, but you cannot spend more than you have without restitution and retribution. Here are the menus: BREAKFASTS 100 C. Each 1. Fruit 2 med. apples or 1 baked apple with 2 tsps. sugar _or_ 1 large orange _or_ 1/2 large grapefruit _or_ 1 small cup berries _or_ 1/2 good sized cantaloupe _or_ 2 med. figs _or_ 5 prunes 2. 1 cup coffee or cereal coffee.. O 1 tbsp. cream..................50 C 2 small tsp. sugar.............50 C _or_ 2 cups with cream alone or sugar alone ---- Total...........................100 C 3. 10 ozs. skim milk hot or cold _or_ 5 ozs. whole milk.....................100 C 4. 1 cup coffee clear............. 0 1 thin slice toast.............75 C 1/4 pat butter.................25 C ---- Total.............................100 C Note--The skim milk breakfasts and teas are most desirable because of the protein content. TEAS 100 C. Each See lists for breakfasts. Also could have: 1. 1 cup tea with 1 tsp. sugar 1 slice lemon................25 C 3 soda crackers..............75 C ---- Total....................................100 C 2. 2 small plain cookies tea no cream or sugar...............100 C 3. 1 chocolate cream 1 cup tea or hot water no cream or sugar...................100 C * * * * * The following combinations need not be followed arbitrarily. You may change them around if you desire. Look in the calorie lists for substitutes of the same classes of foods, if you do not like my combinations. If you don't care for the 100 C's at tea time you may have that much more for dinner. 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts). 100 C LUNCH 1 medium sized head lettuce 1/3 lb........................... 25 C 1 tbsp. mayonnaise...............100 C 1 med. sweet pickle chopped for mayonnaise....................... 25 C 1-1/8 inch cube cream cheese melted _or_ 3 ozs. cottage cheese............100 C 1 Toasted French roll (no butter) .................................100 C ----- Total.................................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea and 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim or buttermilk _or_ 100 C. fruit (see list)................100 C DINNER Creamed dried beef on toast Dried beef 4 thin slices 4 x 5.100 C Cut fine and crisped in frying pan with 1/2 tbsp. butter.........50 C 1 tbsp. flour browned with above...........................25 C Add 1 cup skim milk (7 ozs.) cook gently.....................70 C ----- 245 C 2 slices crisp toast (pour above over)..........................200 C 1 large serving raw celery or raw cabbage.....................15 C 1 large baked apple with 1 tbsp. syrup..........................120 C 1 glass skim milk (7 oz.)........70 C Total.......................650 C ------- Grand Total................1200 C 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water, with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts)...........................100 C LUNCH Celery--eat tender leaves also 10-14 stalks...................30 C Olives--5 good sized ripe.......100 C 1 small slice corn bread........100 C 12 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk.120 C ----- Total...................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk _or_ 100 C fruit (see list).................100 C DINNER Broiled halibut (or lean beef) steak 4-5 ozs. with lemon.......150 C Lettuce (no oil) average serving....0 1 slice whole wheat bread or roll.100 C 1/2 pat butter.....................50 C Dessert 1-6 pie...................350 C 1 cup clear postum or coffee........0 ----- Total...................650 C ------- Grand Total............1200 C 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts) .........................100 C LUNCH Combination salad Shredded lettuce 10 leaves......0 1 large tomato.................50 C 6 stalks chopped celery........15 C tender leaves included 1/2 med. cucumber..............15 C 1 med. grated carrot...........20 C ---- 100 C 1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise or oil......50 C with vinegar or lemon 1 slice whole wheat bread.......100 C 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk.100 C ----- Total..................................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk _or_ 100 C fruit (see list).................100 C DINNER Croquettes of split peas or beans 1/2 cup mashed beans or peas 1/4 cup toast crumbs 1 tsp. cream or canned milk made into croquettes and baked or broiled.................225 C Stewed tomatoes 8 ozs. _or_ 1 large fresh tomato.............50 C 1 slice bread or 5 small pretzels......................100 C 1 double serving lettuce or chopped cabbage or cauliflower.15 C 1 slice lemon, custard or squash pie, no top crust.............260 C 1 cup clear coffee or postum......0 ----- Total..........................650 C ----- Grand Total...................1200 C 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts)...........................100 C LUNCH Fruit salad 1 large orange.................100 C 1 average apple.................50 C 1 small banana.................100 C 2 tbsps. lemon juice............10 C 2 small teasps. sugar...........40 C ----- 300 C Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. grapenuts..50 C Total.........................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk _or_ 100 C. fruit (see list)................100 C DINNER 12 moderate sized oysters..............100 C Dipped in 1 beaten egg and crumbs of 3 crackers.........150 C Fried gently in 1 tbsp. of bacon or other fat...........125 C ----- 375 C 2 small slices crisped bacon.....50 C 1 small dish chow chow with lettuce.........................25 C 1 slice bread or its equivalent.100 C 1/2 pat butter...................50 C Dessert 1 medium baked apple with no sugar..................50 C ----- Total.........................650 C ------ Grand Total..................1200 C 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts) .........................100 C LUNCH 2 eggs 160 C fried gently in 1 tsp. bacon fat or butter............40 C _or_ soft boiled or poached eggs with 1 slice crisped bacon....200 C 1 roll or 1 slice whole wheat bread.........................100 C Butter 1/2 pat...................50 C Coffee, postum or tea clear.......0 ----- Total..................................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk _or_ 100 C fruit (see list).................100 C DINNER 2 toasted shredded wheat biscuits.200 C 2 glasses skim milk...............150 C 1 dish stewed prunes 8 with 1 tbsp. syrup............200 C 10-12 peanuts.....................100 C Coffee, postum or tea clear.........0 C ----- Total..................................650 C ----- Grand Total...........................1200 C 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts) .........................100 C LUNCH 6 oz. cream soup, Potato, tomato, clam chowder, etc. (use skim milk)..........200 C Shredded cabbage, lettuce, celery _or_ any greens--average helping practically.....................0 C 1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise or oil _or_ 1 tbsp. cream dressing...........50 C 2 soda crackers..................50 C 1 average apple..................50 C ----- Total..................................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk _or_ 100 C fruit (see list).................100 C DINNER Carrot and cottage cheese salad (The Home Dietitian--Comstock) 1/2 cup ground carrots 1-6 cup chopped nuts 3 oz. cottage cheese 3 oz. large lemon (juice of)......250 C 8 ozs. consomme, no fat..............30 C 4 crackers or 1 roll or slice bread 100 C 1/2 pat butter.......................50 C Average helping lettuce or other greens--no oil......................0 Dessert--gelatine pudding, average serving...................120 C Whipped cream 1 heaping tbsp........100 C Coffee or postum or tea clear....... 0 ----- Total....................................650 C ------ Grand Total.............................1200 C 1200 C DAY ON ARISING 2 cups hot water with a little lemon juice. 10-minute exercise at least BREAKFAST Coffee or postum with cream or sugar _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk (see list of breakfasts).........................100 C LUNCH Baked beans if canned 3 h. tbsp., if home baked 1-1/2.......................150 C Pickled beets 5 med. slices......... 25 C Large amount celery or lettuce or other green leaves............. 25 C 1 slice toasted Swedish health bread (made of oatmeal) or 1 roll............................100 C 1 cup coffee or postum clear........ 0 C Medium apple........................ 50 C ----- Total............................350 C TEA 3 crackers with tea with 1 tsp. sugar and 1 slice lemon _or_ 10 ozs. skim milk or buttermilk _or_ 100 C fruit (see list)...................100 C DINNER Cottage cheese omelet 2 med. eggs.......................160 C 3 ozs. cottage cheese.............100 C 1 tbsp. cream _or_ condensed milk.................... 50 C ----- 310 C Salt to taste Bake or fry gently in 1/2 tbsp. fat. 40 C (Can substitute 100 C chopped lean meat for cottage cheese) 1 small head celery tender leaves and all........................... 25 C 1 slice bread or equivalent.........100 C Butter 1/2, pat..................... 50 C 1 dish plain stewed tomatoes, squash, carrots, spinach or onions, etc....................... 25 C 5 almonds or 5 peanuts or 2 large walnuts..................... 50 C 10 raisins.......................... 50 C ----- Total............................650 C ------ Grand Total.....................1200 C _Finished But Not Famished_ +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | WEEKLY WEIGHT CHART | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Month | 1st Week | 2nd Week | 3rd Week | 4th Week | 5th Week | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ | | | | | | | +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | TOTAL C. PER DAY | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Month | Sun. | Mon. | Tues.| Wed. | Thur.| Fri. | Sat. | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ | | | | | | | | | +----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+ 15237 ---- THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND NUTRITION by A. W. DUNCAN, F.C.S. Analytical Chemist. Manchester The Vegetarian Society 1905 ____________________________________________________________ | | | THE FOOD ROUTE | | | | Is the safest way to sturdy health. | | | | Many people are kept ill because they do not | | know _how to select food_ that their own particular | | bodies will take up and build upon. | | | | What will answer for one _will not do for another_. | | | | If one is ailing it is safe to _change food_ entirely | | and go on a plain simple diet, say, for breakfast:-- | | | | Cooked Fruit, | | Dish of GRAPE-NUTS and Cream or hot or | | cold Milk, Two lightly boiled eggs, | | One cup of our Postum Food Coffee, | | Slice of toast. No more. | | | | Our word! but a diet like that _makes one feel | | good_ after a few days' use. | | | | The most perfectly made food for human use is | | | | Grape-Nuts | | | | THERE'S A REASON. | | | | GRAPE-NUTS CO., Ltd., 66 Shoe Lane, London, E.C. | |____________________________________________________________| ____________________________________________________________ | | | The Vegetatian Society, | | | | _Operations National and International,_ | | | | 27 DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER. | | | | The Vegetarian Society is a philanthropic organisation, | | and is supported entirely by the voluntary | | contributions of those who sympathise with its aims. | | Gifts and Donations from any who are in sympathy with | | the Society's work will be gratefully acknowledged by | | the Secretary. Send penny stamp for Recipes and | | Explanatory literature. | |____________________________________________________________| ____________________________________________________________ | | | _At the same address,_ | | | | FOOD STORE DEPARTMENT | | | | _for the supply of_ | | | | VEGETARIAN SPECIALITIES & LITERATURE. | | | | _Send for Price List._ | |____________________________________________________________| ____________________________________________________________ | | | Useful literature for Beginners. | | | | Vegetarianism and Manual Labour. 1/2d. | | | | The Liver: Its Influence on Health. Dr. Kellogg. ONE | | In Praise of Simpler Life. Eustace H. Miles PENNY | | Forty Vegetarian Dinners. 135 Recipes EACH. | | | | Chemistry of Food. By A.W. Duncan, F.C.S. | | Paper Copies 3d; Cloth 6d. | | | | The First Step. Tolstoy. 3d. | | | | Science in the Daily Meal. 3d. | | Fruits, Nuts, and Vegetables: Their uses as Food EACH. | | and Medicine | | | | _Postage extra._ | | | | From The Vegetarian Society, 257 Deansgate, Manchester. | |____________________________________________________________| PREFACE. The first edition of 1884 contained but 5 pages of type; the second of 1898, 14 pages. Only by conciseness has it been possible to give even a summary of the principles of dietetics within the limit or this pamphlet. Should there appear in places an abruptness or incompleteness of treatment, these limitations must be my excuse. Those who wish to thoroughly study the science of food are referred to the standard work, "Food and Dietetics," by Dr. R. Hutchison (E. Arnold, 16s.). The effects of purin bodies in producing illness has been patiently and thoroughly worked out by Dr. Alexander Haig. Students are referred to his "Uric Acid, an epitome of the subject" (J. & A. Churchhill, 1904, 2s.6d.), or to his larger work on "Uric Acid." An able scientific summary of investigations on purins, their chemical and pathological properties, and the quantities in foods will be found in "The Purin Bodies of Food Stuffs," by Dr. I. Walker Hall (Sherratt & Hughes, Manchester, 1903, 4s.6d.). The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made a large number of elaborate researches on food and nutrition. My thanks are due to Mr. Albert Broadbent, the Secretary of the Vegetarian Society, for placing some of their bulletins in my hands, and for suggestions and help. He has also written several useful popular booklets on food of a very practical character, at from a penny to threepence each. Popular literature abounds in unsound statements on food. It is unfortunate that many ardent workers in the cause of health are lacking in scientific knowledge, especially of physiology and chemistry. By their immature and sweeping statements from the platform and press, they often bring discredit on a good cause. Matters of health must be primarily based on experience and we must bear in mind that each person can at the most have full knowledge of himself alone, and to a less degree of his family and intimates. The general rules of health are applicable to all alike, but not in their details. Owing to individual imperfections of constitution, difference of temperament and environment, there is danger when one man attempts to measure others by his own standard. For the opinions here expressed I only must be held responsible, and not the Society publishing the pamphlet. Vegetarians, generally, place the humane as the highest reason for their practice, though the determining cause of the change from a flesh diet has been in most cases bad health. A vegetarian may be defined as one who abstains from all animals as food. The term animal is used in its proper scientific sense (comprising insects, molluscs, crustaceans, fish, etc.). Animal products are not excluded, though they are not considered really necessary. They are looked upon as a great convenience, whilst free from nearly all the objections appertaining to flesh food. A.W.D. The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition By A.W. DUNCAN, F.C.S. We may define a food to be any substance which will repair the functional waste of the body, increase its growth, or maintain the heat, muscular, and nervous energy. In its most comprehensive sense, the oxygen of the air is a food; as although it is admitted by the lungs, it passes into the blood, and there re-acts upon the other food which has passed through the stomach. It is usual, however, to restrict the term food to such nutriment as enters the body by the intestinal canal. Water is often spoken of as being distinct from food, but for this there is no sufficient reason. Many popular writers have divided foods into flesh-formers, heat-givers, and bone-formers. Although attractive from its simplicity, this classification will not bear criticism. Flesh-formers are also heat-givers. Only a portion of the mineral matter goes to form bone. Class I.--INORGANIC COMPOUNDS. Sub-class 1. Water. 2. Mineral Matter or Salts. Class II--ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. 1. Non-Nitrogeneous or Ternary Compounds. _a_ Carbohydrates. _b_ Oils. _c_ Organic Acids. 2. Nitrogenous Compounds. _a_ Proteids. _b_ Osseids. Class III.--NON-NUTRITIVES, FOOD ADJUNCTS AND DRUGS. Essential Oils, Alkaloids, Extractives, Alcohol, &c. These last are not strictly foods, if we keep to the definition already given; but they are consumed with the true foods or nutrients, comprised in the other two classes, and cannot well be excluded from consideration. Water forms an essential part of all the tissues of the body. It is the solvent and carrier of other substances. Mineral Matter or Salts, is left as an ash when food is thoroughly burnt. The most important salts are calcium phosphate, carbonate and fluoride, sodium chloride, potassium phosphate and chloride, and compounds of magnesium, iron and silicon. Mineral matter is quite as necessary for plant as for animal life, and is therefore present in all food, except in the case of some highly-prepared ones, such as sugar, starch and oil. Children require a good proportion of calcium phosphate for the growth of their bones, whilst adults require less. The outer part of the grain of cereals is the richest in mineral constituents, white flour and rice are deficient. Wheatmeal and oatmeal are especially recommended for the quantity of phosphates and other salts contained in them. Mineral matter is necessary not only for the bones but for every tissue of the body. When haricots are cooked, the liquid is often thrown away, and the beans served nearly dry, or with parsley or other sauce. Not only is the food less tasty but important saline constituents are lost. The author has made the following experiments:--German whole lentils, Egyptian split red lentils and medium haricot beans were soaked all night (16 hours) in just sufficient cold water to keep them covered. The water was poured off and evaporated, the residue heated in the steam-oven to perfect dryness and weighed. After pouring off the water, the haricots were boiled in more water until thoroughly cooked, the liquid being kept as low as possible. The liquid was poured off as clear as possible, from the haricots, evaporated and dried. The ash was taken in each case, and the alkalinity of the water-soluble ash was calculated as potash (K_{2}O). The quantity of water which could be poured off was with the German lentils, half as much more than the original weight of the pulse; not quite as much could be poured off the others. G. Lentils. E. Lentils. Haricots. Cooked H. Proportion of liquid 1.5 1.25 1.20 -- Soluble dry matter 0.97 3.38 1.43 7.66 per cent. Ash 0.16 0.40 0.28 1.26 " " Alkalinity as K_{2}O 0.02 0.082 0.084 0.21 " " The loss on soaking in cold water, unless the water is preserved, is seen to be considerable. The split lentils, having had the protecting skin removed, lose most. In every case the ash contained a good deal of phosphate and lime. Potatoes are rich in important potash salts; by boiling a large quantity is lost, by steaming less and by baking in the skins, scarcely any. The flavour is also much better after baking. The usual addition of common salt (sodium-chloride) to boiled potatoes is no proper substitute for the loss of their natural saline constituents. Natural and properly cooked foods are so rich in sodium chloride and other salts that the addition of common salt is unnecessary. An excess of the latter excites thirst and spoils the natural flavour of the food. It is the custom, especially in restaurants, to add a large quantity of salt to pulse, savoury food, potatoes and soups. Bakers' brown bread is usually very salt, and sometimes white is also. In some persons much salt causes irritation of the skin, and the writer has knowledge of the salt food of vegetarian restaurants causing or increasing dandruff. As a rule, fondness for salt is an acquired taste, and after its discontinuance for a time, food thus flavoured becomes unpalatable. Organic Compounds are formed by living organisms (a few can also be produced by chemical means). They are entirely decomposed by combustion. The Non-Nitrogenous Organic Compounds are commonly called carbon compounds or heat-producers, but these terms are also descriptive of the nitrogenous compounds. These contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen only, and furnish by their oxidation or combustion in the body the necessary heat, muscular and nervous energy. The final product of their combustion is water and carbon dioxide (carbonic acid gas). The Carbohydrates comprise starch, sugar, gum, mucilage, pectose, glycogen, &c.; cellulose and woody fibre are carbohydrates, but are little capable of digestion. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the proportion to form water, the carbon alone being available to produce heat by combustion. Starch is the most widely distributed food. It is insoluble in water, but when cooked is readily digested and absorbed by the body. Starch is readily converted into sugar, whether in plants or animals, during digestion. There are many kinds of sugar, such as grape, cane and milk sugars. The Oils and Fats consist of the same elements as the carbohydrates, but the hydrogen is in larger quantity than is necessary to form water, and this surplus is available for the production of energy. During their combustion in the body they produce nearly two-and-a-quarter times (4 : 8.9 = 2.225) as much heat as the carbohydrates; but if eaten in more than small quantities, they are not easily digested, a portion passing away by the intestines. The fat in the body is not solely dependent upon the quantity consumed as food, as an animal may become quite fat on food containing none. A moderate quantity favours digestion and the bodily health. In cold weather more should be taken. In the Arctic regions the Esquimaux consume enormous quantities. Nuts are generally rich in oil. Oatmeal contains more than any of the other cereals (27 analyses gave from 8 to 12.3 per cent.) The most esteemed and dearest oil is Almond. What is called Peach-kernel oil (Oleum Amygdalæ Persicæ), but which in commerce includes the oil obtained from plum and apricot stones, is almost as tasteless and useful, whilst it is considerably cheaper. It is a very agreeable and useful food. It is often added to, as an adulterant, or substituted for the true Almond oil. The best qualities of Olive oil are much esteemed, though they are not as agreeable to English taste as the oil previously mentioned. The best qualities are termed Virgin, Extra Sublime and Sublime. Any that has been exposed for more than a short time to the light and heat of a shop window should be rejected, as the flavour is affected. It should be kept in a cool place. Not only does it vary much in freedom from acid and rancidity, but is frequently adulterated. Two other cheaper oils deserve mention. The "cold-drawn" Arachis oil (pea-nut or earth-nut oil) has a pleasant flavour, resembling that of kidney beans. The "cold-drawn" Sesamé oil has an agreeable taste, and is considered equal to Olive oil for edible purposes. The best qualities are rather difficult to obtain; those usually sold being much inferior to Peach-kernel and Olive oils. Cotton-seed oil is the cheapest of the edible ones. Salad oil, not sold under any descriptive name, is usually refined Cotton-seed oil, with perhaps a little Olive oil to impart a richer flavour. The solid fats sold as butter and lard substitutes, consist of deodorised cocoanut oil, and they are excellent for cooking purposes. It is claimed that biscuits, &c., made from them may be kept for a much longer period, without showing any trace of rancidity, than if butter or lard had been used. They are also to be had agreeably flavoured by admixture with almond, walnut, &c., "cream." The better quality oils are quite as wholesome as the best fresh butter, and better than most butter as sold. Bread can be dipped into the oil, or a little solid vegetable fat spread on it. The author prefers to pour a little Peach-kernel oil upon some ground walnut kernels (or other ground nuts in themselves rich in oil), mix with a knife to a suitable consistency and spread upon the bread. Pine-kernels are very oily, and can be used in pastry in the place of butter or lard. Whenever oils are mentioned, without a prefix, the fixed or fatty oils are always understood. The volatile or essential oils are a distinct class. Occasionally, the fixed oils are called hydrocarbons, but hydrocarbon oils are quite different and consist of carbon and hydrogen alone. Of these, petroleum is incapable of digestion, whilst others are poisonous. Vegetable Acids are composed of the same three elements and undergo combustion into the same compounds as the carbohydrates. They rouse the appetite, stimulate digestion, and finally form carbonates in combination with the alkalies, thus increasing the alkalinity of the blood. The chief vegetable acids are: malic acid, in the apple, pear, cherry, &c.; citric acid, in the lemon, lime, orange, gooseberry, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, &c.; tartaric acid, in the grape, pineapple, &c. Some place these under Class III. or food adjuncts. Oxalic acid (except when in the insoluble state of calcium oxalate), and several other acids are poisonous. Proteids or Albuminoids are frequently termed flesh-formers. They are composed of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a small quantity of sulphur, and are extremely complex bodies. Their chief function is to form flesh in the body; but without previously forming it, they may be transformed into fat or merely give rise to heat. They form the essential part of every living cell. Proteids are excreted from the body as water, carbon dioxide, urea, uric acid, sulphates, &c. The principal proteids of animal origin have their corresponding proteids in the vegetable kingdom. Some kinds, whether of animal or vegetable origin, are more easily digested than others. They have the same physiological value from whichever kingdom they are derived. The Osseids comprise ossein, gelatin, cartilage, &c., from bone, skin, and connective issue. They approach the proteids in composition, but unlike them they cannot form flesh or fulfil the same purpose in nutrition. Some food chemists wish to call the osseids, albuminoids; what were formerly termed albuminoids to be always spoken of as proteids only. Jellies are of little use as food; not only is this because of the low nutritive value of gelatin, but also on account of the small quantity which is mixed with a large proportion of water. The Vegetable Kingdom is the prime source of all organic food; water, and to a slight extent salts, form the only food that animals can derive directly from the inorganic kingdom. When man consumes animal food--a sheep for example--he is only consuming a portion of the food which that sheep obtained from grass, clover, turnips, &c. All the proteids of the flesh once existed as proteids in the vegetables; some in exactly the same chemical form. Flesh contains no starch or sugar, but a small quantity of glycogen. The fat in an animal is derived from the carbohydrates, the fats and the proteids of the vegetables consumed. The soil that produced the herbage, grain and roots consumed by cattle, in most cases could have produced food capable of direct utilisation by man. By passing the product of the soil through animals there is an enormous economic loss, as the greater part of that food is dissipated in maintaining the life and growth; little remains as flesh when the animal is delivered into the hands of the butcher. Some imagine that flesh food is more easily converted into flesh and blood in our bodies and is consequently more valuable than similar constituents in vegetables, but such is not the case. Fat, whether from flesh or from vegetables is digested in the same manner. The proteids of flesh, like those of vegetables, are converted into peptone by the digestive juices--taking the form of a perfectly diffusible liquid--otherwise they could not be absorbed and utilised by the body. Thus the products of digestion of both animal and vegetable proteids and fats are the same. Formerly, proteid matter was looked upon as the most valuable part of the food, and a large proportion was thought necessary for hard work. It was thought to be required, not only for the construction of the muscle substance, but to be utilised in proportion to muscular exertion. These views are now known to be wrong. A comparatively small quantity of proteid matter, such as is easily obtained from vegetable food, is ample for the general needs of the body. Increased muscular exertion requires but a slight increase of this food constituent. It is the carbohydrates, or carbohydrates and fats that should be eaten in larger quantity, as these are the main source of muscular energy. The fact that animals, capable of the most prolonged and powerful exertion, thrive on vegetables of comparatively low proteid value, and that millions of the strongest races have subsisted on what most Englishmen would consider a meagre vegetarian diet, should have been sufficient evidence against the earlier view. A comparison of flesh and vegetable food, shows in flesh an excessive quantity of proteid matter, a very small quantity of glycogen (the animal equivalent of starch and sugar) and a variable quantity of fat. Vegetable food differs much, but as a rule it contains a much smaller quantity of proteid matter, a large proportion of starch and sugar and a small quantity of fat. Some vegetable foods, particularly nuts, contain much fat. Investigation of the digestive processes has shown that the carbohydrates and fats entail little strain on the system; their ultimate products are water and carbon dioxide, which are easily disposed of. The changes which the proteids undergo in the body are very complicated. There is ample provision in the body for their digestion, metabolism, and final rejection, when taken in moderate quantity, as is the case in a dietary of vegetables. The proteids in the human body, after fulfilling their purpose, are in part expelled in the same way as the carbohydrates; but the principal part, including all the nitrogen, is expelled by the kidneys in the form of urea (a very soluble substance), and a small quantity of uric acid in the form of quadurates. There is reciprocity between the teeth and digestive organs of animals and their natural food. The grasses, leaves, &c., which are consumed by the herbivora, contain a large proportion of cellulose and woody tissue. Consequently, the food is bulky; it is but slowly disintegrated and the nutritious matter liberated and digested. The cellulose appears but slightly acted upon by the digestive juices. The herbivora possess capacious stomachs and the intestines are very long. The carnivora have simpler digestive organs and short intestines. Even they consume substances which leave much indigestible residue, such as skin, ligaments and bones, but civilised man, when living on a flesh dietary removes as much of such things as possible. The monkeys, apes, and man (comprised in the order _Primates_) have a digestive canal intermediate in complexity and in length to the herbivora and carnivora. A certain quantity of indigestible matter is necessary for exciting peristaltic action of the bowels. The carnivora with their short intestinal canal need the least, the frugivora more, and the herbivora a much larger quantity. The consumption by man of what is commonly called concentrated food is the cause of the constipation to which flesh-eating nations are subject. Most of the pills and other nostrums which are used in enormous quantities contain aloes or other drugs which stimulate the action of the intestines. Highly manufactured foods, from which as much as possible of the non-nutritious matter has been removed is often advocated, generally by those interested in its sale. Such food would be advantageous only if it were possible to remove or modify a great part of our digestive canal (we are omitting from consideration certain diseased conditions, when such foods may be useful). The eminent physiologist and bacteriologist, Elie Metchnikoff, has given it as his opinion that much of man's digestive organs is not only useless but often productive of derangement and disease. In several cases where it has been necessary, in consequence of serious disease, to remove the entire stomach or a large part of the intestines, the digestive functions have been perfectly performed. It is not that our organs are at fault, but our habits of life differ from that of our progenitors. In past times, when a simple dietary in which flesh food formed little or no part, and to-day, in those countries where one wholly or nearly all derived from vegetable sources and simply prepared is the rule, diseases of the digestive organs are rare. The Englishman going to a tropical country and partaking largely of flesh and alcohol, suffers from disease of the liver and other organs, to which the natives and the few of his own countrymen, living in accordance with natural laws are strangers. Indigestible Matter--Food is never entirely digested. As a reason against confining ourselves solely to vegetable food, it has been stated that such is less perfectly digested than animal food and that it therefore throws more work on the digestive organs. It is also urged that on this account a greater quantity of vegetable food is required. We have shown elsewhere that, on the contrary, vegetarians are satisfied with a smaller amount of food. Man requires a small quantity of woody fibre or cellulose in his food to stimulate intestinal action and prevent constipation. It is difficult to determine how much of a food is unassimilated in the body. This is for the reason of the intestinal refuse consisting not only of undigested food, but also of residues of the digestive juices, mucus and epithelial debris. These latter have been shown to amount to from one-third to one-half of the whole of the fæces, which is much more than had previously been supposed. John Goodfellow has shown that of very coarse wholemeal bread quite 14 per cent. was undigested, whilst bread made from ordinary grade wholemeal showed 12.5 per cent. Such a method of analysis was adopted as it was believed would exclude other than the food waste. The experiments were made on a person who was eating nothing but the bread. It seems probable that a smaller proportion would have remained unassimilated had the bread not formed the sole food. It is advisable that wheatmeal he ground as finely as possible, the coarse is not only to a less extent assimilated but apt to irritate the bowels. Notwithstanding that fine white bread gave only 4.2 per cent. and a coarse white bread 4.9 per cent. of waste, a fine wheatmeal bread is more economical as the same quantity of wheat produces a greater weight of flour richer in proteid and mineral matter. From a large number of experiments with man, it has been calculated that of proteids there is digested when animal food is eaten 98 per cent., from cereals and sugars 8 per cent., from vegetables and fruits 80 per cent. The difference between the proportions digested of the other food constituents was much less. Although there is here a theoretical advantage in favour of animal food, there are other considerations of far more importance than a little undigestible waste. The main question is one of health. In some dietary experiments of a girl aged 7, living upon a fruit diet, of whom we have given some particulars elsewhere, Professor Jaffa gives the following particulars. During the ten days trial the percentages absorbed were proteids 82.5, fat 86.9, nitrogen free extract 96, crude fibre 80, ash 5.7, heat of combustion in calories 86.7. He says, "generally speaking, the food was quite thoroughly assimilated, the coefficients of digestibility being about the same as are found in an ordinary mixed diet. It is interesting to note that 80 per cent. of the crude fibre appeared to be digested. The results of a number of foreign experiments on the digestibility of crude fibre by man are from 30 to 91.4 per cent., the former value being from mixed wheat and rye, and the latter in a diet made of rice, vegetables and meat." TABLE OF ANALYSIS OF FOOD Key: P = Proteins. Cb = Carbohydrates. C = Cellulose. R = Refuse. W = Water. Ca = Calories. Nt'nt P. Fat. Cb. Ash. C R W Ca Ratio Wholemeal, G. 14.9 1.6 66.2 1.7 1.6 ... 14.0 1577 4.68 Fine Flour, G. 9.3 0.8 76.5 0.7 0.7 ... 12.0 1629 8.4 Medium Flour, G. 12.1 0.9 72.2 0.9 0.9 ... 13.0 1606 6.13 Bread, Wholemeal, G. 12.2 1.2 43.5 1.3 1.8 ... 40.0 1086 3.8 Bread, White, G. 7.5 0.8 53.8 0.9 ... ... 37.0 1174 7.4 Macaroni, U. 13.4 0.9 74.1 1.3 ... ... 10.3 1665 5.67 Oatmeal, D. 14.8 9.6 63.3 2.2 1.4 ... 8.7 1858 5.72 Maize, American, S. 10.0 4.25 71.75 1.5 1.75 ... 10.75 1700 8.12 Rice, husked, U. 8.0 0.3 79.0 0.4 ... ... 12.3 1630 10.0 Rye Flour, U. 6.8 0.9 78.3 0.7 0.4 ... 12.9 1620 11.8 Barley, Pearl, C. 6.2 1.3 76.0 1.1 0.8 ... 14.6 1584 12.7 Buckwheat Flour, U. 6.4 1.2 77.9 0.9 ... ... 13.6 1619 12.6 Soy Bean, C. 35.3 18.9 26.0 4.6 4.2 ... 11.0 1938 1.93 Pea-nut, C. 24.5 50.0 11.7 1.8 4.5 ... 7.5 2783 5.2 Lentils, U. 25.7 1.0 59.2 5.7 ... ... 8.4 1621 2.4 Peas, dried, U. 24.6 1.0 62.0 2.9 4.5 ... 9.5 1655 2.6 Peas, green, E.U. 7.0 0.5 15.2 1.0 1.7 ... 74.6 465 2.3 Haricots, C. 23.0 2.3 52.3 2.9 5.5 ... 14.0 1463 2.5 Walnuts, fresh k., C. 12.5 31.6 8.9 1.7 0.8 ... 44.5 1563 6.33 Walnut kernels 21.4 54.1 15.2 2.9 1.4 ... 5.0 2964 6.33 Filberts, fresh ker., C. 8.4 28.5 11.1 1.5 2.5 ... 48.0 1506 8.9 Tomatoes, U. 1.2 0.2 3.5 0.6 0.5 ... 94.0 105 3.3 Grapes, U. 1.0 1.2 10.1 0.4 4.3 25 58.0 335 12.8 Apples, E.U. 0.4 0.5 13.0 0.3 1.2 (25) 84.6 290 35.3 Raisins, E U. 2.6 3.3 76.1 3.4 ... (10) 14.6 1605 32.0 Dates, E.U. 2.1 2.8 78.4 1.3 ... (10) 15.4 1615 40.0 Banana, C.D. 1.71 ... 20.13 0.71 1.74 ... 75.7 406 11.7 Banana Flour, P. 3.13 1.73 82.4 5.93 1.21 ... 5.6 1664 27.5 Potatoes, K. 1.9 0.2 20.7 1.0 0.7 ... 75.7 429 11.0 Turnips, E. 1.3 0.2 6.8 0.8 1.3 (30) 89.6 159 5.57 Onions, E.U. 1.6 0.3 9.1 0.6 0.8 (10) 87.6 225 6.1 Cabbage, E U. 1.6 0.3 4.5 1.0 1.1 (15) 91.5 123 3.23 Asparagus, U. 1.5 0.1 2.3 1.2 0.5 ... 94.4 85 1.7 Celery, E.U. 1.1 0.1 3.3 1.0 ... (20) 94.5 85 3.2 Mushrooms, U. 3.5 0.4 6.8 1.2 ... ... 88.1 210 2.2 Tapioca, U. 0.4 0.1 88.0 0.1 ... ... 11.4 1650 220 Sugar ... ... 100 ... ... ... ... 1860 ... Oil ... 100 ... ... ... ... ... 4220 ... Milk 3.6 3.7 4.6 0.73 ... ... 87.4 309 3.56 Butter, fresh 0.8 83.5 1.5 0.2 ... ... 14.0 3566 234 Cheese, U. 25.9 33.7 2.4 3.8 ... ... 34.2 1950 3.0 Hen's Eggs, U. 11.9 9.3 ... 0.9 ... 11.2 65.5 635 1.74 Beef, loin, U. 16.4 16.9 ... 0.9 ... 13.3 52.9 1020 2.3 Beef, loin, edible p., U. 19.0 19.1 ... 1.0 ... ... 61.3 1155 2.3 Mutton, shoulder, U. 13.7 17.1 ... 0.7 ... 22.1 46.8 975 2.77 Pork, Ham, U. 14.3 29.7 ... 0.8 ... 10.3 45.1 1520 4.6 Bacon, smoked, U. 9.5 59.4 ... 4.5 ... 8.7 18.4 2685 13.9 Fowl, U. 13.7 12.3 ... 0.7 ... 25.9 47.1 775 2.0 Goose, U. 13.4 29.8 ... 0.7 ... 17.6 38.5 1505 4.9 Cod, dressed, U. 11.1 0.2 ... 0.8 ... 29.9 58.5 215 0.04 Mackerel, whole, U. 10.2 4.2 ... 0.7 ... 44.7 40.4 365 9.13 Oysters, L. 8.75 0.92 8.09 2.4 ... ... 79.8 352 1.16 NOTES ON THE TABLE OF ANALYSIS.--Under calories are shown kilo-calories per pound of food. In the analysis marked U the crude fibre or cellulose is included with the carbo-hydrate, the figures being those given in Atwater's table. He has found that from 30 to 91 per cent. of the crude fibre was digested, according to the kind of food. The term fibre or cellulose in analytical tables is not a very definite one. It depends upon the details of the method of analysis. In the analyses other than U, the cellulose is excluded in calculating the calories. Nutrient ratio is the proportion of the sum of the carbo-hydrate and fat, compared with the proteid as 1. The fat has first been multiplied by 2.225 to bring it to the same nutrient value as the carbo-hydrate. U indicates that the analyses are taken from the United States Department of Agriculture Experimental Station, Bulletin 28, the tests being chiefly made by Dr. W.O. Atwater, or under his direction. They are average analyses of several samples. The refuse consists of such parts as are rejected in preparing the food; the outer leaves, skin, stalk, seeds, &c., of vegetables; the shell of eggs; the bone, &c., of meat. E, indicates that the edible portion only of the food has been analysed, and under refuse, in brackets, is shown the quantity rejected before the analysis was made. There is considerable variation in the same kind of food, according to the variety of seed and conditions of growth &c., especially is this the case with wheat and flour; whenever it has been possible the average of the analyses of many samples have been given. The method of analysis has not always been uniform, frequently the cellulose is included with the carbo-hydrates, and the proteid sometimes includes a very appreciable quantity of non-proteid nitrogenous matter. This is the case in the analysis of the mushrooms. G.--Analyses are by John Goodfellow; it will be noticed that the wheatmeal bread is not made from the same flour as the whole-meal. D.--B. Dyer, average of 19 fine and coarse oatmeals. S, from U.S. Cons. Reports, 1899. C.--A.H. Church. The walnut kernels are in the dried condition as purchased; originally of the same composition as shewn in the fresh kernels. C.D.--Cavendish or Figi variety of banana, analysis by D.W.M. Doherty, N.S. Wales. P.--A. Petermann, U.S. Cons. Banana flour, _musca paradisiaca_ variety. This is widely used in Central America. The flour is from the unripe fruit, and contains starch 45.7 per cent.; on ripening the starch is converted into sugar. K.--Konig, mean of 90 analysis. Milk:--Average of many thousand analyses of the pure. Butter.--Made without salt. L, from the "Lancet," 1903, I, p. 72. Oysters at 2/6 per dozen. The 8.09 per cent. includes 0.91 glycogen (animal starch). The shell was of course excluded, also the liquid in the shell. Apples.--The refuse includes seeds, skin, &c., and such edible portion as is wasted in cutting them away; the analysis was made on the rest. Cookery.--Flesh is easier to digest raw. A few, on the advice of their doctors, eat minced raw flesh, raw beef juice and even fresh warm blood. Such practice is abhorrent to every person of refinement. Cooking lessens the offensive appearance and qualities of flesh and changes the flavour; thorough cooking also destroys any parasites that may be present. Raw flesh is more stimulating to the animal passions, and excites ferocity in both man and animals. If the old argument was valid, that as flesh is much nearer in composition and quality to our own flesh and tissues, it is therefore our best food, we do wrong in coagulating the albuminoids, hardening the muscle substance and scorching it by cooking. Fruits when ripe and in good condition are best eaten raw; cooking spoils the flavour. Food requiring mastication and encouraging insalivation is the best. Food is frequently made too sloppy or liquid, and is eaten too hot, thus favouring indigestion and decay of the teeth. The cereals and pulses can only with difficulty be eaten raw. When cooked in water the starch granules swell and break up, the plant cells are ruptured, the fibres are separated and the nutritious matter rendered easy of digestion. The flavour is greatly improved. Cooking increases our range and variety of food. The civilised races use it to excess and over-season their dishes, favouring over-eating. If baking powders are used they should only be of the best makes. They should be composed of sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid, in such correct proportions that upon the addition of water only sodium tartrate and carbon dioxide (carbonic acid) should result. Some powders contain an excess of sodium bicarbonate. Self-raising flours should be avoided. They are commonly composed of--in addition to sodium bicarbonate--acid calcium phosphate, calcium superphosphate and calcium sulphate. Common baking powders often consist of the same ingredients, and sometimes also of magnesia and alum. These are often made and sold by ignorant men, whose sole object is to make money. Calcium superphosphate and acid calcium phosphate very frequently contain arsenic, and as the cheap commercial qualities are often used there is danger in this direction. A good formula for baking powder is, tartaric acid 8 ozs., sodium bicarbonate 9 ozs., rice flour 10 to 20 ozs. The last is added to baking powders to improve the keeping quality and to add bulk. The ingredients must be first carefully dried, the sodium bicarbonate at not too high a temperature or it decomposes, and then thoroughly mixed; this must be preserved in well closed and dry bottles. Another formula, which is slow rising and well adapted for pastry, is sodium bicarbonate 4 ozs., cream of tartar 9 ozs., rice flour about 14 ozs. Custard powders consist of starch, colouring and flavouring. Egg powders are similar to baking powders but contain yellow colouring. Little objection can be taken to them if they are coloured with saffron; turmeric would do if it were not that it gives a slightly unpleasant taste. Artificial colouring matters or coal tar derivatives are much used, several of these are distinctly poisonous. Drinks.--It is better not to drink during eating, or insalivation may be interfered with; a drink is better taken at the end of a meal. The practice of washing down food with hot tea is bad. The refreshing nature of a cup of hot tea, coffee, or cocoa is to a very great extent due to the warmth of the water. The benefit is felt at once, before the alkaloid can enter the blood stream and stimulate the nerve centres. Hot water, not too hot to cause congestion of the mucous membrane, is one of the best drinks. When the purity of the water supply is doubtful, there is advantage in first bringing it to the boil, as pathogenic bacteria are destroyed. Some find it beneficial to drink a cup of hot water the first thing in the morning; this cleanses the stomach from any accumulation of mucus. If fruit, succulent vegetables, or cooked food, containing much water be freely used, and there be little perspiration, it is possible to do without drinking; but there is danger of taking insufficient water to hold freely in solution the waste products excreted by the body. Aerated drinks, except a very few of the best, and non-alcoholic beers and wines, are generally unwholesome, from their containing preservatives, foaming powders, artificial flavourings, &c. Stimulants.--Tea and coffee contain an alkaloid theine, besides volatile oils, tannin, &c. Cocoa contains the milder alkaloid, theobromine. They stimulate the heart and nervous systems; tea and coffee have also a diuretic effect. Formerly they were erroneously thought to lessen tissue waste. These alkaloids, being purins, are open to the general objections named elsewhere. Stimulants do not impart energy or force of any kind, but only call forth reserve strength by exciting the heart, nervous system, &c., to increased activity. This is followed by a depression which is as great, generally greater, than the previous stimulation. Except, perhaps, as an occasional medicine, stimulants, should be avoided. Analysis of cocoa shows a good proportion of proteids and a very large quantity of fat. The claim that it is a valuable and nutritious food would only be true if it could be eaten in such quantities as are other foods (bread, fruits, &c.). Were this attempted, poisoning would result from the large quantity of alkaloid. The food value of half a spoonful or thereabouts of cocoa is insignificant. Certain much advertised cocoa mixtures are ridiculous in their pretentions, unscientific in preparation, and often injurious. Cereals.--The most valuable is wheat, from its proteid being chiefly in the form known as gluten. From its tenacity, gluten enables a much better loaf to be produced from wheat than from any other cereal. The outer part of the grain is the richest in mineral matter and proteid. Wheatmeal bread shows a considerably higher proteid value than white. A large proportion of the proteid in the outer coats of the wheat berry is, however, not digested, and in some experiments the waste has been enough to quite nullify its seeming advantage over white bread. Coarsely ground, sharp branny particles in bread irritate the intestines, and cause excessive waste of nutriment; but finely ground wheatmeal is free from this objection, and is beneficial in preventing constipation. The comparative value of white and brown bread has been much discussed; it depends both on the quality of the bread and the condition of the digestive organs. Experiments on the digestion of bread and other things, have often been made on persons unaccustomed to such foods, or the foods have been given in excessive quantity. To those accustomed to it good wheatmeal bread is much pleasanter, more satisfying, and better flavoured than white; indeed, the latter is described as insipid. Most bakers' bread is of unsatisfactory quality. Flour and bread contain very little fat, the absence of which is considered a defect. This is remedied by the addition of butter, fat or oil, or by nuts, &c., which are rich in oil. These may be mixed with the flour prior to cooking, or used afterwards. Oats contain a substance called avenin, apparently an alkaloid, which has an irritating action; the quantity is variable. It is to this that the so-called heating effect of oatmeal on some persons is due. Prepared Cereals or Breakfast Foods.--Analyses were made of 34 of these cereal preparations by Weems and Ellis (Iowa State College Agricultural Bulletin, 1904). They report that the foods possess no nutritive value in excess of ordinary food materials; that the claim made for many pre-digested foods are valueless, and no reliance can be placed on the statement that they are remedies for any disease. Oatmeal and other cereals are sold in packets as being partially cooked. We do not doubt that they have been subjected to a dry heat, but this has scarcely any effect on their starch and other constituents. The difference is a mechanical one. In rolled oats the grains are so cracked and broken, that on boiling with water, the water readily penetrates and more quickly cooks them throughout. There are other prepared cereal foods, but we doubt whether they are thoroughly cooked after the short boiling directed on the labels. They are a great convenience where it is difficult to get the time necessary for cooking the ordinary cereals. Coarsely ground wheat is too irritating when made into porridge, but there are some granulated wheats sold in packets, which are quite suitable. The Ralston breakfast food is excellent. They are rich in the phosphates and salts, found in the outer part of the grain. One cereal preparation called Grape Nuts, has had its starch converted into maltose and dextrin (maltose being a sugar), by a scientific application of the diastase of the grain. It is consequently easier of digestion and requires no cooking. It is beneficial for some forms of indigestion. There are several competing foods of less merit, the starch being less perfectly changed; one at least of which is objectionably salt. Properly cooked starch is readily digested by healthy persons, and for them malted food is of no special value. Pulse, or Legumes, includes haricots and other beans, peas and lentils. The proteid contained is that variety known as legumin, which is either the same, or is closely allied, to the casein of milk and cheese. Pulse is very rich in proteid, the dried kinds in general use, contain 24 or 25 per cent. The richest is the soy-bean, which is used in China and Japan, it contains 35 per cent., besides 19 per cent. of fat. Pulse requires thorough cooking, haricots taking the longest time. Split lentils are cooked sooner, and are better digested; this is chiefly due to the removal of the skins. The haricots, bought from small grocers who have a slow sale, are often old, and will not cook tender. Pulse is best adapted to the labouring classes; the sedentary should eat it sparingly, it is liable to cause flatulence or accumulation of gas in the intestines, and constipation. Haricots are easier to digest when mashed and mixed with other food. Pulse was formerly stated to leave much undigested residue. Recent experiments have shown that it is satisfactorily digested under favourable conditions. Strümpell found beans in their skins to leave a large proportion of proteid matter unabsorbed. Lentil meal mixed with other food was digested in a perfectly satisfactory manner. Another experimenter (Rubner) found that when even the very large quantity of 1-1/8 pound of dried split peas per day were eaten, only 17 per cent. of proteid matter was unabsorbed, which compares very well with the 11 per cent. of proteid left from a macaroni diet, with which the same man was fed at another time. Had a reasonable quantity of peas been eaten per day, the quantity undigested would probably have differed little from that of other foods. Nuts are, as a rule, very rich in oil and contain a fair proportion of proteid; when well masticated they are a very valuable food. Walnuts are one of the best, and the kernels can be purchased shelled, thus avoiding much trouble. They can be finely ground in a nut-mill and used for several purposes, mixed in the proportion of about two ounces to the pound of wheatmeal they produce a rich flavoured bread. They can also he used in sweet cakes and in rich puddings to increase their food value, lightness and taste. Pine kernels being very oily, can be used with flour in the place of lard or butter. Fruits are generally looked upon as luxuries, rather than as food capable of supplying a meal or a substantial part of one. They are usually eaten only when the appetite has been appeased by what is considered more substantial fare. Fresh fruits contain a larger proportion of water than nearly all other raw foods, and consequently the proportion of nourishment is small; but we must not despise them on this account. Milk contains as much or more water. Certain foods which in the raw state contain very little water, such as the pulses and cereals when cooked absorb a very large quantity; this is particularly the case in making porridge. Cabbage, cauliflower, Spanish onions and turnips, after cooking contain even 97 per cent. of water. Roast beef contains on an average 48 per cent., and cooked round steak with fat removed 63 per cent. of water. It is customary at meal times to drink water, tea, coffee, beer, wine, &c. When a meal contains any considerable quantity of fresh fruits there need be no desire to drink. Notwithstanding that fruits contain so much water, a dietary consisting of fruits with nuts, to which may be added bread and vegetables, will contain less water than the total quantity usually consumed by a person taking the more customary highly cooked and seasoned foods. An advantage is that the water in fruits is in a wholesome condition, free from the pollution often met with in the water used for drinking purposes. Raw fruits favour mastication, with its consequent advantages, whilst cooked and soft food discourages it. Plums and what are termed stone fruits, if eaten in more than very small quantities, are apt to disagree. Persons with good digestions can take fruit with bread, biscuits and with uncooked foods without any inconvenience. Fruit is more likely to disagree when taken in conjunction with elaborately cooked foods. Many cannot take fruit, especially if it be acid, at the same time as cereal or starchy substances, and the difficulty is said to be greater at the morning's meal. If the indigestion produced is due to the acid of the fruit preventing the saliva acting on the starch, scientific principles would direct that the fruit be eaten quite towards the end of the meal. The same consideration condemns the use of mint sauce, cucumber and vinegar, or pickles, with potatoes and bread, or even mint sauce with green peas. Bananas are an exception, as not interfering with the digestion of starch. Bananas are generally eaten in an unripe condition, white and somewhat mealy; they should be kept until the starch has been converted into sugar, when they are both more pleasant and wholesome. Nuts and fruit go well together. For a portable meal, stoned raisins or other dried fruit and walnut kernels or other nuts are excellent. What has been called a defect in most fruits, is the fact that the proteid is small in proportion to the other constituents. This has been too much dwelt upon, owing to the prevailing exaggerated idea of the quantity of proteid required. The tomato contains a large proportion, though the water is very high. Bananas, grapes and strawberries contain to each part of proteid from 10 to 12 parts of other solid nutritive constituents (any oil being calculated into starch equivalents); this is termed the nutritive ratio. Although this may seem a small proportion of proteid, there are reasons for believing that it is sufficient. Taking the average of 29 analyses of American apples, a nutritive ratio of 33 was obtained. If it were suggested that life should be sustained on apples alone, this small quantity of proteid would be an insurmountable difficulty. As the addition of nuts or other nutritious food sufficiently increases the proteid, no objection can with justice be made against the use of fruit. A study of our teeth, digestive organs and general structure, and of comparative anatomy, points to fruits, nuts and succulent vegetables as our original diet. The potash and other salts of the organic acids in fruits tend to keep the blood properly alkaline. Where there is a tendency to the deposition of uric acid in the body, they hinder its formation. Citric, tartaric, malic and other organic acids exist in fruits in combination with potash and other bases, as well as in the free state. The free acids in fruits, when eaten, combine with the alkalies in the intestinal tract, and are absorbed by the body and pass into the blood, not as acids, but as neutral salts. Here they are converted into potassium carbonate or some other carbonate. Fruit acids never make the blood acid but the reverse. Fruit salts and acids are antiscorbutic. Fruits have often proved of the greatest benefit in illness. What is known as the grape cure has been productive of much good. Lemons and oranges have also been of great benefit. Strawberries have been craved for and have proved of the greatest advantage in some extreme cases of illness when more concentrated food could not be endured. Fruit is coming into greater use, especially owing to its better distribution and lessened cost. Fruit is not as cheap as it should be, as it can be produced in great abundance at little cost, and with comparatively little labour. The price paid by the public greatly exceeds the real cost of production. A very large proportion, often the greater part of the cost to the consumer, goes in railway and other rates and in middle-men's profits. It is commonly cheaper to bring fruit from over the sea, including land carriage on either side, than it is to transport English produce from one part of our country to another. English homegrown fruit would be cheaper were it not for the difficulty of buying suitable land at a reasonable price, and the cost of transit. For the production of prime fruit there is a lack of sufficient intelligence, of scientific culture and co-operation. Vegetables--using the name in its popular sense--contain valuable saline constituents or salts. By the usual method of cooking a large proportion of the salts is lost. It is better to steam than to boil them. The fibrous portion of vegetables is not all digested, but it is useful in stimulating the peristaltic action of the bowels and lessening any tendency to constipation. Vegetables are more especially useful to non-vegetarians to correct the defects of their other food. The potato belongs to a poisonous order--the _Solanacæ_. There is a little alkaloid in the skin, but this is lost in the cooking. The eyes and sprouting portions contain the most and should be cut out. Fungi.--There are about a hundred edible species in this country, but many of the fungi are poisonous, some intensely so. It can scarcely be expected that these lowly organised plants, differing so much in their manner of growth from the green or chlorophyll bearing plants, can be particularly nourishing. It is only the fructifying part, which appears above the ground, that is generally eaten. It is of very rapid growth. Of 9 edible fungi of 4 species, obtained in the Belgrade market, the average amount of water was 89.3 per cent., leaving only 10.7 per cent. of solid matter; the average of fat was 0.55 per cent. The food value of fungi has been greatly over-rated. In most of the analyses given in text-books and elsewhere, the total nitrogen has been multiplied by 6.25 and the result expressed as proteid. The amount of nitrogen in a form useless for the purpose of nutrition is about a third of the whole. Of the remainder or proteid nitrogen, it is said much is not assimilated, sometimes quite half, owing to the somewhat indigestible character of the fungi. An analysis of the common mushroom gave proteids 2.2 per cent., amides (useless nitrogenous compounds) 1.3 per cent., and water 93.7 per cent. The fungi are of inferior nutritive value to many fresh vegetables and are much more expensive. Their chief value is as a flavouring. Milk and Eggs are permissible in a vegetarian dietary, and as a rule, vegetarians use them. Eggs, with the exception of such as are unfertile, are of course alive; but they have no conscious existence, and cannot be said to suffer any pain on being killed and eaten. An objection to their use as food is, that on an egg and poultry farm, the superfluous male birds are killed, and as the hens become unprofitable layers they are also killed. A similar humane objection applies to the use of cow's milk by man. The calves are deprived of part of their natural food, the deficiency being perhaps made up by unnatural farinaceous milk substitutes. Many of the calves, especially the bull calves, are killed, thus leaving all the milk for human use. When cows cease to yield sufficient milk they too are slaughtered. Milch cows are commonly kept in unhealthy houses, deprived of exercise and pure air, crowded together, with filthy evil smelling floors reeking with their excrements, tended by uncleanly people. With no exercise and a rich stimulating diet they produce more milk; but it is no matter for surprise that tuberculosis is common amongst them. When the lesions of tubercle (consumption) are localised and not excessive, the rest of the carcase is passed by veterinary surgeons as fit for food; were it otherwise, enormous quantities of meat would be destroyed. As butcher's meat is seldom officially inspected, but a very small part is judged by the butchers as too bad for food. In mitigation it may be said that poultry lead a happy existence and their death is, or should be, quickly produced with but little pain, probably less pain than if left to die from natural causes. The same cannot be said of cattle and sheep when the time arrives for their transport to the slaughter man's. It is argued by vegetarians who take milk and animal products that they are not responsible for the death of the animals, as they do not eat their flesh. As vegetarians profit by conditions in which the slaughtering of the animals is a part, they cannot be altogether exonerated. Cow's milk is prone to absorb bad odours, and it forms a most suitable breeding or nutrient medium for most species of bacteria which may accidentally get therein. By means of milk many epidemics have been spread, of scarlet fever, diphtheria, cholera, and typhoid. Occasionally milk contains tubercle bacilli from the cows themselves. By boiling, all bacteria, except a few which may be left out of consideration, are destroyed. Such a temperature, however, renders the milk less digestible and wholesome for infants. By heating to 160° F. or 170° F. for a few minutes, such pathogenic germs as are at all likely to be in milk (tubercle, typhoid, diphtheria, &c.) are killed, and the value of the milk is but little affected: this is called Pasteurising. It was until quite recently a common practice to add boric acid, formaldehyde and other preservatives; this has injured the vitality and caused the death of many infants. They have not yet gone quite out of use. For infants the only satisfactory food is that of a healthy mother. On account of physical defects in the mother, or often for merely selfish reasons, the infant is deprived of its natural food. Many attempts have been made to bring cow's milk to approximately the same composition as human milk. It can be done by adding water, milk sugar and cream of known composition, in certain proportions. Great difficulties are met with when this is put into practice. The simplest method is that of Professor Soxhlet. The proper quantity of milk sugar is added, but instead of adding the right quantity of cream or fat--a very difficult thing to do--the equivalent quantity of extra milk sugar is used. Although not theoretically satisfactory, in practice it answers very well. We have found it to agree very well with infants. To cow's milk of pure average quality, add half its volume of water containing 12.3 per cent. of milk sugar; or, what amounts to the same thing, to a pint of cow's milk add one and a quarter ounce of milk sugar and half-a-pint of water. It is preferable to Pasteurise by placing the bottle of milk in a vessel of water. This water is to be heated until the milk shows a temperature of about 75° C. or 165° F., but must not exceed 80° C. or a change in the albumen of the milk takes place which affects its digestibility. Keep at this temperature for about ten minutes. If not required at once, a plug of cotton wool should be placed in the neck of the bottle, and it should be kept in a cold place until required. Professor Soxhlet does not advise the addition of lime water. The proteids are not of the same composition as in human milk (the calf being a ruminating animal)--and it is a common plan to add water or barley water to milk until it is so watered down that it cannot curdle into tough curds. An infant has thus either to distend its stomach with a large quantity of watery nourishment, or else to get insufficient food. Sometimes it is necessary to peptonise the milk a little. At the Leipzig infants hospital, and also the Hygienic Institute, they give to infants, up to 9 months old, Prof. Soxhlet's mixture, except that an equal volume of water is added to the milk. Milk, cheese, and especially hen's eggs contain a very large proportion of proteid. When added to food poor in proteid they improve its nutritive quality. It has often been said, and with truth, that some vegetarians by the profuse use of animal products, consume as much, or even more proteid of animal origin than the average person who includes flesh food in his dietary. An excess of proteid from these sources is less injurious as eggs contain no purins, and milk but a very small quantity. In support of the use of animal products, it may be said that we have become so fond of animal foods and stimulating drinks, that the use of milk, butter, cheese and eggs renders the transition to a dietary derived from the vegetable kingdom much easier. By means of these, cooked dishes can be produced which approach and sometimes can scarcely be distinguished from those of cooked flesh. In the present state of society, when really good vegetarian fare is difficult to procure away from home, eggs, cheese, and milk are a great convenience. Digestion.--The digestive juices contain certain unorganised ferments, which produce chemical changes in the food. If the food is solid, it has to be liquefied. Even if already liquid it has generally to undergo a chemical change before being fitted for absorption into the body. The alimentary canal is a tubular passage which is first expanded into the mouth, and later into the stomach. As the food passes down, it is acted upon by several digestive juices, and in the small intestine the nutritive matter is absorbed, whilst the residue passes away. The saliva is the first digestive juice. It is alkaline and contains a ferment called ptyalin. This acts energetically on the cooked and gelatinous starch, and slowly on the raw starch. Starch is quite insoluble in water, but the first product of salivary digestion is a less complex substance called soluble-starch. When time is allowed for the action to be completed, the starch is converted into one of the sugars called maltose. In infants this property of acting on starch does not appear in effective degree until the sixth or seventh month, and starch should not be given before that time. Only a small quantity should be provided before the twelfth month, when it may be gradually increased. Dr. Sims Wallace has suggested that the eruption of the lower incisors from the seventh to the eighth month, was for the purpose of enabling the infant--in the pre-cooking stage of man's existence--to pierce the outer covering of fruits so as to permit his extracting the soluble contents by suction; and accordingly when these teeth are cut we may allow the child to bite at such vegetable substances as apples, oranges, and sugar cane. Dr. Harry Campbell says that starch should be given to the young, "not as is the custom, as liquid or pap, but in a form compelling vigorous mastication, for it is certain that early man, from the time he emerged from the ape till he discovered how to cook his vegetable food, obtained practically all his starch in such a form. If it is given as liquid or pap it will pass down as starch into the stomach, to setup disturbance in that organ; while if it is administered in a form which obliges the child to chew it properly, not only will the jaws, the teeth, and the gums obtain the exercise which they crave, and without which they cannot develop normally, but the starch will be thoroughly insalivated that much of it will be converted within the mouth into maltose. Hard well baked crusts constitute a convenient form in which to administer starch to children. A piece of crust may be put in the oven and rebaked, and spread with butter. Later, we may give hard plain biscuits." Dr. Campbell continues, that he does not say that starch in the pappy form, or as porridge, should find no place whatever in man's dietary at the present day, but we should arrange that a large proportion of our food is in a form inviting mastication. The teeth perform the very important function of breaking down our food and enabling it to be intimately incorporated with the saliva and afterwards with the digestive juices. The Anglo-Saxon race shows a greater tendency to degeneracy in the teeth than do other races; the teeth of the present generation are less perfect than those of previous generations. A dentist writes (_Lancet_, 1903-2, p. 1054) "I have had the opportunity of examining the teeth of many natives in their more or less uncivilised state, from the Red Indians of North America, the negroes of Africa, to the more civilised Chinese, Japanese, and Indians of the East, and I have usually found them possessed of sound teeth, but so soon as they come under the influence of civilised life in Washington, Montreal, London, Paris and other cities, their teeth begin to degenerate, though their general health may remain good." In a long article on mastication in the _Lancet_ (1903-2, p. 84) from which we have already quoted, Dr. Harry Campbell gives as the effect of thorough and efficient mastication, that it increases the amount of alkaline saliva passing into the stomach, and prolongs the period of starch digestion within that organ. That it influences the stomach reflexly by promoting the flow of gastric juice. That the frequent use of the jaws and the tongue, during the period of growth, cause the jaws to expand. If the jaws are not adequately exercised during this period, owing to the use of soft food, they do not reach their normal size, the teeth are overcrowded, do not develop fully, and are prone to decay. The effect of vigorous mastication is to stimulate the circulation in the tooth pulp, which promotes nutrition and maintains a firm dental setting. Dr. Campbell writes: "I am perfectly at one with Dr. Wallace, in believing that the removal of the fibrous portion of food is the main cause of the prevalence of caries among moderns." When the food reaches the stomach, gastric juice is secreted. This juice contains a ferment called pepsin and hydrochloric acid. Pepsin is only active in an acid media. Starch digestion proceeds in the stomach to such a time--stated as from 15 to 30 minutes--when the acid gastric juice has been poured out in sufficient quantity to neutralise the alkalinity of the saliva. The gastric juice acts upon the proteids only. After a time the liquefied contents of the stomach are passed into the first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. Here it meets with the pancreatic juice, which like the gastric juice attacks proteids, but even more energetically, and only in an alkaline media. The proteolitic ferment is called trypsin. The pancreatic, the most important of the digestive fluids, contains other ferments; one called amylopsin, takes up the digestion of any remaining or imperfectly converted starch left from the salivary digestion. Amylopsin is much more powerful and rapid than the ptyalin of the saliva, especially on uncooked starch. Its absence from the pancreatic juice of infants is an indication that starch should not be given them. Another ferment, stearopsin, emulsifies fats. The bile is alkaline and assists the pancreatic juice in neutralising the acid mixture that leaves the stomach; it also assists the absorption of fats. The digestion of proteids is not completed in the stomach. There are some who look upon the stomach as chiefly of use as a receptacle for the large mass of food, which is too quickly eaten to be passed at once into the intestines; the food being gradually expelled from the stomach, in such quantities as the duodenal digestion can adequately treat. A frequently used table, showing the time required for the digestion of various foods in the stomach, is of little practical value. There is ample provision for the digestion of food, there is a duplication of ferments for the proteids and starch. In health, the ferments are not only very active, but are secreted in ample quantities. The digestive or unorganised ferments must not be confused with the organised ferments such as yeast. The latter are living vegetable cells, capable of indefinite multiplication. The former are soluble bodies, and though capable of transforming or digesting some thousands of times their mass of food, their power in this direction is restricted within definite limits. Another and preferable name for them is enzymes. The action of saliva on starch is powerfully retarded by tea, this is due to the tannin. Coffee and cocoa are without effect. Tea infused for two minutes only, was not found to have sensibly less restraining effect than when infused for thirty minutes. On peptic digestion both tea and coffee had a powerful retarding effect. When of equal strength cocoa was nearly as bad, but as it is usually taken much weaker, its inhibitory effect is of little consequence. Bacteria are minute vegetable organisms, which exist in the dust of the air, in water and almost everywhere on or near the surface of the earth. They are consequently taken in with our food. They exist in the mouth; those in carious teeth are often sufficient to injuriously affect digestion and health. The healthy gastric juice is to a great degree antiseptic, but few bacteria being able to endure its acidity. When the residue of the food reaches the large intestine, bacteria are found in very great numbers. The warmth of the body is highly favourable to their growth. They cause the food and intestinal _debris_ to assume its fæcal character. Should the mass be retained, the bacterial poisons accumutate and being absorbed into the body produce headaches, exhaustion, neurasthenia and other complaints. Proteid matter, the products of its decomposition and nitrogenous matter generally, are especially the food of bacteria; this is shown in the offensiveness of the fæces of the carnivora, notwithstanding their short intestines, compared with that of the herbivora. Also in the difference of the fæces of the dog when fed on flesh and on a nearly vegetable diet. On a rich proteid diet, especially if it consists largely of flesh, the bacterial products in the intestines are greater than on a vegetable diet. On the latter such a disease as appendicitis is rare. Professor Elie Metchnikoff, of the Pasteur Institute, thinks that man's voluminous and highly developed large intestine fulfils no useful purpose, and on account of its breeding a very copious and varied bacterial flora, could with advantage be dispensed with. He also has said that man, who could support himself on food easily digestible, has a small intestine which is disproportionately fully developed. Instead of having between 18 and 21 feet of small intestine, man might do with one-third of that length. According to him, there is a disharmony of our food and our digestive system. Referring to such views, and the desire of some surgeons to remove the vermiform appendix and portions of the intestines upon too little provocation, Sir W. Macewin, M.D., F.R.S. (_B. Medical Jrn._, 1904, 2 p. 874) says:--"Is this human body of ours so badly constructed that it contains so many useless parts and requires so much tinkering? Possibly I may be out of fashion with the times, as I cannot find such imperfections in the normal human body as are alleged. On the contrary, the more one looks into the human body and sees it work, the better one understands it and the more one is struck with the wondrous utility, beauty, and harmony of all its parts." Our food we can change, but not our organs-except by a dangerous surgical operations. Our teeth with our complex and very long intestines are adapted for fibrous, bulky and solid food. On such food mankind has lived for an immense period of time. It is true that there are several theoretical advantages in cooked vegetable foods; but unfortunately there is a want of conformity with our digestive organs. If a flesh diet is taken, the incongruity is greater. Concentrated food causes constipation. An active man, leading an out-of-door life, can take unsuitable food with little or no apparent inconvenience, the movements of his body favouring intestinal action; whilst the same food to a sedentary person will prove distinctly injurious. Some persons have such a vigorous digestion that they can consume almost any food, even that which is obviously unsuitable; not only bad in kind but excessive in quantity. Other persons have to be very careful. Many have boasted that they can take of what they call the good things of life to their full, without bad effect. We know of such men who have been much esteemed for their joviality and good nature, but who have broken down in what should have been a hearty and useful middle life. There are others who were poorly equipped for the battle of life, with indifferent constitutions, never having had the buoyancy and overflowing of animal spirits; but who, by conserving such strength as they had, have outlived all their more healthy but less careful comrades. The errors of the parents are often most evident in the children or grandchildren. There are many persons who cannot eat of some particular food, although it may be quite wholesome to others. Sometimes it is a psychological rather than a physiological disability, which may he overcome by an effort of the will. At other times it seems to have no connection with the imagination, although it is not always possible to give a sound reason for it. In the main, of course, there are principles of dietetics applicable to all alike, but in regard to details, everyone should make rules for himself, according to his experience. When there appears no real reason for an idiosyncrasy, a little humouring of our taste and digestion will often overcome it, to our advantage. It is generally those of delicate constitution who are most sensitive. Some cannot eat oatmeal except in small quantity. Olive and other vegetable oils, even when of good quality cannot be taken by many people, whilst others find them quite as wholesome, or even better than butter. Vegetarians can generally detect lard in pastry both by its taste and its after effects, although those accustomed to this fat do not object to it. It is also surprising how some individual's tastes and habits will vary at different periods of their lives. One form of dyspepsia is due to undigested starch remaining in the stomach and causing an excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid. As long as proteid food is present, the pepsin and acid expend themselves on it, and are removed together. The undigested starch continues to stimulate gastric secretion, and the acid residuum causes pain, heartburn and flatulence. If there be also any butyric acid, or some other fatty acid, derived from milk, butter, cheese, &c., there will be acid eructations. For this form of indigestion there are several methods of treatment. First; the very thorough cooking of all starchy food, and it is an advantage to take a little good extract of malt, either at the time of eating or directly afterwards. The diastase of the malt has the same action on starch as the ptyalin in the saliva. It is better, scientifically, to have the farinaceous food at about 130° F. (as hot as the mouth can bear will do), and then to add malt extract. On keeping the mixture warm, from a few minutes to half an hour or more, the starch is digested and rendered soluble. Such food is not very pleasant to take. The food known as Grape Nuts has been treated in a similar manner. The use of malt extract, however, seems a clumsy substitute for salivary digestion. Second; the eating of starch in the form of hard and dry biscuits, crusts and other hard food, which demand thorough mastication and insalivation, and the keeping in the mouth for a long while, during which the saliva has time to act. This is the best plan. Third; the taking of sodium bicarbonate towards the end of the period of digestion, in order to neutralise the acid in the stomach. This gives relief, but does not cure, as the dose has to be repeated after each meal; in course of time the quantity of soda has sometimes to be increased to an alarming extent. Fourth; the abstention from starchy foods and the substitution of an exclusive flesh dietary. In the "Salisbury" treatment, raw minced beef is given. This method often gives immediate relief, but its ultimate effect on the kidneys and other organs is very bad. No hard and fast rule can be laid down as to the number of meals into which the daily amount of food required should be divided. The stomach appears to work to the best advantage when it is full, or nearly so, and the appetite is appeased. Three approximately equal meals seems to be a convenient division. Dr. Dewey and his followers advise only two meals a day, and it seems incontestable that many persons find the plan advantageous. These are generally adults with weak digestions, or elderly persons who, on account of their age and the sluggish action of their assimilative functions, require comparatively little food. Children, on account of their vigorous vitality, rapid growth and hearty appetites, ought not to be restricted to this number. Persons who have got into the pernicious habit of greatly over-eating, and whose stomachs have become distended and unusually large, sometimes find it easier to restrict their daily food to a healthy quantity by taking only two meals. The general objections against two meals are that either two little food is taken, or the ingestion of such a large quantity is bad for the stomach and causes it to press on the adjacent viscera. The large quantity of blood and nerve force drawn to the over-distended stomach, depletes the brain and nervous system, causing drowsiness and incapacity for mental and physical work. The carnivora, whose opportunity for obtaining food--unlike the herbivora--is irregular and often at long intervals, gorge themselves upon opportunity and are in the habit of sleeping after a meal. The frugivora and herbivora, however, are alert and ready to fly from their enemies should such appear. The conveying of so much nourishment to the liver and blood stream at one time, is probably a greater tax on them. A light lunch between the usual full meals has nothing to recommend it. The stomach is burdened to little purpose, often before it has finished with one meal another is imposed upon it, no time being left for recuperation. Dietaries.--The best proportions of proteids, carbo-hydrates and fats required for the nourishment of the body has not yet been conclusively decided. The common plan is to average the dietary of large bodies of persons, particualrly of soldiers and prisoners. These dietaries have been adjusted empirically (the earlier ones at least), and are generally considered as satisfactory. They are chiefly of English and German origin. Another method is to laboriously analyse the injesta or food consumed and compare it with the dejecta or excretions, until a quantity and kind of food is found which is just sufficient to keep the body in equilibrium. This latter plan is the best, but to be quite satisfactory must be tried on a large number of suitable persons under varying conditions, both of quantity and kind of food. Nearly all the experiments have been made on persons accustomed to a stimulating dietary: their usual food has included a considerable quantity of flesh and alcoholic drinks. Sufficient attention has not been paid to the dietaries of the more abstemious races who partake of little if any flesh food. The standard daily dietary for a man of average weight, doing a moderate amount of work, is variously stated by the best authorities as proteids from 100 to 130 grammes, fat 35 to 125 grammes, and carbo-hydrates 450 to 550 grammes. There is a surprising difference of opinion on the amount of fat, but those who give least fat give the largest quantity of carbo-hydrate and _vice-versa_. Dr. R. Hutchison in "Food and Dietetics," sums up the quantities given by the highest authorities as follows:--- Proteid 125 g. ( 4.4 oz.) x 4.1 = 512 cal. = 20 g. N, 62 C Carbo-hydrate 500 g. (17.6 oz.) 4.1 2050 200 Fat 50 g. ( 1.8 oz.) 9.3 465 38 ----------------- ---- -------- ----- 675 g.(23.8 ) 3027 Total 20 g. N, 300 C The nutrient ratio is 1 : 4.9. For scientific purposes, metrical weights and measures are used, instead of the inconvenient English grains, ounces, pounds, &c. (1 gramme = 15.43 grains; 1 ounce avoirdupois = 437.5 grains = 28.35 grammes). A calorie is a measure of the power of a food in generating heat and muscular energy (these two being convertible). The calories used in food tables are kilo-calories, representing the amount of heat which would raise a kilogramme (1000 grammes) of water 1° Centigrade. This is the same as raising 1 pound weight 4° Fahrenheit. According to the table given, 125 grammes of dry proteid are required per day; this contains 20 grammes of nitrogen and 62 of carbon. When thoroughly consumed or utilised in the body, the heat or its equivalent in muscular work equals 512 kilo-calories. Proteids have, of course, an additional value as tissue formers. The factors used here, of 4.1 and 9.3, are those commonly employed; but the latest and most reliable research, taking account only of that part of the food which is actually available in the body, gives for proteid and carbo-hydrate 4 calories, and for fat 8.9 calories. Fat has a higher food value than the carbo-hydrates, as 4.1 : 9.3 = 2.27 or 4.0 : 89 = 2.225, according to whether the old or new factors are used. In the table of analyses 2.225 was used. The standard dietary for a woman, or of a boy 14 to 16 years of age, is given as equivalent to eight-tenths that of a man; a child of 10 to 13 six-tenths; of 2 to 5 four-tenths. A man doing hard work requires one-tenth more. The following table gives three standard dietaries, and a few actual ones, in grammes per day. The food of persons in easy circumstances, and of working men in the receipt of good wages, approximate to the standard dietaries, except that the fat is higher and the carbo-hydrates proportionately less. This is due to an abundance of animal food. It was thought unnecessary to give them in detail:-- Pr't. Fat. C'rb. Cal. N.R. Hutchison: Man, moderate muscular work 125 50 500 3027 4.9 Atwater: " " " " 125 ... ... 3400 6.2 Voit: " " " " 118 56 500 2965 5.5 Atwater: Woman, light to moderate muscular work, or Man without muscular exercise 90 ... ... 2450 6.1 Football teams, Connecticut and California, U.S. 226 354 634 6590 6.6 Russian peasants 129 33 589 3165 5.4 Negro families--Alabama and Virginia 86 145 440 3395 9.3 Labourers-Lombardy (diet, mostly vegetable) 82 40 362 2192 5.5 Japanese, on vegetable diet (_a_) 71 12 396 2026 6.0 Trappist monk, in Cloisters-vegetable diet 68 11 469 2304 7.3 Java village--Columbia Exposition, 1893 66 19 254 1450 4.7 Sewing girl-London (3/9 per week) 53 33 316 1820 7.3 German vegetarians 54 22 573 2775 11.6 German labourers' family (poor circumstances) 52 32 287 1640 7.2 Dr. T.R.A.--wheatmeal bread and water only (_b_) 82 8.5 470 2342 6.0 Man--3 years' exclusively vegetable diet (_c_) 54 22 557 2710 11.2 Thomas Wood, the miller of Billericay (_d_) 55 5.7 313 1560 6.0 Dr. Alexander Haig considers that 88 grammes of proteid is required by a man leading a decidedly active life. NOTES.--(_a_) The Japanese are of small stature and weight. (_b_) One of a series of experiments by A.W. Blyth, 1888. 1-1/2 lbs. of wheatmeal per day was required for equilibrium; sedentary occupation, with a daily walk of six miles. (_c_) See "A Text Book of Physiology," by M. Foster, 5th edition, part ii., p. 839; the diet was bread, fruit and oil. The man was in apparently good health and stationary weight; only 59 per cent. of the proteids were digested, leaving the small quantity of 32 grammes available for real use. In commenting upon this, Professor Foster writes:--"We cannot authoritatively say that such a reduction is necessarily an evil; for our knowledge will not at present permit us to make an authoritative exact statement as to the extent to which the proteid may be reduced without disadvantage to the body, when accompanied by adequate provision of the other elements of food; and this statement holds good whether the body be undertaking a small or large amount of labour." (_d_) The Miller of Billericay's case is quoted by Dr. Carpenter, and also by Dr. Pavy. It was reported to the College of Physicians in 1767 by Sir George Baker. A remarkable degree of vigour is said to have been sustained for upwards of eighteen years on no other nutriment than 16 oz. of flour, made into a pudding with water, no other liquid of any kind being taken. A striking instance of abstemiousness is that of Cornaro, a Venetian nobleman, who died in the year 1566 at the age of 98. Up to the age of 40 he spent a life of indulgence, eating and drinking to excess. At this time, having been endowed with a feeble constitution, he was suffering from dyspepsia, gout, and an almost continual slow fever, with an intolerable thirst continually hanging upon him. The skill of the best physicians of Italy was unavailing. At length he completely changed his habits of diet, and made a complete recovery. At the age of 83 he wrote a treatise on a "Sure and certain method of attaining a long and healthful life." He says, what with bread, meat, the yolk of an egg and soup, I ate as much as weighed 12 ozs., neither more nor less. I drank 14 oz. of wine. When 78 he was persuaded to increase his food by the addition of 2 oz. per day, and this nearly proved fatal. He writes that, instead of old age being one of weakness, infirmity and misery, I find myself to be in the most pleasant and delightful stage of life. At 83 I am always merry, maintaining a happy peace in my own mind. A sober life has preserved me in that sprightliness of thought and gaiety of humour. My teeth are all as sound as in my youth. He was able to take moderate exercise in riding and walking at that age. He was very passionate and hasty in his youth. He wrote other treatises up to the age of 95. Kumagara, Lapicque and Breis-acher, have, as the result of their experiments, reduced the quantity of proteid required per 24 hours to 45 grammes. T. Hirschfeld states, as the conclusion of his research, that it is possible for a healthy man (in one case for 15 days and in another for 10 days) to maintain nitrogenous balance on from 30 to 40 grammes of proteid per day. Labbé and Morchoisne (Comptes Rendus, 30th May, 1904, p. 1365) made a dieting experiment during 38 days, upon one of themselves. The proteid was derived exclusively from vegetable food. The food consisted of bread, lentils, haricots, potatoes, carrots, chestnuts, endives, apples, oranges, preserves, sugar, starch, butter, chocolate and wine. At the commencement, the day's food contained 14.1 grammes of nitrogen = 89.3 proteid, which was gradually diminished. On the 7th day 11.6 g. N. = 73.5 g. proteid was reached; during this time less N. was eliminated, indicating that the proteid food was in excess of that required for the wear and tear of the body. As the quantity of nitrogenous food was diminished almost daily, the N. eliminated was found to diminish also. This latter was in slight excess of that absorbed; but when a day or two's time was allowed, without further reduction in the food, the body tended to adjust itself to the dimished supply, and there was an approximation of income and expenditure. The smallest quantity of food was reached on the 32nd day with 1.06 N. = 6.7 proteid, which was obviously too little, as 2.19 N. = 13.9 proteid was eliminated. On the 21st day 4.12 N. = 26 proteid was injested, and 4.05 N. was eliminated. The inference drawn from the research is that about 26 grammes of proteid per day was sufficient. The weight of the body remained practically constant throughout, and the subject did not suffer inconvenience. Of course the full amount of calories was kept up; as each succeeding quantity of the proteid was left off, it was replaced by a proper quantity of non-nitrogenous food. These experiments were carried out in the usual approved scientific manner. It may, however, be urged against any generalised and positive conclusions as to the minimum quantity of proteid required for the body, being drawn from such experiments, that the period covered by them was much too short. A prolonged trial might have revealed some obscure physiological derangement. We are quite justified in concluding that the usual, so-called "standard dietaries" contain an unnecessarily large proportion of proteid. In some practical dietaries, 50 grammes and under have seemed enough; but for the ordinary adult man, who has been accustomed to an abundance of proteid, and whose ancestors have also, it is probably advisable not to take less than 70 or 80 grammes per day (2-1/2 to 3 ounces). If it is desired to try less, the diminution should be very gradual, and a watch should be kept for any lessening of strength. Some comments may now be made upon the table of dietaries. That of the London sewing girl contained 53 grammes of proteid, which should have been ample, according to some of the authorities we have given; yet she was badly nourished. The food was doubtless of bad quality, and it appears deficient in carbo-hydrates; this latter is shown by the low number of calories. The long hours and unhealthy conditions of work, and not a deficiency of food constituents, is probably the cause of the bad health of such persons. There is no reason to think the proteid insufficient, although some persons have said as much. We have no particulars of the German vegetarians, but the calories appear satisfactory. In the poor German labourer's family the calories are too low. In Dr. T.R. Allinson's experiment on a wheatmeal dietary, it will not do to assume that less than 82 grammes of proteid would have been insufficient. It is probable that a smaller quantity of proteid would have been enough if the fat and carbohydrates had been increased. The calories are below the usual standard. In the succeeding example the calories are considerably higher, being not far from the usual standard, yet 54 grammes of proteid sufficed. It is a common error to place an undue value on the proteids to the extent of overlooking the other constituents. Dr. Alexander Haig in "Diet and Food," p. 8, cites the case of a boy aged 10, fed on 2-1/4 pints of milk per day. The boy lost weight, and Dr. Haig is of opinion that the quantity of milk was very deficient in proteid; more than twice as much being required. 2-1/4 pints of milk contain about 45 grammes of proteid, whereas, according to the usual figures (125 x 6/10) a boy of this age requires 75 g. This quantity of 45 g. is however, higher, allowing for the boy's age, than that in several of the dietaries we have given in our table. A little consideration will show that Dr. Haig has overlooked the serious deficiency of the milk in the other constituents, which accounts for the boy's loss of weight. The quantity of milk contains only about 160 g. of total solid matter, whilst 400 g. is the necessary quantity. Milk is too rich in proteid matter to form, with advantage, the sole food of a human being. Human milk contains much less in proportion to the other constituents. The old doctrine enunciated by Justus von Liebig was that proteid matter is the principal source of muscular energy or strength. He afterwards discovered and acknowledged his error, and the subject has since been thoroughly investigated. The makers of meat extracts and other foods, either from their own ignorance of modern research or their wish to take advantage of the lack of knowledge and prejudice of the public, call proteid matter alone nourishment. The carbo-hydrates and fats are equally entitled to be called nourishment. Our reason for devoting so much space to the consideration of the quantity of proteid matter required, is that in the opinion of many eminent writers it is the crux of vegetarianism. They have stated that it is impossible to obtain sufficient from vegetable foods alone, without consuming an excessive quantity of carbo-hydrates. We will summarise the argument as given in Kirke's Physiology, as edited by Morrant Baker, a standard work, and which is repeated in Furneaux's "Animal Physiology," a book which is much used in elementary science schools: "The daily waste from the system amounts to, carbon 4,500 grains (or 300 grammes), and nitrogen, 300 grains (or 20 grammes). Now let us suppose a person to feed on bread only. In order to obtain the necessary quantity of nitrogen to repair this waste he would have to eat nearly 4-1/4 lbs. daily.... He would be compelled to take about double the quantity of carbon required in order to obtain the necessary weight of nitrogen.... Next, let us suppose that he feeds on lean meat only. Then, in order to obtain the necessary quantity of carbon, he must eat no less than 6-1/2 lbs. daily.... In this case we notice a similar waste of nitrogen, the removal of which would give an undue amount of work to the organs concerned.... But it is possible to take such a mixed diet of bread and meat as will supply all the requirements of the system, and at the same time yield but little waste material." (These extracts are from Furneaux, the next is from Kirke. The figures and argument is the same in each, but we have chosen those sentences for quotation which are the briefest and most suitable; certain calculations being omitted.) "A combination of bread and meat would supply much more economically what was necessary ... so that 3/4 lbs. of meat, and less than 2 lbs. of bread would supply all the needful carbon and nitrogen with but little waste. From these facts it will be plain that a mixed diet is the best and most economical food for man; and the result of experience entirely coincides with what might have been anticipated on theoretical grounds only." Professor Huxley, in his "Elementary Physiology" uses almost the same figures and argument. The adoption of this high proteid or nitrogen figure would lead to some ridiculous conclusions. One writer states that 18 eggs would contain sufficient flesh forming substance for a day's ration, but a very much larger quantity would be required to supply enough carbon. On the other hand, Professor Church says that, no less than 70 lbs. of pears would have to be eaten per day, to supply the necessary quantity of nitrogen; although the carbon would be in excess. The curious may calculate the proper quantity of each that would make a theoretically perfect dietary. People are apt to assume that what they themselves eat, or what their class, race, or nation eat, is the proper and necessary diet; at least as far as the elementary constituents and quantities are concerned. The error is in attempting to make a vegetarian diet, however contrary to common sense and the experience of the greater part of the earth's inhabitants, agree in composition with the ordinary lavish flesh dietary of the well-to-do European. It is significant that John Bull is caricatured with a large abdomen and a coarse, ruddy, if not inflamed face, indicative of his hearty dining on flesh, coarse food and alcoholic drinks. An unhealthy short lived individual. Even if we accept a high proportion of proteid, it is possible to combine purely vegetable foods so as to give the required quantity of the various constituents, without a superfluity of the carbo-hydrates. In "Food Grains of India," Professor A.H. Church shows by elaborate analyses and dietary tables, how this can be accomplished by various combinations of cereals, pulses, etc. He takes Forster and Voit's standard of 282 grains of nitrogen and 5,060 grains of carbon, with a suitable deduction for the smaller weight of the Indians. In his examples of daily rations he gives from 5 to 9 ounces of various beans, balanced by the addition of the proper quantity of rice--4 to 16 ounces, and a little oil. Such a large quantity of pulse appears to us excessive, and would cause discomfort to most persons. We much doubt whether those Indians who are strict vegetarians could consume such quantities. Some valuable investigations were made on the diet of a family of fruitarians, at the Californian Agricultural Experimental Station, July, 1900, by Professor M.E. Jaffa (bulletin 107). The proportion of food, both proteid and carbo-hydrate used was surprisingly small. The research is particularly important, as the diet was not an experimental one, tried during a short period only; but that to which the family were accustomed. The family consisted of two women and three children; they had all been fruitarians for five to seven years, and made no change in their dietary during the experiment. They only had two meals a day, the food being eaten uncooked. The quantities of all the foods and other particulars are detailed in the bulletin. The first meal was at 10-30 a.m., and always consisted of nuts followed by fruits. The other meal was about 5 p.m., when they usually ate no nuts, substituting olive oil and honey. The nuts used were almonds, Brazil, pine, pignolias and walnuts; the fresh fruits were apples, apricots, bananas, figs, grapes, oranges, peaches and pears. Other foods were dates, raisins, pickled olives, olive oil and honey. One person (_b_) ate a little celery and tomatoes, and another (_c_) a little cereal food. In the following table are given the average daily quantities of the food constituents in grammes:--Proteids, fat, carbo-hydrate, crude fibre, value in calories and nutrient ratio. The crude fibre is classed as a carbo-hydrate and included in the calorie value, and also in calculating the nutrient ratio. Pro. Fat. C'r'b. Fibre. Cal. N. R. Woman, age 33, weight 90 lbs. (_a_) 33 59 110 40 1300 8.6 Woman " 30 " 104 " (_b_) 25 57 72 27 1040 9.1 Girl " 13 " 75-1/2 " (_c_) 26 52 111 46 1235 10.5 Boy " 9 " 43 " (_d_) 27 56 102 50 1255 10.3 Girl " 6 " 30-1/2 " (_e_) 24 58 97 37 1190 11.1 Girl " 7 " 34 " (_ee_) 40 72 126 8 1385 7.4 The last research extended over ten days; the period during which each of the other subjects was under observation was from 20 to 28 days. (_a_) The tentative standard for a woman at light work calls for 90 grammes of proteids and 2,500 calories; it is thus seen that the quantity of food eaten was far below that usually stated as being necessary. The subject, however, was a very small woman, 5 feet in height, taking almost no physical exercise. She believed, as do fruitarians generally, that people need far less raw than cooked food. (_b_) The food eaten was even less in quantity than in the previous dietary. One reason for this was the fact that the subject was, for part of the time at least, under great mental strain, and did not have her usual appetite. Even this small amount of food, judging by her appearance and manner, seemed sufficient for her needs, enabling her to do her customary housework and take care of her two nieces and nephew, the subjects of the other experiments. (_c_) This girl was given cereals and vegetables when she craved them, but her aunt says she never looks nor feels so well when she has much starchy food, and returns to her next meal of uncooked food with an increased appreciation of its superiority. The commonly accepted dietary standard for a child 13 years old and of average activity, is not far from 90 grammes of proteids and 2,450 calories, yet the girl had all the appearance of being well fed and in excellent health and spirits. (_d_) During the 22 days of experiment, there was an increase in weight of 2 pounds, due to the fact that the family had been in straitened circumstances, and the food provided was more abundant during the study. (_e_) The subject had been very delicate as a baby. She was very small for her age, being 10 pounds under the average weight, and 7 inches less than the average height. It is interesting to note that her only gain in weight during the past year was made during this dietary and the one immediately following. This was due to her being urged to eat all she wanted, of what she most preferred, as the food was provided by those making the study. The proteid is less than the tentative standard for a child of 1 to 2 years old, but the subject appeared perfectly well and was exceedingly active. She impressed one as being a healthy child, but looked younger than her age. (_ee_) The subject is the same as in the previous experiment (_e_), but after an interval of 8 months, her seventh birthday occurred during the time. Professor Jaffa, who made the investigation, says:--"It would appear that all the subjects were decidedly under-nourished, even making allowance for their light weight. But when we consider that the two adults have lived upon this diet for seven years, and think they are in better health and capable of more work than they ever were before, we hesitate to pronounce judgment. The three children had the appearance of health and strength. They ran and jumped and played all day like ordinary healthy children, and were said to be unusually free from colds and other complaints common to childhood. The youngest child, and the only one who has lived as a fruitarian almost from infancy was certainly undeveloped. She looked fully two years younger than she was. Still, there are so many children who are below the average in development, whose dietaries conform to the ordinary standards, that it would be unfair to draw any conclusions until many more such investigations are made." The research shows that not only is there need of a revision of the "standard" quantity of proteids, but also of the carbo-hydrates and fats. It is generally said by those who have no practical experience amongst vegetarians, that the latter require a much larger quantity of food than do those who include flesh. The truth is that vegetarians eat less, often much less. It is a common experience that vegetable food has a more staying power, and a much longer period can be allowed between meals, without the inconvenience that a flesh-eater, especially a flesh and alcohol consumer, suffers. This is due, in part at least, to its less stimulating character and its slower digestion. This fact has been shown by the success of vegetarians in feats of strength and endurance, and especially in the comparatively fresh condition in which they have finished long walking, cycling, tennis, and other matches. Those who attempt to prolong their powers of endurance by flesh extracts and stimulating foods and drinks, usually finish in a very exhausted condition. The superior endurance and recovery from wounds, when compared with our English soldiers, of simple feeding men, such as the Zulus, Turks and Japanese, has often been remarked. It is often said that vegetable food, as it contains more fibre and is slower of digestion, taxes the bodily organs more. If we attempted to eat uncooked, the more fibrous vegetables, the grains, and unripe fruit, it would be quite true, but it is not so of the ordinary food of vegetarians. A slowness of digestion does not necessarily imply a greater strain on the system. As vegetables, in particular, are for the longest period of time in the intestines, and undergo the greater part of their digestion there, a gentle and slow process of digestion in that organ may be more thorough. It may also entail less expenditure of nervous energy than if the food had been of such a stimulating character, as to be hurried along the digestive tract. Digestion is for the most part a chemical process. If the food is of right kind and quantity, thoroughly masticated, assisted if necessary by cookery, and the digestive ferments are normal, digestion proceeds without any sensible expenditure or energy or consciousness of its accomplishment. There is nothing improbable in a flesh-eater requiring more food than a simple living vegetarian. His food contains more proteid, and excrementitious matter or extractives; these stimulate the digestive organs and overtax the excretory ones. Generally, he is fond of condiments, salt, and elaborate cooking, often also of alcohol; if a man, probably of tobacco. He lives, as it were, at high pressure. There are on record certain experiments which appear to indicate the necessity of a large proportion of proteid, especially when the diet has been of vegetable origin. These experiments are inconclusive, because the subject has been accustomed to an ordinary flesh diet, perhaps also to alcoholic drinks. The change to a comparatively non-stimulating diet cannot be made, and the digestive organs expected to adapt themselves in a few days. Perhaps not even a month or a year would suffice, for some people, and yet that same diet would suit others. In some experiments the food has not been appetising, the subject has even taken it with reluctance or even loathing; an excess of some food has been eaten which no vegetarian or anybody else would think of using in a practical dietary. Sometimes persons on changing from an ordinary flesh dietary, lose weight and strength. Generally, it is found that they have done little more than discontinue the flesh, without substituting suitable foods. Authorities think it is from a deficiency of proteid, and recommend an addition of such foods as pulse, wheatmeal, oatmeal, eggs, milk, cheese, and such as a reference to the table of analyses, show a low nutrient ratio figure. This may also be due to an insufficiency of food eaten, owing to the comparatively insipid character of the food and want of appetite. In making a change to a vegetarian diet, such foods had better be taken that are rather rich in proteid, and that approximate somewhat in their flavour and manner of cooking to that used previously. A further change to a simpler diet can afterwards gradually be made, according to conviction, tastes and bodily adaptability. It must not be expected that a change, even an ultimately very advantageous one, will always meet with an immediate and proper response from digestive and assimilative organs which have been accustomed for many years, perhaps by inheritance for generations, to another manner of living. There are several preparations produced from centrifugalised milk--that is milk from which the butter fat has been removed, which consist chiefly of proteid. These have a value in increasing the proteid contents of foods which may be thought deficient. The addition of these manufactured products appear unnecessary, as most of our food contains an abundance of proteid, and we can easily limit the quantity or avoid altogether those that are thought defective. The later apologists for a flesh diet have had to admit that it is not a physiological necessity; but they have attempted to justify its use by a theory somewhat as follows. It is admitted, that any excess of proteid over that necessary for its special province of producing tissue, is utilised as a force-producer, in a similar manner to the carbo-hydrates. When the molecule is split up, and the carbon utilised, the nitrogen passes off in the form of urea by the kidneys. The theory propounded is that at the moment the nitrogen portion is liberated, it in some manner stimulates the living protoplasm of the nerve cells in its immediate neighbourhood to a higher state of activity. These views are given by Dr. Hutchison in his book on "Food," but there are no substantial grounds for them. It is only prompted by a wish to excuse a cherished habit. Sir William Roberts, M.D., in "Dietetics and Dyspepsia," p. 16 says that "high feeding consists mainly in a liberal allowance of meat, and in the systematic use of alcoholic beverages, and that low-feeding consists in a diet which is mainly vegetarian and non-alcoholic," and he proceeds to say that the high-fed classes and races display, on the whole, a richer vitality and a greater brain-power than their low-fed brethren. That "it is remarkable how often we hear of eminent men being troubled with gout, and gout is usually produced either by personal or ancestral high-feeding." We can only spare room for a few remarks on this subject. Intellectual and business ability brings wealth, wealth frequently leads to the pleasures of the table, but such habits are detrimental to sustained effort and clearness of mind. The children and grandchildren of such high livers are usually common-place, intellectually, and of deteriorated physique. The aristocracy who are generally high livers, notwithstanding their great advantages of education, travel and leisure, are not as a rule famed for their intellectual gifts. In the recent war the frugal living Japanese soldier has proved himself the most enduring and bravest in history; whilst the Japanese officers are more resourceful and tactful than the wealthier, high-fed Russian officers, with their aristocratic lineage. What is called high-feeding, is of the greatest benefit to the doctors and the proprietors of remedies for digestive and nervous disorders. Food Adjuncts and Drugs.--In addition to the nutrients and the small quantity of indigestible fibre of which we have already written, food generally contains small quantities of substances which are difficult to classify, and whose action on the body is but imperfectly understood. Many of these possess pungent or strong odours and flavours. To them, various fruits, meats, etc., owe much of their characteristic differences of taste. When pure the proteids and starches are devoid of taste. Such oils and fats as are generally eaten have also but little flavour, providing they are free from rancidity and of good quality. The sugars differ from the other nutrients in possessing a more or less decided taste. The free vegetable acids also strongly affect the sense of taste, but they are only consumed in small quantities. A drug may be defined as a substance which modifies the functions of the body or of some organ without sensibly imparting nourishment. This action may be one of stimulation or of depression. A drug is taken for its medicinal action, a food adjunct for its modifying action on food. It is impossible to give a quite satisfactory definition, or to draw sharp distinctions. For example, tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco are sometimes placed in one group, and sometimes in another, according to opinion of their action and the definition of the terms food adjuncts, drugs and poisons. The difference of grouping often depends upon intensity rather than of kind of action. If taken frequently and not in quantity sufficient to have a markedly medicinal action, such things are generally called food adjuncts or supplementary foods, although much may be said in favour of a different view. The volatile oils of mustard, caraway, cloves, etc., are used in medicine; also the alkaloids of coffee and cocoa. Even honey is used as a mild laxative for infants; that is, as a drug. The difference between a drug and a poison is one only of degree. Some of the most esteemed drugs have to be administered in very small quantities, or they cause death; e.g., strychnine and morphine. Classifications are necessary for methodical study, and for assisting the memory in grasping large numbers of things which can be grouped together. Classifications, however, are artificial, not due to natural lines of demarkation, but according to man's knowledge and convenience; hence a group is apt to approach and finally merge into another group, although on first consideration they appeared quite distinct. The disregard of this often leads to confusion and useless discussions. Plants, like animals, as the result of tissue change, have certain used-up or waste matters to get out of the way. Animals have special excretory organs for the purpose; waste matter remains in the flesh and blood of dead animals. In plants are found a large number of powerful volatile oils, alkaloids, bitter resins, etc. Many of these are, in all probability, excretory products of no assimilative value to the plant. Certain volatile oils may attract insects, and in obtaining nectar from flowers insects assist fertilisation. Agreeable volatile oils and flavouring substances in fruits attract birds and animals. The eating of the fruits cause the seeds, which are uninjured by passing through the digestive system, to be disseminated over wide areas to the advantage of the plant species. On the other hand, nauseous and poisonous alkaloids, oils, resins, etc., serve as a protection against the attacks of browsing animals, birds, caterpillars, snails, etc. These nauseous substances are most abundant in the bark, husk, skin and outer parts. It is commonly supposed that the food on which each animal, including man, subsists, is especially produced by Nature for the purpose. This is an error, for each species of plant and animal lives for itself alone, and protects itself, with more or less success, against destruction by its competitors and enemies. Each species of animal selects from its surroundings such food as is most suitable. Such food may not be theoretically perfect; that is, it may not contain the maximum of nourishment free from innutritious matter; but during the long period of evolution, each species of animal has become possessed of organs suited to its environment. If to such animals be given food containing less indigestible matter, or food which is more readily digested by laboratory tests made independently of the living animal, their digestive system will be thrown out of gear, become clogged up or refuse to work properly, just as the furnace of a steam boiler, made to burn coal, will act badly with wood or petroleum. Many scientific men have overlooked this fact, and have endeavoured to produce food substances for general consumption, in the most concentrated and soluble form, thinking such food would be more easily assimilated. The Volatile and Essential Oils are contained in minute quantity in a very large number of animal and vegetable foods. They contribute in part to the flavour of fruits. They are the cause of the pungency and aroma of mustard, horse-radish, cloves, nutmegs, cinnamon, caraway seeds, mint, sage and other spices. Onions contain a notable quantity. When extracted the essential oils become powerful drugs. In moderate quantities they are stomachic and carminative, in larger quantities irritant and emetic. Condiments and spices not only add flavour to food, but stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and peristaltic movement. The Alkaloids most used are those of tea, coffee, kola-nut, cocoa, coca, tobacco and opium. Although the two last are generally smoked, they must be classed amongst the food adjuncts. It is of little consequence whether their active principles enter the body by the mouth and saliva or the lungs; their action on the blood and nervous system is the same. The Extractives, as they are called, comprise a number of bodies of varying nature. They especially exist in flesh and flesh extracts. Amongst these are the purins. They will be treated at greater length hereafter. Alcohol is to some extent a true food, but its stimulant and other action quite overshadows any food value it may possess. There are other bodies such as the resins and bitters. The active principle of Indian hemp is a resin. There is a great difference of opinion as to the extent to which stimulants may advantageously be used. It is remarkable that amongst nearly all nations, either alcohol in some form or one of the stronger alkaloids is in common use. From this fact it is sometimes argued that stimulants must supply a physiological need. The same method of reasoning will apply with greater force to the use of condiments. Such conclusions appear to us to be scarcely warranted. If the extensive or even universal practice of a thing proves its necessity, then has there been justification, either now or in the past, for war, lying, avarice and other vices. It is strange that drugs differing so greatly in their immediate and obvious effects as, for example, alcohol and opium, or coffee and tobacco should be used. Should it he said that only some of the much used stimulants are useful, there is an end to the argument based on their universal use. There is no doubt that the use of stimulants in more than very small quantities is distinctly injurious, and it is difficult to see what physiological advantage there can be in their habitual use, to what is vaguely called a moderate extent. Sometimes they are taken for a supposed medical necessity, and where taste attracts, little evidence satisfies. Those in the habit of taking them, if honest, must confess that it is chiefly on account of the apparent enjoyment. The ill-nourished and the depressed in body and mind crave most for stimulants. A food creates energy in the body, including the nervous system, and this is the only legitimate form of stimulation. A mere stimulant does not create but draws on the reserve forces. What was latent energy--to become in the natural course gradually available--under stimulation is rapidly set free; there is consequently, subsequent depletion of energy. There may occasionally be times when a particular organ needs a temporary stimulus to increased action, notwithstanding it may suffer an after depression; but such cases are so rare that they may be left out of our present argument, and stimulants should only be used, like other powerful drugs, under medical advice. In the last 25 years the use of alcohol by the medical profession has steadily diminished, its poisonous properties having become more evident. There is a general similarity in the effects of stimulants on the digestive and nervous systems. The most largely used stimulant is ethyl alcohol, and as its action is best known, it may be useful to name the principal effects. Alcohol in the form of wine and spirits, in small quantities, first stimulates the digestive organs. Large quantities inflame the stomach and stop digestion. (Beer, however, retards digestion, altogether out of proportion to the alcohol it contains.) Alcohol increases the action of the heart, increases the blood pressure, and causes the vessels of the whole body to dilate, especially those of the skin; hence there is a feeling of warmth. It the person previously felt cold he now feels warm. The result of the increased circulation through the various organs is that they work with greater vigour, hence the mental faculties are brightened for a time, and the muscular strength seems increased. The person usually feels the better for it, though this is not always the case; some have a headache or feel very sleepy. It has been repeatedly proved that these good results are but transitory. The heart, although at first stimulated, is more exhausted after the action of the alcohol has passed away than it was at first. This is true of all the organs of the body which were stimulated. In consequence of the dilatation of the blood vessels of the skin, an unusual quantity of heat is lost and the body is cooled. After taking alcohol persons are less able to stand cold. When overtaken by snowstorms or subjected to excessive or prolonged cold, it has often happened that those who resorted to spirit drinking have succumbed, whilst the others have survived. Insurance statistics have conclusively shown that teetotallers are longer livers than the so-called moderate drinkers. The terrible effects on both body and mind of the excessive drinking of alcohol, or the use of other strong stimulants or narcotics, are too obvious to need allusion to here; we are only concerned with what is vaguely called their moderate use. The stimulation produced by tea and coffee is in some respects like that of alcohol. The heart is stimulated and the blood pressure rises. The kidneys are strongly affected in those unaccustomed to the drug, but this ceases after a week or more of use. Their chief effect is on the brain and nervous system. Many have boasted that they can take of what they call the good things of life to their full, without any bad effect, and looking over a few years, or even many years, it seems a fact. Some of us have known of such men, who have been esteemed for their joviality and good nature, who have suddenly broken down at what should have been a hearty middle life. On the other hand there are men who were badly equipped for the battle of life, with indifferent constitutions, who never had the buoyancy and overflow of animal spirits, but who with care have long outlived all their formerly more robust but careless companions. Simple versus Highly-flavoured Foods.--It is very difficult to decide to what extent condiments and flavourings should be used. These have stimulating properties, although differing from the more complex properties of alcohol and the alkaloids. The great differences in the dietetic practices of nations does not appear to be in conformity with any general rule. It varies with opportunity, climate and national temperament; though doubtless the national temperament is often due in part to the dietetic habits. Some races are content with the simplest foods, large numbers subsist chiefly on rice, others on the richer cereals, wheat, oatmeal, etc., and fruit. On the other hand there are races who enjoy stronger flavoured food, including such things as garlic, curry, pickles, pepper, strong cheese, meat extracts, rancid fats, dried and smoked fish, high game or still more decomposed flesh, offal and various disgusting things. The Greenlanders will eat with the keenest appetite, the half-frozen, half-putrid head and fins of the seal, after it has been preserved under the grass of summer. In Burmah and Sumatra a mess is made by pounding together prawns, shrimps, or any cheap fish; this is frequently allowed to become partially putrid. It is largely used as a condiment for mixing with their rice. Numerous examples of this sort could be given. There is scarcely anything that it is possible to eat, but has been consumed with relish by some tribe or other. The strongest flavoured, and to our minds most disgusting foods are eaten by the least intelligent and most brutal races. It is hunger that compels the poor African bushman to eat anything he can get, and the Hottentot not only the flesh, but the entrails of cattle which die naturally, and this last he has come to think exquisite when boiled in beast-blood. All this shows a wonderful range of adaptability in the human body, but it would not be right to say that all such food is equally wholesome. The most advanced and civilised races, especially the more delicately organised of them are the most fastidious, whilst it is the most brutal, that take the most rank and strongly flavoured foods. Even amongst the civilised there are great differences. The assimilative and nervous systems can be trained to tolerate injurious influences to a remarkable degree. A striking example is seen in the nausea commonly produced by the first pipe of tobacco, and the way the body may in time be persuaded, not only to tolerate many times such a quantity without manifesting any unpleasant feelings, but to receive pleasure from the drug. Opium or laudanum may be taken in gradually increasing quantities, until such a dose is taken as would at first have produced death, yet now without causing any immediate or very apparent harm. Nearly all drugs loose much of their first effect on continued use. Not only is this so, but a sudden discontinuance of a drug may cause distress, as the body, when free from the artificial stimulation to which it has become habituated, falls into a sluggish or torpid condition. For the enjoyment of food two things are equally necessary, a healthy and keen appetite and suitable food; without the first no food, however good and skilfully prepared, will give satisfaction. The sense of taste resides in certain of the papilloe of the tongue, and to a much less degree in the palate. Tastes may be classified into sweet, bitter, acid and saline. Sweet tastes are best appreciated by the tip, acid by the side, and bitter by the back of the tongue. Hot or pungent substances produce sensations of general feeling, which obscure any strictly gustatory sensations which may be present at the same time. To affect the taste the food must enter into solution. Like the other senses, taste may be rendered more delicate by cultivation. Flavours are really odours, and the word smell would be more appropriate. For example, what we call the taste of an onion, the flavour of fruit, etc. (independent of the sweetness or sourness of the fruit) is due to the nose. Much has been written on the necessity of making food tasty, so as to stimulate the appetite and digestion. It is urged that unless this is done food will not be eaten in sufficient quantity. Innumerable receipts (some very elaborate) have been published for this purpose. All this is supposed to increase the enjoyment of food. The Anglo-Saxon race--the race whose dietary is the most elaborate--is especially subject to digestive derangements, and without good digestion and the consequent healthy appetite, no food will give full gustatory pleasure. The most wholesome food, and that which can be eaten most frequently without weariness, is mildly flavoured and simply prepared. Plain bread is an example; whereas sweet bread, currant bread, etc., though agreeable in small quantity, or as an occasional delicacy, soon palls on the appetite. Rice is the poorest and mildest flavoured of the cereals, it is therefore often, perhaps generally, made more tasty by the addition of fish, curry, etc. The bulk of the Chinese live on rice, with the exception of only 3 or 4 ounces of fish per day, and they are a fine, big and strong race. The Japanese labourer lives on similar food. In India rice is the food most in use, though many other cereals are eaten there. Other races live chiefly on fruits. It appears that the digestive organs will perform their functions perfectly with the mildest flavoured food. There is nothing surprising in this. The strongest, most intelligent, and largest animals are those which feed on grass, herbs and fruits. Even the African lion is no match for the gorilla. The lion and tiger are capable of great strength, but they cannot put it forth for long periods as can the herbivora. Our most useful animal, the horse, can exert much more muscular energy, weight for weight, than any of the carnivora. The cost of feeding one of the herbivora is much less than that of one of the carnivora of the same weight. This is so whether we take the cost of purchasing the food; or the expenditure of time, labour and energy on the part of man or of natural forces in the production of the food. Herbs, roots, corn and fruit are produced much more abundantly and freely than the corresponding quantity of sheep, deer, etc., on which the carnivora feed. The restlessness, craving for novelty, and love of excitement, so characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon, and to a less extent of some other European races, has its correspondence in the food of these races. Highly-seasoned and nitrogenous foods act as a stimulant and favour spasmodic, and for a time perhaps, great intellectual and physical exertion, with a succeeding period of exhaustion. Simpler food favours long, sustained, uniform muscular strength, clearness of intellect, and contentment. Let no one misunderstand us; we do not assert that all who live on simple food have either clear intellects or are contented, because there are other factors besides food, but that such qualities are more easily retained or obtained under that condition. It is well known that the over-fed and badly fed are the most irritable and discontented Those living on a stimulating dietary consisting largely of flesh have their chief successes in feats of short duration. Simple and abstemious living individuals or races excel in laborious work requiring endurance over long periods, such as long walking, cycling, and other athletic feats and long military campaigns. The digestive and assimilative organs need the food constituents of which we have written, in proper proportion and quantity, and in a fairly digestible condition. Within these very wide and comprehensive limits, the organs can be trained. Very much of the great difference in food is due to the non-essential flavouring and stimulating part, rather than to that part which is essential and nourishing. What is the best, interests but few; whilst what is at present the pleasantest, influences the many. The ego, the superphysical conscious and reasoning entity should rule its material body, its temporary vehicle. The body, being the servant of the ego, just as a horse, dog, or other of the lower animals recognises its master, becomes a docile subject. The body can be led into good habits nearly as easily as into bad ones; often more easily, as bad habits are sometimes painfully acquired. The body being once habituated to certain movements, conditions, foods or drinks, within reasonable limits, derives pleasure therefrom and resists change. It is only when the food, etc., transgresses certain elementary principles, that the result is more or less painful. We may on scientific principles condemn flesh-foods, stimulants and elaborately prepared foods; but after ruling all this out, there is still left a very great variety of foods and methods of preparing them: hereon each individual must form his own opinion. Of the foods thus left, the same kind is not equally suitable to everyone, nor even to the same person at different periods. A delicately balanced, fine-grained, high-toned mind and body responds to every tender influence, and is painfully jarred by that which is coarse. To such, fruits and delicately flavoured and easily digested foods are doubtless best and conducive to purity and clearness of thought. A coarse-grained, badly poised, roughly working body and spirit, is non-responsive except to loud or coarse impulses; and such a one's appetite is gratified, not by simple but by coarsely seasoned foods. A person who is accustomed to a stimulating dietary of flesh-foods, especially if well-seasoned, finds a simple diet unsatisfying. Should such persons dine off simple vegetarian food, there is a tendency to over-eating. The less stimulating food fails to rouse the digestive organs and to appease the appetite; although an ample supply of nourishment be consumed. This is the reason why so many imagine that it is necessary to eat a larger quantity of food if it be vegetable. Should a distressing fulness and flatulence result from their over-feeding, they lay the blame to the vegetarian dietary instead of to themselves. Most persons, on changing to a vegetarian dietary, commence by imitating flesh dishes in appearance and flavour and even in the names. There is the additional inducement that the food may be attractive and palatable to friends who lack sympathy with the aesthetic and humane principles of the diet. After a while many of them incline to simpler flavoured foods. They revert to the unperverted taste of childhood, for children love sweets, fruits, and mild-flavoured foods rather than savouries. One who loves savouries, as a rule, cares much less for fruits. By compounding and cooking, a very great variety of foods can be prepared, but the differences in taste are much less than is usually, supposed. The effect of seasoning instead of increasing the range, diminishes it, by dulling the finer perception of flavours. The predominating seasoning also obscures everything else. The mixture of foods produces a conglomeration of tastes in which any particular or distinct flavours are obscured, resulting in a general sameness. It is often stated that as an ordinary flesh-eater has the choice of a greater range of foods and flavours than a vegetarian, he can obtain more enjoyment, and that the latter is disagreeably restricted. Certainly he has the choice, but does he avail himself of it to any considerable extent? No one cares to take all the different kinds of food, whether of animal or vegetable that are possible. Of edible animals but a very few kinds are eaten. A person who particularly relishes and partakes largely of flesh-foods will reject as insipid and unsatisfying many mild-flavoured foods at one end of the scale. The vegetarian may abstain from foods at the opposite end of the scale, not always from humane reasons, but because they are unpleasant. Thus there may be little to choose between the mere range of flavours that give enjoyment to each class of persons. The sense of taste is in its character and range lower than the sense of sight and hearing. The cultivation of the taste for savouries seems to blunt the taste for fruits and the delicate foods. The grass and herbs on which the herbivora subsist, seems to our imagination of little flavour and monotonous; but they eat with every sign of enjoyment, deliberately munching their food as though to get its full flavour. In all probability they find a considerable range of flavours in the great varieties of grasses commonly found together in a pasture. Our elaborate cooking customs entail a vast amount of labour. They necessitate the cost, trouble and dirt from having fires in great excess of that required for warmth: the extra time in preparing, mixing and attending to food which has to be cooked: and the large number of greasy and soiled utensils which have to be cleaned. Cooked savoury food is generally much nicer eaten hot, and this necessitates fires and attention just previous to the meal. We have already said that soft cooked food discourages mastication and leads to defective teeth. Our elaborate cookery is mainly due to our custom of eating so largely of flesh, whilst the eating of flesh would receive a great impetus on the discovery of the art of cooking. Flesh can only be eaten with relish and with safety when cooked. Such a large proportion of it is infected with parasites, or is otherwise diseased, that it would he dangerous to eat it raw, even were it palatable in such a state. In those countries where man eats flesh in a raw or semi-cooked form, parasitic diseases are common. There is not the least doubt that our habit of eating so much cooked food is responsible for much over-eating, hasty eating, dyspepsia and illness. In regard to the making of bread, porridge, and many other comparatively simple prepared foods, the advantages of cooking seem overwhelmingly great. With our present imperfect knowledge and conflicting opinions, it is impossible to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion, and the whole question requires careful and impartial investigation. Experiments have been made with animals, chiefly pigs, with cooked and uncooked clover, hay, corn, meal, etc. (U.S. Department of Agriculture). It was found that the food was more or less diminished in digestibility by cooking. At least 13 separate series of experiments with pigs in different part of the country have been reported. In 10 of these trials there has been a positive loss from cooking the food. The amount of food required to produce in the animal a pound gain in weight was larger when the food had been cooked than when it was given raw. In some cases, the increased quantity of food required after cooking was considerable. Those who live on uncooked food contend that a smaller quantity of nourishment is required. As uncooked food requires more mastication and is eaten more slowly, there is a better flow of saliva and time is given for the digestive organs to be gradually brought into complete action, and finally for the appeasing of the appetite. In the case of the members of the fruitarian family, whose food was uncooked, and of whom we have previously written, the quantity of nutriment taken was much less than that thought necessary, even after making full allowance for their small stature and weight. Meat Extracts.--Justus von Liebig, the great German chemist, was the first to attempt to make these on the commercial scale. He described a method in 1847, and this not proving satisfactory, another one in 1865. He stated that the only practicable plan on a manufacturing scale, was to treat the chopped flesh with eight to ten times its weight of water, which was to be raised to 180° F. In another passage he says it is to be boiled for half-an-hour. After straining from all the undissolved meat fibre, etc., and carefully cleansing from all fat, the decoction is to be evaporated to a soft extract; such a preparation is practically free from albumin, gelatin and fat; all the nutritive principles except the saline matter having been extracted. Liebig states that 34 pounds of meat are required to produce 1 pound of extract. In 1872, he wrote "neither tea nor extract of meat are nutritive in the ordinary sense," and he went on to speak of their medicinal properties. Druit, in 1861, in describing the effect of a liquid preparation of meat, states that it exerted a rapid and stimulating action on the brain, and he proposed it as an auxiliary and partial substitute for brandy, in all case of great exhaustion or weakness attended with cerebral depression or despondency. In like manner, a feast of animal food in savages, whose customary diet was almost exclusively vegetable, has been described by travellers as producing great excitement and stimulation similar to that of intoxicating spirits. Similar effects have been observed from a copious employment of Liebig's extract. Voit asserts, from the results of his experiments, that extract of meat is practically useless as a food, and other authorities are quite of the same opinion, although they may value it as a stimulant and drug. _The Extra Pharmacopæia_, 1901, states that "Liebig's Extract or Lemco consists of creatin, creatinin, globulin and urea, with organic potash and other salts. It has been much over-estimated as a food either for invalids or healthy persons; still it is often valuable as a flavouring to add to soups, beef-tea, etc., and it is a nerve food allied to tea." Meat extracts stimulate the action of the heart and the digestive processes, but as in the case of other stimulants there is a succeeding period of depression. The _British Medical Journal_ says that the widespread belief in the universal suitability of concentrated beef-tea is frequently responsible for increasing the patient's discomfort, and is even capable in conditions of kidney inefficiency, of producing positive harm. Some of the meat bases, the leucomaines, have been found to possess marked poisonous effects on the body. The manfacturers of meat extracts continue to mislead the public by absurdly false statements of the value of their products. They assert that their extracts contain the nutritive matter of 30, 40 or 50 times their weight of fresh meat, or that one or two meat-lozenges are sufficient for a meal. One company, asserts by direct statement, or imply by pictorial advertisement, that the nutritive matter in an ox can be concentrated into the bulk of a bottle of extract; and another company that a tea-cup full is equivalent in food value to an ox. Professor Halliburton writes: "Instead of an ox in a tea-cup, the ox's urine in a tea-cup would be much nearer the fact, for the meat extract consists largely of products on the way to urea, which more nearly resemble in constitution the urine than they do the flesh of the ox." Professor Robert Bartholow has also stated that the chemical composition of beef-tea closely resembles urine, and is more an excrementitious substance than a food. Those whose business it is to make a pure meat-broth, for the purpose of preparing therefrom a nutrient for experimenting with bacteria, cannot fail to recognise its similarity both in odour and colour to urine. Little consideration is needful to show the untruthfulness and the absurdity of the statements made by manufacturers as to the food value of these extracts. Fresh lean beef contains about 25 per cent. of solid nutriment and 75 per cent. of water. If lean beef be desiccated, one pound will be reduced to four ounces of perfectly dry substance; this will consist of about 80 per cent. of proteid matter and nearly 20 per cent. of fat including a little saline matter and the extractives. This is as far as it is possible to concentrate the beef. If it were possible to remove, without interfering with the nutritious constituents, the membraneous matter, the creatin, creatinine and purin bodies, we should reduce it to a little less than four ounces. It is very remarkable that the most nutritious matter of the beef, the muscle substance or proteid and the fat, are rejected in making Liebig's extract, whilst the effete or waste products are retained. In Bovril and some other preparations, some meat fibre has been added with the object of imparting a definite food value. Hence in some advertisements, now withdrawn, it was alleged that the preparations were immensely superior in nutritive value to ordinary meat extracts. The Bovril Company extensively circulated the following:--"It is hard for ladies to realise that the beef tea they make at home from the choicest fresh beef contains absolutely no nourishment and is nothing more than a slight stimulant. It is so, however, and many a patient has been starved on beef tea, whether made from fresh beef or from the meat extracts that are sold to the public. From these Bovril differs so much that one ounce of its nutritious constituents contains more real and direct nourishment than fifty ounces of ordinary meat extract." If analyses of meat extracts are referred to, it will be seen that the principal part of Bovril is the meat bases and other things common to all such extracts, and which the Company in their circular so emphatically condemn. If the meat fibre, which is the principal, if not the sole difference, is the only nourishing constituent, it is difficult to see the advantage over ordinary beef, which can be procured at a very small proportionate cost. Concerning this added meat fibre, C.A. Mitchell, in "Flesh Foods," writes: "As this amounts to at most some 8 or 10 per cent., it is obvious that a large quantity of the substance would be required to obtain as much unaltered proteid as is contained in an egg. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that there is nothing to show that flesh powder suspended in meat extract is more digestible than ordinary flesh in the same fine state of division, whilst the amount of flesh bases, the principal stimulating agents, is correspondingly reduced." Concerning added albumin and meat fibre, A.H. Allen, in "Commercial Organic Analysis," vol. iv., writes: "The amount of these constituents present in such a quantity of meat extract as is usually, or could be, taken at a time, is too insignificant to give it any appreciable value as nutriment." Notwithstanding such statements by analysts and others, Bovril is advertised to contain "the entire nourishment of prime ox-beef." The great extent of the extract of meat trade is shown by a circular issued by the Lemco and Oxo Company. They give the number of their cattle killed since 1865 as 5,550,000; stock of cattle 160,000; employees in works, farms and branches, 3,200. This is only one out of many such companies. It is a sad thing that myriads of animals should be slaughtered with all the horrible and brutalising surroundings of the slaughter-house to such a purpose--the nutritious matter being nearly all wasted. Reliance on these extracts is responsible for much sickness and death. Instead of their preventing colds, influenza, and other complaints as is professed, they predispose to them by overloading the body with waste products, taxing the excretory organs and reducing the vitality. The following analyses of meat extracts are by Otto Hehner:-- Gela- Albu- Meat Water. Fat. tin. min. Fibre. Liebig Co.'s Extractum Carnis 15.26 0.34 5.18 -- 2.12 Armour's Extract of Meat 15.97 0.21 3.31 -- -- Brand & Co.'s Extractum Carnis 17.85 0.38 4.56 -- 1.81 Brand & Co.'s Meat Juice 55.48 0.10 0.69 1.00 -- Brand & Co.'s Essence of Beef 89.68 0.06 5.12 -- -- Valentine's Meat juice 55.53 0.10 0.75 0.25 -- Bovril Company's Fluid Beef 28.34 1.02 3.81 -- 5.37 Bovril for Invalids 24.34 1.07 4.56 -- 5.87 Albu- Pep- Meat moses. tones. Bases. Ash. Liebig Co.'s Extractum Carnis 2.01 8.06 39.32 23.51 Armour's Extract of Meat 1.75 5.13 41.12 29.36 Brand & Co.'s Extractum Carnis 4.19 10.16 38.90 18.80 Brand & Co.'s Meat Juice 1.06 2.50 12.50 11.06 Brand & Co.'s Essence of Beef 0.19 0.57 3.43 1.00 Valentine's Meat juice 2.00 2.87 12.48 12.01 Bovril Company's Fluid Beef 8.38 13.18 19.38 17.67 Bovril for Invalids 5.56 6.44 34.07 16.50 Some of the "Liebig's Extract of Meat" so called, contains yeast extract; some even, is almost entirely, if not altogether made from yeast. The latter can be manufactured at a very low cost from brewers' and distillers' waste products, and there is a strong incentive for unscrupulous dealers to substitute it secretly. Artificial meat extracts prepared from yeast have the appearance and taste of meat extracts, but some, at least, have a considerably sharper flavour. In one method of manufacture common salt is added, and this renders it unfit for use in more than very small quantities as a flavouring. J. Graff has made analyses of ten yeast extracts, and contrasted them with meat extracts (see _Analyst_ 1904, page 194), and says, "It will be seen that the chemical composition of yeast extract does not greatly differ from that of meat extract." Yeast extracts contain purin bodies, and are probably equally as injurious as meat extracts. Such strong and rank flavours (the odour is suggestive to us of putrefaction) should be discouraged by those who would cultivate a refined taste in food. Flesh Bases and Waste Products.--As the result of destructive metamorphosis or the wearing out of the body, there remain certain waste products which have to be expelled as soon as is possible. Their retention and accumulation would soon produce death. A part is expelled by the lungs as carbon-dioxide, or as it is generally though less correctly termed, carbonic acid. Upon the breaking down of the complex proteid and other nitrogenous matter, the nitrogen is left in comparatively simple combinations. These effete nitrogen compounds are commonly termed flesh bases or nitrogenous extractives. They exist in small quantity in flesh meat, but are concentrated and conserved in the making of beef-tea or beef-extract. The spleen, lymphatic and other glands, and especially the liver, break these down into still simpler compounds, so that the kidneys may readily separate them from the blood, that they may pass out of the body. By far the largest part of this waste nitrogen is expelled from the bodies of men and many other mammals in the form of urea. Pure urea is an odourless transparent crystalline substance, of cooling saline taste like nitre. It is soluble in an equal volume of water, and is expelled from the body with great ease. In the herbivora the nitrogenous waste takes the form of another body called hippuric acid. The nearly solid light-coloured urinary excretion of birds and serpents consists of urates; this is uric acid in combination with alkalies. In man, in addition to the urea excreted, there is also a little hippuric and uric acid or compounds of these. Uric acid is a transparent colourless crystalline body almost insoluble in water but soluble as urates in the presence of alkalies. As deposited from urine it is of a dull red sand-like appearance, as it has a great affinity for any colouring matter that is present. It is only possible to make a brief reference to the chief organic bases. The xanthine bases are closely related to uric acid. Some of these occur in small quantity in the urine and animal tissues, others, such as caffeine, occur in plants. Creatine is a constant constituent of muscle substance. In fowl's flesh there is said to be 0.32 per cent., in cod-fish 0.17 per cent., and in beef 0.07 per cent. Creatinine is produced from creatine with great facility; it exists in urine. Both creatine and creatinine are readily soluble in water. A series of bases, closely allied to creatinine have been isolated from the flesh of large animals by A. Gautier; they are known as Gautier's flesh bases. When administered to animals, these act more or less powerfully on the nerve centres, inducing sleep and in some cases causing vomiting and purging in a manner similar to the alkaloids of snake venom, but less powerfully than the ptomaines. These bases are formed during life as a result of normal vital processes and are termed leucomaines. Another class of bases of an alkaloidal nature, are termed ptomaines; these differ from the leucomaines, being produced by putrefactive or bacterial agency from dead flesh. The poisoning which has occasionally resulted from the eating of sausages, pork-pies, tinned meats, etc., is due to their having contained ptomaines. Such quantities of waste products as are produced in the healthy body are excreted with ease, but it is otherwise in certain diseases. Either specially noxious substances are produced, or the usual substances are in excessive quantity and not eliminated with sufficient rapidity; in consequence the body is poisoned. Those who eat largely of flesh, introduce into their system the excretory matter contained therein, which super-added to the excretory matter resulting from the vital processes of the body puts an unusual and unnatural strain upon the liver and kidneys. It has been observed, that the eating of the flesh of some trapped animals has produced severe symptoms of poisoning. The pain and horror of having a limb bleeding and mangled in a most cruel steel trap, the struggles which only add to the misery, slowly being done to death during hours or even days of torture, has produced in their bodies virulent poisons. Leucomaine poisons have also been produced by the violent and prolonged exertions of an animal, fleeing from its pursuers, until its strength was completely spent. Cases are also known, where a mother nursing her infant, has given way to violent anger or other emotion, and the child at the breast has been made violently ill. We must not expect the flesh of any hunted or terrified animals to be wholesome. Animals brought in cattle ships across the Atlantic, suffer acutely. After rough weather they will often arrive in a maimed condition, some being dead. To this is added the terror and cruelty to which they are subjected whilst driven by callous drovers, often through a crowded city, to the slaughter house to which they have an instinctive dread. It is only to be expected that the dead flesh from such animals, should contain an unusually large quantity of the more poisonous flesh bases. Purin Bodies.--The term purin has been applied to all bodies containing the nucleus C_{5}N_{4}. It comprises the xanthine group and the uric acid group of bodies. The principal purins are hypoxanthin, xanthin, uric acid, guanin, adenin, caffeine and theobromine. Purins in the body may either result from the wear and tear of certain cell contents, when they are called endogenous purins; or they are introduced in the food, when they are distinguished as exogenous purins. These purins are waste products and are readily converted into uric acid. The production of some uric acid by tissue change is, of course, unavoidable; but that resulting from the purins in food is under control. An excess of uric acid is commonly associated with gout and similar diseases. The morbid phenomena of gout are chiefly manifested in the joints and surrounding tissues. The articular cartilages become swollen, with ensuing great pain. There is an accumulation of mortar like matter about the joints. This is calcium urate (not sodium urate as is generally stated). These nodular concretions are called tophi or chalkstones. Very many are the hypotheses which have been propounded on the cause of gout and the part played by uric acid; many have had to be discarded or greatly modified. Though much light has recently been thrown on the subject, there remains much that is obscure. The subject is one which is surrounded with great difficulties, and would not be suitable for discussion here, were it not for the following reason: Certain views on uric acid as the cause of gout and several other diseases, are at the present time being pushed to the extreme in some health journals and pamphlets. Unfortunately many of the writers have very little knowledge, either of chemistry or physiology, and treat the question as though it were a simple one that had been quite settled. Our purpose is to clear the ground to some extent, for a better understanding of its fundamentals, and to warn against dogmatism. Our remarks, however, must be brief. It is undeniable that great eaters of meat, especially if they also take liberally of alcoholic drinks, are prone to diseases of the liver and kidneys, about or soon after the time of middle life. Flesh meat contains relatively large quantities of purins. Purins are metabolised in the body to uric acid, about half of the uric acid produced in the body disappears as such, being disintegrated, whilst the other half remains to be excreted by the kidneys. One view is that whilst the organs of the body can readily dispose of its endogenous uric acid, or that produced by its own tissue change, together with the small amount of uric acid derived from most foods, the organs are strained by the larger quantity introduced in flesh-food or any other food rich in purins: that there is an accumulation in the system of some of this uric acid. Vegetable foods tend to keep the blood alkaline, flesh possesses less of this property; alkalinity of the blood is thought to be favourable to the elimination of uric acid, whilst anything of an acid nature acts contrarily. Dr. Alexander Haig writes "I consider that every man who eats what is called ordinary diet with butcher's meat twice a day, and also drinks acid wine or beer, will, by the time he is 50, have accumulated 300 to 400 grains of uric acid in his tissues, and possibly much more; and about this time, owing to the large amount of uric acid in his body, he will probably be subject to attacks of some form of gout or chronic rheumatism." Dr. Haig ascribes to the presence of uric acid in the system, not only gout and rheumatism, but epilepsy, hysteria, mental and bodily depression, diseases of the liver, kidneys, brain, etc. The opinion of the majority of eminent medical men, during recent years, is that uric acid is not a cause, but a symptom of gout, that uric acid is not an irritant to the tissues, and that it is readily excreted in the healthy subject. Some of the reasons for this latter and against the previously stated hypothesis, are as follows:--Birds very rarely suffer from gout--the nodular concretions, sometimes found about their joints and which have been ascribed to gout, are of tuberculous origin--yet their blood contains more uric acid than that of man, and the solid matter of their excretion is mainly urates. If uric acid caused gout we should expect the disease to be common in birds. It is a remarkable fact that the waste nitrogen should be excreted in the form of uric acid or urates from such widely differing classes of animals as birds and serpents. Birds have a higher body temperature than man, they are very rapid in their movements and consume a large amount of food proportionate to their weight. They live, as it were, at high pressure. Serpents, on the other hand, have a low body temperature, they are lethargic and can live a long while without food. There is no obvious reason why some animals excrete urea and others uric acid. As uric acid is a satisfactory and unirritating form in which waste nitrogen is expelled from the body of the active alert bird, as well as from the slow moving reptile, it is surprising if a very much smaller quantity acts as a poison in man. Many physicians are convinced that uric acid is absolutely unirritating. Uratic deposits may occur to an enormous extent in gouty persons without the occurrence of any pain or paroxysms. Urates have been injected in large amounts into the bodies of animals as well as administered in their food with no toxic result whatever, or more than purely local irritation. The most careful investigations upon the excretions of persons suffering from gouty complaints, have failed to show uric acid in the excretions in excess of that in normal individuals, except during the later stage of an acute attack. There is an excess of uric acid in the blood of gouty subjects; some eminent medical men say it is in the highest degree probable, that this excess is not due to over production or deficient destruction, but to defective excretion by the kidneys. The excess may arise from failure of the uric acid to enter into combination with a suitable substance in the blood, which assists its passage through the kidneys. Under the head of gout are classed a number of unrelated disturbances in the gastro-intestinal tract and nutritive organs, whose sole bond of union is that they are accompanied by an excess of urates, and in well developed cases by deposits in the tissues. This is why there are so many different causes, curative treatments, theories, contradictions and vagaries in gout. There are good reasons for believing that uric acid is not in the free state in the body. In the urine it is in combination with alkalies as urates, perhaps also with some organic body. It has been shown that the blood of the gouty is not saturated with uric acid, but can take up more, and that the alkalinity of the blood is not diminished. The excess over the normal is in many cases small; it is said to be absent in some persons, and rarely, if ever reaches the quantity found in leukaemia. Leukaemia is a disease marked by an excessive and permanent increase in the white blood corpuscles and consequent progressive anæmia. Neither does the uric acid of gout reach the quantity produced in persons whilst being fed with thymus gland (sweetbread), for medical purposes. In neither of these cases are any of the symptoms of gout present. In the urine of children, it is not unusual to find a copious precipitate of urates, yet without any observed effect on them. The symptoms of gout point to the presence of a toxin in the blood, and it is this which produces the lesions; the deposition of urates in the joints being secondary. This poison is probably of bacterial origin, derived from decomposing fæcal matter in the large intestine. This is due to faulty digestion and insufficient or defective intestinal secretions and constipation. This explains why excessive feeding, especially of proteid food, is so bad. The imperfectly digested residue of such food, when left to stagnate and become a mass of bacteria and putrefaction, gives off poisons which are absorbed in part, into the system. This bacterial poison produces headache, migraine, gouty or other symptoms. Because of the general failure of gouty persons to absorb the proper amount of nutriment from their food, they require to eat a larger quantity; this gives a further increase of fæcal decomposition and thus aggravates matters. The voluminous bowel or colon of man is a legacy from remote pre-human ancestors, whose food consisted of bulky, fibrous and slowly digested vegetable matters. It was more useful then, than now that most of our food is highly cooked. About a third part of the fæcal matter consists of bacteria of numerous species, though chiefly of the species known as the _bacillus coli communis_, one of the less harmful kind which is a constant inhabitant of the intestinal tract in man and animals. This species is even thought to be useful in breaking down the cellulose, which forms a part of the food of the herbivora. Flesh meat leaves a residue in which the bacteria of putrefaction find a congenial home. Poisons such as ptomaines, fatty acids and even true toxins are produced. It is believed that there exists in the colons of gouty persons, either conditions more favourable to the growth of the bacteria of putrefaction, or that they are less able to resist the effect of the poisons produced. It has generally been found that milk is a very good food for gouty patients. This seems due to its being little liable to putrefaction, the bacterial fermentation to which it is liable producing lactic acid--the souring of milk. The growth of most bacteria, particularly the putrefactive kinds are hindered or entirely stopped by acids slightly alkaline media are most favourable. This explains how it is that milk will often stop diarrhoea. Dr. Haig condemns pulse and some other vegetable foods, because, he says, they contain uric acid. Pulse, he states, contains twice as much as most butcher's meat. Vegetable foods, however, contain no uric acid and meat but a very small quantity. The proper term to use is purins or nucleins. Dr. Haig has used a method of analysis which is quite incapable of giving correct results. Many vegetarians have accepted these figures and his deductions therefrom, and have given up the use of valuable foods in consequence. We therefore give some of the analyses of Dr. I. Walker Hall, from "The Purin Bodies in Food Stuffs." The determination of the purins has proved a very difficult process. Dr. Hall has devoted much time to investigating and improving the methods of others, and his figures may be accepted with confidence. The first column of figures indicates purin bodies in parts per 1,000, the second column purin bodies in grains per pound:-- Sweet bread 10.06 70.4 Liver 2.75 19.3 Beef steak 2.07 14.5 Beef Sirloin 1.30 9.1 Ham 1.15 8.1 Chicken 1.3 9.1 Rabbit 0.97 6.3 Pork Loin 1.21 8.5 Veal loin 1.16 8.14 Mutton 0.96 6.75 Salmon 1.16 8.15 Cod 0.58 4.07 Lentils and haricots 0.64 4.16 Oatmeal 0.53 3.45 Peameal 0.39 2.54 Asparagus (cooked) 0.21 1.50 Onions 0.09 0.06 Potatoes 0.02 0.1 The following showed no traces of purins: white bread, rice, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower and eggs. Milk showed a very small quantity, and cheese consequently must contain still less. The researches of Dr. Hall show that the purins of food are metabolised or broken down by gouty patients, almost as well as by normal individuals, any slight retention being due to increased capillary pressure. A portion of the purins remain undigested, the quantity depending upon the particular purin and the vigour of the digestive organs. Two rabbits had the purin hypoxanthin given to them daily, in quantities which if given to a man in proportion to his weight, would have been 17 and 3 grains respectively. These rabbits showed malnutrition, and after death degenerative changes were visible in their liver and kidneys. Dr. Hall has made a large number of personal experiments, and says that when he has taken large doses of purin bodies--such as 7 grains of hypoxanthin, 15 to 77 grains of guanin or 7 to 15 grains of uric acid, apparently associated symptoms of general malaise and irritability have frequently appeared. In gouty subjects such moderate or small quantities of purins which are without effect on the healthy subject, may prove a source of irritation to the already weakened liver and kidneys. Professor Carl von Noorden says of gout, "with regard to treatment we are all agreed that food containing an excess of purin bodies should be avoided, and those words embody almost all there is to be said as to dietetics. Alcohol is very injurious in gout. Salicylic acid is a dangerous remedy. Alkalies in every form are utterly useless." Dr. J. Woods-Hutchinson says, "the one element which has been found to be of the most overwhelming importance and value in the treatment of gout and lith¾mia, water, would act most admirably upon a toxic condition from any source; first, by sweeping out both the alimentary canal primarily, and the liver, kidneys and skin secondarily; and secondly, by supplying to the body cells that abundant salt-water bath in which alone they can live and discharge their functions." Dr. Woods-Hutchinson proceeds to state, that the one active agent in all the much vaunted mineral waters is nothing more or less than the water. "Their alleged solvent effects are now known to be pure moonshine." The value consists in "plain water, plus suggestion--not to say humbug--aided, of course, by the pure air of the springs and the excellent hygienic rules." It is a common experience amongst rheumatic patients, that they cannot take lentils, haricots and some other foods; sometimes, even eggs and milk are inadmissible. This is not for the alleged reason that they contain purins, or as some misname it, uric acid; but because the digestive organs are unequal to the task. It will be seen, that although Dr. Haig's hypothesis of uric acid as a cause of gout and some other diseases is disputed by many eminent physicians, his treatment by excluding flesh and other foods which contain purins, and also pulse, which is difficult of digestion by the weakly, is a wise one. It has proved of the greatest value in very many cases. Digestion and nutrition is a complex process, and it may be faulty at various stages and in several ways; there may be either deficient or excessive secretions or inaction. Thus there are exceptions, where gouty symptoms, including an excessive quantity of urates in the urine, have only been relieved by the giving up of milk foods or starch foods (see _Lancet_, 1900, I., p. 1, and 1903, I., p. 1059). Those particularly interested in the subject of the purins and gout are referred to the lecture on "The meaning of uric acid and the urates," by Dr. Woods-Hutchinson, in the _Lancet_, 1903, I., p. 288, and the discussion on "The Chemical Pathology of Gout" before the British Medical Association at Oxford (see _British Medical Journal_, 1904, II., p. 740). Dr. George S. Keith, in "Fads of an Old Physician," has a chapter on rheumatic fever; he says that the disease is much more common than it was fifty years ago. He has never met with it in the young or old except when the diet had consisted largely of beef and mutton, and this although he has been on the outlook for at least forty years for a case of the disease in a child or youth who had not been fed on red meat. He speaks of it as being exceedingly common in Buenos Ayres and Rosario in the Argentine Republic, amongst the young; and that it leads to most of the heart disease there. The amount of meat, especially of beef, consumed by old and young is enormous. The main evils there, were anæmia in children and neuralgia both in old and young. Dr. Haig relates how he suffered from migraine all his life, until the time of his discontinuing butchers' meat. As meat contains a comparatively large quantity of purins and other bodies called extractives, it is probable that such quantities have an injurious effect, quite apart from the question of uric acid production. That an excessive meat diet lessens the vitality of the body and pre-disposes to disease is undoubted, but opinions differ as to how the injury is brought about. On thorough Mastication.--We have written at some length on the quantity and constituents of food required per day and have criticised the usually accepted standards. We have since read a valuable contribution to the subject by Mr. Horace Fletcher in his book, "The A.B.-Z. of our own nutrition" (F.A. Stokes & Co., New York). Ten years previous to the writing of the book, when of the age of 4, he was fast becoming a physical wreck, although he was trained as an athlete in his youth and had lived an active and most agreeable life. He had contracted a degree of physical disorder that made him ineligible as an insurance risk. This unexpected disability and warning was so much a shock, that it led to his making a strong personal effort to save himself. He concluded that he took too much food and too much needless worry. His practice and advice is, be sure that you are really hungry and are not pampering false appetite. If true appetite that will relish plain bread alone is not present, wait for it, if you have to wait till noon. Then chew, masticate, munch, bite, taste everything you take in your mouth; until it is not only thoroughly liquefied and made neutral or alkaline by saliva, but until the reduced substance all settles back in the folds at the back of the mouth and excites the swallowing impulse into a strong inclination to swallow. Then swallow what has collected and has excited the impulse, and continue to chew at the remainder, liquid though it be, until the last morsel disappears in response to the swallowing impulse. In a very short time this will become an agreeable and profitable fixed habit. Mr. Fletcher has been under the observation of several eminent scientific men. Professor R.H. Chittenden, of Yale University, in his report refers to the experiments of Kumagawa, Sivén, and other physiologists; who have shown that men may live and thrive, for a time at least, on amounts of proteid per day equal to only one-half and one-quarter the amount called for in the Voit standard (see p. 32), even without unduly increasing the total calories of the food intake. Such investigations, however, have always called forth critical comment from writers reluctant to depart from the current standards, as extending over too short periods of time. Dr. Chittenden writes that he has had in his laboratory, for several months past, a gentleman (H.F.) who for some five years, practised a certain degree of abstinence in the taking of food and attained important economy with, as he believes, great gain, in bodily and mental vigour and with marked improvement in his general health. The gentleman in question fully satisfies his appetite, but no longer desires the amount of food consumed by most individuals. For a period of thirteen days, in January, he was under observation in Professor Chittenden's laboratory. The daily amount of proteid metabolised was 41.25 grammes, the body-weight (165 pounds) remaining practically constant. Analysis of the excretions showed an output of an equivalent quantity of nitrogen. In February a more thorough series of observations was made. The diet was quite simple, and consisted merely of a prepared cereal food, milk and maple sugar. This diet was taken twice a day for seven days, and was selected by the subject as giving sufficient variety for his needs and quite in accord with his taste. No attempt was made to conform to any given standard of quantity, but the subject took each day such amounts of the above foods as his appetite craved. The daily average in grammes was, proteid 44.9 (1.58 ounces), fats 38.0, carbohydrates 253.0, calories 1,606. The total intake of nitrogen per day was 7.19, while the output was 6.90. It may be asked, says Professor Chittenden, was this diet at all adequate for the needs of the body--sufficient for a man weighing 165 pounds? In reply, it may be said that the appetite was satisfied and that the subject had full freedom to take more food if he so desired. The body-weight remained practically constant and the nitrogen of the intake and output were not far apart. An important point is, can a man on such food be fit for physical work? Mr. Fletcher was placed under the guidance of Dr. W.G. Anderson, the director of the gymnasium of Yale University. Dr. Anderson reports that on the four last days of the experiment, in February, 1903, Mr. Fletcher was given the same kind of exercises as are given to the 'Varsity crew. They are drastic and fatiguing and cannot be done by beginners without soreness and pain resulting. They are of a character to tax the heart and lungs as well as to try the muscles of the limbs and trunk. "My conclusion, given in condensed form, is this: Mr. Fletcher performs this work with greater ease and with fewer noticeable bad results than any man of his age and condition I have ever worked with." "To appreciate the full significance of this report, it must be remembered," writes Professor Chittenden, "that Mr. Fletcher had for several months past taken practically no exercise other than that involved in daily walks about town." Sir Michael Forster had Mr. Fletcher and others under observation in his Cambridge laboratories, and in his report he remarks on the waste products of the bowel being not only greatly reduced in amount, as might be expected; but that they are also markedly changed in character, becoming odourless and inoffensive, and assuming a condition which suggests that the intestine is in a healthier and more aseptic condition than is the case under ordinary circumstances. If we can obtain sufficient nourishment, as Mr. Fletcher does, on half the usual quantity of food, we diminish by half the expenditure of energy required for digestion. By thorough mastication the succeeding digestive processes are more easily and completely performed. What is also of great importance is that there is not the danger of the blocking up of the lower intestines with a mass of incompletely digested and decomposing residue, to poison the whole body. Even where there is daily defæcation, there is often still this slowly shifting mass; the end portion only, being expelled at a time, one or more days after its proper period. All this improved condition of the digestive tract, leaves more vitality for use in other directions, a greater capacity for work and clearness of brain. Professor R.H. Chittenden, in "Physiological Economy in Nutrition," writes:--"Our results, obtained with a great variety of subjects, justify the conviction that the minimum proteid requirements of the healthy man, under ordinary conditions of life, are far below the generally accepted dietary standards, and far below the amounts called for by the acquired taste of the generality of mankind. Body weight, health, strength, mental and physical vigour and endurance can be maintained with at least one-half of the proteid food ordinarily consumed." From these and other considerations, we see that it is not only unnecessary, but inadvisable to diet ourselves according to any of the old standards, such as that of Voit, or even to any other standard, until they have been very thoroughly revised. We shall probably find that as the body becomes accustomed to simpler food, a smaller quantity of the food is necessary. The proportion of proteids to other constituents in all the ordinary, not over manfactured vegetable foods, such as are generally eaten, may be taken as sufficient. Several cookery books have been compiled in conformity with certain proteid standards and also with some more or less fanciful requirements; these give the quantities and kinds of food which it is imagined should be eaten each day. Theoretically, this should be calculated to accord with the weight, temperament, age and sex of the eater and the work he or she has to perform. The dietaries that we have seen have their proteid ratio placed unnecessarily high. This high proteid ratio can be got by the use of the pulses, but except in small quantities they are not generally admissible, and in some of the dietaries they are ruled out. The difficulty is got over by the liberal use of eggs, cheese and milk. To admit a necessity for these animal products is to show a weakness and want of confidence in the sufficiency of vegetable foods. Some of these cookery books are of use in sickness, especially as replacing those of the beef-tea, chicken-broth, jelly and arrowroot order. They provide a half-way stage between flesh and vegetable food, such as is palatable to those who have not quite overcome a yearning for flesh and stimulating foods. The liberal use of animal products is less likely to excite the prejudice of the ordinary medical practitioner or nurse. Possibly, also, a higher quantity of proteid may be required on first giving up flesh foods. The Use of Salt.--One of the most remarkable habits of these times is the extensive use of common salt or sodium chloride. It is in all ordinary shop bread, in large quantity in a special and much advertised cereal food, even in a largely sold wheat flour, and often in pastry. It is added to nearly all savoury vegetable food, and many persons, not content, add still more at the time of eating. No dinner table is considered complete without one or more salt-cellars. Some take even threequarters of an ounce, or an ounce per day. The question is not, of course, whether salt is necessary or not, but whether there is a sufficient quantity already existing in our foods. Some allege that there is an essential difference between added salt and that natural to raw foods. That the former is inorganic, non-assimilable and even poisonous; whilst the latter is organised or in organic combination and nutritive. The writer is far from being convinced that there is a difference in food value. Some herbivorous animals are attracted by salt, but not the carnivora. This has been explained by the fact that potassium salts are characteristic of plants, whilst sodium chloride is the principal saline constituents of blood and of flesh. In their food, the herbivora take three or four times as much potash salts as the carnivora. Of course, the sodium chloride in the flesh of the herbivora and frugivora is obtained from the vegetable matter forming their food, and very few of them have the opportunity of obtaining it from salt-licks and mineral sources. They must have the power of storing up the sodium chloride from plants in sufficient quantity, whilst the potash salts pass away. There is no justification for saying that they are worse off by being deprived of salt. If the ape tribe can thrive without added salt why should not man? Bunge considers that a restriction to vegetable food causes a great desire for salt. Opposed to this, is the fact that certain tribes of negroes who cannot obtain salt, add to their vegetable food wood ashes or a preparation of wood ashes; this is chiefly potash. One preparation used in British Central Africa was found to contain about 21 per cent. of potassium chloride to only 0.5 per cent. of sodium chloride. It has been said that vegetarians consume more salt than those who take flesh food. We doubt this; we know of many vegetarians who have a strong objection to added salt, and have abstained from it for years. Some find that it predisposes to colds, causes skin irritation and other symptoms. At many vegetarian restaurants the food is exceedingly salty; the writer on this account cannot partake of their savoury dishes, except with displeasure. Nearly all who patronise these restaurants are accustomed to flesh foods, and it is their taste which has to be catered for. Flesh, and particularly blood, which of course, is in flesh, contains a considerable quantity of sodium chloride; and most flesh eaters are also in the habit of using the salt cellar. These people are accustomed to a stimulating diet, and have not a proper appreciation of the mildly flavoured unseasoned vegetable foods. Only those who have, for a time, discontinued the use of added salt, and lost any craving for it, can know how pleasant vegetables can be; even those vegetables which before were thought to be nearly tasteless, unless seasoned, are found to have very distinct flavours. It is then perceived, that there is a much greater variety in such foods than was previously imagined. It is commonly urged that salt and other condiments are necessary to make food palatable and to stimulate the digestive functions. We, on the contrary, say that condiments are the cause of much over-eating; and that if food cannot be eaten without them, it is a sign of disorganisation of the digestive system, and it is better to abstain from food until the appearance of a natural and healthy appetite. An excess of salt creates thirst and means more work for the kidneys in separating it from the blood prior to its expulsion. Even should it be admitted, that certain vegetables contain too little sodium salts, a very little salt added to such food would be sufficient; there is no excuse for the general use of it, and in such a great variety of foods. It is thought that some cases of inflammation of the kidneys originate in excessive salt eating; certain it is that patients suffering from the disease very soon improve, on being placed on a dietary free from added salt and also poor in naturally contained sodium and potassium salts. It is also possible to cause the swelling of the legs (oedema), to which such invalids are subject, to disappear and reappear at will, by withdrawing and afterwards resuming salt-containing foods. The quantity of one-third of an ounce, added to the usual diet, has after a continuation of several days, produced oedema. In one patient, on a diet of nearly two pounds of potatoes, with flesh, but without added salt, the oedemia disappeared and the albumin in the urine diminished. As potatoes are particularly rich in potash salts, this case is significant, as showing contrary to expectations, that such quantity as they contained had not the irritating effect of added common salt. Salt and other chlorides have been shown by several observers, to be injurious, not only in diseases of the kidneys, but also of the liver and heart. In these diseases the excess of salt is retained in the tissues, it causes a flow of fluid into them, and so produces oedema and favours the increase of dropsy. The good effect of milk in such diseases has long been known; it is probably due to its relative poverty in sodium and potassium chlorides. Even in the case of three healthy men, by an abrupt change from a diet extremely rich in chlorides to one deficient, they were able to reduce the body-weight by as much as two kilos. (4 lbs. 6 oz.); this was by the loss of an excess of water from their connective tissues. Sodium chloride diminishes the solvent action of water on uric acid and the urates; but potassium salts, on the contrary, do not, they may even increase the action. Although nearly all the medical experience recorded has to do with diseased persons, such cases are instructive; it is only reasonable to suppose, that more than a very small quantity of salt in excess of that natural to the food, is a source of irritation in the body, even of the ordinarily healthy individual. Summary.--Enjoyment of food is dependent upon appetite quite as much as upon the nature of the food. Better a simple repast with good appetite than sumptuous fare with bad digestion. There is indeed a causal relationship between simplicity and health. The savage likes the noise of the tom-tom or the clatter of wooden instruments: what a contrast this is to the trained ear of the musician. Uncivilised man has little enjoyment of scenery or of animal life, except as in respect to their power of providing him with food, clothing or other physical gratification. What an enormous advance has taken place. In the case of the painter, his eye and mind can appreciate a wide range and delicacy of colour. Man has improved on the crab-apple and the wild strawberry. From a wild grass he has produced the large-grained nutritious wheat. Vegetables of all kinds have been greatly improved by long continued cultivation. In tropical and sub-tropical climates, where wild fruits are more plentiful, high cultivation is of less importance than in temperate regions. In sparsely inhabited or wild, temperate and cold regions, in times past, when deer and other animals were plentiful, and edible fruits few, flesh could be obtained at less labour; or such intelligence and industry as is required for the cultivation of fruits, cereals, and other foods scarcely existed. Flesh almost requires to be cooked to be palatable, certainly this much improves its flavour. The eating of flesh tends to produce a distaste for mild vegetable foods, especially if uncooked. In process of time, not only flesh but vegetable foods, were more and more subjected to cooking and seasoning, or mixed with the flesh, blood or viscera of the animals killed. Next, food was manufactured to produce a still greater variety, to increase the flavour, or less frequently to produce an imagined greater digestibility or nutritiveness. Man has taken that which seemed most agreeable, rarely has he been intentionally guided by scientific principles, by that which is really best. Only of late years can it be said that there is such a thing as a science of dietetics; although cookery books innumerable have abounded. Of recent years many diseases have enormously increased, some even seem to be new. Digestive disturbances, dental caries, appendicitis, gout, rheumatism, diabetes, nervous complaints, heart disease, baldness and a host of other diseases are due, in a great measure, to abuse of food. One of the most learned and original of scientific men, Professor Elie Metchnikoff, in his remarkable book on "The Nature of Man," referring to the variety of food and its complexity of preparation says that it "militates against physiological old age and that the simpler food of the uncivilised races is better.... Most of the complicated dishes provided in the homes, hotels and restaurants of the rich, stimulate the organs of digestion and secretion in a harmful way. It would be true progress to abandon modern cuisine and to go back to the simpler dishes of our ancestors." A few have lived to a hundred years, and physiologists, including Metchnikoff, see no inherent reason why all men, apart from accident, should not do so. Most men are old at 70, some even at 60; if we could add 20 or 30 years to our lives, what an immense gain it would be. Instead of a man being in his prime, a useful member of the community, from about 25 to 60 or perhaps to 70; he would have the same physical and mental vigour to 80 or 90 or even longer. This later period would be the most valuable part of his life, as he would be using and adding to the accumulated experience and knowledge of the earlier period. Some, perceiving the mischief wrought by luxurious habits, urge us to go back to nature, to eat natural food. This is ambiguous. To speak of animals as being in a state of nature, conveys the distinct idea of their living according to their own instinct and reason, uninterfered with, in any way, by man. The phrase, applied to man, is either meaningless, or has a meaning varying with the views of each speaker. If it has any definite meaning, it must surely be the giving way to the animal impulses and instincts; to cast off all the artifices of civilisation, to give up all that the arts and sciences have done for man, all that he has acquired with enormous labour, through countless failures and successes, during hundreds of thousands of years, and to fall back to the lowest savagery--even the savages known to us use art in fashioning their arms, clothing and shelter, to the time when man was a mere animal. Civilised man is not only an animal, but an intellectual and spiritual being, and it is as natural for him to clothe himself as for a cow to eat grass. Our intellect has been made to wait on our animal nature, whilst our spiritual has lagged far behind. Animal food and all else of a stimulating character, stimulates the lower nature of man, his selfish propensities; whilst mild food makes it easier to lead a pure life. In the treatment of habitual drunkards in retreats, it has been found that a permanent cure is rare upon the usual abundant flesh dietary. Only by the use of vegetable food, particularly farinaceous, can a permanent cure be assured. The editor of the Clarion, Mr. R. Blatchford, or "Nunquam," has lately adopted a vegetarian diet. He remarks with surprise, that although he has been a heavy smoker for more than 30 years, using not less than eight ounces of tobacco a week, often two ounces in a day, he has found his passion for tobacco nearly gone. He has had to get milder tobacco, and is now not smoking half-an-ounce a day. He says "it does not taste the same; I am not nearly so fond of it." He finds, with regard to wine, that he now cannot drink it, "it tastes like physic." He writes: "These things have come upon me as a revelation. I begin to see that the great cure for the evil of national intemperance is not teetotal propaganda, but vegetarianism." We have given reasons of a scientific character, for abstaining from flesh as food, but higher than these are those relating to ethics. Everything relating to the slaughter-house is revolting to a refined and humane person. In the great slaughter-houses of Chicago; in those huge hideous box-shaped buildings, five or six storeys high, about ten millions of animals are killed every year. They are treated as if they were bales of merchandise and as destitute of feeling. Bullocks are struck on the head with a mallet and let fall into the basement of the building. They are whilst stunned or half-stunned, at once strung up by their hind legs to some machinery, which moves them along, their heads hanging downwards. Regardless of their agony, men run after them to cut their throats, followed by others with great pails to catch the blood. Much of the warm blood is spilt over the men or on the floors; but this is of no consequence, if but a small fraction of a minute is economised. In a short time, whether the animal has bled long enough or not, it reaches the lowest and darkest and worst ventilated portion of the gloomy building, where it is disembowelled. The walls and floors are caked with blood, the place is filthy, there is no proper lavatory accommodation, everything both to eyes and nose is detestable. Even if the windows were kept clean, light could not penetrate into the centre of the buildings. Consequently a large part of the work is done by artificial light. Tuberculosis is prevalent amongst the workpeople living under such unsanitary conditions. Serious crime is much more common amongst them than amongst any other class. We English-speaking people, who pride ourselves on our civilisation and religion; who call ourselves the followers of the gentle Jesus, the Prince of Peace; yet hunt, shoot, trap and torture animals for food sport and science. Our main reason for eating flesh is that of personal gratification. We are loath to admit that the lower animals have any rights. Those Eastern peoples who are adherents to the teachings of the gentle Buddha hold life sacred. Mr. H. Fielding, who lived many years amongst the simple-minded Burmese, says that though there is now no law against the sale of beef, yet no respectable Burman will even now, kill cattle or sell beef. No life at all may be taken by him who keeps to Buddhistic teaching, and this is a commandment wonderfully well kept. "He believes that all that is beautiful in life is founded on compassion and kindness and sympathy--that nothing of great value can exist without them. Do you think that a Burmese boy would be allowed to birds'-nest or worry rats with a terrier, or go ferreting? Not so. These would be crimes. That this kindess and compassion for animals has very far-reaching results, no one can doubt. If you are kind to animals, you will be kind, too, to your fellow-men." By participating in any form of cruelty or injustice, not only to our fellow-men, but also to the lower animals, we retard our progress towards the higher life, the subtler forces in man cannot find their full expression and we are less responsive to spiritual influences. 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It is the best and | | safest stimulant for brain workers | | and those who undergo great | | bodily exertion. | | | |_________________LOWEST IN PRICE__________________| 22829 ---- NO ANIMAL FOOD AND NUTRITION AND DIET WITH VEGETABLE RECIPES BY RUPERT H. WHELDON HEALTH CULTURE CO. NEW YORK--PASSAIC, N. J. PREFACE The title of this book is not ambiguous, but as it relates to a subject rarely thought about by the generality of people, it may save some misapprehension if at once it is plainly stated that the following pages are in vindication of a dietary consisting wholly of products of the vegetable kingdom, and which therefore excludes not only flesh, fish, and fowl, but milk and eggs and products manufactured therefrom. THE AUTHOR. This work is reprinted from the English edition with changes better adapting it to the American reader. THE PUBLISHERS. MAN'S FOOD Health and happiness are within reach of those who provide themselves with good food, clean water, fresh air, and exercise. A ceaseless and relentless hand is laid on almost every animal to provide food for human beings. Nothing that lives or grows is missed by man in his search for food to satisfy his appetite. Natural appetite is satisfied with vegetable food, the basis for highest and best health and development. History of primitive man we know, but the possibilities of perfected and complete man are not yet attained. Adequate and pleasant food comes to us from the soil direct, favorable for health, and a preventive against disease. Plant food is man's natural diet; ample, suitable, and available; obtainable with least labor and expense, and in pleasing form and variety. Animal food will be useful in emergency, also at other times; still, plant substance is more favorable to health, endurance, and power of mind. Variety of food is desirable and natural; it is abundantly supplied by the growth of the soil under cultivation. Races of intelligence and strength are to be found subsisting and thriving on an exclusive plant grown diet. The health and patience of vegetarians meet the social, mental and physical tests of life with less disease, and less risk of dependence in old age. Meat eaters have no advantages which do not belong also to those whose food is vegetable. Plant food, the principal diet of the world, has one serious drawback; it is not always savory, or palatable. Plant diet to be savory requires fat, or oil, to be added to it; nuts, peanut, and olive oil, supply it to the best advantage. Plant diet with butter, cream, milk, cheese, eggs, lard, fat, suet, or tallow added to it, is not vegetarian; it is mixed diet; the same in effect as if meat were used.--Elmer Lee, M.D., Editor, Health Culture Magazine. CONTENTS PAGE NO ANIMAL FOOD I--THE URGENCY OF THE SUBJECT 9 II--PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS 17 III--ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 35 IV--THE ÆSTHETIC POINT OF VIEW 46 V--ECONOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS 52 VI--THE EXCLUSION OF DAIRY PRODUCE 58 VII--CONCLUSION 63 NUTRITION AND DIET I--SCIENCE OF NUTRITION 70 II--WHAT TO EAT 82 III--WHEN TO EAT 97 IV--HOW TO EAT 103 FOOD TABLE 108 RECIPES 111 NO ANIMAL FOOD I URGENCY OF THE SUBJECT Outside of those who have had the good fortune to be educated to an understanding of a rational science of dietetics, very few people indeed have any notion whatever of the fundamental principles of nutrition and diet, and are therefore unable to form any sound opinion as to the merits or demerits of any particular system of dietetic reform. Unfortunately many of those who _do_ realise the intimate connection between diet and both physical and mental health, are not, generally speaking, sufficiently philosophical to base their views upon a secure foundation and logically reason out the whole problem for themselves. Briefly, the pleas usually advanced on behalf of the vegetable regimen are as follows: It is claimed to be healthier than the customary flesh diet; it is claimed for various reasons to be more pleasant; it is claimed to be more economical; it is claimed to be less trouble; it is claimed to be more humane. Many hold the opinion that a frugivorous diet is more natural and better suited to the constitution of man, and that he was never intended to be carnivorous; that the slaughtering of animals for food, being entirely unnecessary is immoral; that in adding our share towards supplying a vocation for the butcher we are helping to nurture callousness, coarseness and brutality in those who are concerned in the butchering business; that anyone of true refinement and delicacy would find in the killing of highly-strung, nervous, sensitive creatures, a task repulsive and disgusting, and that it is scarcely fair, let alone Christian, to ask others to perform work which we consider unnecessary and loathsome, and which we should be ashamed to do ourselves. Of all these various views there is one that should be regarded as of primary importance, namely, the question of health. First and foremost we have to consider the question of physical health. No system of thought that poses as being concerned with man's welfare on earth can ever make headway unless it recognises this. Physical well-being is a moral consideration that should and must have our attention before aught else, and that this is so needs no demonstrating; it is self-evident. Now it is not to be denied when we look at the over-flowing hospitals; when we see everywhere advertised patent medicines; when we realise that a vast amount of work is done by the medical profession among all classes; when we learn that one man out of twelve and one woman out of eight die every year from that most terrible disease, cancer, and that over 207,000 persons died from tuberculosis during the first seven years of the present century; when we learn that there are over 1500 defined diseases prevalent among us and that the list is being continually added to, that the general health of the nation is far different from what we have every reason to believe it ought to be. However much we may have become accustomed to it, we cannot suppose ill-health to be a _normal_ condition. Granted, then, that the general health of the nation is far from what it should be, and looking from effects to causes, may we not pertinently enquire whether our diet is not largely responsible for this state of things? May it not be that wrong feeding and mal-nutrition are at the root of most disease? It needs no demonstrating that man's health is directly dependent upon what he eats, yet how few possess even the most elementary conception of the principles of nutrition in relation to health? Is it not evident that it is because of this lamentable ignorance so many people nowadays suffer from ill-health? Further, not only does diet exert a definite influence upon physical well-being, but it indirectly affects the entire intellectual and moral evolution of mankind. Just as a man thinks so he becomes, and 'a science which controls the building of brain-cell, and therefore of mind-stuff, lies at the root of all the problems of life.' From the point of view of food-science, mind and body are inseparable; one reacts upon the other; and though a healthy body may not be essential to happiness, good health goes a long way towards making life worth living. Dr. Alexander Haig, who has done such excellent and valuable work in the study of uric acid in relation to disease, speaks most emphatically on this point: 'DIET is the greatest question for the human race, not only does his ability to obtain food determine man's existence, but its quality controls the circulation in the brain, and this decides the trend of being and action, accounting for much of the indifference between depravity and the self-control of wisdom.' The human body is a machine, not an iron and steel machine, but a blood and bone machine, and just as it is necessary to understand the mechanism of the iron and steel machine in order to run it, so is it necessary to understand the mechanism of the blood and bone machine in order to run it. If a person understanding nothing of the business of a _chauffeur_ undertook to run an automobile, doubtless he would soon come to grief; and so likewise if a person understands nothing of the needs of his body, or partly understanding them knows not how to satisfy them, it is extremely unlikely that he will maintain it at its normal standard of efficiency. Under certain conditions, of which we will speak in a moment, the body-machine is run quite unconsciously, and run well; that is to say, the body is kept in perfect health without the aid of science. But, then, we do not now live under these conditions, and so our reason has to play a certain part in encouraging, or, as the case may be, in restricting the various desires that make themselves felt. The reason so many people nowadays are suffering from all sorts of ailments is simply that they are deplorably ignorant of their natural bodily wants. How much does the ordinary individual know about nutrition, or about obedience to an unperverted appetite? The doctors seem to know little about health; they are not asked to keep us healthy, but only to cure us of disease, and so their studies relate to disease, not health; and dietetics, a science dealing with the very first principles of health, is an optional course in the curriculum of the medical student. Food is the first necessary of life, and the right kind of food, eaten in the right manner, is necessary to a right, that is, healthy life. No doubt, pathological conditions are sometimes due to causes other than wrong feeding, but in a very large percentage of cases there is little doubt that errors in diet have been the cause of the trouble, either directly, or indirectly by rendering the system susceptible to pernicious influences.[1] A knowledge of what is the right food to eat, and of the right way to eat it, does not, under existing conditions of life, come instinctively. Under other conditions it might do so, but under those in which we live, it certainly does not; and this is owing to the fact that for many hundred generations back there has been a pandering to sense, and a quelling and consequent atrophy of the discriminating animal instinct. As our intelligence has developed we have applied it to the service of the senses and at the expense of our primitive intuition of right and wrong that guided us in the selection of that which was suitable to our preservation and health. We excel the animals in the possession of reason, but the animals excel us in the exercise of instinct. It has been said that animals do not study dietetics and yet live healthily enough. This is true, but it is true only as far as concerns those animals which live _in their natural surroundings and under natural conditions_. Man would not need to study diet were he so situated, but he is not. The wild animal of the woods is far removed from the civilized human being. The animal's instinct guides him aright, but man has lost his primitive instinct, and to trust to his inclinations may result in disaster. The first question about vegetarianism, then, is this:--Is it the best diet from the hygienic point of view? Of course it will be granted that diseased food, food containing pernicious germs or poisons, whether animal or vegetable, is unfit to be eaten. It is not to be supposed that anyone will defend the eating of such food, so that we are justified in assuming that those who defend flesh-eating believe flesh to be free from such germs and poisons; therefore let the following be noted. It is affirmed that 50 per cent. of the bovine and other animals that are slaughtered for human food are affected with Tuberculosis, or some of the following diseases: Cancer, Anthrax, Pleuro-Pneumonia, Swine-Fever, Sheep Scab, Foot and Mouth Disease, etc., etc., and that to exclude all suspected or actually diseased carcasses would be practically to leave the market without a supply. One has only to read the literature dealing with this subject to be convinced that the meat-eating public must consume a large amount of highly poisonous substances. That these poisons may communicate disease to the person eating them has been amply proved. Cooking does _not_ necessarily destroy all germs, for the temperature at the interior of a large joint is below that necessary to destroy the bacilli there present. Although the remark is irrelevant to the subject in hand, one is tempted to point out that, quite apart from the question of hygiene, the idea of eating flesh containing sores and wounds, bruises and pus-polluted tissues, is altogether repulsive to the imagination. Let it be supposed, however, that meat can be, and from the meat-eater's point of view, should be and will be under proper conditions, uncontaminated, there yet remains the question whether such food is physiologically necessary to man. Let us first consider what kind of food is best suited to man's natural constitution. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: It seems reasonable to suppose that granting the organism has such natural needs satisfied as sleep, warmth, pure air, sunshine, and so forth, fundamentally all susceptibility to disease is due to wrong feeding and mal-nutrition, either of the individual organism or of its progenitors. The rationale of nutrition is a far more complicated matter than medical science appears to realise, and until the intimate relationship existing between nutrition and pathology has been investigated, we shall not see much progress towards the extermination of disease. Medical science by its curative methods is simply pruning the evil, which, meanwhile, is sending its roots deeper into the unstable organisms in which it grows.] II PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS There are many eminent scientists who have given it as their opinion that anatomically and physiologically man is to be classed as a frugivorous animal. There are lacking in man all the characteristics that distinguish the prominent organs of the carnivora, while he possesses a most striking resemblance to the fruit-eating apes. Dr. Kingsford writes: 'M. Pouchet observes that all the details of the digestive apparatus in man, as well as his dentition, constitute "so many proofs of his frugivorous origin"--an opinion shared by Professor Owen, who remarks that the anthropoids and all the quadrumana derive their alimentation from fruits, grains, and other succulent and nutritive vegetable substances, and that the strict analogy which exists between the structure of these animals and that of man clearly demonstrates his frugivorous nature. This view is also taken by Cuvier, Linnæus, Professor Lawrence, Charles Bell, Gassendi, Flourens, and a great number of other eminent writers.' (see _The Perfect Way in Diet_.) Linnæus is quoted by John Smith in _Fruits and Farinacea_ as speaking of fruit as follows: 'This species of food is that which is most suitable to man: which is evidenced by the series of quadrupeds, analogy, wild men, apes, the structure of the mouth, of the stomach, and the hands.' Sir Ray Lancaster, K.C.B., F.R.S., in an article in _The Daily Telegraph_, December, 1909, wrote: 'It is very generally asserted by those who advocate a purely vegetable diet that man's teeth are of the shape and pattern which we find in the fruit-eating, or in the root-eating, animals allied to him. This is true.... It is quite clear that man's cheek teeth do not enable him to cut lumps of meat and bone from raw carcasses and swallow them whole. They are broad, square-surfaced teeth with four or fewer low rounded tubercles to crush soft food, as are those of monkeys. And there can be no doubt that man fed originally like monkeys, on easily crushed fruits, nuts, and roots.' With regard to man's original non-carnivorous nature and omnivorism, it is sometimes said that though man's system may not thrive on a raw flesh diet, yet he can assimilate cooked flesh and his system is well adapted to digest it. The answer to this is that were it demonstrable, and it is _not_, that cooked flesh is as easily digested and contains as much nutriment as grains and nuts, this does not prove it to be suitable for human food; for man (leaving out of consideration the fact that the eating of diseased animal flesh can communicate disease), since he was originally formed by Nature to subsist exclusively on the products of the vegetable kingdom, cannot depart from Nature's plan without incurring penalty of some sort--unless, indeed, his natural original constitution has changed; but _it has not changed_. The most learned and world-renowned scientists affirm man's present anatomical and physiological structure to be that of a frugivore. Disguising an unnatural food by cooking it may make that food more assimilable, but it by no means follows that such a food is suitable, let alone harmless, as human food. That it is harmful, not only to man's physical health, but to his mental and moral health, this book endeavours to demonstrate. With regard to the fact that man has not changed constitutionally from his original frugivorous nature Dr. Haig writes as follows: 'If man imagines that a few centuries, or even a few hundred centuries, of meat-eating in defiance of Nature have endowed him with any new powers, except perhaps, that of bearing the resulting disease and degradation with an ignorance and apathy which are appalling, he deceives himself; for the record of the teeth shows that human structure has remained unaltered over vast periods of time.' According to Dr. Haig, human metabolism (the process by which food is converted into living tissue) differs widely from that of the carnivora. The carnivore is provided with the means to dispose of such poisonous salts as are contained in and are produced by the ingestion of animal flesh, while the human system is not so provided. In the human body these poisons are not held in solution, but tend to form deposits and consequently are the cause of diseases of the arthritic group, conspicuously rheumatism. There is sometimes some misconception as regards the distinction between a frugivorous and herbivorous diet. The natural diet of man consists of fruits, farinacea, perhaps certain roots, and the more esculent vegetables, and is commonly known as vegetarian, or fruitarian (frugivorous), but man's digestive organs by no means allow him to eat grass as the herbivora--the horse, ox, sheep, etc.--although he is much more nearly allied to these animals than to the carnivora. We are forced to conclude, in the face of all the available evidence, that the natural constitution of man closely resembles that of fruit-eating animals, and widely differs from that of flesh-eating animals, and that from analogy it is only reasonable to suppose that the fruitarian, or vegetarian, as it is commonly called, is the diet best suited to man. This conclusion has been arrived at by many distinguished men of science, among whom are the above mentioned. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and to prove that the vegetarian is the most hygienic diet, we must examine the physical conditions of those nations and individuals who have lived, and do live, upon this diet. It might be mentioned, parenthetically, that among animals, the herbivora are as strong physically as any species of carnivora. The most laborious work of the world is performed by oxen, horses, mules, camels, elephants, all vegetable-feeding animals. What animal possesses the enormous strength of the herbivorous rhinoceros, who, travellers relate, uproots trees and grinds whole trunks to powder? Again, the frugivorous orang-outang is said to be more than a match for the African lion. Comparing herbivora and carnivora from this point of view Dr. Kingsford writes: 'The carnivora, indeed, possess one salient and terrible quality, ferocity, allied to thirst for blood; but power, endurance, courage, and intelligent capacity for toil belong to those animals who alone, since the world has had a history, have been associated with the fortunes, the conquests, and the achievements of men.' Charles Darwin, reverenced by all educated people as a scientist of the most keen and accurate observation, wrote in his _Voyage of the Beagle_, the following with regard to the Chilian miners, who, he tells us, live in the cold and high regions of the Andes: 'The labouring class work very hard. They have little time allowed for their meals, and during summer and winter, they begin when it is light and leave off at dusk. They are paid £1 sterling a month and their food is given them: this, for breakfast, consists of sixteen figs and two small loaves of bread; for dinner, boiled beans; for supper, broken roasted wheat-grain. They scarcely ever taste meat.' This is as good as saying that the strongest men in the world, performing the most arduous work, and living in an exhilarating climate, are practically strict vegetarians. Dr. Jules Grand, President of the Vegetarian Society of France speaks of 'the Indian runners of Mexico, who offer instances of wonderful endurance, and eat nothing but tortillas of maize, which they eat as they run along; the street porters of Algiers, Smyrna, Constantinople and Egypt, well known for their uncommon strength, and living on nothing but maize, rice, dates, melons, beans, and lentils. The Piedmontese workmen, thanks to whom the tunnelling of the Alps is due, feed on polenta, (maize-broth). The peasants of the Asturias, like those of the Auvergne, scarcely eat anything except chick-peas and chestnuts ... statistics prove ... that the most numerous population of the globe is vegetarian.' The following miscellaneous excerpta are from Smith's _Fruits and Farinacea_:-- 'The peasantry of Norway, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and of almost every country in Europe subsist principally, and most of them entirely, on vegetable food.... The Persians, Hindoos, Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, the inhabitants of the East Indian Archipelago, and of the mountains of the Himalaya, and, in fact, most of the Asiatics, live upon vegetable productions.' 'The people of Russia, generally, subsist on coarse black rye-bread and garlics. I have often hired men to labour for me. They would come on board in the morning with a piece of black bread weighing about a pound, and a bunch of garlics as big as one's fist. This was all their nourishment for the day of sixteen or eighteen hours' labour. They were astonishingly powerful and active, and endured severe and protracted labour far beyond any of my men. Some of these Russians were eighty and even ninety years old, and yet these old men would do more work than any of the middle-aged men belonging to my ship. Captain C. S. Howland of New Bedford, Mass.' 'The Chinese feed almost entirely on rice, confections and fruits; those who are enabled to live well and spend a temperate life, are possessed of great strength and agility.' 'The Egyptian cultivators of the soil, who live on coarse wheaten bread, Indian corn, lentils, and other productions of the vegetable kingdom, are among the finest people I have even seen. Latherwood.' 'The Greek boatmen are exceedingly abstemious. Their food consists of a small quantity of black bread, made of unbolted rye or wheatmeal, and a bunch of grapes, or raisins, or some figs. They are astonishingly athletic and powerful; and the most nimble, active, graceful, cheerful, and even merry people in the world. Judge Woodruff, of Connecticut.' 'From the day of his irruption into Europe the Turk has always proved himself to be endowed with singularly strong vitality and energy. As a member of a warlike race, he is without equal in Europe in health and hardiness. His excellent physique, his simple habits, his abstinence from intoxicating liquors, and his normal vegetarian diet, enable him to support the greatest hardships, and to exist on the scantiest and simplest food.' 'The Spaniards of Rio Salada in South America,--who come down from the interior, and are employed in transporting goods overland,--live wholly on vegetable food. They are large, very robust, and strong; and bear prodigious burdens on their backs, travelling over mountains too steep for loaded mules to ascend, and with a speed which few of the generality of men can equal without incumbrance.' 'In the most heroic days of the Grecian army, their food was the plain and simple produce of the soil. The immortal Spartans of Thermopylæ were, from infancy, nourished by the plainest and coarsest vegetable aliment: and the Roman army, in the period of their greatest valour and most gigantic achievements, subsisted on plain and coarse vegetable food. When the public games of Ancient Greece--for the exercise of muscular power and activity in wrestling, boxing, running, etc.,--were first instituted, the athletæ in accordance with the common dietetic habits of the people, were trained entirely on vegetable food.' Dr. Kellogg, an authority on dietetics, makes the following answer to those who proclaim that those nations who eat a large amount of flesh-food, such as the English, are the strongest and dominant nations: "While it is true that the English nation makes large use of animal food, and is at the same time one of the most powerful on the globe, it is also true that the lowest, most miserable classes of human beings, such as the natives of Australia, and the inhabitants of Terra del Fuego, subsist almost wholly upon flesh. It should also be borne in mind that it is only within a single generation that the common people of England have become large consumers of flesh. In former times and when England was laying the foundation of her greatness, her sturdy yeomen ate less meat in a week, than the average Englishman of the present consumes in a single day.... The Persians, the Grecians, and the Romans, became ruling nations while vegetarians." In _Fruits and Farinacea_, Professor Lawrence is quoted as follows: 'The inhabitants of Northern Europe and Asia, the Laplanders, Samoiedes, Ostiacs, Tangooses, Burats, Kamtschatdales, as well as the natives of Terra del Fuego in the Southern extremity of America, are the smallest, weakest, and least brave people on the globe; although they live almost entirely on flesh, and that often raw.' Many athletic achievements of recent date have been won by vegetarians both in this country and abroad. The following successes are noteworthy:--Walking: Karl Mann, Dresden to Berlin, Championship of Germany; George Allen, Land's End to John-o'-Groats. Running: E. R. Voigt, Olympic Championship, etc.: F. A. Knott, 5,000 metres Belgian record. Cycling: G. A. Olley, Land's End to John-o'-Groats record. Tennis: Eustace Miles, M.A., various championships, etc. Of especial interest at the present moment are a series of tests and experiments recently carried out at Yale University, U.S.A., under Professor Irving Fisher, with the object of discovering the suitability of different dietaries for athletes, and the effect upon the human system in general. The results were surprising. 'One of the most severe tests,' remarks Professor Fisher, 'was in deep knee-bending, or "squatting." Few of the meat-eaters could "squat" more than three to four hundred times. On the other hand a Yale student who had been a flesh-abstainer for two years, did the deep knee-bending eighteen hundred times without exhaustion.... One remarkable difference between the two sets of men was the comparative absence of soreness in the muscles of the meat-abstainers after the tests.' The question as to climate is often raised; many people labour under the idea that a vegetable diet may be suitable in a hot climate, but not in a cold. That this idea is false is shown by facts, some of which the above quotations supply. That man can live healthily in arctic regions on a vegetable diet has been amply demonstrated. In a cold climate the body requires a considerable quantity of heat-producing food, that is, food containing a good supply of hydrocarbons (fats), and carbohydrates (starches and sugars). Many vegetable foods are rich in these properties, as will be explained in the essay following dealing with dietetics. Strong and enduring vegetable-feeding animals, such as the musk-ox and the reindeer, flourish on the scantiest food in an arctic climate, and there is no evidence to show that man could not equally well subsist on vegetable food under similar conditions. In an article entitled _Vegetarianism in Cold Climates_, by Captain Walter Carey, R.N., the author describes his observations during a winter spent in Manchuria. The weather, we are told, was exceedingly cold, the thermometer falling as low as minus 22° F. After speaking of the various arduous labours the natives are engaged in, Captain Carey describes the physique and diet of natives in the vicinity of Niu-Chwang as follows: 'The men accompanying the carts were all very big and of great strength, and it was obvious that none but exceptionally strong and hardy men could withstand the hardships of their long march, the intense cold, frequent blizzards, and the work of forcing their queer team along in spite of everything. One could not help wondering what these men lived on, and I found that the chief article was beans, which, made into a coarse cake, supplied food for both men and animals. I was told by English merchants who travelled in the interior, that everywhere they found the same powerful race of men, living on beans and rice--in fact, vegetarians. Apparently they obtain the needful proteid and fat from the beans; while the coarse once-milled rice furnishes them with starch, gluten, and mineral salts, etc. Spartan fare, indeed, but proving how easy it is to sustain life without consuming flesh-food.' So far, then, as the physical condition of those nations who are practically vegetarian is concerned, we have to conclude that practice tallies with theory. Science teaches that man should live on a non-flesh diet, and when we come to consider the physique of those nations and men who do so, we have to acknowledge that their bodily powers and their health equal, if not excel, those of nations and men who, in part, subsist upon flesh. But it is interesting to go yet further. It has already been stated that mind and body are inseparable; that one reacts upon the other: therefore it is not irrelevant, in passing, to observe what mental powers are possessed by those races and individuals who subsist entirely upon the products of the vegetable kingdom. When we come to consider the mentality of the Oriental races we certainly have to acknowledge that Oriental culture--ethical, metaphysical, and poetical--has given birth to some of the grandest and noblest thoughts that mankind possesses, and has devised philosophical systems that have been the comfort and salvation of countless millions of souls. Anyone who doubts the intellectual and ethical attainments of that remarkable nation of which we in the West know so little--the Chinese--should read the panegyric written by Sir Robert Hart, who, for forty years, lived among them, and learnt to love and venerate them as worthy of the highest admiration and respect. Others have written in praise of the people of Burma. Speaking of the Burman, a traveller writes: 'He will exercise a graceful charity unheard of in the West--he has discovered how to make life happy without selfishness and to combine an adequate power for hard work with a corresponding ability to enjoy himself gracefully ... he is a philosopher and an artist.' Speaking of the Indian peasant a writer in an English journal says: 'The ryot lives in the face of Nature, on a simple diet easily procured, and inherits a philosophy, which, without literary culture, lifts his spirit into a higher plane of thought than other peasantries know of. Abstinence from flesh food of any kind, not only gives him pure blood exempt from civilized diseases but makes him the friend and not the enemy, of the animal world around.' Eastern literature is renowned for its subtle metaphysics. The higher types of Orientals are endowed with an extremely subtle intelligence, so subtle as to be wholly unintelligible to the ordinary Westerner. It is said that Pythagoras and Plato travelled in the East and were initiated into Eastern mysticism. The East possesses many scriptures, and the greater part of the writings of Eastern scholars consist of commentaries on the sacred writings. Among the best known monumental philosophical and literary achievements maybe mentioned the _Tao Teh C'hing_; the _Zend Avesta;_ the _Three Vedas_; the _Brahmanas_; the _Upanishads;_ and the _Bhagavad-gita_, that most beautiful 'Song Celestial' which for nearly two thousand years has moulded the thoughts and inspired the aspirations of the teeming millions of India. As to the testimony of individuals it is interesting to note that some of the greatest philosophers, scientists, poets, moralists, and many men of note, in different walks of life, in past and modern times, have, for various reasons, been vegetarians, among whom have been named the following:-- Manu Zoroaster Pythagoras Zeno Buddha Isaiah Daniel Empedocles Socrates Plato Aristotle Porphyry John Wesley Franklin Goldsmith Ray Paley Isaac Newton Jean Paul Richter Schopenhauer Byron Gleizes Hartley Rousseau Iamblichus Hypatia Diogenes Quintus Sextus Ovid Plutarch Seneca Apollonius The Apostles Matthew James James the Less Peter The Christian Fathers Clement Tertullian Origen Chrysostom St. Francis d'Assisi Cornaro Leonardo da Vinci Milton Locke Spinoza Voltaire Pope Gassendi Swedenborg Thackeray Linnæus Shelley Lamartine Michelet William Lambe Sir Isaac Pitman Thoreau Fitzgerald Herbert Burrows Garibaldi Wagner Edison Tesla Marconi Tolstoy George Frederick Watts Maeterlinck Vivekananda General Booth Mrs. Besant Bernard Shaw Rev. Prof. John E. B. Mayor Hon. E. Lyttelton Rev. R. J. Campbell Lord Charles Beresford Gen. Sir Ed. Bulwer etc., etc., etc. The following is a list of the medical and scientific authorities who have expressed opinions favouring vegetarianism:-- M. Pouchet Baron Cuvier Linnæus Professor Laurence, F.R.S. Sir Charles Bell, F.R.S. Gassendi Flourens Sir John Owen Professor Howard Moore Sylvester Graham, M.D. John Ray, F.R.S. Professor H. Schaafhausen Sir Richard Owen, F.R.S. Charles Darwin, LL.D., F.R.S. Dr. John Wood, M.D. Professor Irving Fisher Professor A. Wynter Blyth, F.R.C.S. Edward Smith, M.B., F.R.S., LL.B. Adam Smith, F.R.S. Lord Playfair, M.D., C.B. Sir Henry Thompson, M.B., F.R.C.S. Dr. F. J. Sykes, B. Sc. Dr. Anna Kingsford Professor G. Sims Woodhead, M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.S. Alexander Haig, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P. Dr. W. B. Carpenter, C.B., F.R.S. Dr. Josiah Oldfield, D.C.L., M.A., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Virchow Sir Benjamin W. Richardson, M.P., F.R.C.S. Dr. Robert Perks, M.D., F.R.C.S. Dr. Kellogg, M.D. Harry Campbell, M.D. Dr. Olsen etc., etc. Before concluding this section it might be pointed out that the curious prejudice which is always manifested when men are asked to consider any new thing is as strongly in evidence against food reform as in other innovations. For example, flesh-eating is sometimes defended on the ground that vegetarians do not look hale and hearty, as healthy persons should do. People who speak in this way probably have in mind one or two acquaintances who, through having wrecked their health by wrong living, have had to abstain from the 'deadly decoctions of flesh' and adopt a simpler and purer dietary. It is not fair to judge meat abstainers by those who have had to take to a reformed diet solely as a curative measure; nor is it fair to lay the blame of a vegetarian's sickness on his diet, as if it were impossible to be sick from any other cause. The writer has known many vegetarians in various parts of the world, and he fails to understand how anyone moving about among vegetarians, either in this country or elsewhere, can deny that such people look as healthy and cheerful as those who live upon the conventional omnivorous diet. If a vegetarian, owing to inherited susceptibilities, or incorrect rearing in childhood, or any other cause outside his power to prevent, is sickly and delicate, is it just to lay the blame on his present manner of life? It would, indeed, seem most reasonable to assume that the individual in question would be in a much worse condition had he not forsaken his original and mistaken diet when he did. The writer once heard an acquaintance ridicule vegetarianism on the ground that Thoreau died of pulmonary consumption at forty-five! One is reminded of Oliver Wendell Holmes' witty saying:--'The mind of the bigot is like the pupil of the eye: the more it sees the light, the more it contracts.' In conclusion, there is, as we have seen in our review of typical vegetarian peoples and classes throughout the world, the strongest evidence that those who adopt a sensible non-flesh dietary, suited to their own constitution and environment, are almost invariably healthier, stronger, and longer-lived than those who rely chiefly upon flesh-meat for nutriment. III ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS The primary consideration in regard to the question of diet should be, as already stated, the hygienic. Having shown that the non-flesh diet is the more natural, and the more advantageous from the point of view of health, let us now consider which of the two--vegetarianism or omnivorism--is superior from the ethical point of view. The science of ethics is the science of conduct. It is founded, primarily, upon philosophical postulates without which no code or system of morals could be formulated. Briefly, these postulates are, (a), every activity of man has as its deepest motive the end termed Happiness, (b) the Happiness of the individual is indissolubly bound up with the Happiness of all Creation. The truth of (a) will be evident to every person of normal intelligence: all arts and systems aim consciously, or unconsciously, at some good, and so far as names are concerned everyone will be willing to call the Chief Good by the term Happiness, although there may be unlimited diversity of opinion as to its nature, and the means to attain it. The truth of (b) also becomes apparent if the matter is carefully reflected upon. Everything that is _en rapport_ with all other things: the pebble cast from the hand alters the centre of gravity in the Universe. As in the world of things and acts, so in the world of thought, from which all action springs. Nothing can happen to the part but the whole gains or suffers as a consequence. Every breeze that blows, every cry that is uttered, every thought that is born, affects through perpetual metamorphoses every part of the entire Cosmic Existence.[2] We deduce from these postulates the following ethical precepts: a wise man will, firstly, so regulate his conduct that thereby he may experience the greatest happiness; secondly, he will endeavour to bestow happiness on others that by so doing he may receive, indirectly, being himself a part of the Cosmic Whole, the happiness he gives. Thus supreme selfishness is synonymous with supreme egoism, a truth that can only be stated paradoxically. Applying this latter precept to the matter in hand, it is obvious that since we should so live as to give the greatest possible happiness to all beings capable of appreciating it, and as it is an indisputable fact that animals can suffer pain, _and that men who slaughter animals needlessly suffer from atrophy of all finer feelings_, we should therefore cause no unnecessary suffering in the animal world. Let us then consider whether, knowing flesh to be unnecessary as an article of diet, we are, in continuing to demand and eat flesh-food, acting morally or not. To answer this query is not difficult. It is hardly necessary to say that we are causing a great deal of suffering among animals in breeding, raising, transporting, and killing them for food. It is sometimes said that animals do not suffer if they are handled humanely, and if they are slaughtered in abattoirs under proper superintendence. But we must not forget the branding and castrating operations; the journey to the slaughter-house, which when trans-continental and trans-oceanic must be a long drawn-out nightmare of horror and terror to the doomed beasts; we must not forget the insatiable cruelty of the average cowboy; we must not forget that the animal inevitably spends at least some minutes of instinctive dread and fear when he smells and sees the spilt blood of his forerunners, and that this terror is intensified when, as is frequently the case, he witnesses the dying struggles, and hears the heart-rending groans; we must not forget that the best contrivances sometimes fail to do good work, and that a certain percentage of victims have to suffer a prolonged death-agony owing to the miscalculation of a bad workman. Most people go through life without thinking of these things: they do not stop and consider from whence and by what means has come to their table the flesh-food that is served there. They drift along through a mundane existence without feeling a pang of remorse for, or even thought of, the pain they are accomplices in producing in the sub-human world. And it cannot be denied, hide it how we may, either from our eyes or our conscience, that however skilfully the actual killing may usually be carried out, there is much unavoidable suffering caused to the beasts that have to be transported by sea and rail to the slaughter-house. The animals suffer violently from sea-sickness, and horrible cruelty (such as pouring boiling oil into their ears, and stuffing their ears with hay which is then set on fire, tail-twisting, etc.,) has to be practised to prevent them lying down lest they be trampled on by other beasts and killed; for this means that they have to be thrown overboard, thus reducing the profits of their owners, or of the insurance companies, which, of course, would be a sad calamity. Judging by the way the men act it does not seem to matter what cruelties and tortures are perpetuated; what heinous offenses against every humane sentiment of the human heart are committed; it does not matter to what depths of Satanic callousness man stoops provided always that--this is the supreme question--_there is money to be made by it_. A writer has thus graphically described the scene in a cattle-boat in rough weather: 'Helpless cattle dashed from one side of the ship to the other, amid a ruin of smashed pens, with limbs broken from contact with hatchway combings or winches--dishorned, gored, and some of them smashed to mere bleeding masses of hide-covered flesh. Add to this the shrieking of the tempest, and the frenzied moanings of the wounded beasts, and the reader will have some faint idea of the fearful scenes of danger and carnage ... the dead beasts, advanced, perhaps, in decomposition before death ended their sufferings, are often removed literally in pieces.' And on the railway journey, though perhaps the animals do not experience so much physical pain as travelling by sea, yet they are often deprived of food, and water, and rest, for long periods, and mercilessly knocked about and bruised. They are often so injured that the cattle-men are surprised they have not succumbed to their injuries. And all this happens in order that the demand for _unnecessary_ flesh-food may be satisfied. Those who defend flesh-eating often talk of humane methods of slaughtering; but it is significant that there is considerable difference of opinion as to what _is_ the most humane method. In England the pole-axe is used; in Germany the mallet; the Jews cut the throat; the Italians stab. It is obvious that each of these methods cannot be better than the others, yet the advocates of each method consider the others cruel. As Lieut. Powell remarks, this 'goes far to show that a great deal of cruelty and suffering is inseparable from all methods.' It is hard to imagine how anyone believing he could live healthily on vegetable food alone, could, having once considered these things, continue a meat-eater. At least to do so he could not live his life in conformity with the precept that we should cause no unnecessary pain. How unholy a custom, how easy a way to murder he makes for himself Who cuts the innocent throat of the calf, and hears unmoved its mournful plaint! And slaughters the little kid, whose cry is like the cry of a child, Or devours the birds of the air which his own hands have fed! Ah, how little is wanting to fill the cup of his wickedness! What unrighteous deed is he not ready to commit. * * * * * Make war on noxious creatures, and kill them only, But let your mouths be empty of blood, and satisfied with pure and natural repasts. OVID. _Metam._, _lib._ xv. That we cannot find any justification for destroying animal life for food does not imply we should never destroy animal life. Such a cult would be pure fanaticism. If we are to consider physical well-being as of primary importance, it follows that we shall act in self-preservation 'making war on noxious creatures.' But this again is no justification for 'blood-sports.' He who inflicts pain needlessly, whether by his own hand or by that of an accomplice, not only injures his victim, but injures himself. He stifles what nobleness of character he may have and he cultivates depravity and barbarism. He destroys in himself the spirit of true religion and isolates himself from those whose lives are made beautiful by sympathy. No one need hope for a spiritual Heaven while helping to make the earth a bloody Hell. No one who asks others to do wrong for him need imagine he escapes the punishment meted out to wrong-doers. That he procures the service of one whose sensibilities are less keen than his own to procure flesh-food for him that he may gratify his depraved taste and love of conformity does not make him less guilty of crime. Were he to kill with his own hand, and himself dress and prepare the obscene food, the evil would be less, for then he would not be an accomplice in retarding the spiritual growth of a fellow being. There is no shame in any _necessary_ labour, but that which is unnecessary is unmoral, and slaughtering animals to eat their flesh is not only unnecessary and unmoral; it is also cruel and immoral. Philosophers and transcendentalists who believe in the Buddhist law of Kârma, Westernized by Emerson and Carlyle into the great doctrine of Compensation, realize that every act of unkindness, every deed that is contrary to the dictates of our nobler instincts and reason, reacts upon us, and we shall truly reap that which we have sown. An act of brutality brutalizes, and the more we become brutalized the more we attract natures similarly brutal and get treated by them brutally. Thus does Nature sternly deal justice. 'Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, Our fatal shadows that walk by us still.' It is appropriate in this place to point out that some very pointed things are said in the Bible against the killing and eating of animals. It has been said that it is possible by judiciously selecting quotations to find the Bible support almost anything. However this may be, the following excerpta are of interest:-- 'And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for meat.'--Gen. i., 29. 'But flesh with life thereof, which is the blood thereof, ye shall not eat.'--Gen. ix., 4. 'It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.'--Lev. iii., 17. 'Ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl, or beast.'--Lev. vii., 26. 'Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.'--Lev. xvii., 14. 'The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.... They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.'--Isaiah lxv. 'He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man.'--Isaiah lxvi., 3. 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'--Matt. ix., 7. 'It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth.'--Romans xiv., 21. 'Wherefore, if meat maketh my brother to stumble I will eat no flesh for evermore, that I make not my brother stumble.'--1 Cor. viii., 13. The verse from Isaiah is no fanciful stretch of poetic imagination. The writer, no doubt, was picturing a condition of peace and happiness on earth, when discord had ceased and all creatures obeyed Nature and lived in harmony. It is not absurd to suppose that someday the birds and beasts may look upon man as a friend and benefactor, and not the ferocious beast of prey that he now is. In certain parts of the world, at the present day--the Galapagos Archipelago, for instance--where man has so seldom been that he is unknown to the indigenous animal life, travellers relate that birds are so tame and friendly and curious, being wholly unacquainted with the bloodthirsty nature of man, that they will perch on his shoulders and peck at his shoe laces as he walks. It may be said that Jesus did not specifically forbid flesh-food. But then he did not specifically forbid war, sweating, slavery, gambling, vivisection, cock and bull fighting, rabbit-coursing, trusts, opium smoking, and many other things commonly looked upon as evils which should not exist among Christians. Jesus laid down general principles, and we are to apply these general principles to particular circumstances. The sum of all His teaching is that love is the most beautiful thing in the world; that the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all who really and truly love. The act of loving is the expression of a desire to make others happy. All beings capable of experiencing pain, who have nervous sensibilities similar to our own, are capable of experiencing the effect of our love. The love which is unlimited, which is not confined merely to wife and children, or blood relations and social companions, or one's own nation, or even the entire human race, but is so comprehensive as to include all life, human and sub-human; such love as this marks the highest point in moral evolution that human intelligence can conceive of or aspire to. Eastern religions have been more explicit than Christianity about the sin of killing animals for food. In the _Laws of Manu_, it is written: 'The man who forsakes not the law, and eats not flesh-meat like a bloodthirsty demon, shall attain goodness in this world, and shall not be afflicted with maladies.' 'Unslaughter is the supreme virtue, supreme asceticism, golden truth, from which springs up the germ of religion.' _The Mahabharata._ '_Non-killing_, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving, are called Yama.' _Patanjalis' Yoga Aphorisms._ 'A Yogî must not think of injuring anyone, through thought, word or deed, and this applies not only to man, but to all animals. Mercy shall not be for men alone, but shall go beyond, and embrace the whole world.' _Commentary of Vivekânanda._ 'Surely hell, fire, and repentance are in store for those who for their pleasure and gratification cause the dumb animals to suffer pain.' _The Zend Avesta._ Gautama, the Buddha, was most emphatic in discountenancing the killing of animals for food, or for any other unnecessary purpose, and Zoroaster and Confucius are said to have taught the same doctrine. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 2: See _Sartor Resartus_, Book I., chap. xi.: Book III., chap. vii. Also an article by Prof. W. P. Montague, Ph.D.: 'The Evidence of Design in the Elements and Structure of the Cosmos,' in the _Hibbert Journal_, Jan., 1904.] IV THE ÆSTHETIC POINT OF VIEW St. Paul tells us to think on whatsoever things are pure and lovely (Phil. iv., 8). The implication is that we should love and worship beauty. We should seek to surround ourselves by beautiful objects and avoid that which is degrading and ugly. Let us make some comparisons. Look at a collection of luscious fruits filling the air with perfume, and pleasing the eye with a harmony of colour, and then look at the gruesome array of skinned carcasses displayed in a butcher's shop; which is the more beautiful? Look at the work of the husbandman, tilling the soil, pruning the trees, gathering in the rich harvest of golden fruit, and then look at the work of the cowboy, branding, castrating, terrifying, butchering helpless animals; which is the more beautiful? Surely no one would say a corpse was a beautiful object. Picture it (after the axe has battered the skull, or the knife has found the heart, and the victim has at last ceased its dying groans and struggles), with its ghastly staring eyes, its blood-stained head or throat where the sharp steel pierced into the quivering flesh; picture it when the body is opened emitting a sickening odour and the reeking entrails fall in a heap on the gore-splashed floor; picture this sight and ask whether it is not the epitome of ugliness, and in direct opposition to the most elementary sense of beauty. Moreover, what effect has the work of a slayer of animals upon his personal character and refinement? Can anyone imagine a sensitive-minded, finely-wrought _æsthetic_ nature doing anything else than revolt against the cold-blooded murdering of terrorised animals? It is significant that in some of the States of America butchers are not allowed to sit on a jury during a murder trial. Physiognomically the slaughterman carries his trade-mark legibly enough. The butcher does not usually exhibit those facial traits which distinguish a person who is naturally sympathetic and of an æsthetic temperament; on the contrary, the butcher's face and manner generally bear evidence of a life spent amid scenes of gory horror and violence; of a task which involves torture and death. A plate of cereal served with fruit-juice pleases the eye and imagination, but a plate smeared with blood and laden with dead flesh becomes disgusting and repulsive the moment we consider it in that light. Cooking may disguise the appearance but cannot alter the reality of the decaying _corpse_; and to cook blood and give it another name (gravy) may be an artifice to please the palate, but it is blood, (blood that once coursed through the body of a highly sensitive and nervous being), just the same. Surely a person whose olfactory nerves have not been blunted prefers the delicate aroma of ripe fruit to the sickly smell of mortifying flesh,--or fried eggs and bacon! Notice how young children, whose taste is more or less unperverted, relish ripe fruits and nuts and clean tasting things in general. Man, before he has become thoroughly accustomed to an unnatural diet, before his taste has been perverted and he has acquired by habit a liking for unwholesome and unnatural food, has a healthy appetite for Nature's sun-cooked seeds and berries of all kinds. Now true refinement can only exist where the senses are uncorrupted by addiction to deleterious habits, and the nervous system by which the senses act will remain healthy only so long as it is built up by pure and natural foods; hence it is only while man is nourished by those foods desired by his unperverted appetite that he may be said to possess true refinement. Power of intellect has nothing whatever to do _necessarily_ with the _æsthetic instinct_. A man may possess vast learning and yet be a boor. Refinement is not learnt as a boy learns algebra. Refinement comes from living a refined life, as good deeds come from a good man. The nearer we live according to Nature's plan, and in harmony with Her, the healthier we become physically and mentally. We do not look for refinement in the obese, red-faced, phlegmatic, gluttonous sensualists who often pass as gentlemen because they possess money or rank, but in those who live simply, satisfying the simple requirements of the body, and finding happiness in a life of well-directed toil. * * * * * The taste of young children is often cited by vegetarians to demonstrate the liking of an unsophisticated palate, but the primitive instinct is not wholly atrophied in man. Before man became a tool-using animal, he must have depended for direction upon what is commonly termed instinct in the selection of a diet most suitable to his nature. No one can doubt, judging by the way undomesticated animals seek their food with unerring certainty as to its suitability, but that instinct is a trustworthy guide. Granting that man could, in a state of absolute savagery, and before he had discovered the use of fire or of tools, depend upon instinct alone, and in so doing live healthily, cannot _what yet remains_ of instinct be of some value among civilized beings? Is not man, even now, in spite of his abused and corrupted senses, when he sees luscious fruits hanging within his reach, tempted to pluck them, and does he not eat them with relish? But when he sees the grazing ox, or the wallowing hog, do similar gustatory desires affect him? Or when he sees these animals lying dead, or when skinned and cut up in small pieces, does this same natural instinct stimulate him to steal and eat this food as it stimulates a boy to steal apples and nuts from an orchard and eat them surreptitiously beneath the hedge or behind the haystack? Very different is it with true carnivora. The gorge of a cat, for instance, will rise at the smell of a mouse, or a piece of raw flesh, but not at the aroma of fruit. If a man could take delight in pouncing upon a bird, tear its still living body apart with his teeth, sucking the warm blood, one might infer that Nature had provided him with carnivorous instinct, but the very _thought_ of doing such a thing makes him shudder. On the other hand, a bunch of luscious grapes makes his 'mouth water,' and even in the absence of hunger he will eat fruit to gratify taste. A table spread with fruits and nuts and decorated with flowers is artistic; the same table laden with decaying flesh and blood, and maybe entrails, is not only inartistic--it is disgusting. Those who believe in an all-wise Creator can hardly suppose He would have so made our body as to make it necessary daily to perform acts of violence that are an outrage to our sympathies, repulsive to our finer feelings, and brutalising and degrading in every detail. To possess fine feelings without the means to satisfy them is as bad as to possess hunger without a stomach. If it be necessary and a part of the Divine Wisdom that we should degrade ourselves to the level of beasts of prey, then the humanitarian sentiment and the æsthetic instinct are wrong and should be displaced by callousness, and the endeavour to cultivate a feeling of enjoyment in that which to all the organs of sense in a person of intelligence and religious feeling is ugly and repulsive. But no normally-minded person can think that this is so. It would be contrary to all the ethical and æsthetic teachings of every religion, and antagonistic to the feelings of all who have evolved to the possession of a conscience and the power to distinguish the beautiful from the base. When one accustomed to an omnivorous diet adopts a vegetarian régime, a steadily growing refinement in taste and smell is experienced. Delicate and subtle flavours, hitherto unnoticed, especially if the habit of thorough mastication be practised, soon convince the neophyte that a vegetarian is by no means denied the pleasure of gustatory enjoyment. Further, not only are these senses better attuned and refined, but the mind also undergoes a similar exaltation. Thoreau, the transcendentalist, wrote: 'I believe that every man who has ever been earnest to preserve his higher or poetic faculties in the best condition, has been particularly inclined to abstain from animal food, and from much food of any kind.' V ECONOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS There is no doubt that the yield of land when utilized for pasturage is less than what it will produce in the hands of the agriculturist. In a thickly populated country, such as England, dependent under present conditions on foreign countries for a large proportion of her food supply, it is foolish, considering only the political aspects, to employ the land for raising unnecessary flesh-food, and so be compelled to apply to foreign markets for the first necessaries of life, when there is, without doubt, sufficient agricultural land in England to support the entire population on a vegetable regimen. As just said, a much larger population can be supported on a given acreage cultivated with vegetable produce than would be possible were the same land used for grazing cattle. Lieut. Powell quotes Prof. Francis Newman of University College, London, as declaring that-- 100 acres devoted to sheep-raising will support 42 men: proportion 1. 100 acres devoted to dairy-farming will support 53 men: proportion 1-1/4. 100 acres devoted to wheat will support 250 men: proportion 6. 100 acres devoted to potato will support 683 men: proportion 16. To produce the same quantity of food yielded by an acre of land cultivated by the husbandman, three or four acres, or more, would be required as grazing land to raise cattle for flesh meat. Another point to note is that agriculture affords employment to a very much larger number of men than cattle-raising; that is to say, a much larger number of men are required to raise a given amount of vegetable food than is required to raise the same amount of flesh food, and so, were the present common omnivorous customs to give place to vegetarianism, a very much more numerous peasantry would be required on the land. This would be physically, economically, morally, better for the nation. It is obvious that national health would be improved with a considerably larger proportion of hardy country yeomen. The percentage of poor and unemployed people in large cities would be reduced, their labor being required on the soil, where, being in more natural, salutary, harmonious surroundings the moral element would have better opportunity for development than when confined in the unhealthy, ugly, squalid surroundings of a city slum. It is not generally known that there is often a decided _loss_ of valuable food-material in feeding animals for food, one authority stating that it takes nearly 4 lbs. of barley, which is a good wholesome food, to make 1 lb. of pork, a food that can hardly be considered safe to eat when we learn that tuberculosis was detected in 6,393 pigs in Berlin abattoirs in one year. As to the comparative cost of a vegetarian and omnivorous diet, it is instructive to learn that it is proverbial in the Western States of America that a Chinaman can live and support his family in health and comfort on an allowance which to a meat-eating white man would be starvation. It is not to be denied that a vegetarian desirous of living to eat, and having no reason or desire to be economical, could spend money as extravagantly as a devotee of the flesh-pots having a similar disposition. But it is significant that the poor of most European countries are not vegetarians from choice but from necessity. Had they the means doubtless they would purchase meat, not because of any instinctive liking for it, but because of that almost universal trait of human character that causes men to desire to imitate their superiors, without, in most cases, any due consideration as to whether the supposed superiors are worthy of the genuflection they get. Were King George or Kaiser Wilhelm to become vegetarians and advocate the non-flesh diet, such an occurrence would do far more towards advancing the popularity of this diet than a thousand lectures from "mere" men of science. Carlyle was not far wrong when he called men "clothes worshippers." The uneducated and poor imitate the educated and rich, not because they possess that attitude of mind which owes its existence to a very deep and subtle emotion and which is expressed in worship and veneration for power, whether it be power of body, power of rank, power of mind, or power of wealth. The poor among Western nations are vegetarians because they cannot afford to buy meat, and this is plain enough proof as to which dietary is the cheaper. Perhaps a few straightforward facts on this point may prove interesting. An ordinary man, weighing 140 lbs. to 170 lbs., under ordinary conditions, at moderately active work, as an engineer, carpenter, etc., could live in comfort and maintain good health on a dietary providing daily 1 lb. bread (600 to 700 grs. protein); 8 ozs. potatoes (70 grs. protein); 3 ozs. rice, or barley, or macaroni, or maize meal, etc. (100 grs. protein); 4 ozs. dates, or figs, or prunes, or bananas, etc., and 2 ozs. shelled nuts (130 grs. protein); the cost of which need not exceed 10c. to 15c. per day; or in the case of one leading a more sedentary life, such as clerical work, these would be slightly reduced and the cost reduced to 8c. to 12c. per day. For one shilling per day, luxuries, such as nut butter, sweet-stuffs, and a variety of fruits and vegetables could be added. It is hardly necessary to point out that the housewife would be 'hard put to' to make ends meet 'living well' on the ordinary diet at 25c. per head per day. The writer, weighing 140 lbs., who lives a moderately active life, enjoys good health, and whose tastes are simple, finds the cost of a cereal diet comes to 50c. to 75c. per week. The political economist and reformer finds on investigation, that the adoption of vegetarianism would be a solution of many of the complex and baffling questions connected with the material prosperity of the nation. Here is a remedy for unemployment, drink, slums, disease, and many forms of vice; a remedy that is within the reach of everyone, and that costs only the relinquishing of a foolish prejudice and the adoption of a natural mode of living plus the effort to overcome a vicious habit and the denial of pleasure derived from the gratification of corrupted appetite. Nature will soon create a dislike for that which once was a pleasure, and in compensation will confer a wholesome and beneficent enjoyment in the partaking of pure and salutary foods. Whether or no the meat-eating nations will awake to these facts in time to save themselves from ruin and extinction remains to be seen. Meat-eating has grown side by side with disease in England during the past seventy years, but there are now, fortunately, some signs of abatement. The doctors, owing perhaps to some prescience in the air, some psychical foreboding, are recommending that less meat be eaten. But whatever the future has in store, there is nothing more certain than this--that in the adoption of the vegetable regimen is to be found, if not a complete panacea, at least a partial remedy, for the political and social ills that our nation at the present time is afflicted with, and that those of us who would be true patriots are in duty bound to practise and preach vegetarianism wheresoever and whensoever we can. VI THE EXCLUSION OF DAIRY PRODUCE It is unfortunate that many flesh-abstainers who agree with the general trend of the foregoing arguments do not realise that these same arguments also apply to abstinence from those animal foods known as dairy produce. In considering this further aspect it is necessary for reasons already given, to place hygienic considerations first. Is it reasonable to suppose that Nature ever intended the milk of the cow or the egg of the fowl for the use of man as food? Can anyone deny that Nature intended the cow's milk for the nourishment of her calf and the hen's egg for the propagation of her species? It is begging the question to say that the cow furnishes more milk than her calf requires, or that it does not injure the hen to steal her eggs. Besides, it is not true. Regarding the dietetic value of milk and eggs, which is the question of first importance, are we correct in drawing the inference that as Nature did not intend these foods for man, therefore they are not suitable for him? As far as the chemical constituents of these foods are concerned, it is true they contain compounds essential to the nourishment of the human body, and if this is going to be set up as an argument in favor of their consumption, let it be remembered that flesh food also contains compounds essential to nourishment. But the point is this: not what valuable nutritive compounds does any food-substance contain, but what value, _taking into consideration its total effects_, has the food in question as a wholesome article of diet? It seems to be quite generally acknowledged by the medical profession that raw milk is a dangerous food on account of the fact that it is liable from various causes, sometimes inevitable, to contain impurities. Dr. Kellogg writes: Typhoid fever, cholera infantum, tuberculosis and tubercular consumption--three of the most deadly diseases known; it is very probable also, that diphtheria, scarlet fever and several other maladies are communicated through the medium of milk.... It is safe to say that very few people indeed are fully acquainted with the dangers to life and health which lurk in the milk supply.... The teeming millions of China, a country which contains nearly one-third of the entire population of the globe, are practically ignorant of this article of food. The high-class Hindoo regards milk as a loathsome and impure article of food, speaking of it with the greatest contempt as "cow-juice," doubtless because of his observations of the deleterious effect of the use of milk in its raw state. The germs of tuberculosis seem to be the most dangerous in milk, for they thrive and retain their vitality for many weeks, even in butter and cheese. An eminent German authority, Hirschberger, is said to have found 10 per cent of the cows in the vicinity of large cities to be affected by tuberculosis. Many other authorities might be quoted supporting the contention that a large percentage of cows are afflicted by this deadly disease. Other germs, quite as dangerous, find their way into milk in numerous ways. Excreta, clinging to the hairs of the udder, are frequently rubbed off into the pail by the action of the hand whilst milking. Under the most careful sanitary precautions it is impossible to obtain milk free from manure, from the ordinary germs of putrefaction to the most deadly microbes known to science. There is little doubt but that milk is one of the uncleanest and impurest of all foods. Milk is constipating, and as constipation is one of the commonest complaints, a preventive may be found in abstinence from this food. As regards eggs, there is perhaps not so much to be said, although eggs so quickly undergo a change akin to putrefaction that unless eaten fresh they are unfit for food; moreover, (according to Dr. Haig) they contain a considerable amount of xanthins, and cannot, therefore, be considered a desirable food. Dairy foods, we emphatically affirm, are not necessary to health. In the section dealing with 'Physical Considerations' sufficient was said to prove the eminent value of an exclusive vegetable diet, and the reader is referred to that and the subsequent essay on Nutrition and Diet for proof that man can and should live without animal food of any kind. Such nutritive properties as are possessed by milk and eggs are abundantly found in the vegetable kingdom. The table of comparative values given, exhibits this quite plainly. That man can live a thoroughly healthy life upon vegetable foods alone there is ample evidence to prove, and there is good cause to believe that milk and eggs not only are quite unnecessary, but are foods unsuited to the human organism, and may be, and often are, the cause of disease. Of course, it is recognized that with scrupulous care this danger can be minimized to a great extent, but still it is always there, and as there is no reason why we should consume such foods, it is not foolish to continue to do so? But this is not all. It is quite as impossible to consume dairy produce without slaughter as it is to eat flesh without slaughter. There are probably as many bulls born as cows. One bull for breeding purposes suffices for many cows and lives for many years, so what is to be done with the bull calves if our humanitarian scruples debar us from providing a vocation for the butcher? The country would soon be overrun with vast herds of wild animals and the whole populace would have to take to arms for self-preservation. So it comes to the same thing. If we did not breed these animals for their flesh, or milk, or eggs, or labour, we should have no use for them, and so should breed them no longer, and they would quickly become extinct. The wild goat and sheep and the feathered life might survive indefinitely in mountainous districts, but large animals that are not domesticated, or bred for slaughter, soon disappear before the approach of civilisation. The Irish elk is extinct, and the buffalo of North America has been wiped out during quite recent years. If leather became more expensive (much of it is derived from horse hide) manufacturers of leather substitutes would have a better market than they have at present. VI CONCLUSION 'However much thou art read in theory, if thou hast no practice thou art ignorant,' says the Persian poet Sa'di. 'Conviction, were it never so excellent, is worthless until it converts itself into Conduct. Nay, properly, Conviction is not possible till then,' says Herr Teufelsdrockh. It is never too late to be virtuous. It is right that we should look before we leap, but it is gross misconduct to neglect duty to conform to the consuetudes of the hour. We must endeavour in practical life to carry out to the best of our ability our philosophical and ethical convictions, for any lapse in such endeavour is what constitutes immorality. We must live consistently with theory so long as our chief purpose in life is advanced by so doing, but we must be inconsistent when by antinomianism we better forward this purpose. To illustrate: All morally-minded people desire to serve as a force working for the happiness of the race. We are convinced that the slaughter of animals for food is needless, and that it entails much physical and mental suffering among men and animals and is therefore immoral. Knowing this we should exert our best efforts to counteract the wrong, firstly, by regulating our own conduct so as not to take either an active or passive part in this needless massacre of sub-human life, and secondly, by making those facts widely known which show the necessity for food reform. Now to go to the ultimate extreme as regards our own conduct we should make no use of such things as leather, bone, catgut, etc. We should not even so much as attend a concert where the players use catgut strings, for however far distantly related cause and effect may be, the fact remains that the more the demand, no matter how small, the more the supply. We should not even be guilty of accosting a friend from over the way lest in consequence he take more steps than otherwise he would do, thus wearing out more shoe-leather. He who would practise such absurd sansculottism as this would have to resort to the severest seclusion, and plainly enough we cannot approve of such fanaticism. By turning antinomian when necessary and staying amongst our fellows, making known our views according to our ability and opportunity, we shall be doing more towards establishing the proper relation between man and sub-man than by turning cenobite and refusing all intercourse and association with our fellows. Let us do small wrong that we may accomplish great good. Let us practise our creed so far as to abstain from the eating of animal food, and from the use of furs, feathers, seal and fox skins, and similar ornaments, to obtain which necessitates the violation of our fundamental principles. With regard to leather, this material is, under present conditions, a 'by-product.' The hides of animals slaughtered for their flesh are made into leather, and it is not censurable in a vegetarian to use this article in the absence of a suitable substitute when he knows that by so doing he is not asking an animal's life, nor a fellow-being to degrade his character by taking it. There is a substitute for leather now on the market, and it is hoped that it may soon be in demand, for even a leather-tanner's work is not exactly an ideal occupation. Looking at the question of conviction and consistency in this way, there are conceivable circumstances when the staunchest vegetarian may even turn kreophagist. As to how far it is permissible to depart from the strictest adherence to the principles of vegetarianism that have been laid down, the individual must trust his own conscience to determine; but we can confidently affirm that the eating of animal flesh is unnecessary and immoral and retards development in the direction which the finest minds of the race hold to be good; and that the only time when it would not be wrong to feed upon such food would be when, owing to misfortunes such as shipwreck, war, famine, etc., starvation can only be kept at bay by the sacrifice of animal life. In such a case, man, considering his own life the more valuable, must resort to the unnatural practice of flesh-eating. The reformer may have, indeed must have, to pay a price, and sometimes a big one, for the privilege, the greatest of all privileges, of educating his fellows to a realisation of their errors, to a realisation of a better and nobler view of life than they have hitherto known. Seldom do men who carve out a way for themselves, casting aside the conventional prejudices of their day, and daring to proclaim, and live up to, the truth they see, meet with the esteem and respect due to them; but this should not, and, if they are sincere and courageous, does not, deter them from announcing their message and caring for the personal discomfort it causes. It is such as these that the world has to thank for its progress. It often happens that the reformer reaps not the benefit of the reform he introduces. Men are slow to perceive and strangely slow to act, yet he who has genuine affection for his fellows, and whose desire for the betterment of humanity is no mere sentimental pseudo-religiosity, bears bravely the disappointment he is sure to experience, and with undaunted heart urges the cause that, as he sees it, stands for the enlightenment and happiness of man. The vegetarian in the West (Europe, America, etc.) is often ridiculed and spoken of by appellations neither complimentary nor kind, but this should deter no honorable man or woman from entering the ranks of the vegetarian movement as soon as he or she perceives the moral obligation to do so. It may be hard, perhaps impossible, to convert others to the same views, but the vegetarian is not hindered from living his own life according to the dictates of his conscience. 'He who conquers others is strong, but the man who conquers himself is mighty,' wrote Laotze in the _Tao Teh Ch'ing_, or 'The Simple Way.' When we call to mind some heroic character--a Socrates, a Regulus, a Savonarola--the petty sacrifices our duties entail seem trivial indeed. We do well to remember that it is only by obedience to the highest dictates of our own hearts and minds that we may obtain true happiness. It is only by living in harmony with all living creatures that nobility and purity of life are attainable. As we obey the immediate vision, so do we become able to see yet richer visions: but the _strength of the vision is ours only as we obey its high demands_. NUTRITION AND DIET I THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION The importance of some general knowledge of the principles of nutrition and the nutritive values of foods is not generally realised. Ignorance on such a matter is not usually looked upon as a disgrace, but, on the contrary, it would be commonly thought far more reprehensible to lack the ability to conjugate the verb 'to be' than to lack a knowledge of the chemical properties of the food we eat, and the suitability of it to our organism. Yet the latter bears direct and intimate relation to man's physical, mental, and moral well-being, while the former is but a 'sapless, heartless thistle for pedantic chaffinches,' as Jean Paul would say. The human body is the most complicated machine conceivable, and as it is absurd to suppose that any tyro can take charge of so comparatively simple a piece of mechanism as a locomotive, how much more absurd is it to suppose the human body can be kept in fit condition, and worked satisfactorily, without at least some, if only slight, knowledge of the nature of its constitution, and an understanding of the means to satisfy its requirements? Only by study and observation comes the knowledge of how best to supply the required material which, by its oxidation in the body, repairs waste, gives warmth and produces energy. Considering, then, that the majority of people are entirely ignorant both of the chemical constitution of the body, and the physiological relationship between the body and food, it is not surprising to observe that in respect to this question of caring for the body, making it grow and work and think, many come to grief, having breakdowns which are called by various big-sounding names. Indeed, to the student of dietetics, the surprise is that the body is so well able to withstand the abuse it receives. It has already been explained in the previous essay how essential it is if we live in an artificial environment and depart from primitive habits, thereby losing natural instincts such as guide the wild animals, that we should study diet. No more need be said on this point. It may not be necessary that we should have some general knowledge of fundamental principles, and learn how to apply them with reasonable precision. The chemical constitution of the human body is made up of a large variety of elements and compounds. From fifteen to twenty elements are found in it, chief among which are oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and sulphur. The most important compounds are protein, hydrocarbons, carbohydrates, organic mineral matter, and water. The food which nourishes the body is composed of the same elements and compounds. Food serves two purposes,--it builds and repairs the body tissues, and it generates vital heat and energy, burning food as fuel. Protein and mineral matter serve the first purpose, and hydrocarbons (fats) and carbohydrates (sugars and starches) the second, although, if too much protein be assimilated it will be burnt as fuel, (but it is bad fuel as will be mentioned later), and if too much fat is consumed it will be stored away in the body as reserve supply. Most food contains some protein, fat, carbohydrates, mineral matter, and water, but the proportion varies very considerably in different foods. Water is the most abundant compound in the body, forming on an average, over sixty per cent. of the body by weight. It cannot be burnt, but is a component part of all the tissues and is therefore an exceedingly, important food. Mineral matter forms approximately five or six per cent. of the body by weight. Phosphate of lime (calcium phosphate), builds bone; and many compounds of potassium, sodium, magnesium and iron are present in the body and are necessary nutrients. Under the term protein are included the principal nitrogenous compounds which make bone, muscle and other material. It forms about 15 per cent. of the body by weight, and, as mentioned above, is burnt as fuel for generating heat and energy. Carbohydrates form but a small proportion of the body-tissue, less than one per cent. Starches, sugars, and the fibre of plants, or cellulose, are included under this term. They serve the same purpose as fat. All dietitians are agreed that protein is the essential combined in food. Deprivation of it quickly produces a starved physical condition. The actual quantity required cannot be determined with perfect accuracy, although estimates can be made approximately correct. The importance of the other nutrient compounds is but secondary. But the system must have all the nutrient compounds in correct proportions if it is to be maintained in perfect health. These proportions differ slightly according to the individual's physical constitution, temperament and occupation. Food replenishes waste caused by the continual wear and tear incidental to daily life: the wear and tear of the muscles in all physical exertion, of the brain in thinking, of the internal organs in the digestion of food, in all the intricate processes of metabolism, in the excretion of waste matter, and the secretion of vital fluids, etc. The ideal diet is one which replenishes waste with the smallest amount of suitable material, so that the system is kept in its normal condition of health at a minimum of expense of energy. The value, therefore, of some general knowledge of the chemical constituents of food is obvious. The diet must be properly balanced, that is, the food eaten must provide the nutrients the body requires, and not contain an excess of one element or a deficiency of another. It is impossible to substitute protein for fat, or _vice versa_, and get the same physiological result, although the human organism is wonderfully tolerant of abuse, and remarkably ingenious in its ability to adapt itself to abnormal conditions. It has been argued that it is essentially necessary for a well-balanced dietary that the variety of food be large, or if the variety is to be for any reason restricted, it must be chosen with great discretion. Dietetic authorities are not agreed as to whether the variety should be large or small, but there is a concensus of opinion that, be it large or small, it should be selected with a view to supplying the proper nutrients in proper proportions. The arguments, so far as the writer understands them, for and against a large variety of foods, are as follows:-- If the variety be large there is a temptation to over-feed. Appetite does not need to be goaded by tasty dishes; it does not need to be goaded at all. We should eat when hungry and until replenished; but to eat when not hungry in order to gratify a merely sensual appetite, to have dishes so spiced and concocted as to stimulate a jaded appetite by novelty of taste, is harmful to an extent but seldom realised. Hence the advisability, at least in the case of persons who have not attained self-mastery over sensual desire, of having little variety, for then, when the system is replenished, over-feeding is less likely to occur. In this connection it should be remembered that in some parts of the world the poor, although possessing great strength and excellent health, live upon, and apparently relish, a dietary limited mostly to black bread and garlics, while among ourselves an ordinary person eats as many as fifty different foods in one day.[3] On the other hand, a too monotonous dietary, especially where people are accustomed to a large variety of mixed foods, fails to give the gustatory pleasure necessary for a healthy secretion of the digestive juices, and so may quite possibly result in indigestion. It is a matter of common observation that we are better able to digest food which we enjoy than that which we dislike, and as we live not upon what we eat, but upon what we digest, the importance of enjoying the food eaten is obvious. Also as few people know anything about the nutritive value of foods, they stand a better chance, if they eat a large variety, of procuring the required quantity of different nutrients than when restricted to a very limited dietary, because, if the dietary be very limited they might by accident choose as their mainstay some food that was badly balanced in the different nutrients, perhaps wholly lacking in protein. It is lamentable that there is such ignorance on such an all-important subject. However, we have to consider things as they are and not as they ought to be. Perhaps the best way is to have different food at different meals, without indulging in many varieties at one meal. Thus taste can be satisfied, while the temptation to eat merely for the sake of eating is less likely to arise. It might be mentioned, in passing, that in the opinion of the best modern authorities the average person eats far more than he needs, and that this excess inevitably results in pathological conditions. Voit's estimate of what food the average person requires daily was based upon observation of what people _do_ eat, not upon what they _should_ eat. Obviously such an estimate is valueless. As well argue that an ounce of tobacco daily is what an ordinary person should smoke because it is the amount which the average smoker consumes. A vegetarian needs only to consider the amount of protein necessary, and obtained from the food eaten. The other nutrients will be supplied in proportions correct enough to satisfy the body requirements under normal conditions of health. The only thing to take note of is that more fat and carbohydrates are needed in cold weather than hot, the body requiring more fuel for warmth. But even this is not essential: the essential thing is to have the required amount of protein. In passing, it is interesting to observe the following: the fact that in a mixed fruitarian diet the proportion of the nutrient compounds is such as to satisfy natural requirements is another proof of the suitability of the vegetable regimen to the human organism. It is a provision of Nature that those foods man's digestive organs are constructed to assimilate with facility, and man's organs of taste, smell, and perception best prefer, are those foods containing chemical compounds in proportions best suited to nourish his body. One of the many reasons why flesh-eating is deleterious is that flesh is an ill-balanced food, containing, as it does, considerable protein and fat, but no carbohydrates or neutralising salts whatever. As the body requires three to four times more carbohydrates than protein, and protein cannot be properly assimilated without organic minerals, it is seen that with the customary 'bread, meat and boiled potatoes' diet, this proportion is not obtained. Prof. Chittenden holds the opinion that the majority of people partake greatly in excess of food rich in protein. No hard and fast rule can be laid down to different persons require different foods and foods and amounts at different times under different +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ |[Transcriber's note: It is regretted that a line has been missed by the| |typesetter.] | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ regulate the amount, or proper proportions, of food material for a well-balanced dietary, as amounts, and the same person requires different ferent conditions. Professor W. O. Atwater, an American, makes the following statement: 'As the habits and conditions of individuals differ, so, too, their needs for nourishment differ, and their food should be adapted to their particular requirements. It has been estimated that an average man at moderately active labor, like a carpenter, or mason, should have (daily) about 115 grams (1750 grains) or 0.25 pound of available protein, and sufficient fuel ingredients in addition to make the fuel value of the whole diet 3,400 calories; while a man at sedentary employment would be well nourished with 92 grams (1400 grains) or 0.20 pound of available protein, and enough fat and carbohydrates in addition to yield 2,700 calories of energy. The demands are, however, variable, increasing and decreasing with increase and decrease of muscular work, or as other needs of the person change. Each person, too, should learn by experience what kinds of food yield him nourishment with the least discomfort, and should avoid those which do not "agree" with him.' It has been stated that unless the body is supplied with protein, hunger will be felt, no matter if the stomach be over-loaded with non-nitrogenous food. If a hungry man ate heartily of _only_ such foods as fresh fruit and green vegetables he might soon experience a feeling of fulness, but his hunger would not be appeased. Nature asks for protein, and hunger will continue so long as this want remains unsatisfied. Similarly as food is the first necessity of life, so is protein the first necessity in food. If a person were deprived of protein starvation must inevitably ensue. Were we (by 'we' is meant the generality of people in this country), to weigh out our food supply, for, say a week, we should soon realise what a large reduction from the usual quantity of food consumed would have to be made, and instead of eating, as is customary, without an appetite, hunger might perhaps once a day make itself felt. There is little doubt but that the health of most people would be vastly improved if food were only eaten when genuine hunger was felt, and the dietary chosen were well balanced, _i.e._, the proportions of protein, fat, carbohydrates and salts being about 3, 2, 9, 2-3. As aforesaid, the mixed vegetarian dietary is, in general, well-balanced. While speaking about too much food, it may be pointed out that the function of appetite is to inform us that the body is in need of nutriment. The appetite was intended by Nature for this purpose, yet how few people wait upon appetite! The generality of people eat by time, custom, habit, and sensual desire; not by appetite at all. If we eat when not hungry, and drink when not thirsty, we are doing the body no good but positive harm. The organs of digestion are given work that is unnecessary, thus detracting from the vital force of the body, for there is only a limited amount of potential energy, and if some of this is spent unnecessarily in working the internal organs, it follows that there is less energy for working the muscles or the brain. So that an individual who habitually overfeeds becomes, after a time, easily tired, physically lazy, weak, perhaps if temperamentally predisposed, nervous and hypochondriacal. Moreover, over-eating not only adds to the general wear and tear, thus probably shortening life, but may even result in positive disease, as well as many minor complaints such as constipation, dyspepsia, flatulency, obesity, skin troubles, rheumatism, lethargy, etc. Just as there is danger in eating too much, so there is much harm done by drinking too much. The evil of stimulating drinks will be spoken of later; at present reference is made only to water and harmless concoctions such as lime-juice, unfermented wines, etc. To drink when thirsty is right and natural; it shows that the blood is concentrated and is in want of fluid. But to drink merely for the pleasure of drinking, or to carry out some insane theory like that of 'washing out' the system is positively dangerous. The human body is not a dirty barrel needing swilling out with a hose-pipe. It is a most delicate piece of mechanism, so delicate that the abuse of any of its parts tends to throw the entire system out of order. It is the function of the blood to remove all the waste products from the tissues and to supply the fresh material to take the place of that which has been removed. Swilling the system out with liquid does not in any way accelerate or aid the process, but, on the contrary, retards and impedes it. It dilutes the blood, thus creating an abnormal condition in the circulatory system, and may raise the pressure of blood and dilate the heart. Also it dilutes the secretions which will therefore 'act slowly and inefficiently, and more or less fermentation and putrefaction will meanwhile be going on in the food masses, resulting in the formation of gases, acids, and decomposition products.' Eating and drinking too much are largely the outcome of sensuality. To see a man eat sensually is to know how great a sensualist he is. Sensualism is a vice which manifests itself in many forms. Poverty has its blessings. It compels abstinence from rich and expensive foods and provides no means for surfeit. Epicurus was not a glutton. Socrates lived on bread and water, as did Sir Isaac Newton. Mental culture is not fostered by gluttony, but gluttony is indulged in at the expense of mental culture. The majority of the world's greatest men have led comparatively simple lives, and have regarded the body as a temple to be kept pure and holy. We have now to consider (_a_) what to eat, (_b_) when to eat, (_c_) how to eat. First, then, we will consider the nutritive properties of the common food-stuffs. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 3: This is not an exaggeration. 'Genoa Cake,' for instance, contains ten varieties of food: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, milk, sultanas, orange and lemon peel, almonds, and baking powder.] II WHAT TO EAT Among the foods rich in protein are the legumes, the cereals, and nuts. Those low in protein are fresh fruits, green vegetables, and roots. Fat is chiefly found in nuts, olives, and certain pulses, particularly the peanut; and carbohydrates in cereals, pulses, and many roots. Fruit and green vegetables consist mostly of water and organic mineral compounds, and in the case of the most juicy varieties may be regarded more as drink than food. We have, then, six distinct classes of food--the pulses, cereals, nuts, fruits, green vegetables, and roots. Let us briefly consider the nutritive value of each. Pulse foods usually form an important item in a vegetarian dietary. They are very rich in their nutritive properties, and even before matured are equal or superior in value to any other green vegetable. 'The ripened seed shows by analysis a very remarkable contrast to most of the matured foods, as the potato and other tubers, and even to the best cereals, as wheat. This superiority lies in the large amount of nitrogen in the form of protein that they contain.' Peas, beans, and lentils should be eaten very moderately, being highly concentrated foods. The removal of the skins from peas and beans, also of the germs of beans, by parboiling, is recommended, as they are then more easily digested and less liable to 'disagree.' These foods, it is interesting to know are used extensively by the vegetarian nations. The Mongol procures his supply of protein chiefly from the Soya bean from which he makes different preparations of bean cheese and sauce. It is said that the poorer classes of Spaniards and the Bedouins rely on a porridge of lentils for their mainstay. In India and China where rice is the staple food, beans are eaten to provide the necessary nitrogenous matter, as rice alone is considered deficient in protein. With regard to the pulse foods, Dr. Haig, in his works on uric acid, states that, containing as they do considerable xanthin, an exceedingly harmful poison, they are not to be commended as healthful articles of diet. He states that he has found the pulses to contain even more xanthin than many kinds of flesh-meat, and as it is this poison in flesh that causes him to so strongly condemn the eating of meat, he naturally condemns the eating of any foods in which this poison exists in any considerable quantity. He writes: 'So far as I know the "vegetarians" of this country are decidedly superior in endurance to those feeding on animal tissues, who might otherwise be expected to equal them; but these "vegetarians" would be still better if they not only ruled out animal flesh, but also eggs, the pulses (peas, beans, lentils and peanuts), eschew nuts, asparagus, and mushrooms, as well as tea, coffee and cocoa, all of which contain a large amount of uric acid, or substances physiologically equivalent to it.' Dr. Haig attributes many diseases and complaints to the presence of uric acid in the blood and its deposits in the tissues: 'Uric acid diseases fall chiefly in two groups: (a) The arthritic group, comprising gout, rheumatism, and similar affections of many fibrous tissues throughout the body; (b) the circulation group including headache, epilepsy, mental depression, anæmia, Bright's disease, etc.' Speaking with regard to rheumatism met with among the vegetarian natives of India, Dr. Haig writes: 'I believe it will appear, on investigation, that in those parts of India where rice and fresh vegetables form the staple foods, not only rheumatism, but uric acid diseases generally are little known, whereas in those parts where pulses are largely consumed, they are common--almost universal.' The cereals constitute the mainstay of vegetarians all the world over, and although not superior to nuts, must be considered an exceedingly valuable, and, in some cases, essential food material. They differ considerably in their nutritive properties, so it is necessary to examine the worth of each separately. Wheat, though not universally the most extensively used of the cereals, is the most popular and best known cereal in this country. It has been cultivated for ages and has been used by nearly all peoples. It is customary to grind the berries into a fine meal which is mixed with water and baked. There are various opinions about the comparative value of white and whole-wheat flour. There is no doubt but that the whole-wheat flour containing, as it does, more woody fibre than the white, has a tendency to increase the peristaltic action of the intestines, and thus is valuable for persons troubled with constipation.[4] From a large number of analyses it has been determined that entire wheat flour contains about 2.4 per cent. more protein than white flour (all grades), yet experiments have demonstrated that the _available_ protein is less in entire wheat-flour than in white flour.[5] This is probably due to the fact that the protein which is enclosed in the bran cannot be easily assimilated, as the digestive organs are unable to break up the outer walls of woody fibre and extract the nitrogenous matter they contain. On the other hand whole-wheat flour contains considerably more valuable and available mineral matter than does white flour. The two outer layers contain compounds of phosphorus, lime, iron, and soda. Analyses by Atwater show entire-wheat flour to contain twice as much mineral matter as white flour. It is affirmed by Broadbent and others, that this mineral matter is exceedingly valuable both as a nutrient, and because of its neutralising effect upon proteid wastes, and that it is because of this that flour made from the entire-wheat berry has very superior food value to that made from the berry minus the outer cuticles. Many dietetists look upon whole-wheat bread as one of the most salutary of all foods and strongly advise its use in place of white bread. A well-known doctor states that he has known it a cure for many diseases, and thinks that many nervous complaints due to 'saline starvation' can be cured by substituting whole-meal for white bread. But in opposition to these views Dr. Haig thinks that as the outer brown husk of all cereals contains some xanthin, it should on this account be removed. He therefore recommends white flour, (not superfine, but cheap-grade), in place of the entire-wheat. Others, however, are of the opinion that the amount of xanthin present in the bran is so small as not to be considered, especially when, by the removal of the xanthin, valuable mineral matter is also removed. Of course, it is difficult for a layman to form an opinion when experts differ. Perhaps the best thing to do is to use whole-wheat bread if there is any tendency to constipation. If not, then choose that which is the more palatable, or change from one to the other as inclination dictates. This adds to variety, and as digestion is better when the food is better relished, no doubt, in this case, that which pleases the taste best is the best to eat. At least, we can hold this view tentatively for the present. Wheat flour (entire), ranks the highest of all the cereals in protein, excepting oatmeal, averaging 13 per cent. In fat it exceeds rice and rye, is equal with barley and maize, but considerably below oatmeal: averaging about 1.9 per cent. In carbohydrates it averages about seventy-two per cent., all the cereals being very much alike in quantity of these nutrients. It is a well-balanced food, as indeed, all cereals are, and is palatable prepared in a variety of ways, although, made into unleavened, unsalted bread, the sweet, nutty flavour of the berry itself is best preserved. Oatmeal is not extensively used, comparatively speaking, although it has an excellent reputation. It is decidedly the richest cereal in protein and fat, especially fat, and this is probably why people living in cold climates find it such a sustaining food. In protein it averages 16.1 per cent.: in fat 7.2 per cent. It is very commonly used as porridge. When well cooked, that is to say, for several hours, this is a good way to prepare it, but a better is to eat it dry in the form of unsweetened oatcakes, scones, etc., these being more easily digested because necessitating thorough mastication. The above remarks regarding the removal of the bran from wheat-flour are precisely as applicable to oatmeal, as well as rye, so no more need be said on that point. Rye flour is not unlike wheat, and is used more extensively than wheat in many parts of Europe. It has 2 per cent. less protein than wheat and its gluten is darker in colour and less elastic and so does not make as light a loaf; but this does not detract from its nutritive value at all. Being more easily cultivated than wheat, especially in cold countries, it is cheaper and therefore more of a poor man's food. Indian corn, or maize, or Turkish wheat, is one of the finest of cereals. It is used extensively in America, North and South, in parts of the Orient, in Italy, the Balkans, Servia, and elsewhere. It is used as a green vegetable and when fully matured is ground into meal and made into bread, porridge, biscuits, Johnny-cake, etc., etc. Corn compared to wheat is rich in fat, but in protein wheat is the richer by about 3 per cent. Sugar corn, cooked and canned, is sold in England by food-reform dealers. It is perhaps the most tasty of all the cereals. Rice is the staple of the Orientals. The practice of removing the dark inner skin in order to give the uncooked grain a white and polished appearance, is not only an expensive operation, but a very foolish one, for it detracts largely from the nutritive value of the food, as considerable protein and other valuable matter is removed along with the bran. We are told that the Burmese and Japanese and other nations who use rice as their principal food-stuff, use the entire grain. As compared to undressed rice, the ordinary, or polished rice is deficient 3 per cent. of protein; 6 per cent. of fat; 5 per cent. of mineral matter. 'Once milled' rice can be procured in this country, but has to be specially asked for. Rice is not nearly so nitrogenous as wheat, but is equal to it in fuel value, this being due to the large amount of starch it contains. It is an excellent food, being easily digested and easily prepared. Millet, buckwheat, wild rice, sesame, and Kaffir corn, are cereals little known in this country, although where they are raised they are largely used by the natives. However, we need not trouble to consider their food value as they are not easily procurable either in Europe or America. Nuts are perhaps the best of all foods. There is no doubt but that man in his original wild state lived on nuts and berries and perhaps roots. Nuts are rich in protein and fat. They are a concentrated food, very palatable, gently laxative, require no preparation but shelling, keep well, are easily portable, and are, in every sense, an ideal food. They have a name for being indigestible, but this may be due to errors in eating, not to the nuts. If we eat nuts, as is often done, after having loaded the stomach with a large dinner, the work of digesting them is rendered very difficult, for the digestive apparatus tires itself disposing of the meal just previously eaten. Most things are indigestible eaten under such conditions. Nuts should be looked upon as the essential part of the meal and should be eaten first; bread, salad stuffs and fruit help to supply bulk and can follow as dessert if desired. Another cause of nuts not being easily digested is insufficient mastication. They are hard, solid food, and should be thoroughly chewed and insalivated before being swallowed. If the teeth are not good, nuts may be grated in an ordinary nut-mill, and then, if eaten slowly and sparingly, will generally be found to digest. Of course with a weak digestion nuts may have to be avoided, or used in very small quantities until the digestion is strengthened; but with a normal, healthy person, nuts are a perfect food and can be eaten all the year round. Perhaps it is best not to eat a large quantity at once, but to spread the day's supply over four or five light meals. With some, however, two meals a day seems to work well. Pine kernels are very suitable for those who have any difficulty in masticating or digesting the harder nuts, such as the brazil, filbert, etc. They are quite soft and can easily be ground into a soft paste with a pestil and mortar, making delicious butter. They vary considerably in nitrogenous matter, averaging about 25 per cent. and are very rich in fat, averaging about 50 per cent. Chestnuts are used largely by the peasants of Italy. They are best cooked until quite soft when they are easily digested. Chestnut meal is obtainable, and when combined with wheatmeal is useful for making biscuits and breadstuffs. Protein in chestnuts averages 10 per cent. Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Filberts, Brazils, Pecans, Hickory nuts, Beechnuts, Butternuts, Pistachio nuts and Almonds average 16 per cent. protein; 52 per cent. fat; 20 per cent. carbohydrates; 2 per cent. mineral salts. As each possesses a distinct flavour, one can live on nuts alone and still enjoy the pleasure of variety. A man weighing 140 lbs. would, at moderately active labour, require, to live on almonds alone--11 ozs. per day. 10 ozs. of nuts per day together with some fresh fruit or green salad in summer, and in winter, some roots, as potato, carrot, or beetroot, would furnish an ideal diet for one whose taste was simple enough to relish it. Fruits are best left alone in winter. They are generally acid, and the system is better without very acid foods in the cold weather. But fruits are health-giving foods in warm and hot weather, and living under natural, primitive conditions, this is the only time of the year we should have them, for Nature only provides fruit during the months of summer. The fraction of protein fruit contains, 1 per cent. or less, is too small to be of any account. The nutritive value of fruits consists in their mineral salts, grape-sugar and water. Much the same applies to green vegetables. In cooking vegetables care should be taken that the water they are cooked in is not thrown away as it contains nearly all the nutrient properties of the vegetable; that is to say, the various salts in the vegetable become dissolved in the water they are boiled in. This water can be used for soup if desired, or evaporated, and with flour added to thicken, served as sauce to the vegetable. Potatoes are a salutary food, especially in winter. They contain alkalies which help to lessen the accumulation of uric acid. They should be cooked with skins on: 16 grains per lb. more of valuable potash salts are thus obtained than when peeled and boiled in the ordinary way. The ideal method, however, of taking most vegetables is in the form of uncooked salads, for in these the health-giving, vitalising elements remain unaltered. If man is to be regarded, as many scientists regard him, as a frugivore, constitutionally adapted and suited to a nut-fruit diet, then to regain our lost original taste and acquire a liking for such simple foods should be our aim. It may be difficult, if not impossible, to make a sudden change after having lived for many years upon the complex concoctions of the chef's art, for the system resents sudden changes, but with proper care, changing discreetly, one can generally attain a desired end, especially when it involves the replacing of a bad habit by a good one. In the recipes that follow no mention is made of condiments, _i.e._, pepper, salt, mustard, spice, _et hoc genus omni_. Condiments are not foods in any sense whatever, and the effect upon the system of 'seasoning' foods with these artificial aids to appetite, is always deleterious, none the less because it may at the time be imperceptible, and may eventually result in disease. Dr. Kellogg writes: 'By contact, they irritate the mucous membrane, causing congestion and diminished secretion of gastric juice when taken in any but quite small quantities. When taken in quantities so small as to occasion no considerable irritation of the mucous membrane, condiments may still work injury by their stimulating effects, when long continued.... Experimental evidence shows that human beings, as well as animals of all classes, live and thrive as well without salt as with it, other conditions being equally favorable. This statement is made with a full knowledge of counter arguments and experiments, but with abundant testimony to support the position taken.... All condiments hinder natural digestion.' Condiments, together with such things as pickles, vinegar, alcohol, tea, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, opium, are all injurious, and undoubtedly are the cause of an almost innumerable number of minor, and, in some cases, serious, complaints. Theine, caffeine, and theobromine, all stimulant drugs, are present in tea, coffee, and cocoa, respectively. Tea also contains tannin, a substance which is said to seriously impair digestion. Alcohol, tea, coffee, etc., are stimulants. Stimulants do not produce force and should never be mistaken for food. They are undoubtedly injurious, as they are the cause, among other evils, of _loss_ of force. They cause an abnormal metabolism which ultimately weakens and exhausts the whole system. While these internal activities are taking place, artificial feelings of well-being, or, at least, agreeable sensations, are produced, which are unfortunately mistaken for signs of benefit. Speaking of alcohol Dr. Haig writes: 'It introduces no albumen or force, it merely affects circulation, nutrition, and the metabolism of the albumens already in the body, and this call on the resources of the body is invariably followed by a corresponding depression or economy in the future.... It has been truly said that the man who relies upon stimulants for strength is lost, for he is drawing upon a reserve fund, which is not completely replaced, and physiological bankruptcy must inevitably ensue. This is what the stimulants such as tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, opium and cocaine do for those who trust in them.' He who desires to enjoy life desires to possess good physical health, for a healthy body is almost essential to a happy life; and he who desires to live healthily does not abuse his body with poisonous drugs. It may require courage to reform, but he who reforms in this direction has the satisfaction of knowing that his good health will probably some day excite the envy of his critics. The chemical composition of all the common food materials can be seen from tables of analyses. It would be to the advantage of everyone to spend a little time examining these tables. It is not a difficult matter, and the trouble to calculate the quantity of protein in a given quantity of food, when once the _modus operandi_ is understood, is trifling. As it has not unwisely been suggested, if people would give, say, one-hundredth the time and attention to studying the needs of the body and how to satisfy them as they give to dress and amusement, there is little doubt that there would be more happiness in the world. The amount of protein in any particular prepared food is arrived at in the following manner: In the first place those ingredients containing a noticeable amount of protein are carefully weighed. Food tables are then consulted to discover the protein percentage. Suppose, for instance, the only ingredient having a noticeable quantity of protein is rice, and 1 lb. is used. The table is consulted and shows rice to contain eight per cent. protein. In 1 lb. avoirdupois there are 7,000 grains; eight per cent. of 7,000 is 70.00 × 8 = 560 grains. Therefore, in the dish prepared there are 560 grains of protein. It is as well after cooking to weight the entree or pudding and divide the number of ounces it weighs into 560, thus obtaining the number of grains per ounce. Weighing out food at meals is only necessary at first, say for the first week or so. Having decided about how many grains of protein to have daily, and knowing how many grains per ounce the food contains, the eye will soon get trained to estimate the quantity needed. It is not necessary to be exact; a rough approximation is all that is needed, so as to be sure that the system is getting somewhere near the required amount of nutriment, and not suffering from either a large excess or deficiency of protein. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 4: Entire-wheat flour averages .9 per cent. fibre; high-grade white flour, .2 per cent. fibre.] [Footnote 5: See United States Dept. of Agriculture, Farmer's Bulletin, No. 249, page 19, obtainable from G. P. O., Washington, D. C.] III WHEN TO EAT The question of when to eat is of some importance. The Orientals eat fewer meals than we do, and in their abstemiousness they set us an example we should do well to follow. Sufficient has already been said to show that it is a mistake to imagine a great deal of food gives great strength. When we eat frequently, and especially when we 'live well,' that is, are accustomed to a large variety of food, we are tempted to eat far more than is good for us. Little and often may work satisfactorily so long as it does not develop into much and often, which, needless to say, it is very likely to do. Most people on this account would probably be much better in their health if they ate but twice daily, at noon, and five or six hours before going to bed. Then there is less chance of over-feeding. If, however, we experimentally determine the quantity of food that our particular system requires in order to be maintained in good health, and can trust our self-command in controlling the indulgence of sense, probably the best method is to eat anyway three times daily, and four, five, or even six times, or doing away with set meals altogether, would be a procedure which, judging from analogy of the anthropoids, ought to be a better method than eating a whole day's supply at once, or at two or three meals. It is not wise to sit down to a meal when the body is thoroughly fatigued. A glass of hot or cold water will be found reviving, and then, after a short rest, the system will be far better able to assimilate food. When the body is 'tired out,' it stands to reason it cannot perform digestion as easily and as well as when in fit condition. Also it is unwise to eat immediately before undertaking vigorous muscular work. Strenuous exercise after meals is often the cause of digestive disorders. Starting on exercise after a hearty meal may suspend the gastric digestion, and so prevent the assimilation of protein as to produce a sensation of exhaustion. If, however, rest is taken, the digestive organs proceed with their work, and after a short time recuperation follows, and the exercise can be continued. It is unwise to allow such a suspension of digestion because of the danger of setting up fermentation, or putrefaction, in the food mass awaiting digestion, for this may result in various disorders. For the same reason it is a bad plan to eat late at night. It is unwise to take a meal just before going to bed, for the digestive organs cannot do their work properly, if at all, while the body is asleep, and the food not being digested is liable to ferment and result in dyspepsia. The 'sinking feeling' sometimes complained of if a meal is not eaten late at night and described as a kind of hunger is probably due to an abnormal secretion of acid in the stomach. A glass of hot water will often relieve this discomfort. This feeling is seldom experienced by vegetarians of long standing. The natives of India, it is said, do not experience it at all, which fact leads us to surmise the cause to be in some way connected with flesh-eating. Farinaceous foods, however, prepared as soup, porridge, gruel, pultaceous puddings, etc., when eaten, as is customary, without proper insalivation, are liable to be improperly digested and to ferment, giving rise to the sensation described as a 'sinking feeling' and erroneously thought to be hunger. It is an excellent rule that prescribes fasting when without hunger. When there is no appetite do not eat. It is an example of conventional stupidity that we eat because it is 'meal time,' even though there be not the slightest feeling of genuine hunger. Leaving out of consideration the necessitous poor and those who for their living engage themselves in hard physical toil, it is safe to say that hardly one person in a thousand has ever felt real hunger. Yet no one was ever the worse for waiting upon appetite. No one was ever starved by not eating because of having no appetite. Loss of appetite is a sign that the digestive organs require a rest. It is better to go without food for a time than to force oneself to eat against inclination. The forcing of oneself to eat to 'keep up one's strength,' is perhaps the quickest way to bring down one's strength by overworking the system and burdening it with material it does not need. Eat by appetite, not by time. Eat frequently when the appetite demands frequent satisfaction, and seldom when seldom hungry. These rules hold good at all times and for everyone. Loss of appetite during sickness should not be looked upon as anything serious in itself, but as a sign that the system does not require food. A sick man like a well man will feel hunger as soon as food is needed, and the practice of tempting the appetite with rich and costly foods is not only a waste of money but is injurious physiologically. Possibly there may be pathological conditions under which hunger cannot make itself felt, but it would seem contrary to Nature as far as the writer, a layman, understands the matter. At least, leaving abnormal conditions of health out of consideration, we can say this much affirmatively: if a man is hungry enough to relish dry bread, then, and then only, does he really require nourishment. Hunger is always experienced when nutriment is needed, and will be felt a dozen times a day if the food eaten at each of a dozen meals has supplied only sufficient nutriment to produce the force expended between each meal. If the meal is large and supplies sufficient nutriment to produce the force expended in a whole day, then the one meal is all that is required. Never eat to be sociable, or conventional, or sensual; eat when hungry. Professor Pavlov says: 'Appetite is juice'; that is to say, the physiological condition existing when the body has run short of food-fuel, produces a psychological effect, the mind thinking of food, thereby causing through reaction a profuse secretion of saliva, and we say 'the mouth waters.' It is true the appetite is amenable to suggestion. Thus, though feeling hunger, the smell of, or even thought of, decayed food may completely take away appetite and all inclination to eat. This phenomenon is a provision of Nature to protect us from eating impure food. The appetite having thus been taken away will soon return again when the cause of its loss has been removed. Therefore the appetite should be an infallible guide when to eat. There is one further point to be noted. Food should not be eaten when under the influence of strong emotion. It is true that under such conditions there probably would be no appetite, but when we are so accustomed to consulting the clock that there is danger of cozening ourselves into the belief that we have an appetite when we have not, and so force ourselves to eat when it may be unwise to do so. Strong emotions, as anger, fear, worry, grief, judging by analogy, doubtless inhibit digestive activity. W. B. Cannon, M.D., speaking of experiments on cats, says: 'The stomach movements are inhibited whenever the cat shows signs of anxiety, rage, or distress.' To thoroughly enjoy one's food, it is necessary to have hunger for it, and if we only eat when we feel hungry, there is little likelihood of ever suffering from dyspepsia. In passing, it is appropriate to point out that as when food is better enjoyed it is better digested, therefore art, environment, mental disposition, indirectly affect the digestive processes. We should, therefore, remembering that simplicity, not complexity, is the essence of beauty, ornament our food and table, and be as cheerful, sociable, and even as merry as possible. IV HOW TO EAT The importance of thorough mastication and insalivation cannot be overestimated. The mouth is a part of the digestive apparatus, and in it food is not only broken down, but is chemically changed by the action of the saliva. If buccal (mouth) digestion be neglected, the consequence is that the food passes into the stomach in a condition that renders it difficult for that organ to digest it and any of a great number of disturbances may result. Mastication means a thorough breaking up of the food into the smallest particles, and insalivation means the mixing of the small particles with the saliva. The mechanical work is done with the jaws and tongue, and the chemical work is performed by the saliva. When the mechanical work is done thoroughly the chemical work is also thorough, and the test for thoroughness is loss of taste. Masticate the food until all taste has disappeared, and then it will be found that the swallowing reflex unconsciously absorbs the food, conscious swallowing, or at least, an effort to swallow, not being called for. It may take some while to get into the habit of thorough mastication after having been accustomed to bolting food, but with a conscious effort at the first, the habit is formed, and then the effort is no longer a laborious exercise, but becomes perfectly natural and is performed unconsciously. This ought to be common knowledge. That such a subject is not considered a necessary part of education is indeed lamentable, for the crass ignorance that everywhere abounds upon the subject of nutrition and diet is largely the cause of the frightful disease and debility so widespread throughout the land, and, as a secondary evil of an enormous waste of labour in the production and distribution of unneeded food. Were everyone to live according to Nature, hygienically and modestly, health, and all the happiness that comes with it, would become a national asset, and as a result of the decreased consumption of food, more time would be available for education, and the pursuit of all those arts which make for the enlightenment and progress of humanity. To become a convert to this new order, adopting non-animal food and hygienic living, is not synonymous with monastical asceticism, as some imagine. Meat eaters when first confronted with vegetarianism often imagine their dietary is going to be restricted to a monotonous round of carrots, turnips, cabbages, and the like; and if their ignorance prevents them from arguing that it is impossible to maintain health and strength on such foods, then it is very often objected that carrots and cabbages are not liked, or would not be cared for _all_ the time. The best way to answer this objection is to cite a few plain facts. From a catalogue of a firm supplying vegetarian specialties, (and there are now quite a number of such firms), most of the following information is derived: Of nuts there are twelve varieties, sold either shelled, ground, or in shell. Many of these nuts are also mechanically prepared, and in some cases combined, and made into butters, nut-meats, lard, suet, oil, etc. The varieties of nut-butters are many, and the various combinations of nuts and vegetables making potted savouries, add to a long list of highly nutritious and palatable nut-foods. There are the pulses dried and entire, or ground into flour, such as pea-, bean-, and lentil-flour. There are the cereals, barley, corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat, etc., from which the number of preparations made such as breakfast foods, bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries, etc., is legion. (One firm advertises twenty-three varieties of prepared breakfast foods made from cereals.) Then there are the fruits, fresh, canned, and preserved, about twenty-five varieties; green vegetables, fresh and canned, about twenty-one varieties; and roots, about eleven varieties. The difficulty is not that there is insufficient variety, but that the variety is so large that there is danger of being tempted beyond the limits dictated by the needs of the body. When, having had sufficient to eat, there yet remain many highly palatable dishes untasted, one is sometimes apt to gratify sense at the expense of health and good-breeding, to say nothing of economy. Simplicity and purity in food are essential to physical health as simplicity and purity in art are essential to moral and intellectual progress. 'I may say,' says Dr. Haig, 'that simple food of not more than two or three kinds at one meal is another secret of health; and if this seems harsh to those whose day is at present divided between anticipating their food and eating, I must ask them to consider whether such a life is not the acme of selfish shortsightedness. In case they should ever be at a loss what to do with the time and money thus saved from feasting, I would point on the one hand to the mass of unrelieved ignorance, sorrow, and suffering, and on the other to the doors of literature and art, which stand open to those fortunate enough to have time to enter them; and from none of these need any turn aside for want of new Kingdoms to conquer.' This question of feeding may, by superficial thinkers, be looked upon as unimportant; yet it should not be forgotten that diet has much more to do with health than is commonly realized, and health is intimately connected with mental attitude, and oftentimes is at the foundation of religious and moral development. 'Hypochondriacal crotchets' are often the product of dyspepsia, and valetudinarianism and pessimism are not unrarely found together. 'Alas,' says Carlyle, 'what is the loftiest flight of genius, the finest frenzy that ever for moments united Heaven with Earth, to the perennial never-failing joys of a digestive apparatus thoroughly eupeptic?' Our first duty is to learn to keep our body healthy. Naturally, we sooner expect to see a noble character possess a beautiful form than one disfigured by abuse and polluted by disease. We do not say that every sick man is a villain, but we do say that men and women of high character regard the body as an instrument for some high purpose, and believe that it should be cared for and nourished according to its natural requirements. In vegetarianism, _scientifically practised_, is a cure, and better, a preventative, for many physical, mental, and moral obliquities that trouble mankind, and if only a knowledge of this fact were to grow and distil itself into the public mind and conscience, there would be halcyon days in store for future generations, and much that now envelops man in darkness and in sorrow, would be regarded as a nightmare of the past. FOOD TABLE The following table exhibits the percentage chemical composition of the principal vegetable food materials; also of dairy produce and common flesh-foods for comparison. FOOD MATERIAL Protein Fat Carbo- Salts Water Fuel hydrates Value cals. Vegetable Foods p. ct. p. ct. p. ct. p. ct. p. ct. p. lb. Wheat Flour (entire) 18.8 1.9 71.9 1.0 11.4 1,675 Oatmeal 16.1 7.2 67.5 1.9 7.3 1,860 Rice 8.0 .3 79.0 .4 12.3 1,630 Barley 8.5 1.1 77.8 1.1 11.5 1,650 Corn Meal 9.2 1.9 75.4 1.0 12.5 1,655 Rye 0.8 .9 78.7 .7 12.9 1,630 Lentils (dried) 25.7 1.0 59.2 5.7 8.4 1,620 Beans (dried) 22.5 1.8 59.6 3.5 12.6 1,605 Peas (dried) 24.6 1.0 62.0 2.9 9.5 1,655 Nuts, various (_aver._) 16.0 52.0 20.0 2.0 10.0 2,640 Dates 2.1 2.8 78.4 1.3 15.4 1,615 Figs 4.3 .3 74.2 2.4 18.8 1,475 Potatoes 2.2 .1 18.4 1.0 78.3 385 Apples .4 .5 14.2 .3 84.6 290 Bananas 1.3 .6 22.0 .8 75.3 460 Dairy Foods Milk, whole (not skim) 3.3 4.0 5.0 .7 87.0 325 Cheese, various (_aver._) 24.5 28.4 2.1 4.0 41.0 1,779 Hens' Eggs (_boiled_) 14.0 12.0 0.0 .8 73.2 765 Flesh Foods Beef 18.6 19.1 0.0 1.0 61.3 1,155 Mutton (_medium fat_) 18.2 18.0 0.0 1.0 62.8 1,105 Ham (_fresh_) 15.6 33.4 0.0 .9 50.1 1,700 Fowl 19.0 16.3 0.0 1.0 63.7 1,045 White Fish (_as purchased_) 22.1 6.5 0.0 1.6 69.8 700 [The amount of heat that will raise one kilogram of water 1 deg. C. is termed a _calorie_. Fuel value, or food units, means the number of calories of heat equivalent to the energy it is assumed the body obtains from food when the nutrients thereof are completely digested.] ONE HUNDRED RECIPES RECIPES The following recipes are given as they appear in the English edition of this book and were prepared for English readers. While some of these will be difficult for American readers to follow, we give them as in the original edition, and many of the unusual ingredients called for can be obtained from the large grocers and dealers, and if not in stock will be obtained to order. 'Nutter' is a name given a nut butter used for cooking. It is, so far as we know, the only collection of strictly vegetarian recipes published. Readers interested in the foreign products referred to, should write to Pitman's Health Food Company, Aston Brook St., Birmingham, England, and to Mapleton's Nut Food Company, Ltd., Garston, Liverpool, England, for price list and literature. THE PUBLISHERS. SOUPS =1.--Vegetable Soup= 1 large cupful red lentils, 1 turnip, 2 medium onions, 3 potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 1 small head celery, parsley, 1 lb. tomatoes, 3-1/2 quarts water. Wash and cut up vegetables, but do not peel. Boil until tender, then strain through coarse sieve and serve. This soup will keep for several days and can be reheated when required. =2.--Semolina Soup= 4 oz. semolina, 2 chopped onions, 1 tablespoonful gravy essence,[6] 2 quarts water or vegetable stock.[7] =3.--Spinach Soup No. 1= 1 lb. Spinach, 1 tablespoonful gravy essence, 1 quart water. Cook spinach in its own juices (preferably in double boiler). Strain from it, through a hair sieve or colander, all the liquid. Add essence and serve. =4.--Spinach Soup No. 2= 1 lb. spinach, 1 lb. can tomatoes, 1 tablespoonful nut-milk (Mapleton's), 1-1/2 pints water. Dissolve nut-milk in little water, cook all ingredients together in double-boiler for 1-1/2 hours, strain and serve. =5.--Pea Soup= 4 ozs. pea-flour, 2 potatoes, 1 large onion, 1 tablespoonful gravy essence, 2 quarts water. Cook potatoes, (not peeled), and onion until soft. Skin and mash potatoes and chop onion. Mix pea-flour into paste with little water. Boil all ingredients together for 20 minutes, then serve. =Lentil and Haricot Soups= These are prepared in the same way as Recipe No. 5 substituting lentil, or haricot flour for pea-flour. =6.--Tomato-Pea Soup= 4 ozs. pea-flour, 1 lb. tin tomatoes, 1 chopped leek, 1 quart water. Mix pea-flour into paste with little water. Boil ingredients together 30 minutes, then serve. =Tomato-Lentil and Tomato-Bean Soups= These are prepared in the same way as Recipe No. 6, substituting lentil-, or bean-flour for pea-flour. =7.--Rice-Vermicelli Soup= 2 ozs. rice-vermicelli, 1 tablespoonful nut-milk, 1 dessertspoonful gravy essence, 1 quart water. Boil vermicelli in water until soft. Dissolve nut-milk in little water. Boil all ingredients together 5 minutes, then serve. =8.--Pea-Vermicelli Soup= 2 ozs. pea-vermicelli, 1 tablespoonful nut-milk, 1 tablespoonful tomato purée, 1 quart water. Boil vermicelli in water until soft, dissolve nut-milk in little water. Boil all ingredients together 5 minutes, then serve. =9.--Pot-barley Soup No. 1= 4 ozs. pot-barley, 1 onion, 1 tablespoonful gravy essence, 2 quarts water, corn flour to thicken. Cook barley until quite soft; chop onion finely; mix a little corn flour into paste with cold water. Stir into the boiling soup. Boil all ingredients together for 20 minutes, then serve. =Wheat and Rice Soups= These are prepared in the same way as Recipe No. 9, substituting wheat or rice grains for barley. =10.--Pot-barley Soup No. 2= 4 ozs. pot-barley, 1 dessertspoonful nut-milk, 1 chopped onion, 1 dessertspoonful tomato purée, 1 quart water. Cook barley until soft; dissolve nut-milk in little water; boil all ingredients together for 20 minutes, then serve. =11.--Corn Soup= 1 lb. tin sugar-corn, 1/2 lb. tin tomatoes, 2 chopped onions, 2 ozs. corn flour, 1 quart water. Boil onion until soft; mix corn flour into paste with cold water. Place sugar-corn, tomatoes, onions, and water into stew pan; heat and add corn flour. Boil ingredients together 10 minutes, and serve. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 6: There are several brands of wholly vegetable gravy essence now on the market. The best known are 'Vegeton,' 'Marmite,' 'Carnos,' and Pitman's 'Vigar Gravy Essence.'] [Footnote 7: Vegetable stock is the water that vegetables have been boiled in; this water contains a certain quantity of valuable vegetable salts, and should never be thrown away.] SAVORY DISHES =12.--Nut Rissoles= 3 ozs. mixed grated nuts, 3 ozs. breadcrumbs, 1 oz. nut butter, 1 chopped onion, 1 large cupful canned tomatoes. Mix ingredients together; mould into rissoles, dust with flour and fry in 'Nutter.' Serve with gravy. =13.--Lentil Cakes= 8 ozs. red lentils, 3 ozs. 'Grape Nuts,' 1 small onion, 1 teaspoonful gravy essence, breadcrumbs. Cook lentils until soft in smallest quantity of water; chop onion finely; mix all ingredients, using sufficient breadcrumbs to make into stiff paste; form into cakes and fry in 'Nutter.' Serve with gravy. =14.--Marrow Roast= 1 vegetable marrow, 3 ozs. grated nuts, 1 onion, 1 oz. 'Nutter,' 1 cup breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoonfuls tomato purée. Cook marrow, taking care not to allow it to break; when cold, peel, cut off one end and remove seeds with spoon. Prepare stuffing:--chop onion finely; melt nut fat and mix ingredients together. Then stuff marrow and tie on decapitated end with tape; sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake 30 minutes. Serve with gravy. =15.--Stewed Celery= 1 head celery, 4 slices whole-meal bread, nut butter. Slice celery into suitable lengths, which steam until soft. Toast and butter bread, place celery on toast and cover with pea, bean, or lentil sauce, (see Recipe No. 39). =16.--Barley Entrée= 4 ozs. pot-barley, 1 lb. tin tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil. Cook barley until quite soft in smallest quantity of water (in double boiler). Then add tomatoes and oil, and cook for 10 minutes. To make drier, cook barley in tomato juice adding only 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of water. =Rice, Wheat, Macaroni, Lentil, Bean, Split-pea Entrées= These are prepared in the same way as Recipe No. 16, substituting one of these cereals or légumes for barley. =17.--Savory Pie= Paste (Recipe No. 59), marrow stuffing (Recipe No. 14). Line sandwich tin with paste; fill interior with stuffing; cover with paste or cooked sliced potatoes; bake in sharp oven. =18.--Baked Bananas= Prepare the desired number by washing and cutting off stalk, but do not peel. Bake in oven 20 minutes, then serve. =19.--Barley Stew= 4 ozs. pot-barley, 2 onions, parsley. Chop onions and parsley finely; cook ingredients together in very small quantity of water in double boiler until quite soft. Serve with hot beetroot, or fried tomatoes or potatoes. =Corn, Rice, Frumenty, Pea-Vermicelli Stews= These are prepared in the same way as Recipe No. 19, substituting one of the above cereals or pulses for barley. =20.--Mexican Stew= 1 cupful brown beans, 2 onions, 2 potatoes, 4 tomatoes, 1 oz. sugar, 1 cupful red grape-juice, rind of 1 lemon, water. Soak beans overnight; chop vegetables in chunks; boil all ingredients together 1 hour. =21.--Vegetable Pie= 5 ozs. tapioca, 4 potatoes, 3 small onions, paste, (see Recipe No. 59), tomato purée to flavor. Soak tapioca. Partly cook potatoes and onions, which then slice. Place potatoes, onions, and tapioca in layers in pie-dish; mix purée with a little hot water, which pour into dish; cover with paste and bake. =22.--Rice Rissoles= 6 ozs. unpolished rice, 1 chopped onion, 1 dessertspoonful tomato purée, breadcrumbs. Boil rice and onion until soft; add purée and sufficient breadcrumbs to make stiff; mould into rissoles; fry in 'Nutter,' and serve with parsley sauce, (Recipe No. 38). =23.--Scotch Stew= 3 ozs. pot-barley, 2 ozs. rolled oats, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, 2 potatoes, 1 onion, 4 tomatoes, water. Wash, peel, and chop vegetables in chunks. Stew all ingredients together for 2 hours. Dress with squares of toasted bread. =24.--Plain Roasted Rice= Steam some unpolished rice until soft; then distribute thinly on flat tin and brown in hot oven. =25.--Nut Roast No. 1= 1 lb. pine kernels (flaked), 4 tablespoonfuls pure olive oil, 2 breakfastcupfuls breadcrumbs, 1/2 lb. tomatoes (peeled and mashed). Mix ingredients together, place in pie-dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and bake until well browned. =26.--Nut Roast No. 2= 1 lb. pine kernels (flaked), 1 cooked onion (chopped), 1/2 cupful chopped parsley, 8 ozs. cooked potatoes (mashed). Mix ingredients together, place in pie-dish and cover with layer of boiled rice. Cook until well browned. =27.--Maize Roast= 8 ozs. corn meal, 1 large Spanish onion (chopped), 2 tablespoonfuls nut-milk, 1 dessertspoonful gravy essence. Cook onion; dissolve nut-milk thoroughly in about 1/2 pint water. Boil onion, nut-milk, and essence together two minutes, then mix all ingredients together, adding sufficient water to make into very soft batter; bake 40 minutes. =28.--Plain Savory Rice= 4 ozs. unpolished rice, 1 lb. tin tomatoes. Boil together until rice is cooked. If double boiler be used no water need be added, and thus the rice will be dry and not pultaceous. =29.--Potato Balls= 4 medium sized potatoes, 1 large onion (chopped), 1 dessertspoonful pure olive oil, breadcrumbs. Cook onion and potatoes, then mash. Mix ingredients, using a few breadcrumbs and making it into a very soft paste. Roll into balls and fry in 'Nutter,' or nut butter. =30.--Bean Balls= 4 ozs. brown haricot flour, 1 onion (chopped), 1 dessertspoonful pure olive oil, 1 tablespoonful tomato purée, breadcrumbs. Cook onion; mix flour into paste with purée and oil; add onion and few breadcrumbs making into soft paste. Fry in 'Nutter.' =31.--Lentil and Pea Balls= These are made in the same way as Recipe No. 30, substituting lentil-or pea-flour for bean-flour. =31.--Lentil Patties= 4 ozs. lentils, 1 small onion (chopped), 1 oz. 'Nutter,' or nut butter, 1 teaspoonful gravy essence, paste (see Recipe No. 59). Cook ingredients for filling all together until lentils are quite soft. Line patty pans with paste; fill, cover with paste and bake in sharp oven. =Barley, Bean, Corn, Rice, and Wheat Patties= These are prepared in the same way as in Recipe No. 31, substituting one of the above cereals or beans for lentils. =32.--Lentil Paste= 8 ozs. red lentils, 1 onion (chopped), 4 tablespoonfuls pure olive oil, breadcrumbs. Boil lentils and onions until quite soft; add oil and sufficient breadcrumbs to make into paste; place in jars; when cool cover with melted nut butter; serve when set. =33.--Bean Paste= 8 ozs. small brown haricots, 2 tablespoonfuls tomato purée, 1 teaspoonful 'Vegeton,' 2 ozs. 'Nutter' or nut butter, 1 cup breadcrumbs. Soak beans over night; flake in Dana Food Flaker; place back in fresh water and add other ingredients; cook one hour; add breadcrumbs, making into paste; place in jars, when cool cover with nut butter; serve when set. =34.--Spinach on Toast= Cook 1 lb. spinach in its own juice in double boiler. Toast and butter large round of bread. Spread spinach on toast and serve. Other vegetables may be served in the same manner. GRAVIES AND SAUCES =35.--Clear Gravy= 1 teaspoonful 'Marmite,' 'Carnos,' 'Vegeton,' or 'Pitman's Vigar Gravy Essence,' dissolved in 1/2 pint hot water. =36.--Tomato Gravy= 1 teaspoonful gravy essence, 1 small tablespoonful tomato purée, 1/2 pint water. Thicken with flour if desired. =37.--Spinach Gravy= 1 lb. spinach, 1 dessertspoonful nut-milk, 1/2 pint water. Boil spinach in its own juices in double boiler; strain all liquid from spinach and add it to the nut-milk which has been dissolved in the water. =38.--Parsley Sauce= 1 oz. chopped parsley, 1 tablespoonful olive oil, a little flour to thicken, 1/2 pint water. =39.--Pea, Bean, and Lentil Sauces= 1 teaspoonful pea-, or bean-, or lentil-flour; 1/2 teaspoonful gravy essence, 1/2 pint water. Mix flour into paste with water, dissolve essence, and bring to a boil. PUDDINGS, ETC. =40.--Fig Pudding= 1 lb. whole-meal flour, 6 ozs. sugar, 6 ozs. 'Nutter,' or nut butter, 1/2 chopped figs, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, water. Melt 'Nutter,' mix ingredients together with water into stiff batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =31.--Date Pudding= 1 lb. breadcrumbs, 6 ozs. sugar, 6 ozs. 'Nutter,' 1/2 lb. stoned and chopped dates, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, water. Melt 'Nutter'; mix ingredients together with water into stiff batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =Prune, Ginger, and Cherry Puddings= These are prepared the same way as in Recipe No. 40, or No. 41, substituting prunes or preserved ginger, or cherries for figs or dates. =42.--Rich Fruit Pudding= 1 lb. whole-meal flour, 6 ozs. almond cream, 6 ozs. sugar, 3 ozs. preserved cherries, 3 ozs. stoned raisins, 3 ozs. chopped citron, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, water. Mix ingredients together with water into stiff batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =43.--Fruit-nut Pudding No. 1= 1/2 lb. white flour, 1/4 lb. whole meal flour, 1/4 lb. mixed grated nuts, 6 ozs. 'Nutter' or nut butter, 6 ozs. sugar, 6 ozs. sultanas, 2 ozs. mixed peel (chopped), 1 teaspoonful baking powder, water. Melt nut-fat, mix ingredients together with water into stiff batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =44.--Fruit-nut Pudding No. 2= 1/2 lb. white flour, 1/4 lb. ground rice, 1/4 lb. corn meal, 4 ozs. chopped dates or figs, 4 ozs. chopped almonds, 6 ozs. almond nut-butter, 6 ozs. sugar, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, water. Melt butter, mix ingredients together with water into stiff batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =45.--Maize Pudding No. 1= 1/2 lb. maize meal, 3 ozs. white flour, 3 ozs. 'Nutter,' 3 ozs. sugar, 1/2 tin pineapple chunks, 1 teaspoonful baking powder. Melt fat, cut chunks into quarters; mix ingredients with very little water into batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =46.--Maize Pudding No. 2= 6 ozs. corn meal, 3 ozs. white flour, 2 ozs. 'Nutter,' 2 ozs. sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls marmalade, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, water. Melt 'Nutter,' mix ingredients together with little water into batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =47.--Cocoanut Pudding= 6 ozs. whole wheat flour, 2 ozs. cocoanut meat, 2 ozs. 'Nutter,' 2 ozs. sugar, 1 small teaspoonful baking powder, water. Melt fat, mix ingredients together with water into batter; place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =48.--Tapioca Apple= 1 cup tapioca, 6 large apples, sugar to taste, water. Soak tapioca, peel and slice apples; mix ingredients together, place in pie-dish with sufficient water to cover and bake. =49.--Oatmeal Moulds= 4 ozs. rolled oats, 2 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. sultanas, water. Cook oatmeal thoroughly in double boiler, then mix ingredients together; place in small cups, when cold turn out and serve with apple sauce, or stewed prunes. =50.--Carrot Pudding= 4 ozs. breadcrumbs, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' 4 ozs. flour, 4 ozs. mashed carrots, 4 ozs. mashed potatoes, 6 ozs. chopped raisins, 2 ozs. brown sugar, 1 dessertspoonful treacle, 1 teaspoonful baking powder. Mix ingredients well, place in greased pudding basin and steam 2 hours. =51.--Sultana Pudding= 1/2 lb. whole meal flour, 1 breakfastcupful breadcrumbs, 4 ozs. ground pine kernels, pignolias or almonds, 1/2 lb. sultanas, 4 ozs. sugar, water. Mix ingredients together into a stiff batter; place in greased basin and steam 2 hours. =52.--Semolina Pudding= 4 ozs. semolina, 1 oz. corn flour, 3 ozs. sugar, rind of one lemon, 1-1/2 pints water. Mix corn flour into paste in little water; place ingredients in double boiler and cook for 1 hour, place in pie-dish and brown in sharp oven. =53.--Rice Mould= 4 ozs. ground rice, 1 oz. sugar, 1/2 pint grape-juice. Cook ingredients in double boiler, place in mould. When cold turn out and serve with stewed fruit. =54.--Maize Mould= 6 ozs. corn meal, 2 ozs. sugar, 1/2 pint grape-juice, 1-1/2 pints water. Cook ingredients in double boiler for 1 hour; place in mould. When cold turn out and serve with stewed fruit. =55.--Lemon Sago= 4 ozs. sago, 7 ozs. golden syrup, juice and rind of two lemons, 1-1/2 pints water. Boil sago in water until cooked, then mix in other ingredients. Place in mould, turn out when cold. =56.--Lemon Pudding= 4 ozs. breadcrumbs, 1 oz. corn flour, 2 ozs. sugar, rind one lemon, 1 pint water. Mix corn flour into paste in little water; mix ingredients together, place in pie-dish, bake in moderate oven. =57.--Prune Mould= 1 lb. prunes, 4 ozs. sugar, juice 1 lemon, 1/4 oz. agar-agar, 1 quart water. Soak prunes for 12 hours in water, and then remove stones. Dissolve the agar-agar in the water, gently warming. Boil all ingredients together for 30 minutes, place in mould, when cold turn out and decorate with blanched almonds. =58.--Lemon Jelly= 1/4 oz. agar-agar, 3 ozs. sugar, juice 3 lemons, 1 quart water. Soak agar-agar in the water for 30 minutes; add fruit-juice and sugar, and heat gently until agar-agar is completely dissolved, pour into moulds, turn out when cold. This jelly can be flavoured with various fruit juices, (fresh and canned). When the fruit itself is incorporated, it should be cut up into small pieces and stirred in when the jelly commences to thicken. The more fruit juice added, the less water must be used. Such fruits as fresh strawberries, oranges, raspberries, and canned pine-apples, peaches, apricots, etc., may be used this way. =59.--Pastry= 1 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. nut-butter or nut fat, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, water. Mix with water into stiff paste. This is suitable for tarts, patties, pie-covers, etc. CAKES =60.--Wheatmeal Fruit Cake= 6 ozs. entire wheat flour, 3 ozs. nut-butter, 3 ozs. sugar, 3 ozs. almond meal, 10 ozs. sultanas, 2 ozs. lemon peel, 2 teaspoonsful baking powder. Rub butter into flour, mix all ingredients together with water into stiff batter; bake in cake tins lined with buttered paper. =61.--Rice Fruit Cake= 8 ozs. ground rice, 4 ozs. white flour, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' 3 ozs. sugar, 6 ozs. stoned, chopped raisins, 1 large teaspoonful baking powder, water. Rub 'Nutter' into flour, mix all ingredients together with water into stiff batter; bake in cake tins lined with buttered paper. =62.--Maize Fruit Cake= 8 ozs. corn meal, 6 ozs. white flour, 4 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. nut-butter, 8 ozs. preserved cherries, 2 ozs. lemon peel, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, water. Rub butter into flour, mix all ingredients together with water into stiff batter; bake in cake tins lined with buttered paper. =63.--Apple Cake= 1 lb. apples, 1/4 lb. white flour, 1/2 lb. corn meal, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' 4 ozs. sugar, 2 small teaspoonfuls baking powder, water. Cook apples to a sauce and strain well through colander, rejecting lumps. Melt fat and mix all ingredients together with water into stiff batter; bake in cake tins lined with buttered paper. =64.--Corn Cake (plain)= 1/2 lb. maize meal, 3 ozs. 'Nutter,' 3 ozs. sugar, 1 teaspoonful baking powder. Melt fat, mix all ingredients together into batter; bake in cake tins lined with buttered paper. =65.--Nut Cake= 12 ozs. white flour, 4 ozs. ground rice, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' or nut butter, 5 ozs. sugar, 6 ozs. mixed grated nuts, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder. Melt fat, mix ingredients together into batter, and place in cake tins lined with buttered paper. =66.--Mixed Fruit Salads= 2 sliced bananas, 1 tin pineapple chunks, 2 sliced apples, 2 sliced oranges, 1/2 lb. grapes, 1/4 lb. raisins, 1/4 lb. shelled walnuts, 1/2 pint grape-juice. =67.--Fruit Nut Salad= 1 lb. picked strawberries, 1/4 lb. mixed shelled nuts, 1/2 pint grape-juice. Sprinkle over with 'Granose' or 'Toasted Corn Flakes' just before serving. =68.--Winter Salad= 2 peeled, sliced tomatoes, 2 peeled, sliced apples, 1 small sliced beetroot, 1 small sliced onion, olive oil whisked up with lemon juice for a dressing. =69.--Vegetable Salad= 1 sliced beetroot, 1 sliced potato (cooked), 1 sliced onion, 1 sliced heart of cabbage, olive oil dressing; arrange on a bed of water-cress. BISCUITS The following biscuits are made thus:--Melt the 'Nutter,' mix all ingredients with sufficient water to make into stiff paste; roll out and cut into shapes. Bake in moderate oven. These biscuits when cooked average 20 grains protein per ounce. =70.--Plain Wheat Biscuits= 1/2 lb. entire wheat flour, 4 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' little chopped peel. =71.--Plain Rice Biscuits= 3-4 lb. ground rice, 4 ozs. sugar, 3 ozs. 'Nutter,' vanilla essence. =72.--Plain Maize Biscuits= 1/2 lb. maize meal, 4 ozs. sugar, 3 ozs. 'Nutter.' (If made into soft batter these can be dropped like rock cakes). =73.--Banana Biscuits= 1/2 lb. banana meal, 4 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. 'Nutter.' =74.--Cocoanut Biscuits= 1/2 lb. white flour, 3 ozs. sugar, 2 ozs. 'Nutter,' 4 ozs. cocoanut meal. =75.--Sultana Biscuits= 3-4 lb. white flour, 4 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' 6 ozs. minced sultanas and peel 2 ozs. almond meal. =78.--Fig Biscuits= 1/2 lb. entire wheat flour, 3 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. 'Nutter,' 3 ozs. minced figs. (If made into soft batter these can be dropped like rock cakes). =Date, Prune, Raisin, and Ginger Biscuits= These are prepared in the same way as Recipe No. 76, using one of these fruits in place of figs. (Use dry preserved ginger). =77.--Brazil-nut Biscuits= 8 ozs. white flour, 2 ozs. ground rice, 3 ozs. sugar, 4 ozs. grated brazil kernels. (If made into a soft batter these can be dropped like rock cakes). =78.--Fruit-nut Biscuits= 3/4 lb. white flour, 4 ozs. ground rice, 4 ozs. sugar, 5 ozs. 'Nutter,' 6 ozs. mixed grated nuts, 6 ozs. mixed minced fruits, sultanas, peel, raisins. =79.--Rye Biscuits= 1 lb. rye flour, 8 ozs. sugar, 8 ozs. nut butter, 8 ozs. sultanas. =80.--Xerxes Biscuits= 3/4 lb. whole wheat flour, 2 ozs. sugar, 1/2 breakfastcupful olive oil. BREADS (unleavened) These are prepared as follows: Mix ingredients with water into stiff dough; knead well, mould, place in bread tins, and bake in slack oven for from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours (or weigh off dough into 1/2 lb. pieces, mould into flat loaves, place on flat tin, cut across diagonally with sharp knife and bake about 1-1/2 hours). =81.--Apple Bread= 2 lbs. entire wheat meal doughed with 1 lb. apples, cooked in water to a pulp. =82.--Rye Bread= 2 lbs. rye flour, 3/4 lb. ground rice. =83.--Plain Wheat Bread= 2 lbs. finely ground whole wheat flour. =84.--Corn Wheat Bread= 1 lb. whole wheat flour, 1 lb. cornmeal. =85.--Rice Wheat Bread= 1 lb. ground rice, 1 lb. whole wheat flour, 1 lb. white flour. =86.--Date Bread= 2 lbs. whole wheat flour, 3/4 lb. chopped dates. =87.--Ginger Bread= 3/4 lb. whole wheat flour, 3/4 lb. white flour, 1/4 lb. chopped preserved ginger, a little cane sugar. =88.--Cocoanut Bread= 1 lb. whole wheat flour, 1 lb. white flour, 1/2 lb. cocoanut meal, some cane sugar. =89.--Fig Bread= 1-1/2 lbs. whole wheat flour, 1/2 lb. white flour, 1/2 lb. chopped figs. =90.--Sultana Bread= 1/2 lb. ground rice, 1/2 lb. maize meal, 1/2 lb. white flour, 1/2 lb. sultanas. =91.--Fancy Rye Bread= 1-1/2 lbs. rye flour, 1/2 lb. currants and chopped peel, a little cane sugar. PORRIDGES =92.=--Maize, Meal, Rolled Oats, Ground Rice, etc., thoroughly cooked make excellent porridge. Serve with sugar and unfermented fruit-juice. FRUIT CAKES The following uncooked fruit foods are prepared thus: Mix all ingredients well together; roll out to 1/4 inch, or 1/2 inch, thick; cut out with biscuit cutter and dust with ground rice. =93.--Date Cakes= 1-1/2 lbs. stoned dates minced, 1/2 lb. mixed grated nuts. =94.--Fig Cakes= 1-1/2 lbs. figs minced, 1/2 lb. ground almonds. =95.--Raisin-Nut Cakes= 1/2 lb. stoned raisins minced, 6 ozs. mixed grated nuts. =96.--Ginger-Nut Cakes= 1/2 lb. preserved ginger (minced), 1/2 lb. mixed grated nuts. 4 ozs. 'Grape Nuts.' =97.--Prune-Nut Cakes= 1/2 lb. stoned prunes (minced), 1/2 lb. grated walnuts. =98.--Banana-Date Cakes= 8 ozs. figs (minced); 4 bananas; sufficient 'Wheat or Corn Flakes' to make into stiff paste. =100.--Cherry-Nut Cakes= 8 ozs. preserved cherries (minced); 1/2 lb. mixed grated nuts; sufficient 'Wheat or Corn Flakes' to make into stiff paste. * * * * * The Health Culture Co. For more than a dozen years the business of the Health-Culture Co. was conducted in New York City, moving from place to place as increased room was needed or a new location seemed to be more desirable. In 1907 the business was removed to Passaic, N. J., where it is pleasantly and permanently located in a building belonging to the proprietor of the company. There has never been as much interest in the promotion and preservation of personal health as exists to-day. Men and women everywhere are seeking information as to the best means of increasing health and strength with physical and mental vigor. HEALTH-CULTURE, a monthly publication devoted to Practical Hygiene and Bodily Culture, is unquestionably the best publication of its kind ever issued. It has a large circulation and exerts a wide influence, numbering among its contributors the best and foremost writers on the subject. THE BOOKS issued and for sale by this Company are practical and include the very best works published relating to Health and Hygiene. THE HEALTH APPLIANCES, manufactured and for sale, include Dr. Forest's Massage Rollers and Developers, Dr. Wright's Colon Syringes, the Wilhide Exhaler, etc. and we are prepared to furnish anything in this line, Water-Stills, Exercisers, etc. CIRCULARS and price lists giving full particulars will be sent on application. INQUIRIES as to what books to read or what appliances to procure for any special conditions cheerfully and fully answered. If you have any doubts state your case and we will tell you what will best meet it. If you want books of any kind we can supply them at publisher's prices. DR. FOREST'S Massage Rollers Dr. Forest is the inventor and originator of MASSAGE ROLLERS, and these are the original and only genuine MASSAGE ROLLERS made. The making of others that are infringements on our patents have been stopped or they are inferior and practically worthless. In these each wheel turns separately, and around the centre of each is a band or buffer of elastic rubber. The rollers are made for various purposes, each in a style and size best adapted for its use, and will be sent prepaid on receipt of price. =No. 1. Six Wheels, Body Roller, $2.= The best size for use over the body, and especially for indigestion, constipation, rheumatism, etc. Can also be used for reduction. =No. 2, Four Wheels, Body Roller, $1.50.= Smaller and lighter than No. 1; for small women it is the best in size, for use over the stomach and bowels, the limbs, and for cold feet. =No. 3, Three Wheels, Scalp Roller, $1.50.= Made in fine woods and for use over the scalp, for the preservation of the hair. Can be used also over the neck to fill it out and for the throat. =No. 4, Five Wheels, Bust Developer, $2.50.= The best developer made. By following the plain physiological directions given, most satisfactory results can be obtained. =No. 5, Twelve Wheels, Abdominal Roller, $4.= For the use of men to reduce the size of the abdomen, and over the back. The handles give a chance for a good, firm, steady, pressure. =No. 6, Three Small Wheels, Facial Roller, $2.50.= Made in ebony and ivory, for use over the face and neck, for preventing and removing wrinkles, and restoring its contour and form. =No. 7, Three Wheels, Facial Massage Roller, $1.50.= Like No. 6, made in white maple. In other respects the same. =No. 8, Eight Wheels, Abdominal Roller, $3.50.= This is the same as No. 5, except with the less number of wheels. Is made for the use of women, for reducing hip and abdominal measure. With each roller is sent Dr. Forest's Manual of Massotherapy; containing 100 pages, giving full directions for use. Price separately 25c. THE ATTAINMENT OF EFFICIENCY Rational Methods of Developing Health and Personal Power By W. R. C. Latson M. D., Author of "Common Disorders," "The Enlightened Life," Etc. This work by Dr. Latson indicates the avenues that lead to efficient and successful living, and should be read by every man and woman who would reach their best and attain to their highest ambitions in business, professional, domestic or social life. Something of the scope of this will be seen from the following TABLE OF CONTENTS. =How to Live the Efficient Life.=--Man a Production of Law--Determining Factors in Health and Power--The Most Wholesome Diet--Practical Exercises for Efficiency--Influence of Thought Habits. =Mental Habits and Health.=--All is Mind--Seen in Animals--Formative Desire in the Jungle--Mind the Great Creator--Mind the One Cause of Disease--Faulty Mental Habits. =The Conquest of Worry.=--Effects Upon Digestion--Anarchy of the Mind--A Curable Disorder. =Secret of Mental Supremacy.=--Practical Methods--The Key Note--Mental Power a Habit. =The Nobler Conquest.=--Life a Struggle--Who Are the Survivors?--The Art of Conquest--The Struggle with the World--Effects of Opposition. =Firmness One Secret of Power.=--Without Firmness no Real Power--How it Grows with Exercise--Gaining the Habit of Firmness. =Self-Effacement and Personal Power.=--Growing Older in Wisdom--The Fallacy of Identity--Self-Preservation the First Law. =The Power of Calmness.=--The Nervous System--Effects of Control. =How to Be an Efficient Worker.=--How to Work--Making Drudgery a Work of Art. =The Attainment of Personal Power.=--An Achievement--Know Yourself--Learning from Others. =The Secret of Personal Magnetism.=--What is Personal Magnetism?--Effects of the Lack of It--How to Gain It. =The Prime Secret of Health.=--What is Essential?--What to Do--How to Do It. =How to Increase Vitality.=--The Mark of the Master--What Is Vitality?--Possibility of Increase--Spending Vitality. =The Attainment of Physical Endurance.=--Essential to Success--The Secret of Endurance--Working Easily--Economizing Strength--Exercises for Promoting Endurance. =The Attainment of Success.=--The Secret of Success--What to Do to Acquire It. =The Way to Happiness.=--A Royal Road to Happiness--The Secret of Happiness. =How to Live Long in the Land.=--Characteristics--Essentials--Bodily Peculiarities. =The Gospel of Rest.=--All Need It--Few get It--The Secret of Rest--Its Effects. =Sleeping as a Fine Art.=--Causes of Sleeplessness--The Mind. How to Control It. =Common Sense Feeding.=--What is Proper Feeding?--Many Theories--Mental Conditions--The Kind of Food. =Grace and How to Get It.=--What is Grace--Hindrances to Grace--Exercises for Grace. =Style and How to Have It.=--The Secret of Style--Carriage of the Body--Exercises for Stylishness. =How to Have a Fine Complexion.=--What Effects the Complexion?--The Secret of a Good Complexion--Effects of Food. =The Secret of a Beautiful Voice.=--What the Voice Is--Easily Acquired. =How to Cure Yourself When Sick.=--It is Easy--What is Disease?--Nature's Efforts--Best Remedies. One of the most practical and helpful works published on personal improvement and the acquiring of physical and mental vigor; a key to efficient manhood and womanhood and a long, happy and helpful life. All who are striving for success should read it. Artistically bound in Ornithoid covers. Price 50c. An extra edition is issued on heavy paper, bound in fine cloth. Price $1.00. WOMANLY BEAUTY _In Form and Features._ Containing specially written chapters from well-known authorities on the cultivation of personal beauty in women, as based upon Health-Culture; fully illustrated. Edited by Albert Turner. Bound in extra cloth, price; $1.00. This is the best and most comprehensive work ever published on Beauty Culture, covering the entire subject by specialists in each department, thus giving the work a greatly increased value. It is profusely and beautifully illustrated; a handsome volume. Some idea of the scope of this may be seen from the TABLE OF CONTENTS. =Introduction.= By ELLA VAN POOLE. =Womanly Beauty: Its Requirements.= By Dr. JACQUES. =Why It Lasts or Fades.= By Dr. C. H. STRATZ. =Temperamental Types.= By SARAH C. TURNER. =Breathing and Beauty.= By Dr. W. R. C. LATSON. =Curative Breathing.= By MADAME DONNA MADIXXA. =Sleep; Its Effect on Beauty.= By ELLA VAN POOLE. =The Influence of Thought Upon Beauty.= By Dr. W. R. C. LATSON. =Health and Beauty.= By Dr. CHAS. H. SHEPARD. =The Home A Gymnasium.= By MRS. O. V. SESSIONS. =Facial Massage.= By ELLA VAN POOLE. =The Hair; Its Care and Culture.= By ALBERT TURNER. =Care of the Hands and Feet.= By STELLA STUART. =Exercising for Grace and Poise.= ILLUSTRATED. =A Good Form, and How to Secure It.= From HEALTH-CULTURE. =How to Have a Good Complexion.= By SUSANNA W. DODDS M. D. =Bust Development; How to Secure It.= =Exercise: Who Needs It; How to Take It.= EDWARD B. WARMAN. =Perfumes and Health.= By FELIX L. OSWALD, M. D. =The Voice as an Element of Beauty.= By Dr. LATSON. =How to be Beautiful.= By RACHEL SWAIN, M. D. =The Ugly Duckling.= A Story. By ELSIE CARMICHAEL. =Dress and Beauty.= By ELLA VAN POOLE. =Some Secrets About a Beautiful Neck.= By ELEANOR WAINWRIGHT. =Hints in Beauty Culture.= COMPILED BY THE EDITOR. It is an encyclopedia on the subject, covering every phase of the question in a practical way, and should be in the hands of every woman who would preserve her health and personal appearance and her influence. Agents wanted for the introduction and sale of this great work. Sent prepaid on receipt of price, $1.00. Address Publications of the Health-Culture Co., 45 Ascension St., Passaic, N.J. =Health-Culture.= The largest and best illustrated monthly magazine published on the preservation and restoration of health, bodily development and physical culture for men, women and children. $1.00 a year; 10c. a number. =The Enlightened Life.= And How to Live It. By Dr. Latson; 365 pages, with portrait of the author. Cloth, $1.00. This contains the leading editorials from Health-Culture, many of them revised and enlarged. =Common Disorders.= With rational Methods of Treatment. Including Diet, Exercise, Baths, Massotherapy, etc. By Latson. 340 pages, 200 illustrations. $1.00. =The Attainment of Efficiency.= Rational Methods of Developing Health and Personal Power. By Dr. Latson. Paper, 50c.; cloth, $1.00. =The Food Value of Meat.= Flesh Food Not Essential to Physical or Mental Vigor. By Dr. Latson. Illustrated. Paper, 25c. =Walking for Exercise and Recreation.= By Dr. Latson. 15c. =Dr. Latson's Health Chart.= Presenting in an Attractive and Comprehensive Form a Complete System of Physical Culture Exercises, fully Illustrated with Poses From Life, with Special Directions for Securing Symmetrical Development, for Building up the Thin Body, for Reducing Obesity, and for the Increase of General Vitality. 18×25 inches, printed on fine paper, bound with metal, with rings to hang on the wall. 50c. =Uncooked Food.= And How to Live on Them. With Recipes for Wholesome Preparation, Proper Combinations and Menus, with the Reason Uncooked Food Is Best for the Promotion of Health, Strength and Vitality. By Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Christian. Cloth, $1.00. =The New Internal Bath.= An Improved Method of Flushing the Colon or Administering an Enema. For the relief of Acute and Chronic Diseases. By Laura M. Wright, M. D. Illustrated. 25c. =Womanly Beauty.= Of Form and Feature. The Cultivation and Preservation of Personal Beauty Based upon Health and Hygiene. By Twenty Well-known Physicians and Specialists. With 80 half-tone and other Illustrations. Edited by Albert Turner. 300 pages, cloth and gold. Price, $1.00. In this volume the Editor has brought together the teachings of those who have made a study of special features of the subject, and the result is a work that is unique and practical, not filled with a medley of receipts and formulas, so often found in books on beauty. =Manhood Wrecked and Rescued.= How Strength and Vigor Is Lost and How it may be Restored by Self-Treatment. A Series of Chapters to Men on Social Purity and Right Living. By Rev. W. J. Hunter, Ph. D., D. D. Cloth $1.00. It contains the following chapters: The Wreck--An Ancient Wreck--A Modern Wreck--A Youthful Wreck--A Wreck Escaped--The Rescue Begun--The Rescue Continued--The Rescue Completed. =Illustrated Hints upon Health and Strength for Busy People.= Text and Illustrations by Adrian Peter Schimdt, Professor of Higher Physical Culture. Price $1.00. The best System of Physical Culture published. =Courtship Under Contract.= The Science of Selection. A Tale of Woman's Emancipation. By J. H. L. Eager 440 pages, with portrait of the author. Price, $1.20 net. By mail, $1.30. A novel with a purpose, higher than that of any other ever published, not excepting even "Uncle Tom's Cabin," as it aims to secure more of happiness in Marriage and the doing away with the divorce evil. The author presents, in the form of a clean, wholesome love story, some new ideas on the subject of Love, Courtship, Marriage and Eugenics. =Human Nature Explained.= A new Illustrated Treatise on Human Science for the People. By Prof. N. N. Riddell. Illustrated. 400 pages. Extra cloth binding, $1.00. Men and women differ in character as they do in looks and temperament; no two are just alike. If you would know these "Signs of Character," read "Human Nature Explained," and you can read men as an open book. It gives the most complete system of reading character ever published. =Human Nature Indexed.= A Descriptive Chart for use of Phrenologists. By N. N. Riddle. 25c. =What Shall We Eat?= The Food Question, from the Standpoint of Health, Strength and Economy. Containing Numerous Tables Showing the Constituent Elements of over Three Hundred Food Products and Their Relations, Cost and Nutritious Values, Time of Digestion, etc., Indicating Best Foods for all Classes and Conditions. By Alfred Andrews. Price, leatherette, 50c.; cloth binding. 75c. =The New Method.= In Health and Disease. By W. E. Forest, B.S., M.D., Fellow of N. Y. Academy of Medicine. Sixteenth Edition. Revised and enlarged by Albert Turner, Publisher of Health-Culture. 350 pp., clo. binding, $1. It makes the way from weakness to strength so plain that only those who are past recovery (the very few) need to be sick, and the well who will follow its teachings cannot be sick, saving the need of calling a physician and all expenses for medicine. =Massotherapy.= Or the Use of Massage Rollers and Muscle Beaters in Indigestion, Constipation, Liver Trouble, Paralysis, Neuralgia and Other Functional Diseases. By W. E. Forest, M. D. 25c. =Constipation.= Its Causes and Proper Treatment Without the Use of Drugs. By W. E. Forest, M. D. The only rational method of cure. 10c. =Hygienic Cookery.= Or Health in the Household. By Susanna W. Dodds, M. D. $2.00. It is unquestionably the best work ever written on the healthful preparation of food, and should be in the hands of every housekeeper who wishes to prepare food healthfully and palatably. =The Diet Question.= Giving Reasons Why--Rules of Diet. By Dr. Dodds. 25c. =The Liver and Kidneys.= With a Chapter on Malaria. Part I. The Liver and Its Functions, Diseases and Treatment. Part II. The Kidneys, Their Healthy Action and How to Secure It. Part III. Malarial Fever, Rational Treatment by Hygienic Methods. By Dr. Dodds. 25c. =Race Culture.= The Improvement of the Race through Mother and Child. By Susanna W. Dodds, M. D. Nearly 500 pages, $1.50. Dr. Dodds' experience as a physician, teacher and lecturer has given her the preparation needed for the writing of this book. It is certainly safe to say that every woman, especially the mothers of young children and prospective mothers, should read it. No other work covers so completely the subject of health for women and children as in "Race Culture." =Scientific Living.= For Prolonging the Term of Human Life. The New Domestic Science, Cooking to Simplify Living and Retaining the Life Elements in Food. By Laura Nettleton Brown. $1.00. This work presents new views on the health question, especially as related to food. It treats of the life in food, showing that in the preparation of food by the usual methods the life-giving vitality is destroyed; that is, the organic elements become inorganic. The reason is clearly stated and recipes and directions for cooking, with menus for a balanced dietary, are given. =Cooking for Health.= Or Plain Cookery, With Health Hints. By Rachel Swain, M. D. $1.00. This book is the outcome of progress in the kitchen, and provides for the preparation of food with direct reference to health. It is not an invalids' Cook Book, but for all who believe in eating for strength, and the use of the best foods at all times. =The No-Breakfast Plan and Fasting Cure.= By Edward Hooker Dewey, M. D. Cloth, $1.00. Presents his theories in a clear, concise, practical way, together with specific and definite instructions for the carrying out of this method of living and treatment. =Experiences of the No-Breakfast Plan and Fasting Cure.= A letter in answer to the many questions asking for special details as to methods and result. By Dr. Dewey, 50c. =Chronic Alcoholism:= Its Radical Cure. A new method of treatment for those afflicted with the alcohol habit, without the use of drugs. By Dr. Dewey. 50c. =Health in the Home.= A Practical Work on the Promotion and Preservation of Health, with Illustrated Prescriptions of Swedish Gymnastic Exercises for Home and Club Practice. By E. Marguerite Lindley. $1.00. Unquestionably the best and most important work ever published for the promotion of the health of women and children. =The Temperaments;= Or Varieties of Physical Constitution in Man in Their Relations to Mental Character and the Practical Affairs of Life, etc. By D. H. Jacques, M. D. Nearly 150 Illustrations. $1.50. The only work published on this important and interesting subject. The author made it the special subject of study and was thoroughly familiar with all temperamental questions. =The Avoidable Causes of Disease;= Insanity and Deformity, Together with Marriage and Its Violations. By John Ellis, M. D. New Edition, Revised and Enlarged by the Author, with the Collaboration of Dr. Sarah M. Ellis. $1.00. This book should be in every library, and if read and its teachings followed nearly all sickness and disease would be avoided with the accompanying suffering and expense--one of the most valuable works ever published. =Facial Diagnosis.= Indications of Disease as shown in the Face. By Dr. Louis Kuhne. Illustrated. $1.00. SCIENTIFIC LIVING =For Prolonging term of Human Life= The New Domestic Science, Cooking to Simplify Living and Retaining the Life Elements in Food. By LAURA NETTLETON BROWN. A great truth is emphasized in this book, namely, that in the ordinary processes of cooking the organic elements become inorganic and food values are destroyed. This dietetic idea is most important, and it is claimed by the author that when generally known and made practical it will restore the racial vigor as nothing else can, free woman from the slavery of the cook stove and become a large factor in the solution of the servant problem. The author does more than inform; she arouses and inspires; she also enters into the practical demonstration of the new way; food tables, recipes and menus are numerous and enlightening and will prove exceedingly helpful not only to busy housekeepers, but also to all persons who desire to get the greatest benefit and fullest enjoyment from the daily meals. She refrains from urging the exclusive use of uncooked foods, but shows what kind of cooking can be made useful. A most interesting and practical feature of this work is the clear and discriminating instructions given for the application of heat in preparing food. From the author's point of view it becomes evident that the present mode of preparing food is not only unnecessarily laborious, but that it involves great waste of the raw material and puts a severe tax upon the digestive organs of the consumer. The best thing about the new way to many minds, however, will be that it greatly enhances the appetizing qualities of the viands. It treats of the chemistry of food in a way that is easily understood and made practical. The concluding chapter of the book deals with "Associate Influences," and gives sound advice upon other factors than diet. The volume is thoroughly sensible and enlightening; original without being cranky; radical without being faddish; withal, practical plain and entirely helpful. No one who is interested in the all-important question of scientific living can afford to be without this book. It will be found of interest to teachers and students of domestic economy. It is very carefully and thoroughly indexed, adding to its usefulness. Printed on fine paper. Handsomely bound in extra cloth. $1.00 by mail on receipt of price. If not entirely satisfactory, money will be returned. Address The New Internal Bath The benefits and great importance of properly flushing the colon is now fully recognized and it has led to a large and increasing demand for syringes used for this purpose. The appliances in general use have one very serious fault, the water is discharged into the lower part of the rectum, which is distended, and thus produces an irritation which often proves injurious, causing and aggravating piles and other rectal troubles. It in frequently a cause of constipation and creates a necessity for continuing the use of enemas indefinitely. Dr. Wright's New Colon Syringe Consists of a strong, well made, four quart rubber bag or reservoir with two long SOFT RUBBER FLEXIBLE TUBES, by the use of which the water is easily carried past the rectum and into the sigmoid flexure, and by the use of the longest tube may be carried up to the transverse colon. The water is then discharged where it needed and the cleansing is made much more perfect than it can be in any other way. The tubing and the outlets are extra large, securing a rapid discharge of the water, which reduces the time required to less than one-half that usually taken, which is a very great advantage over other syringes. This new syringe will prove a most important help in the taking of "Internal Baths" in the "New Method" treatment as recommended by Dr. Forest and others, and will prove curative in many cases when all others fail. Dr. Wright's manual on the taking of the "Internal Bath," containing full directions for its use in Constipation, Diarrhoea, Dyspepsia, Biliousness, Sick Headache, Kidney Troubles, Convulsions, Jaundice, Rheumatism, Colds, Influenza, La Grippe, Diseases of Women, Worms and Constipation in Children and other diseases, price 25c., is given free with each syringe. Carefully packed in a fine polished wooden case, will be sent prepaid to any address on receipt of price, $5.00, with a copy of Dr. Forest's great work, "The New Method," the very best work on Health and Disease published. (Price, $1.00), both for $5.50. An Infants' Flexible Rubber Tube will be sent for 75c. extra; New improved Vaginal Irrigator, $1.00; two Hard Rubber Rectal Tubes if desired, 25c extra. Agents wanted to introduce and sell this. Health Culture Appliances =DR. WRIGHT'S COLON SYRINGE=, for taking the New Internal Bath. This consists of a one-gallon reservoir, one each, long and short flexible rubber colon tube, one box of antiseptic powder, and Dr. Wright's Manual of the New Internal Bath, all packed in a polished wooden case. Price, prepaid, $5.00. =THE PRIMO LADIES' SYRINGE=. Price, $2.00. The only properly constructed Vaginal Syringe made. Every woman should have a good syringe for use in emergencies and for purposes of cleanliness, which is essential to health, comfort and pleasure. All women, married or single, should have a Primo. With each is sent full directions for use in all emergencies. =DR. FOREST'S MASSAGE ROLLERS.= These rollers are coming into general use wherever massage is needed and are a cure for many of the functional disorders as Dyspepsia, Constipation, Biliousness, Neuralgia, Rheumatism, Sleeplessness, Obesity, and wherever there is a lack of a good circulation of the blood; and the developers and facial rollers are used successfully for building up the form and the prevention of wrinkles and age in the face. The rollers consist of wheels about 1-1/2 inches in diameter: around the centre is a band or buffer of elastic rubber. =No. 1, Body Roller, 6 Wheels, $2.=--The best size for use over body, and especially for indigestion, constipation, rheumatism, etc. =No. 2, Body Roller, 4 Wheels, $1.50.=--Smaller and lighter than No. 1, for small women it is best in size for use over the stomach and bowels, the limbs and for cold feet. =No. 3, Scalp Roller, $1.50.=--Made in fine woods, and for use over the scalp, for the preservation of the hair. =No. 4, Bust Developer, $2.50.=--The best developer made. By following the plain, physiological directions given, most satisfactory results can be obtained. =No. 5, Abdominal Roller, 12 Wheels, $4.=--For the use of men to reduce the size of the abdomen and over the back. =No. 6, Facial Roller, $2.50.=--Made in ebony; very fine for use over the face and neck, for preventing and removing wrinkles and restoring its contour and form. =No. 7, Facial Roller, $1.50.=--Like No. 6. Made in white maple. In other respects the same. =No. 8, Abdominal Boiler, 8 Wheels, $3.50.=--This is the same as No. 5, except with the less number of wheels. Is made for the use of women, for reducing hip and abdominal measure. =No. 1 Massage Vibrator, 24 Balls, price $2.00. No. 2 Massage Vibrator, 12 Balls, price $1.25.= Dr. Forest's Manual of Massotherapy, containing nearly 100 pages, giving full directions for use, sent with each of the above. =TURKISH BATH CABINETS.= No. 1, a Double Walled Cabinet, the best made, with new and improved heater and manual giving full instructions for using the Cabinet for the Cure of Colds, Catarrh, Rheumatism, LaGrippe, Neuralgia, Kidney Trouble, Lumbago, Malaria, and many other disorders. Price $12.50. No. 2 Cabinet Single Walled, with heater and instructions as above. Price $7.50. =DR. FOREST'S HEALTH CULTURE VASELINE SPRAY= and Bottle of Catarrh Remedy. Price, $2.00. =THE WILHIDE EXHALER.= Price $1.00. Special descriptive circulars of any of the above sent on application. Uncooked Foods And How to Use Them. With recipes for wholesome preparation, proper combinations and menus, with the reason why it is better for the promotion of health, strength and vitality to use uncooked than cooked foods, by Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Christian, with an Introduction by W. R. C. Latson, M. D. It will meet a widespread want filled by no other work that has ever been published, and will do very much to solve the question of how to live for health, strength, and happiness. It will simplify methods of living--help to solve the servant question and financial problems, as well as point the way for many to perfect health. The following chapter headings show something of the scope and value of this. CONTENTS. PART FIRST-- Why This Book Was Written, Introduction, The Emancipation of Women, The Functions of Foods, Food Products, Selection of Foods, Raw Foods, Preparation of Foods, Preparation of Uncooked Wood, Effects of Cooking Food, Tables Giving Nutritive Values, etc. Food Combinations, Condiments, Bread--Fermentation, Economy and Simplicity, As a Remedy. PART SECOND-- How to Begin the Use of Uncooked Foods. Recipes for-- Soups, Salads (35 kinds), Eggs, Meat and Vegetables, Cereals, Bread, Crackers and Cakes, Nuts, Fruits and Fruit Dishes, Evaporated Fruits, Desserts, Jellies and Ices, Drinks, Menus, Miscellaneous. It is the most important work on the food question ever published. Bound in cloth. Price, $1.00; with a year's subscription to Health-Culture, $1.50. COMMON DISORDERS Including Diet, Exercise, Baths, Exercise, Massotherapy, Etc. BY W. R. C. LATSON. M. D. This is a practical handbook and guide for the home treatment of the sick without the use of drugs, with suggestions for the avoidance of disease and the retaining of health and strength. A book for those who would get well and keep well. CONTENTS. Introduction.--What the Body Is. Cell Life and Its Construction. Circulation of the Blood and What It Is. What Exercise Does. Massage. Principles and Practice. How It Acts as a Remedy. Massotherapy. Showing How It Is Applied. Special Exercises. Including Those for Development and Remedial Work. Tissue Building. Special Diet, with Menus. Obesity. Its Cause and Treatment Instructions for General Reduction. Indigestion. Causes of Dyspepsia. What to Do to Secure Good Digestion. Constipation. Its Causes. Treatment by Hygienic Measures. Rheumatism. Muscular and Articular. Treatment. Gout. Causes. Symptoms. General and Local Treatment. Neuralgia. Causes and Symptoms. The Only Rational Treatment. Sprains and Synovitis. Symptoms. Treatment. Varicose Veins and Swollen Glands. The Cause and Treatment. Baldness. Treatment for Restoring the Hair. Lung Disorders. How to Improve Breathing. The Prevention and Treatment of Consumption. Round Shoulders and Protruding Collar Bones. How to Overcome Them, with Special Exercises. How to Strengthen the Back. The Cause of Spinal Weakness. How to Strengthen the Trunk. The Importance of Strong Bodily Muscles. A Chair as a Gymnasium. How to Use a Bedroom Chair as a Complete Gymnasium Apparatus. The Hygiene of the Skin. Nerves of the Skin. Sun Baths. Modern Nervousness. The Best Treatment. Smallpox. Its Nature. Prevention. Treatment of Smallpox. Sunstroke. Causation and Treatment. How to Avoid It. What to Do When Prostrated. In this work the author sets forth the methods he has pursued and found be practical and successful. Over 300 pages and 200 Illustrations. Price $1.00. RACE CULTURE THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE RACE THROUGH MOTHER AND CHILD. By Susanna W. Dodds, M. D. A large 12mo. volume bound in extra cloth, price, $1.50 The time has come when parents must consider the responsibilities that rest upon them in relation to their children and make a study of Eugenics. This cannot be avoided or shirked and especially should prospective mothers study the subject in all its bearing, and know what you should do and what you should not do to insure the best possible for your unborn child. What conditions will promote the best for health, and afford the highest degree of intellectual and moral development. What limit you shall place upon the number of children. Race Suicide is not so serious a question as Race Culture, which may be easily attained by giving proper attention to the subject. The author of "RACE CULTURE" has made a most careful study of the whole subject, starting from the foundation, taking up pre-natal culture in all its bearings, including the marriage relations and the father's responsibilities. Considering the health and the well-being of the prospective mother and her diseases. How childbearing may be made easy, the first care of and the feeding of the babe, all the diseases of infancy and childhood and their treatment without the use of drugs. The avoidable causes of disease in children and adults are fully considered and a voluminous appendix treats of the use of water, massage, exercise, food and drinks, and how to prepare them as remedial agencies. It is safe to say that no greater or more important work on this subject has ever been written. Every woman and especially every prospective mother should read it. Its cost is as nothing compared to its value. Price, $1.50 by mail. The Food Value of Meat Flesh Food Not Essential to Mental or Physical Vigor. By W. R. C. LATSON, M. D., The most valuable work on Practical Dietetics that has been published. The Food Question is considered in its relation to health, strength and long life. Some idea of the scope may be seen from the following CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. Importance of the Subject. Influence of Foods on the Health and Morality of the Community. The Most Important Question of Dietetics. Classes of Foods. Description of Proteids. The Starches. Conversion of Starches into Sugars. Fruit Sugar. The Fats. Salts. Effect of Cooking Upon Foods. DIGESTION. Definition of the Process. Saliva. The Ptyalin. Effect of Eating Sugar with Starchy Foods. Gastric Digestion. The Stomach; The Gastric Juice; Peptones; Digestion In the Intestines; Importance of Digestion; Tabular Statement of the Digestive Process. COMPOSITION OF FOODS. The Four Elements of Food; Proper Proportion of Each Element; Selection of Balanced Foods; Table of Food Analyses; Value of Cooked Vegetables; The Reason Why Many Vegetarians Fail; Fresh Fruits; Pure Water; The Grains; The Legumes; Nuts. FOOD VALUES OF FLESH MEATS. The Question at Issue; Biological Data, What They Indicate; The Intestinal Tract; The Food Value of Meat; Poisons; Disease Infection; The Strongest Argument Against the Use of Flesh Meat; Vigorous Vegetarians; Intellectual Vegetarians; Vegetarianism and Vigor. COMBINATIONS OF FOODS. Principles; Cooked and Uncooked Foods; Model Menus; Breakfast; Luncheon; Dinner; Advantages of Vegetable Foods. Price by Mail, in Paper. 25c, Cloth Binding, 50c. COMMON DISORDERS Causes, Symptoms, and Hygienic Treatment, by the use of Water, Massotherapy, and other Rational Methods. By W. R. LATSON, M. D. Among the diseases considered may be mentioned Indigestion, Constipation, Rheumatism, Neuralgia, Lung Troubles, Gout, Nervousness and other minor complaints. The work contains nearly 300 pages, profusely illustrated. Bound in Cloth. Price, $1.00. Sent by mail on receipt of price. The Up-to-date Woman needs to know something more than simply How to Cook and follow recipes brought to her attention in Cook Books SHE SHOULD KNOW What are the Best Foods for her family. What Foods will keep all Well and Strong. What is best for the Children. What do the Men Need. What Foods are Economical and Nutritious. What are best Food Combinations. How often is Meat Necessary. What are the Best Meat Substitutes. What is the Food Value of Fish. What is the Food Value of Milk. What is the Food Value of Nuts. Are Beans Nutritious and Healthful. Is Nut Butter better than Cow Butter. Are Tea and Coffee Injurious. Which Food Digests Quickly and which Slowly. How to Get the Most Food Value for the Least Money. All these and many other questions are answered in Prof. Andrews Great Book What Shall We Eat? The Food Question from the standpoint of Health, Strength and Economy. Indicating Best Foods for all Classes and Conditions. This work covers every phase of the food question in a practical way. Shows how food is digested and gives the constituent elements of all food products, their cost, food values, time of digestion, etc., Comparative value of beef, mutton, pork, eggs, fish, fowl, oysters, the grains, breads, peas, beans, milk, butter, cheese, sugar, beer, fruits, nuts, etc., which make flesh, bone, nerve; which gives most for least money. 25 tables showing results of nearly 1500 food analyses. Price in leatherette binding, 50 cents, cloth 75 cents, postpaid. If not satisfied money promptly returned. Every man should order this for his wife, or some other woman. Send stamps. The Enlightened Life and How to Live it By W. R. C. LATSON, M. D. Author of "Common Disorders," "The Attainment of Efficiency," "Food Value of Meat," Etc. This work contains a collection of Dr. Latson's strong editorials that have appeared in Health-Culture, carefully revised and enlarged, with other matter. The great interest that has been manifested in these leaders will insure a demand for this work. The scope will be seen from the following chapter headings: Introduction--The Ultimate Ideal--The Mind and Its Body--What Shall a Man Take in Exchange for His Soul?--Health as an Asset--The Waste of Life--Health as a Factor in Business Success--The Causation of Disease--Are Weakness and Disease Increasing?--The Detection of Disease--The Prevention of Disease--Heredity and Disease--Disease: Its Nature and Conquest--Methods of Healing--Drug Medication in the Treatment of Disease--Religion and Medicine--Worry the Epidemic of the Day--Race Suicide--"Race Suicide," Pro and Con--Simplified Living--The Death-Dealing Detail--The Slaughter of the Innocents--Crimes Against Children--Sleep and Rest--Mental and Physical Effects of Music--The Common Sense of Foods and Feeding--The Mission of Pain--Drugs--The Surgical Operation Frenzy--Vaccination; Blessing or Curse?--Free Water Drinking as a Hygienic Measure--Evil Effects of Alcohol--The Pinnacles of Absurdity. Published in large, clear type, handsomely bound in cloth. Price, sent prepaid, $1.00. The Health Culture Magazine ELMER LEE., A. M., M. D., EDITOR PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTS Health Culture seeks the advancement of humanity by declaring the obvious teachings of nature. Health Culture aims to educate the people out of superstition, misunderstanding and fear arising from the imperfect interpretation of natural principles. Health Culture recognizes that health and comfort, happiness and long life are desirable and attainable by the faithful observance of hygiene. That neglect and abuse of natural and simple living inevitably leads to weakness, degeneracy, disease and death. Health Culture from the scientific sense as well as on grounds of sentiment opposes the taking of life needless to obtain food for man. Health Culture holds that food products of the vegetable kingdom are ample and favorable for a safe, complete and full development of the kingdom of man. Health Culture opposes as needless and wasteful of life those research activities known as vivisection, also as contrary to human interest the use of drugs, serums, vaccines and chemicals as medicines or preventives of disease by legal compulsion. Health Culture is an illustrated Monthly, Standard Magazine size; $1.00 a year, 15 cents a No., Canadian subscriptions $1.25, Foreign $1.50. =Address, The Health Culture Co., Passaic, N. J.= 50660 ---- ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DIET _A Treatise on the Food Question_ IN FIVE VOLUMES EXPLAINING, IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND THE CHEMISTRY OF THE HUMAN BODY, TOGETHER WITH THE ART OF UNITING THESE TWO BRANCHES OF SCIENCE IN THE PROCESS OF EATING SO AS TO ESTABLISH NORMAL DIGESTION AND ASSIMILATION OF FOOD AND NORMAL ELIMINATION OF WASTE, THEREBY REMOVING THE CAUSES OF STOMACH, INTESTINAL, AND ALL OTHER DIGESTIVE DISORDERS BY EUGENE CHRISTIAN, F. S. D. VOLUME V NEW YORK CITY CORRECTIVE EATING SOCIETY, INC. 1917 COPYRIGHT 1914 BY EUGENE CHRISTIAN ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL, LONDON SEPTEMBER, 1914 BY EUGENE CHRISTIAN, F. S. D. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PUBLISHED AUGUST, 1914 CONTENTS VOLUME V _Lesson XVI_ _Page_ ADAPTING FOOD TO SPECIAL CONDITIONS 1145 Infant, Old Age, and Athletic Feeding; Sedentary Occupations, Climatic Extremes 1147 Normal Diet 1152 Infant Feeding 1154 General Rules for the Prospective Mother 1157 Special Rules for the Prospective Mother 1159 The Nursing Mother 1162 Care of the Child 1164 Constipation 1169 Exercise 1171 Clothing 1171 Temperature of Baby's Food 1173 Bandage 1173 Emaciation 1173 General Instructions for Children after One Year 1174 General Diet from Ages One to Two 1174 Simplicity in Feeding 1175 Old Age 1178 Three Periods of Old Age 1181 Athletics 1188 Sedentary Occupations 1194 General Directions for Sedentary Worker 1198 Climatic Extremes 1199 _Lesson XVII_ NERVOUSNESS--ITS CAUSE AND CURE 1209 Causes 1213 The Remedy 1217 Suggestions for Spring 1220 Suggestions for Summer 1222 Suggestions for Fall 1223 Suggestions for Winter 1224 _Lesson XVIII_ POINTS ON PRACTISE 1231 Introduction to Points on Practise 1233 Suggestions for the Practitioner 1236 Value of Experience 1239 Value of Diagnosis 1241 Educate Your Patient 1242 Effect of Mental Conditions 1245 Publicity 1247 Be Courteous and Tolerant 1250 _Lesson XIX_ EVOLUTION OF MAN 1253 What is Evolution? 1255 The Three Great Proofs of the Evolution of Animal Life 1261 Man's Animal Kinship 1265 _Lesson XX_ SEX AND HEREDITY 1277 The Origin of Sex 1279 A Rational View of Sexual Health 1285 Embryological Growth--Prenatal Culture 1289 Heredity 1293 What Heredity Is 1295 Summary of Facts regarding Sex and Heredity 1297 _Lesson XXI_ REST AND SLEEP 1299 Rest 1301 The Old Physiology 1305 Rest and Recreation 1306 Sleep 1308 Some Reasons 1310 Oxidation and Air 1312 _Lesson XXII_ A LESSON FOR BUSINESS MEN 1315 A Good Business Man 1320 The Routine Life of the Average Business Man 1322 Some Suggestions for a Good Business Man 1324 _Lesson XXIII_ EXERCISE AND RE-CREATION 1327 Exercise 1329 Constructive Exercises 1330 Exercise for Repair 1331 Physiology of Exercise 1333 Systems of Physical Culture 1338 Program for Daily Exercise 1343 Re-creation 1346 LESSON XVI Adapting Food to Special Conditions INFANT, OLD AGE, AND ATHLETIC FEEDING, SEDENTARY OCCUPATIONS, CLIMATIC EXTREMES Diet may be divided into three distinct classes--normal, preventive, and curative. In order to understand the application of diet to these several conditions, it is necessary to observe the following rules: 1 Foods must be selected which contain all the desired nutritive elements. 2 They must be so combined as to produce chemical harmony, or should at least produce no undesirable chemical action. 3 They must be proportioned so as to level or balance their nutritive elements; that is, to prevent overfeeding on some elements of nourishment, and underfeeding on others. Many fine specimens of men and women have been produced without knowledge of these laws, but in nearly every case it may have been observed that the person was normal as to habits, and temperate in eating, therefore led aright by instinct. If one lives an active life, spending from three to five hours a day in the open air, the body will cast off and burn with oxygen much excess nutrition, and will also convert or appropriate certain nutritive elements to one purpose, which, according to all known chemical laws, Nature intended for another. Much better results, however, will be obtained by giving Nature the right material with which to work, thus pursuing lines of least resistance. What foods to select, how they should be combined and proportioned, is determined mainly by laws dependent upon the following conditions: 1 Age. 2 Temperature of environment--time of year or climate. 3 Work or activity. (1) As to age: If we wish the best results we must select and proportion our food according to age, because the growing child or youth needs much structural material--calcium phosphates--with which to build bone, teeth, and cartilage. This is found in cereals and in all grain foods. The middle-aged person needs but little of these--just enough for repair, and the aged person needs practically none. While the growing child needs calcium phosphate, he also needs milk and natural sweets, which named in the order of their preference are honey, maple-sugar, dates, figs, and raisins. This does not mean that a generous quantity of vegetables and fruit cannot be taken, but that the articles first mentioned (cereals and starchy foods) should form a conspicuous part of the child's diet. The adult needs a much less quantity of the heavier starchy foods, because the structural part of the body has been built up. The diet of the adult should consist of vegetables, nuts, and a normal quantity of sweets, a normal quantity of fruits, milk and eggs, with rather a limited amount of cereal or bread products, while the aged, or those having passed sixty, could subsist wholly upon a non-starch diet (non-cereal starch), such as vegetables, milk, nuts, eggs, salads, and fruits, including bananas, which is not a fruit, but a vegetable, and which contains a splendid form of readily soluble starch. (2) As to time of year: In selecting and proportioning our food we should observe the laws of temperature or time of the year. We should not eat foods of a high caloric or heating value at a time when the sun is giving us this heat direct, thus building a fire inside, while the sun is giving us the same heat outside. The violation of this simple law is the cause of all sunstroke and heat prostrations. On the contrary, if we are going to be exposed to zero weather, we should build a fire inside by eating foods of a high caloric value. (3) As to work or activity: We should select and proportion our food according to the work we do, because eating is a process of making energy, while work is a process of expending energy, and we should make these two accounts balance. THE NORMAL DIET [Sidenote: Effects of overfeeding on starchy foods and sweets] While in some respects each body is a law unto itself, there are a few fundamental rules and laws that apply to all alike. For instance, overeating of starchy foods, in every case, will produce too much uric acid, and finally rheumatism. Also the overeating of sweets and starches will cause the stomach to secrete an over-supply of fermentative acids, the effects of which have been discussed in a previous lesson. [Sidenote: Temporary disturbances caused by radical changes in diet] In laying out the diet, under all conditions, the practitioner must be governed by the above-named rules. He should exercise his judgment, however, in each case according to the prevailing conditions. In prescribing diet it is well to remember that Nature will not tolerate, without protest, any radical change. It often occurs, therefore, that the most correct and thoroughly balanced menu will cause violent physical disturbances which the inexperienced may consider as unfavorable symptoms, but in a majority of cases this is merely the adjusting process, similar to that which occurs when the body is suddenly deprived of narcotics and stimulants after their habitual use. The practitioner should exercise much care in diagnosis. He should study all symptoms and lay out the diet so as to counteract prevailing conditions, and to produce normality. [Sidenote: The stomach should agree with natural food] The tendency of the body, that has been incorrectly fed for many years, to protest against the right kind and the right combinations of food, is often very deceptive. It is not always correct to say that the food did not agree with the stomach, but more correct to say that the different foods did not agree with themselves. The patient should be thoroughly acquainted with these facts, and mentally prepared for some temporary discomforts or physical protest against the new system. INFANT FEEDING [Sidenote: Large percentage of infant mortality due to incorrect feeding] The tremendous mortality among infants and children is due to incorrect feeding more than to all other causes. In the process of reproducing animal life, nearly all abnormal conditions are eliminated. The best that is in the mother is given to the child. The trend of Nature is upward toward higher intelligence and more perfect physical development. For this reason infants are usually healthier than their parents, though millions of babies are rapidly broken in health by improper feeding. The economy of Nature is perfect, therefore all natural forces conspire to preserve the life of the young. This is the natural law governing the preservation and the development of human life, and that this condition does not obtain is the most striking evidence of our lack of knowledge in feeding the young. [Sidenote: Point of view to be considered in infant feeding] Infant feeding must be considered from two points of view: (1) Dealing with the child or infant as we find it, where the mother has so violated Nature's laws of nutrition and hygiene as to afford no breast-milk for her child; (2) where this condition does not prevail, and the child receives ample nourishment from the breast of the mother. We will first consider the diet and the conduct of the mother during pregnancy and prior to it. Preparation for motherhood is one of woman's most sacred duties, because it involves not only the happiness and health of herself, but it shapes, in a large degree, the mental and the physical conditions of another being which will wield an influence over its whole life. [Sidenote: The unwelcome child] The common error of most women is that they do not desire children when they are first married, and in the pursuit of other pleasures they violate and disregard the laws of Nature; the baby is a mere accident--probably unwelcome. During the entire embryonic period the same old habits and diet are indulged in; the mental and the physical condition of the being-to-be has received no consideration, and, unwelcome in a strange world, the little eyes are opened. Then the instinctive love of the mother is kindled and lavished; the child's every want is law; it needs maternal nourishment and the mother desires to give it, but the natural fountain is insufficient, and probably dry. The mother's thoughts and inspirations can no longer become a part of the child, except through education in later years--they are two separate beings; the opportunity to endow it with a part of her life is forever gone. [Sidenote: Resistance to infant life should be removed as much as possible] Under the most favorable conditions we meet a constant resistance to life, and the higher we ascend in the scale of civilization the greater is the resistance encountered. It is therefore the duty of the mother, as also of the father, to remove every obstacle that would offer resistance to the physical and mental growth of the child. In order to do this it is necessary to carry out certain well-established laws concerning diet, exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and mental training. GENERAL RULES FOR THE PROSPECTIVE MOTHER From the time conception is recognized the following general rules should be observed: 1 The corset or all tight-fitting garments that would in any way interfere with freedom of exercise and thorough development of the abdominal muscles should be discarded. 2 As much time as possible--at least two hours each day--should be spent in the open air, and a system of moderate trunk exercises followed, together with deep breathing, calculated to expand the lungs to their fullest cell capacity, which is Nature's method of burning or oxidizing waste matter, and thereby keeping the blood pure. 3 The mental occupation should be an important factor in the daily regimen. Some congenial study should be chosen with the view of making it useful, while some remunerative employment should be sought and indulged in for a portion of each day. Avoid idleness by all means, or an idle roaming of the mind and spirit. Learn to think, to concentrate, to work, and to do something for others, as it is from these things that all happiness is gained. 4 The diet of the future mother should be governed somewhat by the laws laid out in the first part of this lesson; that is, age, temperature of environment, and occupation should be considered in its selection. SPECIAL RULES FOR THE PROSPECTIVE MOTHER [Sidenote: Suggestions for the diet] There are some specific rules in regard to diet, however, which every mother should observe. The diet should be balanced so as to contain all the needed elements of nourishment in approximately the right proportions. The proportions, however, should differ in many cases from that which she would take if she were in a normal state, especially in regard to starchy foods or calcareous matter. An abundance of green salads, sweet ripe fruits, fresh vegetables in season, eggs, milk, nuts, and not more than two ounces of bread, potatoes, or dried beans should be taken daily. If flesh food or something salty is craved, tender chicken, or fish, may be allowed in small quantities. [Sidenote: Abnormal appetite during pregnancy] It should be borne in mind that I do not advocate the use of flesh foods, but during pregnancy the appetite is varying and sometimes tyrannical, and it has been found better to compromise with this condition than to combat it. The use of a limited quantity of tender meat, or any other article of good food for which there should arise a craving, is therefore advisable. [Sidenote: Flesh of young animals preferred] In the selection of meats, the flesh of young animals is best, for the reason that young animals are more healthy and less liable to contamination by dis-ease. The meat of either fowl or fish is rather appetizing, and often satisfies the craving that many pregnant women have for the heavier meats such as pork or veal, which are, of course, very much more difficult to digest. There is, notwithstanding the opinion foolishly held by many doctors, no difference in the nutritive qualities of white or dark meat, as either variety is nourished by identically the same blood supply, and contains the same sort of protoplasm. So it is a mistaken idea to think that there is any appreciable difference in the digestibility of white meat as compared with dark, except as the effect of mental suggestion may be operative. Of course, we know that if you tell a person often enough that a certain thing is true, eventually he will act upon it automatically. And so it is with the white and dark meat fetich. THE NURSING MOTHER [Sidenote: Breast milk vs. artificial foods] If the mother supplies enough milk, this is infinitely superior to any artificial combination of so-called infant foods. Unfortunately a large majority of children are not breast-fed, and must depend upon the various commercial infant-foods, or upon the judgment of the untrained nurse, or the mother. [Sidenote: The lives of babies often depend upon the mother's diet] The majority of mothers, if so disposed, could, by studying their own diet, supply the most robust child with ample breast-nourishment until it is ten or twelve months old, after which period the infantile crisis would be passed, and millions of little lives would thereby be saved. However, the confinement and the trouble to which the mother is subjected by the nursing baby causes the majority of infants to be weaned within a few weeks after birth, and turned over to the hazard of prepared food, soporific drugs, and nurses. [Sidenote: Child-love stimulated by nursing] If mothers could realize the love that is daily kindled and strengthened; if they could be made to know how much more their children would love them, and they would love their children; if they could look into the years and see how the link of love between them and their children had been shaped, molded, and fashioned by the simple act of nurturing them from the breast (to say nothing of the lives that would be saved), the artificially-fed baby would be a rarity, and the mother would be queen in the hearts of the nation's children. The most beautiful thing that ever graced the canvas of art, or shed its love into the cold realism of nature, is a nursing baby pushing from its satisfied lips the mother's breast, and smiling its sweet content into her face. It is almost criminal to withdraw the breast from an infant, and to turn it over to the treachery of prepared foods, when, by devoting a little time each day to the study of the science of eating, it is possible for the mother to supply the child with her own milk. CARE OF THE CHILD The following are general rules for feeding the infant from birth to about one year of age. These rules cannot be made inflexible because all children differ in temperament, vitality, and as to prenatal influences, but if the mother will observe these instructions with reasonable care, her child can be brought healthfully through the most critical period of its life, and will enter the solid food age with good digestion, a strong body, and an excellent chance to withstand all children's dis-eases. Where artificial feeding becomes necessary, then the preparation of the baby-food is of primary importance. Cow's milk is, of course, the logical food, but taken whole, that is, the entire milk, it is too high in proteids, and deficient in sugar; therefore, in order to make a healthful infant-food, it must be modified according to the requirements of the infant body. The nurse or the mother should prepare a quantity sufficient for only one day's supply at a time, after the following formula: Cream 2 ounces Milk 2 ounces Water 15 ounces Milk-sugar 4 level teaspoonfuls Lime-water 2 teaspoonfuls or 1/2 ounce This should be thoroughly mixed, placed in the bottle, and set in warm water until it is brought to the temperature of breast-milk. The above formula may be used during the first month of the baby's life. The quantity and the frequency of feedings should be according to the following table: AGE FEEDINGS OUNCES INTERVALS OF 1st day 5 to 6 1 3 or 4 hours 2d day 7 to 8 1 2-1/2 to 3 hours 3d to 7th day 9 to 10 1-1/4 2 to 2-1/2 hours 2d, 3d, and 4th weeks 10 2 to 3 2 hours Formula for the second and the third months: Cream 3-1/2 ounces Milk 1-1/2 ounces Water 14 ounces Milk-sugar 5 teaspoonfuls Lime-water 2-1/2 teaspoonfuls Quantity and frequency of feeding should be about as follows: MONTHS FEEDINGS OUNCES INTERVALS 2d and 3d 7 to 8 3 to 4 2 or 3 hours Formula for period from the fourth to the twelfth month: Cream 6 to 8 ounces Milk 2 to 3 ounces Water 10 ounces Milk-sugar 5 to 6 teaspoonfuls Lime-water 2 to 3 teaspoonfuls Quantity and frequency of feedings should be about as follows: MONTHS FEEDINGS OUNCES INTERVALS 4th, 5th, and 6th 5 to 6 4 to 6 3 to 3-1/2 hours 7th, 8th, and 9th 5 6 to 7 4 to 4-1/2 hours 10th, 11th, and 12th 5 6 to 8 4 to 4-1/2 hours The above formulas for infant-food are the best that can be made from ordinary cow's milk. The milk-sugar and the lime-water herein named can be purchased at any first-class drug store. [Sidenote: Avoid too frequent feeding] These tables are not given as exact. The mother should exercise careful vigilance and judgment, especially in reference to the quantity of each feeding, and the frequency. The moment the child shows symptoms of overfeeding, which symptoms are usually evidenced by vomiting or discomfort, the quantity of cream and the amount at each feeding should be reduced. In fact, it is healthful, and often necessary for the child to allow it the opportunity to get hungry. The digestion of many a baby is totally ruined by continuous feeding, which is done out of motherly sympathy, or merely to keep it quiet. [Sidenote: Importance of cleanliness in preparing child's food] The mother or the nurse should exercise great care in the cleanliness and the hygienic preparation of children's foods. Milk should be fresh, and of the very best. It should not be left uncovered or exposed. It should be kept continually on ice until ready for use. The cream should be taken from the top of the bottle, or from fresh milk. This insures better quality of butter-fat than is generally supplied in ordinary commercial daily cream. As the child advances in age, whole milk, cereal gruel, and egg mixture (two whites to one yolk) may be administered according to the child's normal appetite and digestion. The egg may be prepared by whipping the whites and the yolks separately, adding to the yolk a teaspoonful of cream and one of sugar, then whipping the beaten whites into this, and serving. CONSTIPATION The stools of natural, healthy children should be bright yellow and perfectly smooth. If grainy and soft, food should be made richer. If in curds, it evidences too rapid coagulation; therefore an alkali should be added. If the stools are white and oily, it indicates an excess of cream. If hard and dry, it indicates an insufficient amount of cream. If green, reduce the quantity of milk, or omit it altogether, and increase the quantity of barley-water. The majority of bottle-fed children suffer greatly from constipation, caused largely by the milk, or the failure to modify the milk properly, or to make it contain the constituent elements of breast-milk. This condition can be relieved by giving the child sweet orange juice every night and morning, or the juice from soaked prunes, if preferred. This should be administered in quantities ranging from a dozen drops to two or three teaspoonfuls, according to the age of the child and the severity of the condition. Intestinal congestion can often be relieved, however, by giving the abdomen gentle massage, preferably with a rotary or kneading motion. In cases of diarrhea, infants from three to eight months old should be given first an enema, and then a diet entirely of boiled milk mixed with rice or barley-water. EXERCISE All infants need some exercise. They should be gently rubbed and rolled about after the morning bath, before they are dressed. There is nothing more healthful than exposure of the baby-skin to fresh air in a normal temperature. CLOTHING Next in importance to the food of the infant is its clothing. The usual style of dressing babies the first three months of their lives is positively barbaric; not that it imitates uncivilized people, but because it evidences the grossest ignorance and cruelest vanity. The mother seems to have no way of expressing her pride in her child except by bedecking it with elaborate garments. These usually consist of three long skirts, two of them attached to bands which are fastened around the body. The weight of this clothing prevents the free use of the baby's feet and legs, putting it into a kind of civilized strait-jacket, thus preventing it from exercising the only part of its anatomy that it can freely move. It is nothing uncommon to see a beautiful baby sore, irritated, and broken out with heat all over its little body by being heavily enveloped in barbaric rags. The child, therefore, is made to suffer merely that it may please a proud mother, and conform to an ignorant custom a thousand years old. The only purpose clothing should serve is that of bodily warmth. When it is made the instrument of painful adornment it is serving the same purpose as "rings in the ears and bells on the toes," and the mind of the mother who thus afflicts her child is in the same class as that of the ignorant barbarian whom she imitates. TEMPERATURE OF BABY'S FOOD It should be remembered that all liquid food for a child up to twelve or fifteen months old should be administered at a temperature no lower than blood-heat. The liquid mixtures named herein may be made in advance of the needs, and placed upon ice merely to preserve them, but should be warmed to a temperature of at least ninety-nine degrees Fahrenheit before administering to the child. Pure water should be given to all children from the time they are two weeks old. BANDAGE The bandage should be removed about the close of the third month. EMACIATION In case of slight emaciation or lack of fat, the child should be given an olive-oil rub once or twice a week, rubbing gently into the skin about one teaspoonful of oil. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHILDREN AFTER ONE YEAR All children, whether breast-fed or bottle-fed, are subject to practically the same health rules after they are about one year old. Therefore I will now consider all children in the same class, and lay out for them what may be termed general instructions in health and hygiene. Care should be exercised to omit from the diet of children just beginning to take solid food, all articles that will not dissolve readily without mastication. GENERAL DIET FROM AGES ONE TO TWO The diet from the first to the second year should consist of: Baked apples Baked potatoes--sweet or white Cereal--limited quantity (thoroughly cooked) Cream soups--home-made, such as: Cream of celery Onion Potato Rice Tomato, etc. Eggs Milk Pulp of soft ripe fruits Vegetables--thoroughly mashed, such as: {Asparagus Fresh {Squash {Spinach The above vegetables contain much cellulose or pulp which should be entirely discarded, leaving only the meat or purée; but to the child from eleven to fifteen months old, they should be administered in very limited quantities. SIMPLICITY IN FEEDING Especial attention should be given to simplicity in feeding: 1 Avoid giving too many things at the same meal; from three to four articles at one time are sufficient 2 Mothers should be especially cautioned against giving a child bread made with yeast, or baking powder, and against the old diet of milk toast 3 All meat, flesh food, stimulants or narcotics of every kind should be omitted from the diet of children 4 The crowning mistake of the doting mother is often made in feeding her child from the conventional table, on such things as weakened coffee or tea, meats, and condiments 5 The custom of giving children an excess of sweets has ruined millions of little stomachs, and has given them a heritage of dis-ease and suffering before they have entered their 'teens 6 All condiments, such as pepper, salt, vinegar, pickles, and all pungent things should be eliminated from the diet of children--the taste of the child is very susceptible to cultivation, and with very little encouragement it will accept things that have no place in the human economy, and which are positively harmful 7 When a child begins teething, it may be given a small piece of hard water-cracker with safety If the above rules are observed, it is reasonable to assume that normal hunger of the child will guide it very correctly in selecting, proportioning, and combining its food through the period of childhood until it enters the period of youth. OLD AGE [Sidenote: Necessity for old age diet] There seems to be two critical periods in every life--the ages of thirty and sixty. If the sixtieth year can be turned with good digestion, normal assimilation and excretion, it is fair to assume that with reasonable care the century mark may be easily reached. It is also reasonable to assume that experience will have taught most thoughtful people what to eat and what not to eat, but the mortality tables of nearly all civilized countries, of which the writer has made a careful study, prove that a majority of people do not reach their sixtieth year, and but a very small per cent of those who do are blessed with good digestion. Therefore an old age diet is quite as important to the student as infant feeding. For purposes of convenience, I will put all cereal products, legumes, and white potatoes in the starch or bread class, and henceforth they will be referred to as such. [Sidenote: Meat and bread produce old age] The majority of disorders that mark the difference between youth and age may be traced directly to the overconsumption of meat and bread, especially cereal starch. The hardening of the arteries, the stiffening of the cartilage, the enlargement of the joints, and the general lack of flexibility throughout the body is due almost wholly to the overconsumption of these two staples. [Sidenote: Uric acid in rheumatic conditions] Uric acid is always present in gouty and rheumatic conditions, but it is there as Nature's defense against our sins, and not as a primary cause. Meat is not the cause of uric acid as has been popularly taught. Uric acid is one of the constituent elements of all animal bodies, and when the normal supply in the human body is supplemented by that which is contained in the body of the animal upon which we prey, we are oversupplied. This is as far as meat-eating contributes toward uric acid poisoning. [Sidenote: Soluble starches desirable] When the body is young and growing, it can consume and appropriate a considerable quantity of starchy or structural material, but when it is fully grown, or has turned forty, it can subsist healthfully upon a diet containing only from three to five per cent of starch, and as one becomes older the more soluble forms of starch should be taken, such as the starch contained in green peas, beans, and corn, which, immature, is readily soluble and assimilable. The starch in the banana is also easily appropriated and easily oxydized, and will be found to agree with many who cannot eat starch in any other form without producing fermentation. After the fiftieth year the diet becomes more and more a factor needing special attention in the daily regimen, both as to selection and quantity; and with advancing age the quantity of food should be gradually reduced until the minimum which will support life healthfully is reached. [Sidenote: Importance of diet with advancing age] In old age the diet should be governed by the same general rules as those of younger people; that is, elderly people should select, combine, and proportion their food according to temperature of environment, labor, and age. Those performing manual labor can use and eliminate food material which would produce uric acid and other poisons in the body of the sedentary worker. THREE PERIODS OF OLD AGE [Sidenote: Diet from fifty to sixty] Old age may be divided into three periods. From fifty to sixty the diet should consist of a very limited quantity of bread products (not more than two per cent); fresh green vegetables, fresh mild fruits, nuts, a normal quantity of milk and eggs, a limited quantity of sugar, and a moderate amount of fats. [Sidenote: Diet from sixty to seventy] From sixty to seventy the amount of cereal starch should be reduced to one per cent, or not more than two per cent, while the other articles named may be taken as suggested from fifty to sixty, gradually eliminating starchy foods, and increasing foods containing proteids, casein, and albumin. [Sidenote: Diet from seventy to one hundred] Between the ages of seventy and one hundred, the same general suggestions as those above laid out should be followed, eliminating entirely all cereal products. The more soluble forms of starchy or carbohydrate foods, such as potatoes, bananas, and green peas, beans, corn, etc., may be taken. (See Lesson XIII, Vol. III, p. 632.) The necessary amount of fats, albumin, casein, and proteids must be governed by activity and temperature of environment. The following are suggestions for one day's menu, in spring and summer, age between fifty and sixty. Choice of menus may be exercised, but each menu should be taken in its entirety. MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Melon or subacid fruit One or two very ripe bananas, One egg--coddled with figs, cream, A potato or a very little and nuts coarse bread Choice of fruit--non-acid A glass of clabbered milk or Two glasses of milk buttermilk Two tablespoonfuls of raisins, with cream and nuts LUNCHEON Choice of peas, corn, beans, Choice of carrots, parsnips, or creamed onions beans, squash, or asparagus Eggs or buttermilk A baked sweet or a white A baked potato potato A salad or something green, A glass of buttermilk with nuts Cream cheese, dates, and A banana, with cream, nuts nuts and dates A very small portion of green salad, with grated nuts DINNER One fresh vegetable--spinach, A green salad cooked ten minutes Two fresh vegetables One egg or a very small A sweet or a white potato, portion of fish with sweet butter A baked potato A glass of sour milk Choice of dates, figs, or raisins, with cream cheese and nuts In cases of constipation, two or three tablespoonfuls of coarse wheat bran (cooked, if desired) should be taken with the breakfast and the evening meal, and a spoonful just before retiring, taken in a glass of water. Such fruits as plums, peaches, or berries should be taken daily, just after rising and just before retiring. The following are suggestions for fall and winter menus, for a person between the ages of fifty and sixty: BREAKFAST Oranges, apples, pears, or soaked prunes An egg and a small portion of either plain boiled wheat or rice A very ripe banana, with nuts and raisins NOTE: Sweet fruits may be taken instead of the acid fruits suggested, and milk instead of eggs. LUNCHEON One or two fresh vegetables, such as carrots, onions, turnips, cabbage, or beans Celery or any coarse plant A potato or a very small portion of corn If not very active, the luncheon may consist of two glasses of buttermilk and a spoonful of wheat bran. DINNER Choice of two fresh vegetables A baked potato Choice of fish, eggs, or buttermilk Corn bread or a very small portion of coarse cereal All fresh, watery vegetables should be cooked in a casserole dish. A sufficient quantity of water should be drunk at each of these meals to bring the moisture up to about sixty-six per cent of the meal--two to three glasses. These meals are mere suggestions, and are therefore subject to many variations. All green salads may be substituted for one another; all starchy products--grain, potatoes, and legumes--may also be substituted for one another. ATHLETICS [Sidenote: Every diet should be an athletic diet] The diet for the athlete really differs but little from that which should be taken by every person in normal health, the object in all cases being to secure the greatest degree of energy from the least quantity of food. In order to do this, the laws governing the selecting, the combining, and the proportioning of foods should be observed. When the digestive, the assimilative, and the excretory organs are properly performing their functions, the object should be to gain the highest efficiency in food with the least amount of loss or waste. Every diet, therefore, should be made an athletic diet. In dealing with the public at large, the work of the practitioner will be confined very largely to prescribing for those who, by violation of Nature's laws, have become dis-eased, or in some way physically abnormal, and in these cases, of course, a remedial or counteractive diet first becomes necessary. [Sidenote: General diet for normal athlete] In dealing with the athlete as a special class, however, we must consider him as a normal creature, somewhere between the ages of twenty and forty. We must also consider that his digestion and assimilation of food, and elimination of waste are normal. Under these conditions, the diet should consist of highly nitrogenous and proteid compounds, leveled or balanced by the requisite amount of carbohydrates and fats. [Sidenote: Quantity of fat required at different seasons] If the athlete is training for action in summer, the quantity of fat should be reduced according to temperature or climate. When the thermometer ranges in the seventies and eighties, one ounce of fat each twenty-four hours would probably be sufficient, while if the mercury is down in the twenties or thirties, from two or three ounces may be required to keep up bodily heat. The following are suggestions for summer athletic diet: BREAKFAST Fruit or melon *Corn, or boiled wheat, with nuts and cream Eggs, whipped, with sugar and cream--lemon juice flavor LUNCHEON Break from four to six eggs into a bowl, adding a heaping teaspoonful of sugar to each egg; whip five minutes; while whipping, add slowly one teaspoonful of lemon juice to each egg; to this add half a glass of milk to each egg, and drink slowly *Corn or a potato DINNER Fruit, berries, or melon A salad of lettuce, tomato, and grated carrots; serve with dressing of lemon juice, grated nuts and olive-oil One fresh vegetable An egg or tender fish A baked potato Buttermilk [Footnote: NOTE: Corn to be prepared as follows: Cut lightly from cob with a sharp knife and scrape down with a dull one; serve uncooked with a little salt, sugar and cream.] The following are suggestions for winter athletic diet: BREAKFAST A baked apple or an orange One coarse cereal, with nuts and cream Two eggs, either whipped or boiled two minutes Very ripe bananas, with dates, nuts and cream (If bananas are not very ripe, they should be peeled and baked) See recipe, Vol. III, p. 677 LUNCHEON Beans or lentils Carrots, turnips, squash, or corn Fish or eggs A baked potato Buttermilk DINNER Two fresh vegetables A green salad, with oil Omelet, with grated nuts A banana, with nuts and cream, and either dates or raisins Buttermilk These menus, like those given for summer, are merely for the purpose of suggesting selections, combinations, and proportions of food that will meet the exigencies of temperature, environment, and work. The quantity of food required will depend largely upon the size (physique) of the individual, the severity of training, and the feats to be performed. It is especially important that these suggestions be well considered at least one day before engaging in any athletic event or work requiring extraordinary physical effort, as the human body appropriates or uses food from twenty-four to thirty-six hours after it is eaten. [Sidenote: Exposure to extreme cold or exertion] If one is to be exposed to extreme cold, an excess of fats should be taken, beginning thirty-six hours before exposure. If much physical effort is to be exerted, the diet should be balanced as to all nutritive elements, with an excess of nitrogenous foods. In fact, these rules should be observed by every one who desires to make feeding scientific, and to make food his servant instead of his master, as our civilized habits have a tendency to do. SEDENTARY OCCUPATIONS [Sidenote: Cessation of activity means disintegration] Nature demands from every form of life a certain amount of activity or motion. Any transgression of this law means disintegration. Rest is merely the process adopted by Nature to reconvert matter into its original elements. To whatever extent one ceases activity, Nature, under normal conditions, inflicts this penalty. [Sidenote: The penalty of civilization] Man's civilized habits and customs have produced a class of workers who, while at work, are deprived of their requisite amount of motion, and who, therefore, pay the penalty by shortened periods of life, and by numerous disorders which we have come to characterize as dis-ease. There is but one method known to science by which these penalties may be avoided, and by which the worker whose occupation must be sedentary may become as healthful as his brother who can order his life in conformity with Nature's laws. That method lies in the ordering of his diet. [Sidenote: Dis-ease is merely congestion] All dis-ease may be called _congestion_, or the failure of the body to eliminate poisons and waste matter. The process of elimination is assisted by activity (work or play). The accumulation of waste and poisons in the body is measured or determined almost wholly by the diet. [Sidenote: Diet governed by work] The man who is swinging a pick or a sledge hammer in the open air may eat or drink almost anything, because his powers of eliminating waste are aided by his work. It follows, therefore, that those whose work is of a sedentary nature must procure their nutrition from substances containing the minimum of waste, and producing the maximum of energy, and the quantity must be measured accurately by the demands of the body, or autointoxication (self-poisoning) will result. Intestinal congestion (constipation), which is almost universal among sedentary workers, is caused in nearly all cases by consuming a quantity of food in excess of the physical demands, and which cannot be thrown off owing to the lack of exercise. It is at this point that science must lay out the dietetic regimen so as to make it conform to the occupation, or to the lack of physical activity. The following are suggestions for a spring or summer diet for the average sedentary worker: BREAKFAST Cantaloup, berries or peaches, with sugar and cream An egg One or two bananas, with nuts, cream, and raisins (Bananas should be baked, if not very ripe) LUNCHEON Peas, beans, or asparagus A heaping tablespoonful of nuts A salad of lettuce and tomatoes, with nuts A baked potato, tender corn, or a very little coarse bread DINNER Melon or cantaloup Two tablespoonfuls of nuts One or two fresh vegetables, including an ear of tender corn Fish, eggs, or buttermilk Plain ice-cream, if something sweet is desired GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR SEDENTARY WORKER The student will recognize that in these menus the heavier foods are prescribed sparingly, while the lighter or the more readily soluble articles predominate. From these suggestions a fair idea of a fall and winter diet can be drawn. Indigestion, sour stomach (hyper-chlorhydria), constipation, malassimilation, and general anemia are the disorders with which the sedentary worker is most commonly afflicted. In dealing with each and all of these conditions, including obesity, which is often the result of sedentary habits, the first thing to be done is to limit the quantity of food to the normal requirements of the body, and in extreme cases a diet below the normal should be observed; no one was ever made ill by underfeeding. Then, with proper care as to the selection, combination, and proportions of food, and an increased amount of exercise and deep breathing, the person of sedentary habits should be made as healthy and strong as the outdoor worker in the fields of manual labor. CLIMATIC EXTREMES In considering a diet to meet the requirements of climatic extremes, either hot or cold, it is necessary to reckon from normality, both as to climate and as to the health of the individual. All the foregoing lessons, taken as a whole, are designed to teach one method or theory, involving two principles: 1 Selections, combinations, and proportions of food that will counteract and remove the causes of unnatural conditions called dis-ease 2 Selections, combinations, and proportions of food that will bring the body up to its highest degree of development and there maintain it Under normal conditions the temperature of the body may be thoroughly controlled by feeding. The principal process of metabolism is that of making heat out of the fuel given to the "human boiler." The amount of heat, therefore, that a given quantity of food will produce is determined very largely by the amount of resistance that is met from natural environment. [Sidenote: Amount of fat required in different temperatures] The human body, under ordinary conditions, in a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit, will use about two ounces of pure fat every twenty-four hours. If the temperature should drop to 30° Fahrenheit, it would require about three ounces of fat every twenty-four hours to keep the temperature of the body at normal. Under certain conditions of exposure it might require as much as five and even six ounces of pure fat to maintain normal temperature of the body, and in the extreme north, where the temperature ranges in winter from 25° to 30° below zero, the natives often take as much as sixteen ounces of fat during the day. Fat being the principal heat-producing element, it is, therefore, the most necessary thing to consider in a temperature of extreme cold. The student will readily understand that, in order to maintain a normal standard of vitality and endurance, the selection of foods must be made according to age, activity, and temperature. For a person undergoing a reasonable amount of exposure, and working in a climate where the temperature is ranging between 20° and 30° Fahrenheit, the following menus, covering one day, may be suggested: Immediately on rising, drink a cup of hot water, then take vigorous deep breathing exercises, followed by a cool sponge bath and rub down. BREAKFAST (An hour later) Add half an ounce of sugar to two or three eggs, and whip five minutes; add a tablespoonful of lemon juice while whipping; mix with this two glasses of rich milk A tablespoonful of nuts One very ripe banana, with cream LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable Lima or navy beans A salad, with either olive-oil or nuts A baked potato or boiled wheat (A liberal supply of butter or cream) DINNER A baked sweet potato One or two vegetables Eggs, or buttermilk, unskimmed A baked white potato, with either olive-oil or butter Dates, with cream cheese, or gelatin, with cream As the temperature becomes lower, the amount of fats and proteids should be increased according to exposure and activity. The student should bear in mind that carbohydrates, proteids, and fats are the most important factors in the winter dietary. Other articles can be held level over a wide range of temperature, provided these three staple nutrients are taken in the requisite proportions. [Sidenote: Summer diet requires scientific consideration] Nearly all people in normal health instinctively avoid heat-producing foods in hot weather, and as in warm or hot climates people live more in the open air, oxidation is therefore more perfect, and has a tendency to aid elimination, so the errors of diet are not so serious. Nevertheless, the food to be taken in hot climates, or the heated term of summer, should receive scientific consideration. Anthropoid life, of which man is the highest type, originated in the tropics, and nearly everything necessary for his highest physical development grew prodigally in that country. His natural or primitive diet was nuts, fruits, and salads (edible plants). Civilization has transplanted him in the north, and has laid heavier burdens upon him, therefore he needs, in many instances, heavier and different foods, such as the carbohydrates, proteids, fats, and the albumin and the phosphorus in eggs. As the temperature becomes warmer, the heat-producing factors, such as fats and carbohydrates (starch and sugar), should be gradually reduced. The following menus are suitable for the average person, in normal health, between the ages of thirty and sixty, when the temperature is ranging from 70° to 90° Fahrenheit: BREAKFAST Cantaloup, peaches, or berries Very ripe bananas, with grated nuts and cream A glass of milk LUNCHEON One whipped egg A fresh vegetable A teaspoonful of nuts A lettuce and tomato salad A baked sweet or white potato DINNER Peas, beans, asparagus, or corn A salad, with grated nuts and carrots A potato One whipped egg Half a glass of milk A service of gelatin These menus are mere suggestions, not invariable, and in following them it should be remembered that all green salads may be substituted for one another, and as a general rule such underground articles as beets, carrots, turnips, and parsnips may be substituted for one another. Also green corn, peas, and beans are in the same general class. (See "Constipation," Vol. III, p. 761.) Observation of these rules will give the student rather a wide range of articles to draw upon in selecting a diet for the normal person. LESSON XVII NERVOUSNESS ITS CAUSE AND CURE The nerves of the human body are the most important, the most complex, and probably the least understood of any part of the human anatomy. In conditions of health they are never heard from, therefore every expression of the nervous system is a symptom of some abnormal physical condition. [Sidenote: True meaning of nervousness] The usual term "nervousness" conveys to the mind of the average person such conditions as sleeplessness, restlessness, lack of mental and physical tranquillity, but to the trained mind of the food scientist or physician, it means mental aberration, hallucinations, morbidity, mental depression, lack of self-confidence, uncertainty, loss of memory, fear of poverty, anticipation of accident, tragedy, death, insanity, and a multitude of things that never happen. Language cannot adequately describe or convey to the mind of another person the strange impressions that sweep o'er the mind--the mental anguish caused by an ordinary case of nervous indigestion. Those only who can understand why many good men and women sometimes take their own lives, or commit some great crime, are those who have experienced the same affliction. If we could correctly interpret the various symptoms given to the brain from the nervous system, and would heed these symptoms, the body might be kept in almost perfect health under all conditions of civilized life. [Sidenote: Relation of nutrition to nervousness] The lack of fresh air and exercise is always told by nervous expression, but the most important and significant message conveyed by the nerves at the brain is that concerning food and general nutrition. Instinct often leads us to fresh air and exercise, but with our food it is vastly different. We acquire a taste for certain things; the habit grows upon us, and though the nerves tell the story to our senses over and over, we heed it not because we are held behind the bars of habit by the tyranny of appetite. In this respect the tobacco fiend, the drug fiend, and the food fiend are all in the same class. CAUSES Nervousness usually has its origin in disorders of the functions of metabolism, assimilation and elimination. In other words, somewhere between the time the food is first taken into the system, and the time the poisonous débris of the food and the body waste is finally eliminated, there are some grievous faults of function. Some deficiency in the activity and in the secreting power of any of the digestive organs; some defect in the assimilation of the finished pabulum; some short-coming in the process by which oxygen is carried through the system to convert the "end-products" into less toxic substances for final excretion--any or all of these causes may conspire to produce nervousness. These may again, in their turn, be due to causes that arise within the mind, inhibiting the proper functional activity of the body. But overfeeding, or eating the wrong combinations of food, and lack of proper elimination, are probably the most frequent causes of nervousness. When we take into the system more food than the body requires, there is bound to be a certain amount of it which cannot be utilized to build tissue, or furnish heat, or supply mineral salts. This excess food, under the influence of fermentative processes, breaks down into various poisonous products. This is especially true of the albuminous elements of the food. For these, in the heat and moisture of the small intestine, rapidly undergo a process of rotting--this is exactly what it is--and develop some of the most virulent organic poisons known to man. They exercise a profound depression upon all the physiological functions, and cause an actual toxic degeneration of the nervous protoplasm. This, in turn, causes nerve irritability, insomnia, and many of those protean symptoms roughly grouped under the head of neurasthenia. To completely relieve the condition means that a thorough reform in habits,--and particularly in dietetic habits--must be undertaken. Excesses of every kind--even of play or work--must be stopped. All possible sources of worry must be removed. Rest and recreation should be made quite as important--in fact more so, than house-work or business. Sleep, and plenty of it, should be secured at all costs. Eight hours are none too many--although ten would be better. Needless to say, the question of diet is of prime importance. The use of tea, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, and all stimulant beverages, as well as condiments, should be discontinued. Plain, wholesome food--with an ample supply of lecithin (or nerve fat) such as eggs, milk, olive oil, etc., should be taken liberally. All sources of fermentation--especially those forms due to an excess of starch, sugars, and acids, should be avoided. Careful attention should be given to securing free bowel movement. And, above all, an equable frame of mind should be cultivated; the way to defeat this purpose is to overwork and worry in order to accumulate the thing called property. [Sidenote: Working for wealth alone defeats its purpose] The desire to accumulate property has for its excuse immunity from work at some future time so that we can enjoy life, but experience teaches us that the physical cost of this effort defeats the very purpose for which we are striving. THE REMEDY The victim of nervousness should first seek a complete change of environment, and engage in pleasant, and, if possible, profitable occupation. [Sidenote: Therapeutic value of working for the public good] Thousands of people become nervous wrecks by pursuing work for which they have no natural taste or ability, and many become nervous from the monotony of environment. This is especially true with women, and while it is exceedingly difficult for countless housewives and mothers to escape from this monotony, yet they can secure relief by becoming interested in some work of a public or quasi-public nature, or by taking up a "hobby" that has for its purpose some form of public good. All people love the plaudits and esteem of their fellow-creatures, and there is nothing that will relieve the monotony and bring that satisfaction which all of us desire more quickly than earnest labor in a worthy cause. Therefore, this is one of the first and the best remedies for that character of nervousness caused by the monotony and narrowed life of the average woman. [Sidenote: The effects of wrong eating and drinking] The most prolific cause of nervousness, however, is incorrect, unnatural habits of eating and drinking, therefore, the logical remedy must be found in simplifying, leveling, and making the diet conform to the requirements of the body governed, of course, by age, occupation, etc. The nervous person should eliminate from the diet acids, sweets (see Lesson VIII, Vol. II, pp. 313 and 332), flesh foods, and all stimulating beverages. The following menus, with variations according to the available supply of fruits and vegetables in season, should be adopted: SUGGESTIONS FOR SPRING Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Very little farina or oatmeal, Two baked bananas with cream Steamed wheat--cream A glass of buttermilk LUNCHEON Corn hominy, with butter A white potato, baked or cream A large, boiled onion Raisins, nuts, cream cheese Corn bread One or two glasses of water A glass of milk DINNER A pint of junket One egg or a morsel of fish Bran gems A baked potato A coddled egg (For bran Choice of carrots, parsnips, meal and coddled eggs, or onions see Vol. III, pp. 677 and (A green salad or spinach 683) may be eaten at this Hot water meal, if desired) One or two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. If there is a tendency toward constipation, a liberal portion of wheat bran, thoroughly cooked, should be taken at both the morning and the evening meal. Bran possesses valuable nutritive properties, such as mineral salts, iron, protein and phosphates, and it harmonizes chemically with all other foods. SUGGESTIONS FOR SUMMER BREAKFAST Melon, or any mild subacid or non-acid fruit, such as pears, baked apples, sweet grapes, very ripe peaches, Japanese plums, or persimmons Choice of whipped egg or junket A banana--natural, or baked, if the digestion is slightly impaired LUNCHEON A fresh green salad, such as celery or lettuce, with oil or nuts Onions, uncooked A whipped egg Carrots, peas, or beans DINNER Corn, carrots, peas, beans, or squash Half a cup of plain wheat bran, cooked A baked potato A glass of water SUGGESTIONS FOR FALL In adopting the two-meals-a-day system, the noon meal should be omitted. This gives the stomach and the irritated nerves a rest, and creates natural hunger which augments both digestion and assimilation. (See Lesson XIII, p. 630). BREAKFAST Melon or peaches A very ripe banana, with soaked prunes and cream A spoonful of nuts One or two spoonfuls of whole wheat, cooked very thoroughly One egg, prepared choice--preferably whipped One glass of water A green salad or some sweet fruit may be eaten at noon if very hungry. DINNER Squash or pumpkin, cooked en casserole Fresh string beans A baked sweet potato One or two tablespoonfuls of nuts--choice Junket or gelatin A glass of water SUGGESTIONS FOR WINTER FIRST DAY: On rising, drink two cups of cool water, and devote from five to ten minutes to vigorous exercises and deep breathing. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water or thin chocolate A small portion of boiled wheat One exceedingly ripe banana, eaten with cream One or two eggs, whipped--cream and sugar added One or two figs, with cream and either nuts or nut butter LUNCHEON Two eggs, whipped; add a flavor of sugar, orange juice, and a glass of milk A cup of hot water DINNER Turnips, carrots, parsnips, onions--any two of these A baked potato or baked beans A small portion of fish, white meat of chicken, or an egg Just before retiring, take exercises as prescribed for the morning, and, if constipated, two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran. SECOND DAY: The same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food if hungry. THIRD DAY: The same as the second, adding one or two baked bananas to the morning meal, and varying the vegetables according to the appetite for the noon and the evening meal. Nearly all vegetables such as turnips, beets, carrots and parsnips may be substituted for one another. FOURTH DAY: BREAKFAST Tokay or Malaga grapes A cup of hot water Two eggs, lightly poached, or a very rare omelet A whole wheat muffin or a bran gem A cup of chocolate A liberal portion of wheat bran (one-fourth oatmeal), cooked and served as an ordinary cereal, eaten with butter LUNCHEON Choice of either _a_ or _b_: _a_ Two eggs, prepared as follows: Break into a bowl. Add a teaspoonful of sugar to each egg. Whip five minutes very rapidly with a rotary egg beater. Add a glass of milk and a teaspoonful of orange juice to each egg _b_ A quart of milk and half a cup of bran One baked banana DINNER Any green salad--celery or shredded cabbage (very little), with salt and nuts Choice of any two fresh vegetables Choice of: _a_ One or two exceedingly ripe bananas, baked, eaten with butter or cream _b_ Figs or raisins, with cream A glass of water Exercise the same as prescribed for the first day. FIFTH DAY: The same as the fourth day. SIXTH DAY: The same as the first, repeating these menus for a period of three or four weeks. The nervous person should eat very sparingly of bread and cereal products, with the exception of bran and a few coarse articles, such as flaked or whole wheat or rye, and these should be taken sparingly while under treatment. A generous quantity of water should be drunk at meals, and mastication should be very thorough. If the body is overweight or inclined toward obesity, the diet should consist of fewer fat-producing foods, such as grains, potatoes, milk, eggs, and an excess of vegetable proteids. If underweight or inclined toward emaciation, the fat-producing foods should predominate. Under all conditions of nervousness the patient should take an abundance of exercise and deep breathing in the open air, and sleep out of doors, if possible. An abundance of fresh air breathed into the lungs is the best blood purifier known, and if the blood is kept pure, and forced into every cell and capillary vessel of the body by exercise, the irritated nerves will share in the general improvement. The cool shower or sponge bath in the morning, preceded and followed by a few minutes' vigorous exercise, is a splendid sedative for irritated nerves. RECREATION The nervous person should divide the day as nearly as possible into three equal parts--eight hours' pleasant but useful work; eight hours' recreation, and eight hours' sleep. [Sidenote: Necessity for true recreation] Under modern civilized conditions the majority of people do not seem to understand recreation. The summer seashore resorts, with their expensive attractions and whirling life, the great hostelries in the hills and mountains, and the lakes where thousands of people congregate, entail upon them certain duties, anxieties, expectations, disappointments, and often financial strain that deprive these places of all features of recreation, and make the sojourn there one of labor and strife. The real purpose that takes most people to these resorts is to be seen; to "star" themselves before the multitude, which in its last analysis is a kind of vanity, and it is obvious that from any effort in this direction no recreation can be obtained. The nervous person should seek a few congenial and thoughtful companions, and get back into the great heart of nature where everything moves in obedience to supreme law. Associate intimately with animals; study their habits, and notice how they respond to kindness; admire their honesty; analyze the love and fidelity of a dog. This is true diversion and recreation. This defines the purpose of life, if there be purpose behind it. This draws a sharp distinction between the condition that makes nervousness and the condition that makes honest, thoughtful, useful human beings. LESSON XVIII POINTS ON PRACTISE INTRODUCTION TO POINTS ON PRACTISE The preceding lessons were written through a period of many years' active practise in treating dis-eases by scientific feeding. They were intended as a normal course to qualify doctors, nurses, and those who wished to treat dis-ease by this method. However, the demand for this class of information has come from people in every walk of life, therefore the lessons, and all technical matter composing this entire work have been most carefully revised and rewritten in simple language so that any person of ordinary intelligence can comprehend them. The following lesson is intended for the guidance of the practitioner in beginning his work in this branch of the healing art. Inasmuch as nearly all human ills are caused by errors in eating, the preceding lessons have been confined almost wholly to dis-eases that originate in the digestive organs. Lesson XVIII POINTS ON PRACTISE [Sidenote: Dietetic treatment is reconstructive] There are a great many abnormal conditions of the human body classed as dis-eases that bear a very remote relation to diet, but in practise the student will soon learn that many of these conditions, which have not been considered in these lessons, will entirely disappear when the diet is perfected. This is true because dietetic treatment, based upon the fundamental laws of nutrition, is reconstructive, hence every part of the anatomy shares in the general improvement. [Sidenote: Scope of scientific feeding] There are many logical arguments to support the theory that there are no incurable dis-eases. There are many cases, however, where the vitality has become so low that recovery from dis-ease is impossible, but if the patient could be taken in time, the correct diagnosis made, and the proper food, air, and exercise given, Nature would begin her work of rebuilding at once. In view of these facts it is somewhat difficult to fix a limit to the scope of scientific feeding. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PRACTITIONER [Sidenote: The value of letters] The science of prescribing diet is a work that can be best conveyed to the patient in writing, hence one of the first and most important things for the new practitioner to do is to study the art of polemics--acquire the ability to write plain, convincing literature and letters. This is one of the greatest arts within the scope of human learning, and is probably susceptible of greater development than any other branch of human endeavor. Every person has his own individual method of expression that should be preserved and cultivated. Select some good author and copy his logic, but not his language. For this purpose I would recommend the works of Henry George, the great economic philosopher--and probably one of the greatest polementitians that ever lived. [Sidenote: Writing is mental calisthenics] The student should begin by taking up some simple branch or certain subject of his work, and writing a short argument or essay upon it, using every fact that he can possibly command to convince imaginary readers of the correctness of his theories. Select a new subject and write something on it every day. This is merely mental calisthenics, and after a month's training the thoughts and the language will flow with a freedom that will enable the student to write just as he feels. [Sidenote: A booklet describing your work] It would be well to arrange an argument based upon each lesson separately, dividing it into short chapters. These arguments or essays should be logically arranged to form a booklet, with proper title, as such representative literature is vitally necessary to the growth and the success of your work. It will also be found that this will be splendid mental exercise, and will serve well in presenting your work, either orally, or by letter. [Sidenote: The personality of the writer] Every one should endeavor to be original in his literature; in other words, no special effort should be made to quote any "authority" or to copy the style of other writers. Put your own personality into your work, for the most successful writer is not always the one who uses the most learned, polished or scholarly language, but the one who can convey his thoughts to the minds of others in the simplest and the most comprehensive language. Language at best is but a vehicle for conveying the thoughts of one person to the mind of another, and while there are accepted standards in literature and letters, from which one should not make too radical a departure, yet the ability to present one's convictions, or position convincingly should be of first consideration. The most important thing in writing is to have something to say; then to say it so that it can be understood. VALUE OF EXPERIENCE Experience is the only method by which theory can be converted into knowledge. The best possible source of information, therefore, is personal experimentation. If the student should have any disorder, especially of digestion and assimilation of food, or elimination of waste, he should experiment upon himself along the lines laid out in this course. He should keep an accurate record of selections, combinations, and proportions of food, with results or symptoms. He may thus be able to arrange menus for himself, even more effective than those given as examples or guides throughout the course. If there are no personal disorders that will permit of such experiments, then they should be made upon some other person with whom the student is sufficiently familiar in order that accurate information concerning the results may be secured. Though the student may be normal and healthy, it is possible to make many valuable experiments in regard to special adaptations of diet, such as combinations to induce natural sleep; to produce and to relieve constipation and diarrhea; to produce excessive body-heat when exposed to cold, or the minimum of heat in summer, or in warm climates. VALUE OF DIAGNOSIS Correct diagnosis is one of the most important factors in the practise of applied food chemistry, and when a correct diagnosis has been made the remedy will suggest itself if the student has a thorough understanding of causes. [Sidenote: Causes sometimes very remote] In diagnosis it is often necessary to ascertain the patient's general habits of eating during the few years prior to the appearance of the disorders. As an example, rheumatic conditions are often superinduced by an overconsumption of starch, usually cereal starch and acids. This overindulgence may have continued for several years before the appearance of any rheumatic symptoms. The primary causes being residual in the body, exposure, low vitality, or extreme climatic changes may give expression to them in the form of rheumatism, or some kindred trouble. [Sidenote: Value of limited feeding] After determining the causes, a diet should be designed which will counteract existing conditions. This may usually be accomplished by limiting the quantity of food somewhat below the demands of normal hunger. This will give the digestive organs less work to do, and the body an opportunity to take up or consume any excess of food matter that may have become congested. In cases accompanied by loss of hunger, it is sometimes necessary to put the patient upon an absolute fast from one to three days, but in the majority of cases a semi-fast is best, prescribing light, nutritious foods of a remedial character. EDUCATE YOUR PATIENT In beginning treatment each patient should be made acquainted with the fact that the radical change in diet may bring slight discomfort. While the system is adjusting itself to the new regimen, there is usually a slight loss of weight and a feeling of weakness or lassitude. [Sidenote: Curing a slow process] It should be impressed upon the mind of the patient that regaining health and strength is in reality a process of growth or evolution, hence slow and gradual; that when one has violated the laws of health for many years, Nature will not, or probably cannot forgive all these sins and repair all these wrongs in a month or two. However, when one gets in harmony with the physical universe, and conforms to the laws of his organization, Nature will construct (cure) much more rapidly than she formerly destroyed (produced dis-ease). [Sidenote: The patient should agree with the diet] The practitioner may have many cases that for some seemingly mysterious reason will not respond to a perfectly natural diet and will, therefore, be called upon to change the diet from time to time in the vain hope of finding combinations of food that will agree. In these cases the student should not be led to deviate too far from what he knows to be a natural and chemically harmonious regimen. If such a diet does not produce the desired results, it is not always the fault of the food, but the fault of the patient. If the food is right, and does not agree, it is the patient that is wrong, hence the logical thing to do is to make the rebellious patient agree with the food, instead of searching for a food to agree with the patient. These facts should be impressed strongly upon the mind of the one under treatment, and he should be prevailed upon, if possible, to conform strictly to a correct diet until Nature is given time and opportunity to bring about an adjustment between the individual and his food. It has been the custom of the medical profession for centuries to shroud its work in mystery, to write prescriptions in a dead language, to keep patients in ignorance of the remedies being applied. This seems to be necessary, probably because an intelligent discussion of allopathic drugs, their sources and their constituent elements would, no doubt, prove fatal to their administration. The food scientist should follow exactly the opposite course. He should make a very careful diagnosis, taking into account the diet, habits of exercise and exposure to fresh air prior to the appearance of the dis-ease, as well as at the time of treatment. By giving the patient a thorough understanding of your work, you gain his confidence and faith, which wield a very powerful influence over the body. EFFECT OF MENTAL CONDITIONS [Sidenote: Worry or fear causes stomach trouble] A very careful examination should also be made of the mental conditions. Worry, fear, or anxiety often produce serious digestive trouble which is generally attributed to other causes, and which should be treated very differently from the same trouble caused by errors in eating. During my professional work many patients have come to me laden with fear, caused by the thoughtless or perhaps reckless statement of some physician. It is indeed as great a crime for a doctor to pass the "sentence of death" upon a man who comes to him for help as it would be for the judge of a court to pronounce the death sentence upon a prisoner without hearing the evidence, and some day when the power of the mind or suggestion is understood, it will be so considered. [Sidenote: What Christian Science has done] It is impossible to fully estimate the effects of fear on the human body. Each year, I become more and more impressed with the fact that fear is one of the most potent factors in the cause of dis-ease. Christian Science has relieved thousands of people through the simple presentation of a philosophy that induces the individual to throw off this burden of fear. It matters not whether this burden is cast upon the Gentle Nazarene or John Doe, the fact that it has been disposed of often leads to relief and recovery. Christian Science has done the world a great service--it has put out the fires of an orthodox hell by pouring into it orthodox medicine. With a clear knowledge of the powerful psychological law, and the laws of human nutrition, the student has at his command two of the greatest forces in Nature for the relief of human suffering. PUBLICITY [Sidenote: Value of truthful advertising] Judicious and truthful advertising is another important factor in the success of the food scientist. Advertising has been considered unethical by medical men for years. It has been discredited, not because it is wrong, or because there is any harm in telling the public the truth about one's business, but because so many spurious nostrums and patent medicines were exploited by "quack" doctors, that the respectable physician deemed it best to adopt the other extreme in his effort to keep entirely out of this class. Advertising, however, is rapidly acquiring a more honest and upright character. The best magazines and some weekly newspapers will no longer accept advertisements of a questionable character, especially regarding medical remedies. Many of these excellent publications go so far as to vouch for and guarantee the honesty of everything exploited in their pages. Such methods are gradually purifying the advertising atmosphere. [Sidenote: Advertising both virtuous and necessary] There is no logical reason why anybody who has a virtuous and useful article, or who has discovered anything in the realm of science that would be a benefit to humanity, as well as a profit to himself, should not make it known as widely as possible through the instrumentality of advertising. In preparing advertising literature, whether for magazines, booklets, or letters, facts and truth concerning your work are all that is necessary. No statement should be made that can in any way jeopardize your reputation; nothing should be stated or claimed that cannot actually be made good. For many years it has been my policy to keep my advertising conservatively below the full limit of facts; in other words, the whole truth concerning that which can be accomplished by scientific feeding sometimes seems so startling to the lay mind that the experienced advertiser will not state it as it really is. A patient of mine who had been in a wheel chair for twelve years, and afflicted for twenty years with locomotor ataxia, was so much improved within a year's time that he walked from Brooklyn to my office in New York City to exhibit himself. He gave me a testimonial letter and the privilege of using it in my advertisements. I wrote up the facts in regard to his case and submitted them to my agent, who was an expert advertiser, and he advised me not to state the facts as they were; the public, he contended, would not accept them as true. BE COURTEOUS AND TOLERANT It is almost impossible to estimate the moral effect of a broad-minded, tolerant and courteous attitude toward others engaged in the practise of the healing art. Medical doctors seldom agree, especially those of different schools. They accuse each other of ignorance and incompetence, and the public is sometimes inclined to concede that they are right. In certainty and in truth one has confidence and strength which is always conducive to tolerance. The food scientist, knowing the laws of cause and effect in regard to nutrition, and knowing the proper use of natural methods of diet and hygiene in the prevention and the cure of specific dis-eases, needs neither to dispute with a fellow practitioner, nor to argue with his patient. He can afford to state his position and quietly allow Nature to prove his claims. LESSON XIX EVOLUTION OF MAN The following lessons, while they do not treat directly of either the chemistry of food or the chemistry of the body, are so closely allied to these subjects that this work would not be complete without them. LESSON XIX EVOLUTION OF MAN WHAT IS EVOLUTION? If a resident of a city, who is not familiar with modern farm machinery, should see a grain-binder at work, he would be impressed with the skill and the ingenuity of man. In all probability he would think that the machine was the product of one inventive mind. In this, however, he would be mistaken. The reaper in its modern form is the result of gradual development or growth. [Sidenote: An example of evolution] The earliest method of gathering grain was pulling it up by the roots. Later, as cutting tools were invented, a rough knife was used to sever the stalks just above the ground. An improvement upon this method was the cycle; then came the scythe, then the cradle; and next came the mower which was operated by horse-power. From the mower was developed the self rake, which bunched the grain so that the hand-binders could work with greater facility. The next improvement was a self-binding machine. In the present machine we have all of these and many other improvements, which give greater speed with less waste of labor and time. This development of the grain-binder is a process of evolution. In order to understand a machine so as to use it intelligently, or to make improvements upon it, it is necessary not only to know the machine as it actually is, but also to know the history of its development up to its present form. [Sidenote: To know man is to know evolution] The story of the evolution of a machine is, at best, but a crude illustration of the evolution of man. Nevertheless, the conclusion is the same. If we are to understand man, we must study not only his present physical and mental state, but also the history of his development. Yet those whose work is concerned directly with man--whether they be teachers, guiding the growth of the child; statesmen, formulating the laws and regulations by which men are to be controlled in their public actions; or physicians, who are supposed to instruct and to guide men in the care of their physical well-being--are often densely ignorant of the most rudimentary knowledge of the evolution of man as it is now known and understood by the leading scientists of the world. Our entire system of education, our ideas of health and dis-ease, our social customs, the principles of our form of government; our ideas of right and wrong, of rewards and punishments, are all fundamentally concerned with the evolution of man, and when this knowledge is studied with as much application as are the ancient languages, we may expect to see humanity progress at a rate hitherto unknown. [Sidenote: Significance of the term "evolution"] The evolution of man has been very much misunderstood. The term "evolution" is a broad one. It may refer to the growth of the individual, or to the race. It may mean the development of strictly physical organs, or of mental habits, of social customs, or of material products of man's genius, as the great works of civilization in the form of recorded learning, and the wonderful products of man's building ingenuity as seen in modern cities. The subject of the evolution of the human race may be grouped into three general kinds of development or growth: 1 The development of the physical man 2 The development of the mind 3 The development of custom and of external civilization Evolution in these three directions has taken place simultaneously. The mind and the body depend upon each other for their life and actions; while customs are merely the product of many minds working together and communicating their ideas to each other. * * * * * The human race is but the sum of the individuals composing it. We cannot consider the development of the individual without considering him in his relation to the race, neither can we understand the development of the race without understanding the growth of the individual. [Sidenote: Difference between inherited and acquired characteristics] One distinction too often overlooked by those who are not familiar with physiological science is the difference between actual physical inheritance and external customs. I wish to dwell at length upon this distinction, because a lack of understanding upon this point has been the source of many errors of judgment on the part of those who have been interested in the subject of physical training and food science. At birth the individual inherits an organism with certain tendencies, both physical and mental, but this inheritance should not be confused with the physical habits which the child acquires by training from its parents and its associates. Thus, the child may inherit a brilliant mind, a weak stomach, or a sixth finger, but the child does not inherit a liking for broiled lobster, or a fondness for golf, or for driving an aeroplane. These are acquired and developed as habits, the same as the child would learn English or French, or would cultivate a fancy for parting his hair in the middle, or on the left side. THE THREE GREAT PROOFS OF THE EVOLUTION OF ANIMAL LIFE At the present time scientists are agreed upon the general theory of the evolution of man. The discussions pro and con regarding this, which exist today, are either discussions of minor points which have not yet been clearly worked out, or are the discussions of people who have grasped only a portion of the idea of evolution, and who are ignorant of its broader conception and of the facts which science has brought to the light of day. The three great proofs of evolution are: 1 The actual history of the past recorded as fossils in the rocks and in the relics of pre-historic races 2 The existence in the world today of a range of animals and plants which shows living examples of earlier types 3 The repetition of the development of man as found in the growth of the individual These three separate records of the development of living beings are considered by scientists as a most conclusive proof of the truth of evolution. Recorded as fossils in the rocks, we find the story of the development of all life upon the earth, from its simplest to its highest forms of plants and animals that live today, among which is man. [Sidenote: The earliest forms of animal life] The first forms of animal life were, in all probability, minute one-celled organisms; these left no visible fossil remains. As soon as animals developed hard parts in their bodies, such as shells and bones, we find a record of their existence as fossils. The earliest recorded forms of life were various kinds of sea-creatures, of which the modern crustacea (lobsters, etc.), snails, clams, and various shell-fishes are types. Later were developed boneless fishes, on the order of skates. After these came true fishes; then amphibia (frogs, etc.); then reptiles, birds, and, last of all, mammals, including man. The facts are the same, whether we take the history of the successive forms as recorded as fossils in the rocks, or the living representatives that remain to tell the story in another form. [Sidenote: The single cell is the nucleus] The third proof, which is the story of evolution recorded in the growth and development of the individual, is yet more interesting. As life developed from simpler forms, each individual animal or plant became more complex, or carried a little further the process of growth. But the method of reproduction of new individuals remained fundamentally the same. Each individual began, like its ancestors, as a single-cell being. By the process of nutrition these single cells in each case would grow, divide, and produce various tissues and organs, but always repeating the general story of the development of the race. [Sidenote: Gills in the human embryo] The growth of the human embryo offers many proofs of evolution, which are wholly unexplainable upon any other theory of the origin of man, and would in themselves prove the truth of this view of man's creation were the proofs of geology entirely lacking. A single example will serve as an illustration. The human embryo at a certain period develops gill slits in the neck, the same as the embryo of a fish. This formation of unused or rudimentary organs which are afterwards outgrown, is very common throughout the animal world. In the upper jaw of a calf there are formed at a certain period incisor teeth, which never grow through the gums, but are reabsorbed and disappear as the calf develops. I will not go further into the proofs and facts of the general theory of the evolution of animal life, but will now consider the later period of the development of man, which will show us his relation to other animals, and from which we can derive much valuable information regarding his natural physiological requirements. MAN'S ANIMAL KINSHIP The conception of man being descended from a monkey has been the subject of much wit and mirth. [Sidenote: Man's relation to anthropoid apes] The scientist is not concerned with this theory; he only claims that man is very closely related to certain monkey-like forms known as anthropoid apes. The proofs of this assertion are abundant and conclusive. In fact, anthropoid apes, such as gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-outangs, are much more closely related to man than they are to other kinds of monkeys. This relation is shown by very close resemblance between the anatomy of man and apes, especially as to the teeth and digestive organs. Other facts are now known, of which Darwin and early investigators were ignorant, which prove this relation in a much more striking manner. [Sidenote: Comparison of blood from man and apes] Late studies upon the growth of the embryo of anthropoid apes have shown that they were at certain periods almost indistinguishable from human embryos. Another proof, quite striking and interesting, is in the similarity of the parasites and dis-eases of men and apes. Scientists have, within the past few years, made a series of comparative investigations upon the blood and serum of men and apes, which have resulted in most remarkable discoveries. There are certain accurate tests known to the physiological chemist by which human blood may be distinguished from the blood of all other animals, but the blood of these man-like apes is an exception to this, and cannot be distinguished from human blood. [Sidenote: Difference in the development of man and apes] From these facts it is clear that the earlier types of men were creatures whose physical development and whose habits were not very different from those of apes. The development that has taken place since that time is truly very wonderful and has resulted in a widening gap between man and apes that today seems very great. The truth remains, however, that this gap is not so much one of anatomy and physiology as it is one of mentality and of external habits and material aids to living that have resulted from man's greatly developed mental faculties. [Sidenote: Power of speech a factor in man's evolution] Thus, when the mind of man reached the stage of development in which the use of articulate speech became possible, the evolution of intelligence proceeded at a very much more rapid pace than had been possible before. He could communicate his ideas to his fellow-creatures; concerted action became possible, and the faculty of reason, or the ability to think was multiplied by the number of beings who could communicate with each other. The power of reason and the ability to communicate ideas resulted in the formation of those habits which distinguish man from other animals. When one primitive man learned the use of a club as a weapon, found how to use sharp-edged stones as cutting tools, or discovered the wonders and power of fire, he communicated his new-found knowledge to the other members of his tribe, with the result that new ideas became common property. [Sidenote: Man's bad habits have kept pace with his progress] This spreading of habits or customs took place very rapidly among men and was the source of the various changes which distinguished civilized life from savage life. But we must here point out that not only good habits were so spread, but bad ones as well. The origin and the use of opium and of alcohol, the injuries of fashionable dress and the economic wrongs of tyrannical government originated along with the birth of language, art, science, and all that uplifts and benefits mankind. Clearly, then, that man is misinformed who defends a wrong by referring to its age and reasons that, if certain things were harmful, they would not have survived. To the young thinker the existence of harmful ideas and habits among mankind may at first seem inconsistent with the principles of the survival of the fittest, but this difficulty will disappear upon further investigation. [Sidenote: Factors that determine the survival of races] Since the beginning of recorded history many factors have helped to determine what kind of individuals and races should survive. War, economic wealth and poverty, intellectual beliefs, religions, and social institutions have all been potent factors in determining who should survive. With wealth and conquest came the opportunity to gratify tastes and passions of which the poor individuals of weaker races could not avail themselves. [Sidenote: Many habits and customs detrimental to life and health] Many of the habits and customs which man has developed are not necessary to life, and may be positively detrimental to health and longevity. They have been handed down from generation to generation, not because of their benefit to man, but in spite of their detriment. Such condition of affairs would not be possible if man were not the dominant animal. Man's intellectual supremacy has given him power over the rest of nature, which has resulted in making his struggle for existence much less severe. His use of weapons and of artificial protection from natural destructive forces, as severe heat or cold, has made it possible for him to live and to produce offspring in spite of wrong habits and wrong methods of living, and the natural resistance of life. [Sidenote: Man's organs have a limited power of adaptation] A prevalent error that is due to an incomplete knowledge of the facts of evolution is the belief that organs readily change or adapt themselves to the habits or environment of the individual. This is not true to the extent that it is ordinarily believed. Each individual has a certain limited power of adaptation. He may develop his lungs to a greater breathing capacity, or train his hand for certain skilled work, but these particular acquired habits of the individual are not inherited. Evolution of the race proceeds by the law of natural selection. Thus, if those who are born with great vigor and strong lungs are enabled to live where their weak-lunged neighbors will die, the result will be that their offspring, having greater lung capacity, will form a race with increased lung capacity. But the individual training of the lungs, or of the hand, or of any other organ of the body, will not of itself change the inherited tendency, or, to use a common term of the scientist, the germ-plasm of the race. Organs and functions will change or become evolved by natural selections; that is, where it is a matter of life and death. But where the selective agencies depend upon other things, an organ may be used or abused for thousands of successive generations, and yet the natural inherited organ of the new-born child will be identical in development and function to that of the remote ancestor. [Sidenote: Acquired characteristics are not inherited] There are abundant proofs that so called "acquired characteristics" are not inherited. Were acquired characteristics inherited, Chinese women would be born with small feet and the babies of the Flathead Indians would inherit the flat head which has for generations been produced by binding a flat stone on the soft skull of the new-born infant. In the light of this fact we may understand how it has been possible for man to live through the varying dietetic habits and customs that the constantly changing ideas and tastes of civilization have thrust upon his physical organism. Each individual has transmitted to his offspring the same type of digestive organs and functions that he himself inherited from his remote anthropoid ancestors. [Sidenote: Meaning of expression "natural" diet] Thus, such terms as "back to nature," "natural diet," etc., only mean to the food scientist the habits of life or the dietary which is most suited to the unperverted physical organism of man. They do not imply the meaning that is popularly given to the term, of casting aside all the habits and customs of civilized man, but only the adapting of these customs to the inherited physiological organism of man. Indeed, science may actually improve upon primitive conditions, and still not be inconsistent with the requirements of the inherited physiological machine. No intelligent man will dispute the advantage of a house in a snowstorm. Yet the house is artificial. It is not "natural" in the sense that the term is commonly used. Or, again, man has by the aid of civilization rendered it possible for us to use foods far removed from their source of production, or, by preservation, to have them at seasons of the year when nature does not provide them. These artificial results of civilization are good. They are a part of the story of evolution, the benefit of which no one can question. [Sidenote: Man's dietetic development] But the great majority of the dietetic "frills" of modern man are actually unsuited to his physiological make-up, and exceedingly harmful. They have been developed as have habits of drink or personal adornment and may be in direct antagonism to the ultimate well-being of the human race. I have briefly reviewed the history of the evolution of man. The facts to be remembered are: 1 That men are descended from earlier and more primitive types of beings and are governed by the same general laws of heredity and nutrition as are other forms of animals 2 Man, being a distinct species of animal, has particular laws that apply only to him, and therefore we should be careful not to judge him too closely by facts regarding other forms of animal life 3 Man has changed very materially in the few thousand years of his civilization, in his external habits and customs, but very little in his fundamental physiological processes; therefore we should be able to judge what will be best suited for his needs by studying the process of the development of his organs during the millions of years that preceded the historic period. This plane of life is best seen today in the case of savages unacquainted with fire, and in the case of anthropoid apes. With this general survey of evolution, and a clear understanding of the principles involved, I trust the reader will consider the facts here presented in the unprejudicial spirit of the true scientist. LESSON XX SEX AND HEREDITY THE ORIGIN OF SEX That part of human life and living that is associated with the functions of sex and reproduction is at once the cause of the world's greatest misery and the world's greatest happiness. It is the subject of the greatest popular ignorance and superstition, and at the same time the field of the most wonderful of all scientific knowledge. For the origin of sex we must look back into the remote ages of creation in the early stages of organic evolution. [Sidenote: Fundamental function of the cell] The first essential property of matter that makes life possible is the power of nutrition, which means the ability of the living cell to transform other chemical substances into its own protoplasm or living substances. But this world would have remained a barren mass of igneous rock if nutrition had been the only function with which the earlier forms of life were endowed. Not only must the living cell be enabled to grow by absorbing other substances, but it must reproduce itself, or multiply the number of living individuals. [Sidenote: First form of reproduction] The first method by which this was accomplished was undoubtedly one of simple division; that is, the living cell grew by absorbing other substances and when sufficient size had been attained, divided, forming two daughter-cells. This division process of reproduction is the form by which all bacteria (so-called dis-ease germs) and many other lower forms of life increase their numbers. [Sidenote: Second form of reproduction] [Sidenote: Strength in fusion of cells] This process of reproduction, by simple division, was early supplemented by another process of reproduction in which two living cells first fused or combined and then divided to form two or more daughter-cells. This form of reproduction seems to have added stimulus or vitality to the organisms. The supposed reason for this is that the isolated cell was inclined to weaken or lose its chemical balance or tone. The exact nature of this deterioration is not very clearly understood, but in a higher form of life it is well illustrated by the tendency of certain plants to "run out" when grown continually in the same soil, or of animals to become weakened when inbred. At least, all scientists concede that with the process of fusion or the combining of two cells there is added a stimulating and invigorating force which enables life to combat more successfully the unfavorable elements of its environment, and to change or evolve into higher forms. [Sidenote: Sexual reproduction in plants] [Sidenote: Fertilization of orchids] Throughout the range of plant and animal life this process of cell union, or sexual reproduction, has grown and become elaborated into most varied and wonderful forms. Large volumes could be written describing the many wonderful adaptations of plant and animal life, the purpose of which is to secure sexual reproduction. All those who have studied botany are familiar with the many ways in which the seeds of plants are fertilized by pollen. For instance, certain species of orchids have a receptacle in the blossom, shaped like a teapot, which is filled with a fluid resembling water. This little teapot has an entrance and an exit. Near the entrance is sweet-scented nectar which attracts the bee. As the bee passes through this gateway he is tripped up on a little trap-door arrangement and precipitated into the fluid. His wings having become wet, he is obliged to crawl out through the exit. [Sidenote: The wonderful process of flower fertilization] The object of this elaborate device is as follows: In the entrance passageway is located the stigma (female organ), while in the exit passageway the male or pollen-bearing organ of the orchid is found. The bee visits several of these flowers consecutively, and, as he makes his exit from each flower, he bears away on his body a portion of the pollen, which is transferred to the stigma of the next flower visited; while the bee, being forced to go through a "plunge bath" before visiting another flower, acquires a fresh load of pollen in each case. This scheme is a certain means of securing fertilization or sexual reproduction, and positively prevents inbreeding (the fertilization of a flower by its own pollen). This is merely one of the wonderful adaptations of nature in the solution of the sex problem. [Sidenote: Reproduction among fishes] [Sidenote: Nature's wasteful methods] In the animal kingdom the methods of sexual reproduction are also varied and wonderful. In many of the lower forms of animals, such as the various sea-creatures, the methods of reproduction may be those of division, as first mentioned, or a method combining division with true sexual reproduction. In the case of fishes, the eggs of the female are deposited in the bottom of a stream and are later fertilized by the sperm-cells of the male fishes. This involves a tremendous waste of reproductive cells, scarcely less extravagant than the waste of pollen in plants, such as is seen in a corn-field when the ground becomes yellow, during the tasseling season, with the myriads of pollen grains that failed to secure lodgment upon the silks of the young ears of corn. [Sidenote: Reproduction in higher forms of life] In the types of animals that are of higher form than fishes, that is, reptiles, birds, and mammals, the fertilization of the germ-cell (egg) takes place within the body of the female. In the case of the latter group--mammals--the true egg is hatched within the body of the female, and the offspring, or embryo as it is known to scientists, grows there for a considerable period before birth. A RATIONAL VIEW OF SEXUAL HEALTH The anatomy and the physiology of reproduction will not be considered in detail in this work, as this would require a very lengthy and technical treatise. The remainder of the lesson will be devoted to the relation of the reproductive functions to general health and happiness. [Sidenote: Development of reproductive instincts] In the process of evolution this function of reproduction was vitally essential to the life of the race. As a result there developed in all animal life strong sexual or reproductive instincts. As is plainly evident, all animals, including man, with such instincts most strongly developed would be the most successful in producing young, and through these offsprings the race or species would inherit like reproductive desires. [Sidenote: Kinship of the sexual, paternal and social instinct] In the case of man and the higher form of animals, this general instinct, the purpose of which was to produce offspring, became diversified in to many instincts. Not only does the reproductive instinct in this broad sense include what is commonly known as sexual passion in man, but it may very truly be said to be the essence of sexual love and parental love. Broad-minded scientists are even inclined to believe that the so-called social instinct or love for our fellowmen is but a distant reflection or shadow, as it were, of the original or natural instinct to produce offspring. There has arisen among civilized man a tendency to separate and class as two distinct things the strictly physical element of sexual desire, and the associate emotion of intellectual love between the sexes. As a matter of fact there is no distinct line of demarcation. [Sidenote: Overindulgence, degenerating and destructive] That the former instinct has grown into disrepute and has come to be considered a forbidden topic in polite society, is due to the fact that sexual passion, like all other human acts which may be a source of gratification, can degenerate by overindulgence into a destructive and demoralizing vice. This is equally true of other forms of appetite, but the reason that the instinct of sex, when degenerated, becomes such a tremendous source of destruction and death is because of the important part played in the game of life by the reproductive function. [Sidenote: Relation of sexual functions to the nervous system] The functions of reproduction are, in both sexes, very intimately and closely associated with the nervous or vital mechanism of the entire body. For this reason, when the sexual function are perverted or abused the result is serious injury to the general nerve tone or vital force of the system. Likewise the contrary proposition is true; therefore, when for any reason, the general nervous tone or vital force of the body is deranged, the associated result is frequently abnormal passion or weakened sexual functions. [Sidenote: Necessity for popular knowledge concerning sex] A great deal of literature has been written and circulated throughout the country by well-intentioned individuals purporting to give popular knowledge regarding the subject of sex. But such literature has greatly exaggerated the evils and the dangers connected with sexual health. Outside of specific germ dis-eases transmitted through the sexual organs, and which, while serious, have been painted much darker than the facts justify, there is little excuse for all this horror and scare about sexual weakness and perversion. [Sidenote: Relation of nutrition to sexual health] Sexual health, like mental or muscular health, is a matter of common sense and right living. Proper feeding, proper oxidation, proper circulation (exercise), perfect elimination of waste-products, and a suitable distribution of both mental and physical work will result in perfect nutrition. This means normal, wholesome body-fluids and body-cells. With these things gained, the sexual organs and sex-function will have a fair opportunity for normal existence, and the matter of sexual health, and the consequent happiness which accompanies it, is then simply a matter of temperance, common decency, and self-control. EMBRYOLOGICAL GROWTH--PRENATAL CULTURE [Sidenote: Superstition concerning prenatal culture] Upon the growth of the human embryo, or so-called prenatal culture, there exists a great deal of popular superstition, which is utterly groundless from the standpoint of accurate science. The views that have been promulgated regarding prenatal culture are for the main part harmless, and, for that matter, may be productive of good. [Sidenote: Theory of prenatal culturists] The idea of the prenatal culturist is that the mental as well as the physical growth and development of the unborn child can be controlled by the mother. The only ground for this belief is as follows: The child is nourished from the blood or nutritive fluid of the mother, with the result that the growth and the development of the child may be very readily influenced by the nutrition of the mother. [Sidenote: Influence of fright, anger, etc.] The mental condition of the mother has an influence on the growth of the child, but it is indirect. All organs and functions of the human body are controlled by the nervous system, and if the nervous impulse be deranged or weakened it may result in a serious impairment of nutrition. For this reason fright, anger, and other strong passions may result in lasting injury to the unborn child, but this injury is at most a matter of stunting or malnutrition, and cannot result in the voluntary mental life of the mother being transmitted to the child. [Sidenote: Mother's nutrition the only factor in influencing her child] As evidence of these assertions, I would call the reader's attention to the fact that there is no nervous connection whatever between the embryo and the mother, but after the fertilization of the germ-cell, the only way in which the mother can influence the growth of the child is by the nutrition which her blood supplies to the growing tissue of the embryo. [Sidenote: Birthmarks] As further proof of these statements, I will cite the investigations of Darwin in regard to the popular superstition of birthmarks. At the instance of Mr. Darwin, some seven or eight hundred women of a London hospital were very carefully questioned before the birth of the child, as to any incidents which had happened that, according to popular notions, might result in birthmarks or deformities. In no instance was any incident given which resulted in the expected deformity; but the most interesting feature of the investigation was that several women whose children were born with birthmarks recalled, upon seeing the deformity, some incident which seemed to give a possible explanation, thus showing to the mind of anyone familiar with psychology that the true explanation of all so-called remarkable incidents of birthmarks and of prenatal influence is merely one of superstition or self-deception. HEREDITY How often we hear someone remark upon the wonders of heredity. People are astonished because John should look like John's father. As a matter of fact, the astonishment should come the other way. The child is but a continuation of the life of the parents. The cells from which the child develops have within them the power to grow and to produce individuals like the parents. This is wonderful, but it is only another form of the wonder of a willow twig growing into a willow tree when placed in moist earth. [Sidenote: Why the child is not identical with parents] To the scientist, then, the wonder comes, not in the fact that the child resembles the parent, but in the fact that the child is not identical with the parent. Part of the explanation of this lack of identity, or, as it is known to science, variation, is due to the fact of sexual reproduction; that is, to the fact that the child has two parents instead of one. [Sidenote: Microscopic study of reproductive cells] The physiological process which takes place in the union of two reproductive cells is truly most wonderful. Of late years this has been studied under powerful microscopes and has resulted in some very wonderful revelations of the mysteries of Nature. [Sidenote: Chromosoms in different species] The nucleus (center of growth) of the parent cells contains little thread-like structures known as chromosoms. These chromosoms are considered to be the physical basis of heredity. In each species of animal there is a definite and a different number. [Sidenote: Action of the chromosom] When the sperm-cell unites with the female or germ-cell, these thread-like chromosoms pair off and unite each chromosom with the corresponding structure from the other cell. The combined structures then divide, and half of each chromosom is cast out of the cell-nucleus, and plays no part in the life of the future being; the other half is retained and divides as each new cell is formed. Thus we see that every part of the new individual is the result of the fusion or combination of the two parents. This explains the variation of inheritance, and through this source must be traced all traits of heredity. After the original fusion of these microscopic physical elements of heredity, the future development of the individual is wholly a matter of environment and nutrition. WHAT HEREDITY IS [Sidenote: General characteristics due to heredity] What heredity is and what it is not will now be considered in a practical way. It is clearly a matter of heredity that a man is born a man and not a monkey. Likewise, it is clearly a matter of heredity that distinguishes the various races of men. We could go farther and trace out and describe many of the physical distinctions which mark families, and even individuals, such as general size of frame, form of countenance, color of hair and eyes, etc. [Sidenote: Characteristics not attributed to heredity] Among mental traits we can safely ascribe to heredity only general distinctions. Intellectual parents are more likely to give birth to intellectual children than are parents whose natural mental faculties are less developed. There is also no doubt that certain natural characteristics of mind, such as quick temper, musical ability, etc., may be inherited. The belief, however, in the inheritance of many less distinct features, both physical and mental, is not well established by scientific investigation. Strength of muscle, control of the nervous system, susceptibility to, or freedom from dis-ease, etc., are more matters of nutrition and environment than of inheritance. The idea that consumption, alcoholism, etc., are inherited, or that the education or training of parents along certain lines will result in children with faculties adapted to similar education, is not in accordance with scientific knowledge. SUMMARY OF FACTS REGARDING SEX AND HEREDITY 1 The function of sex has been developed in the process of evolution for the purpose of perpetuating life. 2 The sexual functions are very closely related to the life of the individual, and can be normal only when the laws of nutrition and of general hygiene are observed. 3 The idea of prenatal culture as commonly taught is a delusion; the only method that the mother can employ to control the growth of her unborn child is to live a wholesome, normal life, physically and mentally, and thus supply her own body and that of the child with perfect material for the building of living cells. 4 The powers of heredity are often overestimated, and many of the weaknesses and disorders of life supposed to be inherent can be overcome by proper nutrition and environment. All life, whatever be the inherited tendencies, will be developed to the highest possible capacity by obeying the laws of individual growth, for in the individual, as in the race, Nature is always striving to bring the products of her work to the highest degrees of perfection. LESSON XXI REST AND SLEEP REST [Sidenote: Opposing forces in nature] Throughout all nature we observe the phenomena of universal rhythm, manifested in opposing forces, such as heat and cold, light and darkness, construction and destruction, etc. The human body is as much affected by this rhythm as is any other form of life. [Sidenote: Opposing forces in human system] There are two forces continually at work within us, one toward destruction and disintegration, and the other toward construction and upbuilding. The common physiological terms for these activities are "waste" and "repair," and we observe them as one of the distinct manifestations of the universal laws of growth, progress, and evolution. History moves in cycles. Even the life of nations depends somewhat upon this same principle of the interplay of the positive and negative forces of life. [Sidenote: Life and death in changes of seasons] We see the same thing in the changes of the seasons upon the face of the earth. Throughout autumn and winter there is a process of decay, death, and disintegration; leaves fall; plants and vegetables die; fruits ripen, fall and decay. This process continues until former beautiful and symmetrical bodies of matter are thoroughly disintegrated, and the particles once composing them are separated into their original elements, to be appropriated in new manifestations of life in springtime and summer. [Sidenote: Human body compared to a machine] We are inclined to think of the human body as a machine--a marvelous, intricate, and complex mechanism which serves our will and our desires; as a tool with which we work out our earthly destiny. But unlike man-made machines, it is self-repairing, self-adjusting, and contains within itself the forces of construction, which are constantly tending toward perfection, while our industrial machines are constantly tending toward their own disintegration and destruction. [Sidenote: Constant changes in body-tissue] Every movement of the body, conscious or unconscious, even thought and emotion, use up some part of the body-tissue which must be replaced by new material. This constant change in the texture and the make-up of the body we call "metabolism," involving the functions of digestion, absorption, assimilation, and elimination. While we may regard the body as a machine, there are many points in which the favorite comparison to a steam-engine is not exact. [Sidenote: Favorite comparison of the body with the steam-engine] The inert metal composing the steam-engine has no power in itself, nor does power act through the different particles of metal, but it is controlled by the external application of force, which is the result of chemical changes caused by combustion in the fire-box. The metal of the engine has no part in the production of this energy. It does not need to take periods for rest, and if it were possible to supply it continually with water and fuel, it could run steadily from the time it was started until one or more of its essential parts were destroyed through friction. [Sidenote: Necessity for rest] But the engineer and the fireman who drive the engine find it necessary to rest from their labors at certain intervals, not merely for fuel and water, but to prevent serious destruction of body-tissue. This is true because man is compelled by hitherto unrecognized laws to give his body an opportunity, not only for readjustment in its composition, but also for the actual renewal of that power which animates him and makes him an intelligent, self-adjusting, and self-controlled being. THE OLD PHYSIOLOGY [Sidenote: The stomach as a fire-box] [Sidenote: Phenomenon of rest and sleep] According to the teachings of the old physiology, our stomachs were fire-boxes of the human engine; food was fuel, and the stomach was supposed to transform this fuel into work or energy by a process not entirely clear. Just as it is impossible for the lifeless iron and steel, within itself to transform coal and water into dynamic power, and to apply that power to its own locomotion, so it is impossible and entirely incompatible with reason for mere muscular tissue of the body to extract enough energy from the food we eat to perform the work necessary for that transformation itself, besides enough more to carry on all the functional activities of the system, and at the same time to do hundreds of foot-tons of physical labor. In this fact lies the key to some understanding of the phenomenon of rest and sleep. The old physiology was really never able to explain how it was possible for the digestive apparatus to extract, from the amount of food consumed, the enormous amount of energy which the average person expends each day. REST AND RE-CREATION [Sidenote: Change of occupation not re-creation] These terms are often confused. When one is engaged in some occupation or activity other than his regular vocation, it is commonly called "re-creation." This is a misconception, because it is merely a change in activity and must also be more or less destructive to other sets of nerves or muscular tissue. It is not in reality re-creation--it simply throws the life-power into a new channel, which is more responsive, and calls for less action from those parts of the mechanism which have been employed in the work from which one is seeking relief. It is for this reason that we find some pleasure in a new and different activity, though it, too, may be destructive to the human cell. [Sidenote: Specialization in business not conducive to health] One may alternate from one kind of activity to another indefinitely, which would be better than _no_ change, but the human mechanism would finally give way under such violation of fundamental law. The mental worker may change, however, to any manual labor requiring little thought, and the physical worker to some form of mental labor, with far better effect. But, in our present civilization, specialization has become so far advanced that the physical laborer is seldom qualified for mental work, and the mental worker has almost neglected manual training. _True rest and re-creation is found in mental tranquility and sleep._ SLEEP From observation and study of the state we call sleep, we notice that as night approaches and the activities of the day wear upon us, both the nervous and the muscular organisms relax, so that it becomes more and more difficult to maintain a positive and an active attitude of mind. There is a tendency toward cessation and rest, which gradually brings upon us that passive condition called sleep. [Sidenote: Evidence of acquired energy during sleep] In spite of the fatigue often experienced before we retire, we awake again on the morrow with renewed strength and power. From these and other reasons we are led to believe that during the hours of activity the body is constantly expending vital energy in both internal and external work, and that during the hours of sleep, through some unknown process, the body is charged with vital energy which is stored up and used gradually for carrying on the various functions and activities of the system. [Sidenote: The mystery of energy] Just what this energy is, just where it comes from, just how it is stored, just the manner in which it is delegated to the body, we cannot say. We can only observe its workings, or effects, and formulate therefrom a theory. We are led to believe, however, that this energy is stored in the nervous organism, perhaps most largely in the brain, as brain tissue is the last to break down or waste away in sickness, ill health, dis-ease, or starvation, often maintaining its full weight up to the point of death. [Sidenote: Vital processes expend energy during sleep] Even in sleep the expenditure of energy in the vital processes continues vigorously, depending upon conditions immediately preceding sleep, but usually in a much more passive degree than in the waking hours. These activities, however, are no more pronounced in their constructive action or repair, than in ordinary periods of rest during the waking hours. SOME REASONS [Sidenote: Food furnishes but a fraction of the total body-energy] The processes of nutrition, alone, demand the expenditure of much energy, and the degree of energy available from foods, even by perfect combustion, would yield but a fraction of the energy expended by the body. [Sidenote: Energy required for work in excess of energy obtained from food] The average laborer in shoveling coal, swinging an axe or a pick, expends energy far in excess of the amount that could possibly be obtained from his food. A day laborer may eat a piece of beefsteak, two or three potatoes, and a few slices of bread, and will shovel twenty tons of earth to a height of five feet; a Japanese soldier will carry a heavy load and walk all day, subsisting only on a handful of rice, and besides this, will do some thinking, which consumes energy. [Sidenote: Evidence gained from "fasts" and "no breakfast" plan] We also have on record fasts, of from thirty to forty days, which, in some cases, show a slight gain in strength. There are also hundreds of students of natural living who adopted the "no breakfast plan" and again many, only one meal a day, limiting their consumption of food to comparatively small quantities of nuts, fruits, and vegetables, who have found thereby a remarkable increase in vitality, strength, and general physical and mental power. [Sidenote: Relation of sleep to expenditure of energy] Since the processes of nutrition, including digestion, circulation, assimilation and excretion consume energy, and notwithstanding this we are able to perform hundreds of foot-tons of labor a day besides; since we have found it possible to continue to live, and in some cases to even increase the amount of strength and work-power on a very limited diet; since it is a mathematical impossibility to produce as much energy from the food consumed as the body expends, we are forced to the conclusion that we do not obtain all our energy from food. Therefore, from a careful analysis of the phenomenon of sleep, we conclude that it is very closely connected with this mystery. OXIDATION AND AIR [Sidenote: Relative importance of air, food and water] One of the most important of the vital functions is breathing. Physiologists, teachers, and lecturers continually remind us of the comparative time we could live without food or water, and the remarkably short time we could live if entirely deprived of air. [Sidenote: Oxygen not the only required element in breathing] Oxygen is vitally necessary for the purpose of purifying the blood and supplying the various tissues and fluids in the body, of which oxygen forms an important constituent. However, oxygen is not the only necessary element which is utilized by the system in the process of breathing, as human beings die immediately upon being placed in a receptacle of undiluted oxygen. Just what this other factor is, science has not clearly defined, but that it is concerned with rest and sleep we have at least unconsciously recognized, as shown by our often referring to periods of rest as "breathing spells"; from the fact that we have found it of great importance to keep the air we are breathing moving constantly about us, especially while asleep. From all these facts we are forced to believe that sleep plays an important part in producing and maintaining body-energy, besides constantly recharging the system with oxygen. LESSON XXII A LESSON FOR BUSINESS MEN That which tends to make a good business man, in the popular mind, is the establishment of great industries and enterprises, coupled with accumulation of money by the individual. A careful review of the history of business men who have made a success along these lines shows that the majority of them sacrificed their health and their lives to their business. In the last and final analysis, therefore, these were not good business men. The best musician is he who can bring more sounds into harmony. The best artist is he who can best harmonize colors and reproduce nature. Likewise, the best business man is he who can best harmonize or balance the affairs under his control. Health being entirely under and within his control, if he disregards it--gives it no thought--violates the laws that govern it, and finally wrecks it, he is not a good business man, as all business depends upon the power of the individual, and the powers of the individual depend upon his health. [Sidenote: Examples of poor business men] The man who, from a cheap tin store, founded "The Fair" in Chicago, and allowed the business to dethrone his reason, and to send him to his death before he was sixty, could hardly be considered a good business man. Measured on the same scale, Marshall Field, the merchant prince, was not a good business man. President Roberts, who arose from the ranks of a car-wheel molder, to the presidency of the Pennsylvania railroad, and died at the age of fifty, was not a good business man. J. P. Morgan, who accumulated many millions of dollars, and who died when he should have been in his prime, was not a good business man. [Sidenote: Wealth at the expense of health] The accumulation of money and the founding of great industries is only one requisite of the business man, and by no means the most important one. What profiteth a man to make a great fortune; to put in motion a million spindles; to chain continents together with cables; to flash his silent voice over oceans and continents on currents of common air; to make the ocean's billowed bosom a commercial highway; to transform the oxcart into a palace, and set it on wheels and hitch it to the lightning; to build sky-scraping structures of stone and steel; to transfix human figures and faces on sensitized glass; to direct the methods of burrowing in the earth for coal and gold until his name is known around the world, and his fortune is a power in the land?--what boots it, I say, to know all these things and to glide blindly into the shambles of unrest and dis-ease, or to furnish a fashionable funeral at forty? [Sidenote: The abnormal, or one-idea man] The religious fanatic who robes himself in sackcloth and eschews the razor; the food crank who cries out "back to nature," and takes to grass; the one-idea social reformer who preaches on the curb, and the business man who allows his business to become his absolute master and governor, are in reality all in the same class. The unfortunate thing is that the business man sits him down and weaves about himself the meshes of a prison. Every year puts in a new bar, every month a new bolt, and every day and hour a new stroke that rivets around him what he calls business, until he feels and really thinks he cannot escape. A GOOD BUSINESS MAN A good business man is the man who can direct the wheels of industry, who can draw a trial balance between his income and his expenses, and who can measure his own ability on the yardstick of endurance. [Sidenote: Qualities of a good business man] He is a good business man who gives as much study to the laws of his own physical organization as he does to the organization of his business, and in the final analysis I doubt if he would not consider himself a better business man, "Penniless," and in good health at ninety, than sojourning in a sanatorium with a million at his call, but out of the fight at fifty. [Sidenote: Knowledge of health-laws a public necessity] It is truly unfortunate that the general laws of health and hygiene are not more universally taught and understood. We learn that best with which we are thrown in most frequent contact. The business man would absorb enough information on these subjects to extend his period of longevity and usefulness many years, if they were taught in our public schools, or were matters of general knowledge. THE ROUTINE LIFE OF THE AVERAGE BUSINESS MAN [Sidenote: Bad habits of the business man] He rises between six and seven a. m., takes no exercise or fresh air; eats a breakfast composed largely of acid fruit, cereal starch, meat, and coffee. He then goes at once to his business, sits at a desk until noon, takes luncheon at a neighboring cafe. This repast is composed of meat, cereal, or potato starch, beer, or coffee. He hurries back to his business, sits at his desk five or six hours longer, hurries home, takes a dinner composed of more meat, more starch, more tea or coffee--no exercise, no diversion, no association with the great authors; no music, no poetry, no change. [Sidenote: The ancient remedy for Nature's warnings] A friend may come in, or he may go out to visit; then comes the soothing and soporiferous cigar which may have been his companion since breakfast. The market, the business, the chances for making or losing dollars are the topics of discussion. He is in the power of his master, "business," and must do him continual obeisance. Within the domain of the tyrant he lives, moves, and has his being. If he has a headache, sour stomach, indigestion, a tinge of rheumatism, dizziness, insomnia, nervousness, or any one of the thousand symptoms or warnings that Nature gives him for the violation of her laws, instead of thinking a little and trying to ascertain the cause, he sends, with "chesty pride," for His physician, and his physician writes out something in a dead language--the only suitable language. The local druggist sends over the "stuff," and it is swallowed with that childish confidence that fitly becomes the modern business man who knows a great deal about business, but nothing about himself. The days and the months go on, the symptoms or signals become more numerous, more expressive, more impressive, more painful. His physician is called more often; the dead language paper goes to the druggist more frequently, and with faith he still swallows the drugs; they relieve him for a little while, usually by paralyzing the little nerve fibers that are carrying to the brain the messages of warning. [Sidenote: The ancient system declared a failure] HIS physician finally acknowledges a trip, or a sanatorium. It is either this procedure or the fate that befell Messrs. Roberts, Morgan, Colonel Ingersoll, and the uncounted thousands who had no reputation beyond the domain of their own locality, and of whom we never hear. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR A GOOD BUSINESS MAN [Sidenote: Twelve health rules for the business man] Don't allow your business to become your master. Don't discuss business at home, or in social life. Immediately on rising, take a cool shower bath, followed by vigorous exercise before an open window. Eat a very light breakfast an hour after rising, eliminating tea, coffee, white bread and meat. Walk to your business, if possible; breathe deeply. Eliminate woolen underwear; dress as lightly as possible. Take an hour for luncheon. Omit tea, coffee, tobacco, beer, and sweets. Keep your office well ventilated. Secure competent help and trust them. Love some one or some thing--a dog will do. Leave your office early enough to walk home, or at least a part of the way. Masticate your food infinitely fine, and by all means _do not overeat_. This is the crowning sin of the civilized table. Take from ten to fifteen minutes exercise before retiring; sleep in a cold, thoroughly ventilated room. Spend as much time as possible in the sunshine and open air. Drive an automobile, play golf, join a gymnasium, dance, sing, kick and play with the boys, for it is infinitely better to dig in the ditch for your dinner and be able to digest and enjoy it, than to lie invalid in your self-made prison, and perhaps die. (Probably if the truth were written on your tombstone, it would read: There was a fool who made a fortune, but he died; The world called him great, but it lied.) LESSON XXIII EXERCISE AND RE-CREATION PROGRAM FOR DAILY EXERCISE _Every morning, just after arising, take a cup of water, and go through the following deep breathing exercises_: EXERCISE No. 1 [Illustration] Stand erect, feet about 30 inches apart, extend arms above head, clasping hands and holding elbows rigid, inhale deeply. Bend toward the left and try to touch the floor with the clasped hands as far from the foot and to the rear as possible. Exhale while returning to position. Inhale deeply, reversing motion to the right. This movement should be repeated about 24 times. EXERCISE No. 2 [Illustration] Rest the body upon tips of toes and the palms of the hands. Move the body up and down as far as possible, bending only at the waist line. If this position is too strenuous the tension can be reduced by resting on the elbows, knees, or both, while executing the movement. Inhale deeply while taking this exercise, and exhaust the breath suddenly, as if coughing, with the downward motion. This movement should be repeated about 12 times. EXERCISE No. 3 [Illustration] Rest the hands on the rim of a bathtub or on two chairs placed about 2 feet apart. Assume position shown by cut. Lower the body until chest touches the knee; rise, bringing the other knee under the chest, repeating the movement. Execute this movement rapidly as if running, rising first on one foot and then on the other, from 50 to 100 times. If sufficiently strong, this can be taken without support for the hands. This exercise is especially recommended for those suffering from constipation. _Every evening, just before retiring, take a glass of water and go through the following movements and deep breathing exercises_: EXERCISE No. 3.--Same as in the morning. [Illustration] EXERCISE No. 4 Stand erect, feet about 30 inches apart, inhale deeply and strike a blow toward the left with the right fist, passing the left fist behind the back. Alternate this movement, striking toward the right with the left fist, giving the body a swinging and twisting movement. EXERCISE No. 5 [Illustration] Stand erect, feet about 30 inches apart, hands clasped over head, elbows rigid, inhale deeply. Bend toward the left, describe a complete circle with the clasped hands. Exhale when erect. Reverse, describing a circle in the opposite direction completes the movement. LESSON XXIII EXERCISE AND RE-CREATION EXERCISE [Sidenote: Civilization prevents the play instinct] The child from the time it begins to walk until it is ten or twelve years old, or until the pressing hand of necessity forces upon it the power of restraining duty, will in a great measure obey the play instinct or the natural laws of exercise. However, our complex industrial organism forces most of us into its vortex at the very time we are beginning to change the body from the youth to the adult, and the responsibilities with which we are laden, the struggles we carry on, prevent the majority from giving attention to and maintaining a system of development exercises which is so vitally important, and which would provide a great store-house of energy to be drawn upon in after years. Inasmuch, therefore, as the conditions under which we exist prevent the free play of our instincts, and the exercise of our natural desire for certain kinds of play or motion, it becomes necessary for us to devise a method of overcoming the repressing influences that crush out the play instinct of civilized man. CONSTRUCTIVE EXERCISES [Sidenote: Constructive period of life from ages 15 to 25] Constructive exercises should be taken and practised regularly between the ages fifteen and twenty-five. It is largely during this period that the physical condition of the body for the balance of life is determined. [Sidenote: Poisoning and purifying the blood] Many a college youth, endowed by Nature with a sound physical body and a healthy brain, has irreparably injured both by sitting on the end of his spine with his feet higher than his head, poisoning his blood with tobacco narcotics from a stylish pipe and failing to keep it purified by obeying the laws of motion and of oxidation. Constructive exercises should employ every muscle in the body long enough once in every twenty-four hours to generate sufficient heat to cause perspiration, or at least to force twice the normal quantity of blood to the lungs for purification. Exercise thus taken up to the point of fatigue, and of sufficient duration to use all the nutrition taken in the form of food, will, under favorable conditions, build the body to its highest degree of physical strength, provided we keep Nature supplied with the right kind of material (food) with which to do her work. EXERCISE FOR REPAIR [Sidenote: In mature life exercise only for repair] After the body has reached maturity, or attained its full growth, the only exercise needed is for repair. This it must have or Nature will inflict her inexorable sentence in some form of congestion. [Sidenote: Why the "trunk" requires exercise] In various industrial and professional pursuits the legs, neck, and arms are used enough to keep them in a fair state of repair. That part of the body, therefore, that suffers most for want of motion, or exercise, is the trunk. In this part of the anatomy are located the vital organs controlling not only the circulation and the oxidation of blood, but also those organs upon whose normal action depend solely the questions of digestion, assimilation of food, and elimination of waste. [Sidenote: If properly nourished the body will demand a certain amount of exercise] If the food is selected, combined, and proportioned so as to produce chemical harmony in the stomach, and to meet the requirements of age, temperature of environment, and work, the body will be kept sufficiently charged with energy to demand a certain amount of exercise. If the command is obeyed the body can be trained to work automatically, as it were, but where the vocation is sedative, or prevents obedience to these demands, the trunk should be exercised in the open air from thirty to forty minutes daily by flexing, tensing, twisting and bending in every possible way, long enough and rapidly enough to double the normal heart action and inhalations of air. PHYSIOLOGY OF EXERCISE [Sidenote: Necessity of motion for body development] By motion (exercise) the muscles are stimulated in growth, becoming larger and more firm, thus giving strength and symmetry to the body. Food, without proper motion, will not develop muscular tissue to its highest degree. Exercise must be taken to stimulate the growth of the tissues forming the muscle-cells. Among the benefits derived from exercise, the following may be noted: [Sidenote: Growth produced by exercise] First: Surplus nitrogen is usually cast from the body as waste matter when it is not deposited as muscle tissue by proper exercise. If the diet is balanced, regular exercise will add this nitrogenous substance to the muscle-cells far beyond normal growth, thus causing an actual increase in the size and the number of fibres. [Sidenote: Brain and nerve force increased] Second: A second benefit derived from muscle activity is the consequent change that occurs in brain and in nerve activity. There are certain cells in the brain and in the nervous system which control the movements of the muscles. When these cells are not used, they degenerate, but their use in exercise is not only beneficial in developing a well-rounded nervous mechanism, but also in strengthening the brain-cells that are used in intellectual work. [Sidenote: Blood circulation increased] Third: A third and perhaps most important of all the benefits to be derived from exercise is the general increase in the circulation of the blood. The muscles form a larger proportion of the body-weight than any other group of organs. When general exercise involving the larger muscles is participated in, the demand for food material in this particular muscular tissue is so great as to cause a notable increase in the strength and in the rapidity of the heart beat, and consequent deep breathing. This acceleration of the circulation continues long after the exercise has ceased, thus replenishing and building up the muscles. As a result of the better circulation of the blood, all organs receive an increased blood-supply, and every part of the body shares in the general improvement. This explains why one can do better brain work, or digest food with greater ease after taking moderate exercise. [Sidenote: Evil effect of long-continued exercise] Exercise is constructive up to the point of fatigue, but beyond that point it is destructive. The waste products of all cell-metabolism are harmful and poisonous. When exercise is long continued, the waste matter accumulating therefrom weakens or poisons the cells that secrete them. [Sidenote: Different forms of exhaustion] The products of cell-metabolism are of two classes, and each class has different effects. The first is due to oxidation. A runner, who falls exhausted from shortness of breath, has simply been suffocated by the excess of carbon dioxid in his muscles. After the breath is regained, or, in other words, after the body has had time to throw off the carbon dioxid, the runner is in nearly as good condition as before. A more lasting and serious form of exhaustion is due to the accumulation of nitrogenous decomposition products, which, not being in a gaseous form, cannot be thrown off from the lungs, and hence are not as rapidly or as easily removed from the tissues. The presence in the tissue of these waste-products is the cause of extreme weakness and fatigue. [Sidenote: The causes of soreness or stiffness of the muscles] The well-trained muscles contain only healthy protoplasm, and give off but a small percentage of nitrogenous decomposition products. Let the well-fed person who takes but little exercise, run half a mile, or play a simple game of ball, and the following day the muscles will be stiff and sore; this unusual exertion has caused the breaking down of much loosely organized tissue which could have been made firm and healthy by daily muscular activity. [Sidenote: Why vegetarians have more endurance than meat eaters] Those subsisting upon a low nitrogenous diet, especially vegetarians, are affected much less by fatigue than meat eaters whose muscles contain larger quantities of unnecessary nitrogen and nitrogenous decomposition matter. [Sidenote: The diet governs the production and the accumulation of body-waste] The common laws of health demand that sufficient motion be taken every day to prevent the accumulation of carbon dioxid or waste matter throughout the body. Both the production and the accumulation of waste matter depend very largely upon the diet. All animal flesh (food) is undergoing gradual decomposition, and adds its waste matter to that of the body, therefore meat eaters require a much greater amount of exercise to maintain a given standard of blood-purity than do vegetarians. SYSTEMS OF PHYSICAL CULTURE Numerous schools of physical culture and artificial methods of exercise have flourished in all civilized countries within the past few years. This fact emphasizes the pressing need for a general change in our methods of living. The various systems of indoor exercise popularly taught are at the best weak substitutes for the more natural and wholesome forms of combined exercise and re-creation found in outdoor life and outdoor sport. Some of the methods referred to are as follows: [Sidenote: Tensing] Tensing, which consists of slow movements in which opposite muscles are made to pull against each other. The student can easily grasp the principle involved in this system, and from his own ingenuity extend it as fully as he desires. [Sidenote: Vibratory exercises] Vibratory exercises, which are somewhat similar to the tensing system; however, instead of slow movements, the arms or other portions of the body are moved with a rapidly vibrating motion. The effect produced is essentially the same as in the tensing system. [Sidenote: Heavy-weight exercises] Heavy-weight exercises, consisting in the use of heavy dumb-bells or other apparatus in which the actual physical pull exerted by the body in moving the weights is sufficient to try the muscles to their maximum capacity. This system of exercise should be discouraged; while it may add to the mere lifting strength, it takes from the muscles their flexibility, and from the body its agile and supple activity. [Sidenote: Indoor exercises] Indoor exercise with light apparatus such as wooden dumb-bells, Indian clubs, wands, Swedish and Delsartic movements. These forms of exercise, which compose most physical culture drills, as given in schools and gymnasiums, are to be highly recommended. For adults, however, such exercises require considerable indulgence in order to gain much physical benefit therefrom. [Sidenote: Exercise for school children] [Sidenote: Dancing as an exercise] Exercises of this nature are especially well adapted to school children. They depend upon the rhythm of the music, the good fellowship of their companions, and the pride of keeping up with the class to make them interesting. For this reason they are not suitable to the individual who must exercise alone in his room. Dancing can well be considered in this class, and could be highly recommended as an important exercise and re-creation, were it not so frequently associated with loss of sleep and other forms of intemperance. [Sidenote: Importance of outdoor exercise] [Sidenote: Exercise for the city dweller] All of the above systems are not only at the best imperfect, but poor substitutes for natural exercise, and not likely to be kept up by the ordinary sedative worker. Every individual should, so far as possible, indulge in some form of outdoor exercise, which gives all the advantages of the indoor systems, together with the added advantages of fresh air, mental pleasure, long range of vision, and the general exhilaration that comes from close contact with nature. However, for the city man outdoor exercises are too difficult to be practised with sufficient regularity to bring the desired results; therefore, it is best to adopt some definite daily program of vigorous muscular exercise which will keep the body in fair physical condition. Exercises of this kind should be made a regular daily habit, and though at times a little tiresome, can, by practise, be made to become the expected thing, so that the day will not seem complete until the daily exercises have been taken. [Sidenote: Exercises giving the best results] From long experience I have found that the following exercises give the greatest benefits with the least expenditure of time and labor. They are all especially designed to promote healthy action of the vital and the abdominal organs which are so much neglected by the average person. PROGRAM FOR DAILY EXERCISE Every morning, just after rising, and every night, just before retiring, take a glass or two of pure cool water and execute vigorously the following movements: EXERCISE NO. 1 EXERCISE No. 1--Stand erect, feet about thirty inches apart. Extend arms above head; clasp the hands; hold elbows rigid, and inhale deeply. Bend toward the left and try to touch the floor with the clasped hands, as far from the foot, and as far to the rear as possible. Exhale while returning to position. Inhale deeply, reversing motion to the right. This movement should be repeated from 25 to 50 times. EXERCISE NO. 2 EXERCISE NO. 2--Rest upon the tips of the toes and the palms of the hands. Move the body up and down as far as possible, bending only at the waist line. If the movement is too difficult in this position, the tension may be reduced by resting on the elbows, or on the knees, or on both. Inhale deeply, and exhaust the breath suddenly as if coughing, with the downward motion. This movement should be repeated from 20 to 30 times. EXERCISE NO. 3 EXERCISE NO. 3--Rest the hands on the rim of a bathtub, or on two chairs placed about two feet apart. Assume position shown in cut. Lower the body until the chest touches the right knee; rise, and lower the body until the chest touches the left knee. Execute this movement rapidly as if running, rising first on one foot and then on the other, swinging the body from side to side with each step or movement. This exercise is especially recommended for those suffering from torpidity of the liver, or from constipation. It should be executed from 100 to 500 times. EXERCISE NO. 4 EXERCISE NO. 4--Stand erect, feet about thirty inches apart. Inhale deeply, and strike a blow toward the left with the right fist, passing the left fist behind the back. Alternate this movement, striking toward the right with the left fist, giving the body a swinging and twisting movement. EXERCISE NO. 5 EXERCISE NO. 5--Stand erect, feet about thirty inches apart, hands clasped overhead, elbows rigid; inhale deeply. Bend toward the left, describing a complete circle with the clasped hands. Exhale when erect. Reverse; describing a circle in the opposite direction completes the movement. This exercise should be executed from 25 to 50 times. RE-CREATION [Sidenote: Idleness contrary to natural law] [Sidenote: Exercise necessary for assimilation and elimination] The small boy who described work as "anything you don't want to do," and play as "anything you do want to do," had in his mind the fragment of a great truth. True re-creation should afford DIVERSION, ENTERTAINMENT, and WORK. The average business man who is threatened with a breakdown, and who goes away for a rest, should in reality go to work, but it should be a different kind of work from his routine duties. No one was ever benefited by idleness; it is contrary to nature--contrary to the universal laws of construction which govern all forms of life. If digestion and assimilation have been impaired, if, from errors in eating, or from sedative habits, congestion has taken place in the alimentary tract, then muscular work becomes absolutely necessary in order to use more nutrition, to eliminate more poison and waste, and to increase and normalize the peristaltic activity of the intestinal tract. [Sidenote: Hunting and fishing] The business man who likes to hunt and to kill innocent animals; who runs, walks, and thinks, and perspires in the effort, is taking a good kind of re-creation--perhaps the best he knows; but the fat man who sits in a boat all day and catches fish that he cannot use, or slays a cart-load of ducks that he has deceived with a decoy, has received neither benefit nor re-creation; he has only yielded to his primeval instincts to secure his food by slaughter and has been merely entertained--probably debased. [Sidenote: True re-creation] [Sidenote: Worthless objects for which men struggle] True re-creation for the mental worker is manual work--labor in the open air that requires but little thought. Every business man who values the sacred heritage of health, should provide himself with a place where he can go one day out of each week and chop wood, prepare soil, plant or harvest something, get close to Mother Nature, and receive the blessings of her life-giving sun by day, and rest in her open arms at night. Men are but big children, and, like the child who cries and reaches for the bubble because it reflects the prismatic colors of the sun, most of the things for which they struggle are equally as worthless and deceptive. [Sidenote: The triad of all that is best in life] Mental supremacy, which means the keenest sense of love, justice, and mercy, that great triad of all that is best in man, is all that really pays. If, at the close of every life, the question, "What has brought most happiness?" could be answered, it would be, "THE GRATITUDE OF MY FELLOW MEN." The average business pursuit is not conducive to this end. It is unfortunate that commercial and financial success are too often secured by methods that produce just the opposite results, therefore the whole life-work of the average man is really reduced to no higher object than that of securing food and shelter, which is the primitive occupation of the lowest forms of life. [Sidenote: Rest in solitude] One day in the week spent close to the soil with gentle cows and horses, affectionate cats and admiring dogs that have no "axe to grind," and one night every week spent in thought and reflection under the wilderness of worlds that whirl through the abyss of space, will sharpen the senses of love, justice, and mercy, give true diversion, true entertainment, true work, and true rest. INDEX A ACETANILID _Vol._ _Page_ composition of, II 358 effects of, II 358 ACIDITY sub, symptoms of, II 462 ---- remedy for, II 463 ---- diet in, II 464 super, chart indicating dis-eases caused by, I 9 ACIDS nitric, I 62 ---- properties of, I 63 hydrochloric, I 64 ---- uses of, I 65 ---- preparation of, I 66 ---- elements of, I 67 ---- purpose of, I 149 ---- formation of, I 149 bases of, I 68 ---- tests for, I 69 ---- neutralization of, I 70 Relation of bases to, I 69 organic, I 94 ---- properties of, I 94 acetic, I 95 ---- process of making, I 95 oxalic, I 97 lactic, I 97 malic, I 97 tartaric, I 97 citric, I 98 uric, in rheumatism, V 1179 AIR composition of, I 32 liquefaction of, I 35 and oxidation, V 1312 relative importance of food, water and, V 1313 ALBUMIN sources of, I 129 solubility of, I 129 coagulation of, I 129 ALCOHOL varieties of, I 91 effect of, II 367 a poison, II 368 ALDEHYDES and ethers, I 93 ALKALIS principles of neutralization of, I 71 rules governing neutralization of, I 71 AMIDO compounds, I 128 AMMONIA composition of, I 60 uses of, I 60 AMYLOPSIN properties of, I 154 APPENDIX (VERIFORM) dis-eases of (see Appendicitis), II 580 functions of, II 581 APPENDICITIS symptoms of, II 582 treatment of (mild cases), II 583 a natural remedy for, II 583 diet in, II 584 list of foods for, II 585 chronic cases of, II 586 ---- treatment for, II 587 ---- causes of, II 588 diet a factor in, II 589 coarse food a factor in, II 590 old diagnosis of, II 582 menus for, IV 1029 APPETITE lack of, IV 1081 difference between hunger and, IV 1081 ARTERIO-SCLEROSIS causes of, I 170 food in, I 171 ASSIMILATION definition of, III 630 ASTHMA described, II 519 causes of, II 533 symptoms of, II 533 remedy for, II 634 diet in, II 534 foods to eat in, II 535 foods to omit in, II 535 ATHLETES selection, combination and proportioning of food for, V 1188 summer diet for, V 1191 winter diet for, V 1192 suggestions regarding diet in exposure to extreme cold or for exertion, V 1201 AUTOINTOXICATION defined, I 247 bacteria in, I 247 meat a factor in, I 247 B BACTERIA discussed, I 166 origin of, I 167 not all harmful, I 168 species of, I 168 producers of, I 168 fermentation produced by, I 169 growth of, I 169 meat a producer of, I 259 BANANAS varieties of, III 675 how to select and ripen, III 676 how to bake, III 677 BILE defined, I 153 function of, I 153 purposes of, I 153 BILIOUSNESS cause of, II 466 symptoms of, II 466 remedy for, II 466 what to eat, II 467 what to omit, II 467 BRAN meal, composition of, III 683 ---- bread made from, III 683 wheat, composition of, III 681 ---- medicinal properties of, III 681 BLOOD, THE Antipepsin in, I 152 glucose in, I 204 process of oxidation of, II 346 corpuscles of, II 386 automatic action of, II 388 incorrect feeding cause of impurity of, II 397 defective circulation of, II 398 exercise a factor in poisoning and purification of, V 1331 increase of circulation of, V 1335 BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE described, II 550 causes of, II 551 symptoms of, II 551 prevention of, II 552 treatment for, II 553 general suggestion in feeding in, II 554 foods to eat in, II 555 foods to omit in, II 555 BROMIN defined, I 73 BUSINESS MAN a lesson for, V 1317 examples of poor, V 1318 wealth at the expense of health for the V 1319 the abnormal, V 1320 what is a good, V 1320 qualities of a, V 1321 routine life of the average, V 1322 bad habits of the average, V 1322 the ancient remedy for the average, V 1322 the physician of the average, V 1324 twelve rules of health for the, V 1324-1326 BUTTER composition of, I 283 its value as a food, I 284 caloric value of, I 285 cocoa, how made, II 338 cocoanut, composition of, II 339 home-made, how to make, III 674 BUTTERMILK how made, III 674 BUTYRIN defined, I 123 C CALORIES definition of, I 199 method of determining numbers of, I 202 CARBOHYDRATES classification of, I 106 monosaccharids, I 109 disaccharids, I 112 polysaccharids, I 114 purpose of, III 625 CARBON sources of, I 81 forms of, I 82 properties of, I 83 monoxid, properties of, I 87 combining power of, I 88 and hydrogen compounds, I 88 dioxid of, I 83 nature of, I 81 CASEIN sources of, I 130 vegetable, I 130 CATARRH described, II 519 causes of, II 527 symptoms of, II 528 remedy for, II 528 diet for, II 529 foods to eat in, II 530 foods to omit in, II 530 nasal, IV 922 ---- food a factor in, IV 922 ---- water drinking in the treatment of, IV 923 ---- menus for, IV 925 CELLULOSE in nutrition, I 119 value of, I 119 CHART showing number of so-called dis-eases caused by superacidity, I 9 CHEESE processes of making, I 282 ripening of, I 283 digestive value of, I 283 limburger, I 283 manufacture of, I 283 CHEMISTRY its relation to food science, I 25 combustion in, I 26 common elements of, I 27 number of elements in, I 28 examples of changes due to, I 29 symbols of, I 31 list of elements in, I 32 organic, I 81 of foods, I 105 of digestion, I 139 of metabolism, I 193 COLDS described, II 519 causes of, II 520, IV 915 symptoms of, II 521 overeating a cause of, II 521 exposure a cause of, II 522 remedy for, II 523 foods to use for, II 524 turkish baths for, II 525 value of fresh air for, II 525 foods to eat for, II 526 foods to omit for, II 526 COCAIN habit, II 354 uses of, II 354 in medicines, II 355 COFFEE composition of, II 363 effect of drinking, II 364 COOKING chemical changes produced by, III 593 starch, reasons for, III 598 of food, an excuse, III 599 food for animals, government experiments on, III 602 a habit of civilization, III 603 object of, III 669 grains, III 669 vegetables, III 670 en casserole, III 671 rice and macaroni, III 672 fruits, III 672 ---- canned, III 672 CHLOROFORM uses of, II 372 CHLORIN sources of, I 63 properties of, I 64 uses of, I 64 CHOCOLATE see (cocoa), II 366 COAL TAR PRODUCTS evil effects of, II 359 COCOA analyzed, II 366 COMPOUNDS chemical, I 29 ---- derivatives, I 31 carbon, I 83 ---- inorganic, I 83 ---- action of, I 85 ---- organic, I 87 ---- and hydrogen, I 88 ---- organic, classification of, I 89 ---- hydro, I 89 alcohols, I 91 glycerin, I 92 aldehydes, I 93 ethers, I 93 organic acid, I 94 ---- nitrogenous, I 99 ---- ---- importance of, I 100 amido, I 128 vegetable, II 373 CONFECTIONS evil effects of, II 332 from the standpoint of food value, II 333 allowable, II 333 prohibited, II 334 CONGESTION defined, V 1195 CONSTIPATION milk a relief for, I 188 relation of milk to, I 278 milk diet for, I 278 wheat bran, laxative effects in, II 299 whole rye a remedy for, II 300 ---- wheat, a remedy for, II 300 ---- barley, a remedy for, II 300 ---- oats, a remedy for, II 300 causes of, II 434 remedy for, II 436 suggestions for relief of, II 437 menus for, II 438 exercise in, II 444 beverages causing, II 446 what to eat for, II 447 what to omit for, II 447 in infants, V 1169 a factor in nervousness, V 1214 CONSUMPTION conflicting opinions regarding the cause of, II 560 conditions and occupations predisposing causes of, II 561 modern treatment of, II 563 general diet in, II 564 spring and summer diet in, II 565 special suggestions for treatment in mild cases of, II 566 hygienic rules in, II 567 breathing in, II 567 sleep in, II 568 what to eat in, II 568 what to omit in, II 568 nature's remedy for, IV 989 foods in, IV 990 the use of the spirometer in, IV 990 D DIABETES described, II 556 causes of, II 556 symptoms of, II 557 remedy for, II 557 diet for, II 558 diet in extreme cases of, II 558 foods to eat in, II 559 foods to omit in, II 559 special instructions regarding, II 560 DIAGNOSIS purpose of, II 381 only correct, II 382 of "lump" in the stomach, II 419 DIARRHEA causes of, II 474 cathartics in, II 475 treatment of, II 476 diet in, II 476 DIET important considerations regarding, I 164 importance of correct standards in, I 221 of primitive man, I 238 flesh, unnecessary, I 238 milk and eggs not a balanced, I 272 wheat, II 290 for constipation, II 429 for nervous indigestion, II 458 in subacidity, II 464 suggestions in obesity, II 496 in neurasthenia, II 509 in catarrh, II 529 in hay fever, II 531 in asthma, II 534 in influenza, II 537 in insomnia, II 541 in rheumatism, II 547 in diabetes, II 560 in consumption, II 564 in heart trouble, II 573 in dis-eases of the skin, II 579 in appendicitis, II 584 errors in, II 586 for cold weather, IV 1133 for hot weather, IV 1134 three classes of, V 1147 the normal, V 1152 radical changes in, V 1152 make patient agree with, V 1153 during embryonic period, V 1156 FOR CHILDREN (ages 1 to 2 years), V 1174 special instructions regarding simplicity in feeding, V 1176-1177 in old age, V 1178 ---- importance of, V 1181 for normal athlete, V 1189 (summer) for athletes, V 1191 (winter) for athletes, V 1192 in climatic extremes, V 1193-1199 under normal conditions, V 1200 DIGESTION chemistry of, I 139 uses of, I 139 malt in, I 140 energy required in, I 161 mental influence upon, I 162 secretion of juices in, I 163 important rules to observe to insure good, I 164 experiments in, I 175 mechanics of, I 180 action of enzyms during, I 181 food prepared for, I 186 during sleep, I 188 how affected, I 188 x-ray experiment in, I 188 comparative, of cooked and uncooked grain, III 597 true interpretation of the word, III 630 necessity for thorough mastication an aid to, I 181 "bolting" of food in, I 181 secretion of enzyms in, I 182 DIGESTIVE EXPERIMENTS to determine the amount of food the body uses, I 175 to determine percentage of waste in food, I 176 to determine amount of time required to pass through the body, I 176 to measure what percentage of food taken is digested, I 177 to determine what foods aid digestion, I 178 to determine what foods hinder digestion, I 178 to determine the laws governing the production of chemical harmony, I 178 to approximately determine the amount of undigested food, I 179 to determine the digestibility of each particular food, I 179 DIGESTIVE JUICES gastric juice, I 144 ---- composition of, I 147 ---- formation of, I 148 ---- action of, I 148 pancreatic juice, I 153 ---- composition of, I 153 ---- action of, I 154 amylopsin, properties of, I 154 trypsin, properties of, I 164 steapsin, properties of, I 154 bile, I 153 ---- function of, I 153 pepsin, I 155 ---- action of, I 155 saliva, I 161 ---- secretion of, I 161 the influence of the mind upon the action of the, I 162 DIGESTIVE ORGANS chemical changes in, I 165 peristaltic action of, I 187 DISACCHARIDS cane sugar, I 112 beet sugar, I 112 maltose, I 113 lactose, I 113 DIGESTIVE TABLES inaccuracy of, I 145 DIS-EASE difference between ease and, I 14 indications of, II 394 true diagnosis of, II 396 defined, II 407 classification of, II 412 nature's warning, II 674 DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN kinds of, II 575 causes of, II 575 eczema, II 577 ---- treatment of, II 578 ---- diet for, II 579 DISORDERS (COMMON) their causes and cure, I 405 DRUGS analysis of, II 343 declining use of, II 346 alkaloids in, II 349 opium, II 350 morphin, II 351 cocain, II 353 nux vomica, II 356 strychnin, II 356 quinin, II 356 acetanilid, II 358 laudanum, II 360 paregoric, II 360 codein, II 360 lyoscine, II 360 atropin, II 360 hellebore, II 360 chloroform, II 372 ether, II 372 chloral, II 372 mercury, II 373 potassium iodid, II 374 purgatives and cathartics, II 375 authentic information on, II 377 supposed magical effect of, II 384 E EATING flesh produces appetite for stimulants, I 243 ---- habit disappearing, I 249 correctly a cure for the drink habit, II 369 over, II 413 ---- causes of, II 414 scientifically, III 667 ECZEMA described, II 577 treatment of, II 578 chronic, diet in, II 579 menus in, IV 1023 EGGS food value of, I 269 composition of, I 271 nutritive contents of, I 271 as a diet for convalescents, I 272 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of, III 610 how to coddle, III 677 uncooked, III 678 baked omelet (how made), III 678 ELEMENTS chemical, in the body, I 3 chemical, I 27 ---- number of, I 28 mineral sulphur, I 73 hydrogen sulfid, I 74 carbon disulfid, I 74 EMACIATION (UNDERWEIGHT) effects of, II 477 causes of, II 479 mental factors in, II 480 symptoms of, II 481 remedy for, II 482 important factors in, II 483 foods in, II 484 milk and eggs in, II 484 constipation a factor in, II 485 chronic, its cause and remedy, II 486 extreme, diet in, II 489 weight, tables in, II 492 in infancy, V 1173 ENERGY food, a producer of, I 199 how measured, I 200 fat chief source of, I 209 grain a source of, II 295 explained, III 639 determined, III 640 the mystery of, V 1309 food and, V 1310 required for work, V 1311 relation of sleep to expenditure of, V 1312 ENZYMS properties of, I 139 fermentation due to, I 140 malt, a digestive, I 140 ETHER uses of, I 94 EVOLUTION OF MAN evolution, what it is, V 1255 study of man in the, V 1255 significance of the term, V 1258 difference between inherited and acquired characteristics in the, V 1260 the three great proofs of the, V 1261 early forms of animal life in the, V 1262 the single cell, nucleus in, V 1263 development of the human embryo in the, V 1264 animal kinship in, V 1265 blood comparisons in man and apes, V 1266 difference in the development of man and apes, V 1267 power of speech a factor in, V 1267 habits and progress in, V 1268 factors that determine survival of races during the, V 1269 habits and customs detrimental to life in, V 1270 changes of organs in, V 1271 "natural" diet in, V 1273 dietetic development in, V 1274 facts regarding the, V 1275 EXERCISE a necessity, II 444 in infancy, V 1171 in childhood, V 1329 constructive ages 15-25, V 1330 for purifying the blood, V 1331 properly nourished body demands a certain amount of, V 1332 physiology of, V 1333 growth produced by, V 1334 brain and nerve force produced by, V 1334 blood circulation increased by, V 1335 evil effects of long continued, V 1336 different kinds of exhaustion produced by, V 1336 the causes of soreness or stiffness of the muscles due to, V 1337 endurance of vegetable composition with meat eaters, V 1337 body waste in, V 1338 tensing as an, V 1339 vibratory, V 1339 heavyweight, V 1340 indoor, V 1340 for school children, V 1341 dancing as an, V 1341 importance of outdoor, V 1341 for the city dweller, V 1342 that give best the results, V 1342 EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR DAILY EXERCISES exercise No, 1, V 1343 exercise No, 2, V 1344 exercise No, 3, V 1344 exercise No, 4, V 1345 exercise No, 5, V 1345 EXHAUSTION causes of, II 399 F FASTING (AND NO BREAKFAST PLAN) data secured from, V 1311 FATS composition of, I 122 formation of, I 122 mineral, I 123 olein, I 123 butyrin, I 123 butter dairy, I 123 butter artificial, I 123 stearin, I 123 oleomargarin, I 123 rancid, I 125 digestion of, I 156 unwholesome, I 157 metabolism of, I 205 absorption of body, I 206 human, I 207 distinction between tallow, lard, olive oil, I 207 animal, I 254 chemical change in frying, I 255 chemical difference in, I 256 effects of heat on, III 595 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of, III 609 purpose of, III 626 a source of heat, I 209 the chief source of energy, I 209 FERMENTATION causes of, I 172, II 425 symptoms of, II 426 results of, II 427 remedy for, II 428 diet for, II 428 FISH nutrients in, I 260 as brain food, I 261 superior to flesh food, I 261 selection of, III 678 preparation of, III 678 FLUORIN a gas, I 73 action of, I 73 FOOD preparation of, I 15 chemistry of, I 15, I 21 how to select, I 16 how to combine, I 16 how to proportion, I 16 how to determine quantity, I 16 science, I 19, I 20 importance of, I 4 classes of, I 105 analysis of, I 106 maltose in, I 118 predigested, I 141 manufacture of, I 141 predigested, comparison of, I 146 mastication of, I 150-183 digestibility of, comparative, I 159 fermentation of, I 164 decomposition of, I 173 determining quantity of, I 177 values, I 178 breakfast, I 182 tissue builder as, I 195 importance of protein in, I 209 standards of, I 217 endurance tests of, I 219 government standards of, I 220 dietary standards of, I 222 correct dietary standards of, I 225 quantity required, I 226 proportion of fat required in, I 228 fallacy of nitrogenous, I 229 influence of religion on, I 235 a factor in producing physical and mental power, I 240 unscientific to use meat as, I 241 rare meat unfit for, I 258 in contagious dis-eases, I 258 fish as a, I 260 superiority of fish as a, I 261 oysters as a, I 262 clams as a, I 262 shell-fish as a, I 262 poultry as a, I 262 superiority of poultry as a, I 263 comparative analyses of, I 264 feeding of poultry for, I 265 cheese as a, I 282 butter considered as a, I 283 wheat considered as a, II 290 grain as a remedial, II 298 white potato as a, II 321 relative value of salads as, II 321 relative value of water melon as a, II 323 relative value of musk melon as a, II 323 honey compared as a, II 330 life dependent upon, II 345 substitution of, II 439 staples, II 440 list of constipating, II 446 list of laxative, II 446 that reduces fat, II 498 in obesity, II 502 in locomotor ataxia, II 519 to eat in case of colds, II 524 to eat in catarrh, II 530 in hay fever, II 532 combinations, III 602 quantity an important factor, III 604 instinct a safe guide in selecting, III 605 tables, how to interpret, III 607 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies, III 609 fats, III 609 eggs, III 610 milk, III 611 nuts, III 612 grains, III 613 vegetables, III 614 acid fruits, III 615 sweet fruits, III 616 sugars, III 617 simple classification of, III 621 based on principal nutritive substances, III 624 purposes of different classes of, III 625 difference between digestibility and assimilability of, III 630 table showing comparative assimilability carbohydrate and water content of various classes of food, III 632 purpose of the vieno table in, III 634 vieno system of, III 645 values, measurement of, III 639 values, measurement of--(old system), III 642 amount of nitrogen in, incorrect standards, III 645 incorrect standards of measurement of, III 646 what constitutes a true, III 647 explanation of vieno system of food measurement, III 648 edible portion of, III 650 how to reduce foods to vienos, III 651 nitrogen factor in, III 651 direct method of calculating available nitrogen in, III 655, III 663 curative value of, III 668 for children (see menus for children), III 687 in cirrhosis of the liver, III 823 in consumption, IV 989-990 in pregnancy, IV 1033 selection, combination and proportion of, V 1149, V 1152 according to age, V 1149 according to time of year, V 1151 according to work or activity, V 1151 and energy, V 1310 relative importance of air, water and, V 1313 FORMALDEHYDE uses of, I 93 an artificial preservative, I 93 a poison to the human system, I 93 FOWL selection of, III 678 preparation of, III 678 FRUITS composition of, II 309 dietetic value of, II 310 effect of acid, II 312 classification according to acidity, II 312 evils of acid, II 314 value of sub-acid, II 315 value of non-acid, II 316 canned, II 316 evaporated, II 316 fresh, II 317 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of acid, III 615 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of sweet, III 616 bananas, III 675 G GALACTOSE formation of, I 111 GAME as a food, I 268 GAS DILATATION (GASTRITIS) symptoms of, II 432-447 what to eat in, II 432 what to omit in, II 433 causes of, II 449 remedy for, II 450 food to be used in treatment of, II 452 GASTRIC JUICE composition of, I 147 formation of, I 148 its action on fat, I 148 rennet of the, I 151 GASTRITIS (also see gas dilatation), II 432 causes of, II 449 symptoms of, II 449 diagnosis of, II 450 treatment of, II 450 diet in, II 450 food in, II 452 what to eat in, II 452 what to omit in, II 452 GLOBULINS sources of, I 129 properties, I 129 types of, I 130 GLUCOSE percentage in the blood, I 204 function of, I 204 manufacture of, II 328 composition of, II 328 uses of, II 329 an article of food, II 329 GLYCOGEN sources of, I 118 formation of, I 118 GOUT causes of, II 546 symptoms of, II 547 remedy for, II 547 diet in, II 548 what to eat in, II 550 what to omit in, II 550 GRAIN cooked, I 184 government experiments with, I 185 uncooked, I 185 nutritive value of, II 289 wheat, II 290 rye, II 291 barley, II 292 oats, II 293 corn, II 293 rice, II 294 buckwheat, II 294 uses of, II 295 as a remedial food, II 298 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of, III 613 GUMS varieties of, I 120 H HABITS man a creature of, I 223 HAY FEVER described, II 519 symptoms of, II 531 remedy for, II 531 diet for, II 531 foods to eat in, II 532 foods to omit in, II 532 HEALTH influence of mind on, II 385 laws of, II 396 definition of, II 405 HEART TROUBLE gas, a cause of, II 448-572 early symptoms of, II 570 medical misconceptions of, II 570 causes of, II 571 diet for, II 573 exercise for, II 574 HEAT production of, I 41 body determination of, I 42 a measure of energy, I 198 units, I 199 HEMOGLOBIN component parts of, I 130 HEMORRHOIDS (see Piles), II 471 HEREDITY, V 1293 so-called wonders of microscopic study of reproductive cells in, V 1294 chromosoms in different species, V 1294 action of, V 1294 what it is, V 1295 characteristics not due to, V 1296 summary of facts regarding sex and, V 1297 HERNIA causes of, II 443 HONEY food value of, II 330 composition of, II 331 HUMAN ILLS chiefly due to dis-eases and conditions originating in the stomach, I 4 (see chart showing dis-eases caused by superacidity), I 9 HYDROCARBONS definition of, I 89 uses of, I 89 where found, I 89 how formed, I 90 HYDROCHLORIC ACID how formed, I 64 action of, I 65 its importance in digestion, I 66 chemical symbols of, I 67 HYDROGEN where found, I 42 physical properties, I 43 chemical properties of, I 43 gas, I 45 I INDIGESTION (ACUTE) important suggestions regarding, III 807 treatment for, III 807 what to eat in, III 807 INFANT FEEDING great mortality due to wrong, V 1154 two points of view on, V 1155 mothers' milk in, V 1162 general rules to be observed in, V 1164 modification of milk in, V 1165 preparation of food in, V 1165 quantity of food in, V 1166 frequency of feeding, V 1166 disastrous results of too frequent, V 1168 importance of cleanliness in preparation of food, V 1168 constipation in, V 1169 composition and color of stools in, V 1169 temperature of food in, V 1173 general instructions in health and hygiene, V 1174 INFLUENZA described, II 519 causes of, II 536 symptoms of, II 537 remedy, II 537 diet for, II 537 food in, IV 939 INSOMNIA causes of, II 538 remedy for, II 539 diet for, II 541 foods to eat in, II 542 foods to omit in, II 542 similarity of symptoms in nervousness and, II 542 INTESTINAL JUICES definition of, I 157 action of, I 158 INULIN value of, I 121 IODIN description of, I 73 IRON salts of, I 77 in patent medicines, I 78 L LACTOSE where found, I 113 indigestion, I 114 LAWS natural, I 11 LAXATIVES loss of vitality due to, II 376 harmful results due to use of, II 436 LEGUMES defined, II 307 familiar types of, II 307 rich in nitrogen, II 307 require thorough mastication, II 308 LEVULOSE composition of, I 111 defined, I 111 LITMUS SOLUTION tests for, I 69 LIVER, THE, I 137 functions of, I 203 cirrhosis of, II 468 ---- causes of, II 468 ---- symptoms of, II 468 ---- treatment for, II 469 ---- stimulants in, II 469 ---- what to eat in, II 469 ---- atrophic, III 822 ---- hypertrophic, III 822 ---- food in treatment for, III 823 LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA causes of, II 511 drug treatment harmful in, II 513 symptoms of, II 514 remedy for, II 515 diet for, II 516 exercise in, II 517 massage in, II 517 cured, obstinate case of, II 518 foods to eat, II 519 foods to omit, II 519 LUNGS, THE functions of, II 390 M MALNUTRITION cause of, II 511 remedy for, II 511 MALTOSE composition of, I 112 how formed, I 113 MEAT fallacy of lean, I 228 source of autointoxication, I 247 classified, I 250 composition of lean, I 250 extractives of, I 252 prejudice against pork, I 253 cold storage of, I 256 decomposition of cold storage, I 257 "ripened", I 257 scientific objections to use of, I 258 MEDICINES effects of, II 343 ancient belief concerning, II 344 unscientific uses of, II 377 MENUS FOR NORMAL CHILDREN (_From 2 to 5 Years of Age_) spring, III 687 summer, III 688 fall, III 689 winter, III 690 (_From 5 to 10 Years of Age_) spring, III 692 summer, III 693 fall, III 694 winter, III 695 (_From 10 to 15 Years of Age_) spring, III 696 summer, III 697 fall, III 698 winter, III 699 FOR NORMAL PERSONS (_From 15 to 20 Years of Age_) spring, III 700 summer, III 701 fall, III 702 winter, III 703 (_From 20 to 33 Years of Age_) spring, III 704 summer, III 705 fall, III 706 winter, III 707 (_From 33 to 50 Years of Age_) spring, III 708 summer, III 709 fall, III 710 winter, III 711 (_From 50 to 65 Years of Age_) spring, III 712 summer, III 713 fall, III 714 winter, III 715 (_From 65 to 80 Years of Age_) spring, III 716 summer, III 717 fall, III 718 winter, III 719 (_From 85 to 100 Years of Age_) spring, III 720 summer, III 721 fall, III 722 winter, III 723 MENUS, CURATIVE introduction, III 724 FOR SUPERACIDITY (ABNORMAL APPETITE) spring, III 726 summer, III 728 fall, III 729 winter, III 730 FOR SOUR STOMACH AND IRRITATION OF STOMACH AND INTESTINES spring, III 731 summer, III 733 fall, III 734 winter, III 736 FOR SOUR STOMACH, INTESTINAL GAS AND CONSTIPATION spring, III 738 summer, III 740 fall, III 742 winter, III 745 STOMACH AND INTESTINAL CATARRH spring, III 747 summer, III 750 fall, III 751 winter, III 752 FERMENTATION, INTESTINAL GAS, FEVERED STOMACH AND LIPS, CANKERS ON TONGUE spring, III 753 summer, III 755 fall, III 757 winter, III 759 CONSTIPATION (CHRONIC) NERVOUSNESS spring, III 761 summer, III 765 fall, III 767 winter, III 769 CONSTIPATION, AUTOINTOXICATION, LOW VITALITY spring, III 771 summer, III 773 fall, III 775 winter, III 777 GASTRITIS spring, III 779 summer, III 781 fall, III 782 winter, III 783 NERVOUS INDIGESTION spring, III 784 summer, III 785 fall, III 786 winter, III 787 NERVOUSNESS FOR BUSINESS MAN, THIN, NERVOUS, IRRITABLE--INSOMNIA--STOMACH AND INTESTINAL TROUBLE spring, III 789 summer, III 790 fall, III 793 winter, III 798 FOR SUBACIDITY INDIGESTION (CHRONIC) spring, III 801 summer, III 803 fall, III 804 winter, III 805 BILIOUSNESS HEADACHE--SLUGGISH LIVER spring, III 809 summer, III 811 fall, III 812 winter, III 813 HEADACHE--TORPID LIVER spring, III 814 summer, III 815 fall, III 816 winter, III 820 CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER general remarks, III 822 food to be used in, III 823 MENU NO, 1 spring, III 824 summer, III 825 fall, III 826 winter, III 827 MENU NO, 2 spring, III 828 summer, III 829 fall, III 830 winter, III 831 DIARRHEA spring, III 832 summer, III 833 fall, III 834 winter, III 835 DIARRHEA--DYSENTERY spring, III 836 summer, III 840 fall, III 841 winter, III 842 EMACIATION--UNDERWEIGHT--RATHER ANEMIC spring, III 845 summer, III 847 fall, III 848 winter, III 850 RUN DOWN CONDITION--FLATULENCY--UNDERWEIGHT spring, III 852 summer, III 856 fall, III 858 winter, III 861 LOW VITALITY--UNDERWEIGHT--WEAK DIGESTION spring, IV 863 summer, IV 864 fall, IV 865 winter, IV 866 OBESITY--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION--NERVOUSNESS spring, IV 870 remarks, IV 871 summer, IV 872 fall, IV 872 winter, IV 877 ABNORMAL APPETITE--OBESITY--DROWSINESS spring, IV 882 summer, IV 884 remarks, IV 885 fall, IV 886 remarks, IV 887 winter, IV 891 DECREASING WEIGHT--INCREASING STRENGTH spring, IV 893 summer, IV 894 fall, IV 895 winter, IV 896 NEURASTHENIA spring, IV 897 summer, IV 898 fall, IV 899 winter, IV 900 MALNUTRITION spring, IV 901 summer, IV 902 fall, IV 903 winter, IV 904 FOR A YOUTH ANEMIA--MALASSIMILATION--UNDERWEIGHT--NO APPETITE spring, IV 905 summer, IV 907 fall, IV 908 winter, IV 910 LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA spring, IV 911 summer, IV 912 fall, IV 913 winter, IV 914 COLDS spring, IV 917 summer, IV 918 fall, IV 920 winter, IV 921 NASAL CATARRH late spring }, IV 925 early summer} late summer }, IV 927 early fall } late fall }, IV 928 early winter} late winter }, IV 930 early spring} HAY FEVER spring, IV 931 summer, IV 932 fall, IV 933 winter, IV 934 ASTHMA spring, IV 935 summer, IV 936 fall, IV 937 winter, IV 938 INFLUENZA Foods in, IV 939 Menus for (see menus for colds, catarrh, hay fever and asthma), II 519 INSOMNIA--NERVOUSNESS--LOW VITALITY spring, IV 940 summer, IV 942 fall, IV 943 winter, IV 945 RHEUMATISM--GOUT--LUMBAGO--SCIATICA--ARTHRITIS spring, IV 947 summer, IV 949 fall, IV 951 winter, IV 953 ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER--RHEUMATIC TENDENCY spring, IV 955 summer, IV 957 fall, IV 962 winter, IV 964 STIFFNESS AND PAIN IN JOINTS--STOMACH TROUBLE--CONSTIPATION--INTESTINAL GAS--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION spring, IV 967 summer, IV 968 fall, IV 970 winter, IV 975 BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE spring, IV 979 summer, IV 980 fall, IV 981 winter, IV 982 DIABETES spring, IV 983 summer, IV 985 fall, IV 987 winter, IV 988 WEAK LUNGS--CONSUMPTION general menu, IV 991 TUBERCULAR TENDENCY--CONSTIPATION--NERVOUSNESS--CATARRH spring, IV 994 summer, IV 998 fall, IV 1000 winter, IV 1003 TENDENCY TOWARD INTESTINAL CONGESTION spring, IV 1005 summer, IV 1007 fall, IV 1008 winter, IV 1011 DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN--ECZEMA spring, IV 1013 summer, IV 1015 fall, IV 1016 winter, IV 1019 WEAK DIGESTION--NERVOUSNESS--SLIGHT ECZEMA spring, IV 1023 summer, IV 1025 fall, IV 1026 winter, IV 1027 APPENDICITIS spring, IV 1029 summer, IV 1030 fall, IV 1031 winter, IV 1032 FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN food in pregnancy, IV 1033-1035 MENUS spring, IV 1036 summer, IV 1037 fall, IV 1038 winter, IV 1039 FOR THE NURSING MOTHER foods to omit, IV 1040 foods to use, IV 1041 MENUS FOR THE NURSING MOTHER spring, IV 1042 summer, IV 1043 fall, IV 1044 winter, IV 1045 MISCELLANEOUS WEAK DIGESTION (ALMOST INVALID) spring, IV 1046 summer, IV 1048 fall, IV 1049 winter, IV 1051 BUILDING UP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM--INCREASING VITALITY spring, IV 1053 summer, IV 1056 fall, IV 1058 winter, IV 1060 FOR AGED PERSON--BUILDING GENERAL HEALTH spring, IV 1061 summer, IV 1065 fall, IV 1066 winter, IV 1068 (Healthy Person) STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE spring, IV 1069 summer, IV 1070 fall, IV 1071 winter, IV 1073 MALASSIMILATION AND AUTOINTOXICATION spring, IV 1074 summer, IV 1076 fall, IV 1078 winter, IV 1080 NO APPETITE distinction between appetite and hunger, IV 1081 spring, IV 1081 summer, IV 1084 fall, IV 1085 winter, IV 1086 ATHLETIC DIET spring, IV 1088 summer, IV 1089 fall, IV 1090 winter, IV 1091 (Chiefly Uncooked) spring, IV 1093 summer, IV 1094 fall, IV 1095 winter, IV 1097 FOR INVALID CHILD--MAKING MUSCULAR TISSUE--REGULATING BOWELS spring, IV 1098 summer, IV 1100 fall, IV 1101 winter, IV 1104 FOR MENTAL WORKER--TO INCREASE BRAIN EFFICIENCY spring, IV 1106 summer, IV 1108 fall, IV 1110 winter, IV 1113 FOR SCHOOL TEACHER--ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER--UNDERWEIGHT--NERVOUSNESS spring, IV 1115 summer, IV 1117 fall, IV 1118 winter, IV 1120 LABORING MAN UNDERWEIGHT--ANEMIC (LUNCH IN SHOP) spring, IV 1122 summer, IV 1124 fall, IV 1126 winter, IV 1129 diet for cold weather, IV 1133 diet for hot weather, IV 1134 hot weather menu for the prevention of sunstroke and heat prostration, IV 1135 suggestions for the prevention of sunstroke, IV 1136 MENUS FOR BUILDING UP SEXUAL VITALITY spring, IV 1138 summer, IV 1139 fall, IV 1140 winter, IV 1141 SUGGESTIONS FOR PERSONS UNDERGOING MODERATE AMOUNT OF EXPOSURE, V 1201 MENUS between temperature 20 and 30° F, V 1203 between temperature 70 and 90° F, V 1206 MENUS FOR NERVOUSNESS spring, V 1220 summer, V 1222 fall, V 1223 winter, V 1224-1227 MENUS Curative and Remedial, III 667, IV 1143 for constipation, II 438 for obesity, II 500 choice of, III 683 normal, III 685 introduction to, III 685 MERCURY and its salts, II 373 METABOLISM chemistry of, I 193 process of, I 193 described, I 194 liberation of energy through, I 199 carbohydrates in, I 202 of fat, I 205 of proteids, I 209 METALS salts of, I 76 uses of, I 77 iron, I 77 MILK sour, discussed, I 174 mothers, I 246 food values of, I 270 a perfect food, I 273 cows, I 274 composition of cows, I 274 varieties of cows, I 274 nutritive value of, I 275 coagulation of casein in, I 276 harmonies, I 276 adulteration of, I 276 in sour stomach, I 277 preservatives in, I 280 pasteurization of, I 280 natural souring of, I 281 why constipating, II 442 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies, III 611 MORPHIN habit, II 351 uses of, II 352 MOTHER, THE PROSPECTIVE general rules for, V 1157 the corset, V 1158 exercise, V 1158 deep breathing, V 1158 mental occupation, V 1158 special rules for, V 1159 suggestions for the diet for abnormal appetite during pregnancy, V 1160 selection of food, V 1161 starchy foods during pregnancy, V 1161 N NARCOTICS classification of, III 349 NASAL CATARRH, IV 922 NERVOUSNESS true meaning of, V 1211 relation of nutrition to, V 1212 causes of, V 1212 constipation a factor in, V 1214 primary causes of, V 1215 effect of stimulants in, V 1215 overwork not a factor in, V 1216 remedy for, V 1217 effects of wrong eating and drinking in, V 1218 special instructions for persons suffering from, V 1227 recreation in, V 1228 relation of sexual functions to, V 1228 NERVOUS INDIGESTION described, II 453 causes of, II 454 symptoms of, II 455 remedy for, II 458 diet for, II 458 remarks on, III 784 NEURASTHENIA described, II 503 a final warning, II 503 causes of, II 505-507 symptoms, II 506 remedy, II 506 importance of diet in, II 508 mental attitude in, II 508 what to eat in, II 510 what to omit in, II 510 NITROGEN described, I 58 properties of, I 59 compounds of, I 59 daily amount required, I 231 body requirement of, I 232 grain a source of, II 297 proportion in lean meat, III 641 in food, how to compute, III 645 a factor in food, III 651 method of calculating available amount in food, III 655 NUTRITION science of, I 14 relation of sexual health in, V 1289 NUTS pine, II 301 ----, composition of, II 301 almonds, II 303 pecans, II 304 brazil, II 304 walnut, English, II 304 hazel, II 305 butter, II 305 beech, II 305 cocoa, II 305 peanuts, II 306 as heat producers, II 301 nitrogen factor in, II 302 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of, III 612 O OBESITY prevention of, I 208 remedies for, I 208, II 495 unnatural, II 491 the law governing, II 491 weight tables in, II 492 causes of, II 493 eating in, II 494 drinking in, II 494 exercise in, II 495 use of fats in, II 496 chronic, diet suggestions in, II 496 foods that produce, II 497 foods that prevent, II 498 foods in, II 500 menus for, II 500 symptoms resulting from change of food in, II 502 foods to eat in, II 502 foods to omit in, II 502 OILS formation of, I 122 composition of, I 122 olive, I 123 cotton seed, manufacturing of, I 123, II 337 vegetable, I 123 vegetable, value of, II 335 poisonous, I 124 grades of olive, II 336 peanut, value of, II 338 palm, II 339 linseed, II 340 OLD AGE meat and bread as articles of diet in, V 1179 uric acid in rheumatic conditions in, V 1179 soluble starches desirable in, V 1180 importance of diet in, V 1181 DIET FOR THE THREE PERIODS IN OLD AGE From 50-60 years of age, V 1181 From 60-70 years of age, V 1182 From 70-100 years of age, V 1182 SPECIAL SPRING AND SUMMER MENUS For ages 50-60, V 1184 FALL AND WINTER MENUS For ages 50-60, V 1186 How food should be prepared for people between ages of 50-60, V 1186 OLEIN defined, I 123 OLEOMARGARIN described, I 285 how made, I 286 OPIUM composition of, II 350 effect of, II 351 OXYGEN a substance, I 32-33 manufacture of, I 33 production of, I 36 properties of, I 36 chemical action of, I 36 effect of, I 36 a heat determiner, I 40 not the only required element in breathing, V 1313 OXID nitrous, I 62 OXIDATION of the blood, I 39 of waste matter, I 39 laws governing, I 41 and air, V 1312 OYSTERS (AND CLAMS) unfit for food, I 262 P PANCREAS, THE functions of, I 138 PAIN a warning, I 12 PATENT MEDICINES Defined, II 347 why alcohol is used in, II 370 per cent of alcohol in, II 371 PENTOSES from the standpoint of human food, I 110 PEPSIN action of, I 155 PHOSPHORUS uses of, I 75 PHYSICAL CULTURE systems of, V 1333 tensing in, V 1339 vibratory exercise, V 1339 heavy weight exercise, V 1340 indoor exercises, V 1340 PHYSIOLOGY the old, V 1305 PILES causes of, II 471 symptoms of, II 472 treatment for, II 472 diet for, II 473 POISONS body, I 245 generated by fear, I 246 alkaloid, II 349 narcotic, II 349 POLYSACCHARIDS starch, I 114 glycogen, I 118 cellulose, I 119 gums, I 120 inulin, I 121 POTASSIUM IODID effect of, II 374 POULTRY method of fattening domestic, I 265 marketing undrawn, I 266 "hanging", I 267 PRACTISE OF DIETETICS, THE Introduction, V 1233 general treatment in, V 1235 scope of scientific feeding in, V 1236 the value of letters in, V 1236 the art of polemics in, V 1236 value of booklet describing your work, V 1238 ability to prepare your own copy, V 1238 value of experience in, V 1239 diagnosis in, V 1241 diet in, V 1242 educate your patient in, V 1242 patient should agree with the diet, V 1243 mental factors in, V 1245 publicity necessary in, V 1246 value of truthful publicity, V 1248 some cures too remarkable to advertise, V 1250 courtesy an asset in, V 1250 PRENATAL CULTURE embryological growth in, V 1289 superstition concerning, V 1290 theory on, V 1290 influence of fright, anger, etc, in, V 1291 mother's nutrition the only factor in, V 1291 birthmarks, V 1292 PROTEIDS defined, I 125 classified, I 128 peptones, I 130 proteoses, I 130 uses of, I 211 replace worn-out cells, I 212 action of, I 213 converted into peptones, I 214 composition of, I 215 form body fat, I 215 excess of, I 216 animal requirements of, I 230 digestibility of grain, II 298 effect of heat on, III 595 purpose of, III 626 PTOMAINS formation of, I 128 PURGATIVES salts as, II 375 Q QUININ uses of, II 357 R RECIPES for coddled eggs, III 677 uncooked eggs, III 678 baked omelet, III 678 for preparing green peas in the pod, III 679 pumpkin, III 680 vegetable juice, III 680 sassafras tea, III 680 REST forces at work during, V 1301 changes during, V 1302 human body at, V 1303 change in body tissue during, V 1303 comparisons regarding necessity for, V 1304 confusion of terms, V 1306 REST AND RE-CREATION necessity for, II 400 phenomenon of sleep and, V 1306 where found, V 1308 idleness in, V 1346 exercise necessary for assimilation and elimination, V 1347 hunting, V 1347 fishing, V 1347 true re-creation, V 1348 worthless objects for which men struggle fail to give, V 1348 the triad of all that is best in man the goal to strive for, V 1348 in solitude, V 1349 RHEUMATISM described, II 543 causes of, II 544 symptoms of, II 545 remedy for, II 547 diet in, II 548 ---- natural versus artificial, II 548 perspiration in, II 549 what to eat in, II 550 what to omit in, II 550 S SACCHARIN food value of, I 91 SALIVA secretion of, I 142 mastication and, I 142 SALT common, I 69 in the body, I 73 magnesium, I 77 mineral origin of vegetable, I 131 SEX relation of sexual functions to the nervous system, V 1288 necessity for popular knowledge concerning, V 1288 relation of nutrition to sexual health, V 1289 summary of facts regarding heredity, and V 1297 SILICON in the body, I 76 SLEEP evidence of acquired energy during, V 1308 the mysterious production of energy during, V 1309 expenditure of energy during, V 1310 and its relation to the expenditure of energy, V 1312 SOAP process of making, I 96 SOLUTION in nutrition, I 50 in assimilation, I 51 examples of, I 51 STARCH sources of, I 114 potato, I 115 solubility of, I 116 corn, I 116 changing of, I 117 STOMACH, THE, I 137 functions of, II 389 disorders originating in, II 417 "lump" in, II 419 catarrh of, III 747 STRYCHNIN effect of, II 356 SUGAR grape, I 109 ---- sources of, I 109, II 327 pentose, I 110 levulose, I 111 galactose, I 111 cane, I 112 maltose, I 112 lactose, I 113 effects of heat on, III 594 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies, III 617 food value of, II 324 beet sugar, II 325 cane, value of, II 326 process of refining, II 326 maple, genuine, II 327 ---- imitation, II 327 milk, II 327 SULFUR in the human body, I 75 SUNSTROKE prevention of, IV 1136 SUPERACIDITY chart indicating dis-eases caused by, I 9 cause of, I 7, II 421 diagnosis of, II 418 symptoms of, II 421 remedy for, II 423 despondency produced by, II 430 SWEETS relative order of, II 332 application of term, II 334 SYMPTOMS comparison of, II 389 T TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, III 664 TEA composition of, II 365 TEMPERATURE fat requirements according to, V 1200 TISSUE BUILDING food a factor in, I 195 process of, I 196 generation of heat and energy in, I 197 proteids a factor in, I 210 TOBACCO effect of nicotin in, II 361 general effect of, II 362 TREATMENT by disinfection, II 347 TRICHINOSIS described, I 259 TRYPSIN action of, I 155 V VEGETABLES groups of, II 318 succulent, II 319 ---- value of, II 320 juices of, II 321 white potato, II 321 sweet potato, II 322 carrots, II 322 parsnips, II 322 turnips, II 322 beets, II 322 tomatoes, II 323 tables of digestive harmonies and disharmonies of, III 614 VEGETARIANISM from animal standpoint, I 236 from standpoint of scientific living, I 237 W WATER composition of, I 44 properties of, I 45 rain, I 46 hard, I 46 mineral, I 47 salt, I 47 effervescent, I 47 sulphur, I 47 distilled, I 48 as a solvent, I 49 chemical uses of, I 48 proportion in the body, I 52 uses in the body, I 54 drinking, I 54 necessity for drinking, II 434 WHEAT composition of, II 291 * * * * * +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's notes: | | | | Added 'D' to index heading of D words. | | 'shall fish' in index need be 'shell-fish', changed. | | Added 'G' to index heading of G words. | | Added 'H' to index heading of H words, misplaced. | | Index HUMAN ILLA 'orginating' need be 'originating' in the stomach. | | Taken out hyphen in 'Re-creation' from index. | | Put in hypen in 'diseases' in index as in main text. | | Both 'Re-creation' and 'Recreation' present, leaving. | | Taken out hyphen in 'stand-point'. | | Taken out hyphen in 'tea-pot'. | | P.1145. Removed duplicate chapter heading in html file. | | Index, O - Old Age: From 70-100 years of age V '1181' | | need be '1182', changed. | | Fixed various punctuation. | | Note: underscores to surround _italic text_. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ 47701 ---- Transcriber's Note: ################### This e-text is based on the 1914 edition. Inconsistent hyphenation (e.g., 'semi-acid'/'semiacid') and spelling ('purée'/'puree') have been retained. Italic passages in the original version has been placed between underscores (_italic_); text in small caps have been symbolised by forward slashes (/small caps/). The following passages have been corrected: # Table of Contents: 'Low Vitality (continued)' has been added # Table of Contents: Page number for 'Colds' changed to match the original; corresponding header added to the text # p. 921: 'LaGrippe' --> 'La Grippe' # p. 971: 'cyicken' --> 'chicken' ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DIET ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DIET _A Treatise on the Food Question_ IN FIVE VOLUMES /Explaining, in Plain Language, the Chemistry of Food and the Chemistry of the Human Body, together with the Art of Uniting these Two Branches of Science in the Process of Eating, so as to Establish Normal Digestion and Assimilation of Food and Normal Elimination of Waste, thereby Removing the Causes of Stomach, Intestinal, and All Other Digestive Disorders/ BY /Eugene Christian/, F.S.D. /Volume IV/ NEW YORK THE CHRISTIAN DIETETIC SOCIETY 1914 /Copyright, 1914 by EUGENE CHRISTIAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED /Published August, 1914/ CONTENTS /Volume IV/ _Lesson XV_ (Continued) _Page_ Low Vitality (continued) 863 Obesity 870 Neurasthenia 897 Malnutrition 901 Anemia 905 Locomotor Ataxia 911 Colds 915 Nasal Catarrh 925 Hay Fever 931 Asthma 935 Influenza 939 Insomnia 940 Rheumatism and Gout 947 Bright's Dis-ease 979 Diabetes 983 Consumption 989 Dis-eases of the Skin 1013 Appendicitis 1029 Menus for the Pregnant Woman 1033 Importance of Food during Pregnancy 1033 The Nursing Mother 1040 Menus for the Nursing Mother 1042 Miscellaneous Menus: Weak Digestion 1046 Building up Nervous System 1053 For Aged Person 1061 Strength and Endurance 1069 Malassimilation and Autointoxication 1074 No appetite 1081 Athletic Diet 1088 For Invalid Child 1098 For Mental Worker 1106 For School Teacher 1115 For Laboring Man 1122 For Cold Weather 1133 For Hot Weather 1134 To Build Up Sexual Vitality 1138 LESSON XV CURATIVE AND REMEDIAL MENUS CONCLUDED LOW VITALITY (continued) SPRING MENU _LOW VITALITY--UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION_ Take a cool sponge or a shower bath, a few minutes' vigorous exercise, and a cup of hot water just after rising. BREAKFAST Strained orange juice, diluted--one-half water One egg whipped five or six minutes with a rotary egg beater, to which add a spoonful of sugar, a flavor of pineapple juice, and a glass of milk Half-cup of wheat bran, cooked, and a spoonful or two of steamed wheat LUNCHEON Three eggs prepared as for breakfast, adding two glasses of milk. Drink slowly DINNER A two-egg omelet rolled in cream and grated nuts Puree of peas or beans A small baked potato Take sufficient wheat bran night and morning to keep the bowels in normal action. SUMMER MENU _LOW VITALITY--UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION_ A very ripe peach or plum, a cup of cool water, exercise and deep breathing on rising. BREAKFAST Cantaloup, peaches, cherries, or any very ripe sweet fruit Buttermilk or egg, prepared choice A baked sweet potato LUNCHEON Three glasses of milk, taking one-half glass every five or six minutes A small portion of wheat bran, cooked DINNER A green salad An ear of tender corn One or two fresh vegetables such as onions, beans, spinach, beets FALL MENU _LOW VITALITY--UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION_ BREAKFAST A small portion of wheat bran, well cooked A cup of warm milk One egg, whipped very fine, to which add a very little sugar and lemon juice. Take this uncooked A few baked chestnuts eaten with butter LUNCHEON String beans or carrots--masticate very thoroughly A large Spanish onion, boiled A baked potato Wheat bran DINNER Choice of tender fish or chicken A portion of spinach A baked potato Onions, en casserole A small portion of wheat bran WINTER MENU _LOW VITALITY--UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION_ /First Day/: Drink two glasses of water immediately after rising. Eat one-fourth pound of grapes or some juicy fruit. Devote from three to four minutes to deep breathing exercises. BREAKFAST (Half hour later) Whole wheat, cooked; serve with cream or butter A baked sweet potato A cup of milk A small portion of wheat bran eaten with thin cream LUNCHEON A large, boiled Spanish or Bermuda onion A small portion of carrots, thoroughly cooked A spoonful or two of wheat bran DINNER A cream soup made from celery or onions Rice made into a thick purée, or a baked potato, carrots, onions, or turnips A spoonful or two of wheat bran Just before retiring, take a spoonful or two of wheat bran, uncooked, in a little water, and devote as much time as possible to deep breathing exercises. From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of the above meals. It may be taken hot if preferred. If something hot is desired, as a beverage, take a cup of sassafras tea with a little cream and sugar. /Second Day/: The same as the first. /Third Day/: The same as the second, slightly increasing the quantity of food if demanded by normal hunger. /Fourth Day/: Exercises, water-drinking, and fruit as prescribed for the first day. BREAKFAST Two extremely ripe bananas, eaten with thin cream and nut butter or nuts masticated very fine. (They should be baked if not exceedingly ripe) A cup of sassafras tea or chocolate LUNCHEON Three glasses of buttermilk Two beaten egg whites with three teaspoonfuls of sugar A tablespoonful of wheat bran DINNER A portion of boiled onions and tender carrots, cooked until very soft Two baked white potatoes eaten with a little butter Two egg whites prepared any way they are most appetizing A cup of water, hot or cold /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth. /Sixth Day/: The same as the first, repeating the menus for a week or two. Such vegetables as sweet potatoes, parsnips, baked beans and pumpkin may be added as digestion and assimilation improve. For recipe for baked bananas, see p. 677; for cooking vegetables, see p. 670. MENUS FOR OBESITY SPRING MENU _OBESITY--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS_ Fruit-juice, a glass of water, and ten minutes devoted to vigorous exercise and deep breathing just after rising. BREAKFAST Choice of fruit A cup of hot water Two or three exceedingly ripe bananas (red variety preferred), eaten with raisins, nuts, and cream LUNCHEON A portion of fresh fish and a new baked potato DINNER A green salad with dressing and nuts Peas or asparagus A rare omelet with a dash of grated nuts A bit of crisp corn bread or a bran meal gem Most people afflicted with obesity are also afflicted with abnormal appetite, therefore at the outset they may undergo some deprivation, but if this is not yielded to, hunger will soon become normal. The appetite for an excessive quantity of food is very much like the appetite for coffee, intoxicants, or tobacco, and when the appetite once becomes abnormal and is not held under control, either obesity or chronic autointoxication will be the result. Luncheon should be omitted unless very hungry. SUMMER MENU _OBESITY--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS_ BREAKFAST Melon, peaches, or berries Tender fish, broiled A new potato or a bran muffin LUNCHEON Corn or beans A salad--lettuce or celery DINNER A light soup--vegetable Eggplant, okra, beans, or squash Bran gems or a potato Nuts, with a lettuce salad FALL MENU _OBESITY--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS_ /First Day/: Immediately on rising, drink a cup of hot water, followed by a cup of cool water. Devote as much time as possible (from three to ten minutes) to such exercises as can be endured. (See Vol. V, pp. 1343 to 1346.) Inflate lungs to their utmost capacity every third or fourth movement. Secure a spirometer and increase the lung capacity until it registers about two hundred and fifty cubic inches. This is exceedingly important. BREAKFAST A cantaloup or soaked, evaporated peaches Baked chestnuts Bananas with cream Bran meal gems LUNCHEON A salad Carrots, squash, beets, parsnips, or turnips A potato or lima beans SUPPLEMENTARY LUNCHEON (To be taken in office) Two exceedingly ripe bananas, with nut butter and raisins Two glasses of water (Or the following at a restaurant or cafe) Choice of the following vegetables--boiled onions, carrots, parsnips, squash, or tender corn A baked potato A glass of water DINNER Choice of two vegetables from the selection given for luncheon A green salad A baked sweet or a white potato Two egg whites and one yolk very lightly poached Two glasses of water Devote about ten minutes to exercising and deep breathing just before retiring. /Second Day/: The same as the first, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to normal hunger. It will probably be necessary to draw a very sharp distinction between appetite and hunger. (See Spring Menu, "No Appetite," p. 1081.) /Third Day/: The same as the first, if entirely agreeable. If the bowels should become too lax, a small portion of rice, cooked in milk, might be taken with both the morning and the evening meal, omitting a similar quantity of other foods. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST Two eggs, whipped from five to eight minutes, into which whip a rounded teaspoonful of sugar, and a dessert-spoonful of lemon juice Half a glass of water LUNCHEON A vegetable salad, with a few nuts A baked sweet potato (These two articles should compose the entire meal) DINNER Spinach (cooked), or a salad of lettuce and celery with English walnuts, masticated infinitely fine Choice of one or two fresh vegetables, including a small, baked white potato /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth. /Sixth Day/: The same as the first, repeating the diet for about two weeks. WINTER MENU _OBESITY--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS_ /First Day/: Immediately after rising, drink a glass of cool water, and the juice of a sweet orange. Devote as much time as possible (five to ten minutes) to vigorous exercises. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water One banana Two egg whites and one yolk very lightly poached A small, baked white potato, with butter; eat skins and all A small portion of wheat bran cooked five minutes /Note/: If the quantity seems insufficient, a corn-meal muffin may be eaten. LUNCHEON Boiled onions, carrots, or turnips A baked potato--eat skins and all One egg boiled two minutes DINNER Celery, endive, or lettuce, with nuts or a simple dressing Turnips, carrots, spinach, boiled onions--any two of these A baked white potato, served hot with butter and salt A portion of wheat bran cooked five minutes A portion of gelatin, with thin cream Just before retiring, devote from three to five minutes to exercising. Drink a glass of water, take a spoonful or two of wheat bran, and either a few California grapes or the juice of an orange. /Second Day/: The same as the first, slightly varying the meals by choosing different vegetables from the following selections: Beans Potatoes Beets Pumpkin Cabbage Spinach Carrots Squash Onions Turnips Parsnips /Third Day/: The same as the second, adding one very ripe banana, eaten with thin cream and raisins, to the morning meal, and a few nuts, if desired. Banana, nut butter, raisins, and cream make a delicious combination. The entire breakfast could be made of these with good results. /Fourth Day/: Exercise, water-drinking, and deep breathing just before retiring and just after rising, as prescribed for the first day. BREAKFAST A few Malaga grapes or a sweet orange Two exceedingly ripe bananas, eaten with thin cream and nut butter A cup of junket, or a small portion of gelatin with a very little sugar and thin cream One egg prepared as per recipe in "Introduction to Menus" if the appetite will accept it. (See p. 678.) LUNCHEON A green salad A small portion of fish or chicken A baked potato A cup of hot water DINNER One or two fresh vegetables--choice A glass of buttermilk with a small piece of corn bread A small portion of gelatin with thin cream If the bowels are not normal, a portion of wheat bran should be taken at the morning and the evening meal. Both digestion and assimilation of food can be largely increased by daily taking exercise No. 3 (see Vol. V, p. 1344), vigorously, for ten or fifteen minutes just after rising and just before retiring. /Fifth Day/: Same as the fourth, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to hunger. /Sixth Day/: Same as the first, repeating, for a period of two or three weeks, the menus as given, varying the meals by choosing different vegetables in the same class as those prescribed. SPRING MENU _ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY--DROWSINESS_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST The juice of a sweet orange, Fruit--choice or a dish of very ripe One whole egg berries, with sugar only A bran meal gem or a small Two very ripe bananas portion of corn bread eaten with thin cream, One extremely ripe banana dates, and nuts, masticated with figs, thin cream, and exceedingly fine nuts Two glasses of water or a cup of thin cocoa LUNCHEON A lettuce and tomato salad, One very ripe banana with nuts A spoonful or two of nuts One vegetable--fresh peas, One or two figs, or two beans, spinach, or onions dates One very small, baked One glass of water potato One glass of water DINNER A salad of lettuce and tomatoes A salad Choice of two vegetables--asparagus, Asparagus, or peas cooked beans, beets, and served in the pod onions, peas A baked white potato A small, baked potato A very small portion of fish, or white meat of chicken Menus No. 1 are slightly heavier than Menus No. 2. Choice may be exercised between them, according to hunger, or according to activity or amount of work done. One glass of water should be drunk at each of the dinner meals. Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran should be taken twice a week with both the morning and the evening meal. The bran should be cooked five minutes, and eaten with a spoonful of cream. SUMMER MENU _ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY--DROWSINESS_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A cantaloup Two or three very ripe One exceedingly ripe red peaches with sugar and banana, eaten with nut cream butter; masticate very A cantaloup fine Bran gems or whole wheat Three egg whites and one yolk, poached lightly, eaten with corn or a small potato LUNCHEON A lettuce and tomato salad, Two glasses of buttermilk eaten with nuts Onions, en casserole Carrots, peas, or beans DINNER A very small portion of Two ears of tender corn fresh fish An egg, with cooked spinach, A small, baked potato or a small portion Green corn of green salad Spinach and corn, cooked From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. The accumulation of gas after meals can be largely controlled by extreme mastication, very slow, deliberate eating, and copious water-drinking at meals. If constipated, take, immediately on rising and just before retiring, a half pound of grapes, swallowing the skins, seeds and pulp. Do not masticate the seeds or pulp. If preferred, half a cup of coarse wheat bran may be taken twice daily instead of grapes. If the bowels should become slightly lax, the seeds of the grapes should be omitted at night. Health is Nature's gift to the young; after that, it is a thing that must be earned. FALL MENU _ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY--DROWSINESS_ /First Day/: BREAKFAST One glass of water A melon Two or three extremely ripe peaches Three egg whites, poached very lightly A bran meal gem One exceedingly ripe red banana (must be black spotted), with nut butter and thin cream LUNCHEON One egg, whipped, mixed with a large glass of milk (A half hour later, eat two or three exceedingly ripe peaches) DINNER Half a glass of water Half a cantaloup A lettuce and tomato salad Two medium ears of tender corn A small portion of tender fish /Note/: I would advise a spirometer for measuring the capacity of the lungs. The normal lung capacity for a man 5 feet 7 to 10 inches in height should be about 300 cubic inches, and for a woman 5 feet 3 inches, 180 to 200 cubic inches. The ability to use surplus food, which the appetite will continue to demand for some time, will depend upon the amount of exercise and deep breathing taken, and the consequent lung capacity. /Second Day/: Same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food taken at each meal, if demanded by /Normal Hunger/. /Third Day/: BREAKFAST One glass of water Choice of melon, peaches, or plums An exceedingly ripe banana, eaten with thin cream One whole egg, or a small piece of broiled fish A very small baked potato--sweet or white LUNCHEON One or two glasses of buttermilk An ear of corn DINNER One glass of water A small ear of tender corn--boiled Choice of fresh green beans or tender lima beans Spinach, or a salad or anything green A very small portion of broiled fish (If preferred, chicken may be eaten at this meal) A baked potato Just before retiring, eat a few peaches or some grapes. If sleepy or drowsy after meals, devote from one to two minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5 (see Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345), together with deep breathing, before an open window or in the fresh air. /Fourth Day/: Same as the third. /Fifth Day/: Same as the first, repeating these menus for about thirty days, making such variations in vegetables and fruits as demanded by normal hunger. These menus will seem insufficient in quantity measured by appetite, but appetite, which comes from irritation of the mucous surface of the stomach, is not a safe guide. See menus for "No Appetite," p. 1081. The greatest difficulty will be experienced the first week. After that, nature will begin her process of adjustment, and the patient will begin to reduce in weight and gain in strength; sleep will become more restful and the sleepy and drowsy feeling after meals will gradually disappear. The following natural laws should be rigidly observed: 1 Limit the quantity of food to the actual needs of the body 2 Thorough and complete mastication 3 An abundance of deep breathing 4 A given amount of vigorous exercise every day WINTER MENU _ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY--DROWSINESS_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Bananas, very ripe, baked, Boiled wheat, eaten with eaten with thin cream thin cream A spoonful or two of wheat A spoonful of nuts, with bran anything green in the One egg, whipped, to which way of a salad--celery, add a very little sugar lettuce, or romaine and a few drops of lemon (Anything green may juice be taken with Menu I--breakfast) A cup of hot water, chocolate, cocoa, or sassafras tea may be taken after either one of these meals. LUNCHEON Carrots, squash, pumpkin, Same selections as Menu I beets, or turnips (luncheon); select one Sweet or white potatoes vegetable, or omit vegetables entirely, and take two eggs, whipped with a little sugar and lemon juice; add a glass or two of milk DINNER A bit of anything green--celery, One or two of the same spinach, or lettuce vegetables as in Menu I eaten with oil, salt and (dinner) nuts Anything green, as a salad Choice of any fresh vegetable One egg, or a bit of fish, if named for luncheon desired A baked sweet or a white potato A few nuts, and one extremely ripe banana as a dessert For recipe for baked bananas and whipped eggs, see pp. 677 and 678, Vol. III. SPRING MENU _FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH_ BREAKFAST Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked Two bananas, baked, if not very ripe; serve with cream and either nut butter or nuts LUNCHEON Baked beans, with sauce of olive-oil, lemon juice and sugar A cup of chocolate DINNER A green salad Smelts, or any young or tender fish A potato An onion Gelatin, with fruit Vigorous exercise and deep breathing are very necessary both in decreasing weight and increasing strength. At least three hours daily should be spent in the open air, and the lungs should be filled to their utmost capacity. The bowels should be kept in normal condition. (See Menus for Constipation.) SUMMER MENU _FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH_ BREAKFAST Cherries, berries, cantaloup, or melon A red banana, with nuts One or two eggs, whipped--dash of sugar; flavor with lemon or pineapple juice LUNCHEON Green beans, with onion Corn or a potato DINNER Celery or shredded cabbage, with nuts and oil Sweet potatoes--butter Corn Melon A glass of water or thin cocoa may be taken at each of the above meals. FALL MENU _FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH_ BREAKFAST A cantaloup A banana, with raisins, cream, and nuts An egg, cooked two minutes A bran gem or a whole wheat cracker, or whole wheat bread LUNCHEON A pint of junket or two glasses of buttermilk DINNER A green salad, with oil and nuts A rare omelet, rolled in scraped corn A potato--sweet or white A cantaloup WINTER MENU _FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH_ Immediately on rising devote five minutes to exercises and deep breathing. BREAKFAST Wheat bran and flaked wheat, cooked together; use a liberal service of cream A cup of cocoa LUNCHEON Spinach, with egg white A bran gem or a whole wheat muffin A vegetable or fruit salad, with oil and nuts DINNER Boiled onions, parsnips, or carrots--any two of these A baked potato A very small portion of fish or white meat of chicken A cup of hot water MENUS FOR NEURASTHENIA SPRING MENU _NEURASTHENIA_ BREAKFAST Three or four egg whites, whipped and mixed with a pint of rich milk Bran meal gems LUNCHEON Onions, en casserole A potato DINNER Peas or asparagus A morsel of dried herring and an onion, uncooked Bran meal gems or a potato Cheese, raisins, and nuts SUMMER MENU _NEURASTHENIA_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup, peaches, plums, or berries--no sugar Whole wheat, boiled Half a cup of wheat bran, with cream LUNCHEON Spinach or turnip-tops Onions, uncooked, and a bit of dried fish A potato DINNER Lettuce or celery, with nuts Fish Vegetable soup Squash, carrots, or onions A potato FALL MENU _NEURASTHENIA_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or peaches Baked bananas, with cream One egg, boiled two minutes A bran meal gem LUNCHEON Two glasses of buttermilk A muffin--graham or gluten DINNER Vegetable soup Celery or lettuce, with nuts Turnips, carrots, okra, cauliflower--choice A bran meal gem A sweet potato WINTER MENU _NEURASTHENIA_ BREAKFAST Prunes or a very ripe banana Nuts, with raisins and cream A sweet potato LUNCHEON An onion, uncooked, and a very small portion of dried fish A bran gem Cocoa DINNER Celery or slaw Nuts Cabbage, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts Carrots, parsnips, or onions Baked beans or a potato The person afflicted with neurasthenia should omit all beverages, except water, which should be drunk only at meals. By all means avoid overeating. MENUS FOR MALNUTRITION SPRING MENU _MALNUTRITION_ Menus for the treatment of malnutrition should be limited in quantity, and composed of the most soluble and readily digestible articles that will afford the required elements of nourishment. BREAKFAST Very ripe berries, without sugar and cream Two or three egg whites, whipped, and mixed with a pint of skimmed milk Two heaping tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked, and served with a little cream LUNCHEON A raw Spanish onion, with a bit of dried fish A baked potato--eat skins and all Bran meal gems, with butter DINNER Lettuce or young onions Peas or asparagus Spinach or turnip-greens, with yolk of egg A baked potato A tablespoonful of wheat bran, cooked SUMMER MENU _MALNUTRITION_ BREAKFAST Melon, peaches, or berries Two very large, ripe bananas, baked; serve with cream (See recipe, page 677) A glass of milk LUNCHEON Spinach or turnip-greens, with egg yolk Bran meal gems or corn bread A bit of onion, uncooked DINNER A light vegetable soup String beans, fresh peas, tender corn--any two of these A potato or lima beans Gelatin (lemon or vanilla), if something sweet is desired FALL MENU _MALNUTRITION_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or peaches One or two bran meal gems or a corn muffin A glass or two of rich milk LUNCHEON Celery or lettuce, with either nuts or oil Tender corn or lima beans A potato--sweet or white DINNER Vegetable or cream soup Celery, with ripe olives and nuts Carrots, and either onions or squash (These should be cooked in a casserole dish; see page 671) Bran meal gems or a potato WINTER MENU _MALNUTRITION_ BREAKFAST Strained orange juice--half water Whole wheat, boiled, and served with butter (omit cream) LUNCHEON Three to four glasses of rich milk Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran DINNER Celery or vegetable salad, with nuts and oil Turnips, carrots, winter squash, or onions; preferably en casserole A bit of very tender fish or white meat of chicken A potato or a corn muffin For cooking en casserole, see p. 671, Vol. III. MENUS FOR ANEMIA SPRING MENU FOR A YOUTH _ANEMIA--MALASSIMILATION--UNDERWEIGHT--NO APPETITE_ The following menus should be carefully adhered to for two or three days, or until normal hunger is produced: BREAKFAST Prunes or dried peaches Bananas, nuts, or nut butter A pint of rich milk LUNCHEON A light vegetable, such as boiled onions, peas, or new potatoes A glass or two of milk DINNER Two eggs, coddled A baked white potato SPRING MENU FOR A YOUTH _ANEMIA--MALASSIMILATION--UNDERWEIGHT--NO APPETITE_ When good digestion and normal hunger are restored, the following menus should be given: BREAKFAST Farina, rice, or corn hominy, with butter and a very little sugar Fresh milk--one or two glasses LUNCHEON Baked potatoes Milk DINNER Peas or beans, creamed onions A potato Rice or corn bread Gelatin or boiled custard Vigorous exercise and outdoor sport should be encouraged. SUMMER MENU FOR A YOUTH _ANEMIA--MALASSIMILATION--UNDERWEIGHT--NO APPETITE_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup, peaches, or plums A very rare omelet or a coddled egg A corn-meal gem Milk LUNCHEON Milk or buttermilk--buttermilk preferred A bran gem or a whole wheat gem DINNER One or two vegetables Rice or corn Milk A cantaloup Drink an abundance of water. Spend all the time possible out of doors. FALL MENU FOR A YOUTH _ANEMIA--MALASSIMILATION--UNDERWEIGHT--NO APPETITE_ Choice of the following: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Two or three egg whites, One exceedingly ripe banana, whipped three or four eaten with nut minutes, into which whip butter, cream, and figs a teaspoonful each of or dates olive-oil and lemon juice, A glass or two of milk and a heaping teaspoonful of sugar. Add a cup of rich milk LUNCHEON Turnips, carrots, parsnips, Boiled onions squash--any two of these A bit of tender fish or an A bit of whole wheat bread egg. (The egg might be or a baked potato whipped as for morning) Milk A baked potato--sweet or white Milk DINNER Choice of one vegetable (see An egg, or clabbered milk, luncheon) with a little sugar One egg whipped, or a glass A baked potato of milk. (Both, if the One fresh vegetable appetite will accept them) A baked potato--sweet or white It would be preferable to make the entire meal (dinner) upon whipped eggs, if they appeal to the taste. For "Choice of Menus," see p. 683, Vol. III. WINTER MENU FOR THE YOUTH _ANEMIA--MALASSIMILATION--UNDERWEIGHT--NO APPETITE_ BREAKFAST A cup of chocolate or cocoa, or warm milk Steamed wheat, farina, or corn hominy LUNCHEON Vegetable soup Fish or a potato Milk DINNER One fresh vegetable A potato Chicken or fish Ice-cream--very little For primary causes of Anemia, see Lesson I, "Chart showing different dis-eases caused by Superacidity," p. 9. MENUS FOR LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA SPRING MENU _LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA_ BREAKFAST Three egg whites and one yolk, whipped, mixed with a pint of rich milk Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked, and served with thin cream LUNCHEON Plain wheat, boiled thoroughly, eaten with Pignolia (pine) nuts DINNER Fresh peas or baked beans Buttermilk Cheese, nuts, and raisins Wheat bran SUMMER MENU _LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA_ BREAKFAST Melon or peaches--no sugar Three or four glasses of fresh milk A corn muffin Wheat bran LUNCHEON Fresh corn, peas, or beans Milk; two to four glasses Bran DINNER Shelled peas or beans A potato Fish, eggs, or buttermilk Bran FALL MENU _LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA_ BREAKFAST A pint of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of sugar Corn hominy or corn bread LUNCHEON Fish, chicken, or turkey A potato Cheese and nuts DINNER Celery with nuts Two or three glasses of milk; buttermilk preferred A potato Bran Raisins, cheese, and nuts WINTER MENU _LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA_ BREAKFAST California grapes or prunes Two eggs, whipped, and mixed with two or three glasses of milk Bran meal gems LUNCHEON Celery with nuts Turnips, carrots, or parsnips A baked potato DINNER Boiled plain wheat or corn bread Fish, chicken, or two or three glasses of milk (Wheat bran, if milk is taken) COLDS [Sidenote: Cause 1] A cold, in its last analysis, is merely a form of congestion throughout the capillary vessels of the body. It may have been caused by exposure--a draft of cold air blowing upon some exposed part of the body, in which case Nature closes the pores of the skin in self-defense. The poisons that are constantly being eliminated through the pores are thus prevented from escaping through these channels, and are picked up by the circulation, and carried to the lungs to be burned with oxygen. The lung capacity being too limited, or the amount of poison too great, Nature suppurates these poisons and throws them off in the form of mucus. [Sidenote: Cause 2] When a quantity of food, greater than the body can use, is taken and ingested into the circulation, the excess is carried to the lungs in the same manner as above described, and the same form of congestion and elimination takes place; therefore, colds caused by _exposure_ and _overeating_ are alike in every respect except their origin. The experience of the writer has been that congestion, which we term colds, is caused much more frequently from overeating than from exposure. The logical remedy in either case is to limit the quantity of food to the minimum and to confine the diet, as nearly as possible, to readily soluble and readily digestible foods, such as nuts, fruit salads, and fresh watery vegetables, taking only sufficient nitrogenous and carbohydrate compounds to balance the daily bill of fare. The following menus given for colds may be also used in cases of la grippe, influenza, etc.: MENUS FOR COLDS SPRING MENU BREAKFAST A cup of hot water An apple, with nuts or berries, in season Two egg whites to one yolk, whipped or lightly poached Clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of grated maple-sugar A few raisins and nuts LUNCHEON One tuber vegetable A baked potato or baked beans A salad (green), with nuts or cheese DINNER Asparagus, turnips, beets, onions--any two of these A potato Whole wheat, well cooked, or a portion of wheat bran, cooked Nut butter or thin cream In the late spring, such vegetables as new beets, radishes, lettuce, onions, or any green salad may be eaten at either the noon or the evening meal. These meals may be varied by choosing fresh vegetables or fruit in season. SUMMER MENU _COLDS_ BREAKFAST Choice of fruit--a liberal quantity A banana--very ripe; serve with raisins, nuts, and cream (If the banana is not very ripe, it should be baked) LUNCHEON A generous green salad, with grated nuts Choice of one or two fresh vegetables A poached egg, dropped into a baked potato DINNER A liberal green salad Smelts, broiled Tender corn One or two fresh vegetables A dessert of peaches, plums, berries, or any juicy fruit From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at meals. A liberal quantity of fruit or berry juice should be taken between meals. Vegetable soup may be served at either the noon or the evening meal, using but little fats. Acid fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapples, lemons, and strawberries should be omitted if there is a tendency toward superacidity, intestinal fermentation, or rheumatism. FALL MENU _COLDS_ BREAKFAST Melon or choice of fruit Baked squash or a banana Flaked wheat or a bran meal gem A spoonful or two of nuts, with raisins LUNCHEON Two shirred eggs An ear of tender corn A green salad DINNER Choice of two fresh vegetables Choice of corn or lima beans Choice of a baked sweet or a white potato A green salad--liberal portion Gelatin or junket WINTER MENU _COLDS_ Juice of orange or grapes just after rising. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water, sassafras tea, or malted milk Two coddled eggs, or very tender fish, broiled A potato or a bran gem[*] LUNCHEON Any fresh vegetable: Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips Spinach or endive Malted milk or a cup of cocoa DINNER A bit of slaw or celery Liberal portion of boiled onions Spinach, with egg A potato; prepared choice All of the menus for Colds can be taken in cases of La Grippe and Influenza. [* See "Bran Meal," p. 683.] NASAL CATARRH The following menus, in their various groups, are composed of the most easily digested foods that will give to the body all the elements of nourishment it requires, during the several seasons of the year. The calories of energy, remedial elements and counteractive properties these menus contain, have been very carefully compiled from long experience in the treatment of catarrh. The nutritive factors they contain are proportioned or leveled so that under ordinary conditions there will be no deficiency to produce unnatural craving, and no surplus to be decomposed and converted into mucous or catarrhal discharges. These menus contemplate a normal body, living under normal conditions. If one should be exposed to excessive cold, the carbohydrates (sugar and starches) and fats may be slightly increased, and if exposed to excessive heat these articles should be limited somewhat below the amount prescribed. If one is engaged in heavy manual labor the proteid factor such as is contained in beans, eggs, fish, and cheese may be increased, and if performing no labor, these things should be reduced even below the amount prescribed. These menus will have a tendency to establish normal digestion and assimilation of food, and normal elimination of waste. When this is accomplished, the instincts and various senses will suggest the quality and the quantity of food, the kind and amount of exercise, and all other natural laws that govern and control the physical organism. WATER-DRINKING IN THE TREATMENT OF NASAL CATARRH Sufficient water should be drunk at each of these meals to bring the moisture up to about 66 per cent of the whole. This will require from one to three ordinary glasses, depending largely upon the amount of residual water in the foods composing the meal. See "Uses of Water in the Body," Lesson II, Vol. I, p. 53. See also "Water-drinking in Cases of Superacidity," Vol. II, p. 434. Water performs another very valuable service. When one eats too many sweets, he should drink an abundance of water. This prevents stomach-acidity, and consequent fermentation and irritation of the mucous lining of the stomach. It also prevents torpidity of the liver, which usually follows the excessive use of sweets. Two or three glasses of water taken at an ordinary meal will all be retained and used by the body, while the same quantity of water taken from two to three hours after a meal, will nearly all pass off in the form of urine. MENUS FOR NASAL CATARRH LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER _NASAL CATARRH_ Sweet orange, cherries, or very ripe grapefruit just after rising. BREAKFAST Three or four egg whites, whipped five minutes, to which add two teaspoonfuls each of lemon juice and sugar, while whipping One very ripe banana, or plain boiled wheat, with nuts LUNCHEON A green salad, with tomatoes and oil One fresh vegetable--peas or beans Corn bread--butter Buttermilk DINNER Spinach, kale, young cabbage, or turnip-tops, cooked One fresh vegetable, in season A baked sweet potato Choice tender fish, chicken, or three egg whites and one yolk, whipped, with spoonful each of sugar and of lemon juice These menus are composed largely of proteids in their most soluble and digestible forms--a most important factor in remedial feeding, especially in cases of either stomach or nasal catarrh. One or two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. Mastication should be perfect before any water is taken into the mouth. The bowels should be kept normal by the use of wheat bran. LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL _NASAL CATARRH_ For many patients suffering with nasal catarrh, the following combinations have been prescribed by the author with much success. Choice of the following: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Peaches or pears A cantaloup or grapes A baked sweet potato One or two eggs, lightly Half a glass of milk cooked A baked banana A whole wheat gem or a baked white potato A cup of cocoa LUNCHEON A lettuce salad Peas, beans, or carrots One fresh vegetable, in season A sweet or a white potato A baked potato or a very Buttermilk, with two egg little whole wheat bread; whites, whipped potato preferred A banana with cream cheese and dates DINNER A lettuce and tomato salad Young onions, radishes, or Choice of two fresh vegetables celery Tender fish Beets, carrots, corn, parsnips, A baked potato Spanish onion, or Plain ice-cream, provided string beans--any two salad is omitted of these Choice--fish, chicken, or eggs A baked potato A cantaloup LATE FALL AND EARLY WINTER _NASAL CATARRH_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Grapes One very ripe banana with Bran gems thin cream and nut butter One egg whipped with sugar A pint of clabbered milk and lemon juice A small portion of coarse A baked sweet potato cereal--plain wheat boiled LUNCHEON A salad, or celery, with Onions cooked in a casserole either nuts or oil dish Baked beans A potato; prepared choice Boiled onions or carrots DINNER Carrots, onions, parsnips, One fresh vegetable squash, turnips--any two A baked sweet or a white of these potato Choice of one of the following A very ripe banana, with proteid foods: either nuts and raisins Eggs Chicken or figs and cream (white meat) Fish Turkey (white meat) A baked potato /Note/: If the weather is very cold a dessert-spoonful or more of olive-oil should be taken just before each of these meals, and a cup of hot water at the close. LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING _NASAL CATARRH_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A sweet orange Whole wheat or corn--boiled A rare omelet rolled in soft or simmered grated nuts and cream over night; serve with Whole wheat bread or corn butter or cream muffins A cup of chocolate A cup of chocolate LUNCHEON Baked sweet potatoes with A boiled Spanish onion butter A white potato, baked A cup of chocolate Two eggs, either whipped or coddled DINNER Cream of tomato soup (Christmas or New Year's Celery or slaw dinner) Nuts Cream of celery soup Carrots, parsnips, or turnips A vegetable salad A baked potato Baked or creamed potatoes Cocoa or hot water Turkey or chicken--white meat--very little Baked chestnuts Cranberry sauce Ice-cream Hot chocolate MENUS FOR HAY FEVER SPRING MENU _HAY FEVER_ BREAKFAST Bananas, baked Whole wheat or rye, boiled five or six hours Thin cream LUNCHEON Any fresh vegetable--cabbage, onions, carrots Whole wheat bread Thin cocoa DINNER One egg, coddled Rice or a potato Boiled onions or squash Spinach or lettuce, with nuts For recipe for baked bananas and coddled eggs, see p. 677, Vol. III. See "Bran Meal," p. 683, Vol. III. SUMMER MENU _HAY FEVER_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or peaches--no sugar A potato--sweet or white Clabbered milk LUNCHEON Corn or peas Lima beans A potato A melon DINNER Lettuce and tomato salad, with nut-butter sauce Peas, beans, carrots, squash, or onions A potato--sweet or white An egg or a very small portion of fish FALL MENU _HAY FEVER_ BREAKFAST Persimmons or grapes Bran meal gems or corn bread A glass of milk LUNCHEON Winter squash or a sweet potato Baked beans or a white potato DINNER Lettuce or celery, with nuts Carrots or string beans A raw onion A baked potato or corn bread A spoonful or two of bran, cooked WINTER MENU _HAY FEVER_ BREAKFAST The juice of a sweet orange Three baked bananas or two very ripe bananas, with cream, raisins, and nuts LUNCHEON Eggplant and a boiled onion A bran meal gem or a corn muffin Nuts, with raisins DINNER A light vegetable soup Turnips or cabbage, en casserole A baked potato or bran meal gems One or two figs, with cheese and nuts The bowels should be kept in normal condition by the liberal use of wheat bran at each meal. The free action of the bowels is very important in all such disorders as hay fever, influenza, and colds. MENUS FOR ASTHMA SPRING MENU _ASTHMA_ BREAKFAST Grapefruit or an orange--very ripe Baked bananas--must be very ripe A glass of milk LUNCHEON Peas or asparagus Bran meal gems A glass of milk DINNER Spinach or turnip-tops Corn bread or bran meal gems Peas or asparagus A potato SUMMER MENU _ASTHMA_ BREAKFAST Peaches, plums, or berries, without cream One egg, either lightly poached or boiled two minutes A small baked potato LUNCHEON An ear of tender corn A Spanish onion, uncooked, with a morsel of dried fish DINNER Fresh peas, beans, or carrots Tender corn or a baked potato Lettuce, romaine, or watercress, with nuts FALL MENU _ASTHMA_ BREAKFAST Grapes or a melon Two egg whites, whipped, and mixed with a pint of milk Baked chestnuts, with cream LUNCHEON Okra or a boiled onion A baked potato Half a glass of milk DINNER Celery, with nuts Cauliflower, squash, or a stewed pumpkin A potato or lentils A cup of cocoa or a glass of milk WINTER MENU _ASTHMA_ BREAKFAST Pineapple--eliminate the pulp Plain boiled wheat; serve with fresh butter LUNCHEON A pint of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of sugar Two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran DINNER Vegetable soup Celery, with nuts and ripe olives Carrots or baked squash A potato--sweet or white The juice of a sweet orange an hour after eating. Where milk is not prescribed in the above menus, from one to two glasses of water should be drunk. The bowels should be kept in normal condition by the use of wheat bran. INFLUENZA In treating influenza heavy starchy foods such as white flour products should be omitted, and the diet confined largely to fresh vegetables and the more soluble proteids, such as egg whites and buttermilk, with now and then a limited quantity of fish or fowl for a change. Fats and sugars should be limited very materially and a liberal quantity of coarse articles such as wheat bran, celery, grapes, and green salads eaten when in season. The patient should exercise great care in regard to quantity, endeavoring always to limit the quantity of food somewhat below the demands of normal hunger. The menus for colds, catarrh, hay fever, and asthma may be used for influenza. See pp. 917 to 938, inclusive. MENUS FOR INSOMNIA SPRING MENU _INSOMNIA--NERVOUSNESS_ _LOW VITALITY_ Both insomnia and nervousness are symptoms of the same conditions. The following menus, therefore, are for the purpose of removing primary causes, which are usually either stomach or intestinal fermentation. The logical remedy for fermentation is to limit the diet to the fewest number of articles that will give to the body the necessary elements of nutrition. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Corn hominy or boiled wheat A banana, baked, or sliced and broiled in butter A cup of cool water LUNCHEON A liberal portion of peas in the pod A baked potato DINNER Light vegetable soup Peas or asparagus Baked potatoes A cup of hot water Half-cup of wheat bran, cooked /Note/: New peas should be cooked in the pod, as the shell contains better nutrition than the pea. For recipe, see p. 679. SUMMER MENU _INSOMNIA--NERVOUSNESS LOW VITALITY_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or very ripe pear, with cream A baked sweet potato, with butter A pint of rich milk Wheat bran LUNCHEON An ear or two of tender corn A green salad One egg, whipped DINNER Lettuce and tomato salad, with grated nuts String beans, with raw onion Tender corn, scraped from the cob, cooked with very little rich milk and the white of an egg Cantaloup The quantity of food prescribed is sufficient for one performing very light labor. If the duties should be strenuous, the quantity may be slightly increased, but the proportions and the combinations should be observed. FALL MENU _INSOMNIA--NERVOUSNESS LOW VITALITY_ Vigorous exercise, deep breathing, and a glass or two of water should be taken on rising. BREAKFAST (Half hour later) Cantaloup, pears, or persimmons Baked bananas, served with cream Steamed figs, with thin cream A spoonful of nuts LUNCHEON Corn on the cob or boiled wheat String beans Spinach DINNER Romaine and tomato salad A liberal portion of baked white potato or tender corn Carrots or parsnips Cheese with hard cracker A cup of thin cocoa If there should be congestion of the bowels, a liberal service of Concord or blue grapes should be eaten the first thing after rising, and the last thing before retiring. The pulp and seeds should be swallowed, and the skins well masticated. WINTER MENU _INSOMNIA--NERVOUSNESS LOW VITALITY_ A cup or two of hot water, deep breathing, and vigorous exercise immediately after rising. BREAKFAST Half a pound of Tokay or Malaga grapes, masticating and swallowing both skins and seeds Two fresh eggs, whipped very thoroughly, slightly sweetened with honey or maple-sugar, and flavored with fruit-juice. Add half a glass of milk to each egg and drink slowly LUNCHEON A small portion of wheat bran, cooked A pint and a half of junket, taken slowly One bran meal gem DINNER Carrots or winter squash A small portion of tender fish or a whipped egg A baked potato A cup of cool water To increase vital energy depends not so much upon the quantity as upon the amount of food ingested or assimilated. These menus are rather light for one of low vitality, but they are made to meet the requirements of one suffering from nervousness and insomnia. If, however, these conditions do not prevail, the quantity may be increased, but the combinations should be carefully observed. MENUS FOR RHEUMATISM AND GOUT SPRING MENU _RHEUMATISM--GOUT--LUMBAGO SCIATICA, ARTHRITIS_ BREAKFAST Choice of the following: _a_ Two or three bananas, baked; serve with cream or butter _b_ A baked sweet potato Half a dozen steamed figs, with cream LUNCHEON Asparagus or peas A small portion of new potatoes--preferably baked DINNER Potato, steamed wheat, or bran gems A glass of milk; buttermilk preferred One fresh vegetable, such as carrots, turnips, parsnips, or onions Nuts or cream cheese A generous quantity of pure water should be drunk immediately on rising, and from one to two glasses at each of these meals. Mastication should be very thorough. At least two hours' vigorous exercise or useful labor should be performed each day, in the open air. Omit all acids, such as grapefruit, oranges, pineapples, lemons, and rhubarb; also eggs and all flesh foods. If the bowels are constipated, take a tablespoonful of wheat bran in half a glass of hot water immediately on rising, and half a cup of bran, cooked, at each meal; also, two or three tablespoonfuls in hot water just before retiring. Continue this until the bowels become normal, then reduce the quantity according to the severity of the case. SUMMER MENU _RHEUMATISM--GOUT--LUMBAGO_ _SCIATICA, ARTHRITIS_ BREAKFAST Melon or peaches--very ripe Two or three large, very ripe bananas, peeled, and baked ten minutes; serve with cream or fresh butter A bran meal gem LUNCHEON A very small portion of green salad An ear or two of tender corn A pint of buttermilk DINNER A small portion of green salad Peas, beans, corn, or any fresh vegetable A very small portion of fish (Buttermilk or junket may be taken instead of fish, if preferred) A baked potato Melon or cantaloup From two to three glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. If the bowels are constipated, observe the instructions given for the Spring Menu. Exercise, in all rheumatic conditions, is very important, and while the temperature of the summer weather aids in eliminating poisons from the body, vigorous exercise should be taken in order to give Nature all the help possible. Rheumatism is merely a form of congestion throughout the capillary vessels of the body. The cure, therefore, is first to remove the causes by taking into the body only such foods as it will use, and use completely; secondly, to aid Nature in casting out all poisons, thereby establishing perfect elimination. FALL MENU _RHEUMATISM--GOUT--LUMBAGO_ _SCIATICA, ARTHRITIS_ BREAKFAST Melons or persimmons Whole wheat gems or bran gems An exceedingly ripe banana, with cream, nuts, and raisins LUNCHEON Green corn or fresh string beans Either a baked potato or a very little whole wheat bread Two or three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, with lettuce DINNER Vegetable soup or cream soup Corn, lima beans, turnips, carrots, parsnips, squash, onions--any two of these A baked potato Half a pound of grapes may be eaten an hour after either meal, or just before retiring. Two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. For general instructions, see Spring Menu. WINTER MENU _RHEUMATISM--GOUT--LUMBAGO_ _SCIATICA, ARTHRITIS_ /First Day/: On rising, drink two glasses of water. Devote as much time as possible to vigorous exercises and deep breathing. BREAKFAST Corn muffins or bran meal gems, with cream or fresh butter A cup of cocoa--half milk LUNCHEON A large portion of boiled onions A baked white potato Raisins, with nuts and cream cheese DINNER A fresh vegetable soup Squash, pumpkin, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant--any two of these A very small portion of white meat of chicken Salted nuts with steamed figs Just before retiring drink a glass of water, and exercise as already suggested. /Second Day/: Very much the same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food, if the amount prescribed does not seem sufficient to satisfy normal hunger. Take great care, however, not to overeat. /Third Day/: BREAKFAST Bran gems, or a baked potato, with butter Two glasses of milk LUNCHEON A liberal portion of baked sweet potatoes, with butter A cup of hot water, into which put a little sugar and cream Figs, cream, and nuts DINNER A salad of lettuce, celery, or endive, with nuts One fresh vegetable A bit of chicken or turkey--white meat; or shell-fish, such as lobster or crab, may be eaten A baked potato /Note/: The meats are given only in case there is a craving for something salty. Exercise and water-drinking just before retiring. /Fourth Day/: Same as the third, varying the meals by changing vegetables according to hunger. /Fifth Day/: Same as the first, repeating these menus for a period of from fifteen to twenty days, making such variations in the vegetables as normal hunger requires. SPRING MENU _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER_ _RHEUMATIC TENDENCY_ Drink two glasses of water just after rising, to which add a spoonful or two of lemon juice. Devote as much time as possible (from three to five minutes) to vigorous exercises, as shown in Vol. V, pp. 1343 to 1346. Hold the breath while executing three or four movements. In this way the lung capacity can be much increased. Choice of the following: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Grapes or orange juice Half a cup of wheat bran, Whole wheat, boiled; serve cooked with thin cream An egg white, poached Wheat bran A banana, baked LUNCHEON Spinach One glass of water A potato or steamed wheat Boiled onions A baked white potato DINNER A salad of lettuce and tomatoes, A green salad with oil Carrots, spinach, or onions--any Choice of peas, beans, or two of these asparagus A baked sweet or a white A small, baked white potato potato One egg or a very small portion Baked beans or rye bread of tender fish One glass of water One glass of water Apple tapioca or gelatin The bowels should be kept in normal condition by the use of clean, coarse wheat bran. SUMMER MENU _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER_ _RHEUMATIC TENDENCY_ /First Day/: On rising, take two sweet, ripe plums, and a glass of water. Devote from one to three minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5 (see Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345), and practise deep breathing, filling the lungs to their utmost capacity every third or fourth movement. Also take a short, brisk walk in the open air. BREAKFAST (An hour later) Four or five extremely ripe peaches, with just a sprinkle of sugar--no cream Two or three egg whites and one yolk, whipped with a teaspoonful of sugar One extremely ripe banana (black spotted), with nuts LUNCHEON Two medium ears of tender green corn, thoroughly masticated; serve with either a very little nut butter or fresh dairy butter DINNER Cream of pea soup; crisp cracker--very little A lettuce and tomato salad, or cooked spinach An ear or two of tender green corn, or lima beans (cooked) A grilled sweet potato Water should be taken as follows: Half a glass at the beginning, a glass during the progress of the meal, and half a glass at the close. Just before retiring, eat half a pound of very ripe grapes, swallowing skins, seeds and pulps, or take four or five extremely ripe Japanese plums, if they are not sweet and well ripened; grapes are preferred. Devote about three minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5, together with deep breathing. /Second Day/: Same as the first, very slightly increasing the quantity of food if there is the least symptom of weakness. Every morning, immediately on rising, eat two or three peaches or plums, and drink a glass of water. /Third Day/: BREAKFAST Cantaloup A cup of cocoa or chocolate Choice of: _a_ Two extremely ripe bananas, baked; serve with thin cream (bananas must be black spotted) _b_ A baked potato Two egg whites, whipped with a sprinkle of sugar and a little lemon juice and cream LUNCHEON Tender corn String beans or squash Spinach or a green salad A cantaloup or two exceedingly ripe peaches, with a little sugar--no cream DINNER A small portion of fish or white meat of chicken, provided there is a craving for this kind of food; if not, confine to Tender corn (One whole poached egg, eaten with the corn) One boiled onion or cooked spinach Two glasses of water This entire meal should be masticated very thoroughly. This is one method of preventing supersecretion of acid, premature fermentation and the consequent accumulation of gas. /Fourth Day/: The same as the third, with the exception of the evening meal, which should consist of-- A baked sweet potato--butter Carrots or string beans, or Spanish onion /Fifth Day/: The same as the first. /Sixth Day/: The same as the second, repeating the diet as given for a week or ten days. After the fourth day these meals may be slightly varied by choosing from the following, where vegetables are prescribed: Beans Parsnips Beets Peas Carrots Squash Corn Turnips The patient should retire at a reasonable hour, say 10 o'clock, and rise about 6 or 6.30; have breakfast between 7.30 and 8; luncheon between 12 and 1, and dinner not later than 6.30 or 7. Masticate well every mouthful of food, whether it seems to need it or not. Even bananas need much mastication, not for the purpose of reduction, but for the purpose of insalivation. The same rule should apply to all cooked vegetables and soft foods. FALL MENU _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER_ _RHEUMATIC TENDENCY_ Choice of the following: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Cantaloup, melon, or pears Farina, rice, or boiled wheat Steamed whole wheat or One tablespoonful of nuts rice--sugar and cream (choice) A tablespoonful of nuts Cream and figs (choice) A liberal portion of wheat Half a glass of sour milk bran LUNCHEON Spinach or boiled onion One vegetable--corn, carrots, Corn bread with sweet squash, or lima butter beans Two tablespoonfuls of nuts Two spoonfuls of nuts (choice) A potato One glass of sour milk DINNER Choice of lima beans or corn Corn, spinach, or a lettuce Corn bread and sweet butter salad Lettuce and fresh tomato, Rye bread or a potato with dressing Whites of two eggs, whipped or poached Plain ice-cream, gelatin, or junket may be eaten with either of the dinner menus. Omit all laxative medicines. Use coarse clean wheat bran liberally, especially with the morning and the evening meal. WINTER MENU _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER_ _RHEUMATIC TENDENCY_ /First Day/: Immediately on rising, drink two glasses of water, and eat a small bunch of grapes, or two or three soaked prunes. Devote two or three minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5 (see Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345). The exercises should be taken before an open window, or in a well-ventilated room. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Three or four egg whites and two yolks, whipped rapidly four or five minutes with a rotary egg beater. Whip into this a heaping teaspoonful of sugar and a teaspoonful of olive-oil, and whip again for two or three minutes Flaked wheat, eaten with thin cream--small portion A cup of hot water Wheat bran LUNCHEON Carrots or parsnips Baked potatoes, with butter A boiled onion DINNER Cream of tomato soup Fish--small portions Carrots, onions, parsnips, squash, turnips--one or two of these Potatoes, prepared choice One exceedingly ripe banana, eaten with thin cream and raisins Just before retiring take two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, and devote four or five minutes to the above-named exercises. /Second Day/: The same as the first. /Third Day/: The same as the second, slightly varying the meals according to choice of vegetables, adhering closely, however, to the number of eggs prescribed. If olive-oil is not pleasant to the taste, it may be omitted, and a larger quantity of butter taken with the potatoes. It would be well to take a tablespoonful of olive-oil just before eating, followed by half a cup of hot water, especially if the weather is cold. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST Whole wheat, thoroughly steamed or boiled; serve with butter A cup of hot water LUNCHEON Vegetable soup Corn bread--butter Cocoa DINNER One fresh vegetable--carrots, parsnips, turnips, etc. A bit of fish A baked potato A small portion of plain ice-cream, if something sweet is desired /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth. /Sixth Day/: The same as the first, and so on for a period of fifteen to twenty days. SPRING MENU _STIFFNESS AND PAIN IN JOINTS_ _STOMACH TROUBLE--CONSTIPATION--INTESTINAL GAS--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION_ Immediately on rising, drink two cups of hot water. BREAKFAST A cup of wheat bran, cooked ten minutes; serve with butter, cream, and a very little salt A cup of hot water One or two exceedingly ripe bananas, baked, eaten with thin cream Two egg whites, very lightly poached A baked potato or bran meal gems A glass of water LUNCHEON A cup of junket or fresh buttermilk A small, new potato, baked; serve with butter A glass of water DINNER Choice of two of the following vegetables: Asparagus Green peas Beans Spinach Baked new potatoes A very small portion of either fish or chicken A small cup of wheat bran, prepared as for breakfast A glass of water SUMMER MENU _STIFFNESS AND PAIN IN JOINTS_ _STOMACH TROUBLE--CONSTIPATION--INTESTINAL GAS--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION_ Choice of the following Menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Melon Choice of peaches, plums, One very ripe banana, or melon baked Rice or oatmeal One or two spoonfuls of Two very ripe bananas, steamed whole wheat baked; serve with cream Two glasses of water Half a cup of bran LUNCHEON Choice of lima beans or Green corn baked potato Rich milk One glass of milk--clabbered or buttermilk A glass of water DINNER Lima beans or corn Two vegetables--choice A fruit salad (made of Sweet butter with either sweet fruit), with whipped corn bread or green corn cream One glass of milk Two or three egg whites One or two tablespoonfuls of nuts--choice Cantaloup or melon All sweets may be omitted if they do not appeal to the taste. However, if something sweet is desired, make either the luncheon or the dinner of vegetables and home-made ice-cream, omitting all other articles. EMERGENCY MEAL (To be taken in lieu of luncheon or dinner, if languid or stupid) Two ears of tender corn Two glasses of milk One whipped egg A small portion of ice-cream Wheat bran FALL MENU _STIFFNESS AND PAIN IN JOINTS_ _STOMACH TROUBLE--CONSTIPATION--INTESTINAL GAS--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION_ /First Day/: On rising, drink a cup or two of hot water, and eat a half pound of grapes, the Concord or blue grapes preferred, swallowing seeds and pulp whole, masticating and swallowing the skins. Devote as much time as possible (from three to five minutes) to deep breathing exercises before an open window, or in a thoroughly ventilated room. BREAKFAST (Half an hour later) Half a cup of coarse wheat bran, served as an ordinary cereal A bowl of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of maple-sugar Bran meal gems LUNCHEON A glass of cool water Baked potatoes or corn One fresh vegetable, such as carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, boiled onions, or squash Half a cup of hot water DINNER One or two fresh vegetables (See list suggested for luncheon) Choice of green salad, cooked spinach, or celery A baked white potato--eat skins and all One egg white, or a very small portion of either fish or white meat of chicken; egg preferred From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals--half a glass of cool water at the beginning of the meal, and a cup of hot water at the close, would be sufficient; drink enough, however, to make the total moisture about 66 per cent of the whole. A tablespoonful of wheat bran should also be taken at each of the above meals, either with a little water at the close of the meal, or cooked and served as a cereal at the beginning of the meal. A spoonful or two should be taken just after rising, and just before retiring, until the bowels act normally, when the quantity may be regulated to meet the severity of the condition. /Second Day/: Same as the first. /Third Day/: Same as the second, slightly increasing the food if demanded by normal hunger, or decreasing it if there is a sense of fullness after meals. It is always well to cease eating before hunger is thoroughly satisfied. When the body is kept slightly hungry, it assimilates all the food eaten, and insures natural digestion and elimination of waste. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST One or two exceedingly ripe bananas, with cream and nut butter, and either raisins or soaked prunes A glass of milk One egg white Boiled wheat, with thin cream and either nuts or nut butter LUNCHEON A sweet potato, with butter Corn, fresh A glass of milk DINNER Spinach, with egg white A very small portion of fish or white meat of chicken A baked sweet or a white potato A tablespoonful of olive-oil may be taken at the beginning of each of these meals, and a cup of hot water at the close. If the bowels have not become normal, continue taking the wheat bran and grapes according to directions for the first day. Observe the general rules of exercise and water-drinking just after rising and just before retiring. /Fifth Day/: Same as the fourth. /Sixth Day/: Same as the first, repeating the diet herein given, day by day, for two or three weeks. WINTER MENU _STIFFNESS AND PAIN IN JOINTS_ _STOMACH TROUBLE--CONSTIPATION--INTESTINAL GAS--IRREGULAR HEART ACTION_ /First Day/: On rising, drink a glass or two of pure water. Take a short, brisk walk in the open air. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water One tablespoonful of olive-oil or nut oil Two exceedingly ripe bananas (must be black spotted), eaten with thin cream and nut butter (A few dates, if something sweet is desired) Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked A potato--eat skins and all LUNCHEON Baked potatoes, with butter. Eat skins and all (Make entire meal upon this) DINNER Stewed pumpkin or winter squash Corn bread Choice of beans or a baked potato Wheat bran, cooked A glass of milk Just before retiring, take a brisk walk for five minutes and practise deep breathing. Eat five or six soaked prunes. /Second Day/: Same as the first, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food to meet the demands of normal hunger. /Third Day/: BREAKFAST Prunes or dried peaches, stewed--no sugar One egg, whipped very fine Coarse cereal or wheat bran LUNCHEON Liberal portion of baked sweet or white potatoes DINNER Choice of two of the following vegetables: Beans Onions Beets Pumpkin Carrots Squash Corn Turnips A potato, prepared choice /Fourth Day/: Same as the third, increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to hunger. /Fifth Day/: Same as the first, repeating these menus for twelve or fifteen days. While the yolks of eggs are conducive to rheumatic tendencies, only that portion, however, that is not naturally appropriated by the body affect these conditions. In other words, it is the excess that is harmful. MENUS FOR BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE SPRING MENU _BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE_ BREAKFAST Clabbered milk or two or three egg whites Baked bananas LUNCHEON A Spanish onion, en casserole Turnips or fresh peas in the pod Two egg whites DINNER An onion, uncooked--small portion Corn bread and a very small portion of dried fish Peas, asparagus, or turnips A potato SUMMER MENU _BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE_ BREAKFAST A melon or peaches, omitting cream Two glasses of fresh milk Bran meal gems LUNCHEON Peas or beans Young onions A small piece of corn bread A glass of buttermilk DINNER Lettuce, with nuts Corn or string beans New potatoes or lima beans Two egg whites, coddled, or cottage cheese FALL MENU _BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE_ On rising Concord (blue) grapes. BREAKFAST An omelet of two whites and one yolk, rolled in cream and grated nuts; cook lightly Corn-meal muffins LUNCHEON A sweet potato, with fresh butter DINNER A light vegetable soup Celery or tender slaw Carrots, parsnips, or turnips A potato or fresh corn WINTER MENU _BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE_ BREAKFAST A pint of clabbered milk--lukewarm Whole wheat, boiled Two tablespoonfuls of bran LUNCHEON A pint and a half of fresh milk Corn bread--not sweetened DINNER Slaw, with nuts Carrots, cauliflower, or winter squash A potato or bran meal gems MENUS FOR DIABETES SPRING MENU _DIABETES_ The diabetic patient should observe the usual rules for vigorous exercise and deep breathing, and for copious water-drinking just after rising and just before retiring. The diet should consist as nearly as possible of foods in their natural condition, such as extremely ripe fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, and of the proteid group such as eggs, milk, cheese, gelatin, legumes, and now and then a limited quantity of fish. BREAKFAST Cherries, berries, or a baked apple, without sugar Two or three extremely ripe bananas, with thin cream A spoonful or two of nuts, or nut butter A glass of milk; clabbered milk preferred LUNCHEON A small portion of plain wheat, or oat groats (grains), boiled until well done One fresh vegetable--preferably onions, carrots, or peas DINNER A liberal green salad, with nuts and oil One or two fresh vegetables, such as peas, asparagus, or okra An egg or a bit of fish A baked potato Gelatin or junket The bowels should be kept in normal condition at all times, either by vigorous exercising or by the liberal use of wheat bran. Avoid extreme acids, sweets, white bread, and heavy starches found in cereal products. SUMMER MENU _DIABETES_ A glass of water and one or two very ripe peaches just after rising and just before retiring. Devote thirty minutes, if possible, to deep breathing and vigorous exercise. BREAKFAST Melon, peaches, or any sweet fresh fruit Two eggs, whipped very thoroughly, or two glasses of clabbered milk Corn or a whole wheat muffin LUNCHEON Cauliflower, cabbage, or okra Tender corn or string beans Fish, chicken, egg, or clabbered milk A baked potato The fish, the chicken and the milk should be taken in limited quantities; vegetables should predominate. Mastication should be very thorough, and a glass or two of water should be drunk at each meal. DINNER Vegetable soup Salad, with nuts or oil Corn or lima beans A potato--sweet or white FALL MENU _DIABETES_ A glass or two of water and a bit of fruit just after rising, followed by vigorous exercises and deep breathing. BREAKFAST Peaches, plums, or persimmons Eggs, boiled two minutes A bit of corn bread, bran meal gems, or a baked potato A cup of milk or chocolate LUNCHEON Two or three glasses of buttermilk A whole wheat gem or a muffin, with nuts DINNER Two fresh vegetables, such as beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, okra, eggplant, or lima beans Sliced tomatoes A bit of green salad Two exceedingly ripe bananas, baked--eaten with nuts and cream Half a cup of wheat bran WINTER MENU _DIABETES_ BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Wheat bran, cooked Two eggs, whipped One exceedingly ripe banana, eaten with nuts and cream Half a glass of cool milk LUNCHEON A cup of hot water A baked potato A large creamed onion A cup of chocolate DINNER Onions, beans, carrots, or parsnips--any two of these One or two eggs, whipped A portion of wheat bran, cooked, or the whole wheat might be boiled until the grains burst open, and served with butter and cream. This is the best form in which cereal can be taken MENUS FOR CONSUMPTION _WEAK LUNGS--CONSUMPTION_ For many centuries consumption, or the various forms of tuberculosis have preyed upon the human race, yet science has so far failed to give us one reliable artificial remedy. We must perforce turn to Nature, the only remedy now known being oxygen or common air. The consumptive or tubercular patient should provide some way to live out-of-doors, day and night, winter and summer, unless the weather is extremely cold. The next important factor in treating this dis-ease is food. The diet should consist of the richest and the most readily digestible foods, in the following groups, given in the order of their importance: PROTEIDS CARBOHYDRATES FATS FRUIT-SUGARS Eggs Honey Nuts Figs Oranges Milk Maple-sugar Olive-oil Raisins Pears Legumes Whole wheat Cream Grapes Plums Rice Butter Persimmons Peaches Potatoes Bananas Apples Corn FRESH VEGETABLES GREEN SALADS Asparagus Beets Lettuce Peas Carrots Romaine Beans Parsnips Parsley Green corn Squash Watercress Tomatoes Celery Turnips Cabbage The patient should drink an abundance of water, take vigorous exercise and deep breathing, and eat liberally of grapes before breakfast, when they are in season. A spirometer should be secured, and an effort made to increase the capacity of the lungs one cubic inch each day until their utmost capacity has been reached. The following menus are merely suggestive. They may be changed, selecting the articles mentioned in the foregoing tables, when available during the several seasons of the year: GENERAL MENUS FOR WEAK LUNGS--CONSUMPTION /First Day/: BREAKFAST A glass of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of sugar Two eggs whipped very thoroughly (See recipe, p. 678) If constipated, take half a cup of coarse wheat bran, cooked. Serve as a breakfast cereal with butter or cream. LUNCHEON Three eggs prepared as per recipe, p. 678; add two glasses of milk; mix well; drink slowly DINNER Choice of two of the following vegetables: Beets Cabbage or celery Carrots Fresh corn or corn hominy Lentils Navy or lima beans Parsnips Turnips A baked white potato, rice, or corn One egg, prepared any way acceptable to the taste--preferably whipped Something green should be taken at this meal, if possible, such as lettuce, spinach, kale, parsley, or watercress Home-made ice-cream, in summer, or a tablespoonful of honey, in winter, may be eaten, if something sweet is desired Drink from one to two glasses of water at each of these meals, but take no water into the mouth until mastication is perfect. Just before retiring, drink a glass of water, and eat half a pound of grapes, then devote from ten to fifteen minutes to deep breathing exercises. /Second Day/: Same as the first, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to hunger. Take an additional egg the second day for the noon meal; another the third day, then gradually decrease the quantity if the appetite rebels against them. Do not overeat. Assimilation is the primary object to be obtained. /Fourth Day/: On rising, drink water and eat grapes, as prescribed for the first day. Devote much time to moderate exercise and deep breathing. BREAKFAST Two extremely ripe bananas, eaten with thin cream and either nuts or nut butter; also two or three figs or an equivalent quantity of raisins A spoonful or two of whole wheat, thoroughly cooked LUNCHEON A large boiled onion, and a baked white potato, with butter and a dash of salt (If the onion cannot be procured, take carrots or parsnips) Drink two or three glasses of milk If the bowels are not acting normally, drink a glass of water and take a spoonful or two of wheat bran, after each meal. DINNER A liberal portion of baked white potatoes, eaten with butter Four or five egg whites and two yolks, prepared as per recipe given for the first day A small portion of any two fresh vegetables (A little ice-cream may be taken at this meal, if there is a craving for something sweet) /Fifth Day/: Same as the fourth, omitting ice-cream. /Sixth Day/: Same as the first, repeating these menus for about sixteen or eighteen days. SPRING MENU _TUBERCULAR TENDENCY_ _CONSTIPATION--NERVOUSNESS--CATARRH_ /First Day/: Immediately on rising, drink a glass of cool water, eat a few cherries or the juice of an orange, and devote five or ten minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5, as shown in Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345. BREAKFAST (Half an hour later) A cup of hot water Very ripe berries, with sugar--no cream One exceedingly ripe banana, with nuts or nut butter A small, baked white potato, eaten with butter One egg, boiled two minutes A small portion of wheat bran, cooked LUNCHEON One or two large Spanish onions, boiled A small, baked white potato, eaten with butter One or two whole eggs, whipped DINNER Choice of string beans, peas, or asparagus; if these cannot be obtained, take choice of: Beets Carrots Cabbage Parsnips Turnips Spanish onions, boiled A baked white potato Three egg whites, whipped One glass of water, taken during the meal Just before retiring, take two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, drink a glass of water, and devote from five to ten minutes to exercises as prescribed for the morning. /Second Day/: Same as the first. /Third Day/: Same as the second, slightly increasing the quantity of food if necessary. Changes in the vegetables may be made, confining, however, to the vegetables mentioned, as nearly as possible, always taking fresh vegetables in preference to canned. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST Fruit--choice A small portion of plain boiled wheat, with butter and cream A cup of hot water Two eggs, whipped or boiled two minutes LUNCHEON Three glasses of milk Two eggs, whipped Wheat bran, cooked (Take milk and eggs very slowly) DINNER One green vegetable A tablespoonful or two of "Protoid" nuts Junket, gelatin, or eggs Just before retiring, devote from five to ten minutes to exercises prescribed for the first day. If the bowels have not become normal, continue taking the wheat bran just before retiring, and a spoonful or two just after rising. /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth. /Sixth Day/: Same as the first, and so on, repeating the diet so long as it appeals to the taste. If digestion will permit, the eggs and the milk may be increased. SUMMER MENU _TUBERCULAR TENDENCY_ CONSTIPATION--NERVOUSNESS--CATARRH_ Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Cantaloup or peaches One banana Three or four egg whites, Melon or peaches with thin whipped--mix with two cream glasses of fresh milk Three eggs, whipped with A spoonful of nuts (choice) very little sugar and fruit juice LUNCHEON Choice of lima beans or a A very small piece of fish baked potato Boiled corn, beets, or a A salad of lettuce and fresh baked potato tomatoes, eaten with One fig, with cream cheese lemon juice, sugar, and a spoonful of mixed nuts Two eggs, whipped DINNER Choice of squash, boiled An ear of corn onions, or corn One and one-half glasses A salad of anything green of buttermilk with egg One glass of buttermilk, whites mixed with two whipped Two or three very ripe egg whites peaches with cream and One or two tablespoonfuls sugar of nuts (choice) Home-made ice-cream I would advise two or three very ripe peaches just before retiring at night, and just after rising in the morning. SUPPLEMENTARY DINNER (To be taken if there is a craving for flesh or salty food) One ear of corn (boiled) Fish, lobster, or white meat of chicken A small baked potato A salad of lettuce or endive FALL MENU _TUBERCULAR TENDENCY_ _CONSTIPATION--NERVOUSNESS--CATARRH_ On rising, devote from three to five minutes to deep breathing exercises before an open window, preferably movements 3 and 5, as shown in Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345. Eat a bunch of grapes, thoroughly masticating the skins, swallowing seeds and pulp whole. Drink two glasses of water. If the weather is cold, the water should be heated. BREAKFAST Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked, eaten with cream A small bunch of grapes Two eggs, whipped about six or seven minutes; add a teaspoonful of sugar and a tablespoonful of olive-oil, while whipping One extremely ripe banana; serve with cream and either nut butter or nuts (The banana should be baked, if not very ripe) LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable--carrots, parsnips, or turnips A boiled onion A baked potato One egg, cooked two minutes, eaten with the potato skins Fresh butter A cup of hot water at the close of the meal DINNER Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked Two or three eggs, prepared as for breakfast One extremely ripe banana and a few soaked prunes (A very small, baked white potato may be taken if something salty is desired) A bunch of grapes Just before retiring, eat a small bunch of grapes and drink a cup of hot water. Devote from three to five minutes to exercises which have already been prescribed for the morning. These meals may be varied by changing the vegetables, and now and then substituting for the eggs a portion of fresh fish or a glass of buttermilk. If the quantity of food prescribed does not seem sufficient, it might be slightly increased; however, do not increase it beyond the limits of normal hunger. The best combinations of food, when taken in excess of the bodily needs, undergo a form of decomposition, and become a prolific source of dis-ease. WINTER MENU _TUBERCULAR TENDENCY CONSTIPATION--NERVOUSNESS--CATARRH_ BREAKFAST Two very ripe, red bananas, baked Nuts, cream, raisins Two whipped eggs; sugar; flavor to taste A spoonful of wheat bran LUNCHEON Three fresh eggs, whipped about six minutes, with sugar; pineapple juice added after whipping A small portion of wheat bran, cooked DINNER Celery A tablespoonful of olive-oil One fresh vegetable A potato Whole wheat bread (very little) Buttermilk or gelatin The above menus have been selected and combined so as to counteract constipation, catarrh, nervousness, biliousness, etc. There is no specific remedy in foods for consumption. Foods will aid in curing this dis-ease only through the natural process of building up healthy tissue, and increasing the power of the body to resist all dis-eases. SPRING MENU _WEAK LUNGS_ _TENDENCY TOWARD INTESTINAL CONGESTION_ Immediately on rising drink a glass or two of water and take a very little of some juicy fruit. Also take a brisk walk in the open air before breakfast. BREAKFAST The strained juice of one sweet orange, or a few very ripe berries, without cream Two or three coddled eggs A small whole wheat cracker One baked banana A spoonful of wheat bran LUNCHEON A whole wheat muffin with butter, and a dessert-spoonful of honey A glass or two of milk Wheat bran DINNER Bean soup or pea soup Peas, asparagus, spinach, or any fresh vegetable Corn bread or a very small portion of whole wheat One coddled egg A small portion of wheat bran, slightly cooked From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of the above meals. If there is a marked tubercular tendency, from six to nine eggs may be taken daily for about three days in each week, taking with the eggs a small quantity of acid fruits at each meal--either orange juice, berries, or a spoonful of strained pineapple juice. The acids should be diluted (half water), and taken without sugar. SUMMER MENU _WEAK LUNGS_ _TENDENCY TOWARD INTESTINAL CONGESTION_ Take a brisk walk and deep breathing exercises before breakfast. BREAKFAST A cantaloup or a pear Wheat bran, cooked A liberal portion of baked sweet potatoes One whole egg, either coddled or whipped A pint of sour milk or a cup or two of chocolate LUNCHEON A liberal portion of tender corn, steamed in the husk A lettuce and tomato salad Nuts DINNER String beans, corn, or carrots A baked potato A very small portion of tender fish, an egg, or clabbered milk Melon or peaches If the patient is performing labor that would require more food than herein prescribed, the quantity may be increased. FALL MENU _WEAK LUNGS_ _TENDENCY TOWARD INTESTINAL CONGESTION_ The following menus are laid out with the view of giving the greatest amount of tissue-building food which require the least effort in digestion. There is nothing more valuable in the treatment of lung trouble than extreme deep breathing. After pure blood is made, the way to keep it pure is to keep it charged with oxygen, and the only way to do this is to breathe an abundance of fresh air into the lungs. BREAKFAST A bunch of grapes Three or four eggs, whipped five or six minutes, into which whip a teaspoonful of sugar, and a teaspoonful of Cognac brandy or lemon juice, to each egg /Note/: The brandy is germicidal and aids in the digestion of the egg yolks. LUNCHEON From three to four eggs, prepared as for breakfast, slightly increasing the quantity of sugar and brandy. Put in a heaping teaspoonful of sugar and a dessert-spoonful of brandy, and add a full glass of milk to each egg DINNER Any one or two fresh vegetables, including something green, as spinach or lettuce The fresh vegetables may consist of: A baked potato Squash Onions Turnips Parsnips The patient may have a few grapes between meals and a few an hour after dinner. He should swallow the seeds and pulp whole, and masticate and swallow the skins. He should eat plenty of fresh eggs, fresh milk, and ripe, sweet grapes. The milk and the eggs are good tissue-building foods, while sugar is a carbohydrate and makes a good winter food. The grapes are full of grape-sugar, which is an excellent nutrient, and also an aid to the digestion of other foods. /Note/: These menus were given to a consumptive patient, and in a period of six weeks he had made a very substantial gain in both weight and strength. WINTER MENU _WEAK LUNGS_ _TENDENCY TOWARD INTESTINAL CONGESTION_ Take a bit of fruit, a glass of water, and a brisk walk immediately after rising. BREAKFAST One or two exceedingly ripe bananas, baked, eaten with cream A service of corn hominy One coddled egg, if desired A cup of chocolate, or hot water, if preferred LUNCHEON Vegetable soup One fresh vegetable; preferably boiled onion or carrots One or two glasses of fresh buttermilk Wheat bran DINNER Celery, slaw, or any green salad Steamed rice or plain boiled wheat A whipped or coddled egg, or buttermilk Nuts and raisins A small portion of wheat bran should be taken at breakfast and just before retiring. Bran contains valuable mineral salts, and in winter can replace the chemistry of green salads. From one to two glasses of cool water should be drunk at each of these meals. MENUS FOR DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN SPRING MENU _ECZEMA_ Whether or not eczema is a dis-ease caused by bacteria, it is obvious that the weapon with which to combat this disorder is pure blood with an abundance of the white corpuscles. These phagocytes of the blood may be properly called the police of the body. The patient should observe the following general rules: Drink an abundance of pure water both at meals and between meals. Omit cane-sugar and all acids. Dress as lightly as possible, and do not wear woolen garments next to the skin. Take sufficient vigorous exercise each day to cause perspiration. If this cannot be done, the Turkish bath should be resorted to once a week. Spend as much time in the open air as possible. The meals should be substantially as follows: BREAKFAST A few spoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked, and eaten with cream Two or three bran meal gems Two or three egg whites, whipped very thoroughly, to which add a spoonful of cream One ripe banana LUNCHEON A green salad, with nuts--liberal portion A fresh vegetable; preferably boiled onions or carrots A baked potato DINNER A salad of any green succulent plant Young onions Peas or asparagus A baked potato or baked beans SUMMER MENU _ECZEMA_ BREAKFAST Raspberries, blackberries, grapes, or cantaloup A potato--sweet or white A cup of cocoa or sassafras tea (See recipe, p. 681) LUNCHEON Beets, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or okra A potato--prepared choice DINNER Two fresh vegetables; choice of: Asparagus Corn Beans Eggplant Beets Onions Carrots A very ripe peach or a cantaloup Just before retiring, eat a few very ripe peaches, and take a tablespoonful of wheat bran. FALL MENU _ECZEMA_ Either of the following menus may be chosen for a period of ten or twenty days. They are designed especially for the removal of all forms of autointoxication or self-poisoning which sometimes manifest themselves by skin eruptions. While autointoxication may not be the primary cause of eczema, it augments all zymotic conditions. The chief purpose of these menus is to give to the body an opportunity to throw off the dis-ease by removing all obstacles. I would therefore advise that the use of tobacco, tea, coffee, and all alcoholic stimulants be omitted. MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Two egg whites, whipped Three extremely ripe bananas very thoroughly, adding baked in a casserole a little heavy cream and dish; serve with thin a spoonful of sugar cream Take this as a sauce over two exceedingly ripe bananas, with nuts or nut butter A bunch of California grapes (Malagas) A cup of hot water at the beginning of the meal, and a glass of cool water at the close LUNCHEON Spinach or a green salad Squash or turnips String beans or corn A salad (green) A potato Baked beans DINNER A green salad or cooked A small portion of fish, spinach white meat of chicken, or Boiled onions, carrots, or an egg--egg preferred turnips A boiled onion and a baked A baked potato with fresh potato butter A bit of green salad From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals, preferably a cup of hot water at the beginning, and a glass of cool water at the close. I would especially advise vigorous exercises night and morning, and deep breathing before an open window. WINTER MENU _ECZEMA_ /First Day/: On rising, drink two or three glasses of water, eat a few grapes, and devote from three to five minutes to any one of the exercises shown in Vol. V, pp. 1343 to 1346, inclusive. BREAKFAST Baked white potatoes or bran meal gems A glass of rich milk LUNCHEON Baked beans Bermuda onions A potato or corn bread DINNER Any two of the following: Beans Pumpkin Beets Squash Carrots Turnips Parsnips A green salad--either lettuce and tomatoes, or celery; very small portion A baked white potato--eat skins and all (A cup of very thin cocoa may be taken, if something hot is desired; however, pure water would be preferable) Just before retiring, devote from three to four minutes to the above-prescribed exercises. The lungs should be inflated to their extreme capacity. Do not carry any of these exercises, however, to a point beyond ordinary fatigue. Divide the exercise period, both night and morning, into three or four two-minute heats. Exercise and deep breathing are second in importance to diet, and should be taken daily, night and morning. Drink from one to two glasses of water at each meal, but do not take water into the mouth until mastication is perfect. /Second Day/: The same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food until normal hunger is satisfied. /Third Day/: Practically the same as the first, varying the luncheon according to hunger. The luncheon may consist of any one or two fresh vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, beets, baked white or sweet potatoes. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST A cup of hot water A sweet potato or two bran meal gems Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, with thin cream LUNCHEON Boiled onions A baked potato Choice of fish or an egg Eat a pound of grapes ten minutes after this meal. The skins may be eliminated, but swallow the seeds and pulp. If grapes cannot be obtained, the juice of a sweet orange may be taken. DINNER String beans or spinach, with egg, and a liberal piece of Bermuda or Spanish onion, uncooked (The onions and the beans should be made exceedingly hot with red pepper) A baked sweet or a white potato A small piece of corn bread, with one-half glass of buttermilk From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. Just before retiring, devote from three to five minutes to the exercises prescribed for the first day. /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth, slightly increasing the quantity of food if there is a return of normal hunger; if not, continue to follow the diet as herein given, until natural hunger is felt. /Sixth Day/: The same as the first, repeating the diet from eighteen to twenty days. SPRING MENU _WEAK DIGESTION--NERVOUSNESS_ _SLIGHT ECZEMA_ The following menus for spring, summer and fall are laid out on the two-meal-a-day plan. In addition to the purposes named in the heading, they are designed to promote vitality and endurance, thus enabling one to meet the requirements of hot weather. In order to aid the body in appropriating all the nourishment these menus contain, one should take, each day, at least one hour's vigorous exercise and deep breathing. MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST One or two very ripe Peaches or cherries bananas baked in a casserole One whole egg dish; eat with Steamed wheat--well Tunis dates and thin cooked; serve with thin cream cream One whole egg, whipped A very ripe banana with Half a glass of milk Tunis dates, cream, and nuts DINNER Two vegetables--choice of A salad peas, beans, asparagus, Peas in the pod (see recipe, onions, or beets page 679) A baked potato A white potato, baked A very small portion of A small portion of ice-cream either fish or white meat (optional) of chicken One or two glasses of water should be drunk at each of the dinner meals. If constipated, two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran should be taken about twice a week with both the morning and the evening meal. This could be cooked five minutes, and may be made very palatable if eaten with a spoonful of cream. SUMMER MENU _WEAK DIGESTION--NERVOUSNESS_ _SLIGHT ECZEMA_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST (About 9:30) Very ripe peaches--no sugar A cup of hot water A cup of hot water One whipped egg Whole wheat, cooked very A portion of gelatin, with thoroughly cream A medium-sized baked potato, with butter DINNER (About 5:30) Fresh peas, and either beans Two of the following or asparagus vegetables--peas, Baked potatoes or tender beans, asparagus, boiled onions, corn spinach, or carrots One whole egg or an A baked potato omelet--Spanish style Half a glass of buttermilk, One glass of water with one egg white whipped into it One glass of water Just before retiring, drink a cup of hot water, and take two tablespoonfuls of bran. FALL MENU _WEAK DIGESTION--NERVOUSNESS_ _SLIGHT ECZEMA_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A very ripe banana with Fruit--choice soaked prunes Two tablespoonfuls of One dessert-spoonful of nuts--choice nuts--choice Two very ripe baked bananas, One or two spoonfuls of with cream and steamed whole wheat nut butter Two eggs--prepared choice One egg A glass of water One or two glasses of milk Wheat bran DINNER Two or three fresh vegetables Choice of two fresh vegetables Tender corn A baked sweet or a white A baked sweet or a white potato potato A salad--lettuce or celery Junket or gelatin A small portion of ice-cream All sweets may be omitted if they do not appeal especially to the taste, and other foods proportionately increased. If there is a tendency toward sour stomach or intestinal gas, all fruit except bananas should be omitted. WINTER MENU _WEAK DIGESTION--NERVOUSNESS_ _SLIGHT ECZEMA_ BREAKFAST (Very light) California grapes, or the strained juice of a sweet orange A baked sweet potato, with butter A cup of hot water into which put a spoonful of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of cream LUNCHEON Choice of the following: _a_ Three whipped eggs. Add a tablespoonful each of sugar and lemon juice _b_ A bowl of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of sugar A cup of hot water, with sugar and cream DINNER Boiled onions, and either cabbage or carrots One egg, or an omelet A baked potato A cup of hot water or cocoa If small portions of the above foods are eaten, two egg whites and one yolk may be taken at the close of the evening meal. (See recipe, Vol. III, p. 678). This makes an excellent dessert, delegating to the body much warmth, and aiding in the general digestion of other foods. MENUS FOR APPENDICITIS SPRING MENU _APPENDICITIS_ BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked thirty minutes; serve with thin cream A portion of prunes, soaked in clear hot water until soft A small, baked potato LUNCHEON Peas in the pod A cup of hot water DINNER Peas or asparagus Carrots or turnips A potato A spoonful of bran SUMMER MENU _APPENDICITIS_ Just after rising take a tablespoonful of olive-oil and a cup of hot water. BREAKFAST A cantaloup A tablespoonful of wheat bran, well cooked An egg A new potato, baked A glass of water LUNCHEON Lettuce or spinach Boiled onions and carrots Wheat bran DINNER A salad of lettuce, with nuts Spinach, string beans, or new peas A potato Two tablespoonfuls of bran FALL MENU _APPENDICITIS_ On rising one-half pound of Concord grapes. BREAKFAST A small portion of whole wheat, well cooked; serve with thin cream Two egg whites, lightly poached A tablespoonful of wheat bran LUNCHEON Celery hearts A baked potato Wheat bran, with cream DINNER Bran meal gems Parsnips, en casserole Onions, en casserole A potato A cup of hot water and a tablespoonful of olive-oil may be taken before each of these meals. WINTER MENU _APPENDICITIS_ BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Soaked prunes Bran meal gems, with nuts A baked banana LUNCHEON Winter squash or stewed pumpkin A tablespoonful of bran DINNER A Spanish onion, en casserole Carrots or parsnips Bran meal gems or a potato (An hour after this meal, drink half a glass of prune juice) In cases of appendicitis the following articles should be omitted: Tea, coffee, tobacco, all stimulants and intoxicants, white bread, rice, oatmeal, cornbread, sweets and confections of every kind. MENUS FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN AND FOR THE NURSING MOTHER IMPORTANCE OF FOOD DURING PREGNANCY There is nothing so important, or that wields so much influence over the comfort, the health, and the life of the pregnant woman as her food, and there is nothing, perhaps, to which she gives so little attention. The diet of the prospective mother, of course, governs her digestion and assimilation of food, and elimination of waste matter from the body. These things control her health almost completely, and inasmuch as all mental conditions are principally governed by health, the intellectual faculties of the child are shaped largely by the condition of the mother's digestion. It is obvious, therefore, that the health of the mother and the entire future of the child depend more upon her diet during pregnancy than upon any other one thing. During pregnancy the prospective mother should avoid all such articles of food as she would withhold from her baby after birth. This would eliminate from her diet meat, condiments, sweets, especially pastries and rich desserts; tea, coffee, and all stimulating and intoxicating beverages. The pregnant woman should balance her diet carefully as to the proportion of proteids, carbohydrates, fats, and mineral salts. As leading foods containing these nutrients, I would recommend the following: VEGETABLES RICH IN MINERAL PROTEIDS CARBOHYDRATES FATS SALTS Milk Potatoes Nuts Lettuce Eggs Wheat (whole) Butter Celery Pine nuts Corn Cream Carrots Peanuts Rice Olive-oil Parsnips Cheese Oats Cream cheese Onions Fish Dried beans Beets Fowl Dried peas Fresh beans Dried beans Chestnuts Fresh peas Dried peas Honey Okra Cream cheese Sugar Eggplant Sirups Turnips Cauliflower Some articles are listed under two headings. This is because they are rich in both classes of nutrition. The amount of grain products eaten by the prospective mother should be somewhat limited, ranging between four and eight ounces a day, governed by work or activity. Cereals, especially corn, rice, and oats, are rich in phosphate of lime, which is the bone-making or structural food. While enough of this should be eaten to give the child sufficient bone-building material, too much makes birth difficult, and sometimes fatal. The following menus contain suggestions as to the selections, combinations, and proportions of food that would compose a healthy bill of fare for both mother and child for the several seasons of the year: SPRING MENU _FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN_ BREAKFAST Two eggs, cooked two minutes One whole-wheat muffin A glass or two of rich milk LUNCHEON Peas, asparagus, or turnips Potatoes--two medium-sized One pint of clabbered milk DINNER Vegetable soup Any two fresh vegetables named in the list above A potato Milk or a very small portion of fish If constipated, take wheat bran at both the morning and the evening meal. SUMMER MENU _FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup Three or four egg whites and one yolk Whole wheat, boiled; serve with butter or cream A glass or two of milk LUNCHEON String beans, peas, or asparagus Tender corn or a potato Milk DINNER Vegetable soup Two green vegetables; selection from list given above Corn, lima beans, or a potato Milk or tender fish A small portion of ice-cream (optional) FALL MENU _FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or pears Rice, with cream Milk Two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran LUNCHEON Celery Turnips or cauliflower Fish or fowl A potato DINNER A light vegetable soup Lettuce, or celery, with nuts Two fresh vegetables A baked potato Cheese, raisins, and nuts WINTER MENU _FOR THE PREGNANT WOMAN_ BREAKFAST Two or three baked bananas, with cream (See recipe, p. 677) Two eggs or two glasses of milk Oatmeal--a small portion LUNCHEON A sweet potato Two or three glasses of milk DINNER Cream of rice soup Two fresh vegetables A potato or bran meal gems Milk or cheese Nuts and raisins THE NURSING MOTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR THE DIET The nursing mother should omit all acid fruits, pickles, and condiments containing vinegar. She should eat sparingly of sweets, especially of the pastry and soda-fountain variety. She should omit such vegetables as radishes, cucumbers, cabbage, and sourcrout. Fresh corn and dried beans often produce serious intestinal trouble in the young child. Eggs should never be eaten when there is the slightest fever. The diet of the nursing mother should be confined chiefly to the more readily digestible foods such as are named in the menus which follow. SUGGESTIONS FOR NURSING The mother should remember that her baby should never be nursed when she is tired, fatigued, overheated, angry, frightened, excited, or laboring under any mental disturbance. Both her mental and her physical condition are instantly conveyed to the child, through her milk, often in exaggerated form. Children are sometimes thrown into convulsions by nursing the breast of an excited mother. SUGGESTIONS FOR RELIEVING INTESTINAL CONGESTION If either mother or child has a tendency toward intestinal congestion (constipation), the mother should take wheat bran, thoroughly cooked, with both the morning and the evening meal; or, a few drops of prune juice, given to the child, will often relieve this condition, while affording an excellent source of nourishment. SPRING MENU _FOR THE NURSING MOTHER_ BREAKFAST Plain boiled wheat, with cream Fresh milk A baked potato or a baked banana LUNCHEON Fresh milk or eggs; milk preferred Corn bread or bran meal gems Onions, en casserole DINNER Cream of corn soup Spinach or turnip greens A potato, peas, or asparagus Plain gelatin, with cream SUMMER MENU _FOR THE NURSING MOTHER_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or a very ripe, sweet peach One egg Flaked wheat, very thoroughly cooked A glass or two of milk LUNCHEON Vegetable soup Corn bread or bran gems Carrots, parsnips, or squash Fresh milk A potato DINNER Fresh peas, beans, squash, asparagus, or beets A baked potato Milk A whole wheat gem FALL MENU _FOR THE NURSING MOTHER_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup or a very ripe banana, with cream and figs Boiled rice or whole wheat Milk LUNCHEON Soup--cream of corn, peas, or rice Broiled fish A baked potato DINNER Celery, or lettuce, with nuts Fresh beans, turnips, carrots, or squash Corn bread or a baked potato Milk or cocoa WINTER MENU _FOR THE NURSING MOTHER_ BREAKFAST A dish of cereal, well cooked--simmered over night Eggs or milk Whole wheat gems or a corn muffin LUNCHEON Vegetable or cream soup Winter squash or carrots A sweet or a white potato Milk DINNER Parsnips, turnips, or squash A potato Bran gems Milk (Egg custard, if something sweet is desired) MISCELLANEOUS MENUS SPRING MENU _WEAK DIGESTION (ALMOST INVALID)_ On rising, drink a cup of hot water. Take deep breathing before an open window, and such exercises as the patient is able to perform. LATE BREAKFAST Choice of the following: _a_ Baked bananas--very ripe _b_ Baked omelet, served very rare (For recipe, see p. 678) A cup of hot water LUNCHEON A cup of vegetable juice from peas or asparagus (See recipe, p. 680) DINNER Vegetable juice Peas or asparagus A baked potato As digestion becomes stronger, the quantity of food may be increased, and a puree of carrots, turnips, parsnips, or squash added in limited quantities. RECIPE FOR VEGETABLE JUICE Grind vegetables fine, cover with water, cook ten to fifteen minutes, drain off the juice or water and serve. SUMMER MENU _WEAK DIGESTION (ALMOST INVALID)_ On rising, drink two cups of water and eat one very ripe peach. Take deep breathing and such exercises as will not cause too much fatigue. LATE BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Very ripe cantaloup, masticated exceedingly fine Three or four egg whites, whipped thoroughly; add a dessert-spoonful of sugar while whipping A baked white potato LUNCHEON Vegetable juice (See recipe, p. 1047) DINNER Cantaloup or watermelon, discarding the pulp Summer squash, or purée of tender peas or beans A cup of vegetable juice One or two egg whites FALL MENU _WEAK DIGESTION (ALMOST INVALID)_ Immediately on rising, drink a cup of hot water. Take exercise and deep breathing, if possible. BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Two egg whites, whipped, and mixed with a cup of lukewarm milk One or two small, baked potatoes, eaten with fresh butter LUNCHEON A cup of hot water A large boiled onion A baked potato One vegetable, such as carrots or parsnips, put through a colander DINNER A cup of hot water A baked potato A boiled onion or any other fresh vegetable Vegetable juice or purée (See recipe, p. 680) This menu is for the purpose of building tissue. It contains enough carbohydrate matter to give a reasonable amount of fat and bodily warmth, provided it can be assimilated. Eggs are an excellent proteid food, when taken uncooked, whipped with a very little sugar. The number may be increased as digestion improves. WINTER MENU _WEAK DIGESTION (ALMOST INVALID)_ On rising, drink a cup of hot water, and devote a few minutes to deep breathing and such exercises as can be taken. LATE BREAKFAST A cup of hot water Choice of the following: _a_ An extremely ripe banana, peeled, and baked in a very hot oven _b_ A baked potato, with butter LUNCHEON A baked omelet (See recipe, p. 678) DINNER Soup--cream of pea or celery; very small portion A whipped egg or shad roe A small baked potato If the bowels should become slightly constipated, a spoonful of wheat bran, thoroughly cooked, and served as an ordinary cereal, should be taken with both the morning and the evening meal. The quantity of food should be governed by the condition of the patient as to strength, and as to powers of digestion and assimilation. SPRING MENU _BUILDING UP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INCREASING VITALITY_ On rising, drink two glasses of water, eat a little of some juicy fruit, and devote as much time as possible to vigorous deep breathing exercises before dressing. In taking these movements, inflate the lungs to their fullest capacity, and hold the breath for half a minute while executing one or two movements. In this way the cell capacity of the lungs can, in many instances, be doubled. Large lung capacity is of primary importance in cases of nervousness. Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Half a cup of boiled wheat, Cherries or berries with with cream and nuts sugar and cream Two "dead ripe" bananas, One whole egg, eaten with baked, eaten with thin a new potato cream and three or four A small portion of wheat Tunis dates (The dates flakes, eaten with cream may be omitted, if desired) or butter A cup of sassafras tea, or One very ripe banana, with cocoa three or four dates, or an equivalent quantity of raisins A cup of sassafras tea, or cocoa LUNCHEON One vegetable--choice of (To be taken in the office) boiled onions, carrots, or Two extremely ripe bananas, spinach with nuts or raisins A baked potato Cream cheese with dates One glass of buttermilk DINNER A salad, if desired A green salad Two of the following vegetables: Two of the following vegetables: Asparagus Beans Beans Peas Boiled onions Peas Beets Spinach Baked new white potatoes Boiled onions One or two gems made from An egg, junket, or a very corn-meal or wheat bran small portion of fish Half a glass of buttermilk A baked white potato--eat skins and all About two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals--half a glass at the beginning, a glass during the progress of the meal, and half a glass at the close. These meals are rather liberal, and if there should be the slightest fullness experienced after eating, the quantity should be reduced. The breakfasts are light, and one might add slightly to them if they do not satisfy normal hunger. Mastication should be perfect. Eating should be very deliberate. Avoid heavy reading or earnest conversation while eating; these disturb the flow of saliva and prevent thorough mastication. A cup of wheat bran, well cooked, should be taken with the morning and the evening meal about twice or three times a week. A glass of water and the juice of a sweet orange may be taken just before retiring, and exercises as prescribed. SUMMER MENU _BUILDING UP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INCREASING VITALITY_ BREAKFAST A melon or peaches Two or three tablespoonfuls of nuts One very ripe banana--red variety A baked sweet potato One egg, either cooked two minutes, or whipped with a little sugar and lemon juice LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable--beans, beets, or corn A baked sweet or a white potato A glass of milk; buttermilk preferred A melon or very ripe peaches DINNER A small green salad, with oil Lima beans, okra, or corn A baked potato Figs, with cream and nuts SUPPLEMENTARY DINNER If there is a desire for something salty or more pungent in taste and flavor, the following menu may be used: Fish or chicken A potato A fruit salad Ice-cream--home-made If the two-meal-a-day plan is desired, luncheon may be omitted entirely, and the proportions composing the morning meal slightly increased. FALL MENU _BUILDING UP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM_ _INCREASING VITALITY_ Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A cantaloup or peaches One or two red bananas, A small portion of boiled eaten with soaked prunes whole wheat, with cream and cream Two tablespoonfuls of nuts A liberal portion of with cream and figs gelatin--very little sugar One egg, either whipped or cooked two minutes LUNCHEON An ear or two of tender corn One fresh vegetable--choice A baked sweet potato One egg, cooked two minutes Nuts and raisins, with cream A baked potato or baked beans DINNER Endive or celery Fish or lobster--a very Lima beans and corn small portion Whole wheat bread with A baked potato butter A fruit salad A cantaloup Corn bread Two egg whites, whipped with a particle of sugar and eaten with gelatin WINTER MENU _BUILDING UP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INCREASING VITALITY_ BREAKFAST A very little sweet juicy fruit--winter pears or grapes One egg, prepared choice One or two exceedingly ripe bananas, baked, eaten with cream, dates, figs, or raisins A cup or two of cocoa LUNCHEON Any one or two fresh vegetables, such as: Beans Peas Carrots Squash Onions Turnips A slice of coarse bread, or preferably a baked sweet or white potato DINNER One or two fresh vegetables Choice of eggs or fish; eggs preferred A green salad A few nuts One extremely ripe banana, with cream Gelatin, with cream SPRING MENU _FOR AGED PERSON BUILDING UP GENERAL HEALTH_ /First Day/: BREAKFAST A full glass of cool water A cup of junket, unsweetened One whole egg, lightly poached A very small, baked white potato A cup of hot water LUNCHEON A large, boiled Spanish onion A very rare omelet or a potato A cup of hot water DINNER Green peas, served in the pod A boiled onion Steamed rice Two egg whites, whipped, served with a glass of fresh milk Just before retiring, drink half a glass of water, and devote from three to five minutes to some of the exercises shown in Vol. V, pp. 1343 to 1346. Give special attention to deep breathing. /Second Day/: Same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food, if the quantity named does not seem sufficient. /Third Day/: BREAKFAST Oatmeal simmered over night Two extremely ripe bananas, baked, eaten with thin cream Raisins, nut butter, and cream LUNCHEON A small portion of asparagus or green peas, with a baked white potato A cup of junket DINNER Asparagus, green peas, or beans Fish, lobster, white meat of chicken, or whipped eggs A potato From one and one-half to two glasses of cool water should be drunk at each of the above meals, or, if preferred, a cup or two of hot water. Just before retiring, take vigorous deep breathing exercises. /Fourth Day/: Same as the third, varying the menus by changing vegetables or fruits. /Fifth Day/: Same as the first, repeating these menus so long as they appeal to the taste and satisfy normal hunger. SUMMER MENU _FOR AGED PERSON BUILDING UP GENERAL HEALTH_ BREAKFAST Peaches or cantaloup Corn hominy, with cream Two glasses of milk LUNCHEON Spinach or lettuce Lima beans or boiled corn A potato--sweet or white DINNER One fresh vegetable--choice Buttermilk or fish A potato Sliced peaches or a melon Where milk is not prescribed, I would advise drinking from one to two glasses of water at each meal. Masticate every atom of food to extreme fineness. FALL MENU _FOR AGED PERSON BUILDING UP GENERAL HEALTH_ BREAKFAST A baked apple or soaked prunes One extremely ripe banana Plain wheat, boiled until the grains burst open A pint of rich milk Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked LUNCHEON A baked potato or baked beans Cooked spinach or a morsel of anything green in the way of a salad One fresh vegetable--carrots, string beans, parsnips, squash, or onions. String beans, with a Spanish onion, preferred DINNER Vegetable soup A potato Carrots, parsnips, or beans Junket or gelatin The following are emergency meals which may be taken once or twice a week: EMERGENCY BREAKFAST Whole wheat gems A pint of milk A cup of cocoa (Inasmuch as milk, in small quantities, may be constipating, some bran should be taken at this meal) EMERGENCY DINNER Choice of the following: _a_ Tender fish, with baked or mashed potatoes (If something sweet is desired a very simple dessert, such as plain ice-cream, may be eaten) _b_ Chicken or turkey Mashed or baked potatoes A cup of chocolate WINTER MENU _FOR AGED PERSON BUILDING UP GENERAL HEALTH_ BREAKFAST A cup of hot water A few Malaga grapes or the juice of a very sweet orange Two medium-sized, baked sweet potatoes, eaten with butter A glass of clabbered milk, or a cup of junket, with very little sugar A small portion of wheat bran LUNCHEON A small quantity of something green--endive, lettuce, or celery, eaten with nuts, oil, and a very little salt Boiled onions, carrots, or parsnips A baked potato A liberal portion of gelatin A cup of hot water DINNER Spinach, or a salad with oil Turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips--any two of these A baked potato, with baked beans or rice A portion of junket, fish, or chicken A portion of gelatin, with cream--optional SPRING MENU _STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE (HEALTHY PERSON)_ BREAKFAST Half a glass of water Choice of fruit--a small portion Gems, cakes, or muffins made from coarse corn-meal or bran meal; serve with butter A red banana, with cream, nuts, and raisins Milk LUNCHEON Peas, beans, or lentils--dried One green vegetable Corn bread and butter Buttermilk DINNER Cabbage, celery, lettuce, or romaine, with oil One or two fresh vegetables--peas, potatoes, etc. An egg, milk, fish, or gelatin--any two of these proteid foods Rice, with honey, or raisins with cream, if something sweet is desired Sufficient wheat bran should be taken to keep the bowels in normal condition. SUMMER MENU _STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE (HEALTHY PERSON)_ BREAKFAST Peaches, plums, cantaloup, or berries Steamed corn, scraped from the cob. Recook lightly with whipped egg, stirring constantly A peeled banana, baked--cream LUNCHEON Okra, beets, or eggplant Salad--tomato, cucumber, and lettuce Peas or corn A potato--sweet or white /Note/: The salad, with one vegetable, is sufficient if one is not engaged in strenuous work. DINNER Salad--green Rice or corn hominy One or two fresh vegetables Buttermilk, junket, or fresh eggs Cantaloup, melon, or peaches FALL MENU _STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE (HEALTHY PERSON)_ The following menus should be adhered to for about thirty days, choosing such vegetables from the selections named as appeal most to the taste. Choice of either set of menus may be made; that is, Menu I may be followed by Menu II at noon, returning to Menu I for dinner and so on: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Two eggs, cooked very Choice of the following: lightly _a_ Two medium-sized A small portion of boiled sweet or white potatoes, rice or whole wheat, eaten with butter eaten with cream and a or cream very little salt _b_ Corn muffins, or corn A cup of wheat bran, with hominy, with either cream cream or fresh butter Two eggs, cooked two minutes LUNCHEON A large, boiled onion Gems or whole wheat bread A liberal portion of baked A pint of rich milk beans Half a cup of wheat bran DINNER Choice of two of the following Baked navy or lima beans vegetables: A baked white potato Carrots Parsnips A green salad--a very small Beets Stewed portion pumpkin One fresh vegetable A boiled white potato A glass of buttermilk Choice--fish, buttermilk, or eggs Half a cup of wheat bran If something sweet is desired, plain ice-cream, egg custard, or gelatin may be eaten at either of the evening meals. From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. A cup of sassafras tea may be taken at breakfast. See recipe, Vol. III, p. 681. WINTER MENU _STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE (HEALTHY PERSON)_ BREAKFAST California grapes or soaked prunes Two eggs--prepared choice Muffins of coarse cereal meal--butter LUNCHEON Corn hominy, with butter Figs, cream, nuts DINNER Bean or pea soup Whole wheat bread Turnips, carrots, or onions Potatoes or rice Choice of eggs, fish, chicken, buttermilk Gelatin or junket Nuts, raisins, or cheese, with hard cracker SPRING MENU _MALASSIMILATION AND AUTOINTOXICATION_ Manual labor or physical exercise is almost as important in these conditions as diet, therefore at least two hours during the day should be devoted to labor or vigorous motion of some kind, preferably useful labor, such as wood-chopping or cultivating the soil. BREAKFAST A bran meal gem or boiled whole wheat One very ripe banana, baked in a very hot oven; eat with a very little butter or cream Half a glass of rich milk A spoonful of nut-meats LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable--choice; or a vegetable salad Boiled corn, or hominy, with either butter or cream A small portion of wheat bran DINNER A fresh green salad Any fresh vegetable in season A new baked potato One egg, cooked two minutes, or a glass of kuymiss If there is a slight tendency toward constipation, a tablespoonful of wheat bran should be taken immediately on rising and just before retiring. This may be taken cooked as an ordinary cereal, or uncooked in hot water. SUMMER MENU _MALASSIMILATION AND AUTOINTOXICATION_ Vigorous exercise and water-drinking before breakfast. BREAKFAST A melon or a very ripe peach A banana, with cream and figs--very ripe A liberal portion of nuts A glass or two of milk /Note/: The nuts should be masticated exceedingly fine. LUNCHEON Two fresh vegetables, such as: Asparagus Eggplant Beans Okra Carrots Peas Corn A potato, prepared choice, except fried A small green salad DINNER A light vegetable soup Choice of: Asparagus Onions Beans Peas Beets Spinach Corn or a baked potato Very tender fish, game, or chicken, if flesh food or something salty is desired If the weather is extremely warm, all fat foods should be reduced to the minimum, and an abundance of water drunk both at meals and between meals. At least an hour during the day should be devoted to moderate exercise and deep breathing. In all conditions of malassimilation, there is more or less autointoxication. If the diet has been leveled or balanced, the next most important thing is exercise. The best balanced menus will not be effective in removing the causes of these conditions unless there is sufficient time devoted to exercise to create natural hunger. FALL MENU _MALASSIMILATION AND AUTOINTOXICATION_ BREAKFAST A bunch of grapes (Thoroughly masticate the skins, swallowing the seeds and pulp whole) Two eggs or one glass of buttermilk A small, baked potato, sweet or white, with fresh butter A cup of hot water or chocolate LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable--carrots, parsnips, squash, or boiled onions A baked potato A glass of buttermilk A cup of hot water /Note/: If the occupation is sedative, the milk should be omitted. DINNER Cooked spinach or a very small portion of green salad Fish, chicken, or buttermilk A baked potato Boiled onions, or any fresh vegetable Corn or corn bread A cup of hot water Every atom of solid food herein named should be masticated to infinite fineness. Do not overeat; eat slowly and do not engage in animated conversation while eating. Every morning and every evening, immediately on rising and just before retiring, devote from three to five minutes to vigorous deep breathing exercises. If the bowels are constipated, take a tablespoonful of wheat bran on rising; also a small bunch of grapes and a glass of water. Take a spoonful or two of wheat bran, cooked, with the breakfast and evening meals, and another spoonful in hot water just before retiring. The quantity of bran taken should be governed by the severity of the condition. When the bowels are once regulated, the quantity may be modified, or perhaps omitted entirely. WINTER MENU _MALASSIMILATION AND AUTOINTOXICATION_ On rising, drink two cups of hot water. This should be followed by vigorous exercise in a thoroughly ventilated room. BREAKFAST The strained juice of a sweet orange (Florida seedling preferred) Two eggs, whipped very thoroughly, to which add one glass of milk and a tablespoonful each of sugar and of lemon juice Half a cup of wheat bran LUNCHEON A liberal portion of baked beans A cup of hot water or cocoa DINNER Carrots, parsnips, squash, or pumpkin--any two of these Celery or slaw A very rare omelet, rolled in grated nuts and cream A baked potato SPRING MENU _NO APPETITE_ A very sharp distinction should be drawn between appetite and hunger. Appetite is a cultivated desire expressed through a sense of /Craving/. Hunger is the normal demand for food, expressed through the salivary glands. Appetite is the desire for liquor, coffee, tobacco, morphin, etc., and for food when one habitually overeats. It is expressed by an empty feeling or craving in the stomach, while hunger is felt only in the salivary glands, and in the region of the throat and the mouth. Appetite weakens the body; hunger stimulates thought and action. Normal hunger can be produced by limiting the quantity of food below the actual needs of the body, for three or four days, or perhaps a week. When normal hunger returns, the quantity may be increased, but the combinations should be observed for a week or two. The following are limited menus composed of foods that will produce hunger after the third or fourth day: On rising, devote at least five minutes to vigorous deep breathing exercise before an open window, or in the open air. Take a bit of juicy fruit and a glass of water. BREAKFAST Cherries or berries (very ripe); neither cream nor sugar A banana, very ripe, eaten with two egg whites, thoroughly whipped, and a very little thin cream LUNCHEON A green salad One fresh vegetable; peas or asparagus preferred A new potato DINNER A green salad, with nuts Two fresh vegetables A whipped egg or a cup of junket It may be well to omit the noon meal for the first three or four days. If there is the slightest tendency toward constipation, a tablespoonful or two of wheat bran, cooked, should be taken at both the morning and the evening meal. A glass of water should be drunk just before retiring, and at least ten minutes devoted to exercise and deep breathing. As appetite returns, the quantity of food may be increased, and a few heavier articles added, such as coarse cereal for breakfast, and a bit of fish or an omelet for dinner. SUMMER MENU _NO APPETITE_ A cup of water and a very ripe peach or plum followed by vigorous deep breathing exercises, immediately after rising. BREAKFAST Melon or peaches, with a very little cream Tender ear of boiled corn, scraped from the cob, and served with butter or a spoonful of cream LUNCHEON Lettuce and tomato salad, with grated nuts and dressing Corn or beans DINNER Cucumber and lettuce salad, with dressing Summer squash Lima beans Melon FALL MENU _NO APPETITE_ BREAKFAST A cup of hot water A bunch of grapes or a baked apple, without sugar One extremely ripe banana, eaten with cream, figs, and nuts LUNCHEON A large Spanish onion, boiled A baked potato (The potato should be made very hot with red pepper) DINNER Anything green, in the way of a salad, or a bit of spinach, cooked A bran meal gem--fresh butter; or a baked potato One extremely ripe banana, with cream and nuts A bunch of grapes an hour after eating. WINTER MENU _NO APPETITE_ On rising, take the juice of an orange, a glass of water, and such exercises as have been already prescribed in the Spring Menu. BREAKFAST A teaspoonful of olive-oil A pint of clabbered milk or junket Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked, served with cream One egg, either whipped or coddled LUNCHEON Soup, either vegetable or cream of tomato A small piece of a crisp cracker A tablespoonful of olive-oil DINNER Two or three bananas, peeled, and baked in a hot oven; eat with one whipped egg, to which might be added a very little whipped cream A glass of rich milk Half a cup of wheat bran A glass of cool water or a cup of hot water should be drunk at each of these meals, and, as the appetite becomes normal, the egg and the milk products may be increased, and the heavier vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, baked beans, corn hominy, and plain boiled wheat may be added. SPRING MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ An orange or an apple, on rising BREAKFAST Plain wheat, boiled Eggs or buttermilk Nuts and raisins LUNCHEON Lettuce and tomatoes, with oil Corn bread or corn hominy Baked beans, with butter DINNER Soup--cream of rice or corn Peas, asparagus, or carrots A potato Baked beans or lentils A red banana, with raisins and cream SUMMER MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ Berries, melon, or peaches, on rising BREAKFAST Three or four whipped eggs; add sugar to taste, and flavor with fruit-juices A pint of milk A corn muffin or a small portion of coarse cereal--flaked wheat LUNCHEON Fresh corn or shelled beans Buttermilk Raisins and nuts Peaches and cream DINNER A small salad Choice of one fresh vegetable: Beans Peas Lentils Corn bread A sweet potato Cottage cheese and either raisins or currants Nuts Plain ice-cream FALL MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ Grapes, melons, or pears, on rising BREAKFAST Corn hominy or steamed barley; serve with butter or cream A pint of milk A red banana, with cream, figs, and nuts LUNCHEON Lentil soup Sweet potatoes, with butter Whole wheat bread Dates, cream cheese, and nuts DINNER A salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and nuts Green corn Onions, en casserole Rice steamed with raisins; serve with butter or cream WINTER MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ An orange, on rising BREAKFAST Baked chestnuts, with butter Two or three eggs, whipped; add sugar to taste A whole wheat muffin A banana, with dates and cream LUNCHEON Baked beans Milk DINNER Soup--cream of pea or corn Squash or stewed pumpkin Fish or an omelet Corn bread, with butter or oil Ripe olives, celery, nuts, and raisins The primary purpose of fat in the diet is to produce body-heat. About three ounces of fat will maintain normal heat in the average-sized body for a period of twenty-four hours. The amount of fat taken by the athlete should be governed by exposure and temperature of the atmosphere. The best sources of fat are butter, nuts, and salad oil. SPRING MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ (_CHIEFLY UNCOOKED_) BREAKFAST Berries or cherries Three or four eggs, whipped eight minutes--sugar to taste; flavor of lemon or pineapple juice. Add a pint of milk, after whipping Very ripe bananas, with cream, nuts, and raisins LUNCHEON A green salad, with oil Boiled wheat, corn hominy, or rice Asparagus, onions, or peas Nuts, raisins, cream cheese DINNER Boiled wheat Three or four eggs, prepared as for breakfast Ice-cream, plain Wheat bran SUMMER MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ (_CHIEFLY UNCOOKED_) BREAKFAST Melon or peaches A pint of junket or clabbered milk Two eggs, whipped Two red bananas, with cream and nuts LUNCHEON Two or three ears of tender corn, boiled One fresh vegetable--peas, beans, or carrots DINNER A green salad, with oil and nuts A baked potato Corn, peas, or beans Fish or eggs A banana, with dates Melon or peaches FALL MENU _ATHLETIC DIET_ (_CHIEFLY UNCOOKED_) BREAKFAST Exceedingly ripe bananas, eaten with nut butter, dates, and cream Two or three eggs, whipped. Add to each egg a rounded teaspoonful of sugar, and a scant spoonful of lemon juice. Whip thoroughly, and add a glass of milk to each egg LUNCHEON Two or three eggs, whipped, into which whip a teaspoonful each of honey and lemon juice; add a glass of milk to each egg One or two exceedingly ripe bananas, eaten with nut butter and raisins DINNER A green salad or celery A fresh vegetable, cooked--squash, carrots, parsnips, or onions Baked beans and a baked potato Sufficient water should be drunk at each of these meals to bring the moisture up to 66 per cent of the whole. Tender carrots or cabbage, uncooked, may be eaten, with nuts and salt, at both luncheon and dinner. WINTER MENU _ATHLETIC DIET (CHIEFLY UNCOOKED)_ BREAKFAST An orange or an apple, with olive-oil Oatmeal or boiled wheat Three eggs, whipped--sugar to taste; fruit flavor Cream and nuts, with raisins LUNCHEON Corn bread--buttermilk A banana, with either seedless raisins or currants; cream, and either nuts or nut butter Milk or chocolate DINNER Celery Baked beans or lentils Eggs or fish A potato Nuts, raisins, and either cream or ice-cream SPRING MENU _FOR INVALID CHILD--MAKING MUSCULAR TISSUE--REGULATING BOWELS_ On awaking, have the child take a glass of water and the strained juice of an orange, or a few cherries or berries; deep breathing in the open air, and such exercises as it is able to endure. BREAKFAST (Late) Cherries or berries--very few Half a cup of hot water A heaping tablespoonful of boiled wheat, oatmeal, or rice A whipped egg, sweetened and flavored to taste Half a glass of milk LUNCHEON Two glasses of fresh milk, taken slowly--half a glass every ten or fifteen minutes A heaping tablespoonful of wheat bran, cooked, served with cream DINNER Vegetable soup A cup of water Green peas New potatoes Eggs whipped, same as for breakfast--all the child will take; milk, if preferred (If milk is chosen, a tablespoonful of wheat bran should be taken to prevent constipation) SUMMER MENU _FOR INVALID CHILD--MAKING MUSCULAR TISSUE--REGULATING BOWELS_ A very ripe peach or a bunch of grapes on awaking; exercise and deep breathing. BREAKFAST Cantaloup or peaches--very little sugar and cream Whipped eggs, junket, or gelatin--all the child will take of either, or a portion of all LUNCHEON Tender corn, scraped from cob, made into a purée; season to taste Milk and either eggs or gelatin DINNER Cantaloup or melon A pint of milk, with one whipped egg A spoonful of bran Deep breathing in the open air just before retiring. FALL MENU _FOR INVALID CHILD--MAKING MUSCULAR TISSUE--REGULATING BOWELS_ /First Day/: The first thing after rising, give the body a thorough rubbing with a coarse towel or flesh brush, and a gentle massage. Do not use water except on the face and hands. BREAKFAST Whip two fresh eggs very fine, adding slowly, while whipping, two teaspoonfuls of sugar, two and one-half teaspoonfuls of lemon juice, and two tablespoonfuls of cream. Add half a glass of milk to each egg and mix thoroughly At usual breakfast hour begin taking not more than half a glass at first; in ten or fifteen minutes another half glass. Continue taking half a glass every ten or fifteen minutes until the full amount is consumed LUNCHEON A small, baked potato Two eggs, prepared as for breakfast DINNER A glass of milk A baked potato Bit of any fresh vegetable that appeals to the taste Drink liberally of water between meals or at meals. Just before retiring, rub the body with a flesh brush, or give it a massage as prescribed for the morning. Take about one tablespoonful of coarse wheat bran at the beginning of each meal. To keep the intestines thoroughly cleansed is of primary importance. Increase the quantity until the desired result is produced, which should be an action once or twice a day. /Second Day/: The same as the first, decreasing the eggs and increasing the milk. /Third Day/: The same as the second, slightly varying the menus by increasing the quantity of eggs and milk, if these are agreeable, reducing the other articles correspondingly. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST A glass or two of clabbered milk, slightly sweetened until it is palatable Wheat bran, cooked LUNCHEON Choice of any fresh vegetable, especially such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or red banana, eaten with nut butter A little cream and either dates or figs DINNER Fruit and nuts, prepared any way they are palatable /Fifth Day/: The same as the first, repeating the diet herein given so long as it is agreeable. The body should be rubbed with a flesh brush and given massage every morning and evening. WINTER MENU _FOR INVALID CHILD--MAKING MUSCULAR TISSUE--REGULATING BOWELS_ Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Two egg whites and one Rice boiled until very soft. yolk whipped rapidly Put through a colander about two minutes. and make into a thin Add two teaspoonfuls of purée by adding milk; sugar and whip three sugar and cream to taste minutes longer; then add slowly, while whipping, a teaspoonful of strained lemon juice or pineapple juice, and a very little olive-oil. Serve two egg yolks and three whites, if the appetite will accept them LUNCHEON Any fresh vegetable of the A boiled onion sweet variety, such as A potato--sweet or white parsnips, sweet potatoes, Carrots or parsnips, eaten squash, or pumpkin. with butter and salt (These may be made into A cup of chocolate a purée by putting through a colander and adding cream and sugar to taste) DINNER One or two fresh vegetables--carrots, Purée of rice and one egg parsnips, turnips, prepared as for breakfast or onions, prepared (Menu I) anyway that will make them palatable Clabbered milk with a sprinkle of sugar The articles composing these meals should be served in very small portions. SPRING MENU _FOR MENTAL WORKER TO INCREASE BRAIN EFFICIENCY_ Immediately on rising, take two or three tablespoonfuls of orange juice and drink two glasses of water. If there is a tendency toward fermentation, the orange juice should be omitted. Exercise in the open air before breakfast. BREAKFAST Two eggs, cooked two minutes A small, baked potato--sweet or white One glass of milk A cup of water LUNCHEON A large, boiled onion and either green peas or asparagus A glass of water DINNER A small portion of fish A baked white potato--eat skins and all; masticate thoroughly One or two vegetables, such as peas, beans, or asparagus One egg white in half a glass of milk Half a glass of water Luncheon should be omitted unless quite hungry. SUMMER MENU _FOR MENTAL WORKER TO INCREASE BRAIN EFFICIENCY_ Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Peaches or plums A portion of wheat flakes. Oatmeal, rice, or boiled (A spoonful or two of wheat wheat bran cooked with Two glasses of milk the wheat flakes) One whole egg One banana, baked A glass of milk /Note/: A few very ripe berries or the juice of an orange may be taken at the beginning of each of these meals. LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable Choice of one or two fresh A baked sweet or white vegetables potato A glass of buttermilk A very small portion of fish Corn bread--a very little DINNER Choice of two fresh vegetables Choice of two fresh vegetables Two glasses of milk or a A baked white potato small portion of fish Two or three egg whites Two medium-sized baked Baked peas, beans, or lentils white potatoes or baked beans Every atom of food composing these meals should be masticated to exceeding fineness, and two glasses of water drunk at every meal. If something sweet is desired, a spoonful of raisins and nuts might be taken at the close of the dinner meal. FALL MENU _FOR MENTAL WORKER TO INCREASE BRAIN EFFICIENCY_ /First Day/: On rising, take a bunch of grapes (swallow seeds and pulp without mastication), a glass of water, and devote from eight to ten minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5. See Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345. BREAKFAST One or two exceedingly ripe bananas (red variety preferred), eaten with thin cream, raisins or figs, and butter Two glasses of milk LUNCHEON One whole egg, boiled two minutes Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked; nut butter Two glasses of milk /Note/: If not hungry, omit both the whole wheat and the egg and take from two to three glasses of milk. For gaining weight, this would be preferable. DINNER Choice of carrots, squash, turnips, or parsnips One whole egg, boiled two minutes; or an omelet Two medium-sized baked white potatoes One glass of milk /Note/: From one to one and one-half glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. If constipated, eat two medium bunches of Concord grapes, swallowing skins, seeds and pulp without mastication. Drink a glass of water and spend from five to ten minutes in active exercise and deep breathing just before retiring. /Second Day/: The same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food if normal hunger requires it. Bran biscuits may be taken instead of whole wheat if preferred. /Third Day/: The same as the first, omitting the egg at dinner time, and substituting a small quantity of fish (smelts preferred). /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST A cantaloup Half a glass of water A small portion of oatmeal, very thoroughly cooked Two exceedingly ripe bananas, eaten with figs, cream, and nuts A cup of chocolate LUNCHEON Two eggs--prepared choice Two medium-sized potatoes DINNER A salad with oil and nuts Corn, beans, carrots, cabbage--any two of these A potato Junket or gelatin /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth, with the exception of dinner. At this meal a bit of fish, chicken, or an egg may be eaten. /Sixth Day/: The same as the first, repeating these menus for about two weeks, making such changes as the appetite demands in vegetables and fruit only. WINTER MENU _FOR MENTAL WORKER TO INCREASE BRAIN EFFICIENCY_ Eggs, milk, and sugar are the most readily convertible nutrients known to the science of food chemistry. In combination they represent the highest form of the nitrogenous (proteids and the carbohydrate) compounds, therefore to increase physical efficiency one should take as much of these as possible. If one is under weight, it would be advisable, especially during the cold weather, to take three eggs for breakfast, four eggs with a quart of milk for luncheon, and a vegetable dinner as laid out in Menu II. Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A bunch of grapes Two or three eggs, whipped, One very ripe banana with to which add a teaspoonful cream and nut butter of lemon juice, a teaspoonful A whole wheat gem, eaten each of olive-oil with one or two very soft and sugar, and one-half eggs glass of milk to each egg LUNCHEON One fresh vegetable Two eggs prepared as for A baked potato breakfast, Menu II Boiled onions and a bit of fish A glass of milk or a cup of hot chocolate DINNER Spinach or a bit of salad The same as dinner, Menu Clabbered milk or a bit of I, choosing either clabbered fish milk, fish, eggs, or Baked beans or baked white meat of chicken potatoes Boiled onions or carrots A cup of chocolate Where as many as four eggs are taken at once, a tablespoonful of cognac brandy will make the yolks more digestible and more assimilable, therefore in curative feeding its purpose is medicinal. SPRING MENU _FOR A SCHOOL TEACHER_ _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER--UNDERWEIGHT_ _NERVOUSNESS_ Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Cherries--sweet Berries Corn bread, with butter Farina, or oatmeal with A cup of hot water cream A glass of milk One whole egg Two cups of chocolate LUNCHEON Boiled rice, or corn hominy, A large, boiled onion with butter or cream. (A A baked white potato spoonful of sugar may be Corn bread added, if desired) Buttermilk One or two glasses of water DINNER A pint of junket A small portion of fish or A small piece of corn bread chicken Two or three glasses of milk A baked white potato Half a cup of wheat bran Choice of carrots or onions A green salad or a very small portion of spinach may be eaten at this meal, if desired Drink one or two glasses of water at each of these meals. If the breakfast has not digested well, the noon meal should be very light. Bran gems or plain wheat bran may be eaten at each meal until the liver is performing its normal functions. SUMMER MENU _FOR A SCHOOL TEACHER_ _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER--UNDERWEIGHT_ _NERVOUSNESS_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST A cantaloup Peaches or cantaloup Tender corn scraped from Two medium-sized baked cob--lightly cooked potatoes, with butter; A glass of milk; buttermilk eat skins and all preferred Two eggs or two glasses of One extremely ripe banana, milk eaten with nut butter, cream, and raisins LUNCHEON A vegetable salad A green salad Tender corn, boiled One fresh vegetable A bran gem Junket or gelatin DINNER A green salad or spinach Choice of two fresh vegetables Choice of two vegetables: A baked potato Beans Corn A bit of fish or buttermilk Boiled onions Peas One baked banana, with A baked potato cream and nut butter A liberal quantity of water should be drunk at each of these meals. FALL MENU _FOR A SCHOOL TEACHER_ _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER--UNDERWEIGHT_ _NERVOUSNESS_ On rising, take the juice of one sweet orange Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Bran meal gems, with butter A small portion of boiled Milk wheat, with cream One egg, either whipped or boiled two minutes LUNCHEON Two extremely ripe bananas, Two bananas eaten with nut butter Half a dozen dates and raisins (Cream Cream cheese or cream cheese may be An ounce of nuts added, if desired) A cup of milk A whole wheat cracker and nut butter A glass of milk, if convenient DINNER Boiled onions, and either Spinach or a green salad carrots or turnips Baked beans or a baked A baked white potato potato A glass or two of milk Onions, carrots, turnips, or squash One egg or a very small portion of fish Immediately after dinner, eat a bunch of grapes and drink a cup of hot water. If there is a tendency toward constipation, take wheat bran just before retiring. WINTER MENU _FOR A SCHOOL TEACHER_ _ANEMIA--SLUGGISH LIVER--UNDERWEIGHT_ _NERVOUSNESS_ MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Boiled wheat, with cream One exceedingly ripe banana, Two or three glasses of milk with thin cream and nut butter Two glasses of milk One egg LUNCHEON Two exceedingly ripe bananas, with cream cheese and raisins Whole wheat bread sandwiches, with nut butter; nuts or cream cheese, if preferred DINNER A green salad One or two fresh vegetables--choice A baked potato or corn bread Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked; serve with cream If the bowels should act too freely, rice, chestnuts, or sweet potatoes may be eaten liberally with the morning and the evening meal. SPRING MENU _LABORING MAN_ (_LUNCH IN SHOP_) _UNDERWEIGHT--ANEMIC_ BREAKFAST A baked apple Boiled wheat or oatmeal Wheat bran, cooked Two whole eggs, either whipped or lightly poached A glass or two of milk or a cup or two of chocolate LUNCHEON A pint of milk Whole wheat bread Two very ripe bananas, with nut butter or dates DINNER A cup of hot water Choice of two fresh vegetables: Asparagus Carrots Beans Onions Beets Peas A green salad A bit of fish One egg or a glass of buttermilk A new potato--baked A spoonful or two of wheat bran A spoonful of nuts and a few dates may be eaten at each of these meals. They should be masticated very thoroughly. SUMMER MENU _LABORING MAN_ (_LUNCH IN SHOP_) _UNDERWEIGHT--ANEMIC_ On rising, take two glasses of water, a spoonful or two of wheat bran, and a bit of fruit. /First Day/: BREAKFAST Two glasses of fresh milk Two eggs, whipped or boiled A small dish of whole wheat, cooked A spoonful of wheat bran LUNCHEON Four glasses of milk, with hard crackers Two eggs, cooked A spoonful or two of wheat bran Corn bread (Drink two glasses of milk an hour before dinner) DINNER Two whipped eggs Two glasses of milk Two medium-sized, baked white potatoes; eat skins and all A sauce-dish of wheat bran, cooked Just before retiring, take two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, in a little water, provided there is a tendency toward constipation; if not, this should be omitted. /Second Day/: The same as the first, adding another egg to the morning meal, and a bit of fish to the evening meals. /Third Day/: The same as the second. /Fourth Day/: The same as the first, and so on for a period of a week or ten days. FALL MENU _LABORING MAN_ (_LUNCH IN SHOP_) _UNDERWEIGHT--ANEMIC_ The following menus are composed of but few articles; all of them, however, have a specific purpose. Immediately on rising, drink a glass of water and eat a bunch of grapes, swallowing skins, seeds and pulp. Do not masticate the seeds or pulp. Choice of the following menus: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST Melon or pears A melon or a bunch of Two or three eggs, cooked grapes one and a half minutes Two or three eggs cooked A portion of whole wheat, one and a half minutes boiled or simmered over Two medium-sized baked night; serve with cream white potatoes A small portion of wheat bran, cooked LUNCHEON Two or three eggs, taken Two eggs uncooked from the shell, Two exceedingly large bananas, with a little salt with either nut Whole wheat bread with butter or nuts, and dates nut butter or raisins A banana, eaten with either cream cheese or nut butter, and raisins or dates DINNER Boiled onions, carrots, Same as dinner Menu I, squash, corn, turnips, or substituting chicken for beets--any two of these the egg or the fish, if A green salad or cooked desired spinach, with egg A very small portion of fish or an egg A liberal portion of baked potatoes From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. Mastication should be very thorough. In the selection of articles composing the dinner, do not make them too numerous. Three or four things are sufficient. About once a week take-- One fresh vegetable A baked potato One egg Home-made ice-cream as dessert The noon meal could consist of three or four eggs whipped with a little sugar, adding a glass of milk to each egg. Place this in a bottle and take a glass every fifteen or twenty minutes, from 12 until 2 /P. M./ WINTER MENU _LABORING MAN_ (_LUNCH IN SHOP_) _UNDERWEIGHT--ANEMIC_ /First Day/: Immediately on rising, drink a glass of water, eat a bit of fruit, and devote from five to eight minutes to exercising and deep breathing. BREAKFAST Boiled wheat, with cream and nuts, or nut butter, if convenient; if not, use dairy butter From three to four glasses of milk (A tablespoonful of ordinary wheat bran at the close of the meal) LUNCHEON A pint of milk A sandwich of whole wheat bread, with nut butter and cream cheese One or two bananas, with cream cheese, nuts, and dates DINNER Celery or a green salad Carrots and boiled onions Baked white potatoes or baked beans A glass of buttermilk An egg served on a baked potato It would be advisable to drink a glass of water at the close of each meal, and, just before retiring, to drink another glass of water and to eat a bit of fruit. Take exercises as already suggested. /Second Day/: Same as the first. /Third Day/: Same as the second, varying the vegetables according to appetite or hunger. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST Two very ripe bananas, eaten with cream and nut butter Four or five figs, eaten with cream and nuts Two eggs, very softly boiled, or whipped, if preferred A potato, if something salty is desired LUNCHEON A sandwich, as for luncheon first day Two eggs Soaked prunes, or figs, with nut butter or dairy butter DINNER Fish, eggs, or chicken Choice of two fresh vegetables: Beets Squash Carrots Turnips, etc. A baked white potato or baked beans A cup of thin cocoa or gelatin A cup of hot water A bit of fruit, exercise, and deep breathing just before retiring. /Fifth Day/: The same as the fourth, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to normal hunger. /Sixth Day/: The same as the first, repeating the diet until there is a perceptible gain in both strength and weight. It should then be changed or modified so as to prevent the appetite from rebelling against the general plan. These changes may be made by selecting different vegetables and fruits. The heavy or proteid part of the diet should be kept about the same as prescribed so long as the work is strenuous. DIET FOR COLD WEATHER BREAKFAST A cup of hot water A baked apple or persimmons An omelet, lightly cooked, rolled in grated nuts and whipped cream A coarse, cereal-meal waffle or corn bread and butter A heaping tablespoonful of coarse wheat bran, cooked (Honey, if something sweet is desired) LUNCHEON Baked beans, with olive-oil or butter DINNER A vegetable soup Cabbage, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts A lettuce and tomato salad A potato, corn, or lima beans Corn bread and buttermilk Gelatin or junket Wheat bran Nuts, raisins, and cheese DIET FOR HOT WEATHER BREAKFAST Melon, peaches, or cantaloup A whole wheat muffin or a gem A banana, with raisins, nuts, and cream LUNCHEON Peaches, with sugar and cream An ear of tender corn A glass of milk DINNER A green salad, with nuts Two fresh vegetables--peas, beans, or corn Ice-cream or ices--fruit flavor (A melon or a cantaloup, before retiring) Two glasses of cool water should be drunk at each of these meals. HOT WEATHER MENU _FOR THE PREVENTION OF SUNSTROKE AND HEAT PROSTRATION_ BREAKFAST Cantaloup Peaches, or a small portion of berries, without sugar One or two extremely ripe bananas, eaten with nuts, cream, and raisins Fresh milk LUNCHEON A green salad or spinach Any fresh vegetable, such as squash, onions, turnips, beets, carrots, or parsnips A new baked potato--eat skins and all DINNER A green salad, with tomatoes and nuts Two vegetables--corn, peas, beans, or asparagus (The vegetables to be cooked in a casserole dish) A potato--prepared choice One very ripe banana, with figs and either cream cheese or fresh cream SUGGESTIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF SUNSTROKE From one to two glasses of cool water should be drunk at each of these meals. Mastication of every atom should be complete. Hurried eating is the most prolific cause of fermentation. Fermentation is the cause of intestinal gas, sour stomach and indigestion, also constipation and torpid liver. Avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee, tobacco, beer, or liquors. These things excite heart activity, which causes excessive body-heat. Avoid sweets, especially sweet soda-fountain drinks. Sugar is composed largely of carbon, and carbon is one of Nature's greatest heat-makers. Confine the diet largely to semi-acid fruits, fresh vegetables, green salads, milk, eggs, nuts, and a very limited quantity of bread and cereal products. Cereal starch is the most difficult of all carbohydrate matter to digest. Drink an abundance of pure water at meals and between meals. Avoid all mixed-up, sweetened and charged water. There is nothing better than plain spring or distilled water. Do not eat too many things at the same meal. Three or four articles are sufficient. Avoid meat of all kinds, and eat a very limited quantity of fats. By all means do not overeat. Every atom of food taken into the body that is not used must be cast off at a tremendous expense of energy. The casting-off process is what we call dis-ease. Every housewife and mother should know enough about the chemistry of food to avoid serving at the same meal things which are chemically inharmonious. If these simple laws were observed, sunstrokes and heat prostrations would be almost unheard of. Summer is the time when Nature is rebuilding and revitalizing all forms of animal life; it is also the time when she is producing all of the material with which to do this building in its best and purest form, therefore summer should be the time when people are at their best. The reason they are not is because they do not understand the simple laws that govern human nutrition. SPRING MENU _TO BUILD UP SEXUAL VITALITY AND MAINTAIN IT_ BREAKFAST Very ripe berries, with sugar Rare omelet, rolled in whipped cream and grated nuts Whole wheat bread or boiled whole wheat Rich milk Wheat bran LUNCHEON Two or three eggs, whipped; add a pint of fresh milk, a dash of sugar, and a flavor of pineapple juice; drink slowly DINNER Fish or lobster, broiled Potato and peas Junket or gelatin Nuts, raisins, and cream cheese Chocolate Only plain water should be drunk at these meals. SUMMER MENU _TO BUILD UP SEXUAL VITALITY AND MAINTAIN IT_ BREAKFAST Peaches, plums, or any semiacid fruit Whole wheat or a coarse cereal, cooked Whipped eggs or tender fish A whole wheat cracker LUNCHEON A green salad, with oil and nuts Oysters, crabs, or lobster A potato or whole wheat DINNER Carrots, peas, beans, corn--any two of these A Spanish omelet or white meat of chicken A potato A glass of rich milk A cantaloup or peaches FALL MENU _TO BUILD UP SEXUAL VITALITY AND MAINTAIN IT_ BREAKFAST Peaches or cantaloup Two or three eggs, whipped six or seven minutes; sweeten to taste and flavor with fruit-juice A cup of junket or gelatin, unsweetened LUNCHEON Fish, broiled One fresh vegetable A potato DINNER Corn and either peas or beans Fish or chicken Buttermilk A potato WINTER MENU _TO BUILD UP SEXUAL VITALITY AND MAINTAIN IT_ On rising, take half a glass of grape juice and a glass of cool water. Devote about fifteen minutes to vigorous exercise and deep breathing. Before eating, take a brisk walk, thinly clad, in the open air. /First Day/: BREAKFAST Grapes or grape juice A small portion of plain wheat, boiled very thoroughly; serve with cream Three fresh eggs (See Fall Menu) A cup of junket or buttermilk Half a glass of water LUNCHEON One egg, prepared as for breakfast Two glasses of junket or buttermilk A liberal portion of gelatin DINNER Celery Broiled fish; young variety--very tender A baked potato One egg whipped as for breakfast Gelatin or junket--a liberal portion /Second Day/: Same as the first, reducing--unless the digestion is perfect--the amount prescribed for the noon meal. /Third Day/: Same as the second, varying the meals by changing fruits, or by adding another fresh vegetable to the evening meal; but, before adding another article, eat the full amount of proteids prescribed: eggs, fish, and gelatin. /Fourth Day/: BREAKFAST One or two ripe bananas Raisins or figs; or nuts or nut butter Two or three glasses of fresh milk LUNCHEON Baked beans or lentils, with olive-oil or fresh butter Two or three eggs; preferably uncooked DINNER Two or three eggs, with two teaspoonfuls of sugar; whip seven or eight minutes; add two glasses of milk; mix thoroughly; drink slowly Bran meal gems Half a cup of bran, cooked /Fifth Day/: Same as the fourth. /Sixth Day/: Same as the first. /Seventh Day/: Same as the second, repeating the menus for a period of thirty to forty days, varying them by selecting such vegetables as appeal most to the taste. If the bowels should become constipated, take half a cup of cleansed wheat bran, cooked, with the breakfast, and, just before retiring, another half cup in hot water. If possible, spend from two to three hours each day in the open air, taking vigorous exercise. Oxygen is nature's great stimulant and life-giver. Eat slowly and masticate very thoroughly. If there is a tendency toward obesity, sugar should be omitted from the meals entirely. Proteid foods should predominate in the diet. The following are the most soluble and readily assimilable group of proteid foods suitable for these menus, given in the order of richness and importance: Eggs Shell-fish Gelatin Milk Fish Fowl--white meat Milk products 47439 ---- THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE HORACE FLETCHER'S WORKS THE A. B.-Z. OF OUR OWN NUTRITION. 462 pp. THE NEW MENTICULTURE; OR, THE A-B-C OF TRUE LIVING. Forty-fifth thousand. 310 pp. THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE; OR, ECONOMIC NUTRITION. 344 pp. HAPPINESS AS FOUND IN FORETHOUGHT MINUS FEARTHOUGHT. Tenth thousand. 251 pp. THAT LAST WAIF; OR, SOCIAL QUARANTINE. 270 pp. THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE BY HORACE FLETCHER NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 1906 COPYRIGHT, 1899, 1903 BY HORACE FLETCHER Published November, 1903 Reprinted October, 1904, September, 1905 December, 1905 THE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE · U. S. A. PREFACE The original "Glutton or Epicure" has been completely revised and much enlarged, including considerable new matter added in the form of testimony by competent investigators, which confirms the original claims of the book and supplements them with important suggestions. The "New Glutton or Epicure" is now issued as a companion volume to the "A.B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition," in the "A. B. C. Series," and is intended to broaden the illustration of the necessity of dietetic economy in the pursuit of an easy way to successful living, in a manner calculated to appeal to a variety of readers; and wherein it may suggest the scrappiness and extravagance of an intemperate screed, the author joins in the criticism of the purists and offers in apology the excuse that so-called screeds sometimes attract attention where more sober statement fails to be heard. Especial attention is invited to the "Explanation of the A.B.C. Series," at the back of this volume, as showing the desirability of regard for environment in all its phases; and also to the section, "Tell-tale Excreta," on page 142, an evidence of right or faulty feeding persistently neglected heretofore, but of utmost importance in a broad study of the nutrition problem. The professional approval of Drs. Van Someren, Higgins, Kellogg, and Dewey, representing wide differences of points of view and opportunity of application, are most valuable contributions to the subject. The confirmation of high physiological authority strengthens this professional endorsement. The testimony of lay colleagues given is equally valuable and comes from widely separated experiences, and from observers whose evidence carries great weight. The commandante of a battleship cruising in foreign waters and representing the national descent of Luigi Cornaro; a general manager of one of the largest insurance companies of the world; a cosmopolitan artist of American farm birth and French matrimonial choice and residence; and a distinguished _bon vivant_, each with a world of experience, testifying in their own manner of expression, is appreciated as most valuable assistance to the cause of economic dietetic reform. During the original experiments in Chicago, and in Dayton, Ohio, the originator was much indebted to James H. Lacey, Esquire, of New Orleans, La., and Cedar Rapids, for helpful suggestions, which his early training as a pharmaceutical chemist rendered him able to give. There are also numerous altruistic, self-sacrificing women, who have been active colleagues of the author in testing the virtues of an economic nutrition, and who have greatly assisted in making the economy an added new pleasure of life, instead of being a restraint or a deprivation. This is accomplished easily by a change of attitude towards the question, and in such reform women must have an important part to play. To their kindly meant, but hygienically unwise, aggressive hospitality, in begging friends to eat and drink more than they want, just to satisfy their own generous impulses, is due much of the milder gluttony that is prevalent. Imposition upon the body of any excess of food or drink is one of the most dangerous and far-reaching of self-abuses; because whatever the body has no need of at the moment must be gotten rid of at the expense of much valuable energy taken away from brain-service. Hence it is that when there is intestinal constipation the energy-reserve is lowered enormously, and even where there is no painful obstruction, the mere passage of waste through some twenty to twenty-five feet of convoluted intestinal canal is a great tax upon available mental and physical power; and this disability is often imposed on innocent men by well-meaning women in the exercise of a too aggressive hospitality. Mention of constipation suggests another reference to one of the specially new features of this discussion, insisted upon by a truly economic and æsthetic nutrition, and herein lifted out of the depths of a morbid prejudice to testify to the necessity of care in the manner of taking food for the maintenance of a respectable self-respect. So firmly rooted is the fallacy that a daily generous defecation is necessary to health that less frequent periodicity is looked upon with alarm, whereas a normally economic nutrition is _proven_ by greater infrequency, accompanied by an entire absence of difficulty in defecating and by escape from the usual putridity due to the necessity of bacterial decomposition. To illustrate the prevailing ignorance relative to this most important necessity of self-care, and also a traditional prejudice, even among physicians, the following extract from a letter just received is given: "You ask me to define more exactly what I mean by constipation; this is not at all difficult; I mean skipping a day in having a call to stool. There was no trouble about it, and the quantity was not large, but when I mentioned it to my doctor he advised me to stop chewing if it interfered with the regular daily stools. I must confess that I never felt so well as while I was chewing and sipping, instead of the hasty bolting and gulping which one is apt to do on thoughtless or busy occasions, but I don't think it is worth while for a chap to monkey with his hygienic department when he is employing a professional regularly to tell him the latest kink about health." To this surprising state of ... the evidence of "professionals" like Van Someren, Kellogg, Higgins, and Dewey, as well as that of the great men of physiology who have spoken herein, and in the "A.B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition," gives hopeful answer, but suggests a warning. The author has noticed that immediately folk begin to give attention to any new _régime_ relative to diet, exercise, mental discipline, or whatever else, they begin to charge all unusual happenings to the change of habit, whereas before the same things were common but unnoticed. Even among men of scientific habit of thought, unduly constipated by stale conservatism, the old, old corpse of tradition, "The accumulated experience of the whole race must be correct," is revived and used in argument contentiously; but to this relapse into non-scientific reasoning comes the reply: "If the accumulated experience of the human race is evidence that crime and disease are natural, then disease and crime are good things and should not be discouraged." There are many sorts of constipation, the worst of which are constipation of affection, of appreciation, of gratitude, and of all the constructive virtues which constitute true altruism. Let us avoid sinning in this regard! In pursuit of this thought the following is _àpropos_: SPECIAL RECOGNITION The author wishes here, also, to express gratitude to many who have not figured by name in the "A.B.-Z.," or elsewhere herein, but whose assistance, encouragement, criticism, and example have helped the cause along in one way or another. Of these many friends a few are quickly recalled, but not necessarily in the order of their friendly service. To John H. Patterson, Esquire, of Dayton, Ohio; Col. James F. O'Shaughnessy, of New York; Stewart Chisholm, Esquire, of Cleveland, Ohio; Fred E. Wadsworth, Esquire, of Detroit, Michigan; and Henry C. Butcher, Esquire, of Philadelphia, are due much for encouragement in pursuing the investigation at critical moments of the struggle; as well as to Hon. William J. Van Patten, of Burlington, Vermont, whose interest in the "A.B.C. Series" began with "Menticulture" and has continued unabated. In Dr. Swan M. Burnett, of Washington, D. C., has been enjoyed a mentor with great scientific discrimination and a sympathy in the refinements of art and sentiment, as expressed in Japanese æsthetic civilisation, which has been extremely encouraging and most inspiring in relation to the whole A.B.C. idea. From Gervais Kerr, Esquire, of Venice, came one of the important suggestions incorporated in the A.B.-Z. Primer; and the young Venetian artist, E. C. Leon Boehm, rendered great service in studying habits of dietetics among the peoples of the Balkan Peninsular, in Turkey, along the Dalmatian Coast, and in Croatia. Prof. William James, of Harvard University, in his Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburg, Scotland, published under the title of "The Varieties of Religious Experience," gave the practical reformatory effort of the "A.B.C. Series" a great impetus by quoting approvingly from "Menticulture" and "Happiness." Coming from a teacher of philosophy and psychology, with a physiological training and an M.D. degree to support the approval, recognition is much appreciated; but, in addition to his published utterances, Dr. James has followed the psycho-physiological studies of the movement with interest, and has given much valued encouragement. This does not begin to complete the list of those to whom the author owes a debt of especial gratitude. The argus-eyed vigilance of the collectors and doctors of world-news, who mould public opinion in a great measure, has brought to the cause of dietetic reform established upon an æsthetic basis their kindly assistance, but, as usual, they prefer to remain _incog._ In this seclusion, however, Ralph D. Blumenfeld, Esquire, of London, and Roswell Martin Field, Esquire, of Chicago, cannot be included; neither can Charles Jay Taylor, the originator of the Taylor-Maid girl. James P. Reilly, Esquire, of New York, has lightened the labours of the investigator, and has strengthened his arm in many ways; as have also Messrs. B. F. Stevens and Brown, of London, not alone as most efficient agents, but as friends interested in the cause in hand. In the various books of the series opportunity has occurred to express appreciation of many sympathetic friendships, and in heart and memory they hold perpetual carnival. To Major Thomas E. Davis, of the _New Orleans Picayune_, is due more than mere expression of gratitude for excellent editorials on our subject; and across the ocean, Sir Thomas Barlow, the private physician of King Edward VII, Dr. Leonard Huxley, Prof. Alfred Marshall, of Cambridge University, and Reginald Barratt, Esquire, of London, have been most sympathetic and assistful. On both sides of the waters, William Dana Orcutt, Esquire, of The University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Frederick A. Stokes, Esquire, of New York, have added friendship for the cause to much appreciated practical assistance. These and many others are preferred-creditors of gratitude, in addition to those whose mention is embodied elsewhere in the various books of the "Series." As attempted to be shown in the "A.B.-Z.," under the caption "Bunching Hits and Personal Umpiring," this study of menticulture from the basis of economic and epicurean nutrition, in connection with a purified exterior and interior environment, is "team-work," as in football, cricket, or base-ball, and a laudable enthusiasm is an important feature of the game; hence, to conclude, this especial book, being a personal confession, relaxation, effusion, expansion, as it were, of the practical benefits of economic body nutrition and _menti-nutrition_, it seems the appropriate place to offer personal tribute outside and inside the intimate family relations, as freely as menticultural impulse may suggest. HORACE FLETCHER. PREFACE TO 1906 EDITIONS Since the former introductions were written much success has been attained in further advancing the reforms advocated in the _A. B. C. Life Series_. Professor Chittenden has published his report on the Yale experiments in book form in both America[1] and England,[2] and his results have been accepted in scientific circles the world over as authoritatively conclusive. [Footnote 1: Physiological Economy in Nutrition: The Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York.] [Footnote 2: William Heinemann: London.] At the present writing the most important Health Boards of Europe[3] are planning to put the new standards of dietary economy into practical use among public charges in a manner that can only result in benefit to the wards of the nations as well as make an important saving to the taxpayers. In the most important of these foreign public health departments the Health Officer of the Board has himself practised the newly established economy for two years, and his plans are formulated on personal experience which fully confirms Professor Chittenden's report and that of the author as herein related. [Footnote 3: The author is not yet permitted to publish the particulars of these reforms in process, but he has official information regarding them and is in full sympathy with them.] At a missionary agricultural college, situated near Nashville, Tenn., where the students earn their tuition and their board while pursuing their studies, a six months' test of what is termed "Fletcherism" resulted in a saving of about one half of the drafts on the commissary, immunity from illness, increased energy, strength and endurance, and general adoption of the suggestions published in the several books of the author included in the _A. B. C. Life Series_. In the various departments and branches of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in America, and widely scattered over the world, some eight hundred employees and thousands of patients have been accumulating evidence of the efficacy of "Fletcherism" for more than three years, and scarce a month passes without a letter from Dr. Kellogg to the author containing new testimony confirming the _A. B. C._ selections and suggestions. The author has received within the past two years more than a thousand letters bearing the approval of the writers with report of benefits received which seem almost miraculous, and these include the leaders in many branches of human occupation--physiologists, surgeons, medical practitioners, artists, business men, literary workers, athletes, working men and women, and almost every degree of mental and physical activity. One of the medical advisers of King Edward, of whom the King once said: "He is a splendid doctor but a poor courtier," follows the suggestions of these books in prescribing to his sumptuous clients. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE i SPECIAL RECOGNITION xii THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE 1 THE PERSONAL CASE AND ENDORSEMENT OF DR. ERNEST VAN SOMEREN 10 EXPERIMENTS UPON HUMAN NUTRITION. NOTE BY SIR MICHAEL FOSTER, K.C.B., M.P., F.R.S. 18 PROFESSOR CHITTENDEN'S REPORT ON THE AUTHOR 25 'VARSITY-CREW EXERCISES UNDER DR. WILLIAM G. ANDERSON, OF YALE UNIVERSITY GYMNASIUM 32 THE ATWATER-BENEDICT CALORIMETER-MEASUREMENT 39 MILITARY-SCIENTIFIC COÖPERATION 42 DR. KELLOGG'S APPRECIATION 46 EXTRACTS FROM DR. EDWARD HOOKER DEWEY 73 AN AGREEABLE ENDURANCE TEST 84 EDWARD W. REDFIELD'S EVIDENCE 90 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS 101 OUR NATURAL GUARDIANS 106 OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED 117 THE MIND POWER-PLANT 132 TELL-TALE EXCRETA 142 SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION OF A LITERARY TEST-SUBJECT 147 WHAT SENSE? TASTE 151 DR. MONKS, BOSTON; AND PROF. METCHNIKOFF, PARIS;--ELONGATED INTESTINES 176 AUTHOR'S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE 188 SOME PERTINENT QUERIES 195 IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION: COMMANDANTE CESARE AGNELLI 206 CLARENCE F. LOW, ESQUIRE 211 A FIVE YEARS' LAY EXPERIENCE: BARON RANDOLPH NATILI 215 DR. HUBERT HIGGINS' CASE AND COMMENT 226 QUARANTINE 236 GIVE THE BABIES A CHANCE 265 "MUNCHING PARTIES" AND THE "CHEWING FAD" 270 SPECIMEN ECONOMIC DINNER 283 DIET IN THE YALE EXAMINATION OF THE AUTHOR 296 INFLUENCE OF SUGGESTION 300 "FLETCHERISING:" COMPLETE MEANING 308 EXPLANATION OF THE A. B. C. SERIES 315 THE NEW GLUTTON OR EPICURE It is now five years since the first section of this crude little announcement of a great physiological discovery was published; and while the author has spent all the intervening years in unremitting study of the subject of which it treats, with the heads of many of the great physiological laboratories of the world assisting him with their best facilities and information, as to the "reasons for things," there is but small correction to make. This does not imply that the "last word" upon the subject has been herein stated, or that corrections may not be made as the study progresses, but it means, that as an honest description of an effort to get to understand the natural requirements in our own nutrition, it is perhaps better put than the same author could now do; that is, if intended for the enlightenment of persons whose curiosity has not yet been excited, or whose interest in their nutritive welfare is still young and inexperienced. With regard to the statement that "whatever has no taste is not nutritious," copied from a high educational authority, correction certainly must be made. Pure proteid has no perceptible taste as measured by taste-bud appreciation, any more than pure water has specific taste, and yet who may not say that "water tastes good" when one is really thirsty. Taste is a very subtle sense and is closely allied to feeling. Things are often said to taste good because they feel good in the mouth or to the throat as they descend to the stomach. Regarding also the advice to remove from the mouth refractory substance that the teeth and saliva cannot reduce to a condition to excite the Swallowing Impulse. There is theoretical and actual nutriment in the cottony fibre of tough lobster, or poor fish, or lean pork, and there is good reason to believe that a strong digestive apparatus _can_ take care of such tough substance _after a fashion_ and get nutriment out of it. In the same way the hard, woody fibre of old nuts is the identical material that was rich in juicy oils and proteid when the nuts were fresh, but if swallowed in the toughened condition that age brings to nuts, it is but slowly reduced in the stomach and intestines and only at enormous expense. If putrifactive bacterial decomposition has to be resorted to to get rid of the stuff the process is then poisonous as well as difficult. According to physiological authority which we must, for the moment, accept, proteid is a vitally-necessary material and we cannot afford to waste it. Our life depends upon proteid to replace the waste of muscular tissue which occurs with every movement, but when even good proteid is found by the mouth to be in a form that is too refractory for the teeth to handle, it is poor policy to send it on to the toothless stomach and intestines for the accomplishment of the reduction. If the mouth cannot handle what its guardian senses don't like, it can spit it out and get rid of it immediately; but if the stomach or intestines are afflicted with something that is harder than they can easily take care of, they have to call in the assistance of bacterial scavengers whose method is poisonous decomposition, and whose fee is putridity of odour penetrating the whole system and issuing at every pore, making Cologne water a large commodity even in so-called Polite Society. There are discernible in the mouth distinct senses of discrimination against substance that is undesirable for the system. If the mouth senses are permitted to express an opinion, their antipathy is easily read. It is far safer to spit out what the natural impulse of swallowing hesitates at, or fails to suck up with avidity, than it is to force a swallowing to get rid of it simply to satisfy a prudish "table manner" objection. To avoid "impolite" condemnation we really make "hogs of ourselves" "on the sly," and vulgar slang alone is appropriate to express the shameful confession. As a matter of fact, if one faithfully practise mouth thoroughness in connection with all his food for a term of a few weeks, he will find that the appetite ceases to invite the sort of things that have to be spit out. The appetite gradually but unfailingly inclines to foods that are profitable all the way through, and in which there is little or no waste. This revelation alone shows a delicate usefulness of Appetite that has escaped students of the human senses. In the matter of the insalivation of liquids, evidence continues to accumulate to show that in the present prevalence of liquid or soft foods lies the great danger to the digestive economy of man. Through them, mouth work becomes neglected, and the tendency is to force the stomach and intestines to take on the work of the powerful mouth muscles and glands in addition to their own work, and in the straining that ensues trouble begins. There is _now_ no doubt but that taste is evidence of a chemical process going on that should not be interrupted or transferred to the interior of the body. Tried upon milk for so long a period as seventeen days, during which nothing was taken but milk, not even water, thorough insalivation secured more than a twenty-five per cent economy in actual assimilation; not alone with one subject, but with no less than five persons, living on milk from the same cow, and all of whose strict test history was recorded. It seems also to be the only way in which a practically odourless solid excreta is obtainable, and this is certainly evidence worth considering and a desideratum worth striving for. While it is an excellent thing to give thorough mouth attention to anything taken into the body, to solids alone, even if liquids are neglected, the best economic and cleanly results are only obtained when all substances, both liquid and solid, are either munched or tasted out of existence, as it were, and have been absorbed into a waiting and willing body; a body with an _earned_ appetite. With liquids one simply has to do as the wine-tasters and the tea-tasters do. Small sips are intaken and the liquid is tasted between the top of the tongue (the spoon end) and the roof of the mouth until all the taste is tasted out of it, and the Swallowing Impulse has claimed it. This is by no means a disagreeable task, and as soon as the unnaturally acquired habit of greed and impatience is conquered, the reward of following this natural requirement is very great and increases with practice. Five years of experience has taught the author that a really keen appreciation of taste and its delicacy of possible refinement is not known to persons of ordinary habits of life. The pleasure which comes with conformity with the natural requirements is truly Epicurean and disregard of them is as surely gluttonous. The author still claims discovery of a distinct physiological function which he first named "Nature's Food Filter." Van Someren preferred the name of a "New Reflex of Deglutition." It is, in fact, the "Natural Swallowing Impulse," _invited only_ by food mechanically and chemically _prepared_ for passing on to the interior, call it by whatever name you like or may. At the time this little book was first published, the only note in favour of giving special attention to "buccal digestion," that had been sounded, was the advice of Mr. Gladstone to his children, "Chew your food thirty-two times to each mouthful," or words to that effect. The "Masticate well" prescription of the physician when given at all, had meant little or nothing, to either the patient or to the prescriber, except that one must not swallow hard food whole. For two years after its publication little heed was given to the suggestion because the author happened not to be a medical man, but, finally, the reserve of indifference was broken, first by Dr. Joseph Blumfeld, in a review of the book in the London _Lancet_, and soon after by Dr. Ernest Van Someren of Venice, Italy, an English physician residing and practising in Venice. Dr. Van Someren's interest and experience are best stated in his _own words_, as follows: THE PERSONAL "CASE" AND "ENDORSEMENT" OF DR. ERNEST VAN SOMEREN AN ENGLISH PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON, PRACTISING IN VENICE, ITALY "MY DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "It would be almost _àpropos_ to send you, as an endorsement of your principles, the dictum of the ragged and dirty tramp in the advertisement of Pear's soap. I would have to amend it slightly and say: 'I used your {principles} three years {soap} ago; since when I have used no other.' I say '_almost àpropos_' advisedly, for, while the soap claims to keep the outer man clean, the practice of your principles justly claims to keep the inner man sweet and clean, so lessening the need to cleanse the outer man! "A well-known English surgeon (I think Sir Wm. Mitchell Banks) recommends physicians and surgeons to take a leaf from the book of patent-medicine vendors, and make their patients testify to their successful treatment. I will take the hint and give you, as my 'doctor,' a testimonial of how personally I am benefited by your advice. "Three years ago, when I first met you, though under thirty years of age, and myself a practising physician and surgeon, I was suffering from gout, and had been under the _régime_ of a London specialist for the treatment of that malady. Though vigorously adhering to the prescribed diet, I suffered from time to time. My symptoms were typical--paroxysmal pain in my right great toe and in the last joints of both little fingers, the right one being tumefied with the well-known 'node.' From time to time, generally once a month, I suffered from incapacitating headaches. Frequent colds, boils on the neck and face, chronic eczema of the toes, and frequent acid dyspepsia were other and painful signs that the life I was leading was not a healthy one. Yet I was accounted a healthy person by my friends, and was, withal, athletic. I fenced an hour daily, took calisthenic exercises every morning, forcing myself to do them, and I rowed when I obtained leisure to do so. In spite of this exercise and an inherent love of fresh air, which kept all the windows of my house open throughout the year, I suffered as above. Worse still, I was losing interest in life and in my work. "In one or two conversations you laid down your simple principles of economic nutrition. You told me that my food ought to be masticated thoroughly, until taste was eliminated, and that (my) liquid nourishment, if taken, ought to be similarly treated. You also told me that, taking food in this way, I might, without fear of consequences, give free rein to my appetite. To shorten my story, I'll say that in three months after the practice of these principles my symptoms had disappeared. Not only had my interest in my life and work returned, but my whole point of view had changed, and I found a pleasure in both living and working that was a constant surprise to me. For this, my dear Mr. Fletcher, I can never repay you. My only desire has been and is, to try and do for others in my practice what you did for me. "Now I have since that time had occasional colds, headaches, and gouty pains; but, whereas formerly I could not explain their causes, I can now invariably trace them to carelessness in the buccal digestion of my food, and can soon shake them off. So much for my testimonial. Now for other matters. "I do not know what may be the extent of the claims you are advancing in regard to the benefits accruing from the practice of your principles. If you, as you in justice may, claim even the widest benefits as surely following the practice of these principles, many will relegate these claims to the limbo where all such 'panaceas' are soon forgotten. They will err greatly if they do so. The seemingly simple procedure of insalivating one's food most carefully is not calculated to impress people with the fact that great permanent benefit follows. The subtlety of the changes that occur is due to the greatly increased action of a vital process, _i. e._, of the admixture with the food-stuffs of saliva, in such quantities as to alter the chemical reaction of the initial stage of digestion. This initial change causes a consequent change of all the processes following it, and a change also in the final products of the entire process of digestion; the greatest change being, perhaps, the elimination of last-resort digestion by the intestinal flora (digestion by decomposition caused by bacteria), and consequent elimination from the body, of the toxins they produce. The life of an organism has been defined as 'the sum of all those inter-actions which take place between the various cells constituting the organism and their several environments.' (Harry Campbell.) The final products of digestion are absorbed into the blood stream, and go to form part of the 'several environments' of the cells. The individual cell, the various groups of specialised cells, such as the brain, nerves, muscles, bones, etc., in short, the whole organism is beneficially influenced and made more resistent to disease by the purity of a blood stream that no longer contains the toxins of bacterially digested food. "The further investigation of your discovery by those competent will, I am confident, result in such a simplification of the rules for a healthy life that the medical profession, at present forced by a lack of knowledge of the vital processes of nutrition to base their treatment on the veriest empiricism, will then be able to teach all and sundry how to live. At present, all we can do is to treat and perchance cure for a time certain symptoms, allowing the patient to return afterwards to a mode of life that is really responsible for his malady. 'Disease is an abnormal mode of life.' (Harry Campbell.) The three factors in its causation are: "(_a_) Cell structure. "(_b_) Internal cell environment. "(_c_) External body environment. "Heredity determines, to a very large extent, our cell structure, and consequently our body structure. "Sanitary science regulates our external body environment as much as the artificial and noxious habits of so-called civilisation will allow. The mental and physical external body environments have also their effect on the organism. "Your discovery of simple rules for an Economic Nutrition will control the internal cell environment. In doing this, the predisposition to disease is materially affected. The internal cell environment being free from toxic material, and the cell itself better nourished, the cell's resistance to disease is increased, the possible source of disease being limited to the external body environment. "In concluding this endorsement I can promise, to each and all who may intelligently practise the principles of Thorough Buccal-Digestion, a complete knowledge of their body's food requirements, or, as a patient of mine tersely put it, they will learn the way to 'run their own machines.' "Yours ever, "ERNEST VAN SOMEREN." * * * * * Dr. Van Someren and the author, assisted by Dr. Professor Leonardi, of Venice, as Consulting Physiological-Chemist, and several colleagues, pursued some experiments during the winter of 1900-1901; and Dr. Van Someren read a paper on our work, entitled, "Was Luigi Cornaro Right?", before the meeting of the British Medical Association the following August. The paper is too long to reprint here but it will be found in full in another volume, entitled, "The A.B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition." The following "Note" by Dr. Professor, Sir Michael Foster, K.C.B., M.P., F.R.S. etc., is a further link in the chain of development of appreciation of the need of serious attention to the science of human nutrition excited by this initiative. (Dr. Foster is the Permanent Honorary President of the International Congress of Physiologists.) EXPERIMENTS UPON HUMAN NUTRITION NOTE BY SIR MICHAEL FOSTER, K.C.B., M.P., F.R.S. "In 1901 Dr. Ernest Van Someren submitted to the British Medical Association, and afterwards to the Congress of Physiologists at Turin, an account of some experiments initiated by Mr. Horace Fletcher. These experiments went to show that the processes of bodily nutrition are very profoundly affected by the preliminary treatment of the food-stuffs in the mouth and indicated that great advantages follow from the adoption of certain methods in eating. The essentials of these special methods, stated briefly and without regard to certain important theoretical considerations discussed by Dr. Van Someren, consist of a specially prolonged mastication which is necessarily associated with an insalivation of the food-stuffs much more thorough than is obtained with ordinary habits. "The results brought to light by the preliminary experimental trials went to show that such treatment of the food has a most important effect upon the economy of the body, involving in the first place a very notable reduction in the amount of food--and especially of proteid food--necessary to maintain complete efficiency. "In the second place this treatment produced, in the experience of its originators, an increase in the subjective and objective well-being of those who practise it, and, as they believe, in their power of resistance to the inroads of disease. These secondary effects may indeed be almost assumed as a corollary of the first mentioned; because there can be little doubt that the ingestion of food--and perhaps especially of proteid food--in excess of what is, under the best conditions, sufficient for maintenance and activity, can only be deleterious to the organism, clogging it with waste products which may at times be of a directly toxic nature. "In the autumn of 1901 Mr. Fletcher and Dr. Van Someren came to Cambridge with the intention of having the matter more closely inquired into, with the assistance of physiological experts. The matter evoked considerable interest in Cambridge, and observations were made not only upon those more immediately interested, but upon other individuals, some of whom were themselves medical men and trained observers. "Certain facts were established by these observations, which, however, are to be looked upon as still of a preliminary nature. The adoption of the habit of thorough insalivation of the food was found in a consensus of opinion to have an immediate and very striking effect upon appetite, making this more discriminating, and leading to the choice of a simple dietary and in particular reducing the craving for flesh food. The appetite, too, is beyond all question fully satisfied with a dietary considerably less in amount than with ordinary habits is demanded. "Numerical data were obtained in several cases, but it is not proposed to deal with these in detail here, as they need the supplementary study which will be shortly referred to. "In two individuals who pushed the method to its limits it was found that complete bodily efficiency was maintained for some weeks upon a dietary which had a total energy value of less than one-half of that usually taken, and comprised little more than one-third of the proteid consumed by the average man. "It may be doubted if continued efficiency could be maintained with such low values as these, and very prolonged observations would be necessary to establish the facts. But all subjects of the experiments who applied the principles intelligently agreed in finding a very marked reduction in their needs, and experienced an increase in their sense of well-being and an increase in their working powers. "One fact fully confirmed by the Cambridge observations consists in the effect of the special habits described upon the waste products of the bowel. These are greatly reduced in amount, as might be expected; but they are also markedly changed in character, becoming odourless and inoffensive, and assuming a condition which suggests that the intestine is in a healthier and more aseptic condition than is the case under ordinary circumstances. "Although the experiments hitherto made are, as already stated, only preliminary in nature and limited in scope, they establish beyond all question that a full and careful study of the matter is urgently called for. "For this fuller study the Cambridge laboratories do not possess at present either the necessary equipment or the funds to provide it. For the detailed study of the physical efficiency of a man under varying conditions, elaborate and expensive apparatus is required; and the advantages claimed for the special treatment of the food just discussed can only be fully tested by prolonged and laborious experiments calling for a considerable staff of workers. "It is of great importance that the mind of the lay public should be disabused of the idea that medical science is possessed of final information concerning questions of nutrition. This is very far indeed from being the case. Human nutrition involves highly complex factors, and the scientific basis for our knowledge of the subject is but small; where questions of diet are concerned, medical teaching, no less than popular practice, is to a great extent based upon empiricism. "But the scientific and social importance of the question is clearly immense, and it is greatly to be desired that its study should be encouraged. "M. FOSTER. "April 26th, 1902." * * * * * The interest excited in Professor Foster was coincident with that espoused by Dr. Professor Henry Pickering Bowditch, Professor of Physiology of Harvard Medical School, and Dean of American Physiologists. Under the ægis of such encouragement the later developments are not at all surprising. In order to extend and verify the findings of Dr. F. Gowland Hopkins, of Cambridge University, England, as stated in the preceding note by Professor Foster, Professor Russell H. Chittenden, President of the American Physiological Society, Director of the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, and one of the leading chemico-physiological authorities of the world, as measured by accepted research work, volunteered to submit the author to further test. The report of this test is too long for reproduction here. It was first published in the _Popular Science Monthly_ of June 1903, but will be found in full in the "A. B.-Z." just referred to. The special reference to the author's case and the quoted report of Dr. William G. Anderson, Director of the Yale Gymnasium which tells the story of efficiency, was as follows: Extract from an article by Professor Russell H. Chittenden in _Popular Science Monthly_, June, 1903. "The writer has had in his laboratory for several months past a gentleman (Horace Fletcher) who has for some five years, in pursuit of a study of the subject of human nutrition, practised a certain degree of abstinence in the taking of food and attained important economy with, as he believes, great gain in bodily and mental vigour and with marked improvement in his general health. Under his new method of living he finds himself possessed of a peculiar fitness for work of all kinds and with freedom from the ordinary fatigue incidental to extra physical exertion. In using the word abstinence possibly a wrong impression is given, for the habits of life now followed have resulted in the disappearance of the ordinary craving for food. In other words, the gentleman in question fully satisfies his appetite, but no longer desires the amount of food consumed by most individuals. "For a period of thirteen days, in January, he was under observation in the writer's laboratory, his excretions being analysed daily with a view to ascertaining the exact amount of proteid consumed. The results showed that the average daily amount of proteid metabolised was 41.25 grams, the body-weight (165 pounds) remaining practically constant. Especially noteworthy also was the very complete utilisation of the proteid food during this period of observation. It will be observed here that the daily amount of proteid food taken was less than one half that of the minimum Voit standard, and it should also be mentioned that this apparent deficiency in proteid food was not made good by any large consumption of fats or carbohydrates. Further, there was no restriction in diet. On the contrary, there was perfect freedom of choice, and the instructions given were to follow his usual dietetic habits. Analysis of the excretions showed an output of nitrogen equal to the breaking down of 41.25 grams of proteid per day, as an average, the extremes being 33.06 grams and 47.05 grams of proteid. "In February, a more thorough series of observations was made, involving a careful analysis of the daily diet, together with analysis of the excreta, so that not alone the proteid consumption might be ascertained, but likewise the total intake of fats and carbohydrates. The diet consumed was quite simple, and consisted merely of a prepared cereal food, milk and maple sugar. This diet was taken twice a day for seven days, and was selected by the subject as giving sufficient variety for his needs and quite in accord with his taste. No attempt was made to conform to any given standard of quantity, but the subject took each day such amounts of the above foods as his appetite craved. Each portion taken, however, was carefully weighed in the laboratory, the chemical composition of the food determined, and the fuel value calculated by the usual methods. "The following table gives the daily intake of proteids, fats and carbohydrates for six days, together with the calculated fuel value, and also the nitrogen intake, together with the nitrogen output through the excreta. Many other data were obtained showing diminished excretion of uric acid, ethereal sulphates, phosphoric acid, etc., but they need not be discussed here. +-----+-----------------------------------------+---------------------+ | | | | | | Intake. | Output of Nitrogen. | | | | | | +--------+------+-------+--------+--------+------+-------+------+ | | | | | | | | | | | |Proteids| Fats |Carbohy|Calories|Nitrogen|Urine | Fæces |Total | | | | | | | | | | | +-----+--------+------+-------+--------+--------+------+-------+------+ | | Grams. |Grams.| Grams.| | Grams. |Grams.| Grams.|Grams.| | | | | | | | | | | |Feb 2| 31.3 | 25.3 | 125.4 | 900 | 5.02 | 5.27 | 0.18 | 5.45 | | 3| 46.8 | 40.4 | 266.2 | 1690 | 7.50 | 6.24 | 0.81* | 7.05 | | 4| 48.0 | 38.1 | 283.0 | 1747 | 7.70 | 5.53 | 0.81* | 6.34 | | 5| 50.0 | 40.6 | 269.0 | 1711 | 8.00 | 6.44 | 0.81* | 7.25 | | 6| 47.0 | 41.5 | 267.0 | 1737 | 7.49 | 6.83 | 0.81* | 7.64 | | 7| 46.5 | 39.8 | 307.3 | 1852 | 7.44 | 7.50 | 0.17 | 7.67 | | | | | | | | | | | +-----+--------+------+-------+--------+--------+------+-------+------+ |Daily| | | | | | | | | |Av. | 44.9 | 38.0 | 253.0 | 1606 | 7.19 | 6.30 | 0.60 | 6.90 | +-----+--------+------+-------+--------+--------+------+-------+------+ *Average of the four days. "The main things to be noted in these results are, first, that the total daily consumption of proteid amounted on an average to only 45 grams, and that the fat and carbohydrate were taken in quantities only sufficient to bring the total fuel value of the daily food up to a little more than 1,600 large calories. If, however, we eliminate the first day, when for some reason the subject took an unusually small amount of food, these figures are increased somewhat, but they are ridiculously low compared with the ordinarily accepted dietary standards. When we recall that the Voit standard demands at least 118 grams of proteid and a total fuel value of 3,000 large calories daily, we appreciate at once the full significance of the above figures. But it may be asked, was this diet at all adequate for the needs of the body--sufficient for a man weighing 165 pounds? In reply, it may be said that the appetite was satisfied and that the subject had full freedom to take more food if he so desired. To give a physiological answer, it may be said that the body-weight remained practically constant throughout the seven days' period, and further, it will be observed by comparing the figures of the table that the nitrogen of the intake and the total nitrogen of the output were not far apart. In other words, there was a close approach to what the physiologist calls nitrogenous equilibrium. In fact, it will be noted that on several days the nitrogen output was slightly less than the nitrogen taken in. We are, therefore, apparently justified in saying that the above diet, simple though it was in variety, and in quantity far below the usually accepted requirement, was quite adequate for the needs of the body. In this connection it may be asked, what were the needs of the body during this seven days' period? This is obviously a very important point. Can a man on such a diet, even though it suffices to keep up body-weight and apparently also physiological equilibrium, do work to any extent? Will there be under such condition a proper degree of fitness for physical work of any kind? In order to ascertain this point, the subject was invited to do physical work at the Yale University Gymnasium and placed under the guidance of the director of the gymnasium, Dr. William G. Anderson. The results of the observations there made, are here given, taken verbatim from Dr. Anderson's report to the writer. "'On the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th of February, 1903, I gave to Mr. Horace Fletcher the same kind of exercises we give to the Varsity Crew. They are drastic and fatiguing and cannot be done by beginners without soreness and pain resulting. The exercises he was asked to take were of a character to tax the heart and lungs as well as to try the muscles of the limbs and trunk. I should not give these exercises to Freshmen on account of their severity. "'Mr. Fletcher has taken these movements with an ease that is unlooked for. He gives evidence of no soreness or lameness and the large groups of muscles respond the second day without evidence of being poisoned by carbon dioxide. There is no evidence of distress after or during the endurance test, _i. e._, the long run. The heart is fast but regular. It comes back to its normal beat quicker than does the heart of other men of his weight and age. "'The case is unusual and I am surprised that Mr. Fletcher can do the work of trained athletes and not give marked evidences of over exertion. As I am in almost constant training I have gone over the same exercises and in about the same way and have given the results for a standard of comparison. (The figures are not given here.) "'My conclusion given in condensed form is this. Mr. Fletcher performs this work with greater ease and with fewer noticeable bad results than any man of his age and condition I have ever worked with.' "To appreciate the full significance of this report, it must be remembered that Mr. Fletcher had for several months past taken practically no exercise other than that involved in daily walks about town. "In view of the strenuous work imposed during the above four days, it is quite evident that the body had need of a certain amount of nutritive material. Yet the work was done without apparently drawing upon any reserve the body may have possessed. The diet, small though it was, and with only half the accepted requirement in fuel value, still sufficed to furnish the requisite energy. The work was accomplished with perfect ease, without strain, without the usual resultant lameness, without taxing the heart or lungs, and without loss of body-weight. In other words, in Mr. Fletcher's case at least, the body machinery was kept in perfect fitness without the consumption of any such quantities of fuel as has generally been considered necessary. "Just here it may be instructive to observe that the food consumed by Mr. Fletcher during this seven days' period--and which has been shown to be entirely adequate for his bodily needs during strenuous activity--cost eleven cents daily, thus making the total cost for the seven days seventy-seven cents! If we contrast this figure with the amounts generally paid for average nourishment for a like period of time, there is certainly food for serious thought. Mr. Fletcher avers that he has followed his present plan of living for nearly five years; he usually takes two meals a day; has been led to a strong liking for sugar and carbohydrates in general and away from a meat diet; is always in perfect health, and is constantly in a condition of fitness for work. He practises thorough mastication, with more complete insalivation of the food (liquid as well as solid) than is usual, thereby insuring more complete and ready digestion and a more thorough utilisation of the nutritive portions of the food. "In view of these results, are we not justified in asking ourselves whether we have yet attained a clear comprehension of the real requirements of the body in the matter of daily nutriment? Whether we fully comprehend the best and most economical method of maintaining the body in a state of physiological fitness? The case of Mr. Fletcher just described; the results noted in connection with certain Asiatic peoples; the fruitarians and _nut_arians in our own country recently studied by Professor Jaffa, of the University of California; all suggest the possibility of much greater physiological economy than we as a race are wont to practise. If these are merely exceptional cases, we need to know it, but if, on the other hand, it is possible for mankind in general to maintain proper nutritive conditions on dietary standards far below those now accepted as necessary, it is time for us to ascertain that fact. For, if our standards are now unnecessarily high, then surely we are not only practising an uneconomical method of sustaining life, but we are subjecting ourselves to conditions the reverse of physiological, and which must of necessity be inimical to our well being. The possibility of more scientific knowledge of the natural requirements of a healthy nutrition is made brighter by the fact that the economic results noted in connection with our metabolism examination of Mr. Fletcher is confirmatory of similar results obtained under the direction and scrutiny of Sir Michael Foster at the University of Cambridge, England, during the autumn and winter of last year; and by Dr. Ernest Van Someren, Mr. Fletcher's _collaborateur_, in Venice, on subjects of various ages and of both sexes, some account of which has already been presented to the British Medical Association and to the International Congress of Physiologists at its last meeting at Turin, Italy. At the same time emphasis must be laid upon the fact that no definite and positive conclusions can be arrived at except as the result of careful experiments and observations on many individuals covering long periods of time. This, however, the writer hopes to do in the very near future, with the coöperation of a corps of interested observers. "The problem is far-reaching. It involves not alone the individual, but society as a whole, for beyond the individual lies the broader field of the community, and what proves helpful for the one will eventually react for the betterment of society and for the improvement of mankind in general." This test of work was accomplished on food of the nitrogen value of less than 7 grams daily, whereas the text-books declare that from 16 to 25 grams of nitrogen are necessary to human existence. The heat value of the food consumed during the test, and which was like in amount to what had been habitually taken by the author for about five years previously (less than 1600 large Calories), was only _half the amount_ set down by the majority of the presently-accepted authorities as necessary to run the body of a man of the author's weight and activity. The heat-economy-showing was verified a week or two later in a 32-hour calorimeter measurement in the apparatus of Professors Atwater and Benedict at Middletown, Conn. Evidence of even more significant value has accumulated outside the field of the author's own experiments and tests. After more than a year of careful trial among some thousands of patients and among some hundreds of earnest employees, Dr. James H. Kellogg, of the great Battle Creek Sanitarium, has adopted the suggestions contained in this book as the first requirement of the treatment at the Sanitarium. In like manner, Dr. Edward Hooker Dewey, the sturdy advocate of dietary-economy for the past thirty years, author of the "No-Breakfast" regimen, and various books upon the subject of auto-nutrition and dietary-rest, bent his attention upon the effect of thorough buccal digestion prescribed after a period of rest from outside feeding, and here follows his appreciation as extracted from personal letters. Before quoting from the high appreciation of Dr. Dewey and Dr. Kellogg it may be well to state that the author stands simply for a test-subject-factor in a commonweal natural inquiry and no praise of the subject attaches to the person of the author. Whatever the author is, in the enjoyment of health and strength, is the result of natural causes which have developed during his study of the natural requirements in our nutrition. Please forget the personal element and consider that what is the author's gain in efficiency as related, is the possible possession of the reader as well, and whatever work or test the author performs is done as much for the reader as for the author himself. The several extracts from the letters of Drs. Kellogg and Dewey; the statement relative to an endurance-test made on the author's fiftieth birthday, on a bicycle in France, volunteered by Edward W. Redfield, last year's Medal-of-Honorist at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, as well as medalist of last Exposition Universale, Paris; are appreciated and accepted for the subject they endorse; and, as before stated, are entirely impersonal. Instead of using dumb animals for test subjects and getting their unwilling, and sometimes abnormally deranged, participation, the author takes pleasure in submitting to the tests himself, and is thus able to state "symptoms" and "feelings" more accurately, perhaps, than any dog could do. Were vivisection necessary the author would willingly submit to that inconvenience also; but thanks to the skill of a Pawlow, and the ingenuity of a Bowditch coupled with the patience and persistence of a Cannon, as fully related in the "A.B.-Z.," we not only get the economic results but we are able to know and even see some of the "reasons for things" as well. Interesting testimony and comment relative to the present study will be found at the end of the volume in communications from Commandante Cesare Agnelli, Clarence F. Low, Esquire, Baron Randolph Natili, and one of unusual suggestiveness, as evidence of the need of further study of nutrition, from Dr. Hubert Higgins of Cambridge, England. MILITARY-SCIENTIFIC COÖPERATION With the evidence and interest just outlined, it was not difficult for the author to enlist the coöperation of Surgeon-General O'Reilly of the United States Army and the endorsement of General Leonard Wood for larger investigation of the subject. These officers, both of them surgeons and medical doctors, had supported the militant-martyr-scientist, Dr. Major Walter Reed, in his great sanitary accomplishment; had fought yellow fever to a finish together in Cuba; had traced its spread to a specific cause; and were thereby encouraged to tackle even so common and powerful enemies as Indigestion and Mal-Assimilation. The investigation now in progress at Yale University, under the direction of Professor Chittenden and under the fostering auspices of the Trustees of the _Bache Fund_, which is administered by the National Academy of Sciences, and other contributed support, is a Militant-Scientific campaign which will not cease until we know as much about human nutrition, at least, as we know about the nutrition of our domestic animals. In this little book, however, is an account of the first distress and war cry, (to appropriate an expression of the Salvation Army), and while the workers in Science may take a considerable time to make observations and investigate the "reasons for things," the underlying claims herein stated will, it is believed, ultimately be established as fundamental facts of both Hygiene and Physiology. The psychic factor in digestion is even more important than originally claimed by the author, and fully accounts for the strength attained by the Christian Science movement. In the "A.B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition" are reprinted, for recent scientific reports, in addition to the papers of Dr. Van Someren and Professor Chittenden, before mentioned, articles and lectures by Dr. Professor Pawlow, the great Russian physiologist and one of the Board of Assessors in the International Nutrition Investigation, described in the "A.B.-Z.," (reprinted from the fine English Translation by Dr. W. H. Thompson, of Trinity College, Dublin; English publishers, Griffin & Co.; American publishers, Lippincott & Co.), on the mental influence over the salivary, gastric, and intestinal secretions. Also, nearly an hundred pages of most virile, readable, and important "Observations on Mastication," by Dr. Harry Campbell, M.D., F.R.C.P., of the North-west London Hospital; reprinted by courteous permission of the author and of the editor of the _Lancet_. Also, a description of the digestive process in animals as seen by aid of the Röntgen, or X-Ray; a most readable account of the infinite patience and application of Dr. W. B. Cannon, of the Harvard Medical School, devoted to learning the "reasons for things" done in the closed and secret laboratory of the stomach and intestines. The above is a necessary advertisement of another volume in the A.B.C. Life Series; because the details of this particular attempt to reduce the philosophy of every-day life to profitable simples is linked-up in several volumes developed in the course of study of the subject for location of the germinal causes. "Menticulture" was the first of the series and relates to the individual. "Happiness" came next and located the chief enemy of happiness in _Fearthought_, the unprofitable element of forethought. "That Last Waif" treated the question as related to the Social Whole, children in particular, and recommended _Social Quarantine_; by extension of infant education to the extreme of allowing no child to escape educational care. This present treatise deals with the first requirement of such infantile care and education, right feeding. DR. KELLOGG'S APPRECIATION The great Battle Creek Sanitarium, under the inspiration and direction of Dr. J. H. Kellogg, has grown to enormous proportions in thirty-seven years. It began with one patient in a two-storey frame house in a country village, and has been largely influential in creating the present proud distinction of Battle Creek, Michigan, with its millions upon millions of invested industrial capital. The "cure" is based upon the establishment in the patient of right nutrition, right functioning of the bodily organs and secretions, and thereby assisting Nature to perform the cure in a natural manner. Pure foods and other conditions of right nutrition have been the particular study of the institution staff, and large and finely furnished chemical and bacteriological laboratories have been installed for the study of nutrition in a scientific manner. The Battle Creek Sanitarium is a purely humanitarian and philanthropic institution. By perpetual charter, all of the profits of the concern in all of its ramifications are dedicated to the extension of the American Medical Missionary Cause, and there have been already established more than sixty branches of the parent institution in different parts of the world, principally in or near the chief cities of America, and all are occupied with saving and regenerating the physical body of the sick as a foundation for possible moral awakening and spiritual cultivation. The work done by these humanitarian institutions is most practical, and the best evidence of the practicality is their growth. Patients are charged what they can conveniently pay, but none who need are refused attention. Branches are made self-supporting as soon as possible, but are first nurtured by the parent sanitarium. There are some hundreds of physicians, nurses, and other attachés of the different institutions, and these are enthusiasts in the humanitarian work, taking as wages only what they need for most economical support, "a mere pittance," and deriving their chief compensation from satisfaction gained in the service. All in all, it is an expression of inspirational altruism worthy of the example of the Good Samaritan and a practical demonstration of the Sermon on the Mount. The special attention of the writer was called to the work of the Battle Creek Sanitarium organisation by an American banker, Edwin C. Nichols, Esquire, in London, at the time of the last Coronation. The banker was conversant with the growth and methods of the Sanitarium, and had seen the result of its missionary and sanitary work. He exacted a promise from the writer to visit Battle Creek on his first opportunity, and Mr. Nichols has our everlasting gratitude for leading us to a more intimate acquaintance with so splendid an illustration of humanitarian possibilities when properly directed. It is not alone the great Sanitarium and its hospitals, and clinics, and shelters, and refuges, and baths, and reading-rooms, that are doing the greatest possible good work, in demonstrating their effective Christianity; but it is the private waif-family of Dr. and Mrs. Kellogg which shows what neglected children are capable of when given a chance, and which appeals to the author especially as giving support to his ideal of a possible effective _Social Quarantine_ as presented in his book, "That Last Waif." Twenty-four neglected and sick children of unfortunate parents have been rescued from an almost hopeless condition, and have been adopted into the best of surroundings and culture, all promising to become splendid wealth-productive citizens and ornaments to society. For more than a year Dr. Kellogg and his staff of earnest workers have been testing the suggestions offered in "Glutton or Epicure," and in the treatise of Dr. Van Someren, and appreciation of these suggestions and the work that has since been done to stimulate interest in the question in high scientific circles will be found in some extracts from Dr. Kellogg's letters which the author has received permission to print herewith. "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Nov. 26, 1902. "DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "I have your kind note of November 20th. Thank you very much for your appreciative words. Your visit here was a great inspiration to all of us. It is not often we find a man who enters into the things which we love so heartily as you have done. The thing that interested us especially was the fact that you are the founder of a new and wonderful movement, which is bound to do far more for the advancement of the principles for which we are working than all that we have done or anything we can do. I shall await with great interest the development of your work and shall expect to receive great light from your efforts. We are all in training to find our reflexes, and are expecting to make a great deal out of this." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Dec. 21, 1902. "MY DEAR FRIEND: "I have received the beautiful book which you sent me, 'That Last Waif, or Social Quarantine.' It is a charming volume. I devoured it eagerly, and I find myself in the position of an eager disciple sitting at the feet of a master. Your ideas of social regeneration strike deeper than those of any other modern author, and I shall be glad to coöperate with you in any way possible in promulgating these principles. You have made your book talk in a most impressive way. From cover to cover it is simply admirable and must do a world of good. I shall write a little notice of it for my journal, _Good Health_. "Again thanking you for this interesting volume, I remain, "Most sincerely and respectfully yours, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Jan. 22, 1903. "DEAR FRIEND: "I have shamefully neglected you. I want to assure you how much I appreciate your encouraging notes. I read them to my colleagues, and they were so much affected that tears came into their eyes. I assure you we feel that you are indeed a brother to us in our work, and that God has providentially sent you to be a friend to us and to the principles which we represent. "I had a letter from Dr. Haig a few days ago in which he mentioned you and your work, and said he was much interested in it. Dr. Haig, you know, has done a great deal in calling attention to uric acid in meats and other foods. His work has not all been accepted by great laboratory men, but Dr. Hall, of Owen's Medical College in Manchester, has recently reinforced his results. I have at different times repeated his experiments with interesting results. "I assure you we shall be glad to receive any suggestions from any scientific authority who may visit us, and if there is any part of our work which can be improved, we shall be glad to put it there as soon as our attention is called to it. "Again thanking you for your kindly interest in our work, I remain, "Most sincerely yours, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Feb. 22, 1903. "MY DEAR FRIEND: "I have yours of January 29th. I am much interested in what you write about your demonstration at New Haven. I want to give the widest publicity possible to your work. I find great good in it. I am talking to my patients continually about it. I know from my experience that you are right. For many years I have required my patients to give special attention to chewing, and have made it a written prescription for each patient to chew a saucerful of dry granose flakes at the beginning of each meal. I have seen great good from this method. "With kindest regards, I remain, as ever, "Most sincerely yours, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., March 16, 1903. "DEAR FRIEND: "I am exceedingly interested in the facts which you communicate, especially Dr. Anderson's report. It is quite remarkable. I am verifying the same ideas in my own personal experience. I am confident you have discovered a great and important principle and I shall watch with interest future developments. I am going to get our students interested in it. If you feel disposed to do so, I shall be glad to have you make out a little line of experiments which will tally with the experiments which you have been conducting, so the results may be compared. "I have in hand a translation of Cornaro's work which I have been thinking of publishing. It occurred to me that perhaps you would be able to write a little chapter for this work, or an introduction. I am going to get it out in nice shape, and I trust it may be the means of doing good in inclining those who read it toward a simpler life. I am greatly interested in the ideas which you present in your various books. "I hope you will have a safe journey to Italy and back. "I remain, as ever, "Very sincerely and respectfully yours, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., March 22, 1903. "MY DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "I have yours of March 19th. I thank you very much for promising to write an introduction for the edition of Luigi Cornaro's life. You are just the man to do it. I propose to get the book out in neat, tasty shape. Shall be glad to have suggestions from you on this point. The manager of a large denominational publishing house in Chicago is interested and wants to publish it with us. He has promised to help about the artistic features. "As regards our medical college, I ought to have told you that we are incorporated in the State of Illinois. Our medical school is really legally located in Chicago. We always have one or more classes down there for dissection, clinical work, and doing dispensary and missionary work in the city. Our school is officially recognised. Our diplomas are recognised in this country and in most foreign countries; our diplomas are recognised, in fact, in all countries which recognise American diplomas. The work done in our school is recognised by the best schools. Jefferson accepts students from our third year into their fourth, the graduating year, without examination. Kings College in Kingston, Canada, does the same; also Trinity College in Toronto, and other leading schools in this country. Our College is a member of the American Medical Association along with Bellevue, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Rush Medical College, and other leading schools. We have placed our standard high so that no one could object to the reform features of our work on account of incompetency. Our students are admitted to practice in New York, having passed the examinations of the State Board. Our best reason for believing that our diplomas are recognised everywhere is because of students from the College having passed the examinations in nearly every State. One of our students recently graduated from the University of Dublin after having spent a year there, as they require five years instead of four years as with us. "Your experiments are surpassingly interesting. Your performance with Dr. Anderson was phenomenal. I confess you are a physiological puzzle. If chewing accomplishes these wonderful things for you, it is certainly worth the while. I am training myself from day to day to masticate my food more and more thoroughly and I confess there is greater good in it than I ever imagined. "I am sending you a little box of foods that I think you will like, especially the protose roast, the gluten biscuit, and the chocolates. "I would like to get hold of a list of your books; I want to put them into the hands of our students to read. Kindly give me a list of the names and the publishers and I will esteem it a favour. "I might have said further in reference to our College that it is listed by the New York Board of Regents as well as by the Illinois State Board of Health. We are going to make considerable improvement in our school the next year. We are trying to put up a new building. We need $100,000 very much, as our work has no endowment and it requires very great sacrifice and most strenuous effort to keep it going. Our teachers work for a mere pittance and our students are compelled to save and economise in every way to get through. Nearly all of them have to pay their way in work of some sort. "By the way, I am taking liberty to send you with this, copies of some little booklets which I have just gotten out in reference to our work. "I am, as ever, "Your friend, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., June 24, 1903. "MY DEAR FRIEND: "I have your kind note of June 21st. I am happy to be remembered by you tho I have neglected writing you. I was afraid my letter would not find you on your journeys. "We are chewing hard out here at Battle Creek, chewing more every day. We are continually thinking and talking of you and the wonderful reform you set going. We have gotten up a little 'chewing song' which we sing to the patients. It is only doggerel but it helps to keep the idea before our people. We dedicated it to you and I am going to send you a copy of it as soon as the printers get it ready. If you feel too much disgraced I will take your name off. "That little book on 'Cornaro' is not out yet. We have been waiting for the introduction from you. We can wait as much longer as is necessary, as you are the man to furnish this introduction. "I hope you will come West some time this summer so you can drop in and see us in our new building. We are not quite in perfect running order yet, but we shall soon be fixed in good shape and will be delighted to have you with us. You have helped us greatly in calling our attention to the great importance of chewing. We had known it for a long time but had not practised it. You demonstrated the thing in such a graphic way that the whole world is constrained to listen. "Thanking you for your kind note, "I remain, very sincerely yours, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., July 23, 1903. "MY DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "I have your kind favour of July 14. You are doing me altogether too much honour. I am only a plodding, humble doctor, and have never had any opportunity to do any great thing, because of the limits of my abilities, and because I have not the opportunity to devote my energies to any one special thing; but have so many things to do that I can do nothing very well. "I remember Dr. Krauss very well. He has for some years been assistant to Prof. Winternitz, the Professor of Nerve Diseases in the Medical Department of the Royal and Imperial University of Austria. He seemed a very able physician and a delightful gentleman. I was very glad to meet him. "I have already sent you a copy of a little booklet entitled 'The Building of a Temple of Health.' "We will be most happy to have a visit from you. I would like to know about what time you are coming, and I will endeavour to be here. I have a call to give an address at Chautauqua, N. Y., early in August, and if I do not know when you will be here, I might possibly be away, which I should consider a great misfortune. "We have nothing here, I am sure, which will be new to scientific men, and I apprehend that they will have a very different opinion of our work than you have. "I have a little book which I think I have not sent you, entitled 'The Living Temple.' I will send a copy to you; also a copy of the 'Chewing Song,' which is now out. It is nothing but a cheap thing, intended only for my own little folks; but it got out, and several people wanted it, so I have allowed it to be put in print. The purpose was, of course, simply to impress the chewing idea. Of course you are well, as you are apt to be well by chewing well. "By the way, I met a disciple of yours a day or two ago. He was Senator Burrows, from Kalamazoo. He called with his wife and some other ladies, and Mr. Rose, the chief clerk of the U. S. Senate, to make us a little visit. I had a very delightful chat with them. On remarking to the Senator that he did not look any older than when I saw him last, but seemed to be very well, he told me he was in perfect health, and he expected to live for ever. He had recently gotten hold of something that was doing him so much good that he believed he should never be sick. I begged to know his secret, and found it was chewing. I asked him how he discovered it, and he told me he had learned it from your delightful book. You are certainly promoting the most important hygienic reform which has been brought forward in modern times. When you visit us again, you will see in our dining-room of our new building more Horace Fletcher disciples, and more hard chewers than you ever saw together in one place in your life before. Our doctors and helpers are taking hold of it with great enthusiasm, and I trust we shall be able to render you some good service in promoting this good idea, for which you certainly deserve the gratitude of the whole world. "Hoping to have the pleasure of a visit from you soon, I remain, as ever, "Yours most sincerely and respectfully, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Aug. 13, 1903. "DEAR FRIEND: "Your kind notes of August 7th and 11th received. I have asked the Publishing Department to open an account with you and send you everything you order promptly at publisher's discount. "'The Living Temple' is published for the benefit of the Sanitarium. Everything received from it goes toward paying for the new building. The cost of printing, paper, and binding is paid for by contributions, so all the money received goes toward the building fund for the Sanitarium. I hope by this and other means to get the building paid for before I die. "I think your chewing reform is of more importance to the world than you realise. You must have a great fund of good cheer with you; doubtless because you chew! I told our patients here that I had heard from you that King Edward was chewing. It interested and amused them very greatly. The idea of 'munching parties' is a good one. "As ever, "Your friend, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., August 21, 1903. "DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "I have yours of August 20th with the list of persons to whom you desire to have 'The Living Temple' sent. The books are already sent together with a little note calling attention to them. "Your continued courtesies are putting us under obligations which we can never repay. "There are a lot of devils of different sorts to be cast out, and I am sure the dyspeptic devil is about the worst and the meanest of them all. "A quartette sang the 'Chewing Song' just before my lecture in the parlour last evening. The great parlour was filled to its utmost capacity. The people cheered heartily, not at the singing nor the song, but the sentiment. I took occasion to tell them I thought Mr. Horace Fletcher, in inaugurating the chewing reform, had done more to help suffering humanity than any other man of the present generation, and that I felt very much mortified that we had neglected this important matter to such an extent here that you had to come to the Sanitarium and be a missionary of good health and urge this important matter upon our attention. I feel that we are all greatly indebted to you, and seem to be getting continually more and more into your debt, and I do not know any way to discharge the obligation; but if any accident should ever happen to you so you get ill, it will certainly be a delight to us to have the opportunity to minister to you if you will permit us so to do. "I am glad you have postponed your visit until October, as by that time we shall have many things in better working order, and our medical class will be here. I want to have our medical students meet you. "I told Mr. Nichols the other day you were coming to visit us. He was greatly delighted to hear this. He feels as I do that the work which you have inaugurated is the most important movement which has been started in modern times. "I remain, as ever, "Fraternally yours, "J. H. KELLOGG." "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Sept. 30, 1903. "DEAR FRIEND: "I have your kind note of the 23d inst. I am sure that one of my letters to you has been lost. I wrote promptly telling you that you were at liberty to use anything I have written you respecting your work. "I am more and more enthusiastic respecting the value of thorough chewing. I have read with great interest Dr. Harry Campbell's articles, and am republishing in _Modern Medicine_ a large part of what he has written. "I have been thinking whether I might dare ask permission from you to publish your article 'What Sense' as a tract. Possibly it is already printed in that way. I would like to circulate it widely among my patients, and our nurses and doctors. I am doing my best to get them all to chewing, and have had great benefit myself from thorough mastication. "Our Medical School has just begun again, and I have one nice class of sixteen students who are going to devote themselves to the study of applied physiology, and all of them will experiment on the effects of thorough mastication in relation to the quantity of food; also in relation to the quantity of proteids. If you would like the details of the results of the experiments, I will give them to you later. "By the way, if you have any written or printed outline of data which you think it desirable to collect, I will be glad to have it as a help to us in researches of this sort. We have prepared our laboratory to do almost anything that needs to be done, and we have a whole lot of enthusiastic young men and women who will enter into this thing with great zeal, and we will be glad to coöperate with you thoroughly as I feel that you have introduced a line of research and investigation which is of immense importance. I have read with great interest Prof. Chittenden's article in the _Popular Science Monthly_, and I can but feel that you are a heaven-sent missionary to the world in this matter of diet reform. "I remain, "As ever your friend, "J. H. KELLOGG." "P. S.--I have for many years given a good deal of attention to the matter of mastication. It has been my regular prescription for all my patients for many years to eat at the beginning of each meal some Granose Flakes. The purpose of this was to secure increased activity of the salivary glands, and to encourage the habit of mastication. I have found immense benefit from this practice. "I appreciate exceedingly all the good things you are sending me. What a delightful time you must have had in the Adirondacks! I have never had such a pleasure in my life, as I have had my nose continually on the grindstone at work since I was ten years of age, with no vacations at all. It is a remarkable spectacle that these great men, these learned professors and scientists, and army medical men, should be coöperating so enthusiastically with a layman to learn the true philosophy of life; but it has always been so. The great discoveries have not been made by great scientists and great doctors, but by men whose minds were above the bias of prescribed education, and who were able to learn from the great book of nature, which is the book of God. "When you come again I hope you will have time to stay with us a little while so we can have some good chats. I would like to sit down and go into the heart of things with you, when I think we should find our ideas running very close together. We shall expect to see you next month. I have to be away for a few days sometime during the month, so I hope you will let me know a little while before you come about what time to expect you. "J. H. K." EXTRACTS FROM DR. EDWARD HOOKER DEWEY (At the first writing Dr. Dewey had had the method of treating food commented on in his letters under trial for three years; it having been communicated to him by the author among the first.) "MEADVILLE, PENN., Nov. 17th, 1901. "MY DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "In the line of dietary form you have done better work than the entire medical profession has done from the dawn of History. This matter of eating the way you preach and practise, serves wonderfully to save the waste of energy, which is a direct robbery of brain power, in the stomach. It also saves an undue waste of food, the burden of over-weight, and above all things, the _waste of disease_. You should enlarge 'Glutton or Epicure' and push it. My allusion to this little book in my last book has brought me many letters of inquiry, and I always commend it as a work of the highest practical importance. "I have received the article of Dr. Van Someren, and I wish I had scores of them to send to my patients. I have read it with the greatest interest, and shall keep it most of the time in the mail pouches. "In these latter times I am becoming more and more impressed with the results of over-food even with the well, until now I feel that the pussy belly is a matter so clearly attributable to gluttony as to be a cause of shame, at least, in the physiological sense.... "I hope you will feel it a duty to enlarge and expand the usefulness of 'Glutton or Epicure.' The people are ripe in this country for just such a book.... I feel that you are doing the most important work in physiological investigation of any living man, and we in this country, especially, need all your new material as an addition to the book...." (Two years later; after five years' test.) July 20th, 1903. "What you have done to unfold physiologic mastication means more for human weal than all the mere medical prescribers have given the world from Adam to the present moment. I have tested the method you advise with the ailing, as you could not have had so large an opportunity to do. I have been having the care of fasters for the past twenty-six years, and now all of them, when they return to their healthy appetite and feeding, have to 'Fletcherise' every morsel. Just now a man has ended a thirty-two day fast under my care, and has begun taking food again, with an appetite and a relish that his memory does not recall having enjoyed before. He swallows nothing that is not reduced to thin liquid. Only occasional abstinence from food for a time and such attention to mastication, makes health possible with the majority of people, tempted by quantities of soft and rich foods. No other one has taught so wisely how available brain power can be saved from wastage in the stomach, as have you--the value is beyond all estimate. "It has been given to me to become a teacher among those who have neither time nor means to cultivate health; mine to teach them how to get all the health possible, without the use of any of the health arts. In dispensing the new physiology of dietary rest I have had need of all the time possible, with none left for the experiments of science, hence I have done little or nothing to speak of in the experiment way suggested in your letters. "I am very glad to hear from you again, and shall be pleased to have you indicate the number of the _Popular Science Monthly_, in which Professor Chittenden's article on your work at Yale appeared, so that I can send for it. Think of this, my dear Mr. Fletcher, what a conservation there is of energy, brain-power-reserve and even soul-force, in saving it from waste in worrying about and literally pushing quantities of avoidable rubbish through thirty feet of the alimentary canal; and this is just what is accomplished by your method of making the jaw muscles and salivary glands do all their whole duty in the matter of daily food." September 3d, 1903. "I send you a whole cargo of thanks for the fine book you sent me (Dr. J. H. Kellogg's 'Living Temple') and the 'Chewing Song' (taught and used as a reminder at the Battle Creek Sanitarium). The latter is the most important kind of a song ever voiced during the age of man. I have been trying to get time to write you some physiology, but am very busy with my correspondence with distant patients. Will do so soon." September 12th, 1903. " ... What I would like best to express to you is my appreciation of the exceeding good you have done me in teaching how to save energy available for brain-power by 'Fletcherising' all foods before swallowing. In the case of dropsy, I have previously written about, I am confident the sole means of success that is being accomplished now, is due to the 'Fletcherising' of all morsels. The patient spends never less than an hour and a half over his one meal a day. At the end of his former fast, with his weight of 250 lbs. cut down to 125 lbs., he was permitted to take six meals a day, and in a few weeks he was nearly as bad as ever, with his weight raised to 180 lbs. Under my care, and after only a seventeen-days' fast (dietary rest), he was reduced again to 122-1/2 lbs. There has since been a month of feeding one meal a day by your method, with weight restored to 156 lbs. and no hint of returning dropsy--and you are guilty of this, for no other than the practice of thorough mastication has been capable of such curing work. "Your experiences, as detailed in the _Popular Science Monthly_ (June, 1903), were read with absorbing interest. There is no more important work for man to do than that which you are doing. I have not the patience for details, and since the 'No Breakfast Plan' has become somewhat known to the world, I have been too busy; but the more I study, and study you in particular, the more I see and realise what of crimes and of evil desires are due to over-food--to bolting food. "Now for something new! In an article on 'The Mystery of Migrations' in the _Saturday Evening Post_ of August 22d (1903), it is given out that all migrating birds let their last meal get thoroughly digested, that they may start on their long flight with empty stomachs; that no power may be diverted to the digesting machinery of their stomach. What is the significance of this in relation to the 'No Breakfast Plan?' It is the true physiology of Instinct!" (In response to a request for permission to quote his appreciation.) September 17th, 1903. "DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "You may freely state my views of the value of the work you have done for humanity better than I have done. Know this; I am not able to adequately express my own appreciation of it, as revealed in the rooms of the ailing throughout several years of experience, by any language at my command. Here is something formal, if you like to use it. "Yours with admiration and gratitude, "E. H. DEWEY." "P. S. The matter of thorough mastication, as unfolded and insisted on by Horace Fletcher, is the greatest practical physiology that a dyspeptic, gluttonous world ever has received. The mouth-work, in saving the strain of overwork in the stomach and in the intestines, will do more to prevent disease than all other precautions. This is all the more wonderful when it is considered that Mr. Fletcher is a layman.[4] [Footnote 4: Dr. Dewey's expression of surprise at the lay incompetence of the author is interesting in view of the fact that he himself is responsible for the untitled, unprofessional deficiency at which he wonders. When the author met Dr. Dewey, in Dayton, Ohio, where he was conducting some experiments, in 1898, he was then on the point of taking up a complete medical course with a post-graduate course of research-physiology in order to give character to his authority in advancing the cause of his amateurish discovery, as related in this book. There were the time, the energy, the means and the inclination of a student's craving inviting him to take the whole course to M.D. degree; but Dr. Dewey advised "no." "Don't you do it," said he, "you are doing good work as it is; you will be more or less influenced by existing standards which may be errors, and you may get switched off the natural track. Study your physiology _after_ you have made your observations." Dr. Dewey has forgotten his advice of five years ago, but it was followed. Living almost constantly in an open-air and open-mind atmosphere of research in alimentary physiology ever since, thanks to Dr. Dewey's suggestion, the author has escaped the abnormal physiology which medicine deals with, and he is more and more thankful for the escape as time reveals that open-air and open-mindedness are good, both for the soul and for bodily comfort and health.] "Here is the physiology involved, as I find the effect of it in the sick-room. Theoretically, digestion may take place far down in the digestive tract, but it is practically found that when this possibility is resorted to, by reason of neglect of the earlier buccal or gastric digestion, trouble soon happens, and we doctors are called in to try to effect cures by medicine or otherwise. For every one horse-power of work, as it were, that is slighted in the mouth, it requires perhaps ten horse-power of energy to repair the neglect further on, and all of this waste of energy is charged against the brain-power, pleasure-power reserve on storage. "As I read the account of Mr. Fletcher's showing of heat-economy, reported by Professor Chittenden in his _Popular Science Monthly_ article, and which was verified in the calorimeter measurement at Middletown, I see at once, from my own observations, that half the heat commonly used in the human engine is occupied in forcing the unnecessary waste through thirty feet of intestinal folds and convolutions." The author feels very grateful to Dr. Dewey, not alone for his encouragement, but for the service he has rendered humanity by his heroic stand for temperance in feeding. He is one of the sturdy Esculapian Luthers, whose cry of reform comes from the impulse of an inborn Christian Altruism. When it becomes generally known, as it some day will be, that overeating and wrong-eating are the prime causes of temptation to intemperance in drinking, the measure of Dr. Dewey's service to the Temperance Cause will be better appreciated. AN AGREEABLE ENDURANCE TEST After this volume was published in 1898, the field of experiment was changed from the United States to Europe. The physical exercise and mental recreation of the summer of 1899 consisted partly of bicycling. We landed in Holland, toured Holland, Belgium, and Northern France, and reached Paris in the course of about two months and with upwards of five hundred miles' wheeling. For another month we bicycled leisurely around Paris and added two or three hundred miles to our cyclometer record. During the month of July the author further rode some seven hundred miles in and about the Forest of Fontainebleau. The idea of an endurance-test was suggested to the author by the ease with which he accomplished a century of miles on the Fourth of July, 1899. Being in Paris, and wishing to celebrate a most beautiful summer day and our National Holiday at the same time, an early start was made and the beauty of the day, the charm of the golden harvest fields lying between Paris and the Forest of Fontainebleau, and the noble forest itself, led us on and on until the cyclometer showed a distance, for the forenoon run, of slightly more than eighty kilometers (fifty miles) in a straight-away line from hotel and home in Paris. Two years before, fifty miles on bicycle, even when accustomed to riding daily during the craze for bicycling, which was then at its zenith, if done in one day, would have completely "done the author up" and would have called for several days of rest for recuperation. In the present case, however, no fatigue had yet been experienced and the day was still young. The forest studio-home of friend Redfield, the Philadelphia landscapist, was found on the edge of the forest bordering the Seine at Brolles, and we went for a spin together and finally returned awheel to Paris. To make a "century run" in a day had always seemed to the author a feat for athletes and experts only, and when he found that he had made it without any inconvenience and was in no way painfully conscious of it next day, the ambition to see _what really could be done_ was born. It would give practical measure of the improvement due to an economical nutrition. It was known what the newly ambitious contestant for a record _could not do_ two years before, but it was now uncertain what he _might be able to do_ under changed condition of health even with two years' additional handicap of age; besides, it happened to be the half-century year of the author's life and a good time to jot down a record of a new start in life. Reference to "economical nutrition" in connection with a full measure of recreation needs some explanation. To be economical means to most persons privation of pleasure. It is true that the economic standard attained by Luigi Cornaro had been maintained with ease by the author since the beginning of his experiments in the summer of 1898. This was not accomplished by trying to emulate Cornaro's example, but was reached by a method of taking food, and developed in the course of a special study of the economic natural requirements. The author ate _just what his appetite called for_, as nearly as circumstances of supply permitted, he ate _all that his appetite would allow_; enjoyed a gustatory pleasure that _had never been equalled_ under old habits of taking food, and was a distinct epicurean gainer by the economy learned and practised. But--and in this "but" lies the secret--the solid food had been munched appreciatively until it was liquefied and a strong Swallowing Impulse compelled its deglutition. The sapid and nutritious liquids were tasted as the wine tasters taste wine, as tea tasters taste tea, and as all experts test, or "Get the Good" out of, anything. Instead of being drunk down in a flood like water, which has no taste and no reason to stay in the region of taste, delicious country milk was sipped and tasted with the end of the tongue, where the best taste-buds are, until it disappeared by natural absorption. In this way the milk was fully enjoyed, largely assimilated, and, as the result of almost subsisting on bread and milk alone, at times, in response to the country appetite, the disproportionately excessive waste usually encountered when pursuing a milk-diet was not experienced; the digestion-ash (solid excreta) was extremely small and averaged only about one-tenth of the amount commonly wasted in the digestive process in ordinary habits of taking bread and milk hastily and carelessly. It is significant that, while the quantity of food habitually taken was about one-third of the text-book normal-average prescription, the solid waste was _only a tenth_ of the usual amount, showing a much more economical digestion and a better assimilation. This possibility of a profitable and an agreeable economy was afterwards verified in the Venice experiments. An æsthetic result was attained in connection with these experiments which cannot be too often advertised. All putrid bacterial decomposition was avoided in the process of digestion, and all sense of muscular fatigue was absent, even following strenuous and unusual exercise. Instead of involving deprivation and asceticism, that mid-summer month in the Forest of Fontainebleau, occupied in making an _economy_ and an _endurance_-test, was a carnival of tempting plenty in the way of good food enjoyed to the full satisfaction of a healthy appetite. The endurance-test recounted in the letter following is evidence of the effect of such sumptuousness when approached by different methods of gratification. The powerful young artist who volunteers the story lived in the ordinary way and the aged reformer and research-dietetician, whom the young athlete paced, treated his food as recommended in this book. EDWARD W. REDFIELD'S EVIDENCE (In response to an invitation to recount his remembrance of the test after a lapse of four years.) "CENTRE BRIDGE, PENN. "MY DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "My remembrance of the trip is as follows: On August 10th, 1899, I was spending the summer at Brolles, on the border of the Forest of Fontainebleau in France, when you came to visit me and enjoy the forest at the same time that you were conducting some chewing exercises and planning an endurance-test on bicycle on the fiftieth anniversary of your birthday. You were quietly living then according to the regimen with which your name is now connected and I was pursuing the ordinary habits of life which are common to artists abroad. The test was not only to determine the endurance of yourself, but to furnish a contrast with ordinary conditions of nutrition. We were eating at the same table, with the same food available to each, and were taking about the same amount of physical exercise. We turned in at night at the same time, as people are apt to do in the country, and it was my custom to rise at or before daylight. This habit of early rising came natural to me from my farmer education and habitual practice, and yet I never could surprise you early enough to catch you asleep. My first thought on getting out was to stop under your window and chant the refrain, 'Mr. Fletcher, are you up?' in imitation of the catch-line of a popular song of the year. Frequently the click of your typewriter warned me that you were already at work, but you were always awake and ready for 'anything doing.' "I was, at the time, thirty years of age and thought myself in good condition and strong even for a farmer's boy; had previously done considerable long-distance road-riding, including League of American Wheelmen runs, etc., in competition with the 'cracker jacks'; and, to be frank with you, thought the agreement to pace you on that particular day a 'snap,' and I expected to lose you in the woods before long. "The day was perfect, rather warm, as I remember it, and with little or no breeze. Our start was made at 3.55 A. M. (arose at 3.30). Course selected: To Fontainebleau and thence across country to Orleans, about one hundred kilometers distant from Brolles. I considered Orleans the limit and fully expected to have you return by railway from there. "We were running at the rate of twenty to twenty-two kilometers the hour, and from time to time I would look back for Fletcher, but he was always at the same place at my rear wheel. A puncture delayed us for some fifteen minutes, but when the great cathedral bell of Orleans struck nine we were already there taking our first food of the day, coffee and crescent rolls. "We again started, after a short rest, down the Loire, always holding the pace of twenty kilometers or better the hour in spite of the undulations. We stopped occasionally for water and milk, a single tumblerful of which satisfied both the thirst and the hunger of yourself. "To me, the ride, at about this period, became a grind, but Fletcher seemed to get stronger and stronger and occasionally led the pace at a terrific clip. My condition, as we neared Blois, became more than bad with cramps in the legs. I had to dismount but couldn't stand up, and for awhile, I thought they would have to carry me home. I appreciated the kind inquiries sympathetically made and oft-repeated by yourself as to my condition, but had you known, at the time, how I was cussing your healthy appearance and impatience to proceed, you wouldn't have bothered me so much with your sympathy. After a partial recovery and the slow ride into Blois, six kilometers away, I left you, taking the train back to Paris, you having decided to go it alone for the rest of the day and thus complete the test. "The arrival at Blois was about 1.30 P. M. (170 kilometers--a little above 100 miles) and took about nine hours, including stops, to accomplish. The next morning we received your dispatch from Saumur, nearly another hundred miles down the Loire, telling us that the run to that point had been completed by 10.10 P. M. that night, and Mr. Fletcher returned the next day as fresh and as strong as I had ever seen him at any time during the summer. "Starting the day following with wife and daughter for a bicycle ride through France to Switzerland I accompanied your party as far as Geneva, and the only thing I couldn't discover was how a man who ate so little could travel so far and seem never to get tired. (Signed) "Very sincerely, "E. W. REDFIELD." "Sept. 17th, 1903." TEST COMPLETED The experience of the author on that eventful fiftieth birthday, as registered in the successive sensations, is worthy of record. In starting out in the cool of the morning as the day was dawning, and speeding through the beautiful Forest of Fontainebleau, the feeling of exhilaration was indescribable. An hour or two passed before there was any sense of unpleasantness attaching to the steady grind of duty which led us to pass reluctantly by inviting spots and scenes without stopping. In the beginning there was the keenest feeling of pleasure in the mere movement, without any exertion, over and among an enchanting landscape. It was what one might call a birdlike sensation of freedom of movement which bicycling and skating, among the common means of locomotion, alone give. Redfield did not let up on the pace and I was determined not to beg for respite. Between fifty and sixty kilometers of distance only had been made when I felt that the day was not propitious for an endurance-test, and I fully expected to be compelled to return from Orleans leisurely in the afternoon and evening by wheel with only a slight addition to the century-run of the preceding Fourth of July accomplished. Before Orleans was reached, however, all sense of strain passed, and second-wind and second-strength had become installed for the day. When I left Redfield at Blois I felt stronger than any time before, and as eager to kick the pedals as when we started in the morning and as one always is prompted to do when one is filled with surplus energy. I had no objective point and was guided only by tempting roads and favouring breezes. The river road down the Loire was most promising at first, but a head wind sprang up and made a _détour_ the other side of Blois more tempting by argument of a fair wind that blew down one of the roads leading away from the river. For a time I made full twenty-five kilometers an hour, but the wind died out and I returned to the river road and reached Tours in time for the enjoyment of a magnificent sunset effect and a most appetising and satisfying _table d'hôte_ dinner. Before dining I jumped into a tub and had a good refreshing dip and a vigorous rub which made me feel like going out to take a walk or mount my wheel again. My appetite for dinner was not large, centred on a salad richly dressed with olive oil, and was quickly appeased; immediately after which I mounted my wheel again and proceeded down the beautiful road towards Saumur. My ambition was here raised to complete 300 kilometers and the distance to Saumur just about filled that ambition. I rode leisurely for a time after dining and then gradually increased the speed to about eighteen kilometers an hour, which brought me to my destination a little past ten, with a feeling of sleepiness that invited to a hasty falling into bed, but with surprisingly little or no sense of muscular fatigue. My cyclometer registered a little more than 304 kilometers, or 190 miles; not much for experts, under the conditions, to be sure, but a revelation of possibilities to a man of fifty who had once, not many years before, been denied life insurance on account of health disability. This was worth more than millions of money to me; and no one knows how much it will signify to the human family when the knowledge of a truly economic nutrition is attained and established. I was bright awake at daylight the next morning and had the impulse to mount my wheel and see how "fit" I was in consequence of my exertion of the day before. This I did, and rode eighty kilometers (fifty miles) before breaking my fast at nine o'clock. I believe I could have ridden as far that day had the conditions been favourable. My weight, on return to my balances at Brolles, was reduced two kilograms (nearly five pounds), but a generous thirst for a day or two, and a slightly increased appetite put the loss back again inside a week even while riding my wheel daily on the way to Geneva. Since reaching Italy, and abiding in Venice, there have been long periods when no systematic physical exercise has been indulged in. Once, after nearly a year of physical inactivity, I took with me an attendant and made an average of seventy-five miles a day in the mountain districts of southern Germany for observation of increase of food requirement during hard work. Neither muscular soreness, nor muscular fatigue, except the periodical weariness of sleepiness, were experienced as the result of the sudden change from the most restful environment to strenuous activity; and herein lies a physiological question that is far-reaching in its significance. It would seem that Appetite, in its normal condition, assisted in its discrimination by careful mouth-treatment of food, guards the body from excess and keeps it always "in training." The later experience at Yale University under Dr. Anderson and Professor Chittenden showed the same immunity from muscular disability, and has brought the question to good hands for solution. The author has voluminous data relative to his work, but it is not applicable to any other person. Each person is a law unto himself and no two sets of conditions are alike. Treat your food as advised herein and get surprising new experiences for yourselves, is the advice and moral of the story. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS HEALTH, HARMONY AND HAPPINESS Health, Harmony and Happiness are the natural heritage of man. The human body is the most perfect piece of mechanism possible to imagine. The human body is intended to nourish Health, maintain Harmony, and conserve Happiness. * * * * * The body machine is self-building or self-growing, self-lubricating and self-repairing. A simple knowledge, only, is necessary for proper (preventive) care of the body machine. All that Nature requires of man is to supply fuel preferred and, therefore, prescribed by Normal Appetite and to direct the energy generated along alluring lines of usefulness. * * * * * Nature requires no sacrifices and imposes no penalties for obeying her beneficent demands. Natural Laws are easily comprehended if studied objectively. Ill health, inharmony and unhappiness come only from disobeying Nature. God (obeyed) is Only Good. NATURE STUDY Nature cannot be profitably studied alone through books. Nature has a separate message for each intelligence. Each body machine has peculiarities which the possessor alone can understand. Object lessons, personally experienced or observed, are the best. "Once seeing (or feeling) is worth an hundred times telling about," is a wise Japanese proverb; and it is true. As the swinging pendulum taught Galileo, and the falling apple suggested to Sir Isaac Newton, the law of gravity, in like manner the modern electric power-plant teaches us, by analogies, suggestions useful in the study of ourselves--our own Mind Power-Plant. OLD AND NEW THE OLD IDEAS The old religion condemned man, even though unenlightened, to perdition and saved him only through special dispensation. The old education insisted on narrow formulas and tried to cram all mentality into prescribed moulds. The old physiology presupposed disease and glorified pathology. THE NEW STUDY The new religion glorifies Love, stimulates Appreciation and preaches only Optimism. The new pedagogy aims to discover the useful tendency with which each creature is equipped at birth and to cultivate this God-given inclination as designed by the Creator. The new physiology studies Hygiene and assists Nature by securing Prevention to avoid the necessity of correction and cure. SAFE HYPOTHESES Assuming that Nature's intentions are only right, ill-health is unnatural. If Nature's invitations, as expressed by Normal Appetite, are rightly interpreted, good health must result. When there is bad health Nature has been disobeyed. A REASONABLE CONCLUSION If Physiology has failed to teach a way to maintain perfect health some of her hypotheses must be wrong. If any of the hypotheses of Physiology are discredited any one of them may be doubted.[5] [Footnote 5: Since this was written, the then accepted standards of human food requirements have not only been questioned but have been discredited and disproved. The great importance of mouth-work in the economics of digestion has been demonstrated and accepted.] OUR NATURAL GUARDIANS THE SENSES GUIDING SUPPOSITIONS The stomach and other hidden parts of the body have automatic functions independent of the will that perform digestion; these functions are beyond the scope of control, and hence means of preventing ill-digestion must be studied by the aid of the exterior sensations. Sight, Appetite, Touch and Taste are the senses useful in selection of food and in the prevention of indigestion. Sight and Appetite relate to invitation and selection, while Touch and Taste are discriminators and indicators of conditions. Appetite and Taste are the sense functions that are most important to health, and hence they are the most important to study and understand. They are the guide in nutrition and the guard of the body machine--the Mind Power-Plant. Smell also is an important aid in selection and discrimination and is an effective assistant of Appetite. APPETITE AND TASTE ANALYSED Appetite should be dignified and recognised as a distinct sense. Normal Appetite is Nature's means of indicating her fuel and repair requirements for the Mind Power-Plant. Study Normal Appetite and heed its invitation. It prescribes wisely. Its mark of distinction, to differentiate it from False Appetite, is "watering of the mouth" for _some particular thing_. False Appetite is an indefinite craving for _something_, ANYTHING! to smother disagreeable sensations and frequently is expressed by the symptom of "faintness" or "All-gone-ness." [Vide the "A.B.-Z. of OUR OWN NUTRITION."] Taste is the chemist of the body; of the Mind Power-Plant. More correctly, perhaps, it is the report of a chemical process relating to nutrition. Taste is an evidence of nutrition. While taste lasts a necessary process is going on. Taste should, therefore, be carefully studied and understood. Both Taste and Appetite differ in different individuals and in the same individual under different conditions of thought or activity. Taste is also dependent on supply of the mouth juices usually called saliva, and these differ materially in individuals, necessitating self-study, self-understanding, and self-care to insure prevention of indigestion and disease. The most important part of nutrition is the right preparation of food in the mouth for further digestion. The most important discovery in physiology is the relation of compulsory or involuntary swallowing to the right preparation of food for digestion. * * * * * Taste is evidence of nutrition. Whatever does not taste, such as glass or stone, is not nutritious.[6] [Footnote 6: Pure proteid or albumin is quite tasteless but is always accompanied by tasting substance, and separation of the proteid molecule from enveloping material is an important function of mouth-capacity in digestion.] Taste is excited by the dissolving of food in the mouth, and while it lasts a necessary process of preparation for digestion is going on. The juices of the mouth have the power to transform any food that excites taste into a substance suitable for the body. Nothing that is tasteless, except water and pure proteid, only by distinct invitation of appetite, should be taken into the stomach. If we swallow only the food which excites the appetite and is pleasing to the sense of taste, and swallow it only after the taste has been extracted from it, removing from the mouth the tasteless residue, complete and easy digestion will be assured and perfect health maintained. * * * * * NATURE'S FOOD FILTER Nature has provided an Automatic Food Filter which, if rightly used, will prevent the introduction of any harmful substance into the stomach. * * * * * At the entrance to the throat there are certain muscular folds or convolutions, including the palate, which, when in repose, form an organ that is nothing less than a Perfect Food Filter. This filter has also automatic qualities which compel it to empty itself by the process we call "Involuntary Swallowing." Involuntary swallowing is really compulsory swallowing; unless a voluntary effort to restrain it is set up against it. The real Swallowing Impulse is so strong that it is practically compelling. The Food Filter, when rightly performing its protective function, is impervious to anything except pure water at the right temperature for admission to the stomach and to nutriment which has been properly dissolved and chemically converted by salivation (mixture with saliva) into a substance suitable for further digestion. IMPORTANCE OF MASTICATION If we masticate--submit to vigorous jaw action--everything that we take into the mouth, liquid as well as solid, until the nutritive part of it disappears into the stomach through compulsory or involuntary swallowing, and remove from the mouth all fibrous, insoluble and tasteless remainder, we will take into the body, thereby, only that which is good for the body. * * * * * The first thought that will arise in the reader's mind on perusal of the above declaration will undoubtedly be, "What! masticate milk, soups, wines, spirits, and other liquids; nonsense! That is impossible!" It is not, however, impossible, and, furthermore, it is _absolutely necessary to protection against abuse of the stomach and possible disease_. Liquid for adults, for anyone after the eruption of teeth, is an artificial and unnatural sustenance; something not taken into consideration when the human body was planned. Liquid food (drunk without mixing with saliva) is a sort of nutritive self-abuse, and the only way to avoid the ill effect is to give it the same chance to encounter saliva that the constituent ingredients would have had in a more solid state. For the importance of this see Dr. Campbell's able treatise on mastication reprinted from the London _Lancet_ in the "A.B.-Z. of OUR OWN NUTRITION." * * * * * The only things necessary to life that we are compelled to take into the body that do not excite the sense of taste are pure air and pure water. These are necessary to life, but are not what is called nutrition. They do not, alone, replace waste tissue. They do not challenge the sentinel, Taste, and hence do not require retention in the field of taste. If water be pure and tasteless you cannot masticate it, as it will not submit to more than one action of the jaw before causing involuntary swallowing. If it have taste it is a sign that it contains mineral or vegetable substance that needs treatment of some sort to render it suitable for the body, and it will then resist some mastication, some mouth-treatment, as in tasting, before compelling swallowing, just as the sapid liquids do. Anything that has taste, even soup, wine, spirits or whatsoever is tried, will resist numerous mastications before being absorbed by the Food Filter. Above all things, milk, wines, etc., should be sipped and tasted to the limit of compulsory swallowing. * * * * * In considering the reasonableness of masticating everything that has taste until it is absorbed by Nature's Food Filter, it must be remembered that the only liquid food provided for man that is not artificial is milk, and the natural means provided for taking milk into the stomach is by sucking, which is like mastication.[7] The milk of fruits, such as cocoanut milk, for instance, is found, in liquid form, only in the unripe fruit, and remains liquid only while it is ripening into pulp. [Footnote 7: Before the eruption of teeth in a child there is no secretion of saliva, only mucous; but mother's milk is strongly alkaline, and hence has no need of saliva to prepare it for digestion. All milk that has "stood" or has been mixed with water is acid, and requires saliva to give it the quality of mother's milk.] * * * * * Insalivation does not seem to be complete without jaw action, although saliva (sometimes only mucous) flows freely into the mouth without it under conditions which we term "watering of the mouth" excited by keenness of appetite. (See Pawlow's, Campbell's, Van Someren's, and other evidence in "A.B.-Z. of OUR OWN NUTRITION.") The normal perviousness or natural opening of the Food Filter for swallowing food is directly assisted and affected by movement of the jaws exercised in vigorous manner. Mastication, or mouth-treatment, therefore, even of liquids that excite taste, seems to be a necessary part of thorough insalivation. * * * * * Nature has a good reason for everything she plans. It is asserted by physiological chemists that saliva, taken from the mouth and kept at normal temperature, will dissolve breads and similar foods and convert the starch in them into maltose, glucose or sugar. The converted form is that which is suitable for further digestion. Saliva also converts some acids into alkali and readily neutralises all acids. It is also asserted that saliva does not dissolve some things (proteid substances) nor chemically affect them as visibly as it does starch and acid, but, even if this be true, it is no less essential that the juices provided in the mouth should have an opportunity, through mastication, or, movement about in the mouth, to do what they are able to do in assisting digestion. Experiment shows that if all foods are submitted to the examination and action of these juices until involuntary swallowing takes place, the results in aiding subsequent digestion are important in promoting healthy nutrition. Separation, neutralisation, alkalination, saccharidation, of the proteid and carbohydrate elements of common foods and perhaps a partial emulsification of fats are all possible in the mouth and are more easily and quickly done there than inside the body. Much care in Mouth-Treatment is an assurance of economy and safety in Alimentation. OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED One of the objections usually provoked by the suggestion that all tasteless residue remaining in the mouth after the taste or nutriment has been dissolved out of it should be removed is generally expressed in this wise, "How is it possible to remove refuse from the mouth while eating without appearing disgusting to others at table? You have to swallow things to get rid of them." This is merely a bugbear prejudice. It has no good reason. Do you not remove cherry pits, grape skins, the shell of lobster, bone, etc., when you encounter them? Then why not remove the fibrous matter found in tough lean meat, the woody fibre of vegetables or anything rejected by instinctive desire to discard it after taste has been exhausted, and which is a protection provided by beneficent Nature? In well selected and well cooked food there is little found that the juices of the mouth in connection with the teeth cannot take care of and prepare so as to be acceptable to Nature's Food Filter. If fibre is found in the food it can be put upon the fork in the same manner that a cherry pit is usually handled and transferred to the plate without observation. Another fancied objection to thorough mastication is that it interferes with the sociability of a meal. This is also a senseless bugbear. It is true that one cannot converse freely with large morsels of food in the mouth. It is also true that it is nothing less than a _gluttonous_ custom to greedily take a big mouthful of food, and, if accosted with a question, to bolt it in order to answer. It will be found easy to carry on conversation without disagreeable interruption and yet follow Nature's demands in properly masticating food by taking small morsels into the mouth. It will be found also to add to the real pleasure of eating, and eventually will become a habit by choice. Another objection raised by those who are afflicted with the habit of gluttony is the lack of time permitted by their business occupation. The time needed to appease the natural appetite of a hearty and active man, to compensate for the daily waste and keep the weight at normal, is from thirty to forty-five minutes for twenty-four hours.[8] This requires attention and industrious mastication. Divided into three meals it is less than a quarter of an hour for each meal. [Footnote 8: The actual time required by the author during the Yale tests to secure full alimentation, maintain weight, and fully appease a "workingman's appetite," was from twenty-four to twenty-six minutes, divided into two meals for each day. The common habit is to bolt food and waste time afterwards in torpid inactivity, while all the energy is busy in the stomach and intestines trying to get rid of the great excess loaded upon them.] Epicurean habits, however, incline one away from three meals a day and make two meals sufficient for ordinary activity. One objector, on the spur of momentary discussion, claimed that in travelling by railway the time allowed for eating would not permit Epicurean methods. The author arrived at Mobile, Ala., recently with a workingman's appetite and had only twenty minutes in which to get off the train, on again, and satisfy the appetite. There is an excellent lunch counter now at Mobile, and on the counter there was a tempting array of things to eat and drink. Appetite chose at once a fat, rich ham sandwich,[9] a glass of creamy milk and a hexagonal segment of a mince pie. The twenty minutes was ample time for disposing of the sandwich and the milk, and meantime the mince pie had been wrapped in silk paper and placed in a paper bag to furnish Epicurean enjoyment for twenty miles on the road, enhanced by the beauty of a panoramic landscape. [Footnote 9: Five years of Epicurean enjoyment and study of the food instincts and food economics have taught the author to like many things better than slices of dead pig sandwiched between slices of delicious bread. Vegetarian extremist and faddist the author is not, but an attention to natural leadings inclines one away from dead meat, which is believed to induce much uric acid, and in favour of first-hand food elements as fresh from the heart and the breast of Mother Nature as possible, leaving the second-hand, once-digested, already decaying, natural food of the savage _carnivora_ and the emergency food of savage man for emergency occasions or a vegetable famine. Much meat excites lust, intemperance, and savagery in man and gives explosive, non-enduring force. The question is, do we need such force in the twentieth century, especially when we know that it tends to shorten life and predispose to disease?] If I had crammed the pie and the sandwich and the milk into my stomach in seven or eight minutes, which, by actual observation, is the gluttonous rate of despatching a station meal, I would have lost two-thirds of nutriment, more than one-half of taste and would have perhaps taken on twenty-four hours of discomfort, possibly inviting a cold. I would have created an "open door" for any migrating microbes that were floating about in my atmosphere looking for strained tissue or fermenting food in which to build their disease nests. Observation proves that you do not get much more nutriment out of your food than saliva prepares in some way for digestion, gulp though you may, but you can take in a load of disease possibilities in trying to force the food past or otherwise evade proper salivation. SPIT IT OUT Whatever does not insalivate easily is surely dangerous. There is nothing more pronounced of expression by its influence on inclination than the impulsive desire to spit out of the mouth anything that seems unprofitable to the senses. INSTINCTIVE DISCRIMINATION Muscles have been provided for this purpose (separating, collecting, and spitting-out anything which the instincts protest against) that are more facile than those of an elephant's proboscis, and these muscles move things to and fro in the mouth or expel them if they are undesirable. If you acquire the habit of consulting the Swallowing Impulse and practise only involuntary swallowing in eating you will find that these muscles are very discriminating and will instinctively assist in the rejection of unprofitable matter. Their sense of touch will soon discriminate against unprofitable food even when the sense of taste is fooled by some alluring sauce or condiment. Nature is truly a marvel of good sense if you give her a chance to express her likes and dislikes without restraint. Natural Appetite is the best possible judge of what the system needs, and the senses which Nature's Food Chemist employs in her work are unerring in their selection whenever they are permitted to act as intended by Nature. * * * * * GIVE NATURE A TRIAL Try Nature's way for a week or a month and you will never have a desire to be even mildly gluttonous again. One week of faithful trial without lapses should fix a habit of consulting involuntary swallowing as an automatic guide in eating so that attention will not have to be strained to heed it. One week of constant attention to obeying Nature's demands in eating will so impress its usefulness on the student of Epicureanism that an accidental act of forced swallowing will be a shock to the sensibility. One week of obedience of Nature's simple requirements will demonstrate that she imposes no penalties for following her natural requirements, but only for disobedience of her protective laws. One week of earnest, open-minded study of Nature's first principle of life--nutrition--will convert a pitiable glutton into an intelligent and ardent Epicurean. DIFFERENCES Individuals differ greatly in the quantity of the supply of the juices of the mouth which are active in salivation. They differ so much that it is safe to say that no two have equal provision. One person may dispose of a morsel of bread in thirty mastications so that the last vestige of it has disappeared by involuntary process into the stomach. Another person, of similar general health appearance, selecting as nearly as possible an equal morsel of bread, may require fifty acts of mastication before the morsel has disappeared. The next week, by some change of conditions this order may be reversed. While there may be some structural or chemical difference in the two morsels of bread, this is not sufficient to account for the different mastications required. The dissimilarity lies in the difference of the copiousness and strength of the secretions at the time of trial. This liability to changed conditions would constitute a serious danger if it were not for the protective Food Filter, or, Reflex of Deglutition, which Van Someren has so well described in the "A.B.-Z;" and whenever mouth-treatment of anything to be ingested is neglected, and forced swallowing--hasty bolting of food or gulping of liquid food--is indulged in, this protection is eluded and the danger is converted into actual internal self-abuse. WARNING Above all things don't _strain_ to be careful. Strain inhibits--paralyses--all of the glandular functions and deranges the nervous nicety of adjustment. Just eat slowly, deliberately, small morsels, and sip and taste small quantities of liquids and observe what happens. You will soon learn to Know yourself and "Know Thyself" has been the advice of all the sages from the beginning of time. GLADSTONE'S RULE Numbers of mastications as related to given quantities and kinds of foods are no guide to be relied upon. Gladstone's dictum, "Chew each morsel of food at least thirty-two times," was of little value except as a general suggestion. Some morsels of food will not resist thirty-two mastications, while others will defy seven hundred. The author has found that one-fifth of an ounce of the midway section of the garden young onion, sometimes called "challot," has required seven hundred and twenty-two mastications before disappearing through involuntary swallowing. After the tussle, however, the young onion left no odour upon the breath and joined the happy family in the stomach as if it had been of corn-starch softness and consistency. It will be difficult, without actual demonstration, to convince the advocates of "Total Abstinence" that any whisky can be taken in a seemingly harmless form, but it is true that thorough insalivation of beer, wine or spirits, until disappearance by involuntary swallowing, robs them of their power to intoxicate, partly because appetite will _tolerate but little_. TEMPERANCE PROMOTED As a matter of fact, whisky taken in this analytical way is a sure means of breaking up desire for it, and it is an excellent protection in drinking as well as eating. Many of our test-subjects have been steady and some have been heavy drinkers but persistent attention to Buccal-Thoroughness has cured all of them of any desire for alcohol and in time it surely leads to complete intolerance of it. It is also true that, taken in the way suggested, the body refuses to tolerate more than sips and thimblefuls of these liquids and then only on rare occasions, so that the Epicurean habit is the best possible insurance of temperance. NORMAL CONDITIONS RESTORED While the difference in the supply of the juices of the mouth is an important factor in digestion, insufficiency need not cause alarm. Nature is so gladly and quickly recuperative that the moment abuses of her functions are stopped she begins to repair damages and re-establish normal conditions. One of the subjects who submitted himself to experiment was found to be woefully deficient in saliva and, was a pitiable dyspeptic, but, as the result of patient mastication, the secretions gradually increased until they were ample, and dyspeptic symptoms disappeared even long before the secretions became normal. The strain of excessive and (acid) fermenting food being removed, the acute discomfort was at once allayed even before the repair was complete. "KNOW THYSELF" "Know Thyself" has been the admonition of sages from earliest times. "Become acquainted with your Normal Instincts, with Appetite and with your food chemist, Taste, and follow their directions with implicit confidence," is the admonition taught by our experiments, for they can lead you to robust health and greatly increased vigour of body and mind. Study and heed them patiently for a week and you will follow their invitations and warnings through life. Thorough repair of an impaired body may not be effected immediately, although wonderful results--almost miraculous--have been attained in three months; but a week's faithful and attentive study of the possibilities of Epicureanism, with right alimentation as its basic requirement, in adding to the comfort and enjoyment of life will result in right eating being made philosophically and religiously habitual, and will give a backbone of Epicurean character that will not easily succumb to gluttonous impetuosity. THE MIND POWER-PLANT A USEFUL ANALOGY All of the functions of the body are operated by something very much akin to electricity--mental energy--so that aside from the fermentation which gluttony makes possible, the mere drag of handling of dead material in the body, that the body cannot use, for two or three days, is a wasteful draught on the available mental capacity. Using an electric power-plant as analogous to the Mind Power-Plant of the brain, and a trolley railroad as analogous to the machinery of the body--analogies which are very close by consistent similarity--the loading of the stomach with unprepared food, as in gluttony, is like loading flat cars with pig iron and running them around the line of the road in place of passenger cars, thereby using up valuable energy and wearing out the equipment without any profit resulting from the expenditure. To those who are familiar with the modern electric power-plant the analogy between it and the human individual equipment, or Mind Power-Plant, seems very remarkable. To those, however, who have not visited an electric power-plant a description is necessary. DESCRIPTION OF A MODERN ELECTRIC POWER-PLANT Fuel, of course, is the source of the power. Furnaces which are capable of producing heat with the least consumption of fuel, tubes within the boilers that permit the freest possible contact of the heat produced and the water to be turned into steam, steam pipes that are flexible and yet strong, machinery that moves with the least friction in order to concentrate and utilise the power of the steam, and dynamos out of which electricity is evolved, together with auxiliary pumps and hoists and blowers and whatnot other devices to help create, control and economise the energy, are the essential parts of an electric power-plant. To insure economy and accuracy these are made as nearly automatic as possible. At one end of the furnace house there is sunk in the cement floor a large iron scoop or tray into which cartloads of lump coal are dumped. This scoop-shaped receptacle is also the platform of a weighing machine so that each load is weighed. In the bottom of the scoop there is a trap-door, which, being opened, permits the coal to drop through between the teeth of a crusher where the large lumps are reduced, usually to the size of a small nut. From the crusher the coal falls into the buckets of an endless chain-hoist and is conveyed aloft to great hopper-shaped bins which occupy the entire space under the roof over the furnaces. Leading back from each bin to the constantly moving grate bars of the furnace underneath is a pipe which delivers the crushed coal to the grate bars and distributes it evenly over their surface as fast as it can be received into the furnace, regulated, of course, by the consumption that is going on inside the furnace. To accomplish this automatic feeding each set of grate bars is constructed in hinged sections, and forms a wide endless iron belt which revolves and carries the coal within the cavity of the furnace. The coal crusher, bucket hoist, movable grate bars, ash collectors and sifters, pumps, blowers, lights and all other utilities of the plant, as well as the great travelling crane which can hoist and carry many tons' weight--any part of the enormous dynamos--from place to place, are operated by electricity which is generated in the dynamos. Automatic gauges that measure and indicate, and switch-boards that regulate the energy created and stored in the dynamos play important parts in the economy and working of the plant and are analogous to appetite and taste in man. ANALOGY ILLUSTRATED The full analogy may be best illustrated by arranging the similar functions of the two energy-creating machines opposite each other in parallel columns. ELECTRIC AND MIND POWER-PLANTS COMPARED ELECTRIC POWER-PLANT MIND POWER-PLANT Fuel. Food. * * * * * Selection of fuel as to Selection of food for steam-making and economic nutritive value; normal qualities. appetite serving as an exact guide and gauge. * * * * * Crushing coal so as to Masticating food so render combustion as that the juices of the easy and complete as mouth can act on the possible. substance with greatest freedom; taste being evidence of the working of the process. * * * * * Automatic conveyal of Automatic reception of the prepared fuel, first to properly masticated and the bins and then on to thoroughly insalivated the furnace as required. food into Nature's Food Filter and emptying into the furnace of the stomach by Involuntary, or Compulsory Swallowing. * * * * * Combustion in the furnace. Digestion in the stomach and intestines. * * * * * Generation of steam in Generation of material the boiler tubes and storage for vital energy and storage in the boilers. in the body. * * * * * Steam. Blood in circulation. * * * * * Steam Gauge. Pulse. * * * * * Engine. Heart. * * * * * Dynamo, with its numerous Brain, with its complex coils and extensive convolutions in constant friction surfaces. frictional activity. * * * * * Volt Gauge, indicating Strength, indicating the the power available. available energy. * * * * * Electricity. Mind. Energy. Nervous Force. AUXILIARY OPERATING MOTORS Electric motors attached Nerve-cell motors attached to the separate to glands and parts or machines of the muscles, connected with plant, connected by wires the brain by nerve-fibres and drawing power from and drawing on the mental the dynamos. or nervous energy for power. * * * * * Automatic switches Sensitive nerve ends regulating the transmission terminating in each cell of of power to the motors the body and penetrating in response to their each gland, signalling, on fluctuating requirements. being touched, for power to eject digestive secretions or oily mucus as demanded by the needs of digestion, also, supplying automatic power to muscles employed in exterior work or in moving the food substance on through the process of digestion and afterward disposing of the excreta--ashes and clinkers, as it were. The ganglions are the switch boards of the body. * * * * * Automatic demand for Appetite, indicating fuel as required in the requirements of the Mind progress of combustion Power-Plant for replacing to supply the waste or the constant waste of useful consumption of the tissue consumed in running electricity. the machine. * * * * * Good Draught, forced Optimistic Thinking, if necessary. forced if necessary, for _it is_ necessary to health. * * * * * PROFITABLE MANAGEMENT Intelligent Engineering. Intelligent Self-Knowledge and Self-Care, assisting Nature in her good intentions. * * * * * Economic stoking. Feeding only what is actually required for sustenance. UNPROFITABLE MANAGEMENT Overloading and choking Overloading and choking the furnace with irregular the stomach with and dirty coal. unmasticated, unsolved, unconverted, and, therefore indigestible food. * * * * * Neglect of cleaning, Nature is not neglectful; oiling and repairs. she does well and quickly all the lubricating and repairing of the Mind Power-Plant whenever strain is removed and she is given the required rest, or time to accomplish the work between meals. * * * * * Unnecessary ashes and Unnecessary fermenting clinkers, encumbering the excreta, resulting from plant, depositing dust in unfiltered and unprepared the journals of the machines food, depositing and requiring poisonous sediment in the much power to handle blood channels, straining and remove. the intestines, ossifying the cartilages, crystallising in the kidneys and bladder and drawing excessively upon the available energy of the nervous centres and the available brain energy for power to handle and discharge. PROFITABLE DIRECTION AND USE OF ENERGY Good wires leading to Creditable aims in life. profitable uses. * * * * * Good insulation or isolation Concentration of purpose. of circuit wires. * * * * * Resistance Coils. Self-Control. Reserve force. * * * * * Success, evidenced by Success, evidenced by profit. energy conserved and happiness secured. UNPROFITABLE DIRECTION AND USE OF ENERGY Small wires leading Aimlessness of purpose anywhere or nowhere. and timid, lazy or selfish isolation from sympathetic currents and constructive occupation. * * * * * Current carelessly Energy wasted in idleness grounded and electricity or worry. wasted. * * * * * Crossing of wires resulting Crossed temper--Anger--wasting in waste of power valuable energy and and possibly causing fire. possibly leading to rash acts causing life-long regrettable foolishness. * * * * * Placing flat cars on Importing worry an electric trolley line, through anticipated evil for instance, loading them on an hundred-to-one with pig iron and chance of its being realised, purposelessly running them thereby wasting aimlessly around the circuit, energy and paralysing the thereby wasting the digestive and repair electricity and wearing out functions of the body; the cars and the line. painfully wearing out the body itself. * * * * * Allowing cars to run Permitting Anger to wild instead of keeping run away with cool them under control. discretion. TELL-TALE EXCRETA It is unfortunate that the perpetuation of early ignorant abuses of Nature's pure intentions has led to a too prudish attitude toward the one infallible evidence of health conditions as shown by the refuse of repair and digestion, as it is only by the excreta that ultimate indication of the results of nutrition are observable. They are the reliable report relative to the most important thing in health--digestion--and they must be understood in order to be read. There is no knowledge so valuable in its relation to health as that which enables one to read health bulletins by means of the excreta. Different foods contain different elements of waste material and to be able to identify or judge the economic value of food previously consumed a knowledge of its digestion-ash is essential. A child should be taught the difference between healthy and unhealthy excreta in order to be on guard at the first warning of disorder, rather than be allowed to remain ignorant until disease has taken firm hold of the system. The knowledge is not complicated and can be easily acquired by even young children. When the possibility of perfect protection in the matter of nutrition is generally known, one mission of the physician will be to teach prevention of abuses of feeding by evidence of the excreta. The healthy fæces of many wild animals is comparatively dry, odourless and cleanly; and a farm barn yard or a decently kept city stable is not an offence to even prudish prejudice. Not so the vicinage of an open receptacle for the waste of human indigestion. In animals, offensive egesta are evidence of digestive disturbance owing to some unintelligent feeding on the part of attendants; in humans the cause and effect of offensive excreta are the same. When a race-or work-animal shows digestive disturbance the least intelligent owner or keeper knows that it is not fit for work or racing, and yet this symbol of unfitness is common to the human race. One of the most noticeable and significant results of economic nutrition gained through careful attention to the mouth-treatment of food, or buccal-digestion, is, not only the small quantity of waste obtained but its inoffensiveness. Under best test-conditions the ashes of economic digestion have been reduced to one-tenth of the average given as normal in the latest text-books on Physiology. The economic digestion-ash forms in pillular shape and when released these are massed together, having become so bunched by considerable retention in the rectum. There is no stench, no evidence of putrid bacterial decomposition, only the odour of warmth, like warm earth or "hot biscuit." Test samples of excreta, kept for more than five years, remain inoffensive, dry up, gradually disintegrate and are lost. The following observation by an eminent eye specialist and _litterateur_ illustrates the opening paragraph of this chapter. PERIODICITY The question of "when" or "how often" the solid excreta should be voided or released is one that immediately presents itself when the subject is under discussion. The common opinion is that "once-a-day" periodicity is the proper and only healthy thing, and should a day pass there would be immediate fear of "constipation." Under the best test conditions, before referred to, the ash accumulated in sufficient quantity to demand release only at the end of six, eight, or ten days, the longer periods of rest being the evidence of the best economic and health results. Under ordinary conditions of carelessness and strenuous environment, say an exciting and exacting city occupation, twice a week is as often as one should accumulate a deposit of digestion-ash and feel sure that the strain on the system is not excessive and dangerous. Young people seem to thrive even when delivering daily a large quantity of smelly excreta; but it is an abuse of the "ten-horse reserve"[10] with which the human engine is supplied; and along in the "forties" or the "fifties" or the "sixties" the body shows signs of premature wear when it should be but in its prime. [Footnote 10: Dr. Meltzer's estimate of human reserve strength and resistance which must be out-worn or over-strained before death calls a settlement.] Another important matter should be mentioned in this exchange of sanitary confidences. When the ashes of digestion are dumped the body should assume the shape of the letter Z. It is the natural position of primitive man (squatting on his heels), and the body was originally constructed on that plan. If otherwise poised (sitting erect) the delivery of digestion-ash is performed with the same difficulty as would be experienced when trying to force a semi-solid through a bent or a kinked hose. The publication of the observation of Dr.----, here following, is a breakaway from the prudery of a diseased and disgusting age,--a protest jointly shared by the scientific observer and the voluntary test-subject, whose only aim in the pursuit of the study to "a finish" is the ultimate benefit of the human race. SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION OF A LITERARY TEST-SUBJECT "During his sojourn in Washington in July, 1903, I saw much of Mr.----, and in a very intimate way. The weather at that period was very hot, sometimes near 100°, and very sultry. For ten days or two weeks in the midst of this season he was busily engaged in constructive writing, turning out on an average some eight thousand words on his typewriter daily, which meant a close application for ten or fourteen hours each day. He usually began his work at from two to five o'clock in the morning, continuing often until three or four o'clock in the afternoon, when we would commonly go together to a ball game, which he enjoyed with the enthusiasm of a boy of twelve. Later in the evening he would resume his work for from one to three hours, retiring at from ten to about midnight. His food consisted of a glass of milk with a trace of coffee, and corn 'gems,' four of which he consumed in the twenty-four hours. Occasionally he would add in very hot weather a glass of lemonade. There was at no time any evidence of mental or physical fatigue. That such an amount of work, with the maintenance of perfect health, could be accomplished on such a small quantity of food can be accounted for only on the assumption of a complete assimilation of the ingested material. As the degree of combustion is indicated by the ashes left, so the completeness of digestion is to be measured by the amount and character of the intestinal excreta. A conclusive demonstration of thorough digestion in Mr. ----'s case was afforded me. There had, under the _régime_ above mentioned, been no evacuation of the bowels for eight days. At the end of this period he informed me that there were indications that the rectum was about to evacuate, though the material he was sure could not be of a large amount. Squatting upon the floor of the room, without any perceptible effort he passed into the hollow of his hand the contents of the rectum. This was done to demonstrate human normal cleanliness and inoffensiveness; neither stain nor odour remaining, either in the rectum or upon the hand.[11] The excreta were in the form of nearly round balls, varying in size from a small marble to a plum. These were greenish-brown in colour, of firm consistence, and covered over with a thin layer of mucus; _but there was no more odour to it than there is to a hot biscuit_. "The whole mass weighed 56 grams. The next day there was a further deposit of the same kind of dry-waste, making 135 grams (about 4-3/4 ounces) for the nine days. It seems to me there could be no more conclusive evidence of complete digestion and assimilation than this. The existence of perfect nutrition is indicated by his ability to continue, without fatigue and under trying conditions, work which could only be accomplished in an ideal condition of health. "WASHINGTON, D. C., July 31, 1903." [Footnote 11: Similar specimens of digestion-ash have been kept for five years without change other than drying to dust.] WHAT SENSE? TASTE[12] [Footnote 12: "Glutton or Epicure" was originally composed of two smaller booklets entitled "Nature's Food Filter; or, What and When to Swallow" and "What Sense? or, Economic Nutrition;" bound together. In this revision the order has been retained with some repetitions, but with different applications.] The Sense of Taste has a value in relation to nutrition that has not fully been appreciated. Taste has been considered the lowest, in usefulness, of all the senses. On the contrary, if properly understood, taste is one of the most important of all the faculties man possesses. Taste has lacked appreciation, for the reason that it has been supposed that it catered to sensuality, in the vulgar sense, and performed the function of devilish temptation rather than that of natural invitation and protection. Upon an examination, that any one can make for himself, however, it is revealed that taste is the faithful servant of appetite; the sentinel of the stomach, of the intestines, of the tissues and of the brain, whose guidance and warning, if heeded, will give heretofore unknown enjoyment of eating, and at the same time insure perfect health and the maximum of strength. * * * * * TASTE IS THE GUIDE AND GUARD OF NUTRITION The more we learn, the more evident it is that there is a _Perfect Way_ locked, or, rather, enfolded, in all of Nature's secrets, and that it is intended that man shall sometime discover them. Taste, in its normal condition, when allowed to direct or advise, serves several important functions, not the least of which is as first-assistant to Appetite. Appetite craves the kind of nourishment the body needs, invites to eating, gives enjoyment during the whole time needed for the fluids of the mouth and the stomach to do their part of the digestive process. Taste ceases when the food is ready for the stomach and thereafter fails to recognise the indigestible sediment which remains in the mouth after nutriment has been extracted; and, in these discriminations, if consulted and obeyed, Taste and Appetite prevent indigestible matter from entering the system to burden and clog the lower intestines, form deposits in bone, cartilage and kidneys, inflame the tissues, and otherwise create conditions favourable to the propagation of the microbes of disease. The normal sensitiveness of taste can be recovered, if already lost, in the course of a week, or two weeks at most, by means of the stimulating and regenerating influence of natural body-repair, if the method of taste and appetite cultivation recommended in this book is followed. Those who now enjoy good health will find a new joy in living when they have discovered the intelligent use of taste and submit the fuel of their Mind Power-Plant and strength to the analysis and selection of Nature's instinctive agents. LATEST DEFINITION Dr. William T. Harris, in his latest contribution to the "International Education Series," _Psychologic Foundations of Education_, defines the presently appreciated value of the sense of taste, as follows: "The lowest form of special sense is taste, which is closely allied to nutrition. Taste perceives the phase of assimilation of the object, which is commencing with the mouth. The individuality of the object is attacked and it gives way, its organic product or inorganic aggregate suffering dissolution--taste perceives the dissolution. Substances that do not yield to the attack of the juices of the mouth have no taste. Glass and gold have little taste as compared with salt or sugar. The sense of taste differs from the process of nutrition in the fact that it does not assimilate the body tasted, but reproduces ideally the energy that makes the impression on the sense organ of taste. Even taste, therefore, is an ideal activity, although it is present only when the nutritive energy is assimilating--it perceives the object in a process of dissolution. "Smell is another specialisation which perceives dissolution of objects in a more general form than taste. Both smell and taste perceive chemical changes that involve dissolution of the object." If this is the recognised estimate of taste, which is true as widely as I have been able to inquire, both among physicians and among the latest books on health, it is certainly a case of neglected appreciation such as the world has not witnessed up to the present time. * * * * * PRESUMED CAUSES OF DISEASES On the undisputed authority of physiologists it is known that all diseases are made possible by derangement which is favourable to the propagation of the microbes of disease, or by deposits of inharmonious matter which are not thrown off. Derangement of all the substance of the internal body is effected mainly, and probably entirely, by deposit of indigestible food or of tissue which is broken down and is not thereafter expelled from the system by the ordinary means provided for the discharge of waste. These inharmonious deposits which cause so much direct and indirect trouble are mainly, and probably entirely, the result of excess of eating, or of wrong eating, so that the digestive organs of the body cannot take care of what is forced on them; or, of admitting substances which they are powerless to make into good blood or discharge by the regular means provided by nature. Right eating and right food are, then, the all-important considerations of health, as far as the tissues are concerned; and, as the tissues are themselves the stored food or fuel of the brain and the nerve centres, the importance of perfect nutrition extends to the most vital functions and interests of life. TARDY APPRECIATION All experience warns against overeating and improper eating as the most common causes of disease; and troubles of the stomach and intestines are known to be the parents of all other bodily ills; yet no fixed guide has been set to determine what is "overeating" and what is "improper food." The reason for this is probably because no two bodies require the same quantity or kind of nourishment, and, "What is one man's food is another man's poison." Nature has not been so unkind, however, as to leave man without a means of knowing just how to gauge the quantity of food required for her best service, and probably, when we learn the secret, has equally well provided us with certain discrimination relative to the quality of food that is best for harmonic development. Investigation never fails to find provision for both guard and guide in all of Nature's plans and man's nutrition is of such importance that she surely has not left it out of the list of the protected. Of the power of taste to discriminate accurately in the matter of comparative value of foods I am not sure as yet, although I am confident the power rests somewhere within our reach if we can only discover it; but I have the best evidence possible that taste has the power to advise accurately in the matter of the _kind_ of food and the _quantity_ required; and, having selected what it wants or needs out of a morsel of food, rejects the rest by ceasing to taste. The message or warning which taste gives in connection with eating is, "THAT WHILE ANY TASTE IS LEFT IN A MOUTHFUL OF FOOD IN PROCESS OF MASTICATION OR SUCKING, IT IS NOT YET IN CONDITION TO BE PASSED ON TO THE STOMACH; AND WHAT REMAINS AFTER TASTE HAS CEASED IS NOT FIT FOR THE STOMACH." WHAT SENSE? When one comes to think about it, what sense is there in throwing away a palatable morsel of food when the taste is at its best, or while taste lasts at all, even if the purpose of the meal is merely to contribute to the pleasure of eating? "Some people live to eat and others eat to live" is a saying that is familiar to everyone, and yet how few appreciate that the perfection of living includes the perfection of both these desiderata! Such is the impetuosity of uncultivated or perverted human tendencies that the desire for acquisition, sometimes called greed, impels one to swallow one mouthful of food to take in another, without ever dreaming that the very last contribution of taste to the last remnant of a delicious morsel is like the last flicker of a candle, more brilliant than any of the preceding ones. In eating, the last taste, when saliva, the medium of taste, is most perfectly in possession of the solution, is better than all the other stages of the process. It is the choicest and sweetest expression of the incident, as related to each mouthful. Then why not court it and obey, thereby, Nature's first law of health? * * * * * Before proceeding further with a description of its functions it may be well to state briefly the certain result of following the guidance and heeding the warnings of taste. Taste determines the mastication of food so that the requisite quantity of saliva and other juices of the mouth are added in transit, so that the stomach and the intestines will have the least possible to do in the matter of conversion of the food to blood, and so that the brain and nerve centres will be taxed the least possible to assist the stomach and intestines in their work. If Taste is heeded in its invitation and its warnings, that which passes into the stomach will be so suitable and ready for nourishment of the body that the smallest possible quantity will serve the purpose and almost no waste will be left to tax and disease the lower intestines, while the absence of fatally inharmonious deposits in the tissue and bone will cease to exist in proportion to the skill with which one interprets the warnings of Taste, and in response to the care taken in following them. DISEASE PREVENTED It is said that none of the microbes of disease can live an instant, and hence cannot propagate, in a perfectly healthy human tissue. It _is possible_ to secure the perfectly healthy human tissue, to both the generally healthy and to those who are afflicted, unless too far gone to reform, by keen attention to the direction of Taste, and the reward of the attention is manifold. The actual pleasure derived from eating under the direction of the method suggested herein cannot be equalled by any other means. * * * * * While cheerfulness, hopefulness, good nature, charity and all the mental good qualities are splendid forced-draughts of oxygenised impulse that assist the stomach in consuming and otherwise in taking care of any erratic or excessive food supply, and are able to help take care of a moderate glut of material; Taste, if allowed to serve its full purpose, furnishes its own draught of cheerfulness by means of the very pleasure it distributes, and at the same time it prevents, instead of inducing, gluttony. * * * * * There are two ways of putting a limit to a meal--to eating. One--the wrong one--comes in the shape of a protest on the part of a too full stomach while the appetite is yet ravenous. The right one comes naturally from a perfectly satisfied feeling--a ceasing of desire for anything more, no matter how previously alluring to the palate, before the stomach is overburdened. The former is evidence of glut, or gluttony, and the latter is Nature's way, for which there is every desired reward. SOME EASY EXPERIMENTS It is a very easy matter to prove for one's self that ample saliva is essential to the most economic and perfect digestion; and also, that no two mouthfuls of food require the same quantity. Experiment will be doubly interesting in that it reveals pleasure of taste in eating that has not before been enjoyed. The function of saliva in digestion has commonly been understood to be the lubrication of the food so as to enable it to be swallowed. The truth is that it is the first and most important solvent necessary to digestion, the good offices of which are to separate, make alkaline, neutralise, saponify, and otherwise render the succeeding processes within the delicate organs of the body as easy as their delicacy requires, and thus not to strain and inflame them into festering breeding grounds for the myriads of microbes of diseases which we are compelled to draw in with every breath of air we inhale. Drawn into a perfectly clean and healthy organism, some microbes aid and are a part of life, but taken into a system clogged by dirt and strained by overwork, these same harmless creatures become agents of destruction. Bacilli may be either friends or enemies and we have the choice. * * * * * NATURAL LIFE LIMIT It is said that the natural life of all animals, left to pursue a natural existence by being protected from the enemies of their species, and in reach of sufficient nourishment, is six times the growing period. If this is so no man need die or move his soul to another habitation until he has occupied the present one for from one hundred and ten to one hundred and forty years. If the proper use of the instincts and senses be conserved in children, the growing period may be prolonged to probably twenty-five years with a resultant tenure of life of one hundred and fifty years. I have personally interviewed a patriarch, who, at sixty-five, was awaiting death with constant expectancy, and was helping to attain it by every sort of favourable suggestion. It happened that he had his portrait taken in a photograph gallery on his sixty-fifth birthday as a last souvenir to be distributed among his friends. Shortly after that, in the fruity and salubrious foothills of the Pacific Coast of California, he met with accidental suggestion which changed his habits of living, and, very soon, his attitude toward life and death. I sat with the patriarch on his one hundredth birthday in the same photograph gallery, examined the portraits of sixty-five and one hundred years, conversed with the subject in a low tone of voice, looked upon a man who felt that he was yet in middle life, and in possession of an enjoyment of life that he said had never been equalled in the early years of his bondage to the ignorance and impatience of youth.[13] [Footnote 13: The rejuvenated patriarch is still alive in 1903.] * * * * * STUDY NATURE Watch good Nature, observe her methods, try to imitate them by way of experiment, and you will find that, as heretofore stated, there is a _perfect way_ enfolded in all of Nature's problems and that man has only to discover the way to have it freely accessible to him. Watch a child take its nourishment in natural manner. The sucking action is like the act of mastication in that it excites the glands which supply fluids to the mouth. Whatever number of these fluids there may be, I will class them all as saliva. Certainly in the case of milk being taken into the stomach, saliva is not needed to lubricate it. It is, therefore, reasonable to suppose that saliva is intended as a part of the mixture necessary to digestion; that is, to the conversion of the food into nutriment. In the case of children nourished at the breast of the mother--the only natural way--the food is already alkaline and ready for digestion in the stomach and intestines as related previously. Remember also that, in the case of invalids with very weak stomachs, physicians recommend taking milk and broth through a straw or through a glass tube. Taking fluid this way requires a sucking action of the mouth and thereby induces a flow of saliva. _Of course_, the fluid is better digested than when drunk because Nature's way has been followed, and it is no wonder that milk and often soups of different kinds are indigestible, if taken contrary to the natural way, except in digestive systems which have not yet exhausted their ten-horse-power resistance capacity. I have tried milk and soups upon a stomach trained down so fine that it was like a pair of apothecary's balances, sensitive to the least inharmony, to find that if they are drunk there is a mild protest--a sort of a shrug of the shoulders, as it were--and that when the same liquids have been moved about in the mouth for the time necessary to naturally excite the Swallowing Impulse, they have passed into the stomach without the owner being conscious afterwards of their presence except by feeling of complete satisfaction. It would seem, therefore, that the perfection of nutrition requires the proper mixture of saliva added to _all_ food substances, and that mastication is not only a means of separation in order to give saliva a chance but a valve opener for salivary glands in order to make the proper solution for the stomach; and, that taste exists, in one of its important functions, to indicate how long the process should continue and when it has effected its healthful purpose. Any one who tries it, no matter how perverted the taste has become by abuse, will find that Nature is not only kind but alluring. Meat or bread, without sauces or butter, are tasteless, in a degree, when first taken into the mouth dry. It is for this reason that butter, sauces, salt, sugar, etc., are used to make them what is called palatable. It is the salt or the sugar or other spices in these which excites the palate immediately when the dry morsel would not do so in such marked degree. If you take the meat or the dry bread and masticate sufficiently, allowing the nutriment to become thoroughly solved by the saliva and separated from the _dirt_,--the indigestible, tasteless remainder--the taste will become more and more delicious as the saliva gets possession of the solution, and will have a final delicacy which sauces cannot equal, as a reward for pursuing Nature's invitation and rendering her the appointed service. An easy experiment that will prove the above statement to be correct is to take a variety of breads, white and brown, toasted and untoasted, crust and soft, and afterwards some of the same soaked in soup or milk, or, in the juice of whatever meat you happen to have at your meal. Taken dry, toast will only reduce and disappear, without effort of swallowing, into the stomach, leaving no tasteless dregs behind, after about thirty actions of the jaw. This is probably the reason why toast is an invalid's best diet; because mastication is required to crush it, saliva is liberated by the acts of mastication, less saliva is required to prepare toast for the stomach than any other form of bread, and therefore, the proper conditions are attained _perforce_, and easy digestion is promoted. Crust of French bread will do the same by means of about forty jets let loose by mastication; the soft inside of French bread will require fifty, or more; crust and inside of biscuits and of "home-made" bread somewhat more than the French bread; while "Boston brown bread" requires as many as seventy to eighty jets turned on by action of mastication to dissolve it. The above refers to moderate mouthfuls. The process is incomplete until all is dissolved, taste ceases, and natural swallowing occurs. Will it not be observed that mastication, as far as crushing or mangling is concerned, has small part in the reduction of "Boston brown bread," and little seeming use except to turn on the jets of the solving saliva, for the material itself is soft, and sometimes "mushy"? Saliva has little use as a lubricant in this case, for the reason that the brown bread experimented with can be easily swallowed when first taken in the mouth. Abundant experiment has been made by those to whom "Boston brown bread" was formerly little less than a poison, to prove the assertion that, sufficiently mixed with saliva, it is perfectly digestible and that the delicious taste of the bread after forty or fifty bites (1/3 to 1/2 minute) gets sweeter and sweeter, and attains its greatest sweetness and most delicate taste at the very last, when it has dissolved into liquid form and most of it has escaped into the stomach. It will be noticed that the time, or attention, required to solve these different problems of nutrition as embodied in different sorts of breads is exactly proportionate to their recognised digestibility, and explains the reason why hot and "soggy" biscuits, after the American fashion, and "Boston brown bread" have been classed as not easily digestible. Still further proof of my contention in favour of the importance of taste as a guide and guard in the process of nutrition is that, if you soak soft bread, or even toast, in the juice or gravy of any meat, the number of masticatory or tasting movements necessary to fit it for the stomach and satisfy the taste will be about the number required to masticate raw meat from which the juice has come and not such only as would seem requisite on account of the softness of the substance when made pulpy by soaking and which might be forcibly swallowed at once. Tests like these alone are sufficient to prove my contention, but, when the result of the experiments is so immediate for good in every direction, as it has proved itself to be in all cases tried, there is no longer doubt but that Nature's most important secret relative to human alimentation has been heretofore practically undiscovered; that is, as far as any inquiry I have been able to make sheds light upon the subject. The result, in all the cases of my observation, has been an immediate response of naturally increased energy; approach of weight toward the normal, whether the subject was over-weight or under-weight; a great falling off of the waste to be discharged by the avenue of the lower intestines and also through the kidneys; relief of bleeding hemorrhoids and catarrh--the diseases suffered by the patients; emancipation from headaches; clearing of the tongue of the yellow deposit--usually called fur--that is an indication of rotten conditions in the stomach; and return of the energy for work which all men and women should have, and which finds expression in healthy children in the form of great energy for play. The tax upon the lower intestines has been, in my experiments, reduced so that there was no invitation to relief more frequently than once in four or five days, and the quantity of the deposit was less than half the quantity of a usual daily contribution to waste under former methods of taking in nourishment, thereby proving the fact that appetite and taste, when given full chance to serve, serve us well. This feature (quantity of waste) differed in the cases of the different persons experimented with according to the carefulness with which they obeyed the test injunctions. In some, greed abnormality could not quickly be overcome, but, as the subjects were selected in part from the stratum of society where want is the constant dread, it is not to be wondered at that a lifetime habit of tremor and greed should resist even the dictates of their reason. But it was in these that the revelation excited the highest appreciation at last when they were put in possession of faculties and strength that they had supposed the Creator had denied them in a world of suffering. There is no doubt but that it is possible to introduce nutrition into the system wherein, or rather wherewith, there is little or no waste material. One physician, to whom I applied for information, suggested that too fine an application of my method might finally do away with the lower intestines altogether from the same cause that any unused member of the body, and also unnourished members, shrivel and disappear in time. While this is possible, the means taken towards it are productive of marvellous good results; and, if there were no further use, what purpose would they serve?[14] [Footnote 14: Dr. George Monks of Boston, Massachusetts, has recently called the attention of the author to the fact that the length of the intestines in man have been known to vary from nine feet to twenty-nine feet. In the longer ones the _papillæ convenenti_ which serve for absorption and which line the inside of the intestines extended only part way down the channel, but in the shorter ones they lined the channel throughout its entire length, giving inferential evidence that the strain of continued excess of waste material had lengthened the intestines for the sole purpose of providing storage room for the waste. Metchnikoff, the head of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, has even proposed removing some eighteen feet of intestine by surgical operation, including the troublesome vermiform appendix, as being unnecessary in connection with cooking and the prevalence of partly predigested foods.] Think of the number of separate complaints that are attributable to trouble of the lower intestines, and think of the relief coming with their return to normal conditions in performing infrequent service with the ease of rejuvenated strength! Such was the case with all of the subjects under test, and it was a revelation which was as the opening of a new life to even those who had suffered least, and had thought themselves fortunate as to health conditions. I hope I will be excused for using the terms "dirt," "rotten," "glutton," etc. I know they will give a shock to sensitive conventionality, but is it not better to shock conventionality with a proscribed term, if it means just what it says, and nothing else, than to shock the delicate organism of our machinery of life by throwing dirt into its furnace with good fuel, and thereby allowing the glut of ashes therefrom to encumber the journals of our mechanism, to the waste of our power and to the wearing out of our machinery? * * * * * Disease is nothing but dirt in the system and the result of dirt. It is our own dirt at that, having been introduced by our own carelessness or as the result of combined ignorance and greed. Ignorance has excused and does excuse the responsibility; but, when we have providentially been provided a way by Nature to select and sift and prepare perfect fuel for the furnace of our Life-Power-Plant, there can be no further excuse for not following the teaching to the extreme of the last possible refinement. * * * * * I will not presume to say what and whom good Doctor Appetite, with the assistance of Doctor Taste, can cure. They have both cured and greatly relieved rheumatism, gout, eczema, obesity, under-weight, bleeding-piles, blotches and pimples, catarrh, "that tired feeling," muddy complexion, indigestion, and yellow-tongue, within four months. It has been revealed that attention to their invitation and warning cures unnatural craving and beautifully appeases appetite desires with one-third the usual food; and, at the same time, they teach an appreciation and enjoyment of food quite new even to _bon vivants_. Any person can employ Dr. Normal Appetite and consult Dr. Good Taste _free of all charge_, and make endless discoveries in the possibility of delightful and healthfully economic nutrition. The suggestion was originally given by the author in crudest form with the assurance of physiologists that trial of it involved no risk, but, on the contrary, that it led in the right direction toward preventing disease. I felt that it was too important to be withheld from those who do not know the existence of Nature's _perfect way_ provided by the Senses of Appetite and Taste. Record of careful tests and results will probably follow in another volume. The author has entered the field of investigation to find deterrents to Nature's perfect development and will not rest while any remain.[15] [Footnote 15: At the present time, five years after this promise was made, the author is happy to say that it has been faithfully kept and with important results steadily accruing.] With even the crude hint, _that health can be secured and maintained by consulting and respecting Appetite and Taste_, each person having either can assist in the investigation. SUGGESTION AND DIRECTIONS For initial experiment, do not change any of your present habits of living as to time of meals, kind of food, etc. Following the directions given hereafter will undoubtedly lead to just the right thing for you in these regards. There is no doubt but that the early morning meal is not productive of the best results in nutrition and strength, but it is better to have Appetite suggest the necessary change in accustomed habits. Dr. Dewey's advice in the "No-Breakfast" regimen is excellent. The getting-up craving is not an _earned_ appetite. Forced abstinence from a heavy morning meal will _surely_ bring about normal conditions of appetite which are best adapted to perfect nutrition, so that if the invitation to give up the morning gorge voluntarily does not overcome perverse habit, the heroic denial may be tried. The value of the discovery lies in recognising the fact that Taste still has important work to do with passing food while yet there is taste, and that what remains after Taste ceases to express itself should _not_ go into the stomach. The ease with which one will learn to enjoy and "hang on" to food in the mouth, even milk and soup, after he has learned a good reason for doing so, will quickly create a counter habit which is in accordance with Nature's _perfect way_. When one has discovered the delight of _that last indescribably sweet flash of taste_, which Taste offers as a _pousse café_ to those who serve it with respect, he will find _any_ food that Appetite selects is needed for his nutrition, and is good. Remember this! Salt, sugar, some sauces and spices which are used to make food palatable may be in themselves nutritious, but do not let them mislead you. The tendency is to relish them and think that they represent the food they disguise, which, however, is often only an excuse for them, and has very little nutrition itself. In this case a morsel of food is taken into the mouth, the sauce or spice which it carries meets immediate response from Taste and disappears, whereupon the indigestible food morsel is swallowed in indigestible condition so as to admit another sauce-laden supply. The most nutritious food does not require sauces. It may seem dry and tasteless to the first impression, but, as the juices of the mouth get possession of it, warm it up, solve its life-giving qualities out of it and coax it into usefulness, the delight of a new-found delicacy will greet the discoverer. It may be difficult, at first, to avoid swallowing food before it is thoroughly separated, the nutriment dissolved and the dirt rejected, but after a little practice there will be no difficulty. On the contrary, there will be an involuntary habit of retention established that will be as tenacious of a morsel of food till that last and sweetest taste has been found, as a dog is tenacious of a savory bone. Did it ever occur to gum chewers that the gum is simply an exciter of saliva, and that the sweet taste is the nutritious dextrin in the saliva and has nothing to do with the gum? In the ordinary "watering of the mouth" the same sweet taste is experienced. Another important fact in this connection, and which belongs in the list of "directions" because it is a leader, is, that perfect nutrition is a source of ample saliva, the effect thereby reproducing the cause in friendly reciprocity. It will be found that, when normal conditions have been attained through attention to the inspection, selection and rejection of Taste, when the tongue has lost its malarial yellow scum and when Hunger is represented by healthful Appetite and has dismissed bilious and insatiable Craving from its service, there will at all times be a delicately sweet taste in the mouth which will prevent craving for anything else. For instance, a person in possession of normal taste conditions may pass a confectionery shop or a fruit stand without temptation to eat of their wares, for they would _spoil_ the taste already in possession of the mouth. The expert wine tasters in Rhineland, where the full flavour of the luscious fruit is retained in the wine as Nature put it there, never _drink_ wine. They breathe it into the mouth and atomise it on the tongue with utmost relish. To them the swallowing of the precious juice without dissipation by taste is an unpardonable sacrilege. The Bavarians also, whose beer is the best in the world, practically do not drink beer as Americans are accustomed to seeing it drunk. They sit over a _stein_ of beer for an hour, reading or chatting with friends. The epicurean drinkers of what has been termed _eau de vie_ in France sit and sip a "pony" of their beloved Cognac while they enjoy a view of pastoral loveliness or a throng of passers-by in a boulevard of Paris. None of these people drink anything but water and hence are not drunkards; and, at the same time, they have full enjoyment of Nature's most stimulating and delicious compounds in a form preserved by Nature for the use of man. The taste of these students of nutrition becomes so discriminating that they can distinguish a wine or a beer or a cognac, as they would distinguish between intimate friends and strangers. The year, the vineyard, the state of the weather, or any accident that may have surrounded the development of the fruit are as distinguishable to these epicures in the essential juices as are the marks on men which indicate prosperity, happiness or any stamp of environment whatever. An epicurean cannot be a glutton. There may be gluttons who are less gluttonous than other gluttons, but epicureanism is like politeness and cleanliness, and is the certain mark of gentility. A physiological chemist, a friend of the author, who is responsible for the suggestion that the function of saliva in turning the starches of our food into nutritious glucose may never have been fully given a chance to act, thus accounts for the last delicate sweet taste which is attained by complete mastication. It is then a _perfect_ solution, and hence the delicacy of the taste. For illustration, try a ship's biscuit--commonly called hardtack--and keep it in the mouth, tasting it as you would a piece of sugar, till it has disappeared entirely, and note what a treasure of delight there is in it. Taste will teach the experimenter more than I can even suggest. I simply offer an introduction to Doctor N. Appetite and to Doctor G. Taste and state some of their excellences that I have discovered through their attentions to myself and others under my direction. I will, however, give a _resumé_ of my own experience as a guide. PERSONAL CASE, INITIAL CONDITION Age, 49 years; height, 5 feet 7 inches. Extremes of weight for fifteen years (in ordinary clothing) minimum, 198 lbs.; maximum, 217 lbs. Chest measure, varying but little, if any, 42 inches; waist measure (tailor's) 43 to 44 inches. Usual weight during the time, about 205 lbs. My experiments began near the middle of June, but with no systematic application until the middle of July, 1898; weight on June 1st, probably over 205 lbs., in summer clothing. SPEEDY IMPROVEMENT On October 10th, as a result of the experiments, weight 163 lbs., and stationary; chest measure same as before, but waist measure reduced to 37 inches, or one inch below the "tailor's ideal," and nearly down to the "athlete's ideal." The energy and desire for activity with immunity from fatigue, which was the characteristic equipment of twenty years ago returned, but not, of course, the trained muscular strength or suppleness of athletic days. The food invited by Appetite at this stage, the nutriment in which counter-balanced the waste in each twenty-four hours, consisted of about thirty ordinary mouthfuls of potato, bread, meat, or anything selected by Appetite, masticated and manipulated to the end. One meal a day was taken for convenience, and because it seemed, under the then existing circumstances, hot summer weather, to be the time set by Nature for eating. "I rise in the morning," as a champion pugilist once put it, "when my bed gets tired of me," which at the time was usually before, or at, daylight, and began writing or other work. By one o'clock I usually was "worked out," but had already disposed of practically a day's work. Then, in the middle of the day, when all the animals rest and some of them chew the cud, I took my meal. I had not, meantime, experienced a moment of craving for _anything_ since the meal of the day before, but I sat down with an epicurean appetite. The article of food on the _menu_ that first attracted me, I fixed my desire upon. At the time it was usually a meat or a fish, and there accompanied it only a cup of coffee, nine-tenths milk, bread and butter, and potato. Sometimes the meat selected was an _entrée_, and was garnished with rice and other fruits or vegetables. About thirty mouthfuls of these, disposed of in something less than twenty-five hundred acts of mastication or other movement of the mouth, and taking about thirty minutes to thirty-five minutes, satisfied the appetite so perfectly that all the ices and desserts on a sumptuous bill of fare had no attraction. In the meantime, water was drunk, in small portions slowly, and ice water at that, without restriction, to satisfy thirst, _but not_ when any food was in process. In the mouth the water was almost instantly brought to body-temperature and its coolness was very agreeable to all the senses. I now rarely take any water except in very hot weather when perspiration is active and then only enough to quench thirst, excess giving discomfort and necessitating more perspiration. Water injures digestion by being taken with meals only because it is used to wash down food not yet prepared for the stomach. It is the unfit food that is carried down by it and not the water that does the harm. One cup of _café au lait_, well sweetened, sipped and enjoyed according to the epicurean method, satisfied all desire for other sweets and created a harmony of variety that was simply perfect, while it was perfectly simple. I did not try to work, or think, for some time after the meal; that is, I did not force thought; but reading, a cat nap, a walk, a matinée, a ball game, or a ride in a trolley car were recreations which I was able to enjoy as a sort of _pousse café_ for two or three hours after the meal, and then the energy for work returned, so that if there were something yet to be done in the time before the accustomed bed hour, another day's work was easily accomplished. Athletic work, physical labour, extreme activity in any form, all benefit by the same treatment, as I have since been able to prove both personally and by experiment with others. The only difference is the greater waste of tissue, and the greater need for restorage, demanding an evening meal and possibly an earlier midday meal. Exercise, work, activity--anything that creates a demand for nutriment is the especial friend of Taste. It gives healthy appetite and hence there is plenty for Taste to do and he likes to be of service. At first, rules have to be followed in order to serve Economic Nutrition to the best advantage, but they soon become habits of life, or living, that will naturally come of themselves from attention to Taste according to these directions. It has been our experience, that if there are any diseases growing out of overstraining of the lower intestines, kidneys, liver, etc., they will soon disappear. Perfect nutrition does away with the waste until there will be no invitation to discharge oftener than once in four or five days, when the response will be easy and final, with less than half the quantity of an ordinary daily contribution. There are wealth, health, strength, long life, abundant usefulness and much resultant happiness offered as a reward for learning and following Nature's Perfect Way. When we learn that obeying Nature's Laws emancipates us from the slavery to cravings of unnatural appetite, releases us from constant attention on meals, does away with at least half the drudgery of woman's work and makes us immune from the attacks of microbes of disease, it is then no hardship to take a few lessons in the Art of Economic Nutrition. Every artificial method that has been suggested to coax Nature into changing her problems to suit man's poor interpretation has failed, but Nature has been patient withal. Her door to reform is never closed, and her patience is boundless towards prodigal and foolish children. Nature has put the keenest of the senses at the threshold of life to serve both as hosts and servants, but Appreciation has heretofore failed to recognise their true office, while Ignorance, blinded by Greed, has spurned and abused the best of servants.[16] [Footnote 16: The "symptoms" in the personal case of the author described above persist after five years' test and experience. The endurance-test of the half-century birthday in France, the observations of Dr. Burnett in Washington, and the examinations in the laboratories of Cambridge and Yale all tell the same story of a reformed and increasing efficiency even with five years of added age handicap, so that the logic of the advice originally given in this book stands proved, so far. I have had my weight reduced from 217 pounds to 130 pounds and felt best when lightest. I carry my weight at any figure desired, but most of the time carry a 20-pound handicap in winter and sometimes in summer to calm the fears of solicitous friends, who think I must be ill when I am not looking "robust." Extreme robustness is a great danger to life. A partner of the author in early days in California, several years his junior and just in the prime of life and fortune, passed away from over-robustness, as have many of the world's brightest and best citizens. Six of the author's chums of ten years ago have died because of too much robustness and worry. They heeded not. The author may follow them, any moment, but meantime he is enjoying life as never before.] SOME PERTINENT QUERIES If Nature has revealed a _perfect way_ to the easy solution of all of her problems, as related to the affairs of animals and plant life, WHAT SENSE is there in thinking that she has discriminated against her Chief Assistant in Cultivation, Man? If Nature has provided animals with keen discrimination in the matter of healthful food, WHAT SENSE is there in doubting her good intentions toward the highest form of animal in this regard? If Taste is the sentinel of the stomach and also the purveyor and inspector of nutrition, WHAT SENSE is there in ascribing to it the lowest place in the list of the senses? If we enjoy eating, and are eating, partly, for the pleasure of it, WHAT SENSE is there in throwing away a morsel until the taste has been extracted? If "dirt" is "matter out of place," which is the accepted definition, WHAT SENSE is there in calling unnutritious food by any other name? If taste is the evidence of nutrition, and ceases to act upon dirt, WHAT SENSE is there in hurrying food past the sentry-box of Taste without giving the inspector time to select the nutrition and reject the dirt? If the last flash of taste in dealing with a morsel of food is the best of all, WHAT SENSE in believing that Nature did not furnish that allurement for the wise purpose of inducing mastication to the end of taste? If saliva is the medium of Taste, without which there is no expression of taste, WHAT SENSE is there in thinking that it is nothing but a lubricant, to enable food to be easily swallowed? WHAT SENSE is there in slighting nutrition in the beginning when we know that the derangement of the process will continue throughout all the involuntary stages within the digestive organs, inviting disease and causing suffering? THERE IS SENSE in carefully attending to the voluntary preparation of the food for the stomach, so that the involuntary functions of digestion and of assimilation may be performed with natural ease and freedom, thereby defying and preventing disease! If we can save two-thirds of present consumption and yet furnish all that is necessary for perfect nutrition, WHAT SENSE is there in wearing out our Mind-Power Plant with a glut of surplus? Unless a person has a pressing engagement with his own funeral, WHAT SENSE is there in hurrying with his meals? If we can devote ten thousand actions of the jaw, daily, to senseless or vicious gossip, WHAT SENSE is there in denying adequate jaw service to the most important function of living? WHAT SENSE is there in a rich person glutting his Mind-Power Plant with more food-fuel than it needs, just because he happens to have an abundance to glut with, or glut on? WHAT SENSE is there in calling any glutton "a gentleman"? WHAT SENSE is there in calling any glutton "a lady"? If what Taste rejects, after having selected nutriment out of a morsel of food is _dirt_, WHAT SENSE is there in allowing it to contaminate and burden the delicate organs of digestion? An indigestible morsel of food is like a runaway team in a crowded street. WHAT SENSE is there, then, in demoralising things in the thoroughfare of our life organism by admitting unruly substance? An indigestible morsel of food in the stomach, and all the way through the intestines, is like a "bull in a china shop." WHAT SENSE is there, then, in smashing the delicate utensils in the laboratory of our Mind-Power Plant by rushing "bulls" past Sentinel Taste? A SCIENTIFIC POINT Physiological Chemistry declares that an important function of saliva is turning the starch of foods into dextrose--sugar--which is one of the high forms of nutrition. An eminent physiological chemist, who is a friend of the author, and who has been experimenting with the suggestions offered by the discovery of new uses for Taste in securing perfect economic nutrition, says that the inexpressibly sweet flavour which comes with the last expression of Taste in connection with a morsel of food, especially dry breads, which are largely starch, is evidence of perfect conversion of the starch to sugar by the action of the saliva. The sweet taste spoken of begins to be apparent in dry French bread after about twenty movements of the mouth, and increases until the whole morsel is dissolved and disappears into the stomach, leaving behind it a most delicious after-flavour. According to the quantity in the mouthful this process will take from fifty to one hundred movements of the mouth and require from half a minute to one minute. In this connection remember, please, that if you bolt a whole slice, or a whole loaf of bread in the meantime, as soon as it is wet enough to swallow, you will get little, if any, more nutriment out of it, and none of the exquisite taste that Nature's way offers as an allurement for obeying her beneficent demands. The way of Nature is the epicurean way; the other way is nothing less than piggish gluttony. Even if time for eating is limited, nothing is gained by bolting food. Thirty mouthfuls of bread thoroughly dissolved in the mouth will supply nutriment for a strong man for twenty-four hours, and the eating of it in the way recommended will give pleasure unknown in hurry. My physiological chemist friend assures me that I am right in asserting that man should _not drink anything_ but pure water, and _that_ for the purpose of quenching thirst. If anything is good enough to drink at all it is too good to waste on an unwilling stomach when grateful and hungry taste-buds are eager for it. Don't drink soup! Don't drink milk! Don't drink beer! Don't drink wine! Don't drink syruped sodas for the taste of the syrups! _Sip everything that has taste_ so that Taste can inspect it and get the good out of it for you! TASTE'S APPEAL Water has no taste, therefore, Taste does not call it to a halt, but says, "Go right on and do your work, there is nothing in you that I can improve; thank you for giving me a freshening up in passing. If people only knew what you and I know they would be wiser, wouldn't they? They would learn a thing or two about keeping their Mind-Power Plant in fine order and get rid of all their physical ailments, and be strong and happy, and live to be a hundred and fifty years of age with their faculties unimpaired. I say! you are on the outside and can give people a hint; why don't you tell them what I am here for! They set me down for a 'capper,' like one of those fellows that stand outside of cheap restaurants and invite passers to come in and eat. They don't know I am an expert in nutriment and can protect them from any harm in eating. I offer them also a first-class _bonbon_ taste, at the finish of my work to induce them to stay by and help me to do proper work, but they are all in such a blamed hurry that they never wait for the _bonbon_, and the result is that loads of dirt and indigestible stuff get by me and make endless mischief in the machine. I hear about it often enough you may be sure. All the sewer gas the indigestion produces comes back this way, spoils my comfort, and dulls my strength. You see, you can have a chance, perhaps, to learn for yourself and tell the people what I can do for them. I'm lodged in here in the dark where they can't see me and I have no means of informing them. "I wonder why it is that Mother Nature makes such a mystery of her blessings. She never advertises and never exhibits her best things plainly. All her precious metals are hidden away in narrow seams in the ground; her pearls are guarded by close-mouthed oysters at the bottom of the ocean; electricity is as slippery as an eel and absolutely invisible; in fact, Nature is the most retiring, in her habits, of all the expressions of Deity; and, consistent with herself, she has put me in here, in the dark and speechless, provided with powers of selection and discrimination, which, if understood and made thorough use of, will do for man all that he can desire. "The funny part of it is that the animals, other than man, use me instinctively and live their appointed time; while man, in his usual big-headed way, centuries and centuries ago, gave me the lowest place among the Senses, classed my chief agent and assistant, Saliva, as merely a 'pusher' of food into the stomach, and ever since he has been in too much of a hurry to live _quick_ to take the time to live _long_; and that's what's the matter with the world."[17] [Footnote 17: Thus ended the first edition; but in the revision its position has been changed.] IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION COMMANDANTE CESARE AGNELLI Commandante Cesare Agnelli, of His Italian Majesty's battleship, "Garibaldi," has been an earnest colleague of the authors in the Nutrition Study since the summer of 1900. Like the authors, he received in the course of experimentation such personal benefits that the continued observations have been a source of great pleasure ever since. I take from a letter, dated Taranto, Italy, some excerpts that are good evidence of the caprice of appetite under different climatic conditions together with some irrelevant matter, quoted for its good reading:-- "What a good, long, friendly letter! If it was your intention to spoil me, it certainly proved a success; and I feel so much obliged and thank you so much for the interesting description of all you saw and did during your absence from Venice this summer. "You are too good in remembering the few words of encouragement I said to you when you first spoke to me about your experiments. The fact is that I have always regretted that my assistance in the experiments could not be of greater service; and, really, of us two I am the indebted for gratitude for the great service your discovery has done to me since the lucky day I had the pleasure of your acquaintance. "My bad luck would not have it to allow my ship to go to England for the Coronation, though at first she was selected to be one of the three. Only two days ago I met one of our officers who was on the 'Carlo Alberto,' and he confirmed all that you wrote and all that has been printed about the magnificence of the naval review at Spithead. "I wish now that I were with you, to be able to talk about what happened to me during this last cruise of ours, in relation to observations of nutrition. I can only report facts and feelings, and you may be able to connect them and assign the causes. You know I do not usually drink wine, only water; well, on the coast of Africa I had such a distaste for the latter that I was compelled to take beer to quench thirst, nor could I even endure mineral waters. My desire for food was quite changed, my physiological craving dictating to me quite plainly, as in a doctor's prescription, what I wanted. Even the best fish in the Mediterranean did not satisfy me. To-day it was eggs and to-morrow it was cocoa, but never meat that I felt the wish for. But what is a new caprice of desire relates to my smoking. I could not smoke a single pipe nor a cigar; only could I tolerate cigarettes, and those quite without pleasure. At Smyrna I almost fed on ices and lemonades, but always and ever I could _eat_ (not drink) my cup of cocoa in the morning. The heat on the coast of Africa at Tripoli and Ben Ghari was intense, 108° and 110° Fahrenheit, with perspiration in proportion. "So it seems to me that appetite is changed to suit latitude or climatic conditions, and all that we call our exotic pleasures of appetite, such as smoking, etc., are dependent on our nutrition. Anyhow, even in the hottest days, my strength never gave way, and I never felt that lassitude and general unfitness for work that was my companion in past years in hot climates, as in the West Indies in '86 and '87. "I never miss an opportunity to spread the virtues of mastication, but most people are too indifferent to apply the practice long enough to get the habit established as we have acquired it. "The first part of our cruise brought a great deal of suffering to those who are not assisted by a proper discrimination in nutrition. There was a scant supply of good food, and the bad food was very bad. I managed to get the best out of it with the assistance of my curious appetite, and did not suffer inconvenience as did the others. But we were largely rewarded in Turkish Asia,--a really blessed part of the world,--and especially at Smyrna. My day began in the bazaar and ended there, my eyes enjoying Turkish and Persian art in all their manifestations, from the rich Bokhara and Khorassan carpets to the Damaseo inlaid works, Rhodes embroideries, and so on. One sees that art has come from the East, and in every branch of it the influence of the meridian is always discovered and perceived. My great regret was not to be able to take it all away with me to Venice and divide it with my esteemed friends there for our mutual enjoyment. Curiously enough, at Smyrna I found a good bit of Italian pottery that I secured for almost nothing. It would have been a great thing if you could have been there to pass those ten days in Smyrna with me. "I gave an order for some carpets to be made on measure, but it will take months to have them ready. Many people do not appreciate the old carpets, but to my taste modern ones do not have the velvety look or the _souplesse_ and the softness of the old ones. "I am sorry circumstances prevented my filling your commission. Had Dr. Van Someren been there, he is so fond of old things, I am sure he would have ruined himself. "It seems as if we would remain here the whole of this month, and then I hope for a fortnight's leave to go to Venice; and I look forward to the pleasure of a long chat together. (_Signed_) "C. AGNELLI." CLARENCE F. LOW, ESQUIRE THE VEGETARIAN TENDENCY CONFIRMED The relator of the following experience was conversant with the early researches of the elder author and gave mastication a trial for a time. He gave it too painful attention, as is apt to be the case with beginners, and the strain made the practice tedious and undoubtedly inhibited the secretion of the digestive juices, the same as worry and other distractions are known to do. After a very short trial Mr. Low declared that he could not get enough nourishment within reasonable time and came to the conclusion that much chewing did not agree with him although it might with others. With the issue of the reports of the Cambridge and Yale tests, however, the suggestion was given another trial, with the result, up to date, as reported below: "I thank you very much for the copy of Dr. Kellogg's book, the 'Living Temple,' just received. I have not had time to read it, but in looking over the chapter headings and knowing Dr. Kellogg's worth as an authority on matters of foods and diet I know that there is much of value for me in the book. I am much interested in that 'Chewing Song' that has been dedicated to you by Dr. Kellogg and think the idea an excellent one. "I have for some time been chewing _à la Fletcher_ and find it of great advantage. It is getting to be automatic and is losing its irksomeness. Indeed it already seems natural and produces some results not 'set down in the book.' For instance, I have no desire for meats and foods which do not lend themselves to the Fletcher method. This in itself is a great advantage. "By the way, I have not eaten meat since the 20th of last October (nearly a year), and I find I have gained greatly. I only desire two meals a day except when the exigencies of travel make a _light_ breakfast agreeable and desirable. By these means I have gained nerve force wonderfully and my muscular strength and endurance have increased so that I walk long distances and climb mountains easily. In fact, I do now with pleasure and avidity what I could not formerly do at all. They are the sort of things that are supposed to require a 'strong meat diet' but which under such a diet were impossible to me. Mastication and thorough mouth-treatment seem to allow the appetite to prescribe what my body needs and this is the essence and substance of your discovery. It pleases me very much that Drs. Kellogg and Dewey have confirmed your researches and find that your claims are not over-drawn. They have such splendid opportunities to test things dietetic and are such open-minded, natural-born altruists that their confirmation counts for even more than that of the very conservative men in Science who stand for scientific authority and who want a thing thrice proven before they give it endorsement. "I think my experience will be especially comforting to you because of my repeated trials and lapses. I can see now how important it is for one to practise careful mouth-treatment until the habit is acquired and the performance becomes automatic. There is no doubt in my mind but what there is a natural protection given us by nature which has been lost by perversion. I feel confident that you will get ultimate credit for the re-establishment of a rational habit of eating which, under normal conditions of food supply, is a protector against premature swallowing of food. "G---- has seen the result in me and he is dropping meat to a great extent and his breakfasts have dwindled to a mere fraction of what they formerly were. The same is true of M----." A FIVE YEARS' LAY EXPERIENCE The good fortune of yesterday, July 29, 1903, brought a telephone message from an old and very dear friend who has been impressed with the virtues of buccal digestion for the past five years. Five years ago my friend was a sick man, past fifty years of age. During his youth and early manhood he had been an optimist among optimists, leading a congenial life among agreeable friends, with the best the world had to offer in the way of recreation and fare. His great misfortune at the time was indigestion and the troubles that accompany indigestion. If he drank a small cup of coffee at night he could not sleep, and he was subject to the constant uncertainty of health and frequent recurrence of acute diseases that are common to the victims of luxury. The very ill-health emergency and dilemma of my friend led him to catch at any stray straw of hope or comfort. When we met, some months after the beginning of my experiments, he was compelled to note a great difference in my appearance; the portly and robust but heavy, short-winded and unwieldy friend of bygone years in sumptuous New Orleans had become "spare" and active, and told of improvement in health-conditions that seemed almost miraculous. The still-suffering friend was interested to the point of listening and trying the remedy. Half as a joke and half in earnest the regimen recommended by me was adopted and carried forward far enough to secure some noticeable good results. Following up these favourable results with continuance of the regimen brought progressive improvement of health and increasing conviction of the merits of thorough buccal digestion. The evidence of physical improvement resulting from five years' attention to buccal thoroughness in the ordinary course of an adventurous life is here given briefly from memory fresh from the telling: "You remember the state of health I was in when we met here in the Waldorf five years ago. The benefit of the recovery that I had secured at Sierra Blanca had been gradually lost, and I was pretty well down to my last legs again. If I hadn't been struck by the marvellous alteration in your appearance from what it was when I had seen you last, I should have been terribly bored by your relation of your experience, for I was sick to death of mention of cures and diet-regimens of all sorts. But you astonished me so by your changed appearance, and I was in such a hopeless condition, that I thought I would give your scheme a trial. Next day, my breakfast, which was also my lunch, for I was feeling too badly to get up earlier, brought me some sweet corn as one of the several items I habitually ordered. In giving this corn thorough chewing before swallowing I noticed that, while the inside of the corn liquefied readily and was quickly swallowed, there remained in my mouth a collection of the hulls, and these invited the bad table-manners of 'spitting out.' I removed this collection of refuse as delicately as possible, and, on examination, found that it consisted of hard substance that I had never noticed before in connection with cooked sweet corn. This set me to thinking. What had I not been putting into my stomach all these years in my ignorance of the constituents of this one kind of common food, and what not in other foods that I had not yet observed? "In continuing the observation further, I discovered that many of the foods that I was accustomed to take contained hard, insoluble ingredients or cottony fibre that got more and more cottony and refractory with mastication. In trying coffee, my favourite beverage, as you told me I might do if I handled it rightly in the mouth, I tasted it until it was absorbed or swallowed involuntarily just as you told me the expert wine-tasters and tea-tasters do. I sipped and enjoyed my small cup of coffee as I had never done before in my life, and knew afterwards that it had not hurt me as usual, as no immediate protest came from the stomach, which formerly had been the case. I slept the 'sleep of the just' that night, and awoke in fine form next morning. From that day to this I have not been troubled with indigestion, and during these five years I have not been sick a day or an hour or a moment, and have slept like a babe. I haven't kept my weight quite down where it ought to be for best comfort, but I have supported the burden with my general good health and digestion. My temptations to lapse have been enormous, for I have had the good fare of two continents thrown at me by most enticing invitation, and I have run the gantlet of extraordinary _menus_ without phasing, with the results I have recounted. "Do you remember the day of the public funeral of General Grant, when his tomb on the Riverside Drive--Morningside Heights--was dedicated? You remember that we had been invited to Mr. H----'s to witness the parade and take lunch? How we were caught on the wrong side of the procession on Fifth Avenue and were hurrying to get ahead of the column and across to the other side of the Avenue? Well! do you remember how we puffed and blowed when we had run a couple of blocks and how we were red in the face and nearly knocked up? We were both fat then and short-winded, and we never would have been able to get to our destination if I had not hypnotised a policeman and persuaded him to lead us across the Avenue like a pair of emergency hospital cases or disorderly arrests. "Since then you have had your experience of recovery as the result of your deliberate experiment made for a purpose, and I have had mine as the result of noting the improvement in you, and for all of which I owe you my life, whatever that may be worth. "At the time of the great Naval Review, or something of the sort--I have forgotten what--a party of us went to the pier of the Southern Pacific Company to see the show. There were Ned H----, and Captain H----, and two other men, and myself, with four ladies. On coming up town we were booked for another engagement, the time for which had not yet arrived. We were in the vicinity of the Hoffman House and drifted in there and into the ball-room. The floor was most tempting and the orchestrion willing. It was too suggestive a combination for the ladies, who were young and fine dancers, and they exclaimed with one voice, 'Oh, how lovely! I wish we might dance.' It proved that I was the only dancing-man among the men. I had been a dancer in my younger days, but I had let up on it since I had become stout. However, by way of a joke and to please the young ladies, I offered to be a partner. My offer was accepted, also as a joke, but the sequel was a surprise. We set the orchestrion going on a Waldteufel waltz, and I grabbed one of the young ladies for a round. Really, I was amazed. I danced as easily as I did when a youngster, and round and round we went. Finally, my partner begged for a rest, so I waltzed her to a seat, and, excited with the revelation of an endurance I did not know I possessed, I grabbed the next lady from her seat and repeated the tiring-out process as easily as in the first attempt. There were yet two ladies fresh and eager to assist in 'doing Uncle Nat up,' and I repeated the performance with them, also, dancing the last to a dead standstill on account of her determined obstinacy. _She_ had to complete the 'doing up' of the old man, or Age would win a battle from Youth, which would never do. Well, to make a long story short, and to get to the illustration. I was warm and ruddy, but I was less fatigued than I remember to have been as a youngster when I had danced for a long time. "Since then I have not balked at any feat of physical endurance, and I feel as young to-day as my white hair will let me. I have tried to get my friends to chewing their food persistently, and have gained many adherents to your cause, but I have had to stand an immense amount of chaffing meanwhile. I tried to get Mr. H---- to chew his bread and milk, but he always laughed at me, and chaffed me constantly when I was with him about my chewing fad. One man, whom I saw much of, and who needed your advice more than anybody else, got so sick of the subject that when I received a letter from you, telling of some new discovery and some new triumph of the cause of chewing, I would attempt to read it to him; but he would not listen, and persisted in calling it rot, although he knew that I had become a remarkably well man, whereas I was formerly a very sick man. Both of these scoffers have gone and I am left, as chipper and as fit as a fiddle new-strung for the music of a happy life. If we don't catch up with Luigi Cornaro on our record it will not be for want of good digestion." This is a little bit of intimacy that the good Baron Randolph Natili will not object to offer in evidence in our cause; for no one living has a heart and a will to do a favour or spread a benefit more than he. Only yesterday he said, in a burst of enthusiasm, "How is it possible for me to dislike any one, feeling the way I do? I have likes immensely stronger than other likes on account of similar or closer sympathies, but it seems to me now that to really dislike any one that the Creator has made, or anything that he has created, would do violence to the Memory of My Mother." DR. HIGGINS' CASE AND COMMENT "DEAR MR. FLETCHER: "You ask me to write you a short account of my experiences with economical nutrition with comments, and a few words about my physical and mental history. "_Previous History_:--The best period of health that I can remember in my life was that between seventeen and twenty-one, during the time I was preparing for the medical profession. I had a small breakfast at about 7.30 A.M. and then went up to London to St. George's Hospital, which was about fourteen miles from my home. My parents gave me 2/6 for my midday meal but I fortunately economised and only spent 6_d_-10_d_ of it on food. After finishing my work I usually arrived home at 5.30 and had a 'meat tea'; this allowed me to devote six hours to reading. During the whole of this period I was in excellent mental and physical condition. I was made house surgeon at twenty-one, obtained my degree in under four years besides obtaining several valuable prizes. "After this I lived in the Hospital where three meat meals were provided. These I conscientiously ate 'to keep up my strength' during the performance of my exhausting duties. I consider that this period was the commencement of my degeneration. I put on twenty-four pounds in weight and lost much of my mental energy. "To condense, as much as possible: my strong hereditary tendency to gout with the excessive meat eating, the hurried eating during some three and one-half years at St. George's Hospital, London, and at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, resulted in constant suffering from headache, lumbago, rheumatic pains, and all those distressing symptoms known under the generic name of 'goutiness.' After seven or eight years I weighed two hundred and twenty-four pounds and complained of increasing symptoms of gout. I then became a patient of Dr. H----, of London, whose system requires one to abstain from meat, fish, poultry, beans, tea, coffee, in other words, from foods containing uric acid or its equivalent. For about five years, till the end of 1901, when I first met you, I fluctuated considerably in health, on the whole I am bound to say, in a steadily downward direction, till I was overloaded with the excessive weight of two hundred and eighty-two pounds. "_History of Period of Regeneration_:--I commenced under your advice, masticating my food thoroughly at the end of December, 1901. After practising this method till the present date September, 1903, I have lost one hundred and four pounds in weight and consider that I have gained very considerably in mental and physical fitness. I prefer to divide this period into two parts: (_a_) _The first eight months._ During this time I followed my appetite, but with a strong mental bias in favour of keeping up as nearly as possible to the daily 'physiological ration' of nitrogenous food. I lost notwithstanding some sixty-four pounds in weight in spite of having an inordinate appetite for butter, and generally taking two pints of milk daily. During this period I undertook some very severe work in the Laboratory of Physiological Chemistry, with the object of trying to devise some method of measuring the extent of a person's departure from their optimum health. This led almost unconsciously to a stronger mental bias in favour of prescribing the amount of food one should eat, and to a certain number of experiments in feeding. Towards the end of this period I got rather exhausted in consequence of my severe work and complained of occasional headaches. Following the suggestions of some friends I added fifty grams of casein to my daily diet for two or three weeks. This was followed by a return of rheumatism and considerable sickness and inability to work. (_b_) _The subsequent six months._ I resolved to devote this period to a careful study of my desires for food--to take no notes--to make no experiments--in short, to allow my body to run itself, and to try to make my brain interpret the wants of the body. I had moved for the purpose of this experiment into a small house, with a boy and a woman who came daily to clean the house--(I mention these details because practically one finds that a woman has usually such quick sympathy about matters concerning food, that their agitation and fears are enough in themselves to cause you to modify your diet). I only kept bread, butter, and milk in the house, all other foods I was obliged to send for, and if I required a dish to be cooked, I first learned how to do it myself and then taught the boy. I had no fixed times for meals, and did not have a table laid, my food always being brought up on a tray; usually I did not interrupt the work I was doing. I deliberately adopted all these precautions because I had become aware by experience of the extraordinary influence suggestion, and other mind influences, such as habit, had in one's selection of food and the amount one ate. During the first two months in conscientiously eating what I wished, as much of it as I wanted and when my appetite demanded food, my desires were very irregular, ranging over meats and fish, (occasionally) chocolate, sweets, cream, cheese, butter, milk, bread, potatoes, oranges, bananas, sugar, etc., but during the final period my desires were much more simple and regular, confining themselves to bread, Gruyère cheese, butter, cream, bananas, potatoes, occasionally milk. During and subsequent to this period I have become convinced that provided you eat your food slowly and follow your appetite, without guidance from any other knowledge whatever, one gets marked preferences for simple foods with increasing health and happiness, the contentment that comes from the inestimably valuable possession of simple desires. "_Comments on the System_:--The great attraction the system has for me is its frank admission that: (1) One knows practically nothing of those chemical processes that occur during digestion. (2) The guidance for the conduct of life afforded by such vague phrases as 'the collective wisdom of mankind' leave one on the most superficial examination in a state of great doubt, to say the least of it. (3) The guidance afforded by the dogmas of science are open to the most disquieting criticism. (_a_) In the prescription of method without a knowledge of the mysteries of digestion. (_b_) In those observations on insufficient standards of mental and physical optimum efficiency, and of short periods of observation based solely on nitrogenous equilibrium and output of work that you have already shown to be fallacious and variable. (_c_) In short, that one can say that none of the physiological dogmas based on chemistry are not open to criticism. "If this is admitted, and the choice of the quantity and quality of food thrown on taste and appetite, we are at once provided with a natural means of ascertaining the body's actual wants from day to day. The phenomena that have resulted from the more thorough insalivation and mastication of food can only be described as remarkable and of the highest importance for the progress of that most important of all sciences, the right conduct of life. The great advantage of finely dividing the food in the mouth so as to present as large a surface as possible for the action of the intestinal juices, is obvious when one reflects on the rapidity with which bacteria can and do act on pieces having a smaller area in consequence of their larger bulk. When one reflects that Dr. Mott attributes the main cause of insanity to the absorption by the body of the cleavage products produced by microbes in the intestines, and the increasing recognition of such poisons in the causation of chronic disease and disturbances of health, this factor alone would afford an explanation of some of the phenomena induced by the practice of economical nutrition. "A method having the results that this has it need scarcely be said is revolutionary; all one's preconceived notions of the conduct of life are found to be based on grounds open to grave criticism and it throws a great responsibility on all those concerned in its study to endeavour by all the means in their power to present a more completely demonstrated and unanswerable case to those who are responsible for the world's guidance in these matters, with as little delay as possible, "Yours faithfully, "HUBERT HIGGINS, M. A. CANTAB. M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. "Late House Surgeon to St. George's Hospital, London, and the Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. Demonstrator of Anatomy to the University of Cambridge and Assistant Surgeon to Addenbrooke's Hospital." QUARANTINE THE NECESSITY OF PROTECTION NOTE: A paper, read before members of the Unity League and other guests of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Harbert, at Tre-Brah, Williams Bay, Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, in August, 1898. It is pertinent to the subject of this book, but was written when the investigations described herein were just beginning. Progress of Civilisation is accelerated by constantly extending systems of individual, moral, social and sanitary quarantine. It is not what man adds, for he can _add_ nothing, but what he prevents, that aids growth. Man creates nothing, but he assists Creation by removing deterrents to growth. Growth is spontaneous, constant and ever stronger if obstructions are removed. Creation does _all the growing_, but _cultivates_ nothing; the seed falling upon good soil or upon stony waste without other direction than that given by the caprice of the winds. On the other hand, Man is the _only cultivator_ in Nature, and at the same time he can add nothing to growth--to Creation. Visible, or conscious, growth consists of cell building or thought producing. Man never has created a cell, neither has he been able to determine the origin of a thought; yet, he is a necessary factor in evolution and a prime factor in cultivation, which is civilisation. Man removes deterrents to growth. Nature "does the rest." Thought and cell creation are spontaneous and are never-ceasing if all obstructions are removed from about them. Civilised man places a quarantine against the enemies of growth, of progress, and of harmony, and thereby promotes civilisation. Man is, therefore, the Chief Assistant to Creation, the Architect of Civilisation and a _Full Partner_ with Nature in Evolution. This distinction, adequately appreciated, lifts Man above the animal plane and gives him a place among the gods; his material form, composed of muscle, hands, powers of locomotion and speech, being but tools with which to harness and coöperate with the other forces in Nature, under the direction of the godlike attribute of the Mind, in the removal of deterrents to free growth, and the cultivation of that Harmony which is the symbol of God. * * * * * Having assumed as an hypothesis that Man is Full Partner with Nature in Evolution; and having discovered his proper function in the "Division of Labour" in Nature, it is time for each of us to analyse the conditions which environ us as Man units, select those which seem to be useful to our scheme of construction and harmony, declare all deterrents to the growth of our selection to be weeds, and then proceed to remove them without delay, first, by pulling those which now exist, and following that by establishing strict quarantine against them. * * * * * I can teach only that which I have learned, and pronounce good only that which has led to happiness. I will therefore note the progress of my own discoveries and describe those which have brought increasing happiness, in order that they may serve as beacons and monuments to such as may seek the same goal along the same lines of inquiry. The first forty-five years of my present life were spent in seeking happiness by means of personal accumulation. Money, friends, distinction, acquaintance with art in all its various expressions, lands, luxurious homes in favoured localities, pictures, rare porcelains, lacquers and other possessions, isolated for my own use, and for the enjoyment of chosen friends, seemed to be the necessary desiderata of happiness. In turn, all of these came to me in sufficient abundance to give, at least, a taste of their quality and their efficacy in promoting happiness; but, in the midst of them were always obstructions to unhampered enjoyment, increasing with possession and accumulation of the coveted means, and constantly mocking, as with a mirage, the ultimate ideal desired. During these forty-five years of quest of happiness there were constantly appearing above the horizon of my search flashes of hope, leading in new directions, which proved in turn to be but will o' the wisps, until the night--the morning--of my awakening, as related in my book "Menticulture." It was then, for the first time, I heard that it was possible to _get rid_ of anger and worry, the _bêtes noires_ of my existence, which were, as I then believed and as I now know, the dreaded barriers between me and perfect happiness; not because the mere removal of these particular deterrents to happiness will accomplish happiness, but because the certain result of the removal of any principal mental obstructions leads to the disappearance of contingent errors, and permits freedom of growth of the elements of true happiness. * * * * * It is proper to state here the definition of happiness which is the result of my progressive quest. There is only one quality of true happiness, as there can only be one kind of quarantine, and the former is dependent on the latter. If both are not _perfect_, both fail. True happiness is _the evidence and fruit of conscious usefulness, and quarantine against obstructions to normal altruistic energy is the best means of attaining happiness_. In view of the establishment of the status of the Man unit in the Nature-Man partnership, the above definition and assertion may be extended to declare that there can be no genuine happiness short of _usefulness in assisting other units to be strong and useful in the partnership of which each is a member_. True happiness cannot exist if there is present an element of indifference. Next to destructive aggression, indifference, which leads to neglect and waste, is the worst fault that a member of the Nature-Man partnership can be guilty of. Neglect _nothing_ that will aid growth in any useful form, and happiness will surely follow, for Nature and the God of Nature will "do the rest." * * * * * In qualifying for the Nature-Man partnership, it is of first importance that our personal equipment should be understood and cared for so as to give us the greatest strength. The body may appropriately be likened to an electric power plant--a Mind-Power Plant; the body being the engine, the stomach the furnace, the arteries and veins the boiler tubes, the blood in circulation the steam, the brain the dynamo, and the mind electricity. Mind is the all-important factor of our equipment, for it is the commander that will lead and direct better and wiser than we can now imagine if we allow it a chance to act with freedom. To secure this freedom we must know its habitat, its requirements, its nourishment, and learn to allow it to recharge itself sufficiently and to concentrate itself on its chosen usefulness without imposing upon it also the drudgery of useless work. This must be done with the same idea of economy that a _chef_ is relieved of the drudgery of washing dishes and emptying slops. According to Dr. Edward Hooker Dewey, a pharmacist, army surgeon and tireless investigator of forty-five years' experience, whose revelations have been before the medical profession of the world for many years without a single challenge, the brain is a dynamo which accumulates energy during sleep, and uses it during the waking hours of its possessor. The brain manages everything for man that he accomplishes. It brings messages from the Creator, which are sometimes called intuition, sometimes inspiration, and by various other names. Emerson calls these messages the "Over-Soul." My own appreciation of the attribute that distinguishes the Spiritual Man from the animal man is better satisfied by the name "Spiritual Cerebration," which I have defined in my book "Happiness" as: "Intelligence not derived from experience, principally obtained during sleep, and, seemingly supernaturally clear to consciousness on awaking in the natural manner." The brain also directs all action, and, with encouragement, will take up the messages from the Creator and analyse, arrange, and develop them into useful accomplishments, and then file them away in the archives of the memory as additions to the equipment which is necessary to greatness in the pursuit of usefulness. Dr. Dewey gives the bill of fare of the brain in seeking its own nourishment, and also describes the work it performs in transforming the fuel we supply it with into the tissues on which it feeds. This is undoubtedly a very important discovery and locates the source of strength and teaches how to conserve it. I will not give the technical bill of fare of the brain, for you would not remember it better than I do, but it is all composed of tissues of the body, fat predominating to the quantity of ninety-seven per cent, but the important announcement is that neither the brain itself nor any of the nervous centres diminish during consumption of tissue, neither do they lose any of their power, even in cases of what is called starvation, up to the point of death, when all of the fatty and muscular tissues of the body are wasted away, leaving the brain and nerve centres to flicker and go out, as a candle does, brighter than usual with the parting flash of their brilliancy. Dr. Dewey gives President Garfield as an illustrious example of proof of the accuracy of his deduction. The martyr President lived eighty days without the addition of an ounce of nutriment to his life, carried the usual clearness of mind to the last moment, and passed on only when the last muscular tissue had been consumed by the brain. Dr. Dewey's assertion that starvation, so-called, is never a cause of disease, and never dangerous to life and health until there is no more tissue left on which to feed the brain and other nerve centres, was published some years ago and I have the authority of the Doctor himself that his contention has not been once disputed by the medical profession. Three eminent English physicians, Drs. A. M. Haig, George S. Keith and A. Rabigliati, and many American physicians, have experimented with what is called starvation for the cure of chronic diseases which have their origin in excess of inharmonious deposits caused by overeating or careless eating. The results in all instances recorded have been successful in modifying or curing the disease. When patients have understood that they were suffering no injury from not taking food they have ceased to have hunger cravings. These hunger cravings usually come from fear or from disorder caused by fermenting food in an overloaded stomach. We can, then, on undisputed and practical authority, treat craving for food or drink as a disease and therefore not rational, and starvation as merely drawing upon the stored fuel--fatty tissue--by the dynamo of the brain, restorable at will at any time before complete exhaustion, without injury-- with benefit, in fact--to the machinery of the body. The brain must first turn food into tissue, and then derive its own nourishment from the tissue. If the right quantity of nourishment can be introduced into the stomach, if the quality is of the right kind, and if it is fed into the furnace of the stomach with relatively the same wisdom that a competent fireman uses in feeding his furnace, the brain is required to use the least possible effort in this direction, and has its stored energy available for directing other useful action and serving the partnership which employs it with an efficiency, the possibility of which may be well illustrated by the herculean accomplishments of the battleship "Oregon" in the late war in steaming thirteen thousand miles and engaging in a great battle without a stop or an accident, and without "starting" a rivet. I will not tell you much of what Dr. Dewey has revealed, because I want you to read all he has written,[18] as well as the books of the English physicians mentioned, but I must say this much: Very little digestion goes on during sleep, and, whether it does or not the brain has from sixty to one hundred days' nourishment stored up within each of us, and can feed on that without inconvenience to us, except in the form of what is called habit craving or imaginary hunger, for the whole of that time. A person who has been without food for an unusual time, if he does not gorge his stomach when the first opportunity of breaking the fast arrives, is not only better for the rest the brain has had, but the health does not suffer in any way. [Footnote 18: Dr. Dewey is the author of numerous books: notably, the "No-Breakfast Plan" which he supplies to inquirers direct from his home address, Meadville, Pa.] It is, then, no serious deprivation to ask a person to go without what we call breakfast--the getting-up or habit-craving--and give the brain a chance to clean up the remnants of the last day's supply of food fuel, and express new desires in an _earned_ appetite. There is available, on waking from sleep, a fresh charged brain ready to serve its proprietor with great efficiency. Incidentally it has to do some "chores," rake out the clinkers, dispose of the ashes, relieve the grate bars, attend to any little repairs, brush out the chimney and generally get ready for the work of another day. The hunger of the morning is necessarily but a _habit-hunger_. The best evidence of this is that, when busily employed, we forget it without trouble; and also is that European peoples, where the disease dyspepsia is not known in the list of physical derangements, perform the chief physical or mental effort of the day before their breakfast, the morning coffee scarcely meaning anything in the way of what we call a meal. Dr. Dewey's firm assertion is that when the stomach has had a chance to "clean up" and is ready for more fuel, it will make it known in healthy manner by a healthy appetite, and that it is rarely normal before noon; and not really before one has done what might be called a "day's work." I can assert boldly, as the result of experience, that the time to get work out of the brain is between the morning awakening and the first meal, and it is the same relative to endurance draughts on the physical strength. Then, in the heat or the glare of the day, having accomplished something useful and disposed of pressing duties, so as not to feel the irritation of hurry, the first meal of the day can be taken with restful ease and it will be found that the supply demanded by the appetite will not be so great as that demanded by the unhealthful, habit-inflamed early morning call. It may not seem so, but this digression from psychics to physics is very germane to my subject and to my own experience. Without knowing that Dr. Dewey and the other eminent physicians who endorse his theories were living in the world, I, in the summer of 1894, blundered into a personal experience of diet that produced wonderful results which I now recall with all the vividness of the high lights of extreme pleasure met in foreign travel. I was in a Southern city for two months during an unusually hot summer, watching some developments that could not be hurried, and the fruition of which was important to my interests. I had nothing to do in connection with this business but to "watch and wait." I had some writing to do, however, in the mean time, which could not be well or comfortably done in the heat of the day, hence I arose at daylight and began to write. At that time of the morning nothing to eat was to be had, which compelled me to start work without it. My subject was an absorbing one, so that, once under way, I would not be diverted until I had "written myself out;" or in other words, had exhausted the consideration of the morning messages which I now designate "Spiritual Cerebration." It happened, under these circumstances, that my habit-hunger was not given a hearing and it was nearly noon before I felt the fatigue or even the heat of the burning day, for I worked in my pajamas, and had no time to look at the thermometer, to get an exaggerated suggestion of heat by which to start my blood chasing itself through my veins. I not only noticed that my midday breakfast was a deliciously grateful meal, but that appetite became satisfied far short of the formally customary abnormal early morning gorge, and, what was more remarkable yet, I wanted nothing during the rest of the day, and not even until midnight, except, after vigorous exercise of some sort, I might desire a little fruit or a bit of bread or cracker; but never a full course dinner. I wore a belt at my trousers, as was the custom of the place, and in a few days decreased the girth of my corpulency one hole in the belt; and before the summer was over, four holes, with only the most comfortable feeling accompanying the loss of weight. When my family returned from Europe, I settled back into the American and English habit of a meat breakfast, because I did not want to be "different," and at the same time I half doubted but that my experience was nothing more than an abnormal one, attributable to the inertia of summer heat, literary absorption and lack of physical exercise. Twice, when I have been left alone since then, away from the restraint of custom, and also in the midst of abundant athletic exercise, I have again cultivated the same habit of missing breakfast through desire to do early morning work, with the same splendid results. The last time referred to is the present. My search for a lost waif through the framing of an appeal for him, has given me such absorbing thought that meals have been of no consideration beside it, and in the midst of it I find Dr. Dewey's book, the books of the English physicians indorsing him; and have secured results of health, comfort and strength to myself which I did not know I possessed; to corroborate my accidental experience. As I said before, this seems a very wide digression from the psychical to the physical, but it is really no digression at all, for it is in the service of the brain, and the brain is the direct agent of communication between the Creator and our consciousness, assisting us to work together in the Nature-Man partnership with useful efficiency. * * * * * Now, let me return to the aim of my address, and pursue the thread of my personal experience in search of the fundamental principles of True Living, which, to be proven, must be vouched for and tested by resultant happiness. When I attacked the tap-roots of trouble and shut the door in the face of anger and worry for ever, I saw among the bones of their decomposition the skeleton of fear. It proved to be their backbone. Fear, then, was the support of all the deterrent passions that beset brightest manhood and womanhood and pursue it to an untimely death. My book "Happiness" deals with the separation of fearthought from forethought in order to show that it is possible to smother a vital stimulant of energy with a resemblance of it which is as deadly a poison as carbonic acid gas. While I have been engaged in pursuing germs of disorder to their beginnings, during the past three or four years, I have uncovered many a beautiful possession that formerly I did not appreciate. _Appreciation of the full value of Appreciation_ is one of these discoveries of priceless value and usefulness. I have spoken of this in "Happiness," but not as much as it deserves, for it truly is "The Appreciation of God and of Good that gives birth to Love, and which is the only true and adequate measure of wealth." Nothing else, however, in the whole quest, has approached the beauty of the love for children that has come to me; the appreciation of them as Messages from the Creator, consigned to the cultivation of the environment society provides for them; as likely as not, any one of them bringing into the world a great intelligence by means of the humblest of parents. During observation of social questions in Europe, my interest has been drawn constantly to children, as by a powerful magnet, so that when I was called back to this country to attend to a detail of business and met the adventure which is the cause of my present focalised interest in neglected ones, as expressed in a book to be called, when published, "That Last Waif; or, Social Quarantine,"[19] it was but natural that I should put all the force of my sympathy into the cause of rescue, and that I should find in that service more happiness than in any of the luxurious amusements which had claimed me as a devotee in times gone by. [Footnote 19: Published, and proceeds dedicated to the cause of the waifs, October, 1898.] True _happiness is the result of conscious usefulness_. This I can assert with the confidence of knowledge, not alone from my own experience, but from observation of the great army of kindergartners and child-savers whom I have met in my travels, and especially within the past year; and it is evident that the service attaching to protecting little neglected angels from the evil suggestions and the cruel conditions that may make of them, not men, but beasts, is one of the avenues of usefulness in which these "Angels of the State" meet with the smile of the Master, who was the first Great Kindergartner; whose teachings centred about and dwelt upon the care of children as of first consideration, and who said, "Suffer Little Children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Childhood has suffered, manhood has suffered, progress has suffered, for lo! these ages, the cruel assumption that mankind is naturally depraved. In recent years public conscience has been dulled by the anæsthetic that there must be a Have-To-Be-Bad Class in all communities. This has been formulated into the assumption that there is in every group of the Heaven-Sent Angels of Purity, a full ten per cent that must be depraved and unredeemable except by the interposition of special dispensation, which is a direct contradiction of all of the observed Laws of Creation to which intelligence now subscribes. The motto of this assumption is couched in this vicious legend: "The hopelessly submerged ten per cent stratum of society." Half an hour's walk from this hospitable mansion, on the shore of the beautiful Geneva Lake, is a place called "Holiday Home." There are now housed and thoughtfully cared for at the "Home" about one hundred of the "Hopelessly Submerged Ten Per Cent Stratum of (Chicago's) Society." During the summer half a thousand of these unfortunates will come for two weeks each. When we touched at the wharf last evening after coming from the concert given in their interest at Mr. Chalner's lakeside home, the waifs met us with a merry class-yell, and greeted us with an intelligence, a buoyancy, and a freedom, born of their holiday, such as was not excelled at any of the other landings where only the children of rich summer residenters were met. We all saw these "waifs" and we marvelled at them, for, with the grime of the slum washed from their sweet faces, and with clean, though sometimes ragged clothing, they might have figured in the mix-up of "Pinafore," or have starred in a dramatic representation of the "Prince and the Pauper," with all the grace required of princelings. They haven't been long from God, and they are god-like or not, as we have welcomed and protected them, or rebuffed or neglected them. Let me assure you in the most practical way that there are two sides to this child question. There is a sentimental side, than which there is no other so worthy; and there is a practical side, than which there is none so profitable. The best and most profitable service in the whole gamut of useful occupations that I know about is in learning to know children, and in connection with a Quarantine movement which is now started, and which aims to not let one of these wards of the Christ escape the best care known to Love and the Science of Child-Life. The crèche and the kindergarten and the manual training schools, and domestic training classes, as well as institutions similar to the "Holiday Home" across the Bay, have demonstrated within the past thirty years that fully ninety-eight per cent of the "Hopelessly Submerged Ten Per Cent" can be rescued after they have been warped by evil surroundings. What will not the same effort effect if directed toward prevention and protection, instead of being squandered in careless and soulless correction? Christ said: "And a little child shall lead them." Let us awake to the call. It is the way to Heaven; for, "_Of such_ is the Kingdom of Heaven." FIVE YEARS' CONFIRMATORY EVIDENCE The spirit of the preceding address to the good members of the Unity League organisation on the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva has been the inspiring motive of the quest for scientific endorsement of Economic Nutrition for the benefit of the present generation of children, and, incidentally, of their elders. In Economic Nutrition lies protection from sexual morbidity, alcoholic intemperance, bodily disease, savage passions and all the brood of evil contamination and temptation. In Economic Nutrition lie possibilities of physical and mental energy and optimistic happiness such as the world has not been accustomed to in the memory of history. Economic Nutrition is what children want to be taught with their first indelible impressions, and the present great movement of which this little book treats, for which it was first responsible, and for which it is republished in a new and extended edition, is expected to furnish authoritative knowledge relative to the most Economic Nutrition, so that mothers and kindergartners may meet the little waifs from the Creator on the threshold of this present life with words of wisdom and examples of sanitary perfection, instead of confronting them at once with the poison of ignorance relative to their most important concern,--their own Economic Nutrition. That the contentions uttered in "That Last Waif; or, Social Quarantine," referred to in the Lake Geneva Address, are reasonable is evidenced by the experience of Dr. and Mrs. Kellogg and their adopted family of twenty-four waifs, the acquaintance of which has since been made. All of the altruists who have engaged in kindergardenry among the neglected, Dr. Barnardo, Dr. Kellogg and the rest, are full of confidence in the possibility and efficacy of a perfect quarantine as outlined in "That Last Waif." It is an _Epicurean_ method of promoting _Menticulture_, killing _Fearthought_, denouncing _Gluttony_, saving that _Last Waif_, and attaining _Happiness_ through learning the _A.B.-Z. of Our Own (Economic) Nutrition_. GIVE THE BABIES A CHANCE THE INSPIRING MOTIVE The enthusiasm excited by a persistent study of the problem of human nutrition is inspired by the need of an intelligent scheme of information and instruction which may be understood by mothers and teachers for the benefit of children. Unlike the young of the lower animals, the babes of mankind have some years of dependent existence during which much unconscious murder is committed, and during which the innocents are more or less poisoned with bad suggestions that weaken them all through life. Colts, calves, pigs, chickens, and the like survive the period of dependence in much greater proportion than do the young of their human masters survive the infantile stage of existence, and this is largely due to the lack of basic or parent knowledge on the part of mothers relative to their own nutrition, and also a pitiable ignorance concerning the nutrition of their children, the double ignorance constituting a double crime. Even if careless about ourselves, is it not shameful that we do not concentrate effort in learning the truth about our instinctive means of protection in our own alimentation and in classifying the knowledge in a way that will make it available to children, through their proper guardians, when they arrive in the world "as helpless as a babe"? If knowledge which seems to be protective had not been evolved out of recent experiment, or if the hope of gaining such knowledge had not been collected from good authority, the appeal might seem futile; but this is not the case. The most intelligent and studious investigators are united in the belief that the problem can be scientifically solved and the confusion of ideas settled by concentrated personal and collective study of economic nutrition, through observation of the natural requirements, and by trial of the care in taking food which is necessary to secure the most profitable economies. ILLUSTRATION Here is an illustration, both of the present need of better knowledge and the hope of its attainment. It is an account of one accidental experience which showed that _excess of food_ may be as detrimental to a tiny baby dependant, as it is generally conceded to be harmful to grown persons. The case was described by Dr. Chadwick of Boston to Professor Bowditch, and by the latter repeated to the author. An infant was not progressing as it should and failed to gain normally in weight. It was under the charge of a nurse and was being carefully watched. A certain quantity of milk was prescribed for daily nourishment, at prescribed times, in a prescribed manner; but the child did not increase in weight and was "doing poorly." For some reason the nurse was changed and instructions were repeated by the old to the new nurse. In the course of a week the little patient showed signs of marked improvement, both in gain of weight and in general condition. In order to record the particulars of the change the physician questioned the nurse and learned that only one half the nourishment originally prescribed had been given, the new nurse having forgotten or misunderstood the orders. The reason the little fellow had been "doing so poorly" under the original prescription was because he had been using up his puny strength getting rid of the excess of food that had been forced upon his little stomach and intestines. When the excess was stopped, so that his digestive apparatus could occupy itself with his real needs, the babe had a surplus of energy for growth and thrived as a rightly nourished child should do. NOTE: In connection with the foregoing, reference is invited to the author's conception of how attention to one's personal economies, beginning with the economy of personal nutrition, is interrelated to general menticulture and the child-saving phase of our personal responsibility in child culture. Even if we are carelessly suicidal ourselves, we owe better care to innocent and dependent children. This will be found in the "Explanation of the A. B. C. Life Series" at the end of the book. MUNCHING PARTIES AND THE CHEWING FAD To the scientific person of ultra conservative bent of mind this free and easy screed, offered as the exponent of a great economic idea, will seem offensive, and justly so; but it has been written with a purpose, and happily the purpose is being effected as speedily as the author hoped for when his own discovery relative to the profitableness of an epicurean, economic nutrition became a reality of experience and suggested publication. To this free presentation, couched in a variety of class expression, is due, in a large measure, the new revival of feeding reform which has spread far over the civilised world, where it was most needed, within the past five years. Up to five years ago, and to some extent now, the prescription method of recommending diets was and is common. In fact it was universal up to a few years ago; for no one, as far as is known, had yet suggested that normal appetite was the _only_ competent prescriber, and that it was the office of the physician to teach his clients and patients how to normalise the appetite. It required two years of the circulation of the original publications and the constant, persistent, personal assertion of the author before any continued credence of his assertions was secured, with the one exception of a lay friend in New York who happened to be in a state of great need of reform at the time, as related under the heading of "A Five Year's Lay Experience." It was only about two years ago that the new claims had received sufficient recognition to admit of explaining them to busy men of prominence in the medical profession. After the confirmation at the laboratories of the University of Cambridge, England, the author had an opportunity to make a statement and give a demonstration to Sir Thomas Barlow, the private physician of King Edward VII. Sir Thomas was most sympathetic with the physiological possibilities, and there has been frequent evidence since to show that he pursued thought of the suggestions, and that his interest has been responsible for the aristocratic lay interest which originated the so-termed "Munching Parties" in London. The English term "munching," signifying chewing or masticating, is an excellent amendment, which is gladly adopted. "Masticating" is technical and formal. "Chewing" has been disgraced by its application to gum and to tobacco, and the other English expression, "biting," suggests the carnivorous, savage use of the jaws and teeth, while "munching" implies enjoyment, as the munching of delicacies by children. As reported from London, "Munching Parties" were inaugurated to teach attention, to encourage mouth preparation of food for digestion, and also for the æsthetic purpose of gaining all the gustatory pleasure possible from food while conserving the economies of nutrition. The method employed was most ingenious, and with some modification is approved by the author. When a course was served at "Munching Lunches," the manager of the ceremony employed a stop watch to time the treatment of the first morsel of food taken by each of the guests. Five minutes was prescribed for consideration of the morsel. It was an extravagantly long delay over any one morsel, but it set the pace of deliberation, and time, under the circumstances of a social function, was not a matter of moment. A five minute, or even a one minute consideration of a morsel of delicious food, tends to give a new appreciation of its taste value and suggests more careful enjoyment than is usual when nervous conversation is the main business of a meal and food is a mere accompaniment. Industrious munching performs about one hundred acts of mastication to the minute, and from twelve to fifteen mouthfuls of ordinary food is sufficient to satisfy completely a hearty appetite. Tender or well-prepared or well-cooked food is fully treated by munching for natural swallowing in even much less time than a minute. The necessary time ranges from one-twentieth to one-fifth of a minute, or ordinary food is reduced so as to excite the natural Swallowing Impulse by from five to twenty masticatory acts; and this applies equally to the tasting movements required by sapid liquids. Hard or coarse breads, and even potato, may require more attention and longer time, and deficiency of saliva delays the process; but it is a very refractory food that will require more than half a minute to the ordinary mouthful. Small sips and small mouthfuls demand less proportionate time, so that the actual time necessary to satisfy a good appetite does not exceed twelve or fifteen or at most twenty minutes when the secretion of saliva is ample, as in the case of _real_ hunger; but the enjoyment of taste does not stop short with the actual cessation of the psychological sensation. The memory of taste continues after the actual sensibility has ceased, and one of the most agreeable compensations of a meal is enjoyed in the form of _complete satisfaction_ following the act of eating. It is a very different and a very much more agreeable sensation than that attending a distended stomach, and must be felt and understood to be fully appreciated. "Munching Party Functions," then, reveal more possible pleasure and benefit than the mere tickling of the palate, so-called, and diffuse their benefits to cover the mechanical act and a long-continued feeling of satisfaction that is more subtly pleasing than the immediate physiological cause of the contentment. The "Munching Party" scheme of education and enjoyment has been carried to America, and has received the name of the "Chewing Fad." As such it has been cartooned in the newspapers, but in no matter what form the suggestion is spread it can do only good. Appreciation of the suggestion has been generously expressed in the letters of Dr. Kellogg of the great Battle Creek Sanitarium and by Dr. Dewey, the author of the "No Breakfast Plan," as well as by the author's intimate colleagues, Drs. Van Someren and Higgins, of Venice, Italy. There are many physicians from whom the author has heard report, and perhaps thousands who have not yet been heard from, who are conveying the slow-eating and appreciative-attention suggestions to their patients; and as the reform in dietetic _technique_ has sprung up since the publication of the booklets of the author--"What Sense? or, Economic Nutrition," and "Nature's Food Filter; or, What and When to Swallow," which were afterwards coupled together under the title of "Glutton or Epicure"--he has good reason to suppose that the spread of the idea originated with the publication of his discovery even where the personal influence had not been given direct. While visiting recently in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the author met a distinguished professor of Harvard University who had been suffering from nervous prostration. He had spent some time in Europe consulting the most eminent neurologists, but with little or no relief. On his return to the United States he was advised to go to a sanitarium in Bethel, Me., under the direction of Dr. Gehring, where effective cures of cases of nervous prostration have been performed. The professor was given "Menticulture" and "Glutton or Epicure" to read, and was recommended to practise the advice of the books in connection with his treatment. These two books are an account of the way the author promoted his own salvation from the uncertainty relative to physical health and mental control, and it is by these means that the psychic, mechanical, and chemical necessities of nutrition are satisfied. The author spent an hour with Dr. Alexander Haig, of London, while undergoing the Cambridge University Examination reported upon by Sir Michael Foster, and exhaustively argued the claims of thorough mouth treatment of nutriment to that distinguished dietetic specialist. The argument met with much incredulity, as has been the case in all first presentations of the idea. Dr. Haig pronounced the appeal to even a normalised appetite dangerous, and clung to the prescription theory of regulating food. He seems, however, to have since learned the efficacy of munching and tasting in assisting the empirical prescription method, and now recommends it as enthusiastically as do Drs. Van Someren, Higgins, Kellogg, and Dewey. He has even sent patients to a resort in the country in England to acquire the habit of munching where there was present in them the strong pernicious habit of nervous haste and inattention in connection with their ingestion of food. This is bound to be the case with physicians where the subject is given attention and the method is accorded a fair trial without lapses. Credit for the origination of the suggestion is here taken to increase the effectiveness of the claims presented in the "A. B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition" and in this book. Readers are recommended not to imitate the prevalent error of thinking that so simple a suggestion is not important or otherwise scientists would have proclaimed it long before now. The ancient hypotheses of text-book physiology were mainly based upon the study of nutrition, beginning in the stomach, and after the danger of indigestion had been forced upon the alimentary system; and hence they often dealt with confused, abnormal, and pathologic conditions, and they rarely had opportunity to observe the normal condition intended by Nature. Professor Pawlow, of St. Petersburg, confirmed the necessity of a right psychic environment; Dr. Cannon, of the Harvard Medical School, showed the influence of mechanical thoroughness and nervous shock upon digestion; and Dr. Harry Campbell, of London, explained the mechanical and salival efficacy of mastication in procuring good assimilation of nutriment and an economic nutrition. The work of Professor Pawlow and Dr. Cannon was independent scientific research, and so was that of Dr. Campbell; but the latter was undoubtedly suggested or stimulated by Dr. Van Someren's presentment of his paper to the British Medical Association. The investigations of Sir Michael Foster, Professor Chittenden, Drs. Higgins, Kellogg, and Dewey were directly inspired by the author in connection with his Venetian colleague, Dr. Ernest Van Someren. The papers, reports, articles, and lectures of these authorities are given in the "A. B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition," and are repeatedly mentioned in this volume because this book is revised and reissued as an extended explanatory companion of the larger scientific presentation. In pursuit of true menticulture the personality of the individual should be completely suppressed. He becomes the agent of his inspirations, his revelations, or his altruistic convictions, and as such speaks for the ideas presented, and in no immodest spirit of vain egotism. In descending from the plane of high literary propriety to impress by simile and analogy, the object foremost in mind is to attract a variety of sympathies. The author reveres the dignified in art and in demeanour, and deplores the necessity of personal association to spread the merits of what he believes to be fundamental truths of the philosophy of true living. But so strong is the conviction of the author that he possesses fundamental truths which have been overlooked in the rapid progress of the race in the luxuries of living, that where it is seemingly desirable to employ unusual means to attract attention he feels compelled to do so. SPECIMEN ECONOMIC DINNER IN A SUMPTUOUS MODERN AMERICAN HOTEL The author was invited to dine with some friends one evening in summer at a hotel in New York, and the invitation concluded with "Menu _à la_ Fletcher." The dinner was to be served in the sitting-room of my host, and when I arrived had not yet been ordered. "You must order the dinner for us," said my host, "and we will agree to your selection." "But I cannot order for any one but myself," said I in reply. "The chief contention I make for natural nutrition is that the appetite is the only true indication of the bodily need, and you must interpret your own appetite both as to estimated quantity required and the sort of food craved." After some discussion I agreed to stand as go-between and take the symptoms of appetite from each and give the order. The waiter was standing by with pencil in hand and urged a number of expensive dishes that were the specialties of the day. I asked him to "be quiet, please, and let us make our own selection." I first placed the bill of fare in the hands of the daughter of my host and asked her to name the first thing that came into her mind in connection with the order. She replied, "Baked potatoes and--" "Stop," said I; "baked potatoes it is; now it is your turn to choose, R----. What comes first to your mind?" "Green corn," was the answer. "Very well, waiter; one order of baked potatoes, one order of green corn, and a lemon ice. Bring these and we will order more if we require." The waiter hesitated and was about to protest something when I stopped him with the assurance that the order given was all that we would specify at first, and that if the service was unusual and caused trouble we would submit to an extra service charge to square accounts. While the order was being filled there was considerable funmaking, but I would give no explanations. The waiter returned shortly with the order as given, and it was laid out to the accompaniment of a complete dinner utensil service. I asked the young lady to please prepare one of the potatoes in the way she liked best, and this was done by taking the mealy heart out of the jacket and mixing it with butter, salt, and pepper to taste. In the meantime the father had taken an ear of corn and was prepared to enjoy it in response to his appetite the same as he would if he were in the woods with a lumberman's appetite and only corn to be had. The large glass of lemon ice was then placed between us as a "centrepiece." "Aren't you going to take your ice now?" queried the young lady. "Not now," replied I. "I must attend to your method of taking your potato to see that you do it economic justice, and I must see that your father does not waste any of that delicious corn. Now, Mary, let me see how much good you can munch out of your first mouthful. Do not swallow any of it until it is actually sucked up by the Swallowing Impulse, and when that happens you will note that only a portion of it is taken and the rest will naturally return to the front of the mouth, if you do not restrain it, and will still be a delicious liquid most agreeable to taste." This happened as suggested, and there were three distinct swallowing acts before the last of the mouthful had disappeared in response to the Swallowing Impulse. "My! but I never realised that potato was so good," exclaimed the young lady; and "Gracious! isn't this corn bully!" echoed the father. "Good!" added I. "If that is true of the first mouthful, I think you will find it true of the other mouthfuls until your appetite for potato and corn is satisfied; and as long as your appetites hold good for them, you are being nourished as your body-needs require." With the slow eating, the appetite of each for the chosen food was soon quieted; one, we will say for illustration of the principle, with a single potato and the other with a single ear of corn. "I think I should relish a little of your second potato if you are not going to take it," said the father, addressing his daughter; and she replied, "Your corn seems nice, father; may I have your second ear in exchange for my potato?" This was agreeable to each, and each partook somewhat of the other's original selection until the appetite of each was so completely satisfied that neither could more than taste a little of my lemon ice as a final delicacy; and as I did not want all of it, the one order sufficed for us. I had breakfasted quite heartily at one o'clock in the afternoon, after having written several thousand words of correspondence, and really wanted but half the generous portion of ice that had been brought. I had ordered it set into ice-water, after placing it ceremonially as a centrepiece, and it had kept its icy consistency waiting for what I thought was likely to happen. Both my host and my hostess declared that they had never enjoyed a summer evening meal more, and yet all that was ordered was not consumed, while the cost, for the three, was less than a dollar for the food alone. The method employed to interpret appetite was a revelation to my friends. They were accustomed to ordering several courses for each person, although they thought they were "small eaters" and economic feeders. Had they ordered for us three without my assistance, the dinner would not have cost less than four or five dollars, and with a plethora of food on the table all would have felt it necessary to eat as much as possible, in order to get value received. The above, as related, was an actual happening, but it in no way indicates what another _trio_ would have ordered in response to their appetites. That is immaterial. The principle of consulting the leanings of appetite is the thing of first importance, and giving appetite a chance to naturally discriminate is the second natural requirement. Had the weather been cooler, and had the appetite earned been like that of a labouring man, more food and more variety might have been required to satisfy appetite, and hence the needs of the body. In that case, after plying the appetite to repletion on the first dish ordered, a second or a third could easily have been added. With this principle of learning the real demands of appetite, any number of combinations can be had for variety. In summer, with light physical exercise, very little proteid-bearing food is needed; but in winter, with vigorous exercise or hard physical labour, the appetite will crave foods that have proteid and fat whether one knows what proteid is or the difference between carbohydrate elements and fat. Any empirical idea of the possible elemental requirements is likely to lead to false suggestion and do harm. It is difficult to stand by and let Nature do the ordering if there is too much elemental intelligence, and that is where the animals, when allowed free choice of food, get on better with their nutrition than man himself, and man's only protection is to carefully heed the delicate discrimination of appetite. This is not a difficult thing to do, for appetite can be easily satisfied within a small range of simple foods. With any desired variety of sumptuous food to choose from, and no restraint from any cause whatever, the author fed himself nine-tenths of the time during the examination at Yale University, in cold winter weather, on griddle cakes well buttered and accompanied with an abundance of maple syrup. Occasionally more proteid would be demanded,--say once a week, or once in five days,--and then baked beans was the preferential choice. I am now relating the experiences of a student of hygienic epicureanism and am not considering money economy alone. Were mental or even physical improvement in efficiency to be purchased at high prices, and lack of efficiency could be had for nothing, the high-priced article would be well worth its cost, no matter what it might be, for the reason that total lack of efficiency is equivalent to death and any proportionate lack is the next thing to death. Hence it is not a money economic reform that is being advocated, and this must be borne in mind. When I am in New York I very often take a room at the Waldorf-Astoria because it has become, by common consent, the suburban and country business and social clearing house of the whole United States; and hence, coming from Europe periodically as I do, and always anxious to meet old friends from San Francisco, New Orleans, Boston, Washington, the great cities of the Middle West, or elsewhere, it is more easily accomplished by camping at the Waldorf than in any other way. I cannot be a profitable guest of this or any hotel kept on the European plan, but I try to make up for this deficiency in other ways. Just across Sixth Avenue from the Waldorf, on Thirty-Fourth Street, is one of the most pretentious of the so-called "dairy lunches." In these places good, appetising, wholesome food is served quickly and in _decently small portions_. For this very reason alone, I _prefer_ the crowd and the noise of the dairy lunch to the quiet and the luxury of the Waldorf café or dining-room. One would not object to paying a larger price at the more quiet place of service, but prodigality seems to be the present great American sin. Were it a mere waste of money or even of the food, it would not be worthy of great discussion; for when the fool and his money are parted the laugh is on him with no grain of sympathy, and there already being a great surplus of food in the land, there is no fear of famine. But with this prodigality prevalent, so that to have a decent variety one must have put before him enough for a family, the temptation to grossly overeat is great and the abuse is criminal. It is the hope of the author that some enterprising Boldt will inaugurate an epicurean service and charge well enough for it to pay for the trouble, or better yet, in proportion to the quantity wanted. In this regard the poor do not suffer directly, but the example of the rich is the perverter of the poor in many ways, and surely in this item of dietetic abuse. When it comes to quantities of food to be prescribed, the author avoids giving even suggestions. This has been the trouble with the past attempts at reform. Had Luigi Cornaro told us in his autobiography the manner of taking his food with other particulars, instead of giving alone a maximum weight to which he limited himself, he might have saved the world three hundred years of uncertainty and confusion. His twelve ounces of solid food and fourteen ounces of new wine (fresh grape juice) means little. The solid food might have been almost water free or might have contained 50 per cent of moisture. The new wine contained a trifle of sugar and probably more than 95 per cent of water and supplied moisture to the body instead of water. During the Yale tests reported elsewhere, and more fully in the "A. B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition," the daily ration did not exceed the reported amount of Cornaro, even with the most generous allowance for moisture. I have steadily refused to prescribe by weight or quantity or to suggest the best kinds of foods for any one, but there are so many questions arising from the publicity already given by the Yale experiment, that it will do no harm to give some outline. DIET IN THE YALE EXAMINATION OF THE AUTHOR In the first place the selection of food for this test is no basis of general choice. The analysis of food for its elemental molecule values, and for its heat content, is a very difficult thing to do and takes much time; hence to bring a large variety into a diet during a test would entail enormous labour on the laboratory staff. Knowing this difficulty, when I was requested to choose something which would entirely satisfy my sense of taste gratification so as to best stimulate the flow of the digestive juices, I chose a cereal with a known content value. That is to say, I fed from different brands of cereals, the content value of which was known. A quart of fresh milk a day furnished the moisture required, and was not every day entirely consumed. Maple sugar was the most variable ingredient of the diet in regard to quantity. Of the milk I took nearly or quite one quart each day, of the cereal I averaged about 150 grams, or say 5 ounces, and the demand for the sugar varied from 150 grams to 200 grams, or say 5-7 ounces. This food was taken in at two meals daily,--12-1 and 6-7 P.M.,--and the time required in taking was 12-14 minutes to the meal, including any delay necessitated in taking notes and in weighing the food. These delays were inconsiderable, however, as facilities for weighing and taking notes were perfected and their use well accustomed by the subject. The 26-28 minutes per day, then, may be set down as the careful but industrious eating time required to satisfy the waste and appetite of a man doing 'Varsity Crew work, as reported by Dr. Anderson and Professor Chittenden. The activity outside the prescribed gymnasium exercises and any supplementary work consisted of awaking very early in the morning and doing considerable writing upon my typewriter. The agitation of this nutrition investigation has involved an immense amount of correspondence to keep the interest stimulated, and for the exchange of information between the interested parties; hence in addition to serving as test-subject, there was always much else to do to keep from getting hopelessly behind in the work. The writing began anywhere from four to six in the morning in winter, which was the season of the test, and continued until about seven or eight, when the exercises were commenced and continued until finished. Meantime the mail of the morning had come in and frequently demanded immediate attention, which used up the time until between twelve and one o'clock, when a first-class appetite had been earned (no craving of hunger or "all-goneness" in the common form due to the persistence of habit hunger), and this insured a keen appreciation of taste and fulfilled all the requirements of a healthy digestion. The afternoon was always busy, sometimes with a lengthy walk around town, or a game of billiards when the weather discouraged outside work. The evenings were strenuous or restful, and were usually employed with conversation, reading, or a lecture. Fortunately the simple food selected continued to be agreeable to the end, and cost an average of only eleven cents per day. When it was given up to accommodate the service furnished by social meals it was missed, the habit of supply having become somewhat fixed and expected by appetite. In London, in search of the lowest possible economy, the author has subsisted on about half the cost of the Yale supply; and it is entirely possible to those needing strictest economy. INFLUENCE OF SUGGESTION A friend of the author, who is an enthusiast in regard to the profitableness of an economic nutrition in assisting the strenuous life, went to lunch with a generous host in New York the other day, when the following conversation about the lunch to be ordered was heard. It partook of Wall-Street brevity, which is thought to be necessary in the rush of a midday snack or meal. "What will you have? What! only a baked potato and a bottle of ginger ale? All right for a starter; but what are you really going to have? Nothing more! what is the matter with you? Come, now; tell me what you want for lunch? Stocks are badly off, but I haven't reached the starvation point yet. Don't treat me like that when I'm trying to treat you right and white. Brace up, old man, and have something to eat." The intermediate replies can be imagined as in an overheard telephone conversation. The host ordered for himself, as usual, a portion of tongue and a generous garniture of side dishes, and watched his guest with amused tolerance. The lunch proceeded, interlarded with talk about topics of mutual interest, and when a final halt was called the host had not taken more than one-quarter of his cold tongue and very sparingly of the accompanying side dishes. The guest had finished one of his baked potatoes, and had sipped his ginger ale enjoyingly, but had not taken more than half of the pint ordered. The appetites of both host and guest were amply satisfied, but without any of the heaviness which follows an unrestrained "hearty" meal. In tones of surprise the one-sided conversation, relative to the strangeness of the proceeding, continued as follows: "Well, I'll be switched! How in Wall Street did that happen! I haven't eaten half my usual lunch, and yet I have killed my appetite deader than the Ship Building Trust. I'm blessed if I can understand it. The blamed thing is uncanny. I don't believe it's true, but I'm satisfied all right even if I am hypnotised. Come and lunch with me every day. You're engaged as a regular companion boarder, and Freddie will pay the freight. You're cheaper than nobody. Come again! Come again!! Come always!!!" The above is not an unusual case. The personal influence of the author and of his active colleagues has been visibly noted among parties where there was no sympathy with the "starving fad," and where there was even stubborn opposition to the thought of such a thing. But these same groups of non-interested objectors have visibly decreased their accustomed lunches and dinners, and some of them have found that a cup of coffee and a roll, the same as is habitually taken in Europe, outside England, serves as a breakfast better than the full meat affair formerly taken. They persist in declaring that they are not influenced by the chewing suggestion, but they show signs of _some_ restraining influence, and observation reveals that in such groups the common annual and quarterly attacks of illness are less frequently or less severely suffered. There is no doubt that Luigi Cornaro gave appreciative attention to his four three-ounce meals a day, and in giving attention properly insalivated his food. The inference is warranted. A man full of vigour and health and constructive energy such as Cornaro reports that he had in unusual abundance is not likely to confront a three-ounce ration of delicious food and proceed to bolt it as a dog bolts a piece of stolen meat. It is a matter of easy observation that a child given a single piece of sugar or sweet in any form will make it last as long as possible and get all of the taste out of it by most ingenious conservation; but the same child, if offered a box of "goodies" as it is passed around, or whenever the time given for possession of its contents is limited, will show the greed of a predatory or hunted or habitually maltreated animal and will not only grab as much as possible but will cram all possible into his stomach to satisfy the sense of greed, and then usually suffers the consequences of the double sin in the sickening re-taste of the gases of indigestion. Cornaro undoubtedly made his three-ounce meals last as long as possible in order to enjoy the maximum of taste, and in so doing satisfied the natural requirements of appreciative attention and thorough insalivation. In like manner two small tumblers of the fresh grape juice (new wine--fourteen ounces), which he took as his sapid liquid in the course of a day in connection with his four meals, would allow only a sherry glass quantity to each meal, and with such a limited supply a person is not likely to toss off the liquid in great gulps as water is drunk to satisfy thirst, but it rather would be enjoyed as the wine-tasters enjoy wine, by their sipping practice, in pursuit of their profession. The influence of visible supply or of passing or permanent opportunity of possession is a most powerful suggestion in the cultivation of economy or prodigality, of greed or moderation, of healthy nouriture or plethoric indigestion. Man was constructed and intended to hunt his food among the grains, nuts, roots, and other fruits of earth, and in hunting food to earn a keen appetite. He found his food scattered and ate it as he found it, with the true appreciation that difficulty of possession gives. In the primitive state the requirements of natural digestion are safeguarded; but with a plethora of food cooked and spiced and furnished with superfacilities for ingestion, the natural protection of difficulty is removed, and the victims of the luxury drop unconsciously into habits of abuse, like the overeating of to-day. In order to escape the surrounding temptations it is necessary to have always in mind protective counter-suggestions which intelligently make use of the abundant and easy supply but limit the intake to the needs of the body as expressed by appetite when permitted to discriminate in its natural deliberate manner, and which only keeps pace with the natural dissipation of taste in the process of requisite insalivation. The chewing practice is but a means to this natural end, but it is a most important means, the same now as when teeth were used instead of patent grinders, and when taste took the place of spices and sauces and manufactured its own delights by the chemical action of saliva. Among the Zuni Indians, observed by even recent travellers, it is the custom of the young girls of the _pueblos_ to masticate wheat up to a given point of sweetness of taste and then to withdraw it from the mouth and collect it in a wooden dish until a sufficient quantity is secured, when the jaw-ground and saliva-sweetened "mess" is baked in the sun or by fire and becomes the "sweet cake" of the family. The change of the starch of the wheat or corn into sugary dextrose by the action of saliva, which is necessary to be done somewhere in the alimentary canal before it is assimilable nutriment, gives the sweet-cake quality to the food which is the dietary delicacy of these primitive people. By proper insalivation we perform the delectable service for ourselves instead of having it done for us by good young teeth aided by healthy saliva furnished by beautiful feminine assistance. "FLETCHERISING" FOOD WHAT IT REALLY MEANS The term "Fletcherising," or "Fletcherizing," as applied to food has come into use without the suggestion of the nominee to a new filtering fame, and promises to spread; hence it is well to explain just what the term means. Under the so-called "Fletcherizing" process, the mouth becomes a filter with most facile appliances for protecting the delicate alimentary canal from straining and poisoning. Instead of the "Pasteur Filter" for the purification of water and the "pasteurisation" of foods by sterilisation, the "Fletcher Filter" both separates and prepares whatever is given it to treat more perfectly than any mechanical or chemical device can do. Dr. Kellogg appears in evidence often in this volume, and also with much appreciated strength of indorsement in the "A. B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition"; but it is because he knows the value of the discovery of the natural food filter, has enormous chance to test it practically, and generously assists the reform with the might of his conviction. Hence the author has still another letter of his in hand from which to quote. "BATTLE CREEK, MICH., Oct 26, 1903. "MR. HORACE FLETCHER, NEW YORK. "DEAR FRIEND:--I have yours of October 4th. I should have answered it before, but have been away from home. "I appreciate very much your offer to send me a memorandum of the work done in Cambridge, also a plan of the work at Yale. You have had a most interesting experience with eminent physiologists, and it has led you deep into the question of nutrition. I shall appreciate very much suggestions from you with reference to subjects for experimental work, and other suggestions which may occur to you respecting the methods, etc. I am sure your wide experience will be a great help to us. The more I test your ideas the more confidence I have in them. "What you say about the wonderful effect of mastication is certainly correct. I observed it right away as soon as I began to practise _Fletcherizing_. By the way, I wrote an article for the last number of my journal, GOOD HEALTH, about "Fletcherizing" food, and I see our colleagues are already taking it up. One of my most able associates, Dr. J. A. Read, who has charge of our sanitarium in Philadelphia, gave a lecture last Thursday night to his patients on "Fletcherizing" food, and his audience was greatly interested. I am sure you deserve to have your name immortalised, as Pasteur's has been. I mention "Fletcherizing" in almost every lecture I give to our patients. I think most of our patients are "Fletcherizing" and are getting great good from it, also a large proportion of our six hundred nurses and other employees. "Awaiting a letter of suggestions at your convenience, I remain, "As ever your friend, "(Signed) J. H. KELLOGG." "Fletcherizing" does not consist only and merely of careful chewing. Careful chewing, with cheerful attention, will secure the comminution, insalivation, and all necessary chemical preparation for perfect digestion, and will separate hard and indigestible matter from the food mass put into the mouth for treatment; but it is the whole environment of the act which counts the best results. Cheerfulness is as important as chewing; and if persons cannot be cheerful during a meal they had better not eat. Not eating will not hurt them in the least, but lack of cheerfulness will defeat the object of the meal by causing more or less indigestion; and hence it not only _does no good to eat when not cheerful, but actually does harm_. Haste and lack of cheerfulness are about the same in effect on digestion. You have no idea how much real nutriment you can get into your system in five minutes if you are industrious with your munching and are cheerful about it; so don't hurry when you have full ten minutes, or perhaps twenty minutes, for taking nourishment. You cannot go faster than Nature will let you, and it is profitable to study Nature and watch her constantly for her proper cue. Don't try to get ahead of her or you may sink in mud or into deep water. Hence the author begs of those who heed his suggestions, especially if they give them his name, to respect them in all their essentials. Don't chew anything when you are mad or when you are sad, but only when you are glad that you are alive and glad that you have the appetite of a live person and one that is well earned. That is as much a part of the "Fletcherizing" process as munching, and one should never forget it. So, please, when you "Fletcherize," if you "Fletcherize" at all, do it well and completely and do not half do it and then condemn the method. The method is all right, notwithstanding the name which has been attached to it, for it is simply Nature's method. Explanation of The A. B. C. Life Series THE ESSENTIALS AND SEQUENCE IN LIFE It would seem a considerable departure from the study of menticulture as advised in the author's book, "Menticulture," to jump at once to an investigation of the physiology and psychology of nutrition of the body and then over to the department of infant and child care and education as pursued in the _crêche_ and in the kindergarten; but as a matter of fact, if study of the causation of human disabilities and misfortunes is attempted at all, the quest leads naturally into all the departments of human interest, and first into these primary departments. The object of this statement is to link up the different publications of the writer into a chain of consistent suggestions intended to make life a more simple and agreeable problem than many of us too indifferent or otherwise inefficient and bad fellow-citizens make of it. It is not an altogether unselfish effort on the part of the author of the A. B. C. Life Series to publish his findings. In the consideration of his own mental and physical happiness it is impossible to leave out environment, and all the units of humanity who inhabit the world are part of his and of each other's environment. It would be rank presumption for any person, even though gifted with the means to circulate his suggestions as widely as possible, and armed with the power to compel the reading of his publications, to think that any suggestions of his could influence any considerable number of his fellow-citizens of the world, or even of his own immediate neighbourhood, to accept or follow his advice relative to the management of their lives and of their communal and national affairs; but while the general and complete good of humanity should be aimed at in all publications, one's immediate neighbours and friends come first, and the wave of influence spreads according to the effectiveness of the ideas suggested in doing good; that is, in altering the point of view and conduct of people so as to make them a better sympathetic environment. For instance, the children of your neighbours are likely to be the playmates of your own children, and the children of degenerate parents in the slum district of your city will possibly be the fellow-citizen partners of your own family. Again, when it is known that right or wrong nutrition of the body is the most important agent in forming character, in establishing predisposition to temperance or intemperance of living, including the desire for intoxicating stimulants, it is revealed to one that right nutrition of the community as a whole is an important factor in his own environment, as is self-care in the case of his own nourishment. The moment a student of every-day philosophy starts the study of problems from the A. B. C. beginning of things, and to shape his study according to an A. B. C. sequence, each cause of inharmony is at once traced back to its first expression in himself and then to causes influenced by his environments. If we find that the largest influences for good or bad originate with the right or wrong instruction of children during the home training or kindergarten period of their development, and that a dollar expended for education at that time is worth more for good than whole bancs of courts and whole armies of police to correct the effect of bad training and bad character later in life, it is quite logical to help promote the spread of the kindergarten or the kindergarten idea to include all of the children born into the world, and to furnish mothers and kindergarten teachers with knowledge relative to the right nutrition of their wards which they can themselves understand and can teach effectively to children. If we also find that the influence of the kindergarten upon the parents of the infants is more potent than any other which can be brought to bear upon them, we see clearly that the way to secure the widest reform in the most thorough manner is to concentrate attention upon the kindergarten phase of education, advocate its extension to include even the last one of the children, beginning with the most needy first, and extending the care outward from the centre of worst neglect to finally reach the whole. Experience in child saving so-called, and in child education on the kindergarten principle, has taught the cheapest and the most profitable way to insure an environment of good neighbours and profit-earning citizens; and investigation into the problem of human alimentation shows that a knowledge of the elements of an economic nutrition is the first essential of a family or school training; and also that this is most impressive when taught during the first ten years of life. One cannot completely succeed in the study of menticulture from its A. B. C. beginning and in A. B. C. sequence without appreciation of the interrelation of the physical and the mental, the personal and the social, in attaining a complete mastery of the subject. The author of the A. B. C. Life Series has pursued his study of the philosophy of life in experiences which have covered a great variety of occupations in many different parts of the world and among peoples of many different nations and races. His first book, "Menticulture," dealt with purging the mind and habits of sundry weaknesses and deterrents which have possession of people in general in some degree. He recognised the depressing effect of anger and worry and other phases of _fearthought_. In the book "Happiness," which followed next in order, _fearthought_ was shown to be the unprofitable element of forethought. The influence of environment on each individual was revealed as an important factor of happiness, or the reverse, by means of an accidental encounter with a neglected waif in the busy streets of Chicago during a period of intense national excitement incident to the war with Spain, and this led to the publication of "That Last Waif; or, Social Quarantine." During the time that this last book was being written, attention to the importance of right nutrition was invited by personal disabilities, and the experiments described in "Glutton or Epicure; or, Economic Nutrition" were begun and have continued until now. In the study of the latter, but most important factor in profitable living, circumstances have greatly favoured the author, as related in his latest book, "The A. B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition." The almost phenomenal circulation of "Menticulture" for a book of its kind, and a somewhat smaller interest in the books on nutrition and the appeal for better care of the waifs of society, showed that most persons wished, like the author, to find a short cut to happiness by means of indifference to environment, both internal and external, while habitually sinning against the physiological dietetic requirements of Nature. In smothering worry and guarding against anger the psychic assistance of digestion was stimulated and some better results were thereby obtained, but not the best attainable results. Living is easy and life may be made constantly happy by beginning right; and the right beginning is none other than the careful feeding of the body. This done there is an enormous reserve of energy, a naturally optimistic train of thought, a charitable attitude towards everybody, and a loving appreciation of everything that God has made. Morbidity of temperament will disappear from an organism that is economically and rightly nourished, and death will cease to have any terrors for such; and as _fear_ of death is the worst depressant known, many of the _worries_ of existence take their everlasting flight from the atmosphere of the rightly nourished. The wide interest now prevalent in the subjects treated in The A. B. C. Life Series is evidenced by the scientific, military, and lay activity, in connection with the experiments at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University and elsewhere, as related in the "A. B.-Z. of Our Own Nutrition" and in "The New Glutton or Epicure" of the series. The general application is more fully shown, however, by the indorsement of the great Battle Creek Sanitarium, which practically studies all phases of the subject, from health conservation and child saving to general missionary work in social reform. HORACE FLETCHER. Instructions Issued by the United States Army Medical Department For the Students of the Army Medical Schools METHOD OF ATTAINING ECONOMIC ASSIMILATION OF NUTRIMENT AND IMMUNITY FROM DISEASE, MUSCULAR SORENESS, AND FATIGUE 1. Feed only when a distinct appetite has been earned. 2. Masticate all solid food until it is completely liquefied and excites in an irresistible manner the swallowing reflex or swallowing impulse. 3. Attention to the act of mastication and insalivation, and appreciation of the taste thereby secured, are necessary, meantime, to excite the flow of gastric juice into the stomach to meet the food, as demonstrated by Pawlow. 4. Strict attention to these two particulars will fulfil the requirements of Nature relative to the preparation of the food for digestion and assimilation; and this being faithfully done, the automatic processes of digestion and assimilation will proceed most profitably and will result in discarding very little digestion-ash (fæces) to encumber the intestines or to compel excessive draft upon the bodily energy for excretion. 5. The evidence of this economy is observed in the small amount of excreta and its peculiar, inoffensive character, showing escape from putrid bacterial digestion such as brings indol and skatol into evidence offensively. 6. When the digestion and assimilation has been normally economic the digestion-ash should be formed into little balls ranging in size from a pea to a so-called Queen Olive, according to the food taken, should be quite dry, and have only the odour of moist clay or a hot biscuit. This inoffensive character remains indefinitely after excretion until the ash completely dries or disintegrates like rotten stone or wood. 7. The weight of the digestive-ash should range (moist) from 10 grams a day to not more than 40-50 grams a day, according to the food; the latter estimate being based on a vegetarian diet and may not call for excretion for many days (3 to 8); infrequency indicating best conditions. The aseptic condition of the excreta renders retention in the intestines quite harmless and gives opportunity for perfect assimilation of the nutriment. 8. Fruits may hasten peristalsis, but not necessarily, if they are thoroughly treated in the mouth as sapid liquids rather than as solids, and are insalivated, sipped, tasted, into absorption in the same way wine tasters test and take wine and tea tasters test tea. The latter spit out the tea after tasting, as otherwise it vitiates their taste and ruins them for their discriminating profession. 9. Milk, soups, wines, beer, and all sapid liquids or semi-solids should be treated in this manner for the best assimilation and digestion as well as for the best gustatory results. The care recommended will reduce the quantity tolerable by the appetite and lead to habits of healthy temperance, but secures maximum satisfaction. 10. This would seem to entail a great deal of care and bother and lead to the waste of time. 11. Such, however, is not the case. To restore the natural protective reflexes in the beginning does require strict attention and persistent care to overcome life-long habits of nervous haste, but if the attack is earnest the habits of mouth-treatment and appetite discrimination soon become fixed and guide the deliberation in taking food unconsciously to the feeder. 12. Food of a proteid value of 5-7 grams of nitrogen and 1500-2000 k. calories of fuel value, paying strict attention to the appetite for selection and carefully treated in the mouth, has been found to be the quantity best suited to metabolic economy and efficiency of both mind and body in sedentary pursuits and ordinary business activity; and, also, such habits of economy have given practical immunity from the common diseases for a period extending over more than five years, whereas the same subject was formerly subject to periodical illness. The same economy and immunity have shown themselves consistently in the cases of many test subjects, covering periods of three years, and applies equally to both sexes, all ages, and other idiosyncratic conditions. 13. The time necessary for satisfying complete body needs and appetite daily, when the habit of attention, appreciation, and deliberation have been installed, is less than half an hour, no matter how divided as to number of rations. This necessitates industry of mastication, to be sure, and will not admit of waste of much time between mouthfuls. 14. Ten minutes will completely satisfy a ravenous appetite if all conditions of ingestion and preparation are favourable. 15. Both quantitive and qualitive supply of saliva is an important factor in buccal (mouth) preparation of nutriment, but attention to these fundamental requirements soon regulates the supply of all of the digestive juices, and, in connection with the care recommended above, insures economy of nutrition, and, probably, immunity from disease. (Signed) HORACE FLETCHER. * * * * * Transcriber's Notes Typographical errors have been silently corrected and hyphenation standardised. Variations in spelling and punctuation are as in the original. In order to minimise the width, full stops have been removed from the headings of the table on page 29. The following alterations have been made: Pages 49 and 120 Preceeding corrected to preceding. Page 66 United Army changed to United States Army. Page 138 Replaceing corrected. Italics are represented thus, _italic_. 43943 ---- Transcribers Note: -Bold text is noted with = tags A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE-BOOK to Natural Hygienic and Humane Diet By SIDNEY H. BEARD, _(Editor of "The Herald of the Golden Age.")_ SEVENTH EDITION. (Fortieth Thousand.) PRICE TWO SHILLINGS (50 cents net.) THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN AGE, 153, 155, Brompton Rd., London, S.W. London Agent--R. J. James, 10, 11, 12 Ivy Lane, E.C. COPYRIGHT BY SIDNEY H. BEARD. _All rights reserved._ DEDICATION. To all God's Sons and Daughters of Compassion, who are striving to lessen the travail and pain of the sentient creation, and to establish upon Earth the "King's Peace." "There hath been slaughter for the sacrifice And slaying for the meat, but henceforth none Shall spill the blood of life, nor taste of flesh; Seeing that knowledge grows, and life is one, And Mercy cometh to the merciful." =CONTENTS.= The True Ideal in Diet 13 A Plea for the Simple Life 22 A Plea for Moderation 26 Artistic Cookery 28 What to do when Travelling 32 Advice for Beginners 36 Commercial Dietetic Inventions 38 How to Regulate our Diet 41 A Simple Food-Chart 45 A Table of Food Values 46 Vegetarian Soups 48 Substitutes for Fish 55 Substitutes for Meat Dishes 58 Simple Savoury Dishes 69 Cold Luncheon Dishes 86 Gravies and Sauces 94 Puddings and Sweets 99 Bread and Cakes 112 Summer and Winter Drinks 117 How to Feed Invalids 119 What to do at Christmas 126 Breakfast, Luncheon and Dinner Menus 128 Hints to Housekeepers 131 Unfired and Vital Foods 133 Some Suggestive Menus 135 Useful Domestic Information 137 Scientific Cooking of Vegetables 140 Labour-Saving Appliances 144 Medicinal and Dietetic Qualities of Foods 146 Hygienic Information 152 How to accumulate Physical Vitality 155 For Synopsis of Recipes, see next page. (Index, 159.) SYNOPSIS OF RECIPES. =Breakfast Dishes=, 81, 82, 84, 86 to 88, 98, 104, 105, 113, 116, 122, 128, 144, 145, 150, 152, 154. =Cold Luncheon Dishes=, 131 to 156. =Hot Luncheon Dishes=, 66 to 130. =Recipes for Cottage Dinners=, 39, 49, 54, 55 to 57, 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69 to 79, 81 to 83, 87, 90, 101, 102, 106 to 112, 119 to 122, 124, 125, 130, 144 to 153. =Recipes for Household Dinners=, 1 to 130, 157 to 224. =Recipes for Soups=, 1 to 23. =Picnic Recipes=, 131 to 156. =Recipes for Invalids=, 1 to 23, 66 to 130, 233 to 249. =Recipes for Travellers=, 142 to 148, 150 to 152. =Simple Supper Dishes=, 66 to 77, 79 to 84, 86 to 88, 90 to 98, 100, 101, 104, 105, 107 to 111, 116 to 118, 120 to 125, 128 to 130, 184, 185, 188, 193, 194, 196 to 202, 205. =Summer and Winter Drinks=, 233 to 238. =Recipes for making Bread and Cakes=, 225 to 232. =A Menu for Christmas=, 250 (page 127). =Breakfast, Luncheon and Dinner Menus=, page 128. =Unfired Food Menus=, page 135. =PREFACE TO SEVENTH EDITION.= [Illustration] Dietetic Reform is now being considered seriously by thoughtful people in all parts of the world and interest in this important though long neglected subject is increasing every day. The fact that our physical, mental, and spiritual conditions are greatly influenced by the nature and quality of our daily food, and that, consequently, our welfare depends upon a wise selection of the same, is becoming generally recognized. Popular illusions concerning the value of flesh-food have been much dispelled during recent years by revelations concerning the physical deterioration of the flesh-consuming nations, and the comparative immunity from disease of people who live on purer and more natural food; also by a succession of remarkable victories won by fruitarians who have secured numerous athletic Championships and long distance Records. Demonstration has been provided by the Japanese, that a non-carnivorous and hygienic Race can out-march and out-fight the numerically superior forces of a colossal Empire; and that its national and social life can be characterized by conspicuous efficiency, sobriety, health, and vitality. A vast amount of emphatic personal and medical testimony to the advantages of the more simple and natural _fruitarian_ system of living is being given by thousands of witnesses who speak from experience; and such evidence is preparing the way for a complete change of popular thought and custom concerning dietetics. In addition to such influences, an ever-increasing consciousness that the emancipation of the animal world from systematic massacre and ruthless cruelty awaits the abandonment of the carnivorous habit by the Western races of mankind, is exercising a powerful effect upon the lives of multitudes of men and women. In consequence of having reached a comparatively advanced stage of evolution, they realise the solidarity of sentient life and feel humanely disposed towards all fellow-creatures; and they cannot avoid the conviction that Man was never intended to play the part of a remorseless and bloodthirsty oppressor of the sub-human races. Those who are labouring to bring about the adoption of dietetic customs that neither violate the physical laws of our being, nor outrage the humane sentiments of the higher part of our nature, are consequently now met by serious requests for information concerning some way of escape from bondage to ancestral barbaric custom, and the safest path to a more rational and harmonious existence. "How may we live out our full length of days in health and vigour, instead of dying of disease?" "How may we avoid the painful maladies that are prevalent, and escape the surgeon's knife?" "How may we be delivered from further participation in all this needless shedding of innocent blood?" "How may we in a scientific way feed ourselves with simple and hygienic food--with the kindly fruits of the earth instead of the flesh of murdered creatures who love life just as we do?" Such questions as these are being asked by thousands of earnest souls, and it is to help such enquirers that this Guide-Book is published. My aim has been to give practical, reliable and up-to-date information in a concise form, avoiding superfluous matter and 'faddism,' and only supplying simple recipes which do not require the skill of a 'chef' for their interpretation. By spending a few hours in thoughtful study of the following pages, and by practising this reformed system of diet and cookery in domestic life for a few weeks, any intelligent person can master the chief principles of fruitarian dietetics, and become qualified to prepare appetising dishes suited to the taste of a hermit or a _bon vivant_ (provided that its possessor be not hopelessly enamoured of the "flesh-pots of Egypt" and the flavour of cooked blood). A system of living that is earnestly recommended by thousands of disinterested advocates who have personally tried it, that comes to us full of promise both for ourselves and others, that bids fair to humanize and transform mankind and to solve many of the world's social problems, and that is now endorsed by so many progressive medical authorities, merits such attention, and is worthy of trial. As I am writing a _Guide_ to reformed diet for domestic use--not an elaborate treatise to justify it--I have refrained from introducing medical and experimental testimony concerning the dangerous and injurious nature of flesh-food, and the advantages of living upon the fruits of the earth, supplemented by dairy products. Numerous standard works are now obtainable which demonstrate that the principles and arguments upon which the Food-Reform Movement is based are supported by an array of scientific evidence which is more than sufficient to convince any unprejudiced, logical and well-balanced mind. For such information I must refer my readers to other publications, and I have printed a short list of useful works on the final pages of this book, for the benefit of those who are as yet unacquainted with such literature. For some of the recipes contained in the following pages I am indebted to certain of the Members of The Order of the Golden Age, and to other workers in the Food-Reform Cause--but especially to Mrs. Walter Carey, who has devoted much time to the task of preparing and testing them. Most of them are original, being the result of thoughtful experiment; and they should, _if carefully followed_, result in the production of dishes which will give satisfaction. But if certain recipes do not commend themselves to some of my readers, they are invited to remember that human palates differ considerably, and to try other dishes with the hope that they will like them better. With the earnest desire that all who read this book will make some sincere endeavour to seek emancipation from the barbaric habits that are prevalent in Western lands, and to cease from that physical transgression in the matter of diet into which our forefathers, at some period of the world's history, appear to have fallen with such disastrous consequences to themselves and their posterity, it is sent forth upon its humble but beneficent mission. And I trust that many, when they have proved that such a way of living is both possible and advantageous, will strive to persuade others to live as Children of God, rather than as the beasts of prey. Those who have reached that spiritual plane where the sacredness of all sentient life becomes recognised, and who find it painful to contemplate the wanton and cruel slaughter which at present takes place throughout Christendom--involving the death of at least a million large animals every day--must instinctively experience a longing to apprehend some way by which this butchery can be brought to an end. Such will be able to perceive the real significance of, and necessity for, the twentieth-century crusade against human carnivoracity--the Moloch idol of these modern days. They will also feel individually constrained to co-operate in the great work of bringing about this practical and beneficent Reformation, and of giving to mankind the blessings that will result from it. As in the case of all previous editions of this book, any financial profit derived from its sale will be devoted to the exaltation of these humane and philanthropic ideals--hence its presentation to The Order of the Golden Age. My readers, therefore, who feel that its circulation will tend to lessen the sum total of human and sub-human suffering, are invited to assist in securing for it a large circulation, by lending or presenting copies to their friends, and making it widely known. And to attain this end, the sympathetic aid of journalists and other leaders of public thought will be especially appreciated. =SIDNEY H. BEARD.= _January, 1913._ =THE TRUE IDEAL IN DIET.= [Illustration: Man is by Nature Fruitarian--_not_ Carnivorous!!] The physical structure of Man is declared by our most eminent biologists and anatomists to be that of a _frugivorous_ (fruit-eating) animal. It is, therefore, our Creator's intention that we should subsist upon the various fruits of the earth--not upon the products of the shambles.[1] [1] See "The Testimony of Science in Favour of Natural and Humane Diet." The accepted scientific classification places Man with the anthropoid apes, at the head of the highest order of mammals. These animals bear the closest resemblance to human beings, their teeth and internal organs being practically identical, and in a natural state they subsist upon nuts, seeds, grains, and other fruits. Hence those who have studied this subject thoroughly can hardly entertain any doubt that the more largely our diet consists of these simple products of nature, the more likely we shall be to enjoy health and to secure longevity. The number and variety of such fruits and seeds is very great (including all the nuts and cereals _and their products_, as well as the pulses, legumes, etc.); and the Science of Dietetics has made such rapid progress in recent years that nuts and grains are, for the benefit of those who possess weakened digestive organs, now prepared in various ways which make them easily digestible and very savoury when cooked. To such foods may be added, for the sake of convenience and variety, vegetables of various kinds and dairy produce, such as milk, butter, cheese and eggs. [Sidenote: =Personal Testimony.=] Nineteen years of abstinence from flesh-food (practised without any illness, and resulting in increased strength, stamina and health), and of observation and experiment during that period, combined with the knowledge obtained through helping hundreds of men and women to regain health by reforming their habits of living, have convinced me that a well selected fruitarian dietary, thus supplemented, will prove beneficial to all who desire physical and mental fitness. Temporary difficulties may be experienced by some in adopting such a simple style of living, or in obtaining adequate provision in their present domestic conditions; mistakes may be made--certain necessary elements being omitted from the new diet--and temporary failure may sometimes result in consequence; but if some preliminary study and consideration are given to the matter, and _variety_ in the food is secured to ensure complete nourishment, success is easily obtainable. [Sidenote: =A Step at a Time.=] In most cases where there is a desire to adopt this purer and better way, it will be found that the policy of proceeding slowly but surely, a step at a time, is the wisest in the end. The first step must be total abstinence from the flesh and blood of animals, and the substitution of less objectionable food containing an equal amount of proteid; this will soon lead to a distaste for fowl, but the use of fish should be retained by those commencing to reform their ways until some experience has been gained, and any serious domestic difficulties which may exist have been removed. Then this partial vegetarian diet can be still further purified, until it is more entirely "fruitarian" in its nature. Circumstances, and individual sentiment and taste, must regulate the rate of this progress towards what may be termed Edenic living; I can but show the way and give helpful information. [Sidenote: =Advantages of Fruitarianism.=] A few of the reasons which lead me to advocate a fruitarian dietary as the ideal one, are as follows:-- Persons who live chiefly upon fruits of all kinds do not injure themselves by consuming the poisonous waste-products (uric acid, &c.), contained in flesh; and they are not often tempted, like those who partake of very savoury and toothsome dishes, to eat after the needs of the body are satisfied. They thus escape two of the chief causes of disease and premature death--_auto-intoxication and excessive eating_. They also avoid, to a great extent, the temptation to eat when they are not hungry, and thus they are more likely to obey the dictates of natural instinct concerning _when to eat_. Even if fruit should be taken in excessive quantity, very little harm results from such indiscretion. Fruitarians thus lessen the amount of work put upon the digestive organs, and consequently have more energy to expend upon mental or physical labour. The grape sugar contained in sweet fruits--such as dates, figs, raisins and bananas--is assimilated almost without effort and very quickly. The juices of ripe fruits help to eliminate urates, waste products, and other harmful deposits from the blood and tissues, as they act as solvents. Fruit, therefore, tends to prevent ossification of the arteries, premature old age, gouty and rheumatic disorders, sickness and untimely death. Fruitarian diet--if scientifically chosen and containing all the elements required by the body--prevents the development of the "drink crave," and it will cure nearly all cases if properly and wisely adopted. Dipsomania is induced by malnutrition, by eating stimulating food, such as flesh, or by eating to excess; a fruitarian drunkard has not yet, so far as I am aware, been discovered in this country. Pure blood is secured by living upon such food, and consequently there is little or no tendency to develop _inflammatory_ maladies. The wounds of Turkish and Egyptian soldiers have been found to heal three times as quickly as those of shamble-fed Englishmen; the reason is that they live chiefly upon dates, figs and other fruits, milk and lentils, etc.; and the same tendency has been observed in the case of the Japanese wounded. A wonderful immunity from sickness is enjoyed by those who live in accord with Nature's plan; microbes and disease germs do not find a congenial environment in their bodies. This I have proved by nearly twenty years of uninterrupted good health, and freedom from medical attendance, and my experience is corroborated by that of a multitude of witnesses in the ranks of the food-reformers. Fruitarian diet, if complete, tends to lessen irritability, to promote benevolence and peace of mind, to increase the supremacy of the 'higher self,' to clear and strengthen spiritual perception, and to lessen domestic care. Those who desire to develop the higher spiritual powers which are latent in Man, to cultivate the psychic or intuitive senses, and to win their way to supremacy over their physical limitations, will find fruitarianism helpful in every respect. Such have only to _try it_, intelligently, in order to prove that this is true. Such a system of living may thus become an important factor in the great work of uplifting our race from the _animal_ to the _spiritual_ plane; and herein lies the great hope for mankind. The harbingers of the 'Coming Race'--a more spiritual Race--are already treading this Earth, known and recognized by those whose eyes have been opened to the vision of the higher and transcendent life. And that which tends to accelerate the development of these characteristics is worthy of our serious consideration and earnest advocacy. Such a diet does not necessitate the horrible cruelties of the cattle-boat and the slaughter-house--therefore it must commend itself to every genuine humanitarian. It does not contain the germs of disease that are found in the dead bodies of animals--frequently afflicted with tuberculosis, cancer, foot-and-mouth-disease, incipient anthrax, swine-fever and parasites of various kinds. It is free from that potent cause of physical malady, uric acid--which is contained in all flesh; and from "ptomaines,"--which develop in corpses quickly after death and often prove fatal to consumers of meat. And it will be found, if wisely chosen, to produce a stronger body, a clearer brain, and a purer mind. The testimony of thousands of living advocates, both in cold and warm climates--many of whom are medical men, or athletes who have accomplished record performances which demanded prolonged endurance and unusual stamina--bears evidence to this fact; therefore those who are desirous of commencing this more excellent way of living need not fear they are making any reckless or dangerous experiment. The food which our Creator _intended_ us to eat must be the _safest_ and _best_ for us. Man does not resemble, either internally or externally, any carnivorous animal, and no unprejudiced student of the subject can well escape the conclusion that when we descend to the level of the beasts of prey, by eating flesh, we violate a physical Law of our being, and run the risk of incurring the inevitable penalties which Nature exacts for such transgressions. [Illustration] These penalties are being lavishly dealt out with inexorable impartiality in the civilized lands of the Western world, where, in spite of the rapid increase of our medical men, and the 'wonderful discoveries' of panaceas by the representatives of unscrupulous pathological search, such maladies as appendicitis, consumption, cancer, lunacy, gout, neurasthenia and other evidences of physical deterioration are still prevalent or steadily increasing. And, although the fact is not so apparent to the superficial observer, a still heavier penalty in the form of spiritual loss is being suffered by those who err in this respect, for _carnal food_ produces _carnal-mindedness_, dims the spiritual vision, chains the soul to the material plane of thought and consciousness, and makes the supremacy of the 'spirit' over the 'flesh' well-nigh impossible. It is natural for every man and woman to live at least a century. The fact that thousands have done so, proves that the majority might attain this age if they would cease from transgressing Nature's laws. Seneca truly said, "Man does not die, he kills himself." By "eating to live," instead of "living to eat"--introducing into our bodies pure and vitalizing energy by means of wisely chosen natural food--and by amending our ways generally in accordance with the dictates of reason and common sense, we may live to benefit the world by useful service with our faculties matured and our minds stored by the teachings of experience. Instead of being in our dotage when we reach threescore years and ten, we should still be fit to serve our day and generation. [Sidenote: =The Highest Motive.=] Those who decide to adopt this reformed system of diet will be fortified in their resolve if they are actuated by loyalty to the Divine Will and regard for Humane Principle, in addition to reasons which are based merely upon self-interest. The desire to lessen suffering, and to live in accordance with God's laws, furnishes a stronger incentive than the wish to escape disease and to secure longevity. A philanthropist or humanitarian who embraces the sublime ideal of helping to lift mankind to a higher plane of experience, to deliver our degenerate Race from some of the worst evils which afflict us, and, at the same time, to prevent the infliction of pain and death in most revolting forms upon countless millions of innocent animals, will either conquer the initial difficulties which confront those who thus make practical protest against the flesh traffic, or will cheerfully endure temporary inconvenience and self-denial "for Righteousness' sake." Each new recruit who joins the Food-Reform Movement should therefore give such preliminary study to the subject as will produce the unalterable conviction that flesh-eating is an _unnatural_ habit for Man, that it is totally _unnecessary_, that reliable medical evidence proves it to be generally _injurious_, and that it involves cruelty and bloodshed which are barbarous and indefensible, _because quite needless_. A deaf ear will then be turned to the warnings of any well-disposed friends who, being under the spell of ancient fallacies, or ignorant concerning the nutritive advantages which the fruits of the earth possess over the products of the shambles, would seek to deter him from the path of self-reform by prophesying physical shipwreck and disaster. Popular illusions concerning the necessity for animal food are rapidly being swept away, and public opinion has already changed to such an extent that leaders of thought in every land are now impressed with the full import and beneficence of this Reformation. And so many forces are now converging and combining to influence and impel mankind in this direction, that the 'signs of the times' indicate a rapidly approaching Era in which Man will return to his original food, and, by so doing, enter upon a happier and more peaceful period of existence upon this planet. =A PLEA FOR THE SIMPLE LIFE.= Simple meals and simple dishes are easily prepared, they lessen domestic care, are less likely to cause indigestion, and soon become appreciated and preferred. [Illustration] Few persons realize how little they know the true taste of many vegetables; the majority having never eaten them _separately_ or cooked in a proper manner. A cauliflower skilfully served as a separate course, either "au gratin" or with thin melted butter slightly flavoured with a few drops of Tarragon vinegar, or with tomato sauce, has quite a different taste from that which is experienced when it is mixed up with gravy, meat, potatoes and other articles or food. Young green peas, or new potatoes steamed in their skins and dried off in the oven so as to be "floury," will, if eaten with a little salt and butter, have a delicacy of flavour which is scarcely noticeable if they are served with a plate of beef or mutton and other vegetables. A few chestnuts carefully cooked in a similar manner, make a dish that an overfed alderman might enjoy; and the same remark will apply to many simple and easily prepared fruitarian dishes. It is a mistake to think that this reformed diet necessarily involves a great amount of cooking, for the reverse is the fact if _simplicity_ is aimed at and its advantages are appreciated. It is well to remember also that our most enlightened and progressive physicians are now recommending uncooked foods of all kinds to all who would retain or regain health. An excellent lunch can be made with some well chosen cheese and brown bread and butter, and a delicate lettuce (dressed with pure olive oil, a small quantity of French wine vinegar, and a pinch of sugar), followed by fresh and dried fruits such as bananas, almonds, raisins, figs, etc. Such a repast is inexpensive, nutritious, and easily digestible. A large variety of foreign and fancy cheeses are now obtainable, so that even such a simple meal as this can be varied constantly. The best lettuces are produced by our French neighbours, but our own market gardeners are beginning to learn that it is easy to get them tender by growing them under glass. [Sidenote: =The Simple Breakfast.=] In most fruitarian households the cooking for breakfast soon becomes simplified and lessened. Eggs served in different ways on alternate mornings, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, brown bread, super cooked cereals such as granose biscuit, butter and preserves, are found to be quite sufficient as accompaniments to the morning beverage. French plums, figs and other dried fruits, when carefully stewed in the oven for some hours, and served with cream, are very nutritious. A small plate of 'Manhu' wheat, rye, barley, or oat flakes, served with hot milk or cream, can be added so as to make a more solid meal for growing children or hard workers. And those who are accustomed to a more elaborate breakfast, because of the difficulty of obtaining a mid-day substantial meal, can select one of the items which are mentioned in the list of recipes under the heading of "Breakfast Dishes." [Sidenote: =Avoid Dyspepsia.=] One reason for urging simplicity is that, owing to prevalent ignorance concerning food-values, it is more easy for the _inexperienced_ food-reformer to make dietetic mistakes than the flesh-eater. By partaking freely of stewed acid fruits and vegetables at the same meal, or by blending a great variety of savouries, vegetables, sweets and rich fatty dishes together in a ghastly 'pot pourri,' or by eating to excess of porridge, beans, or fried dishes, many have made serious blunders. They, for want of proper instruction, have hastily come to the conclusion that "vegetarian diet does not suit them," and returning to the flesh-pots, have henceforth denounced the evangel of dietetic reform, instead of profiting by the useful lesson Nature tried to teach them. The wisest plan is to make one's diet generally _as varied as possible_, but not to mix many articles together _at the same meal_. Abstainers from flesh should begin to live to some extent (say two days a week) in picnic style, and the practice will soon become more habitual. A picnic luncheon which is considered enjoyable in the woods or on the moors will be found to be just as nice at home if the articles provided are well chosen and tastefully prepared. Variety can be obtained by introducing daintily cut sandwiches made with mustard and cress, tomato paste, potted haricots, or lentils, scrambled eggs, fancy cheese cut thinly, flaked nuts and honey, etc. Fresh and dried fruit, nuts, almonds, raisins and sultanas, fruit cakes, and custard or rice puddings, provide useful additions; and it will soon be found that the old-fashioned three or four-course meal which involves such laborious preparation is a needless addition to life's many cares. [Sidenote: =Necessary Elements in Food.=] It is important to bear in mind that our daily food must contain a sufficient quantity of certain necessary elements: (1) PROTEIN. To be found in nuts and nut foods (such as Protose, Nuttoria and Fibrose, &c.), eggs, cheese, brown bread, oatmeal, haricots, lentils and peas. (2) FAT. To be obtained in nuts, nut-butters, olive oil, cheese, milk, cream, butter, and oatmeal. (3) PHOSPHATES AND MINERAL SALTS. Contained in the husk of wheat, barley, oats, and rye (therefore included in brown bread, granose biscuits and other whole-wheat or cereal preparations), cheese, bananas and apples. (4) SUGAR. To be obtained from all starch foods, but most easily and in the best and most readily assimilable form from sweet fruits and honey. =A PLEA FOR MODERATION.= [Illustration: Do not dig your grave with your teeth!] One of the most frequent mistakes made by those who commence to live upon a fleshless diet is that of eating too much--an error, also committed by the general public. Often, through ignorance of the fact that lean beef consists of water to the extent of about 75%, and through having been brought up under the spell of the popular delusion that meat is a great source of strength and stamina, they jump to the conclusion that they must consume large plates of cereals and vegetables in order to make up for their abstinence from animal food. They bring upon themselves severe attacks of dyspepsia--either by eating excessive quantities of starch in the form of porridge, bread and potatoes, or of such concentrated foods as haricots, lentils or nuts (being ignorant of the fact that these latter are much more nutritious than lean beef and that only a very small quantity is needed for a sufficient meal).[2] [2] See Table of Food Values on page 45. Nothing does more injury to the Food-Reform Movement than the discredit which is brought upon it by those who upset themselves by over-eating, and who feel led to justify their defection by attacking the system they have forsaken. Among the numerous cases brought to my notice, I remember one of a minister's wife, who by partaking of seven meals a day, and finishing up at ten o'clock in the evening with cocoa, cheese and porridge, brought herself to such a state of nervous prostration that her local doctor ordered her to return to a flesh diet, "as she required _nourishment_." He thus diagnosed her condition, instead of attributing it to preposterous over-feeding. A Golden Rule for every food-reformer is this--_Eat only when you are hungry_, and never to repletion. An exception must be made, however, in certain cases of anæmic and delicate persons. When there is not sufficient vitality to cause appetite, or to digest food normally, it is often necessary to insist on regular meals being taken, notwithstanding the patient's distaste for food. Drowsiness and stupor after a meal are sure signs of excess, and I cannot too strongly urge temperance in diet. During my long experience of philanthropic work as an advocate of natural and hygienic living, I have only heard of a few cases of persons suffering any ill effects from eating too little, whereas cases of the opposite sort have been rather numerous. Ninety-nine per cent. of the centenarians of the world have been characterized by _abstemiousness_; however much their ways and customs may have otherwise differed, in this one respect they are practically alike--declaring that they have always been small eaters, and believers in moderation in all things. =ARTISTIC COOKERY.= In every household where reformed diet is adopted, effort should be made to prepare the meals in an artistic manner. If a dish is skilfully cooked and tastefully served it is not only more enjoyable but more easily digested. [Illustration] The general custom in English homes is to serve vegetables in a rather slovenly style. To see how nicely such things as legumes, vegetables, salads and fruits can be prepared, one requires to go to a good French or Italian restaurant. But it is quite easy for us to learn the ways of our friends abroad, and to make our dishes look tempting and appetising. One of the first lessons to be learned by the vegetarian cook is how to fry rissoles, potatoes, etc., _quite crisp_, and free from any flavour of oil or fat. To do this a wire basket which will fit loosely into a stewpan is necessary, and it can be purchased at any good ironmonger's shop. Nutter (refined coconut butter) is a well prepared form of vegetable fat, and it is retailed at a moderate price; it keeps for a long period and is equally useful for making pastry--three quarters of a pound being equal to one pound of butter. Where nut-butters cannot be obtained, good olive oil should be used. The temperature of the fat or oil must be past boiling point, and should reach about 380 degrees. When it is hot enough it will quickly turn a small piece of white bread quite brown, if a finger of it is dipped in the fat. Unless this temperature is reached the articles to be fried may turn out greasy and unbearable. If the fat is heated very much beyond 400 degrees it may take fire. Haricots, lentils, and many other legumes are more tasty if made into cutlets or rissoles and fried in this manner, after being mixed with breadcrumbs and seasoning, than if merely boiled or stewed in the usual crude style. [Sidenote: =The Art of Flavouring.=] The art of flavouring is also one which should be studied by every housewife. By making tasty gravies and sauces many a dish which would otherwise be insipid can be rendered attractive. The recipes for "Gravies" will prove useful on this point. Many valuable modern scientific food products are not fully appreciated because people do not know how to serve them. Take 'Protose,' 'Nuttoria' and 'Nuttose' for instance--very useful substitutes for flesh which are made from nuts (malted and therefore half digested). If _slightly_ stewed, and eaten without any flavouring, some persons dislike the distinctive taste; if, however, they are well cooked, according to the recipes printed later on in this book, and served with such garnishings as are recommended, they are usually much enjoyed, even by those who are prejudiced against all vegetarian ideas. [Sidenote: =Cooking by Gas saves Labour.=] Cooking by gas appliances is more easily controlled and regulated than when the old-fashioned fire is employed, and much labour for stoking and cleaning is avoided. Those who can do so, should obtain a gas hot-plate, consisting of two or three spiral burners, and a moderate-sized gas oven. If they cannot afford the ordinary gas cooking oven, a smaller substitute can be obtained, which can be placed upon any gas jet; this is very economical for cooking single dishes, and for warming plates, etc. A gas cooking jet can be obtained for eighteenpence, and two or three of these will take the place of a hot-plate if economy is necessary. In summer-time the kitchen range is quite a superfluity unless it is required for heating bath water. [Sidenote: =A New Mission for Women.=] The ordinary public know very little of the variety and delicacy of a well chosen fruitarian dietary when thoughtfully prepared; ignorance and prejudice consequently cause thousands to turn a deaf ear to the evangel of Food-Reform. All women who desire to bring about the abolition of Butchery, and to hasten the Humane Era, should therefore educate themselves in artistic fruitarian cookery, and then help to instruct others. To illustrate the truth of these remarks I may mention that at a banquet given by the Arcadian Lodge of Freemasons, at the Hotel Cecil, in London--the first Masonic Lodge which passed a resolution to banish animal-flesh from all its banquets--one of the Chief Officers of the Grand Lodge of England attended. He came filled with prejudice against the innovation and prepared to criticise the repast most unfavourably. In his after-dinner speech, however, he admitted that it was one of the best Masonic banquets he had ever attended, and said that if what if he had enjoyed was "vegetarian diet," he was prepared to adopt it if he found it possible to get it provided at home. By practising the recipes which are given in the following pages, and by utilizing the hints which accompany them, readers of this book will find no difficulty in acquiring the skill which is requisite to win many from the flesh-pots, even when they cannot be induced to abandon them from any higher motives than self-interest or gustatory enjoyment. Every woman should resolve to learn how to feed her children with pure and harmless food. Every mother should make her daughters study this art and thus educate them to worthily fulfil their domestic responsibilities. Here is a new profession for women--for teachers of high-class fruitarian and hygienic cookery will soon be greatly in demand. =WHAT TO DO WHEN TRAVELLING.= The difficulty of being properly catered for when staying at Hotels was formerly a very real one, but owing to the enlightenment concerning diet which is now taking place, and the rapid increase of foreign restaurants and cafés in English-speaking countries it is becoming lessened every day. The great variety of fleshless dishes now supplied in nearly all light-refreshment restaurants, in response to the public demand, is compelling even the largest Hotels to modify their cuisine accordingly. [Illustration] For breakfast it is sometimes a good plan to order what one wants the previous night, if any specially cooked dishes are required, but it is _not_ advisable to inform the waiter that one is a vegetarian. It is generally possible to obtain porridge, grilled tomatoes on toast, poached or fried eggs, stewed mushrooms, etc., without giving extra trouble or exciting comment. Where these cannot be obtained, a plain breakfast of brown bread or toast and butter, with eggs, preserves and fruit should be taken. At large hotels in our chief cities a Restaurant and a Grill Room are provided. The food-reformer should go to one of these for his dinner, rather than to the dining room, as he will then be able to obtain various simple _à la carte_ dishes. One 'portion' of any particular dish will often suffice for two persons, thus enabling those whose means are limited to obtain greater variety without increasing expenditure. Care has to be exercised, however, concerning certain dishes; for instance, if macaroni is required, it is well to ask the waiter to request the cook not to introduce any chopped ham. He should be told that you wish macaroni served with tomato sauce and cheese only, in the "Neapolitan" style. In most Continental Hotels and Restaurants the simplest, cheapest, and best plan is to take 'table d'hôte'--telling the head waiter well beforehand that the lunch or dinner is required 'maigre' (that is without flesh, just as it is usually served during Lent). A varied, well selected, and ample repast will then be supplied at a moderate cost. The same plan is best in 'Pensions.' The general rule to be adopted in small British hotels is to think beforehand what dishes the cook is in the habit of making which are free from flesh; these should be ordered in preference to those which are strange and not likely to be understood. At the same time it is well to insist upon being supplied with anything which it is reasonable to expect the proprietor to furnish, because such action tends to improve the catering of the hotels of the country, to make it easier for other food-reformers, and to sweep away the difficulty which at present exists in some towns, of obtaining anything fit to eat in the orthodox hotel coffee rooms, except beasts, birds, or fishes. [Sidenote: =Railway Journeys.=] Those who are making railway journeys can easily provide themselves with a simple luncheon basket containing fruits, sandwiches made with flaked nuts, eggs, cheese or preserves, or with such delicacies as haricot or lentil potted meat (directions for making which will be found later on, in the section devoted to Luncheon Recipes.) Travellers may perhaps be reminded that cheese and nuts contain much more nutriment than lean meat. Food-reformers who are about to pay a prolonged visit in a private house should inform the hostess, when accepting her invitation, that they are abstainers from flesh, but that their tastes are very simple and that they enjoy anything except flesh-food. As she might have erroneous ideas about the requirements of vegetarians she might otherwise feel perplexed as to what to provide. If the visitor takes fish the fact should be stated. [Sidenote: =No Faddism.=] Care should be taken not to involve the hostess in any needless trouble, and she should be shown, by the simplicity of one's requirements, that she is easily capable of affording complete satisfaction. When she realizes this, she will probably take pleasure in learning something about hygienic living, and will be ready to read a pamphlet or a guide-book upon the subject, and to produce some of the dishes contained in it. The Humane Diet Cause has been much hindered by the 'fads' of persons who have adopted very extreme views about diet and who worry themselves and other people about trifling matters in connection with their food until they are almost regarded as being pests in a household. Instead of cheerfully partaking of anything that is provided, except flesh, they parade their scruples about almost everything on the table, and, consequently, those who entertain them vow that they will never become such nuisances themselves or entertain such again. I have always found that by letting my friends clearly understand that I abstain from butchered flesh chiefly because of _humane reasons_ and for the sake of _principle_, they respect my sentiment, and evince a desire to discuss the matter without prejudice. If fruitarianism is adopted merely as a 'fad,' discordant vibrations are often aroused because one's acquaintances consider that one is giving needless trouble by being unconventional without sufficient justification. [Sidenote: =Sea Voyages.=] Those who are making a sea voyage will find that many of the large steamship companies are quite prepared to furnish substitutes for flesh-diet if an arrangement is made beforehand. In such cases there should be a clear stipulation that brown bread, dried and fresh fruit, nuts, farinaceous puddings, omelets, or dishes made with cheese, macaroni, lentils, haricots, tomatoes, etc., should be obtainable in some form and in sufficient variety. A list of a few 'specialities' (such as Protose, Nuttoria, &c.) should be furnished when a long voyage is contemplated, so that the steward may stock them. =ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS.= The following suggestions will prove helpful to those who are desirous of adopting the reformed dietary:-- 1. Give up flesh meat _at once_ and _entirely_--replacing it by dishes made with eggs, cheese, macaroni, peas, lentils, nuts, and nut-meats. Later on you will be able to do without fish also, but it is best to proceed slowly and surely. [Illustration] 2. Eat _less_ rather than _more_. Fruitarian foods such as the above are more nourishing than butcher's meat. 3. Try to like _simple_ foods, instead of elaborate dishes that require much preparation. Avoid 'frying-panitis.' 4. Eat dry foods rather than sloppy ones; they are more easily digested. Take toast or Granose biscuits with porridge to assist proper salivation. If porridge causes trouble, use wheat or rye flakes (Manhu or Kellogg brands), with hot milk or cream, instead. 5. Do not mix stewed acid fruits with vegetables and legumes; take the former with cereals, cheese, or eggs. Green vegetables should be taken very sparingly, and with savoury dishes alone. If eaten with sweets they are apt to disagree. 6. Persons of sedentary habits should let at least one meal a day consist of uncooked fruit only--or of fruit with brown bread and butter--the bread being _well baked_. 7. Dried fruits, such as figs, dates, prunes, raisins, sultanas, etc., are very easily digested; and if blended with nuts or almonds they make a perfect meal. Such fruits may be taken freely and with advantage by almost everyone. 8. Nuts should be flaked in a nut-mill to aid digestion; cheese can also be made more easily assimilable in this way (or by cooking). Many nut products are now sold which are malted and partially pre-digested. 9. Give a few hours' thought and study to the important subject of your diet; learn what to do, and what newly-invented scientific foods are obtainable. 10. Do not make the mistake of attempting to live on potatoes, white bread, cabbages, etc., or merely upon the ordinary conventional dietary with the meat left out. Obtain and use well made and well cooked wholemeal bread every day. Take sufficient _proteid_, 1-1/2 to 2-ozs. per day, to avoid anæmia--indigestion often results from _lack of vitality_ caused through chronic semi-starvation. 11. If you feel any symptoms of dyspepsia, and can trace it to _excess_ in eating, or to dietetic errors, reduce your food, fast temporarily, and take more exercise. Consider what mistakes you have made, and avoid them in the future. Eat only when hungry, in such cases. 12. If you are not getting on, obtain advice from a Doctor who is a _fruitarian_ or from an experienced Food-reformer. =Commercial Dietetic Inventions.= A large number of special proprietary substitutes for animal food can now be obtained to supplement the ordinary ones provided in the household. The latest particulars concerning these can always be known by reference to the advertisement pages of _The Herald of the Golden Age_, and full information as to their use is supplied by the various manufacturers. But although they are _useful_ and _convenient_ in many households, they are not _absolutely essential_. 'Home-made' dishes are often the best, being most economical, therefore it is advisable that all food-reformers should learn how to make nut-meats, &c., at home. Some of these substitutes are as follows:-- =For Meat-Extracts=: Marmite, Vegeton, Carnos, Nutril, Mapleton's Gravy Essence, Cayler's Extract, Wintox. =For Joints of Meat=: Protose, Nuttose, Savrose, Fibrose, F.R. Nut-Meat, Vejola, Nuttoria, Shearn's Nut-Meat, Nutton, Brazose, Nuto-Cream Meat, Mapleton's Frittamix. =For Cold Meats=: "Pitman" Nut-Meat Brawn, Ellis's Tomato and Nut Paste, Pasta-sol, Lentose, Nuska Viando, Savoury Paste, Potted Beans and Lentils. =For Meat Fat=: Nutter Suet, Vegsu, Nutter, Nucoline, and Nut Margarine. Pine Kernels, which contain 10 ozs. of oil to the pound, and which when rolled and chopped exactly resemble suet, are also an excellent substitute. Delicious Nut-Butters are also now obtainable for high-class cookery--such as Almond, Walnut, Cashew, and Table Nutter. Although superior, these are as cheap as ordinary cooking butters. =For Lard and Dripping=: Nutter, Darlene, Albene, Nut-oil, "Pitman" Vegetable Lard. =For Meat proteid=: Emprote, Hygiama, Horlick's Malted Milk, Casumen Dried Milk, Gluten Meal. =For Gelatin=: Agar-Agar, or Cayler's Jellies. =For Animal Soups=: Mapleton's Nut and proteid Soups, and "Pitman" Vegsal Soups. =Prepared Breakfast Cereals=: Manhu flaked Wheat, Rye, Barley and Oats, Kellogg Wheat and Corn Flakes, Granose Flakes and Biscuits, Shredded Wheat, Archeva Rusks, Puffed Wheat, Power, Kornules, Toasted Wheat Flakes, Melarvi Crisps and Biscuits. =For Picnic Hampers=: Savage's Nut Foods or Cream o' Nuts, Wallace Cakes and Scones, Mapleton's Nut Meats, Winter's Nut Cream Rolls, "Pitman" Fruit and Nut Cakes and Nut Meat Brawn, Wallace P. R. or Ixion or Artox or "Pitman" Biscuits. =Meat Stock= is substituted by vegetable stock, produced by stewing haricots, peas, lentils, etc. The latter is far more nutritious, and is free from the uric acid and excrementitious matter that are present in meat decoctions. A tasty and meaty flavour can be at once given to soups or gravies by adding some vegetable meat-extract selected from one of the varieties already mentioned. * * * * * In the following pages recipes will be found for preparing dishes which closely resemble, in taste, appearance, and nutritive value, those to which the community have been accustomed, some of them being of such a nature that persons who are fond of flesh-food find it difficult to detect whether they are eating such or not. =RELATIVE VALUES OF FOODS.= =How to Regulate our Diet.= Our food must contain certain elements, and in proper quantity, if the body is to be well sustained, renewed and nourished. These are mainly as follows: 1. Protein to form flesh, build muscle, and produce strength. 2. Fat and Carbohydrates, to provide heat and energy. 3. Salts and minerals (such as phosphates, lime, iron, citrates, etc.) to build bones and teeth, feed the brain and nerves, and purify the body. No hard-and-fast table or rule can be laid down concerning the proper proportions in which these elements should be combined, because the amount needful for each individual varies according to his size, the sort of work he does, the amount of physical or mental energy he puts forth, and the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding him. Until Professor Chittenden made his extensive and conclusive series of experiments in America, in 1903-4, to determine the real amount of Protein and other elements required to keep the body in perfect health, the average estimate for a person of average size, who does a moderate amount of physical labour, was about 4-ozs. of Protein per day. But these official experiments, conducted with scientific precision, extending over a long period, and made with thirty-four typical and carefully graded representatives of physical and mental work, demonstrated that half this amount of Protein is sufficient, and that strength and health are increased when the quantity is thus reduced; also that a smaller amount of Carbohydrate food (bread, etc.), than was previously thought necessary, is enough. One may therefore now safely reckon that men of average size and weight (say 10 to 12 stone) doing a moderate amount of physical and mental work, can thrive under ordinary circumstances on a daily ration containing about 800 grains of Protein (nearly 2 ozs). The following food chart will enable the reader to calculate (approximately) how much food of any particular kind is necessary to provide the above amount. Adult persons below the average size and weight, and living sedentary rather than an active physical life, will naturally require less than this normal standard. The relative cost and economy of the different foods can also thus be ascertained. If care is taken to secure a sufficient quantity of Protein the requisite amount of Carbohydrates is not likely to be omitted, and hunger will prove a reliable guide in most cases. It is advisable, however, to see that enough Fat is taken, especially in winter, and by persons lacking in nerve force. The table of food-values will easily enable the reader to ascertain the proportion of Fat in each kind of food. The following indications of dietetic error may prove useful:-- [Sidenote: =Signs of Dietetic Mistakes.=] Excess of proteid matter causes a general sense of plethora and unbearableness, nervous prostration or drowsiness after meals, a tendency to congestion (often resulting in piles, etc.), headache, irritability, and bad temper. A continuous deficiency of it would tend to produce general weakness and anæmia. Excess of carbohydrate matter (starch), especially if not sufficiently cooked and not well masticated, produces dyspepsia, flatulence, pain in the chest and abdomen, acidity (resulting in pimples and boils), and an inflammatory state of the system. Deficiency of it (or its equivalent, grape sugar) would produce lack of force and physical exhaustion. Excess of fat tends to cause biliousness. Deficiency of it results in nervous weakness, neuralgia, and low temperature of the body. [Sidenote: =Food for Brain Workers.=] It is important to remember that the more _physical_ energy we put forth, the larger is the amount of proteid we require in our diet--and vice versa. Brain workers of sedentary habits require but little proteid, and quickly suffer from indigestion if this is taken too freely. For such, a very simple diet consisting largely of dried and fresh fruits, nuts (flaked or ground), milk, eggs and cheese, and _super-cooked_ cereals (such as wholemeal biscuits, and toast, Granose and Kellogg flakes, and well baked rice dishes) will be found to be the most suitable. In order to supply the brain with phosphates it is very important that mental workers should take whole wheat bread instead of the emasculated white substitute which is provided almost everywhere. It is the outer part of the grain that provides brain-food (combined with an _easily assimilable_ form of protein), and many of our urban bread winners break down because they are deprived of the essential food elements therein contained. To take 'standard' bread does not meet the case, and every food-reformer who wants to keep really fit should demand and obtain well baked and unadulterated wholemeal bread. I feel convinced that if every growing child and every mental toiler could always be supplied with bread of this type, the deterioration of our British race would soon be arrested and we should witness signs of physical regeneration. 'Artox' and 'Ixion' brands of pure whole wheatmeal are the most perfect I know of at the present time, and delicious bread can easily be made from them if the recipe printed on page 114 is followed. =FOOD CHART.= =Showing how to obtain sufficient (1) Protein--for body building. (2) Carbohydrates and Fat--for providing heat and energy.= _A man of average size and weight (10 to 12 stone) doing a moderate amount of physical labour requires about 800 grains of Protein per day (nearly 2 ozs.). Women and sedentary workers require about 1-1/2 ozs. (655 grains), and hard physical labourers about 1000 grains._ ------------------------------+--------+---------+-------------+----------- | | | Grains of | |Amount. |Grains of|Carbohydrates|Approximate | |Protein. | and Fat. | Cost. ------------------------------+--------+---------+--------------+-----+----- | | | | s. | d. Protose (Nut meat) | 8 ozs. | 889 | 593 | | 6 Fibrose (Nut meat) |12 ozs. | 767 | 4015 | | 9 Granose (Wheat) |13 ozs. | 795 | 4424 | | 9 Emprote (Eustace Miles | | | | | Proteid Food) | 6 ozs. | 918 | 1320 | | 7 Nuto-Cream |10 ozs. | 870 | 3145 | | 8 Manhu Flaked Wheat |13 ozs. | 722 | 3935 | | 3 Horlick's Malted Milk | 7 ozs. | 797 | 2548 | 1 | 6 Almonds | 8 ozs. | 805 | 2100 | | 10 Chestnuts |13 ozs. | 830 | 3700 | | 3 Lentils | 8 ozs. | 900 | 1915 | | 1-1/2 Peas | 8 ozs. | 830 | 2100 | | 1-1/2 Haricots | 8 ozs. | 900 | 2030 | | 2 Oatmeal |12 ozs. | 813 | 3670 | | 2 Cheese (Cheddar) | 6 ozs. | 745 | 823 | | 3 " (Gruyère) | 6 ozs. | 835 | 730 | | 4 " (Parmesan) | 4 ozs. | 770 | 262 | | 3 " (Dutch) | 5 ozs. | 840 | 450 | | 3 Bread (Artox Wholemeal) |24 ozs. | 788 | 4524 | | 3 Rice (once milled) |14 ozs. | 810 | 2500 | | 3 Eggs | 7 | 856 | 640 | | 7 Figs or Dates | 2 lbs. | 850 | 9100 | | 10 Milk | 3 pts. | 859 | 1927 | | 6 Milk (Skimmed) | 3 pts. | 800 | 742 | | 3 | | | | | =For Comparison:-= | | | | | Lean Beef |10 ozs. | 846 | 151 | | 9 Mutton |13 ozs. | 822 | 1107 | | 10 Chicken | 9 ozs. | 850 | 185 | 1 | 9 Fish (Sole) |16 ozs. | 824 | | 1 | 3 " (Salmon) |12 ozs. | 840 | 274 | 1 | 6 =TABLE OF FOOD VALUES.= =Compiled from such authorities as Church, Payer, Letheby, Blyth, Hemmeter, Pavy, Holbrook, Oldfield, Miles, and Broadbent, etc.= --------------------------------+---------------------------------------------- | PERCENTAGE OF +------+--------+------+--------+--------+----- | | | |Starch |Mineral |Total |Water.|Protein.| Fat. |Matter |Matter. |Nutri- | | | |or Sugar| | ment. --------------------------------+------+--------+------+--------+--------+----- | | | | | | Lean Beef | 72.0 | 19.3 | 3.6 | | 5.1 | 28.0 Veal | 71.0 | 17.0 | 11.0 | | 1.0 | 29.0 Mutton | | | | | | (Medium Fat) | 65.2 | 14.5 | 19.5 | | 0.8 | 34.8 FLESH-FOODS. Fat Pork | 39.0 | 9.8 | 48.9 | | 2.3 | 61.0 Chicken (flesh) | 72.4 | 21.6 | 4.7 | | 1.3 | 27.6 Fish (Sole) | 86.1 | 11.9 | 0.2 | | 1.2 | 13.3 Salmon | 77.0 | 16.1 | 5.3 | | 1.5 | 23.0 | | | | | | Eggs | 64.0 | 14.0 | 10.5 | | 1.5 | 26.0 EGGS. White of Egg | 78.0 | 12.4 | | | 1.6 | 14.0 Yolk of Egg | 52.0 | 16.0 | 30.7 | | 1.3 | 48.0 | | | | | | Milk (Cow's) | 86.0 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 14.0 MILK Cheese: Cheddar | 36.0 | 28.4 | 31.1 | | 4.5 | 64.0 AND MILK Stilton | 32.0 | 26.2 | 37.8 | | 4.0 | 67.0 PRODUCTS. Gruyère | 40.0 | 31.5 | 24.0 | | 3.0 | 58.5 Dutch | 36.10| 29.43 | 27.54| | | 56.97 Parmesan | 27.56| 44.08 | 15.95| | 5.72 | 65.75 Butter | 12.6 | | 86.4 | | 0.8 | 87.2 | | | | | | Wheatmeal (Artox) | 13.13| 12.84 | 2.30| 68.0 | 1.33 | 84.47 Oatmeal | 10.4 | 15.6 | 6.11| 63.6 | 3.0 | 89.1 CEREALS AND Barley Meal | 14.6 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 75.5 | 1.1 | 84.6 FARINACEOUS Bran | 12.5 | 16.4 | 3.5 | 43.6 | 6.0 | 69.5 FOODS. Rice (once milled)| 10.4 | 11.4 | 0.4 | 79.0 | 0.4 | 91.2 Macaroni (Best) | 10.8 | 11.7 | 1.6 | 72.9 | 3.0 | 89.2 Sago, Tapioca and | | | | | | Arrowroot | 14.0 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 83.0 | 0.4 | 85.6 | | | | | | Wholemeal Bread | | | | | | BREAD (Artox) | 46.0 | 7.5 | 1.4 | 42.0 | 1.3 | 52.2 FOODS. White Bread | 40.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 51.2 | 1.0 | 56.5 Granose Biscuits | 3.1 | 14.2 | 1.7 | 77.5 | 1.9 | 95.3 | | | | | | Haricots (White) | 9.9 | 25.5 | 2.8 | 55.7 | 3.2 | 87.2 Lentils, Egyptian | 12.3 | 25.9 | 1.9 | 53.0 | 3.0 | 83.0 LEGUMES. Peas (Dried) | 8.3 | 23.8 | 2.1 | 58.7 | 2.1 | 86.7 Peas (Green) | 81.8 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 13.7 | 0.7 | 18.2 Pea Nuts | 6.5 | 28.3 | 46.2 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 79.6 | | | | | | Chestnuts | 7.3 | 14.6 | 2.4 | 69.0 | 3.3 | 89.3 Walnuts | 7.2 | 15.8 | 57.4 | 13.0 | 2.0 | 88.2 Filberts | 38.0 | 18.4 | 28.5 | 11.1 | 1.5 | 59.5 NUTS. Brazil Nuts | 6.0 | 16.4 | 64.7 | 6.6 | 3.3 | 91.0 Cocoanuts | 46.6 | 5.5 | 36.0 | 8.1 | 1.0 | 50.5 Pine Kernels | 5.0 | 9.2 | 70.5 | 14.0 | 0.3 | 94.0 Almonds | 6.2 | 23.5 | 53.0 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 87.3 | | | | | | Bananas | 74.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 22.9 | 1.0 | 26.6 FRESH Apples | 84.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 12.0 | 0.5 | 13.4 FRUITS Grapes | 78.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 14.7 | 0.5 | 18.2 Strawberries | 87.6 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 6.8 | 0.6 | 9.2 | | | | | | Raisins | 14.0 | 2.5 | 4.7 | 64.7 | 4.1 | 76.0 DRIED Figs | 17.5 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 65.9 | 2.3 | 75.2 FRUITS. French Plums | 26.4 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 65.5 | 1.7 | 70.4 Dates | 20.8 | 6.6 | 0.2 | 65.3 | 1.6 | 73.7 | | | | | | Carrots | 86.5 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 9.2 | 0.9 | 11.6 Turnips | 90.3 | 0.9 | 0.15 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 6.85 Cauliflower (Head)| 90.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 8.1 Potatoes | 75.0 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 21.0 | 1.0 | 24.4 Mushrooms | 90.3 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 3.7 | 1.4 | 9.7 VEGETABLES. Tomatoes | 91.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 7.2 Asparagus | 93.7 | 1.8 | | 0.7 | 0.5 | 3.0 Beet | 87.5 | 1.3 | | 9.0 | 1.1 | 11.4 Parsnip | 82.0 | 1.2 | | 0.6 | 7.2 | 9.0 Spinach | 88.5 | 3.5 | | 4.4 | 2.0 | 9.9 Cabbage | 90.0 | 1.9 | | 2.5 | 1.2 | 5.6 =VEGETARIAN SOUPS.= =VEGETABLE STOCK.= The best stock for vegetable soups is made from haricot beans. Take a pound of these, pick and wash well, and soak for 10 or 12 hours in cold water. Put them in a saucepan with the water in which they were soaked, add a few of the coarser stalks of celery, 1 or 2 chopped Spanish onions, a blade of mace, and a few white peppercorns. If celery is not in season, use celery salt. Bring to a boil, skim, and cook gently for at least 2 hours. Then strain, and use as required. =1. Artichoke Soup.= Take 2-lbs. of white artichokes, 3-pts. of water, 3 large onions, a piece of celery (or some celery salt), 1/4-pt. of raw cream or 1-pt. of milk. Boil together for 45 minutes, strain through a fine sieve and serve. If cream is used it should not be added until after the soup is cooked. =2. Chestnut Soup.= Take 1-lb. chestnuts, 1 or 2 onions, 1-1/2-pints vegetable stock, 1-oz. nut-butter. Boil the chestnuts for 15 minutes and peel them; put these with the onions (sliced) into a roomy stewpan, with the butter, and fry briskly for 5 minutes; now add the stock, with seasoning to taste, and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until onions and chestnuts are quite soft, and pass all through a hair sieve. Dilute with milk until the consistency of thin cream, and serve with _croûtons_. =3. Rich Gravy Soup.= To 3-pts. of haricot stock add 1 onion and 1 carrot (fried with butter until brown), 1 stick of celery, 2 turnips and 6 peppercorns, and thicken with cornflour. Boil all together for 1 hour, strain, return to saucepan, and add 3 small teaspoons of Marmite. Warm it up, but _not to boiling point_. Serve with fried bread dice. This soup, if well made, is equal to anything that a French chef can produce. =4. Mock Turtle Soup.= Fry 6 good-sized onions in 1-oz. of butter till nicely browned, then add 2 breakfastcups of German lentils, a good handful of spinach leaves, a few capers, about 6 chillies, and 3 pints of water. Let this simmer for 2 or 3 hours, then strain off, add 2 tablespoons of tapioca which has been soaked for an hour or two. Boil till perfectly clear. When ready for serving add salt to taste and 1 teaspoonful of Nutril. Some small custard quenelles should be put in the tureen--made by beating 1 egg in 2-ozs. flour and adding 1/4-pt. milk. Bake until firm and cut into dice. =5. Brown Haricot Soup.= Boil 1/2-lb. beans in 2-qts. of water. When the beans crack, add a few tomatoes, 1 leek sliced, or a Spanish onion, and a bunch of herbs. Boil until the vegetables are tender, adding a little more water if necessary. Rub all through a sieve, and return to pan, adding seasoning, a good lump of butter, and the juice of half a small lemon after the soup has boiled. If a richer soup is required add two teaspoonfuls of Nuto-Cream or Marmite just before serving. =6. Tomato Soup.= Take a pound of tomatoes, a sliced onion, and 2-ozs. of tapioca (previously soaked for some hours). Boil for an hour, then add salt, pepper, and a little butter. Mix 1/2-pt. of milk with a teaspoonful of flour; add this to the soup, stir and boil for 5 minutes. =7. Egyptian Lentil Soup.= Wash and pick 1/2-lb. Egyptian lentils and put on to boil in about 1-qt. of water. Add 1 sliced onion, 1 carrot, 1 turnip, a small bunch of herbs, and celery salt, and boil gently about 1 hour. Rub through a sieve, return to pan, add 1-oz. butter and a cupful of milk. Bring to boil and serve. =8. Brazil Nut Soup.= Pass 1 pint of shelled Brazil nuts through a nut mill, fry these with one or two chopped onions in 1-oz. of nut-butter, keeping them a pale yellow colour; add 1-oz. flour, and gradually 1-1/2-pts. of white stock; bring slowly to the boil and simmer gently until the onions are soft. Pass through a hair sieve, and dilute with milk. =9. Julienne Soup.= Cut some carrots, turnips, onions, celery, and leeks into thin strips, using double quantity of carrots and turnips. Dry them and then fry slowly in 2-ozs. of butter until brown. Add 2-qts. of clear vegetable stock and simmer until tender. Season with salt and a teaspoonful of castor sugar. Chop some chervil or parsley finely, add and serve. The addition of some green peas is an improvement--and also quenelles (see 4). =10. Green Lentil Soup.= Fry 5 onions in a large saucepan until brown. Add 3/4-lb. of green lentils, 1-qt. water, and 2 sticks of celery. Stew for 2 hours, and pass through a strainer. Add 1/4-lb. of cream and 1/2-pt. of milk, bring to the boil, flavour with salt, and serve. =11. White Soubise Soup.= (A French Recipe). Take 2-ozs. butter, 4 good-sized onions, about 1-pt. cauliflower water, and 1-pt. of milk, sufficient bread (no crust) to very nearly absorb the liquor. Cut up the onions, put into the saucepan with the butter, and cook slowly till tender--it must not be brown. Now add the bread, the cauliflower water, and half the milk, and boil slowly for an hour. Take it off the fire, pass it through a sieve, add the rest of the milk, and heat it again, taking care it does not actually boil, as it may curdle. Serve. =12. Green Pea Soup.= One quart shelled peas; 3 pints water; 1 quart milk; 1 onion; 2 tablespoonfuls butter; 1 tablespoonful flour. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the peas in a stewpan with the boiling water and onion and cook until tender (about half an hour). Pour off water, saving for use later. Mash peas fine, add water in which they were boiled, and rub through _purée_ sieve. Return to saucepan, add flour and butter, beaten together, and the salt and pepper. Gradually add milk, which must be boiling hot. Beat well and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. This recipe is useful when green peas are getting old and are not tender enough to be enjoyable if served in the usual way. =13. White Haricot Soup.= Stew 1/2-lb. of beans in 2-qts. of water, adding 5 chopped onions, some chopped celery and a carrot which have been fried in some butter until well cooked; stew until the beans are tender, and strain if clear soup is required, or pass through a sieve for thick soup; add some cream and milk, bring to the boil, flavour with salt, and serve. =14. Marmite Vegetarian Soup.= Take a dessertspoonful of Marmite, 1-pt. of water or vegetable stock, a tablespoonful of fine sago or tapioca, a slice or two of any vegetables, with a sprig of parsley and a little salt. Boil the vegetables for a few minutes in the water, skim well, add the sago or tapioca, and boil for an hour or over, then strain; stir the Marmite in and serve hot. A delicious and cheap soup. A gill of milk or cream boiled and added at the end--omit the same measure of water--is an improvement in some cases. =15. Almond Soup.= (A nice Summer Soup). One pint of white stock, 1 pint milk, 1 small breakfastcup of ground almonds, 1-oz. butter, 3-ozs. minced onions, 1-oz. flour. Fry the onion in the butter in a stewpan till a pale yellow colour, stir in the flour, and when well blended, moisten with some of the stock, adding the almonds, broth and milk by degrees till all are exhausted, bring to the boil, skim, and simmer _gently_ for half an hour, pass through a hair sieve. Serve with nicely cooked green peas. =16. Celery Soup.= Six heads of celery, 1 teaspoon of salt, a little nutmeg, 1 lump sugar, 1 gill of stock, 1/2-pint of milk, and two quarts of boiling water. Cut the celery into small pieces and throw it into the boiling water seasoned with nutmeg, salt and sugar, boil until sufficiently tender, pass it through a sieve, add the stock, and simmer for half-an-hour, then add the milk, bring it up to the boil and serve. =17. Potato Soup.= Four middle sized potatoes, a thick slice of bread, 3 leeks peeled and cut into slices, a teacup of rice, salt and pepper to taste, 2 qts. of water. Bring the water up to boil, then put in all the ingredients except the rice, pepper and salt, cover and let them come to a brisk boil, add the rice and boil slowly for one hour. =18. Pea Soup.= Take 1-1/2 pints of split peas and 3 onions. Put the peas to soak overnight, then cook with the onions until quite soft--pass through a sieve, add 1 gill of milk, bring to the boil. Serve with squares of fried bread or toast. Celery, salt, pepper and chopped mint may be added to taste. =19. Mock Hare Soup.= Soak some haricot beans over night in boiling water, then stew them for 2 hours in water with 2 onions, salt and pepper. When quite tender pass them through the sieve, add 1-oz. ground walnuts, boil again for 5 minutes, add forced meat balls, and serve. =20. Carrot Soup.= Two lbs. carrots, 3-ozs. butter, seasoning to taste, 2 quarts of bean stock or water. Scrape the carrots, wash and wipe them quite dry, and cut in thick slices; put the butter in a large stewpan and when melted put the carrots in and stew gently for one hour without browning, then add the stock or water and simmer until tender (about an hour). Pass them through the sieve, add the seasoning and boil for 5 minutes; skim well and serve. =21. Onion Soup.= Put about 2 doz. small onions in a stewpan with 1-oz. butter, cover and let them stew for about 20 minutes, then add sufficient boiling water to cover them, boil till quite tender, pass through a sieve, boil up again, add the savoury seasoning and 1 gill of milk. A little boiled macaroni chopped up fine may be added before serving. =22. Carnos Soup.= Two tablespoons of Carnos in a pint of boiling water makes a very nourishing soup; it may be thickened with rice, vermicelli, spaghetti, etc., if required, and served with fingers of toast. =23. White Windsor Soup.= Take 4 breakfastcups of white stock, then add 6 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, and 1-oz. of sago. Stir over the fire till clear, then add 1 breakfastcupful of milk, and a little minced parsley. Let it come to boiling point, but no more. Serve in a very hot tureen. =SUBSTITUTES FOR FISH.= =24. Mock Scallop Oysters.= Scrape some salsify roots, boil them until tender, drain. Beat with wooden spoon to a _smooth_ paste free of _fibre_. Moisten with cream, add a teaspoonful of butter or a thick white sauce. Serve in fireproof china, or in scallop shells. Put breadcrumbs on top, which have been steeped in butter and browned. =25. Mock Oyster Patties.= Make the above mixture, put it into short puff paste made into patties, and bake until a nice brown tint. =26. Green Artichokes.= (A substitute for Oysters). Boil some green artichoke heads until tender (about 1 hour) and serve hot. Mix some French wine vinegar and pure olive oil (one teaspoonful of vinegar to three of oil) with a pinch of salt and pepper. Strip off the leaves one by one and dip the fleshy ends in the dressing; then scrape off the tender part of the leaf with the teeth. When the leaves are stripped, cut out the centre of the 'crown' and cut off its stalk quite short. Remove the seeds, and the crown itself will then be found a bonne bouche. =27. Fried Chinese Artichokes.= Boil the artichokes until tender. After draining, drop them into batter of fine breadcrumbs and egg. Fry crisp and serve with parsley sauce and slices of lemon. =28. Mock Fish Cutlets.= Two ozs. rice, 4-ozs. white haricot beans, 1/2-gill of thick curry sauce, pepper and salt, egg and breadcrumbs. Make a thick curry sauce, add to it the boiled rice and beans chopped up fine, pepper and salt. Cook together for a few minutes, then turn out on a plate and leave to cool. Form into balls or small flat cakes, dip in egg, then crumbs, and fry in boiling oil. =29. Fillets of Mock Sole.= Bring to a boil half a pint of milk, and stir in 2-ozs. of ground rice. Add 1-oz. of butter, a teaspoonful of grated onion, and a pinch of mace; also 3 large tablespoonfuls of potato which has been put through a fine sieve. Mix and let all simmer slowly in the saucepan for 15 minutes. The mixture should be fairly stiff. When removed from the fire, add 1 egg and 1 yolk well beaten. Mix thoroughly, and turn out on a flat dish not quite half an inch thick, and allow it to get quite cold. Then divide into fillet-shaped pieces, brush over with the beaten white of egg, toss in fine breadcrumbs, and fry in plenty of smoking-hot fat. Drain, and serve very hot, garnished with slices of lemon, and with Hollandaise sauce. =30. Mock Fish Roe.= Peel and slice 3 or 4 tomatoes, and put in a saucepan with nearly half a pint of water, and some grated onion. Cook until the tomato is soft and smooth; then sprinkle in sufficient maize meal to make the mixture fairly stiff, add pepper and salt and one heaped tablespoonful of grated cheese. Form into fillets or cutlets, and fry in the usual way. =31. Filleted Salsify.= Cook some salsify until tender, slice it into quarters lengthways, and cut it into 3-in. lengths; dip in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry crisp; serve with parsley sauce (recipe 164), and garnish with slices of lemon and parsley. =32. Mock White Fish.= Boil 1/2-pt. milk and thicken with rather more than 1-oz. of semolina, to make a little stiffer than for rice mould. Add a lump of butter, salt, a little grated onion and a saltspoonful of mace, and let all cook together for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Boil 3 potatoes and put through masher, and whilst hot add to the semolina or it will not set well. Pour into dish to stiffen, and when quite cold cut into slices, roll in egg and white breadcrumbs, fry crisp in Nutter and serve with parsley sauce as a fish course. The mixture must be stiff, for the frying softens the semolina again. =33. Mock Hake Steaks.= Put in a pan 3-ozs. breadcrumbs, with 1/2-pint of milk and a pinch of salt. Stir over a slow fire for a few minutes; then add 2-ozs. flour, the yolk of 1 egg, 3-ozs. grated cheese, 1-oz. butter, and a pinch of mace. Cook for fifteen minutes; when quite cold form into fritters, dip in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in boiling oil till a nice golden brown. Serve with piquante sauce. =SUBSTITUTES FOR MEAT DISHES.= =34. Walnut Cutlets.= Put a small cap of milk and 1/2-oz. of butter in a saucepan on the fire. When it boils add 3-ozs. of _dried_ and _browned_ breadcrumbs and a little dredging of flour. Let it cook until it no longer adheres to the pan, and remove from the fire. When it is cool add 2 eggs, beating until smooth, a large tablespoonful of shelled walnuts (previously run through the nut mill), seasoning, and a little grated onion juice. Mix well and shape into cakes about 1/2-in. thick on a floured board. Roll in flour or egg and breadcrumbs, and fry. Serve with walnut gravy, or round a dish of grilled tomatoes. =35. Brown Bean Cutlets.= Boil one pint of brown haricot beans until soft, strain and keep the stock; pass the beans through a sieve and add a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a little grated onion, pepper, salt, a small piece of butter, and, if liked, a few drops of A1 Sauce. Add breadcrumbs until the right consistency is obtained for moulding into cutlet form. Egg, crumb, and fry as usual. Serve with tomato sauce or a rich gravy. =36. Green Pea Cutlets.= Green pea cutlets, either fresh or dried, may be made the same way as stated in the previous recipe, substituting a little chopped mint for the parsley and onion, and serving with mint sauce, and a nice brown gravy made from the green pea stock. =37. Haricot Cutlets.= Boil 1-pt. of brown or white haricot beans with one or two onions till quite soft, strain and pass through a sieve, add some chopped parsley, a tablespoonful of grated pine kernels, a little tapioca (previously soaked in cold water), pepper and salt and a few breadcrumbs. Mould into cutlets, egg, crumb, and fry. Serve with sliced lemon and parsley sauce, or with brown gravy. =38. Walnut Rissoles.= Take 1/2-pt. ground walnuts, 1/2-pt. breadcrumbs, 1-oz. butter, 1-oz. flour, a little milk, chopped parsley, and pepper and salt to taste. Make a thick white sauce with butter, flour and milk, add all the other ingredients. Mix well and form into rissoles, dip in egg, then in crumbs, and fry crisp in boiling oil. These may be glazed and eaten cold with a salad and mint sauce. =39. Stuffed Vegetable Marrow.= Peel a medium sized marrow, and remove the seeds, keeping the marrow whole. Prepare the following stuffing:-- Mix 2 or 3 chopped and fried onions, 6-ozs. pine kernels (these should be ground and also fried with the onions), 6-ozs. breadcrumbs, pepper and salt, 1 chopped hard boiled egg, and 1 raw egg to bind. Fill the marrow with this mixture, and steam for half an hour to partly cook the marrow. Now place in a baking tin, cover with breadcrumbs, place some small pieces of butter on top, and bake for another half hour until the marrow is quite soft and a nice rich brown. Serve with brown gravy. =40. Purée of Walnuts.= Make a white sauce with 1-oz. butter, 1-oz. flour, 1/2-teacup of milk, add 1/2-pint of ground walnuts, 1/2-pint breadcrumbs, and 2 dessertspoons of milk, and beat well. About three-quarters of an hour before serving, add the white of 1 egg stirred in lightly and pour into a mould. Steam for half an hour, serve with mashed potatoes. =41. Nut Croquettes.= Take 1/2-pint of mixed and shelled nuts, 4 or 5 mashed potatoes, 1 chopped and fried onion, and a pinch of mace. Chop the nuts, or pass through a nut-mill, and add them to the potato, with the onion and seasoning. Form into croquettes, brush over with egg, and cover with fine breadcrumbs and fry in boiling oil. Serve with bread sauce. =42. Mock Chicken Cutlets.= A tasty dish to be served with bread sauce is prepared as follows:--Run through the nut mill 2 cups of breadcrumbs and 1 good cup of shelled walnuts. Mix these together with a small piece of butter, a tablespoonful of grated onion juice, and a teaspoonful of mace. Melt a large teaspoonful of butter in a saucepan, with half a teaspoonful of flour and add gradually 2 cups of fresh milk; when this boils add the other ingredients, salt and pepper to taste, add a beaten egg, and when removed from the fire, a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Stir well and turn out into a dish to cool, then shape into cutlets, dip in egg, then in breadcrumbs, as usual, and fry crisp. =43. Mock Sweetbread Quenelles.= Put 1 pint of milk in a saucepan to boil with 1 onion chopped fine, when it boils add 3-ozs. of semolina stirring all the time, boil for 15 minutes, then add 1-oz. of breadcrumbs, 1-oz of butter, 1 egg, pepper and salt to taste. Mix well and steam in a buttered basin for half-an-hour, then cut out in pieces the shape of an egg (with a deep spoon), pile them in the centre of the dish, and pour thick white sauce over them, garnish with green peas, and carrots very finely chopped. =44. White Haricot Cutlets.= Skin and stew till quite tender 1/2-pint of white haricot beans in sufficient water to cover them. Add 2 small onions grated, 1 tablespoon of milk or cream, pepper and salt to taste. Simmer a little longer, and beat till quite smooth. Take off the fire, and add enough breadcrumbs to make fairly firm, form into cutlets, dip in egg, then in crumbs, and fry crisp. Serve with brown or tomato sauce. =45. Lentil Cutlets.= Take a teacup of Egyptian lentils; boil them in water sufficient to cover until tender. Add 3 grated onions, some chopped parsley and thyme, and enough breadcrumbs to make a stiff mixture. Turn on to large plates and flatten with a knife. Then cut into eight triangular sections and shape them like small cutlets. When cold, roll in egg, then in breadcrumbs, and fry crisp after inserting small pieces of macaroni into each pointed end. Serve with mint or tomato sauce, and with vegetables. =46. Mushroom Pie, with Gravy.= Take 1/4-lb. butter beans, 1/4-lb. mushrooms, 1-lb. chestnuts, 2 onions, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 teacupful tapioca (soaked overnight), some short crust pastry. Fill a pie dish with alternate layers of above ingredients, with seasoning to taste; the onions and mushrooms should be fried, the chestnuts boiled and peeled, the butter beans cooked the day before until quite soft, and the egg cut into slices. Cover with the pastry made as follows:--1/2-lb. of flour, 1/4-lb. nut-butter, mixed with cold water. Brush over with beaten egg and bake. GRAVY. Melt 1-oz. of butter in a saucepan, stir in a tablespoon of flour, and cook till a rich dark brown, stirring all the time, add half-a-pint of vegetable stock and being to the boil. Before serving add half-a-teaspoonful of Marmite. =47. Baked Nuttoria.= Open a tin of Nuttoria, cut into slices 1/2-inch in thickness, bake for an hour, well dressed with butter. Serve with vegetables and with rich gravy made from brown haricot beans, thickened with arrowroot, and flavoured with fried onion and a good piquant sauce (such as Brand's A1). Yorkshire pudding makes a suitable addition. =48. Lentil Croquettes.= Wash, pick and cook 1/4-lb. lentils, with 1 or 2 onions to flavour. When cooked, add about 5-ozs. wholemeal breadcrumbs, a teaspoonful parsley, nutmeg, mace, salt and pepper, and 1 egg beaten. Mix well, and when cold form into balls. Dip in egg, then crumbs, and fry a golden brown. Serve with onion sauce and gravy. =49. Protose Cutlets.= Pound a tin of Protose with 1-oz. of fresh butter, some grated onion juice, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper, a few breadcrumbs, and a few drops of lemon juice. Roll the mixture on a floured board until about 1/2-inch thick, shape into cutlets, roll in egg, then in crumbs and fry. As Protose does not require previous cooking this is a very quickly prepared dish, and if a few tins are kept in stock it is always handy for emergencies. The cutlets may be fried without egg and breadcrumbs, simply rolled in a little flour, if one is very pressed for time. Serve with tomato or onion sauce, or a rich gravy. =50. Savoury Nut-Meat Steaks.= Cut some slices of Protose about 3/8-inch thick, and bake in a tin, basted with butter, for an hour. Roll in egg, then in crumbs, and fry in butter for a few minutes. Serve with fried forcemeat balls, red currant jelly, and brown haricot gravy flavoured with fried onion, cloves and some piquant sauce, thickened with arrowroot. Masked potatoes (placed round) complete this dish. =51. Nut-Meat à la Mode.= Take a tin of Nuttoria (1/2-lb.) and pass it through the nut-mill. Beat the whites and yolks of 4 eggs separately. Mix these with the nut-meat, adding 2-ozs. stale brown breadcrumbs, some grated onion, chopped parsley and herbs. Press into a basin and steam until well cooked. Serve with white parsley sauce thickened with arrowroot. This dish tastes exactly as if it were made with minced beef. =52. Nut-Meat Rissoles.= Put some Protose, Fibrose (brown), Nuttoria, or other nut-meat through the nut-mill before cooking. Fry slowly with some chopped onion. Cover with brown stock, and cook slowly until nearly all the gravy is absorbed. Then add breadcrumbs, herbs, seasoning, and a little butter, stir thoroughly over the fire, and set aside on a plate to cool. Form the mixture into small rolls, dip in egg, roll in breadcrumbs, and fry. Garnish with parsley, and serve with onion sauce or brown gravy. =53. Jugged Nuttose.= Bake some Nuttose (dressed with butter) for half-an-hour, in slices half-an-inch thick; then dip in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry. Also make some forcemeat balls by rubbing 1/2-oz. of butter in 5-ozs. of breadcrumbs, adding chopped lemon thyme, lemon peel and parsley, some pepper and salt, and 1 egg to bind; fry very brown. Cut up the Nuttose in quarter pieces and stew slowly in remainder of the bean stock with about 10 cloves. Garnish with sprays of parsley and the forcemeat balls. Serve with red currant jelly and mashed potatoes. =54. Nuttose Ragout.= A good way to prepare Nuttose is as follows:--Fry a teaspoonful of butter until quite brown, add flour until it absorbs the butter, add gradually any vegetable stock until a nice rich gravy results. Bring to the boil and add very thin slices of Nuttose. Stew very slowly for 1 hour, adding some Worcester or other sauce to taste. Garnish with mashed potatoes and serve with a green vegetable. =55. Minced Nut-meat.= Prepare a tin of Protose or other nut-meat by running it through a mincing machine, or mashing it with a fork, and stewing it in vegetable gravy. Serve with a border of green peas or beans, and with mashed potatoes placed round the outside of the dish. It is also nice served as follows, viz.:--Prepare as for minced meat. Boil a cupful of rice as for curry. When cooked stir in one teaspoonful of tomato sauce and seasoning. Put the mince in the centre of the dish with a wall of the rice and tomato round it. =56. Lentil and Potato Sausages.= Boil 5-ozs. lentils in very little water, so that when cooked all water is absorbed, then add 1 chopped and fried onion, a tiny pinch of herbs, pepper and salt, 4 boiled and mashed potatoes, and the _yolk_ of 1 egg. Allow to cool a little, then flour the hands, and form into sausage shape. Brush over with white of egg and fry in boiling oil. Decorate with parsley and serve with a border of green peas. =57. Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding.= For the stuffing:--1/4-lb. cooked lentils, 1 onion chopped and fried, a pinch of herbs, 2 tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, and seasoning. For the batter:--1/4-lb. of flour, 1/2-pint of milk, 1 egg. Mix the batter and partly bake for 20 minutes; remove from oven, spread with stuffing, roll up carefully, return to oven and bake brown. Serve with apple sauce and brown gravy. =58. Mushroom and Potato Croquettes.= Take some stiff mashed potatoes. Make a stuffing with 1/4-lb. minced and fried mushrooms, 2-ozs. chopped and cooked macaroni, and 1 tablespoonful breadcrumbs, moisten with a little beaten egg. Shape 2 rounds of potato, make a hollow in one, fill with the stuffing and press the other over it. Roll in egg, then in breadcrumbs, and fry crisp. =59. Mock Steak Pudding.= Take 1-lb. chestnuts, 1/4-lb. mushrooms, 1 onion, 1-oz. butter, 1/2-pint stock, a few forcemeat balls, and 4-ozs. of pine kernels. Make a thick brown gravy with the butter, onion and stock, boil the chestnuts, remove the skins and husks and add them to the gravy, with pepper and salt to taste, simmer for 15 minutes. Line a buttered basin with a good crust (allowing 4-ozs. rolled and chopped pine kernels and 1/2-oz. butter to 8-ozs. flour) and put in a layer of the chestnut mixture, then a layer of chopped mushroom and forcemeat balls till the basin is quite full; cover with a thick crust and boil for 2-1/2 hours. =60. Mock Chicken Rolls.= Take 1 cup brazil nuts, 2 cups breadcrumbs, 1 gill milk, 1 oz. butter, a little pepper and salt, mace, a few drops of lemon juice. Melt the butter and add the milk and flour to it, cook for a few minutes, add the breadcrumbs and ground nuts, then the other ingredients, mix well and turn over on a plate to cool. Form into rolls, dip into egg, then in breadcrumbs, and fry in boiling oil. Serve with bread sauce and mashed potatoes. =61. Savoury Sausages.= Make of the same ingredients as in recipe No. 64. Pound well in a basin, season rather highly, add a few chopped mushrooms, and a little butter. Leave to get quite cold. Then form into sausages, with well-floured hands, brush over with beaten egg, and fry or bake till crisp and brown. They may need a little basting if they are baked. =62. Savoury Chestnut Mould.= Peel two dozen chestnuts and stew gently in vegetable stock until nearly soft. Now remove half the chestnuts, and continue to cook the remainder until quite soft, gradually reducing the stock. Mash the contents of the pan with a fork, then stir in 2 tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, 2-ozs. of butter, pepper and salt, 1 egg, and lastly the partly cooked chestnuts, cut into neat pieces. Well grease a basin or mould, pour in the mixture and steam three-quarters of an hour, and serve with brown gravy or onion sauce. The main point about this dish is to retain the flavour of the chestnut without the addition of herbs, &c., &c. =63. Walnut Pie.= (A Tasty Dish). Put 4-ozs. of shelled walnuts through a mincer. Put a layer of boiled rice at the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Spread half the minced nuts evenly on top of the rice, then a layer of tomatoes, seasoned with onion, pepper and salt, mace, and ketchup, then another layer of rice, more nuts, etc., till the dish is nearly full. Cover thickly with breadcrumbs, pour melted butter over, and bake a nice brown. Serve with tomato sauce. =64. Savoury Lentil Roll.= Take 2 teacupfuls of boiled German lentils, put in a basin, and add a cupful of fine breadcrumbs, and about half as much mashed potatoes. Add any seasoning--ketchup, Worcester sauce--and a spoonful of melted butter. Mix well with a fork and bind with 1 or 2 beaten eggs, reserving a little for brushing over. Shape into a brick or oval, and press together as firmly as possible. Brush over with the remainder of the egg, put into a buttered tin and bake for half an hour. Serve with a garnish of beetroot or tomatoes. =65. Pine Kernel Timbale.= Well grease a basin and line it with partly cooked macaroni; start at the bottom of the basin, and coil each piece carefully round, all touching, until the basin is completely lined. Now carefully fill with the following farce:--Fry in 2-ozs. of butter two or three chopped onions, then add about 6-ozs. of pine-kernels, having first ground them in a nut-mill, continue frying till a pale brown, then turn into a basin and add about 1/2-lb. breadcrumbs, pepper and salt, and 2 eggs. Cover the basin with greased paper and steam one hour. Remove carefully from the basin and pour round a nice brown gravy. =SIMPLE SAVOURY DISHES.= =66. Macaroni Napolitaine.= Boil 1/2-lb. best quality macaroni (large) in plenty of water, strain and place on a dish; take a dessertspoonful of cornflour, mix thoroughly with a little milk, add milk to make half a pint, boil until it thickens, add half an ounce of grated cheese, a small knob of butter, and a few tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce or tomato conserve. The tomato sauce can be made by slicing 4 tomatoes and cooking them in a saucepan with a little batter and chopped onion. Pass through a strainer. Pour the sauce over the macaroni or serve in a sauce boat. =67. Macaroni à la Turque.= Boil 1/4-lb. of macaroni until _slightly_ tender, and add 1/2-lb. of grated breadcrumbs, 1 large onion (grated), 2 large tablespoons of parsley, some grated nutmeg, 1/2-pint milk, and 1 egg (beaten). Chop the macaroni and mix all well together and steam in a basin or in moulds for 1 or 1-1/2 hours. Serve with thin white sauce or brown gravy (poured over the mould). =68. Macaroni Cutlets.= Boil 1/4-lb. macaroni (Spaghetti) in water, not making it too tender; chop slightly, add 6-ozs. breadcrumbs, some chopped fried onions, a teaspoonful of lemon thyme, and parsley, a couple of tomatoes (fried in saucepan after onions), and 1 egg to bind. Mix, roll in flour, shape into cutlets, fry until crisp and brown. Serve with piquant or tomato sauce. =69. Savoury Macaroni.= Boil some macaroni for half an hour, drain well and add 1-oz. butter, 1 beaten egg, pepper and salt, 1 peeled and sliced tomato. Heat all thoroughly together and serve. =70. Creamed Macaroni.= Break 1/4-lb. macaroni into 1-inch pieces, drop them into 2-qts. of _boiling_ water, (salted), boil till tender. Drain and place in a dish. At serving time put into a pan a tablespoon of butter, when melted, a tablespoon of flour, rub until well mixed, then add 1/2-pint of milk, stir until it bubbles; a little cayenne to be added, then put in the macaroni and heat thoroughly, and just at the last, stir in 1/4-lb. of grated cheese (not quite half ought to be Parmesan and the rest a good fresh cheese). =71. Macaroni and Tomato Pudding.= Boil some macaroni and mix with it 3-ozs. of grated cheese, 4 peeled and sliced tomatoes, a little chopped parsley, and half a teacup of milk. Place in a pie-dish and cover with a thick layer of fine breadcrumbs and a few knobs of butter; season to taste. Bake until nicely browned. The addition of a grated onion is considered an improvement by many persons. =72. How to Cook Rice.= First boil the water, then put the rice in, and keep it on the boil for twelve minutes; if it wants to boil over just lift the lid of saucepan to let the steam escape. After boiling strain in a strainer, and steam it when wanted for use. To steam the boiled rice, put it in a colander and stand the colander in a saucepan containing a little boiling water, so that the colander and rice are clear of the water, put saucepan on the hot plate, and the steam from the water will dry and separate out each grain of rice and make it flakey. Savoury rice dishes can be made more rich in proteid, and more tasty, by adding a few teaspoons of Emprote. =73. Rice (Milanese).= (Specially recommended). Boil 6-ozs. of unpolished rice in a double saucepan until tender. Fry a chopped onion brown, then add 2 peeled tomatoes and cook until soft, add this to the rice with the yolks of 2 eggs, 1/2-teaspoonful of salt, and 1-1/2-ozs. of Parmesan or grated cheese. Mix well together and serve with brown gravy. This makes a most tasty and nutritious dish. =74. Rice alla Romana.= Boil 6-ozs. of unpolished rice with a clove of garlic. Fry 4 peeled tomatoes in 1-oz. butter. Add this to the rice with the yolk of 1 egg, 1/2-teaspoonful of salt, and 1-oz. of Parmesan or grated cheese. Stir and serve with tomato sauce, or garnish with baked tomatoes. This dish is equally suitable for lunch, dinner, or supper; it is a 'complete' type of food, and it is much appreciated. The flavour can easily be varied. =75. Savoury Rice.= Boil 1/4-lb. of rice till quite soft, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a little grated lemon rind, 4-ozs. grated cheese, 1 tablespoonful of milk and a little butter, mix well and put into scollop shells, sprinkle over with breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes. =76. proteid Rice Cutlets.= Delicious rice cutlets can be made as follows:--Fry 2 grated onions brown, then add 2 tomatoes in the same pan and cook till tender. Cook a large cupful of rice in a double saucepan, turn it into a basin, add the onions and tomatoes, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, 2-ozs. of breadcrumbs, 2-ozs. of Emprote, and pepper and salt to taste. Mix well, turn out on plates and smooth with a wet knife, cut into fingers and fry crisp in egg and breadcrumbs. Serve with tomato sauce or brown gravy. =77. Sicilian Rice.= Fry in 1-oz. butter, one good handful of chopped parsley and one finely chopped onion, until the latter is a pale brown colour; now add equal quantities of boiled rice and nicely cooked cabbage or sprouts (chopped), pepper and salt, and a small teaspoonful of sugar. Mix all together and heat thoroughly. Serve. =78. Curried Rice and Peas.= (An Indian Dish). Cook some rice in a jar until nicely swollen, put it in a saucepan, add one or two fried onions (and some young carrots chopped fine if desired), some vegetable stock, a dessertspoonful of Lazenby's Mango chutney, and 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of Stembridge's curry paste, until the rice has a rich curry flavour, to taste. Warm 1/2-pint of small French green peas (use fresh ones in season) with sugar and mint, pour them in the centre of the dish, place the curried rice round them and garnish with small fingers of pastry. Serve with fried potatoes and cauliflower. This dish is easily made and very easy of digestion. =79. Risi Piselli.= (A Popular Italian Dish). Fry some finely chopped parsley and onion till the latter is a light-brown colour. Have ready equal quantities of cooked rice and young green peas, boiled separately (let the rice be dry, well cooked, and each grain separate), add these to the onions and parsley, and stir well together in the pan. Serve very hot. =80. Rice and Tomato Rissoles.= Fry 2 onions brown, then add 4 peeled tomatoes, cook till tender, turn into a bowl and chop finely with some parsley and thyme. At the same time cook a small cupful of rice in a double pan. Mix this with the onions, etc., with pepper and salt, and 2-ozs. of breadcrumbs. Mix well, then put on plates, smooth over, and when quite cold cut into rissoles, egg, then crumb and fry. Serve with a rich brown gravy. =81. A Simple Omelette.= Take 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, a little chopped onion, pepper and salt. Beat the yolks and whites separately and then add the other ingredients. Heat some butter in a frying pan until very hot, then pour in the mixture and keep putting a knife round the outside to prevent the omelette adhering, and to make the uncooked centre flow towards the rim. When nicely set fold and serve on a hot plate. =82. Omelette aux Tomates.= Take 3 eggs, 1/4-pt. of milk, a teaspoonful chopped parsley, and a taste of grated onion juice, pepper and salt. Whisk all in a basin so as to mix thoroughly. Heat 1-oz. of butter in a frying-pan, then pour in the mixture and keep putting the knife round the outside to prevent the omelette adhering, and to make the uncooked centre flow towards the rim. When nicely set, fold and serve on a hot dish, either with tomato sauce, or garnished with baked tomatoes. =83. Eggs Florentine.= Boil some spinach in water containing a pinch of salt and soda, for about 10 minutes. Strain well, rub through a sieve, and add a well-beaten egg. Arrange in a fireproof dish, a thin layer in the centre and a good ridge all round, and put into the oven for about 10 minutes. Now poach a few eggs and lay in the centre, and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over all, add some cheese sauce. =84. Eggs à la Crême.= Place a large tablespoonful of cream in each of several small fireproof china baking or soufflé dishes (about 3-1/2-inches in diameter). Break an egg in each one, and steam them in a frying pan in water 1 inch deep until well cooked. Some persons who cannot digest lightly cooked eggs can safely take them if quite hard. =85. Mayonnaise Eggs.= Boil the eggs hard, which takes about 15 minutes, then put them in cold water; when cold, shell them and cut a piece off the end of each so that they will stand upright on the dish; pour thick mayonnaise sauce over them and sprinkle with chopped capers. =86. Eggs à l'Italienne.= Boil 1/4-lb. of spaghetti in water, adding some tomato purée or conserve, and spread it on a dish. Poach 4 eggs and lay them on the spaghetti, sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the eggs and decorate the dish with fried croûtons. =87. Omelette aux Fines Herbes.= Melt 1-oz. of butter in a perfectly dry frying pan. Beat the yolks of 3 eggs with some finely chopped parsley and a pinch of garlic powder, pepper and salt. When the butter boils pour in the egg and stir until it commences to set. Then pour in the whites of the eggs (previously beaten to a stiff froth). When cooked fold the omelette and turn on to a very hot dish. Cover at once and serve. =88. Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes.= Peel 4 large tomatoes after dipping them in scalding water, slice and stew them in a little butter for a few minutes; beat 2 eggs, add them to the tomatoes, and scramble them until the egg is cooked. Serve on toast. Green peas may be used for this dish instead of tomatoes. =89. Oeufs Farcie en Aspic.= Boil 4 eggs hard and remove the shells and take out the yolks, beat them in a bowl, and then add 2 teaspoons of salad oil and a little chopped parsley and thyme, a few breadcrumbs, pepper and salt, mix all well and fill in each white half, even over with a knife, and glaze. Serve with Salad and Mayonnaise Sauce. =90. Spinach and Eggs.= Take 3 or 4-lbs. of spinach, boil it in plenty of water with a pinch of soda and salt for 10 minutes, press through a strainer, and then rub through a wire sieve; place it in a saucepan with a small piece of butter and a tablespoonful of milk, stir well whilst being warmed up, and serve on buttered toast or fried bread, garnish with fingers of pastry. Rub 2 hard boiled eggs through a sieve and spread on the top. Decorate with the white of the eggs when sliced. =91. Spinach à la Crême.= Prepare the spinach as described above, but instead of adding butter and milk, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of cream. Stir well and serve with fingers of fried bread or pastry. Omit the garnishing of eggs. =92. Spinach Soufflé.= Cook some spinach (see recipe 90), pass it through sieve and add 2 or 3 well beaten eggs and a small amount of milk, with pepper and salt. Mix it thoroughly, put it in well buttered soufflé dishes and bake for 10 minutes. This makes a simple yet tasty entrée. =93. Green Pea Soufflé.= Pass some cooked green peas through a sieve, add pepper and salt, a teaspoonful of sugar, a very little milk, and the yolks of 2 or 3 eggs, according to quantity of peas. Beat the whites of eggs till a stiff froth, add to the mixture and bake quickly in an oiled soufflé dish or small cases. =94. Chestnut Soufflé.= Boil 1-lb of chestnuts until they are quite soft, remove the skins and pass through a nut-mill, moisten with 1/4-pt. of milk and 1/2-oz. butter (melted), add pepper and salt, the yolks of 3 eggs and lastly the whites, beaten to a stiff froth. Pour into a greased soufflé dish and bake quickly. =95. Lentil Soufflé.= Cook 2-ozs. of lentils in very little water (so that when cooked the moisture is absorbed), add 1-oz. of butter, pepper and salt, 1 tablespoonful of milk, and the yolks of 3 eggs. Beat the whites to a stiff froth and fold lightly into the mixture. Pour into an oiled soufflé dish and bake quickly. =96. Asparagus Soufflé.= Take some asparagus (previously boiled) and rub it through a sieve. Add 2 or 3 well beaten eggs and a small quantity of milk, with pepper and salt. Beat it well and put in buttered soufflé dishes and bake for 10 minutes. This makes a tasty course for a luncheon or dinner, and also a simple supper dish. =97. Cabbage Soufflé.= Take some well-cooked cabbage or Brussels sprouts, pass through a sieve, add pepper and salt, a little milk, and well beat in the yolks of 2 or 3 eggs. Beat the whites to a stiff froth and stir lightly into the mixture. Pour into the soufflé dish in which has been melted a small piece of butter. Bake quickly in a good oven. =98. Savoury Rissoles.= Equal quantities of mashed wholemeal bread and boiled rice, add a little boiled onion minced fine, some pepper, salt and butter. Mix, roll into shape, or pass through a sausage machine, dredge with flour, dip in batter, and fry crisp. A great variety can be made by introducing lentils, macaroni or haricots, with herbs, fried onions, breadcrumbs, etc., and an egg. =99. Kedgeree.= Two cups of boiled rice, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1-oz. butter, 1 onion, 1-oz. sultanas, pepper and salt. Fry the onion in the butter till brown, then add the rice, eggs, and seasoning, mix well and serve very hot. =100. Savoury Cheese Rissoles.= Put 1/2-pint of hot water and 2-ozs. butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil, sift in slowly 5-ozs. of flour and cook this mixture thoroughly until it will leave the pan clean. Take it off the fire and add a little cayenne, finely chopped parsley, 4-ozs. breadcrumbs, 2-ozs. grated cheese, and 1 egg beaten in separately. When the mixture is quite cool, roll it into balls with flour and fry them. Decorate the dish with parsley and serve hot with a garnish of mashed potatoes. A brown sauce is an improvement. =101. A Corsican Dish.= Take 1-lb. Brussels sprouts, and sauté them, 1-lb. chestnuts, boil and peel them, and then fry in butter. Pile in centre of dish and surround with the sprouts. Decorate with croûtons and serve hot. =102. Brussels Sprouts Sauté.= Blanch the sprouts and drain well. Put into a wide saucepan with some butter and seasoning. Place on a hot fire and shake frequently for five minutes. Serve hot. =103. Spinach Fritters.= Chop finely, or pass through a sieve, 1-lb. of cooked spinach, season with salt and pepper and add the yolk of 1 egg and sufficient breadcrumbs to make the mixture stiff. Form into flat, round cakes, dip into frying batter and cook in boiling fat. Serve with a garnish of scrambled eggs. =104. Baked Stuffed Tomatoes.= Remove the centre from half a dozen tomatoes, mince this and add some chopped parsley, 1/4-lb. grated nuts, 2-ozs. breadcrumbs, pepper and salt to taste and one egg. Fill the tomatoes with this mixture and bake for half an hour, first placing a small piece of butter on each tomato. =105. A Breakfast Dish.= Take some large tomatoes, cut them in halves and scoop out the inside. Break some eggs and put each in a cup, and slide one egg into each half tomato. Put a little chopped parsley on each, and bake in the oven until the white of the egg is set. Serve on rounds of toast. =106. Vegetable Marrow Stuffed.= Grate some nuts, add the same quantity of breadcrumbs, season, bind with one egg. Take a small marrow, cut in halves, scoop out the seeds, put in the stuffing, place it in a cloth upright in a saucepan with water, and steam for one hour. =107. Tomatoes au Gratin.= Take some large tomatoes, cut in halves, take out the pulp. Make a stuffing of nut-meat, or of grated nuts, bind with one egg, and fill up the tomatoes. Sprinkle a little grated cheese and breadcrumbs and a dab of butter on each tomato round. Place in a tin, and bake in the oven for twenty minutes, and serve on croûtons. =108. Brussels Sprouts à la Simone.= (An Italian dish) Wash and boil the sprouts in the usual way, drain dry, and put them in a hot dish. Have ready a sauce made with 2-ozs. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, add 1/2 a pint of stock and stir till it boils; just before serving add a good sprinkling of pepper and the juice of half a lemon; pour the sauce over the sprouts and serve. =109. Potato Purée.= Boil some large potatoes until soft, strain off the water, and dry them, mash with a silver fork, mix in a little salt and pepper, some butter and a cupful of hot milk, beat well until the mixture is quite smooth and creamy. Serve very hot. =110. Onions à la Mode Francaise.= Take some Spanish onions, peel them, and make a hole in the centre, and put in each onion a small piece of butter and one lump of sugar. Add a little pepper and salt, and simmer in a covered stewpan for 2 hours. The onions should then be cooked, and surrounded with a rich gravy of their own. =111. Escalloped Potatoes.= Mix a pint and a half of cold potatoes cut in cubes and seasoned with salt, and a pint of cream sauce. Put the mixture in shallow baking dish, cover with grated breadcrumbs, and dot with butter. Bake half an hour in moderate oven. =112. Baked Vegetable Marrow.= Mix together 1/2-oz. of butter with 5-ozs. breadcrumbs, rubbing it well in. Add a fried onion, some parsley and thyme, some sage and some lemon rind, and bind with an egg. Scoop out the marrow, and place the stuffing in quite dry; then steam in a cloth. Dress with brown gravy and fried breadcrumbs, and place for a few minutes in a hot oven. =113. Milanese Croquettes.= Pass 2 hard boiled eggs through a sieve, then mix with 3 or 4-ozs. of cold mashed potatoes. Add pepper and salt to taste, and nutmeg. Form into little rolls and dip into egg and breadcrumbs, then fry crisp. =114. Green Lentil Cutlets.= Slice and fry till brown 1 large onion, then add 1/2-pint of green lentils (well washed), and cover with water or stock, bring to the boil, and simmer gently till quite tender. Rub through a sieve to keep back the skins; add 2-ozs. of breadcrumbs, 1-oz. mashed potatoes, a little chopped parsley and some mushroom ketchup, salt and pepper to taste. Make into cutlet shapes, roll in flour, or egg and breadcrumbs, and fry crisp. Serve with brown gravy. =115. Chestnut and Mushroom Pudding.= Line a pudding basin with good short pastry, then fill it with layers of white haricots (skinned and steamed till nearly tender), fried onion, tapioca, (previously soaked for 1 or 2 hours in cold water), finely chopped parsley, fried mushrooms, and some chestnuts (skinned and boiled till nearly tender), also a sprinkling of salt and pepper between the layers. Pour over all some nicely seasoned mushroom gravy; cover with pastry, tie a floured cloth over it, and steam for 3 hours. =116. Savoury Golden Marbles.= Take nearly 1/2-pt. of white haricot beans, cooked and pulped through a sieve, and add 2-ozs. of breadcrumbs, 2-ozs. of mashed potatoes, a small onion finely minced, and pepper and salt to taste. Add 1 beaten egg. Mix thoroughly, and form into marbles. Coat with the remainder of the egg, toss in fine breadcrumbs, and fry crisp and light brown. =117. Potato Croquettes.= Boil 2-lbs. of potatoes, well dry them, mash thoroughly with 1/2-oz. butter and 1 beaten egg. Lay on a dish until cold. Shape into balls, dip in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry crisp. =118. Curried Lentils.= Stew some green lentils in vegetable stock, and when quite soft stir in a teaspoonful of Stembridge's curry paste, a fried onion, a chopped apple, and some chutney. Mix it well. Serve with a border of boiled rice, and fingers of pastry or fried bread, and some chipped potatoes. =119. Yorkshire Savoury Pudding.= Take 3 eggs, 5 tablespoons of flour, 1 pint of milk, 1 large onion, pepper and salt to taste. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, mix the yolks with the milk, flour and condiments, lightly mix in the whites and pour into one or two well greased pudding tins which should have been made hot. Bake 20 minutes. The pudding should not be more than three-eighths of an inch in thickness, and should be of a nice brown colour. =120. Cauliflower (au Gratin).= Boil 1 or 2 cauliflowers (after removing leaves) until tender. Strain off the water and place on a dish. Cover with grated cheese, some white sauce and some fried breadcrumbs. Add some knobs of butter and bake until a nice brown. This dish is very savoury, and is useful for supper or as a separate course for dinner. =121. Curried Cauliflower.= Wash a nice fresh cauliflower carefully, then boil it in salted water until it is quite tender, be careful that it does not break, drain it well from the water, place it in a hot dish, arrange it in a neat compact shape, pressing it gently together with a nice clean cloth, pour over some curry sauce and serve with or without a rice border. =122. Grilled Tomatoes.= Halve some ripe tomatoes, place them in a frying pan with a teacupful of water, put a small piece of butter on each piece. Cook them until tender. Serve on toast. Poached eggs or mushrooms are a nice addition to this dish. =123. Neapolitan Sausages.= Soak 2 tablespoons of tapioca for 1 hour or more, then add 1/2-lb. of breadcrumbs, 1 hard boiled egg, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley, and a little thyme, and pepper and salt to taste. Mix well with half a raw egg. Make into sausage shape, roll in egg, then in breadcrumbs, and fry crisp, or bake in a tin with a little butter in a sharp oven. Serve with brown gravy and apple sauce. =124. Lentil Pudding.= Stew some green lentils until soft; stir in some of Stembridge's curry paste and add chutney to taste. Season with salt and butter, cover with mashed potatoes and bake. =125. Savoury Rice Pudding.= Put 1 teacupful of rice in a medium sized pie dish, and fill it with milk; chop finely or grate 4 small onions, beat 1 egg, mix altogether, add a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and a little salt; bake in a slow oven. After 20 minutes, stir the pudding thoroughly, adding a small piece of butter, and a little more milk if necessary. =126. Croûtes a la Valencia.= Two ozs. almonds, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 oz. fresh butter, 1 teaspoonful olive oil, salt and pepper, 8 small rounds of fried bread. Blanch the almonds and fry them slowly in the oil till a golden brown, place on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Allow these to get cold. Drain the rest of the nuts, and pound them in a mortar till quite fine, add the egg and butter, and season well. Pound all together till quite smooth, then pile up on the rounds of bread, and arrange 3 of the salted almonds on each. =127. Frittamix Rissoles.= Take 1/2-lb. of frittamix (Mapleton's), 2-ozs. of fine stale breadcrumbs and 1-oz. of butter. Mix all together with some boiling water and make into rissoles or sausages, egg and breadcrumb them and fry crisp in boiling Nutter. =128. Marmite Toast.= (A good breakfast dish). Spread some Marmite on rounds of white bread, fry till they are crisp, and serve with scrambled eggs piled on each round, or piled in a dish with fried eggs. =129. Salted Almonds.= Heat a dessertspoonful of butter in a frying pan till it smokes, place some blanched almonds in it, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, or red pepper if liked, shake the pan till the almonds are _slightly_ brown, place on paper to drain, and serve. =130. Chestnut Stew.= Take 1-lb. chestnuts, 1-1/2-ozs. oil or butter, 1 tablespoonful flour, 1 pt. milk, 1 yolk of egg, 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley. Add pepper and salt. Boil the chestnuts for 1/4-hour, then place in hot oven for 5 minutes, when the skins will be easy to remove. Put the oil into a saucepan and in it fry the chestnuts for a few minutes, stir in 1 tablespoonful of flour, add the milk gradually with pepper and salt, and let the whole simmer gently for half an hour. Just before serving, add the parsley chopped fine. The yolk of an egg may also be added to give greater richness, but in this case do not let it boil again. This dish is both nutritious and tasty. =COLD LUNCHEON DISHES= (For Hot Luncheon Dishes see previous section of Recipes). =131. Oeufs Farcie en Aspic.= Boil 4 eggs hard and remove the shells, and take out the yolks; beat them in a bowl, and then add 2 teaspoons of salad oil and a little chopped parsley and thyme, a few breadcrumbs, pepper and salt. Mix all well and fill in each white half, even over with a knife, and glaze. Serve with Salad and Mayonnaise sauce. =132. Nut Galantine.= Take 1/2-lb. ground walnuts, 1/4-lb. cooked spaghetti, 2 onions, 1 small tomato, 1-oz. butter, 1 dessertspoonful of Carnos, a little stock, pepper and salt to taste. Fry the onions and tomato in the butter, and then add the other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Put into a greased mould, cover with a greased paper, and bake in a slow oven for 1 hour. Turn out when cold and serve with salad and Mayonnaise sauce. This dish may be served hot as a roast with red currant jelly and browned potatoes. =133. Galantine alla Bolognese.= Steam 1/2-pint of rice, fry 12 mushrooms and 6 small onions, add 1/2-pint breadcrumbs, and put all through the sausage mill; add 2 well beaten eggs, pepper and salt, and a pinch of mixed spice. Put the mixture in buttered paper and shape it like a bolster, fastening the ends with white of egg. Tie it in a cloth and steam for 1-1/2 hours, then take it off the fire and leave it to cool. Before serving take off the paper, then glaze with aspic. Decorate with chopped hard-boiled eggs, or beetroot and carrot cut in shapes; and serve with chutney or salad sauce. =134. Aspic Jelly.= Take 2 pints of cold water, 1/4-oz. agar-agar (vegetable gelatine), 1 lemon, some pepper and salt, a pinch of cayenne, and 2 tablespoons of Tarragon vinegar. Soak the agar 2 hours in 1-pt. of the water, then add the other ingredients, with some Worcester sauce to darken it, add the white of an egg and the shell, put over a slow fire till the agar is dissolved, then boil 2 or 3 minutes, and strain through a coarse flannel. =135. Mock Lobster Shapes.= Put the yolks of 4 hard-boiled eggs through a sieve, add by degrees 4 tablespoonfuls of salad oil. When a perfectly smooth paste is formed; add 1 teaspoonful of Tarragon vinegar, 1 teaspoonful of malt vinegar, 1 gill of cool jelly, 1 gill cream. Have ready about 3-ozs. boiled haricot beans, chop them coarsely and add to the mixture, put into small moulds. When set, turn out and glaze. =136. Raised Pie.= Line a pie-mould with good short crust, then fill with the following mixture:--Omelette made with 2 eggs, 2-ozs. chopped macaroni, a little grated onion, chopped parsley, pepper and salt; 5 or 6 tomatoes peeled and fried in a little butter, seasoned with a pinch of sugar, pepper and salt, and thickened with 2 eggs scrambled in them. Leave these till cold, fit into the pie; cover, brush with egg, and bake in a good hot oven at first, then slowly for about an hour. Garnish with parsley and serve cold or hot. =137. Green Pea Galantine.= Pass 1 pint of green peas (cooked) through a sieve, add 1 small grated onion, some chopped mint, 1/4-lb. pine kernel nut-meat (first passing it through a mill), 2-ozs. tapioca, which has been soaked overnight in cold water, pepper and salt, and 1/4-lb. breadcrumbs. Mix well and add 1 raw egg. Put into a greased mould or pie dish and bake in a slow oven 3/4 of an hour. Turn out when cold and serve with salad. =138. Picnic Brawn.= Fry 1 onion, 1 lump of sugar, in a little butter till quite brown, add 2 tablespoonfuls of Marmite, 3/4-pint of water. Dissolve 1/2-oz. of gelatine in a little water and add to the gravy. Simmer all together for 15 minutes and strain, then add some cooked cold vegetables, a little cooked macaroni, and 1 hard-boiled egg chopped finely. Pepper and salt to taste, wet a mould with cold water and pour the mixture in to set. Turn out when cold and quite firm. Decorate with carrots, etc., cut into shape, and a white paper frill. =139. Tomato Galantine.= Six peeled tomatoes, 3 tablespoons of cooked macaroni, 3 onions chopped and fried, 1/2-cup tapioca (soaked in cold water), nearly a cup of bread which has been soaked in cold water, drained and fried in the pan after the onions; mix all with 1 unbeaten egg, pour into a greased mould which is decorated with hard-boiled egg, cover with greased paper and bake in a slow oven till set. Eat cold with salad. =140. Nut-Meat Galantine.= Take 1/2-lb. Protose, 1/4-lb. spaghetti (cooked), 8 large chestnuts (boiled and peeled), and 2 onions fried; put these through a sausage machine and add 1/2-cupful of tapioca which has been soaked in cold water, 1-oz. of butter broken into small pieces, and pepper and salt to taste. Mix well, then put into a greased mould. Cover with greased paper, and bake in a slow oven 1 hour. Turn out when cold and serve with salad and mayonnaise. =141. Tomato Mayonnaise.= Peel and slice 6 good tomatoes, place them in a dish and cover them with Mayonnaise sauce; let them stand for a few hours. Serve after sprinkling some finely chopped parsley over the top. This dish tastes nice with Protose rolls, or cheese, &c. =142. Nut-Meat Rolls.= Prepare pastry as usual for sausage rolls, either short or puffy. The filling mixture is made just as for the Nut-Meat Rissoles (52), with the addition of a few breadcrumbs. Roll the mixture between the fingers into the shape of a sausage, and proceed just as usual. Brush with egg and bake in a quick oven. =143. Protose Luncheon Rolls.= Break up with a fork 1/2-lb. of Protose, add to this some chopped parsley, 2 peeled tomatoes, crumbs, pepper and salt, and a few drops of A1 sauce. Mix thoroughly. Have ready some short pastry, cut into squares, place a little of the mixture in each, fold in the usual way. Brush over with egg and bake in a quick oven. =144. Potted White Haricots.= (A Substitute for Potted Chicken.) Stew a cupful of white haricots with 6 onions and water to cover them, until perfectly soft. Rub through a wire sieve or potato masher. Add 3-ozs. of mashed potato, 6-ozs. of brown breadcrumbs, 1-oz. of butter, 1-oz. grated cheese, and an eggspoonful of mustard. Mix well with pestle and mortar and fill small pots, cover with melted butter. =145. Potted Lentil Savoury.= Take 1/4-lb. lentils (cooked), 3-ozs. mashed potato, 2-ozs. breadcrumbs, 1 egg (beaten), chopped parsley, a little onion juice, salt and pepper, and 1-oz. butter. Put all in a pan and mix well together, with 2-ozs. of grated cheese, stirring all the time. When cooked, turn into a mortar, pound well and press into potting dishes and melt butter over the top. This makes excellent sandwiches with a little mustard spread on it. =146. Nut Sandwiches.= Flake some Brazil or other nuts and spread a thin layer in some bread and butter sandwiches which have been dressed with honey or jam. Almonds can be used if preferred, and curry powder instead of preserve, if they are preferred savoury instead of sweet. =147. Tomato or Egg Sandwiches.= Make sandwiches by spreading tomato paste between slices of bread and butter. A dish of mustard and cress sandwiches should be served with them. Sieved hard-boiled eggs, with a pinch of herbs, make good sandwiches also. =148. Egg and Cress Sandwiches.= Take some eggs, boiled hard; chop very fine and place between some rounds of white bread, spread a little Mayonnaise sauce on them and a layer of chopped cress. The rounds of bread should be cut out with a cutter. Pile the sandwiches on a dish and decorate with parsley, and a little chopped yolk of the eggs. =149. Cabbage Salad.= Two eggs well beaten, 6 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1/2-teaspoon of salt, 6 teaspoons of vinegar, and a small piece of butter. Put on the fire and cook, stirring continually until quite thick. Prepare a half head of cabbage chopped fine, sprinkled with salt. Add to the dressing when cold 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, and pour over the cabbage. =150. Potted Haricot Savoury.= Put a good breakfastcupful of brown beans, with a few onions, into a brown stew-jar, and cover with a quart, or rather more, of water. Place in a slow oven and cook until the beans crack, and the liquid will then have become a rich brown colour. After the liquid has been poured from the beans (to be used as stock or for haricot tea) rub them through a sieve or masher. To 7-ozs. of the pulp, add 3-ozs. mashed potato, 3-ozs. brown breadcrumbs, and 1-1/2-ozs. butter; salt, pepper, nutmeg and mace to taste, and a little fried onion if liked. Put all in a pan and stir till hot, add 1 beaten egg, and cook until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, but do not let it get too stiff. Press into potting dishes as usual. =151. Cheese and Tomato Paste.= Take 1/2-lb. Cheddar cheese, flake it, then take 2 good sized tomatoes, peel them by placing them in hot water for a few minutes. Put the tomatoes into a basin, chop and beat them into a pulp, add pepper and a little chopped parsley, mint, and thyme. Mix the tomato pulp with the grated cheese and beat well together until a paste is produced. Press into small soufflé dishes. =152. Potted Haricot Meat.= Stew some brown haricot beans for several hours (saving the liquor for stock). Pass them through a sieve, mix with them some brown breadcrumbs, a finely chopped raw onion, parsley, a little thyme and a 1/4-oz. of butter; pepper and salt to taste. Heat all together in a saucepan for 10 minutes; pour into jars, and cover with melted butter. This is a useful dish for breakfast, supper, or when travelling. =153. Savoury Protose Pudding.= Make a good stuffing of 1-lb. wholemeal breadcrumbs, sweet herbs, 1/4-lb. butter, chopped parsley, peel of 1 lemon, chopped fine, and pepper and salt to taste. Bind with 2 or 3 eggs. Thickly line a well-greased pie dish with the stuffing, then press into the middle a tin of Protose (minced or machined). Thickly cover over with stuffing. Put little pieces of butter or nucoline on top, cover with a tin and bake in slow oven an hour or an hour and a half. This makes a savoury dish, when cold, with a good salad. =154. Potted Tomato Paste.= Three tomatoes, 1 egg, 2-ozs. grated cheese, 4-ozs. breadcrumbs, 1/2-oz. butter, 1 small onion minced fine, pepper and celery salt. Peel the tomatoes and cut them up in a small saucepan with the butter and onion; when tender, mash smoothly and add the egg. Stir quickly until it becomes thick; add the cheese and breadcrumbs last, when off the fire. Turn into a pot and cover with butter. =155. Delicious Milk Cheese.= Make 1 gallon of rich milk just lukewarm, add the juice of 3 lemons, or 2 tablespoons of French Wine Vinegar, and stir well. Set aside till curd and whey are separated; now pour into a cheese cloth with a basin underneath to catch the whey. Let it hang (after tying up) until well drained, then place between two plates, or in a flat colander, with a weight on top, or in a cheese press, until firmly set. =156. A Good Salad Dressing.= Rub an eggspoonful of mustard, salt and sugar in a teaspoonful of olive oil and cream, until the mixture is quite smooth. Then rub the yolk of a hard-boiled egg in the paste, and keep it free from lumps. Pour in a dessertspoonful of vinegar, stirring slowly all the time. Add a teacupful of rich milk or some cream. Serve. =GRAVIES AND SAUCES.= A great variety of savoury and nutritious gravies can be made from vegetable stock, with the usual thickening, (arrowroot is best), a pinch of salt and pepper, seasoning, and a lump of butter. Brown haricot broth is the best stock (Recipe 5). The addition of Nutril, Wintox, Mapleton's Gravy Essence, or Marmite gives flavour and increases the nourishing quality. It is very desirable that the gravy or sauce served with certain vegetarian dishes should be piquante in taste and of a nice flavour. It is worth while to take some trouble to achieve this result, because many dishes that are plain and perhaps somewhat tasteless in themselves are made quite savoury and enjoyable by the addition of a piquante dressing. Brand's A1 sauce is a good example of such piquancy, and is also useful in making sauces in the home, as a few teaspoons of it will often give an unique flavour to a simple gravy that is lacking in this respect. =157. Walnut Gravy.= Take about 4-ozs. of shelled walnuts, put them through the nut mill, and place in a small pan in which you have previously made hot 1-oz. of butter. Fry until the walnut is dark brown, _stirring well_ all the time to prevent burning. Pour on a pint of stock, or water if no stock is at hand, and let it simmer slowly until just before serving. Then add 1-oz. of flour to thicken, some seasoning, and a few drops of onion or some tomato sauce. This makes a most rich and savoury gravy--especially if a little nut-butter is added. =158. Curry Gravy.= In the cold weather, dishes which contain curry are seasonable and are generally appreciated. The following recipe for a curry gravy will prove useful to many readers, as it makes a capital addition to plain boiled rice or many other dishes. Fry 2 onions, minced in some butter until they are quite brown. Then sift in some flour and let it brown also. Add slowly some vegetable stock or water, two minced apples, a teaspoonful of curry paste (Stembridge's is good), a teaspoonful of vinegar, and a dessertspoonful each of tomato sauce and chutney. Stir and serve. =159. Gravy Piquante.= Stew a dozen shallots in some butter until soft. Stir in some flour and let it brown; add the juice of a lemon, 1/4-pint of water, a clove, a teaspoonful of sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Boil gently for a few minutes and stir in a little more flour; add 1/2-pt. of clear stock or water, boil for 15 minutes and strain. =160. Plain Brown Gravy.= Melt some butter until brown, add flour (previously mixed well in a little water), and some vegetable stock, dilute if necessary and strain. A fried onion and tomato, and a teaspoonful of Nutter adds to the flavour and richness. The addition of Vegeton, Nutril or Marmite improves this. =161. Sauce Piquante.= Take equal quantities of vegetable stock and Tomate à la Vatel (Dandicolle and Gaudin), fry a chopped onion brown, add the above, thicken with arrowroot, boil and strain. =162. Rich Brown Gravy.= Melt 1 oz. butter or nutter in a small saucepan, then add nearly a tablespoonful of flour, and keep stirring until you get a rich dark brown, being careful not to burn; now add slowly some stock made by stewing brown haricot beans, and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes. At serving time, add a good teaspoonful of Nutril, Wintox or Marmite. =163. Tarragon Sauce.= Melt 1-oz. of butter, stir in 1/2-oz. of flour until free from lumps, add 1/4-pt. of milk and stir until it boils. Finally add 20 or 30 drops of Tarragon vinegar. This sauce is an excellent addition to cauliflower, and the flavour is unique. =164. Parsley Sauce.= Make in same way as in the above recipe, but substitute a large teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley for the vinegar. =165. Tomato Sauce.= Fry a sliced onion in butter until brown, add 6 sliced tomatoes, a clove of garlic and 1/2-oz. more butter. Heat until quite soft, add 1/2-pt. of clear vegetable stock or water, strain and serve. Thicken with arrowroot if desired. =166. Sauce Hollandaise.= Take 3-ozs. of butter, the juice of a lemon, the yolks of 3 eggs, and a teaspoonful of flour. Heat in a double saucepan while being stirred, until it begins to thicken. This is a good sauce to serve with cauliflower, asparagus, artichokes, etc. =167. White Sauce.= Make in the same manner as Tarragon Sauce, but omit the vinegar and add 1/4-pt. of water. =168. Mayonnaise Sauce.= Mix a teaspoonful of mustard with the yolk of an egg, add 4 tablespoons of pure olive oil, a few drops at a time, beating it with a fork; add 2-ozs. of castor sugar, some pepper and salt, the juice of a large lemon and 2 teaspoons of Tarragon vinegar. Whisk the white of the egg with 1/4-pint of cream, and beat all together. =169. Tomato Chutney.= One and a half pounds of tomatoes, 1-3/4-lb. apples, 1-1/2-lb. sultanas, 1-1/2-lb. brown sugar, 2-ozs. onions, 4-ozs. salt, 3/4-oz. cayenne pepper, 3-pts. vinegar. The whole to be boiled for 3 hours. Pour into stoppered bottles. This makes a most excellent chutney. =170. Coconut Sauce.= Melt 1-oz. of butter in a pan, stir in 1-oz. of flour smoothly, then add 1/2-pt. of cold water and 1/2-pt. of milk, half at a time; stir in 1/2-oz. of desiccated coconut and 1/2-oz. of sugar, and bring to the boil. Mapleton's Coconut Cream is superior to butter. =171. Marmite Savoury Gravy.= Chop an onion, and put it into 1-pt. of boiling water with a teaspoon of butter and a dessertspoon of dried sage; boil until the onion is soft; add two teaspoons of Marmite, season with pepper and salt, and thicken with a small teacupful of arrowroot or cornflour. Strain and serve. =172. Marmite Glaze.= Dissolve two teaspoons of Marmite in 1/2-pt. of boiling water, strain through a fine hair sieve or a piece of muslin into an enamel saucepan, put in 2-ozs. of gelatine, place on the fire and dissolve. =173. Quick Lunch Gravy.= Put a teaspoon of Marmite into a pint of boiling water, season with pepper and salt, thicken with a little browned flour. =174. Thick Brown Sauce.= Fry 1 onion, 1 lump of sugar, and a little butter until quite brown, add 2 teaspoons of brown flour and 1/2-pt. vegetable stock, pepper and salt to taste, boil well, and strain. =175. Carnos Sauce.= A Sauce can be quickly made with a spoonful of Carnos, thickened with flour, and flavoured to taste, with onion, tomato, or celery, etc. =176. Cheese Sauce.= Place 1/2-pt. of milk in a pan, and add a teaspoon of cornflour. Boil up and beat in 3-ozs. of grated cheese after removing from fire. =177. Fruit Sauce.= Take 1-oz. of cornflour, mix with a little water, adding 1/2-pt. of cherry, pineapple, or other fruit syrup, and boil until it thickens. =PUDDINGS AND SWEETS.= =178. Christmas Pudding.= Mix 1-lb. breadcrumbs, 1-lb. flour, 1-lb. sultanas or currants, 2-lbs. raisins, 1/4-lb. mixed peel, 1/2-lb. sugar, 1/2-lb. Nutter ((or Vegsu), flaked in the nut mill), 1/2-lb. chopped pine kernels. Add nutmeg to taste, and five or six eggs. Boil for 12 hours, and serve with sauce as usual. This pudding wins approbation from all who try it. N.B.--All boiled puddings should be allowed ample room to swell during cooking. If too closely confined they are sometimes prevented from being light. [Illustration] =179. A Simple Plum Pudding.= Mix 1/2-lb. flour, 1-lb. raisins or sultanas, 6-ozs. Nutter and 1-oz. mixed peel. Add 1 teaspoonful of mixed spice, 2 eggs, and a little milk if required. Boil for at least 6 hours, serve with sweet sauce. =180. A Fruit Salad.= By the _Chef_ of the Canton Hotel. Peaches, apricots, cherries, grapes, black and red currants, pineapples, bananas. The peaches and apricots are peeled and quartered, the cherries stoned, the bananas and pineapples cut in slices or dice. Mix, cover with powdered sugar, a glass of kirsch, and a glass of maraschino, and lay on ice until required. =181. Rich Plum Pudding.= Take 1/2-lb. stoned raisins, 1/2-lb. sultanas, 2-ozs. mixed peel, 1/4-lb. sugar, 4-ozs. breadcrumbs, 1/2-lb. chopped apples, 2-ozs. Nutter, 2-ozs. pine kernels, 6 sweet almonds, 6 Brazil nuts, 1/2 nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of mixed spice, 1 teaspoon of ginger, a few drops of ratafia flavouring essence, and 3 eggs. Finely chop all the fruit and the pine kernels, and put the nuts and peel through the mill. Rub the Nutter into the breadcrumbs and mix in the other ingredients and finally the eggs, one at a time (stirring well). Put into basins and boil 12 hours, then set aside till wanted. Boil them again for 2 or 3 hours before serving. =182. Sultana and Ginger Pudding.= Thoroughly mix 7-ozs. breadcrumbs, 1 oz. of flour, 8-ozs. sultanas, 3-ozs. sugar, and one good teaspoonful of ground ginger. Rub in 1-oz. butter and then stir in gradually 3 gills of milk and water (mixed), and lastly put in a small teaspoonful of carbonate of soda. Stir well, pour into a buttered mould and steam for three hours. Chopped figs, French plums or dates can be substituted for the sultanas, and thus the pudding can be made in various ways. =183. Plain Sultana Pudding.= Mix in a basin 7-ozs. breadcrumbs, 1-oz. flour, 6-ozs. sultanas, 3-ozs. sugar, and 1-oz. butter. Moisten with 3/4-pint of milk and water, to which has been added 1 small teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Steam for 3 hours, and serve with sweet sauce. This pudding is much appreciated by children. =184. Jellied Figs.= Stew 1/2-lb. of figs in 1-pt. of water for 2 or 3 hours till quite tender. Dissolve 1/2-oz. of gelatine in 1/2-pt. of water over a gentle heat and strain it on to the figs after they have been cut into small pieces and the juice of half a lemon added; stir well and turn into a wetted mould. Turn out when cold and sprinkle a little ground almond or coconut over it. Serve plain or with cream. =185. Creamed Rice Moulds.= Put 3-ozs. of rice into a saucepan with 1-1/2-pts. of cold milk, bring to the boil, then stand over a gentle heat till quite tender, stirring occasionally to keep it from burning. Add vanilla, 1-oz. of sugar and 1/4-pt. of cream, mix well and pour into wetted moulds. Serve garnished with raspberry or other jam. =186. Ambrosia.= Pare 5 oranges, removing all the tough white skin, cut through twice and slice them. Take a cup of grated coconut and moisten with cream. Fill a glass bowl with alternate layers of orange and coconut, finish with orange and cover with a thick layer of whipped cream, sprinkle with ground almonds, and decorate with candied fruit. =187. Bread Pudding.= Any piece of stale bread or cake, 3-ozs. sultanas, 3-ozs. currants, a little peel and spice, 1 egg, and sugar to taste. Soak the bread by pouring some boiling milk over it, beat it up very well, then add the fruit, etc., and bake or boil for 2 hours. =188. Semolina Moulds.= Cook 3-ozs. of semolina in 1-1/2-pts of milk for three-quarters of an hour, stirring well, flavour with sugar and vanilla or lemon essence, and pour into wetted moulds. Serve with preserve garnishing. =189. Castle Puddings.= The weight of 2 eggs in butter and sugar, the weight of 3 eggs in flour and a little grated lemon rind. Cream the butter and sugar together, add the eggs well beaten and lemon rind. Mix well and stir in the flour, half fill the pudding moulds with the mixture and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with a jam sauce. =190. Strawberry Cream.= Half-pound strawberries, 3-ozs. castor sugar, 1 gill cream, 1/2-oz. gelatine, 2 eggs. Mash the strawberries to a pulp with the sugar, then add the cream, the yolks of eggs, and gelatine (dissolved in a little water) and cook over a saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes, stirring all the time. Whip the whites of egg to a stiff froth and add to the mixture and cook for a few minutes more, then pour into a buttered mould, and turn out when stiff. =191. Marmalade Pudding.= Three-ozs. nut-margarine, 3-ozs. castor sugar, 2 tablespoons marmalade, 2 eggs, 6-ozs. flour. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, then add the eggs and marmalade and beat well for 10 minutes, then stir in the flour very lightly, and put in a greased basin, cover with a greased paper and steam for 2 hours. Serve with sweet sauce. =192. Small Cakes.= Three-ozs. nut-margarine, 3-ozs. castor sugar, 2 eggs, 5-ozs. flour. Cream the butter and sugar together and add the eggs well beaten and stir the flour in lightly, mix well and put in a shallow tin and bake for 20 minutes. When cold cut in small shapes and ice. =193. Stewed Prunes à la Francaise.= Put the prunes in a basin of water and leave to soak for 12 hours, then stew gently in a double saucepan in the same water (with a slice of lemon peel) until it forms into a thick juice. Serve with whipped cream or boiled rice, etc. =194. Custard Moulds.= Boil 1-pt. milk with 1 tablespoonful sugar and 1 bay leaf; add 1/2-oz. gelatine. Stir till dissolved, and remove from the fire for a minute or two. Strain this on to 1 egg well beaten, return to pan, and stir over the fire until it thickens, but do not let it boil. Whisk well occasionally while cooling, and just before it sets pour into wetted moulds. =195. Bakewell Pudding.= Line a pie dish with puff paste, and spread on it a layer of apricot jam. Put the yolks of 2 eggs into a basin with the white of 1 and beat well together. Then add 3-ozs. of sugar, 2-ozs. butter dissolved, and 1/2-oz. of ground almonds. Mix all well together and pour over the jam; bake half-an-hour. =196. Vanilla Creams.= Dissolve 1/2-oz. of gelatine in 3 gills of milk, and flavour with 1-oz. of sugar and 1 teaspoonful of vanilla essence. Strain it on to 1/4-pt. of cream, and when just beginning to set, whisk well and stir in lightly the white of an egg beaten till quite stiff. Turn into wetted moulds and leave till set. =197. Lemon Creams.= Dissolve 1/2-oz. of gelatine in 1/2-pt. of water, with 2-ozs. of sugar and the grated rind and juice of a lemon. When nearly cold strain this on to 1 gill of milk and 1 gill of cream, whisk well and stir in lightly the stiff-beaten white of an egg. Pour into moulds and leave till set. =198. Lemon Semolina Pudding.= Put three tablespoonfuls semolina in a saucepan with 1-1/2-pts. milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer slowly till quite swollen. Set aside to cool a little, then add 2-ozs. sugar, the grated rind and half the juice of a lemon, also a well-beaten egg. Stir well and pour into a buttered pie-dish, and bake slowly till set. Turn out and garnish with jam. =199. Raspberry Pudding.= Stew 1-lb. of raspberries (or more) with some sugar. Line a basin with some slices of bread (without crust). Pour in half the fruit, cover with a layer of bread, then add the remainder of the raspberries and another layer of bread. Press down with a saucer and place a weight on it. Turn out and serve when cold with cream or Plasmon snow-cream. =200. Rice à la Reine.= Cook 3-ozs. rice in 1-qt. milk for 2 or 3 hours, sweeten and flavour to taste. When cooled a little add 1/2-oz. gelatine dissolved in 1/2-a-teacup of milk and strained, and 1 gill of cream; stir well and pour into a wetted mould. =201. Apple Custard.= Place some biscuit crumbs in a buttered pie dish. Nearly fill it with stewed apples. Beat an egg with 1/4-pt. of milk and pour over the apples. Place some small ratafia biscuits on the top and some grated nutmeg. Bake in a moderate oven. =202. Sultana Custard Pudding.= To 2-ozs. of Robinson's Patent Barley, add 1-oz. of sifted sugar, 1/2-oz. of butter, a pinch of salt, and nearly 1-pt. of milk; mix thoroughly and stir it over the fire till it boils; then add a yolk of egg, 3-ozs. sultanas, and bake the pudding in a buttered pie-dish. =203. Swiss Roll.= Take 3-ozs. castor sugar and 1 teacupful flour, and add to them 1 teaspoonful of baking powder. Separate the yolks from the whites of 2 eggs, and beat the latter till stiff. Add 1 tablespoon of milk to the yolks, and work into the flour and sugar, then add the stiffly beaten whites. Beat all well with a wooden spoon. Pour on to a greased Yorkshire pudding tin, and bake in a very sharp oven for seven minutes. Then turn on to a piece of kitchen paper dredged with castor sugar. Spread quickly with jam (which has been thoroughly beaten) and roll with the paper. Place on a sieve till cool. =204. Gateau aux Fruits.= Take half a tinned pineapple, 3 bananas, 1/4-lb. grapes, 4 Tangarine oranges, and the juice of a lemon. Cut up the fruit into dice, sprinkle with sugar and pour over them half the pineapple syrup, the lemon juice, and a tablespoonful of maraschino, and leave for an hour to soak. Split five stale sponge cakes open, cut each half into three fingers and spread each rather thickly with apricot jam. Place four of these strips on a glass dish so as to form a square, and put four more across the corners so as to form a diamond in it, and so on, square and diamond alternately. Fill the middle of the tower thus formed with the macedoine of fruits, piling them high above the top, and pour the rest of the pineapple syrup over the cake. Whip half a pint of cream stiffly, and put it (or Coconut Cream, 224) on in rough spoonfuls all over the tower. =205. Poached Apricots.= Upon some slices of sponge cake, place half an apricot (round side uppermost). Whip some white of egg to a snow frost with castor sugar. Place this round the apricot so as to make it resemble a poached egg. Whipped cream is preferable to many persons if obtainable. The sponge should be slightly moistened with the apricot juice. =206. Lemon Sponge.= Dissolve 1/2-oz. of leaf gelatine in 1/2-pt. of water and add the rind of a lemon and 1-oz. castor sugar. Strain the juice of a lemon on to the white of an egg, then strain the dissolved gelatine on to it. Whisk all together till it makes quite a stiff froth. Turn into a mould, and take out when set. =207. Plasmon Snow-Cream.= Put 3 heaped teaspoonfuls (1-3/4-ozs.) of Plasmon into a bowl. From 1/2-pt. of tepid water take 4 tablespoons and mix it with the powder, rubbing it into a paste. Slowly add the remainder of the water; stir thoroughly, then place in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Stand aside to get quite cold. When required for use, whisk it into a thick snow-cream. This makes a splendid addition to stewed fruit (peaches, &c.), cocoa, coffee, or puddings. It is most nutritious also. The proportions must be correct to get the cream _firm_ as well as _light_. If it is _frothy_ there is too much water; if sticky and heavy there is not sufficient water. =208. Rice and Sultana Padding.= To an ordinary rice pudding add 4-ozs. of sultanas. Bake in a slow oven for several hours, with plenty of milk. When cooked it should be brown in colour and quite moist. It is easily digested and makes a good supper dish. =209. Plain Boiled Pudding.= Take 2-ozs. of Nutter, 4-ozs. each of white and brown flour, and 4-ozs. of breadcrumbs. Add water gradually, mixing into a dry dough, and boil in a cloth for an hour and a half. =210. Apple Fritters.= Peel and quarter, or finely mince, some good cooking apples, dip in batter made as follows:--1 tablespoonful flour, 1 egg well beaten, enough milk to make it the consistency of cream. Fry crisp, and serve. =211. Empress Pudding.= Take 1-pt. of breadcrumbs, 1-qt. of new milk, the yolks of 4 eggs (well beaten), the grated rind of a lemon, and 3-ozs. of butter; mix and bake about half an hour. When cold, spread some raspberry or plum jam over the pudding, then whip the whites of the eggs with a teacup of sifted sugar and the juice of a lemon, and lay this over the jam. Make slightly brown in the oven. =212. Orange Jelly.= Wipe and thickly peel 5 oranges and 2 lemons, take 1-pt. of cold water, 1/2-lb. white sugar, and 1-1/2-ozs. cornflour. Place the peel and water in a pan and simmer for 20 minutes with the sugar; strain the resulting juice. Place the cornflour in a basin and squeeze the juice of the fruit through a strainer on to it, then pour the boiling syrup on to this mixture; stir well, return to saucepan, and boil for 6 minutes. Pour out into cold wet mould. Garnish with orange. =213. Ginger Pudding.= Take 6-ozs. of brown breadcrumbs (finely grated), 3-ozs. of butter, a saltspoonful of ground ginger, the juice of a lemon, and 4-ozs. of castor sugar. Stir these in a stewpan until the butter is melted. Chop 4-ozs. of preserved ginger and add to the mixture with the yolks of 2 eggs. Beat well together and set aside to cool. Whisk the whites of the eggs and stir into the pudding quickly. Fill a buttered basin with it, cover with a saucer (leaving room to swell) and steam for 3 hours. Serve with cream or fruit sauce (177). =214. Baked Coconut Custard.= Beat 3 eggs and mix with 1-1/2-pts. of milk, add 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Bake in a slow oven, and add some grated nutmeg. =215. Semolina Pudding.= Boil a teacupful of semolina for 15 minutes in 2-1/2 pts. of milk, stirring all the time. Flavour with vanilla. Turn out into a buttered pie dish, garnish with ratafia biscuits and bake in a moderate oven. =216. Strawberry Cream Ice.= Take 1-1/2-lbs. of ripe strawberries, 6-ozs. of castor sugar, 1/2-lb. of cream and a teacupful of milk. Put the strawberries through a sieve or strainer, mix the whole well together, and freeze. Raspberry ice can be made in a simpler form by reducing the cream by one-half and by adding another teacupful of milk in which a dessertspoonful of cornflour has been boiled. =217. Vanilla Ice.= Take 1 pint of milk, 1 gill of cream, the yolks of 3 eggs, and 3-ozs. of castor sugar. After heating the milk, mix 1/2-oz. of ground rice with a little cold milk and put it in the saucepan. Pour in the beaten yolks and cream, and the sugar; stir and simmer until the custard thickens, strain and set aside to cool; add vanilla to taste, and stir well; place in the freezing machine. To make this ice taste richer and more delicate, reduce the milk and increase the cream. =218. Lemon Cheese-Cakes.= Put in a saucepan 1/4-lb. butter, 1-lb. lump sugar, 6 eggs (leaving out 2 whites), 2 grated lemon rinds, and the juice of 3 lemons. Simmer until all is dissolved (gently stirring), and add a few dry biscuit crumbs. Serve on crisp pastry. =219. Lemon Jelly.= Dissolve 1-oz. of isinglass in 1-1/4-pts. of water. Add the grated peel of 2 lemons and 1/2-lb. of lump sugar. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring continually. Take off fire and add the juice of 1-1/2 lemons. Strain and cool. Whisk well before turning into moulds. =220. Fruitarian Mincemeat.= Take 7-ozs. Nutter, 12-ozs. raisins, 6-ozs. sultanas, 6-ozs. currants, 1/4-lb. Demerara sugar, 1-1/2-lbs. apples, 1/4-lb. mixed candied peel, the rind and juice of 1 lemon, 6 almonds, 6 Brazil nuts, a few drops ratafia flavouring essence, and 3 teaspoons of mixed spice. Stone the rasins, finely chop all the fruit, and put the nuts and almonds through the nut mill. Now melt the Nutter in a saucepan, and gradually add all the other ingredients, stirring well, leave standing over night, and put in pots next morning. Cover closely, and this will keep a long time. =221. Short Pastry.= Rub 1/2-lb. Nutter into 1-lb. flour and 2-ozs. Artox wholemeal, mix as dry as possible with water, and it is ready to make excellent biscuits, short cakes, or tart crusts. If whiter pastry is required use white flour. =222. Puff Pastry.= Ingredients:--1-lb. flour, 3/4-lb. Nutter, cold water. Method:--Rub 1/4-lb. Nutter into the flour, mix to a rough dough with cold water, stand in a cool place for ten minutes. Roll out and "spot" over with 1/4-lb. Nutter broken in small pieces; fold over, roll out and stand 10 minutes. Roll out again and spot over with the remaining 1/4-lb. Nutter; fold over and roll out, and after standing 10 minutes it is ready for use. =223. Chestnut Cream.= Take from 20 to 30 chestnuts, remove the shells and skins. Put the chestnuts in a saucepan with 2 teacups full of water, sugar to taste, the juice of 1 lemon, and simmer slowly until they are quite soft. Pass through a sieve or potato masher, and when cold pile in a dish, and cover with whipped cream. =224. Coconut Cream.= A nice addition to Trifles, Fruit Salads, etc., can be made by using Mapleton's Coconut Cream. Mix 2 ozs. of the cream with 1/8-pt. of boiling water; when softened beat for a minute or so with the egg-beater, then pour on a dish. In 2 hours it will have set and can be used to fill sponge sandwiches, or eaten with stewed fruit. To form a thick cream (less solid) beat up 2-1/2 to 3 ozs. Coconut Cream with 1/4-pt. of hot water. =THE BREAD PROBLEM.= Pure wholemeal bread, so made as to be light and well baked, is a virtual necessity for every abstainer from flesh-food. Food-Reform presents many difficulties, and every dietetic reformer has to grapple with them. Insufficient knowledge, defective sources of provision, digestive troubles, inherited organic weakness, and unfavourable environment, are only a few of these. I want, therefore to emphasize the importance of a perfect bread supply, which I am convinced is the key to the problem so far as many are concerned. It is not sufficient merely to pray for "our daily bread," and then to leave its provision entirely to Providence. We need also to _think_ and to take some personal trouble about it--remembering that Heaven helps those who help themselves. Yet this is what very few people do. One may safely affirm that four persons out of every five are content to use defective and innutritious bread every day of their lives. Yet this should be made a real staff of life. The whole grain of wheat, if of good quality, contains nearly all that is needful for the perfect nutrition of the body. With the addition of a small amount of fat (easily found in nut or dairy butter, cheese or oil), and of grape sugar and purifying acids (obtainable in fruits), pure wheatmeal, if properly ground in stone mills, and well made into delicious home-baked bread, enables one to be almost independent of other foods, and therefore almost ensures one against a breakdown in health if there is difficulty in obtaining a varied and well proportioned dietary from other sources. Instead of securing and using bread such as this, the majority of the community complacently eat white bread--emasculated, robbed of its gluten (which is equivalent to albumen) and of the phosphates and mineral salts that are stored in the inner part of the husk of the grain. It is composed almost entirely of starch, with the addition of such adulterants as the baker or miller feels inclined to introduce for commercial reasons, and is not conducive to the proper operation of the digestive and eliminative organs. It is difficult for bakers or the public to buy really good wholemeal. The meal that is on the markets often consists of cheap roller-milled flour with some sweepings of bran or seconds thrown in. And even if the entire grain is supplied, the outer cuticle of the wheat, when _rolled_ (in the modern steel-roller mills that for reasons of economy have superseded the good old-fashioned stone _grinding_ mills), instead of being so reduced as to be capable of complete digestion, is left with rough edges called _spiculae_, which irritate the digestive tract, cause relaxation, and arouse prejudice against the 'brown' loaf. Such wholemeal cannot be perfectly assimilated because the bran is not properly broken up, and, in addition to this fact, the cerealine, which acts like diastase in the conversion of starch into sugar, is not liberated and rendered available as an aid to digestion. That the distasteful and often indigestible brown or wholemeal bread (so-called) usually sold by bakers is either defective or adulterated, can easily be proven by anyone. Let any reader procure some stone-milled entire wheatmeal that is guaranteed pure (I use the 'Artox' and 'Ixion' brands myself, because I believe them to be of genuine quality and properly stone-ground); then make some thin loaves as described in the following recipe. The result, if the bread is skilfully made, will be a delicious and nutritive loaf of the farmhouse type with a sweet nutty flavour. Instead of quickly getting 'stale,' such a loaf is enjoyable when four days old, and it only needs to be compared with ordinary bakers' bread to reveal the fact that it is an entirely different article of food. Its sustaining power is wonderful, and it proves an effectual preventive of starved nerves as well as other ailments. =225. How to make Wholemeal Bread.= The yeast must be quite fresh, and the bread should be raised in separate tins _in a warm place or cupboard_; the oven must be hot at first, but the heat should be much reduced after 10 minutes. Mix 6-lbs. of wholemeal with 1-lb. of household flour. Then mix 3-ozs. of _fresh_ yeast with a tablespoon of treacle, adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil when it is quite dissolved. Put this into the flour with about 2-pts. of lukewarm water. Mix it with a wooden spoon till it does not stick. Knead for 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary but keeping the dough firm and spongy. Put it into flat baking tins (well greased) about 2-1/2 inches deep, covering the tins to the depth of about 1 inch only. Let it rise for 1 hour, or till it reaches the tops of the tins. Then bake first in a quick oven, and afterwards in a slower. A gas oven is most reliable for baking bread, as the heat is more easily regulated. The bread should be a rich dark golden brown when well baked. =226. White Bread.= Make as Recipe 225, but substitute household flour for wholemeal. The shape and size of the loaves should be changed occasionally. Loaves baked in _small_ tins are often lighter than bread made into large loaves. =227. Plain Currant Bread and Buns.= To 2-lbs. of good wholemeal or white flour add a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, and 1/2-lb. of currants or sultanas; also rub in 2-ozs. of olive oil or nut-margarine. Mix 1-oz. of yeast with a little golden syrup and add lukewarm water. Stir this into the flour, and add sufficient warm water to make a nice dough. Shape into loaves or little buns, set to rise for 1 hour or longer, then bake in a quick oven and brush with egg and milk. =228. Dinner Rolls.= Delicious dinner rolls can be made as follows:--Take 1-lb. of white flour, 1-lb. of wholemeal, 3-ozs. butter, and 1-oz. of yeast. Mix the yeast with a dessertspoonful of treacle, 3/4-pt. of milk and water. Rub the butter into the flour, and put in the yeast to rise. Knead, form into small rolls, raise for half-an-hour, bake in a quick oven. =229. Sultana Cake.= Sift into 1/2-lb. of flour 1 teaspoonful of baking powder. Grate the rind of a lemon on to an egg and beat it well. Cream together 3-ozs. nut-margarine and 3-ozs. sugar; add the egg, beating still, then stir in lightly the flour and 3-ozs. sultanas; add milk to make a soft dough. Pour into a well-buttered cake tin, put in a hot oven, and bake for about half-an-hour, reducing the temperature considerably. =230. Sultana Rice Cake.= Put 3-ozs. of Nut-margarine in a warm oven. Grate the rind of a lemon on to an egg and 3-ozs. of castor sugar, beat well, then add the warmed Nutter and beat again till it is creamy. Now sift together 5-ozs. of ground rice, 3-ozs. of flour and 1 teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat this gently into the mixture, add 4-ozs. sultanas and enough milk to make a proper consistency. Put in a hot oven, gradually reducing the temperature, and bake for about 3/4 of an hour. =231. Cheese Straws.= Mix 6-ozs. flour and 6-ozs. grated cheese well together, then rub in 2-ozs. butter, add a little cayenne pepper and salt, bind with the yolk of an egg, roll out about a quarter of a inch thick, cut into long narrow fingers, and bake in a sharp oven for 10 minutes. =232. Sultana Bun Cakes.= Sift together 8-ozs. of flour, 3-ozs. Paisley flour and 2-ozs. of sugar; rub in 4-ozs. olive oil, and add 4-ozs. of sultanas. Mix all with a well beaten egg and a little milk, roll out, shape with a cutter and bake at once in a quick oven. =SUMMER AND WINTER DRINKS.= The following recipes and suggestions concerning a few beverages which can be used as substitutes for more stimulating drinks may prove useful to many readers:-- =233. Barley Water.= Mix a tablespoonful of Pearl Barley with a pint of water and boil for half-an-hour. Flavour with lemon, cinnamon or sugar, according to taste, and allow the mixture to cool. For invalids requiring nutriment a larger quantity of barley should be used. Barley Water is equally suitable for winter use and can be taken hot. =234. Wheatenade.= Simmer 1-lb. of crushed wheat in 1-qt. of water for about an hour, stirring it occasionally. Strain, add lemon juice and sugar to taste, for use in summer, or milk and sugar if the drink is taken hot in winter. Good and clean bran can be substituted for crushed wheat. This is a capital drink for children with a tendency to rickets, or for persons suffering from nervous prostration caused by malnutrition. =235. Oatenade.= Simmer 1/4-lb. of coarse oatmeal in the same manner as described in the previous recipe, then flavour to taste. This drink will be slightly richer in fat than the previous one, and it makes a good winter drink. =236. Gingerade.= Take 1-dr. essence cayenne, 4-drs. essence of ginger, 2-drs. essence of lemon, 1-dr. burnt sugar, 3/4-oz. of tartaric acid. Add 3-lbs. lump sugar and 5-qts. boiling water. Bottle ready for use. Dilute to taste. =237. Fruit Drink.= Lime juice, if pure, makes a cooling and wholesome drink. The "Montserrat" is one of the purest brands upon the market; some of the liquid sold as lime juice is only a chemical concoction. The weaker the solution the better it tastes. A dessertspoonful to the tumbler is generally enough. Dole's Pineapple juice is also an excellent fruit drink. =238. Rice Water.= Boil some once-milled rice in water, and add lemon juice and sugar to taste. The beverage should not be made too thick. As rice is often used in most households a supply of this nutritious drink is easily provided. It is very good for children. =Tea and Coffee Substitutes.= Those who find tea and coffee undesirable should try "Wallace P. R. Coffee," "Lifebelt Coffee," "Salfon," or "Horlick's Malted Milk." Another good substitute is "Hygiama," which, unlike tea and coffee, is not a stimulant, but a nutrient. On the other hand its effect on the system is distinctly stimulating in a right and healthy sense. That is to say, the valuable nourishment which it contains is very easily and quickly digested and an immediate sense of invigoration is the result. Unlike cocoa, it is not clogging or constipating or heavy. =HOW TO FEED INVALIDS.= In all cases of sickness the patient will have a better chance of recovery if the diet is light and wisely selected. [Illustration] When inflammation and fever exist, fruit and cooling drinks should be given, and but little nitrogenous food. An eminent physician writes thus: "The fever patient, like the over worked man, digests badly. He has no appetite; his salivary glands do not secrete, or secrete very imperfectly. The gastric juice formed under bad conditions is almost inert, poor in pepsine and hydrocloric acid. The liver no longer acts if the fever is high and serious; the intestinal secretions are partially exhausted.... The fever patient must then be fed very little." When the hydrocloric acid is deficient, proteid food should be given very sparingly--one of the best forms being Casumen in solution (see 224) or white of egg. Milk is not advisable in such a condition, unless malted, or in the dried form. Fats are objectionable, and if the salivary secretions are defective, starches should be given in dextrinized (super-cooked) form, or well toasted. Fruit sugars, which are Carbohydrates in a digested form, are better still, and may be given freely to patients of nearly all kinds. They are abundantly provided in figs, dates, stoneless raisins and sultanas, and in other sweet fruits, such as bananas, strawberries and apples. Ample nourishment can be provided by these, supplemented by egg dishes (chiefly white); flaked and super-cooked cereals, such as Granose Biscuits, Kellogg Wheat Flakes, Wallace P. R. and Flakit Biscuits, Archeva Rusks, Melarvi Crisps, and toasted or wholemeal bread; flaked or malted nuts; legumes soufflé; well-cooked farinaceous puddings; Horlick's Malted Milk and many other proprietary health-foods; and vegetable broths--for which see Recipes 1-23, as well as those which conclude this section on pages 123 and 124. One of the most important of these latter is 'Haricot Broth,' which is a perfect substitute for "beef tea," being far more nutritious and also free from the toxic elements which are contained in that dangerous and superstitiously venerated compound. [Sidenote: =The Beef Tea Delusion.=] Dr. Milner Fothergill stated that probably more invalids have sunk into their graves through a misplaced confidence in the value of beef tea than Napoleon killed in all his wars. It is, in reality, a strong solution of waste products and of uric acid, consisting largely of excrementitious matter which was in process of elimination from the system of some animal, through the minute drain pipes which form an important cleansing medium or "sewage system" in all animal flesh. To make "beef tea," these poisonous substances are stewed out to form the decoction, while the animal fibrin, the portion of the meat that has some nutritive value, is thrown away. Beef tea consequently acts as a strong stimulant, tends to increase inflammation and fever, and in all such cases lessens the chance of the patient's recovery, as the system is already battling against toxic elements in the blood. To add to the amount of the latter is obviously unwise and dangerous. These remarks apply also to 'meat essences' and to 'beef extracts,' which are frequently made from diseased flesh which has been condemned in the slaughterhouses. Meals provided for invalids should be very simple, but served in a very dainty manner. A spotless serviette and tray cloth, bright silver, a bunch of flowers and a ribbon to match them in colour for tying the serviette (the colour of which can be changed from day to day) should not be forgotten. The food should be supplied in small quantities; half a cupful of broth will often be taken when a cupful would be sent away untouched, and the wishes of the patient should be respected so far as it is safe and wise to do so. It is also a good plan to serve two or three small separate courses, rather than to put everything that is provided on a tray together. Stewed French plums and figs are valuable in the sickroom because of their laxative effects, and dainty sandwiches will be found acceptable by most invalids--made with flaked nuts and honey, dried milk (Lacvitum), potted meat, etc. [Sidenote: =Don't Overfeed Invalids.=] One of the greatest evils to be avoided by those who are nursing the sick is that of over-feeding. When nature is doing her best to meet a crisis, or to rid the body of microbes or impurities, it is a mistake to cause waste of vital energy by necessitating the expulsion of superfluous alimentary matter. Invalids should not be unduly persuaded to take food. The stomach generally requires _rest_, and is often in such a condition that digestion is impossible. Much of the suffering and inconvenience endured by sick persons is simply the result of erroneous diet. Judicious feeding will do far more than drugs to alleviate and cure most maladies, in fact drugs and stimulants are seldom required. The great healing agent is the Life-force within--the "_Vis medicatrix Naturæ_"--and the wise physician will see that this power has a fair chance. He will encourage hopeful mental influence, and advocate pure air, pure food, and pure water, combined with a cessation of any physical transgression which has been the _cause_ of the malady in question. Care should be exercised lest invalids partake too freely of starch foods, especially if such are insufficiently cooked. Wholemeal bread should be _light_ and _well baked_, and in most cases it will be more easily assimilated if toasted. Granose and other similar biscuits (which consist of entire wheatmeal in a super-cooked form, so that the starch is already transformed into 'dextrin') will be easily digestible and are slightly laxative in their effect. They are just the right thing to be taken with broth or soup or porridge. The following recipes will be found helpful. =239. Brown Haricot Broth.= (A perfect substitute for 'Beef Tea.') Take 1/2-lb. of brown haricot beans. Wash and stew them with 1-qt. of hot water and some small onions for 3 hours, stewing down to 1-pt. Strain, and add pepper, celery-salt and butter when serving. This bean tea or broth, so prepared, will be found to be very savoury and of the same taste and appearance as beef tea, while being much richer in nutriment. =240. Mock Chicken Broth.= A valuable substitute for chicken broth, which is in every way superior to the decoction obtained by stewing the flesh and bones of the bird, can be made by stewing and serving white haricots in the same manner as in the previous recipe. =241. Hygiama Apple Purée.= Select two or three sound ripe apples, wash and rub in hot water, remove core and all bruised or dark parts, but not the peel, cut in small pieces, place in a covered jar or casserole with a cupful of water, or sufficient to prevent burning. Cook gently until apples are soft; then rub all through a fine sieve. Mix a tablespoonful or more of Hygiama with just enough water to form a paste, mix this paste into the apple, with just a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg if liked, and serve with pieces of dry toast, twice-baked bread or rusks. =242. Oat Cream.= A most excellent recipe for invalids and anæmic patients is prescribed by Dr. Oldfield, as follows: Boil 1 pint milk, sift into it a large handful of crushed oats. Simmer until it is thick as raw cream. Strain and serve; the patient to take 1/2-pint, sucking it through a straw slowly. =243. Linseed Tea.= Few persons realize the good qualities of linseed tea. It is useful for weak, anæmic and delicate persons; it produces flesh, is soothing in bronchial cases, and laxative. If made thin, and flavoured with lemon, it is quite palatable, and many persons get fond of it. The seed should be whole and of best quality, and it only requires stewing until the liquor is of the consistency of thin gruel. =244. proteid Gruel.= A good liquid food can be quickly made by warming a dessertspoonful of "Emprote" or "Malted Nuts" in a glass of milk, and flavouring to taste. A large teaspoonful of "Casumen" (pure milk proteid) dissolved in a breakfastcup of barley water, coffee, or vegetable soup, also readily provides much nutriment in a simple form. =245. Lentil Gruel.= This is a useful and nutritious food for invalids. To make the gruel, take a dessertspoonful of lentil flour, mixed smooth in some cold milk, add nearly 1-pt. of milk which has been brought to the boil. Boil for 15 minutes and flavour with a little cinnamon or vanilla. Serve with toast. This is the same as the much prescribed "Revalenta Arabica" food, but the lentil flour, without a long scientific name, only costs 3d. a pound, instead of half-a-crown. =246. Malted Milk Prune Whip.= One cup of prunes, 2 tablespoonfuls Horlick's Malted Milk, 1 tablespoonful sugar, lemon sufficient to flavour, white of egg. Wash well, and soak the prunes until tender. Boil with small piece of lemon until soft. Add sugar, remove stones, rub through colander; add the Horlick's Malted Milk, beat well; add the white of egg, well beaten. Cool, and serve with whipped cream. Flavour with vanilla if desired. =247. Malted Milk Jelly.= Phosphated gelatine 1 teaspoonful, Horlick's Malted Milk 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls, sugar and flavouring to suit. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 1 hour, then dissolve in just sufficient hot water. Add the Horlick's Malted Milk dissolved in 2 cups of hot water, and sweeten and flavour to taste. =248. Malted Milk with Iced Fruit.= Take of Horlick's Malted Milk 1 heaped teaspoonful, crushed fruit 1 tablespoonful, crushed ice 1 tablespoonful, 1 egg, acid phosphate twenty drops, grated nutmeg to flavour, water to make a cup. Mix the Malted Milk, crushed fruit and egg, beating the same for five minutes. Add the phosphate and crushed ice, stirring all for several minutes. Strain, and add ice-cold water or cold carbonated water, and grated nutmeg to flavour. =249. Effervescent Malted Milk.= Put some finely cracked ice into a glass. Fill it half full of soda, Vichy or Syphon water, and immediately add the desired amount of Horlick's Malted Milk in solution. Drink while effervescing. Brandy may be added if necessary. =WHAT TO DO AT CHRISTMAS.= [Illustration] The Christmas festival--which has degenerated into such a deplorable orgy of massacre and over-feeding in many countries which are called 'Christian'--can be observed and enjoyed without such barbarities and butchery as now take place. How can we consistently sing and talk of 'Peace on Earth' when we are participating in ruthless warfare against the animal creation? Is not this wholesale and cruel slaughter altogether discordant with the spirit and doctrine of the gentle and harmless Teacher of Nazareth, whose terrestrial birth is thus celebrated by pagan barbarity? Should not those of us who dare to call ourselves His followers protest against a custom which brings discredit upon His religion and causes humanely disposed Oriental nations to regard it almost with contempt? The following suggestive Menu will at once show my readers that Christmas can be celebrated with a feast of good things without such butchery. And many are they who have found that its joys can even be enhanced by a sense of freedom from blood-guiltiness and personal responsibility concerning the deeds that are done in the shambles at this time of 'Peace and Goodwill.' The Menu can be varied as taste and circumstances may dictate. =A Bloodless Menu for Christmas.= _From which a selection can be made._ Mock Turtle Soup (4). _Fried Bread Dice._ Julienne Soup (9). _Granose Biscuits._ Mock Scallop Oysters (24). Mock White Fish (32). _Parsley Sauce._ Savoury Nut Steaks (50). Macaroni Rissoles (68). _Sauce Piquante._ Yorkshire Pudding. Potato Purée (109). Cauliflowers. Baked Stuffed Tomatoes (104). Chestnut or Vegetable Soufflé (94 or 97). Plum Pudding (178). Stewed Pears. _Clotted Cream._ Mince Pies (220). Fresh Fruits. Almonds and Muscatels. Figs. Dates. Preserved Ginger. The cost of such a dinner as this will be much less than that of a corresponding one which includes poultry, game, and joints of flesh. The amount saved could be appropriately expended in providing a few comforts for the poor and needy--thus the Christmas festival provides an opportunity for lessening the suffering in this world, and also for increasing the sum of human happiness. =MENUS FOR THE WEEK.= By MRS. WALTER CAREY. The following Menus may be a guide to beginners, and show how easy it is to get variety:-- =Breakfast Menu, No. 1.= Manhu Oats. Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Scrambled Eggs on Toast. Grilled Tomatoes, No. 122. Neapolitan Sausages, No. 123. Brown Bread. Honey. Marmalade. Butter. Fruit. =Breakfast Menu, No. 2.= Manhu Rye Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Granose Biscuits. Eggs à la Crême, No. 84. Savoury Rissoles, No. 98. Brown Bread. Honey. Jam. Butter. Fruit. =Breakfast Menu, No. 3.= Manhu Wheat Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Omelette aux Tomates, No. 82. Potted White Haricots, No. 144. Stewed French Plums, No. 193. Brown Bread. Honey. Jam. Butter. Fruit. =Breakfast Menu, No. 4.= Ixion Kornules. Tea or Coffee. Toast. Omelette aux Fines Herbes, No. 87. Grilled Mushrooms. Brown Bread. Baked Apples. Butter. Marmalade. Honey. Fruit. =Breakfast Menu, No. 5.= Manhu Barley Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Baked Stuffed Tomatoes, No. 104. Marmite Toast, No. 128. Stewed French Plums. Brown Bread. Butter. Marmalade. Honey. Fruit. =Breakfast Menu, No. 6.= Granose Flakes with Hot Milk. Tea or Coffee. Savoury Rissoles, No. 98. Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes, No. 88. Brown Bread. Stewed Apples. Butter. Marmalade. Honey. Fruit. =Breakfast Menu, No. 7.= Manhu Wheat Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Granose Biscuits. Stewed Figs. Fried Eggs and Mushrooms. Milanese Croquettes, No. 113. Brown Bread. Butter. Marmalade. Fruit. =Cold Luncheon Menu, No. 1.= Oeufs Farcie en Aspic, No. 131. Salad & Mayonnaise Dressing, No. 156. Potted Meat Sandwiches, No. 152. Poached Apricots, No. 205. Jellied Figs, No. 184. Milk Cheese, No. 155. Scotch Oat Cakes. Coffee. Fruit. =Cold Luncheon Menu, No. 2.= Nut Galantine, No. 132. Salad and Mayonnaise Dressing, No. 156. Egg and Cress Sandwiches, No. 148. Lemon Sponge, No. 206. Stewed and Fresh Fruit. Camembert Cheese. Biscuits. Coffee. =Luncheon Menu, No. 3.= Mock Lobster Shapes in Aspic, No. 135. Tomato Salad. Egg Sandwiches, No 147. Mock Chicken Rolls, No. 60. Orange Jelly, No. 212. Creamed Rice Moulds, No. 185. Gruyère Cheese. Biscuits. P. R. Crackers. Coffee. Fruit. =Luncheon Menu, No. 4.= White Haricot Soup, No. 13. Mock Scallop Oysters, No. 24. Eggs Florentine, No. 83. Cheese Soufflé. Fruit Tart. Custard. Cheese. Fruit. Coffee. =Luncheon Menu, No. 5.= Tomato Soup, No. 6. Mock White Fish, No. 32. Walnut Cutlets, No. 34. Green Peas. Mashed Potatoes. Castle Puddings, No. 189. Meringues. Cheese. Fruit. Coffee. =Luncheon Menu, No. 6.= Brazil Nut Soup, No. 8. Mock Oyster Patties, No. 25. Chestnut Stew, No. 130. Creamed Macaroni, No. 70. Rice and Sultana Pudding, No. 208. Apple Fritters, No. 210. Cheese. Fruit. Coffee. =Luncheon Menu, No. 7.= Julienne Soup, No. 9. Mock White Fish, No. 32. Savoury Golden Marbles, No. 116. Brown Sauce, No. 174. French Beans. Stuffed Vegetable Marrow, No. 112. Empress Pudding, No. 211. Cheese Straws. Fruit. Coffee. * * * * * =Dinner Menu, No. 1.= _Soups_--Mock Turtle Soup, No. 4. Dinner Rolls, No. 228. _Fish_--Fillets of Mock Sole, No. 29. Sauce Hollandaise, No. 166. _Rôti_--Nut Timbale, No. 65. Spinach Soufflé, No. 92. Potato Croquettes, No. 117. _Entrée_--Macaroni à la Turque, No. 67. _Sweets_--Plum Pudding, No. 179. White Sauce, No. 167. Semolina Moulds, No. 188. _Dessert_--Muscatel Raisins. French Plums. Dry Ginger. Fruit and Biscuits. Coffee. =Dinner Menu, No. 2.= _Soup_--Chestnut Soup, No. 2. Granose Biscuits. Dinner Rolls, No. 228. _Fish_--Mock White Fish, No. 32. _Rôti_--Mock Steak Pudding, No. 59. Parsley Sauce, No 164. Green Peas. Potato Purée, No. 109. _Entrée_--Spinach Soufflé, No. 92. _Sweets_--Sultana and Ginger Pudding, No. 182. Cream, or Fruit Sauce, No. 177. Jellied Figs, No. 184. _Dessert_--Fruit. Salted Almonds, No. 129. Dry Ginger. Coffee. =Dinner Menu, No. 3.= _Soup_--Celery Soup, No. 16. _Fish_--Omelet aux fine Herbes, No. 87. _Rôti_--Chestnut and Mushroom Pudding, No. 59. Flaked Potatoes. Brussels Sprouts Sauté, No. 102. _Entrée_--Green Pea Soufflé, No. 93. _Sweets_--Jam Roll. Stewed French Plums, No. 193. _Dessert_--Fruit. Sultanas. Figs. Almonds. Coffee. =Dinner Menu, No. 4.= _Soup_--White Haricot Soup, No. 13. Croûtons. _Fish_--Mock Oyster Patties, No. 25. _Rôti_--Mock Sweetbread Quenelles, No. 43. Mashed Potatoes. Cauliflower. _Entrée_--Asparagus Soufflé, No. 96. _Sweets_--Marmalade Pudding, No. 191. Vanilla Creams. _Dessert_--Fruit. Dry Ginger. Biscuits. Coffee. =Dinner Menu, No. 5.= _Soup_--Green Lentil Soup, No. 10. Granose Biscuits. _Fish_--Fried Chinese Artichokes, No. 27. _Rôti_--Walnut Rissoles, No. 37. French Beans. Mashed Potatoes, No. 109. _Entrée_--Omelet, No. 81. Spinach à la Crême, No. 91. _Sweets_--Apple Custard, No. 201. Lemon Cheese Cakes, No. 218. _Dessert_--Dry Ginger. Dates. Fruit. Fancy Biscuits. Coffee. =Dinner Menu, No 6.= _Soups_--Tomato Soup, No. 6. Fried Bread Dice. _Fish_--Mock Scallop Oysters, No. 24. _Rôti_--Purée of Walnuts, No. 40. Spinach à la Crême, No. 91. Mashed Potatoes, No. 109. _Entrée_--Macaroni Cutlets, No. 68. _Sweets_--Empress Pudding, No. 211. Orange Jelly, No. 212. _Dessert_--Dry Ginger. Fruit. Fancy Biscuits. Figs and Dates. Coffee. =Dinner Menu, No. 7.= _Soup_--Artichoke Soup, No. 1. Granose Biscuits. _Fish_--Green Artichokes, No. 26. _Rôti_--Nut Croquettes, No. 41. Yorkshire Pudding, No. 119. Brown Gravy, No. 162. Mashed Potatoes, No. 109. _Entrée_--Baked Stuffed Tomatoes, No. 104. _Sweets_--Fruit Salad, No. 180. Custard Moulds, No. 194. _Dessert_--Fruit. Salted Almonds. Roast Pine Kernels. Dry Ginger. Biscuits. Coffee. =Hints to Housekeepers.= A few simple hints to those who are trying the vegetarian recipes in this book may be useful. Cooking utensils should be kept quite separate from those used for meat, fish or fowl. Nut-oil or nut-butter should always be used for frying, and the right heat is known when a slight blue haze rises above the pan, or by dipping a finger of bread in the oil, when if hot enough it will at once fry brown and crisp. After frying it is always best to place the articles fried on some folded tissue paper to drain out the frying oil. Marmite, Nutril and Carnos make good additions to stock for flavouring soups and gravies. In this kind of cookery there is no waste, all the food is edible and anything that remains over from dishes can be put together and made into curries, stews, cottage pie, etc., etc. Excellent Salads can be made by the addition of uncooked scraped and sliced carrots and beetroot; and also by chopping up very finely celery, Brussels sprouts, French beans, green peas, cabbage, parsley, onions, etc. The bright colours of these raw vegetables are most useful in decorating galantines and other cold dishes, and when arranged with regard to colour, make a most artistic garnishing and are most wholesome. Pea nuts, pine kernels, and hazel nuts are much improved in flavour by being put in a baking pan in the oven until slightly browned. Lemon juice is a good substitute for vinegar in all sauces. For making a smooth soup it is a good plan to rub the vegetables after they are cooked through a very fine hair sieve. In making cutlets a stick of macaroni should be inserted in the thin end of the cutlet to represent a bone, it may be fried or not with the cutlet. From several years' experience I have found the non-flesh cookery is most economical, the expense being less than half that of the corresponding meat dishes. =Margaret Carey= =UNFIRED AND VITAL FOODS.= The following practical information and suggestions will be found helpful by those who wish to test the advantages of living solely upon uncooked foods--as now recommended by so many progressive physicians, dietetic specialists, and teachers of hygiene. Although such a strictly simple and natural dietary may at first involve some gustatory self-denial, the benefits resulting from its use are declared by many who speak from personal experience to be well worthy of any inconvenience or sacrifice involved. =List of Foods and Fruits. etc., that can be eaten uncooked.= _Cheeses_--Camembert, Cheddar, Cheshire, Cream, Dutch, Gorgonzola, Gruyère, Gloucester, Half-cheese, Pommel, Port Salut, Stilton, St. Ivel, Wenslet, Wensleydale, Wiltshire, etc. _Fruits_--(Dried) Apples, apricots, currants, dates, figs, muscatels, peaches, prunes or French plums, pears, raisins, sultanas, etc. (Fresh) Apples, bananas, blackberries, currants, cantaloupes, cherries, damsons, gooseberries, greengages, green figs, lemons, melons, mulberries, nectarines, orange, pineapple, pears, peaches, plums, pomegranates, quince, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines, etc. _Nuts_--(Fresh) Almonds, Barcelona, Brazil, cobs, coconuts, filberts, Spanish, walnuts, etc. (Shelled) Almonds, Barcelona, cashew, hazel, pea-nut, pine kernels, walnuts, etc. _Roots_--Artichokes, carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes (which must be very finely grated). _Vegetables_--Cabbage (red and white), cauliflower, corn salad, cucumber, celery, chicory, endive, lettuce, leeks, mustard and cress, onion, parsley, radishes, sprouts, spinach, salsify, seakale, tomatoes, watercress, etc. =RECIPES.= _Nut-meat_--2-ozs. shelled nuts, 1-oz. bread, 1 tablespoonful of milk. Put nuts and bread through a nut-mill. Mix together with milk. Roll out thin and cut into shapes with glass. This is sufficient for two. Look well over nuts before using, do not blanch almonds but rub them well with a cloth. _Unfired Pudding or Cakes_--1-oz. each of dates, sultanas, currants, candied peel and French plums, and 2-ozs. nuts. Put all through a nut-mill and mix well together. Roll out and make into cakes. For a pudding, put mixture in a well greased basin, press down, leave for an hour or so and turn out. If too moist add breadcrumbs. Serve with cream. _Unfired Dried Fruit Salad_--Ingredients as for pudding, but do not put through a mill; chop all the fruit and nuts and serve dry with cream. _Dried Fruits_, such as French plums, peaches or apricots should be put in soak for 12 hours. Do not cook. SALADS. _Brussels Sprouts_--Use hearts only, which cut into small pieces. _Cabbage_--Use hearts only, which cut into small pieces. _Cauliflower_--Use flower part only, which cut into small pieces. _Chicory or Seakale_--Cut into small pieces. _Lettuce_--In the usual way. _Spinach and Mint_--Use leaves only, which cut up very small. _Root Salad_--Carrots or beetroot and turnips. Peel and put through a nut-mill and mix well together. Most green salads are improved with the addition of radishes. Salads can be mixed ad lib., but a greater variety of food is secured by using one or two vegetables only at a time. _Salad Dressing_--(1) Half a cup of oil, 1 tablespoonful of lemon juice and the yolk of an egg. Mix egg with oil and add lemon afterwards. (2) Half a cup of oil and one well mashed tomato mixed well together. _Flavourings_--For Nut-meat--Use grated lemon peel, mint, thyme or grated onion. For Dried Fruit Pudding or Cake--Use ground cinnamon, grated lemon peel, nutmeg, ground or preserved ginger. =QUANTITIES.= First meal at 11 o'clock--Per Person--approximately-- 2-ozs. cheese. 2-ozs. dried Fruit. 3-ozs. salad or root salad. 2-ozs. brown bread, biscuits or unfired bread with butter. Second meal at 7 o'clock-- 2-ozs. nut-meat. 6-ozs. raw fruit. 3-ozs. salad. 2-ozs. brown bread, biscuits or unfired bread and butter. It is well to drink only between meals, i.e., first thing in the morning after dressing; between first and second meal; and before going to bed. No alcohol or strong tea and coffee should be taken. =SOME SUGGESTIVE MENUS.= =_Spring--(March-April-May.)_= =FIRST MEAL.= SUNDAY--Tomato and Onion Salad. Cheese (St. Ivel). Unfired Pudding and Cream. MONDAY--Carrot and Beetroot Salad. Cheese (Pommel). Dried Figs. TUESDAY--Onions. Cheese (Cheddar). Dates. WEDNESDAY--Seakale Salad. Cheese (Gruyère). Raisins. THURSDAY--Salsify Salad. Cheese (Camembert). Sultanas. FRIDAY--Celery Salad. Cheese (Wiltshire). French Plums. SATURDAY--Batavia. Cheese (Cheshire). Dried Apricots. =SECOND MEAL.= SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Jordan Almonds). Fresh Fruit Salad. MONDAY--Endive Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Apples. TUESDAY--Spring Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Oranges. WEDNESDAY--Corn Salad and Radishes. Nut-meat (Cashew). Red Bananas. THURSDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Shelled Walnuts). Tangerines. FRIDAY--Spinach and Mint Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Bananas (Canary or Jamaica). SATURDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Fresh Cape Fruit. =_Summer--(June-July-August.)_= =FIRST MEAL.= SUNDAY--Tomato and Parsley Salad. Cheese (Dutch). Peaches. MONDAY--Carrot and Turnip Salad. Cheese (Cream). Apples. TUESDAY--Spring Onion Salad. Cheese (Cheddar). Plums. WEDNESDAY--Endive (summer) Salad. Cheese (Half-cheese). White Currants. THURSDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Cheese (Stilton). Pears. FRIDAY--Seakale Salad. Cheese (Gorgonzola). Banana. SATURDAY--Corn Salad & Radishes. Cheese (Gloucester). Raspberries. =SECOND MEAL.= SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Fresh Fruit Salad. MONDAY--Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Strawberries. TUESDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Almonds). Red Currants. WEDNESDAY--Summer Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Shelled Walnuts). Greengages. THURSDAY--Cauliflower and Mustard and Cress. Nut-meat (Hazels). Gooseberries. FRIDAY--Mixed Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Black Currants. SATURDAY--Lettuce and Radishes. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Cherries. =_Autumn--(September-October-November.)_= =FIRST MEAL.= SUNDAY--Tomato Salad. Cheese or Fresh Almonds. Pineapple. MONDAY--Carrots and Celery. Cheese or Fresh Cob Nuts. Damsons. TUESDAY--Corn Salad and Radishes. Cheese or Filberts. Apples (Golden Nobs). WEDNESDAY--Brussels Sprouts Salad. Cheese or Barcelona Nuts. Melon. THURSDAY--Onion Salad. Cheese or Brazil Nuts. Grapes (White). FRIDAY--Endive Salad. Cheese or Fresh Walnuts. Bananas. SATURDAY--Red Cabbage. Cheese or Hazel Nuts. Pears. =SECOND MEAL.= SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Almonds). Fresh Fruit Salad. MONDAY--Chicory Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Grapes (Black). TUESDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Pears. WEDNESDAY--Celery. Nut-meat (Walnuts). Green Figs. THURSDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Blackberries. FRIDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Quince. SATURDAY--White Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Apples. =_Winter--(December-January-February.)_= =FIRST MEAL.= SUNDAY--Tomato and Celery Salad. Cheese or Fresh Almonds. Dried Fruit Salad. MONDAY--Carrots and Artichokes. Cheese or Cob Nuts. Dried Figs. TUESDAY--Onions. Cheese or Fresh Walnuts. Dates. WEDNESDAY--Batavia. Cheese or Brazil Nuts. Raisins. THURSDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Cheese or Filberts. Sultanas and Currants. FRIDAY--Red Cabbage Salad. Cheese or Barcelona Nuts. French Plums. SATURDAY--Mixed Root Salad. Cheese or Spanish Nuts. Dried Peaches. =SECOND MEAL.= SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Fresh Fruit Salad. MONDAY--Celery Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Oranges. TUESDAY--Winter Cabbage. Nut-meat (Almonds). Bananas. WEDNESDAY--Corn Salad & Radishes. Nut-meat (Walnuts). Grapes. THURSDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Red Bananas. FRIDAY--Chicory Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Tangerines. SATURDAY--Endive Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Apples. The above Menus are compiled by the Misses Julie and Rose Moore. =USEFUL DOMESTIC INFORMATION.= [Illustration] A clove of garlic will give a very delicate and tasty flavour to many soups and other dishes. For soups it is only necessary to rub the tureen with the cut clove before the soup is poured in. For savoury dishes and stews one small clove may be boiled (after being peeled) in the stewpan for five minutes. To remove the skins from tomatoes place them in boiling water for about two minutes. Turnips taste much better if a little cream is added to them after being mashed. Any cold green vegetable can be used to make a soufflé. It should be rubbed through a sieve, and then 1 or 2 well-beaten eggs should be added. A few drops of Tarragon vinegar may be used to change the flavour. (See Recipe 97). Cheese should be crumbly, as it is then more easily digestible. It is a good plan to test it in the following manner:--First buy a small piece and melt a portion with milk in a double saucepan; if it has a granulated appearance it is safe to buy some more of the same cheese; if, on the contrary, it is tough and stringy, it should be avoided, as it will be found lacking in nutriment and will be very liable to cause digestive troubles. Butter should be made to look dainty and appetising by being prepared for the table with butter pats. Small pieces can be twisted round to form the shape of a hollow shell. It may also be rolled into marbles and be garnished with parsley. Parsley can be made a brilliant green by placing it in a cloth (after chopping), dipping it in cold water, and wringing it tightly in the hands, squeezing it with the fingers. For garnishing savoury puddings or fried potatoes, etc., this is worth knowing. Parsley which has been used for garnishing, or which is in danger of going to seed, can be preserved green for seasoning purposes by placing it in the oven on a sheet of paper, and drying it slowly in such a manner that it does not burn; it should then be rubbed through a sieve and put into a bottle. All boiled puddings should be allowed room to swell, or they may prove heavy when served. Instead of chopping onions, a coarse nutmeg grater should be kept for the purpose, and the onion should be grated like lemon rind. This saves much time and labour and answers better for flavouring soups, gravies, or savouries of any kind. The addition of some bicarbonate of soda to the water in which onions are boiled will neutralize the strong flavour of the oil contained in them, and prevent it from becoming troublesome to those with whom it disagrees. Freshly cut vegetables are more digestible and wholesome than those which have been lying about in crates or shop windows. They also cook more quickly. The water in which vegetables have been boiled should be saved for stock for soups and gravies (except in the case of potatoes). To prevent hard-boiled eggs from becoming discoloured, they should be plunged into cold water as soon as they are removed from the saucepan. Those of my readers who wish to use unfermented and saltless breads and cakes can obtain the same from the Wallace P. R. Bakery. The purity of goods supplied from this factory can be depended upon. When it is difficult to obtain pineapples for making fruit salads, the same enhanced flavour can be secured by adding some of Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Juice. To prevent the odour of boiled cabbage pervading the house, place a piece of bread in the saucepan. Flaked nuts, if sprinkled over puddings, custards, trifles or jellies, greatly improve the flavour and appearance. In the preparation of soups, stews, &c., the preliminary frying of the vegetables improves the flavour and dispenses with any insipidity. The oil should be fried until it is brown. =HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES.= =Artichokes= should be boiled until tender only. If over-boiled they become dark coloured and flavourless. =Asparagus= should be cut into equal lengths and tied into bundles. These should be stood on end in a deep stewpan, leaving the tops about an inch above the water. When the stalks are tender the tops will be cooked also. This plan prevents the tops falling off through being over-cooked. =Cabbage= should only be boiled until tender; if over-cooked it is pulpy and flavourless. Boiling too fast causes the unpleasant odour to be given off which is sometimes noticeable in a house when this vegetable is being cooked. The lid of the saucepan should not be used. =Cauliflower= must not be boiled until its crispness is lost. It must be only just tender enough to eat. It can be served 'au gratin' (120), or as in recipe No. 121. =Carrots= should be steamed, not boiled. The skins should then be wiped off and they should be served with a white or brown gravy. They are also nice if scraped, sliced and stewed in haricot broth (recipe 239). The smaller the carrots the more delicate will the flavour be. =Kidney or Haricot Beans= need to be carefully trimmed so that all stringy parts are cut away. They should be boiled until tender, and no longer, and served with thin white sauce. The smaller and greener they are the better. Old pods should remain unpicked until nearly ripe, when the solid beans can be used for haricot soup or entrées. The 'Czar' bean is the best to grow; it is the giant white haricot, and the seeds are delicious when picked fresh and cooked at once. There is the same difference between fresh and dried haricots, as between green and dried peas. Dried Haricots must be soaked in cold water for twelve hours before being cooked. They can then be stewed until tender--the water being saved for soup or stock. =Vegetable Marrow= should be steamed or boiled in its jacket. The flavour is lost if this is removed before cooking. =Mushrooms= should be fried very slowly in a small quantity of butter. They should be stirred during the process, and the heat employed must be very moderate indeed or they will be made tough. They can also be stewed, and served in the gravy when thickened with arrowroot. =Potatoes= should be cooked in their jackets. To boil them in the best way, the water in the saucepan should be thrown away when they have been boiled for 5 minutes and cold water should be substituted. This plan equalises the cooking of the interior and exterior of the potatoes. When cooked they should be drained, a clean cloth should be placed over the pan and they should stand on the hot plate to dry. They should be lifted out separately, and should be unbroken and floury. Sodden potatoes ought to be regarded as evidence of incompetency on the part of the cook. Potatoes baked in their jackets are considered by many to be preferable, and, as it is almost impossible to spoil them if this plan is adopted, it should be employed when the cook is inexperienced. Fried potatoes, cooked in the Devonshire fashion, are nice for breakfast. It is best to remove some from the stewpan when half cooked on the previous day. These should be cut up in a frying pan in which a fair amount of butter has been melted, and the knife should be used while they cook. In a few minutes the potatoes should be well packed together, so that the under-side will brown; an inverted plate should then be pressed on them and the pan should be turned upside down while the plate is held in position with one hand. A neat and savoury-looking dish will thus be made, but over-cooking must be avoided previous to the browning process, or they will look sloppy. Potatoes can be mashed with a little milk and butter. They should then be packed into a pretty shape and garnished with chopped parsley (109). Another way of cooking them is to use the frying basket and dip them in very hot Nutter. They should either be cut into thin fingers previously, or else be half boiled and broken into pieces. This latter plan is perhaps best of all, and they are then termed "potatoes sauté," and are sprinkled with chopped parsley before being served. A very savoury dish can be made by boiling some potatoes until nearly tender, and then putting them in a pie dish with small pieces of butter sprinkled over them; they should then be baked until nicely browned. To make potatoes _white_ when cooked they should be steeped in cold water for two hours after peeling. =Peas= should be placed in a covered jar with a little butter, and should be steamed until tender. No water is required in the jar. The pods, if clean and fresh, should be washed, slowly steamed, rubbed through a colander, and added to any soup or other suitable dish in preparation. Another method is to boil the peas with mint, salt, sugar and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda added to the water. Small young peas should always be chosen in preference to those which are old and large. =Spinach= should be cooked according to the directions given in recipes 90 to 92, or 103. =Beetroot= should be baked in the oven instead of being boiled. By this method the flavour is improved and the juices retained. =LABOUR-SAVING APPLIANCES.= Domestic work in the kitchen may be very much simplified and lightened if proper utensils are employed, and those who are able to do so should obtain the following appliances, in addition to those which are generally used:-- =The 'Dana' Nut-Mill.= This is used for making bread crumbs from crusts or stale bread; for flaking nuts and almonds, etc., so as to make them more easy of digestion, and nut-butter so as to make it mix more conveniently with dough when employed for making pastry and cheese--rendering it more readily digestible. This nut-mill may be obtained from G. Savage & Sons, 33, Aldersgate Street, London, E. C., and from Health Food Depôts (price 7/6). It serves the same purpose as a sausage machine as well. =A Frying-Basket= is necessary for letting down rissoles, croquettes, cutlets, fritters, potato chips, etc., into the stewpan which is kept for frying purposes. The stewpan should be four or five inches deep, so as to avoid the possibility of the Nutter or vegetable fat bubbling over and catching fire upon the stove. Aluminium or nickel are the best metals. =A Raisin Stoner.= It enables one to stone a large quantity of fruit in a very short time. Most ironmongers stock these machines. =A Potato Masher.= Necessary for flaking potatoes and preparing haricot beans, peas, etc., for admixture in rissoles or croquettes. By this means the skins can be easily removed after they are cooked. =A Wire Sieve= (about 1/8th-inch mesh). Useful for preparing spinach, and in many other ways which will suggest themselves to every cook. =A Duplex Boiler.= For scalding milk by means of a steam jacket. It prevents burning, and boiling over. The =Gourmet Boiler= is a valuable cooking appliance of the same sort. Failing these a double saucepan is necessary. =A Chopping Basin=--a wooden bowl with a circular chopper which fits it. This prevents the pieces from jumping off and lessens the time occupied. It is also less noisy and can be used while the operator is seated. =A Vegetable Slicer.= The best appliance for this purpose is a combination tool--made so that one can slice carrots, etc., to any size and thickness, and also core apples, peel potatoes and perform other functions with it. =A Metal Frying Pan.= A nickel, aluminium, or steel frying pan is almost a necessity. Enamel chips off very soon and is dangerous, as it may cause appendicitis. =MEDICINAL AND DIETETIC QUALITIES.= As it is important that those who adopt a reformed diet should know something about the dietetic and medicinal value of the articles they consume, the following information may prove helpful:-- [Illustration] =Apples= purify the blood, feed the brain with phosphorus, and help to eliminate urates and earthy salts from the system. As they contain a small amount of starch, and a good proportion of grape sugar combined with certain valuable acids, they constitute a most desirable and hygienic food for all seasons. They should be ripe and sweet when eaten. People who cannot digest apples in the ordinary way should scrape them, and thus eat them in _pulp_ rather than in _pieces_. =Bananas= also contain phosphorus, and are consequently suitable for mental workers. They are easily digestible, and nutritious, being almost a food in themselves. =French Plums= are judicious food for persons of nervous temperament and for those whose habits are sedentary; they prevent constipation, and are nutritious. They should be well stewed, and eaten with cream, Plasmon snow-cream, or Coconut cream (see recipe 224). =Strawberries= contain phosphorus and iron, and are therefore especially desirable for mental workers and anæmic invalids. =Tomatoes= are good for those who suffer from sluggish liver. The popular fallacy that they are liable to cause cancer, which was circulated by thoughtless persons some few years since, has been pronounced, by the highest medical authorities, to be unsupported by any evidence whatever, and to be most improbable and absurd. In the Island of Mauritius this fruit is eaten at almost every meal, and Bishop Royston stated that during his episcopate of eighteen years he only heard of one case of the disease. =Lettuce= is soothing to the system and purifying to the blood. It should be well dressed with pure olive oil and wine vinegar (2 spoonfuls of oil to 1 of vinegar, well mixed together, with a pinch of sugar). A lettuce salad eaten with bread and cheese makes a nutritious and ample meal. The thin and tender-leaved variety (grown under glass if possible) should always be chosen. =Figs= contain much fruit sugar which can be rapidly assimilated, and are very nourishing and easily digestible; when they can be obtained in their green state they are specially desirable. They may be considered one of the most valuable of all fruits, and are most helpful in many cases of sickness on account of their laxative medicinal properties. =Dates= are very similar to figs, and are both sustaining and warming; they are easily digested if the skins are thin. =Gooseberries=, =Raspberries=, =Currants= and =Grapes= are cooling and purifying food for hot weather; but, if unripe, they will often upset the liver. This type of fruit should not be eaten unless _ripe_ and _sweet_. =Walnuts, Hazel and Brazil Nuts= contain a considerable amount of oil, and are consequently useful for warming the body and feeding and strengthening the nerves. Vegetable fat in this form is emulsified and more easily assimilated than free animal fats, as in butter, etc. Nuts are also rich in proteid matter. Where people find that they cannot masticate nuts, owing to impairment of teeth, the difficulty may be removed by passing the nuts through a 'Dana' nut-mill. When thus flaked and spread between thin slices of bread and butter, with honey, they make delicious sandwiches for lunch. A pinch of curry powder (instead of the honey) makes them taste savoury. =Chestnuts= contain a larger proportion of starch, but are digested without difficulty when boiled in their jackets until fairly soft. If eaten with a pinch of salt they make a nice dish. =Pineapples= are valuable for cases of diphtheria and sore-throat, as the juice makes an excellent gargle. This fruit is considered to aid digestion in certain cases. =Cheese= is very rich in protein--far more so than lean beef. If well chosen, and new, it is a most valuable article of diet, and feeds brain, nerves, and muscles; but as it is a concentrated food it should not be taken in excessive quantity. Half a pound of cheese is almost equal to a pound of average flesh meat. The best varieties are Wenslet, Gruyère (very rich in phosphorus), Port Salut, Milk (155), Wensleydale, Cheshire and Cheddar. =Protose, Nuttose=, and similar malted nut-meats, are more than equivalent to lean beef--minus water, waste products, and disease germs. The International Health Association first invented these valuable substitutes for animal food, and has an able advisory medical staff, therefore they may be regarded as results of modern dietetic research. Protose contains 25% protein and 14% fat. =White Haricots= are rich in protein (far more so than lean meat), and should be eaten in moderation. Brown haricots contain iron in addition to their large percentage of protein. =Lentils= are almost identical in composition, but are more suitable for those who do not have much physical toil. =Peas= are slightly less nitrogenous than lentils and haricots, but otherwise very similar; they are best when eaten in a green form, and when young and tender. When they are old the peas should always be passed through a potato masher, as the skins are very indigestible. =Macaroni= contains starch and a certain amount of the gluten of wheat. Some of the best varieties are made with eggs as well as flour. Tomato sauce is the best accompaniment to it, with Parmesan or grated and melted cheese (see recipes 66 to 71). =Rice= as usually sold consists chiefly of starch, but if unglazed and _once milled_, it is much more nourishing, as the cuticle of the cereal (which is rich in gluten and protein) is then left on it. The addition of cheese or eggs, makes it a more complete food (see recipes 72 to 80). =Potatoes= consist principally of starch and water, with a certain amount of potash. Their dietetic value is not high. =Wholewheat Bread= contains, in addition to its starch, much vegetable albumen, and a large supply of mineral salts, such as phosphates, etc. It is, therefore, when light and well cooked, of high dietetic value both for flesh-forming and nerve feeding. Physical workers should use it as a staple article of food, and mental workers will also find it most helpful. The coarser the brown flour, the more laxative is the influence of the bread. This is point worth noting. =Eggs= are nutritive chiefly on account of the albumen which they contain in the white portion, but they are liable to cause digestive trouble, and they must not be taken too freely by those who are subject to biliousness and constipation. Such persons often find it advantageous to have them boiled quite hard. =Emprote= (Eustace Miles proteid Food) contains the proteids of wheat and milk (35%), with digestible Carbohydrates (45.2%), fat (6.6%), and assimilable salts (7.9%). It makes a good addition to soups, beverages, and dishes lacking in protein. =Nuto-Cream Meat= is a modern substitute for white meat and poultry, containing 19.7% protein, 48% fat, and 23% Carbohydrates. It is made from nuts and corn, and is useful for invalids and young children. =Milk= contains nearly all the elements necessary for repairing bodily waste. It should be scalded for half-an-hour in a double saucepan--to destroy tubercular and other germs. If then allowed to stand for 12 hours, clotted cream can be skimmed off (as in Devonshire) and the milk can be used next day. It keeps much longer after being thus scalded. Dried milk is now procurable in such forms as 'Lacvitum' and 'Plasmon.' =Celery= is a useful blood purifier, and is valuable in all cases of rheumatism, gout, &c. Celery salt is a valuable addition to soups and savoury dishes, and is preferable to common salt. =Spinach= contains a considerable quantity of iron in a readily assimilable form, and is, therefore, good for anæmic persons. =Onions= have a wonderfully improving effect upon the skin and complexion if eaten raw, and they act powerfully as diuretics. =HYGIENIC INFORMATION.= [Sidenote: =How to Keep Young.=] Old age is accompanied by the accumulation in the body of certain earthy salts which tend to produce ossification. The deposit of these in the walls of the arteries impedes the circulation, and produces senility and decrepitude. Flesh-food accelerates this process, but the juices of fruits, and distilled or soft water, dissolve out these deposits. The older one becomes the more freely should one partake of fruit and soft water. The more juicy fruit we consume, the less drink of any kind we require, and the water contained in fruit is of Nature's purest and best production. Frequent bathing and the occasional use of the vapour bath also help to eliminate these deposits, and those whose skins are never made to perspire by wholesome exercise in the open air must cause this healthful operation to take place by other means--or pay the penalty which Nature exacts. [Sidenote: =Food and Climate.=] Vegetable oils and fats produce heat and build up the nerves. We require a much larger amount of food containing fat in cold weather and in cold climates than in warm weather and in warm climates. By producing fruits in profusion in the summer-time Nature provides for the satisfaction of our instinctive desire for such simple and cooling diet when the temperature is high. But in winter-time more cheese, butter, olive oil, or nuts, should be eaten every day. [Sidenote: =Cancer and Flesh-eating.=] The latest declarations of some of the principal British medical authorities on 'Cancer' are to the effect that people become afflicted with this disease through the excessive consumption of animal flesh. The alimentary canal becomes obstructed with decomposing matter, toxic elements are generated and absorbed in the system, and cancerous cellular proliferation ensues. It is noteworthy that fruitarians are scarcely ever afflicted with this disease, and that a strict fruitarian dietary (uncooked) has often proved curative. See pages 133 and 166. [Sidenote: =How to avoid Dyspepsia.=] If the digestive process is unduly delayed by overloading the stomach, or by drinking much at meal-times so as to dilute the gastric juice, fermentation, flatulence and impaired health are likely to result. Raw sugar if taken very freely with starch foods is also apt to produce fermentation. It is a mistake to mix acid fruits and vegetables by eating them together at the same meal. Fermentation is often thus caused, as vegetables take a long time to digest. A very safe rule to observe, and one which would save many from physical discomfort and suffering, is this--only eat fruits which are palatable in the natural uncooked state. Before Man invented the art of cooking, he must have followed this rule. Those who suffer from dyspepsia will, in most instances, derive benefit by taking two meals a day instead of three--or at any rate by substituting a cup of coffee or of hot skimmed milk and a few brown biscuits for the third meal. Hard workers are the only persons who can really get hungry three times a day, and we ought not to take our meals without "hunger sauce." Fruit alone, for the third meal is better still. The last meal of the day should not be taken after seven o'clock at night. Disturbed rest and the habit of dreaming are an almost certain indication of errors in diet having been committed, or of this rule having been infringed. Probably the most valuable prescription ever given to a patient was that given by Dr. Abernethy to a wealthy dyspeptic, "Live on sixpence a day and earn it." Constipation can nearly always be cured by adding stewed figs, French plums, salads, etc., to one's menu, by eating brown instead of white bread, and by taking less proteid food. Tea is detrimental to many persons. The tannin contained in it toughens albuminous food, and is liable to injure the sensitive lining of the stomach. China tea is the least harmful. [Sidenote: =Rest after Meals.=] Those who work their brains or bodies actively, immediately after a solid meal, simply invite dyspepsia. The vital force required for digestion is diverted and malnutrition follows. The deluded business-man who "cannot spare the time" for a short rest or stroll after lunch, often damages his constitution and finds that he has been "penny wise and pound foolish." If the brain or body has been severely taxed, an interval of rest should be secured before food is taken. It is not _what we eat_ that nourishes us, but _what we are able to assimilate_. Recreation, occasional amusement, and an interest in life are necessary. Thousands of women die from monotony and continuous domestic care; multitudes of men succumb to mental strain and incessant business anxiety. Chronic dyspeptics should reflect on these facts. Abstainers from animal-food who get into any difficulty about their diet should seek advice from those who have experience, or should consult a fruitarian physician. The local names and addresses of doctors who both practice and advise this simple and natural system of living, will be supplied upon application to the Hon. Secretary of The Order of the Golden Age. Such are increasing in number every month. [Sidenote: =Physical Vitality.=] The human body is a storage battery consisting of millions of cells in which the vital electricity that produces health, and makes life enjoyable, is accumulated. Every manifestation of physical and mental power depends upon the force stored up in this battery. The more fully charged the cells the higher the voltage, and, consequently, the greater the physical vitality and power. This voltage is always fluctuating. Expenditure of force lessens it; recuperation, through rest, sleep, the in-breathing of oxygen, and the assimilation of vital uncooked food increases it. Fruits, nuts, and root vegetables contain electrical potency--they will deflect the needle of a highly sensitive Kelvin galvanometer. But when cooked, their vital electricity is destroyed--they become _lifeless_, like flesh-food. The accumulation of vital force is a possibility if natural and vital food is selected. [Sidenote: =The Great Healer.=] All the medicines in the world are as the small dust of the balance, potentially, when weighed against this Life-force--which "healeth all our diseases and redeemeth our life from destruction." Its therapeutic phenomena are truly wonderful. When our bodies are invaded by malevolent microbes, the defensive corpuscles within us, if in fit condition, destroy them. But if not fed with those elements which are needful for their sustenance, they soon "run down"--just as we ourselves get "below par." We are then liable to become the prey of those ceaseless microscopic enemies that are ever ready to pounce upon the unfit. If our corpuscles are weaker than the invading foes, no drugs can save us--we are doomed. Hence the importance of keeping ourselves and our nerve centres well charged and in vigorous condition. [Sidenote: =How to Accumulate Vitality.=] To accumulate vitality our food must contain all the chemical elements which we need. None must be permanently omitted. If, for instance, we entirely exclude organic phosphorus from the food of a man of great intellect, he will, in due time, be reduced to imbecility. This is obtained in such foods as cheese, milk, wholemeal bread, peas, apples, strawberries, and bananas. We must live by _method_, and take some trouble. Nature's greatest gift is not to be obtained without thought or effort. We must eat, breathe, and live wisely; and the closer to Nature we get, the better it will be for us. The habit of deep breathing, like that of living much in the open air, yields important results. The atmosphere consists of oxygen and nitrogen--the very elements of which our bodies are chiefly constructed. Life and vigour _can be inhaled_, but few persons have learnt the art. Cheerfulness tends to promote the assimilation of food. Exercise--of an intelligent and healthful sort--is needful to make the life-current pulsate through our tissues. Without it our organs do not get properly nourished and rebuilt: stiffness and atrophy set in. Worry and care must be banished, and unwise or excessive expenditure of nerve force avoided; for these things deplete the human storage battery of its vitality. Mankind is slowly gaining greater knowledge of vital, mental, and spiritual truth. Ultimately, "Life more abundant" will become the heritage of the many instead of the few. Self-emancipation from weakness and disability is an achievement that will repay much effort on the part of each one of us; and we can all render beneficent social service by exemplifying the art of living wisely. By promoting hygienic and humane education, we can prevent much suffering, and greatly increase the sum of happiness in this world! [Illustration: =Finis=] All readers who feel that they have derived helpful and useful knowledge by reading this book, are respectfully invited to make it known to their friends and neighbours, or to present copies to them. All financial profit arising from its sale is devoted to the philanthropic work of The Order of the Golden Age and the exaltation of its hygienic and humane Ideals. Booksellers, Secretaries of Food-Reform, Physical Culture, and other Societies (and readers requiring quantities for distribution) can be supplied at a discount of 25 per cent. for cash, carriage forward, if they apply directly to the above Society. INDEX. Page Almonds, Salted 85 Almond Soup 52 Ambrosia 101 Apple Custard 105 Apple Fritters 107 Apricots, Poached 106 Artichoke Soup 48 Artichokes, Fried Chinese 55 Artichokes, Green 55 Asparagus Soufflé 77 Aspic jelly 87 Baked Nuttoria 62 Bakewell Pudding 103 Barley Water 117 Boiled Pudding, Plain 107 Brawn, Picnic 88 Brazil Nut Soup 50 Bread, How to Make 112 Bread, White 115 Bread, Plain Currant 115 Bread, Wholemeal 114 Bread Pudding 101 Breakfast Dish, A 79 Broth, Brown Haricot 49 Broth, Mock Chicken 123 Brown Bean Cutlets 58 Brown Haricot Soup 49 Brussels Sprouts Sauté 78 Brussels Sprouts, à la Simone 80 Buns, Plain Currant 115 Bun Cake, Sultana 116 Cabbage Salad 91 Cabbage Soufflé 77 Cakes, Sultana 116 Cakes, Small 103 Carnos Sauce 98 Carnos Soup 54 Carrot Soup 54 Cauliflower au Gratin 83 Celery Soup 53 Castle Puddings 102 Cheese and Tomato Paste 92 Cheese Sauce 98 Cheese Rissoles, Savoury 78 Cheesecakes, Lemon 110 Cheese Straws 116 Chestnut Soup 48 Chestnut and Mushroom Pudding 82 Chestnut Soufflé 77 Chestnut Stew 85 Chestnut Cream 111 Christmas pudding 99 Coconut Sauce 97 Coconut Custard, Baked 109 Coconut Cream 111 Corsican Dish, A 78 Creamed Macaroni 70 Croquettes, Milanese 81 Croûtes à la Valencia 84 Curry Gravy 95 Custard Moulds 103 Curried Cauliflower 83 Curried Rice and Peas 72 Curried Lentils 82 Dinner Rolls 115 Eggs à la Crême 74 Egg and Cress Sandwiches 91 Eggs à l'Italienne 75 Eggs, Mayonnaise 74 Eggs, Scrambled 75 Eggs Florentine 74 Empress Pudding 108 Figs, Jellied 101 Fillets of Mock Sole 56 Frittamix Rissoles 85 Fruit Drink 118 Fruit Sauce 98 Fruit Salad 99 Fruitarian Mincemeat 110 Galantine alla Bolognese 86 Gateau aux Fruits 106 Gingerade 118 Ginger Pudding 108 Glaze, Marmite 97 Gravy Soup 49 Gravies 94 Gravy Piquante 95 Gravy, Rich Brown 96 Gravy, Plain Brown 95 Green Pea Cutlets 58 Green Pea Soufflé 76 Green Pea Soup 51 Green Pea Galantine 88 Gravy, Quick Lunch 98 Gruel, Lentil 124 Haricot Soup, Brown 49 Haricot Soup, White 52 Haricot Cutlets 59 Haricot Cutlets, White 61 Haricot Meat, Potted 92 Haricot, Potted White 90 Haricot, Potted Savoury 91 Haricot Brown Broth 123 How to Cook Rice 70 Hygiama Apple Purée 123 Jelly, Orange 108 Jugged Nuttose 64 Julienne Soup 50 Kedgeree 78 Lentil and Potato Sausages 65 Lentil Soufflé 77 Lentil Soup, Green 51 Lentil Soup, Egyptian 50 Lentil Cutlets 61 Lentil Cutlets, Green 81 Lentils, Curried 82 Lentil Croquettes 62 Lentil Pudding 84 Lentils, Potted Savoury 90 Lentil Gruel 124 Lemon Creams 104 Lemon Cheesecakes 110 Lemon Jelly 110 Lemon Sponge 106 Linseed Tea 124 Macaroni à la Turque 69 Macaroni Cutlets 69 Macaroni, Creamed 70 Macaroni Napolitaine 69 Macaroni, Savoury 70 Macaroni and Tomato Pudding 70 Malted Milk Prune Whip 125 Malted Milk Jelly 125 Malted Milk with Iced Fruit 125 Malted Milk, Effervescent 125 Marbles, Savoury Golden 82 Marmalade Pudding 102 Marmite Glaze 97 Marmite Savoury Gravy 97 Marmite Toast 85 Marmite Vegetarian Soup 52 Mayonnaise Eggs 74 Mayonnaise Sauce 97 Milk Cheese 93 Minced Nut-Meat 65 Mock Chicken Broth 123 Mock Chicken Rolls 66 Mock Turtle Soup 49 Mock Fish Cutlets 56 Mock Fish Roe 56 Mock Hake Steaks 57 Mock Hare Soup 53 Mock White Fish 57 Mock Chicken Cutlets 60 Mock Lobster Shapes 87 Mock Oyster Patties 55 Mock Scallop Oysters 55 Mock Steak Pudding 66 Mock Sweetbread Quenelles 61 Mushroom Pie 62 Mushroom & Potato Croquettes 66 Nut Croquettes 60 Nut Sandwiches 90 Nut-Meat à la Mode 63 Nut-Meat Rissoles 64 Nut-Meat Galantine 86, 89 Nut-Meat Rolls 89 Nuttose Ragout 64 Oat-Cream 124 Oatenade 117 Omelet, A Simple 73 Omelette aux Fines Herbes 75 Omelette aux Tomates 73 Onions à la Mode Francaise 80 Onion Soup 54 Orange Jelly 108 Oeufs Farcée en Aspic 75 Parsley Sauce 96 Pea Soup 53 Picnic Brawn 88 Pine Kernel Timbale 68 Plasmon Snow Cream 107 Plum Puddings 99, 100 Potato Croquettes 82 Potato Purée 80 Potato Soup 53 Potatoes, Escalloped 81 Prated Gruel 124 Protose Cutlets 63 Protose Rolls 89 Protose Pudding 92 Puff Pastry 111 Raised Pie 87 Raspberry Pudding 104 Rice à la Reine 105 Rice alla Romana 71 Rice, Milanese 71 Rice Cutlets, proteid 72 Rice, Savoury 71 Rice, Sicilian 72 Rice Moulds, Creamed 101 Rice and Peas, Curried 72 Rice and Sultana Pudding 107 Rice and Tomato Rissoles 73 Rice Pudding, Savoury 84 Rice Water 118 Risi Piselli 73 Salad Dressing 93 Salsify, Filleted 57 Sauce Hollandaise 96 Sauce Piquante 95 Sauce, Thick Brown 98 Savoury Lentil Roll 68 Sausages, Neapolitan 84 Savoury Rissoles 78 Savoury Sausages 67 Savoury Chestnut Mould 67 Savoury Golden Marbles 82 Savoury Nut-Meat Steaks 63 Savoury Macaroni 70 Semolina Pudding 109 Semolina Lemon Pudding 104 Semolina Moulds 102 Short Pastry 110 Soubise Soup, White 51 Spinach and Eggs 76 Spinach à la Crême 76 Spinach Fritters 79 Spinach Soufflé 76 Stewed Prunes 103 Strawberry Cream 102 Strawberry Ice 109 Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding 65 Sultana Pudding 100 Sultana Custard Pudding 105 Sultana and Ginger Pudding 100 Sultana Cakes 116 Swiss Roll 105 Tarragon Sauce 96 Tea and Coffee Substitutes 118 Tomatoes, Baked Stuffed 79 Tomatoes au Gratin 80 Tomato or Egg Sandwiches 90 Tomato Soup 50 Tomato Galantine 88 Tomatoes, Grilled 83 Tomato Mayonnaise 89 Tomato Paste, Potted 92 Tomato Sauce 96 Tomato Chutney 97 Vanilla Creams 104 Vanilla Ice 109 Vegetable Marrow, Baked 81 Vegetable Marrow, Stuffed 59, 79 Vegetable Stock 48 Walnuts, Purée of 60 Walnut Gravy 94 Walnut Pie 67 Wheatenade 117 White Sauce 97 White Windsor Soup 54 Walnut Cutlets 58 Walnut Rissoles 59 Yorkshire Pudding 65, 83 All workers for the upliftment and amelioration of Mankind are invited to obtain from a Newsagent or Bookstall =The Herald of the Golden Age and British Health Review= (The Official Journal of The Order of the Golden Age). [Illustration] A Magazine founded to proclaim a Message of Peace and Happiness, Health and Purity, Life and Power. It advocates Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Culture in a practical and helpful manner. =_Illustrated. Quarterly. Price Threepence._= =Edited by SIDNEY H. BEARD.= It proclaims the advantages of the Fruitarian System of living, and pleads for recognition of the rights of Animals, and the adoption of a Natural, Hygienic, and Humane Dietary. It exalts true and progressive Ideals and teaches sound philosophy. It circulates in Fifty-Four Countries and Colonies. It will be forwarded direct from the Publishing Offices for One Shilling and Sixpence per annum, upon application to THE SECRETARY, THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN AGE, 153, 155, Brompton Road, London, S.W. (=Specimen copies, threepence, post free=). _Trade Agents_: { R. J. JAMES, 10, 11, 12, Ivy Lane, E.C. { MADGWICK & Co., 4, Ave Maria Lane, E.C. =HELPFUL AND INSTRUCTIVE BOOKLETS.= PHILANTHROPISTS AND SOCIAL REFORMERS Are invited to read and circulate the following publications. ="The Testimony of Science in Favour of Natural and Humane Diet."= By SIDNEY H. BEARD. _Seventh Edition._ _One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Thousand._ _Price_ 2d. (2-1/2d. _post free_); 2s. _per dozen_ (_post free_); 15s. _per hundred_ (_post free_). _French Edition_, 20 Centimes. _German Edition_, 20 Pfennigs. A handy up-to-date booklet, full of expert evidence by eminent authorities in the Medical and Scientific world, athletic evidence and personal testimony of a convincing character, with references for the quotations. Every Food-Reformer and Lecturer will need this booklet. CONTENTS: Flesh-Eating an Unnatural Habit. Flesh-Eating an Unnecessary Habit. Flesh-Eating a Cause of Disease. Uric Acid Maladies. Appendicitis. Cancer. Tuberculosis. The Sufficiency and Superiority of Fruitarian Diet. Experimental Evidence. Athletic Evidence. Personal Testimony. An Octogenarian's Experience. A Cloud of Witnesses. Man's Diet in the Future. A Physician's Forecast. Our Responsibilities and Opportunity. ="The Diet for Cultured People."= By DR. JOSIAH OLDFIELD, M.A., D.C.L., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S. _Third Edition._ _Twentieth Thousand._ _Price_ 2d. (2-1/2d. _post free_). ="How to Avoid Appendicitis."= By DR. JOSIAH OLDFIELD, M.A., D.C.L., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S. _Tenth Thousand._ _Price_ 2d. (2-1/2d. _post free_). ="The Cruelties of the Meat Trade."= By DR. JOSIAH OLDFIELD, M.A., D.C.L., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S. _Third Edition._ _Twenty-Fifth Thousand._ _Price_ 1d. (1-1/2d. _post free_). Some eye-witness revelations of the cruelties of the Flesh Traffic. ="Errors in Eating and Physical Degeneration."= By SIR WILLIAM EARNSHAW COOPER, C.I.E. _Fifth Thousand._ _In Art Linen._ _Price_ 6d. (_post free_). An up-to-date book which reveals in a piquant and interesting manner the many Dietetic mistakes and transgressions that are being made by the British public, and the cost in suffering which they have to pay in consequence. Much useful information is contained in this book, in addition to Tables of Food Values, etc. ="Fruitarian Diet and Physical Rejuvenation."= By O. L. M. ABRAMOWSKI, M.D., Ch.D., M.O.H. (_Late Senior Physician to the District Hospital, Mildura, Australia_). _Twentieth Thousand._ _Price_ 2d. (2-1/2d. _post free_). A booklet giving the personal experiences of the Author concerning the rejuvenation of the body by means of Reformed Diet, and also the results obtained at the Mildura Hospital and Dr. Abramowski's own Sanitarium. ="Is Flesh-Eating Morally Defensible?"= By SIDNEY H. BEARD. _Ninth Edition._ _Forty-fifth Thousand._ _Price_ 3d. (_post free_). This Booklet has been the means of persuading a great number of men and women to abandon the carnivorous habit. Its readers have posted copies to their friends in all parts of the world. ="The Toiler and his Food."= By SIR WILLIAM EARNSHAW COOPER, C.I.E. _Fourth Edition._ _Fortieth Thousand._ _Price_ 1d. _Net_. A straight talk with the Working Classes about Diet. ="The Church and Food-Reform."= By REV. A. M. MITCHELL, M.A. _Tenth Thousand._ _Price_ 1d. (1-1/2d. _post free_). ="Is Meat-Eating Sanctioned by Divine Authority."= By SIR WILLIAM EARNSHAW COOPER, C.I.E. _Price_ 3d. (_post free_). 2s. _per dozen (carriage paid)_. An artistic booklet that is especially helpful in removing the prejudices and misconceptions of those who have been accustomed to think that the Bible justifies flesh-eating. Much light upon the subject, and information concerning correct interpretation of the Scriptures is given, and yet in such a reverent and scholarly way as not to offend the most orthodox. ="The Penny Guide to Fruitarian Diet and Cookery."= By DR. JOSIAH OLDFIELD, M.A., D.C.L., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S. _Tenth Edition._ _Hundredth Thousand._ _Price_ 1d. (1-1/2d. _post free_). 1s. 3d. _per dozen (post free)_; 7s. 6d. _per hundred (carriage paid)_. ="Shall We Vivisect?"= By DR. JOSIAH OLDFIELD, M.A., D.C.L., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S. _Price_ 1d. (1-1/2d. _post free_). THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN AGE, 153, 155, Brompton Road, London, S. W. =THE LIVING TEMPLE,= By Dr. J. H. KELLOGG, M.D. (_Medical Director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Michigan, U.S.A._) =FULLY ILLUSTRATED=, including a number of fine coloured plates. [Illustration] 568 pp. Price =Six Shillings= (post free). This book must be seen to be appreciated, but the following brief partial outlines of the most important chapters will afford some idea of the helpful nature of the contents. =The Miracle of Digestion.= The Organs of Digestion--Five Food Elements, Five Digestive Organs--What the Saliva does--The Work of the Gastric Juice--Other Uses of the Digestive Fluids. =Dietetic Sins.= Eating for Disease--The Selection of Food--Cereal Foods and Legumes, etc.--Erroneous Notions about Fruits--Predigested Food Elements in Fruits--Fruit Juices Destroy Germs--The Medicinal Use of Fruits--Fruit Soup--Fruit Cure for Constipation--The Fruit Diet--Fruit a Cleansing Food--Diseases Due to Milk--Milk and Cream from Nuts--Eggs. =The Natural Way in Diet.= Why Fats Render Food Indigestible--Objectionable Vegetable Fats--Chemical Bread Raisers--Condiments the Cause of Gin Liver--Dextrinised Cereals--The Daily Ration--Balanced Bills of Fare--Too Frequent Eating--The Purest Water, etc. =What to do in case of Sudden Illness or Accident.= Fainting--Hemorrhage of the Lungs--Hemorrhage from the Stomach--A Bruise--The Dressing of Wounds--Sprains, etc. =The Breath of Life.= Proper Breathing--The Rate at which Air is Needed--Cultivating Lung Capacity--Why we Breathe when asleep, etc. =The Brain and the Nerves.= Feeling Cells and Working Cells--How Habits are Formed--The Proper Function of the Sense of Taste--How to have a Good Memory--Recent Interesting Discoveries about Nerve Cells--Insomnia--Nerve Poisons--A Common Cause of Nerve Exhaustion--How to Have a Clear Head--The Problem of Heredity--Rational Mind Cure. THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN AGE 153, 155, Brompton Road, London, S.W. _Fifth Thousand._ =THE CANCER SCOURGE= =and How to Destroy it.= By ROBERT BELL, M.D., F.R.F.P.S. _Price_ ONE SHILLING _Net (post free 1/2)._ The latest pronouncement by this eminent Cancer Specialist on the most terrible disease of our times. * * * * * This book is written by a Physician who has witnessed many cures of advanced cases of Cancer, and who speaks from the standpoint of forty years' experience. It contains 20 Art Plates, illustrating diagnoses from the Blood when highly magnified, and proves by these object lessons the curability of Cancer and the efficacy of treatment by Fruitarian Diet and Radium. A FEW PRESS OPINIONS. "It is ... interesting and suggestive ... and it deserves a wide circulation."--_Manchester Courier._ "Every year, in England and Wales, 30,000 people die of Cancer--all of which deaths are preventible. Dr. Bell's methods of preventing them are clearly and forcibly given, once again, in this little book."--_Daily Mirror._ "The wide prevalence of this terrible disease demands that attention should be given to all endeavours to destroy it, and Dr. Bell is an authority whose words should be carefully studied and acted upon."--_Northern Whig._ "This interesting little treatise is an able presentation of the natural method of dealing with Cancer."--_Two Worlds._ "Dr. Bell is strongly of opinion that the Scourge is amenable to cure, and his remedy is the use of Radium in conjunction with a special kind of Fruitarian Diet. When one considers that every known remedy of the past has failed and that this suggested cure has no revolting methods, such as the knife of the surgeon, it should certainly receive the attention it merits."--_American Register._ "The book should be worth reading to those interested in the subject."--_Irish News._ "He (Dr. Bell) deems 'dietetic purification essential,' and explains his system, and it must be acknowledged that he is backed by very strong evidence, which he gives. His little volume is worthy of the closest consideration by all concerned."--_Letchworth Citizen._ THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN AGE, 153, 155, Brompton Road, London, S.W. HORLICK'S MALTED MILK =MALTED BARLEY, WHEAT, and MILK in Powder Form.= =THE IDEAL FOOD DRINK FOR ALL AGES.= =Delicious, Nourishing, and Refreshing.= [Illustration: =THE PACKAGE.=] =HORLICK'S MALTED MILK= ¶ =IN THE HOME=, when used as a Table Beverage is more beneficial than Tea, Coffee, Chocolate or Cocoa. ¶ =IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL IN PHYSICAL CULTURE= as it replaces waste tissue and gives a feeling of fitness and staying power. ¶ =FOR BUSINESS MEN= it is the ideal quick lunch when time is pressing. May be kept in the office and is prepared in a moment. ¶ =FOR THE AGED AND INVALIDS.= The lightest diet in combination with the fullest nutriment--therefore gives best means of sustenance. ¶ =IN INFANT FEEDING= is the only scientific substitute for Human Milk which perfectly simulates the action of the latter during digestion. ¶ =FOR GROWING CHILDREN.= Builds up and nourishes the constitution, gives stamina and ensures healthy growth with development. SERVED IN HOTELS, RESTAURANTS and CAFÃ�S--HOT OR COLD. =Requires no Cooking.= Of all Chemists and Stores in Sterilised Glass Bottles, at 1/6, 2/6 & 11/- _Liberal Sample for trial free by post on request._ =HORLICK'S MALTED MILK Co., SLOUGH, BUCKS, ENGLAND.= =The Secret of Perfect Health= lies very largely in right diet. Our foods are made from the purest and finest materials under the most hygienic conditions. They include:-- =NUT BUTTERS.= Most delicious. Food as well as fat. Much safer and go farther than dairy butter. Almond, =1/3=; Walnut, Coconut and Cashew, =1/=; Peanut, =9=d. per lb. The Almond Butter is specially recommended. =NUT CREAMS= are a delicacy for the healthy, and a delightful food-remedy to the ailing. Absolutely pure. Almond, 1/2-lb., =1/-=; Hazel, 1/2-lb., =1/-=; Coconut, 1/2-lb., =5=d.; Pine Kernel, 1-lb., =1/8=. =NUT SOUPS=, made from Nut Cream and choice vegetables, are extremely nutritious and an excellent nerve and blood tonic. Can be served in a few minutes. In twelve varieties, =3=d. per drum. =FRITTAMIX.= Very savoury and digestible--can be prepared for table in a few minutes, requiring only the addition of water. Full directions on each package. Per packet, =2-1/2=d.; 1-lb. packets, =9=d.; 3-lb. tins, =2/2=; 6-lb. tins, =4/-=. Four varieties--Piquant, Mild, Walnut, Tomato. =NUTTER.= Pure, white and tasteless. Free from water and preservatives. Goes much farther and is much nicer and more wholesome than ordinary butter. Ideal for frying. Makes most delicious pastry and puddings. 1-1/2-lb. package, =1/-=; 3-lb. tins, =2/1=. Special prices for large consumers. =RECIPES= for the above and many other of our Specialities will be found in our _Fruitarian Recipes_, full of delightful suggestions; post free, =1-1/2=d. =MAPLETON'S NUT FOOD CO., LTD., GARSTON, LIVERPOOL.= Ask for them at your Stores. WRITE TO-DAY for a complete list of wholesome dainty Foods. We welcome correspondence. [Illustration: =MAPLETON'S NUT FOODS=] =THE GOLDEN MEAN.= White flour is a clogging constipating food that paves the way to appendicitis, etc. Coarse wholemeal irritates the digestive tract and wastes the nourishment that should remain in the body. [Illustration: ="ARTOX" STONE GROUND=] ="ARTOX" Pure Wholemeal is the Golden Mean.= It contains every atom of the wheat, but so finely ground that it will not irritate the most delicate digestion. Its regular use acts like magic in keeping the internal organs clear and clean. YOU CAN MAKE EVERYTHING with it, even sponge cakes, AND IT MAKES EVERYTHING NICER. =Our Handsome Booklet= "Grains of Common Sense," will tell you more about "ARTOX" and give you recipes for a veritable banquet of delight. _Send for a post free copy now._ "ARTOX" is sold by Health Food Stores and Grocers, 3-lb., 7-lb., 14-lb. sealed linen bags; or 28lb, sent direct, carriage paid, for 5s. =APPLEYARDS, Ltd.= =(Dept. O.) ROTHERHAM.= [Illustration: Grains of Common Sense] =I. H.A.= HEALTH FOODS Are the very =Basis of Food Reform.= They were the pioneers of the movement in this country and STILL STAND UNRIVALLED. The following are a few of our Specialities:-- =GRANOSE.= Acknowledged to be the most valuable family food of its kind. Granose is wheat in the form of crisp, delicate flakes, thoroughly cooked and so rendered highly digestible. While it is given to very young infants with great success it is an all-round family food and is increasing in popularity everywhere. Free Samples supplied to _bona fide_ inquirers. =PROTOSE.= A delicious substitute for meat guaranteed to be free from all chemical impurities. Thoroughly cooked, highly nutritious and digestible. Made entirely from choice nuts and wheat. =AVENOLA.= Makes superior porridge in one minute: also good as a basis for vegetarian "roasts." Children are delighted with it for breakfast. Very nourishing. =NUTTOLENE.= Without doubt the most delicate and tempting substitute for meat pastes. Makes excellent sandwiches and is capable of a variety of uses. =HEALTH COFFEE.= A wholesome beverage made entirely from cereals. Should be used in the place of tea and ordinary coffee. =I.H.A. HEALTH BISCUITS.= The distinguishing feature of our biscuits is that they are absolutely pure, nourishing, and digestible. We make a variety combining wholesomeness with palatability. _For further particulars and price list write_:-- =International Health Association, Ltd.,= =Stanborough Park, WATFORD, HERTS.= JUST HOW TO BEGIN =A Healthy Change of Diet= =Easily and Comfortably, Economically, Successfully,= ---Write to EUSTACE MILES, M.A., for--- =PERSONAL ADVICE.= If, when you write to him, you mention any difficulties or ailments, mark the envelope "Private and Personal." _JUST TWO HINTS._ =1.= Instead of meat, use Eustace Miles proteid Food, ="EMPROTE,"= =The Best Body-Building Food-Basis=. (Price per 1-lb. tin, =1/10=.) =It is Ready for Use and Needs no Cooking.= =2.= When you are in London, have all your meals at the [Illustration] =EUSTACE MILES RESTAURANT,= =40, Chandos Street, Charing Cross, W.C.= [Illustration] =DRINK= DOLE'S Pure Hawaiian _PINEAPPLE JUICE._ [Illustration] It is simply the expression of the =RIPE PINEAPPLE= without the addition of sugar, water, preservatives, or any other thing. It is preserved in bottles in its =FRESH STATE= by the most delicate sterilizing process known to advanced science. =PURE as the DEW.= =QUENCHES THIRST. CURES DIPHTHERIA.= _Send Post Card to_:-- =C. HOWE PIPER & Co.,= =Factors and Sole Distributors for The Hawaiian PINEAPPLE Products Co., Ltd., of HONOLULU. & St. George's House, Eastcheap.= Chief Office:--19, Devonshire Chambers, 146, Bishopsgate, LONDON, E.C. =YOU really should= secure at once a copy of our new and revised list, ="A Guide to Good Things."= It more than ever lives up to its title and should be in the hands, not only of food-reformers, but of all who appreciate 'good things' at the lowest possible prices, and 'good service' in the best and most modern sense of that phrase. It includes a comprehensive list of 'Health Foods' by all the leading manufacturers as well as the many popular items of our own introduction, and contains in addition a budget of useful information, recipes, &c. =Why not call to-day?= and take lunch or tea, amid palms and flowers, in our well-known Saloons, the handsomest of their kind in London; see the display of fruit and flowers on the ground floor, and visit our Health Food Stores (next door but one). Be sure and ask for a copy of our booklet. =If you cannot call= let us have your name and address and we will gladly send you a copy post free, or if you enclose a penny stamp we will send in addition a Sample of "FRUNUT." Write at once to =SHEARN'S,= THE WORLD'S LARGEST FRUITARIAN STORES, =231 & 234, TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD, W., AND BRANCHES.= =Telephone:--Gen. 4907 and 6555.= As Sweet as Nuts--More Nutritious than Beef. HAVE =U= TRIED ---="PITMAN"=--- =NUTO CREAM MEAT= THE WHITE MEAT In the new shape tin. Made from Nuts and Corn, at the suggestion of DR. GEO. BLACK, of Torquay, to provide a _Delicate and White Meat free from Condiments and Preservatives_ For Invalids, the Convalescent, and the Robust. Per Tin--1/2-lb., =6d.=; 1-lb., =10-1/2d.=; 1-1/2-lb., =1/2=; 3-lb., =2/-= =TO TAKE THE PLACE OF POULTRY.= ="Pitman" Nut Meat Brawn= is a delightful combination of "Pitman" Nut Meats (the outcome of years of research to produce unique, delicately flavoured, well-balanced and highly nutritious foods, each a perfect substitute for flesh meat) and pure carefully seasoned Vegetable Jelly, so blended to make an ---appetising dish suitable--- =FOR THE HOT WEATHER.= Nothing could be nicer or more appreciated for picnics, etc. With salad and Wholemeal bread and butter it provides a portable, appetising and sufficing meal ready at a ---moment's notice.--- Per Tin, 1/2-lb. =6d.= 1-lb., =10-1/2d.= 1-1/2-lb. =1/2= Ask your Stores for them, or =SEND FOR A SAMPLE 1/2-lb. TIN= of Meat or Brawn, post free 9d. The two for 1/4. Orders of 5/-value carriage paid. Full Catalogue, post free 2 stamps, with Diet Guide and copy of "Nuts, and all about them," 48 pages from ="PITMAN" HEALTH FOOD Co., 153, Aston Brook Street, BIRMINGHAM.= [Illustration: =HONEY= =HONEY.= =HONEY= QUEEN. WORKER. DRONE. =ENGLISH= =IRISH.= =SCOTCH.= =WELSH=. HONEY HONEY] =Specialitè--PURE CAMBRIDGESHIRE.= =HONEY= is wholesome, strengthening, cleansing, healing, nourishing. =HONEY= is a HEALTH FOOD of great value, and should be used regularly. =HONEY= is excellent for child and adult, it is a Serviceable Medicinal Agent. =HONEY= is completely absorbed into the system by the action of the blood. Difficulty is experienced in obtaining =PURE HONEY=. =WE= trade in English, Irish, Scotch and Welsh Honey, and =GUARANTEE= =ALL HONEY= sold by us to be =ABSOLUTELY PURE AND AS REPRESENTED=. _Sold in screw-top Bottles: 7-lb., 14-lb., 28-lb. Tins. Prices on application._ =C. HOWE PIPER & Co.,= HONEY FACTORS AND PACKERS, BLINCO GROVE, CAMBRIDGE. =The Rise of the Wholemeal Biscuit= and especially of "Ixion" Biscuits into popular favour is a good sign of the times. There is a great demand for wholemeal bread and so-called standard bread just now, but =GOOD BISCUITS ARE BETTER THAN THE BEST BREAD.= The wise Food-Reformer prefers wholemeal biscuits to bread because they not only give much-needed work to the teeth but induce the flow of saliva and so assist the digestive organs most materially. ="IXION BISCUITS"= are made from the finest wheat most finely ground by our own stone mills. =They are altogether free from yeast and all chemical adulterants= and preservatives (including salt). They are ideal food for growing children, as they contain everything needed for good blood, bone, muscle, and nerve. The following may be obtained at all Health Food Stores, or will be sent direct at prices quoted. ="IXION" WHOLE WHEAT BISCUITS.= Rich in proteids, and the valuable phosphates of the wheat, 7 lbs., =3/3=; 14 lbs., =5/6=; 28 lbs., =10/-=, carriage paid. ="IXION" SHORT BREAD BISCUITS.= Of delicate flavour and superlative nutrient value, combined with easy mastication. 7 lbs., =4/-=; 14 lbs., =7/-=; 28lbs., =13/-=, carr. paid. ="IXION" DIGESTIVE BISCUITS.= Most agreeable, digestive, and nutritious. 7 lbs., =4/-=; 14 lbs., =7/-=; 28 lbs., =13/-=, carriage paid. _Samples, etc., sent post free for 4d. stamps._ Sole manufacturers: =WRIGHT & CO. (Liverpool), Ltd., Vulcan St. Mills, LIVERPOOL.= ="VEDA" BREAD IS A PERFECT FOOD.= [Illustration: =VITALITY. DIGESTIBILITY. NUTRIMENT. ENERGY.=] =A Few Reasons why "VEDA" should be on every Table.= Because it is easily masticated and digested, delicious in flavour, feeds the brain and nerves, builds good teeth and bones, relieves and removes indigestion and constipation, nourishes and sustains the body perfectly. ="VEDA BREAD"= analysed and compared. Flesh Builders (proteids), 35 per cent. more than fine white bread. Rapid Heat and Force Producer, 87-3/4 per cent. more than fine white bread. Brain and Teeth Builders, 35 per cent. more than fine white bread. ="VEDA" BREAD Ltd., Spring Street, Hyde Park, W.= Telephone Nos.: 3702 PADDINGTON, 1446 RICHMOND. =Do not Forget to Try= =MELARVI BISCUITS.= =They melt in the Mouth.= =NUTTORIA= =SAVOURY NUT MEAT.= Unequalled in flavour, richness and purity, considered the greatest substitute for flesh ----meats known.---- For Roasts, Stews, Hashes, Sausage Rolls, Savoury Mince and Pies, &c. Sustains prolonged muscular exertions and easily ----digested. 1/2-=lb. Tin 7d.=---- At all Health Food Stores, &c. Particulars and Price List of Health Foods from =The LONDON NUT FOOD Co.,= =465, BATTERSEA PARK ROAD, LONDON, S.W.= =MANHU FOODS.= [Illustration] =Flaked Wheat:= 2-lb. pkt. =6d.= An Appetising Breakfast Food, Quickly Cooked, EASILY ASSIMILATED, where DIGESTION is weak, a Natural ABSOLUTE =Cure for Constipation.= =FLAKED FOODS= in variety. =MANHU FLOUR= for =BROWN BREAD;= also =MANHU DIABETIC FOODS= (Starch Changed), Palatable, Inexpensive. _SUPPLIED AT ALL HEALTH FOOD STORES._ =MANUFACTURED BY The MANHU FOOD Co., Ltd., VAUXHALL MILLS, LIVERPOOL. London Depot:--23, Mount Pleasant, Gray's Inn Road, W.C. Australian Agent:--C. E. HALL, 12, McKillop Street, Melbourne.= _Send for full particulars._ =ABBOTSHOLME SCHOOL, Derbyshire= [Sidenote: =An Up-to-date Education for Boys=] Where a Scientific Non-flesh Diet is supplied to pupils requiring same. The School, founded in 1889, has attracted attention throughout the world. A broad and liberal foundation enables the boy to discover for himself where his especial bent lies. Specialisation follows at a later and more responsible age, to prepare for the Universities or other higher seats of learning, with a view to an active career in present day conditions. Outdoor recreations over an estate of 133 acres. Fees £120 (and upwards) per annum. Instead of prizes, Awards--based on each year's work--to a maximum of £30 per annum, open to all boys. Among the Members of the Advisory Council are the Duke of Devonshire, the Duchess of Sutherland, Sir Henry Craik, and other prominent educators of England, Germany and America. For full particulars see Prospectus. Head-Master--CECIL REDDIE, Fettes College, B.Sc. (Edin.), Ph.D. (magna cum laude), Göttingen. [Sidenote: =Cromer Guild of Handicraft=] ALL KINDS OF =Metal Work, Enamelling, Jewellery, Design, Drawing, Sculpture.= PUPILS RECEIVED. =Director-Mr. H. H. STANSFIELD.= In connection with the above there is a =Food-Reform Guest House at East Runton,= (1 mile from Cromer). GARDEN. SEA BATHING. TENNIS. FOR TERMS APPLY TO =Mrs. Stansfield, East Runton, Nr. Cromer, Norfolk.= At the close of a Dainty Fruitarian Meal =A CUP OF DELICIOUS= =HYGIAMA THE RENEWING LIQUID FOOD= imparts a pleasing finish. It is so delicious, so digestible, and so complete in nourishing elements. Quickly prepared, it makes an ideal emergency meal or light supper, is entirely free from the bad effects of tea, cocoa and coffee, and exerts a remarkable remedial influence where there is digestive or nervous weakness. Full Particulars, Free Sample, and 64-page Booklet on Rational Diet, post free. =Hygiama Foods Co.,= Department 12, =CROYDON, SURREY.= Also In Tablet and Biscuit form. [Illustration] =McCLINTON'S= ="COLLEEN" SOAP.= =Made from Vegetable Oils and Plant Ash.= Its use keeps the Skin Soft, Clear and Smooth. [Illustration] =Dowager Duchess of Abercorn= writes:--"We have used Colleen Soap for years and delight in it. It is so sweet and refreshing." =Testimonials from over 200 Peeresses.= =Colleen Soap, 4-1/2d. per tablet. 3 tablets for 1/- Hibernia Shaving Soap Sticks and Cakes, 1/-each. Shaving Cream Opal Pots, 6d. and 1/-each.= From all Chemists and Health Food Stores. Send 2d. to Dept. W. (to cover postage), for Samples-- =McCLINTON'S, Ltd., Donaghmore, IRELAND.= =ARCHEVA (DIGESTIVE) RUSKS.= =BRAND.= 4 Gold Medals. =Splendid for CHILDREN, INVALIDS and DYSPEPTICS.= [Illustration: ARCHEVA] [Illustration: RUSKS] =Recommended by the Medical Faculty.= =Free from Deleterious Matter. No DRUGS used.= =Excellent at ALL meals for EVERYONE.= =Palatable and Nourishing.= =A true Health Food.= From all the leading Stores, Grocers, or Chemists. In 3 {SIZES OF TINS: 5, 10 and 24 packets, each 10 Rusks. {VARIETIES: Plain, Medium and Sweet. Send 3d. stamps for Samples and Booklet to =ARCHEVA RUSK Co. (Dept. L.), 93, Upper Thames Street, LONDON, E.C., England.= =WISE COOKS USE MARMITE (THE PURE VEGETABLE EXTRACT).= MARMITE is absolutely pure Is an invaluable pick-me-up Strengthens as well as stimulates Is easily digested and economical Is recommended by medical profession Is used by Food-Reformers & Vegetarians everywhere _The Lancet_ says: "This entirely vegetable Extract possesses the same nutrient value as a well-prepared meat extract." =OBTAINABLE AT ALL HEALTH FOOD STORES.= =FREE SAMPLE= on receipt of penny stamp to pay postage by =Marmite Food Extract Co., Ltd.,= =59, EASTCHEAP, LONDON, E.C.= =The Order of the Golden Age= _(A Philanthropic Society)._ =Founded 1895.= Advocates the adoption of a natural and hygienic dietary as a preventive of Disease, a practical remedy for Physical Deterioration, and an efficacious way of lessening human suffering and sub-human pain. The Fruitarian system of living makes a hygienic and humane life possible, and tends to promote Health, Strength and Longevity. Guide-Books to Fruitarian Diet and Cookery, and other literature 1/4 containing information upon every aspect of this important question are published, and can be obtained at the International Offices. The Hon. Secretaries will gladly give advice to enquirers concerning this Reform. =153, 155, Brompton Road, London, S.W., England.= Office Hours: 10 to 5. Saturdays: 10 to 2. Telegrams: "REDEMPTIVE," LONDON. Telephone: Kensington 1341. 48746 ---- Transcriber's Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. Minor typographical and punctuation errors have been corrected without note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed. The cover for the eBook version of this book was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain. * * * * * ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DIET _A Treatise on the Food Question_ IN FIVE VOLUMES EXPLAINING, IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD AND THE CHEMISTRY OF THE HUMAN BODY, TOGETHER WITH THE ART OF UNITING THESE TWO BRANCHES OF SCIENCE IN THE PROCESS OF EATING SO AS TO ESTABLISH NORMAL DIGESTION AND ASSIMILATION OF FOOD AND NORMAL ELIMINATION OF WASTE, THEREBY REMOVING THE CAUSES OF STOMACH, INTESTINAL, AND ALL OTHER DIGESTIVE DISORDERS BY EUGENE CHRISTIAN, F. S. D. VOLUME II NEW YORK CITY CORRECTIVE EATING SOCIETY, INC. 1917 COPYRIGHT 1914 BY EUGENE CHRISTIAN ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL, LONDON SEPTEMBER, 1914 BY EUGENE CHRISTIAN, F. S. D. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PUBLISHED AUGUST, 1914 CONTENTS VOLUME II _Lesson VIII_ _Page_ FOODS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN 287 Grains 289 Uses of Grains: (1) Grain as a Source of Energy 295 (2) Grain as a Source of Nitrogen 297 (3) Grain as a Remedial Food 298 Nuts 300 Peanuts 306 Legumes 307 Fruits 308 Classification of Fruits according to acidity 313 Vegetables 317 Classification of Vegetables 319 Sugars and Sirups 324 Beet-Sugar 325 Honey 330 Confections 332 Vegetable Oils 335 _Lesson IX_ DRUGS, STIMULANTS, AND NARCOTICS 341 Alkaloids and Narcotics 349 Opium 350 Cocain 353 Nux Vomica and Strychnin 356 Quinin 356 Acetanilid 357 Tobacco 361 Coffee 363 Tea 365 Cocoa and Chocolate 366 Alcohols and Related Compounds 367 Alcohol 367 Chloroform, Ether, and Chloral 372 Poisonous Mineral Salts and Acids 373 Mercury 373 Potassium Iodid 374 Lead and Copper 375 Purgatives and Cathartics 375 _Lesson X_ IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AND CORRECT TREATMENT 379 _Lesson XI_ COMMON DISORDERS--THEIR CAUSE AND CURE 403 Health and Dis-ease Defined 405 Overeating 413 Superacidity 418 The Cause 420 The Symptoms 421 The Remedy 423 Fermentation (Superacidity) 424 The Cause 425 The Symptoms 426 The Remedy 428 Gas Dilatation 431 The Symptoms 432 Importance of Water-drinking 434 Constipation 434 The Cause 434 The Remedy 436 Foods that May Be Substituted for One Another 439 Constipating and Laxative Foods 446 Constipating and Laxative Beverages 446 Gastritis 447 The Cause 449 The Symptoms 449 The Remedy 450 Nervous Indigestion 453 The Cause 454 The Symptoms 455 The Remedy 458 Subacidity 460 The Cause 461 The Symptoms 462 The Remedy 463 Biliousness 465 The Cause 466 The Symptoms 466 The Remedy 466 Cirrhosis of the Liver 467 The Cause 467 The Symptoms 468 The Treatment 469 Piles or Hemorrhoids 471 The Cause 471 The Symptoms 472 The Treatment 472 Diarrhea 474 The Cause 474 The Treatment 476 Emaciation or Underweight 477 The Cause 478 The Symptoms 481 The Remedy 482 Obesity or Overweight 491 The Cause 493 The Remedy 495 Neurasthenia 503 The Cause 505 The Symptoms 506 The Remedy 506 Malnutrition 511 Cause and Remedy 511 Locomotor Ataxia 511 The Cause 511 The Symptoms 514 The Remedy 515 Colds, Catarrh, Hay Fever, Asthma, Influenza 519 Colds--The Cause 520 The Symptoms 521 The Remedy 523 Catarrh--The Cause 527 The Symptoms 528 The Remedy 528 Hay Fever--The Cause 530 The Symptoms 531 The Remedy 531 Asthma--The Cause 533 The Symptoms 533 The Remedy 534 Influenza--The Cause 536 The Symptoms 537 The Remedy 537 Insomnia 538 The Cause 538 The Remedy 539 Rheumatism--Gout 543 Rheumatism--The Cause 544 The Symptoms 545 Gout--The Cause 546 The Symptoms 547 Rheumatism, Gout--The Remedy 547 Bright's Dis-ease 550 The Cause 551 The Symptoms 551 The Remedy 552 Diabetes 556 The Cause 556 The Symptoms 557 The Remedy 557 Consumption 560 The Treatment 564 Heart Trouble 569 The Cause 571 The Remedy 573 Dis-eases of the Skin 574 The Cause 575 The Treatment 578 Appendicitis 580 The Symptoms 582 The Treatment 583 Chronic or Severe Cases of Appendicitis 586 LESSON VIII FOODS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN GRAINS Grains constitute the most important article of human food, not so much on account of their superior nutritive, curative or remedial value, but chiefly because of their prolific growth and abundant production in all civilized countries throughout the world. The variety of grain produced in the various countries depends largely upon the climate and the habits of the people. The predominant use of rice by the Asiatics, wheat by the Europeans, and maize by the aboriginal American, shows how people adapt themselves to the foods of prodigal growth. It also shows the effect different foods have upon the physical development of the various tribes that inhabit these remote countries. [Sidenote: Wheat] Wheat is said by some writers to be a complete food. This is not strictly true. Wheat contains a very small percentage of fat, and while fat can be made in the body from carbohydrates, it is more natural, and entails less work upon the digestive organs and the liver if the diet is balanced so as to contain the required amount of fat, and all other nutritive elements in the right or natural proportions. [Sidenote: Results of eating too much starch] A diet composed of wheat alone would contain 70 per cent of carbohydrates, chiefly in the form of starch. While this would be perfectly wholesome, it would give the body an excess of starch which would ultimately result in intestinal congestion, gout, rheumatism, hardening of the arteries, and premature old age. Wheat contains a larger quantity, and a greater variety of proteids than any other grain, but wheat proteids are more difficult to digest than the proteids of milk, eggs, or nuts. [Sidenote: Composition of wheat] Wheat varies greatly in composition, according to the soil and the climate in which it is produced. This fact is not recognized or considered by the average writer on dietetics, who eulogizes wheat as the wonderful "staff of life," because certain food tables show that wheat contains 13 per cent, while corn contains only 10 per cent of proteids. It is neither the proteid nor the carbohydrate content that determines the value of any grain as food, but rather the proportions of the different elements of nutrition it contains, that being the best which is more nearly balanced to meet the requirements of the human organism. [Sidenote: Rye] Rye may be considered in the same class as wheat. Chemically, the contents are very similar, and the effects upon the body are very much the same. It contains a larger per cent of cellulose, and less gluten than wheat, therefore as a remedial food it is superior to all other grains for exciting intestinal peristalsis, thereby removing the causes of constipation. [Sidenote: Barley] The nutritive elements of barley are similar to those of wheat and rye. It contains less cellulose fiber, and therefore a larger per cent of digestible nutrients than any one of the cereal group except rice. It has never become popular as a bread-making grain because-- 1 The nitrogenous or gluten substances are not tenacious enough to make the conventional "raised" bread 2 The flour is dark in color 3 The grain is so hard and "flinty" that it is very difficult to mill it down to the required fineness For these reasons barley has been greatly neglected as a food commodity. From a chemical standpoint it deserves a much higher place in our dietaries than it has hitherto been given. [Sidenote: Oats] The composition of oats varies somewhat from that of wheat, rye and barley. They contain a larger proportion of both fat and proteids, and form a desirable food if correctly prepared. The objection to oats as an article of diet is the hasty manner in which they are usually prepared, which converts them into a gummy mass of gelatinized starch, entangled with the peculiar gummy proteid of the oat grain. Thus prepared the oat is a most prolific source of disturbed digestion. [Sidenote: Corn] Corn is the cheapest material capable of nourishing the human body that is produced in the temperate zone. It is less digestible, and more deficient in the salts than the group of grains thus far mentioned. It is very wholesome, however, but in no way superior to other grains. In the future corn will probably play an increasing part in the problem of feeding the world, as a cheap source of carbohydrates, and for the purpose of manufacturing glucose. [Sidenote: Rice] In all tropical and semi-tropical countries rice occupies the same position that corn does in the temperate zone. It is more deficient in proteids and in fat than any other food grain, while the starch of rice is more easily digested than any other form of cereal starch. This grain, however, is almost entirely devoid of mineral constituents, and for this reason it is productive of serious nutritive derangements when indulged in too freely. This deficiency can be overcome by taking a liberal quantity of green salads, or fresh vegetables, whenever rice is eaten. [Sidenote: Buckwheat] Buckwheat is a grain whose consumption is very limited, owing to the fact that it is dark in color. It compares favorably with wheat and corn as to nutritive elements, and is now much used as a winter food by the northern people. USES OF GRAINS The use of grains as an article of food may be considered under three headings: 1 As a source of energy 2 As a source of nitrogen 3 Grain as a remedial food; that is, as a source of cellulose or roughness, for the regulation of intestinal action (1) GRAIN AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY [Sidenote: Too much grain consumed] All grains are composed largely of starch, therefore the question of energy to be derived from this source is one of assimilation and use. The use of grains in the diet deserves the most careful consideration, and the study should not be confined to any particular grain, but to the entire group, and especially to the method of preparation, and the quantity that should be consumed under the varying conditions of age, temperature of environment, and work or activity. The conventional American diet contains such an abnormal quantity of grain-starch, and the methods of preparation are so unnatural, that the Food Scientist, in practise, will find many people whose digestive organs have become so deranged that he may deem it necessary to prohibit grain-starch almost entirely. The grown person, pursuing the ordinary sedative occupation, should not eat more than three or four ounces of cereal food a day, while the manual laborer should not consume more than five or six ounces each twenty-four hours. This quantity contemplates cool, or winter weather. In summer this quantity should be reduced according to work or activity. (2) GRAIN AS A SOURCE OF NITROGEN Grain as a source of proteid has received undue consideration in hygienic works. Upon an allowance of one-fourth of a pound of grain per day, which would make four vienos, with a nitrogen factor of six, we see that 24 decigrams of nitrogen would be supplied from the grain. The variations between the proteids contained in two varieties of breakfast food is seldom more than two or three per cent. This would amount to a variation in the daily intake of nitrogen of about five decigrams, an amount too little to be worth consideration. [Sidenote: Digestibility of grain proteids] Grain proteids are not so easily digested as are the proteids of eggs, milk and nuts. The following list of grains and grain products is given in the order of the digestible nitrogen they contain: 1 Gluten or dietetic foods 2 Barley 3 Macaroni 4 White flour 5 Whole wheat--Graham flour 6 Rye 7 Oatmeal 8 Corn products 9 Buckwheat 10 Rice 11 Pure starches (3) GRAIN AS A REMEDIAL FOOD [Sidenote: Remedial value of the whole grain] [Sidenote: Wheat bran a natural remedy for constipation] Grain is constipating or laxative in effect according to the way it is prepared and eaten. Whole grain, especially wheat and rye, will normalize intestinal action, and in some cases act as a laxative, while the same grains made into flour, and milled in the usual way, are constipating. Ordinary wheat bran is one of the most effective remedies known for intestinal congestion, and it can be administered or regulated with much accuracy, according to the severity of the case. An intelligent understanding of the use of bran in treating constipation is quite necessary. The object should be to employ bran as a remedy in chronic cases, and to vary the quantity, the quality, and the cellulose content of the meals. In rare cases, bran may produce irritation; in such cases it should be cooked three or hours, and eaten only with hot water. In other cases the mechanical stimulation of the peristaltic action is not effective. The practitioner can usually determine these questions on the third or the fourth day. Bran should be administered about as follows: In cases of severe constipation, one rounding tablespoonful in water, just after rising; one-half teacupful, cooked, taken at each meal, and a heaping tablespoonful in water just before retiring. The following table gives, in the order of their laxative effects, a few of the principal grains: 1 Flaked or whole rye 2 Flaked or whole wheat 3 Flaked or whole barley 4 Flaked or whole oats NUTS [Sidenote: Nuts as heat producers] The true nut is the seed of trees and shrubs which stores the greater proportion of food material for nourishing the seedling in the form of vegetable oil. The nut is very largely a fuel food or heat producer, therefore among the primitive races, along the warmer belts of the earth's surface, the nut was not of so much importance, but in the northern or colder countries, where the body-heat meets with such powerful resistance from climatic environment, the nut is of equal, if not of more importance than fruits. There are a few miscellaneous articles of food that are classed as nuts, which do not belong primarily to this group. In the following discussion I will take up the several varieties of nuts in the order of their general value as articles of human nutrition: [Sidenote: Pine nuts] [Sidenote: Composition of the pine nut] [Sidenote: The nitrogen factor in nuts] There are several species of pine seeds from many varieties of trees, and from many different countries. The Italian pine seed or nut, called in Italy "Pignon," and in this country "Pignolia," is the refined or cleansed nut, called by the writer "protoid" nut. This is a coined word given to it because it contains the highest percentage of protein of any other food that has yet been analyzed. The "protoid" nut contains 34 per cent protein, 47 per cent oil, 9 per cent carbohydrates, 4 per cent ash, and 6 per cent water. The relative proportion of nitrogen to energy is not so great as in some other food products, such as eggs, or skimmed milk. These contain a large per cent of water, so that the protoid nut, while containing pound for pound more nitrogen than any other known food, has a lower nitrogen factor than foods which do not contain so large a percentage of fat. This same rule will apply to all nuts. They are rich in protein, but because of the large amount of fat which supplies energy in its most condensed form, the nitrogen factor, which is the relation between nitrogen and energy, is often lower in many nuts than in grain. The chief advantage of protoid nuts over other varieties is in their softness, consequently they are more digestible, and more assimilable than any other specimen of the nut family. The pine nuts which grow prodigally in the western part of the United States are not so rich in protein as the protoid nuts, but in other respects are very excellent food. The annual crop of these is about one million pounds, but is variable, a full crop being produced only about every third year. They are harvested in a very crude way, chiefly by Indians, from the remote districts of New Mexico, Utah and California. [Sidenote: Almonds] The almond is a most desirable food. It contains 17 per cent nitrogen, and 54 per cent fat. The flavor is very agreeable, and the nuts, in digestibility, rank next to protoid nuts. They may be substituted for each other in many dietaries. [Sidenote: Pecans] The pecan, which is a species of hickory-nut, contains 13 per cent protein, and 70 per cent fat. It is a very delicious article of food, though somewhat inferior to pine nuts and almonds, in digestibility, and as a source of nitrogen. [Sidenote: Brazil-nuts] Brazil-nuts contain 18 per cent protein and 66 per cent fat, and rank high as an article of body-heat and energy. [Sidenote: White walnuts] Soft-shelled or white walnuts are commonly known as "English walnuts," though they are chiefly grown in France and in California. These nuts contain 24 per cent protein, 63 per cent fat, and form one of the staple nut foods of both Europe and America. [Sidenote: Hazelnuts] Filberts or hazelnuts contain 15 per cent protein, and 65 per cent fat. They differ widely from the varieties hitherto named, and are less digestible. They should be masticated exceedingly fine, and should not be taken by one whose digestion is particularly weak. [Sidenote: Butternuts] Butternuts are a species of walnut. They contain 27 per cent protein, 61 per cent fat, and rank in the dietary along with English walnuts and Brazil-nuts. [Sidenote: Beechnuts] Beechnuts contain 22 per cent protein and 57 per cent fat. Owing to the difficulty of gathering or harvesting, these nuts have never become popular as an article of human food. They are in the grain class, therefore rank high as an energy-producing material. [Sidenote: Cocoanuts] The cocoanut is a product of the palm tree, and, while quite distinct from our nuts of the temperate climate, is a very valuable and abundant food, deserving more extended use. Cocoanut is about one-half fat, contains 6 per cent protein and 28 per cent carbohydrates. The milk of the cocoanut is an excellent article of food, and used by the natives in the tropics in many remedial and medicinal ways. PEANUTS [Sidenote: Value of pea-nuts and soy-beans] Peanuts, which are so widely used as food, are on the boundary line between nuts and legumes. They were classed as peas by some of the early botanists, and as nuts by others. The name indicates the compromise that was made between the two theories. Another legume, which is largely used in Japan and China is the soy-bean. Both the peanut and the soy-bean are better balanced, and more nutritious than common beans and peas. They are similar in composition, and contain about equal quantities of protein and fat, some peanuts yielding as much as 48 or 50 per cent oil. Neither are palatable in their natural state, but both are very delicious when their starch content is converted into dextrin by roasting. The Japanese have a method of preparing the soy-bean by a process of fermenting, which renders the proteid material very digestible. Soy-beans have not yet been introduced into this country, hence there will be little opportunity to use them, and they will, therefore, not be discussed here at length. LEGUMES Legumes are the seeds of a certain group of plants grown in pods. The term comes from a very ancient word, "legere," meaning _to gather_. Beans and peas are the most familiar types of this group. [Sidenote: Legumes rich in nitrogen] Legumes are rich in nitrogen, and some varieties are also very rich in oil. They are not equal to nuts in fuel or food value, however, because in the natural state they are hard, somewhat indigestible, and unpalatable. These qualities are due to the fact that the nitrogenous material of legumes are radically different from the nitrogen found in nuts, and belong to a class not so desirable as food. Meat may be omitted from the diet and legumes adopted as the chief source of nitrogen, but this change requires some knowledge and careful feeding in the beginning. Meat is digested wholly in the stomach and does not require mastication (only enough to be swallowed), while dried or mature legumes require much mastication, owing to the carbohydrates they contain. The best form in which legumes can be taken is in their green or immature state, owing to the fact that the immature starch they contain is readily soluble, while mature legume starch is rather difficult to digest. FRUITS The term "fruit" in a strictly botanical sense includes a very wide range of vegetable articles--the reproductive product of trees, or other plants, such as grains, legumes, nuts, berries, apples, peaches, plums, etc. In this lesson, however, I will apply the popular meaning to the term. [Sidenote: General composition of fruit] The common succulent or juicy fruits, including both tree fruits and berries, have many properties in common. The chemical composition of these typical fruits consists of from 80 to 85 per cent water, 5 to 15 per cent sugar, 1 to 5 per cent organic or fruit-acids, and small quantities of protein, cellulose, and the numerous salts, a portion of which may be combined with the fruit-acids. Some unripe fruits contain starch and various other carbohydrate substances, many of which are distasteful and unwholesome. On the other hand, when fruits become over-ripe, and decay sets in, the sugar is changed into carbon dioxid, alcohol, and acetic acid, and the fruit rapidly deteriorates in nutritive value and unwholesomeness. These changes, together with the loss of water, account for the sponginess and the tastelessness of cold storage and other long-kept fruits. All varieties of fruit are best when they have been allowed to ripen naturally on the trees, but modern commercial conditions demand that fruits for shipping purposes be picked slightly immature, and allowed to ripen in transit to the markets. [Sidenote: Dietetic value of fruits] The fruit-acids are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and are burned in the body the same as sugar, or fats. The actual energy-producing content of fruit is not large, and depends almost entirely upon the sugar content. The nutrient elements of fruit consist of fruit-sugar, combinations of salts, organic acids, and various flavoring or aromatic substances. These same salts, acids, etc., purchased at the drug store, and administered separately, would be of no particular value, and might produce harmful results, but in the various combinations of fruits they have very important places in the diet. [Sidenote: Fruit as an aid to digestion] One of the most important functions that fruit performs in the body is that of an artificial solvent, or an aid to digestion. To make food serve this purpose well would require some knowledge in regard to chemical harmonies, quantity, etc. To illustrate: If the stomach does not secrete a sufficient quantity of hydrochloric acid, fruit-acid should be absolutely omitted, as any acid, except hydrochloric acid itself, tends to inhibit the formation of the normal stomach acid. And this in turn tends to fermentation of the sugars and starches--causing acid fermentation and all the symptoms that accompany this condition. [Sidenote: Effect of acid fruits] So it is very important to prevent all the causes and sources of fermentation if we would prevent the development of all the various diseases that arise from acid conditions of the stomach, and autointoxication. This explains why people of rheumatic tendency cannot take acid fruit. Citrus fruits, however, and limes, lemons, oranges, grape-fruit, etc., are beneficial in rheumatism and conditions of lowered blood alkalinity, because they are changed to alkalis in the system, and reinforce the blood alkalinity. People of rheumatic tendency, therefore, should confine the diet as nearly as possible to starchless foods, omitting all but the citrus fruits. [Sidenote: Classification of fruit according to acidity] In the lesson on "Vieno System of Food Measurement" I give the energy value of various fruits, and also the nitrogen factor. These tables consider fruits in the same light with other foods; that is, as sources of energy and nitrogen. In the table which follows, the more important fruits are grouped according to their total acidity. The _figures_ represent the _volume_ of _acidity_, not strength: ACID FRUITS SUBACID FRUITS SWEET AND NON-ACID FRUITS Limes 95 Raspberries 16 Grapes 8 Lemons 78 Plums 14 Prunes 7 Grapefruit 39 Cherries 13 Raisins 6 Cranberries 37 Peaches 12 Bananas 6 Pineapples 22 Blackberries 12 Persimmons 4 Oranges 20 Apples 11 Figs 4 Apricots 18 Pears 3 Strawberries 18 Dates 3 The fruits in the above table are all reasonably wholesome, and the particular fruits to be used depend as much upon convenience as upon the nature of the food substances. The above groups, however, will be given much attention in dietetic prescriptions, and the food scientist should become thoroughly familiar with this classification. Of the acid fruits, oranges are the best and most desirable, and cranberries perhaps the least. Acid fruits are responsible for much stomach and intestinal trouble. Food was prior to life. Animal life on this globe has been fitted into, and is the net result of food; therefore, in the wonderful adaptations of Nature, it is evident that life will develop higher and better by subsisting upon the food that grows in its respective country. Acid fruits, such as lemons, limes, grapefruit, pineapples, and oranges, are grown in the tropical and semi-tropical countries, where the climate is warm, and where people subsist largely upon native vegetables. These fruits supply the acids and the fruit-sugars which the system requires in a warm climate. In the tropics the people live out of doors, the pores of the skin are kept open, and the effete matter produced by acids can be cast out of the body. [Sidenote: Evils of acid fruit in northern countries] In northern countries people live largely indoors, and are heavily clad except during a very short term in midsummer, therefore they do not eliminate freely. They subsist largely upon the heavier foods, such as flesh and grains, both of which require a large amount of hydrochloric acid for digestion, hence when the acid of fruits is added to the hydrochloric acid, of which most people have a deficiency, serious acid fermentation may result. Acid fermentation is the beginning of nearly all stomach trouble, and is the primary cause of many other ills. (See "Fermentation," p. 424.) [Sidenote: Value of subacid fruits] Practically all the fruits of the subacid group are excellent; however, on account of the mechanical irritation of the seeds, berries should not be used in cases in which the stomach and the intestines are irritated or catarrhal. In such cases the juice should be pressed from the fruit and the seeds discarded. [Sidenote: Value of non-acid fruits] Of the non-acid fruits, raisins, figs, and dates are excellent foods from the standpoint of furnishing a large amount of sugar in its very best form. _Very ripe_ bananas and _ripe_ persimmons, especially the large Japanese variety, are fruits which have a distinct nature, and are suited to a particular purpose in dietetics. These pulpy fruits are especially desirable in all cases of digestive irritations and disorders, because of the amount of nourishment contained in them, which is greater than that contained in the juicy fruits. In my practice I seldom, if ever, find a stomach so weak that it cannot digest ripe persimmons and very ripe bananas. I attribute much of my success in treating such cases to the skillful use of these products. The persimmon and the banana as remedial and nutritive articles, are the most valuable fruits grown. [Sidenote: Canned and evaporated fruits] Raisins, prunes, figs, dates, apricots and peaches are common types of fruit preserved by the process of evaporation, and when soaked in clear water may be restored to almost their original condition. Evaporated fruit should not be cooked. This is perhaps the most palatable and wholesome method of preserving fruit. Next in purity and importance are the methods of canning, as practised by the housewife. The ordinary commercial preparations of canned fruits, together with the many jams, marmalades and jellies, are generally of doubtful, if not inferior quality. The Pure Food Law has accomplished much to establish honesty in the preserving and the labeling of food, but these products are still far from ideal, and are not to be considered where fresh or evaporated fruits are obtainable. VEGETABLES In this group we may conveniently class all food products not elsewhere discussed. [Sidenote: Composition of lettuce] Beans, peas, and corn, when taken in the immature state, are classed as vegetables. The importance of this group of food products is not their great food value per pound (succulent vegetables contain anywhere from 75 to 95 per cent of water); it is the great variety of nutritive substances which they contain. Lettuce contains cellulose, proteids, active chlorophyl, pentoses, sugars and starches, representing carbohydrates in various processes of transformation; small quantities of fat, and a relatively large per cent of mineral salts, besides numerous flavoring materials. All other edible plants contain many of the same elements in different proportions. Edible vegetables may be conveniently grouped according to that portion of the plant which we consume. These groups are: a Above ground b Roots and tubers c Leafy or succulent d Cucurbita family Melons, cantaloups, and tomatoes are on the border line between vegetables and fruits. The following groups of vegetables are made up according to these classifications: VEGETABLES _(a) Above Ground_ Beans-- Dried Green Beets Brussels sprouts Cauliflower Corn Eggplant Lentils (dried) Okra Peas Dried Green _(b) Roots and Tubers_ Artichokes Asparagus Carrots Onions Potatoes-- Sweet White Parsnips Radishes Turnips _(c) Leafy or Succulent Vegetables_ Beet-tops Cabbage Celery Dandelion Kale Lettuce Parsley Romaine Radish-tops Spinach Turnip-tops Watercress _(d) Miscellaneous Vegetables (of the cucurbita family)_ Cantaloup Muskmelon Pumpkin Squash Watermelon [Sidenote: Value of succulent vegetables] Succulent vegetables are very essential in a well-rounded bill of fare, and the neglect of their use is one of the errors in dietetics. The most important function of succulent or leafy vegetables is in the supply of pure water and mineral salts. They give to the body that which cannot be obtained elsewhere. [Sidenote: Vegetable juices aid the digestion of all food] The diet of the average person is composed of too many solids, especially of the carbohydrate class. Cereal products compose a very large proportion of the civilized diet, especially in America, yet the starch of cereals is the most difficult of all starches to digest and to assimilate. The water and solvent juices in fresh vegetables and succulent plants are important factors in the digestion and the assimilation of cereal starches. The relative importance of salads and succulent plants in the diet may be graded according to the following table: 1 Spinach 2 Turnip-tops 3 Dandelion 4 Lettuce 5 Romaine 6 Endive 7 Celery 8 Cabbage 9 Kale 10 Watercress 11 Parsley 12 Beet-tops [Sidenote: The white potato] The Irish or white potato is the only true tuber that is used very extensively as an article of food. It is formed chiefly of starch and water. The starch of this tuber is very coarse and much softer, more soluble, and hence much more digestible than the starch of cereals or legumes. Baking is the best method of preparing the white potato. The skins or peeling should be eaten in order to balance the diet as to cellulose, which is a most important article in the excitation of peristalsis of both the stomach and the intestines. [Sidenote: The sweet potato] The sweet potato is a root, and differs chiefly from the Irish potato in that it contains more sugar and less starch. The sweet potato is more wholesome than the Irish variety. Measured by its chemical contents, it is one of the best foods of all the tuber group. [Sidenote: Root vegetables] The root vegetables given in the order of my preference are: Carrots, parsnips, turnips and beets. Carrots are exceedingly nutritious and palatable in an uncooked state, eaten with nuts. Tomatoes may be considered upon the border line between vegetables and fruits. They are exceedingly useful in cases of intestinal congestion and torpidity of the liver. [Sidenote: The melon] The watermelon is very wholesome. The water is rich in sugar, while the pulp is composed of a soft fiber, which is a mild stimulant to the digestive and the excretory organs. Muskmelons and cantaloups are rich in natural sugar. They are non-acid, hence in harmony with nearly every known article of food. Considering their chemical neutrality and food value, they are about the best articles of diet in the watery or juicy class. The pumpkin and the squash, which are closely related to the melon, are of the genus cucurbita, and are divided into three species: 1 Pepo or pumpkin 2 Maxima or winter squash 3 Moschata, the pear-shaped squash With a slight variation of the water content, all of these varieties contain much the same elements of nutrition. However, the pumpkin is most important to the student of dietetics--(1) because of its food value, and (2) because of its prolific and universal growth. SUGARS AND SIRUPS It will aid the student greatly in comprehending this subject if he will review the chemical composition of sugars as given in Lesson IV under "Carbohydrates," Vol. I, p. 107.) Sugar in its various forms is a very prolific food product. It is the principal substance contained in nearly all fruits, but we shall confine our discussion here to the various sugars and sirups as they appear in commerce, freed from the other materials with which they are associated in nature. BEET-SUGAR [Sidenote: Origin of beet-sugar] Contrary to common belief, the greatest proportion of the world's supply of sugar comes from the sugar-beet. Sugar, which was once manufactured solely from the maple-sap and the sugar-cane, was discovered about one hundred years ago, to be present in beets. A very interesting historical fact is that the sugar-beet industry owes its origin to the efforts of Napoleon to supply France with home-produced sugar, because of the tariff or embargo laid upon foreign commerce. As a result of this effort all of Central Europe is now a heavy sugar-producing region. The method of production and the quantity of sugar contained in the sugar-beet have been so greatly improved that the present industry is quite able to compete with the production of sugar from cane in the tropical regions. Crude sugar from sugar-beets is very unpalatable, but the refined or crystallized form of beet sugar is chemically identical with cane-sugar. [Sidenote: Cane-sugar] Sugar-cane, though not so important as formerly, is still grown very extensively in several of the Southern states--Cuba, Porto Rico, and many semi-tropical countries. The chief distinction between cane-sugar and beet-sugar is that the crude cane-sugar, before it is refined, is a very wholesome and palatable product. The brown sugar of commerce is uncrystallized, or unrefined cane-sugar, and is fully as wholesome, and to most tastes more palatable than the granulated product. It is to be regretted that fashion has decreed we should use white sugar. [Sidenote: Refined sugar] Refined sugar, whether produced from beets or cane, is sometimes slightly contaminated with sulfurous acid and indigo, which are used for bleaching purposes, and if present in any quantity are very objectionable. [Sidenote: Maple-sugar] Maple-sugar, which is made by boiling or evaporating the sap of the sugar-maple, is a product decidedly superior in natural flavor to either beet or cane-sugar. Maple-sugar contains a small proportion of glucose and levulose, but its chief distinction from other sugars is a matter of flavor. The hickory tree contains flavors somewhat similar to the maple. A cheap substitute for maple-sugar has been manufactured by flavoring common sugar with the extract of hickory bark. The other forms of dry sugar obtainable in the market are milk-sugar and crystallized glucose. The chief use of milk-sugar as an article of diet is in humanizing cow's milk for infant feeding. The dry glucose, or, as it is sometimes called, grape-sugar, is not commonly seen in the market for the reason that it is difficult to crystallize, hence it is much cheaper to market glucose in the form of sirups. [Sidenote: The manufacture, composition and uses of glucose] Commercial glucose, as was explained in Lesson IV, is made by treating starch with dilute acids, and its wholesomeness depends entirely upon the care with which this is done. Theoretically, glucose is a very good food. In practise it is somewhat risky because cheap chemicals used in its manufacture may leave harmful and poisonous substances in the finished product. The manufacture of glucose is an excellent illustration of the objections to man-made foods as compared with natural foods. When we eat grapes we know that we are taking one of the most important substances required in the life-processes in a perfectly pure, unadulterated and wholesome form. Science has taught man to manufacture the identical substance that is found in the grape from corn, which is a much cheaper product, but the temptation to economize for the sake of dividends, and to allow the commercial spirit to control in the manufacture of food products is always present. For this reason the manufactured article comes under suspicion, while the natural form we know to be "exactly as represented." The principal uses of glucose are for table sirups and confectionery. Pure glucose as an article of food lacks flavor; for this reason the usual method of manufacturing sirups is to mix glucose and some other form of sirup or molasses. [Sidenote: Sirups and molasses] The original sources of sirups, besides commercial glucose, are cane-sirup, made directly by evaporating the juice of the sugar-cane; maple-sirup, made from the pure maple-sap; sorghum-sirup, or molasses, from the juice of the sorghum-cane, which is grown extensively in the South and Central West; and last, yet perhaps most common, "New Orleans" molasses, which is the residue from the manufacture of cane-sugar. This may be very wholesome if taken from the first drippings of the crystallized sugar, but if taken from sugar refineries it contains chemicals that have been used in the refining and the bleaching processes, and is a very doubtful product. An excellent quality of sirup can be made in the home by adding to the brown sugar a certain quantity of water, and boiling down to the desired consistency. HONEY [Sidenote: Honey, man's only food from the insect world] Honey occupies a very unique place, as it is practically the only food substance which man utilizes from the insect world. Honey cannot be strictly compared with milk and eggs as a food product, as the latter are complete foods for the nourishment of young and growing animals, hence must contain all food material necessary to construct the animal body. Honey, which is a carbohydrate, is gathered and used as a food for the adult bee. Pollen, or bee-bread, a nitrogenous substance, is the food of the larvae or young bees. This illustrates a very interesting fact in physiological chemistry. The insect differs radically from higher animals in that its life is divided into three complete stages. When the adult insect, with its wings, emerges from the cocoon or pupa, its growth is complete. Some insects never take any food in the adult stage; but the adult bee takes food, which is practically pure carbohydrates, and which would not maintain the life of a young animal. Honey is composed chiefly of glucose and levulose, with perhaps 10 per cent of cane-sugar, depending upon the flowers from which it is gathered. Honey is extensively adulterated with glucose, and sometimes with cane-sugar; thus the natural flavors are impaired and the product cheapened. CONFECTIONS [Sidenote: Evil effect of confections] Under the general term of confections are included all products manufactured for the purpose of appealing chiefly to the sense of taste rather than to serve any special purpose as food. The chief products that enter into confections are the various forms of sugars, chiefly glucose, because of its cheapness; fruits, nut-kernels, flavoring extracts, and coloring materials. Many of the substances used are very wholesome, yet the habit of eating confections as a general rule should be discouraged, if not condemned, the reasons being-- 1 That the material from which they are made is usually unknown to the public, and the temptation of manufacturers to use cheap or adulterated material too often controls, therefore quality is sacrificed to profits. 2 Confections are usually eaten without regard to appetite, or the physical need of food. 3 The combination of things from which confections are made shows that they are put together not for their food value, or nutritive virtue, but wholly for the purpose of appealing to an artificial sense of taste, rather than natural appetite. This destroys the appetite for similar products in simpler forms. The following are the best forms in which sugar can be found, given in the order of their importance: 1 Sweet fruits 2 Honey 3 Sorghum 4 Maple-sugar or sirup 5 Unrefined cane-sugar 6 Refined cane-sugar Even glucose sirups are perfectly wholesome when free from adulterants. The mixing, fixing, refining and manufacturing all go to make our sugar supply more expensive and less wholesome than the plain fruit-sugars, honey and sorghum. [Sidenote: Application of the term "sweets" as herein used] In order to avoid repetition, all articles containing sugar are referred to throughout this work as _sweets_. By "sweets" I mean sugar, sirups, honey, and all foods containing sugars, such as desserts, soda-fountain drinks, and the limitless number of confections. While carbohydrates rank second in importance in the human diet, yet Nature has made no provision for sugar being taken in its concentrated form. In this form it is the most severe article of human diet, and to its use can be traced the origin of a vast number of stomach, intestinal, and other disorders. Superacidity, fermentation, intestinal gas, and the large number of sympathetic disorders that follow these conditions are caused largely by the overconsumption of sugars. It would be equally as important for the Federal Government, or the States, to regulate the manufacture and the sale of confections as to regulate the manufacture and the sale of intoxicating liquors. VEGETABLE OILS [Sidenote: Value of vegetable oils] Vegetable oils form too small a portion of the modern bill of fare. Oils of vegetable origin, whether taken in their natural form or pressed out, and used with other foods, are the most valuable nutrients known for the production of heat and energy. By this statement I mean to convey the idea that a given quantity of fat will produce more heat and energy than any other article of human nutrition, and that vegetable fats are more valuable than animal fats, because they are more adapted to the fat metabolism of the human body, and less likely to contain harmful substances. Vegetable oils contain a larger per cent of olein, which is considered the most palatable and the most valuable fat known. [Sidenote: Olives and olive-oil] The olive is a unique plant, standing along the border line between fruits and nuts. Ripe olives contain from 40 to 60 per cent oil, the best quality of which is extracted by cold pressure, the cheaper grades being pressed out at higher temperature. The superiority of olive-oil is due to the fact that it is composed almost wholly of olein; that it contains very little fatty acids and other impurities, and has a mild, sweet, and agreeable flavor. The adulteration of olive-oil has been extensively practised, but the agitation of pure food, and the demand for same are improving the quality of this excellent article of food. [Sidenote: Cottonseed-oil] Cottonseed-oil is the largest vegetable oil industry in America. It is also the cheapest of vegetable oils. The cottonseed-kernel from which the oil is taken is not an edible product. Though used as cattle feed, it contains alkaloid substances which sometimes have a poisonous effect when fed too generously. The methods of cottonseed-oil manufacture are more complex than those of olive-oil. The oil must be heated and bleached with certain chemical agents, and if designed for salad-oils, frequently a portion of the stearin is removed to make the oil more liquid. When the cottonseed-oil is carefully manufactured, it is considered to be entirely free from harmful substances. However, as the original material contains poisonous combinations, and as chemical agents are used in refining and bleaching, cottonseed-oil products are open to the same criticism as glucose and refined sirups; that is, they are wholesome when properly made, but cheap and careless production renders the product undesirable as food. Manufactured under careful Government supervision, cottonseed-oil will, no doubt, be one of the great foods of the future. I recommend the purer brands of cottonseed-oils, when pure olive-oil cannot be obtained or afforded. [Sidenote: Peanut-oil] Peanut-oil is an excellent food substance which is almost entirely neglected in this country. It contains the best portion of the peanut. Other vegetable oils, valuable as foods, and the use of which is to be recommended, are sesame-oil and sunflower-oil. These products are not produced extensively in this country. [Sidenote: Cocoa-butter] The cocoa-butter is pressed from the beans from which cocoa and chocolate are made. The butter has a flavor similar to these articles. Cocoa-butter should not be confused with cocoanut-butter. These products are very different in origin. [Sidenote: Cocoanut-butter] Cocoanut-butter is not extensively used in America as a food product, owing to the fact that the exposed fat globules oxidize very rapidly. It is extensively used in Germany, however, and with the introduction of better methods of preservation, we expect to see cocoanut-butter more generally used in this country, as the source from which it is derived is almost unlimited. [Sidenote: Palm-oil] Palm-oil comes from a different species of the palm plant than that which produces the cocoanut. It is a very inexpensive product and one which is chiefly used in the production of soap and candles, although it is perfectly wholesome as a food. Such products have not been utilized in this country as food, because our boundless prairies and corn-fields have made the production of cattle and swine cheap, and our fat supply has swung toward points of least resistance. Not all vegetable oils are edible or wholesome. Some contain, in addition to olein, stearin and palmitin, and other fats quite as undesirable. Castor-oil, for example, contains ricinolein, which is a poison, and to which its purgative action is due. Croton-oil is the most powerful laxative known to medicine, owing to the fact that Nature abhors a poison. [Sidenote: Linseed-oil] Linseed-oil contains large quantities of linolein, which is the substance that oxidizes, forming the stiff, rubbery coat on the surface of linseed-oil when exposed to the air. This makes linseed-oil valuable matter to the painter, but objectionable as a food. LESSON IX DRUGS, STIMULANTS, AND NARCOTICS With the origin and the use of drugs in the treatment of dis-ease, most people are familiar. The purpose of this lesson, however, is to give brief but accurate information concerning the various chemical elements and compounds termed drugs or medicines. Many of the medicines in common use are neutral, having no particular effect upon the body, and the effects attributed to them are largely imaginary. Out of the many thousands of chemical materials found in nature, there are, however, certain substances, groups, and compounds which have most marked and violent effect upon all forms of living protoplasm. [Sidenote: Ancient belief concerning medicine] The general theory upon which the practise of medicine rests is that certain chemical substances which are not found in the animal body, and which have no natural place therein, have mysterious and beneficial effects; that they possess certain powers, among which are the rebuilding of dis-eased cells, and the purifying of dis-eased blood. This belief arose in a very remote age, when the mind was primitive; when man was ignorant, and controlled almost wholly by superstition--when every natural phenomenon was believed to be the work or whim of some god, and every dis-ease was thought to be the work of some devil. [Sidenote: Life the result of chemical harmony] Modern science has proved all this to be untrue. We know by the selective processes through millions of years of evolution that those chemical substances which work in harmony have become associated so as to form life. We know that life is merely an assemblement of organic matter, very complex and little understood; that it is eternally undergoing chemical changes governed by the natural laws of development and decay. We know that conformity to certain natural laws will produce physical ease, and that violation of these laws will produce dis-ease. We know that ease is what we most desire, therefore the trend of thought, throughout the world, is to realize this desire by turning toward the natural. [Sidenote: The material upon which life depends] True food furnishes the foundation or constructive material upon which all life depends. Nearly all other substances which affect the human body are merely disturbing elements that interfere with the natural chemical processes of life. To illustrate more fully these general principles, we will take, for example, the chemical changes that may take place in the hemoglobin of the blood. Hemoglobin is a proteid containing iron. It is a complex chemical compound and reacts with other substances very readily. In the lungs it combines with oxygen. In the muscles, this oxyhemoglobin is again received into the original body-substances. This life-giving process is only one of the many thousands selected by evolution from the millions of chemical changes possible in nature. [Sidenote: Effect of carbon monoxid upon the hemoglobin of the blood] When carbon monoxid, which is present in illuminating gas, is breathed into the lungs, it combines with hemoglobin, producing a compound which prevents the formation of oxyhemoglobin, thus stopping the process of oxidation in the body, and death is the result. [Sidenote: Drug theory declining] In proportion as science has shown the origin of life, and the methods by which it has been sustained and developed, the use of drugs as a remedial agent has declined. This line of reasoning followed to its logical end, points with unerring certainty to the total abandonment of the drug theory of treating dis-ease except, perhaps, as anesthetics and disinfectants. [Sidenote: Treatment of dis-ease by disinfection] The means of combating dis-ease by disinfection is sometimes confused with the general system of drugging. The modern methods of preventing and of combating contagious dis-eases by disinfection are in harmony with the best known sanitary laws. These results depend, not upon the ignorant and the harmful theories on which general drug medication was founded, but upon the latest and the most scientific knowledge. [Sidenote: Patent medicines and the doctor's prescription] In the recent magazine exposures of patent medicines, the chief trend of argument was that these stock remedies were evil because the user took opium, cocain, or whisky without a doctor's prescription. This standpoint is more amusing than instructive. Just why a poison taken without a doctor's prescription should be dangerous, and its sale a crime, while the sale and the use of the same drug over a doctor's prescription should be highly recommended, is rather difficult to comprehend, and this the enterprising journals have not explained. The exposé that is most needed is not of a few poisonous patent preparations, but of the fundamental folly of interfering with Nature's work by any form of poisoning. Poison is poison whether advertised in a newspaper as a "New Discovery," or prescribed by a reputable representative of the "Ancient Order of Medicine Men." In a lesson of this kind it is impractical to classify all drugs accurately according to their chemical nature. For convenience of the student, however, the drugs commonly used in medicine will be divided into three groups, which have common representatives, and whose general effect upon the human body are well understood. These three groups are: a Alkaloids and narcotics b Alcohols and related compounds c Poisonous mineral salts and acids a ALKALOIDS AND NARCOTICS [Sidenote: Effect of alkaloids upon the body] All alkaloids are of vegetable origin. They all contain nitrogen, and in some respects resemble ammonia. Many of the alkaloid compounds are used in medicine. They affect primarily the nervous system, and may cause freedom from pain, or that abnormal state of exhilaration of which the cocain addict is a typical representative. Substances of this alkaloid group doubtless have useful functions in the plant in which they grew, but in the animal body they are disturbing factors. Among the most important alkaloids may be mentioned opium, cocain, nux vomica, and quinin. OPIUM [Sidenote: Composition of opium] Opium is the evaporated sap that flows from incisions made in the unripe capsules of certain Asiatic species of poppy. It contains a large number of chemical compounds which belong to the alkaloid group. The chief alkaloids in opium are codein, narcotin, heroin, and morphin, the most active being heroin. Other alkaloids are of similar composition. The general effects and the uses of the crude opium and the refined morphin may be considered together. The latter, being more concentrated, is used in much smaller quantities. [Sidenote: Effect of opium] The effect upon the body of either opium or of morphin is that of benumbing the nerves and producing sleep. Opium illustrates in a typical manner the progressive stages by which both the body and the mind may become enslaved to the influence of a narcotic. The last stages of the opium or of the morphin slave is probably the lowest state of depravity into which the human being can sink. [Sidenote: Origin of the morphin habit] Opium is eaten or smoked by the Chinese and by other Asiatic races to a very great extent. This habit is considered the worst form of slavery to drugs that is known except cocain. In this country the morphin habit is the more common form. Morphin is either taken internally or is injected beneath the skin by a hypodermic syringe. It is estimated that the great majority of the morphin slaves in this country begin the use of this drug under "their" doctor's prescription. [Sidenote: The several uses of morphin] The use of opium as prescribed by medical men is chiefly for the relief of either pain or of insomnia. Its employment in cases of great agony is probably justifiable, but the repeated taking of this drug until the habit is formed becomes a criminal blunder for which the doctor who prescribed it should be held responsible. Unfortunately this is only one of the uses to which opium is put by the medical profession. Prescriptions containing either opium or morphin are frequently given to relieve pain, or to produce sleep, when the primary trouble is chronic, and should be treated by removing the causes, and not alleviated by stupifying the nerves. In the majority of such cases, if the diet is balanced according to age, activity, and climate, and vigorous intestinal peristalsis created, sleep will follow, and other disorders will gradually disappear. [Sidenote: Opium in patent medicines] The dangers that lurk in the use of opium are so well known, and the habit has become so unpopular, that tricks are resorted to by manufacturers of this drug to deceive the people into believing that they are using some "harmless" substance, while it is the influence of the opium that gives the medicine its apparent good effect. Patent medicines which claim to kill pain, soothe nerves, and produce sleep, usually contain opium. The popular "Soothing Sirups" for children are nearly all opium products, and have been given to millions of babies in this country by deluded mothers, in the belief that because it soothed, their innocent child was being benefited. These are the crimes of greed passed on to innocent childhood through ignorance. COCAIN Cocain is an alkaloid, the use and the influence of which are almost as noteworthy as that of morphin. Cocain is derived from the leaves of the cocoa plant which grows in the Andes of Peru. Just as the Chinese use opium, so the Peruvian Indians use cocain. [Sidenote: Uses and effects of cocain] Owing to its hydrochloric-acid salt, the effects of cocain differ somewhat from those of opium. It produces relative freedom from pain, and is used more particularly to produce insensibility in local parts of the body, as in the case of extracting teeth. The cocain slaves, which are increasing alarmingly in this country, usually take it by snuffing, or in an atomizer. The habit is usually acquired, as in the case of morphin, by the prescription of a physician. The patient, learning from experience the freedom from pain and the sense of exhilaration that can be produced by the drug, and not being warned by "his" physician of its baneful effects, continues the habit after the doctor's treatment has ceased, and awakes to find a monster owning his body and his mind. The cocain fiend, like the opium slave, develops an insatiable desire for the drug, and suffers extreme mental and physical pain when deprived of the usual allowance. The development of untruthfulness and trickery in a person desiring his allowance of a forbidden drug, is one of the marked traits of the narcotic slave. [Sidenote: Cocain in patent medicines] There are a number of different medicines which depend for their action wholly upon the cocain they contain. A large number of catarrhal powders in the market are diluted forms of cocain, and are used extensively both by those who do not realize the nature of the drug they are using, and by those who know that they are cocain slaves, but prefer to disguise the fact in this manner. NUX VOMICA AND STRYCHNIN [Sidenote: Effect of strychnin] Nux vomica is derived from the seeds of a plant that grows in India. Strychnin is the alkaloid which exists therein. Strychnin is quite different in its effects from the above-mentioned alkaloids, for instead of benumbing the nerves, causing sleep or a pleasing sensation, the effect is a nerve stimulus which causes muscular convulsions. The medical use of strychnin is more of a stimulant than of a narcotic. It is one of the most widely used of all the drugs prescribed by the old school physicians, and is extremely dangerous in over-doses. Indeed, thousands of people have been killed by strychnin poisoning. QUININ Quinin is derived from Peruvian or cinchona-bark. This bark, like the juice of the poppy plant, contains a number of alkaloids. These alkaloids, in turn, may react with acids, forming salts. [Sidenote: The uses of quinin] Sulfate of quinin is the most common form of this drug. Its principal use is for the destruction of the malarial germ, and it is, therefore, the standard drug in all malarious countries. The germs of malaria, however, are not bacteria (microscopic plants, as many suppose), but minute forms of animal life. Aside from this particular use, the effect of quinin is to disturb the nervous system, produce insomnia, ringing of the ears--and even deafness, in a great many cases. It does not, however, produce an addiction, as do morphin, cocain, heroin, and other drugs. ACETANILID [Sidenote: Composition and effects of acetanilid] Acetanilid is one of the coal-tar poisons and is chemically related to anilin. This drug has come into use only within the past few years, and of all the coal tar group is one of the most remarkable in its physiological effects. Its influence is to produce at first a deadening effect upon the nervous system, which puts it in the "pain-killer" class. Its continued use destroys the hemoglobin of the blood and produces marked cell-destroying effects throughout the body. Its medical use is for rheumatism, headache, severe coughs, and the like. A patent medicine now being widely exploited advertises, "We print our formula." So they do, and acetanilid is one of the ingredients. The general public does not know what acetanilid is. The habitué of this "healthful drug" experiences a craving similar to that of other narcotic drug fiends. A person who has long used a medicine containing acetanilid shows a bluish-white complexion caused by the destruction of red blood-corpuscles. I merely mention this as an example to show that a knowledge of the composition of patent medicines does not protect the public unless the public is made familiar with the ingredients that compose these medicines. Acetanilid is the active principle in many popular headache powders, the formulas of which are not made public. The use of acetanilid by those claiming to cure suffering, or to relieve it, is one of the most glaring malpractises of the day. [Sidenote: Evil effects of coal-tar products] Other coal-tar products chemically related to acetanilid are antipyrin, phenacetin, and various derivatives of benzol and phenol. The general uses of this class of drugs are to reduce fevers and to allay pain. They accomplish this by stupifying the nerves and the nerve fibers, which serve as telegraph wires to inform the brain that something is wrong. This is equivalent to killing the messenger that warns us of our sins. The following are a few of the toxic remedies used by old school physicians in the treatment of nearly all forms of dis-ease: Laudanum--which is merely another name for opium Paregoric--a standard baby medicine which is a tincture of opium with camphor and other drugs Codein--an alkaloid manufactured from morphin Lyoscine--the alkaloid of henbane Atropin--an alkaloid extensively used by oculists. (It is contained with other alkaloids in BELLADONNA, which, in turn, is prepared from the plant known as the "Deadly Nightshade") Hellebore--a powerful alkaloid, is one of the old standard drugs used in the treatment of rheumatic gout TOBACCO Tobacco belongs strictly to the narcotic class of drugs. With the possible exception of opium, tobacco is by far the most detrimental narcotic used by man. [Sidenote: Effect of nicotin] The active principle of tobacco is nicotin, which resides in the leaves in combination with malic acid. Nicotin is an alkaloid, and one of the most deadly poisons known. In distilled form, nicotin, even in minute quantities, produces death almost instantaneously. The nicotin contained in a pound of tobacco is sufficient to kill several hundred men if administered in the form of pure nicotin, but in smoking and chewing tobacco only a small amount of this poison is absorbed into the body at one time, and, owing to the gradual growth of the tobacco habit, the system has time to partly adjust itself to the use of this powerful drug, enough at least to prevent acute narcotic poisoning. The violent sickness caused by the first use of tobacco evidences the poisonous effects of the nicotin upon a body not accustomed to its use. Tobacco as a narcotic is not as drastic in its effect as opium, morphin, and cocain; for this reason its use is not so generally condemned. Popular opinion, however, is now rapidly recognizing that all of these substances belong in the same general class and are deteriorating factors in human development. The rapid spread of the cigarette habit among young boys has done much to arouse popular agitation against the tobacco evil. [Sidenote: General effect of tobacco] From the standpoint of health, nothing can be said in favor of the use of tobacco in any form, as it gradually deadens the sensitiveness and control of the nervous system. It preys with great violence upon the optic nerves, and more than any other drug known dethrones sexual vitality. The tobacco heart, which is readily recognized by medical practitioners, shows the effect of this narcotic upon the nervous system. The craving for tobacco is closely related to the craving for intoxicating liquors and for highly seasoned food--three of the most potent factors in perverting the true sense of taste and arousing abnormal cravings which destroy natural hunger. Neither tobacco nor nicotin are now used by medical practitioners. Tobacco was formerly used as a purgative, and also as a poultice to relieve swellings and inflammation. COFFEE [Sidenote: Composition of coffee] Coffee is one of the most extensively used articles in the narcotic group. The alkaloid which gives coffee its characteristic properties is caffein. Coffee also contains from three to four per cent of tannic acid. Other substances in coffee, to which the pleasant odors and taste are due, are various forms of fats and carbohydrates, but these exist in such small quantities as to be negligible food elements. The effect of the caffein is that of a nervous stimulant, increasing the general nervous and mental activity. Coffee is frequently used to keep people awake. It is given as an antidote for opium poisoning because it stimulates the nervous system and prevents sleep. [Sidenote: Effects of coffee-drinking] Coffee, when used habitually, produces various forms of dyspepsia, especially hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid, tannic acid being the provoking factor. The effect of coffee upon the nervous system is that of continued stimulation or excitation. Its continued use overworks and wears out the nervous system, thus causing a deterioration of both body and mind. If caffein were taken in a highly concentrated form, it would result in a narcotic habit quite as enslaving as the use of opium or cocain. TEA [Sidenote: Composition of tea] Tea, in its chemical composition, is similar to coffee, containing even a greater percentage of the alkaloid caffein, and also a larger percentage of tannic acid. Tannic acid is present in larger quantities in green tea than in the black variety. In addition to the evil effects caused by the caffein which it contains, tea is more destructive to the normal activities of the stomach because of the tannic acid. The student may get some idea of what the stomach of the tea-user has to contend with, when it is stated that tannic acid gets its name from the essential action that this substance has in the process of tanning leather. COCOA AND CHOCOLATE The cocoa bean, which was mentioned as the source of chocolate and cocoa-butter, is also the source of the beverage known as breakfast cocoa. The cocoa bean contains caffein, though the per cent is considerably less than in coffee or tea. Cocoa is practically free from tannic acid. For these reasons, and because of its food value, it is decidedly the least harmful of the stimulant beverages. Cocoa, though being in reality more tasteful and nutritious than either coffee or tea, is less used because it lacks the stimulating effect. The various alkaloid poisons thus far discussed form but an infinitesimal part of the great group of articles used by old school physicians in the treatment of dis-ease, and by civilized people as stimulating and sedative beverages. b ALCOHOLS AND RELATED COMPOUNDS The second group of drugs which is associated with alcohol includes the ethers, chloroform, and coal-tar products. This group is also wholly of plant origin, alcohol being distilled from plant products, and coal-tar being formed from petrified plants. These drugs always contain the three elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; some contain an additional element which gives them their peculiar property; for example, chloroform contains chlorin. Coal-tar is the most wonderful source of drugs known. The distillation of this substance produces coloring matter, preservatives, poisons, and "pain killers" ad infinitum. ALCOHOL The uses and the effects of alcohol will not be discussed at length in this lesson because the subject of alcohol is constantly before the public, and its evil effects universally known and acknowledged. However, I deem it well to examine a phase of the question which is not so well understood. [Sidenote: Alcohol a poison not a food] Whether or not alcohol is a food has recently been discussed by a wide range of writers. The answer of science is that alcohol is a food in the sense that it can produce heat in the body. Even if alcohol were a true food, the heat is produced, however, by the increased circulation of the blood, which is Nature's warfare against a poison, and in the reaction the vitality of the body is lowered. Thus the true effect of the poison is made manifest. Starvation is not the danger that threatens mankind, but OVERFEEDING and WRONG feeding. Were we in danger of starvation, whisky at one dollar a quart would not save us. The very fact that alcohol produces heat in the body, whether we call it a food or not, only adds another reason why it should not be used. It produces heat by stimulating heart action; rapid heart action is Nature's defense against the intruding poison. Alcohol taken in addition to food, and in connection with it, produces surplus heat, and overstimulates metabolism, which is very harmful. It also adds one more to the long list of detrimental effects traceable to intoxicating beverages. Alcohol is a food in the same sense that dynamite is a fuel. Dynamite produces heat, but it would be an unwise fireman who would use it under his boiler. [Sidenote: Correct eating the best treatment for the drink-habit] Another point regarding the use of alcohol that is worthy of consideration, is the fact that improper nutrition, together with the over-ingestion of stimulating and heating foods such as meat and condiments, invariably increase the appetite for intoxicants. The appetite for alcohol seldom, if ever, develops in a perfectly nourished body, and the best treatment known for the drink-habit is a careful course of balanced dieting and hygienic methods of living. Alcohol is purely a stimulant. It increases the heart action, the circulation, the production of heat, and the general vital activities. It is an offense to Nature, and the body calls into activity all her powers to cast out the poison. When the influence of alcohol has run its course, there is a reaction or stupor which calls for more of the same drug. This indulgence cultivates the desire through both the body-functions and the appetite, and the blighting habit dethrones the reason, thus rendering useless the lives of millions of worthy people. [Sidenote: Why alcohol is used in patent medicines] The prescribing of alcohol by physicians has chiefly descended from the ancient idea that alcohol was strengthening and beneficial to the body. The practise is being discontinued by many reputable physicians, which proves that no great benefits, in dis-ease, can be derived from its use. The regular use of alcohol in small doses gives the patient the feeling of physical exhilaration, and is therefore an excellent means of making him believe that he is being benefited. For this reason, and because of its cheapness, low grade alcohol is the chief component of many medicines. The following table gives the percentage of alcohol contained in a few patent medicines, previous to the popular exposé of the subject. (I do not vouch for the accuracy of this table at the present time, as the manufacturers under the pressure of public opinion may have changed their formulas): Peruna 28% Hostetter's Bitters 44% Lydia Pinkham's Compound 20% Hood's Sarsaparilla 18% Ayer's Sarsaparilla 26% Paine's Celery Compound 21% Within the past few years these facts have been made public, resulting in a heavy decline in the sale of these concoctions. The number of good temperance people who have been innocently under the influence of alcohol for a goodly portion of their days can only be vaguely estimated. CHLOROFORM, ETHER, AND CHLORAL [Sidenote: Uses of chloroform, ether and chloral] These drugs are chemically related to alcohol, and are typical anesthetics, which mean that they produce temporary relief from pain when the vapors are inhaled. They are chiefly used in surgical operations, which is justified providing the operation is justified. One death in three thousand occurs from the administration of chloroform, and one in thirteen thousand from the administration of ether. These products have been used to some extent in patent medicines, particularly in consumptive cures, where they have been given with the idea of relieving the cough. POISONOUS MINERAL SALTS AND ACIDS The mineral acids and salts of certain metals, especially of mercury, lead, and copper, are powerful poisons. Patent medicines are frequently labeled "Pure vegetable compounds." This statement may be true, but it is deceptive because they are equally as poisonous as the coal-tar products which have become so popular. They are life-destroying in their final effects upon the human body. MERCURY [Sidenote: Uses of mercury and mercurial salts] The metal mercury or quicksilver is used very extensively as a medicine, chiefly in compounds of mercurial salts. All salts of mercury are extremely poisonous. Calomel (mercuric chlorid) is a standard allopathic medicine. Mercuric bichlorid or corrosive sublimate is more destructive to protoplasm, and is used as a germicide or disinfectant. The poisonous action of mercurial salts is probably due to the combination of mercury with the protoplasm of the body-cells. When mercurial compounds are taken in poisonous doses, the antidote is the white of egg with which the mercury combines in the stomach, thus sparing the human protoplasm. The mercurial salts, when given in small doses, produce very remarkable physiological disturbances, sometimes even loosening of teeth. Because of their violent physiological action, these drugs are generally to be condemned. POTASSIUM IODID Potassium iodid has a very destructive effect upon the natural functions of the body, and for this reason it has been associated with mercury in the treatment of syphilis, the usual method being to alternate between potassium iodid and mercurial salts. LEAD AND COPPER The salts of lead and copper, like those of mercury, are poisonous. However, these salts are not extensively used in medicines. The mineral acids, such as sulfuric, are recognized poisons, but their destructive effects upon the living tissue are so apparent and so painful that they have never gained favor with physicians. PURGATIVES AND CATHARTICS [Sidenote: Effects of salts] The popular term "salts" includes sodium sulfate (Glauber's salt), and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts). These salts cause a large amount of watery mucus to be excreted from the mucous membrane of the intestines, the physiological purpose of which is to wash the offending substances from the body, thus producing a laxative effect. Were the large doses usually taken of these salts absorbed into the blood, death would ensue within a few hours. The number of products that are used for the purpose of relieving constipation is almost unlimited. Many poisons which react directly upon the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal have a laxative effect. [Sidenote: Why laxatives cause loss of vitality] Laxative drugs do not act on the body--the body acts on the drug because it abhors a poison, and, in throwing out the drug, the food residues of the digestive tract are also thrown out, regardless of whether digestion is complete or not. The rapid loss of vitality and weight while taking physic is caused by this fact. [Sidenote: Object of this lesson] In this lesson I have examined only a few of the many thousand drugs in general use. I have omitted many drugs and compounds whose properties and uses would form interesting information, but the purpose of this book is to impart a knowledge of foods, not a knowledge of drugs. This lesson, however, is for the purpose of giving the reader some authentic information about the standard drugs and medicines, so that he may form his own conclusions in regard to the efficacy of drugs in curing dis-ease. If the reader will secure at a public library a copy of the "National Standard Dispensatory," the book used by practising druggists, and scan through its two thousand pages, he can form some idea of the limitless number of things, and the complex, uncertain, and unscientific methods used in the prescribing and in the dispensing of drugs. LESSON X IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT DIAGNOSIS AND CORRECT TREATMENT The word "diagnosis" is derived from two Greek words, "dia," meaning _through_, and "gnosis," meaning _knowing_. It therefore means literally "through knowledge," "to know thoroughly," or, as we now say, "thorough knowledge." The old form of the word is still retained in the very common expression "to know it through and through." [Sidenote: Diagnosis may be a source of danger] The primary purpose of diagnosis is to locate a difficulty, to find an internal disorder that is causing unpleasant symptoms. It will readily be granted that this is only desirable when, after the internal disorder has been located, we are able to do something to correct it; that otherwise it is of no more importance than to learn by post-mortem examination what caused death. Indeed, to know what the trouble is without knowing how to deal with it, is a very grave source of danger, and has caused many a death through resort to wrong methods. In a large percentage of cases Nature will heal, if her processes are not interfered with, and in all cases she is the real physician; our only proper office is to supply the right materials, and to leave her to use them as she will. [Sidenote: True diagnosis, merely an interpretation of Nature's language] Correct diagnosis is important because it is the guide--the beginning--the primary step in the treatment of dis-ease. Wrong diagnosis is usually followed by wrong methods of treatment, while correct diagnosis simplifies, and points the practitioner, with certainty, to the interpretation of Nature's language (symptoms). With an understanding of these, the remedy, in most cases, will suggest itself. [Sidenote: The human body and the linotype machine compared] The linotype machine that set the matter you are now reading is composed of several thousand parts. The keyboard is operated by the compositor, in much the same manner as that of a typewriter, and the delicate mechanism produces the metal lines of type ready to be "made up" in "forms" for the press. Where several such machines are in use, an expert machinist is usually employed to keep them in order. He can take them apart, study the mechanism at leisure, and reassemble them, yet it not infrequently happens that almost insurmountable difficulties are encountered. What would be the difficulties, then, if the machine were enclosed in a case that could not be opened, with only the keyboard exposed? What mechanical engineer in all the world could then make it work if something went wrong? One who could tell from the faulty action just what the matter was, and correct it from without, would be looked upon as a wizard. [Sidenote: Belief in the magical effect of drugs] The human body is incomparably more complex and delicate than any machine, yet it is a widespread superstition that one skilled in the art of locating disorders (diagnosis) can, almost invariably, correct them by the magical effect of drug applications. This is a superstition with no more foundation in fact than the parallel one that a man of vicious character can be made virtuous by a magical process. He may turn from vice to virtue in a moment, but he can become spiritually strong and wholesome only by growth, and by conformity to the moral law. In like manner bodily health comes not by magic, but by right living, by conformity to the laws of health. [Sidenote: Involuntary functions are perfectly performed] It is literally true that "the only perfectly performed functions of the body are the involuntary or the automatic functions." Those that are even partly under the control of the will, such as breathing, are almost invariably ill done. The infinite wisdom is strikingly exemplified in the fact that the vital functions are quite independent of our volition except for "hindrances or ruinous urgence." We may, and we do hinder them constantly, and we subject them to "ruinous urgence" almost continuously. These two facts are responsible for nearly all the bodily ills from which we suffer. [Sidenote: Nature's marvelous methods beyond our comprehension] The marvelous metabolism by which energy is translated into life, by Nature's processes, is not only beyond our control, but beyond our comprehension. We should make it an invariable rule, therefore, never to interfere in any way, but to confine our efforts to the task of supplying Nature with material with which to do her wonderful work, and to an observance of the common laws of health and life. [Sidenote: The blood-corpuscles like little workmen] The blood-corpuscles are like millions or tens of millions of little workmen in the body, each with a particular work to do; each on duty and quickly responsive to call every moment. When we recognize the fact that the body is constantly being broken down and rebuilt; that every atom of broken-down material must be floated away in the blood, and new atoms built in to keep the structure from deterioration; that all the broken-down material is poisonous, and must be eliminated from the body without delay, we realize that the internal activities are almost bewildering. When we consider that all the blood in the body passes through the heart every two or three minutes, carrying food to every cell, and at the same time carrying away the poisonous products of physical and mental activities, disposing of them by various processes; when we remember that the supply to every cell is delicately adjusted to constantly varying requirements; that all this goes on so quietly and so smoothly that we are unconscious of it--when we remember all this, we begin to have some appreciation of the Psalmist's exclamation, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." How faithful these little workmen are! Not for an instant do they leave their tasks. Verily, they are the sentinels forever at the portals. In our work, in our pleasures, they are ever active; in our sleep, they sleep not. Not for an instant do they cease watch. Is there a wound--be it a great rent or a tiny pin-prick, they are there in force to repair it, to wall up the breach and to make it whole--swarming to the rent as the Lowlanders to a break in the dike. Has a foreign substance penetrated the structure?--instantly they set about to expel it; but if this be impossible, they seal it in a capsule of impervious integument that it may do no harm, or, the least possible injury. [Sidenote: A seeming consciousness in the automatic action of the blood] If these little workmen are not conscious as we know consciousness, at least their work shows purposeful action, and when we see an obvious purpose definitely carried out by every available agency, we may be sure there is a consciousness back of it, whether it be like ours or not. But while these workmen are faithful--while they will stand to their tasks to the end, they are limited in their power, and will break ranks under long-continued hindrances. [Sidenote: The human body a power-plant] The human body is a power-plant, a combined engine and boiler, and there is a close analogy between this conscious, self-acting power-plant and the one that furnishes the power to generate electricity, or to turn the wheels of a factory. [Sidenote: Symptoms compared with electric light] When your electric lights grow dim, and the defect is not cured by renewing the lamps, then you are convinced that the trouble is elsewhere. If the lights in every part of the house are dim, you will know (if you are a skilful electrician--a good diagnostician) that the trouble is not in the electric nervous system of the house. It may be between your house and the electric station, but before taking the trouble to examine the line, ask those of your neighbors who are on a different line, whether their lights are dim. If they are, you may go to the electric station with reasonable certainty of finding the cause. [Sidenote: The stomach and the lungs of this leviathan] Suppose we have come to the station and are commissioned to locate the difficulty. We go into the engine room and find everything in good order. The engine is a fine piece of mechanism; it has no loose joints, no leaky valves, yet it seems to lack power; is overloaded. Inquiry shows there are no more lights than formerly, while the service was satisfactory. You go at once to the boiler room. It may also be in good order so far as appearances go, but you look at the steam gage and find the pressure is low. "Yes," says the fireman, "I simply can't keep the pressure up. I shovel in coal and keep the drafts on so that I have a roaring fire, but, in spite of all, my steam pressure runs down." Look into the furnace (the stomach) of this leviathan! If the grate-bars are clean; if there is no accumulation of ashes, cinders, or clinkers to interfere with the combustion (digestion) of the black provender fed to it, you may close the furnace door and open another. Look into the fire tubes (the lungs) of the laboring monster that has shown signs of weakness! If the fire tubes are clean, free from soot and dust, the trouble is not there. [Sidenote: "Scale," like an irritated mucous lining] [Sidenote: "Scale," the cause of dim light] We have now gone almost the full course; there is but one place left to explore and that is closed. The trouble is inside the boiler. It is lined with scale deposited from the water evaporated in producing steam. This scale, which may be likened unto an irritated mucous lining of the stomach, or the intestines, forms a coating upon the lower inside of the boiler, and the upper side of the fire tubes, just as it is deposited on the bottom of a teakettle, and it shuts out the heat from the water. The heat being the source of energy, and the steam only the means of applying it, the power-plant is crippled. Seldom does it happen that so great a thickness of scale is to be found in a boiler as may be seen in almost every household teakettle, yet the effects (symptoms) are found in the dimmed lights miles away, and if the difficulty is not dealt with, it will rapidly increase until the service becomes intolerably inefficient. [Sidenote: Difficulty in dealing with the "scale"] Had we found the grate-bars choked with ashes, cinders, and clinkers, and the fire tubes (lungs) smothered with soot and dust, we should have instructed the fireman to keep them clean and free. This is not a difficult thing to do, requiring only careful daily attention, but the scale inside the boiler is not so easily dealt with. It is completely enclosed, and there is no possibility of getting at it except by extinguishing the fire and letting the boiler cool--by making the boiler "dead," or "killing" it, as firemen term it. [Sidenote: Treating the "dim light" dis-ease] Having diagnosed this case of the lighting system, starting with the symptoms of a dim light in a residence some miles away, and having located the difficulty inside of the boiler of the power-plant, we desire to treat it. The boiler can be "killed," and the scales removed by going into the boiler. It can then be revived by refilling it with water and rekindling the fire. Then, too, let us assume that there are two boilers, and that we can keep the plant alive with one; a low ebb of life, to be sure, but not dead. We will then cool one boiler at a time, go into it, and remove the scale, thus restoring the plant to full efficiency. This method can be used where the boiler may be cooled, but as this cannot be done with the human power-plant, for the sake of our analogy, let us suppose that the steam boiler, like the human body, must always be kept under pressure that it cannot be "killed" and revived. What, then, shall be done? [Sidenote: Removing the cause of the scaly deposit] It is evident that the first thing to do is to cease the use of water containing the solution of mineral, which causes the scaly deposit. This will prevent the condition from growing gradually worse, and may be accomplished by distilling the water before introducing it into the boiler, or, by using rain-water. As to the scale already in the boiler, it must be dissolved, and gradually eliminated, or remain there. There are many so-called "boiler compounds" for the purpose, and every well-informed man in charge of such a "plant" knows how important it is to avoid using a compound that may cause damage to the boiler itself. A "compound" that would attack the steel, as well as the scale, would be a desperate remedy indeed. [Sidenote: One degree of variation in temperature indicates dis-ease] [Sidenote: The marvelous economy of Nature] In the human body something happens very similar to the deposit of scale in a steam boiler. But the human body is a furnace as well as an engine. It is so intricate and so delicate that if the temperature rises or falls one degree above or below normal, the condition is one of dis-ease. As food is its fuel, how can we expect the mechanism to remain in order if we utterly disregard the body's requirements, not only as to the character of the fuel supplied, but also as to the quantity, especially if we so choke it with fuel that Nature is unable to burn it up in the vital processes, and to dispose of the resulting ashes and cinders? Nature is resourceful--full of expedients and makeshifts! If she were not, the span of life would be much shorter than it is. As previously stated, she will seal up a foreign substance that cannot be expelled, and not only will she do this with solids that have penetrated the flesh, but she will actually build "catch basins" in the body, called cysts--bags, somewhat like a bladder, in which the excess or refuse that cannot be eliminated may be impounded, and the ruin of the body postponed for months or even for years. [Sidenote: True diagnosis locates a disorder; also the causes] The true office of diagnosis is not only to find the disorder, but to discover also the conditions that lead to it, or have a bearing upon it; hence that diagnosis is faulty which comes short of this, for the reason that even if the disorder be located and overcome, it will recur if its cause persists, just as the scale in the boiler will form again if the causes that produced it are not removed. As the blood is the life, as it brings to every cell life (nourishment), and carries away death (poisonous by-products of vital activities in the form of dead matter to be eliminated from the body); as it does this by its marvelously rapid circulation through every cell, it is obvious that every part of the body will be in a state of health if the blood itself is pure, and its supply and circulation such that every cell is abundantly fed. The supreme law of health, therefore, may be expressed in two statements, one positive and one negative: 1 Feed the body correctly 2 Do not interfere with the circulation of the blood [Sidenote: Both the storing of fat and the disposing of waste are expensive processes] If the blood is not a perfect building material it is because we have not put into the digestive mill the right materials; and if it is not properly circulated, it is because the circulation is impeded by positive constrictions, or, as is more frequently the case, because the composition of the blood is not perfectly suited to the demands of the vital activities. As a result, much of the material must be rejected as unusable, thus involving a great deal of extra work in disposing of it. If the excessive material is wholesome, though not at present usable, it may be packed away for future use as fat, this being the easiest, and perhaps the only possible way of disposing of it in the rush. The builders are not only overworked, but literally overwhelmed with excessive and unsuitable materials--and why?--that we may indulge perverted appetites. [Sidenote: Corpulency considered unhealthy] Even the excessive material packed away in the wholesome form of fat may, merely by its bulk, become an impediment to the circulation. It not only reduces the efficiency of the bodily mechanism, but also is so potent a factor in shortening life that a corpulent person is likely to be rejected by an insurance company, even though his present state of health may be good. [Sidenote: Defective circulation reduces efficiency] A condition often found illustrates most forcibly the manner in which defective circulation reduces the efficiency of the human power-plant, even as the scaly deposit impairs the efficiency of the steam boiler. "That tired feeling" of which so many complain, is so called because the person thus afflicted has a sense of painful exhaustion upon slight exertion--is tired all the time. If our diagnosis shows a state of chronic exhaustion, and we endeavor to increase the body-efficiency by increasing the food, we shall make the same mistake as the fireman who shovels more coal under a scaly boiler. [Sidenote: Exhaustion, the accumulation of body-poisons] Painful exhaustion in a perfectly healthy body results from violent, or too long-continued exercise of a muscle, and if there are no intervals of rest, excruciating pain results. The cells are broken down more rapidly than the resulting waste can be carried away by the circulation, hence the body-poisons and pain. The pain is a symptom, and where the condition of which it is the index is temporary, rest soon restores the normal condition of ease. [Sidenote: Rest is imperative] There would be no sense of exhaustion if the building and the eliminating processes could be carried on with sufficient rapidity concurrently to make good all the expenditures of mental and bodily activities. Not only should we not need rest, but we should not even need sleep. The only occasion to stop, then, would be to take in more fuel (food), and if this could be taken while the body is in action, as fuel is fed to the steam boiler, there would be no necessity to stop. But apparently both the upbuilding and the elimination of waste normally lay behind the demands of even ordinary activity, so that a given muscle must have very frequent intervals of rest (every few seconds), and the organism, as a whole, must reduce activity to the minimum by sleep about one-third of the time. [Sidenote: Nature's devices to provide rest] As some of the muscles are used with practical continuity during the waking life, Nature resorts to some very cunning devices to provide the necessary rest. The tension upon the muscle of the eye is relaxed for an instant in the unconscious act of winking, but by reason of the persistence of visual sensation, this does not interfere with vision. Thus Nature has always used the principle involved in the moving picture. The heart must perform its work every instant, from the time before we are born until the end, but each muscle rests about one-third of every second--when it relaxes, and the chamber of the heart expands with the inrush of blood. [Sidenote: The body a pile of mysterious atomic masonry] Nature alone is the builder, and will do all that should be done if she only has the proper materials in proper proportions. We may well stand in awe and admiration of her mysterious atomic masonry, but let us lay no sacrilegious hand upon her work. LESSON XI COMMON DISORDERS--THEIR CAUSE AND CURE HEALTH AND DIS-EASE DEFINED Health is that condition of the human body in which the functions or activities work together in perfect harmony. Any serious interference with this condition we call dis-ease. Dis-ease, therefore, in its final analysis, is merely the expression of violated natural law. [Sidenote: Three fundamental laws of life] The harmonious working of the life-processes in the human body depends upon three things--(1) nutrition; (2) motion and (3) oxidation. Nutrition is the principal factor that controls the action of the living cells, for, if the body is kept up to its one hundred per cent of energy it will demand a certain amount of motion or exercise, and this will enforce the proper breathing (oxidation). We can see, therefore, that nutrition is the physical basis of all activities of life. By nutrition as here used I mean to include all chemical substances that may be supplied for the use of the body-cells, also the sum total of all chemical substances in solution in the circulating fluid or blood-plasma which bathes the body-cells. [Sidenote: The phenomenon of death caused by self-poisoning] The stoppage of the heart beat causes the nutritive fluids of the body to cease circulating. The cells are then no longer supplied with nutritive material, and the poisons which they are constantly throwing off accumulate, cell activity ceases, and the phenomenon we call death ensues. Suffocation acts in a very similar manner--oxygen ceases to be supplied to the blood; carbon dioxid accumulates; the vital fluids cease to flow, and death is the result. Dis-ease has been defined to be an absence of harmonious activity in the body. It may result from the inactivity of some particular function. A stomach which secretes no hydrochloric acid is abnormal or dis-eased. Again, a dis-ease may be due to an overdevelopment of some function, because the man whose stomach secretes more hydrochloric acid than digestion requires is as truly dis-eased as is the man whose stomach secretes too little. [Sidenote: Dis-ease is partial death] [Sidenote: Animals starve when fed on salt-free food] Dis-ease may also be defined as partial death, for it is the disturbance or weakening of functions whose complete failure we call death. Starvation illustrates one side of this process. When nutritive material ceases to be supplied, the cells have nothing with which to work, causing disturbance of function (dis-ease), and then partial, or complete death. The man in a desert under a hot sun will starve for water in one-tenth the time that he would starve for solid food. Animals fed on a diet from which all salts have been chemically removed will die in a shorter time than will those from which all food is withheld. This rather interesting fact is due to the rapid utilization of the salts residual in the body during the digestion and the assimilation of the salt-free foods taken. The order in which the withdrawal of nutritive substances will produce starvation is about as follows: 1 Aerial oxygen 2 Water 3 Mineral salts 4 Organic nitrogen 5 Carbohydrates [Sidenote: Examples of drug poisoning] Poisoning by drugs is an excellent illustration of dis-ease and death produced by specific starvation. When a man takes ether, this substance, passing to the brain, immediately interferes with the function of that organ. Insensibility to pain results. If ether is taken in larger quantities, the functions of the brain may be still further interfered with, and the nervous control of the heart beat will be lost, and death will ensue. When castor-oil is taken into the alimentary canal, the irritating substances therein contained inflame the cells of the mucous membrane, and excite them to abnormal secretion, thus disturbing the harmony of the body-activities, and producing dis-ease. [Sidenote: Scientific definition of dis-ease] The examples here referred to are not commonly considered dis-ease, because we know the particular or immediate cause of the physical disturbance. Modern knowledge now shows us that the most prolific cause of what is commonly known as dis-ease is but the interference with cell activities, either by the deficiency or by the excess of nutritive substances, or by the presence of irritating and disturbing poisons. This condition may be caused by an unbalanced diet containing too much of certain nutritive elements, or too little of others, causing surfeiting on the one hand and starvation on the other. [Sidenote: Man still in the childhood state of development] [Sidenote: Hunger, thirst, and taste are Nature's language] Health is the normal condition, and in spite of Ingersoll's witticism, it is more "catching than dis-ease." Were it not so, the race would long since have become extinct. With reference to body-health, however, we are still in the childhood stage of development, and the science, therefore, of building man to his highest estate--of lifting his mental, moral, and physical faculties to their highest possible attainment, is worthy the labor of the greatest minds. That person, then, who enjoys the best health, the keenest mentality and power of perception, the highest physical and emotional organism, is he who can select such articles of food as will supply all the constituent parts of the body most nearly in the right or natural proportions. The science of feeding, upon which this mainly depends, becomes possible only when food is taken in accordance with certain fixed, natural laws. These laws are not complicated--they are simple and easy to comprehend. Nature is constantly endeavoring to aid us in their solution. Hunger, thirst, taste--all the instincts and natural desires of the body are merely Nature's language. To interpret this language, and to obey the laws it lays down is man's highest duty to himself and to his race. There are very few true dis-eases. Nearly all of the abnormal physical expressions given off by the body can be traced to a few primary causes, and most of these causes can be removed by ascertaining and removing other causes that precede them. [Sidenote: Classification of dis-ease, a matter of convenience] The classification of dis-eases is merely a matter of convenience, and is of no practical importance between the food scientist and the patient. It merely enables the one who has studied these classifications to convey his knowledge or information to the lay mind. The dis-eases which will most interest the student will be those caused by a lack of nutrition, or by a surfeit of nutrition; that is to say, a form of starvation caused by a lack of certain nutritive elements, and overingestion caused by an excess of certain other nutritive elements. The only practical method of describing dis-ease is by indicating the organs afflicted and the impairment of their functions. Beginning with the stomach, in which, as previously stated, originates probably ninety-one per cent of all human disorders, I will first take up the question of the abnormal action of food caused by overeating. OVEREATING [Sidenote: The resourcefulness of Nature] Fortunately Nature does not demand exactness. She has made wonderful provision for our errors or our lack of precision. If we eat too much now and then she will cast out the excess. If, however, we habitually overeat, she will store away the surplus in the form of useless fat, or she will decompose it; that is, make an effort to volatilize it and cast it out through the pores of the skin. If our diet is unbalanced, Nature has the power to convert one chemical into another--a secret yet unknown to modern science. [Sidenote: Injurious effects of congested waste matter] While the tendency of Nature is to maintain normality by casting the debris out of the body, she demands that we obey the laws of motion and oxidation. If we do not observe these laws, the debris or matter she cannot use will accumulate, and congestion and constipation will take place. The excess of food thus actually clogs the system and generates in the intestines the poisons which cause autointoxication. THE EFFECTS OF OVEREATING The effects of overeating are so far-reaching, and so common among civilized people that a volume might be devoted to this habit and the subject not exhausted. Here, however, I will review only that which is of most importance to the student of dietetics, namely, the causes and a few of the effects of overeating. Overeating is due to three specific causes: 1 Eating several articles of food at the same meal which are incompatible 2 Taking stimulants at meals 3 Eating too many things at the same meal (1) Incompatible foods: When foods are eaten together that are incompatible they usually result in superacidity and sometimes cause a gnawing sensation in the stomach. (2) Stimulants with meals: When one takes stimulants such as beer, liquor or wine with meals, the stomach-cells secrete a deficient amount of hydrochloric acid, causing food to leave the stomach too slowly, thereby allowing fermentation to take place and acid conditions to develop. (3) Too many things at same meal: Too many things eaten at the same meal may exhaust the digestive juices and cause a condition of subacidity (lack of acid), which is true indigestion, or it may cause just the reverse, too much acid, and therefore produce the same result as in taking stimulants with meals. (See "Causes of Superacidity," item 2, p. 420). ABNORMAL APPETITE [Sidenote: The cycle of cause and effect] In nearly all cases of overeating Nature's only weapon with which to defend herself is hydrochloric acid, thus the stomach-cells become over-trained in the secretion of acid, and the constant irritation caused by acid fermentation produces abnormal appetite. The desire to satisfy this abnormal craving produces more acid, therefore the cycle of overeating and superacidity is complete. [Sidenote: Disorders originating in the stomach] Standard medical works give about sixty different disorders arising from what is termed dis-eases of nutrition. These include diabetes, gout, arthritis, rheumatism, rickets, scurvy, obesity, emaciation, adiposis dolorosa, and various disorders of the liver, heart, and the circulatory system; also constipation and dozens of disorders under the broad term of autointoxication. The first step in the practise of scientific eating should be to limit the quantity of food, or, in many cases, to take a complete fast for a brief time. In the slow stages of human development, Nature seems to have accommodated herself to man's omnivorous habits of eating. She will accept many things that are wholly unfit for food without apparent harm if the quantity is not too great. On the contrary, the results of the most scientific dieting will be injurious if a quantity be taken in excess of that which the body can use. SUPERACIDITY We will first consider superacidity because it is usually the first disorder that appears in consequence of wrong eating. It is commonly known as "sour stomach." The chief cause of superacidity is a wrong combination of foods; and particularly an excess of starchy foods and sugars. The starch and sugar breaks down under the action of fermentation, and develops lactic acid. This further inhibits--or prevents--the normal secretion of hydrochloric acid, and, as a consequence, the albumen molecule is insufficiently converted--the transformation of the protein into peptones and proteoses is incomplete. As with all acid fermentation, gases are produced in the stomach, which give rise to belching and eructations. This fermentation sometimes occasions a feeling as though there were a solid lump in the stomach. This may come on immediately after eating. And then again, it may not come on for two or three hours after the meal--depending entirely upon the activity of the enzymes that are responsible for the fermentation. HYPERCHLORHYDRIA Occasionally the hyperacidity is caused by the presence of a superabundance of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This condition is called hyperchlorhydria, and gives rise to a boring, gnawing sensation in the pit of the stomach, together with an abnormal desire for food. SUPERACIDITY--THE CAUSE The chief causes of superacidity are-- 1 Too great a quantity of food 2 Wrong combinations and wrong proportions of food For instance, a diet consisting of an excess of acid fruits, or sweets and starches, and at the same time an insufficient quantity of other nutrients 3 By poisoning from the use of tea or coffee, liquor, tobacco, and the various stimulating and narcotic drugs used by civilized man 4 An excess of hydrochloric acid SUPERACIDITY--THE SYMPTOMS So far as the symptoms are concerned, all the above causes may be considered together, since the ultimate result is the same. The symptoms are named in the order of their various stages or the time acidity has endured: 1 [1]Irritation of the mucous lining of the stomach, expressed by a burning sometimes called "heartburn" 2 Abnormal appetite caused by the irritation of too much hydrochloric acid in the irritated cells of the stomach Many people mistake these symptoms for evidence of good health, until overeating produces nervous indigestion, and sometimes a complete breakdown. 3 Fevered mouth, and so-called fever-sores on the lips and tongue, both of which are a true mirror of the condition of the stomach 4 [1]A sour fluid rising in the throat from one to two hours after meals 5 White coating on the tongue 6 Faintness, emptiness; in the language of the layman a "hollowness and an all-gone caved-in" feeling [1] (See "Fermentation--The Symptoms," p. 426) SUPERACIDITY--THE REMEDY In all cases of superacidity all fruit, especially that of an acid character, except citrus fruits, should be omitted, and also all sweets except a very limited quantity of maple-sugar and sweet fruits--and these never in conjunction with the meal. Foods containing proteids (nitrogen, albumin and casein), together with fresh green vegetables, should form the principal part of the diet. [Sidenote: One acid will not counteract another] It has been the theory with dietitians that those afflicted with hyperchlorhydria (supersecretion of hydrochloric acid) should not take sweets, but should take acids liberally. This is one of the few instances in which medical guesswork seems to have a foundation of fact. For there is no doubt but that the giving of hydrochloric acid, the normal stomach acid, _before_ a meal, tends to retard and restrict the development of hydrochloric acid _during_ the meal. It remains true, on the other hand, that the giving of hydrochloric acid after the meal tends always to increase the supply of free and combined hydrochloric acid in the stomach during the process of stomach digestion. For list of foods to be eaten and omitted in cases of overeating, superacidity, fermentation and gas dilatation, see p. 433. For the importance of water-drinking, see p. 434. FERMENTATION Fermentation is the effort of Nature to dispose of or to dissolve things it cannot use; it is the first step in the process of decay. FERMENTATION--THE CAUSE The common causes of fermentation are the same as those of superacidity (see p. 420), the difference being that superacidity originates in the stomach, and is confined chiefly to it, while fermentation may take place throughout the entire intestinal tract. The causes are-- 1 Overeating 2 Too much acid fruit 3 An excess of sweets 4 Stimulants of the alkaloid group 5 Overeating of cereal products FERMENTATION--THE SYMPTOMS [Sidenote: Difference between superacidity and fermentation] The first evidence of fermentation is a burning sensation in the stomach, almost exactly as in superacidity, the difference being that in cases of fermentation the symptoms appear later after eating. Superacidity may appear immediately after eating, and the symptoms such as a lump in the stomach, or a sour fluid rising in the throat may also appear within an hour after meals, but fermentation, which produces the same symptoms, does not manifest itself until the acid has acted upon the food, which requires from two to four hours, governed by the time required to digest the different articles of which the meal is composed. The patient may also experience a fullness; an unpleasant and sometimes painful distention of the bowels. [Sidenote: Results of fermentation] The gas generated by fermentation sometimes passes along down the intestinal tract into the ascending colon, accumulating at the highest point, which is in the transverse colon. This causes the transverse colon to become very much distended and seriously interferes with the blood flow, both into and out of the heart and the lungs. (See "Gastritis," p. 447; also "Heart Trouble," p. 569). In considering the symptoms of fermentation, it might be well to return to the question of causes. The primary cause of nearly all conditions of fermentation, either in the stomach or in the intestinal tract, is overeating, or an unbalanced dietary. This practise indulged in from day to day causes two specific conditions: 1 Fermentation followed by various disorders, usually toxic substances, and catarrh, and ulceration of the stomach 2 Intestinal congestion and physical emaciation If the stomach and other digestive organs are capable of assimilating this superabundance of food, they force into the tissues an excess which Nature stores up in the form of fat, and if work or activity is not increased, or the food diminished, excessive fat or chronic obesity is the result. If the first warnings are not observed, and the remedy applied, Nature gives to the disobedient one more impressive signals in the form of nervousness, irritability, abnormal appetite, and sometimes mental depression, which indicates one of the most advanced stages of superacidity. FERMENTATION--THE REMEDY The remedy for fermentation is first to eat only such foods as are in chemical harmony, and second to limit the quantity to the actual needs of the body. If the patient is _under_ normal weight, all acid fruits should be eliminated, and the diet should be about as follows: BREAKFAST Three or four egg whites and one yolk, whipped five or six minutes; add a large spoonful of sugar and one of cream while whipping A baked white potato or boiled wheat A tablespoonful of wheat bran LUNCHEON One whole egg whipped five minutes; add sugar and cream to taste while whipping, mix with a glass of milk A large boiled onion A baked potato, with butter Two tablespoonfuls of bran DINNER Two fresh vegetables--choice of carrots, corn, turnips, peas, beans, or squash Spinach, or a salad of lettuce and celery The whites of two or three eggs, whipped; add sugar and cream while whipping A baked potato Wheat bran, cooked as a cereal From two to three glasses of cool water should be drunk at each meal. It will be noticed that this bill of fare is composed largely of vegetables, which is right in cases of fermentation. [Sidenote: Despondency, the result of superacidity] The foods named in the above menus will remove the primary causes of fermentation, which in turn is the most prolific cause of that abnormal mental condition called despondency. Under the most favorable social and financial conditions, when every environment is pleasant and seemingly conducive to the highest degree of pleasure and interest in life, the one afflicted with superacidity and fermentation has been known to destroy himself; all life seems gloomy, all effort useless, and the thought "Why should I desire to live?" enters the mind unbidden, until it often takes tangible shape in some rash act. Possibly within the memory of every individual one of these rash acts can be recalled. The practitioner should make it a special point to ascertain any adverse or depressed mental conditions of his patient and remove them, if possible, by encouragement, sympathetic counsel and optimistic views, all of which have a splendid psychological effect, and which, in nearly all cases of mental depression, are very important. As the supersecretion of hydrochloric acid becomes less and less, fermentation will gradually disappear; the patient will at once begin to gain weight; the mental conditions will show an immediate improvement, and every part of the anatomy will share in the general upbuilding. GAS DILATATION So closely related are gas dilatation, fermentation and superacidity that it might be said they all come from common causes, such as excessive eating, over-consumption of sweets, acid fruits, starches, and the use of tobacco, stimulating beverages and drugs. GAS DILATATION--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of gas dilatation are practically the same as those given for fermentation, page 426. In addition thereto, however, there is often belching, loss of appetite, a weighty or draggy feeling, and vomiting sometimes an hour or two after meals, or late at night. Scanty urine and constipation are frequently the results of gas dilatation. In severe cases the stomach drops down below its normal level, causing permanent stomach prolapsus. To the trained eye, in severe cases, the stomach may be outlined, especially when it is much distended. For remedy, see "Fermentation," page 428. See also menus for Gastritis. IN CASES OF OVEREATING, SUPERACIDITY, FERMENTATION AND GAS DILATATION OMIT EAT All acid fruits Bananas, very ripe All sweets except sweet fruits Green salads in limited quantities Liberal quantity of fresh Cane-sugar green vegetables Condiments Limited quantity of blood-less Coffee and tea meat, such as fish and white meat Cream of tender fowl Fatty foods Limited quantity of coarse cereals Gravies Limited quantity of eggs and Pastries milk--sweet and sour Stimulating and intoxicating Melons beverages Nuts Subacid fruits in extreme cases Potatoes Tobacco Sweet fruits--limited quantity White bread Wheat bran Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked Whole wheat bread--sparingly IMPORTANCE OF WATER-DRINKING The lack of body-moisture is one of the causes of supersecretion of acid, therefore water is of primary importance in removing the causes of the above disorders. It should be drunk freely immediately on rising, and just before retiring. From two to three glasses should also be drunk at each meal, especially in treating severe cases. Copious water-drinking also relieves irritation of the stomach, thus reducing abnormal appetite. Patients afflicted with superacidity never have natural thirst. CONSTIPATION THE CAUSE This disorder might be called "civilizatis," so universal has it become among civilized people. Several conditions may conspire to cause constipation-- 1 Premature stomach digestion 2 Neutralization of the bile by excessive acid 3 Eating too much starchy food 4 Flesh-eating 5 Sedentary habits or lack of proper exercise 6 A diet too refined--lacking in roughness, cellulose or "fodder" 7 The use of sedatives, stimulants, and narcotics, such as tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, and drugs, especially of the alkaloid group While most of these are direct causes, the primary cause, however, goes back to superacidity--premature stomach-digestion. In cases of superacidity the liver is nearly always more or less inactive. Just why this is so is not definitely known, but in the opinion of the writer it is caused by the neutralization of bile by the excess of acid. Be this as it may, nearly all cases of superacidity are accompanied by intestinal congestion, commonly called constipation, or by intermittent diarrhea and constipation. CONSTIPATION--THE REMEDY [Sidenote: Laxative drugs an offense to the body] It is believed by the medical profession, and generally accepted by the public, that certain drugs act upon the alimentary tract with beneficial effect in cases of intestinal congestion. This is untrue. The facts are the intestines act upon the drug. The drug is an offense to Nature, and when it is taken into the stomach and passed on to the intestines, the body-fluids are severely drawn upon to neutralize the poison, and to cast it out. The result, therefore, of taking poisons, miscalled "laxatives," is that each time the act is repeated, the liver and the peristaltic muscles are weakened, and rendered more and more abnormal, and less and less able to perform their natural functions. [Sidenote: Suggestions for the relief of constipation] That system of treatment which has been prescribed for fermentation will, in most cases, relieve constipation. The treatment should be varied, however, according to the age and the occupation of the patient, governed by the season of the year, or the foods available at the time of treatment. If diagnosis of the patient reveals the fact that constipation has been caused primarily by overeating, the quantity of food should be reduced, and the articles changed so as to include a generous quantity of cellulose (coarse foods). The following bill of fare may be given under ordinary conditions: Immediately on rising, take two or three cups of water, the juice of one or two oranges, or half a pound of grapes, swallowing the seeds and pulp whole, masticating only the skins. Devote from eight to ten minutes to vigorous exercise, especially movements Nos. 3 and 5, as shown in "Exercise and Re-creation," Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345. BREAKFAST Half a cup of coarse wheat bran, cooked ten minutes; serve with thin cream Whole wheat, boiled five or six hours One or two very ripe bananas, with either nuts or thin cream LUNCHEON One or two fresh vegetables A "two-minute" egg or a very small portion of fish A heaping tablespoonful of bran DINNER Two of the following vegetables: Corn, carrots, peas, beans, parsnips, turnips, onions A baked potato Celery, lettuce, or anything green, with nuts One egg A tablespoonful of wheat bran From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. These menus are merely suggestive. They may be varied according to judgment, depending upon the habits and the environments of the patient. Curative feeding for constipation is one of the most important departments of this work, and will receive special consideration in the volume of Menus. FOODS THAT MAY BE SUBSTITUTED FOR ONE ANOTHER The menus may also be varied by substituting the articles herein given for other things of the same general class. EXAMPLES: {Evaporated peaches Dried fruits {Evaporated apricots {Prunes The above are all in the same general class, and may be substituted for one another. {Dates Sweet fruits {Figs --All form another class {Raisins {Eggs Dairy products {Milk and Meats {Fish {Fowl These compose the nitrogenous group, and may be substituted for one another. {Carrots Vegetables {Parsnips --Are in the same group {Turnips {Beans Legumes {Peas --Are in the same general class {Lentils {Barley Rice Cereals {Corn Rye {Oats Wheat Barley, corn, oats, rice, rye and wheat are the six great staples, which grouped are called cereals. They form the carbohydrate class of grains, and may be substituted for one another. In cases of constipation, however, whole wheat and rye are preferable, owing to the large amount of bran they contain. {Dandelion {Kale Edible succulent {Lettuce --Belong to same class Plants {Parsley {Romaine {Spinach Citrus fruits {Grapefruit {Lemons {Limes {Oranges All citrus-fruits (fruits containing citric acid), so far as their action upon the liver is concerned, have practically the same effects, and substantially the same nutritive value. [Sidenote: Milk may be laxative or constipating] Whether or not milk is constipating depends entirely upon how it is taken, and the articles with which it is combined. In small quantities, from one to two glasses at a time, milk is constipating. However, if taken at intervals of fifteen or twenty minutes, a quantity is very soon taken, greater than the hydrochloric acid of the stomach can convert into curd, therefore the surplus quantity becomes rather laxative. In many years' experience I have rarely treated a case of constipation that would not readily yield to milk and to coarse vegetables, or bran, if taken in this way; however, the milk diet should not be given longer than two or three days at one time. After this period adopt the menus herein given, varying them by selecting different articles from the several groups named. When the bowel action has become regular, the milk period should be reduced, and the breadless diet extended until the milk is entirely withdrawn. (See "Emaciation--The Remedy," p. 482) [Sidenote: Hernia due to abdominal pressure] Man undoubtedly sprang from anthropoid stock. His original position of locomotion was upon his four feet. The intestines, therefore, rested upon a flexible belly surface, but since he has risen and changed his two front paws into hands, the intestines are inclined, with every step, to sag to the bottom of the abdominal cavity, and are prevented from so doing only by small ligaments attached to the abdominal walls. Hernia or rupture is exceedingly common owing to this downward pressure in the lower part of the abdominal cavity. The position maintained while walking, therefore, is not conducive to the relief of that pressure in the abdomen, which is the direct cause of hernia, and often the cause of very stubborn intestinal congestion. [Sidenote: Remedial and counteractive exercises] It is obvious, therefore, that this condition needs remedial exercise. It will be observed that all the movements given in the lesson on "Exercise and Re-creation" bring the trunk to a horizontal position with the body leaning forward. All of these movements are designed to counteract this abdominal pressure. [Sidenote: Exercise a necessity in counteracting constipation] I go thus into detail for the purpose of showing the great necessity of these exercises, especially in cases of constipation, and of insisting that they be executed vigorously and regularly. _The most beneficial diet that could be prescribed will not relieve and cure constipation unless it is supplemented by certain remedial exercises or movements._ This is true because Nature contemplates a certain amount of motion exactly as she contemplates a certain amount of nutrition, and her laws governing motion are just as mandatory and her penalties just as certain. [Sidenote: Proper nourishment promotes natural desire for exercise] Nutrition is of more importance because it is more fundamental, and it is more fundamental because when the body is naturally nourished, there is created a surplus amount of energy which will compel a certain amount of motion, and this in turn will cause deep or full breathing. Therefore the well-fed person will take his exercise because he has an appetite for it, or because the superabundance of energy forces him to do it in obedience to the same law that produces hunger. Hence the perfectly nourished body will conform automatically to the other two great physical laws of motion and of oxidation. _Constipating Foods_ _Laxative Foods_ --------------------- --------------- All white flour products All green salads Blackberries Apples Cheese Apricots Chestnuts Beet-tops Corn-starch Celery Fine corn-meal Figs Macaroni Peaches Oatmeal Persimmons Red meat Plums Rice Prunes Spaghetti Spinach Sweet potatoes Turnips-tops White bread Wheat bran Whole wheat _Constipating Beverages_ _Laxative Beverages_ ------------------------ -------------------- All alcoholic stimulants Mineral water containing magnesia Chocolate Unsweetened fruit-juice Cocoa Water--lime-free Coffee Cream Lime-water Milk (In small quantities) Tea In cases of constipation: OMIT EAT Baked beans All fresh vegetables Chestnuts Apricots Cheese Bananas Coffee, tea, chocolate Grapes--seeds, skins and all Corn products Nuts Cream Peaches Flesh food of all kinds Plums Intoxicants Prunes Milk Succulent plants Oatmeal Tomatoes Rice Wheat bran Sweet potato Whole wheat Tobacco Rye White flour products Drink plain water with meals. GASTRITIS Gastritis is a word meant to describe a chronic and a painful condition of stomach and of intestinal irritation. When the stomach becomes much irritated from constant fermentation of food, and from the resultant presence of acid, certain articles such as milk, fruit-acids, and starchy foods will cause rapid accumulation of gas, which becomes exceedingly painful and sometimes dangerous. [Sidenote: Gas, the primary cause of heart trouble] The majority of deaths from so-called heart-failure is caused directly by the accumulation of gas from the fermenting mass of food in the stomach and in the intestines. These organs become greatly inflated, and their pressure against all the vital organs, and against the arteries leading into and out of the lungs and the heart so impair the circulation that the heart action becomes very irregular--first slow and faint; sometimes skipping a beat, and again violent and palpitating. When the congested blood spurts through into the heart it is called "arterial overflow," and the old diagnostician seems to have been content with giving this a name. It is certain they have not yet given the world a remedy, as the regular profession is still prescribing such drugs as bicarbonate of soda, bismuth subnitrate, and nux vomica, none of which can give more than temporary relief, and that is accomplished by neutralizing the acid at the tremendous expense of the cells that secrete it. GASTRITIS--THE CAUSE Gastritis is caused: 1 By the use of stimulants 2 Irritating foods, condiments, etc. 3 Overeating, especially of acid fruits, starches and sweets 4 Cirrhosis of the liver is sometimes one of the secondary causes of gastritis GASTRITIS--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms are usually a dull pain in the region of the stomach and upper intestines, a swollen full feeling, now and then biting pains, followed by a dark vomit, especially when the attack comes late at night. Gastritis is often confused with gastric cancer, and in diagnosis it is difficult to speak with authority as to whether the case is ordinary gastritis, as above described, gastric ulcer, or gastric cancer. The diagnostician in making up his opinion must be governed largely by the time the condition has endured, and the immediate causes, giving especial care to the food and drink that has been consumed just prior to the attack. GASTRITIS--THE REMEDY In severe cases the patient should be given a glass of cool water. In fact, one of the best means of allaying the inflammation of gastritis--or as a matter of fact any other inflammation--is cool water. All food should be omitted for at least twenty-four hours, then the patient should be given vegetable juice prepared as follows: Grind spinach, carrots, squash, or turnips, any two or three of these, very fine; cook about ten minutes in enough water to make a pint of thin vegetable soup. Put through a colander; strain through a coarse cloth, discarding the pulp. Give this to the patient every two hours in quantities not more than one or two ounces, dependent upon the condition. The diet may be varied by changing vegetables, always selecting one green plant such as spinach, lettuce, beet or turnip-tops. As the patient improves more of the pulp may be used. After the second or third day a thin puree may be used, care being exercised not to overfeed. [Sidenote: Foods to be used in the treatment of gastritis] In milder cases the patient should be fed after the same methods, only more of the vegetable pulp may be used, thereby increasing the strength of the diet after four or five days; or, when the patient shows signs of substantial recovery, egg whites, baked potatoes, and the ordinary fresh vegetables may be given in moderate quantities. Inasmuch as stomach fermentation is the beginning or parent cause of gastritis, the causes, symptoms, and menus given for fermentation would apply in cases of gastritis, limiting the quantity of food according to the severity of the condition. In cases of gastritis: OMIT (In severe cases) EAT (In severe cases) Coffee Baked bananas Condiments Egg whites Flesh foods Lettuce Fruit Puree of tender beans Intoxicants Puree of tender carrots Starchy foods Puree of tender corn Sweets Puree of tender peas Tea Spinach Tobacco Squash Vegetable juices In the earlier stages of acute gastritis, all foods should be omitted except, perhaps, vegetable juices. (See recipe, p. 451.) See also Fermentation and Superacidity, pp. 424 and 418. NERVOUS INDIGESTION [Sidenote: Mental effects of nervousness] There are millions of nerve fibers leading out from the stomach and alimentary tract to every part of the anatomy, so that the nervous connection, especially between the stomach and the brain, is very direct and sensitive. The stomach seems to bear the same relation to the brain that a basket bears to a balloon so far as their nervous connection is concerned. Thus it is that the irritated stomach produces an irritable temper, insomnia, forgetfulness, and a lack of ability to concentrate the thoughts. These are the milder symptoms or first warnings. NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE CAUSE The use of stimulants or narcotics, such as tea, coffee, liquor and tobacco are most prolific causes of nervousness. These drugs act upon the body in a dual capacity: (1) They excite or raise the nervous system above normal, only to drop it below when the reaction takes place. (2) In addition to this, they irritate the stomach and the intestines by causing superacidity. Nervousness caused by sedatives and narcotics acts both upon the mental and the physical organism, and the source of such nervousness can be easily traced by ascertaining the habits of the patient. [Sidenote: Abnormal appetite for sweets and starches] When the patient has used stimulants and narcotics long enough to cause nervousness, the mucous membrane of the stomach is usually in a state of irritation. The presence of blood, under these conditions, causes abnormal appetite, frequently followed by overeating, especially of sweets, starches, and acids, for which the patient usually has a great craving. This is followed by fermentation, and comes into or envelops superacidity and must necessarily be classed with it. Overeating and the constant use of stimulants and narcotics will, after a time, cause a chronic state of fermentation, and the stomach will seldom be free from acid, the constant presence of which will ultimately cause gastric ulcer, and perhaps stomach carcinoma. NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE SYMPTOMS [Sidenote: Nature's final symptoms] The more advanced stages of stomach irritation which are expressed by nervousness cause melancholia and a gloomy sort of pessimism. These are among the last signals the stomach gives to the brain before final collapse, and if these signals are not heeded, the victim may expect to go down in the maelstrom of nervous prostration within twelve months from the time the first signals are given. These fits or spells of melancholia often come on suddenly. The palms of the hands become moist with a cold, clammy perspiration, and the mind is flooded with a train of thoughts such as "What's the use of living?" "Why all this struggle for mere existence?" The victim of this condition invariably believes that his mind is becoming affected; that he is becoming insane, and will soon be a public charge, and shunned by those whom he loves. While under these spells many people take their own lives rather than face what they believe to be insanity and ostracism. The patient should be made acquainted with his true condition, and shown that it is only temporary, and that all such thoughts are mere mental aberrations which will disappear when the causes of stomach irritation are removed. The above-named symptoms always point with certainty to an irritated stomach, the severity of which can be determined by the symptoms above described. [Sidenote: Difference between stomach and intestinal irritation] _Stomach irritation_ is expressed largely through the _mind_, as in irritability, nervousness and melancholia, while _intestinal irritation_ is generally expressed by some _physical symptom_, such as restlessness, twitching of the muscles and a general lack of physical tranquillity. There is another form of nervousness believed to be caused by overwork, business worries, etc. With these opinions the writer does not agree. If the body is properly fed one is not likely to overwork. Nature will demand rest, and sleep will come while at the desk, or when following the plow. [Sidenote: Acidity the cause of worry] Investigators are much divided on the question of whether worry causes superacidity, or superacidity causes worry. The experience of the writer in treating several thousand cases of stomach acidity has proved beyond a doubt that acid fermentation and stomach irritation are the primary causes, and what is commonly called "worry" is merely a symptom or result of this condition. It is quite evident, therefore, that all forms of nervousness must go back to the food question for final solution. NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE REMEDY Nervous indigestion should be treated as follows: 1 The patient should employ his time in pleasant but useful occupation 2 As to diet, _omit_ the following: All red meats Acid fruits Bread and cereals Condiments Pickles {Such as-- {Candies Sweets {Cane or maple-sugar {Dates and figs {Desserts and pastries of all kinds {Sirups 3 The diet should consist of-- An abundance of green salads Baked potatoes (Including the skins) Egg whites Fats--limited quantity-- Such as-- Dairy butter Nut butter Olive-oil Nuts Fresh vegetables--not canned {Beans Legumes {Peas {Lentils In cases of Nervous Indigestion: OMIT EAT Acid fruits Baked potatoes Bread and cereals Fats (limited quantity) Coffee and tea Fresh vegetables Condiments Green salads Desserts and pastries Legumes Pickles Limited quantity of milk (preferably Red meats sour) Stimulants of all kinds White of eggs Sweets Tobacco The experience of the writer for many years has been that the _fewer the articles composing the diet, the better the progress could be made in treating nervous indigestion. In many instances, the mono-diet system (eating only one kind of food at a meal) has been adopted with excellent results_. SUBACIDITY Indigestion is a term used to describe the condition caused by food remaining in the stomach _over_ Nature's time-limit. In such cases there is usually a lack of hydrochloric acid. This disorder is sometimes called hyperchlorhydria. The expression of indigestion, which is a lack of acid, and the expression superacidity or hyperchlorhydria, which is too much acid, are often confusing, inasmuch as both conditions cause a feeling of heaviness or a lump in the stomach. (See "Superacidity," p. 419.) SUBACIDITY--THE CAUSE The most prolific cause of subacidity is sedentary habits or lack of activity. This is especially true of young people, while in adults, or those who have passed forty, the usual cause is incorrect eating, or an unbalanced diet. Another cause of subacidity is the overconsumption of flesh foods. Flesh requires considerable acid for dissolution; sometimes more than is normally supplied by the stomach, and consequently results in indigestion or non-dissolution. The over-consumption of either starchy foods or sweets may produce the same result. It is therefore obvious that this particular disorder is caused primarily either by overeating or by an unbalanced dietary. SUBACIDITY--THE SYMPTOMS 1 Brown coating on the tongue-- The _white_ coating on the tongue always indicates too much acid, hence predigestion; while the _brown_ coating indicates insufficient acid, hence indigestion. The _white_ coating shows the action of the acid on the stomach lining, while the _brown_ coating shows the decomposition of food matter in the stomach, usually accompanied by an offensive breath. 2 Gas in the stomach-- Gas sometimes appears in the stomach immediately after eating. This shows that food, in a state of fermentation, remains in the stomach from a previous meal. It also shows that the stomach may be prolapsed; that is, dropped down below its normal level. A sort of pocket is thus frequently formed in which a small quantity of food remains from one meal to another, causing an immediate formation of gas after eating. SUBACIDITY--THE REMEDY The logical remedy is to limit the amount of food to the actual requirements of the body, and especially to balance the daily bill of fare in conformity to the chemistry of nutrition. [Sidenote: Diet in cases of subacidity] In cases of chronic indigestion or impoverished acid secretions, it often becomes necessary to prescribe a counteractive diet, the composition of which should be determined by the cause of the disorder. If the cause be over-consumption of meat, the patient should be given a breakfast of acid fruits, and nuts and salads; while if the cause be over-consumption of starchy foods, all legumes and grain products of every kind should be omitted, and a diet of subacid fruits, an abundance of green salads, and even some flesh now and then, such as tender fish or fowl, should be prescribed. In all cases the special object should be to prescribe an amount of food for the first few days somewhat below the normal requirements of the body, and after the counteractive diet has been taken for three or four days, the menu should be balanced daily as to nutritive elements. By observance of these rules, together with a reasonable observance of the laws of exercise, fresh air and deep breathing, the most obstinate cases of indigestion or subacidity can be overcome. In cases of Subacidity: OMIT EAT Cereals All acid fruits with meals Coffee and tea Buttermilk Flesh foods Fish Liquors Fresh vegetables Sweets Potatoes Tobacco Sautern wine, sparingly White bread Succulent plants Tea Tomatoes Wheat bran Whole wheat See "Diet in cases of subacidity," p. 464. BILIOUSNESS Biliousness is the supersecretion of bile; that is to say, more of this fluid is secreted by the liver than is required for the ordinary processes of digestion, and the excess passes into the stomach. BILIOUSNESS--THE CAUSE Biliousness is caused, in a majority of cases, by the overconsumption of fats, milk, eggs, and sweets, or by taking stimulants, especially such as malted or brewed liquors. BILIOUSNESS--THE SYMPTOMS The presence of bile in the stomach interferes with the stomach-secretion, thus causing faulty digestion and severe headache, usually starting at the back of the head and ending in a severe pain over the eyes. The complexion becomes sallow and there is a general decline in strength and vitality. BILIOUSNESS--THE REMEDY The logical remedy is to remove the above causes by eliminating from the diet such articles as tea, coffee, distilled, brewed and malted liquors of every character, and sweets, selecting such foods as will give to the body all the elements of nutrition, and so combining them as to furnish these elements in the right proportions. (See menus for "Constipation," Vol. III, p. 761). In cases of Biliousness: OMIT EAT Coffee and tea Bananas Cream Coarse cereals Egg yolks Egg whites Fats Fresh vegetables Intoxicants Fruit Milk Melons Sweets Nuts Wines and liquors of all kinds Succulent plants Wheat bran CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER THE CAUSE Cirrhosis of the liver, or Hanot's Disease, is a condition characterized by degeneration of the liver cells, usually associated with a fatty infiltration. While there are many conditions that may cause cirrhosis, the principal one, perhaps, is excessive indulgence in alcohol. Thus the disease is frequently called "hob-nailed liver," "gin-liver," etc. Cirrhosis of the liver is a disease that is almost invariably fatal in from one to two years--although, if the process is not far advanced, and the cause is removed, the patient may recover tolerable health. It is absolutely necessary that further irritation of the liver, caused by the drinking of alcohol, be stopped. Close attention should be paid to the catarrhal condition of the stomach and bowels, which is usually associated with cirrhosis. (See chapter on Catarrh.) CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms are usually pain in the epigastrium; nausea and sometimes vomiting in the morning; general loss of vitality and ambition; sallow complexion. A dull aching or a throbbing pain is often experienced, followed by a heavy, sluggish feeling, especially on rising in the morning. Alternate constipation and diarrhea, and enlargement of the liver are frequent symptoms. In the atrophic variety, however, the liver shrinks in size. CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER--THE TREATMENT The diet should be nutritious, yet simple, so as to put as little labor as possible upon the already impaired digestion. Fats should be restricted, and starchy foods should be closely limited, so as not to set up additional fermentation. A liberal service of plain wheat bran should be taken at least twice a week in order to insure active intestinal peristalsis. All stimulants, narcotics, sweets, condiments and irritating foods of every character should be omitted. The patient should drink copiously of pure water at meals, omitting all other beverages. In cases of Cirrhosis of the Liver: OMIT EAT Acid fruits, except the All legumes citrus fruits Edible succulent plants Condiments Fresh vegetables Fats Green corn Gravies Liberal quantity of wheat Red meats bran Stimulants and narcotics Limited quantity of-- Sweets Apples Oranges White bread Bananas Peaches Grapes Pears Grape fruit Plums Lemons Nuts Potatoes Salads Whole wheat thoroughly cooked Cirrhosis of the liver is always aggravated by the overconsumption of sweets, starches, fats and intoxicating beverages. Sweet and starchy foods should be limited and intoxicants of all kinds should be entirely omitted. An abundance of pure water should be taken at meals. PILES OR HEMORRHOIDS THE CAUSE Piles or hemorrhoids are usually the result of chronic constipation; or, they may occur from violent exercise, or a shock. The straining at stool when constipated has a most potent influence in causing piles, as well as the passage of hard, dry feces. In both of these cases the rectal mucous surfaces are torn loose or detached from the supporting walls, and the cells fill with blood, thereby becoming very greatly distended. PILES OR HEMORRHOIDS--THE SYMPTOMS The first symptoms are usually itching of the mucous membrane of the anus. In the second stage a bloody discharge will appear with the feces, and in the more advanced cases the rectal mucous membrane will protrude. PILES OR HEMORRHOIDS--THE TREATMENT [Sidenote: How to relieve the strain upon the rectal lining] When it is first discovered that there is a slight protrusion of the rectal mucous membrane from the anus, great care should be taken in evacuation of the feces. The first or direct cause of this condition is usually congestion; that is, the feces in the rectal cavity forms into a hard mass. When this condition appears, just before each evacuation, inject into the rectum, with a small rectal syringe, a tablespoonful of olive-oil, followed by a pint or two of lukewarm water, taken as an ordinary enema, and retain two or three minutes. Then place the first and the middle fingers, one on each side of the anus, and press gently so as to relieve the strain upon the rectal lining. The feces, if very hard, can be worked back and forth until broken up, and evacuation made easy. By this means I have known many cases of bleeding piles or hemorrhoids to be permanently cured. It is exceedingly difficult to cure chronic cases in which the membrane has been torn from the walls for many years. However, Nature never tires of doing her work of repair, and if these suggestions are religiously observed, even chronic cases can be greatly relieved, and sometimes permanently cured. For diet, see menus for constipation and fermentation. Every night, just before retiring, take a light enema and retain it over night; also, take an enema just after rising. DIARRHEA THE CAUSE Diarrhea is in reality not a dis-ease, but a symptom behind which there are always primary causes, usually-- 1 Overeating 2 Irritating condiments 3 Wrong combinations of food at meals 4 Poisonous laxative drugs 5 Excess of acids 6 Excess of sweets 7 Sometimes nervous excitement Diarrhea caused by the last-named condition is usually of temporary duration. Sudden attacks of diarrhea are often caused by exposure, by changes of diet, or by the overconsumption of acids in the form of berries. [Sidenote: Errors in eating the cause of diarrhea] There is no abnormal condition of the alimentary tract that is more directly traceable to errors in eating and drinking than diarrhea and all forms of dysentery. This condition is most generally caused by chronic fermentation, or by the presence of some non-nutritive or foreign substance. It matters not whether this condition comes from the use of poisonous drugs called laxative remedies, or from foods containing foreign or non-nutritive substances, the result is the same. The habitual taking of drugs sufficiently poisonous to cause the intestinal machinery to exert enough action to cast them out, is a painful and slow process of self-destruction. It frequently happens that the peristaltic muscles become relaxed and give way completely from the habitual use of poisonous cathartics, and chronic diarrhea or dysentery is the result. DIARRHEA--THE TREATMENT In ordinary cases of diarrhea one can pursue his usual work provided he observes the suggestions in regard to diet, given below, but in severe cases one should avoid labor or exercise, and remain most of the time in a reclining position. Drink copiously of pure water, and eat very sparingly. OMIT EAT Acid fruits Boiled rice (thoroughly cooked) All green salads Boiled sweet milk Coarse foods, such as cabbage, Cottage cheese celery, turnips, spinach Ordinary white bread Condiments Potatoes-- Desserts, pastry, etc. Sweet (baked) Pickles and all foods preserved in White acids Puree of rice Red meat and flesh food of ever Sweet clabbered milk, including kind except very tender fish the cream and white meat of chicken and Very tender white meat of chicken, turkey or turkey, or fish Relishes Sweets Tuber vegetables except sweet and white potatoes Omit all beverages at meals except plain water, taking only about one glass. EMACIATION OR UNDERWEIGHT Underweight, or lack of adipose tissue, is a condition with which the practitioner will often have to deal, as under nearly all abnormal conditions of the body, called dis-ease, the first result or evidence is loss of weight. The tendency of a perfectly normal body, after it passes the forty-fifth year, is to become muscular, or what is termed "thin." In all countries those who have lived to a very great age have been termed emaciated. However, there is a normal body-weight that can be maintained, and which indicates normal health. [Sidenote: Effects of emaciation] Emaciation is usually followed by general anemia and a weakening of nearly all the functions of the body. The memory, sight, hearing, all become impaired, while the taste or appetite usually becomes keener or more sensitive. This is caused by irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and the consequent presence of too much blood therein, the same as when intoxicating liquors are taken just before meals. Overwork, loss of sleep, unbalanced diet, worry, grief, or a period of extreme emotional tension, all have a tendency to disturb and derange the processes of metabolism. Under these conditions the body is very likely to lose weight, but there is always a fundamental cause which should be discovered and removed. EMACIATION OR UNDERWEIGHT--THE CAUSE There are a number of things which usually conspire to cause emaciation. Named in the order of their generality, they are as follows: [Sidenote: Physical causes of emaciation] 1 Overeating 2 Superacidity 3 Stomach and intestinal fermentation 4 Constipation 5 Autointoxication 6 Under-drinking of pure water 7 The use of tobacco, coffee and tea All of these things tend to cause malassimilation, which is the secondary cause of emaciation. In a majority of cases the loss of weight begins while the body is surfeited with food. In fact, it is nothing uncommon for those suffering most from this condition to consume from three to four times the necessary quantity of food; overeating becomes a habit, and consequent fermentation and toxic substances, usually known as autointoxication, are the results. The causes of emaciation, according to most authorities, are impoverished blood and malnutrition. With these opinions the writer fully agrees, but the intelligent reader will naturally inquire--What are the causes of impoverished blood and malnutrition? The answer goes directly back to the food question. [Sidenote: Mental causes of emaciation] All mental influences, business, social, or financial worry, contribute their share toward physical emaciation, but when the body is perfectly nourished it is more capable of withstanding these drains because it is made fearless by perfect health. Behind all forms of business and financial trouble is the demon "fear," and fear rests on the uncertainty of our ability to provide creature comforts and necessities; therefore when we have mastered the science of feeding our bodies, and have learned how simply and cheaply this may be done, the mere possession of such knowledge does more than all else to make of us philosophers and students, eliminating fear and worry of every kind, as in health the mind is usually in a state of optimism and tranquillity. EMACIATION OR UNDERWEIGHT--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of emaciation, of course, are so apparent that it is only necessary to say that when the above-named errors are corrected, and the following symptoms are observed, the normal weight can nearly always be maintained. So-called cold-sores, fevered lips and canker-sores on the tongue, intestinal congestion, torpidity of the liver, slight headaches, fullness after eating, alternate constipation and diarrhea, are all symptoms that point to the causes of emaciation. EMACIATION OR UNDERWEIGHT--THE REMEDY Emaciation is sometimes caused by organic or hereditary dis-eases, but the usual causes are to be found within the field of dietetics. The remedy, therefore, is first to naturalize or normalize the diet as to quantity, selection, proportion, and combinations of food. In the majority of cases, those who come to the food scientist for treatment will be those who have tried every conceivable remedy except the natural one, therefore they come in a chronic state of emaciation, poisoned by overeating. Never having been instructed in regard to diet, exercise, breathing, bathing, or any other hygienic law, they will, in most cases, require a counteractive or remedial diet. There may be a number of supplementary causes to be considered, but the most important things for the practitioner to ascertain are: 1 Time the patient rises 2 Hour the first meal is eaten 3 Of what that meal consists 4 Time the second meal is eaten 5 Of what the second meal consists 6 Time the third meal is eaten 7 Of what this meal consists 8 All mental influences under which the patient is laboring, especially fear or worry 9 The condition of the bowels as to congestion 10 The amount of liquid taken during the day and at meals In nearly all emaciated cases it will be found that the patient is suffering from premature fermentation, intestinal and stomach gas, and a congested condition of the bowels commonly known as constipation. [Sidenote: Foods that are necessary in the treatment of emaciation] The first remedy lies in the selection and the combination of foods which are readily soluble and assimilable, and which contain the best flesh and cell-building properties. The chemical properties or elements most necessary are albumin, phosphorus, casein, proteids and carbohydrates. These elements are supplied best by milk, eggs, nuts, sweet fruits and coarse cereals, followed by a limited quantity of fresh green vegetables. [Sidenote: Value of milk and eggs in the remedial diet] The nutriment contained in the egg is all that is required for the young chick, while the nutrient contents of milk is all that is necessary for the young animal. Therefore these two articles contain the most reliable and speedy counteractive elements known to chemistry, but in dealing with the adult they should be supplemented by fresh vegetables, coarse grain, wheat bran, raisins, and the seeds and skins of grapes. [Sidenote: Constipation must be overcome in cases of emaciation] It must be remembered that milk has a constipating tendency when taken in ordinary quantities--from one to two glasses at a meal. Therefore in laying out the diet for the emaciated, it is vitally important to avoid constipation, which may be done by giving milk during the first two or three days in quantities ranging from two and one-half to three and one-half quarts a day, together with a liberal quantity of coarse cereal. (See "Constipation--The Remedy," p. 436.) These remedial methods may be repeated day by day until a substantial gain in weight is noticed, when the diet may be normalized--such articles selected as will give to the body all the required elements of nourishment in the right proportions. [Sidenote: Chronic emaciation--its cause and remedy] It sometimes happens that the body is thrown into a chronic state of emaciation on account of a catarrhal formation over the mucous membrane of the intestines, which closes the "winking valves" that take up nutriment from the alimentary tract. In such cases coarse cereal or wheat bran, the seeds and skins of fruit, especially grapes, together with milk and eggs, form the best foods known. The milk and the eggs may be forced, not only beyond the limitations of hunger, but beyond the normal needs of the body. By thus forcing them for a short period of time (twenty to thirty days) a physical "trial balance" can be reached, and the body brought to its normal weight, which can be maintained for an indefinite period of time, if the bill of fare is again balanced or leveled according to the chemical requirements governed by the three natural laws, namely, age, temperature of environment, and work. [Sidenote: Diet for extreme constipation in emaciated cases] There is another condition of chronic emaciation which, in the beginning, should sometimes be treated in exactly the opposite way. For instance, when the forcing of casein proteids, albumin and nitrogen (the principal nutrient elements in milk and eggs) produces complications, such as extreme constipation, it becomes necessary to put the patient on a diet composed of coarse cellulose articles and fruit for a period of from three to six days. This should be done in the following manner: Immediately on rising drink two or three cups of water--lime-free. BREAKFAST (One hour later) The strained juice of two or three sweet oranges, or a bunch of grapes; grapes preferred A cup of wheat bran, cooked; serve hot, with thin cream LUNCHEON Plain wheat and an equal quantity of coarse wheat bran, cooked until very soft; preferably simmered over night A salad of celery, lettuce and tomatoes, with nuts DINNER About four tablespoonfuls of boiled wheat; also one of bran A baked potato One fresh vegetable Drink copiously of water at all meals. Just before retiring, eat half a pound of grapes, when in season. After the first or second day this bill of fare may be increased in quantity, and heavier fruits added, such as pears, prunes, and very ripe bananas. After the fourth or fifth day, a salad and a few of the lighter vegetables, such as onions, romaine or cabbage, celery, carrots, or other fibrous vegetables may be included. After the first week the diet should be composed of fresh vegetables, coarse cereals, eggs, bananas, nuts, salads, and wheat bran. Those who are emaciated should drink an abundance of water immediately on rising and at meals. They should also take a sufficient quantity of plain wheat bran, or grapes if in season (Concord preferred), eating skins, seeds, and pulp, in order to keep the bowels in normal condition. In cases of extreme emaciation, loss of appetite, or fermentation, the patient should, for a time, adopt a diet of milk and eggs, alternating as follows: The first, second, and third days, drink from two and a half to four quarts of milk, in small quantities--one glass at a time. For the next three days, reduce the quantity of milk, and begin taking six eggs a day, increasing the number, until twelve eggs are taken. Alternate between the milk and the eggs, for a month or more, unless the patient responds in weight in a shorter time. When there is a perceptible gain in weight, and normal hunger has been restored, reduce the milk and the eggs, and add the solid foods already suggested. In cases of Emaciation: OMIT EAT Acid fruits Bananas Coffee Cheese Condiments Coarse cereals Tea Eggs Tobacco Fruits Wines and liquors Dates, figs, raisins Milk Sweet milk or buttermilk Nuts Vegetables, such as-- Beets Lettuce Cabbage Parsnips Carrots Potatoes Celery Spinach Cauliflower Turnips Green beans Green peas The proteid and the carbohydrate foods should predominate in the diet. OBESITY OR OVERWEIGHT [Sidenote: Diet, the governing law of body-weight] It is generally supposed that obesity is a natural result of modern civilization. This theory has no foundation in fact or physiology. Man can be genuinely modern without being obese. The law that governs the growth and graceful symmetry of the human body is based upon dietetics, and the indispensable adjuncts of diet are exercise, oxidation and elimination. A body that is filled with vitality by a perfectly balanced diet will experience the same appetite for motion or exercise that it does for food or drink. Exercise forces more blood to the lungs, and more thorough oxidation is the result. The properly fed young animal, whether brute or human, plays and exercises involuntarily, and the older animal, adequately nourished without being overfed, does not lose its youthful instincts. An observance of the above laws will prevent the accumulation of an excess of fatty tissue. The following table gives the normal weight of natural healthy adults according to height, also the weights considered thin and obese: -----------+-------------------+------------------- | MALES | FEMALES -----------+-------------------+------------------- Height | Weight | Weight -----------+-----+------+------+-----+------+------ Feet Inches| Thin| Fat |Normal| Thin| Fat |Normal -----------+-----+-----+-------+-----+------+------ 5-- -- | 95 | 126 | 110 | 93 | 122 | 111 5-- 1 | 98 | 132 | 115 | 94 | 128 | 116 5-- 2 | 100 | 138 | 120 | 96 | 134 | 118 5-- 3 | 106 | 144 | 125 | 102 | 140 | 121 5-- 4 | 110 | 149 | 130 | 105 | 145 | 126 5-- 5 | 114 | 155 | 135 | 109 | 151 | 131 5-- 6 | 116 | 158 | 138 | 112 | 154 | 134 5-- 7 | 118 | 161 | 140 | 114 | 157 | 136 5-- 8 | 121 | 164 | 143 | 117 | 160 | 140 5-- 9 | 126 | 173 | 150 | 123 | 169 | 145 5-- 10 | 131 | 178 | 155 | 126 | 173 | 150 5-- 11 | 133 | 184 | 160 | 128 | 179 | 155 6-- -- | 136 | 190 | 165 | 131 | 185 | 160 6-- 1 | 140 | 192 | 170 | 135 | 187 | 165 6-- 2 | 148 | 201 | 175 | 143 | 196 | 170 6-- 3 | 152 | 207 | 180 | 147 | 200 | 175 -----------+-----+------+------+-----+------+------ OBESITY--THE CAUSE A very exhausting treatise could be written upon the cause of obesity, but, summing it all up briefly, corpulency is invariably induced through a direct or indirect violation of the laws of nutrition, as exemplified in their wonderful processes of transforming material called food into pulsating life. A combination of commissions and omissions generally conspire to produce the obese body. They may be mentioned in the order of their importance: 1 Overingestion of fat-producing foods 2 Omission of the proper amount of motion or exercise 3 Imperfect oxidation (breathing) 4 The overconsumption of fluids [Sidenote: Obesity caused by overeating] In every case of obesity, one or more of these causes are present. If one is blessed with good digestion and good assimilation, or, in other words, if all the nutriment taken into the body is absorbed into the tissues, then the quantity must be regulated by one's work or labor, otherwise any excess of fat-producing food is stored up by provident Nature, contemplating future use; and if it is not used, by actual work, the result is a gradual accumulation of fatty tissue. Again, if a quantity of food commensurate only with the requirements of mental labor be consumed, and only ordinary body-activity indulged in, there is likely to be a gradual decrease in weight, because a considerable percentage of energy is consumed by the mere carrying on of the vital processes. [Sidenote: Obesity caused by drinking malted liquors] The worst form of obesity, however, is that caused by overconsumption of fermented wines or malted liquors. This form of enlarged tissue contributes no strength whatever to its own support. It is as much of a dead weight as a hod of mortar, and much more useless; in fact, all forms of obesity are not only useless weight, but dangerous to life. The obese body is much more liable to contagious and infectious dis-eases, and when once affected, less able to defend itself than the normal body. OBESITY--THE REMEDY The control of body-weight rests upon three distinct and separate laws, the first and most important of which is nutrition, the second exercise, and the third oxidation. [Sidenote: The storing of fat regulated by labor or activity] While at the outset body-weight may be controlled by increasing the amount of activity sufficiently to use the surplus which Nature is storing away, if however, the activity ceases and the surplus is not used, then the storing process becomes chronic, and radical remedies both in regard to dietetics and activity must be applied in order to bring the body back to normal. [Sidenote: Amount of fat required daily in different climates] A man of normal weight, say 150 pounds, doing ordinary work in a tropical country, would not need to consume more than an ounce of fat each twenty-four hours, while the same man in a northern climate, where the thermometer ranges from zero to 20 below, could use up, with similar labor, from three to four ounces of pure fat daily. Fats, however, do not produce fat in the human body unless taken largely in excess of its needs. Their primary purpose is to keep up the temperature of the body. [Sidenote: Dietetic suggestions for chronic obesity] Where the weight is only from ten to fifteen pounds above normal, a substantial reduction can be made by merely balancing the diet, but where the accumulation of adipose tissue has become chronic, and the body has taken on from twenty to fifty pounds, or more, above normal, then a diet composed largely of non-acid fruits and fresh vegetables should be adopted for a period of from twenty to thirty days. [Sidenote: Foods that produce fat] Carbohydrates, that is to say starch and sugar, are the principal fat-making nutrients, and all people inclined to take on abnormal weight, as a rule, are very fond of, and eat an excess of starchy foods. A great amount of the casein in milk and the phosphorus in eggs are converted into fat, especially if a quantity be taken in excess of the amount used in effort or work. The fat-producing staple foods are: All cereal products All legumes Bread Eggs Milk Potatoes In order, therefore, to remove the causes of obesity, one must begin with the diet. [Sidenote: Foods that reduce fat] Eliminate meat and animal fat; ascertain as nearly as possible the amount of carbohydrates necessary for each day and take none in excess of this quantity. This will stop the accumulation of fatty tissue. If the body is obese, and a reduction of weight is desired, the diet should consist of nuts, fruits, salads, fresh vegetables, and a very limited quantity of eggs, omitting starchy foods entirely. After a week or two of this diet, discontinue the use of eggs, reducing the diet entirely to nuts, fruits, fresh vegetables and salads, which in nearly every case will bring a very substantial reduction in weight, even if the patient takes but little exercise and fresh air. If, however, he can be induced to adopt the above diet, and at the same time take two hours' moderate exercise, either in gymnastics or useful labor, with a reasonable amount of exposure to fresh air, the reduction in weight will be greater, and the muscular tissue and vitality will increase. Inasmuch as fat contributes no item of strength to its own support, if the patient will take a reasonable amount of exercise and fresh air, muscular tissue will increase in the same ratio that fatty tissue decreases. [Sidenote: How menus for obesity may be varied] The menus for obesity may be varied according to the fruits and vegetables at one's command. Fish is the one article among animal food that has much to recommend it, insomuch that it contains an excellent form of proteid and phosphorus. If the taste of the patient should rebel against natural foods, fish would supply these elements better than any form of flesh. The following articles should compose the general diet for the obese under ordinary conditions: Buttermilk Eggs or fish--limited quantity Fruits Green salads Nuts { Such as-- { { Asparagus { Beans { Beets { Carrots Fresh vegetables { Celery { Parsnips { Peas { Pumpkins { Spinach { Squash { Turnips The ordinary obese person should adopt either of the following menus, varying them according to vegetables in season: MENU I MENU II BREAKFAST An orange, or grapes Choose two of the following: One or two eggs, whipped Berries, grapes, peaches, plums, pears, apples, melons, soaked evaporated apricots, peaches, or prunes LUNCHEON Choice of two fresh vegetables, One fresh vegetable cooked A small portion of fish A baked potato A baked potato One very ripe banana, with two tablespoonfuls of nuts DINNER A salad of lettuce or romaine Spanish onions Peas, beans, beets, carrots, or An egg, or a small portion turnips of fish Two tablespoonfuls of nuts Tablespoonful of nuts One egg One or two vegetables A green salad [Sidenote: Foods should be selected according to vocation] If the patient is doing manual labor, the proteid foods, such as milk, cheese, nuts, fish and eggs should be increased according to the work. If, however, the labor is sedative, such as followed by the average business man, the amounts herein prescribed are sufficient. The breakfast should be taken an hour after rising, and the luncheon early, not later than 12 noon, and the dinner not later than 6 p.m. The symptoms during the first two or three days will be that of weakness and perhaps hunger, leaving the impression of under-nourishment. This will disappear after the third or fourth day, and strength will not only return to normal, but the body will feel more energetic than before, and there will be a marked increase in the powers of endurance. If the patient can be induced to "fight it out" for a week on these lines, favorable symptoms will develop so fast that the practitioner will be aided in his work by the mental conviction of the patient, and success will be assured. In cases of Obesity: OMIT EAT Bread products Eggs--limited quantity Cereals Fish or Lobster Dried beans Fresh vegetables Flesh food Fruit Milk Melons Sweets Nuts Succulent vegetables Wheat bran Whole wheat thoroughly cooked (sparingly) Do not drink at meals. NEURASTHENIA That disorder of the nerves known as neurasthenia is expressed in general anemia, or a breaking down of the nervous vitality. This does not indicate, however, that neurasthenia is wholly a dis-ease of the nerves; it merely means that through the nerves the symptoms are given to the brain. [Sidenote: Neurasthenia a last or final warning] Neurasthenia is a signal or warning given by the united voice of all the functions of digestion, secretion, and excretion. Therefore, this disorder does not appear until the body has given fair warning in many other ways, and if proper heed had been given the preceding signals, the nerves would have performed their functions without an outcry. Every so-called dis-ease of the human body, especially of the nervous system, is in reality the voice of Nature telling us of our mistakes, and giving us the opportunity to correct them. Dis-ease, therefore, is not an enemy to the race, but a friend. It is an effort, as it were, in our behalf, of provident Nature to prevent race extinction. Nearly every seeming misfortune with which we are afflicted can be turned to our benefit. We never take a step upward until we are mentally prepared for it; we never become mentally prepared until we have passed through a certain amount and kind of experience. [Sidenote: Education defined] Education reduced to its last analysis is merely the accumulation and co-ordination of useful knowledge; useful knowledge is accumulated only by and through the art of comparison. The more experience we have, the more comparisons we can make. [Sidenote: Ability to make comparisons, measures, ability to enjoy] Country-raised people control the great industries of the city and lead in the nation's great work because they never become _blase_. They have always their homely and primitive child life to draw upon for comparisons. Every good thing, every invention, every step forward and upward, every advancement is appreciated and realized exactly according to their ability to compare these things with their opposites. If the patient should be suffering from mental disturbances called worry, he should be reminded that he is merely a floating mote in the abyss of space, and if the matter composing his form should change from organic to inorganic, from active to inactive; in other words, if he should die, the great planets would move on in their majestic courses and the cosmic scheme would in nowise be interfered with. NEURASTHENIA--THE CAUSE Neurasthenia is caused by a violation of the laws of nutrition, such as overeating, taking intoxicants, tea, coffee, tobacco, stimulating and sedative drugs; an oversupply of certain elements of nourishment and an undersupply of others; failure to eliminate waste; a lack of activity or motion, and improper oxidation. These causes removed, nervousness and all neurasthenic tendencies disappear, and Nature asserts herself and produces physical normality. NEURASTHENIA--THE SYMPTOMS Neurasthenic symptoms are excitability, irritability, mental depression, insomnia, fatigue, exhaustion, emaciation and sometimes hysteria, which very often result in other local disorders, such as extreme constipation or chronic hyperchlorhydria, with a tendency toward weakened sexuality. NEURASTHENIA--THE REMEDY In medical literature there are hundreds of alleged remedies for nervous disorders, yet not one of them attempts to ascertain the causes and to suggest their removal. Drugs only paralyze and stupify the delicate, sensitive nerve fibers that are conveying the intelligence to the brain that something is wrong, and the average man mistakes this for a remedy or a cure. [Sidenote: Unbalanced diet, a primary cause] In the opinion of the writer, neurasthenia would be almost impossible if the body were thoroughly nourished, and the daily bill of fare kept level, or, as we would say in our cash system, "balanced." But when one labors under heavy mental strains, especially that character of burden called worry, and is not properly fed and nourished, the expenditure of force on one side and the lack of supplying it on the other, are very likely to result in an abnormal physical condition called neurasthenia. It is safe to say that all cases of neurasthenia can be traced to improper nourishment on the one hand and abnormal mental tension on the other. [Sidenote: Diet more important than rest] The rest cure has been employed quite successfully for these conditions for many years, and if the proper diet, or what might be called a counteractive or remedial diet, were employed in all the rest cure establishments, they undoubtedly would meet with greater success, but unfortunately some of the best institutions in the country--those best equipped to take care of neurasthenic patients--do not attach any great importance to diet. This comes, no doubt, from the universal lack of information concerning the natural laws governing Food Chemistry, and their particular application to animal life. [Sidenote: Suggestions for the neurasthenic] Neurasthenic patients should first be given rest, which means complete or total diversion from business cares, worry, financial or social responsibility. They should be induced, if possible, to become interested in some special eleemosynary work; some "hobby" that has for its purpose the uplifting of people. The best remedy for the weary or discouraged mind, or the neurasthenic body, is the praise and esteem of people. The suggestions hitherto given for all kindred disorders will apply in most cases of neurasthenia. (See also "Nervousness--Its Cause and Cure," Vol. V, p. 1211.) The patient should be advised to spend at least from three to four hours a day in the open air and sunshine, when the weather will permit, in some quiet way, walking, driving, or in moderate exercise. Most important of all is the diet. It should be balanced according to age, labor, and temperature of the atmosphere, and should consist of-- Such foods as will cause normal action of the bowels Green corn Nuts Rich fresh milk Yolks of eggs Young beans, peas, or any legume before it hardens Immature starch composes the best form of carbohydrate food, which is exceedingly necessary in most cases of neurasthenia, unless the patient be obese, in which event it should be reduced to meet only the requirements of the body, and nitrogenous foods should predominate. A passive form of exercise is very highly recommended, such as all forms of Swedish or mechanical electrical massage. In connection with this the body should be given an olive-oil rub at least twice a week. In cases of Neurasthenia: OMIT EAT Confections All legumes Desserts Cheese Fatty foods Eggs (yolk) Hot drinks Fish--very tender Fresh milk Fresh vegetables Pastries Green corn Rich gravies Nuts Red meat Potatoes Stimulants Tea and coffee White flour products MALNUTRITION CAUSE AND REMEDY Malnutrition is caused mainly by errors in eating, sedentary habits, and lack of fresh air. The remedy, therefore, suggests itself. Level or balance the diet according to the patient's requirements, and advise from two to three hours' vigorous exercise every day, and deep breathing in the open air. All the causes as well as the cure of malnutrition were discussed under the subject of emaciation. (See "Emaciation," p. 477.) LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA THE CAUSE The principal cause of locomotor ataxia is syphilis, the treatment of which has not been sufficiently thorough. So, after lying latent--sometimes for as long a period as twenty years--the disease breaks out again, the germs (which are called _spirochaeta pallida_) assume new virulence, and attack the nervous system--usually the posterior column of the spinal cord. Not infrequently, the optic nerve is also affected, developing what is known as gray atrophy of the nerves. This causes a gradual loss of vision, and finally, relative blindness. Locomotor ataxia may occasionally be brought on by long-continued exposures to wet and cold, injuries to the spinal column, and by excesses of various kinds. But its chief origin is in syphilis--indeed, most European authorities claim that this is its only origin. LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA--THE SYMPTOMS Among the earliest symptoms of ataxia are the so-called lightning or lancinating pains--which come on in paroxyms of varying duration--lasting for hours, or even days at a time. These pains may be burning, tearing, cutting or boring in their nature--and usually affect only the upper half of the body. There is generally, also, a sense of constriction in the throat--as of a choking by the clutch of a hand--and sometimes regurgitation of food, intense pains around the heart or in the epigastrium--with flatulence, eructations, and hiccough. A very common symptom is the so-called "girdle," a sensation as though a rope or band were tightly drawn around the body at the waist. One of the earliest noticeable symptoms is the want of co-ordination--ataxia. This is most pronounced in the lower extremities, and is responsible for the unsteadiness of ataxics in walking or standing. The gait in ataxia is staggering--resembling somewhat the inco-ordination of a man under the influence of alcohol, and there is an exaggerated lifting of the feet and legs with each step. The normal "knee-jerk" reflex--that quick jerk of the foot and lower leg that follows a sharp blow struck below the knee when the leg is held free--is generally abolished. In fact, this failure of the reflexes is usually one of the earliest diagnostic symptoms. Later in the disease the sphincters of the bladder and the anus lose their power to contract, and there is incontinence of both urine and feces. THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET As with any other disease in which there are serious trophic changes, and the generation within the system of toxic products from food decay, it is absolutely indispensable in ataxia to observe the utmost care in the selection of the diet. The food should be light, but nutritious--nourishing and strengthening the system, without, at the same time, putting too great a tax upon the organs of digestion and assimilation. Particular care should be taken to insure daily movements of the bowels, and to see that the kidneys are flushed with a plentiful supply of water drunk each day. LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA--THE REMEDY The generally accepted opinion among medical men is that locomotor ataxia is an incurable disease, and that there is little or nothing that any form of treatment can accomplish that will tend to restore function--or even to arrest the course of the disease, and postpone its fatal termination. With this opinion I beg leave to differ. I am convinced that, by the proper regulation of the diet, limiting the system only to that which it requires for its complete nourishment--giving ample quantities of those foods that are rich in lecithin (or nerve-fat) and phosphorus--such as eggs, milk, whole wheat bread, fish, roe, etc.--much may be done to arrest the progress of the disease. This, in combination with the proper kind of exercise--particularly those forms of which the "Fraenkel Movement System" is an example,--will do a wonderful amount of good in re-educating such groups of nerves in the spinal column as have not yet suffered degenerative changes. The following diet is a mere suggestion, subject to change in order to meet the conditions of temperature, age, and activity. Immediately on rising, the patient should take a few spoonfuls of strained orange juice and drink a cup of hot water. He should also devote a few minutes to deep breathing, and such moderate exercises as he is able to endure. BREAKFAST The whites of four eggs and the yolks of two (If digestion is good, the whites of six eggs may be taken--one yolk to each two whites) A glass of milk A tablespoonful of nuts One very ripe banana with cream Three or four dates LUNCHEON Three or four eggs whipped eight minutes; to each egg add one teaspoonful of lemon juice, and a heaping teaspoonful of sugar; whip this mixture into a quart of milk; drink slowly DINNER Smelts, or any small fish A Spanish onion, baked in casserole dish Corn bread Buttermilk or skimmed milk One fresh vegetable, cooked plain In addition to this diet, there should be a regular daily schedule of exercise and deep breathing, which the patient should be required to carry out with rigid precision and regularity. [Sidenote: Value of exercise and massage] In nearly all cases of locomotor ataxia the body is unable to cast off the generated poisons, or used-up tissue, the result being that the new building material (food) taken in is not appropriated. This condition of atrophy must be overcome by exercise, massage, fomentation (wrapping the patient in a hot, wet blanket), or by anything that will induce excessive superficial circulation. If one afflicted with locomotor ataxia can be induced to arise from his lethargy and exert himself, following the methods herein suggested, a gradual increase in strength is very likely to be experienced inside of two or three months, and sometimes a complete arrest of the process may be expected in time. The writer had a patient, a retired ship captain, who came under his treatment after suffering for twelve years with locomotor ataxia, and after twelve months declared himself cured. The only evidence remaining of his former condition at this writing is shown when he attempts to turn around suddenly, and his control of the lumbar and motor muscles are undergoing such improvement that even this symptom, it seems, will finally disappear. In cases of Locomotor Ataxia: OMIT EAT Drugs of every character Carbohydrates--limited quantity Intoxicants Corn hominy Sex indulgence Dates, figs, honey Stimulants and narcotics {Beans {Buckwheat Foods {Cheese rich in {Eggs proteids {Fresh corn and {Fish albuminoids {Milk such as {Nuts {Peas {Potatoes {Whole wheat Rice Rye COLDS, CATARRH, HAY FEVER, ASTHMA, INFLUENZA [Sidenote: Overeating a common cause of capillary congestion] These disorders are grouped under a general heading because there are a few fundamental laws that affect them all alike. Capillary congestion is a common cause in all these disorders, and anything that will produce this condition will cause, or at least augment catarrh, hay fever, asthma, influenza, and colds. As overeating is the primary cause of congestion throughout the capillary system, it, rather than exposure, is the most common cause of all these disorders. The treatment that will remove or prevent this form of congestion will, therefore, remove a primary cause, when such remedial measures may be employed as each case demands. COLDS--THE CAUSE That condition commonly known as a cold is merely a congestion of effete matter and toxic substances in the body-cells, coming from two causes, and, so far as my experience has been able to guide me, from two causes only, namely: 1 Overeating 2 Exposure to violent atmospheric changes COLDS--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms from both causes manifest themselves in exactly the same way, therefore it becomes very necessary to ascertain what the sufferer has been eating, both as to quantity and as to kind of foods during the previous forty-eight hours. [Sidenote: Colds caused by overeating] It often occurs that colds from overeating are cumulative, that is, the patient habitually takes too much fat, sweets, or meat, especially the two latter articles, and these may have been digested, and their nutritive elements may have passed into the circulation, but the body being unable to use them, they finally begin to decompose and are converted into alcohol and other decomposition products. An excess of this effete matter brought to the lungs is called a "cold." If one who is blessed with good digestion and assimilation should habitually take an amount of nutrition in excess of his needs, it will manifest itself first, perhaps, in the growth of adipose tissue, and later in the various disorders called autointoxication, among which are colds, catarrh, etc. [Sidenote: Colds caused by exposure] If the body be exposed to a violent draft of cold air, and sufficient motion is not exerted to keep the circulation active, or if the feet be exposed to cold and wet, Nature, in obedience to the law of self-defense, closes the pores of the skin against the intrusion, hence the poisonous and effete matter that is constantly passing off through these openings cannot escape, but it is picked up by the blood and carried to the lungs to be oxidized or burned in the process of breathing. [Sidenote: Colds from overeating and exposure, identical] If the amount of poisons thus brought to the lungs be in excess of the amount that can be consumed or burned, a form of congestion will take place (in the lungs) causing first irritation, then suppuration, which must be thrown off in the form of mucus. It matters not whether the congestion is caused by exposure or overeating, the effects are identically the same, and Nature's method of ridding the body of these poisons is the same in either case. The only difference between an ordinary cold and pneumonia is one of degree. COLDS--THE REMEDY Since colds are merely a form of congestion, first in the capillary vessels and next in the lungs, the first thing to be done is to cease eating. The misunderstanding of the old adage "stuff a cold and starve a fever" has killed thousands of ignorant but innocent people. Its real meaning is, if you stuff a cold, you will have to starve an internal fever. In the treatment of colds, I would suggest the following method of procedure: 1 (a) Omit all food except-- {Such as-- {Apples Juice of subacid fruits {Grapes {Peaches {Plums This should be continued until the congestion is relieved, whether it be one day or a week. (For list of subacid fruits, see Lesson VIII, p. 313.) (b) Drink copiously of pure, cool water 2 Select a light diet of-- Nuts Salads White of eggs Fresh watery vegetables Limited quantity of carbohydrates If the cold is severe, a Turkish bath or any treatment that will produce liberal perspiration, will aid in the elimination of body-poisons and the relief of congestion. [Sidenote: Remedial value of fresh air and exercise] Inasmuch as the blood is conveying an excessive amount of poisons to the lungs for oxidation, much depends upon the amount of pure air that is breathed and the cell capacity of the lungs for oxidation; therefore the sufferer, if unable to be out of doors, should be warmly clad and placed before an open window, or on a veranda in the sunshine, if possible, where every breath will be of fresh air. If, however, the patient is able to go out, every moment possible should be spent walking briskly in the open air. Every morning the patient should be given a vigorous "sponge" with a towel dipped in cold water, and rubbed down with a dry one. This should be done in a warm room, with the body well protected from undue exposure. The room should be thoroughly ventilated at night, and in severe cases all garments and sheets used during the day should be thoroughly aired or changed at night. The old methods of drugging and of excluding the air and sunshine, which is in reality poisoning the patient both within and without, is little less than criminal. A cool shower, or a sponge bath, together with a vigorous rub every morning immediately on rising, and a normal quantity of natural food, render the body almost entirely immune from colds, la grippe, and all forms of capillary congestion and effete and toxic (poisonous) substances. (For diet, see volume of Menus, p. 917.) In cases of Colds: OMIT EAT Confections Coarse cereals (very little) Desserts Fresh vegetables Fatty foods Fruit (See p. 524) Flesh foods Light vegetable soups Heavy starchy foods Nuts Intoxicants Wheat bran Whites of eggs CATARRH--THE CAUSE [Sidenote: Decomposition of unused food the primary cause of catarrh] The causes of catarrh are attributed by all old school writers to acute coryza and exposure to irritating dust, or cold, moist, and perhaps infectious air. These may be secondary causes and may augment catarrh after it has appeared, but experience has proved that the primary cause of catarrh is the decomposition of unused food material, and that Nature throws off the decomposition products resulting therefrom, through the nasal passage, in the form of mucus. In the support of this theory I may refer to many cases of ordinary stomach trouble, constipation, torpidity of the liver, etc., that have had my personal care. In nearly all these cases I found that, when the diet was balanced according to the age and the occupation of the patient, with the climate or time of the year, practically all catarrhal symptoms disappeared, and exposure to atmospheric changes, dust, and the usual things that had formerly brought on catarrhal conditions, did not affect the patient. CATARRH--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of catarrh are constant secretion of nasal mucus, which often passes off into the postnasal and nasopharyngeal spaces. This mucus is usually thin and of a light-colored watery character, varying in quantity according to exposure or activity, the quantity of food eaten, and the temperature of the atmosphere. CATARRH--THE REMEDY In the treatment of catarrh, avoid the following: All meats Heavy starchy foods (Especially white flour products) Sweets (See Lesson VIII, p. 334) The diet should consist of-- A reasonable quantity of proteid foods in the form of-- Beans Peas Eggs Sour milk Nuts Bananas Coarse cereals--twice a day; such as entire wheat and rye Fish (small quantity, occasionally) Fresh vegetables Green watery salads Non-acid fruits Wheat bran-- (Enough to keep the bowels in normal condition) [Sidenote: Nasal breathing] Deep breathing through the nostrils and vigorous exercise should be taken freely, especially just after rising and just before retiring. Special attention should be given to breathing through the nose. When the air is pure, there is nothing more healing and remedial in the treatment of catarrh than the abundant passage of air through the nasal cavities. In cases of Catarrh: OMIT EAT All meats A reasonable {Beans Heavy starchy foods (white flour quantity of {Eggs and grain products) Proteids {Nuts Stimulants and narcotics such as {Peas Sweets {Sour milk Bananas Coarse cereals--entire wheat and rye Fish, occasionally Fresh vegetables Green watery salads Non-acid fruits Take vigorous exercise, together with deep breathing through the nose. HAY FEVER Hay fever might be called autumnal catarrh. It is popularly supposed to be irritation of the nasal passages and the bronchial tubes, caused by the flying pollen from various flowers and plants. HAY FEVER--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of hay fever are usually a salty discharge from the eyes and the nostrils, followed by severe irritation of the mucous lining of the nasal cavity, a sense of fullness in the head, and violent sneezing. HAY FEVER--THE REMEDY It has not been the writer's opportunity to examine deeply into the actual causes of hay fever, but it has been his good fortune to cure many cases. The remedy should be confined to-- Fresh air and sunshine Close observation of the rules of diet Total abstinence from all forms of stimulants and narcotics I would suggest the following diet: Berries Eggs Fish (Limited quantity) Green and fresh vegetables Sour milk (Buttermilk) (Where this kind of milk cannot be obtained, the ordinary sweet milk will suffice) The diet must be governed, as already explained in many other cases, by the individual requirements of the patient in regard to the amount of exercise, the temperature of the atmosphere, and the age of the patient. In spring and summer is the ideal time to remove the causes of hay fever and effect its cure. (See Catarrh.) In cases of Hay Fever: OMIT EAT Coffee {Bananas Confections {Berries Condiments Abundance {Fresh Liquors and wines of {vegetables Tea {Green salads Tobacco {Sweet fruits White flour products Limited {Eggs quantity {Fish {Sour milk (buttermilk) The diet should be governed by amount of exercise, temperature, etc. ASTHMA THE CAUSE The cause of asthma is congestion in, or constriction of, the bronchial tubes. This congestion is usually caused by overeating and the excessive use of narcotics and stimulants such as tobacco, liquors, and beer. The excessive use of sugar and starches, or what is generally known as carbohydrates, will set up a form of difficult breathing, or at least augment asthmatic tendencies. This condition is more likely to occur among those whose lungs are weakened and who have a tendency toward consumption. ASTHMA--THE SYMPTOMS There are but few conditions preceding asthma that can properly be called symptoms. The attacks are usually violent and frequently come on late at night. The patient suffers with a sense of asphyxia, which causes the impression of death from suffocation. ASTHMA--THE REMEDY The causes of asthma can be removed by diet, fresh air and exercise. If the patient can take a reasonable amount of exercise, sunshine and fresh air, the cure will be more rapid, but if this cannot be done, the diet can be limited so that there will be but little waste, therefore little congestion, and the necessity for exercise and fresh air will be reduced to the minimum. In cases of asthma, the diet should be confined to-- Egg albumin Limited quantity of nuts (No more than two ounces per day) An abundance of-- Fresh and green vegetables Fruits Salads If meat be taken at all, it should be confined to fish, young and tender game, or fowl, although these articles are not recommended. If the patient be obese or above normal weight, the diet given for obesity should be rigidly observed. If of normal weight, the body should be fed somewhat below its physical requirements, even if a radical loss in weight should be experienced for the first three or four weeks. If the patient is emaciated, then the diet should consist of six or eight eggs, and about one quart of milk daily, together with sweet fruits and fresh vegetables. Milk may be given in larger quantities, up to three quarts daily, if all other food except eggs be omitted. In cases of Asthma: OMIT EAT All intoxicants About two ounces of nuts per day (no more) Coffee Condiments {Fruits Confections Abundance {Salads Red meat of {Fresh green vegetables Tobacco Egg albumin If any meat, it should be fish or tender fowl INFLUENZA THE CAUSE [Sidenote: Bacteria the result, not the cause] This disorder is popularly supposed to be of bacteriological origin, but upon this question the scientific world is much divided. In the opinion of the writer the cause of influenza cannot be traced to bacteria or any other form of germ life. Bacteria is nearly always present in decomposing animal matter. It is the opinion of the writer, therefore, that bacteria is the result and not the cause of influenza. It might be described as an acute activity of the entire system in throwing off accumulated waste or toxic substances. This process of excretion will become more difficult at certain times, during violent changes in temperature, and many people in small communities may be similarly afflicted, which no doubt gives rise to the theory that it is a disease of germ origin. INFLUENZA--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms are headache, languor, sometimes nausea and congestion in the lungs, together with acute irritation of the nasal passages. INFLUENZA--THE REMEDY The logical remedy is normal temperature of environment, abundance of fresh air, and omission of all solid food. There are two specific forms of diet to be recommended-- 1 A liquid diet entirely, such as-- Juice of berries Orange juice Milk Very thin vegetable soups 2 Confine diet entirely to-- Nuts Fruits Fresh green vegetables 3 Eliminate fats, starches, sugars Either of the above suggestions will be sufficient to control an ordinary case of influenza if it is rigidly adhered to. In the spring and summer, the latter diet would be recommended, while in winter, when green and fresh vegetables, fruits, etc., cannot be procured, the milk diet should be given. In cases of influenza, see menus for colds, hay fever, and catarrh. Take choice, giving preference to those prescribed for hay fever. Whichever menu is chosen, it should be taken in its entirety; that is, do not select the meals from two or three menus. INSOMNIA THE CAUSE The inability to sleep is caused: 1 By intestinal congestion or sluggish intestinal peristalsis 2 By irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines 3 By the presence of gas, superacidity, and the consequent irritation and excitation of the nerves leading out from the digestive tract 4 By the use of tobacco 5 By the consumption of stimulants and narcotics, which are so universal and so life-destroying The effects of (4) and (5) upon the stomach are much the same as those of overeating, in that they invariably cause supersecretion of acid, and, in the majority of instances, produce false appetite, thus augmenting the baneful habit of overeating. INSOMNIA--THE REMEDY The logical remedy for insomnia is first to eliminate the use of tea, coffee, tobacco, distilled and malted liquors, and drugs of every kind whatsoever, as the ultimate effect upon the stomach of all these things is the same. When this has been done, the amount of food required by the body, governed by the three laws of age, work, and temperature of environment, should be accurately laid out so that the quantity of food may be controlled and overeating avoided. [Sidenote: Cases necessitating a special remedial diet] The diet should also be balanced according to the chemical needs of the body heretofore mentioned. In a a majority of cases, when the food scientist can prevail upon his patient to confine himself to a normal quantity of food, reasonably well balanced as to nutrient elements, the stomach will perform its natural functions, and fermentation with its long train of ills will gradually disappear. This can, in many instances, be accomplished by merely standing out of Nature's way, but in some cases the stomach, liver, intestines, and nervous system have been so long abused and so impaired that they seem to have entered into a conspiracy for mutual protection, hence may not yield to the "normal quantity" or "balanced dietary" remedy. In these cases a remedial diet must be followed, such as will restore the balance by omitting altogether the elements on which the patient had been overfed, and taking an excessive quantity of the elements for the lack of which the patient had been suffering. The following menus should be adopted in the treatment of ordinary cases of Insomnia: SUMMER WINTER BREAKFAST BREAKFAST Cantaloup Hot water A baked banana Wheat bran, cooked Wheat bran, cooked Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked Thin cream LUNCHEON LUNCHEON A baked potato or fresh corn Vegetable soup DINNER DINNER Choice of one of the following: Choice of one of the following: Beans Peas Cabbage Parsnips Carrots Spinach Carrots Turnips Corn Squash Eggplant A potato--eat skins and all One two-minute egg Wheat bran A baked potato In cases of insomnia: OMIT EAT Distilled and malted liquors All fresh vegetables Drugs of every kind Coarse cereals, boiled whole Desserts Egg whites Flesh foods Leafy salads Soda-fountain drinks Nuts Tea and coffee Wheat bran, if constipated White bread Mastication should be very thorough. Eat sparingly at the evening meal. Two meals a day preferred, 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Drink plain water. RHEUMATISM--GOUT These disorders are grouped under the same heading because they are of identical origin. [Sidenote: Why rheumatism manifests itself largely in the joints] In the average body of five feet eight inches in height, there are about 2,000 miles of tubing, classified under the various names of arteries, veins, capillaries, and nerves. Altogether this is called the circulatory system. A vast amount of this system is infinitely small. Every atom of food taken into the circulation that is not used or converted into energy passes into some of these infinitely small tubes and nerve fibers. These tubes are susceptible of considerable expansion in the fleshy part of the body, but where they pass through the joints or cartilage, there is but little expansion. There these undissolved atoms are most likely to congest, therefore the first expression of rheumatism is usually in the joints. If it takes place at the terminals (fingers or toes), it is called gout; if in the muscles, it is called muscular or inflammatory rheumatism. This congestion accounts for the stiffness and lack of elasticity in the joints. These accumulated atoms become in time almost as hard as bone. RHEUMATISM--THE CAUSE The cause of both rheumatism and gout are practically the same--that is, overeating, especially of flesh and starchy foods. _Meat_ and _bread_ are the two things that cause nearly all rheumatism, though rheumatic symptoms often appear among vegetarians, caused by the overconsumption of starchy food, especially when acid fruits are used. The ideal diet for producing rheumatism is cereals, white bread, meat, acid fruit and eggs. RHEUMATISM--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of rheumatism often manifest themselves a year or more before an attack comes on. The _earlier_ symptoms are-- Languor, stupidity and dulness in the morning Impaired circulation and a sense of body-heaviness The _later_ symptoms are pain in the joints or muscles, often followed by inflammation and severe soreness and stiffness. The rheumatic usually has good digestion. In fact, it is the ability of the digestive organs to force more nutrition into the circulation than is needed, that produces this dis-ease. In nearly all cases of rheumatism and gout the patient will be found to have been a large consumer of starchy food, especially of the cereal family, which is the most difficult of all starches to dissolve. GOUT--THE CAUSE [Sidenote: An excess of starch causes an excess of acid] The primary cause of gout is faulty metabolism; behind this, however, are other causes. The metabolic process is rendered faulty or incomplete by the overingestion of heavy starchy foods. This excess of starch, which the body is not able to appropriate or use, becomes acted upon by the excess of acid which is always present when too much starch is consumed. This harmful process is often augmented by the eating of fruit-acids such as grapefruit, lemons, oranges, pineapples, and other citrus-fruits. In addition to these causes the uric acid residual in meat and in the yolk of eggs is an important factor in the causation of gouty or rheumatic conditions. GOUT--THE SYMPTOMS The earlier symptoms of gout are nervousness, irritability, and sometimes insomnia. In the second stages, shooting pains through the fingers and toes are experienced, and later a swelling or a slight inflammation of these terminals. After this acute condition has existed for perhaps a year, the pain may cease and the joints may begin to swell. Knots are also often formed, especially upon the hands, and sometimes upon the feet. RHEUMATISM, GOUT--THE REMEDY The remedy for these disorders may be said to lie wholly within the realm of diet, exercise and oxidation, supplemented by a liberal superficial application of heat, such as Turkish and electric light baths. In all cases of rheumatism and gout, the following should be omitted: All acid fruits, such as, Grapefruit Lemons Limes Oranges Pineapples Eggs Red meats Starchy foods (Carbohydrate class) The diet should be confined to-- Fish and white meat of fowl Fresh vegetables Nuts Salads Sweet and non-acid fruits (See Lesson VIII, p. 313) [Sidenote: How to prevent the active principle of rheumatism] If the diet were confined wholly to green salads, fresh vegetables and white meats, it would remove the causes of these disorders, and inasmuch as Nature is always striving to create perfect health, the cause being removed, she would begin at once to apply the remedy, by removing the congested mass of undissolved calcareous matter, atom by atom. Thus the active principle of rheumatism would disappear. Where the joints have become enlarged, the best that can be done is to render them flexible. It is almost impossible to take out of them all the accumulated deposits, and to reduce them to their natural or normal size. [Sidenote: Natural perspiration vs. artificial in the treatment of rheumatism] In addition to the above-named restrictive diet, the patient should be given sufficient exercise each day to generate enough heat to cause perspiration. It is well to remember that one drop of perspiration forced out of the body by activity is worth a dozen drawn out of the body by the application of superficial heat, such as the Turkish bath. Natural perspiration should come from exercise (muscular friction). This is the method designed by Nature to throw poisonous substances to the surface in the form of sweat, thereby demolishing the old cell and making a place for the new. The Turkish bath and massage is the lazy man's method of cheating Nature, and cannot possibly bring as good results as can obedience to the natural law of motion. In cases of Rheumatism and Gout: OMIT EAT All acid fruits-- Buttermilk Grapefruit Fish and white meat of fowl Lemons Fresh vegetables Limes Nuts Oranges Potatoes Pineapples Salads (green) Coffee Sweet fruits (non-acid) Eggs Liquors, wines, beers Red meat Starchy foods Tobacco Eat rather sparingly, especially at the evening meal. BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE This disorder is confined entirely to the kidneys. In its final analysis it is nothing more than consumption or destruction of the kidneys by thrusting upon them a greater amount of waste matter than they are capable of throwing off, the result being (1) irritation; (2) ulceration; (3) suppuration or consumption. BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE CAUSE The causes of Bright's dis-ease are overingestion of food, especially sweets, starches and meats; the taking of stimulants and narcotics, and the consequent failure of the body to eliminate the poisons or waste accumulating therefrom. BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of Bright's dis-ease are scant amount of urine, heavily laden with solids and fatty granules, while leucocytes and even red blood-corpuscles are often shown, especially in advanced cases. Dull pains in the small of the back, and a general weakening in the lumbar regions are common symptoms. BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE REMEDY [Sidenote: Prevention of Bright's dis-ease by correct feeding] It has been popularly supposed, and announced from many alleged sources of authority, that there is no remedy for this dis-ease, and from the standpoint of Materia Medica this probably is correct, but from the standpoint of the natural scientist there is a remedy. However, Bright's dis-ease, like all others herein discussed, can better be prevented than cured, and under a correct dietetic regimen, with plenty of exercise and fresh air, the kidneys, like every other organ of the body, will perform their normal functions. When Bright's dis-ease has made its appearance, the first thing to be ascertained is the character of the diet and the general habits of eating and drinking during the previous two or three years; secondly, the occupation or habits of exercise, especially exposure to fresh air and sunshine. BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE--THE TREATMENT A very restricted diet should be observed, consisting largely of the following: Fresh vegetables Green salads Subacid fruits The fine cereals--(Such as barley and rice) Milk and eggs--(limited quantity) All _sweets_ taken should be in the form of sweet fruits. (See Lesson VIII, p. 313). Milk is very beneficial in this condition--especially when taken in the form of buttermilk, clabbered milk, koumyss or zoolak. The lactic acid ferments in the sour milk help to destroy the germs of putrefaction in the intestines, which are always one of the aggravating causes of Bright's disease. Sometimes an exclusive acid milk diet for a while works wonders. [Sidenote: Suggestions for diet in different seasons] If the patient is under treatment in the spring and summer, as many green plants and fresh sweet fruits as possible should be taken, in connection with the milk, eliminating cereal starch entirely. In the fall and winter, the many varieties of apples and autumn vegetables may be taken in liberal quantities. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR BRIGHT'S DIS-EASE In the majority of cases it is well to first put the patient on a short fast of about twenty-four hours, and then begin the diet with articles containing a liberal quantity of cellulose, such as the entire wheat, boiled; celery, cooked in casserole dish. Keep the bowels open by the use of wheat bran, or grapes, if they are in season, swallowing skins, seeds and pulp. As in all sympathetic disorders, an abundance of pure, cool water should be taken and as much time as possible should be spent in the open air and sunshine. Care should be taken to limit the diet to the minimum so that the excretory organs can easily eliminate all waste matter, and so that there may be no further poisonous accumulations. In cases of Bright's Dis-ease: OMIT EAT Drugs Abundance of nuts (Italian pine nut) Flesh of every kind Fine cereals--barley, rice Intoxicants Fresh vegetables Rich desserts Green salads Sweets Limited quantity of milk and eggs Sweets in form of fruit-sugar, such as dates, figs, raisins (limited quantity) Subacid fruits Wheat bran with evening meal The diet should be somewhat restricted. Drink an abundance of pure water. DIABETES This disorder may be described as one of malassimilation from the stomach, liver, kidneys, and intestines, but to the trained student it is better described as a condition in which the capacity of the body to burn or use grape-sugar has become chronically depressed. It is usually supplemented by a lack of physical exercise and elimination of body-poisons. DIABETES--THE CAUSE From the above explanation it will be seen that diabetes, like all other dis-eases of the digestive organs, is caused directly by errors in eating--overconsumption of carbohydrates (sweets and starches), and albuminoids. These errors are augmented by inactivity, causing lack of assimilation or utilization of nutritive elements. DIABETES--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of diabetes are intense thirst and appetite, copious passing of urine and the presence of excessive quantities of sugar and uric acid therein. DIABETES--THE REMEDY The selecting, proportioning and balancing of the daily menu, together with an observance of the natural laws hitherto laid out, will prevent diabetes, but after it has made its appearance the remedy lies in simple and limited feeding. The sufferer should be put upon a rigid diet of fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits, and salads. If the body has not been trained to accept these foods, the diet might consist of the following: Bloodless (white) meats Eggs Fats--reasonable quantity (Olive-oil, butter, cream) Fish Fresh vegetables Green salads--generous quantity Nuts If the patient be _overweight_, the diet should consist largely of subacid fruits and nuts. If _underweight_, a liberal quantity of sour milk should be given, especially whole soured milk in which the cream is also present. [Sidenote: Diet in extreme cases of diabetes] In extreme cases the patient should be required to subsist upon Pignolia (the pine) nuts, and green or fresh vegetables uncooked. The writer knows of a gentleman suffering from a very advanced case of diabetes, who, in utter despair, adopted a diet consisting entirely of pine nuts, merely because they appealed to his taste, while nothing else did. A noticeable change for the better was seen in a week, especially in regard to the amount of sugar passed in the urine. He adhered rigidly to this diet for nearly three months. He then added green salads and carrots, and the seventh and eighth months a few fresh cooked vegetables, and was pronounced thoroughly cured before the year had expired. This might have been due partly to the limited bill of fare, but undoubtedly it was largely due to the food elements contained in this wonderful product of the Italian pine. In cases of Diabetes: OMIT EAT Condiments All fresh vegetables, cooked-- Confections preferably in casserole dish Irritants Nuts Pastries Baked potatoes Red meats Coarse whole cereals thoroughly Stimulants and narcotics cooked--small quantity Sweets Fish White flour products Milk (sour) Very ripe subacid fruit White meat of fowl Drink an abundance of pure water. In treating diabetes, foods containing starch and sugar should not be wholly eliminated from the diet, but should be administered in limited proportions, or such quantities as the body could use. Starches and sugars contained in cereals and legumes, however, should in extreme cases be omitted because they are difficult to digest and to assimilate. If the digestion is impaired, the body is likely to cast out these valuable nutrients through the kidneys, rather than labor to digest and to assimilate them. The starches and sugars found in fresh vegetables (See table, Vol. III, p. 614), are easily digested and assimilated, therefore in cases of diabetes the body will use or appropriate them, as this entails less energy than that required to cast them out. CONSUMPTION For many centuries chemists, scientists, and medical men generally have been vainly battling with this dis-ease. It is only within the past decade that it has been understood or successfully treated. Consumption is an infection of the lungs by the bacteria called bacillus tuberculosis. The local inflammation produces lesions, and the formation of small growths (nodules) of gray, white, or yellowish tubercles. [Sidenote: Authorities differ concerning the bacillus] It is yet an open question and a matter of grave doubt in the minds of various authorities on this subject as to whether the bacilli is the real _cause_, or the _result_ of the dis-ease. The fact that a person or an animal afflicted with tuberculosis was in "susceptible condition" is much emphasized by all authorities. [Sidenote: Predisposing conditions and occupations] Such disorders as catarrh, influenza, chronic colds, etc., are all predisposing conditions. Such trades as metal grinding, spinning, weaving, cleaning grain, street sweeping, or any vocation necessitating the breathing of large quantities of dust, are termed predisposing occupations, which show very clearly that all writers are practically agreed that the real cause is undoubtedly due to imperfect oxidation or impaired use of the lungs. The above conditions may be brought on from two specific causes-- 1 By the habitual overingestion of food, and the consequent congestion of effete matter in the lungs, brought thither by the circulation in its effort to dispose of the waste-products by burning them with oxygen. 2 Through the agency of foreign substances breathed in, which gradually congest, and prevent thorough oxidation and normal activity of the excretory function of the lungs. [Sidenote: Bacilli the result, not the cause of consumption] The opinion of the writer is that the bacillus above referred to is the result and not the cause of this dis-ease, and that such living organisms (bacilli) are created in the economy of Nature to dispose of this congested matter, just as she, in her provident economy, disposes of the carcass of a dead animal. [Sidenote: Facts shown by experiments and by modern treatment of consumption] The fact that a tuberculosis culture, deposited in the lungs of another animal, reproduces the dis-ease, proves nothing, as it may have been planted in susceptible soil, well prepared for the growth and the development of the bacteria. The fact that some very healthy animals did not contract the dis-ease by this method, supports the theory that if conditions are not favorable the culture is killed by the process of oxidation. This sustains the theory that the bacillus tuberculosis is the result, and not the cause of this dread dis-ease. This theory is further supported by the results of the most modern and only successful methods of treating it. CONSUMPTION--THE TREATMENT When beginning treatment, the tubercular patient should be restricted as to diet for the purpose of giving Nature an opportunity to make use of every atom of food taken into the body, leaving nothing to go to waste. The diet should consist almost wholly of vegetable fats, sour milk, nuts, fruits, salads, and eggs, with a limited amount of readily digestible carbohydrates. The following menu is given as a fair example of selection as to quantity and combinations: BREAKFAST Cantaloup, orange, grapes, pears, or persimmons Two or three eggs, whipped five minutes, adding a teaspoonful of lemon juice, and one of sugar to each egg LUNCHEON A green salad eaten with nuts, a dash of lemon juice and olive-oil One or two fresh vegetables, including a baked potato One egg prepared as for breakfast A glass of sour milk DINNER A green salad, with nuts and oil Eggs or buttermilk One or two fresh vegetables A baked potato The above menus may be increased in quantity after the first week or ten days, at least sufficient to meet all physical requirements, and the articles may be changed according to seasons. [Sidenote: Dietetic suggestions for spring and summer in consumptive cases] In spring and summer all kinds of fruits and berries may be used, and such vegetables as squash, asparagus, spinach, beets, green peas and beans, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and green corn. All of these vegetables should be cooked in a casserole dish. The bowels should be kept free. (See treatment for "Constipation," p. 437.) Drink copiously of pure water. [Sidenote: Suggestions for the treatment of mild cases of consumption] If the patient is not far advanced, he should seek employment which affords constant exercise in the open air, preferably in the hills or mountains, and the labor should be of such a character as to cause normal activity of the liver and the bowels, and to enforce deep respiration. A spirometer or lung-measuring machine should be secured, and the patient should practise upon this night and morning, endeavoring each day to register from one to five cubic inches more than the previous day, until every air cell of the lungs is opened and the full capacity is reached, which should be about 315 cubic inches for the average man, and 250 for the woman of normal size. [Sidenote: General rules of hygiene in consumptive cases] Contrary to usual customs and theories, the patient should take a cool sponge bath every morning, in a warm room, except in very cold weather. It should be followed by a vigorous rub down and deep breathing. Wear thin cotton under-clothes. Dress as lightly as possible, except when exposed where exercise or motion cannot be taken, such as riding in an open car or vehicle. Nature's method of producing hardihood and increasing endurance is by means of exposure. The house-plant life is conducive and favorable to tuberculosis. [Sidenote: Importance of perfect oxidation] The most important thing in the treatment of this dis-ease is perfect oxidation (breathing). Every cell of the lungs should be filled at every breath. The lungs should be filled to their extreme capacity, one hundred or more times a day, with pure, fresh, dustless air. The patient should never breathe the same breath twice; especially should he not breathe the air that has been used by other people, or by pet animals in a closed room. In order to carry out this regimen, it is necessary to live out of doors day and night, winter and summer. The tubercular patient should sleep in a tent, or upon an open piazza every night, regardless of the weather or the temperature of the atmosphere. If these rules were observed the white plague would lose some of its terrors. In cases of Consumption: OMIT EAT Coffee Cheese Meat Eggs Stimulants { Preferably-- Sweets { Carrots Tea { Dried beans, Tobacco Fresh { Onions vegetables { Peas { Parsnips { Potatoes { Pumpkin { Squash Figs Milk Raisins HEART TROUBLE [Sidenote: The heart, a sentinel of the body] The heart may well be called the thermometer of the body. Under normal conditions it is never heard from, but under abnormal conditions it is the first and the most reliable sentinel of the body. It stands eternally on duty and sends its danger signals to the brain with truthful accuracy, whether the trouble be of physical, mental, or emotional origin. A word or a sound sent through the air enters the ear and is analyzed by the brain, but the heart registers accurately its effect upon the physical body. We see a face or an occurrence a block away, and through the optic nerves it is comprehended by the brain, but the heart alone registers or gives back to the brain the effect upon the body. [Sidenote: Necessity for heeding the symptoms of the heart] This little engine, but little bigger than one's fist, pumps about twenty tons of blood every day above its own level in every body of average size, besides sending the life fluids of the blood-serum with lightning speed to the parts of the remotest anatomy, carting away the effete and poisonous matter to the lungs to be burned with oxygen, and carrying new building material from cell to cell for repairs. Should we not, therefore, take good care of, and heed the warnings of so wonderful a piece of automatic mechanism? Should we not study all its symptoms told in a language sympathetic and truthful, and as unerring as the laws that govern the movement of worlds in space? [Sidenote: Some undefined technical terms] The heart gives off various symptoms indicating the different kinds of sins we commit against the natural laws of our organisms. Medical men have named some of these symptoms as follows: Dilation, hypertrophy, atrophy, aneurism, inflammation, valvular derangement, etc., but in none of their reference works are the causes of these so-called dis-eases clearly defined. Fatty degeneration is the only one that is explained, the term meaning that the heart has been deprived of room in which to do its work, owing to surrounding fatty accumulations. HEART TROUBLE--THE CAUSE The blood enters the heart through the superior venae cavae flowing to the right lobe or auricle, then it is pumped by the heart beats to the right ventricle. From here it is forced through the pulmonary artery to the lungs where it is purified and charged with the oxygen we breathe. From the lungs the blood returns through the pulmonary veins to the left auricle of the heart, and then to the left ventricle. Having passed once through the purifying plant and twice through the distributing station, it is now sent out through the large systematic artery and distributed to every capillary cell of the body. [Sidenote: Heart trouble caused by (carbon dioxid) gas] From the accumulation of gas caused by fermenting food the transverse colon becomes very much distended. This interferes with the free flow of blood into and out of the heart, causing at times a very faint heart action from a lack of inflow, and again a very heavy, rapid action when the blood spurts through. This produces dizziness and vertigo, and sometimes where the inflow is greater than the heart can discharge, there is arterial overflow; the heart ceases action, and the victim falls prostrate, and sometimes dies. (See "Fermentation--The Symptoms," p. 426.) [Sidenote: Heart trouble caused by calcareous substances] Many cases of serious heart trouble are caused by habitual overeating, especially of grain and grain products. The calcareous substances from these products are deposited in the capillary vessels and in the joints, causing rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, lumbago, gout, and other evidences of our lack of knowledge. When the one thus afflicted follows a sedentary occupation, taking but little fresh air and exercise, a hardening or stiffening of the arteries is usually the result. It is safe to say that if one would eat moderately, omit stimulants and narcotics, take but a limited quantity of starchy foods, a liberal amount of fresh air, deep breathing and exercise, heart trouble would be unknown. HEART TROUBLE--THE REMEDY [Sidenote: Diet for heart trouble] For the treatment of those who are afflicted with heart trouble I would suggest a very limited diet of nuts, fruits, salads, fresh tuber and green vegetables, eggs, and a limited quantity of coarse foods, such as boiled whole wheat, wheat bran, grapes (seeds and all), and all coarse vegetables, with an abundance of mild exercise and fresh air. [Sidenote: Exercise for heart trouble] In cases of heart trouble no greater mistake can be made than to cease exercise, as is often prescribed by well-meaning doctors. This is compromising with the enemy, with absolute certainty of ultimate defeat. Exercise, above all, is the very thing that is most needed. The patient should begin moderately at first, daily increasing the time and the tensity of the work until a balance is established between the intake and the outflow of blood to the heart. For foods to be eaten and omitted in cases of heart trouble, see p. 573. Also see menus for Fermentation. DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN There are two distinct kinds of skin dis-eases, namely-- 1 Local 2 Constitutional The _local_ is that which manifests itself in the form of pimples or eruptions which come and go, and are of only a few days' duration. The second, or _constitutional_ kind, is that which manifests itself by a permanent irritation or inflammation, which is classified as eczema, psoriasis, etc. DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN--THE CAUSE [Sidenote: Local disorders] The local or temporary disorders are caused and controlled entirely by diet, usually overeating. Sometimes overingestion of some one particular food; for instance, too much acid taken in the form of berries, or citrus-fruits, will often produce an eruption or a rash within a few hours after eating. [Sidenote: Eruptions augmented by autointoxication] That form of pimples or eruptions caused by overeating is usually augmented by constipation or by some form of intestinal congestion, which has been given the impressive title of autointoxication. Autointoxication is a broad word that seems to have been invented, not for the purpose of explaining, but for the purpose of evading the necessity of explaining. The meaning of this word (self-poisoning) has been narrowed down by the profession to describe the above conditions, but in reality it should be applied to all forms of self-poisoning by overeating; eating the wrong combinations of food; the use of all stimulants and narcotics, such as tobacco, tea, coffee, liquor and wines of all kinds. In fact, self-poisoning from the last-named sources is as common as from errors in eating, and much more difficult to control. Nearly all dis-eases are traceable directly to unexcreted poisons which the body has been unable to throw off. These poisons are from two sources: 1 The natural poisons or gases that accumulate in the body under normal conditions, which, if prevented in any manner from passing off, will cause some kind of disorder which would come under the head of autointoxication. 2 The poisons that accumulate under abnormal conditions, such as hitherto described, and which are very often made manifest by eruptions of the skin. [Sidenote: Constitutional disorders] That form of skin dis-ease known as eczema has baffled the medical world for many centuries. It has hitherto been treated locally by the most skilled and learned specialists, in the belief that it was of bacteriological origin, but modern experiments in the field of food chemistry have demonstrated the fact that it can be cured by scientific feeding, therefore it is only fair to assume that its origin or primary cause is due to some form of self-poisoning, caused by errors in eating and faulty metabolism. DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN--THE TREATMENT If a rash should appear on the skin after eating acid fruit or berries, one would naturally know the remedy; namely, omit acids, limit the quantity of food at the next meal, drink copiously of pure water and breathe an abundance of fresh air. The same general remedy should be observed in all cases. [Sidenote: Preliminary treatment for dis-eases of the skin] The pimples or eruptions will gradually disappear when the causes are removed, and the same rule will apply to eczema or any chronic form of skin irritation. The patient should first be put upon a short fast of two or three days' duration, and caused to perspire freely each day for an hour or so. This can be accomplished by the aid of the Turkish bath, but preferably by exercise. On the first day the fast should be broken by taking either the juice of such fruits as plums, peaches, apples, grapes, and pears, or the juice of cantaloup and watermelon. DIET FOR DIS-EASES OF THE SKIN The diet should be gradually broadened by the addition of green salads, uncooked carrots, onions and turnips, and a limited quantity of such cooked vegetables as spinach, asparagus, squash, fresh corn, green peas or beans when in season. Later, the diet should be confined mainly to egg whites, skimmed milk, nuts, sweet fruits, salads, fresh green vegetables, including a very limited quantity of sugar and coarse cereals, two or three times a week. DIET FOR CHRONIC ECZEMA In extreme and chronic cases of eczema the diet should be confined entirely to green salads, sweet fruits, fresh vegetables, and about two ounces of olive-oil daily, feeding the body always somewhat below its normal requirements as indicated by hunger. Under this diet and regimen the patient will, of course, lose weight and possibly strength, but the body will so completely make use of all nutrition and the elimination of all waste will be made so completely, through the excretory channels, that the dis-ease will gradually disappear, owing to the removal of its primary causes. For "Sweet Fruits," see Lesson VIII, p. 313. APPENDICITIS There are three large colons in the intestinal tract which form an inverted U, the "ascending," "transverse," and "descending" colons. The descending colon is situated on the left side, its lower part opening into the rectal cavity. The ascending colon, located on the right side, connects with the small intestines, while the transverse colon goes across at a point opposite the navel, connecting the two. [Sidenote: The vermiform appendix a useful organ] To the lower part of the ascending colon is attached the vermiform appendix. Authorities are much divided as to the function of this organ. Many claim that it is a relic of anthropoid man, while others contend that it is a useful and important part of the anatomy. In the opinion of the writer it secretes a valuable digestive fluid and therefore performs a function valuable both to digestion and to alimentation. In the ascending colon is the only place in the thirty-six feet of intestinal tubing where the fecal matter must rise against the law of gravity, therefore, if there is any congestion throughout this canal, it is most likely to occur in this colon. While the bowels may seem to act normally, yet, owing to the tremendous amount of waste matter necessary to be conveyed from the body, and the peristaltic action involved in moving it along, especially at this point, some of the fecal matter often lodges under the small folds and in the flexuous surfaces of this colon, decomposing and causing an acute form of inflammation. The vermiform appendix, being attached to this inflamed colon, becomes inflamed also. In other words, this inoffensive and useful little organ suffers the penalty of being in bad company. [Sidenote: Old diagnosis correct] Thus it is seen that appendicitis, so-called, is merely a form of fevered or irritated colon; hence the old-fashioned diagnosis--"bowel inflammation"--before appendicitis became popular, and profitable, was in reality correct. Knowing the cause--the physiology of appendicitis--the remedy becomes a simple one. APPENDICITIS--THE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of appendicitis (bowel inflammation) are usually pain, at times sharp, but generally dull, in the lower abdomen on the right side. APPENDICITIS--THE TREATMENT (IN MILD CASES) If the pain is dull and intermittent, the patient should cease work, especially that vocation which necessitates being on foot, and spend at least twenty-four hours, most of the time in a sitting or reclining position. All such substances as meat, cereal and cereal products, sweets, milk, tea, coffee, cocoa, and all stimulating beverages should be omitted. [Sidenote: A natural remedy] The patient should take high enemas (knee or chest position) of lukewarm water, thus removing as much of the congested fecal matter as possible. Take from two to three tablespoonfuls of olive-oil, and two or three cups of hot water several times a day. The application of an ice-bag will sometimes afford much relief, and has a tendency to reduce the inflammatory process. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the fact that in any inflammatory condition of the stomach or intestines, rest for these organs is imperatively demanded. APPENDICITIS--THE DIET After the first day or two, the following diet should be adopted and continued for a few days until the pain has ceased and the bowels are restored to normal action: BREAKFAST A cup of hot water One or two exceedingly ripe bananas peeled and baked in a hot oven One egg, whipped five minutes; sugar to taste; flavor with lemon or fruit-juice A glass of water LUNCHEON A salad of anything green Liberal portion of boiled onions DINNER Spinach, or a green salad, same as at luncheon Green beans, or peas, if in season, rejecting all the fiber; or, carrots or parsnips Two whipped eggs Baked banana, with butter or oil These menus are intended as a general guide. They may be modified by selecting such articles, in the same general class, as are in season. The following list of foods may be drawn upon to compose the menus, at the various seasons of the year: ----------------+----------------+----------------+---------------- | | | SPRING | SUMMER | FALL | WINTER | | | ----------------+----------------+----------------+---------------- | | | Asparagus | Carrots | Artichokes | Carrots Beets | Cauliflower | Beets | Parsnips Cabbage | Eggplant | Brussels | Potatoes Dandelion | Lettuce | sprouts | Pumpkin Lettuce | Okra | Carrots | Squash Onions | Onions | Cauliflower | Peas | Romaine | Eggplant | Potatoes | Spinach | Okra | Spinach | Squash | Potatoes | | Tomatoes | Squash | | | Sweet potatoes | | | Tomatoes | | | | ----------------+----------------+----------------+---------------- CHRONIC OR SEVERE CASES OF APPENDICITIS The errors in diet that cause fermentation and superacidity in the stomach will also cause fermentation and inflammation in the intestines. A constipated condition in the intestines so hinders the natural flow of food-matter that in extreme cases of inflammation and suppuration the congested matter might be forced into the vermiform appendix, thus causing what is termed "appendicitis," and under these conditions the removal of the appendix might be advisable, but in the opinion of the writer more lives have been sacrificed on the operating table than the old-fashioned doctors ever lost from "bowel inflammation" before this dis-ease was named "appendicitis," and before the knife was applied as a remedy. [Sidenote: Treatment in severe cases] There should be injected into the rectum a tablespoonful of olive-oil, followed immediately by an enema of hot water at a temperature of about 115 degrees. This should be retained as long as possible. In order to aid in this process, the head might be lowered, and the feet slightly elevated so as to relieve the strain upon the rectal muscles. In very severe cases an ice pack may be placed over the lower abdomen for five minutes. The ice pack should be kept in place until the temperature is lowered and the pain relieved. THE DIET IN SEVERE CASES OF APPENDICITIS From three to four quarts of cool water should be taken the first day and all food omitted. The second day fruit-juices and olive-oil should be administered. This treatment should be continued for several days, or until the pain is relieved, when the diet for milder cases may be adopted in a reduced or limited form. DANGERS OF INTESTINAL CONGESTION [Sidenote: Causes of appendicitis] All conditions of bowel inflammation are caused primarily by congestion of fecal matter in the intestinal tract. That which will relieve congestion, therefore, will, by removing the causes, relieve inflammation. Intestinal congestion has become one of the most common disorders among civilized people, because of the fact that a large percentage of the coarse material known as cellulose fiber has been removed from their food by super-civilized methods of preparation. For instance, in modern milling methods, every trace of cellulose is removed from the grain, leaving nothing but a white mass of unbalanced food material, largely carbohydrates, and the peelings are removed from all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Thus the diet of civilized man has become woefully impoverished in cellulose and mineral salts, with the result that there is nothing left in the diet to stimulate the liver and the peristaltic activity of the intestinal tract. [Sidenote: Evils of the civilized diet] This condition is largely augmented by flesh food, all sedative drugs, and intoxicating drinks which have become so conspicuous in the diet of modern civilization. [Sidenote: Why coarse food is necessary] The intestinal (digestive and eliminative) organs of man, through the millions of years of his development, have been built up on the primitive plan. They have been shaped by the process of ages to accommodate coarse food, therefore a generous amount of non-nutritive cellulose is absolutely necessary to both the digestion of food and the elimination of waste. The liberal use of cereal bran puts back into the diet that which modern milling methods have taken out of it. [Sidenote: Remedial value of coarse food] The use of wheat bran and the seeds of grapes in the treatment of appendicitis has both a scientific and a common-sense basis. The bran and the seeds pass into the various folds, wrinkles and turns of the intestines, and sweep out the congested fecal matter which is undergoing decomposition and causing inflammation. After the bowels have been thoroughly cleansed, the patient should adopt a fresh vegetable diet selected from the list heretofore given, drinking an abundance of water both at meals and between meals. Under these conditions most symptoms of appendicitis will disappear, and if the diet is made to consist of a sufficient quantity of coarse food, all causes of bowel inflammation will be removed. 8521 ---- Dailey, David Garcia, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team MAINTAINING HEALTH (FORMERLY HEALTH AND EFFICIENCY) By R. L. ALSAKER, M. D. AUTHOR OF "EATING FOR HEALTH AND EFFICIENCY" _"When you arise in the morning, think what a precious privilege it is to live, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."_ --MARCUS AURELIUS. _"Nature Cures"_ --HIPPOCRATES TO ISAAC T. COOK WHOSE CRITICISMS, ASSISTANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT HAVE LIGHTENED THE LABOR AND ADDED TO THE PLEASURE OF PRODUCING THIS VOLUME. CHAPTER CONTENTS I PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS Humanity, Health and Healers II MENTAL ATTITUDE Correct and Incorrect--Results III FOOD General Consideration IV OVEREATING V DAILY FOOD INTAKE VI WHAT TO EAT VII WHEN TO EAT VIII HOW TO EAT IX CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS X FLESH FOODS Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations XI NUTS Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations XII LEGUMES Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations XIII SUCCULENT VEGETABLES Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations--Salads XIV CEREAL FOODS Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations XV TUBERS Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations XVI FRUITS Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations--Salads XVII OILS AND FATS XVIII MILK AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS Composition--Utility--Preparation--Combinations XIX MENUS Food Combination in General XX DRINK Water--Tea--Coffee--Alcohol--Enslaving Drugs XXI CARE OF THE SKIN Baths--Friction--Clothing XXII EXERCISE XXIII BREATHING AND VENTILATION XXIV SLEEP XXV FASTING Our Most Important Remedy--Symptoms--When and How to Fast--Cases XXVI ATTITUDE OF PARENT TOWARD CHILD XXVII CHILDREN Prenatal Care--Infancy--Childhood--Mental Training XXVIII DURATION OF LIFE Advanced Years--Living to Old Age in Health and Comfort XXIX EVOLVING INTO HEALTH How it is Often Done--A Case XXX RETROSPECT A Summing-up of the Subject CHAPTER I. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS. Writings on hygiene and health have been accessible for centuries, but never before have books and magazines on these subjects been as numerous as they are today. Most of the information is so general, vague and indefinite that only a few have the time and patience to read the thousands of pages necessary to learn what to do to keep well. The truth is to be found in the archives of medicine, in writings covering a period of over thirty centuries, but it is rather difficult to find the grains of truth. Health is the most valuable of all possessions, for with health one can attain anything else within reason. A few of the great people of the world have been sickly, but it takes men and women sound in body and mind to do the important work. Healthy men and women are a nation's most valuable asset. It is natural to be healthy, but we have wandered so far astray that disease is the rule and good health the exception. Of course, most people are well enough to attend to their work, but nearly all are suffering from some ill, mental or physical, acute or chronic, which deprives them of a part of their power. The average individual is of less value to himself, to his family and to society than he could be. His bad habits, of which he is often not aware, have brought weakness and disease upon him. These conditions prevent him from doing his best mentally and physically. This abnormal condition has a bad effect upon his descendants, who may not be born with any special defects, but they have less resistance at birth than is their due, and consequently fall prey to disease very easily. This state of impaired resistance has been passed on from generation to generation, and we of today are passing it on as a heritage to our children. About 280,000 babies under the age of one year die annually in the United States. The average lifetime is only a little more than forty years. It should be at least one hundred years. This is a very conservative statement, for many live to be considerably older, and it is within the power of each individual to prolong his life beyond what is now considered old age. Under favorable conditions people should live in comfort and health to the age of one hundred years or more, useful and in full possession of their faculties. Barring accidents, which should be less numerous when people fully realize that unreasonable haste and speed are wasteful and that life is more valuable than accumulated wealth, human life could and should be a certainty. There should be no sudden deaths resulting from the popular diseases of today. In fact, pneumonia, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, cancer and various other ills that are fatal to the vast majority of the race, should and could be abolished. This may sound idealistic, but though such results are not probable in the near future, they are possible. All civilized nations of which we have record, except the Chinese, have decayed after growing and flourishing a few centuries, usually about a thousand years or less. Many reasons are given for the decline and fall of nations. Rome especially furnishes food for much thought. However, look into the history of each known nation that has risen to prominence, glory and power, and you will find that so long as they kept in close contact with the soil they flourished. With the advance of civilization the peoples change their mode of life from simplicity to luxuriousness and complexity. Thus individuals decay and in the end there is enough individual decay to result in national degeneration. When this process has advanced far enough these people are unable to hold their own. In the severe competition of nations the strain is too great and they perish. There is a point of refinement beyond which people can not go and survive. From luxury nations are plunged into hardship. Then their renewed contact with the soil gradually causes their regeneration, if they have enough vitality left to rise again. Such is the history of the Italians. Many others, like the once great Egyptians, whose civilization was very far advanced and who became so dissolute that a virtuous woman was a curiosity, have been unable to recover, even after a lapse of many centuries. The degenerated nations are like diseased individuals: Some have gone so far on the road to ruin that they are doomed to die. Others can slowly regain their health by mending their ways. Nations, like individuals, generally do better in moderate circumstances than in opulence. Nearly all can stand poverty, but only the exceptional individual or nation can bear up under riches. Nature demands of us that we exercise both body and mind. Civilization is not inimical to health and long life. In fact, the contrary is true, for as the people advance they learn to master the forces of nature and with these forces under control they are able to lead better, healthier lives, but if they become too soft and luxurious there is decay of moral and physical fibre, and in the end the nation must fall, for its individual units are unworthy of survival in a world which requires an admixture of brain and brawn. Civilization is favorable to long life so long as the people are moderate and live simply, but when it degenerates to sensuous softness, individual and racial deterioration ensue. Among savages the infant mortality is very great, but such ills as cancer, tuberculosis, smallpox and Bright's disease are rare. These are luxuries which are generally introduced with civilization. Close housing, too generous supply of food, too little exercise and alcohol are some of the fatal blessings which civilized man introduces among savages. A part of the price we must pay for being civilized is the exercise of considerable self-control and self-denial, otherwise we must suffer. The state of the individual health is not satisfactory. There is too much illness, too much suffering and too many premature deaths. It is estimated that in our country about three millions of people are ill each day, on the average. The monetary loss is tremendous and the anguish and suffering are beyond estimate. The race is losing every year a vast army of individuals who are in their productive prime. When a part of a great city is destroyed men give careful consideration to the material loss and plan to prevent a recurrence. But that is nothing compared to the loss we suffer from the annual death of a host of experienced men and women. Destroyed business blocks can be replaced, but it is impossible to replace men and women. We look upon this unnecessary waste of life complacently because we are used to it and consequently think that it is natural. It is neither necessary nor natural. If we would read and heed nature's writings it would cease. Then people would live until their time came to fade away peacefully and beautifully, as do the golden leaves of autumn or the blades of grass. Many dread old age because they think of it in connection with decrepitude, helplessness and the childish querulousness popularly associated with advancing years. This is not a natural old age; it is disease. Natural old age is sweet, tolerant and cheerful. There are few things in life more precious than the memory of parents and grandparents grown old gracefully, after having weathered the storms of appetites and passions, the mind firmly enthroned and filled with the calm toleration and wisdom that come with the passing years of a well spent life. A busy mind in a healthy body does not degenerate. The brain, though apparently unstable, is one of the most stable parts of the body. We should desire and acquire health because when healthy we are at our maximum efficiency. We are able to enjoy life. We have greater capacity for getting and giving. We live more fully. Being normal, we are in harmony with ourselves and with our associates. We are of greater value all around. We are better citizens. Every individual owes something to the race. It is our duty to contribute our part so that the result of our lives is not a tendency toward degeneration, but toward upbuilding, of the race. The part played by each individual is small, but the aggregate is great. If our children are better born and better brought up than we were, and there is generally room for improvement, we have at least helped. Health is within the grasp of all who are not afflicted with organic disease, and the vast majority have no organic ills. All that is necessary is to lead natural lives and learn how to use the mind properly. Those who are not in sympathy with the views on racial duty can enhance their personal worth through better living without giving the race any thought. Every individual who leads a natural life and thinks to advantage helps to bring about better public health. The national health is the aggregate of individual health and is improved as the individuals evolve into better health. National or racial improvement come through evolution, not through revolution. The improvement is due to small contributions from many sources. The greatest power for human uplift is knowledge. Reformers often believe that they can improve the world by legislation. Lasting reform comes through education. If the laws are very repressive the reaction is both great and unpleasant. It takes about six months to learn stenography. It requires a long apprenticeship to become a first-class blacksmith or horseshoer. To obtain the rudiments of a physician's art it is necessary to spend four to six years in college. To learn a language takes an apt pupil at least a year. A lawyer must study from two to four years to become a novice. A businessman must work many years before he is an expert in his line. Not one of these attainments is worth as much as good health, yet an individual of average intelligence can obtain enough knowledge about right living during his spare time in from two to six months to assure him of good health, if he lives as well as he knows how. Is it worth while? It certainly is, for it is one of the essentials of life. Health will increase one's earning capacity and productivity and more than double both the pleasure and the duration of life. Disease is a very expensive luxury. Health is one of the cheapest, though one of the rarest, things on earth. There is no royal road to health. If there is any law of health it is this: Only those will retain it permanently who are deserving of it. Many prefer to live in that state of uncertainty, which may be called tolerable health, a state in which they do not suffer, yet are not quite well. In this condition they have their little ups and downs and occasionally a serious illness, which too often proves fatal. Even such people ought to acquire health knowledge, for the time may come when they will desire to enjoy life to the fullest, which they can do only when they have health. Those who have this knowledge are often able to help themselves quickly and effectively when no one else can. I am acquainted with many who have been educated out of disease into health. Many of them are indiscreet, but they have learned to know the signs of approaching trouble and they ease up before anything serious overtakes them. In this way they save themselves and their families from much suffering, much anxiety and much expense. Every adult should know enough to remain well. Every one should know the signs of approaching illness and how to abort it. The mental comfort and ease that come from the possession of such knowledge are priceless. Everything that is worth while must be paid for in some way and the price of continued good health is some basic knowledge and self-control. There are no hardships connected with rational living. It means to live moderately and somewhat more simply than is customary. Simplicity reduces the amount of work and friction and adds to the enjoyment of life. The cheerfulness, the buoyancy and the tingling with the joy of life that come to those who have perfect health more than compensate for the pet bad habits which must be given up. Many of the popular teachings regarding disease and its prevention are false. The germ theory is a delusion. The fact will some day be generally recognized, as it is today by a few, that the so-called pathogenic bacteria or germs have no power to injure a healthy body, that there is bodily degeneration first and then the system becomes a favorable culture medium for germs: In other words, disease comes first and the pathogenic bacteria multiply afterwards. This view may seem very ridiculous to the majority, for it is a strong tenet of popular medical belief today that micro-organisms are the cause of most diseases. To most people, medical and lay, the various diseases stand out clear and individual. Typhoid fever is one disease. Pneumonia is an entirely different one. Surely this is so, they say, for is not typhoid fever due to the bacillus typhosus and pneumonia to the pneumococcus? But it is not so. Outside of mechanical injuries there is but one disease, and the various conditions that we dignify with individual names are but manifestations of this disease. The parent disease is filthiness, and its manifestations vary according to circumstances and individuals. This filthiness is not of the skin, but of the interior of the body. The blood stream becomes unclean, principally because of indigestion and constipation, which are chiefly due to improper eating habits. Some of the contributory causes are wrong thinking, too little exercise, lack of fresh air, and ingestion of sedatives and stimulants which upset the assimilative and excretory functions of the body. In all cases the blood is unclean. The patient is suffering from autointoxication or autotoxemia. If this is true, it would follow that the treatment of all diseases is about the same. For instance, it would be necessary to give about the same treatment for eczema as for pneumonia. Basically, that is exactly what has to be done to obtain the best results, though the variation in location and manifestation requires that special relief measures, of lesser importance, be used in special cases, to get the quickest and best results. In both eczema and pneumonia the essential thing is to get the body clean. The practice of medicine is not a science. We have drugs that are reputed to be excellent healers, yet these very drugs sometimes produce death within a few hours of being taken. The practice of medicine is an art, and the outcome in various cases depends more on the personality of the artist than on the drugs he gives, for roughly speaking, all medicines are either sedative or stimulant, and if the dosage is kept below the danger line, the patient generally recovers. It seems to make very little difference whether the medicine is given in the tiny homeopathic doses, so small that they have only a suggestive effect, or if they are given in doses several hundred times as large by allopaths and eclectics. It is true that we have drugs with which we can diminish or increase the number of heart beats per minute, dilate or contract the pupils of the eye, check or stimulate the secretion of mucus, sedate or irritate the nervous system, etc., but all that is accomplished is temporary stimulation or sedation, and such juggling does not cure. The practice of medicine is today what it has been in the past, largely experiment and guess-work. On the other hand, natural healers who have drunk deep of the cup of knowledge need not guess. They know that withholding of food and cleaning out the alimentary tract will reduce a fever. They know that the same measures will clean up foul wounds and stop the discharge of pus in a short time. They know that the same measures in connection with hot baths will terminate headaches and remove pain. They further know that if the patient will take the proper care of himself after the acute manifestations have disappeared there will be no more disease. After a little experience, an intelligent natural healer can tell his patients, in the majority of cases, what to expect if instructions are followed. He can say positively that there will be no relapses and no complications. How different is this from the unsatisfactory practice of conventional medicine! However, most physicians refuse to accept the valuable teachings which are offered to them freely, and one of the reasons is that the natural healers do not present their knowledge in scientific form. The knowledge is scientific but it is simple. Such objection does not come with good grace from a profession practicing an art. Life is but a tiny part science, mixed with much art. The true scientist in the healing art is he who can take an invalid and by the use of the means at his command bring him back to health, not in an accidental manner, but in such a knowing way that he can predict the outcome. In serious cases the natural healer of intelligence and experience can do this twenty times where the man who relies on drugs does it once. The physicians who prescribe drugs are ever on the look-out for complications and relapses, and they have many of them. The natural healers know that under proper treatment neither complications nor relapses can occur, unless the disease has already advanced so far that the vital powers are exhausted before treatment is begun, and this is generally not the case. In this book many of the medical fallacies of today, both professional and lay, will be touched upon in a kindly spirit of helpfulness and ideas that contain more truth will be offered in their place. The truth is the best knowledge we have today, according to our understanding. It is not fixed, for it may be replaced by something better tomorrow. However, one fundamental truth regarding health will never change, namely, that it is necessary to conform to the laws of nature, or in other words, the laws of our being, in order to retain it. No one can cover the field of health completely, for though it is very simple, it is as big as life. The most helpful parts of this book will be those which point the way for each individual to understand his relation to what we call nature, and hence help to enable him to gain a better understanding of himself. By natural living is not meant the discarding of the graces of civilization and roaming about in adamic costume, living on the foods as they are found in forest and field, without preparation. What is meant is the adjustment of each person to his environment, or the environment to the person, until harmony or balance is established, which means health. One of the most difficult things about teaching health is that it is so very simple. People look for something mysterious. When told that good old mother nature is the only healer, they are incredulous, for they have been taught that doctors cure. When informed that they do not need medicine and that outside treatment is unnecessary, they find it difficult to believe, for disease has always called for treatment of some kind in the hands of the medical profession. When further told that they have to help themselves by living so that they will not put any obstacles in the way of normal functioning of their bodies, they think that the physician who thinks and talks that way must be a crank, and many seek help where they are told that they can obtain health from pills, powders and potions or from various inoculations and injections. To live in health is so simple that any intelligent person can master the art and furthermore regain lost health in the average case, without any help from professional healers. There is plenty knowledge and all that is needed is a discriminating mind to find the truth and then exercise enough will power to live it. If a good healer is at hand, it is cheaper to pay his fee for personal advice than to try to evolve into health without aid, but if it is a burden to pay the price, get the knowledge and practice it and health will return in most cases. The vast majority of people suffering from chronic ills which are considered incurable can get well by living properly. The more capable and frank the healer is, the less treatment will be administered. Minute examinations and frequent treatment serve to make the patient believe that he is getting a great deal for his money. Advice is what the healer has to sell, and if it is correct, it is precious. The patient should not object to paying a reasonable fee, for what he learns is good for life. People gladly pay for prescriptions or drugs. The latter are injurious if taken in sufficient quantity to have great effect. So why object to paying for health education, which is more valuable than all the drugs in the world? Because of their attitude on this subject, the people force many a doctor to use drugs, who would gladly practice in a more reasonable way if it would bring the necessities of life to him and his family. The public has to enlighten itself before it will get good health advice. The medical men will continue in the future, as they have done in the past, to furnish the kind of service that is popular. A good natural healer teaches his patients to get along without him and other doctors. A doctor of the conventional school teaches his patrons to depend upon him. The former is consequently deserving of far greater reward than the latter. The law of compensation may apply elsewhere, thinks the patient, but surely it is nonsense to teach that it applies in matters of health, for does not everybody know that most of our diseases are due to causes over which we have no control? That the chief cause is germs and that we can not control the air well enough to prevent one of these horrible monsters (about 1/25,000 of an inch long) from settling in the body and multiplying, at last producing disease and maybe death? This is untrue, but it is a very comforting theory, for it removes the element of personal responsibility. People do not like to be told that if they are ill it is their own fault, that they are only reaping as they have sowed, yet such is the truth. Patients often dislike to give up one or more of their bad habits. "Mr. Blank has done this very thing for sixty or seventy years and now at the age of eighty or ninety he is strong and active," they reply to warnings. This is sophistry, for although an individual occasionally lives to old age in spite of broken health laws, the average person who attempts it perishes young. Those who do not conform to the rules are not allowed to sit in the game to the end. Another false feeling, or rather hope, deeply implanted in the human breast is: "Perhaps others can not do this, but I can. I have done it before and can do it again; it will not hurt me for I am strong and possessed of a good constitution." The wish is father to the thought, which is not founded on facts. The most common and the most destructive form of dishonesty is self-deception. Those who are honest with themselves find it easy to deal fairly and squarely with others. The doctors of the dominant school are very distrustful of the natural healers, in spite of the fact that the latter obtain the best results. Many of the conditions which the regular physicians treat without satisfactory results, the natural healers are able to remove in a few months. When members of the dominant school of medicine find men leading patients suffering from various skin diseases, Bright's disease, chronic digestive troubles, rheumatism and other ills which they themselves make little or no impression upon back to health, they are unwilling to believe that such results can be accomplished by means of hygiene and proper feeding. They think there is some fakery about it, for their professors, books and experience have taught them otherwise. They consider the views of the natural healer unworthy of serious attention and often call him a quack, which epithet closes the discussion. They are ethical and do not wish to be mired by contact with quacks. The distrust of medical men for healers of the natural school is not hard to explain. Many of the natural healers are men of education and experience, but others lack both, and no matter how good the latter may be at heart, they make very serious blunders. For instance: They get out circulars, listing all prominent diseases known, stating that they cure them. They either are so enthusiastic that they are carried away or they are so ignorant that they do not know that there is a stage of degeneration which will not allow of regeneration, and that when such a stage is reached in any chronic disease the end is death. Another handicap is that intelligent natural healers have such excellent success that they lose their heads. They educate patients by the hundred into health who have been given up as incurable by the conventional physicians. In their success they forget that modesty is very becoming to the successful and begin to boast. This hurts the cause. Let the natural healer ever remember that he does not cure, that he is but the interpreter and that nature is the restorer of health. The natural healers must be more careful about their statements if they would have the respect of intelligent people, and they must labor diligently to be well informed. For their own good regular physicians will have to be more open-minded, and recognize the fact that it is not necessary to have a M. D. degree to accept the truth regarding healing. Medical men are losing their hold on the public largely because they have cultivated the class spirit. It is a well known fact among natural healers that most cases of Bright's disease are curable, even after they have become chronic. However, a physician who voices this truth will probably be classed among irresponsible dreamers by other doctors. Antagonism of this kind breeds extremists and is therefore harmful to the public, which pays for all the mistakes made. It is very easy to lose one's mental balance and to begin to play on a harp with but one string. We have a large army of Christian Scientists. If it were not for the way in which physicians of the past mistreated the body and neglected the mind, this sect would not exist. The doctors, with their awful doses of nauseous and destructive drugs, went to one extreme. The reaction was the formation of a sect that has gone to the other extreme. The Christian Scientists are incomprehensible in spots to us mortals who believe in a body as well as a mind, but they have a cheerful and helpful philosophy which brings enjoyment on earth and they have done an immense amount of good by teaching people to cease thinking and talking so much about themselves and their ills. Among other demonstrations, they have shown the uselessness of drugs. Of late so many varieties of drugless healers have sprung into existence that it is difficult to remember even their names. There are many pathies. These have a tendency to take one part of the human being, or one procedure of treatment, and to play this up to the elimination of all the rest. Some do everything with the mind. Others pay no attention to the mind. Bathing, massage, manipulating the spine, washing out the colon, baths in mud, sunshine or water, suggestion and many other things are separately given credit for being cure-alls. Many of these are excellent as a part of regenerative treatment, but they are not sufficient of themselves to give permanent results. Most healers have too narrow vision. People come to them because they have faith. The faith alone will produce temporary improvement, but as soon as the interest is gone and the procedure grows old the patient becomes worse again unless the treatment possesses genuine merit. Osteopathy is most excellent, as a part of a healing system, but it is not sufficient. The osteopaths find their patients relapsing over and over again, or taking some other disease. However, they are learning, in increasing numbers, that if they would keep their patrons well, they have to give them education along the line of hygiene and dietetics, with a little mental training thrown in. Many chiropractors are learning the same thing. In some chiropractic schools there are professors wise enough to teach their students to be broad-minded. The true natural healer makes use of air, water, food, exercise, mental training--in fact, all the means nature has put at his disposal. He realizes that the best treatment is education of the patient. In many cases a cure can be greatly hastened by proper local treatment. It is unfortunate that the nature healers are so divided and that many operate upon such a narrow basis. If the vast majority of them were well informed, broad enough to make use of all helpful natural means, and were designated by the same name, it would not take them long to gain more public confidence and respect than they now possess. So long as the nature healers segregate themselves and allow themselves to be narrow, so long will they have to struggle at a disadvantage against the more united wielders of scalpels and prescribers of drugs. The question of choosing a health guide is sometimes perplexing. The patient should select one in whom he has confidence, for confidence is a great aid in restoring health. It often happens that there is no one in the town in whom the patient has confidence, for many communities have no competent natural healers. Then the question is whether or not to seek advice by correspondence. In acute diseases this is generally a bad plan, for the family often lacks the poise and equanimity necessary to carry out directions. In chronic cases it is usually all right. Here all that is required is correct knowledge put into practice and errors are not as dangerous as in acute diseases. Curable cases will get well by following the advice given by correspondence. A medical man who educates people by correspondence is considered unethical and is severely censured by the ethical brethren. To prescribe medicine by mail is without doubt reprehensible, but to educate people into health is a work of merit, whether it is done face to face or by correspondence. It is advantageous to meet the physician, talk things over and be examined, but it is not necessary. I know of some cases of acute disease treated satisfactorily by letter and telegram, but the patients' families were in sympathy with natural methods, of which they had a fair knowledge, and they had unlimited confidence in the healer. I am personally acquainted with many people who have been educated out of chronic disease and into health by correspondence, after the local physicians had vainly exhausted all their skill. It is simply a matter of applied knowledge and it works just as well in curable cases if given by telephone, telegraph or letter as if imparted by word of mouth. However, it seems to me that it is most satisfactory for all concerned when the healer and the sufferer can meet. My words are not inspired by any ill feeling toward the members of the medical profession. I have found medical men to measure well up in every way. They are better educated than the average and they are as kind and considerate as are other men. As men we can expect no more of them under present conditions, but because they are better equipped than the average, we have a right to ask for an improvement in their practice, even if they have inherited a great many handicaps from their predecessors and it is not easy to throw off the past, which acts as a dead weight ever tending to check progress. The tendency of the times is for fuller, freer and more sincere service in every line, for evolving out of the useless into the greatest helpfulness. It is not asking too much when we demand of the doctors that they rid themselves of the injurious drug superstition and become health teachers, that instead of being in the rear they come to the front and make progress easier. What I say about drugs is founded on intimate observation. I was educated medically in two of the colleges where medication is strongly advocated and well taught, and am a regular M. D. I have watched people who were treated by means of drugs and the biologic products, such as serums, vaccines and bacterines, which are now so popular, and I have watched many who have been treated by natural methods. Anyone with my experience and capable of thinking would come to the conclusions given in this book, that it is a mistake to administer drugs and serums and that the natural methods give results so much superior to the conventional methods that there is no comparison. Others who have discarded drugs know from experience that this is true. The physicians who are on intimate terms with nature will neither desire nor require drugs. Sound advice, that is, teaching, is the most valuable service a physician can render. Right living and right thinking always result in health if no serious organic degeneration has taken place. If the public could only be made to realize that they need a great deal of knowledge and very little treatment, and that knowledge is very valuable and treatment often worthless the day would soon dawn when health matters will be placed on a sound, natural basis. Surgery is occasionally necessary, but today from ten to twenty operations are performed where but one is needed. "There is nothing new beneath the sun," is a popular quotation. It seems to hold true in the healing art, for the best modern practice was the best ancient practice. Naturally, people like to make new discoveries and get credit therefore. Our valuable new discoveries in healing are very ancient. Though much that appears in these pages may seem strange and new to many, I claim no originality. My aim is to present workable, helpful facts in such a way that any person of average intelligence and will power can apply them, and to get the essentials of health within such a compass that no unreasonable amount of time need be employed in finding them. According to late discoveries, the ancient Egyptians were more advanced in the art of living than any other people on earth, including the moderns. They taught that overeating is the chief causative factor of disease, and so it is. They taught cleanliness, the priests going to the extreme of shaving the entire body daily. It would naturally follow that they prescribed moderation in eating, which leads to internal cleanliness. Cleanliness of body, in conjunction with cleanliness of mind, will put disease to rout. The ancient Greek writers commented on the good state of health among the Egyptians, and modern medical writers marvel that they made so little use of drugs. Evidently they found drugs of little value, for they were taught hygienic living. The admirable health laws laid down by Moses were derived from Egyptian sources. The ancient nations were as much influenced by the Egyptians as we are today by the Greeks who lived before the Christian era. The Greeks built combination temples and sanitaria, to which the afflicted resorted. The priests were in charge and these ancient heathens were great rogues. By fooling the people they got big fees out of them. Their oracular sayings and miracles were adroitly presented. They did not teach that overeating is the chief cause of disease, for this did not suit the mystic times. The people liked oracular prescriptions, and they got them. The law of supply and demand worked as well then as it does now. The heathen priests waxed fat and the medical art degenerated. About five centuries B. C., Pythagoras taught that health can be preserved by means of proper diet, exercise and the right use of the mind. He also taught many other truths and some fallacies. In spite of much superstition mixed with his philosophy, it was too pure for the times and he perished. Hippocrates, born about 470 years B. C., is one of the bright lights of the medical world. He was so far ahead of his time that he still lives. He was the founder of medical art as we know it. He used many drugs, but he also relied on natural means. He was the first medical man on record to pay serious attention to dietetics. The following quotations will show how well his mind grasped the essentials of the healing art: "Old persons need less fuel (food) than the young." "In winter abundant nourishment is wholesome; in summer a more frugal diet." "Follow nature." "Complete abstinence often acts very well, if the strength of the patient can in any way maintain it." In acute disease he withheld nourishment at first and then he prescribed a liquid diet. He also made use of the "milk cure," which is considered modern, in conjunction with baths and exercise; this is very efficacious in some chronic diseases. He further spoke the oft-forgotten truth that physicians do not heal. "Natural powers are the healers of disease." "Nature suffices for everything under all conditions." The next great physician was Galen, who lived in the second and third centuries of our era. He added greatly to medical knowledge, made extensive use of dietetics, and then in a self-satisfied manner informed his readers that they need look no further for enlightenment, for he had given them all that was of any value. Perhaps he meant this as a joke, but those who followed him took it seriously, with the result that medical advance stopped for several centuries. The physicians of the dark ages had some light, as evidenced by this popular quotation taken from a poem that the faculty of the medical college of Salerno gave to Robert, son of William the Conqueror, in the year 1101: "Salerno's school in conclave high unites To counsel England's king and thus indites: If thou to health and vigor wouldst attain, Shun mighty cares, all anger deem profane; From heavy suppers and much wine abstain; Nor trivial count it after pompous fare To rise from table and to take the air. Shun idle noonday slumbers, nor delay The urgent calls of nature to obey. These rules if thou wilt follow to the end, Thy life to greater length thou may'st extend." During recent times but two important discoveries have been made concerning matters of health: First, the advantage of cleanliness; second, the approximate chemical composition of various foods. All the other important new discoveries are old. Cleanliness, moderation in all things, right thinking and a realization of the fact that nature cures are some of the most important stones upon which to build a healing practice. The most important single therapeutic factor is to abstain from food during pain and active disease processes. Cleanliness of mind and body has been taught for thousands of years, yet cleanliness of body is a new discovery, for which we are greatly indebted to the great bacteriologist, Pasteur. It has been found that germs thrive best in filth; this has been taught so thoroughly that the public is somewhat afraid of the germs and as a measure of self-protection they are cleaning up. Of old, cleanliness meant a clean skin, but this is the least important part. It is far more necessary to have a clean alimentary tract and clean blood, with a resultant sweet, healthy body, and this is what cleanliness is beginning to mean. Internal cleanliness necessitates moderation, for an overworked alimentary tract becomes foul and some of the poisons are taken into the blood. Asepsis and antisepsis simply mean cleanliness. The benefits of moderation have been known for thousands of years. Louis Cornaro, who died in 1566, wrote a delightful book on the subject. People know that it is necessary to be moderate, but they do not seem to realize the meaning of moderation nor is its value well enough implanted in the human mind to produce satisfactory results. Right thinking seemed as important to the thinkers of old as it does to the New Thought people today. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." For the better knowledge of the composition of food we have to thank the chemists. Laymen are referred to frequently in this book because their work has been so helpful and important. Herbert Spencer and Alfred Russel Wallace had very clear conceptions regarding health. See their opinions regarding vaccination. There is no difference in the mental processes of physicians and laymen. Anyone can know about health, though it takes considerable experience and observation to get acquainted with the less important subject of disease. One indictment against medical men is that they have dwelled almost entirely on disease and paid no attention to health. A group of modern men deserve great credit for popularizing health knowledge, which generally results in the loss of professional standing of the teacher. R. H. Trall, M. D., insisted that drugs are useless and harmful, that the only rational and safe way of healing ordinary ills is to use nature's means. "Strictly speaking, fever and food are antagonistic ideas," he wrote. In his Hydropathic Encyclopedia, copyrighted in 1851, he puts great stress on natural remedies, such as food and water. He met with much opposition, but he has left a deep impression on the minds of men who are now having some influence in shaping public opinion on health and healing. Dr. Charles Page of Boston has been writing in advocacy of natural healing for over thirty years. He also has emphasized the harmfulness of drugs, the necessity of withholding food from fever patients, and simple living, remaining in touch with nature. Another important point which the doctor has been trying to impress upon the public is that it is necessary to retain the natural salts of the foods, instead of ruining them or throwing them away, as is generally done, especially in the preparation of vegetables and many cereal products. Dr. Edward Hooker Dewey began to present his ideas to the public a few years after the Civil War. His little book entitled "The No-Breakfast Plan and the Fasting Cure," has had a great influence among rational healers. The doctor emphasized the importance of going without food in acute diseases so that no one who has read the book can forget it. He pointed out some of the errors of conventional healing as they had never been shown before, and I believe he was the first one to give the correct rules to guide people in the consumption of food. For fourteen years Dr. J. H. Tilden of Denver has been a voluminous writer on health. He teaches that the law of compensation applies to health; that all disease is one and the same fundamentally; that "Autotoxemia is the fundamental basic cause of all diseases." Like all others who have investigated the subject impartially he believes that one of the most important factors of health is correct feeding. He allows all foods, in compatible combinations. Of course, he gives no drugs. Dr. Harry Brook of Los Angeles is unique among the health educators of today. He is a brainy journalist with a good stock of fundamental health knowledge and is endowed with the ability to place his convictions before the public in a striking manner. He has been carrying on his educational work for many years. Elbert Hubbard has also had a great deal of influence on the thought of today. At intervals he publishes an article on health which gets wide distribution. He has the faculty of making people think, and those who allow themselves to think independently generally evolve into serviceable knowledge. Bernarr Macfadden has a large following. He is a strong advocate of physical culture and favors vegetarianism and other changes from conventional life. He educates his readers away from drugs. He has written much that is helpful and his influence is widely felt. Like all others who have struggled against the fetters of convention, he has aroused much opposition. There are a few good health magazines, and there are many people living who deserve credit for their labor to improve the mental and physical condition of humanity. Some of these will be mentioned and quoted. Some of the teachers have dwelled upon but one idea and some have advocated fallacies, but there is good to be found in all of them. No knowledge assays one hundred per cent. pure. No helpful healing knowledge should be kept away from the public; it should be as free as possible. The public, when it understands, willingly pays a fair price for it, which is all that should be asked. To take advantage of the sick and helpless is contemptible. The old-time idea, still prevalent, that medical knowledge is for the doctor only is a mistake. The best patients are the intelligent ones. The office of the physician should be to educate his clients; his best knowledge and his best qualities will be developed in dealing honestly with intelligent people. The practice of medical secrecy began in ancient times when the healers and the priests believed in fooling the public. Unfortunately, this professional attitude still survives. No one who has not practiced the healing art can know how tempted a doctor is to fake and humbug a little to retain and gain patronage. Emerson wrote: "He is the rich man who can avail himself of other men's faculties. He is the richest man who knows how to draw a benefit from the labors of the greatest number of men--of men in distant countries and past times." Those who wish to be healthy and efficient are compelled to advance by taking advantage of other men's faculties. He who attempts to learn all by experience does not live long enough to travel far. Everyone should try to get a knowledge of the few most fundamental facts of nature governing life. Then it would not be so easy to go astray. Health literature should be read with an open mind. Read in conjunction with your knowledge of the laws of nature, and then it will be seen that health and disease are according to law, and that by eliminating the mistakes disease will disappear. All disease is one. It is the manifestation of disobeyed natural law, and whether the mistakes are made knowingly or ignorantly matters but little so far as the results are concerned. It is generally considered a disgrace to be imprisoned for transgressing man-made law, which is faulty and complex. How about being in the fetters of disease for disregarding nature's law, which is just and simple? It is my aim to use as simple language as possible. If physicians read these pages, they will understand them without technicalities, and so will laymen. This book contains much knowledge that physicians should have, knowledge that will help them when that which they have acquired from conventional sources fails, but in many respects it is so opposed to popular customs and beliefs that many physicians will doubtless condemn it on first reading. Doctors are taught otherwise at medical colleges, and most of them have such high regard for authority that it is very difficult for them to see matters in a different light. I appeal to both laymen and healers with open minds. These rambling thoughts will serve to show the reader whether it is worth while to go any further. The following chapters are devoted to an exposition of a workable knowledge of how to retain health, and how to regain lost health in ordinary cases. They will teach how to get dependable health, how to remain well in spite of climatic conditions, bacteria and other factors that are given as causes of disease, and how to more than double the ordinary span of life. Good health and long life result in better work, increased earning capacity and efficiency of body and mind, greater understanding, and more enjoyment of life. It gives time to cultivate wisdom. CHAPTER II. MENTAL ATTITUDE. On mental questions there is a wide divergence of opinion. At one extreme some say that all is mind, at the other, that life is entirely physical, that the mind is but a refined part of the body. Most of us recognize both body and mind, and realize that life has a physical basis. If some are pleased to be known as mental phenomena, no harm is done. All desire to make a success of life. What would be a success for one would be a failure for another. It all depends on the point of view. Broadly speaking, all are successful who are helpful, whether it be in furnishing pleasure or necessities to others. The humble may be as successful as the great, yes even more so. Wealth and success are not synonymous, as many think. Among the failures must be counted many of the wealthy. Financial success is not real success unless it has been gained in return for valuable service. The men of initiative deserve greater rewards than the plodders and these rewards are cheerfully given. A little genuine love and affection can bring more beauty and happiness into life than wealth, and neither can be bought with money. The best and most satisfying form of success comes to him who helps himself by helping others. "It is more blessed to give than to receive," has passed into common currency; but the more we give the more we receive. He who loves attracts love. He who hates is repaid in kind. "He who lives by the sword shall perish by the sword." The enjoyment of the fruits of one's labor is a part of success. Some make a fetish of success and thus lose out. Others are so ambitious that in their striving they forget to live. A little ambition is good; too much sows the seed of struggle, strife and discontent and defeats its own ends. Those who do evil because the end justifies the means have already buried some of the best that is in them. To enjoy life, health of body and mind is necessary. The mind can not come to full fruitage without a good body. Those who strive so hard to reach a certain goal that they neglect the physical become wrecks and after a few years of discomfort and disease are consigned to premature graves. Through proper living and thinking the body and mind are built up, not only enough to meet ordinary demands upon them, but extraordinary ones. In other words, it is within our power to have a large margin, balance or reserve of physical and mental force. To make the meaning clearer let us illustrate financially: Prudent people lay aside a few dollars from time to time, in a savings bank, for instance. All goes well and the savings grow. At last there are one thousand dollars. Now an emergency arises, and if the saver can not furnish nine hundred dollars he will lose his home. In this case he must either borrow or use his reserve, so he takes nine hundred dollars from the savings bank and keeps his home. The improvident man loses his home under similar circumstances, for his credit is not good and he has no balance to draw upon. And it is the same with physical and mental powers, except that we can not borrow these, no matter how much good will or credit we may have. He who lives well is accumulating a reserve. He has a wide margin. If trouble comes he can draw upon his reserve energy or surplus resistance and bridge it over. He may be tired out, but he escapes with body and mind intact. The imprudent liver generally has such a narrow margin that any extraordinary demand made upon him breaks him down. It is very common for men to die after a financial failure. Disease, insanity and death often follow family trouble or the loss of a dear one. The reason is that such people live up to their limit every day. They have no margin to work on. They either overdo or underdo and fail to become balanced. Then a little physical or mental exertion beyond the ordinary often means a breakage or extinction. Equanimity and moderation will help to build up the reserve and give the resistance that is necessary to cope successfully with the unforeseen difficulties that we sometimes have to surmount. The physical state depends largely on the mental state and vice versa. Body and mind react upon each other. Bad blood does not only cause abnormal functioning of such organs as the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs, but it interferes with the normal functioning of the brain. It diminishes the mental output and causes a deterioration of the quality. An engorged liver makes a man cranky. Indigestion causes pessimism. Physical pain is so disturbing that the sufferer thinks mostly of himself and is unable to perform his work well. We never do our best when self-conscious. If there is severe pain the mind can perform no useful labor. On the other hand, anger stops digestion and poisons the secretions of the body. Worry does the same. It takes the mind from constructive thoughts and deeds and centers it upon ourselves. An effective mind must be tranquil, otherwise it upsets the body and fails to give proper direction to our activities. For a real life success we need a proper perspective. We need to be balanced, poised, adjusted. Most of us are too circumscribed mentally. We live so much by and for ourselves that we consider ourselves, individually, of greater importance than the facts warrant. Others do not agree with us on this point, and this is a source of disturbance. I am personally acquainted with two surgeons and several physicians who think they are the greatest in the world, and one considers himself the best physician of all time. The rest of the world does not appraise them so highly, and some of these professional men are very much annoyed because of this lack of appreciation. Selfishness and self-esteem to a certain point are virtues. Beyond that point they become vices. Certainly we should think well of ourselves, and then act so that this good opinion is merited. Self-interest and selfishness are the main-springs of progress. Most of us need some inducement to do good work. It is well that it is so. The ones who deserve the great rewards generally get them, whether they are mental or physical. To obtain a proper perspective of ourselves we must learn to think independently and honestly. It is too common to be conventionally honest, but dishonest with ourselves. It is too common to pass unnoticed in ourselves the faults we condemn in others. We should be lenient in our judgment because often the mistakes that others make would have been ours had we but had the opportunity to make them. As physical ills are principally caused by bad physical habits, so are mental ills and inefficiency chiefly due to various bad mental habits, which are allowed to fasten themselves upon us. These will be briefly discussed so as to focus attention upon them, for the first thing necessary for the correction of a bad habit is to recognize its presence. It is as important to think right as it is to give the body proper care. A good body with a mind working in the wrong direction is of no use. If we allow our minds to be disturbed and distressed by every little unfavorable happening, we shall never have enough tranquility to think well. The proper time to quit our bad habits is now. Why wait until the first of the month or the first of the year? Every day that we harbor a bad habit it grows greater and strikes deeper and stronger roots. A child one year old can often be broken of a bad habit in a week; a child of three, within a month; a child of six, within a few months; but let the habit grow until the age of twenty, and it may take a year or more to break the bonds. Let it continue until the age of thirty, and the victim will say, "I can quit any time," but the chances are that the habit will remain for life. After the individual is fifty or sixty years old, he is rarely capable of changing. If he is the victim of a very bad habit, it has generally so sapped his strength of body and mind that he is unable to break away. The right time to stop bad habits is now. Some people have many pet bad habits. It is often the best policy to attack them one at a time. Those who try to conquer all at once often fail. They backslide, lose self-confidence, become discouraged, tell themselves that it is no use, for it can not be done. Begin with the habit that is least formidable. After this is conquered, overcome another one, and in time most of the bad habits will be subdued. The first conquest builds confidence, and with confidence and determination it is possible to gain self-mastery in time. The greatest evil about bad habits is that they conquer us. They become masters, we slaves. Let us be free. "He who conquers himself is greater than he who taketh a city." The mind grows strong by overcoming obstacles, as the body gains in strength through work and exercise. Giving up bad habits is very disagreeable at first. Those who have conquered the prevalent habit of overeating know that they have been in a fight. The smokers who quit suffer. Those who break away from liquor have a much greater struggle. Those who attempt to overcome drug addictions suffer the tortures of the damned. Those who overcome their bad mental habits have a hard time of it at first, but though it is difficult it is possible. It is no easy matter to curb a fiery disposition or to quit worrying. It requires time, persistence and perseverance. Fretting, envy, spite, jealousy and hatred are tenacious tenants of the mind they occupy. These harmful emotions are enemies which sap our strength and we must thrust them from our lives if we would live well. This is not all narrow selfishness, for when we have gained mental calm for ourselves we are in position to impart peace of mind to others and to be more useful than previously. A calm mind is not a stagnant one. It is a mind that is in the best possible condition to work, to think clearly and effectively. _Self-pity_ is a very common mental ill. Those who suffer much from this affliction usually have very good imagination. They think they are slighted and abused. They know that they do not get their dues. They envy others and are sure that others prosper at their expense. They minimize their blessings and magnify their misfortunes. This state of mind leads to spite and malice. These people become very nervous and irritable and are a nuisance, not only to themselves, but to those who are unfortunate enough to have to associate with them. _Self-consciousness_ and _self-centeredness_ are twin evils. The sufferers lack perspective. They magnify their own importance. They believe they are the targets of many other minds and eyes. The youth refuses to take a dip in the ocean because he knows that the rest of the people on the beach are watching his spindle shanks or perhaps the bathing suit would reveal his narrow, undeveloped chest. The young man is afraid to go onto the dance floor because everybody is sure to see his ungainly gyrations. He stammers and stutters when he speaks because others are paying particular attention to his words, when in truth he is attracting little or no attention. Whether working or playing, those whose good opinions are worth having are too busy to spend much time in finding fault with others and discovering flaws that do not concern them. More enjoyment is to be had in looking at fine physiques and graceful movements than in watching the less favored. We always do our best when we are natural. When we become self-conscious we become artificial and awkward. We can not even breathe properly. Those who are ever thinking about themselves fail to do things well enough to hold sustained attention, even if they are able to gain it for a while. Those who do their work well will in time gain the attention and appreciation they require. No one can long occupy a high place in the public heart without adding to the profit or pleasure of the world. Here is a good line of thought for those who are too self-centered and self-important: "There are millions of solar systems in the universe, some of them much greater than ours. There are uncounted planets in space, beside some of which our little earth is a mere toy. Some of these planets are doubtless inhabited. Even on this small earth there are over a billion people. I am one in a number so great that my mind can not grasp such a multitude. Countless billions have gone before and they got along very well before I was born. Countless billions will live and die after I have passed on, and if they hear of me it will probably be by accident. And so it will be for ages and ages, so extensive that my brain can not grasp the stretch of time, which is without beginning and without end. How much do I, individually, amount to?" And an honest answer _must_ be, "Personally I am of very small importance." An individual can not live of himself, for himself and by himself. Only as he adds his efforts to those of others does his work count. When we realize that we are but atoms in this vast universe, we get down to a business basis. Then it is easy to get adjusted. In order to count at all we must be in harmony with some of the rest of the atoms and when we discover this we are in a mental state to be of some real use. Building for individual glory is vanity. Sometimes an individual builds so well that he is picked out for special attention and honor, but this is comparatively seldom. As a rule, we can only help a little in shaping the ends of the race by adding our mite, as privates in the ranks. The time we spend in nursing our conceit is wasted. This does not mean that we are worms in the dust. A human being is a paradox. He is so little, yet he has great possibilities. Our bodies are kept close to the earth, but our minds can be free and unfettered, soaring through time and space, exploring innumerable worlds of thought. But it will not do to be too self-centered or consider one's self of too great importance, for this lessens one's chances of meriting the esteem of others. The well balanced man is not greatly affected by too great praise or excessive censure, for he realizes that though the public may be hasty and unjust at times, in the end it renders a fairly just verdict. _Fear_ is one of the harmful negative or depressing emotions. Fear, like all other depressing emotions, poisons the body. This is not said in a figurative sense. It is an actual scientific fact; it has been demonstrated chemically. Were it not for the fact that the lungs, skin, kidneys and the bowels are constantly removing poisons from the body, an acute attack of fear would prove fatal. Fear or fright is largely a habit. The parents are often responsible for this affliction. It is far too common for them to scare their children. They people the darkness with all kinds of danger and with horrible shapes, and the children, with their vivid imaginations, magnify these. Children should be taught to meet all conditions in life courageously and fear should not be instilled into their minds. There is a great deal of difference between fear and the caution which all must learn or perish early. The caution that is implanted in the human breast is our heritage from the ages and works for our preservation. It was necessary during the infancy of the race when man had to struggle with the animals for supremacy. Beyond this point fear is a health-destroyer. There are people who cultivate fear until they imagine they are ever in danger. They fear that they may lose their health, their mind, their good name. Some are afraid of many things. Others have one pet fear. Today the fear of the unseen is strong in the public mind. I refer to the fear of germs, those tiny plants which are so small that the unaided eye can not see them. Children are shown moving pictures of these tiny beings, enormously enlarged and very formidable in appearance. They are told to beware, for these germs are in our food, in our drink, on the earth, in the air, in fact everywhere that man lives. It is very harmful to scare the young thus, for it inhibits physical action and stunts the mind. How much better it would be to teach the children these truths about the germs: "Yes, there are germs in our foods and beverages. They are on the earth, in the water and in the air. They are necessary for our existence. If we take good care of our bodies and direct our minds in proper channels, these germs will not, in fact, can not harm us. If we do not take care of ourselves, but allow our bodies to fill with debris, the germs try to clean this away; they multiply and grow into great armies while doing it, for they thrive on waste. It is our fault, not the fault of the germs, that we allow our bodies to degenerate. The germs are our good friends and if we treat ourselves properly they will do all they can to help keep the water, the earth and the air in fit condition for our use." Such teachings have the advantage of being true. They are helpful and healthful. The popular teachings are disease-producing. The mental depression and bodily inhibition caused by fear are injurious. Those who fear a certain kind of disease often bring this ill upon themselves, so powerful is suggestion. The fear is more dangerous than the thing feared. In fear there is loss of both physical and mental power. Not only the voluntary muscles become impotent, but the involuntary ones lose in effectiveness. Digestion is partly or wholly suspended. "Scared stiff" is a popular and truthful expression. The bodily rhythm is lost, the breathing becomes jerky and the heart beats out of tune. Keep fear out of the lives of babes. If children are taught the truth, there will be little fear in adult minds. Children should not be taught prayers in which there is an element of fear. It is much better to bring children up to love other people and God than to fear. Those who have cultivated fear should try suggestion. Positive suggestion is always best. Let them analyze matters thus: "I have feared daily and nightly. Nothing has happened. I have brought much unnecessary discomfort upon myself. There is nothing to fear and I shall be brave hereafter." Those who fear God have a low conception of Him. Let them remember the beautiful saying that "God is love." Through repeating them often enough, such positive suggestions sink so deeply into the mind that they replace doubts and fears. About 2500 years ago Pythagoras wrote: "Hate and fear breed a poison in the blood, which, if continued, affect eyes, ears, nose and the organs of digestion. Therefore, it is not wise to hear and remember the unkind things that others may say of us." Pythagoras was an ancient philosopher, but his words express modern scientific truths. _Worry_: Worrying is perhaps the most common and the worst of our mental sins. Worry is like a cancer: It eats in and in. It is destructive of both body and mind. It is due largely to lack of self-control and is a symptom of cowardice. Much worry is also indicative of great selfishness, which most of those afflicted will deny. Those who worry much are always in poor health, which grows progressively worse. The form of indigestion accompanied by great acidity and gas formation is a prolific source of worry, as well as of other mental and physical troubles. The acidity irritates the nervous system and the irritation in time causes mental depression. Confirmed worriers will worry about the weather, the past, the present, the future, about work and about play, about food, clothing and drink, about those who are present and those who are absent. Nothing escapes them and they bring sadness and woe in their wake. Worrying is slow suicide. Elbert Hubbard says that our most serious troubles are those that never happen. Worrying is a very futile employment, for it never does any good, and it reacts evilly upon the one who indulges in it, and those with whom he associates. It is a waste of time and energy. The energy thus used could be directed into useful channels. Let those who are afflicted with this bad and annoying habit get into good physical condition. Then many of the worries will take wing. If they persist, it would be well to face the matter frankly and honestly, setting down the advantages of worrying on one side and the disadvantages on the other. Then take into consideration that not one thing in a thousand worried about happens, and if something disagreeable does occur, worrying can not prevent it. Besides a disagreeable happening now and then will not cause half of the discomfort and trouble that a disturbed mind does. "And this too shall pass away," is an ancient saying which it would be well to remember in conjunction with, "And this will probably never happen." _Anger_ is a form of temporary insanity. It is an emotion that is unbecoming in strong men, for it is a sign of weakness, and the women who indulge in it frequently can not long keep the respect of others. Those who become angry lay themselves open to wounds of all kinds, for they partly lose their mental and physical faculties temporarily. An angry man is easily vanquished in any contest where ready wit is necessary. As the saying is, he makes a fool of himself. To be high strung and quick to lose one's temper may sound fine in romantic rubbish, but in real life it is folly, for much more can be accomplished by being calm. Like hatred, anger produces poisons in the system. An angry mother's milk has been known to kill the nursing child. A fit of anger is so serious that the evil effects can be felt for several days, and those who indulge in daily or even weekly loss of temper can not enjoy the best of health, for the anger produces enough toxins to poison all the fluids of the body. Fortunately, anger is one of the emotions that can be conquered in a reasonable time, if there is a real desire to do so. It should not take an adult more than one or two years to get himself under control. During anger there is a tensing of various muscles, those of the face and hands for instance. If this tensing is not allowed the anger will not last long. If there is a tendency to become angry, relax and the mind will ease up. A perfectly relaxed individual can not harbor anger, for this emotion requires tensing of body and mind. A determination to control the temper and a whole-hearted apology after each display of anger will prove very effective in reducing the frequency and force of the attacks. Mental suggestion is not as powerful as some say, but it is such a great force for good or evil, depending on its use, that those who are wise will not neglect it as a means of self-conquest. People who are easily offended and "stand on their dignity," have a very poor footing. Those who find it necessary to inform others that they are ladies or gentlemen, are very apt to be prejudiced in their own favor. Gentlefolks do not need to advertise, nor do they do so. Others recognize their worth intuitively. _Fretting_ is anger on a small scale. It is a habit that is easily formed. The fretter and those about him are made uncomfortable. Those who respect themselves and others do not indulge. _Hatred_ is one of the most harmful and poisonous of emotions. Fortunately, violent hatred can last but a short time, otherwise it would prove fatal. Some are chronic haters. He who hates harms himself. The thoughts weave themselves into one's personality and form the character. _Jealousy_ is one of the most disagreeable of emotions. The jealous person insists on suffering. A jealous woman can convert a home into an inferno. Jealousy is sure to kill love in time. The jealous individual often excuses himself on the ground that he loves. That is not true. There is more fear than love at the base of jealousy. Jealous people are selfish and too indolent mentally to give their thoughts a positive direction. Those who are violently jealous are suffering from mental aberration. The jealous person loses, for he drives away the object of his affection. There are many jealous men, but women suffer most. Bad health and idleness are two prolific causes of jealousy. It has probably broken up more homes than any other one thing. It is blighting to all it touches. Men and women may feel flattered for a time by producing jealousy, but it is a satisfaction of very short duration. They soon grow weary of the questions, doubts and reproaches. Those who are sensible enough to give freely to others the liberty they crave for themselves do not suffer much from this emotion. It would help greatly if man and wife would look upon the marriage relation more as a partnership and less as a form of bondage. One of the partners can not force the other one to be "good." People do the best by others when full confidence is given, and even if the confidence should be misplaced, it would be better than to suffer from this corroding emotion at all times. It is not an easy task to overcome jealousy, but it can be done within a reasonable time if there is a real desire. First get physical health. Then get busy with interesting, useful work. Get something worth while to occupy the mind and the hands. Determine to be master of yourself and not a slave to what is often but figments of the imagination. Unfortunately, jealousy so dwarfs the judgment at times that the sufferers seek only to rule or ruin. Love and hate are so closely akin that it is hard to find the dividing line. _Sorrow_: Some dedicate their lives to a sorrow. They make martyrs of themselves. They have suffered a loss and they dwell upon it during all of their waking hours. It may be that it was a very ordinary or worthless husband or child. After death the poor real is converted into a glorious ideal. With the passing years the virtues of the departed grow. All the love and tenderness are lavished upon the dead and the living are neglected. It is generally women who suffer from this peculiar form of mild insanity, but men are not exempt. It is natural to feel the loss of a dear one, but so long as we are mortal we must accept these things as matters of course. Related to this form of sorrow is the regretting or brooding over past actions, especially in connection with the dead. Perhaps something that should have been done was neglected, or something was done that should have been left undone. Over this the sufferer broods by the hour, leading to a form of sad resignation that is rather irritating to normal people. For such people a change of interest and a change of scene will often prove very beneficial. _Envy_ and _spite_ are closely akin to jealousy and anger. They have the same effect in lesser degree. _Vacillation of mind_ is a common fault. Many small questions have to be settled and a few important ones. Some are in the habit of deferring their decisions from time to time, or making and revoking their decisions. Then they decide over again, after which there is another revocation. This is repeated until it is absolutely necessary to make a final decision. By this time the mind is so muddled that the chances are that the last decision will be inferior to the first one. No one who leads an active life can be right all the time. He who is right six times out of ten does pretty well, and he who can make a correct decision three times out of four can command a fine salary as an executive or build up a flourishing business of his own, if his mind is active. The doubt and uncertainty which result from unsettled questions, which should be promptly decided, are more harmful than an occasional error. The untroubled mind works most quickly and truly. Related to this in minor key is the doubtful condition of mind where the individual has to do things several times before he is sure they are properly done. For instance, there is the man who must try the office door several times to be sure that it is locked and after being satisfied on this point he is obliged to unlock it and investigate the condition of the safe door. Then it is necessary to attend to the office door two or three times again. This kind of doubtfulness takes many forms. It does no special harm except that it leads to much waste of time. Such people should teach themselves concentration, thinking about one thing only at a time, until they learn that when a thing is done it is properly done. _Judging_: Many insist on passing judgment on everything and everybody that come to their notice. Every individual has to be placed with the sheep or the goats. This is a great waste of time. Each one of us can know so little about the majority of individuals we meet and of the vast volume of knowledge that is to be had that if we try to judge everyone and everything, our opinions become worthless. Wise people are never afraid to say, "I don't know." If it is necessary to judge, let there be kindness. _Volunteering advice_: This is another annoying habit. It is very well to give advice if it is desired and asked for, otherwise it is a waste of time. Take a person with a cold, for example: If he meets twenty people he may be told of fifteen different cures for it, ranging from goose grease on a red rag to suggestive therapeutics. If he were to act upon all the advice received there would probably be a funeral. It is best to be sparing with advice. Those who have any that is worth while will be asked for it and paid for their trouble. Free advice is generally worth what it costs. _Cranks_: Many allow themselves to get into a mental rut with their thoughts running almost entirely to one subject. This is a mild form of insanity, for normal people have many interests. These people are the cranks. They can talk volumes about their favorite topic, often of no importance. It may be some peculiar religion or ethics; or that Bacon wrote the plays of Shakespeare; or some health fad, or almost any subject. Of all the cranks the diet crank is one of the most annoying, for he has three good opportunities to air his views each day. With the best meaning in the world he does more harm to the cause of food reform than do the advocates of living in the good old way, eating, drinking and being merry and dying young. When people become possessed of too much zeal and enthusiasm regarding a subject, they are sure that their knowledge is the truth and they insist upon trying to enforce their way upon others, resent having their old habits interfered with forcibly. Those who are too persistent and insistent produce antagonism and prejudice in the minds of others, and then it is almost impossible to impart the truth to them, for they will neither see nor hear. To be able to influence others for better is a grand and glorious thing, but it is well to remember that we can not force knowledge which is contrary to popular thought upon others suddenly. Those who change a well rooted opinion generally do so gradually. When they first hear the truth, they say it is ridiculous. After a while they think there may be something in it. At last they see its superiority over their former opinions and accept it. It requires infinite patience on the part of the educators to impart unpopular knowledge to other adults, no matter how much truth it contains. The truth about physical well-being is so simple and so self-evident that it is exceptionally hard to get an unprejudiced audience. From the time when the ancient heathen priests were the healers until today the impression has been that health and healing are beyond the understanding of the common mind, and therefore people are willing to be mystified. The mysterious has such a strong appeal in this world of uncertainties that it is more attractive than the simple truth. Mystery simply demands faith. The truth compels thinking and thoughts are often painful. By all means, avoid being overinsistent in trying to impart health knowledge to others. All who have a little knowledge of the fundamentals of health and growth know that useful men and women are going into degeneration and premature death constantly, because of violated health laws. If these people on the brink, who can yet be saved by natural means, are told how it can be done, they generally either refuse to believe it, or they have led such self-indulgent lives that it is beyond their power to change. The knowledge often comes too late. Those who are anxious to do good in the spreading of health knowledge among their friends can serve best by getting health themselves. If a physical wreck evolves into good health there will be considerable comment and inquiry. This is the opportunity to tell what nature will do and inform others where to obtain a good interpretation of nature's workings. A little practicing is worth more than a great deal of preaching. The truth is the truth, no matter what the source, but it is more effective if it comes from one who lives it. I have gone into the subject of health cranks so deeply because there are so many of them. They get a little knowledge and then they believe they are masters of the subject. The right attitude toward proper living, and especially toward proper eating is: "I shall try to conduct myself so as to be healthy and efficient. If others desire my help, I shall try to indicate the way to them. Right living is no sign of superior goodness or merit, being a matter of higher selfishness, so I deserve no credit for it. Although health is very important, I shall refrain from attempting to force my will on others." After conquering ourselves it is time to begin making foreign conquests, but by that time the realization comes that in the end it is best to leave others free to work out their own salvation. The desire is strong to mould others according to our pattern, but those who size themselves up honestly soon come to the conclusion that they are so imperfect that perchance some other pattern is fully as good. _Postponing happiness_: One peculiar state of mind is to refuse to be happy at present. The romantic girl and boy think they can not be happy until they are married. After marriage they find that they have to gain a certain amount of wealth before happiness comes. Then they have to postpone it for social position. They continue postponing happiness from time to time and the result is that they never attain it. Happiness is not a great entity that bursts upon us, transforming us into radiant beings. It is a comfortable feeling that brings peace and places us in harmony with our surroundings. It can best be gained by doing well each day the work that is to be done, cheerfully giving in return for what is received. Happiness is largely a habit. It is as easy to be bright and cheerful as it is to be sad and doleful, and much more comfortable. If we look for the best we will find beauty even in the most unpromising places. If we are looking for tears and woe, we can easily find them. We can get along without happiness, but it adds so much color and beauty to life, it makes us so much better, it helps us so much to be useful that it is folly to do without it. It is not gained by narrow selfishness. Those who forget themselves most and are kind and considerate find it. By giving it to others we get it for ourselves. Ecstasy and rapture are emotions of short duration. They are so exhilarating that they soon wear out. We all have our little troubles and annoyances. These we should accept as inevitable, and neither think nor talk much about them. They help to wear away the rough edges. We are stupid at times and so are others and then mistakes are made. These should also be accepted as inevitable, and we should not be more annoyed by those that others make than by our own. Those who go into a rage when their subordinates err waste much time and energy, erring gravely themselves. It is not necessary to notice every unimportant detail that is not pleasing. Fault-finding, carping and nagging destroy harmony. Disagreements about trifles often lead to broken friendship and enmity. Most quarrels are about trifles. If mistakes are made, learn the lesson they teach and then forget about them. All live, active beings make mistakes. Sometimes we make serious ones and afterwards regrets come, but these must soon be thrust aside. Brooding has put many into the insane asylums. _Introspection_: It is not well to allow the mind to dwell upon one's self very much. Give yourself enough thought to guide yourself through life, and then for the rest apply the mind to work and play. Many of those who are too self-centered end up in believing they are something or somebody else and then they are shut away from the public. Introspection is a very useless employment. Individually we are so small, and the mind has such great possibilities, that if we center it upon our tiny physical being, things become unbalanced and the mind ceases to work to good advantage. It is useless to go deeply into self-analysis, for we are very poor judges of ourselves. One of my neighbors delved so deeply into his heart and tried so hard to find out if he was fit to dwell in heaven that he lost his mind and had to be confined for a long time. He allowed his vision to narrow down to one subject. There are many subjects that lead to insanity if they are allowed exclusive possession of the mind. After we have given ourselves proper care, we should think no more about ourselves. The best way is to get busy in work and play and forget ourselves. It is much better to love others than to center our love upon ourselves. If we conduct ourselves well we shall have all the love from others that we need. If there is a tendency to be introspective, cure it by becoming active mentally and physically. Those who have acquired the bad habit of thinking and talking ill of others should break themselves of it. First cease talking ill. Then begin to look for the good points and mention them. By and by the thoughts will be good. Those who lack a virtue can often cultivate it by assuming it. One of the most helpful things is a sense of humor. Laughter brings about relaxation and relaxation gives ease of body and mind. He who can see his own weaknesses and smile at them is surely safe and sane. If the mind is too austere, cultivate a sense of humor. Train yourself to appreciate the ridiculous appearance you make and instead of being chagrined, smile. When others laugh at you, join them. Whatever the mental ill may be, one-half of its cure will be brought about by getting physical health. Be charitable, tolerant and kind, and the good things in life will come to you. Be slow to judge and slower still to condemn others. Those who give love attract it. Hypatia said: "Express beauty in your lives and beauty flows to you and through you. To love means to be loved, and to put hate behind is the sum of all loving that is of any avail." The best "New Thought" is the best old thought. If we only would put some of the beautiful knowledge into common use, what an agreeable dwelling place this world would be. Marcus Aurelius gave us this pearl of wisdom: "When you arise in the morning, think what a precious privilege it is to live, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love! God's spirit is close to us when we love. Therefore it is better not to resent, not to hate, not to fear. Equanimity and moderation are the secrets of power and peace." CHAPTER III. FOOD. The human body is so wonderfully made that as yet we have only a poor understanding of it, but we are learning a little each decade, and perhaps in time we shall have a fair knowledge both of the body and of the mind. Body and mind can not be considered as two separate entities, for neither one is of any use without the other. The body is not a machine. Those who look upon it as such make the mistake of feeding it as they would an engine, thinking that it takes so much fuel to keep going. The human organism is perhaps never quite alike on any two consecutive days, for the body changes with our thoughts, actions and environment, and the conditions never quite repeat themselves and therefore we have to readjust ourselves. The most important single item for gaining and retaining physical health is proper feeding, yet the medical men of this country pay so little attention to this subject that in some of our best equipped medical colleges dietetics are not taught. A total of from sixteen to thirty hours is considered sufficient to fit the future physicians to guide their patients in the selection, combination and preparation of food. Dietetics should be the principal subject of study. It should be approached both from the scientific and from the empirical side. It is not a rigid subject, but one which can be treated in a very elastic way. The scientific part is important, but the practical part, which is the art, is vastly more important. A part of the art of feeding and fasting is scientific, for we get the same results every time, under given conditions. When we consider the fact that the body is made up of various tissues, such as connective tissue, blood, nerves and muscles; that these in turn are made up of billions of cells, as are the various glandular organs and membranes; that these cells are constantly bathed in blood and lymph, from which they select the food they need and throw the refuse away, we must marvel that an organism so complex is so resistant, stable and strong. All articles of good quality are made by first-class workmen from fine materials. However, many people fail to realize that in order to have quality bodies they must take quality food, properly cooked or prepared, in the right proportions and combinations. If we feed the body properly, nature is kind enough to do good constructive work without any thought on our part. You will find no rigid rules in these talks on diet, but you will find information that will enable you to select foods that will agree with you. People may well disagree on what to eat, for there are so many foods that a person could do without nine-tenths of them and still be well nourished. In fact, we consume too great a variety of food for our physical well-being. Great variety leads to overeating. A healthy human body is composed of the following compounds, in about the proportions given: Water, 60 to 65 per cent. Mineral matter, 5 to 6 per cent. Protein, 18 to 20 per cent. Carbohydrates, 1 per cent. Fat, 10 per cent. This is perhaps excessive. These substances are very complex and well distributed throughout the body. They are composed of about sixteen or seventeen elements, but a pure element is very rarely found in the body, unless it be a foreign substance, such as mercury or lead. About 70 per cent of the body is oxygen, which is also the most abundant element of the earth. Then in order of their weight come carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, sodium, chlorine, fluorine, potassium, iron, magnesium and silicon. Because it will be helpful in giving a better idea of the necessity for proper feeding, I shall devote a few words to each of these elements. _Oxygen_ is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas, forming a large part of the atmospheric air, of water, of the earth's crust and of our foods. It is absolutely essential to life, for without oxygen there can be no combustion in the animal tissues, and without combustion there can be no life. The union of oxygen with fats, carbohydrates and proteins in the body results in slow combustion, which produces heat and energy. Our chief supply of oxygen comes directly from the air, but this is supplemented by the intake in food and water. _Carbon_ is the chief producer of energy within the body, being the principal constituent of starches, sugars and fats. It is what we rely on for internal heat, as well as for heating our dwellings, for the essential part of coal is carbon. The carbonaceous substances are needed in greater quantity than any other, but if they are taken pure, they cause starvation more quickly than if no food were eaten. This has been proved through experiments in feeding nothing but refined sugar, which is practically pure carbon. Salts and nitrogenous foods are essential to life. _Hydrogen_ is a very light gas, without odor, taste or color. It is a necessary constituent of all growing, living things. It is plentifully supplied in water. All acids contain hydrogen and so does the protoplasm of the body. _Nitrogen_ is also a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas. It is an essential constituent of the body, being present in all compounds of protein. It is abundant in the atmospheric air, from which it is taken by plants. We get our supply either directly from vegetable foods or from animal products, such as milk, eggs and meat. _Calcium_ is needed principally for the bones and for the teeth, but it is also necessary in the blood, where it assists in coagulation. We get sufficient calcium salts in fruits, grains and vegetables, provided they are properly prepared. The conventional preparation of the food often results in the loss of the various salts, which causes tissue degeneration. If the supply of calcium in the food is too small, the bones and the teeth suffer, for the blood removes the calcium from these structures. Growing children need more calcium proportionately than do adults. This is without doubt the reason pregnant women suffer so much from softening of the teeth. They are fed on foods robbed of their calcium, such as white bread and vegetables that have been drained. _Phosphorus_ in some forms is a poison whether taken in solid compounds or inhaled in fumes, producing phossy jaw. In other forms it is indispensable for bodily development. The compounds of phosphorus are present in fats, bones and protein. In natural foods they are abundantly present, but when these foods are unduly refined, or are soaked in water which is thrown away, much of the phosphorus is lost. We get phosphorus from milk, eggs, cereals, legumes and other foods. Of course, there is phosphorus in fish, but those who eat sea food to make themselves brainy will probably be disappointed. Phosphates are necessary for brain development, but those who eat natural foods never need to go to the trouble of taking special foods for the brain. If the rest of the body is well nourished, the brain will have sufficient food, and if the body is poorly nourished the brain will suffer. _Sulphur_ is present in protein and we get a sufficient supply from milk, meat and legumes. The element sulphur is quite inert and harmless, but some of its acids and salts are very poisonous. Sulphur dioxide is freely used in the process of drying fruits, as a bleacher. In this form it is poisonous, and for that reason it would be well to avoid bleached dried fruits. We need some sulphur, but not in the form of sulphur dioxide or concentrated sulphurous acid, both of which are used in the manufacture of food. _Sodium_, in its elementary state, which is not found in nature, is a white, silvery metal. It is found in great abundance in the succulent vegetables, and is present in practically all foods. As sodium chloride, or common table salt, it is taken in great quantities by most people. Those who have no salt get along well without it, which shows that it is not needed in large amounts. If but a little is added to the food, it does no perceptible harm, but when sprinkled on everything that is eaten, from watermelons to meat, it is without doubt harmful. By soaking foods, they are deprived of much of their soda: The two sodium salts that are very abundant are sodium chloride, or common salt, and sodium carbonate, generally called soda. _Chlorine_ is ordinarily combined in our foods with sodium or potash, forming the chlorides. It is essential to life. He who gets enough sodium also gets enough chlorine. In its elementary form it is an irritating gas, used for bleaching purposes. _Fluorine_ is present in small quantities in the body, appearing as fluorides in the bones and teeth. It is supplied by the various foods. In its elementary form it is a poisonous gas. _Potassium_ is found in the body in very small quantities, but it is very important. It is mostly in the form of potassium phosphate in the muscles and in the blood. It is necessary for muscular activity. It is found in most foods in greater abundance than is sodium, which indicates that it plays an important part in development. Like sodium, it is easily dissolved out of foods which are soaked in water, and this is one of the reasons that vegetables should not be soaked and the water thrown away. It is very peculiar in its metallic state, being a silvery metal, very light in weight, which burns when thrown upon water. That is, it decomposes both itself and the water with the liberation of so much heat that it fires the escaping hydrogen, which burns with a violet flame. Pure potassium is not found in nature. _Iron_ is found in very small quantities in the human body, but it is absolutely essential to life. Animals deprived of iron die in a few weeks, and people will do the same under similar circumstances. Iron is obtained principally from fruits and vegetables, but it is also present in other foods. Man can not make use of inorganic iron. He has to get his supply from the vegetable and animal kingdoms. The giving of inorganic iron is folly and helps to ruin the teeth and the stomach of the one who takes it. In the form of hemoglobin this element is the chief agent in carrying oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body. In the manufacture of foods, much of the iron is lost. For instance, whole wheat flour contains about ten times as much iron as does the white flour. Too little iron causes, among other ills, anemia, and if the iron is very low, chlorosis or the green sickness may ensue. _Magnesium_ is found principally as phosphate in the bones. It is present both in animal and vegetable foods. Its function in the body is not well understood, but it appears to assist the phosphorus. _Silicon_ is found in traces in the human body. It is supplied in small quantities in nearly all of our foods, and therefore we must take it for granted that it is necessary, although we are in the dark as to its uses. It is very abundant in various rocks. The cereals are especially rich in silicon. In wheat it is found in the bran and is removed from the white flour. The elements mentioned are the most important in the body, though others are found in traces. We do not find the elements present as elements, but in the form of very complex compounds. Under our present conditions of living, we generally partake of too much carbonaceous and nitrogenous food, and get too little of the salts, except sodium chloride, which is taken in too great quantity. Salt, to most people, means but one thing, sodium chloride or table salt. However, there are thousands of salts, and when salts are mentioned in this book, all those necessary for the processes of life are meant, whether they be compounds of fluorine, sulphur, phosphorus, calcium, iron or magnesium or other metals and minerals. Salts are not usually classified as foods, but they are essential to life. Supply the body with all the protein, sugar, starch and fat that it requires, but withhold the salts, and it is but a question of a few weeks before life ceases. This is why it is so important to improve our methods of cooking. A potato that is peeled, soaked in cold water and boiled, may lose as much as one-half of its salts, according to one of the bulletins sent out by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Other vegetables not only lose their salts by such treatment, but as high as 30 per cent of their nutritive value. The lesson we should learn from this is that ordinarily if it is necessary to soak foods, such as beans, they should be cooked in the water in which they have been soaked. Furthermore, where possible, as it is with nearly all succulent vegetables, we should take the fluid in which the vegetables have been cooked as a part of the meal. If the vegetables are properly cooked, there will not be much fluid to take. To pour away the water in which vegetables have been cooked means that perhaps one-third of the food value and one-third to one-half of the valuable salts are lost. Why continue impoverishing foods in this way? Dr. Charles Page deserves much credit for calling our attention to this fact when most healers neither thought nor talked about it. Now all up-to-date healers with a knowledge of dietetics realize how important it is to give good food. For those who wish more detailed information on the composition of the salts, I insert a table which was compiled by Otto Carque and published in "Brain and Brawn," February, 1913. Those who wish still more detailed knowledge can find it in volumes on food analysis and in some government reports. MINERAL MATTER IN 1000 PARTS OF WATER-FREE FOOD PRODUCTS. ========================================================================== P P M h o a o C t C g s S S h a S a n p u i l s o l e h l l o s d c s I o p i r i i i i r r h c i u u u u o u u o n m m m m n s r n e Total| | | | | | | | | Salts| K2O |Na2O | CaO | MgO |Fe2O3|P2O5 | SO2 |SiO2 | Cl -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Human milk 34.70|11.73| 3.16| 5.80| 0.75| 0.07| 7.84| 0.33| 0.07| 6.38 Cow's milk 55.30|13.70| 5.34|12.24| 1.69| 0.30|15.79| 0.17| 0.02| 8.04 Meat (avge) 40.00|16.52| 1.44| 1.12| 1.28| 0.28|17.00| 0.64| 0.44| 1.56 Eggs 41.80| 6.27| 9.56| 4.56| 0.46| 0.17|15.72| 0.13| 0.13| 3.72 Seafish 84.20|18.35|12.55|12.80| 3.28| ....|32.13| ....| ....| 9.60 Cottage Cheese 64.30| 8.50| 0.90|22.50| 1.50| 0.50|24.35| 0.10| ....|11.20 | | | | | | | | | Apples 33.00|11.78| 8.61| 1.35| 2.89| 0.46| 4.52| 2.01| 1.42| .... Strawberries 65.00|13.72|18.53| 9.23| ....| 3.73| 7.97| 2.05| 7.82| 1.10 Gooseberries 29.00|11.22| 2.87| 3.54| 1.70| 1.32| 5.71| 1.71| 0.75| 0.22 Prunes 37.75|18.28| 3.41| 4.34| 1.36| 0.94| 6.03| 1.21| 1.19| 0.15 Peaches 17.60| 9.63| 1.50| 1.41| 0.92| 0.18| 2.67| 1.00| 0.26| .... Cherries 34.60|17.94| 0.76| 2.60| 1.90| 0.69| 5.54| 1.76| 3.11| 0.46 Grapes 25.20|14.16| 0.35| 2.72| 1.06| 0.45| 3.93| 1.41| 0.70| 0.38 Figs 41.00|11.63|10.77| 7.75| 3.78| 0.60| 0.53| 2.77| 2.43| 1.10 Olives 33.40|27.02| 2.52| 2.49| 0.06| 0.31| 0.46| 0.36| 0.22| 0.06 Apricots 33.60|19.68| 3.76| 1.08| 2.89| 0.46| 4.52| 2.01| 1.42| .... Pears 25.60|14.00| 2.17| 2.05| 1.52| 0.25| 3.90| 1.45| 0.38| .... Watermelons 40.00|18.00| 3.75| 4.00| 2.10| 1.75| 5.60| 2.10| 7.60| 1.10 Bananas 32.40|16.20| 0.80| 0.25| 0.32| 0.10| 2.03| 0.21| ....| 2.47 Oranges 38.15|18.62| 0.95| 8.65| 2.03| 0.38| 4.70| 2.00| 0.25| 0.29 | | | | | | | | | Spinach 191.00|21.71|57.42|22.73|12.22| 6.40|19.58|13.18| 8.60|12.03 Onions 48.40|12.10| 1.55|10.65| 2.55| 2.20| 7.25| 2.65| 8.10| 1.35 Carrots 69.00|25.46|14.63| 7.80| 3.04| 0.70| 8.83| 4.45| 1.66| 3.18 Asparagus 86.40|20.74|14.77| 9.33| 3.72| 2.94|16.07| 5.36| 9.50| 5.10 Radishes 110.40|35.33|23.37|15.45| 3.42| 3.09|12.03| 7.18| 1.00|10.10 Cauliflower 91.20|40.46| 5.38| 5.10| 3.37| 0.91|18.42|11.86| 3.37| 3.10 Cucumbers 100.00|41.20|10.00| 7.30| 4.15| 1.40|20.20| 6.90| 8.00| 6.60 Lettuce 180.70|67.94|13.55|26.56|11.20| 9.40|16.62| 6.87|14.64|13.82 Potatoes 44.20|26.56| 1.33| 1.15| 2.18| 0.48| 7.47| 2.89| 0.88| 1.55 Cabbage 123.00|45.33|11.68|21.65| 4.90| 0.86|11.07|17.10| 1.10|10.45 Tomatoes 176.00|82.50|32.90|11.35|13.55| 1.00|10.75| 5.00| 7.75|18.00 Red Beets 41.65| 8.45|21.60| 2.50| 0.10| 1.00| 2.55| 0.50| 2.00| 2.95 Celery 180.00|48.60|65.25|14.70| 6.75| 1.60|14.50| 6.50| 4.30|17.80 | | | | | | | | | Walnuts 17.40| 2.20| 0.17| 0.97| 2.88| 0.61|10.10| 0.22| 0.12| 0.12 Almonds 21.00| 2.31| 0.38| 3.04| 3.95| 0.23|10.10| 0.96| 0.04| 0.06 Cocoanuts 18.70| 8.21| 1.57| 8.60| 1.76| ....| 2.18| 0.95| 0.09| 2.50 | | | | | | | | | Lentils 34.70|12.08| 4.62| 2.18| 0.87| 0.69|12.60| ....| ....| 1.61 Peas 30.03|13.06| 0.30| 1.45| 2.42| 0.24|10.87| 1.03| 0.27| 0.53 Beans 38.20|15.85| 0.42| 1.91| 2.73| 0.19|14.86| 1.30| 0.25| 0.69 Peanuts 24.30| 9.27| 0.21| 0.95| 2.29| 0.27|10.60| 0.45| 0.05| 0.23 | | | | | | | | | Whole Wheat 23.10| 7.20| 0.50| 0.75| 2.80| 0.30|10.90| 0.09| 0.46| 0.07 White flour 5.70| 1.82| 0.08| 0.43| 0.44| 0.03| 2.80| ....| ....| .... Rye 21.30| 6.84| 0.31| 0.61| 2.39| 0.25|10.16| 0.28| 0.30| 0.01 Barley 31.30| 5.10| 1.28| 0.02| 3.92| 0.53|10.27| 0.93| 8.98| .... Oats 34.50| 6.18| 0.59| 1.24| 2.45| 0.41| 8.83| 0.62|13.52| 0.03 Corn 18.50| 5.50| 0.02| 0.04| 2.87| 0.15| 8.44| 0.15| 0.39| 0.35 Whole Rice 16.00| 3.60| 0.67| 0.59| 1.78| 0.22| 8.60| 0.08| 0.42| 0.02 Rice, polished 4.00| 0.87| 0.22| 0.13| 0.45| 0.05| 2.15| 0.03| 0.11| 0.01 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please remember that most of the salts must be worked into organic form for us by vegetation, and that we are able to take but few elements that have not been thus elaborated. We need a moderate amount of food to maintain the body in health, but we should be careful not to overindulge. Perhaps the most injurious errors are made by people who eat because they wish to gain in weight. They consider themselves below weight and they try to force a gain by overeating. This is a serious mistake and leads to much suffering. There is no weight that can be called ideal for all people. To get a basis, I copy a table from the literature of an insurance company. This is for people twenty years old: Height Weight 5--0........114 1........117 2........121 3........124 4........128 5........132 6........136 7........140 8........144 9........149 10........153 11........158 6--0........162 1........167 2........172 3........177 If the weight is much above this, it is a sure sign that the individual is building disease. It may be Bright's disease, fatty heart, arteriosclerosis, cancer or any other ill. The muscles can not be increased in size very much by eating and there is a limit to the amount of fluid that can be stored away. Stout people generally carry about a great amount of fat. Excess of fat is a burden. It replaces other tissues and weakens the muscles. It overcrowds the abdominal and thoracic cavities, thus making the breath short and the working of the heart more difficult, also producing a tendency to prolapsus of the various abdominal organs. People make the mistake of thinking that stoutness indicates health. It indicates disease. Going into weight is going into degeneration. Women like to be plump for various reasons, some of which are not the most creditable to either men or women. Fat people are not good looking. There is not a statue in the world sculptured on corpulent lines that is considered beautiful. It is natural for some people to be slender and for others to be rather plump, but fatness is abnormal. Rolling double chins and protruding abdomens are signs of self-abuse in eating and drinking. As a rule women are at their right weight at twenty and men at twenty-two or twenty-three. This weight they should retain. If twenty or thirty pounds are added to it life will be materially shortened. Perfect health is impossible for obese people, but it is within the reach of lean ones. In getting well, it is often necessary to become quite slender, but after the system has cleansed itself, it gains in weight again. It may take from several months to several years to obtain a normal weight after the ravages of disease. A healthy body is self-regulating and will be as heavy as it ought to be. Those who eat too much in order to gain weight sometimes wreck their digestive and assimilative powers to such an extent that they lose a great deal of weight, and the more they eat the more they lose. Then it is necessary to reduce the food intake until digestion and assimilation catch up with supply. Then if the eating is right the individual goes to the proper weight and retains it. The slender people are in the safest physical condition. The vast amount of statistics gathered by the life insurance companies bears this out. Remember that fat is a low grade tissue, which sometimes crowds out high grade tissue, that an excess indicates degeneration and that obesity is a disease. All fat people eat too much, even though they consider themselves small eaters. They should regulate their eating and drinking so that they will return to a normal weight. This is the only safe way to reduce. Pay no attention to underweight. Eat what the body requires and is able to digest and assimilate, without causing any inconvenience. The organism will take care of the rest. To attempt to force weight onto a body at the expense of discomfort, disease, reduced efficiency and premature death shows poor judgment. Losing weight does not matter at all if there is no discomfort or disease. It is all right to be a little lighter during summer than in winter. In discussing food and its use, two words are frequently employed, digestion and fermentation. Strictly speaking, digestion is largely a process of fermentation, consisting of the breaking down of complex substances into simple ones, by means of ferments. However, in the popular mind digestion and fermentation are not synonymous, and will not be so considered in this book. To make my meaning clear, in this book the words will have the following meaning: Digestion--the normal breaking down of food and formation into substances that can be used by the blood for building, repairing and producing heat and energy. Fermentation--the abnormal breaking down of food in the digestive tract, producing discomfort and health impaired. This process manifests in various ways, such as the production of much gas in the digestive tract or hyperacidity of the body. We will consider digestion as a process conducive to health, but fermentation, as one that leads to disease, being an early stage of digestive derangement. CHAPTER IV. OVEREATING. All agree that excessive indulgence in alcoholics is harmful physically, mentally and morally. We condemn the too free use of tea and coffee and nearly all other excesses. However, intemperate eating is considered respectable. A large part of our social life consists in partaking of too much food. Medical text-books say that we must eat great quantities of food to maintain strength and health. Humanity views the subject of eating from the wrong angle, and it will perhaps be many years before the majority gets the right point of view. We should eat to live, but most of us eat to die. Benjamin Franklin said that we dig our graves with our teeth. Men and women band themselves into societies and associations for the purpose of decreasing or doing away with the use of tobacco and alcoholic drinks. They advocate temperance and even abstinence in the use of those things which do not appeal to their own senses; but most of them are far from temperate in their eating. They have very keen vision when searching for weaknesses and faults in others, but are quite near-sighted regarding their own. Is excessive indulgence in liquor any worse than overeating? Not according to nature's answer. The inebriate deteriorates and so does the glutton. Both cause race deterioration. Gluttony is more common than inebriety and is responsible for more ills. Gluttony is often the cause of the tea, coffee, alcohol and drug habits. Overeating often causes so much irritation that food does not satisfy the cravings, and then drugs are used. Improper eating, chiefly overeating, causes most of the ills to which man is heir. If people would learn to be moderate in all things disease and early death would be very rare. It is quite important to combine foods properly, but the worst combinations of food eaten in moderation are harmless, as compared to the damage done by overeating of the best foods. Overeating is with us from the cradle to the grave. It shortens our days and fills them with woe. There is a hoary belief that a pregnant woman must eat for two. The mothers have generally obeyed this dictum. The result is that women suffer greatly during pregnancy and at childbirth. The morning sickness, the aching back, the headache, the swollen legs and all of the discomforts and diseases from which civilized woman suffers during this period are mostly due to improper eating. Pregnancy and childbirth are physiologic and are devoid of any great amount of discomfort, pain or danger when women lead normal lives. The overeating affects both mother and child. The mothers are often injured or lose their lives during childbirth. Sometimes labor is so protracted that the child dies and at other times the baby is so large that it can not be born naturally. The mother's suffering is frequently very great. In fact, it is at times so great that it is like a threatening storm cloud to many women, and some of them refuse to become mothers for this reason. Babies born of normal mothers, who have lived moderately on a non-stimulating diet during gestation, are small. They rarely weigh more than six pounds. Their bones are flexible. The skull can easily be moulded because the bones are very cartilaginous. The result is that childbirth is rapid and practically devoid of pain. However, there are very few normal mothers, and consequently normal babies are also rare. A heavy baby is never healthy. Its growth has been forced by excessive maternal feeding. It is no hardier than other growing things which result from hot-house methods. Such babies show early signs of catarrhal afflictions, indigestion or skin disease. Their bodies are filled with poisons before they are born. Mothers who overeat invariably overfeed their babies. And why should they do otherwise? Family, friends and physicians give the same advice: The mother must eat much to be able to feed the child, and the child must be fed frequently in order to grow. It sounds very plausible, but it does not work well in practice. Why are babies cross? Why do they soon show catarrhal symptoms? Why do they vomit so much? Why are they so subject to stomach and intestinal disorders? Why do they have skin eruptions? Because they are overfed. The diseases of babies are almost entirely of digestive origin, and in nearly every instance overfeeding is the cause. Statistics show that about one-fifth of the babies born die before they are one year old. In nearly every instance the parents are to blame. One's intentions may be good, but good intentions coupled with wrong actions are deadly to infants. Oscar Wilde wrote, "We kill the thing we love." Parental love too often takes the form of indulging them and so it happens that hundreds of thousands of little ones are placed in their coffins annually through love. Each year about 280,000 babies under one year of age perish in the United States, according to estimates based on census figures. Outside of accidental deaths, which are but a small per cent., the mortality should be practically nil. It is natural for children to be well, and healthy children do not die. If an army of about 280,000 of our men and women were to perish in a spectacular manner each year it would cause such sorrow and indignation that a remedy would soon be found. But we are so accustomed to the procession of little caskets to the grave that it hardly arouses comment. It costs too much in every way to produce life to waste it so lavishly. Why do little children suffer so much from eruptive diseases, whooping cough, tonsilitis, adenoids, diphtheria and numerous other diseases? Because they are overfed. The younger the child the greater is the per cent. of disease due to wrong feeding. In adult life overeating and eating improperly otherwise are still the principal causes of disease. But during adult life the causation of disease is more complex than in childhood, for the senses have been more fully developed and instead of confining our physical sins to overeating we fall prey to the abuse of various appetites and passions. Vigorous adults are often the victims of pneumonia, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Overeating is chiefly to blame, not the bacteria which are given as the principal cause. Rheumatism, kidney disease and diseases that manifest in hardening of the various tissues, all being forms of degeneration, are quite common. Again, the principal cause is overeating. There are a great number of people who live many years without any special disease, but who are always on the brink of being ill. They are full-blooded and too corpulent. Although they are often considered successful, they are never fully efficient either physically or mentally. They do not know what good health is, but they are so accustomed to their state of toleration that they consider themselves healthy. They are rather proud of their stoutness and their friends mistake their precarious condition for health. These people often die suddenly, and friends and acquaintances are very much surprised. No healthy man dies suddenly and unexpectedly except by accident. Instead of growing old gracefully, in possession of our senses and faculties, we die prematurely or go into physical and mental decay. Bleary eyes, pettiness, childishness and lost mental faculties are no part of nature's plan for advanced years. Those manifestations result from man's improvement on nature! From birth to death we are victims of this terrible ogre of overeating. It deprives us of friends and relatives. It takes away our strength and health. It makes us mentally inefficient and cowardly. At last it deprives us of life when our work is not half done and our days should not be half run. How is it possible, you may ask, that this is true? Of course, overeating is not the only cause, but it is the overwhelming one. It is the basic cause. Aided by other bad habits it conquers us. We are what we are because of our parentage, plus what we eat, drink, breathe and think, and the eating largely influences the other factors of life. Cholera infantum causes the death of many babies. It never occurs in babies who are fed moderately on natural, clean food, not to exceed three or four times a day. The child is cross. The mother thinks that it is cross because it is hungry and accordingly feeds. The real cause of the irritability is the overfeeding that has already taken place. The baby has had so much milk that it is unable to digest all of it. A part of the milk spoils in the digestive tract. This fermented material is partly absorbed and irritates the whole system. A part of it remains in the alimentary tract where it acts as a direct local irritant to the intestines. When these are irritated, the blood-vessels begin to pour out their serum to soothe the bowels and the result is diarrhea. The sick child is fed often. Digestive power is practically absent. The additional food given ferments and more serum has to be thrown out to protect the intestinal walls. Soon there is a well established case of cholera infantum. If only enough food had been given to satisfy bodily requirements, none of the milk would have spoiled in the alimentary tract. If all feeding had been stopped as soon as the child became irritable and pinched looking about the mouth and nose, and all the water desired had been given and the child kept warm, there would have been no serious disease. In these cases, the less food given the quicker the recoveries and the fewer the fatalities. Another common disease of childhood is adenoids. To talk of these maladies as diseases is rather misleading, for they are merely symptoms of perverted nutrition, but we are compelled to make the best of our medical language. Adenoids are due to indigestion. The indigestion is due to overeating. This is how it comes about: A child eats more than can be digested, generally bolting the food, which is often of a mushy character. The excessive amount of food can not be digested, and as the intestines and the stomach are moist and have a temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, fermentation soon takes place. Some of the results of fermentation in the alimentary tract are acids, gases and bacterial poisons. These deleterious substances are absorbed into the blood stream and go to all parts of the body, acting as irritants. We do not know why they cause adenoids in one child and catarrh in another. It is easy enough to say that children are predisposed that way, which is no information at all. It seems that all of us have some weak point, and here disease has a tendency to localize. What part the sympathetic nervous system plays, we do not know. Glandular tissue is rather unstable and therefore it becomes diseased easily and adenoids are therefore quite frequent. A coated tongue, or an irritated tongue, both due to indigestion, is a concomitant of adenoids. Such diseases do not merely happen. There are good reasons for their appearance. They are not reflections on the child, but they are on the parents who should have the right knowledge and should take time and pains enough to educate and train the child into health. Tuberculosis is one of the results of ruined nutrition. First there is overeating. This causes indigestion. The irritating products of food fermenting in the alimentary tract are taken up by the blood. The blood goes to the lungs where it irritates the delicate mucous membrane. In self-protection it begins to secrete an excess of mucus and if the irritation is great enough, pus. The various bacteria are incidental. The tubercular bacillus is never able to gain a foothold in healthy lungs, but after degeneration of lung-tissue has taken place the lungs furnish a splendid home for this bacillus. The tubercular bacillus is a scavenger and therefore does not thrive in healthy bodies. It is the result of disease, not the cause. Tubercular subjects never have healthy digestive organs. Unfortunately, nearly all of them are persuaded to eat many times more food than they can digest, and thus they have no opportunity to recover, for the overfeeding ruins the digestive and assimilative powers beyond recuperative ability. A large per cent. of the human race perish miserably from this disease, which results principally from the ingestion of too much food. The liberal use of such devitalized foods as sterilized milk, refined sugar and finely bolted wheat flour is doubtless a great factor in so reducing bodily resistance that the system falls an easy prey to disease. Too little breathing and poor, devitalized air are also important factors. There are many causes of rheumatism, but overeating is the chief and it is very doubtful if a case of rheumatism can develop without this main cause. Exposure is often given as the cause, but a healthy man with a clean body does not become rheumatic. Rheumatism is due to internal filth. A filthy alimentary tract makes filthy blood. Some say that the poison in rheumatism is uric acid, and perhaps it is, but there are no uric acid deposits in the body of a prudent eater. The elimination in this disease is imperfect. The skin, the kidneys, the bowels and the lungs do not throw out the debris as they should. Perhaps only one or two of these organs are acting inadequately. The debris is stored up in the system. Why do the organs of elimination fail to act? Because so much work is thrust upon them that they grow weary and worn; also, a part of the material furnished them is the product of decay in the alimentary tract, and they can not thrive on poor material. Too much food is eaten. An excess of nutritive material, poorly digested, is absorbed. And so we come back to the principal cause, overeating. When the eliminative organs fail to perform their function, the waste is deposited in those parts of the body which are weakened. The irritation from these foreign substances causes inflammation and the result is pain. The extent to which this depositing of material will go is well illustrated in some cases of multiple articular rheumatism, or arthritis deformans, where the deposits are so great that many of the joints become fixed (anchylosed). We could review all the diseases, and nearly every time we would come back to disturbed nutrition as the principal factor, and this is true of not only physical ills, but the mental ones as well. Various foods do not combine well, still if they are eaten in moderation they do but little harm. If we overeat, the evil results are bound to manifest, no matter how good the food, though it sometimes takes years before they are perceptible. The effects are cumulative. Each day there is a little fermentation with absorption of the poisonous products. Each day the body degenerates a little. The time always comes when the body can continue its work no longer, and then the individual must choose between reform on one hand and suffering or death on the other. It is very difficult to convince people that they eat too much. Indeed, the average person is a small eater, in his own estimation. We have been educated into consuming such vast quantities of food that we hardly know what moderation is. In the past, physiologists and observers have watched the amount of food that people could coax down and this they have called the normal amount of food. This is far from the truth. The average American eats at least two times as much as he can digest, assimilate and use to advantage. Many eat three and four times too much. However, nature is very tolerant for a while. Most of us start out with a fair amount of resistance and are thus enabled to live to the age of forty or fifty in spite of abuses. If we could only dispense with our excesses, we could double or treble our life span, live better, get more enjoyment out of life and give the world more and better work than we can under present conditions. There is much talk of food shortage. The amount of food consumed and wasted annually in the United States is enough to feed 200,000,000 people. Even with our present knowledge we can easily produce twice as much per acre as we are averaging, and we are tilling only about one-fourth of the land that could be made productive. If we use our brains there is little danger of starving. What is needed now is not more food, but intelligent distribution and consumption of what we produce. We hear of cases of undernourishment. This doubtless occurs at times in the congested parts of great centers of populations. But there are not so many cases suffering from want of the proper quantity of food as from want of quality of food. Bread of finely bolted white flour is starvation food, no matter how great the quantity, unless other food rich in organic salts is also eaten. The overeating habit is so common and comes on so insidiously that the sufferers do not realize that they are eating to excess. The resultant discomforts are blamed on other things. Babies are fed every two hours or oftener. They should be fed but three or at most four times a day, and never at night. When able to eat solid foods they get three meals a day and generally two or more lunches. Some children seem to be lunching at all times. They have fruit or bread and butter with jelly or jam in the hand almost all the time. They are encouraged to eat much and often to produce growth and strength. This kind of feeding often does produce large children, heavy in weight, but they are not healthy. Sad to relate, the excess causes disease and death. Such frequent feeding allows the digestive organs no rest. The overwork imposed upon them and the fermentation cause irritation. This irritation manifests in a constant and almost irresistible desire for food, as does the consumption of much alcohol cause a desire for more alcohol, as the use of morphine or cocaine produces a dominating and ruinous appetite for more of these drugs. These appetites grow by what they feed upon. Man ceases to be master and becomes the abject slave of his abnormal cravings. Slaves of alcohol and the various habit-forming drugs generally lack the strength of body and mind to assert themselves and to regain mastery of themselves. Coffee and tea have their victims, though they are generally not very firmly enslaved. No one realizes how he is bound by his cravings for an excessive amount of food until he tries to break the bonds. Such people may eat moderately for days, perhaps for weeks, and then the old appetite reasserts itself in all its strength and unless the sufferer has a very strong will a food debauch follows. I have seen men go from one restaurant to another, consuming enormous quantities of food to efface the awful craving, just as men go from one saloon to another to satisfy their desire for alcohol. The gluttons often look with the greatest contempt upon the slaves of liquor. But what is the difference? No matter what appetite, what habit, what passion has gained the mastery, we are slaves. The important thing is to keep out of slavery, or break the bonds and regain freedom. Those who eat to excess often eat more than three times a day. They take a little candy now, a little fruit then, or they go to the drug store for a glass of malted milk or buttermilk, which they call drinks, or they take a dish of ice cream. The housewife nibbles at cake or bread. If a person is in fair health and wishes to evolve into self-mastery and good health, he should make up his mind never to eat more than three times a day. Nothing but plain water should enter his mouth except at meal times. Next he should limit the number of articles eaten at a meal. The breakfast and lunch should each consist of no more than two or three varieties of food. The dinner should not exceed five or six varieties, and if that many are eaten, they should be compatible. Less would be better. The less variety we have, the better the food digests. Also, eating ten or twelve or more kinds of food, as many people do, always leads to overeating. A little of this added to a little of that soon makes a too great total. It is easy to eat all one should of a certain article of food and feel satisfied, and then change off to something else and before one is through one has eaten three or four times as much as necessary. If the meal is to consist of starch there is no great objection to a small amount of bread, potatoes, rice, macaroni and chestnuts. However, a normal person does not need to coax food down by using great variety. Those who mix their foods this way invariably overeat. Besides, the various starches require different periods for digestion. Rice is more easily disposed of than bread. Each new item stimulates the desire for more food. It is best, when having potatoes, to have no other starchy food in that meal; or when bread is eaten, to have no potatoes or other starchy food. The habit of eating meat, potatoes and bread in the same meal is very common and causes much disease. Next the searcher for health should teach himself to eat foods that are natural, cooked simply, and with a minimum amount of seasoning and dressing. The various spices and sauces irritate the digestive organs and create a craving for an excessive amount of food. The food should be changed as little as possible because such denatured foods as white flour, polished rice, pasteurized milk, and many of the canned fruits and vegetables are so lacking in the natural salts that they do not satisfy one's desire for organic salts. Overeating results. Preserves, jellies and jams are open to the same objection. They cause an abnormal desire for food. Therefore, they should be used seldom and very sparingly. So long as apples, oranges, figs, dates, raisins, sweet prunes and various other fruits can be had, there is no excuse for the consumption of great quantities of the heavily sugared concoctions which are now so popular. Simplicity and naturalness are great aids in breaking away from food slavery. They are discussed more fully elsewhere. In the next chapter will be found hints on the solution of the normal amount of food to be eaten. CHAPTER V. DAILY FOOD INTAKE. It is generally believed that the more we eat the better. Physicians say that it is necessary to eat heartily when well to retain health and strength. When ill it is necessary to consume much food to regain lost health and strength. "Eat all you can of nourishing food," is a common free prescription, and it sounds very reasonable. The physicians of today are not to blame for this belief in overeating, for they were taught thus at college, and very few men in any line do original thinking. It has been a racial belief for centuries and no one now living is responsible. When a physician advocates what he honestly believes he is doing his best, "and angels can do no more." When a child loses its appetite, the parents worry, for they think that it is very harmful for young people to go without food for a few meals. A lost appetite is nature's signal to quit eating, and it should always be heeded. If it is, it will prevent much disease and suffering and will save many lives. The present-day mode of preparing food leads to overeating. The sense of taste is ruined by the stimulants put into the food. Dishes are so numerous and so temptingly made that more is eaten than can be digested and assimilated. Refined sugar, salt, the various spices, pickles, sauces and preserves all lead to overeating because of stimulation. The same is true of alcohol taken immediately before meals. If we only give nature a chance, and are perfectly frank and honest with ourselves, she will guard us against the overconsumption of food. Those who eat but few varieties of plain food at a meal are not sorely tempted to overeat. But when one savory dish is served after another it takes much will power to be moderate. People generally have had more than sufficient before the last course is served. However, the various dishes have different flavors and for this reason the palate is overwhelmed and accepts more food than is good for us. Men who like to call their work scientific, figure on the amount of food we need to furnish a certain number of heat units--calories. Heat, of course, is a form of energy. Basing the body's food requirements on heat units expended does not solve the problem. The more food that is ingested, the more heat units must be manufactured, and often so much food is taken that the body is compelled to go into the heating business. Then we have fevers. A large part of the heat is given off by the skin. Those who overeat are compelled to do a great deal of radiating. This excessive amount of fuel taken into the system in the form of food, wears out the body. As figured by the experts, it gives a result of food need that is at least twice as great as necessary. Experience is the only correct guide to food requirements, and each individual has to settle the matter for himself. The human body is not exactly a chemical laboratory, nor is it an engine which can be fed so much fuel with the resultant production of such and such an amount of heat and energy. Some bodies are more efficient than others. It is among human beings as among the lower animals, some require more food than others. We need enough food to repair the waste, to perform our work and to furnish heat. Every muscle contraction uses up a little energy. Every breath deprives us of heat and carries away carbon dioxide, the latter being formed by oxidation of tissues in the body. Every minute we lose heat by radiation from the skin. Every thought requires a small amount of food. If we worry, the leak of nervous energy is tremendous, but at the same time we put ourselves in position where we are unable to replenish our stock, for worry ruins digestion. All this expenditure of energy and loss of heat must be made up for by the food intake. Only a small amount of surplus food can be stored in the body. Some fat can be stored as fat. Some starch and sugar can be put aside as either glycogen--animal sugar--or be changed into fat. This storing of excess food is very limited, except in cases of obesity, which is a disease. Overeating invariably causes disease. It may take two or three years, yes even twenty or thirty years, before the overeating results in serious illness, but the results are certain, and in the meanwhile the individual is never up to par. He can use neither body nor mind to the best advantage. To emphasize and illustrate these remarks, I shall copy a few diet lists, which their authors consider reasonable and correct for the average person for one day, and I shall give my comments. The first is taken from Kirke's Physiology, which has been used extensively as a text-book in medical colleges: 340 grams lean uncooked meat, 600 " bread, 90 " butter, 28 " cheese, 225 " potatoes, 225 " carrots. An ounce contains 28.3 grams; a pound, 453 grams. It is easy to figure these quantities of food in ounces or pounds, which give a better idea to the average person. It is self-evident that this is too much food. Over twelve ounces of lean, uncooked meat, over twenty-one ounces of bread, almost one-half of a pound each of potatoes and carrots, about an ounce of cheese and over three ounces of butter make enough food for two days, even for a big eater. He who tries to live up to a diet of this kind is sure to suffer disease and early death. The average loaf of bread weighs about fourteen ounces. Here we are told to devour one-half of a pound of carrots (for which other vegetables such as turnips, parsnips, beets or cabbage may be substituted), one-half of a pound of potatoes, three-fourths of a pound of lean raw meat, which loses some weight in cooking, a loaf and one-half of bread, besides butter and cheese. The vast majority of people can not eat more than one-third of this amount and retain efficiency and health, but many eat even more. The next table is taken from Dr. I. Burney Yeo's book on diet, and is given as the food required daily by a "well nourished worker": 151.3 grams meat, 48.1 " white of egg, 450.0 " bread, 500.0 " milk, 1065.9 " beer, 60.2 " suet, 30.0 " butter, 70.0 " starch, 17.0 " sugar, 4.9 " salt. This worker is too well fed. Often those who are so well fed are poorly nourished, for the excessive amount of food ruins the nutrition, after which the food is poorly digested and assimilated. This worker eats so much that he will be compelled to do manual labor all his days, for such feeding prevents effective thinking. The following daily average diet is taken from the book, "Diet and Dietetics," by A. Gauthier, a well known authority on the subject of the nutritive needs of the body. Mr. Gauthier averaged the daily food intake of the inhabitants of Paris for the ten years from 1890 to 1899, inclusive. He takes it for granted that this is the average daily food requirement for a person: 420.0 grams bread and cakes, 216.0 " boned meat, 24.1 " eggs (weighed with shell), 8.1 " cheese (dry or cream), 28.0 " butter, oil, etc., 70.0 " fresh fruit, 250.0 " green vegetables, 40.0 " dried vegetables, 100.0 " potatoes, rice, 40.0 " sugar, 20.0 " salt, 213.0 C. C. milk, 557.0 C. C. of various alcoholics, containing 9.5 C. C. of pure alcohol. So long as the Parisians consume such quantities of food they will continue to suffer and die before they reach one-half of the age that should be theirs. The French eat no more than do other people, in fact, they seem moderate in their food intake as compared with some of the Germans, English and Americans, but they eat too much for their physical and mental good. The lists given above are from sources that command the respect of the medical profession. They are the orthodox and popular opinions. It would be an easy matter to give many more tables, but they agree so closely that it would be a waste of time and space. Quantitative tables from vegetarian sources are not so common. The vegetarians say that meat eating is wrong, being contrary to nature. Whether they are right or wrong, they make the same mistakes that the orthodox prescribers do, that is, they advocate overeating. Medical textbooks prescribe a too abundant supply of starch and meat in particular. The vegetarians prescribe a superabundance of starch. Read the magazines advocating vegetarianism and note their menus, giving numerous cereals, tubers, peas, beans, lentils, as well as other vegetables, for the same meal. It is as easy to overeat of nuts and protein in leguminous vegetables as it is to overeat of meat. Starch poisoning is as bad as meat poisoning and the results are equally fatal. The following are suggestions offered by a fruitarian. They give the food intake for two days: 120 grams shelled peanuts, raw, 1000 " apples, 500 " unfermented whole wheat bread. 120 grams shelled filberts, 450 " raisins, 800 " bananas. In the first day's menu it will be noted that over two pounds of apples and over one pound of whole wheat bread are recommended, also over four ounces of raw peanuts. The writer says that this food should preferably be taken in two meals. There are very few people with enough digestive and assimilative power to care for more than one-half of a pound of whole wheat bread twice a day, especially when taken with raw peanuts, which are rather hard to digest. The trouble is made worse by the addition of more than one pound of apples to each meal, for when apples in large quantities are eaten with liberal amounts of starch, the tendency for the food to ferment is so strong that only a very few escape. Gas is produced in great quantities, which is both unnatural and unpleasant. Neither stomach nor bowels manufacture any perceptible amount of gas if they are in good condition and a moderate amount of food is taken. Whole wheat bread digests easily enough when eaten in moderation, but it is very difficult to digest when as much as eight ounces are taken at a meal. One can accustom the body to accept this amount of food, but it is never required under ordinary conditions and the results in the long run are bad. The food prescribed for the second day is more easily digested, but it is too much. Raisins are a splendid force food, but no ordinary individual needs a pound of raisins in one day, in addition to about one and three-fourths pounds of bananas, which are also a force food and are about as nourishing as the same amount of Irish potatoes. In all my reading it has not been my good fortune to find a diet table for healthy people, giving moderate quantities of food. Diet lists seem scientific, so they appeal to the mind that has not learned to think of the subject from the correct point of view. Quantitative diet tables are worthless, for one person may need more than another. Some are short and some are tall. Some are naturally slender and others of stocky build. There is as much difference in people's food needs as there is in their appearance. To try to fit the same quantity and even kind of food to all is as senseless as it would be to dress all in garments of identical size and cut. If we eat in moderation it does not make much difference what we eat, provided our diet contains either raw fruits or raw vegetables enough to furnish the various mineral salts and the food is fairly well prepared. There are combinations that are not ideal, but they do very little harm if there is no overeating. People who are moderate in their eating generally relish simple foods. Unfortunately, there is but little moderation in eating. From childhood on the suggestion that it is necessary to eat liberally is ever before us. Medical men, grandparents, parents and neighbors think and talk alike. If the parents believe in moderation, the neighbors kindly give lunches to the children. It is really difficult to raise children right, especially in towns and cities. After such training we learn to believe in overeating and we pass the belief on to the next generation, as it has in the past been handed down from generation to generation. Finally we die, many of us martyrs to overconsumption of food. Ask any healer of intelligence who has thrown off the blinders put on at college and who has allowed himself to think without fear, and he will tell you that at least nine-tenths of our ills come from improper eating habits. It is not difficult to make up menus of compatible foods. No one knows how much another should eat, and he who prepares quantitative diet tables for the multitude must fail. However, every individual of ordinary intelligence can quickly learn his own food requirements and the key thereto is given by nature. It is not well to think of one's self much or often. It is not well to be introspective, but everyone should get acquainted with himself, learning to know himself well enough to treat himself with due consideration. We are taught kindness to others. We need to be taught kindness to ourselves. The average person ought to be able to learn his normal food requirements within three or four months, and a shorter time will often suffice. The following observations will prove helpful to the careful reader: Food should have a pleasant taste while it is being eaten, but should not taste afterwards. If it does it is a sign of indigestion following overeating, or else it indicates improper combinations or very poor cooking. Perhaps food was taken when there was no desire for it, which is always a mistake. Perhaps too many foods were combined in the meal. Or it may be that there was not enough mouth preparation. It is generally due to overeating. Cabbage, onions, cucumbers and various other foods which often repeat, will not do so when properly prepared and eaten in moderation, if other conditions are right. Eructation of gas and gas in the bowels are indications of overeating. More food is taken than can be digested. A part of it ferments and gas is a product of fermentation. A very small amount of gas in the alimentary tract is natural, but when there is belching or rumbling of gas in the intestines it is a sign of indigestion, which may be so mild that the individual is not aware of it, or it may be so bad that he can think of little else. When there is formation of much gas it is always necessary to reduce the food intake, and to give special attention to the mastication of all starch-containing aliments. Also, if starches and sour fruits have been combined habitually, this combination should be given up. Starch digests in an alkaline medium, and if it is taken with much acid by those whose digestive powers are weak, the result is fermentation instead of digestion. People should never eat enough to experience a feeling of languor. They should quit eating before they feel full. If there is a desire to sleep after meals, too much food has been ingested. When drowsiness possesses us after meals we have eaten so much that the digestive organs require so much blood that there is not enough left for the brain. This is a hint that if we have work or study that requires exceptional clearness of mind, we should eat very moderately or not at all immediately before. The digestive organs appropriate the needed amount of blood and the brain refuses to do its best when deprived of its normal supply of oxygen and nourishment. Serpents, some beasts of prey and savages devour such large quantities of food at times that they go into a stupor. There is no excuse for our patterning after them now that a supply of food is easily obtained at all times. A bad taste in the mouth is usually a sign of overeating. It comes from the decomposition following a too liberal food intake. If water has a bad taste in the morning or at any other time, it indicates overeating. It may be due to a filthy mouth or the use of alcohol. Heartburn is also due to overeating, and so is hiccough; both come from fermentation of food in the alimentary tract. A heavily coated tongue in the morning indicates excessive food intake. If the tongue is what is known as a dirty gray color it shows that the owner has been overeating for years. The normal mucous membrane is clean and pink. The mucous membrane of the mouth, stomach and the first part of the bowels should not be compelled to act as an organ of excretion, for the normal function is secretory and absorptive. However, when so much food is eaten that the skin, lungs, kidneys and lower bowel can not throw off all the waste and excess, the mucous membrane in the upper part of the alimentary tract must assist. The result is a coated tongue, but the tongue is in no worse condition than the mucous membrane of the stomach. A coated tongue indicates overcrowded nutrition and is nature's request to reduce the food intake. How much? Enough to clean the tongue. If the coating is chronic it may take several months before the tongue becomes clean. A muddy skin, perhaps pimply, is another sign of overeating. It shows that the food intake is so great that the body tries to eliminate too many of the solids through the skin, which becomes irritated from this cause and the too acid state of the system and then there is inflammation. Many forms of eczema and a great many other skin diseases are caused by stomach disorders and an overcrowded nutrition. There is a limit to the skin's excretory ability, and when this is exceeded skin diseases ensue. Some of the so-called incurable skin diseases get well in a short time on a proper diet without any local treatment. Dull eyes and a greenish tinge of the whites of the eyes point toward digestive disturbances due to an oversupply of food. The green color comes from bile thrown into the blood when the liver is overworked. The liver is never overtaxed unless the consumption of food is excessive. Another very common sign of too generous feeding is catarrh, and it does not matter where the catarrh is located. It is true that there are other causes of catarrh, in fact, anything that irritates the mucous membrane any length of time will cause it, but an overcrowded nutrition causes the ordinary cases. It is the same old story: The mucous membrane is forced to take on the function of eliminating superfluous matter, which has been taken into the system in the form of food. Many people dedicate their lives to the act of turning a superabundance of food into waste, and as a result they overwork their bodies so that they are never well physically and seldom efficient mentally. Many people, especially women, say that if they miss a meal or get it later than usual, they suffer from headache. This indicates that the feeding is wrong, generally too generous and often too stimulating. A normal person can miss a dozen meals without a sign of a headache. To repeat: No one can tell how much another should eat, but everyone can learn for himself what the proper amount of food is. Enough is given above to help solve the problem. The interpretations presented are not the popular ones, but they are true for they give good results when acted upon. If bad results follow a meal there has been overeating, either at the last meal or previously. Undermasticating usually accompanies overeating and causes further trouble. Those who masticate thoroughly are generally quite moderate in their food intake. Many say that they eat so much because they enjoy their food so. He who eats too rapidly or in excess does not know what true enjoyment of food is. Excessive eating causes food poisoning, and food poisoning blunts all the special senses. To have normal smell, taste, hearing and vision one must be clean through and through, and those who are surfeited with food are not clean internally. The average individual does not know the natural taste of most foods. He seasons them so highly that the normal taste is hidden or destroyed. Those who wish to know the exquisite flavor of such common foods as onions, carrots, cabbage, apples and oranges must eat them without seasoning or dressing for a while. To get real enjoyment from food it is necessary to eat slowly and in moderation. I know both from personal experience and from the experience of others that seasoning is not necessary. Instead of giving the foods better flavor, they taste inferior. A little salt will harm no one, but the constant use of much seasoning leads to irritation of the digestive organs and to overeating. Salt taken in excess also helps to bring on premature aging. It is splendid for pickling and preserving, but health and life in abundance are the only preservatives needed for the body. Refined sugar should be classed among the condiments. People who live normally lose the desire for it. Grapefruit, for instance, tastes better when eaten plain than when sugar is added. People who sleep seven or eight hours and wake up feeling unrefreshed are suffering from the ingestion of too much food. A food poisoned individual can not be properly rested. To get sweet sleep and feel restored it is necessary to have clean blood and a sweet alimentary tract. Much has been said about overeating. Once in a while a person will habitually undereat, but such cases are exceedingly rare. To undereat is foolish. At all times we must use good sense. It is a subject upon which no fixed rules can be promulgated. Be guided by the feelings, for perfect health is impossible to those who lack balance. Those who think they need scientific direction may take one of the orthodox diet tables. If it contains alcoholics, remove them from the list. Then partake of about one-third of the starch recommended, and about one-third of the protein. Use more fresh fruit and fresh vegetables than listed. Instead of eating bread made from white flour, use whole wheat bread. Do not try to eat everything given on the scientific diet list each day. For instance, rice, potatoes and bread are given in many of these tables. Select one of these starches one day, another the next day, etc. If one-third of the amount recommended is too much, and it sometimes is, reduce still further. Please bear in mind that the orthodox way, the so-called scientific way, has been tried over a long period of time and it has given very poor results. Moderation has always given good results and always will. CHAPTER VI. WHAT TO EAT. It is very important to eat the right kind of food, but it is even more important to be balanced and use common sense. Those who are moderate in their habits and cheerful can eat almost anything with good results. Of course, people who live almost entirely on such denatured foods as polished rice, finely bolted wheat flour products, sterilized milk and meat spoiled in the cooking, refined sugar and potatoes deprived of most of their salts through being soaked and cooked will suffer. There are many different diet systems, and some of them are very good. If their advocates say that their way is the only way, they are wrong. Many try to force their ideas upon others. They find their happiness in making others miserable. They are afflicted with the proselyting zeal that makes fools of people. This is the wrong way to solve the food problem. Let each individual choose his own way and allow those who differ to continue in the old way. Many have changed their dietary habits to their own great benefit. After this they become so enthused and anxious for others to do likewise that they wear themselves and others out exhorting them to share in the new discovery. This does no good, but it often does harm, for it leads the zealot to think too much of and about himself, and it annoys others. Many are like my friend who lunched daily on zwieback and raw carrots. "I think everybody ought to eat some raw carrots every day; don't you?" she said. We can not mold everybody to our liking, and we should not try. If we conquer ourselves, we have about all we can do. If we succeed in this great work, we will evolve enough tolerance to be willing to allow others to shape their own ends. To volunteer undesired information does no good, for it creates opposition in the mind of the hearers. If the information is sought, the chances are that it may in time do good. It is well enough to indicate how and where better knowledge may be obtained. We should at all times attempt to conserve our energy and use it only when and where it is helpful. Such conduct leads to peace of mind, effectiveness, happiness and health. The tendency to become too enthusiastic about a dietary regime that has brought personal benefit is to be avoided, for it brings unnecessary odium upon the important subject of food reform. People do not like to change old habits, even if the change would be for the better, and when an enthusiast tries to force the change his actions are resented. He makes no real converts, but as pay for his efforts he gains the reputation of being a crank. Those who wish to be helpful in an educational way should be patient. The race has been in the making for ages. Its good habits, as well as its bad ones, have been acquired gradually. If we ever get rid of our bad habits it will be through gradual evolution, not through a hasty revolution. We need a change in dietary habits, but those who become food cranks, insisting that others be as they, retard this movement. Only a few will change physical and mental habits suddenly. If those who know are content to show the benefits more in results than in words, their influence for good will be great. What shall we eat? How are we to know the truth among so many conflicting ideas? We can know the truth because it leads to health. Error leads to suffering, degeneration and premature death. As the homely saying goes, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." Let us look into some of the diet theories before the public and give them thoughtful consideration. The late Dr. J. H. Salisbury advocated the use of water to drink and meat to eat, and nothing else. The water was to be taken warm and in copious quantities, but not at or near meal time. The meat, preferably beef, was to be scraped or minced, made into cakes and cooked in a very warm skillet until the cakes turned gray within. These meat cakes were to be eaten three times a day, seasoned with salt and a little pepper. The doctor had a very successful practice, which is attested by many who were benefited when ordinary medical skill failed. His diet was not well balanced. In meats there is a lack of the cell salts and force food. Especially are the cell salts lacking when the flesh is drained of its blood. The animals of prey drink the blood and crunch many of the bones of their victims, thus getting nearly all the salts. But in spite of his giving such an unbalanced diet, the doctor had a satisfactory practice and good success. Why? Because his patients had to quit using narcotics and stimulants and they were compelled to consume such simple food that they ceased overeating. It is a well known fact that a mono-diet forces moderation, for there is no desire to overeat, as there is when living on a very varied diet. Another fact that the Salisbury plan brings to mind is that starch and sugar are not necessary for the feeding of adults, although they are convenient and cheap foods and ordinarily consumed in large quantities. The fat in the meat takes the place of the starch and sugar. Atomically, starch, sugar and fat are almost identical, and they can be substituted one for the other. Nature makes broad provisions. Dr. Salisbury's career also serves to remind us that a mixed diet is not necessary for the physical welfare of those who eat to live. Vegetarians dwell upon the toxicity of meat. But Dr. Salisbury fed his patients on nothing but meat and water, and the percentage of recoveries in chronic diseases was considered remarkable. Meat is very easy to digest and when prepared in the simple manner prescribed by the doctor and eaten by itself it will agree with nearly everybody. But when eaten with soup, bread, potatoes, vegetables, cooked and raw, fish, pudding, fruit, coffee, crackers and cheese, there will be overeating followed by indigestion and its consequent train of ills. However, it is not fair to blame the meat entirely, for the whole mixture goes into decomposition and poisons the body. The cures resulting from Dr. Salisbury's plan also help to disprove the much heralded theory of Dr. Haig, that uric acid from meat eating is the cause of rheumatism. Overeating of meat is often a contributory cause. We are told that the rheumatics who followed Dr. Salisbury's plan got well. They regained physical tone. They lost their gout and rheumatism. They parted company with their pimples and blotches. All of which would indicate that the blood became clean. The chief lesson derived from Dr. Salisbury's plan and experience is the helpfulness of simple living and moderation. An exclusive diet of meat is not well balanced. Energy produced from flesh food is too expensive. The good results came from substituting habits of simplicity and moderation for the habit of overeating of too great variety of food. The same results may be obtained by putting a patient on bread and milk. Dr. Salisbury's patients had unsatisfied longings, doubtless for various tissue salts. The addition of fresh raw fruits or vegetables would improve his diet, for apples, peaches, pears, lettuce, celery and cabbage are rich in the salts in which meats are deficient. Dr. Emmet Densmore recommended omitting the starches entirely, that is, to avoid such foods as cereals, tubers and legumes. He believed that it is best to live on fruits and nuts. He recommended the sweet fruits--figs, dates, raisins, prunes--instead of the starchy foods. The doctor did much good, as everyone does who gets his patients to simplify. He also had good results before discovering that starch is a harmful food, when he fed his patients bread and milk. Starch must be converted into sugar before it can be used by the body. The sugar is what is known as dextrose, not the refined sugar of commerce. The sweet fruits contain this sugar in the form of fruit sugar, which needs but little preparation to be absorbed by the blood. Dr. Densmore reasons thus: Only birds are furnished with mills (gizzards); hence the grains are fit food for them only. Other starches should be avoided because they are difficult to digest, the doctor wrote. Raw starches are difficult to digest, but when they are properly cooked they are digested in a reasonable time without overburdening the system, provided they are well masticated and the amount eaten is not too great and the combining is correct. Rice, which contains much starch, digests in a short time. We can do very nicely without starch. We can also thrive on it if we do not abuse it. The two chief starch-bearing staples, rice and wheat, contain considerable protein and salts in their natural state. In fact, the natural wheat will sustain life for a long time. Man has improved on nature by polishing the rice and making finely bolted, bleached wheat flour, deprived of nearly all the salts in the wheat berry. The result is that both of them have become very poor foods. The more we eat of these refined products the worse off we are, unless we partake freely of other foods rich in mineral salts. Not long ago a lady died in England who was a prominent advocate of a "brainy diet." Her brainy diet consisted largely of excessive quantities of meat, pork being a favorite. She died comparatively young, her friends say from overwork. Such a diet doubtless had a large part in wearing her out. To overeat of meat is dangerous. A gentleman is now advocating a diet of nothing but cocoanuts. This is a fad, for they are not a balanced food. He has published a book on the subject. Perhaps his advocacy is influenced by his interest in the sale of cocoanuts. The vegetarians condemn the use of meat. Some of them are called fruitarians. It is very difficult to decide who are the most representative of them. Some advocate the use of nothing but fruit and nuts. Others add cereals to this. Others use vegetables in addition. Some even allow the use of dairy products and eggs, that is, all foods except flesh. They say that meat is an unnatural food for man and condemn its use on moral grounds. It is difficult to decide what is natural, for we find that man is very adaptable, being able to live on fruits in the tropics and almost exclusively on flesh food, largely fat, in the arctic regions. In nature the strong live on the weak and the intelligent on the dull. There is no sentiment in nature. In her domain might, physical or mental, makes right. Sentiments of right and justice are not highly developed except among human beings, and even there they are so weakly implanted that it takes but little provocation for civilized man to bare his teeth in a wolfish snarl. With some vegetarianism is largely a matter of esthetics, ethics and morality. Morality is based on expediency, so it really is a question whether meat is an advantageous food or not. Another vegetarian argument is that man's anatomy proves that he was not intended by nature to eat meat. Good arguments have been used on both sides, but they are not very convincing nor are they conclusive. It is hard to draw any lines fairly. Another objection to meat is that it is unclean and full of poisons, that these poisons produce various diseases, such as cancer. We are also informed that refined sugar causes cancer, and the belief in tomatoes as a causative factor is not dead. Cancer is without doubt caused principally by dietary indiscretions but it is impossible to single out any one food. No matter what foods we eat, we are compelled to be careful or they will be unclean. Those who wish clean meat can obtain it. The amount of poison or waste in a proper portion of meat is so small that we need give it no thought. Those who eat in moderation can take meat once a day during cold weather and enjoy splendid health. During warm weather it should be eaten more seldom. On the other hand, meat is not necessary. We need a certain amount of protein, which we can obtain from nuts, eggs, milk, cheese, peanuts, peas, beans, lentils, cereals and from other food in smaller amounts. The amount of protein needed is small--about one-fifth of what the physiologists used to recommend. Those who think meat eating is wrong should not partake of it. They can get along very well without it. We are consuming entirely too much meat in America. The organism can stand it if the life is active in the fresh air, but it will not do for people who are housed. Much meat eating causes physical degeneration. The body loses tone. Experiments have shown that vegetarians have more resistance and endurance than the meat eaters, but the meat eaters get so much stimulation from their food that they can speed up in spurts. The excretions of meat eaters are more poisonous than those of vegetarians. Eggs produced by hens fed largely on meat scraps do not keep as well as those laid by hens feeding more on grains. In short, meat eating leads to instability or degeneration, if carried to excess. Young children should have none of it and it would be a very easy matter for the rising generation to develop without using meat, and I believe this would be better than our present plan of eating. However, let us give flesh food the credit due it. When meat eaters are debilitated no other food seems to act as kindly as meat, given with fruits or vegetables. When properly prepared and taken in moderation meat digests easily and is quite completely assimilated. Many make the mistake of living too exclusively on starch and taking it in excess. The result is fermentation and an acid state of the alimentary tract. Dr. Daniel S. Sager says that, "About all that we have to fear in eating is excessive use of proteids." Experience and observation do not bear out this statement, for it is as easy to find people injured by starch as by protein. One form of poisoning is as bad as the other. The doctor also warns against nearly all the succulent vegetables, saying that on account of the indigestible fibre, most of them are unfit for human consumption. Dr. E. H. Dewey condemned the apple as a disease-producer, and inferentially, other fruits. Dr. Charles E. Page objects to the use of milk by adults, on the ground that it is fit food only for the calves for whom nature intended it. Many writers have repeated this opinion. Most of the regular physicians have a very vague idea of dietetics and proper feeding. When asked what to eat they commonly say, "Eat plenty nourishing food of the kinds that agree with you." They do not point out the fundamentals to their patients. Sometimes they advise avoiding combinations of milk and fruits. Sometimes they say that all starches should be avoided and in the next breath prescribe toast, one of the starchiest of foods. At times they proscribe pork and pickles but they are seldom able to give a good diet prescription. What people need is a fair knowledge of what to do and the don'ts will take care of themselves. All foods have been condemned as unfit for human consumption by people who should know. However, those who look at these matters with open eyes and open minds will come to the conclusion that man is a very adaptable animal; that if necessary he can get along without almost all foods, being able to subsist on a very small variety; that he can live for a long period on animal food entirely; that he can live all his life without tasting flesh; that he can live on a mixed diet; that he can adopt a great many plans of eating and live in health and comfort on nearly all of them, provided he does not deprive himself of the natural salts and gets some protein; and finally and most important, that moderation is the chief factor in keeping well, for the best foods produce disease in time if taken in excess. Those who object to flesh, dairy products, cereals, tubers, legumes, refined sugars, fruits or vegetables, should do without the class which they find objectionable, for it is easy to substitute from other classes. Eggs, milk or legumes may be taken in place of flesh foods. The salts contained in fruits may be obtained from vegetables. The starch, which is the chief ingredient of cereals, is easily obtained from tubers and legumes; fats and sugars will take its place. Commercial sugar is not a necessity. The force and heat derived from it can be obtained from starches and fats. Outside of milk in infancy, there is not a single indispensable food. Some people have peculiarities which prevent them from eating certain foods, such as pork, eggs, milk and strawberries, but with these exceptions a healthy person can eat any food he pleases, provided he is moderate. We eat too much flesh, sugar and starch and we suffer for it. This does not prove that these foods are harmful, but that overeating is. Sometimes the food question becomes a very trying one in the home. One individual has learned the fact that good results are obtained by using good sense and judgment in combining and consuming food, and he tries to force others to do as he does. This is unfortunate, for most people object to such actions, and though the intention is good, it accomplishes nothing, but prejudices others against sensible living. The best way is to do right yourself and let others sin against themselves and suffer until they are weary. Then, seeing how you got out of your trouble, perhaps they will come to you and accept what you have to offer. The attempt to force people to be good or to be healthy is merely wasted effort. The chapter devoted to Menus gives definite information regarding the proper manner in which to combine foods and arrange meals. Such information is also given in treating of the different classes of food. CHAPTER VII. WHEN TO EAT. Three meals a day is the common plan. This is a matter of habit. Three meals a day are sufficient and should not be exceeded by man, woman or child. Lunching or "piecing" should never be indulged in. Children who are fed on plain, nutritious foods that contain the necessary food elements do not need lunches. Lunching is also a matter of habit, and we can safely say that it is a bad habit. If three meals a day are taken, two should be light. He who wishes to work efficiently can not eat three hearty meals a day. If it is brain work, the digestive organs will take so much of the blood supply that an insufficient amount of blood will be left to nourish the brain. The worker feels the lack of energy. He is not inclined to do thorough work, that is, to go to the root of matters, and he therefore does indifferent work. One rule to which there is no exception is that the brain can not do its best when the digestive organs are working hard. If there is a piece of work to be done or a problem to be solved that requires all of one's powers it is best to tackle it with an empty stomach, or after a very light meal. If the work is physical, it is not necessary to draw the line so fine. But it is well to remember that hard physical work prevents digestion. All experiments prove this. So if the labor is very trying, the eating should be light. Those who eat much because they work hard will soon wear themselves out, for hard work retards digestion, and with weakened digestion the more that is eaten, the less nourishment is extracted from it. Those who labor hard should take a light breakfast and the same kind of a noon meal. After the day's work is done, take a hearty meal. Those who perform hard physical labor, as well as those who work chiefly with their brains, should relax a while after the noon meal. A nap lasting ten to twenty minutes is very beneficial, but not necessary if relaxation is taken. During sleep the activities of the body slow down. Most people who take a heavy meal and retire immediately thereafter feel uncomfortable when they wake in the morning. The reason is that the food did not digest well. It is always well to remain up at least two hours after eating a hearty meal. Most people would be better off if they took but two meals a day. Those who have sedentary occupations need less fuel than manual laborers, and could get along very well on two meals a day. However, if moderation is practiced, no harm will come from eating three times a day. In olden times many people lived on one meal a day. Some do so today and get along very well. It is easy to get plenty of nourishment from one meal, and it has the advantage of not taking so much time. Most of us spend too much time preparing for meals and eating. Once when it was rather inconvenient to get more meals, I lived for ten months on one meal a day. I enjoyed my food very much and was well nourished. For twelve years I have lived on two meals a day, one of them often consisting of nothing but some juicy fruit. Many others do likewise, not because they are prejudiced against three meals per day, but they find the two meal plan more convenient and very satisfactory. Meat, potatoes and bread, with other foods, three times a day is a common combination. No ordinary mortal can live in health on such a diet. Such feeding results in discomfort and disease, and unless it is changed, in premature aging and death. The body needs only a certain amount of material. Sufficient can be taken in two meals. If three meals is the custom less food at a meal should be eaten. However, the general rule is that those who eat three meals per day eat fully as large ones as those who take only two. As a rule, the meal times should be regular. We need a certain amount of nourishment, and it is well to take it regularly. This reduces friction, and is conducive to health, for the body is easily taught to fall into habits of regularity and works best when these are observed. There should be a period of at least four and one-half to five hours between meals. It takes that long for the body to get a meal out of the way. Stomach digestion is but the beginning of the process, and this alone requires from two to five hours. On the two-meal plan it makes very little difference whether the breakfast or the lunch is omitted. After going without breakfast for a week or two, one does not miss it. Miss the meal that it is the most troublesome to get. Dr. Dewey revived interest in the no-breakfast plan in this country. He considered it very beneficial. The doctor did not give credit where credit is due, for he insisted on going without breakfast. Omitting lunch or dinner accomplishes the same thing. He got his beneficial results from reducing the number of meals, and consequently the amount of food taken, but it is immaterial which meal is omitted. Heavy breakfasts are very common in England and in our country. On the European continent they do not eat so much for breakfast, a cup of coffee and one roll being a favorite morning meal there. To eat nothing in the morning is better than to take coffee and rolls. To eat enough to steal one's brain away is a poor way to begin the day. Much better work could be done on some fruit or a glass of milk, or some cereal and butter than on eggs, steak potatoes, hot bread and coffee, which is not an uncommon breakfast. When we consider the best time to eat, we come back to our old friend, moderation, and find that it is the best solution of the question, for if the meals are moderate we may with benefit take three meals a day, but no more, for there is not time enough during the day to digest more than three meals. However, it is not necessary to eat three times a day. CHAPTER VIII. HOW TO EAT. It seems that all of us ought to know how to eat, for we have much practice; yet the individuals who know the true principles of nourishing the body are comparatively few. Very few healers are able to give full and explicit directions on this important subject. Some can give partial instructions, but we need a full working knowledge. In one period of our racial history there were times when it was difficult to obtain food, as it is now among some savage people. Then it was without doubt customary to gorge, as it is among some savages now when they get a plenteous supply of food, especially of flesh food. Even among so-called civilized people, the distribution of food is so uneven that some are in want somewhere, nearly all the time. In parts of Russia, we are informed, the peasants go into a state of semi-hibernation during part of the winter, living on very small quantities of inferior food. With rapid transportation and the extensive use of power-propelled machinery, famine should be unheard of in civilized countries. In our land there is a sufficient quantity of food and people seldom suffer because they have not enough, but considerable suffering is due to excessive intake and to poor quality of food. Weight for weight, white bread is not as valuable as whole wheat bread, though it contains as much starch. Measure for measure, boiled milk is inferior as a food to untreated milk, either fresh or clabbered. Such facts make it necessary for us to know how to eat. The correct principles of taking nourishment to the best advantage have been fairly well known for a long time, and perhaps they have been fully discussed years ago by some author, but so far as I know Dr. E. H. Dewey is the first one who grouped them and gave them the prominence they deserve. He employed many pages in explaining clearly and forcibly these principles, which can be briefly stated as follows: First, Be guided by the appetite in eating. Eat only when there is hunger. Second, During acute illness fast, that is, live on water. Third, Be moderate in eating. Fourth, Masticate your food thoroughly. Dr. J. H. Tilden teaches his patients the same in these words: "Never eat when you feel badly. "Never eat when you have no desire. "Do not overeat. "Thoroughly masticate and insalivate all your food." Because these true dietetic principles are so important, probably being the most valuable information given in this book, let us give them enough consideration to fix them in the mind. They should be a part of every child's education. They should be so thoroughly learned that they become second nature, for if they are observed disease is practically impossible. Accidents may happen, but no serious disease can develop and certainly none of a chronic nature if these rules are observed, provided the individual gives himself half a chance in other ways. When the eating is correct, it is difficult to fall into bad habits mentally. Correct eating is a powerful aid to health. Health tends to produce proper thinking, which in turn leads the individual to proper acting. _First, Eat only when there is hunger_: Hunger is of two kinds, normal and abnormal. The real or normal hunger was given us by nature to make us active enough to get food. If it were not for hunger, there would be no special incentive for the young to partake of nourishment and consequently many would die comfortably of starvation, perhaps enough to endanger the life of the race. Normal hunger asks for food, but no special kind of food. It is satisfied with anything that is clean and nourishing. It is strong enough to make a decided demand for food, but if there is no food to be had it will be satisfied for the time being with a glass of water and will cause no great inconvenience. Abnormal hunger is entirely different. It is a very insistent craving and if it is not satisfied it produces bodily discomfort, perhaps headache. The gnawing remains and gives the victim no rest. Very often it must be pampered. It calls for beefsteak, or toast and tea, or sweets, or some other special food. If not satisfied the results may be nervousness, weakness or headache or some other disagreeable symptom. When missing a meal or two brings discomfort, it is always a sign of a degenerating or degenerated body. A healthy person can go a day without food without any inconvenience. He feels a keen desire for food at meal times, but as soon as he has made up his mind that he is unable to get it or that he is not going to take any the hunger leaves. Normal hunger is a servant. Abnormal hunger is a hard master. A person in good condition does not get weak from missing a few meals. One in poor physical condition does, although this is more apparent than real. In the abnormal person a part of the food is used as nourishment, but on account of the poor working of the digestive organs, a part decomposes and this acts as an irritant or a stimulant. The greater the irritation the more food is demanded. The temporary stimulation is followed by depression and then the sufferer is wretched. This depression is relieved by more food. Please note that it is relieved, not cured. The relief is only temporary. All food stimulates, but only slightly. It is when the food decomposes that it becomes stimulating enough to cause trouble. It is well to remember that considerable alcoholic fermentation can take place in an abused alimentary tract. The stimulation obtained from too much food is very much like the stimulation derived from alcohol, tobacco or morphine. At first there is a feeling of well-being, which is followed by a miserable feeling of depression that demands food, alcohol, tobacco or morphine for relief, as the case may be, and no matter which habit is obtaining mastery, to indulge it is courting disaster. When a habit begins to assert itself strongly, break it, for later on it will be very difficult, so difficult that most people lack the will power to overcome it. If there is abnormal hunger, reduce the food intake. Instead of eating five or six times a day, reduce the meals to two or three. It is quite common for such people to take lunches, which may consist of candies, ice cream, cakes, milk or buttermilk and various other things which most people do not look upon as real food. Take two or three meals a day, and let a large part of them be fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Eat in moderation and the troublesome abnormal hunger will soon leave. By indulging it you increase it. Many people get into trouble because they believe that they have to have protein, starch and fat at every meal. This is not necessary, for the blood takes up enough nourishment to last for quite a while. A supply of the various food elements once a day is sufficient, which means that protein needs be taken but once a day, starch once a day and fat once a day. Starch and fat serve the same purpose and one can be replaced by the other. Cultivate a normal hunger, then fix two or three periods in which to take nourishment, and partake of nothing but water outside of these periods. If there is no desire for food when meal time comes, eat nothing, but drink all the water desired and wait until next meal time. _Second, During acute illness fast_: This is so obviously correct that we should expect every normal individual to be guided by it. Even the lower animals know this and act accordingly. According to this rule we should go without food when ill, but to do so is contrary to the teachings of medical men. They teach that when people are ill there is much waste, which is true, and that for this reason it is necessary to partake of a generous amount of nourishing food, so they give milk, broth, meat, toast and other foods, together with stimulants. Feeding during illness would be all right if the body could take care of the food, which it can not. In all severe diseases digestion is almost or quite at a standstill and the food given under the circumstances decomposes in the alimentary tract and furnishes additional poison for the system to excrete. Food under the circumstances is a detriment and a burden to the body. In fevers, the temperature goes up after feeding. This shows that more poison has entered the blood. In fevers little or none of the digestive fluids is secreted, but the alimentary tract is so warm that the food decomposes quickly. Feeding during acute attacks of disease is one of the most serious and fatal of errors. There is an aversion to food, which is nature's request that none be taken. When an animal becomes seriously ill, it wants to fast, and does so unless man interferes. Here we could with advantage do as the animals do. Nature made no mistake when she took hunger away in acute diseases, and if we disregard her desires, we invariably suffer for it. We should make it a rule to take no food, either liquid or solid, during acute disease. Those who have had no opportunity to watch the rapidity with which people recover from serious illness may take the ground that sick people would starve to death if they were to be treated thus, for some of these acute diseases last a long time. Typhoid fever, for instance, occasionally lasts two or three months. It never lasts that long when treated by natural means, and it is very mild, as a rule. The fever will be gone in from seven to fourteen days in the vast majority of cases, and then feeding can be resumed. Chronic disease is often due to neglected acute disease, at other times to the building of abnormality through errors of life which have not resulted in acute troubles. While acquiring chronic disease, the individual may be fairly comfortable, but he is never up to par. Most chronic diseases can be cured quickly by taking a fast, but usually it is not necessary to take a complete fast. The desire for food is not generally absent and there is usually fair power to digest. One of the most satisfactory methods, if not the most satisfactory one, of treating chronic disease is to reduce the food intake, and instead of giving so much of the concentrated staples, feed more of the succulent vegetables and the fresh fruits, cooked and raw, using but small quantities of flesh, bread, potatoes and sugar. This gives the body a chance to throw off impurities. There are always many impurities in a deranged body. _Third, Be moderate in your eating_: This is often very difficult, for most people do not know what moderation is. In infancy the too frequent feeding and the overfeeding begin. The common belief that infants must be fed every two hours, or oftener, is acted upon. The result is that the child soon loses its normal hunger, which is replaced by abnormal hunger. When food is long withheld it begins to fret. The mother again feeds and there is peace for an hour or so. When mothers learn to feed their children three times a day and no more there will be a great decrease in infant ills and a falling off in the infant mortality. The healthiest children I have seen are fed but three times a day. They become used to it and expect no more. Another thing that makes it difficult to be moderate is impoverishing the food through refinement and poor cooking. These processes take away a great part of the mineral salts which are present in foods in organic form. These salts can not be replaced by table salt, for sodium chloride is but one of many salts that the body needs and an excess of table salt does not make up for a deficiency in the others. Children fed on refined, impoverished foods are not satisfied with a reasonable amount. There is something lacking and this makes itself known in cravings, which demand more food than is needed to nourish. I have noticed many times that children are satisfied with less of whole wheat bread than of white bread, and that the brown unpolished rice satisfies them more quickly and completely than the polished rice. In other words, depriving the foods of their salts is one of the factors that leads to overeating. Simplicity is a great aid to moderation. It is also necessary to exercise the conservative measure, self-control. Some writers suggest to eat all that is desired and then fast at various intervals to overcome the effects of overeating. In other words, they advise to eat enough to become diseased and then fast to cure the trouble. This is better than to continue the eating when the evil results of an excessive food intake make themselves known, but it does not bring the best results. Such people have their spells of sickness, which are unnecessary. If they stop eating as soon as the disease makes itself known, it does not last long. By exercising self-control sickness will be warded off. By using will power daily it grows stronger and those who force themselves to be moderate at first, are in time rewarded by having moderation become second nature. People should always stop eating before they are full. Those who eat until they are uncomfortable are gluttons. They should be classed with drunkards and drug addicts. If discomfort follows a meal it is a sign of overeating. It would be well to read this in connection with the chapter that treats of overeating. _Fourth, Thoroughly masticate all food_: Horace Fletcher has written a very enthusiastic book on this subject. Enthusiasm is apt to lead one astray, and even if thorough mastication will not do all that Mr. Fletcher believed, it is very important, and we owe Mr. Fletcher thanks for calling our attention to the subject forcibly. Thorough mastication partially checks overeating. Our foods have to be finely divided and subdivided or they can not be thoroughly acted upon by the digestive juices. The stomach is well muscled and churns the food about, helping to comminute it, but it can not take the place of the teeth. All foods should be thoroughly masticated. While the mastication is going on the saliva becomes mixed with the food. In the saliva is the ptyalin, which begins to digest the starch. Starch that is well masticated is not so liable to ferment as that which gets scant attention in the mouth. Starches and nuts need the most thorough mastication. If thorough mastication were the rule, meat gluttons would be fewer, for when flesh is well chewed large quantities cause nausea. Milk digests best when it is rolled around in the mouth long enough to be mixed with saliva. To treat milk as a drink is a mistake, for it is a very nourishing food. All kinds of nuts must be well masticated. If they are not they can not be well digested, for the digestive organs are unable to break down big pieces of the hard nut meats. The succulent vegetables contain considerable starch. If mastication is slighted they often ferment enough to produce considerable gas. Fruits are generally eaten too rapidly, and therefore often produce bad results. Even green fruits can be eaten with impunity if they are very thoroughly masticated. Those who are fond enough of liquors to take an excess should sip their alcoholic beverages very slowly, tasting every drop before swallowing. This would decrease their consumption of liquor greatly. Even water should not be gulped down. It should be taken rather slowly, especially on hot days. During hot weather many drink too much water. This tendency can usually be overcome by avoiding iced water and by drinking slowly. These four rules should be a part of your vital knowledge. If you forget everything else in this book, please remember them and try to put them into practice: _Eat only when hungry. During acute illness fast. Be moderate in your eating. Thoroughly masticate all food._ CHAPTER IX. CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS. Food is anything which, when taken into the body under proper conditions, is broken down and taken into the blood and utilized for building, repairing or the production of heat or energy. There are various forms of foods, which can be divided into two classes: First, nitrogenous foods or proteins. Second, carbonaceous, foods, under which caption come the sugars, starches and fats. Salts and water are not usually classified as foods, though they should be, for life is impossible without either. The chief proteins are: First, the albuminoids, which are represented by the albumin in eggs, the casein in milk and cheese, the myosin of muscle and the gluten of wheat. Second, the gelatinoids, which are represented by the ossein of bones, which can be made into glue, and the collogen of tendons. Third, nitrogen extractives, which are the chief ingredients in beef tea. They are easily removed from flesh by soaking it while raw in cold water. They are rich in flavor and are stimulating. They have absolutely no food value. Beef tea, and other related extracts, are not foods. They are stimulants. In truth they are of no value, and those who purchase such preparations pay a high price and get nothing in return. The sugars and starches are grouped under the name of carbohydrates, which means that they are a combination of water and carbon. There are various forms of sugar. About 4 per cent of milk is milk sugar, which agrees better with the young than any other kind of sugar. It is not so soluble in water as the refined cane sugar, and therefore not so sweet, but it is fully as nourishing. Honey is a mixture of various kinds of sugars. Cane sugar is taken principally from sugar beets and sugar cane. There is no chemical difference between the products of canes and beets. Sugars can not be utilized by the blood until it has changed them into other forms of sugar. The use of sugar is rapidly increasing. Several centuries ago it was used as a drug. It was doubtless as effective as a curing agent as our drugs are today. Until within the last sixty or seventy years it has not been used as a staple food. Now it is one of our chief foods. Not so very long ago but ten pounds of sugar per capita were used annually, but now we are consuming about ninety pounds each annually, that is, about four ounces per day. Many people look upon sugar as a flavoring, which it is in a measure, but it is also one of our most concentrated foods. That this great consumption of sugar is harmful there is no doubt. Physicians who practiced when the use of sugar was increasing very rapidly called attention to the increasing decay of teeth. Sugar, as it appears upon the table is an unsatisfied compound. It does not appear in concentrated form in nature, but mixed with vegetable and mineral matters, and when the pure sugar is put into solution it seeks these matters. It is especially hungry for calcium and will therefore rob the bones, the teeth and the blood of this important salt, if it can not be had otherwise. The most noticeable effect is the decay of the teeth. I have read considerable literature of late blaming sugar for producing many diseases, among them tuberculosis and cancer. Improper feeding is the chief cause of these diseases, but to blame sugar for all ills of that kind is far from arriving at the truth. Cancer and tuberculosis killed vast numbers of people before sugar was used as a staple. If we wish to get at the root of any trouble, it is necessary for us to bury our prejudices and be broad minded. People who eat much sugar should also partake liberally of fresh raw fruits and vegetables, in order to supply the salts in which sugar is deficient. Lump sugar is practically pure, and therefore a poorer article of diet than any other form of sugar, for man can not live on carbon without salts. Grape sugar and fruit sugar are the same chemically. Another name for them is dextrose, and in the form of dextrose sugar is ready to be taken up by the blood. Children like sweets, but it is just as easy to give them the sweet fruits, such as good figs, dates and raisins, as it is to give them commercial sugar and candy, and it is much better for their health. Children who get used to the sweet fruits do not care very much for candies. The sugar in these fruits is not concentrated enough to be an irritant and it contains the salts needed by the body. Hence it does not rob the body of any of its necessary constituents. Because the fruit sugar, taken in fruit form, is not so concentrated and irritating as the common sugar, the child is satisfied with less. Sugar is an irritant of the mucous membrane and therefore stimulates the appetite. This is true only when it is taken in excess in its artificial form, and it does not matter whether it is sugar, jelly or jam. For this reason jellies and jams should be used sparingly, because it is not necessary to stimulate the appetite. Those who resort to stimulation overeat. When much sugar is taken, it not only irritates the stomach, but it even inflames this organ. Sugar is a preservative, and like all other preservatives it delays digestion, if taken in great quantities, and four ounces per day make a great quantity. The digestive organs rebel if they are given as much of sugar as they will tolerate of starch. When taken in excess sugar ferments easily, producing much gas, which is followed by serious results. Sugar is changed into forms less sweet by acids and heat. The ferment invertin also acts upon sugars. Sugar is a valuable food, but we are abusing it, and therefore it is doing us physical harm. The quantity should be reduced, and families who are using four ounces per person per day, as statistics indicate that most are doing, should reduce the intake to about one-third of this amount. It would be well to take as much of the sugar as possible in the form of sweet fruits. It is a fact that sugar is easy to digest and that one can soon get energy from it, but feeding is not merely a question of giving digestible aliments, but a question of using foods that are beneficial in the long run. The moderate use of this food is all right, but excess is always bad. Starches need more change than sugars before they can be absorbed by the blood, but they give better results. Chemically there is but small difference between starch and sugar. The starch must be changed into dextrose, a form of sugar, before it can be utilized by the body. The human body contains a small amount of a substance called glycogen, which is an animal starch or sugar. This glycogen is burned. Sugar is a force food. It combines with oxygen and gives heat and energy. The waste product is carbonic acid gas, which is carried by the blood to the lungs and then exhaled. Honey and maple sugar are good foods, but overconsumption is harmful. Sugar eating is largely a habit. Because the sugar has so much of the life and so many of the necessary salts removed in its refinement it is a good food only when taken in small quantities. Nature demands of us that we do not get too refined in our habits, for excessive refinement is followed by decay. It is easy to overcome the tendency to overeat of sugar. Some spoil the most delicious watermelon by heaping sugar or salt, or both, upon it. In this way the flavor is lost. There is not a raw fruit on the market which is as finely flavored after it has been sugared as it was before. True, those who have ruined their sense of taste object to the tartness and natural acidity of various foods, but they are not judges and can not be until they have regained a normal taste, which can only be done by living on natural foods for a while. Fats are obtained most plentifully from nuts, legumes, dairy products and animal foods. They are the most concentrated of all foods, yielding over twice the amount of heat or energy that we can obtain from the same weight of pure sugar, starch or protein. Many who think they are moderate eaters consume enough butter to put them in the glutton class. Salts are present in all natural foods of which we partake. Water is indispensable, for the body has to have fluids in order to perform its functions. Foods are burned in the body. They are valuable in proportion to the completeness with which they are digested and assimilated and the ease with which this process is accomplished. It takes energy to digest food and if the food is very indigestible it takes too much energy. The following remarks on digestibility are according to the best knowledge we have on the subject: As a general rule, the protein of meat and fish is more completely and more quickly digested than the protein in vegetable foods. The reason is that the vegetable protein is found in cells which are protected by the indigestible cellulose which covers each cell. This covering is not always broken and then the digestive juices are practically powerless. The legumes, which are rich in protein, are comparatively hard to digest. If properly prepared and eaten, they give little or no trouble, but they are generally cooked soft and the mastication is slighted. The result is fermentation. Beans, peas and lentils should be very well chewed, and eaten in moderation, for they are rich both in starch and protein. Nuts are as a rule not as completely digested as meats and animal fats, and the principal reason is that they are eaten too rapidly and masticated too little. Nuts properly masticated, taken in correct combinations and amounts agree very well. It is not necessary, as many believe, to salt them in order to prevent indigestion. In the following pages will be found a number of diet tables, giving compositions and fuel values of various foods which have been grouped for the sake of convenience, for the foods in each group are quite similar. These tables are not complete, for to list every food would take too much space. I have simply selected a representative list from the various classes of foods. Under flesh are given fish, meats and eggs. Under succulent vegetables are given both root and top vegetables, because of their similarity. Nuts, cereals, legumes, tubers and fruits are each grouped because it is easy to gain an understanding of them in this way. Milk is given a rather long chapter of its own because of its great importance in the morning of life. Allow me to repeat that it is impossible to figure out the calories in a given amount of food and then give enough food to furnish so many calories and thus obtain good results. I have already given the key to the amount of food to eat, and it is the only kind of key that works well. However, it is very helpful to have a knowledge of food values. The calorie is the unit of heat, and heat is convertible into energy. A calorie is the heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree C. To translate into common terms, it is the heat required to raise one pound of water four degrees F. One pound of protein produces 1,860 calories. One pound of sugar produces 1,860 calories. One pound of starch produces 1,860 calories. One pound of oil or fat produces 4,220 calories. For the scientific facts regarding foods I have consulted various works, especially the following: Diet and Dietetics, by Gauthier; Foods, by Tibbles; Food Inspection and Analyses, by Leach; Foods and their Adulteration, by Wiley; Commercial Organic Analysis, by Allan. However, I am most indebted to the numerous bulletins issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. All who make a study of foods and their value owe a great debt to W. O. Atwater and Chas. D. Wood, who have worked so long and faithfully to increase our knowledge regarding foods. As we consider the various groups of foods, directions are given for the best way of cooking, but no fancy cooking is considered. Those who wish fancy, indigestible dishes should consult the popular cook books. The women have it in their power to raise the health standard fifty to one hundred per cent by cooking for health instead of catering to spoiled palates, and by learning to combine foods more sensibly than they have in the past. The art of cooking has made its appeal almost entirely to the palate. This art is not on as high level as the science of cooking, which gives foods that build healthy bodies. The right way of cooking is simpler, quicker and easier than the conventional method, and gives food that is superior in flavor. After the normal taste has been ruined, it takes a few months to acquire a natural taste again so that good foods will be enjoyed. CHAPTER X. FLESH FOODS. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Beef, average 72.03 21.42 5.41 .... 1.14 .... Veal, lean 78.84 19.86 .82 .... .50 .... Mutton, average 75.99 17.11 5.77 .... 1.33 .... Pork, average fat 47.40 14.54 37.34 .... .72 .... Pork, average lean 72.57 20.25 6.81 .... 1.10 .... Rabbit 66.80 22.22 9.76 .... 1.17 .... Chicken, fat 70.06 19.59 9.34 .... .91 .... Turkey 65.60 24.70 8.50 .... 1.20 .... Goose 38.02 15.91 45.59 .... .49 .... Pigeon 75.10 22.90 1.00 .... 1.00 .... Duck, wild 69.89 25.49 3.69 .... .93 .... Black bass 76.7 20.4 1.7 .... 1.2 450 Sea bass 79.3 18.8 .5 .... 1.4 370 Cod, steaks 82.5 16.3 .3 .... .9 315 Halibut, steaks 75.4 18.3 5.2 .... 1.1 560 Herring 74.67 14.55 9.03 .... 1.78 .... Mackerel 73.4 18.2 7.1 .... 1.3 640 Perch, white 75.7 19.1 4.0 .... 1.2 525 Pickerel 79.8 18.6 .5 .... 1.1 365 Salmon 71.4 19.9 7.4 .... 1.3 680 Salmon trout 69.1 18.2 11.4 .... 1.3 820 Shad 70.6 18.6 9.5 .... 1.3 745 Sturgeon 78.7 18.0 1.9 .... 1.4 415 Trout, brook 77.8 18.9 2.1 .... 1.2 440 Clams, long 85.8 8.6 1.0 2.00 2.6 240 Clams, round 86.2 6.5 .4 4.20 2.7 215 Lobster 79.2 16.4 1.8 .40 2.2 390 Oyster in shell 86.9 6.2 1.2 3.70 2.0 230 -------------------------------------------------------------------- The food value of meat depends on the amount of fat and protein it contains. Lean meat may contain less than four hundred calories per pound, while very fat meat may contain more than one thousand five hundred calories. These foods are eaten because they are rich in protein. Protein is the great builder and repairer of the body. It forms the framework for both bone and muscle. We can get along very well without starch or sugar or fat, but it is absolutely necessary to have proteid foods. They are the only ones that contain nitrogen, which is essential to animal life. Nitrogenous foods are used not only to build and repair, but in the end they are burned, supplying as much heat as the same weight of sugar or starch. Proteid foods are generally taken to excess. To most people they are very palatable, and they are generally prepared in a manner that renders rapid eating easy. Besides, meats contain flavoring and stimulating principles, called extractives, which increase the desire for them. The consequence is that those who eat meat often have a tendency to eat too much. Excessive meat eating often leads to consumption of large quantities of liquor. Stimulants crave company. As will be noted, most fish and meat contain about 20 per cent. of protein, while about 75 per cent. is water. The fatter the meat, the less water it contains, and the more fuel value it has. The leaner the meat, the more watery the animal, and the more easily is the flesh digested. Beef is fatter than veal and harder to digest. Also, the flesh of old animals is more highly flavored than that of the young ones, because it contains more salts. For this reason people who have a tendency to the formation of foreign deposits, as is the case with those who have rheumatism and gout or hardening of the arteries, should take the flesh of young animals when it is obtainable. In the past we have been taught to partake of excessive amounts of protein. The prescribed amount for the average adult has been about five ounces. If we were to obtain all the protein from meat, this would necessitate eating about twenty-five ounces of meat daily. However, inasmuch as there is considerable protein in the cereals and milk, and a little in most fruits and vegetables, a pound of meat would probably suffice under the old plan. A few physicians have known that such an intake of protein is excessive, and now the physiologists are learning the same. It has lately been determined experimentally that the body needs only about an ounce of protein daily, which will be supplied by about five ounces of flesh. Three or four ounces of flesh daily make a liberal allowance, for it is supplemented by protein in other foods. Workers eat large quantities of flesh because they think they need a great deal. The fact is that very little more protein is needed by those who do hard physical labor than by brain workers. The extra energy needed calls for more carbohydrates, not for protein. When the organism is supplied with sugar, starch and fat, or one of these, the protein of the body is saved, only a very small amount being used to replace the waste through wear and tear. Though protein can be burned in the body, it is not an economical fuel, either from a physiological or financial standpoint. The energy obtained from flesh costs much more than the same amount of energy obtained from carbonaceous foods. Ten acres of ground well cultivated can raise enough cereals and vegetables to support a number of people, but if this amount of land is used for raising animals, it will support but a few. The protein obtained from peas, beans and lentils is cheap, but these foods do not appeal to the popular palate as much as flesh. Meat immediately after being killed is soft. After a while it goes into a state of rigidity known as rigor mortis. Then it begins to soften again. This third stage is really a form of decay, called ripening. It is believed that the lactic acid formed is one of the principal agents producing this softening. Some people enjoy their meats, especially that of fowls and game, ripe enough to deserve the name of rotten. The ripening produces many chemical changes in the meat, which give the flesh more flavor. Consequently those who indulge are very apt to overeat. It is a fact that those who eat much flesh go into degeneration more quickly than those who are moderate flesh eaters and depend largely on the vegetable kingdom for food. If an excess of good meat causes degeneration, there is no reason to doubt that partaking of overripe foods is even worse. All meat contains waste. If the flesh comes from healthy animals and is eaten in moderation this waste is so small that it will cause no inconvenience, for a healthy body is able to take care of it. If too much is eaten, the results are serious. Overeating of flesh is followed by excessive production of urea and uric acid products. Some of these may be deposited in various parts of the body, while the urea is mostly excreted by the kidneys. The kidneys do not thrive under overwork any more than other organs. The vast majority of cases of diabetes and Bright's disease are caused by overworking the digestive organs. Too much food is absorbed into the blood and the excretory organs have to work overtime to get rid of the excess. Meats are easily spoiled. They should be kept in a cold place and not very long. Fresh meat and fish are more easily digested than those which are salted, or preserved in any other way. Pickled meats should be used rarely The same is true of fish. Ptomaines, or animal poisons, form easily in flesh foods. These are very dangerous, and it is not safe to eat tainted flesh, even after it is cooked. Fish decomposes quickly and fish poisoning is probably even more severe than meat poisoning. Fish should be killed immediately after it is caught, for experiments have shown that the flesh of fish kept captive after the manner of fishers degenerates very rapidly. Fish should be eaten while fresh. Even when the best precautions have been taken, it is somewhat risky to partake of fish that has been shipped from afar. Flesh foods are more easily and completely digested than the protein derived from the vegetable kingdom. From the table it will be noted that some fish is fat and some is lean. The ones containing more than 5 per cent of fat should be considered fat fish. These are somewhat harder to digest than the lean ones, but they are more nutritious. Shell fish is generally low in food value and if taken as nourishment is very expensive. However, most people eat this food for its flavor. COOKING. Cooking is an art that should be learned according to correct principles. Every physician should be a good cook. He should be able to go into the kitchen and show the housewife how to prepare foods properly. Medical men who are well versed in food preparation and able to make good food prescriptions have no need of drugs. The flesh of animals is composed of fibres. These fibres are surrounded by connective tissue which is tough. The cooking softens and breaks down these tissues, thus rendering it easier for the digestive juices to penetrate and dissolve them. That is, proper cooking does this. Poor cooking generally renders the meats indigestible. The simpler the cooking, the more digestible will be the food. Flavors are developed in the process, but these are hidden if the meats are highly seasoned. _Boiling_: When meats are boiled they lose muscle sugar, flavoring extracts, organic acids, gelatin, mineral matters and soluble albumin. That is, they lose both flavor and nourishment. Therefore the liquid in which they are cooked should be used. The proper way to boil meat is to plunge it into plain boiling water. Allow the water to boil hard for ten or fifteen minutes. This coagulates the outer part of the piece of meat. Then lower the temperature of the water to about 180 degrees F. and cook until it suits the taste. If it is allowed to boil at a high temperature a long time, it becomes tough, for the albumin will coagulate throughout. Salt extracts the water from meat. Therefore none of it should be used in boiling. The meat should be cooked in plain water with no addition. No vegetables and no cereals are to be added. All meats contain some fat, and this comes into the water and acts upon the vegetables and starches, making them indigestible. Season the meat after it is cooked, or better still, let everyone season it to suit the taste after serving. Meats that are to be boiled should never be soaked, for the cold water dissolves out some of the salts and some of the flavoring extracts, as well as a part of the nutritive substances. It is better to simply wash the meat if it does not look fresh and clean enough to appeal to the eye, which it always should be. _Stewing_: If meat is to be stewed, cut into small pieces and stew or simmer at a temperature of about 180 degrees F. until it is tender. It is to be stewed in plain water. If a meat and vegetable stew is desired, stew the vegetables in one dish, and the meat in another. When both are done, mix. By cooking thus a stew is made that will not "repeat" if it is properly eaten. Foods should taste while being eaten, not afterwards. _Broths_: If a broth is desired, select lean meat. Either grind it or chop it up fine. There is no objection to soaking the meat in cold water, provided this water is used in making the broth. Use no seasoning. Let it stew or simmer at about 180 degrees F. until the strength of the meat is largely in the water. When the broth is done, set it aside to cool. Then skim off all the fat and warm it up and use. One pound of lean meat will produce a quart of quite strong broth. _Broiling_: Cut the meat into desired thickness. Place near intense fire, turning occasionally, until done. Be careful not to burn the flesh. An ordinary steak should be broiled in about ten minutes. Of course, the time depends on the thickness of the cut and whether it is desired rare, medium or well done, and in this let the individual suit himself, for he will digest the meat best the way he enjoys it most. Beefsteak smothered in onions is a favorite dish. It is not a good way to prepare either the onions or the steak. A better way is to broil both the steak and the onions, or broil the steak, cut the onions in slices about one-half to three-fourths of an inch thick, add a little water and bake them. Beefsteak and onions prepared in this way are both palatable and easy to digest. _Roasting_ is just like broiling, that is, cooking a piece of meat before an open fire. Here we use a larger piece of meat and it therefore takes longer. Of old roasting was quite common, but now we seldom roast meat in this country. _Baking_: Here we place the meat in an enclosed oven. Most of our so-called roast meats are baked. The oven for the first ten or fifteen minutes should be very hot, about 400 degrees F. This heat seals the outside of the meat up quite well. Then let the heat be reduced to about 260 degrees F. If it is kept at a high temperature it will produce a tough piece of meat. The time the meat should be in the oven depends upon the size of the piece of meat and how well done it is desired. While baking, some of the juices and a part of the fat escape. About every fifteen minutes, baste the meat with its own juice. A few minutes before the meat is to be removed from the oven it may be sprinkled with a small amount of salt, and so may broiled and roasted meats a little while before they are done. However, many prefer to season their own foods or eat them without seasoning and they should be allowed to do so. _Steaming_: This is an excellent way of cooking. None of the food value is lost. Put the meat in the steamer and allow it to remain until done. The cheapest and toughest cuts of meat, which are fully as good as the more expensive ones and often better flavored, can be rendered very tender by steaming. Tough birds can be treated in the same way. An excellent way to cook an old hen or an old turkey is to steam until tender and then put into a hot oven for a few minutes to brown. Some birds are so tough that they can not be made eatable by either boiling or baking, but steaming makes them tender. It is best to avoid starchy dressings, in fact dressings of all kinds. A well cooked bird needs none, and dressing does not save a poorly cooked one. Most dressings are very difficult to digest. _Fireless cooking_: Every household should have either a good steamer or a fireless cooker. Both are savers of time and fuel and food. They emancipate the women. Those who have fireless cookers and plan their meals properly do not need to spend much time in the kitchen. Place the meat in the fireless cooker, following the directions which accompany it. However, if they tell you to season the meat, omit this part. _Smothering_ is a modification of baking. Any kind of meat may be smothered, but it is especially fine for chickens. Take a young bird, separate it into joints, place into a pan, add a pint of boiling water. If chicken is lean put in a little butter, but if fat use no butter. Cover the pan tightly and place in oven and let it bake. A chicken weighing two and one-half pounds when dressed will require baking for one hour and fifteen minutes. Keep the cover on the baking pan until the chicken is done, not raising it even once. Gravy will be found in the pan. Pressed chicken is very good. Get a hen about a year old. Place it into steamer or fireless cooker until so tender that the flesh readily falls from the bones. Remove the bones, but keep the skin with the meat. Chop it up. Place in dish or jar, salting very lightly. Over the chopped-up meat place a plate and on this a weight, and allow it to press over night. Then it is ready to slice and serve. This is very convenient for outings. Fish should preferably be baked or broiled. It may also be boiled, but it boils to pieces rather easily and loses a part of its food value. It must be handled with great care. No seasoning is to be used. When served a little salt and drawn butter or oil may be added as dressing. _Frying_ is an objectionable method of cooking. It is generally held, and with good reason, that when grease at a high temperature is forced into flesh, it becomes very indigestible. In fact the crust formed on the outside of the flesh can not be digested. It is folly to prepare food so that it proves injurious. However, there is a way of using the frying pan so that practically no harm is done. Grease the pan very lightly, just enough to prevent the flesh from sticking. Make the pan very hot and place the meat in it. Turn the meat frequently. Fries (young chickens) may be cooked in this way with good results. The same is true of steaks and chops. Avoid greasy cooking. It is an abomination that helps to kill thousands of people annually. _Paper bag cooking_ is all right if it is convenient. Those who have good steamers or fireless cookers will not find it of special advantage. Brown flour gravies are not fit to eat. If there is any gravy serve it as it comes from the pan without mixing it with flour or other starches. It may be put over the meat or used as dressing for the vegetables. Milk gravies are also to be avoided. Use only the natural gravies. Oysters may be eaten raw or stewed. Stew the oysters in a little water. Heat the milk and mix. Eat with cooked succulent vegetables and with raw salad vegetables. It is best to leave the crackers out. The oysters themselves contain very little nourishment, but when made into a milk stew the result is very nutritious. Eggs should be fresh. Some bakers buy spoiled eggs and use them for their fancy cakes and cookies. This is a very objectionable practice and may be one of the reasons that bakers' cookies never taste like those "mother used to make." Eggs take the place of fish, meat or nuts, for they are rich in protein. They may be taken raw, rare or well done. Eggs may be boiled, poached, steamed or baked. Soft boiled eggs require about three and one-half minutes. Hard boiled ones require from fifteen to twenty minutes. The albumin of an egg boiled six or seven minutes is tough. When boiled longer it becomes mellow. Eggs may be made into omelettes or scrambled, but the pan should be lightly greased and quite hot so that the cooking will be quickly done. Eggs are variously treated for an omelette. Some cooks add nothing but water and this makes a delicate dish. Others use milk, cream or butter, and beat. Bacon is a relish and may be taken occasionally with any other food. It should be well done, fried or broiled until quite crisp. This is one place where frying is not objectionable. Pork should rarely be used. It is too fat and rich and requires too long to digest. When eaten it should be taken in the simplest of combinations, such as pork and succulent vegetables or juicy fruits, either cooked or raw, and nothing else. Flesh may be eaten more freely in winter than in summer. Meat especially should be eaten very sparingly during hot weather, for it is too stimulating and heating. Nuts, eggs and fish are then better forms in which to take protein. COMBINATIONS. Flesh foods combine best with the succulent vegetables and the salad vegetables or with juicy fruits. It is more usual to take vegetables with flesh than to take fruit, but those who prefer fruit may take it with equally as good results. Both fruits and vegetables are rich in tissue salts, in which flesh foods are rather deficient. The succulent vegetables contain some starch and the juicy fruits some sugar, but not enough to do any harm. They both act as fillers. Flesh is quite concentrated and it is customary to take it with other concentrated foods, such as bread and potatoes. As a result too much food is ingested. It would be a splendid rule to make to avoid bread and potatoes when flesh food is taken, but if this seems too rigid, make it a rule never to eat all three at the same meal. It is best to eat the flesh foods without bread or potatoes, but if starch is desired, take only one kind at a time. Most people crave a certain amount of food as filler, and they have fallen into the habit of using bread and potatoes for this purpose. This is a mistake. Use the juicy fruits and the succulent vegetables for filling purposes and thus get sufficient salts and avoid the many ills that come from eating great quantities of concentrated foods. When possible, have a raw salad vegetable or two with the meat or fish meal. Eat only one concentrated albuminous food at a meal. If you have meat, take no fish, eggs, nuts or cheese. CHAPTER XI. NUTS. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Acorns 4.1 8.1 37.4 48.0 2.4 2718 Almonds 4.8 21.0 54.9 17.3 2.0 3030 Brazil nuts 5.3 17.0 66.8 7.0 3.9 3329 Filberts 3.7 15.6 65.3 13.0 2.4 3432 Hickory nuts 3.7 15.4 67.4 11.4 2.1 3495 Pecans 3.0 11.0 71.2 13.3 1.5 3633 English walnuts 2.8 16.7 64.4 14.8 1.3 3305 Chestnuts, dried 5.9 10.7 7.0 74.2 2.2 1875 Butternuts 4.5 27.9 61.2 3.4 3.0 3371 Cocoanuts 14.1 5.7 50.6 27.9 1.7 2986 Pistachio nuts 4.2 22.6 54.5 15.6 3.1 3010 Peanuts, roasted 1.6 30.5 49.2 16.2 2.5 3177 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Nuts vary a great deal in composition. They are generally the seeds of trees, enclosed in shells, but other substances are also called nuts. The representative nuts are rich in fat and protein, containing some carbohydrate (sugar or starch.) A few nuts, such as the acorn, cocoanut and chestnut, are very rich in starch, and these should be classified as starchy foods. Very few foods contain as high per cent of starch as the dry chestnut. In southern Europe chestnuts are made into flour, and this is made into bread or cakes. An inferior bread is also made of acorn flour. Chestnuts may be boiled or roasted. They are very nutritious. The more representative nuts are pecans, filberts, Brazil nuts and walnuts. These may be used in place of flesh foods, for they furnish both protein and fats. If the kernel is surrounded by a tough membrane, as is the case in walnuts and almonds, it should be blanched, which consists in putting the kernel in very hot water for a little while and then removing this membrane. The pecan, though it does not contain very much protein, is one of the best nuts, one which can be eaten often without producing dislike. Nuts have the reputation of being hard to digest. If they are not well masticated they are very hard to digest indeed, but when they are well masticated they digest almost as completely as do flesh foods and they produce no digestive troubles. One reason that nuts have obtained a bad reputation is that they are often eaten at the end of a heavy meal, when perhaps two or three times too much food has already been ingested. The result is indigestion and the sufferer swears off on nuts. If he had sense enough to reduce his intake of bread, potatoes, meat, pudding and coffee, the benefit would be very great. The tendency is for the sufferer from indigestion to pick out a certain food and blame all the trouble on that, when in truth the combinations and the quantity of food are to blame. Some vegetarians make nuts one of their principal foods. We can easily get along without flesh, for we can obtain all the protein needed from milk, eggs, nuts and legumes. However, people who are used to flesh are able to digest it when they can take hardly anything else. The foods which we prefer are taken largely because we have become accustomed to them and have formed a liking for them, not because they are the very best from which to select. COOKING. _Nut butter_: Take the nut meats, clean away all the skins and grind fine in a nut mill. Then form into a pasty substance with or without the addition of oil or water, to suit the individual taste. Most nut butters are very agreeable in flavor. Sometimes the nuts are roasted and sometimes they are not. Almond butter is very good. The nut butters soon spoil if left exposed to the air, for the oils they contain turn rancid. Peanut butter can be made by taking clean kernels of freshly roasted peanuts and grinding fine. Some are very fond of this butter. Cocoanut and cocoa butters are not made in this way. They are purified fats, the former from cocoanuts, the latter from the cocoa bean. _Nut milk_: Take nut butter and mix with water until it is of the desired consistency. Cocoanuts contain a sweet liquid which is called cocoanut milk. However, the artificial cocoanut milk is made by pouring a pint of boiling water over the flesh of a freshly grated cocoanut. Let it stand until cold and strain. If it is allowed to stand some hours the fat will rise to the top and form cream. This milk is used by some who object to the use of animal products. Various meals are made from nuts and made into food for the sick. This does no harm, nor does it do any special good. These meals contain more or less starch and the action of starches is much the same, no matter what the source. Please remember that there are no health foods. COMBINATIONS. Nuts are especially fine in combination with fruits. Fresh pecan meats and mild apples make a meal fit for the gods. Nuts may be used in any combination in which flesh is used, that is, they take the place of flesh foods. The starchy nuts take the place of starchy foods. A good meal is made of a fruit salad, consisting of two or three kinds of fresh fruits and nuts. Nuts or nut butter with toast also make a good meal. Nuts have such fine flavor that cooks should think twice before spoiling them. It is very difficult to use them in cookery and get a product that is as finely flavored as the original nuts. The vegetarians use them in compounding what they call roasts, cutlets, steaks, etc. My experience with these imitation products has not been of the best, for though my digestive organs are strong, they do not take kindly to these mixtures. Some of my friends report the same results, in spite of thorough mastication and moderation. These imitation roasts and cutlets usually contain much starch and there is no reason to believe that it is better to cook nut oils into starchy foods than it is to use any other form of fat for this purpose. Those who like starch and nuts can make a splendid meal of nut meats and whole wheat biscuits or zwieback. In eating nuts, always remember that the mastication must be thorough. It takes grinding to break up the solid nut meats and the stomach and bowels have no teeth. Those who can not chew well should use the nuts in the form of butter. Ordinarily two ounces of nut meats, or less, are sufficient for a meal. At present prices, nuts are not expensive, as compared with meat. Meat is mostly water. Lean meat produces from five to seven hundred calories to the pound. Nut meats produce from twenty-seven to thirty-three hundred calories per pound. In other words, a pound of nut meats has the same fuel value as about five pounds of lean meat, but not as great protein value. Those who are not used to nuts have a tendency to overeat, but this is largely overcome as soon as people become accustomed to them. CHAPTER XII. LEGUMES. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- _Fresh Legumes_: String beans ......... 89.2 2.3 0.3 7.4 0.8 195 Shelled limas ........ 68.5 7.1 0.7 22.0 1.7 570 Shelled peas ......... 74.6 7.0 0.5 16.9 1.0 465 _Dried Legumes_: Lima beans ........... 10.4 18.1 1.5 65.9 4.1 1625 Navy beans ........... 12.6 22.5 1.8 59.6 3.5 1605 Lentils .............. 8.4 25.7 1.0 59.2 5.7 1620 Dried peas ........... 9.5 24.6 1.0 62.0 2.9 1655 Soy beans ............ 10.8 34.0 16.8 33.7 4.7 1970 Peanuts .............. 9.2 25.8 38.6 24.4 2.0 2560 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyses of all foods are approximate. The food value varies with the conditions under which the foods are grown and is not always even approximately the same. The fresh young legumes may be classed with the succulent vegetables. The matured, dried legumes are to be classed both as starchy and proteid foods. They are very easily raised and consequently cheap. They are the cheapest source of protein that we have. Peas and beans are very important foods in Europe. In this country we consume enormous quantities of beans. In Mexico they use a great deal of frijoles, the poor people having this bean at nearly every meal. In China they make the soy beans into various dishes. The lentil is much used in Europe and is gaining favor here, as it should, for it is splendid food, with a flavor of its own. Peanuts, which are really not nuts, but leguminous plants growing their seeds under the ground, are used extensively as food for man and beast. These foods are much alike in composition, the soy bean being exceptionally rich in protein. These foods have the undeserved reputation of being indigestible and of producing flatulence. They are a little more difficult to digest than some other foods, but they cause no trouble if they are taken in simple combinations and in moderation, provided they have been properly prepared. It is necessary to masticate these foods very well, and avoid overeating. They are generally so soft that they are swallowed without proper mouth preparation. The result is that too much is taken of these rich foods, after which there is indigestion accompanied by gas production. One rather peculiar food belonging to the legumes is the locust bean or St. John's bread, which we can sometimes obtain at the candy stores. It grows near the Mediterranean and is used in places for cattle feed. It is so sweet that it is eaten as a confection. Its name is due to the fact that they say St. John lived on this bean and wild honey. If he did he must have had a sweet tooth. Others say that the saint really devoured grasshoppers. It is not easy to decide, but I prefer to believe that he was a vegetarian. COOKING. The fresh young legumes are to be considered in the same class as succulent vegetables, which are dealt with in the next chapter. Ripe peas, beans and lentils may be cooked alike. In cooking ripe legumes, try to get as soft water as possible. Hard water contains salts of lime and magnesia and these prevent the softening of the legumes. _Bean soup_: Clean the beans and wash them. Let them soak over night. Cook them in the same water in which they have been soaked, until tender. They are to be cooked in plain water without any seasoning and with the addition of neither fats, starches nor other vegetables. When the beans are done, meat stock and other vegetables may be added, if desired. Pea soup is made in the same way. The reason for not draining away the water in which the beans are soaked is that it takes up some of the valuable salts, the phosphates for instance. The addition of seasoning or fat while they are cooking makes the beans indigestible. _Baked beans_: Clean and wash well. Soak them over night. Let them boil about three and one-half to four hours, using the water in which they were soaked. Then put them into the oven to bake. They are to be cooked plain and no fat or seasoning is to be added while they are baking. After they are done you may add some form of fatty dressing, such as bacon, which has been stewed in a separate dish, or you may dress them with butter and salt when they are served. Cooked this way they digest much more easily than when cooked in the ordinary way with tomatoes and grease. Some prefer to add either sugar or molasses to the beans when they are put into the oven. Avoid too much sweetening. Lentils may be baked in the same way. _Boiled beans_: The same as bean soup, except that less water is used. Dressing may be the same as for baked beans. Lentils and peas may be treated in the same way. Beans and corn may be cooked together. COMBINATIONS. The legumes are so very rich that they should be eaten in very simple combinations. It is best to take them with some of the raw salad vegetables and nothing else, or with the raw salad vegetables and one of the stewed succulent vegetables. The legumes contain all the protein and all the force food the body needs, so it is useless to add meat, bread and potatoes. Tomatoes and other acid foods should not be used in the same meal, yet beans and tomatoes or beans and catsup are very common combinations. A plate of bean soup makes a good lunch. Bean soup or baked or boiled beans with succulent vegetables, raw and cooked, give all the nourishment needed in a dinner. Pea and bean flours can be purchased on the market. These flours can not be made into dough, but they may be used for thickening. They contain more protein than ordinary flour. Both peas and beans may be roasted, but they are rather difficult to masticate. Roasted peas have a fine flavor. Roasted peanuts are a nutritious food, and may be taken in place of peas or beans. More legumes and less flesh foods will help to reduce the cost of living. Taken in moderation and well masticated, the legumes are excellent foods. CHAPTER XIII. SUCCULENT VEGETABLES. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Asparagus........ 93.96 1.83 2.55 2.55 .67 ..... Beet............. 87.5 1.6 .01 8.8 1.10 215 Cabbage.......... 90.52 2.39 .37 3.85 1.40 ..... Carrot........... 88.2 1.1 .4 8.2 1.00 219 Cauliflower...... 90.82 1.62 .79 4.94 .81 ..... Cucumber......... 95.4 .8 .2 3.1 .5 80 Egg plant........ 92.93 1.15 .31 4.34 .5 ..... Pumpkin.......... 93.39 .91 .12 3.93 .67 ..... Lettuce.......... 94.17 1.2 .3 2.9 .9 90 Okra............. 87.41 1.99 .4 6.04 .74 ..... Onion............ 87.6 1.6 .3 9.9 .6 225 Parsnip.......... 83.0 1.6 .5 13.5 1.4 300 Radish........... 91.8 1.3 .3 8.3 1.0 135 Squash........... 88.3 1.4 .5 9.0 .8 215 Tomato........... 94.3 .9 .4 3.9 .5 105 Spinach.......... 90.6 2.50 .5 3.8 1.7 ..... Kohlrabi......... 87.1 2.6 .2 7.1 1.7 ..... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Lima beans and shelled peas are generally included in this list, though the young lima beans contain about 20 per cent. starch. Look at the cabbage analysis for kale and Brussels sprouts. They are much alike. Most of the vegetables contain from one-half of one per cent. to two per cent. of indigestible fibre, which is not listed above. This is but a partial list of the succulent vegetables. In addition may be mentioned artichokes of the green or cone variety, chard, string beans, celery, corn on the cob, turnips, turnip tops, lotus, endive, dandelion and garlic. These vegetables produce but little energy, for most of them are not rich in protein, fat and carbohydrates, but they have considerable salts, which are given in the tables as ash. Their juices help to keep the blood alkaline, and it would be well for people to get into the habit of eating these foods, not only cooked, but some of them raw. The salts are very easily disturbed and in cooking they are somewhat changed. The best salts we get when we consume natural foods, such as raw fruits and raw vegetables and milk. Another function of the succulent vegetables is to take up space in the stomach. Many like to eat until they feel comfortably full, but if they indulge in concentrated foods to this extent they overeat. The succulent vegetables have the merit of taking up much space without furnishing very much nourishment and they should, therefore, be used as space-fillers. However, they contain enough nourishment to be well worth eating, and most of them are excellent in flavor. This flavor is not appreciated by those who eat much meat and drink much alcohol. The liberal use of these cooked vegetables has a tendency to prevent constipation, and some of them are called laxative foods, such as stewed onions and spinach. PREPARATION. These vegetables may be either steamed or prepared in a fireless cooker. The usual way is to cook them in water. Clean the vegetables. Then put them on to cook in enough water to keep from burning, but use no seasoning. When the vegetables are tender there should be only a little fluid left and those who eat of the vegetables should take their share of this fluid, for it may contain as high as one-half to two-thirds of the salts. When served, let each one season to taste. Avoid the use of vinegar and all other products of fermentation as much as possible. Lemon juice will furnish all the acid needed for dressing. The vegetables may be dressed with salt, or salt and butter, or salt and olive oil, and at times with cream, or with the natural gravy from meats, but avoid the use of flour and milk dressings, usually called cream gravy. These vegetables may also be eaten without any dressing. The water is drained off from corn on the cob, asparagus, artichokes and unpeeled beets. Vegetables should not be soaked in water, for they lose a part of their value if this is done. Cucumbers may be soaked in water to remove a part of the rank flavor, before being peeled. _Spinach_ is prepared as follows: Wash thoroughly. Put about two tablespoonfuls of water in the bottom of the kettle. Put over the fire and let the spinach wilt. Its juice will then begin to pour out and the spinach will cook in its own juice. Let it cook slowly until tender. Serve the spinach with its proportion of the juice. At first this will taste rather strong, but after a while a person will not want the dry, tasteless mess that is drained, usually served in hotels and restaurants. If some of the roots are left on the spinach, it tastes milder. The roots contain sugar. Some of these vegetables, such as summer squash, onions and parsnips may be baked. Onions are very good sliced and broiled, but they should never be fried. Beets are good baked, and especially is this true of sugar beets. Radishes are very delicate and delicious when peeled and boiled, but their preparation is tedious. Egg plant is to be stewed, but not fried. As usually served, dipped in egg, rolled in crumbs and fried it is very indigestible. Beet greens are excellent. They are best if the beets are pulled very young and both the roots and the leaves are used. Turnip tops, dandelion, mustard and Swiss chard are other greens that are good. All of them are prepared like spinach, except that more water is necessary. However, do not use much water. Those who say that the various vegetables are unfit to eat and act accordingly are missing some good food. The vegetables all contain crude fibre, but they hurt the stomach and intestinal walls no more than they hurt the mucous membrane of the tongue. They furnish some bulk for the intestines to act upon, which is good and proper. All animals need some bulky food, otherwise they become constipated. Tomatoes are best raw. If they are stewed they are to be cooked plain. Adding crackers and bread crumbs is a mistake. They taste all right without sugar, but a little may be used as dressing. _Vegetable soup_: Take equal parts of about four vegetables, any that you like. Slice and cook in plain water until tender. When done add enough water or hot milk to make it of the right consistency. Season to taste. One of the constituents may be starchy, such as potatoes, barley or rice, but the rest should be succulent vegetables. COMBINATIONS. The succulent vegetables may be combined with all other foods. They go well with flesh or milk or nuts or starchy foods. With flesh or nuts they make a very satisfying meal. They may be taken with fruit. The tomato grows as a vegetable, but for practical purposes it is a fruit. The tomato combines well with protein, but not so well with the starchy foods. SALAD VEGETABLES. If possible, salads should be made entirely of raw vegetables and raw fruits. The chief salad vegetables are celery, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, onions and garlic, the two last mentioned being used for flavoring. Dr. Tilden, who has done much to popularize raw vegetable salads, has a favorite, which he calls by his own name. It is equal parts of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, with a small piece of onion. Chop up coarse and dress with salt and olive oil and lemon juice. This is all right for those who like it, but many do not care for such a complex salad with such dressing. Some of the combination salads that are served are wonderful mixtures, containing as many as seven or eight vegetables and a complex dressing. Raw onions are too irritating to use in large quantities, and the same is true of garlic. The best salads contain but two or three ingredients. Take any two of the vegetables mentioned, such as lettuce and tomatoes; lettuce and cucumbers; cabbage and celery; celery and tomatoes, or eat simply one of these green vegetables raw. It is a good thing to eat some of those salad vegetables daily. If your digestion is excellent, you may occasionally take raw carrots or turnips, and a few raw spinach leaves are tasty for a change. Never mind if people tease you about eating grass, for it helps you to keep well. Dress the raw vegetables as your taste allows. Most people want some salt, or salt and lemon juice, or a little sugar, or cream, or salt and olive oil, or salt, olive oil and lemon juice, or mayonnaise on their salad vegetables. Some eat them without any dressing and the flavor is excellent. Tasty salad can be made of fruit and vegetables, using no dressing, but strewing some nuts over the dish. On warm days, such a salad makes a satisfactory lunch. It is all right to make a fruit and vegetable salad. Instead of using tomatoes, take strawberries, apples, grapes, or any other acid fruit. These fruits may be combined with cabbage, lettuce, celery or cucumbers. Do not mix too many foods in a meal, for to do so is indicative of poor taste. Those with refined palates like simple meals, and there is no reason for making salads so complex, when simplicity is a requirement for building health. However, a complex salad made of raw vegetables and raw juicy fruits does not play so much havoc as a mixture of concentrated foods. Lettuce and celery are the most satisfactory salad vegetables to mix with fruits. People who eat raw fruits do not need to eat the raw salad vegetables, for fruits and vegetables supply the same salts. Those who avoid both raw fruits and raw vegetables are not treating their bodies fairly. The vegetable salads are most satisfactory when taken in combination with flesh, nuts or eggs, together with cooked succulent vegetables. They may be eaten with starchy foods, but then they should contain little or no acid. CHAPTER XIV. CEREAL FOODS. ==================================================================== Carbohy- Water Protein Fat drates Ash -------------------------------------------------------------------- Barley. 10.9 12.4 1.8 72.5 2.4 Buckwheat. 12.6 10.0 2.2 73.2 2.0 Corn. 9.3 9.9 2.8 76.3 1.5 Kafir corn. 16.8 6.6 3.8 70.6 2.2 Oats. 11.0 11.8 5.0 69.2 3.0 Rice. 12.4 7.4 .4 79.4 .4 Rye. 11.6 10.6 1.0 73.7 1.9 Wheat, spring. 10.4 12.5 2.2 73.0 1.9 Wheat, winter. 10.5 11.8 2.1 73.8 1.8 First patent flour. 10.55 11.08 1.15 76.85 0.37 Whole wheat flour. 10.81 12.26 2.24 73.67 1.02 Graham flour. 8.61 12.65 2.44 74.58 1.72 Bread, ordinary white. 37.65 10.13 .64 51.14 .44 Bread, whole wheat. 41.31 10.60 1.04 46.11 .94 Bread, Graham. 42.20 10.65 1.12 44.58 1.45 -------------------------------------------------------------------- The cereal foods are important because of their wide distribution and the ease with which they can be prepared and utilized as food. They are very productive and need but little care and hence are a cheap food. The body can digest and absorb sugar and starch more completely than any other kind of food. All civilized people have a favorite cereal. The Chinese and Japanese use rice very extensively, and this grain is growing in favor with us. White people generally prefer wheat, which is an excellent grain that has been used by man for thousands of years. It has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it is so retentive of life that it has started to grow after lying dormant for several thousand years. Truly it is a worthy food for man. The table of cereals should be carefully studied. It will be seen that the grains contain much starch, a little fat, and considerable protein. They also carry sufficient of salts, but only a small amount of water. Please note further that patent flour loses nearly all of its salts. Patent flour is the product that is left after all the bran and practically all of the germ have been removed from the wheat. Whole wheat flour, or entire wheat flour, is the name given to the flour that has had a great part of the outer covering of the wheat kernel removed. It is a misnomer. Graham flour, named after Dr. Graham, is the product of the whole wheat kernel, and it will be noted that it is richer in salts and protein than the white flour and the whole wheat flour. The whole wheat flour and Graham flour we find on the market are often the result of blending, which is also true of the patent flour. As we would expect, the various breads are rich or poor in salts according to the flours from which they are made. All the cereals are good foods, but inasmuch as wheat and rice are used most extensively, they will receive more attention than the rest. Wheat is perhaps the best and most balanced of all our cereals. The whole wheat with the addition of a little milk is sufficient to support life indefinitely. It is one of the foods of which people never seem to tire. Tiring of food is often an indication of excess. It is with food as with amusement, if we get too much we become blase. Those who eat in moderation are content with simple foods, but those who eat too much want a great variety, as a rule. There are beef gluttons, who are satisfied with their flesh and liquor, but this is because the meats are so stimulating. Inasmuch as we use so much wheat, it is important that we use it properly. Today people want refined foods, and in refining they spoil many of our best food products. Sugar is too refined for health, rice suffers through refinement, and so does wheat. The wheat kernel contains all the elements needed to support life. In making fine white flour of it, at least three-fourths of the essential salts are removed. This robs the wheat of a large part of its life-imparting elements, and makes of it starvation food. If much white bread is consumed it is necessary to supplement it by taking large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables, not necessarily in the same meal, in order to get the salts that have been removed in the process of milling. The salts are found principally in the coats of the wheat, and in removing these coats and the germ, not only the salts, but considerable protein is lost. In other words, we remove most of the essential salts and a considerable part of the building material of the wheat, and then we eat the inferior product. The finer and whiter the flour, the poorer it is. White flour has a very high starch content. The products made from it are quite tasteless and lacking in flavor, unless flavoring is added. Those who are used to whole wheat products find the white bread flat. It is possible to consume large quantities of white bread, and yet not be satisfied. There is something lacking. Whole wheat bread is more satisfying and therefore the danger of overeating of it is not so great. The advocates of white flour say that the bran is too irritating for the bowels and for this reason it should be rejected. There is no danger in eating the entire kernel, after it is ground up. The particles of bran are so fine that they do no harm. The intestines were evidently intended for a little roughage, and it might as well come partly from wheat as from other sources. The gentle stimulation produced by the bran helps to keep the intestines active. It is noticeable that consumption of very refined foods leads to constipation. Bran bread and bran biscuits are prescribed for constipation. This is just as bad as removing the bran entirely. Man has never been able to improve on the composition of the wheat berry. When an excess of bran is eaten, it causes too great irritation and in the end the individual is worse off than before. The after effect of irritation is always depression and sluggishness. Recent experiments seem to show that it is not the coarseness of the bran that causes activity of the bowels, but that some of the contained salts are laxative, for the same results have been obtained by soaking the bran in water and drinking the liquid. The products of refined flour are more completely and easily digested than the whole wheat products. However, by eating in moderation and masticating well every normal person is able to take good care of whole wheat products, and the benefit of using the entire grain is so great that we should hesitate about continuing the use of the refined flours and white breads. In the French army it has been found that when the soldiers are fed on refined flour products they are not so well nourished as when they have whole wheat products, and that they must have more of other foods to supplement the impoverished breadstuffs. It is difficult to get people to realize how important it is to give the tissue salts with the foods. Salts are absolutely essential to vital activity, and a lack of salts always results in mental and physical depression and even in disease. No matter what adults are given, children should not be fed on white flour products. They need all the salts in the wheat. Depriving them of salts retards their development and results in decaying teeth and poor bone formation, among other things. They do not feel satisfied with their white flour foods. Therefore they overeat and get indigestion, catarrh, adenoids and various other ills. It is not difficult for people with observing eyes to note the difference in satisfaction of children after they get impoverished foods and the natural foods. Anemia is very common among children, especially among the girls. The chief reason is impoverished foods. Salts can be used by the animal organism only after they have been elaborated by the vegetable kingdom. To remove all the iron from wheat and then give inorganic iron, which can not be assimilated, in its stead, is the height of folly. By all means, use less of the white flour and more of the entire wheat flour. If the white flour habit can not be given up, take enough raw fruit and vegetables to make up for the loss of salts in milling. When rice is properly prepared it digests very easily. It is a little poor in protein, but this can be remedied by taking some milk in the same meal. The rice we ordinarily get is inferior to the natural product. First they remove the bran. Then the flour is taken off. Then it is coated with a mixture of glucose and talcum and polished. All this trouble is taken to make it appeal to the eye. This impoverished rice is lacking in salts. It will not support people in health. In the countries where polished rice is fed in great quantities, they suffer a great deal from degenerative diseases. One of these is beri-beri, in which there are muscular weakness and degeneration, indigestion, disturbances of the heart and often times anasarca. When people suffering from this disease are given those parts of the rice grain lost in making polished rice, they recover. This is proof enough that the cause of the disease is the impoverished food. The rice that should be used is brown and unpolished. When it is cooked it looks quite white. It is very satisfying. Rye is extensively used in some lands. The bread is very good. Oats are largely devoured in Scotland. Corn bread is a favorite food in the southern part of our country. The negroes are fond of corn and pork with molasses, which is far from an ideal combination in warm climates. PREPARATIONS. Wheat makes the best bread because it contains gluten. Among proteins gluten is unique, because it is so elastic and after it has stretched it has a tendency to retain its place. This is what makes bread so porous. There are various meals or flours that can not be made into bread, or even dough, because they lack compounds which will act as frame work. Bread can be made in many ways. The chief question for the housewife to decide is whether to make the bread from entire wheat flour or from patent flour. They are so different in value that a decision should not be difficult. It is also necessary to decide whether to use yeast bread or some other kind. Yeast bread is made essentially from flour, water and yeast in the presence of heat. There are so many ways of making bread of this kind that a recipe is not necessary. The amount of salt to be added depends upon individual taste. Some like to set their yeast working in part potato, part flour. Others use milk instead of water. Some add shortening. And nearly all women believe that their own bread is the best. Yeast is made up of myriads of little plants or fungi, which thrive on the sugary part of the flour. They convert this into alcohol and carbonic acid gas. The alcohol is practically all gone before the bread is brought to the table. The gas raises the bread, assisted by the expansion of the water in the dough when it is placed in a hot oven. The yeast consumes a great deal of the nutritive part of the flour. This may amount to from 5 to 8 per cent. of the food value, and I have read that sometimes it is as high as 20 per cent. Liebig said that the fermentation destroyed enough food material daily in Germany to supply 400,000 people with bread. However, yeast bread is very agreeable to the taste and therefore is probably worth more than the unfermented product. One objection to yeast bread is that all the yeast is not killed in baking, and the alcoholic fermentation may start again in the stomach. If the bread is turned into zwieback this is remedied. Fresh bread is not fit to eat, for it is very rarely properly masticated and if it is merely moistened and converted into a soggy mass in the mouth it is hard to digest. Unleavened bread is made by making the flour into a paste, rolling out thin and baking well. Any kind of flour may be used. This is the passover bread of the Jews. Dr. Graham's bread was made by mixing Graham flour with water, without any leavening, mixing the dough thoroughly, putting this aside several hours and baking. Macaroni and spaghetti are made by mixing durum wheat flour with water, without any leavening. With the addition of eggs we get commercial noodles. The paste is moulded as desired. All bread stuffs should be well baked.. The baking turns part of the starch into dextrine, which is easy to digest. Biscuits should be placed into a hot oven, but bread should be put into an oven moderately heated, otherwise the crust forms too quickly. Whenever a light product is desired, whether it is bread, biscuit or cake, sift the flour over and over again to get it well impregnated with air. The more air it contains the more porous will be the finished product. Five or six siftings will suffice. Unleavened breads of excellent flavor can be made by using either cream or butter as shortening, rolling the bread very thin, like crackers, and baking thoroughly. Shredded wheat biscuits, puffed wheat and puffed rice, flaked wheat and flaked corn are some of the good foods we can purchase ready made. Most of them should be placed in a warm oven long enough to crisp. Masticate thoroughly and take them with either butter or milk, or both. It is best to take the milk either before or after eating the cereal. Sugar should not be added to these foods. Those who are not hungry enough to eat them without sugar should fast until normal hunger returns. _Baking powder bread_ is very good. The essentials are well sifted flour, liquid, good baking powder, quick mixing and a hot oven. The following recipe, recommended by Dr. Tilden, is good: To a quart of very best flour, which has been sifted two or three times, add a little salt and a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. Sift again three times. Then add one or two tablespoonfuls of soft butter. Mix rapidly into a rather stiff dough with unskimmed milk. The dough should be rolled thin, and cut into small biscuits or strips. Put into a pan and bake in a hot oven until there is a crisp crust on bottom and top, which will take about twenty minutes. The more thoroughly and quickly the dough is mixed, the better the result. These biscuits or bread sticks are good, always best when made rather thin, not to exceed an inch in thickness after being baked. When an attempt is made to bake in the form of a fairly thick loaf it is generally a failure. Use the proportions of white and whole wheat flours desired. If more butter or some cream is added and it is rolled out thin, it serves very well for the bread part of shortcake. _Toast_: Slice any kind of bread fairly thin, preferably stale bread. Place the slices into a moderately hot oven and let them remain there until they are crisp through and through. The scorched bread that is generally served as toast is no better than untoasted bread. _Whole wheat muffins_: One cup whole wheat flour; one cup white flour; one-fourth cup sugar; one teaspoonful salt; one cup milk; one egg; two tablespoonfuls melted butter; four teaspoonfuls baking powder. Mix dry ingredients; add milk gradually, then eggs and melted butter. Put into gem pans and bake in hot oven for twenty-five minutes. _Ginger bread_: One cup molasses; one and three-fourths teaspoons soda; one-half cup sour milk; two cups flour; one-half teaspoon salt; one-third cup butter; two eggs; two teaspoonfuls ginger. Put butter and molasses in sauce pan and heat until boiling point is reached. Remove from fire, add soda and beat vigorously. Then add milk, egg well beaten, and remaining ingredients mixed and sifted. Bake twenty-five minutes in buttered, shallow pan in moderate oven. _Custard_: Three cups milk; three eggs; one-half cup sugar; one-half teaspoonful vanilla; pinch of salt. Beat eggs, add sugar and salt; then add scalded milk and vanilla; mix well. Pour into cups, place them in a pan of hot water in oven and bake twenty to twenty-five minutes. Serve cold. Custard may also be cooked in double boiler or baked in a large pan. This is not a cereal dish, but the next one is. _Rice custard_: To well cooked rice add a few raisins and a small amount of sugar. The raisins can be cooked with the rice or separately. Place the rice and raisins in a baking dish, pour over an equal amount of raw custard and bake as directed for custard. Bake in either individual cups or pan. When done the layer of custard is on top and the rice and raisins on the bottom. _Macaroni and cheese_: Three-fourths cup macaroni broken in pieces; two quarts boiling water; one-half table-spoonful salt. Cook macaroni in salted water twenty minutes, or longer if necessary to make it tender; drain. Put layer of macaroni in buttered baking dish; sprinkle with cheese, and repeat, making the last or top layer of cheese. Pour in milk to almost cover. Put into oven and bake until the top layer of cheese is brown. _Corn bread_: Two cups corn meal; one-half cup wheat flour; one tablespoonful sugar; one-half teaspoonful salt; two teaspoonfuls baking powder; two eggs; one and three-fourths cups milk. Sift corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together four or five times; add eggs and milk; stir well, pour into a hot buttered pan; smooth the top with a little melted butter to crisp the crust. Bake a good brown in hot oven. Another recipe for corn bread is: To one cup of wheat flour, add two cups of corn flour; two eggs; one heaping teaspoonful butter or cottolene; one heaping teaspoonful baking powder; one pinch soda, a scant fourth teaspoonful; one-half teaspoonful salt. Prepare and make into batter with milk and bake as directed in first recipe. _Corn mush_: Cook corn meal in plain water until it is done. It may be cooked over the fire, in a fireless cooker or in a double boiler. Serve with rich milk; add a little salt if desired. _Oatmeal_: Put into a double boiler and let it cook until it is very tender. It can also be cooked in a fireless cooker over night. It requires several hours cooking before it is fit to eat. All foods of this nature should be thoroughly cooked, and they may all be made into porridge, which is better. The objection to all mushy foods is that they are hardly ever properly masticated. The result is that they ferment in the alimentary tract, especially when they are eaten with sugar, as they generally are. It is best to take the mushy foods with milk and a little salt or with butter. Eaten in this way there is not such tendency to overeat as when sugar is used. Children especially eat more of these foods than is good for them if they are allowed to take them with sweets. Porridge is more diluted than the mushes and hence the danger of overeating is not so great. _Boiled rice_: The best way to cook it is in a double boiler or a fireless cooker. Every grain should be tender. Cook it in plan water. It is not necessary to stir, but if the rice becomes dry add some more water. If rice and milk are desired, warm the milk and add when the rice is done. Serve like oatmeal. Putting sugar on cereals is nonsense. They are very rich in starch and sugar is about the same as starch. Sugar stimulates the appetite, and consequently people who use it on cereals overeat of this concentrated food. _Rice and raisins_: This is prepared the same as boiled rice, except that raisins are added to the rice and water when first put on to cook. With milk this makes a good breakfast or lunch. COMBINATIONS. Starches of the cereal order may be eaten in combination with fats, such as cream, butter, olive oil and other vegetable oils. They combine well with all the dairy products, such as milk and cheese. Starches combine well with nuts. Take a piece of whole wheat zwieback and some pecans, chew both the bread and the nuts well and you will find this an excellent meal. There is nothing incompatible about eating cereals with flesh, but it generally leads to trouble, for people eat enough meat for a meal, and then they eat enough starch for a full meal. This overeating is injurious. Besides, starch digestion and meat digestion are different and carried on in different parts of the alimentary tract, so it is best to eat starchy foods and meats at different meals. Those who eat in moderation may eat starch and flesh in the same meal without getting into trouble. In winter it is all right to take starch with the sweet fruits. It is best to avoid mixing acid fruits and cereals. Even healthy people find that a breakfast of oranges and bread does not agree as well as one of milk and bread. The saliva, which contains ptyalin, is secreted in the mouth. The ptyalin starts starch digestion, but it does not work in the presence of acid. Eating acid fruits makes the mouth acid temporarily, and consequently the starch does not receive the benefit it should from mouth digestion. The result is an increased liability to fermentation in the alimentary tract. To get the best results it is absolutely necessary to masticate all starchy foods well. If this is not done it is merely a question of time until there is indigestion, generally accompanied by much acidity and gas production. This condition is a builder of many ills. Recipes for pies and cakes are not given in this book. The less these compounds are used the better. They are very popular and can be made according to directions in conventional cook books. Pies should be made with thin crusts, which should be baked crisp both on bottom and top. The best cakes are the plain ones. When desserts are eaten, less should be taken of other foods. Most people make the mistake of eating more than enough of staple foods and then they add insult to injury by partaking of dessert. CHAPTER XV. TUBERS. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Potato............ 78.3 2.2 0.1 18.0 1.0 375 Sweet potato...... 51.9 3.0 2.1 42.1 .9 925 Jerusalem artichoke. 78.7 2.5 0.2 17.5 1.1 The two tubers that are of chief interest are the Irish potato and the sweet potato. The former is easily and cheaply grown on vast areas of land and therefore forms a large part of the food of many people. Properly prepared it is easily digested and very nourishing. The sweet potato is a richer food than the Irish potato, but on account of its high sugar contents people soon weary of it. The southern negroes are very fond of this food. Like all other starches, potatoes must be thoroughly masticated, or they will disagree in time. Potatoes are of such consistency that they are easily bolted without proper mouth preparation. In time the digestive organs object. A new tuber is receiving considerable attention. It is the dasheen. It is said to be of very agreeable flavor, mealy after cooking, and produces tops that can be used in the same manner as asparagus. The dasheen requires a rather warm climate for its growth. PREPARATION. _Baking_: All the tubers may be baked. Clean and place in the oven; bake until tender. A medium sized potato will bake in about an hour. If the potatoes are soggy after being baked they are not well flavored. To remedy this, run a fork into them after they have been in the oven for a while; this allows some of the steam to escape and the potatoes become mealy. When a fork can easily be run into the potato, it is well enough done. If the potatoes are well cleaned, there is no objection to eating a part of the jacket after they are baked. The finest flavoring is right under the jacket. This part contains a large portion of the salts. _Boiling_: All tubers may be boiled. It is best to keep the jacket on, otherwise a great deal of both the salts and the nourishment is lost. If the potatoes boiled in the jacket seem too highly flavored, cut off one of the ends before placing them in the water. It takes about thirty or forty minutes to boil a medium sized Irish potato. Test with a fork, the same as baked potato, to find if done. Potatoes should never be peeled and soaked. If they are to be boiled without the jacket, they should be cooked immediately after being peeled. Steamed potatoes are good. There is no objection to mashing potatoes and adding milk, cream or butter, provided they are thoroughly masticated when eaten. If the potatoes are mashed, this should be so thoroughly done that not a lump is to be found. Potatoes cooked in grease are an abomination. The grease ruins a part of the potato and makes the rest more difficult to digest. Potato chips, French fried potatoes and German fried potatoes are too hard to digest for people who live mostly indoors. They should be used very seldom. COMBINATIONS. Potatoes are best eaten in combinations such as given for cereals. They are commonly taken with meat and bread. This combination is one of the causes of overeating. Occasionally they may be eaten with flesh, but this should not be a habit. Take them as the main part of the meal. Baked potatoes and butter with a glass of milk make a very satisfying meal. A good dinner can be made of potatoes with cooked succulent vegetables and one or two of the raw salad vegetables, with the usual dressings. It is best not to eat potatoes and acid fruits in the same meal. In selecting food it is well to remember that as a general rule but one heavy, concentrated food should be eaten at a meal, for when two, three or even four concentrated foods are partaken of, the appetite is so tempted and stimulated by each new dish that before one is aware of it an excessive amount of food has been ingested. CHAPTER XVI. FRUITS. ==================================================================== Pro- Etherial Carbohy- Calories Water tein Extracts drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Apples........... 84.6 0.4 0.5 14.2 0.3 290 Bananas.......... 75.3 1.3 0.6 22.0 0.8 460 Figs, fresh...... 79.1 1.5 ... 18.8 0.6 380 Lemons........... 89.3 1.0 0.7 8.5 0.5 205 Muskmelons....... 89.5 0.6 ... 9.3 0.6 185 Oranges.......... 86.9 0.8 0.2 11.6 0.5 240 Peaches.......... 89.4 0.7 0.1 9.4 0.4 190 Pears............ 80.9 1.0 0.5 17.2 0.4 ... Persimmons....... 66.1 0.8 0.7 31.5 0.9 630 Rhubarb, stalk... 94.4 0.6 0.7 3.6 0.7 105 Strawberries..... 90.4 1.0 0.6 7.4 0.6 180 Watermelon....... 92.4 0.4 0.2 6.7 0.3 140 _Dried Fruits_: Apples........... 26.1 1.6 2.2 68.1 2.0 1350 Apricots......... 29.4 4.7 1.0 62.5 2.4 1290 Citrons.......... 19.0 0.5 1.5 78.1 0.9 1525 Dates............ 15.4 2.1 2.8 78.4 1.3 1615 Figs............. 18.8 4.3 0.3 74.2 2.4 1475 Prunes........... 22.3 2.1 ... 73.3 2.3 1400 Raisins.......... 14.6 2.6 3.3 76.1 3.4 1605 Currants......... 17.2 2.4 1.7 74.2 4.5 1495 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Apricots, avocados, blackberries, cherries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes, huckleberries, mulberries, nectarines, olives, pineapples, plums, raspberries and whortleberries are some of the other juicy fruits. They are much like the apple in composition, containing much water and generally from 6 to 15 per cent of carbohydrates (sugar). Olives and avocados are rich in oil. You may classify rhubarb, watermelons and muskmelons as vegetables, if you wish. On the table they seem more like fruit, which is the reason they are given here. Melons are fine hot weather food. They are mostly water, which is pure. During hot weather it is all right to make a meal of melons and nothing else, at any time. The melons are so watery that they dilute the gastric juice very much. The result is that when eaten with concentrated foods they are liable to repeat, which indicates indigestion. Fruits are not generally eaten for the great amount of nourishment to be obtained from them. They are very pleasant in flavor and contain salts and acids which are needed by the body. The various fluids of the body are alkaline, and the fruits furnish the salts that help to keep them so. A few secretions and excretions are naturally acid. Sometimes the body gets into a too acid state, but that is very rarely due to overeating of fruit. It is generally caused by pathological fermentation of food in the alimentary tract. The salts and acids of fruits are broken up in the stomach and help to form alkaline substances. The water of the fruit is very pure, distilled by nature. The acid fruits are refreshing and helpful to those who have a tendency to be bilious. Fruits are cleansers, both of the alimentary tract and of the blood. Fruits grow most abundantly in warm climates and that is where they should be used most. In temperate climates they should be eaten most freely during warm weather. Young, vigorous people can eat all the fruit they wish at all seasons, within reason. Thin, nervous people, and those who are well advanced in years should do most of their fruit eating in summer. In winter there is a tendency to be chilly after a meal of acid fruit. In summer such meals do not add to the burden of life by making the partaker unduly warm. The apple is perhaps the best all-round fruit of all. It is grown in many lands and climates. It is possible to get apples of various kinds, from those that are very tart to those that are so mild that the acid is hardly perceptible to the taste. Stout people can eat sour apples with benefit. Thin, fidgety ones should use the milder varieties. The juice from apples, sweet cider, freshly expressed, is a very pleasant drink, and may be taken with fruit meals. The avocado is a good salad fruit. It is quite oily. A combination of avocado and lettuce makes a good salad. Thanks to rapid transportation, the banana has become a staple. It is quite commonly believed that bananas are very starchy and rather indigestible. This may be true when they are green, but not when they are ripe. Green bananas are no more fit for food than are green apples. Ripe bananas are neither starchy nor indigestible. When the banana is ripe it contains a trace of starch, all the rest having been changed to sugar. A ripe banana is mellow and sweet, but firm. The skin is either entirely black, or black in spots, but the flesh is unspotted. The best bananas can often be purchased for one-half of the price of those that are not yet fit to eat. Bananas are a rich food. Weight for weight they contain more nourishment than Irish potatoes. A few nuts or a glass of milk and bananas make a good meal. Bananas contain so much sugar that it is not necessary to eat bread or other starches with them. Those with normal taste will not spoil good bananas by adding sugar and cream. When well masticated the flavor is excellent and can not be improved by using dressings. Be sure that the children have learned to masticate well before giving bananas, and then give only ripe ones. The flesh of the banana is so smooth and slippery that children often swallow it in big lumps, and then they frequently suffer. Lemonade may be taken with fruit or flesh meals. As usually made it is quite nourishing, for it contains considerable sugar. Those who are troubled with sluggish liver may take it with benefit, but the less sugar used the better. Other fruit juices may be used likewise, but they should be fresh. If they are bottled, be sure that no fermentation is taking place in them. These juices may be served with the same kind of meals as lemonade. Most of them require dilution. Grape juice is very rich and a large glassful of the pure juice makes a good summer lunch. It should be sipped slowly. Those who like the combination may make a meal of fruit juice mixed with milk, half and half. Grapes and strawberries, which are relished by most, disagree with some people. The skin of the Concord grape should be rejected, for it irritates many. If they are relished, the skins of most fruits may be eaten. When peeled apples lose a part of their flavor. Olives are generally eaten pickled. The fruit in its natural state tastes very disagreeable to most people. The ripe olive is superior in flavor to the green, which is not usually relished at first. The sweet fruits, by which we mean dried currants, raisins, figs and dates, and bananas should be classed with them, serve the body in the same way as do the breadstuffs, and may be substituted for starches at any time. They may be eaten at all seasons of the year, but are used most during cold weather. A moderate amount of them may be eaten with breadstuffs, or they may be taken alone, or with milk, or with nuts, or with acid fruit. They are very nourishing so it does not take much of them to make a meal. To get the full benefit, masticate thoroughly. They contain sugar in its best form, sugar that not impoverished by being deprived of its salts. Grape sugar needs very little preparation before it enters the blood. Starch and sugar are of equal value as nourishment. It seems that the sugar is available for energy sooner than the starch. Americans generally weary quickly of sweet foods, though they consume enormous quantities of refined sugar, but in tropical countries figs and dates are staple in many places and the inhabitants relish them day in and day out as we relish some of out staples. It is a matter of habit. Those who do not surfeit themselves do not weary quickly of any particular article of diet. PREPARATION Most fruits are best raw. Then their acids and salts are in their most available form. Those who become uncomfortable after eating acid fruit may know that they have abused their digestive organs and they should take it as an indication to reduce their food intake, simplify their diet, masticate better and eat more raw food. Those who overeat of starch or partake of much alcohol cultivate irritable stomachs, which object to the bracing fruit juices. For the sake of a change fruits may be cooked. The more plainly they are cooked the better. Always use sugar in moderation, no matter whether the fruit is to be stewed or baked. To stew fruit, clean and if necessary peel. Stew in sufficient water until tender. When almost done add what sugar is needed. When stewed thus less sugar is required than if the sweetening is done at the start. Stewed fruit can be sweetened by adding raisins, figs or dates. This is relished by many. Figs and dates stewed by themselves are too sweet for many tastes. This can be remedied by making a sauce of figs or dates with tart apples or any other acid fruit that appeals in such combinations. _Baked apple_: Place whole apples in large, deep pan; add about one-third cup of water and one and one-half teaspoonfuls sugar to each apple. Put into oven and bake until skins burst and the apples are well done. Serve with all the juice. _Boiled apple_: Place whole apples in a stewing pan; add two teaspoonfuls sugar and one cup or more of water to each apple; use less sugar if desired. Cover the vessel tightly and boil moderately until the skins burst and the apples are well done. All stewed fruits should be well done. Avoid making the fruit sauces too sweet. _Stewed prunes_: A good prune needs no sweetening. Stew until tender. It is a good plan to let the prunes soak a few hours before stewing them. Raisins may be treated in the same way. Prunes may be washed and put into a dish; then add hot water enough to about half cover them; cover the dish very tightly and put aside over night. The prunes need no further preparation before being eaten. If the covering is not tight it will be necessary to use more water. Raisins and sundried figs may be treated in the same way. Unfortunately, most of our dried fruit is sulphured. Sulphurous acid fumes are employed, and you may be sure that this does the fruit no good. If you can get unsulphured fruit, do so. The sulphuring process is popular because it acts as a preservative and it is profitable because it allows the fruit to retain more water without spoiling than would be possible otherwise. _Canning fruit_: It is very easy to can fruit, but it requires care. Select fruit that is not overripe. The work room should be clean and so should the cans and covers. It is not sufficient to rinse the cans in clean water. Both the jars and the covers should be taken from boiling water immediately before being used. Use only sound fruit, cook it sufficiently, adding the sugar when the fruit is almost done. If you cook the fruit in syrup, do not have a heavy syrup. Put into jar while piping hot, filling the jar as full as possible, put on the cover immediately, turning until it fits snugly; turn jar upside down for a few hours to see if it leaks; tighten again and put in cool place. An even better way, especially for berries, is to fill the jar with fruit, pour syrup over them, put the jars into a receptacle containing water and let this water boil until the berries are done; then fill the jars properly and seal. Some berries that lose their color when cooked in syrup retain it when treated this way. Canned fruits are not as good as the fresh ones, but better than none. Be sure that they are not fermenting when opened. When proper care is exercised a spoiled jar is a rarity. If there is any doubt about the fruit, scald and cool before using. This destroys the ferments. Fresh fruit is the best. Next comes fruit recently stewed or baked. If other fruit can not be obtained, get good dried fruit and stew it. COMBINATIONS. Fruits may be combined with almost any food, except that which is rich in starch, and even that combination may be used occasionally, although it is not the best. I have seen people who were supposed to be incurable get well when their breakfasts were mostly apple sauce and toast. However, sick people should avoid such combining entirely and healthy ones most of the time. Breakfasting on cereals and fruit is a mistake. Those who eat thus may say that they feel no bad results, but time will tell. Nowhere in our manner of feeding does nature demand of a healthy human being that he walk the chalk line. All she asks is that he be reasonable. So if you feel fine and want a shortcake for dinner take it. But the shortcake should be the meal, not the end of one that has already furnished too much food. Fruit combines well with both milk and cheese. The impression to the contrary that has been gained from both medical and lay writers is due to false deductions based on premises not founded on facts. Milk and fruit, and nothing else, make very good meals in summer. _Fruit salads_: A great variety of these salads can be made. Take two or three of the juicy fruits, slice and mix. Dress with a little sugar, or salt and olive oil, or simply olive oil, or no dressing. Some like a dressing of sour cream or of cottage cheese rather well thinned out. Raisins and other sweet fruits may also be used. Ripe banana may be one of the ingredients. Such a salad may be eaten with a flesh or nut meal, or it may be used as a meal by itself. Fruit and cottage cheese make a meal that is both delicious and nourishing. A fruit salad strewed with nuts does the same. Strawberries and sliced tomatoes dressed with cottage cheese make a good meal. Lettuce, celery and tomatoes may be used in fruit salads. A few fruit salads to serve as examples are: Apples, grapes and lettuce; peaches, strawberries and celery; bananas, pineapples and nuts; strawberries, tomatoes and lettuce. Combine to suit taste and dress likewise, but avoid large quantities of cream and sugar, not only on your salads, but on all fruits. No acid should be necessary, but if it is desired, use lemon juice or incorporate oranges as a part of the salad. CHAPTER XVII. OILS AND FATS. Oils and fats are the most concentrated foods we have. Weight for weight, they contain more than twice as much fuel or energy value as any other food. Taken in moderation they are easily digested, but if taken in excess they become a burden to the system. About 7 or 8 per cent of the weight of a normal body is fat, and this fat is formed chiefly from the fatty foods taken into the system, supplemented by the sugar and starch. When the body becomes very fat, it is a disease, called obesity. Fat people are never healthy. The fat usurps the place that should be occupied by normal tissues and organs. It crowds the heart and the lungs, and even replaces the muscle cells in the heart. The result is that the heart and lungs are overcrowded and overworked and the blood gets insufficient oxygen. Not only the lungs pant for breath after a little exercise, but the entire body. Much fat is as destructive of health as it is of beauty. Those who find themselves growing corpulent should decrease their intake of concentrated foods and increase their physical activity. Our chief sources of fat supply are cream and butter, vegetable oils, nuts and the flesh of animals. Most meats, especially when mature, contain considerable fat. When the fat is mixed in with the meat, it is more difficult to digest than the lean flesh. Fresh fish, most of which contains very little fat, is digested very easily, while the fattest of all flesh, pork, is tedious of digestion. There is an instinctive craving for fat with foods that contain little or none of it. That is why we use butter with cereals and lean fish, and oil dressings on vegetables. In moderation this is all right. Fats are not very rich in salts, which must be supplied by other foods. Because of their great fuel value, more fats are naturally consumed in cold than in hot climates. The Esquimeaux thrive when a large part of their rations is fat. Such a diet would soon nauseate people in milder climes. Fats and oils are used too much in cooking. Fried foods and those cooked in oil are made indigestible. Sometimes we read directions not to use animal fats, but to use olive oil or cotton seed oil for frying. It is poor cooking, no matter whether the grease is of animal or vegetable origin. So far as food value and digestibility are concerned, there is no difference between animal and vegetable fats. Fresh butter is very good, and so is olive oil. Some vegetable oils contain indigestible substances. Cotton seed oil and peanut oil are much used. Sometimes they are sold in bottles under fancy lables as olive oil. The olive oils from California are fully as good as those imported from Spain, Italy and France and are more likely to be what is claimed for them than the foreign articles. In the past, much of our cotton seed oil has been bought by firms in southern Europe and sent back to us as fine olive oil! Such imposture is probably more difficult under our present laws than it was in the past. Most oils become rancid easily and then are unfit for consumption. If taken in excess as food they have a splendid opportunity to spoil in the digestive tract, and then they help to poison the system. Taken in moderate quantities they are digested in the intestines and taken into the blood by way of the lymphatics. They may be stored in the body for a while, but finally they are burned, giving up much heat and energy. Taking oils between meals as medicine or for fattening purposes is folly. People get all they need to eat in their three daily meals. Lunching is to be condemned. CHAPTER XVIII. MILK AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Whole milk 87.00 3.3 4.0 5.0 0.7 325 Cream 74.00 2.5 18.5 4.5 0.5 910 Buttermilk 91.00 3.0 0.5 4.8 0.7 165 Butter ..... ... 82.4 ... ... 3475 Cheese, whole milk 33.70 26.0 34.2 2.3 3.8 1965 " skimmed milk 45.70 31.5 16.4 2.2 4.2 1320 -------------------------------------------------------------------- The dairy products vary greatly. Some cows give richer milk than others. Butter may be almost pure fat, or it may contain much water and salt. The cheeses are rich or poor in protein and fats according to method of making. Cottage cheese may be well drained or quite watery. Therefore, this table gives only approximate contents. Milk is not a beverage. It is a food. A quart of milk contains as much food and fuel value as eight eggs or twelve ounces of lean beef. That is, a cupful (one-half of a pint) is equal to two eggs or three ounces of lean beef. This shows that milk should not be taken to quench thirst, but to supply nourishment. Milk is one of our most satisfactory and economical albuminous foods, even at the present high prices. In many foods from 5 to 10 per cent of the protein goes to waste. In milk the waste does not ordinarily amount to more than about 1 per cent. This fluid generally leaves the stomach within one or one and one-half hours after being ingested. In spite of its merits as a food some writers on dietetics advocate that adults stop using it, giving it only to the young. Milk is an excellent food when properly used. When abused it tends to cause discomfort, disease and death, and so does every other food known to man. Milk is given in fevers and in other diseases, when the digestive and assimilative processes are suspended. This is a serious mistake and has caused untold numbers of deaths. When the digestion has gone on a strike all feeding is destructive. Milk and meat broths, which are generally given, are about the worst foods that could be selected under the circumstances, for they decay very easily, and are excellent food for the numerous bacteria that thrive in the digestive tract during disease. These foods must decay when they are not digested, for the internal temperature of the body during fevers is over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. When bacteria are present in excess they give off considerable poison, which makes the patient worse. If circumstances are such that it is necessary to feed during acute disease, which is always injurious to the patient, let the food be the least harmful obtainable, such as fruit juices. Even they do harm. In our country cow's milk is used almost exclusively, and that is the variety that will be discussed in this chapter. In other lands the milk of the mare, the ass, the sheep, the goat and of other animals is used. Human milk is discussed in detail in the chapter on Infancy. The objection voiced against cow's milk is that it is an unnatural food for man, only fit for the calf, which is equipped with several stomachs and is therefore able to digest the curds which are larger and tougher than the curds formed from human milk. It is said that the curds of cow's milk are so indigestible that the human stomach can not prepare them for entry into the blood. This is probably true, but it is also true of other protein-bearing foods. The digestion and assimilation of proteins are begun in the stomach and completed in the intestines, and the protein in milk is one of the most completely utilized of all proteins. To call a food unnatural means nothing, for we can call nearly all foods unnatural and defend our position. A natural food is presumably a nutritious and digestible aliment that is produced in the locality where it is consumed, one that can be utilized without preparation or preservation. So we may say that a resident of New York should not use figs, dates, bananas and other products of tropical and semi-tropical climates, for they are not natural in the latitude of New York. We can take the position that it is unnatural for people to eat grains, which need much grinding, for the birds are the only living beings supplied with mills (gizzards). We can further say that it is unnatural to eat all cooked and baked foods. But such talk is not helpful. The more a person uses his brain the less power he has left for digestion and therefore it is necessary to prepare some of the foods so that they will be easy to digest. Man is such an adaptable creature that we are not sure what he subsisted on before he became civilized and are therefore unable to say what his natural food is. We know that in the tropics fruits play an important part in nourishing savages, while in the frozen north fat flesh is the chief food. Perhaps there is no natural food for man. Some of those who advocate the disuse of milk have a substitute or imitation to take its place, nut milk made from finely ground nuts and water. Like all other imitations, it is inferior to the original. It is more difficult to digest than real milk and the flavor is quite different. The objection that milk is indigestible is not borne out by the experience of those who give it under proper conditions. It is true that milk disagrees with a few, but so do such excellent foods as eggs, strawberries and Concord grapes, and many other aliments which are not difficult to digest. This is a matter of individual peculiarity. Some can take boiled milk, but are unable to take it fresh, and vice versa. Outside of the few exceptions, milk digests in a reasonable time and quite completely. It is easier to digest than the legumes (peas, beans, lentils) which are rich in protein. It is also easier to digest than nuts, which contain much protein. The milk sugar causes no trouble and cream is one of the easiest forms of fat to digest, if taken in moderation. The protein in milk will cause no inconvenience if the milk is eaten slowly, in proper combinations and not to excess. The rennet in the stomach curdles the casein. The hydrochloric acid and the pepsin in the gastric juice then begin to break down and dissolve the clots, and the process of digestion is completed in the small intestines. Those who overeat of milk in combination with other foods will derive benefit from omitting the milk. They will also be benefitted if they continue using milk and omit either the starch or the meat. When foods disagree, in nearly every instance it is due to the fact that too much has been eaten and too many varieties partaken of at a meal. Some may single out the milk or the meat as the offenders. Others may point to the starches, and still others to the vegetables with their large amount of indigestible residue. They are all right and all wrong, for all the foods help to cause the trouble. However, such reasoning does not solve the problem. If the meals cause discomfort and disease, reduce the amount eaten, take fewer varieties at a meal and simplify the cooking. Those who eat simple meals and are moderate are not troubled with indigestion. Those who eat such mushy foods as oatmeal and cream of wheat usually take milk or cream and sugar with them. This should not be done, for such dressing stimulates the appetite and leads to undermastication. Neither children nor adults chew these soft starchy foods enough. The result is that the breakfast ferments in the alimentary tract. After a few months or years of such breakfasts, some kind of disease is sure to develop. Mushy starches dressed with rich milk and sugar are responsible for a large per cent. of the so-called diseases of children, which are primarily digestive disturbances. Colds, catarrhs and adenoids are, of course, due to improper eating extending over a long period of time. Nothing should be eaten with mushy starches except a little butter and salt. After enough starch has been taken, a glass of milk may be eaten. If parents would only realize that they are jeopardizing the health and lives of their dear ones when they feed them habitually on these soft messes, which ferment easily, there would be a remarkable decrease in the diseases of childhood and in the disgraceful infant and childhood mortality, for several hundred thousand children perish annually in this country. Milk is often referred to as a perfect food, and it is the perfect food for infants. The young thrive best on the healthy milk given by a female of their own species. Every baby should be fed at the breast. The milk contains the elements needed by the body. The table at the head of this chapter shows that milk contains all essential aliments. The ash is composed of the various salts necessary for health, containing potassium, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, iron, silicon and other elements. For the nourishment of the body we need water, protein, fat, carbohydrates and salts, so it will be seen that milk is really a complete food. However, as the body grows the nutritive requirements change and milk is therefore not a balanced food for adults. It may be interesting to note that there is no starch in milk and that infants fed at the breast exclusively obtain no starchy food. Many babies get no starch for nine, ten or even twelve months, and this is well, for they do not need it. They grow and flourish best without it. Milk is an emulsion. It is made up of numerous tiny globules floating in serum. The size of the globules varies, but the average is said to be about 1/10,000 of an inch in diameter. These globules are fatty bodies. There are other small bodies, containing protein and fat, which have independent molecular movement. The milk is a living fluid. When it is tampered with it immediately deteriorates. Without doubt, nature intended that the milk should go directly from the mammary gland into the mouth of the consumer, but this is not practicable when we take it away from the calf. However, if we are to use sweet milk it is best to consume it as nearly like it is in its natural state as possible. It is quite common to drink milk rapidly. This should not be done. Take a sip or a spoonful at a time and move it about in the mouth until it is mixed with saliva. It is not necessary to give it as much mouth preparation as is given to starchy food. If it is drunk rapidly like water large curds from in the stomach. If it is insalivated it coagulates in smaller curds and is more easily digested, for the digestive juices can tear down small soft curds more easily than the large tough ones. Milk should not form a part of any meal when other food rich in protein is eaten. Our protein needs are small, and it is easy to get too much. Whole wheat bread and milk contain all the nourishment needed. On such a diet we can thrive indefinitely. This is information, not a recommendation. The bread should be eaten either before or after partaking of the milk. Do not break the bread into the milk. If this is done, mastication will be slighted. Bread needs much mastication and insalivation. When liquid is taken with the bread, the saliva does not flow so freely as when it is eaten dry. Fruit and milk make a good combination, but no starchy foods are to be taken in this meal. Take a glass of milk, either sweet or sour, and what fruit is desired, insalivating both the fruit and the milk thoroughly. If you have read that the combination of fruit and milk has proved fatal, rest assured that those who made such reports only looked at the surface, for other foods and other influences were having their effects on the system. Many people die of food-poisoning and apoplexy. These bad results are due to wrong eating covering a long period and it is folly to blame the last meal. It would be queer if fruit and milk were not occasionally a part of the last meal. In winter, figs, dates or raisins with milk make an excellent lunch or breakfast. These fruits take the place of bread, for though they are not starchy, they contain an abundance of fruit sugar, which is more easily digested than the starch. Starch must be converted into sugar before the system can use it. On hot days milk and acid fruit make a satisfying meal. Many believe that milk and acid fruit should not be taken in the same meal, because the acid curdles the milk. As we have already seen, the milk must be curdled before it can be digested. If this step in digestion is performed by the acid in the fruit no more harm is done than when it is performed by the lactic acid bacteria. Fruit juices and milk do not combine to form deadly poisons. If fruit and milk are eaten in moderation and no other food is taken at that meal the results are good. However, if fruit, milk, bread, meat, cake and pickles make up the meal, the results may be bad. Such eating is very common. But do not blame the fruit and the milk when the whole meal is wrong. Likewise, if a hearty meal has been eaten and before this has had time to digest a lunch is made of fruit and milk, trouble may ensue. All the foods may be good, but a time must come when the body will object to being overfed. In summertime much less food is needed than during the cold months. Nevertheless, barring the Christmas holidays and Thanksgiving, people overeat more in summer than at any other time of the year. Picnics often degenerate into stuffing matches. We should expect many cases of serious illness to follow them, and such is the case. Sometimes the milk is so carelessly handled that it becomes poisonous and at other times the fruit is tainted, but generally bad combinations and overeating are the factors that cause trouble when the fruit and milk combination is blamed. Buttermilk and clabbered milk are more easily digested by many than is the fresh milk. In Europe sour milk is a more common food than in this country. Here many do not know how excellent it is. Two glasses of milk, or less, make a good warm-weather lunch. Those who have a tendency to be bilious should use cream very sparingly. Bilious people always overeat, otherwise their livers would not be in rebellion. The fat, in the form of cream, arouses decided protest on the part of overburdened livers. A theory has found its way into dietetic literature, sometimes disguised as a truth, to the effect that boiled or hot milk is absorbed directly into the blood stream without being digested. This is contrary to everything we know about digestion and assimilation, and although it is a fine enough theory it does not work out in practice. I have seen bad results when nothing but a small amount of the hot milk was fed to patients with weak digestive power. Perhaps others have had better results. When the system demands a rest from food, nothing but water should be given. Boiled or natural milk is then as bad as any other food, and worse than most, for in the absence of digestive power it soon becomes a foul mass, swarming with billions of bacteria. The system is compelled to absorb some of the poisons given off by the micro-organisms and the results are disastrous. Every food we take must be modified by our bodies before entering the circulation, and milk is no exception. When milk is allowed to stand for a while the sugar ferments, through the action of the lactic acid bacteria. The sugar is turned into lactic acid, which combines with the casein and when this process has continued for a certain length of time the result is clabbered milk or sour milk. The length of time varies with the temperature and the care given the milk. If milk remains sweet for a long time during warm weather, discharge the milkman and patronize one whose product sours more quickly, for milk that remains sweet has been subjected to treatment. All kinds of preservative treatment cause deterioration. If extraordinary care is taken with the milk and it is kept at a temperature of about forty-two degrees Fahrenheit, it may remain sweet five or six weeks, provided it is not exposed to the air, but such care is at present not practicable in commercial dairies. The milk contains unorganized ferments which spoil it in time without exposure to bacterial influences. These ferments cause digestion or decay of the milk. Fresh butter is a palatable form of fat, which digests easily. Like all other milk products, it must be kept clean and cold, or it will soon spoil. Butter absorbs other flavors quickly and should therefore not be placed near odorous substances. It is best unsalted and in Europe it is very commonly served thus. When people learn to demand unsalted butter they will get good butter, for no one can palm off oleomargarine or other imitations under the guise of fresh unsalted butter. Unsalted butter must be fresh or it will be refused by the nose and the palate. Salt and other preservatives often conceal age and corruption of foods. Butter combines well with starches and vegetables, in fact, it can be used in moderation with any other food, when the body needs fat. Butter should not be used to cook starches or proteins in. Greasy cooking should be banished from our kitchens. Milk is a complex food, highly organized, and therefore is easily injured or spoiled. The general rule is that the more complex a food is, the more easily it spoils. It is rather difficult at present to get wholesome milk enough to supply the people of our large cities. When it is boiled, the milk keeps longer, but boiled milk is spoiled milk. The fine flavor is lost, the casein, which is the principal protein of milk, is toughened, the milk, which is normally a living liquid, is killed, the chemical balance is lost, the organic salts being rendered partly inorganic. Milk that is unfit to eat without being boiled is not fit to eat afterwards, for the poisonous end products of bacterial life remain. The milk is soured by the bacteria it contains. The lactic acid bacteria are harmless. When there is a lack of care and cleanliness, other bacteria get into the milk, and these are also harmless to people in good health, and most of them are not injurious to sick people. The bacteria (germs) do not cause disease, but when disease has been established, they offer their kindly offices as scavengers. Bacteria thrive in sick people, especially when they are fed when digestive power is lacking. Boiling retards the souring of milk, but when fat and protein are boiled together the protein becomes hard to digest. Milk is rich in both fat and protein. Excessive heat turns the milk brown, the milk sugar being carameled. Babies do not thrive on boiled milk. They may look fat, but instead of having the desirable firmness of normal children, they are puffy. Children fed on denatured milk fall victims to diseases very easily, especially to diseases which are due to lack of organic salts, such as rickets and malnutrition. Pasteurization of milk is very popular. This is objectionable for the same reasons that boiling is condemned, though not to the same extent. Pasteurization is heating the milk to about 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This kills many of the bacteria, but many escape and when the milk is cooled off they begin to multiply and flourish again. It is estimated that pasteurized milk contains one-fourth as many bacteria as natural milk. So nothing is gained, and the milk is partly devitalized. The advocates of pasteurization give statistics showing that milk so treated has been instrumental in decreasing infant mortality. But please bear in mind that previously a great deal of milk unfit for consumption was fed to the babies. Those who pasteurize milk generally are careful enough to see that they get a good product in the first place. If we can't get good milk we can do without it, for it is not a necessary food, but we can get good milk if we make the effort. If the milk is filthy, boiling or pasteurizing does not remove the dirt. Gauthier says of pasteurization: "Sometimes it is heated up to 70 degrees (Centigrade) with pressure of carbonic acid. But even in this case pasteurization does not destroy all germs, particularly those of tuberculosis, peptonizing bacteria of cowdung, and the dust of houses and streets, etc." Even boiling does not kill the spores of bacteria unless it is continued until the milk is rendered entirely unfit for food. To kill these spores it is necessary to boil the milk several times. The spores are small round or oval bodies which form within the bacterial envelope when these micro-organisms are subjected to unfavorable conditions. The spores resist heat and cold that would kill almost any other form of life. When conditions are favorable they develop into bacteria again. After heating, the cream does not rise so quickly nor does it separate so completely as it does in natural milk. This is due to the toughening of the casein in the milk. Heating partly disorganizes the delicately balanced salts contained in the milk. The result is that they can not be utilized so easily and completely by the body, for the human organism demands its food in an organic state, that is, in the condition built up by vegetation or by animals. We may consume iron filings and remain anemic, in fact, the effect the iron medication has is to ruin the teeth, digestive organs and other parts of the body as a consequence. But if we partake of such foods as apples, cabbage, lettuce and spinach, the necessary salt is taken into the blood. Heating milk also makes it constipating. True, normal people can take boiled milk without becoming constipated, but how many normal people are there? We are sorely enough afflicted in this way now. Let us have a supply of natural milk or go without it. It is not my desire to convey the impression that it does any harm to scald or boil milk occasionally, but if done daily it does harm, especially to the young. Scalded milk has its proper place in dietetics. Occasionally we find a person who has persistent chronic diarrhea. If he is in condition to eat anything, this annoying affliction is usually overcome in a reasonable time if the patient will take boiled or scalded milk in moderation three times a day, and nothing else except water. How are we to obtain good milk? We can do it by using common sense, care and cleanliness. It is well to remember that there are bacteria in all ordinary milk, and that if the milk is from healthy cows and is kept clean and cold these bacteria are harmless. Most of them are the lactic acid bacteria, which change the milk sugar into acid. When the milk has attained a certain degree of acidity, the lactic acid bacteria are unable to thrive and the souring process is slowed up and finally stopped. Most of the other bacteria in milk perish when lactic acid is formed. This is why stale sweet milk is often harmful, when the same kind of milk allowed to sour can be taken with impunity. If the milk is kept in a cold place the bacteria multiply slowly. If it is kept in a warm place they increase in numbers at a rate that is marvelous, and consequently the milk sours much sooner. Even if the milk is kept cold, bacterial growth will soon take place, but it will perhaps not be lactic acid bacteria. It may be a form that causes the milk to become ropy and slimy or one that gives it a bad odor. Bacteria are like other forms of vegetation, such as grass, weeds, flowers and trees, in that some flourish best under one condition and others under dissimilar conditions, and they struggle one against the other for subsistence and existence. Like flowers there are thousands of different forms of bacteria and they vary according to their food and environment. Peculiar odors in milk generally come from certain kinds of food given to the cows, such as turnips; from bacterial action; or from flavors absorbed from other foods or from odors in the air. Milk should not be exposed to odorous substances, for it becomes tainted very quickly. Sometimes yeast finds its way into milk and causes decomposition of the sugar with the formation of carbon dioxide and alcohol. A count of the bacteria in milk often serves a good purpose, for it shows whether it is good and has had proper care. The consumers have a right to demand milk low in bacteria, for if no preservatives have been used, that means clean milk. If we could live in our pristine state of beatific bliss, if such it was, we would not have to use milk after childhood is past, but our present condition demands the use of easily digested foods and to many milk is almost a necessity. The milk in the udder of a healthy cow is almost surely free from bacteria, but the moment it is exposed to the air these little beings start to drop into the fluid. The bacterial standards given by various city health departments vary. Those who are mathematically inclined may find the following figures interesting: In some great cities they allow 500,000 bacteria to the cubic centimeter of milk. A cubic centimeter contains about twenty-five drops. In other words, they allow 20,000 bacteria per drop. This may seem very lively milk, but these bacteria are so small that about 25,000 of them laid end to end measure only about an inch, and it would take 17,000,000,000,000 of them to weigh an ounce, according to estimates. These are the tiny vegetables we hear and read so much about, that we are warned against and fear so much. Truly the pygmies are having their innings and making cowards of men. The bacteria multiply by the simple process of growing longer and splitting into two, fission, as it is called, and the process is so rapid that within an hour or two after being formed a bacterium may be raising a family of its own. Some of the milk brought to the cities contains as many as 15,000,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter, that is, about 600,000 per drop. This milk is either very filthy or it has been poorly cared for and should not be given to babies and young children. The filthiest milk may contain several billion bacteria to the cubic centimeter. By using care milk containing but 100, or even fewer, bacteria per drop can be produced. From the standpoint of cleanliness this is excellent milk. Of course, the dairyman who takes pride enough in his work to produce such milk will sell nothing but what is first-class, and if he has business acumen he can always get more than the market price for his product. The talk about germs has been overdone, but no one can deny that the study of bacteriology has made people more careful about foods. The filthy dairies that were the rule a few years ago are slowly being replaced by dairies that are comfortable, well lighted and clean. Do not allow the germs to scare you, for if ordinary precautions are taken no more of them will be present than are necessary, and they are necessary. They thrive best in filth, and they are dangerous only to those who live so that they have no resistance. Wholesome milk can be produced only by healthy animals. Bovine health can be secured by the same means as human health. The cows must be properly fed and housed. They must have both ventilation and light. They must not be unduly worried. If a nursing of an angry mother's milk is at times poisonous enough to kill a baby, you may be sure that the milk from an abused, irritated and angry cow is also injurious. If the animals are kept comfortable and happy they will do the best producing, both in quality and quantity. It may sound far-fetched to some to advocate keeping animals happy in order to get them to produce much and give quality products, but it is good science and good sense. Happy cows give more and better milk than the mistreated ones. The singing hens are the best layers. Cows should have fresh green food all the year, and this can be obtained in winter time by using silage. It is a mistake to give cows too much of concentrated foods, such as oil meals and grains. Cattle can not long remain well on exclusive rations of too heating and stimulating foods. When fed improperly they soon fall prey to various diseases, such as rheumatism and tuberculosis. It is the same with other domestic animals. The horse when overfed on grain develops stiff joints. The hogs that are compelled to live exclusively on concentrated, heating rations are liable to die of cholera. Young turkeys that have nothing but corn and wheat to eat die in great numbers from the disease known as blackhead. It is the same law running all through nature, applying to the high and to the low, that improper nourishment brings disease and death. When cattle roam wild, the green grasses (sundried in winter) are their principal source of food. Man should be careful not to deviate too much, for forced feeding is as harmful to animals as it is to man. The following excellent recommendations for the care of milk are given by Dr. Charles E. North of the New York City Milk Commission: "No coolers, aerators, straining cloths or strainers should be used. "The hot milk should be taken to the creamery as soon as possible. "The night's milk should be placed in spring or iced water higher than the milk on the inside of the can. It should not be stirred, and the top of the can should be open a little way to permit ventilation. "The milking pails and cans will be sterilized and dried at the creamery, and should be carefully protected until they are used. "Brush the udder and wipe with a clean cloth; wash with clean water and dry with a clean towel. "Whitewash the cow stable at least twice yearly. "Feed no dusty feed until after milking. "Remove all manure from cow stable twice daily. "Keep barnyard clean and have manure pile at least 100 feet from the stable. "Have all stable floors of cement, properly drained. "Have abundant windows in cowstables to permit sunlight to reach the floor. "Arrange a proper system of ventilation. "Do not use milk from any cows suspected of gargot or of any udder inflammation. Such milk contains enormous numbers of bacteria. "Brush and groom cows from head to foot as horses are groomed. "Use no dusty bedding; wood shavings or sawdust give least dust. "Use an abundance of ice in water tank for cooling milk." Perhaps some will take issue with the doctor on the first paragraph of his recommendation. If straining cloths are used they should be well rinsed in tepid water, washed and then boiled. However, if his recommendations are carried out in letter and spirit no straining is necessary. Herr Klingelhofer near Dusseldorf, Germany., runs a model dairy. The cows, stables, milkers, containers, in fact, all things connected with the dairy are scrupulously clean. The milkers do not even touch the milk stools, carrying them strapped to their backs. The milk is strained through sterilized cotton and cooled. The cows are six and seven years old and are milked for ten or twelve months and they are not bred during this time. The first part of the milk drawn from each teat is not used, for that part is not clean, containing dirt and bacteria. This milk is practically free from bacteria, for without adding preservatives it will remain sweet, for as long as thirteen days. If ordinary milk fails to sour in two or three days it shows that it has been treated. According to the Country Gentleman, it will cost from one cent and a quarter to one cent and three-quarters extra per quart to produce clean milk. Healthy adults can take milk teeming with bacteria without harm, but for babies it is best to have very few or none in the milk. At Dusseldorf the babies used to die as they do here when fed unclean milk. Herr Klingelhofer says that when fed on his product "sterben keine." (None die.) This is submitted to those who advocate pasteurizing the milk. Denatured milk makes sickly babies. Clean natural milk makes healthy babies. The extra cost of less than two cents a quart is not prohibitive. Most fathers, no matter how poor, waste more than that daily on tobacco and alcoholics. The extra cost would be more than saved in lessened doctor bills, to say nothing of funeral expenses. The recompense that comes from the satisfaction of having thriving, sturdy, healthy children can not be figured in dollars and cents. Dr. Robert Mond, of London, after investigating for years, has come to the conclusion that sterilized milk predisposes to tuberculosis, instead of preventing it. He believes that milk so treated is so inferior that he would not personally use it. That sterilized milk predisposes to tuberculosis, as well as to other diseases which can attack the body only when it is run down, is natural. Any food that has been rendered inferior can not build the robust health that comes to those who live on natural food. Adults who use sterilized milk should counteract its bad effects by partaking liberally of fresh fruits and vegetables. If the milk is clean, put into clean containers by careful milkers and is then kept cold until delivered, it will reach the consumers in good condition. Do not let the fact that when you consume a glass of milk you are also engulfing some millions of bacteria bother you, for bacteria are necessary to our existence. If all the bacteria on earth should perish, it would also mean the end of the human race. Today the progressive farmer is coming to the fore. He is a man who is justly proud of his work, so it will probably not be long before all city people who desire clean milk can get it. The milk cure consists in feeding sick people on nothing but milk for varying periods. Generally the patient is told to either take great quantities three or four times a day, or to take smaller quantities perhaps every half hour. The milk cure has no special virtue, except that it is a monotonous diet. The body soon rebels if forced to subsist on an excessive amount of but one kind of food. The individual loses his desire for food and even becomes nauseated. If the advocates of the milk cure would prescribe milk in moderation, instead of in excess, they would have better success. (It is fully as harmful to partake of too much milk as it is to eat excessively of other foods.) The benefit derived from the milk cure comes from the simplicity, not from the milk. A grape cure, an orange cure or a bread and milk cure would be as beneficial. The milk cure is ancient. It was employed twenty-five centuries ago. _Clabbered milk_: Clabbered milk or sour milk needs no special preparation. Put the milk into an earthen or china dish. Do not use metal dishes, for the lactic acid acts upon various metals. Cover the dish so as to keep particles of matter in the air away, but the covering is not to be airtight. Put the dish in a warm place, but not in the sun. Milk that sours in the sun or in an air-tight bottle is generally of poor flavor. Clabbered milk is a good food. It does not form big, tough curds in the stomach, it is easy to digest, and the lactic acid helps to keep the alimentary tract sweet. The various forms of milk may be used in similar combinations. _Buttermilk_: The real buttermilk is what remains of the cream after the fat has been removed by churning. It is slightly acid and has a characteristic taste, to most people very agreeable. The flavor is different from that of artificially made buttermilk. In composition it is almost like whole milk, except that it contains very little fat. Many people make buttermilk by beating the clabbered milk thoroughly, until it becomes light. The buttermilk made from sweet milk and the various brands of bacterial ferments obtainable at the drug stores is all right. These ferments have as their basis the lactic acid bacteria, and if the manufacturers wish to call their germs by other names, such as Bacillus Bulgaricus, no harm is done. It is unnecessary to add any of these ferments, for the milk clabbers about as quickly without them. Buttermilk is an excellent food. The casein can be seen in fine flakes in the real buttermilk. Adults usually digest buttermilk and clabbered milk more easily than the sweet milk. The lactic acid seems to be quite beneficial. Metchnikoff thought for a while that he had discovered how to ward off decay and old age by means of the lactic acid bacteria in milk. Milk can be clabbered quickly by adding lemon juice to sweet milk. _Junket_: Add rennet to milk and let it stand until it thickens. The milk is not to be disturbed while coagulation takes place, for agitation will cause a separation of the whey. The rennet can be bought at the drug stores. _Whey_ contains milk sugar, some salts, and a little albumin. It is easily digested, but not very nourishing. It is what is left of the milk after the fat and almost all of the protein are removed. _Cottage cheese_: This is sometimes called Dutch cheese or white cheese. It is a delicious and nutritious dairy product that is easy to digest. Put the clabbered milk in a muslin bag, hang the bag up and allow the milk to lose its whey through drainage. In summer this bag must be kept in a cool place. After draining, beat the curds. Then add enough clabbered milk to make the curds soft when well beaten. A small amount of cream may also be added. Cottage cheese made in this way is superior in flavor and digestibility to that which has been scalded. No seasoning is needed. A little salt is allowable, but sugar and pepper should not be used. Fruit and cottage cheese make a satisfying as well as nutritious meal. Delicious cottage cheese is also made by using the whole clabbered milk. Hang it up to drain in a bag until it has lost a part of its whey. Then beat it until the curds are rather small, but not fine. No milk or cream is to be added to this, for it contains all the fat that is in the whole milk. Do not drain this cheese so long that it becomes dry. _Other cheeses_: The various cheeses on the market are made principally from ripened curds, with which more or less fat has been mixed. The ripening is a form of decay, and it is no exaggeration to say that some of the very ripe cheeses on the market are rotten. The flavors are due to ferments, molds and bacteria, which split up the proteins and the fats. The mild cheeses are generally good and may be eaten with fruits or vegetables or with bread. Two or three ounces are sufficient for the protein part of the meal, taking the place of flesh. Use less if less is desired. When cheese becomes very odorous and ripe, no one with normal nose and palate will eat it. People who partake of excessive amounts of meats or alcoholic beverages are often fond of these foul cheeses. One perversion leads to another. Cheese of good quality, eaten in moderation, is a nutritious food, easily digested. Gauthier says of cheese: "Indeed, this casein, which has the composition of muscular tissue, scarcely produces during digestion either residue or toxins." Because good cheese is concentrated and of agreeable flavor, it is necessary to guard against overeating. An excess of rich cheese soon causes trouble with the liver or constipation or both. Cheese should not be eaten in the same meal with fish, meat, eggs, nuts or legumes, for such combining makes the protein intake too great. There is nothing incompatible about such combinations, but it is safest not to make them. The course dinners, ending up with a savory cheese, crackers and coffee, are abominations. They are health-destroyers. They lead to overeating. As nearly everybody overeats, and because overeating is the greatest single factor in producing disease and premature death, it is advisable not to eat cheese and other foods rich in protein in the same meal. The greater the variety of food, the more surely the diner will overeat. The term, "full cream cheese" is misleading, for cheeses are not made of whole cream. The cream does not contain enough protein (casein) for the manufacture of cheese. Some cheeses are made of skimmed milk. Others are made of milk which contains part, or even all, of the cream. Some have cream added. The cheeses containing but a moderate amount of fat are the best. The popular Roquefort cheese is made of a mixture of goat's milk and sheep's milk. The savor is due to bacterial action and fat saponification, which result in ammonia, glycerine, alcohol, fatty acids and other chemicals in very small quantities. The peculiar colorings which run in streaks through some cheeses that are well ripened are due to molds, bacteria and yeasts. Gentlemen who would discharge the cook if a moldy piece of bread appeared on the table, eat decaying, moldy cheese with relish. The best cheese of all is cottage cheese. People of normal taste will soon weary of the frequent consumption of strong cheese, but they can take cottage cheese every other day with relish. Occasionally put a few caraway seeds in it if this flavor is agreeable. Cottage cheese may be eaten plain or with bread, or with fruit or vegetables. It may be used as dressing both on fruit and vegetable salads. Cheese should play no part in the alimentation of the sick, with the exception of cottage cheese, which may be given to almost anyone who is in condition to eat anything. The other cheeses are too concentrated for sick people. In acute disease nothing is to be fed. _Skimmed milk_ is about the same in composition as buttermilk. It is inferior in flavor, but a good food. It is used a great deal in cooking. Milk should not be used very much in cooking. When cooked it does not digest very readily and it has a tendency to make other foods indigestible. _Sour cream_ or clabbered cream is best when it is taken from clabbered milk. It may be used as dressing on fruits and salads. Sweet cream will clabber, but it is not as delicious as when it clabbers on the milk. _Clotted cream_ is made by putting the milk aside in pans in a cool place until the cream rises. Then, without disturbing the cream, scald the milk. Put the pan aside until the contents are cold and remove the cream, which has a rich, agreeable flavor. This may be used as a dressing. Whipped cream and ice cream are so familiar that they hardly need comment. Cream is such a rich food that it must be eaten in moderation. Otherwise it will cause discomfort and disease. Ice cream is made of milk and cream, in varying proportions, flavored to taste and frozen. It is not necessary to add eggs and cornstarch. If eaten slowly it is a good food, but taken in too large quantities and too rapidly it may cause digestive troubles. It is not best to chill the stomach. Those with weak digestion should be very careful not to do so. Buttermilk is sometimes flavored and frozen. This ice is easy to digest. Some doctors recommend this dish to their convalescents. It is an agreeable change, and can be eaten by many who are unable to take care of the rich ice cream. CHAPTER XIX. MENUS. For a balanced dietary we need some building food, protein; some force food, starch, sugar and fat; some of the mineral salts in organic form, best obtained from raw fruits and vegetables; and a medium in which the foods can be dissolved, water. We need a replenishment of these food stuffs at intervals, but it is not necessary to take all of them at the same meal, or even during the same day. Those who believe that all alimentary principles must enter into every meal must necessarily injure themselves through too complex eating. In talking of these alimentary principles, reference is made to them only when they are present in appreciable quantities. To have the subject better in hand, let us again classify the most important foods: Flesh foods, which are rich in protein. Nuts, which contain considerable protein and fat. Milk and cheese, which contain much protein. Eggs, taken principally for their protein. Cereals, the most important contents being starches. Tubers, containing much starch. Legumes, rich in protein and starch. Fresh fruits, well flavored and high in salt contents. Sweet fruits, containing much fruit sugar. Succulent vegetables, chiefly valuable because of salts and juices. Fats and oils, no matter what their source, are concentrated foods which furnish heat and energy when burned in the body. When people are free and active in the fresh air they can eat in a way that would soon ruin the digestive powers of those who lead more artificial lives. It is a well known fact that we can go hunting, fishing, tramping or picnicking and eat mixtures and quantities of foods that would ordinarily give us discomfort. The freedom and activity, the change and the better state of mind give greater digestive power. Those who wish to live their best must pay some attention to the combination of food. It is true that very moderate people, those who take no more food than the body demands, can combine about as they please. These moderate people do not care to mix their foods much. They are satisfied with very plain fare. Much as we dislike to acknowledge the fact, nearly all of us take too much food, even those who most strongly preach moderation. By combining properly much of the harmful effect of overeating can be overcome. FRUITARIANS. I class as fruitarians those who eat only cereals, fruits and nuts. This may not be a correct definition, but after reading much literature on dietetics it is the best I can do. Their combinations should present no difficulties. They should take cereals once or twice a day; nuts once or twice a day; fruit once a day in winter and once or twice a day in summer. The winter fruit should be sweet part of the time. In summer it can be the juicy fruit and berries at all times. The fruitarians should be careful to avoid the habitual combination of acid fruits with their cereals. One meal a day can be made of one or two varieties of fruit and nothing else. Nuts may be added to the fruit at times. Another meal may be made of some cereal product with nut butter or some kind of vegetable oil. A third meal may be some form of sweet fruit, with which may be eaten either bread or nuts, or better still, combine one sweet fruit with an acid one. Most people would consider such a diet very limited, but it is easy to thrive on it, and it is not a tiresome one. There are so many varieties of fruits, nuts and cereals that it is easy to get variety. These foods do not become monotonous when taken in proper amounts. On such a diet it does not make much difference which meal is breakfast, lunch or dinner. The rule should be to take the heartiest meal after the heavy work is done, for hearty meals do not digest well if either mind or body is hard at work. It is not difficult to get all the food necessary in two meals, but inasmuch as the three meal a day plan is prevalent the menus here given include that number of meals. Breakfast: Apples, baked or raw. Lunch: Brown rice and raisins. Dinner: Whole wheat zwieback with nut butter. Breakfast: Oranges or grapefruit. Lunch: Pecans and figs. Dinner: Bread made of rye or whole wheat flour, with nut butter or olive oil. Breakfast: Any kind of berries. Lunch: Dates. Dinner: Whole wheat bread, with or without oil, Brazil nuts. These combinations are indeed simple, but these foods are very nourishing and most of them concentrated, so it is best not to mix too much. They are natural foods, which digest easily when taken in moderation, but if eaten to excess they soon produce trouble. It is no hardship to live on simple combinations. We have so much food that we have fallen into the bad habit of partaking of too great variety at a meal. The fact is that those who combine simply enjoy their foods more than those who coax their appetite with too great variety. There is no physical hardship connected with simple eating, and as soon as the mind is made up to it, neither is there any mental hardship. VEGETARIANS. It is difficult to give an acceptable definition for vegetarianism. For a working basis we shall take it for granted that those are vegetarians who reject flesh foods. Those who wish can also reject dairy products and eggs. It is largely a matter of satisfying the mind. The chief trouble with the vegetarians is that they believe that the fact that they abstain from flesh will bring them health. So they combine all kinds of foods and take several kinds of starches and fruits at the same meal. The consequence is that they soon get an acid condition of the digestive organs and a great deal of fermentation. Among vegetarians, prolapsus of the stomach and bowels is quite common, and this is due to gas pressure displacing the organs. Their foods are all right, but their combinations, as a rule, are bad. The various vegetarian roasts, composed of nuts, cereals, legumes and succulent vegetables are hard to digest. It would be much better for them not to make such dishes. A few suggestions for vegetarian combining follow: Breakfast: Berries and a glass of milk. Lunch: Baked potatoes and lettuce with oil. Dinner: Nuts, cooked succulent vegetables, one or two varieties, sliced tomatoes. Breakfast: Cottage cheese and oranges. Lunch: Nuts and raisins. Dinner: Whole wheat bread, stewed onions, butter, salad of lettuce and celery. Breakfast: Cantaloupe. Lunch: Buttermilk, bread and butter. Dinner: Nuts, stewed succulent vegetables, lettuce and sliced tomatoes, with or without oil. Breakfast: Boiled brown rice with raisins and milk. Lunch: Grapes. Dinner: Cooked lentils or baked beans, lettuce and celery. OMNIVOROUS PEOPLE. In this country, most people are omnivorous. The food is plentiful and people believe in generous living. They put upon their tables at each meal enough variety for a whole day and the custom is to eat some of each. Some breakfasts are heavy enough for dinners. Three heavy meals a day are common. Some can eat this way for years and be in condition to work most of the time, but they are never 100 per cent. efficient. They are never as able as they could be. Besides, they have their times of illness and grow old while they should be young. They generally die while they should be in their prime, leaving their friends and families to mourn them when they ought to be at their best. They are worn out by their food supply, plus other conventional bad habits. One of the best plans that has been proposed for omnivorous people is that which has been worked out by Dr. J. H. Tilden. Its skeleton is, fruit once a day, starchy food once a day, flesh or other protein with succulent vegetables once a day. I shall make up menus for a few days based on this plan: Breakfast: Baked apples, a glass of milk. Lunch: Boiled rice with butter. Dinner: Roast mutton, spinach and carrots, salad of raw vegetables. Breakfast: Cantaloupe. Lunch: Biscuits or toast with butter, buttermilk. Dinner: Pecans, two stewed succulent vegetables, salad of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, dressing. Breakfast: Peaches, cottage cheese. Lunch: Baked potatoes, butter, lettuce. Dinner: Fresh fish baked, liberal helping of one, two or three of the raw salad vegetables. Breakfast: Shredded wheat or puffed wheat sprinkled with melted butter, glass of milk. Lunch: Watermelon. Dinner: Roast beef, boiled cabbage, stewed onions, butter dressing, sliced tomatoes with salt and oil. The doctor allows considerable dessert. That generally goes with the dinner. It is nonsense to write, "So and so shalt thou eat and not otherwise." The menus here given simply serve as suggestions. Where one succulent vegetable is mentioned another may be substituted. One cereal may be substituted for another. One juicy fruit for another. One sweet fruit for another. One legume for another. One food rich in protein for another. In combining food the principal things to remember are: Use only a few foods at a meal; use only one hearty, concentrated food in a meal, as a rule, with the exception that various fats and oils in moderation are allowable as dressings for fruits, vegetables and starches; that much fat or oil retards the digestion of the rest of the food; that the habitual combining of acid food with foods heavy in starch is a trouble-maker; that concentrated starchy foods should be taken not to exceed twice a day; that the heating, stimulating foods rich in protein, which include nearly all meats, should be taken only once a day in winter, and less in summer; that either raw fruit or raw vegetables should be a part of the daily food intake, because the salts they contain are essential to health; that fats should be used sparingly in summer, but more freely in winter; that juicy fruits are to be used liberally in summer and sparingly in winter, when the sweet fruits are to take their place a part of the time. The dried sweet fruits are quite different from the fresh juicy ones. The former serve more the purpose of the starches than that of fruits. They are rich in sugar, which produces heat and energy. The same is true of the banana, which is about one-fifth sugar. It is not as sweet as would be expected from this fact. Some sugars are sweeter than others. This you can easily verify by tasting some milk sugar and then taking the same amount of commercial sugar made of cane or beets. The food need in summer is surprisingly small, so small that the average person will scarcely believe it. Some writers on dietetics advise eating as much in summer as in winter. How they can do so it is difficult to understand, for reason tells us that in summertime practically no food is needed for heating purposes, and that is how most of the food is used. A little experience and experiment show that reason is right. Nature herself confirms this fact, for at the tropics she has made it easy for man to subsist on fruits, while in the polar regions she furnishes him the most heating of all foods, fats. Because fats are so concentrated it is very easy to take too much of them. An ounce of butter contains as much nourishment as about twenty-five ounces of watermelon. Those who simplify their cooking and their combining and partake of food in moderation are repaid many times over in improved health. It is necessary to supply good building material in proper form if we would have health. CHAPTER XX. DRINK. There is but one real beverage and that is water. The other so-called beverages are foods, stimulants or sedatives. Milk is a rich food, one glass having as much food value as two eggs. Coffee, tea, chocolate and cocoa are stimulants, with sedative after-effects. Their food value depends largely on the amount of milk, cream and sugar put into them. Chocolate and cocoa are both drugs and foods. Alcohol is a stimulant at first, afterwards a sedative, and at all times an anesthetic. When we think of drinking for the sake of supplying the bodily need of fluid, we should think of water and nothing else. If other liquids are taken, they should be taken as foods or drugs. Water is the best solvent known. The alchemists of old spent much time and energy trying to find the universal solvent, believing that thereafter it would be easy to discover a method of making base metals noble. But they never found anything better than water. Water is the compound that in its various forms does most to change the earth upon which we live, and it is more necessary for the continuation of life than anything else except air. Pure water does not exist in nature, that is, we have never found a compound of the composition H2O. Water always contains other matter. The various salts are dissolved in it and it absorbs gases. The nearest we come to pure water is distilled. Pure water is an unsatisfied compound, and as soon as it is exposed it begins to absorb gases and take up salts and organic matter. Pure water differs from clean water. Clean or potable water is a compound which contains a moderate amount of salts, but very little of organic matter. Bacteria should be practically absent. Water that contains much of nitrogenous substances is unfit to use. If the water is very hard, heavily loaded with salts, it should not be used extensively as a drink, for if too much of earthy and mineral matter is taken into the system, the body is unable to get rid of all of them. The result is a tendency for deposits to form in the body. In places where the water is excessively charged with lime it has been noticed that the bones harden too early, which prevents full development of the body. If the bones of the skull are involved, it means that there will not be room enough for the brain. Such diseases are rare in this country, but in parts of Europe they are not uncommon. If the water is very hard, a good plan is to distill it and then add a little of the hard water to the distilled water. People who partake of an excessive amount of various salts can perhaps drink distilled water to advantage, but those who take but a normal amount of the salts in their foods should have natural water. Water forms three-fourths of the human body, more or less. It is needed in every process that goes on within the body. "To be dry is to die." Water keeps the various vital fluids in solution so that they can perform their function. Without water there would be no sense of taste, no digestion, no absorption of food, no excretion of debris, and hence no life. The water is the vehicle through which the nutritive elements are distributed to the billions of cells of the body, and it is also the vehicle which carries the waste to the various excretory organs. We can live several weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Hot water and ice-cold water are both irritants. Water may be taken either warm or cool. It is best to avoid the extremes. The amount of water needed each twenty-four hours varies according to circumstances. Two quarts is a favorite prescription. Those who eat freely of succulent fruits and vegetables do not need as much as those who live more on dry foods. Salt in excess calls for an abnormal amount of water, for salt is a diuretic, robbing the tissues of their fluids and consequently more water has to be taken to keep up the equilibrium. Naturally, more water is required when the weather is hot than when it is cool. On hot days warm water is more satisfying and quenches thirst more quickly than ice water. Warm water also stimulates kidney action, which is often sluggish in summer. Ice water is the least satisfactory of all, for the more one drinks the more he wants. A normal body calls for what water it needs, and no more. An abnormal body is no guide for either the amount of food or drink necessary. Many people do not like the taste of water, especially in the morning. This means that the body is diseased. To a normal person cool water is always agreeable when it is needed, and it is needed in the morning. People with natural taste do not care for ice water, but other water is relished. The common habit of drinking with meals is a mistake. Man is the only animal that does this, and he has to pay dearly for such errors. Taking a bite of food and washing it down with fluid lead to undermastication and overeating, and then the body suffers from autointoxication. A mouthful of food followed by a swallow of liquid forces the contents of the mouth into the stomach before the saliva has the opportunity to act. The best way is to drink one or two glasses of water in the morning before breakfast. Partake of the breakfast, and all other meals, without taking any liquid. Sometimes there is a desire for a drink immediately after the meal is finished. If so, take some water slowly. If it is taken slowly a little will satisfy. If it is gulped down it may be necessary to take one or two glasses of water before being satisfied. Those who have a tendency to drink too much during warm weather will find very slow drinking helpful in correcting it. If there is any digestive weakness, the liquid taken immediately after a meal should be warm and should not exceed a cupful. Those with robust digestion may take cool water. Cold water chills the stomach. Digestion will not take place until the stomach has reached the temperature of about one hundred degrees Fahrenheit again, and if the stomach contents are chilled repeatedly the tendency is strong for the food to ferment pathologically, instead of being properly digested. For this reason it is not well to drink while there is anything left in the stomach to digest. As stomach digestion generally takes two or three hours at least, it is well to wait this long before taking water after finishing a meal, and then drink all that is desired until within thirty minutes of taking the next meal. If the thirst should become very insistent before two or three hours have elapsed since eating, take warm water. Those who eat food simply prepared and moderately seasoned are not troubled much with excessive thirst. Two quarts of water daily should be sufficient for the adults under ordinary conditions. Here, as in eating, no exact amount will fit everybody. Make a habit of drinking at least a glass of water before breakfast, cleaning the teeth and rinsing the mouth before swallowing any, and then take what water the body asks for during the rest of the day. Taking too much water is not as injurious as overeating, but waterlogging the body has a weakening effect. To drink with the meals is customary, not because it is necessary, but because we have a number of drinks which appeal to many people. Water is the drink par excellence. A food-beverage that is used by many is cambric tea, which is made of hot water, one-third or one-fourth of milk and a little sweetening. Children generally like this on account of the sweetness. It may be taken with any meal, when fluid is needed, but the amount should be limited to a cupful. It is not well to dilute the digestive juices too much. The water taken in the morning helps to start the body to cleanse itself. Water drinking is a great aid in overcoming constipation. Constipated people generally overeat. Less food and more water will prove helpful in overcoming the condition. Unfortunately for the race, we have accustomed ourselves to partake of beverages containing injurious, poisonous substances. Inasmuch as this is the place to discuss the drugs contained in coffee and tea, I shall take the liberty of dwelling upon other habit-forming substances in the same chapter. They are all a part of the drug addictions of the race. For scientific discussion of these various substances I refer you to technical works. In this chapter will be found only a discussion of their relation to people's welfare, that is, to health and efficiency. Coffee, tea and chocolate contain a poisonous alkaloid which is generally called caffeine. The theine in tea and the theobromine in cocoa are so similar to caffeine that chemists can not differentiate them. These drinks when first taken cause a gentle stimulation under which more work can be done than ordinarily, but this is followed by a reaction, and then the powers of body and mind wane so much that the average output of work is less than when the body is not stimulated. The temporary apparently beneficial effect is more than offset by the reaction and therefore partaking of these beverages makes people inefficient. Coffee is very hard on the nerves, causing irritation, which is always followed by premature physical degeneration. Experiments of late indicate that children who use coffee do not come up to the physical and mental standard of those who abstain. The effect on the adults is not so marked because adults are more stable than children. Those who are not used to coffee will be unable to sleep for several hours after partaking of a cup. Some people drink so much of it that they become accustomed to it. Coffee is not generally looked upon as one of the habit-forming drugs, but it is. However, of all the drugs which create a craving in the system for a repetition of the dose, coffee makes the lightest fetters. It is surprising how often health-seekers inform the adviser that they "can not get along without coffee." If they would take a cup a few times a year, it would do no harm, but the daily use is harmful to all, even if they feel no bad effects and make it "very weak," which is a favorite statement of the women. Smoking, drinking beer and drinking coffee have a tendency to overcome constipation in those who are not accustomed to these things, but their action can not be depended upon for any length of time and the cure is worse than the disease. Tea drinking has much the same effect as coffee drinking, except that it is decidedly constipating. Perhaps this is because there is considerable of the astringent tannin in the tea leaves. Chocolate is a valuable food. Those who eat of other aliments in moderation may partake of chocolate without harm, but if chocolate is used in addition to an excess of other food, the results are bad. The chocolate is so rich that it soon overburdens some of the organs of digestion, especially the liver. The Swiss consume much of this food and it is valuable in cases where it is necessary to carry concentrated rations. Alcohol in some form seems to have been consumed by even very primitive people as far back as history goes. The Bible records an early case of intoxication from wine, and beer was brewed by the ancient Egyptians. So much has been consumed that some people have a subconscious craving for it. There are cases on record where the very first drink caused an uncontrollable demand for the drug. Fortunately these cases are very rare. Alcohol is really not a stimulant, though it gives a feeling of glow, warmth and well-being at first, but this is followed by a great lowering of physical power, which gives rise to disagreeable sensations. Then the drinker needs more alcohol to stimulate him again. Then there is another depression with renewed demand: There is no end to the craving for the drug once it has mastered the individual. The lungs, heart, digestive organs, muscles, in fact, every structure in the body loses working capacity. Alcohol seems to have a special affinity for nervous tissue. A glass of beer or wine taken daily is no more harmful than a cup of coffee per day, but the coffee drinker does not make of himself such a public nuisance and menace as the man often does who drinks alcohol to excess. Formerly it was respectable to drink. Some of our most noted public men were drunkards. Now a drunkard could not maintain himself in a prominent public position very long. To drink like a gentleman was no disgrace. Now real gentlemen do not get drunk. In backward Russia they are becoming alarmed about the inroads of vodka, and are trying to decrease its consumption. France is trying to teach total abstinence to its young men because it disqualifies so many of them from military service to drink. Scandinavia is temperance territory. The German Kaiser has recently given a warning against drinking. The United States discourages drinking in the army and navy. Field armies are not supplied with alcoholics. Drinking is becoming disreputable. It is very difficult to prove the harm done by excessive drinking of tea and coffee, also by the use of much tobacco, even if we do know that it is so. Everyone knows something about the deleterious effect of alcohol upon the consumer. Solomon wrote: "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?" Alcohol permanently impairs both body and mind. Depending on how much is taken, it may cause various ills, ranging from inflammation of the stomach to insanity. It reduces the power of the mind to concentrate and it diminishes the ability of the muscles to work. It reduces the resistance of the body and shortens life. Its first effect is to lull the higher faculties to sleep. Most drunkards do not recover from their disease, for drunkenness is a disease. The various drugs given to cure the afflictions are delusions. Strengthening the body, mind and the will and instilling higher ideals are the best methods of cure. Suggestive therapeutics, and the awakening of a strong resolve for a better life are powerful aids. Proper feeding should not be overlooked, for bad habits do not flourish in a healthy body. Civilization necessitates self-control and considerable self-denial. Those who go in the line of least resistance are on the road to destruction. It is often necessary to overcome habits which produce temporary gratification of the senses. According to Warden Tynan of the Colorado Penitentiary, 96 per cent. of the prisoners are brought there because they use alcohol. It is also well known that moral lapses are most common when the will is weakened through the use of liquor. Those who have the welfare of the race at heart are therefore compelled to give considerable thought to this subject. According to past experience, it will not help to try to legislate sobriety into the people. Education and industrialism are the factors which it seems to me will be most potent in solving the alcohol problem. Morality, which in the last analysis is a form of selfishness, will teach many that it is poor policy to reduce one's efficiency and thereby reduce the earning capacity and enjoyment of life. More and more the employers of labor will realize that the use of alcohol decreases the reliability and worth of the worker. Many will take steps like the following: "In formal recognition of the fact, established beyond dispute by the tests of the new psychology, that industrial efficiency decreases with indulgence in alcohol and is increased by abstinence from it, the managers of a manufacturing establishment in Chester, Penn., have attacked the temperance problem from a new angle. "Unlike many railways and some other corporations, they do not forbid their employees to drink, but they offer 10 per cent. advance in wages to all who will take and keep--the teetotaler's pledge. Incidentally, a breaking of the promise will mean a permanent severance of relations, but there is no emphasizing of that point, it being confidently expected that the advantage of perfect sobriety will be as well realized on one side as on the other." Business has during the past two centuries been the great civilizer, the great moral teacher. It has found that honesty and righteousness pay and that injustice is folly. Business has led the way to the acceptance of a new ethics, and new morals. What has been said about alcohol applies to tobacco in a much smaller degree. The use of tobacco seems to lead to the use of alcohol. It retards the development of children. It is surely one of the causes of various diseases. Tobacco heart, sore throat and indigestion are well known to physicians. Tobacco contains one of the deadliest of poisons known. One-sixteenth of a grain of nicotine may prove fatal. The reason there are so few deaths from acute tobacco poisoning is that but very little of the nicotine is absorbed. Men who chew tobacco make themselves disagreeable to others. Smoking of cigarettes is to be condemned not only because it poisons the body, but causes inattention and inability to concentrate on the part of the smoker, as well. Every little while he feels the desire to take a smoke, and if smoking is forbidden he devises means of getting away. He robs his employer of time for which he is paid and injures himself. The ability to work is decreased by indulgence in smoking. Recent experiments show that for a short time there is increased activity after a smoke, but the following depression is greater than the stimulation, so there is an actual loss. A few years ago, according to Mr. Wilson, who was then Secretary of Agriculture, there were about 4,000,000 drug addicts or "dope fiends" in the United States. Without doubt this estimate was too high, for the proportion of addicts in the country is not as great as in the large cities. The drugs chiefly used are cocaine, opium, laudanum, morphine and heroin. These drugs are much more destructive than alcohol. Cocaine and heroin are the worst. It is very difficult to stop using any of them once the habit has been formed. Nearly every "fiend" dies directly or indirectly from the effect of his particular drug. Every one weakens the body so that there is not much resistance to offer to acute diseases. Every one destroys the will power so that a cure is exceedingly difficult. It is well to bear in mind that all are not possessed of strong enough will power to resist their cravings and that some take to cocaine when they can not get liquor. Cocaine is far worse than alcohol. People should be very careful about taking patent medicines. There is no excuse for taking them. The most popular ones have as their basis one of the habit-forming drugs. Most of the soothing syrups contain opium in some form. To give babies opiates is a grave error, to speak mildly. It weakens the child, may lay the foundation for a deadly habit later in life, and often an overdose kills outright. Well informed mothers avoid such drugs and keep their children reasonably quiet by means of proper care. Many of the remedies for nasal catarrh and hay fever contain much cocaine. Cocaine is an astringent and a painkiller and people mistake the temporary lessening of discharge from the nose and disappearance of pain for curative effects. But there is nothing curative about it. In a short time the mucous membrane relaxes again and then the discharge is re-established. The nerves which were put out of commission resume their function and then the pain reappears. Opium or one of its derivatives is generally present in the patent medicines given for coughs. Opium is also an astringent and will suppress secretions, but this is not a cure. Excessive secretions are an indication that the body is surcharged with poison and food. Let them escape and then live so that there will be internal cleanliness and then there will be no more coughs and colds. The unfortunate people who get into the habit of using these drugs degenerate physically, mentally and morally. They need more and more of their drug to produce the desired effect until they at last take enough daily to kill several normal men. Sometimes they are able to keep everybody in ignorance of what they are doing for years. They develop slyness and secretiveness. They become very suspicious. They are nearly always untruthful, and those who deal with them are surprised and wonder why those who used to be open and above-board now are furtive and dishonest. They often lie when there is not the slightest excuse for it. The moral disintegration is often the first sign noticed. After habitually using any of these drugs for a while the body demands the continuation and if the victim is deprived of his accustomed portion there will be a collapse with intense suffering. Every tortured nerve in the body seems to call out for the drug. The victim will do anything to get his drug. He will lie, steal, and he may even attack those who are caring for him. For the time being he is insane. Many professional men use cocaine. It is a favorite with writers. It often shows in their work. Those who write under the inspiration of this drug often do some good work, but they are unable to keep to their subject. Their writings lack order. We have enough of such writings to have them classified as "cocaine literature." If there are 4,000,000, or even fewer, of these people in our land, it is a serious problem, for every one is a degenerate, to a certain degree. If the medical profession and the druggists would co-operate it would be easy enough to prevent the growth of a new crop of dope fiends. Of course, people would have to stop taking patent medicines, which often start the victims on the road to degeneration. Then the physicians should stop prescribing habit-forming drugs, as well as all other drugs, and teach the people that physical, mental and moral salvation come through right living and right thinking. Unfortunately the medical profession is careless and is responsible for the existence of many of the drug addicts. A patient has a severe pain. What is the easiest way to satisfy him? To give a hypodermic injection of some opiate. The patient, not realizing the danger, demands a pain-killer every time he suffers. He soon learns what he is getting and then he goes to the drug store and outfits himself with a hypodermic outfit and drugs, and the first thing he knows he is a slave, in bondage for life. This is no exaggeration. There are hundreds of thousands of victims to the drug habit who trace their downfall to the treatment received at the hands of reputable physicians, who do not look upon their practice with the horror it should inspire because it is so common. Doctors do not always bury their mistakes. Some of them walk about for years. In spite of laws against the sale of various drugs, they can be obtained. There are doctors and druggists of easy conscience who are very accommodating, for a price. There is no legitimate need for the use of one-hundredth of the amount of these drugs that is now consumed. A local injection of cocaine for a minor operation is justifiable, but none of the habit-forming drugs should be used in ordinary practice to kill pain, for the proper application of water in conjunction with right living will do it better and there are no evil after effects. Massage is often sufficient. To show a little more clearly how some people become addicted to drugs, let us consider one of the latest, heroin: A few years ago this drug, which is an opium derivative, was practically unknown. It is much stronger than morphine and consequently the effect can be obtained more quickly by means of a smaller dose. Physicians thought at first that it was not a habit-forming drug, for they could use it over a longer period of time than they could employ morphine, without establishing the craving and the habit. So they began to prescribe heroin instead of morphine, and many a morphine addict was advised to substitute heroin. All went well for a short while, until the victims found that they were enslaved by a drug that was even worse than morphine. Now, thanks chiefly to the medical profession, it is estimated that we have in our land several hundred thousand heroin addicts. Sallow of face, gaunt of figure, looking upon the world through pin-point pupils, with all of life's beauty, hope and joy gone, they are marching to premature death. The medical profession furnishes more than its proportion of drug addicts. They know the danger of the drugs, but familiarity breeds contempt. If the public but knew how many of their medical advisers, who should always be clear-minded, are befuddled by drugs, there would be a great awakening. One eminent physician who has now been in practice about forty-five years and has had much experience with drug addicts, has said that according to his observations, about one physician in four contracts the drug habit. I believe this is exaggerated, but I am acquainted with a number of physicians who are addicts. Physicians who smoke do not condemn the practice. Those who drink are likely to prescribe beer and wine for their patients. Those who are addicted to drugs use them too liberally in their practice. Those who have watched the effects of the various drugs, from coffee to heroin, must condemn their use. It is true that an occasional cup of coffee or tea, a glass of wine or beer does no harm. A cigarette a week would not hurt a boy, nor would on occasional cigar harm a man. But how many people are willing to indulge occasionally? The rule is that they indulge not only daily, but several times a day, and the results are bad. One bad habit leads to another, and the time always comes when it is a choice between disease and early death on one hand, and the giving up of the bad habits on the other, and when this time comes the bonds of habits are often so strong that the victim is unable to break them. I realize that knowledge will not always keep people out of temptation and that some individuals will take the broad way that leads to destruction in spite of anything that may be said. Youth is impatient of restraint and ever anxious for new experiences. Regarding this serious matter of destructive drug use, much could be done by teaching people their place in society: That is, what they owe to themselves, their families and the public in general. In other words, teach the young people the higher selfishness, part of which consists of considerable self-control, self-denial and self-respect. Drugs are too easy to obtain today. Some day people will be so enlightened that they will not allow themselves to be medicated. This is the trend of the times. Until such a time comes, society should protect itself by making it very difficult to get any of the habit-forming drugs. If necessary, the free hand of the physician should be stayed. Much of the confidence blindly given him is misplaced. CHAPTER XXI. CARE OF THE SKIN. The skin is neglected and abused. Very few realize how important it is to give this organ the necessary attention. If we were living today as our ancestors doubtless lived, we could neglect the skin, as they did. They wore little or no clothing. The skin, which formerly was very hairy, served as protection. It was exposed to the elements, which toughened it and kept it active. Today most people give the skin too great protection, and thus weaken it. The result is that it degenerates and partly loses its function with consequent detriment to the individual's health. A normal skin has a very soft feel, imparting to the fingers a pleasant, vital sensation. It either has color or suggests color. An abnormal skin pleases neither the sense of seeing nor feeling. It may feel inert or it may be inflamed. The skin is a beautiful and complex structure. It is made up of an outer layer called the epidermis and an inner layer, the true skin or corium, which rests upon a subcutaneous layer, composed principally of fat and connective tissue. The epidermis is divided into four layers. It has no blood-vessels and no nerves, but is nourished by lymph which escapes from the vessels deeper in the skin. It is simply protective in nature. The true skin is made up of two indistinct layers, which harbor a vast multitude of nerves, blood-vessels and lymph-vessels. In the skin there are two kinds of glands, the sebaceous and the sweat glands. The sebaceous glands are, as a general rule, to be found in greatest numbers on the hairiest parts of the body and are absent from the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. They throw off a secretion known as sebum, which is made up principally of dead cells that have undergone fatty degeneration and of other debris. The sebum serves as lubricant. It is generally discharged near or at the shaft of a hair. The sweat glands discharge on the average from one and one-half to two pounds of perspiration per day, more in hot weather and much less when it is cool. They are distributed over the whole external surface of the body. According to Krause there are almost 2,400,000 of them. They carry off water and carbonic acid gas chiefly. The functions of the skin are: To protect the underlying structures; to regulate the heat; to serve as an organ of respiration; to serve as an organ of touch and thermal sensation; to secrete and eliminate various substances from the body; to absorb. The heat regulation is quite automatic. When the external temperature is high there is a relaxation of the skin. The pores open, the perspiration goes to the surface and evaporates, thus cooling the body. When the surface is cool the skin contracts, closing the pores and conserving the heat. Radiation always takes place, except when the temperature is very high. The sensation of touch and the ability to feel heat and cold protect us from untold numbers of dangers. They are a part of the equipment which enables us to adjust our selves to our environment. The secretions and excretions are perspiration and sebum. These contain water, carbonic acid, urea, buturic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, salts, the chief being sodium chloride, and many other substances. The respiratory function consists in the absorption of a small amount of oxygen and the giving off of some carbonic acid. A small amount of water can be absorbed by the skin. Oils can also be absorbed. In case of malnutrition in children, olive-oil rubs are often helpful. This absorptive function is taken advantage of by physicians who rub various medicaments into the skin. Mercury enough to produce salivation can be absorbed in this way. From the above it will be seen that the skin is not only complex in structure, but has many functions. It is impossible to have perfect health without a good skin. Under civilized conditions a healthy skin can not be had without giving it some care. The average person has a skin that shows lack of care. Fortunately, but little care is needed. A bath should be taken often enough to ensure cleanliness. Warm water and soap need not be used more than once or twice a week under ordinary conditions. If the soap causes itching, it is well to use a small amount of olive oil on the body afterwards, rubbing it in thoroughly, and going over the body with a soft cloth after the oil rub, thus removing the oil which would otherwise soil the clothes. If the skin is not kept clean, the millions of pores are liable to be partly stopped up, which results in the retention of a part of the excretory matter within the skin, where it may cause enough irritation to produce some form of cutaneous disorder, or the skin may through disuse become so inactive that too much work is thrown upon the other excretory organs, which may also become diseased from overwork and excessive irritation. Soaps are irritants. Tallow soaps and olive oil soaps are less irritating than other varieties. Whatever kind of soap is used, it should be rinsed off thoroughly, for if some of it is left in the pores of the skin roughness or even mild inflammation may ensue. Be especially careful about the soap used for babies, avoiding all highly colored and cheap perfumed soaps. Whether to take a daily sponge bath or not is a matter of no great importance, and each individual can safely suit himself. If there is quick reaction and a feeling of warmth and well-being following a cold sponge, it is all right. If the skin remains blue and refuses to react for a long time, the cold sponge bath is harmful. The cold plunge is always a shock, and no matter how strong a person may be, frequent repetition is not to be recommended. People who take cold plunges say that they do no harm, but it is well to remember that life is not merely a matter of today and tomorrow, but of next year, or perhaps forty, fifty or sixty years from today. A daily shock may cause heart disease in the course of twenty or thirty years. A good way to take a cold bath is to get under a warm shower and gradually turn off the warm water. Then stand under the cold shower long enough to rinse well the entire surface of the body. Those who take cold sponge baths in winter and find them severe, should precede the sponging in cold water with a quick sponging off with tepid water, and they should always take these baths in a warm room. After all baths give the body a good dry rubbing, using brisk movements. Bath towels, flesh brushes or the open hands may be used for the dry rubbing. The sponge bath has practically no value as a cleanser. Its chief virtue consists in stimulating the circulation of the blood and the lymph in the skin. In summer it is cooling. It is important to have good surface circulation, but this can be attained as well by means of dry rubbing. The rubbing is more important than wetting the skin. A skin that is rubbed enough becomes so active that it practically cleans itself, and it protects against colds and other diseases. Some advocate dispensing with the bath entirely, but that is going to extremes. Cleanliness is worth while for the self-respect it gives the individual. Hot baths are weakening and relaxing, hence weak people should not stay long in the hot bath. Cold baths are stimulating to strong people and depressing to those who do not react well from them. Swimming is far different from taking a cold bath. A person who can swim with benefit and comfort for twenty minutes would have a chill, perhaps, if he remained for five minutes in the bath tub in water of the same temperature. Swimming is such an active exercise that it aids the circulation, keeping the blood pretty well to the surface in spite of the chilling effect of the water. If a very warm bath is taken, there should be plenty of fresh air in the bath room and it is well to sip cold water while in the bath and keep a cloth wrung out of cold water on the forehead. People who are threatened with a severe cold or pneumonia can give themselves no better treatment than to take a hot bath, as hot as they can stand it, lasting for one-half hour to an hour, drinking as much warm water as can be taken with comfort both before and after getting into the tub. This bath must be taken in very warm water, otherwise it will do no good. It is weakening and relaxing, but through its relaxing influence it equalizes the circulation of the blood, bringing much to the surface that was crowding the lungs and other internal organs, thus causing the dangerous congestion that so often ends in pneumonia. After the bath wrap up well so that the perspiration will continue for some time. When the sweating is over, get into dry clothes and remain in bed for six to eight hours. To make assurance doubly sure, give the bowels a good cleaning out with either enemas or cathartics, or both. Then eat nothing until you are comfortable. Such treatment would prevent much pneumonia and many deaths. The best preventive is to live so that sudden chilling does not produce pneumonia or other diseases, which it will not do in good health. People with serious diseases of the heart, arteries or of the kidneys should not take protracted or severe baths. To sum up the use of water on the skin: Use enough to be clean. No more is necessary. The application of water should be followed by thorough drying and dry rubbing. If the reaction is poor, do not remain in cold water long enough to produce chilling. As a rule thin people should use but little cold water, and they should never remain long in cold water. Water intelligently applied to the skin in disease is a splendid aid in cleansing the system. It is surprising what a great amount of impurity can be drawn from the body by means of wet packs. However, this is a treatise on health, so we shall not go into details here regarding hydrotherapy. No matter what one's ideas may be on the subject of bathing, there can hardly be more than one opinion regarding the application of dry friction to the skin. Those who have noted its excellent results feel that it should be a daily routine. It should be practiced either morning or evening, or both. From five to ten minutes spent thus daily will pay high dividends in health. A vigorous rubbing is exercise not only for the skin, but for nearly every muscle in the body. The dry rubbing keeps the surface circulation vigorous. The surface circulation, and especially the circulation in the hands and the feet, is the first part that begins to stagnate. Blood stagnation means the beginning of the process which results in old age. In other words, dry friction to the skin helps to preserve health and youth. Skin that is not exercised often becomes very hard and scales off particles of mineral matter. If women would put less dependence on artificial beautifiers and more on scientific massage, they would get much better results. They would avoid many a wrinkle and save their complexions. The neck and the face should never be massaged downwards. The strokes should be either upwards or from side to side, the side strokes generally being toward the median line. Such massaging will prevent the sagging of the face muscles for years and help to keep the face free from wrinkles and young in appearance. The massaging should be rather gentle, for if it is too vigorous the tendency is to remove the normal amount of fat that pads and rounds out the face. Men can do the same thing, but most men have no objection to wrinkles. However, most men do object to baldness, which can be prevented in nearly every case. To produce hair on a polished pate is a different proposition. It is indeed difficult. If you will look at a picture of the circulation of the blood in the scalp, you will notice that the arteries supplying it come from above the eye sockets in front, from before and behind the ears on the sides, and from the nape of the neck in the rear. They spread out and become smaller and smaller as they travel toward the top of the head, and especially toward the back. The scalp is well supplied with blood, but it is not given much exercise. The tendency is for the blood stream to become sluggish, deposits gradually forming in the walls of the blood-vessels, which make them less elastic and decrease the size of the lumen. The result is less food for the hair roots and food of inferior quality. This process of cutting off the circulation in the scalp is largely aided by the tight hats and caps worn by men, which compress the blood-vessels. It is quite noticeable that people with round heads have a greater tendency to become bald than those with more irregular heads. The reason is probably that the hats fit more snugly on the round-headed people. There are many exceptions. Women are not so prone to baldness as men, because they wear hats that do not exclude the air from the hair nor do they compress the blood-vessels. Let those men who dislike to lose their hair massage the scalp for a short while daily, beginning above the eyes, in front of the ears and at the nape of the neck and going to the top of the head. Then let them wear as sensible hats as possible, avoiding those that exert great pressure on the blood-vessels that feed the scalp. Thus they will not only be able to retain their hair much longer than otherwise, but the hair that is well fed does not fade as early as that which lives on half rations. In the case of preserving the hair, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. The man who can produce a satisfactory hair restorer that will give results without any effort on the part of the men can become a millionaire in a short time. The hair is a modified form of skin. Each hair is supplied with blood, and the reason that the hair stands up during intense fear is that to the lower part of the shaft is attached a little muscle. During fear this contracts, as do other involuntary muscles, and then the hair stands up straight instead of being oblique. As a rule people protect the skin too much. The best protection they have against cold is a good circulation. With a poor circulation it is difficult to keep warm in spite of much clothing. Coldness is also largely a state of mind. People get the idea of cold into the head and then it is almost impossible for them to keep warm. On the same winter day we may see a man in a thick overcoat trying to shrink into himself, shivering, while a lady passes blithely by, with her bosom bared to the wind. The face tolerates the cold, because it is used to it, the neck and the upper part of the chest likewise, and so it would be with the skin of the entire body if we accustomed it to be exposed. We use too heavy clothes. It is a mistake to hump the back and draw in the shoulders during cold weather, for this reduces the lung capacity, thus depriving the body of its proper amount of oxygen. The result is that there is not enough combustion to produce the necessary amount of heat. Wool is warm covering, the best we have. However, it is very irritating to the skin and has a tendency to make the wearer too warm. It does not dry out readily. Consequently the wearer remains damp a long time after perspiring. The result is a moist, clammy skin. A skin thus pampered in damp warmth becomes delicate, and like other hot-house products unable to hold its own when exposed to inclement weather. A good way to take cold easily is to wear wool next to the skin. The best recipe for getting cold feet is to wear woolen stockings. Wear cotton or linen or silk next to the skin. Cotton is satisfactory and cheap. Linen is excellent, but a good suit of linen underwear is too costly for the average purse. Remie, said to be the linen of the Bible, is highly recommended by some. Those working indoors should wear the same kind of underwear summer and winter, and it should be very light. If people use heavy underwear in heated rooms, they become too warm. The consequence is that when they go out doors they are chilled, and if they are not in good physical condition colds and other diseases generally result. By wearing outer garments according to climatic conditions one can easily get all the protection necessary. Those who take the proper food and enough exercise and dry friction of the skin will not require or desire an excessive amount of clothing. The feel of the wintry blast on the skin is not disagreeable. If we would only give the skin more exercise, through rubbing, and more fresh air, we would soon discard much of our clothing, and wear but enough to make a proper and modest appearance in public, with extra covering on cold days. Nothing can be much more ridiculous and uncomfortable than a man in conventional attire on a hot summer's day. Of course, thin, nervous people should not expose themselves too much to the cold. Most of the diseases known by the name of skin diseases, are digestive troubles and blood disorders manifesting in the skin. As soon as the systemic disease upon which they depend disappears, these so-called skin diseases get well. Erysipelas is one of the so-called germ diseases, but it is controlled very quickly by a proper diet. It can not occur in people until they have ruined their health by improper living. Pure blood will not allow the development of the streptococcus erysipelatis in sufficient numbers to cause trouble. First the disease develops and then the germ comes along and multiplies in great numbers, giving it type. Acne, which is very common for a few years after puberty, shows a bad condition of the blood. Even during the changes that occur at puberty no disease will manifest in healthy boys and girls. About this time the young people eat excessively, the result being indigestion and impure blood. The changes that occur in the skin make it a favorable place for irritations to manifest. Let the boys and girls eat so that they have bright eyes and clean tongues and there will be very little trouble from disfiguring pimples. Eczema is generally curable by means of proper diet and the same is true of nearly all skin diseases that afflict infants. There are diseases of the skin due to local irritants, such as the various forms of trade eczema, scabies (itch), and pediculosis (lousiness), but the fact remains that nearly all skin diseases fail to develop if the individual eats properly, and most of them can be cured, after they have developed, by proper diet and attention to hygiene generally. If the diet is such that irritants are manufactured in the alimentary tract and absorbed into the blood, and then excreted through the skin, where enough irritation is produced to cause disease, it is useless to treat with powders and salves. Correct the dietetic errors and the skin will cure itself. Specialists in skin diseases often fail because they treat this organ as an independent entity, instead of considering it as a part of the body whose health depends mostly upon the general health. CHAPTER XXII. EXERCISE. Nature demands of us that we use our mental and physical powers in order to get the best results. Man was made to be active. In former times he had to earn his bread in the sweat of his face or starve. Now we have evolved, or is it a partial degeneration, into a state where a sharp mind commands much more of the means of sustenance than does physical exertion. The consequence is that many of those equipped with the keenest minds fail to keep their bodies active. This helps to lessen their resistance and produces early death. Some exercise is needed and the question is, how much is necessary and how is it to be taken so that it will not degenerate into drudgery? There are very few with enough persistence to continue certain exercises, no matter how beneficial, if they become a grind. The amount required depends upon the circumstances. Ordinarily, a few minutes of exercise each day, supplemented with some walking and deep breathing will suffice. About five minutes of vigorous exercise night and morning are generally enough to keep a person in good physical condition, if he is prudent otherwise. Many strive to build up a great musculature. This is a mistake, unless the intention is to become an exhibit for the sake of earning one's living. Big muscles do not spell health, efficiency and endurance. Even a dyspeptic may be able to build big muscles. What is needed for the work of life is not a burst of strength that lasts for a few moments and then leaves the individual exhausted for the day, but the endurance which enables one to forge ahead day after day. It is generally dangerous to build up great muscles, for if the exercises that brought them into being are stopped, they begin to degenerate so fast that the system with difficulty gets rid of the poisons. Then look out for one of the diseases of degeneration, such as inflammation of the kidneys or typhoid fever. The great muscles exhibited from time to time upon the variety stage and in circuses are not normal. Man is the only animal that develops them, and they are not brought about by ordinary circumstances. Once acquired, they prove a burden, for they demand much daily work to be kept in condition. Good muscles are more serviceable than extraordinary ones. Vigorous exercise is better than violent exercise. It is well known that many of our picked athletes, men with great original physical endowment, die young. The reason is that they have either been overdeveloped, or at some time they have overtaxed their bodies so in a supreme effort at vanquishing their opponents that a part of the vital mechanism has been seriously affected. Then when they settle down to business life they fail to take good care of themselves and they degenerate rapidly. Exercising should not be a task, for then it is work. It should be of a kind that interests and pleases the individual, for then it is accompanied by that agreeable mental state from which great good will come to the body. It is necessary for us to think enough of our bodies to supply them with the activity needed for their welfare and we should do this with good grace. Exercise enough to bring the various muscles into play and the heart into vigorous action. Office workers should take exercises for the part of the body above the waist, plus some walking each day. All should take enough exercise to keep the spine straight and pliable. Bending exercises are good for this purpose, keeping the knees straight and touching the floor with the fingers. Then bend backward as far as possible. Then with hands on the hips rotate the body from the waist. It is very desirable to keep the body erect, for this gives the greatest amount of lung space, and gives the individual a noble, courageous appearance and feeling. The forward slouch is the position of the ape. It is not necessary to pay any attention to the shoulders, if the spine is kept in proper position, for the shoulders will then fall into the right place. Being straight is a matter of habit. No one can maintain this position without some effort. At least, one has to make the effort to get and retain the habit. Most round-shouldered people could school themselves in two or three months to be straight. Those who are moderate in eating need less exercise than others. Too great food intake requires much labor to work it off. When the food is but enough to supply materials for repair, heat and energy, there is no need of great effort to burn up the excess. To exercise much and long, then eat enough to compel more exercise, is a waste of good food, time and energy. Be moderate in all things if you would have the best that life can give you. Always make deep breathing a part of the exercise. No matter what one's physical troubles may be, deep breathing will help to overcome them. It will help to cure cold feet by bringing more oxygen into the blood. It will help to drive away constipation by giving internal massage to the bowels. It will help to overcome torpid liver by the exercise given that organ. It will help to cure rheumatism by producing enough oxygen to burn up some of the foreign deposits in various parts of the body. As an eye-opener deep breathing has alcohol distanced. It costs nothing and has only good after effects. Moreover, deep breathing takes no time. A dozen or more deep breaths can be taken morning and night, and every time one steps into the fresh air, without taking one second from one's working time. To have health good blood is necessary, and this can not be had without taking sufficient fresh air into the lungs. Proper clothing must also be taken into consideration in connection with breathing and exercise. The clothes must be loose enough to allow free play to limbs, chest and abdomen. Men and women were not shaped to wear two and three inch heels. Those who persist in this folly must pay the price in discomfort and an unbalanced body. The time to take exercise depends upon circumstances. It is best not to indulge for at least one or two hours after a hearty meal, for exercise interferes with digestion. A very good plan is to take from five to twenty-five minutes of exercise, according to one's requirement, before dressing in the morning and after undressing at night. Those who take exercises in a gymnasium or have time for out door games will have no difficulty in selecting proper time. Dumbbells, Indian clubs, weights, patent exercisers and gymnasium stunts are all right for those who enjoy them. One thing to bear in mind is that short, choppy movements are not as good as the larger movements that bring the big muscles into play. It is well to exercise until there is a comfortable feeling of fatigue. If this is done the heart works vigorously, sending the blood rapidly to all parts of the body, and the lungs also come into full play to supply the needed oxygen. This acts as a tonic to the entire system. The body must be used to keep it from degenerating. A healthy body gives courage and an optimistic outlook upon life. A sluggish liver can hide the most beautiful sunrise, but a healthy body gives the eye power to see beauty on the most dreary day. Those who are not accustomed to exercise will be very, sore at first, if they begin too vigorously. The soreness can be avoided by taking but two or three minutes at a time at first, and increasing until the desired amount is taken daily. If the muscles get a little sore and stiff at first, do not quit, for by continuing the exercises, the soreness soon leaves. Many begin with great enthusiasm, which soon burns itself out. Excessive enthusiasm is like the burning love of those who "can't live" without the object of their affection. It burns so brightly that it soon consumes itself. Go to work at a rate that can be kept up. To exercise hard for a few weeks or a few months and then give it up will do no good in the end. However, a person may occasionally let a day or two pass by without taking exercise with benefit. Avoid getting into a monotonous grind. I believe that the very best exercises are those which are taken in the spirit of play. No matter who it is, if he or she will make the effort, time enough can be found occasionally to spend at least one-half of a day in the open, and this is very important. We can not long flourish without getting into touch with mother nature, and we need a few hours each week without care and worry in her company. Many immediately say, "I can't." Get rid of that negative attitude and say, "I can and I will." See how quickly the obstacles melt away. There are many who are slaves to duty. They believe that they must grind away. They think they are indispensable. The world got along very well before they were born and it will roll on in the same old way after they are gathered to their fathers. The thing to do is to break the bonds of the wrong mental attitude and then both time and opportunity will be forthcoming. I shall comment on only a few of the outdoor exercises that are excellent. Swimming is one of the finest. There is a great deal of difference between swimming and taking a bath in a tub. Some people cannot remain in the water long, but if they have any resistance at all and are active, there will be no bad results. In swimming it is well to take various strokes, swimming on the back, on the side, and on the face. This brings nearly every muscle in the body into play and if the swimmer does not stay in too long it makes him feel fine. If a feeling of chilliness or weariness is experienced, it is time to quit the water, dry off well and take a vigorous dry rub. Swims should always be followed with considerable rubbing. The use of a little olive oil on the body, and especially on the feet, is very grateful. No special rule can be laid down for the duration of a swim, but very thin people should generally not remain in the water more than fifteen minutes, and stout, vigorous ones not over an hour. It is best not to go swimming until two hours have elapsed since the last meal. Every boy and every girl should be taught to swim, for it may be the means of preserving their lives. It is not difficult. For the benefit of those who start the beginners with the rather tedious and tiresome breast stroke, will say that the easiest way to teach swimming is to get the learner to float on his back. I have taught boys to float in as little as three minutes, and after that everything else is easy. When the beginner can float, he can easily start to paddle a little and make some progress. Then he can turn on his side and learn the side stroke, which is one of the best. Then he can turn on the face and learn various strokes. This is not the approved way of learning to swim, but it is the easiest and quickest way. To float simply means to get into balance in the water. It is necessary to arch the body, making the spine concave posteriorly, and bending the neck well backward at first. In the beginning it is a great aid to fill the lungs well and breathe rather shallow. This makes the body light in the water. Tell the beginner that it does not make any difference whether the feet sink or stay up. It is only necessary to keep the face above water while floating. If there is the slightest tendency to sink, bend the neck a little more, putting the head, farther back in the water, instead of raising it, as most of the learners want to do. Remember that the trunk and neck must be kept well arched, the head well back in the water. The moment the beginner doubles up at waist or hips or bends the neck forward, raising the head, he sinks. For speed and fancy swimming professional instruction should be obtained. Swimming is one of the best all-round developers, as well as one of the most pleasant of exercises. Golf is no longer a rich man's game. The large cities have public links. For an office man it is a splendid game. Women can play it with equal benefit. The full vigorous strokes, followed with a walk after the ball, then more strokes, exercise the entire body. It is good for young and old, and for people in all walks of life. Tennis is splendid for some people. Those who are very nervous and excitable should play at something else, for they are apt to play too hard and use up too much energy. Overexercising is just as harmful as excesses in other lines. Tennis requires quickness and is a good game for those who are inclined to be sluggish, for it wakes them up. Horseback riding is also a fine exercise. The companionship with an intelligent animal, the freedom, the fresh air, the scenery, all give enjoyment of life, and the constant movement acts as a most delicious tonic. There is only one correct way to ride for both sexes, and that is astride. The side saddle position keeps the spine twisted so that it takes away much of the benefit to be derived from riding. Out west the approved manner of riding for women is astride. The women of the west make a fine appearance on horseback. Tramping is possible for all. If there are hills to be climbed, or mountains, so much the better. Put on old clothes and old shoes and have an enjoyable time. Fine apparel under the circumstances spoils more than half of the pleasure. Playing ball or bicycle riding may be indulged in with benefit. It is not fashionable to ride on bicycles today, yet it is a pleasant mode of covering ground, and if the trunk is kept erect it is a good exercise. Jumping rope, playing handball, tossing the medicine ball and sawing wood are good forms of exercise and great fun. The spirit of play and good will easily double the value of any exercise that is taken. Dancing is also good if the ventilation is adequate and the hours are reasonable. Under various conditions vicarious exercises are valuable, and by that I mean such forms of exercise as massage, osteopathic treatment or vibratory treatment. If anything is wrong with the spine, get an osteopath or a chiropractor. They can help to remedy such defects more quickly than anyone else. They are experts in adjustments and thrusts. Some people take exercises while lying in bed or on the floor. One good exercise to take while lying on the back is to go through the motions of riding a bicycle. Another is to lie down, then bend the body at the hips, getting into a sitting position; repeat a few times. Another is to face the floor, holding the body rigid, supported on the toes and the palms of the hands; slowly raise the body until the arms are straight and slowly lower it again until the abdomen touches the floor; repeat several times. It is impossible to go into detail regarding various exercises here. Those who wish to take care of themselves can easily devise a number of good ones, or they can employ a physical culture teacher to give them pointers. Here as elsewhere, good sense wins out. It is not necessary to give much time to exercise, but a little is valuable. Those who labor with their hands often use but few muscles, and it would be well for them to take corrective exercises so that the body will remain in good condition. There is no excuse for round shoulders and sunken chests. A few weeks, or at most a few months, will correct this in young people. The older the individual, the longer it takes. If the vertebrae have grown together in bony union no correction is possible. It is as necessary to relax as it is to exercise. When weary, take a few minutes off and let go physically and mentally. A little training will enable you to drop everything, and even if it is for but five minutes, the ease gives renewed vigor. It does not matter what position is assumed, if it is comfortable and allows the muscles to lose all tension. At such times it is well to let the eyelids gently close, giving the eyes a rest. Eye strain is very exhausting to the whole body and often results in serious discomfort. Many do not know how to relax. They think they are relaxed, yet their bodies are in a state of tension. When relaxed any part of the body that may be raised falls down again as though it were dead. People who do much mental work are at times so aroused by ideas that refuse to release their hold until they have been worked out or given expression that they can not sleep for the time being. A few minutes of relaxation then gives rest. When the problem has been solved, the worker is rewarded with sweet slumbers. An occasional night of this kind of wakefulness does no harm, provided no such drugs as coffee, alcohol, strychnine and morphine are used. We are undoubtedly intended to be useful. Normal men and women are not content unless they are helpful. Hence we have our work or vocation. However, people who get into a rut, and they are liable to if they work all the time at one thing, lose efficiency. Therefore it is well to have an avocation or a hobby to sharpen mind and body. It does not make much difference what the hobby is, provided it is interesting. We waste much time that could give us more pleasure if it were intelligently employed. An hour a day given to a subject for a few years in the spirit of play will give a vast fund of information and may in time be of inestimable benefit. Those who labor much with the hands would do well to take some time each day for mental recreation, and those who work in mental channels should get joy and benefit from physical efforts. A few hobbies, depending upon circumstances, may be: Photography, music, a foreign language, the drama, literature, history, philosophy, painting, gardening, raising chickens, dogs or bees, floriculture, and botany. Some people have become famous through their hobbies. They are excellent for keeping the mind fluid, which helps to retain physical youth. There is something peculiarly beneficial about tending and watching growing and unfolding things. It is well known that women remain young longer than men. We have good reason to believe that one of the causes is their intimate relation with children. Growing flowers, vegetables, chickens and pups have the same influence in lesser degree. Tender, helpless things bring out the best qualities in our natures. We can not be on too intimate terms with nature, so, if possible, select a hobby that brings you closely in contact with her and her products. CHAPTER XXIII. BREATHING AND VENTILATION. The respiratory apparatus is truly marvelous in beauty and efficiency. Medical men complain about nature's way of constructing the alimentary canal, saying that it is partly superfluous, but no such complaint is lodged against the lungs and their accessories. The respiratory system may be likened in form to a well branched tree, with hollow trunk, limbs and leaves: The trachea is the trunk; the two bronchi, one going to the right side and the other to the left side, are the main branches; the bronchioles and their subdivisions are the smaller branches and twigs; the air cells are the leaves. The trachea and bronchi are tubes, furnished with cartilaginous rings to keep them from collapsing. They are lined with mucous membrane. The bronchi give off branches, which in turn divide and subdivide, until they become very fine. Upon the last subdivisions are clustered many cells or vesicles. These are the air cells and here the exchange takes place, the blood giving up carbonic acid gas and receiving from the inspired air a supply of oxygen. This exchange takes place through a very thin layer of mucous membrane, the air being on one side and the blood capillaries on the other side. The whole respiratory tract is lined with mucous membrane. This membrane is ciliated, that is, it is studded with tiny hairlike projections, extending into the air passages. These are constantly in motion, much like the grain in a field when the wind is gently blowing. Their function is to prevent the entry of foreign particles into the air cells, for their propulsive motion is away from the lungs, toward the external air passages. In some of the large cities where the atmospheric conditions are unfavorable and the air is laden with dust and smoke, the cilia are unable to prevent the entrance of all the fine foreign particles in the air. Then these particles irritate the mucous membrane, which secretes enough mucus to imprison the intruders. Consequently there is occasionally expulsion of gray or black mucus, which should alarm no one under the circumstances, if feeling well. Normally the mucous membrane secretes only enough mucus to lubricate itself, and when there is much expulsion of mucus it means that either the respiratory or the digestive system, or both, are being abused. At such times the sufferer should take an inventory of his habits and correct them. The air cells are made up of very thin membrane. So great is their surface that if they could be flattened out they would form a sheet of about 2,000 square feet. We can not explain satisfactorily why it is that through their walls there is an exchange of gases, nor how the respiratory system can act so effectively both as an exhaust of harmful matter and a supply of necessary elements. The distribution of the blood capillaries, so tiny that the naked eye can not make them out, is wonderful. Under the microscope they look like patterns of delicate, complex, beautiful lace. The lungs are supplied with more blood than any other, part of the body. A small part of it is for the nourishment of the lung structure, but most of it comes to be purified. After the blood has traveled to various parts of the body to perform its work as a carrier of food, and oxygen and gatherer of waste, it returns to the heart and from the heart it is sent to the lungs. There it gives up its carbonic acid gas and receives a supply of oxygen. Then it returns to the heart again and once more it is sent to all parts of the body to distribute the vital element, oxygen. The lungs give off watery vapor, a little animal matter and considerable heat, but their chief function is to exchange the carbonic acid gas of the blood for the oxygen of the air. When the fats, sugars and starches, in their modified form, are burned in the body to produce heat and energy, carbonic acid gas and water are formed. The gas is taken up by the blood stream, which is being deprived of its oxygen at the same time. This exchange turns the blood from red into a bluish tinge. The red color is due to the union of oxygen with the iron in the blood corpuscles, forming rust, roughly speaking. The fine adjustment that exists in nature can be seen by taking into consideration that animals give off carbon dioxide and breathe in oxygen, while vegetation exhales oxygen and inhales carbon dioxide. In other words, animal life makes conditions favorable for plant growth, and vegetation makes possible the existence of animals. An animal of the higher class can live several days without water, several weeks without food, but only a very few minutes without oxygen. When the blood becomes surcharged with carbonic acid gas, and oxygen is refused admittance to the lungs, life ceases in about five or six minutes. From this it can easily be seen how important it is to have a proper supply of oxygen. Acute deprivation of this element is immediately fatal, and chronic deprivation of a good supply helps to produce early deterioration and premature death. The lungs can easily be kept in good condition, and when we ponder on the beautiful and effective way in which nature has equipped us with a respiratory apparatus and an inexhaustible store of oxygen, surely we must understand the folly of not helping ourselves to what is so vital, yet absolutely free. Wrong eating and impure air are largely responsible for all kinds of respiratory troubles, from a simple cold to the most aggravated form of pulmonary tuberculosis. Exercise and deep breathing will to a great extent antidote overeating, but there is a limit beyond which the lungs refuse to tolerate this form of abuse. Experiments have shown that if the carbonic acid gas thrown off daily by an adult male were solidified, it would amount to about seven ounces of solid carbon, which comes from fats, sugars and starches that are burned in the body. It is well to remember that there are various forms of burning or combustion. Rapid combustion is exemplified in stoves and furnaces, where the carbon of coal or wood rapidly and violently unites with oxygen. Slow combustion takes place in the rotting of wood, the rusting of iron and steel and the union of oxygen with organic matter in animal bodies. Both processes are the same, varying only in rapidity and intensity. People who daily give off seven ounces of carbon are overworking their bodies. They take in too much food and consequently force too great combustion. This forcing has evil effects on the system, for under forced combustion the body is not able to clean itself thoroughly. Some of the soot remains in the flues (the blood-vessels) and is deposited in the various parts of the engine (the body). Result: Hardening, which means loss of elasticity and aging of the body. Aging of the body results in deterioration of the mind. Proper breathing is fine, but unless it is also accompanied by proper eating it does not bring the best results. The atmospheric air contains about four parts of carbonic acid gas to 10,000 parts of air. The exhaled air becomes quite heavily charged with this gas, about 400 to 500 parts in 10,000. It does not take long before the air in a closed, occupied room is so heavily charged with this gas and so poor in oxygen that its constant rebreathing is detrimental. The blood stream becomes poisoned, which immediately depresses the physical and mental powers. Warning is often given by a feeling of languor and perhaps a slight headache. People accustom themselves to impure air so that they apparently feel no bad effects, but this is always at the expense of health. The senses may be blunted, but the evil results always follow. To keep a house sealed up as tightly as possible in order to keep it warm saves fuel bills, but the resultant bodily deterioration and disease cause enough discomfort and result in doctor bills which more than offset this saving. It is poor economy. A constant supply of the purest air obtainable must be furnished to the lungs; otherwise the blood becomes so laden with poison that health, in its best and truest sense, is impossible. The air should be inhaled through the nose. It does not matter much how it is exhaled. The nose is so constructed that it fits the air for the lungs. The inspired air is often too dry, dusty and cold. The normal nose remedies all these defects. The mucous membrane in the nasal passages contains cilia, which catch the dust. The nasal passages are very tortuous so that during its journey through them the air is warmed and takes up moisture. Habitual mouth breathing is one of the causes of the hardening and toughening of the mucous membrane of the respiratory passages, for the mouth does not arrest the irritating substances floating in the air, nor does it sufficiently warm and moisten the inspired air. Irritation produces inflammation and this in turn causes thickening of the membranes. Then it is very easy to acquire some troublesome affliction such as asthma. Very cold air is irritating, but the passage through the nose warms it sufficiently. The evil results of mouth breathing are well seen in children, in whom it raises the roof of the mouth and brings the lateral teeth too close together. Then the dentists have to correct the deformity and the children are forced to suffer protracted inconvenience. This mouth breathing is mostly due to wrong feeding, especially overfeeding, which causes swelling of the mucous membrane, thus impeding the intake of the air through the nose and forcing it through the mouth. The chief curative measure is obvious. Cut down the child's food supply and give food of better quality. Remember that children should not be fat. Normal breathing is rhythmical, with a slight rise of the abdomen and chest during inspiration and a slight falling during expiration. Watch a sleeping baby, and you will understand what is meant. The ratio of breathing to the beating of the heart is about one to four or five. Whatever accelerates the heart causes more rapid breathing and vice versa. Breathing is practically automatic, and were we living under natural conditions we should need to pay no attention to it, but inasmuch as our mode of life prevents the full use of the lungs a little intelligent consideration is necessary to attain full efficiency. The body should be left as free as possible by the clothes and especially is this true of the chest and waist line. Women sin much against themselves in this respect. Most of them find it absolutely necessary for their mental welfare to constrict the lower part of the chest and the waist line a great part of the time, for really it would not do to be out of fashion. The statue of Venus de Milo is generally considered to represent the highest form of female beauty and perfection in sculptural art. If living women would consent to remain beautiful, instead of being slaves to fashion, it would be much better for themselves and for the race. A corseted woman can not breathe properly, even if she can introduce her hand between the body and her corset to prove that she is not constricted. The natural curves of women are more graceful than those produced by the corset. It would be an easy matter to give the breasts sufficient support, if they need support, without constricting the body, and then take enough exercise to keep the waist and abdomen firm and in shape to accord with a normal sense of what is beautiful and proper. Woman does right in being as good looking as possible, and it would do man no harm to imitate her in this, for truly, "Beauty is its own excuse for being." But beauty and fashion seldom go hand in hand. Look at the modes which were the fashion, and you will be compelled to say that many of them are offensive to people of good taste. American women should cease imitating the caprice of the women of the underworld of Paris. There are indications that women are liberating themselves somewhat from the chains of fashions, as well as from other ridiculous things, so let us hope that they will soon be brave enough to look as beautiful as nature allows them to be, both in face and figure. The lungs, like every other part of the body, become weakened when not used. The chest cavity enlarges during inspiration, but this enlargement is prevented if there is constriction of the lower ribs and the waist. The normal breathing is abdominal. Such breathing is health-imparting. It massages the liver gently with each breath and is mildly tonic to the stomach and the bowels. It truly gives internal exercise. It helps to prevent constipation. Shallow breathing causes degeneration of lung tissue, and indirectly degeneration of every tissue in the body, for it deprives the blood of enough oxygen to maintain health. It also prevents the internal exercise of the abdominal organs, which is a necessary activity of the normal organism. Shallow breathers only use the upper parts of the lungs. It is not to be wondered at that the lower parts easily degenerate. In pneumonia, for instance, the lower part is usually first affected, and in tuberculosis one often can get the physical indications in the lower part of the lungs posteriorly before they can be found any other place. The upper parts have to be used and consequently they get more exercise and more blood and hence become more resistant. It is well known that when the upper part of the lungs become affected the disease is very grave. Men, as well as women, are guilty of shallow breathing. Many men are very inactive and their breathing becomes sluggish. This can be remedied by taking vigorous exercise and a few breathing exercises. Because abdominal breathing is the correct way, some physical culturists, who mix the so-called New Thought with their system, advocate exercising and concentrating the mind on the abdomen at the same time. This is unnecessary, for the proper exercises and the right attitude will cause abdominal breathing without giving the abdomen special thought. Man was evidently intended to earn his food through physical exertion and exercise, and so long as he did this the lungs were compelled to expand. A few running exercises or hill or mountain climbs will suffice to prove the truth of this statement. However, now that man can ride on a street car and earn, or at least get, his daily bread by sitting in an office, it is necessary to exercise a little in order to get good results. The farmer who sits crouched up on a plow, mower or binder also fails to use his lungs, but if he gets out and pitches hay or bundles of grain, he is sure to get what oxygen he needs. Everyone should get into the habit of breathing deeply several times a day. Upon rising in the morning, go to the open window or out of doors and take at least a dozen slow, deep breaths, inhaling slowly, holding the air in the lungs a few moments and exhaling slowly. This should be repeated noon and night. Every time when one is in the fresh air, it is well to take a few full breaths. By and by the proper breathing will become a habit, to the great benefit of one's health. There are many breathing exercises, but every intelligent being can make his own exercises, so I shall describe but one. Have the hands hanging at the sides, palms facing each other. Inhale slowly and at the same time bring the arms, which are to be held straight, forward and upward, or outward and upward, carrying them as far up and back over the head as possible. The arm motion is also to be slow. About the time the arms are in the last position a full inspiration has been taken. Hold the position of the arms and the breath a few seconds and then slowly exhale and slowly bring the arms back to the first position. Repeat ten or twelve times. If while one is inhaling and raising the arms, one also slowly rises on the toes and slowly resumes a natural foot position while exhaling, the exercise will be even better. Hollow-chested young people can attain a good lung capacity and good chest contour in a very reasonable time. Persistence in proper breathing and proper exercise will have remarkable results in even two or three months, and at the same time nature will be painting roses on pallid cheeks. It is easy to increase the chest expansion several inches. Those who expand less than three and one-half inches should not be satisfied until they have gone beyond this mark. Elderly people can also increase their chest expansion and breathing capacity, but it takes more time, for with the years the chest cartilages have a tendency to harden and even to ossify. The less breathing the sooner the ossification comes. Many people are afraid of night air, for which there is no reason. The absence of sunshine at night does no more harm than it does on cloudy days. During the night, of all times, fresh air is needed, for less is used, and what little is breathed should be of as good quality as circumstances permit. Open the windows wide enough to have the air constantly changing in the bedroom. During the winter it will be necessary to put additional clothes on the bed, for no one can obtain the best of slumbers while chilled. Some may find it a better plan to use artificial heat in the foot of the bed. At any rate, during cold weather better covering is required for the legs and for the feet than for any other part of the body. People with good resistance can sleep in a draught without the least harm, but ordinary people should not sleep in a draught. It is easy to use screens so that the wind does not blow upon the face. If the air is kept stirring in the chamber the sleeper gets enough without being in a current. Some are in the habit of closing their bedroom windows and doors at night and opening them for a thorough airing during the day. If the bedrooms must be closed, close them during the day and open them wide at night, for that is when the pure air is needed. It does not make much difference whether they are open or closed while being unoccupied. It is actually sickening to enter some bedrooms and be compelled to breathe the foul air. When people are ill the rooms should have fresh air entering at all times. Sick people give off more poisons than do those in good health and they need the oxygen to burn up the deposits in the system. An early morning stroll while most people are in bed is very instructive. It will be found that some houses are shut up as tightly as possible and that only a few are properly ventilated. A person who insists on keeping his window open in winter is often looked upon as a freak. What is the result of this close housing? The first result is that the blood is unable to obtain the required amount of oxygen and is poisoned by the rebreathing of the air in the room. In the morning the sleeper wakes feeling only half rested, and it takes a cup of coffee or something else to produce complete awakening. The evil results are cumulative, and after a while the bad habit of breathing impure air at night will be a great factor in building disease of some kind. One reason why some are so afraid of fresh air, especially at night, is that they become so autotoxemic through bad habits, especially improper eating habits, that a slight draught causes them to sneeze and often catch cold and they believe that the fresh air causes the irritation. This is not so. The irritability comes from within, not from without. After becoming accustomed to good ventilation at night it is almost impossible to enter into restful slumbers in a stuffy room. Savages are singularly free from respiratory diseases, and the reason is without doubt that they do not house themselves closely. In some parts of the world they fear to let civilized men enter their abodes, for they may bring respiratory diseases. Not only the homes, but public places, such as street cars, theaters, schools and churches are too often poorly ventilated. Sleeping, or rather dozing in church is so common that it is a matter of jest. My experience has been that drowsiness comes not from the dullness of sermons, but from the impossibility of getting a breath of good air in many churches. Please remember that exhaled air is excretory matter, and that it is both unclean and unwholesome to consume it over and over again. Draughts do not cause colds. Cold air does not cause colds. Wet clothes do not cause colds: These things may be minor contributory factors, but the body must be in poor condition before one can catch cold. Colds are generally caught at the table. Lack of fresh air also helps to produce colds, as well as other diseases. The tendency in our country is to heat buildings too much. Europeans are both surprised and uncomfortable when they first enter our dwellings or public meeting places. The temperature in a dwelling should not be forced above seventy degrees Fahrenheit by means of artificial heating. The temperature required depends very much upon one's mental attitude and habits. Those who take enough exercise have good circulation of the blood in the extremities, and therefore do not need so much artificial heat. The best heating is from within. CHAPTER XXIV. SLEEP. A young baby should sleep almost all the time, and it will if intelligently cared for. Overfeeding is the bane of the baby's life and is the cause of most of its restlessness. The first few months the baby should be awake enough to take its food, and then go to sleep again. As it grows older it sleeps less and less. There is no fixed time for an adult to sleep. The amount varies with different individuals. The idea is quite prevalent that eight hours nightly are necessary. This may be true for some. Many do very well on seven hours' sleep, and even less. The great inventor, Thomas Edison, is said to have had but very little sleep for many years, and it is reported that when interested in some problem he would miss a night or two. Yet he has lived longer than the average individual and is now in good health. Very few have done as much constructive work as he. Many other prominent people have been light sleepers. As people grow older they require less sleep than they did in youth. It is not uncommon for septuagenarians to sleep but five hours nightly. Although we can not say how much sleep any individual may require, each person can find out for himself, and this is much better than to try to live by rules, which are often erroneous. Those who live as they should otherwise and select a definite hour for retiring and adhere to it, except on special occasions, get all the sleep that is necessary. They awake in the morning refreshed, ready to do a good day's work. During sound sleep all conscious endeavors cease. The vital organs do only enough work to keep the body alive. The breathing is lighter, the circulation is slower and in sound sleep there is no thinking. This letting up in the great activity of body and mind gives an opportunity for the millions of cells, of which the body is composed, to take from the blood what is needed to restore them to normal. During the day many of these cells become worn and weary. At night they recuperate. Hence undisturbed sleep is very important. Many believe that "early to bed and early to rise" is the proper way, that the hours of sleep before midnight are more refreshing and invigorating than those after. This is merely a belief, perhaps a good one. Early retiring leads to regularity, which is very desirable. Late retiring often means loose mental and physical habits. Those who are regular about their time of retiring and live well otherwise feel refreshed whether they go to bed early or late. Children should always retire early, otherwise they do not get enough sleep. The night is the natural sleeping time for most creatures, as well as for man. This is a heritage of ages. There was no artificial illumination during the stone age. Man could do nothing during the darkness, so he rested. However, those who must work at night find no trouble in sleeping during the day. The tendency among men is the same as among animals, to sleep more in winter than in summer, not that more sleep is required, but because the winter nights are longer. Children should go to bed early. They require more sleep than adults because of the greater cell activity. Also, children who stay up late generally become irritable and nervous. It is not well to eat immediately before retiring. The sleep following a late meal is generally interrupted, and there is not that feeling of brightness and clearness of mind, with which one should awake, next morning. Lunching before going to bed is a bad habit. Some believe they must have an apple, or perhaps a glass of milk, before retiring, for they think that this will bring sleep. The body should not be burdened with extra food to digest during the sleeping hours. This time should be dedicated to the restoring of the body, and the blood contains ample material. Dreaming is largely a bad habit. A normal individual rarely dreams, and then generally following some imprudence. Dreams begin in childhood and are then due principally to excessive food intake. As a producer of nightmares overfeeding has no equal. During adult life dreaming is caused by bad physical and mental conduct, plus the habit which was formed in childhood. Fear, anger, worry, stimulants, too much food, impure air and too warm clothes are some of the causes that produce dreams. Like other bad habits, dreaming is difficult to overcome once it is firmly established. The cure consists in righting one's other bad habits and in not thinking about the dreams. A sleep that is disturbed by dreams is not as sound as it should be and consequently not as refreshing as normal sleep. The conscious mind is not completely at rest and, the subconscious mind is running riot. Normal sleep is complete unconsciousness. This is the sleep of the just and must be earned. Before retiring all the clothes worn during the day should be removed. The night apparel should be light--cotton, linen or silk. The bed should be comfortable, but not too soft. There should be enough covering to keep the sleeper comfortably warm, but not hot. Those who cover themselves with so many quilts or blankets that they perspire during the night are not properly refreshed. It prevents sound sleep and makes the skin too sensitive. It reduces a person's resistance to climatic changes. The feet should be kept warm, even if necessary to put artificial heat in the foot of the bed. During cold weather the feet and the legs should have more covering than the rest of the body. From the waist up the covering should be rather light. Sound sleep is dependent on relaxation of mind and body. Those who live the day over after going to bed do not go to sleep quickly or easily. This habit should be overcome. Do business at the business place, during business hours, if you would have the mind fresh. There are days so full of cares that the night does not bring mental relaxation, but those who have begun early in life to practice self-control find these days growing fewer as the years roll by. When they learn their true relationship to the rest of humanity, to the universe and to eternity, they are generally willing and able to let the earth rotate and revolve for a few hours without their personal attention. They realize that worry and anxiety waste time and energy. Many complain that they can not sleep. This they repeat to themselves and to others many times a day. At night they ask themselves why they can not sleep. They do it so often that it becomes a powerful negative suggestion frequently strong enough to prevent their going to sleep. It is an obsession. Real insomnia exists only in the mind of the sufferer. Every physician, sooner or later, has experience with people who say that they can not sleep. The doctors who give such patients sleeping powders or potions make a grave mistake. These drugs are taken at the expense of some of the physical structures, and the day of settlement always comes. Perhaps it will find the patient with bankrupted nerves or a failing heart. To be effective, the size of the dose must be increased from time to time. At last the result will be some disease, either physical or mental. Those who insist that they "do not sleep at all," or that they sleep "but a few minutes" each night, sleep a few hours, but they make themselves believe that they do not sleep. We are compelled to sleep, and even those who "do not sleep at all" can not remain awake indefinitely. Those who are troubled with the no-sleep obsession will soon realize that they sleep as well as others if they cease thinking and talking so much about the subject. I have seen people suffering from this bad habit recover in one week. Those who have been taking drugs to induce sleep generally have a few bad nights when they give them up, after which the nervous storm subsides and sleep becomes normal. All drugs should be discarded. The physician who understands more about the working of nature than about the giving of drugs will have the best success in these cases. Soothing sleep always comes to people possessed of a controlled mind in a healthy body. If the day has been exhausting and the nerves are so alive and wrought up that sleep will not come, do not allow the mind to delve into worry about it. Do not say to yourself: "I wish I could sleep. Why can't I sleep?" Such fretful thinking produces mental tension, which drives sleep away. Instead, say to yourself: "I am very comfortable. I am having a refreshing rest. It does not matter whether I sleep or not." By all means relax the body. Choose a comfortable position and remain quiet, having the muscles relaxed. It is remarkable how soon a relaxed body brings tranquility to a disturbed mind. Let a man in pugnacious mood relax his face and his fists and in a very short time his anger vanishes. It makes no difference whether a person sleeps eight hours on a certain night. If he is fairly regular about going to bed he will get enough sleep. Those who realize this truth do not complain of insomnia. Most people who think much have an occasional night when an idea takes such strong possession of the brain and demands so forcibly to be put into proper shape, that they can not sleep. Under such circumstances it is as well to to get up and work out the idea. Three or four nights like that in the course of a year will do no harm. People rarely sleep well when lying on the back. If the theory of evolution is correct, we were not intended to lie on our backs during sleep. A good position is to lie on the right side, the right leg being anterior to the left, both being flexed. Another position that is restful to many is to lie on the abdomen, the arms extended away from the body. The breathing should be entirely nasal. It will not be nasal if there is obstruction in the nose. A healthy person who breathes through his mouth at night must use autosuggestion to overcome the habit. He should suggest to himself, "I will breathe through the nose; I will keep my lips together." If he persists in this, closes the mouth when he goes to sleep, in time the mouth-breathing will cease, and with it the disagreeable habit of snoring. The harmfulness of mouth-breathing is explained in another chapter. At all times the bedroom should be well ventilated. Some people are in the habit of sleeping in unventilated bedrooms, but upon rising in the morning they throw the windows open and give the room a good airing. The ventilation does not do much good except when there is someone in the room. During the day the bedroom could be closed with very little harm ensuing, though it is best to have it sunned and aired as much as possible. The sleeping porch is excellent. Outdoor sleeping is all right and it is not a modern fad. Where Benjamin Franklin got his information I do not know, but he has this to say about outdoor sleeping: "It is recorded that Methusaleh, who, being the longest liver, may be supposed to have best preserved his health, that he slept always in the open air; for when he had lived five hundred years an angel said to him: 'Arise, Methusaleh, and build thee an house, for thou shalt live five hundred years longer.' But Methusaleh answered, and said: 'If I am to live but five hundred years longer, it is not worth while to build me an house; I will sleep in the air as I have been used to do.'" This may partly account for some of his many years. His alleged conversation with the angel indicates that he was a man of equanimity. Under ordinary circumstances those who sleep indoors should have one sash of window fully open for each person in the chamber, or more. It is well to have plenty of fresh air, but it is not best to sleep in a draught. When the wind is blowing through the windows it is not necessary to have them wide open, for an aperture of four inches will then give as much fresh air as a sash opening in calmer weather. It is best to get up promptly upon awakening in the morning. Remaining in bed half asleep is productive of slothfulness. Too much sleeping and dozing make one dull. Those who overeat require more sleep than moderate people. The sluggishness and sleepiness following a too heavy meal are familiar to all. Animals that do not get food regularly, but are dependent on the vicissitudes of preying for their nourishment, often gorge themselves so that they can not stay awake, but fall into a stupor, which may last for days. Man, who is generally assured of three meals a day, has no excuse for this form of self-abuse, but unfortunately he practices it too often. It is a gross habit, one in which people of refinement will not continue to indulge. Young children should take a nap each day. They are so active that they need this rest. Adults can with profit take a short nap, not to exceed thirty minutes, after lunch. Those who are nervous owe it to themselves to take a nap. Those who use the brain a great deal will find the midday nap a great restorer. If sleep will not come, they should at least close their eyes and remain relaxed for a short time. A long nap makes one feel stupid. Those unfortunate people who are addicted to various enslaving drugs, such as cocaine and morphine, often are very light sleepers. They are deteriorating physically, mentally and morally. Such people are ill and are no guides to the needs of healthy people. Coffee drinking is a destroyer of sound sleep. At first the coffee seems to soothe the nerves, but in a few hours it has the opposite effect. The habitual use of coffee helps to bring on premature nervous instability and physical degeneration. Sleep is self-regulating. If we are normal otherwise we need give the subject no thought except to select a regular time to go to bed and get up promptly in the morning upon awaking. It is easy to drive away sleep. Those who wish to enjoy this sweet restorer at its best must be regular. CHAPTER XXV. FASTING. Fasting is one of the oldest of remedial measures known to man, not only for the ills of the body, but for those of the soul. Oriental lore and literature make frequent reference to fasts. From the Bible we learn that Moses, Elijah and Christ each fasted forty days, and no bad effects are recorded. Addison knew the value of fasting and temperance. He wrote that, "Abstinence well-timed often kills a sickness in embryo and destroys the seeds of a disease." Unfortunately, he did not live as well as he knew how. Hence his brilliant mind had but a short time in which to work and the world is the loser. Our own great philosopher, Benjamin Franklin, had the same knowledge, for he wrote, "Against disease known, the strongest fence is the defensive virtue, abstinence." There is much prejudice against fasting, because people do not understand what fasting is and what it accomplishes. Fasting is not starving. To fast is to go without food when the body is in such condition that food can not be properly digested and assimilated. To starve is to go without food when the body is in condition to digest and assimilate food and needs nourishment. It is quite generally believed that if food is withheld for six or seven days the result will be fatal. Under proper conditions one can go without food for two or three months. Perhaps most people could not do without food for the latter period, but fasts of that duration are on record. Fat people can live on their tissues for a long time before they are reduced to normal weight, and slender ones can live on water for an extended period. Prolonged fasts should not be taken unless necessary, and then they should be taken under the guidance of someone who has had experience and is possessed of common sense. If a person is fearful or surrounded by others who instill fear into him, he should not take a prolonged fast. The gravest danger during the fast is fear. It takes many weeks to die from lack of food, but fear is capable of killing in a few days, or even in a few hours. The healer who undertakes to direct fasts against the wishes of the patient's friends and relatives, who have more influence than he has, injures himself professionally and throws doubt upon the valuable therapeutic measure he advocates. The indications that a fast is needed are pain and fever and acute attacks of all kinds of diseases. Some of the more common diseases that call for a complete cessation of eating are: The acute stage of pneumonia, appendicitis, typhoid fever, neuralgia, sciatica, peritonitis, cold, tonsilitis, whooping cough, croup, scarlet fever, smallpox and all other eruptive diseases; colics of kidneys, liver or bowels; all acute alimentary tract disturbances, whether of the stomach or of the bowels. Sometimes it is necessary to fast in chronic diseases, especially when there is pain, but as a rule chronic diseases yield to proper hygienic and dietetic treatment without a fast, provided they are curable. Here is where many people who advocate fasting go to extremes. A fast is the quickest way out of the trouble, but it is at times very unpleasant. By taking longer time the result can be obtained by proper living and the patient is being educated while he is recovering. In chronic cases it is especially important to eat properly. The only disease of which I know that seems to be unfavorably influenced by fasting is pulmonary tuberculosis in well advanced stages. Such patients quickly lose weight and strength on a fast, and they have great difficulty in regaining either. Perhaps others have had different experiences and have made observations that do not agree with this, for cases of tuberculosis have been reported cured through fasting. It is well to bear in mind that every case that is diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis is not tuberculosis. Many supposed-to-be cases of tuberculosis, some of them so diagnosed by most reputable specialists, are nothing more than lung irritation due to the absorption of gas and acid from the digestive tract. When the indigestion is cured, the so-called tuberculosis disappears. These are the only tubercular cases that I have seen benefited by fasts, and the improvement is both quick and sure. Doubtless tuberculosis in the first stages could be cured by fasting, followed by proper hygienic and dietetic care, for at first tuberculosis is a localized symptom of disordered nutrition. In this stage the disease is no more dangerous than many other maladies that are not considered fatal. The subjects brought to the dissecting table show plainly that a large proportion of them have at some time had pulmonary tuberculosis, the lesions of which were healed, and they afterwards died of some other affliction. However, if a patient is received after the manifestation of profuse night sweats, great flushing of the cheeks, high fever daily, emaciation, expulsion of much mucus from the lungs, and the presence of great lassitude and weakness, the rule is that the nutrition is so badly impaired that nothing will bring the patient back to normal. Under such circumstances fasting hastens death. The family and friends are not reticent about placing the blame on the healer. Moderate feeding will prolong life and add to the comfort of the sufferer. The customary overfeeding hastens the end. Cancer is said to be cured by fasting, but this is very, very doubtful. It is often difficult to differentiate between cancer and benignant tumors at first. Benignant tumors frequently disappear on a limited diet. I have seen many tumors disappear under rational treatment, without resorting to the knife, but I have never seen an undoubted case of cancer do so, though some of the tumors in question had been diagnosed cancer. Cancers, in the advanced stages, end in the death of the patient in spite of any kind of treatment. By being very careful about the diet, cancer patients can escape nearly all the pain and discomfort that generally accompany this disease. Moderation would prevent nearly every case of cancer, and especially moderation in meat eating. It is a disease that should be prevented, for its cure is very doubtful. Colds leave in a few days, with no bad after effects, if no food is taken. Typhoid fever treated rationally from the start generally disappears in from one week to twelve days if nothing but water is given, and fails to develop the severity that it attains under the giving of foods and drugs. There are no complications. Appendicitis is of longer duration, if it is a severe attack, lasting from two to four weeks, but after the first few days the patient is comfortable, under a no-food, let-alone treatment. Operation is not necessary. In cases of gall-stones, accompanied by jaundice and colic, it is not necessary to operate. Fasting and bathing will bring the body back to normal in a short time. In such cases it is necessary to give the baths as hot as they can be borne, and prolong them until the body is relaxed. It would be easy to enumerate many diseases, telling the benefits to be derived from fasting, but these point the way and are sufficient. The one unfailing symptom of a fast is the loss of weight. This loss is natural and there is nothing alarming about it. As soon as eating is resumed the loss of weight stops. For a while the weight may then remain stationary, but the gain is generally prompt. In time the weight will become normal again. According to Chosat, the loss sustained by the various tissues in starvation is as follows: Fat..................... 93 per cent. Blood................... 75 " Spleen.................. 71 " Pancreas................ 64 " Liver................... 52 " Muscles................. 43 " Nervous tissues.......... 2 " This table was made from animal experimentation, but agrees very well with other observations, except in the loss of blood, which others have found to be less than 20 per cent. It will be noticed that the highest tissue, nervous tissue, is hardly affected, but the lowest tissue, fat, almost disappears. When an individual needs to fast, his body is suffering from the ingestion of too much food and poor elimination. He overworks his nutrition and overdraws on his nervous energies so much in other lines that the body is unable to throw off the debris which should leave by way of the kidneys, the bowels, the skin and the lungs. He is poisoned by his retained excretions, suffering from what is called autointoxication or self-poisoning. He is filthy internally and needs a cleaning. If he has abused himself so that he lacks the power to assimilate food and throw off waste at the same time, obviously it is proper to stop eating until the lost power is regained. In cases of fever it is a physical crime to eat, for the glands cease secreting the normal juices. The mouth becomes parched for lack of saliva, and the gastric and intestinal juices are not secreted in proper amount or quality. Food eaten under such circumstances is not digested. The internal temperature in fever is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it does not take long for food to decay in such temperature, especially such aliments as milk and broth, which are the favorite foods for fever patients. These alimentary substances are excellent for growing nearly all the germs that are found in the body in disease. When in pain, it is harmful to eat, for the secretions are then perverted and digestion is interfered with. All violent emotions, such as hatred, jealousy, and anger, mean that no food should be taken until the body has had the opportunity to relax and regain some of its tone. Such emotions do not thrive so well in healthy individuals as among the sick, but then perfect health is a rarity. When going without food people are subject to various symptoms, which depend as much on the temperament as on the physical conditions. A hysterical woman can scare inexperienced attendants into doing her will by her antics. She may make them believe that she is dying. On the other hand, well balanced, fearless people can fast for weeks with very little annoyance. Fasting is not always pleasant and there are a number of symptoms that are often present. The faster loses weight, at first often as much as two pounds a day. This is mostly water. After the first ten days the loss may be but one-half of a pound, or less, per day. The loss of weight is greatest in heavy people and in those who have high fevers. The tongue becomes badly coated, and the breath foul, showing that the mucous membrane is busy throwing out waste. The tongue remains coated until the system is clean, and then it clears off. Most people feel weak when they attempt to walk or work, but they feel strong when resting. Others, who are badly food-poisoned, gain strength as the system eliminates the harmful substances from the body. For a day or two the craving for food may be quite insistent and persistent. Then hunger generally leaves and does not return until the tongue is clean. The mind becomes clearer as the body becomes cleaner. This benefit to the spirit, or the soul, has been recognized by religious organizations for centuries. A little discharge of blood from the bowels at first should cause no alarm. In some cases a great deal of yellow mucus is thrown into the lower bowel. The liver at times throws off so much bile that it makes the patient alarmed. This should cause no uneasiness. When the bile is forced upward into the stomach it is very disagreeable. The discharges from the bowels are often very dark. There is a tendency toward chilliness, especially to have cold hands and feet. Skin eruptions and heart palpitations are occasional symptoms. Nervous, irritable and fearful people have symptoms too numerous to mention. The more they are sympathized with the worse they become. Many medical men have misinterpreted the symptoms of the fast, and hence they have condemned the procedure. They see the foul coating on the tongue, the loss of weight and at times peculiar mental manifestations. They can smell the foul breath and the disagreeable odor from the skin and from the bowel discharges. These they interpret as signs of physical deterioration and degeneration. These manifestations indicate that the entire body is cleansing itself, throwing out impurities that have accumulated, because the system has had so much work to do that it has lacked the power to be self-cleansing. Nothing is needed to prove this fact except to continue the fast until the odors disappear and the tongue becomes clean. The bad odors given off by the body resemble the odors in severe fevers with much wasting, and hence they alarm those who have had little or no experience with protracted fasts. These odors are often bad at the end of about one week of fasting, though there is no fixed period for their appearance. They should cause no alarm for they simply indicate that the body is cleansing itself, and that is exactly what is desired. Under proper conditions I have neither seen nor heard of a fatality coming from a short fast. Those who are in such physical shape that they will die if fasted from five to ten days would die if they were fed. Another symptom that may alarm the attendant is the lowered blood pressure. This is natural and should cause no anxiety. Eating and drinking keep the blood pressure up. When the food intake is decreased, the blood pressure is reduced. When the food intake is stopped, the blood pressure is still further reduced. This fact should give the intelligent healer the hint to reduce the food intake in such abnormal conditions as arteriosclerosis and apoplexy. During prolonged fasts the blood pressure generally becomes quite low. Some fasting people can continue with light work, and when they are able to do this, it is best, for it keeps them from thinking about themselves all the time. If there is a lack of energy, dispense with work and vigorous exercise. In acute diseases there is no choice. One is compelled to cease laboring. In chronic diseases it depends on the patient and the adviser. Dismiss fear from the mind and do not discuss the fast or any of the symptoms with anyone except the adviser. It is best not to tell any outsiders about the fast, for the public has some queer ideas on the subject. If you are afraid, or if you have to fight with neighbors, friends, relatives, or perhaps with the health authorities, as sometimes happens, it is better not to take the fast. Drink all the water desired. At first the more one drinks the more quickly the system cleanses itself. A glass of water every hour during the day, or even every half hour is all right. The water may be warm or cold, but it should not be ice-cold nor should it be hot. Both extremes produce irritation. In acute inflammation of the stomach, nothing should be given by mouth. Small quantities of water may be given by rectum every two or three hours. In appendicitis only very small quantities of water are to be given by mouth at first, until the acute symptoms have subsided. Large quantities of fluid may excite violent peristalsis with resulting pain. In all eases of nausea, give nothing by mouth, not even water, until the nausea is gone. Symptoms are nature's sign language, and when properly interpreted they tell us what to do and what not to do. Even though there be no thirst or desire for water, some should be taken. If it can be taken by mouth give at least a glassful every two hours, not necessarily all at once. Some are so sensitive that one-half of a glass of water is all they can tolerate. If the stomach objects to water, give it by rectum. Always do this in cases of much nausea. After a few days the water intake may be reduced. Take a quick sponge bath every day and if there is any inclination toward chilliness, the water should be tepid or warm. Follow with a few minutes of dry towel friction. People who are overweight, with good heart and kidney action, can take prolonged hot baths, if they wish. An olive oil rub immediately after the bath, about twice a week, is grateful. However, this is not necessary. The colon is to be washed out every day. No definite amount of water can be prescribed. Occasionally enemas are taken under difficulties, for some cramp when water is introduced into the bowel. Those who are not accustomed to enemas should use water about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. One quart is a small enema. Two quarts make a fairly large one. Introduce the water, lie still for a few minutes and then allow it to pass out. If the bowels are very foul, use two or three washings. If there is much fermentation, use some soda in the water. Salt, about a tablespoonful to two quarts of water, stimulates the bowels, but its disadvantage is that it draws water from the intestinal walls, thus robbing the blood of a part of its fluid. The same is true of glycerin. Perhaps the least harmful ingredient that can be put into the water to stimulate action is enough pure castile soap to render the water opaque. The soap, however, has a tendency to wash away too much of the mucus which lubricates the bowel. On the whole, nothing is better than plain water. If it gives good results use nothing else. Those who are very sensitive and weak often find that the expulsion of water from the bowel not only further weakens them, but causes pain. In such cases Dr. Hazzard recommends a rectal tube (not a colon tube), which is very good, for it allows the emptying of the bowel without any cramping. The tube is to be inserted about six inches. To take the enema, assume either the knee-chest position (kneeling with the shoulders close to the floor) or lie on the right side with the hips elevated. These positions allow water to flow into colon by aid of gravity. When it is necessary to supply liquid to the body by rectum, simply introduce a pint or less of plain water, moderately warm. Repeat as often as necessary to keep away thirst, which will rarely be more than every three hours. Keep the body warm at all times. If it is difficult to keep warm, go to bed and use enough covers, having the windows open enough to supply fresh air. At night use artificial heat in the foot of the bed. If hot-water bottles, warm bricks or stones are used, they should be quite large; otherwise they become cold by two or three o'clock in the morning, when heat is most needed. If a large receptacle, such as a jug, is used to keep the water in, the bed clothes are lifted off the patient's feet, and this is often a great relief. No special food is suited to break all fasts on. It is necessary to begin with plain food in moderation. Overeating or eating of indigestible food at this time may result in sickness and even in death. If the faster lacks self-control, the food should be brought to him in proper quantities by the attendant. If the fast has lasted but two or three days, no special precautions are necessary, except that the first few meals should be smaller than usual. As indiscretions in eating compel nearly all fasts it is necessary to do a little better than previously, or the fast must be repeated. It is best to live so that fasts are not necessary. If the fast has been prolonged it is best to begin feeding liquid foods. What shall we feed? That depends on the patient and circumstances. The juice of the concord grape is not good for it ferments too easily. Many of those who are compelled to fast or else die have been so food-poisoned, and their digestive organs have been in such horrible condition for years that they have been unable to eat acid fruits. This is especially true of those who consume large quantities of starch. Sometimes they are unable to eat fruit for a while after the fast. At other times the irritability of the digestive organs disappears while food is withheld. For such people broths and milk may be employed. The juice of oranges, pineapples, California grapes, cherries, blackberries or tomatoes may be given. The tomatoes may be made into broth and strained, but nothing is to be added to this broth except salt. Stout people should do well on fruit juices. They are not to be so highly recommended for very thin, nervous people, for fruit juices are both thinning and cooling. Milk is very useful, and may be given either sweet or clabbered or in the form of buttermilk. Thin, nervous people can safely be given broths, preferably of lamb, mutton or chicken. Trim away all the fat, grind up the lean meat, and allow it to simmer (not boil) until all the juices are extracted from the meat. Strain and put away to cool. When cold, skim off the fat. Then warm the broth and serve. This broth is not to be seasoned while it is being cooked, but a little salt may be added when it is ready to serve. To one pound of lean meat there should be about one quart of broth. A teacupful to begin with is enough for a meal, and it is often necessary to give less than this. The gravest mistake is to be in a hurry about returning to full meals. The remarks about moderate feeding also apply to milk and fruit juices. Ordinarily, fasts are not broken on starchy foods, but this may be done at times to advantage, especially in cases that have been accustomed to large quantities of starch and but little of the fresh raw foods. The starch must, however, be in an easily digestible state and should be in the form of a very thin gruel made of oatmeal or whole wheatmeal. It should be cooked four to six hours and dressed with nothing but a little salt. A few can break the fast on a full meal without any bad results, but most people can not do it without suffering and the results may be fatal. So it is a safe rule to break the fast on simple liquid food, taken in moderation. Four or five days after breaking the fast, one should be able to eat the ordinary foods. The following is a suggestion of the manner in which to feed immediately after a fast of about two weeks: First day: Tomato broth once; mutton broth twice. Second day: Breakfast, orange juice. Lunch, buttermilk. Dinner, sliced tomatoes. Third day: Breakfast, buttermilk. Lunch, salad of lettuce and tomatoes, dressed with salt. Dinner, poached egg, celery. Fourth day: Breakfast, baked apple and milk. Lunch, toasted bread and butter. Dinner, lamb chops, stewed green peas, celery. If a meal causes distress, omit the next one and continue omitting meals until comfort and ease have returned. If the digestion is very weak, or if the illness has been protracted, do not feed solids as soon as recommended above. In all cases it is necessary to exercise self-control, moderation and common sense. The meals must be moderate. Gradually increase until the amount of food taken is sufficient to do the necessary bodily rebuilding. The longer the fast, the more care should be exercised in the beginning. It is no time to experiment. If the fast is to be of permanent benefit it is necessary to learn how to eat properly afterwards, and to put this knowledge into practice. This is the most important part to emphasize, yet all the books I have read on the subject have failed to pay any attention to it. In nearly every case the fast is necessary because of repeated mistakes in eating and drinking. Those mistakes built bodily ills in the first place and if the faster goes back to them they will do it again. The disease does not always take on the same type as it did in the first place, but it is the same old disease. During a fast there is recuperation because the body has a chance to become clean, and a clean body can not long remain unbalanced, provided there are no organic faults. By making mistakes in eating after the fast is over, the body again becomes foul and full of debris and that means more disease. Perhaps it may not require more than one-third as much abuse to cause a second break-down as it did to bring about the first one. Some people fast repeatedly, and are somewhat proud of it. They should be ashamed of the fact that they must fast time after time, for it shows either ignorance or a weak, undeveloped will power. The fast should teach every intelligent being that it is an emergency measure, and emergencies are but seldom encountered in a well regulated life. Food debauches following fasts should be avoided. A little will power properly applied will prevent them. Gross eating may compel another fast. We must eat and it is better to eat so that we can take sustenance regularly than to be compelled to go without food at various intervals. He who is moderate in his eating, uses a fair degree of intelligence in the selection of his food, is temperate in other ways and considerate and kind in his dealings with others will not be ill. A fast is efficacious in clearing up a brain that is unable to work well because it is bathed in unclean blood. It is remarkable how well the brain works when the stomach is not overworked. Overfeeding the body causes underfeeding of the brain. On a correct diet the brain is efficient and clear and able to bear sustained burdens. There is no question but that a fast, followed by a light diet, containing less of the heavily starchy and proteid foods and more of the succulent vegetables and fresh fruits, with their cleansing juices and health-imparting salts, would result in the recovery of over one-half of the insane. Most of them are suffering functionally and here the outlook is very hopeful. Christ cured a lunatic "by prayer and fasting." Proper feeding would work wonders in prisons. It would also be very beneficial for wayward girls and young men who are passion's slaves. St. Peter recommended fasting as an aid to morality, which is another evidence of the profundity of his wisdom. How long should a fast last? Until its object has been accomplished. It is rarely necessary to fast a month, but sometimes it is advisable to continue the fast for forty days, or even longer. If the fast is taken on account of pain, continue until the pain is gone. If for fever, until there is no more fever. In chronic cases it is not always necessary to continue the fast until the tongue is clean. When the patient is free from pain and fever and comfortable in every way, start feeding lightly. People who are thin and have sluggish nutrition, one symptom of which is dirty-gray mucous membrane in mouth and throat, should not be fasted any longer than it is absolutely necessary, for they generally react slowly and poorly. If people would miss a meal or two or three as soon as they begin to feel bad, no long fasts would be necessary, because when the system first begins to be deranged it very quickly rights itself when food is withheld. It is impossible for a serious disease to develop in a fasting person, unless he is in an exceptionally bad physical condition at the beginning of the fast, for when food is withheld there is nothing for disease to feed upon. No new disease can originate during a fast. Fasts often bring people back to health, who can not recover through any other means known to man, unless it be eating almost nothing--a semi-fast. Occasionally a patient dies while on a long fast or immediately thereafter, but please remember that millions die prematurely on this earth every year who never missed their meals for one day. Also remember that those who go on prolonged fasts are generally "hopeless cases," who have been given up to die by medical men. People who fast generally become comfortable, so why envy a few men and women an easy departure when they are no longer able to live, and why heap undeserved censure on those who are doing their best to ease the sufferers by means of our most valuable therapeutic measure, fasting? There is much prejudice against fasting, but a calm study of the facts will remove this. Typhoid fever, conventionally treated, often proves fatal in 15 per cent. or more of the cases and those who survive have to undergo a long, uncomfortable illness which often leaves them so weakened and with such degenerated bodies that the end is frequently a matter of a few months or years. Pneumonia and tuberculosis find a favorable place to develop and in these cases prove very fatal. On the other hand, cases of typhoid treated by the fast, and the other hygienic measures necessary, recover in a short time, there are no evil sequels and the body is in better condition than it was before the onset of the disease. I have never seen a fatality in a properly treated case, and the mortality is conspicuous by its absence. It is the same in curable chronic diseases. Where feeding and medicating add to the ills, fasting with proper living afterwards brings health. It is also well to remember that where one individual dies while fasting (not from the effects of fasting, but from the disease for which the fast was begun), perhaps one hundred thousand starve because they have too much to eat. Silly as this may sound, it is the truth, and this is s the explanation: Overfeeding causes digestive troubles and a breakdown of the assimilative and excretory processes. The more food that is taken while this condition exists the less nourishment is extracted from it. The food ferments pathologically, instead of physiologically, and poisons the body. The more that is eaten under the circumstances, the worse is the poisoning and at last the tired body wearily gives up the fight for existence, perhaps after a long chronic ailment has been suffered, or perhaps during the attack of an acute disease. The chief cause of death is too much food. Avicena, the great Arabian physician, treated by means of prolonged fasts. For the benefit of those who fear the effects of fasts of a few days' duration a few quotations are given from various sources: "My next marked case is a wonderful illustration of the self-feeding power of the brain to meet an emergency, and a revelation, also, of the possible limitations of the starvation period. This was the case of a frail, spare boy of four years, whose stomach was so disorganized by a drink of solution of caustic potash that not even a swallow of water could be retained. He died on the seventy-fifth day of his fast, with the mind clear to the last hour, and with apparently nothing of the body left but bones, ligaments, and a thin skin; and yet the brain had lost neither weight nor functional clearness. "In another city a similar accident happened to a child of about the same age, in whom it took three months for the brain to exhaust entirely the available body-food."--Dr. E. H. Dewey. This shows the groundlessness of the fear parents have of allowing their children to fast when necessary. It is beneficial for even the babies who need it. In the cases quoted above the conditions were very unfavorable, for the children were suffering from the effects of lye burns, yet they lived without food seventy-five and ninety days, respectively. If necessary, deprive the children of food, and keep them warm. Then comfort yourself with the fact that they are being treated humanely and efficiently. Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard, in the latest edition of her book, Fasting for the Cure of Disease, states that she has treated almost two thousand five hundred people by this method, the fasts varying in duration from eight to seventy five days, many of them being over a month. Sixteen of her patients have died while fasting and two on a light diet. This is far from being a mortality of 1 per cent. When the fact is taken into consideration that the people she treated were of the class for whom the average medical man can do nothing the mortality is surprisingly small. However, she has lost a few, and as she is a fighter for her beliefs the prejudice against her and her method of treating disease have proved strong enough to cause her to be imprisoned. Dr. Hazzard has perhaps the widest experience with fasting of any mortal, living or dead. Her book is well worth reading. Upton Sinclair has also written a book on this subject, entitled the Fasting Cure. He writes from the viewpoint of an intelligent layman whose observations are not very extensive. The book contains many good ideas. This is from page fifty-seven: "The longest fast of which I had heard when my article was written was seventy eight days; but that record has since been broken, by a man named Richard Fausel. Mr. Fausel, who keeps a hotel somewhere in North Dakota, had presumably partaken too generously of the good cheer intended for his guests, for he found himself at the inconvenient weight of three hundred and eighty-five pounds. He went to a sanatorium in Battle Creek and there fasted for forty days (if my recollection serves me), and by dint of vigorous exercise meanwhile, he got rid of one hundred and thirty pounds. I think I never saw a funnier sight than Mr. Fausel at the conclusion of this fast, wearing the same pair of trousers that he had worn at the beginning of it. But the temptations of hotel-keepers are severe, and when he went back home, he found himself going up in weight again. This time he concluded to do the job thoroughly, and went to Macfadden's place in Chicago, and set out upon a fast of ninety days. That is a new record--though I sometimes wonder if it is quite fair to call it 'fasting' when a man is simply living upon an internal larder of fat." Bernarr Macfadden has also written considerable about fasting. C. C. Haskell is an advocate and director of such treatment. Many physicians employ this healing method. Some day the entire medical profession will realize the worth of fasting as a curative agent. As a reminder, please allow me to repeat: When reading and studying about the subject of fasting, do not think of it as a complete cure, for those who return to their improper mode of living will again build disease. After the fast, live right. The efficient body is clean internally. An unclean skin is bad. A foul alimentary tract is worse. But the worst of all is a foul condition of all the tissues, including the blood-stream, a condition in which much of the body's waste is stored up, instead of being excreted. If such a condition can not be remedied through moderation and simplicity in eating, the only thing that will prove of value is temporary abstinence. It would be an easy matter to enumerate many long fasts, such as that of Dr. Tanner, who proved to an astonished country that fasting for a month or more is not fatal, but on the contrary may be beneficial. Or we could cite cases like the fasts carried on by classes under the direction of Bernarr Macfadden. Or we could refer to the experiments of Professors Fisher and Chittenden of Yale. However, we will only look into one more case, that of Dr. I. J. Eales, whose fast created considerable interest several years ago. The doctor was too heavy, so he decided to take a fast to reduce his weight, also for scientific purposes. For thirty days he lived on nothing but water with an occasional glass of lemonade and one cup of coffee. At the end of thirty days he broke his fast on a glass of malted milk. The doctor worked hard during all this period, losing weight all the time, being thirty pounds lighter at the end of his fast than at the beginning. However, he did not lose strength, being able to do as much work and lift as heavy weights at the end of the fast as at the beginning. Anyone who is much over weight can with benefit do as the doctor did, for the body will use the stored up fat to produce heat and energy. This fast is fully detailed in Dr. Eales' book called Healthology. Fasting is the quickest way to produce internal cleanliness, which is health. When the system is clean the cravings, longings and appetites are not so strong as when the body is full of poisons. For this reason a fast is the best way to destroy the cravings for tobacco, coffee, tea, alcohol and other habit-forming drugs. If, after the fast is over, the individual lives moderately and simply, and is fully determined not to return to the use of these drugs, a permanent cure will be the reward. However, it is very easy to drift back into the old habits. A permanent cure requires that there be no compromise, no saying, "I shall do it this time, but never again." Once the old habit is resumed, it is almost certain to be continued. CHAPTER XXVI. ATTITUDE OF PARENT TOWARD CHILD. Healthy, happy children are the greatest of all rewards. All parents can have such children, and it is a duty they owe themselves, the children and the race. It is a most pleasant duty, for the returns are far greater than the cost. In order to have first-class children parents must be in good physical condition and be controlled mentally. Chaotic parents can not have orderly children. The young people learn quickly from their elders and they usually take after one of the parents. They intuitively learn what they can do and what they can not do and how to get their way while we consider them too young to have any understanding. Therefore it is important that their first impressions are correct. Begin to train the child in the way it should go from the day of birth. The first training will have to do with feeding and sleeping. These points are covered more fully in the next chapter. They are touched upon here to give them emphasis. Feed the child three times a day, but never wake it to be fed. If you give the three feeds, the child will soon become accustomed to them and wake when it is time. If the child squirms and frets, it may be uncomfortable from being overfed or it may be thirsty. Offer it water but not food. Let the child alone. Do not bounce it or carry it about. During the first few months the baby needs heat, nourishment and rest, and should have no excitement. It should not be treated as a plaything. After a few months it begins to take notice of things and then you can have much fun with it. The right kind of love consists in doing what is necessary for the infant and no more. Obedience to the reasonable requests of the parents is of the greatest importance in the successful raising of children. Parents should realize this even before the children are born. From the first, be firm, though gentle, with the little ones. Children should be so trained that when they are requested to do a thing, they do it immediately without any repetition. This will save both them and the parents many an unhappy hour. The lives of many parents and many children are made miserable from lack of a little parental firmness at the start. There are many little graces that are not vital, yet they are important, and these should be taught children early, for then they become second nature. Among these are good table manners. Ungainly table manners have no bearing on the health, but they give an unfavorable impression to others. We are partly judged by the presence or absence of such little graces. Training children is like training trees. A sapling can be made to grow in the desired way, but after a few years it will not respond to training. The period of infancy is plastic, and then is the time to plant the seeds in the child's mind and teach good habits. It is not difficult to train the children. If the parents are orderly and firm, instead of wavering, the children almost intuitively fall into line. Teach them to obey and they will later be able to command intelligently and considerately. The babies are helpless at first. This softens the hearts of the parents toward them until they become very indulgent. Indulging and pampering children are bad for them. Kindness consists in doing for them what is for their good, which is not always what they desire. If the children are properly trained at first, they need very little training later on. CHAPTER XXVII. CHILDREN. Statistics are generally very dry and uninteresting, but at times they take on a tragic interest, and the importance of the few submitted here is so great that they should command careful attention. The definite figures used are taken from the Mortality Statistics, United States Census, and they cover the year 1912, which is the last year for which we have definite information. Reliable mortality statistics are given only in a part of the country, which is not to our credit. The population is reported in the volume as 92,309,348. The registration area, which is the area giving mortality statistics, contains 53,843,896 people. In this area the total deaths are as follows: Under one year.............. 154,373 Under ten years............. 235,262 Taking it for granted that the infant and child mortality among the unregistered people is the same, we get the following number of deaths annually among children in the United States, in round numbers: Under one year.............. 280,000 Under ten years............. 425,000 This is a very conservative estimate and 300,000 is usually given as the number of deaths annually among babies under the age of one year. Even under ideal conditions a baby would occasionally die, but the deaths would be so rare that they would be the cause of surprised comment. Some become parents who have no right to be, and they bring children into the world who are not physically fit to survive, and these generally die within a few days or weeks of birth. However, these babies are but a small minority and at least ninety-nine out of a hundred should survive. Not one baby born physically fit would die if intelligently cared for, and the fact that each year we lose over one-fourth million infants under one year of age in the United States is an indictment of our lives and intelligence, and a challenge to better our ways. Every child that is brought into the world should be given an opportunity to live. This is far from the case today. Children are so handicapped that they are stunted in body and blunted in mind, if they survive. Suppose that every ten years an army of 4,250,000 men and women between the ages of twenty and thirty were destroyed at one time in this country! The indignation, sorrow and horror would be so great that a means would soon be found to end the periodic slaughter. But we allow this many children under ten to be destroyed every ten years. The slaughter of the innocents does not bring forth much protest, because we are so used to it, and the babies go one by one, all over the country. The procession to the grave gives rise to this thought: "The little one is better off. Now he will suffer no more. It is the will of Providence." This is a libel on Providence, for this enormous mortality is due to parental mistakes, mistakes made mostly through ignorance, but blamable all the same. It behooves parents to obtain knowledge that will prevent such costly and fatal errors. Nature's law is the same as man's rule in this that ignorance of the law excuses no one. The results are the same whether we err knowingly or ignorantly. It is difficult to teach people to treat their babies properly, because nearly all the information on the subject is so erroneous. When a teacher brings forth the truth but few accept it, for the vast majority are on the other side. Those parents who accept the truth find it difficult, to put it into practice, for every hand is against them. It takes more strength of character and moral courage than the average individual possesses to withstand the criticism of neighbors, friends, relatives and medical advisers. The few who have the courage of their convictions and the right knowledge reap a rich harvest. They have babies who are well. They see their children grow up with sound bodies and clear minds. They are saved much of the worry which is the lot of parents of children raised according to conventional standards. Last, but by no means least, they have the satisfaction of giving to the race individuals who are better than their parents or the grandparents. There is much opportunity for human improvement, and the improvement will take place automatically, if we do not prevent it by going contrary to nature. Healthy babies spring from normal, healthy parents. If they can have normal grandparents, so much the better, but inasmuch as we can not alter the past, let us give our attention to the present. If we take care of the present, the future will bring forth a population of healthy parents and grandparents, and then the babies will have full opportunity. The past has great influence, for the child of today is heir of the past, modified by the present. He who influences the present leaves his mark on the future. As individuals we do not usually accomplish much during a lifetime, but if we influence our time for the better it is hard to tell where the improvement will cease or what will be the aggregate result. A truth imparted to others acts much like a pebble cast into the water. Its influence is felt in ever widening circles. Infancy and youth are plastic. Both body and mind are susceptible to surrounding influences. If the heredity is unfavorable it can be largely modified by favorable environments. If a child is born of unhealthy parents, but without any serious defect, and is intelligently cared for after birth, it will grow up to be healthy. On the other hand, a child born of healthy parents that is improperly cared for will become ill and perhaps die young. In early years the habits are formed that will largely influence and control the years of maturity. Most children learn bad habits from birth. It is as easy to acquire good habits as bad ones, and as people are largely creatures of habits, every parent should aim to give his children a good start. Parents seldom do wrong intentionally, but they are careless and many of the parental habits of the race are bad, and for this the future generations must suffer. It is easier and more economical to have healthy babies than to have sickly ones. The healthy way is the simple way. It merely means self-control, common sense and constructive knowledge on the part of the parents. PRENATAL CARE. It is commonly believed that a pregnant woman must eat for two. The wise woman will not increase her food intake. If she is not up to par physically at the time of conception she will generally find it advantageous to decrease the food allowance. A healthy baby should not weigh to exceed six, or at most seven, pounds at birth. Five pounds would be better. It does not take much food to nourish an infant of that weight, and the baby does not weigh that much until shortly before birth. Most of the food is used for fuel but the amount of fuel required to heat a baby that is kept warm within the mother's body is almost negligible. One of the first and most important requisites for having healthy children is to avoid the eating-for-two fallacy. Most people overeat, anyway, and there should be no encouragement in this line. The results of overeating are many and serious. The mother grows too heavy or else she becomes dyspeptic. Overeating and partaking of food of poor quality are the chief causes of the ills of pregnancy. Prospective mothers can be comfortable. Pregnancy and childbirth are physiological. Normal women suffer very little inconvenience or pain. The suffering during pregnancy, the pain and accidents at childbirth are measures of the mother's abnormality. The greater the inconvenience the farther has the individual strayed from a natural life. The women who live normally from the time of conception, or before, until the birth of the baby will be surprised how little inconvenience there is. For ideal results the father must be kind, considerate and self-controlled. It is a disagreeable fact that many men are brutal and inconsiderate of wives and unborn children. The extent of this brutality can hardly be realized by those who have had no medical experience. Perhaps the women are partly to blame, for they do not teach their boys to be considerate and kind and they leave them in ignorance of subjects that are important and that can best be taught by parents. A pregnant woman should be mistress of her body. During this period the husband has morally no marital rights. If boys were educated by their parents on this subject they would be reasonable later on, and the average boy of fourteen or fifteen is old enough to receive such education. Gestation should be a period of calm. All excitement and passion are harmful. The mother should be as free from annoyance as possible. Cheerfulness should be the rule. Those who are not naturally cheerful should cultivate this desirable state of mind. Gruesome and horrible topics should not be discussed. The reading should not be along tragic lines. The study of nature and the philosophy of men who have found life sweet are among the helpful mental occupations. The mental attitude has its effect, not only on the mother, but on the unborn babe. That the seed for good or evil is often planted in the child's brain before birth, according to the mental and physical condition of the mother, can hardly be doubted. Mothers who live naturally can dismiss all worry on the subject of harm coming to themselves through maternity, for there will be none. The absence of worry has a good effect on both mother and child. The various ills from which mothers suffer are largely caused by eating for two. The overeating causes overweight in those whose nutrition is above par and indigestion in those who have but ordinary digestive capacity. Those who are overweight have too high blood pressure and those who have indigestion absorb some of the poisonous products of decomposition from the bowels. Headache is a common result. Palpitation of the heart comes from gas pressure. The abnormal blood pressure may result in albuminurea, swelling of the lower extremities and overweight of both mother and child. The morning sickness is nearly always due to excessive food intake. If this proves troublesome, reduce the amount of food and simplify the combinations. Instead of taking heavy, rich dishes, increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. The birth of a large baby is fraught with danger to mother and child. Sometimes one or both are injured and sometimes one or both die. Many women are afraid to become mothers for this reason. It would be difficult to estimate how often this fear causes law breaking, for all large cities have their medical men who grow rich through illegal practices among these women. Sometimes these doctors are among the respected members of the profession, eminent enough to have a national reputation. The financial reward is great enough to tempt men to break the law and they will continue to do so, so long as present conditions exist. It is important for the prospective mother to be moderate in her eating. Three meals a day are sufficient. Between meals nothing but water should be swallowed. Lunching always leads to overeating. One meal each day can consist of starchy food, but not more than one meal. Any one of the starches may be selected, the cereal products, rice, potatoes, chestnuts. If the digestion is good, take matured beans, peas or lentils occasionally, but these are so heavy that they should not be eaten very frequently and always in moderation. With the starchy food selected, take either butter or milk, or a moderate quantity of both. Sometimes it is all right to take some fruit with the starchy food, but this should be the exception, not the rule. Fruit should generally be eaten by itself or taken with non-starchy foods. Starch eating should be limited to one meal a day because an excessive amount of this food causes hardening of the tissues. The baby's bones, which should be very soft, flexible and yielding at birth, will become too hard if much starch is eaten. Once a day some kind of proteid food may be taken, but this should also be eaten in moderation, for if it is not, degenerative changes will take place, which will manifest in some one of the disorders common to pregnancy. Eggs and the lighter kinds of meats, or nuts or fresh fish may be selected. Whatever kind of protein is taken, it should be as fresh as possible. Pork should not be used. With the protein, have either fruit or vegetables, and it does not make much difference which. No one could ask for a better meal than good apples and pecans. Be sure to eat enough of the raw salad vegetables and of raw fruits to supply the salts needed by the body. For the third meal have fruit. Cottage cheese, sweet or clabbered milk or buttermilk may be taken with the fruit. Do not take milk twice a day, for if it is taken twice and other proteid food once a day, too much protein is ingested. A glass or two of buttermilk will make a good meal at any time. Dr. Waugh, who has had over forty years of experience and is well and favorably known on both sides of the Atlantic, recommends buttermilk very highly during pregnancy. Buttermilk and clabbered milk are better than the sweet milk. The lactic acid seems to have a sweetening effect on the alimentary tract. Sweet milk is constipating for many people. The buttermilk and the clabbered milk are not constipating to the same degree. The use of fruit and vegetables has a tendency to prevent constipation. The only internal remedies for which there is any excuse are cathartics, and normal people do not need them. However, it is better to take a mild cathartic or an enema than to allow the colon to become loaded with waste. Constipation among eaters of much meat is rather a serious condition, for the waste in the colon of heavy meat eaters is very poisonous. The colonic waste in vegetarians is not so toxic. Desserts should be used sparingly and seldom. They are not a necessity, but a habit, and if they are consumed daily they are a bad habit. For the sake of the unborn child, avoid all stimulants and narcotics. Alcoholics and coffee should not be used. And it is best to avoid strong spices and rich gravies. A little self-denial and self-control in this line will pay great dividends in healthy, happy, contented babies, and there are no greater blessings. The mother should be active, but should not take any violent exercise. Light work is good, but no mother should Be asked to do house-cleaning or to stand over the wash-tub. She should have the opportunity of being in the open every day, and of this opportunity she should avail herself. Why some women are ashamed of pregnancy is hard for normal-minded people to understand, for the praise of motherhood has been sung by the greatest poets and its glory depicted by the greatest painters of the world. This sense of false modesty is responsible for much of the tight lacing during pregnancy. This is injurious to both the mother and the child, and is one of the reasons for various uncomfortable sensations. It helps to bring on the morning sickness. It is nature's intention that the young should be free and comfortable previous to birth, and for this reason a double bag is supplied between the walls of which there is fluid. The baby lies within the inner bag. The tight lacing prevents the intended freedom, besides weakening the mother's muscles. It also aggravates any tendency there may be toward constipation and swelling of the legs. It prolongs childbirth and makes it more painful. This is too high a price to pay for false modesty and vanity. If it is necessary to support the abdomen and the breasts for the sake of comfort, this can be done without compressing them and the support should come from the shoulders. The skin should be given good attention, for an active skin helps to keep the blood pure and the circulation normal. Take a vigorous dry rubbing at least once a day, and twice a day would be better. A quick sponging off with cool water followed with vigorous dry rubbing is good, but the rubbing is of greater importance than the sponging. An olive oil rub is often soothing and may be taken as frequently as desired. If there is a tendency to be ill and nervous, take a good hot bath, staying in the water until there is a feeling of ease, even if it should take more than thirty minutes, provided the heart and the kidneys are working well. Defective heart and kidney action contraindicate prolonged hot baths, but such ills will not appear if the mother lives properly. Under such conditions missing a few meals can only have good results. When eating is resumed, partake of only enough food to nourish the body, for anything beyond that builds discomfort and disease. These hints, simple as they are, contain enough information to rob gestation and childbirth of their horrors, if they are intelligently observed. If civilized woman desires to be as painfree as the savage, she must lead the simple life. INFANCY. If the baby lives to be one year old, its chances of surviving are fairly good, but during the first year the mortality is appalling. Complete statistics are not available, but in places one-fifth or even one-fourth of the babies born perish during this time. The mortality is chiefly due to overfeeding and giving food of poor quality. The average parent loves his baby. He loves the helpless little thing to death. In Oscar Wilde's words, "We kill the thing we love." The babies are killed by too much love, which takes the form of overindulgence. About thirty years ago the well known physician, Charles B. Page, wrote: "How many healthy-born infants die before their first year is reached--babies that for months are mistakenly regarded as pictures of health--'never knew a sick day until they were attacked' with cholera infantum, scarletina, or something else. They are crammed with food, made gross with fat, and for a time are active and cunning, the delight of parents and friends--and then, after a season of constipation, a season of chronic vomiting, and a season of cholera infantum, the little emaciated skeletons are buried in the ground away from the sight of those who have literally loved them to death. This is the fate of one-third of all the children born. As a rule, babies are fed as an ignorant servant feeds the cook-stove--filling the fire-box so full, often, that the covers are raised, the stove smokes and gases at every hole, and the fire is either put out altogether, or, if there is combustion of the whole body of coals, the stove is rapidly burned out and destroyed. With baby, overheating means the fever that consumes him, and, in putting out the fire, too often the fire of life goes out also." Fat babies are thought to be healthy babies. This is a mistake, for the fatter the baby, the more liable it is to fill an early grave. Thoughtful, knowing people realize that a child that weighs eight pounds or more at birth is an indication of maternal law breaking. Both the mother and the child will have to pay for this sooner or later. Overweight is a handicap. It prevents complete internal cleansing and combustion, without which health is impossible. Because of the false ideas prevalent regarding weight of infants, it is well to put a little emphasis on the subject. If the mother has lived right during pregnancy, the child is often light at birth, sometimes five pounds or less. The average doctor will shake his head and say that the baby's chance to live is very small. The friends, neighbors and relatives will say the same. They are wrong. Let the parents remember that light children are not encumbered with fat, and rarely with disease. A light baby is generally all healthy baby, and if properly cared for and not overfed will thrive. Parents of such babies should be thankful, instead of being alarmed. It is not natural for babies to weigh nine or ten pounds at birth, and when they do it is a sign of maternal wrong doing, whether she has been cognizant of it or not. Babies should not be fat, nor should they be fat when they grow older, if the best results are desired. In babies it is better to strive for quality than for quantity. Every mother who is capable of doing so should nurse her baby. There is no food to take the place of the mother's milk. The babies build greater strength and resistance when they are fed naturally than when they are brought up on the bottle. Babies thrive wonderfully in an atmosphere of love, and they draw love from the mother's breast with every swallow. From the information available, which is not as complete and definite as could be desired, it appears that from six to thirteen bottle-babies die during the first year where only one breast-fed child perishes. The bottle-baby does not get a fair start. If a mother is ill and worn out she should not be asked to nurse the baby. If the mother has fever she should not risk the baby's health through nursing. Some mothers do not have enough milk to feed the baby. Nearly all who live properly give enough milk to nourish their infants at first. If there is not enough milk, the child should be allowed to take what there is in the breasts and this should be supplemented with cow's milk. Dr. Thomas F. Harrington said recently: "From 80 to 90 per cent. of all deaths from gastrointestinal disease among infants takes place in the artificially fed; or ten bottle-babies die to one which is breast-fed. In institutions it has been found that the death rate is frequently from 90 to 100 per cent. when babies are separated from their mothers. During the siege of Paris (1870-71) the women were compelled to nurse their own babies on account of the absence of cow's milk. Infant mortality under one year fell from 33 to 7 per cent. During the cotton famine of 1860 women were not at work in the mills. They nursed their babies and one-half of the infant mortality disappeared." These are remarkable facts and bring home at least two truths. First, they confirm the superiority of natural feeding over that of artificial feeding. Second, they show that when the mother is not overfed the infants are healthier. During the siege of Paris food was scarce in that city. People of all classes had to live quite frugally. They could not overeat as in the untroubled time of peace and prosperity, and the result was that both the mothers and the babies were healthier. The infant mortality was only a little over one-fifth of what it was previously. If the French people had heeded the lesson the statesmen and philosophers of that nation would not today have to worry about its almost stationary population. It would be much better if fewer children were born and those few were healthier. What good does the birth of the army of 425,000 children which perishes annually accomplish? It leaves the nation poorer in every way. A mother tired and worn with wakeful vigils, and at last left with an aching heart through the loss of her child, is not worth as much as she who has a crooning infant to love, and through her mother-love radiates kindness and good cheer to others. The conditions that weed out so many of our infants tend to weaken the survivors. It costs too much to bring children into the world to waste them so lavishly. This may sound peculiar, but it is enlightened selfishness, which is the highest good, for it brings blessings upon all. Artificial feeding lays the foundation for many troubles which may not manifest for several years. The bottle-fed babies are often plump, even fat, but they are not as strong as those who are fed naturally. They take all kinds of children's diseases very quickly. The glandular system, which is so readily disturbed in children, is more easily affected in bottle-fed babies. And so it comes about that they often have swollen salivary glands, or swelling of the glands of the neck or of the tonsils. Do not be in a hurry to feed the baby after birth. Nature has so arranged that the infant does not require immediate feeding. It is a good plan to wait at least twenty-four hours after birth before placing the baby at the breast, for then all the tumult and excitement have had a chance to subside. Many give the baby a cathartic within a few hours after birth. This is a mistake. Cathartics are irritants and it is a very poor beginning to abuse the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract immediately. This mucous membrane is delicate and in children the digestive apparatus is easily upset. Before birth there was no stomach or bowel digestion, all the nutritive processes taking place in the tissues of the little body. Gentle treatment is necessary to bring the best results. Cathartics with their harsh action on the delicate membranes are contraindicated. The mother's first milk is cathartic enough to stimulate the bowels to act, but it is nature's cathartic and does no harm. As a rule the baby is fed too often and too much from the time of birth. If the child appears healthy the physician's recommendation will probably be to feed every two hours day and night, or every two hours during the day and every three hours at night. If the little one appears weakly these feedings are increased in number. From ten to twenty-four feedings in twenty-four hours are not uncommon and sometimes infants are nursed or given the bottle two and even three times an hour. The excuse for this is that the baby's stomach is small and cannot hold much food at a time and must for this reason be filled often, for the baby has to grow, and the more food it gets the faster it grows. The baby's stomach is small, because the little one needs very little food. The human being grows and develops for twenty to twenty-five years. This growth is slow and during babyhood the amount of nourishment needed is not great. The child, if properly taken care of, is kept warm. Hence it needs but little fuel. The ideas on food needs are so exaggerated that it is hard for parents to realize what moderate amount of food will keep a baby well nourished. An adult in the best of health would be unable to stand such frequent food intake. He would be ill in a short time. Babies stand it no better, and the only proof of this fact needed is that in the United States at least 280,000 babies under one year of age perish annually. During babyhood nearly all troubles are nutritive ones. With the stomach and bowels in excellent condition baby defies all kinds of diseases, provided it is given the simple, commonsense attentions needed otherwise, such as being kept warm and clean in a well ventilated room. With a healthy alimentary canal, which comes with proper feeding, the little one can withstand the attack of the vast horde of germs which so trouble adult minds, also adult bodies, when people fail to give themselves proper care. The results of too frequent feeding and overfeeding are appalling. The first ill effect is digestive disturbance. Then one or more of the ills of childhood make their appearance. These are called diseases, but they are only symptoms of perverted nutrition, though we insist on giving them names. A healthy baby is one that is absolutely normal and well in every way. However, babies today pass for healthy when they are fat and suffering from all kinds of troubles, provided these ills can be tolerated. We need a new standard of health. Perfect health is a gift that every normal parent can bestow upon his children, and we should be satisfied with nothing short of this. Babies can and should be raised without illness, but, sad to relate, babies, who are always healthy are so rare that they are curiosities. Many babies show signs of maternal overfeeding within a few hours or days of birth. One of the common signs is the discharge from the nose. This is aggravated by overfeeding the infant. And thus is laid the foundation, perhaps, for a lifelong catarrh. In due time various diseases such as rickets, swollen glands, formerly called scrofulous, mumps, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, pimples, eczema and cholera infantum, make their appearance. Parents have been taught to look for these diseases. They have been told that they belong to childhood. This is a libel on nature, for she tends in the direction of health. The prevalent idea at present is that various germs, which are found in water, food, air and earth, are responsible for these diseases, but they are not. The fact that infants properly cared for do not develop one of them is proof enough that germs per se are unable to cause these ills. The germs play their part in most of these diseases, but it is a kindly part. They are scavengers, and attempt to rid the body of its debris and poisons. Through false reasoning they are blamed for causing disease, when in fact their multiplication is an effect. They are a by-product of disease. The so-called pathogenic bacteria never thrive in the baby's body until the infant has been overfed or fed on improper food long enough to break down its resistance. The improper feeding not only kills an army of babies each year, but it handicaps the survivors very seriously. The degenerated condition of the system leaves every child with some kind of weakness. The foundation may be laid for indigestion, catarrhal troubles, which may or may not be accompanied with adenoids and impeded breathing, glandular troubles, often precursors of tuberculosis, in fact children may be acquiring any disease during infancy from chronic catarrh to rheumatism. Mental ills are also results of senseless feeding. A healthy baby is happy. A sick baby is cross. Crossness and anger are mental perversions. Anger is temporary insanity. Enough overfeeding often results in mental perversity, epilepsy and even in real insanity. A healthy body gives a healthy mind. If people would care for their bodies properly, especially in the line of eating, the asylums for the insane would not be needed for their present purposes. Another serious trouble that takes root from infant overfeeding is an abnormal craving for stimulants. This craving may later on be satisfied in many ways. Some use coffee, alcohol, habit-forming drugs. Others try to satisfy it by overeating. No matter how the sufferer proceeds to satisfy this craving, he does not cure it, for it grows upon what it is fed. Morphine calls for more morphine. Tobacco calls for more tobacco. An oversupply of food calls for more food or alcohol. The victim at last dies a martyr to his abnormal appetites. Comparatively few of those who see the error of their ways have the will power to thrust off the shackles of habit. Very few think clearly enough and go far enough back to realize that disease and early death are so largely due to the habits formed for the infant or unborn babe by the parents. And the parents received the same kind of undesirable legacy from their parents, and so it goes, the children suffering for the sins of the parents. The cheerful part of such a retrospect is that there is much room for improvement, that we need not continue this seemingly unending chain of physical bondage to the next generation, and that if the children are not born right or treated right during infancy, there is still time to make a change for the better. Nature is kind and with will and determination a change can be made at any time that will result in betterment, provided such grave diseases have not taken hold of the body that recuperation is impossible. This is no excuse for making delays, for the longer errors are permitted the harder they are to overcome. Three or four feedings a day are sufficient for any baby. The feedings should be arranged so that they are evenly distributed during the day, and nothing is to be given at night except water. Get a nursing bottle or two. Keep the bottles and the nipples scrupulously clean. These are to be used as water bottles. The water must also be clean. Heat it to 103 or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, so that it will be from 98 to 100 degrees warm when it enters the baby's mouth Let the baby have some water three or four times during the day, and perhaps it will want some once or twice during the night, but give it no milk at night. Overfed babies are irritable and cry often. The mothers interpret this as a sign of hunger. Most babies do not know what hunger is. Like adults they become thirsty, but instead of getting water to quench their thirst they are given milk. This satisfies for a little while, then the irritability due to milk spoiled, in the alimentary tract causes more restlessness and crying, and they are fed again. The comedy of errors continues until it is turned into a tragedy. How much should the baby be fed at a time? When the parents are healthy and the baby is born right and then fed but three times a day, the food intake will regulate itself. The child will not usually want more than it should have of milk, supplemented with water. The best way to begin is to let the infant take what it desires. That is, let the nursing continue while the infant manifests great pleasure and zest. When the child begins to fool with the breast or bottle, the source of nourishment should be removed immediately. The child will increase its intake gradually. Some of the babies will take too much. The evil results will soon be evident, and then the mother must not compromise, but reduce the intake at once. The signs of over-consumption of food by the infants are the same as those shown by adults. They are discomfort and disease. The former manifests in crossness and irritability. The disease may be of any kind, ranging from a rash to a high fever. The baby's stomach is sensitive and resents the excessive amount of food supplied. So the infant often vomits curdled milk, and some times vomits before the milk has time to curdle. This is a form of self-protection. If the mother would heed this sign by withdrawing all food until the stomach is settled, substituting water in the meanwhile, and then reduce the baby's food to within digestive capacity, there would be no more trouble. Vomiting is the infant's way of saying, "Please do not feed me until my stomach becomes normal again, and then don't give me more than I need, and that is less than I have been getting." Remember that it is nature's sign language, which never misleads, and it is so plain that any one with ordinary understanding should get its meaning, in spite of the erroneous popular teachings. After the child has vomited, feed moderately and increase its food supply as its digestive ability increases. If the vomiting is wrongly interpreted and overfeeding is continued, either the baby dies or the stomach establishes a toleration, passing the trouble on to other parts of the body. One organ never suffers long alone. The circulation passes the disease on to other parts, assisted by the sympathetic nerves, which are present in all parts of the body. When the stomach has established its toleration, several things may happen, only a few of which will be discussed, for the process is essentially the same, though the results appear so different. In infants whose digestive power is not very strong the excessive amount of milk curdles, as does the part that is digested. The water of the milk is absorbed, but the curds pass into the colon without being digested and they are discharged in the stool as curds. They are partly decomposed on the journey through the alimentary canal, producing poisons, a part of which is absorbed. A part remains in the colon, making the bowel discharges very offensive. The passage of curds in the stool is a danger signal indicating overfeeding and should be heeded immediately. If it is not, the chances for a ease of cholera infantum, especially in warm weather, are great. Cholera infantum is due to overfeeding, or the use of inferior milk, or both. It is a form of milk poisoning, in which the bowels are very irritable. As a matter of self-protection they throw out a large quantity of serum, which soon depletes the system of the poor little sufferer, and death too often claims another young life. If cholera infantum makes its appearance the baby is given its best chance to live if feeding is stopped immediately, warm water given whenever desired, but not too large quantities at a time. Give no cathartics, for they irritate an already seriously disturbed mucous membrane, but give a small enema of blood-warm water once or twice a day. Keep the baby comfortable, seeing that the feet and abdomen are kept warm, but give plenty of fresh air. Medicines only aggravate a malady that is already serious enough. This disease is produced by abuse so grave that in spite of the best nursing, the baby often dies. It is easily prevented. Strong babies with great digestive power are often able to digest and assimilate enormous quantities of milk, several quarts a day. They can not use all this food. If they could their size would be enormous within a short time. They do not find it so easy to excrete the excess as to assimilate it. The skin, kidneys, lungs and the bowels find themselves overtaxed. Often the mucous membrane of the nose and throat are called upon to assist in the elimination. These are the babies who are said to catch cold easily. Their colds are not caught. They are fed to them. This constant abuse of the mucous membrane results in inflammation, subacute in nature, or it may be so mild that it is but an irritation. The result in time may be chronic catarrh or thickening of the mucous membrane of nose and throat. While the catarrh is being firmly established adenoids are quite common. In other cases too much of the work of excretion is thrown upon the skin. The same thing happens to this structure as happens to the mucous membrane. It is made for a limited amount of excretion and when more foreign matter, much of it of a very irritating nature, is deposited for elimination through the skin, it becomes inflamed. It itches. In a little while there is an attack of eczema. The baby scratches, digging its little nails in with a will. The infant soon has its face covered with sores and the scalp is scaly. The proper thing to do is to reduce the feeding greatly. Then the acid-producing fermentation in stomach and bowels will cease, but enough food to nourish the body will be absorbed, the skin will have but its normal work to perform, the cause of the irritation is gone and the effects will disappear in a short time. Two weeks are often sufficient to bring back the smooth, soft skin that every baby should have. The sufferers from these troubles are almost invariably overweight, and the parents wonder why their babies, who are so healthy, should be troubled thus! Mothers owe it to their nursing babies to lead wholesome, simple lives. It is not always possible to live ideally, but every mother can eat simply and control her temper. Wholesome food and equanimity will go far toward producing healthful nourishment for the child. Stimulants and narcotics should be avoided. Meat should not be eaten more than once a day, and it would be better to use less meat and more eggs or nuts. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be partaken of daily. They are the rejuvenators and purifiers. The cereal foods should be as near natural as possible. The bread should be made of whole wheat flour mostly. If rice is eaten it should be unpolished. Refined sugar should be taken in moderation, if at all. The potatoes are best baked. Pure milk is as good for the mother as it is for the child. Highly seasoned foods or rich made dishes should be avoided. In short, the mother should live as near naturally as possible. The importance of cheerfulness can hardly be overestimated. A nervous mother who frets or worries, or becomes mastered by any of the negative, depressing passions, poisons her babe a little with each drop of milk the child takes. Some mothers are unable to nurse their babies. This is so because of lack of knowledge principally, for women who give themselves proper care are nearly always able to furnish nourishment for their infants. It may be that this function will be largely lost if the present preponderance of artificial feeding continues, and if various inoculations are not stopped. Some mothers find it a great pleasure to nurse their babies. Others refuse to do so for fear of ruining their figures. No matter what the reason is for depriving the infant of its natural food, the parents should realize that its chances for health and life are diminished by this act. If intelligence and care are used in raising the bottle-fed babies only a few will die, in fact none will die under the circumstances, provided they were born with a normal amount of resistance. So it behooves parents of such babies to be extremely careful. That there are difficulties in the way, or rather inconveniences, can not be denied, but there are no insurmountable obstacles. The best common substitute for mother's milk is cow's milk. If clean and given in moderation it will agree with the child and produce no untoward results. Instead of using the same bottle all the time, there should be a number, so that there will be plenty of time to clean them. If three feeds are given each day, there should be six bottles. If four feeds are given, eight bottles. Use a set every other day. The bottles should be rinsed out after being used. Then boil them in water containing soda or a little lye, rinse in several waters and set them aside. If it is sunny, let them stand in the sun. Before using, rinse again in sterile water. The nipples should have equally good care. In feeding babies cleanliness comes before godliness. Each bottle is to be used for but one feeding, and as many bottles are to be prepared as there are to be feedings for the day. If the people live in the country it is easy to get pure milk. If in the city one should make arrangements with a reliable milk man possessed of a conscience. It is well to get the milk from a certain cow, instead of taking a mixture coming from many cows. Select a healthy animal that does not give very rich milk, such as the Holstein. She should have what green food she wants every day, grass in summer, and hay of the best quality and silage in winter. The grain ration should be moderate, for cows that are forced undergo quick degeneration. They are burned out. The cow should not be worried or whipped. She should be allowed to be happy, and animals are happy if they are treated properly. The water supply should be clean, not from one of the filthy tubs or troughs which disgrace some farms. The barn should be light and well ventilated. It should be kept clean and free from the ammonia fumes which are found in filthy stables. The cow should be brushed and the udder washed before each milking. The milker should wash his hands and have on clothes from which no impurities will fall. The first part of the milk drawn should not be put in with that which is to supply the baby. The milk should be drawn into a clean receptacle and immediately strained through sterile surgeon's cotton into glass bottles. These are to be put aside to cool, the contents not exposed to the dust falling from the air. Or the milk may be put directly into the nursing bottles and put aside in a cold place until needed. Then warm milk to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Pardon a little repetition: If possible let the child nurse. If there is not enough milk, let the baby take what there is and give cow's milk in addition. If it is impossible to feed the baby at the breast, get the milk from a healthy cow that is kept clean, well fed and well treated. The cow's milk should be prepared as follows: Take equal parts of milk and water. Or take two parts of milk and one part of water. Mix, and to this may be added sugar of milk in the proportion of one level teaspoonful to the quart. Before feeding raise the temperature of the milk to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit, so that it will be about 100 degrees when fed. It is best to do the warming in a water bath. Milk should not be kept long before being used. Limit the age to thirty-six hours after being drawn from the cow. Twenty-four hours would be better. The evening milk can safely be given to the infant the next day, if proper precautions have been taken. Ordinary milk is quite filthy and upon this babies do not thrive. Make an effort to get clean milk for the baby. The composition of human milk and cow's milk is about as follows: ==================================================================== Water Albumin Fat Sugar Salts -------------------------------------------------------------------- Human .......... 87.58 2.01 3.74 6.37 .30 Cow's .......... 87.27 3.39 3.68 4.97 .72 -------------------------------------------------------------------- The albumin in human milk is largely of a kind which is not coagulated by souring, while nearly all the albumin in cow's milk coagulates. The uncoagulated albumin is digested and taken up more easily by the baby's nutritive system than that which is coagulated. This is one of the reasons that babies do not thrive so well on cow's milk as on their natural food. The sugar of milk is not like refined sugar. Although it is not so easily dissolved in water, and therefore does not taste as sweet as refined sugar, it is better for the child. If sugar is added to the milk, milk sugar should be used. The druggists have it in powder form. The addition of barley water and lime to the baby's milk is folly. The various forms of modified milk do not give as good results as the addition of water and a little milk sugar, as previously described. If you believe in such modifications as the top milk method and the addition of starchy substances and lime water, I refer you to your family physician or text-books on infant feeding. It is difficult to improve on good cow's milk. It is well to remember that the human organism is very adaptable, even in infancy. The principal factors in infant feeding are cleanliness and moderation. Bottle-fed babies should be given fruit or vegetable juices, or both, very early and it would be well to give a little of these juices to breast-fed babies too. The latter do not require as much as the former. Begin during the first month with a teaspoonful of orange juice put into the drinking bottle once a day. Increase gradually until at four or five months the amount may be from one to two tablespoonfuls. Do not be afraid to give the orange juice because it is acid, for it splits up quickly in the stomach and is rearranged, forming alkaline salts. It is the fruit that can be obtained at nearly all seasons. It is best to get mild oranges and strain the juice. The fruit is to be in prime condition. Instead of orange juice, the juice of raw celery, spinach, cabbage, apples, blackberries and other juicy fruits and vegetables may be employed, but these juices must all come from fruits or vegetables that are in prime condition. No sugar is to be added to either the fruit or the vegetable juices. The mother's milk coagulates in small flakes, easily acted upon by the digestive juices, after which they are readily absorbed. Cow's milk coagulates into rather large pieces of albumin which are tough and therefore rather difficult to digest. This happens when the milk is taken rapidly and undiluted. However, when diluted and taken slowly this tendency is overcome to a great degree. For this reason it is best to get nipples with small perforations. Either pasteurization or sterilization of milk is almost universally recommended by medical men. Even those who do not believe in such procedures generally fail to condemn them without qualifying statements. For a discussion of this fallacy I refer you to the chapter on milk. Do not give the little ones any kinds of medicines. They always do harm and never any good. If any exception is made to this, it is in the line of laxatives or mild cathartics, such as small doses of castor oil, cascara segrada or mineral waters, but there is no excuse for giving metallic remedies, such as calomel. If the babies are fed in moderation on good foods they will not become constipated. If they are imprudently handled and become constipated it is necessary to resort to either the enema or some mild cathartic. Bear in mind that such remedies do not cure. They only relieve. The cure will come when the errors of life are corrected so that the body is able to perform its work without being obstructed. Inoculations and vaccinations are serious blunders, often fatal. The animal products that are rubbed or injected into the little body are poisonous. They are the result of degenerative changes--diseases--in the bodies of rabbits, horses, cows and other animals. Nature's law is that health must be deserved or earned. Health means cleanliness, so it really is absurd to force into the body these products of animal decay. Statistics can be given, showing how beneficial these agents are, but they are misleading. In the days of public and official belief in witchcraft it was not difficult to prove the undoubted existence of witches. Whatever the public accepts as true can with the utmost ease be bolstered up with figures. The use of serums, bacterins, vaccines and other products of the biologic laboratory is almost an obsession today. Their curative and preventive values are taken for granted. Most of the time the children are strong enough to throw off the poisons without showing prolonged or pronounced effects, but every once in a while a child is so poisoned that it takes months for it to regain health and too often death is the end. Sometimes the death takes place a few minutes after the injection, but we are informed that the medication had nothing to do with it. To poison the baby's blood deliberately is criminal. Give the little one a fair chance to live in health. A properly cared for baby will not be ill for one single day. Knowledge and good care will prevent sickness. A baby that is able to remain well a month or a week or a day can remain well every day. At first a normal baby sleeps nearly all the time, from twenty to twenty-two hours a day. The infant should not be disturbed. All that should be done for it is to feed it three times a day, give it some water from the bottle three or four times a day, and keep it clean, dry and warm, but not hot. Most babies are bathed daily. This is all right, but the baths are to be given quickly. The water should be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The soap should be of the mildest, such as a good grade of castile, and it should be well rinsed off, for soap permitted to remain in the pores acts as an irritant. Dry the skin so well with a soft cloth that there will be no chapping or roughness. Sores, eruptions and inflammations are signs of mismanagement. Use no powders that are metallic in character, such as zinc oxide. A dusting powder of finely ground talcum is good. If the child is kept dry and dean and moderately fed the skin will remain in good condition. Babies do not thrive without good air. Keep the room well ventilated at all times by admitting fresh air from a source that will produce no draughts. It is not necessary to have the baby's room warm. In fact a cool room is better. When the child is to be exposed to the air, take it into a warm room. Soft coverings will keep the infant warm. The limbs should be free so that exercise can be had through unrestricted movements. The baby should not be bothered unnecessarily. Young parents make the mistake of using the baby for show purposes. For the sake of politeness, others praise the "only baby in the world" unduly, though there are millions of others just as good. Let the child alone, thus giving it an opportunity to become as superior as the parents think it is. The showing off process creates excitement and lays the foundation for fretfulness, irritability and nervousness. The child thrives in a peaceful atmosphere. When it is awake it is well to talk to it quietly and soothingly, for thus the infant begins to learn its mother's tongue. Good language should be employed. Those who teach their children baby-talk are handicapping them, for they will soon have to unlearn this and learn real language. Baby-talk may be "cute" at eighteen months, but when children retain that mode of expression beyond the age of four or five it sounds silly. At about the age of nine or ten months the breast-fed babe should be weaned. Gradual weaning is perhaps the best. First give one feeding of cow's milk a day and two breast feeds; then two feedings of cow's milk and one at the breast, and at last cow's milk entirely. Between the ages of nine and twelve months begin giving starchy foods. At first the child will take very little, and gradually increase. Give bread so stale that the child has to soak it with its saliva before it can swallow the bread. Working away this way, sucking the stale bread, the child learns to go through the motions of chewing, and this is valuable training. Never give bread soaked in milk and never feed milk while bread is being eaten. If the meal is to be bread and milk, give the bread either before any milk is taken, or afterwards. Starches are not to be washed down with liquids. Instead of giving stale bread, zwieback may be used. Occasionally feed a few spoons of very thin and well cooked oatmeal or whole wheat gruel, but the less sloppy food given the better, for it does not get the proper mouth treatment. The wheat products fed the child should be made from whole wheat flour, or at least three-fourths whole wheat and only one-fourth of the white flour. The refined flour is lacking in the salts that the child needs for health and growth. Many mothers begin feeding starches when the baby is four or five months old. The child is given potatoes, bread or any other starchy food that may be on the table. This is a mistake, for the child is not prepared to digest starches at that early age. Some of the digestive ferments are practically absent during the first few months of life. Such feeding will invariably cause trouble. The baby should not be taken to the table. It is quite generally believed that a baby should cry to exercise its lungs. A healthy, comfortable baby will do little or no crying, and it is not necessary. It is not difficult to give the little ones some exercise to fill their lungs. Babies can hang on to a finger or a thin rod tenaciously. Elevate the infant that does not cry thus a few times above the bed and let it hang for a few seconds each time. This throws the chest forward and exercises the lungs. What is more, this small amount of gymnastic work is thoroughly enjoyed. It helps to build strength and good temper. The crying helps to make the baby ill-tempered and fretful. A little crying now and then is all right, but much indicates discomfort, disease or a spoiled child. It would surprise most mothers how good babies are when they have a chance to be good. After reading this, some are sure to ask how many ounces to feed the baby. I don't know. No one else knows. Different babies have different requirements. The key is given above. If the babies become ill it is nearly always due to overfeeding and poor food, so the proper thing to do is to reduce the food intake. A healthy baby is a source of unending joy, while a sick one saps the mother's vitality. It is too bad that the art of efficient child culture is so little known. CHILDHOOD. Children may roughly be divided into two types, the robust and the more delicate or nervous ones. The robust children can stand almost all kinds of abuse with no apparent harm resulting, but the immunity is only apparent. The growing child naturally throws off disease influences easily and quickly, but if the handicap is too great the child loses out in the race. The nervous type can not be abused with impunity, for the bodies of these delicately balanced children are easily disturbed. They must have more intelligent care than is usually bestowed upon the robust type. If the care is not forthcoming they become weak in body, with an unstable nervous system, or perish early. Some parents complain because other people's children can do what their own can not and they wonder why. No time should be wasted in making such comparisons, for no two children are exactly alike, as no two leaves and not even two such apparently similar objects as grains of wheat are exactly alike. Therefore the care necessary varies somewhat, though it is basically the same. If the nervous type is given proper care, good health will be the result. These children do not tolerate as much exposure or as much food as do the robust children. The important thing is to learn what they require and then see that there is no excess, and in this way allow the child to grow physically strong and mentally efficient. The delicate children are perhaps more fortunate than the stronger ones, for they learn early in life that they have limitations. If they commit excesses the results are so disagreeable that they soon learn to be prudent. This prudence serves as protection so long as life lasts. The robust children on the other hand soon learn that they are strong. They hear their parents boast about it. They get the idea that because they are strong they will always remain so, that nothing will do them any serious harm. By living up to this fallacy they undermine their constitutions. Parents should teach their children about the law of compensation as applied to health, that is, he has permanent health who deserves it, and no one else. The children will not always heed true teachings after they have left the parental influence, but the parents have at least done the best they could. The robust children have their troubles, such as chicken-pox, mumps, fevers and measles, but these are thrown off so quickly and with so little inconvenience that they are soon forgotten. As a rule the parents do not realize that these diseases are due to faulty nutrition, and that faulty nutrition is caused by improper feeding. It is generally believed that children must have all the so-called children's diseases. Some mothers expose their infants to all of these that may happen to be in the neighborhood, hoping that the children will take them and be through with them. Every time a child is sick it is a reflection on either the intelligence or the performance of the parents. It is natural for children to be perfectly well, and they will remain in that happy state if they are given the opportunity. If they are properly fed they will not take any of the children's diseases in spite of repeated exposure. There is not a disease germ known to medical science strong enough to establish itself in the system of an uninjured, healthy child and do damage. The child's health must first be impaired, through poor care, and then the so-called disease germs will find a hospitable dwelling place. If children are given natural food in normal quantities they are disease-proof. Feeding them on refined sugar and white flour products, pasteurized or sterilized milk, potatoes fried in grease pickled meats, and various other ruined foods breaks down their resistance and then they fall an easy prey to disease. Some parents make the mistake of believing that they can feed their children improperly and ward off disease by vaccinations or inoculations of the products of disease taken from various animals. This is contrary to reason, common sense and nature and it is impossible. Any individual who is continually abused in any way, be he infant or adult, will deteriorate. If the disease is not the one that has been feared, it will be some other one. The robust children generally develop into careless adults. That is why so many of them, in fact the vast majority, die before they are fifty years old, although they are equipped with constitutions that were intended to last over a century. They are shining marks for typhoid fever, Bright's disease, various forms of heart and liver troubles, rheumatism and pneumonia, all of which are largely caused by too hearty eating. These diseases often come without apparent warning. That is, the victims have thought themselves healthy. However, they have not known what real health is. They have been in a state of tolerable health, not suffering any very annoying aches or pains, but they have lacked the normal state of body which results in a clear, keen mind. As a rule there is enough indigestion present to cause gas in the bowels and a coated tongue. Enough food is generally eaten to produce excessive blood pressure. The foundation for such a state of affairs is laid in childhood, yes, often before the child is born. It can readily be seen how important it is for parents to impart a little sound health information to the children. At least, they should teach them what health really is, which many people do not know. When these strong people become sick it is often difficult, or even impossible, to do anything for them, for their habits are so gross and have gained such a mastery that the patients will not or can not change their ways. The weaklings have a better chance to survive to old age, because many of them learn to be careful early in life. In reading the lives of eminent men who have lived long it is common to find that they were never strong. At the age of one year the baby is generally weaned. The ordinary child needs the mother's milk no longer, for by this time the digestive power is great enough to cope with cow's milk and various starches. The most important problem now is how to feed the child. If no errors of importance are made it will enjoy uninterrupted growth and health. If the errors are many and serious there will surely be disease and too often the abuse is so great that death comes and ends the suffering. Until the child reaches the age of two years the best foods are milk, whole wheat products and fruits. No other foods are necessary. The simpler the baby's food, and the more naturally and plainly prepared, the better. Adults who overeat until they suffer from jaded appetites, may think that they need great variety of food, but it is never necessary for infants or normal adults. Milk, whole wheat and fruits contain all the elements needed for growth and strength and health. By all means feed simply. Children are perfectly satisfied with bread and milk or simply one kind of fruit at a meal, if they are properly trained. The craving for a great variety of foods at each meal is due to parental mismanagement. Children should not be fed more than three times a day. There should be no lunching. The children will get all that is good for them, all they need in three meals. Candy should not be given between meals, and fruit is to be looked upon as a food, not as a dainty to be consumed at all hours of the day. If they are not accustomed to lunching, there will be no craving for lunches. If children are used to four or five meals a day they want them and raise annoying objections when deprived of one or two of them. It is easy to get children into bad habits. We can not blame the average mother for giving her children lunches, for she knows no better and sees other mothers doing the same. The children who do not get lunches thrive better than those who always have candy, fruit or bread and jam at their command. It is the same with adults. In the Dakotas and Minnesota are many Scandinavians and Germans. During the haying and harvest these people, who are naturally very strong, eat four and five times a day. The heat, the excessive amount of food and the great quantities of coffee consumed cause much sickness during and after the season of hard work and heroic eating. The so-called Americans in these communities are generally satisfied with three meals a day, and they are as well nourished and capable of working as those who eat much more. Refined sugar made from cane and beets should be given to children sparingly. Refined sugar is the chemical which is largely responsible for the perversion of children's tastes. A normal taste is very desirable, for it protects the possessor. A perverted taste, on the contrary, leads him into trouble. Sugar is not a good food. It is an extract. It is easy to cultivate a desire for sugar, but to people who are not accustomed to it, concentrated sugar has an unpleasant taste. The perversion of the sense of taste, generally begun with sugar, is made worse by the use of much salt, pepper and various condiments and spices. If the child is fed on unnatural food, highly seasoned, at the age of a few years its taste is so perverted that it does not know how most of the common foods really taste, and refuses to eat the best of them when the health-destroying concoctions to which it has been accustomed can be had. It is natural for children to relish fruit, but some are so perverted in taste that they object to a meal of it if they can get pancakes or waffles with butter and syrup, mushes with sugar and cream, ham or bacon with fried potatoes, or fresh bread and meat with pickles. Many parents allow their children to live on this class of food to the exclusion of all natural foods. Children need a great deal of the natural salts, and when they live so largely on denatured foods there is always physical deterioration. It is true that to the average eye such children may appear healthy, but they are not in one-half as good physical condition as they could be. Tea and coffee should never be given to children. They are bad enough for adults. In children they retard bodily development. The stimulation and sedation are bad for the nervous system. Coffee is as harmful as tobacco for the growing child. To warn against alcohol may seem foolish, but some parents really give beer and whiskey to their infants. The beer is given as a beverage and the whiskey as medicine to kill pain and soothe the children. Those who have not seen children abused in this way may find it difficult to believe that there is such a profundity of ignorance. These children die easily. Others quiet their children with the various soothing syrups. The last analyses that came under my eyes showed that these remedies contained considerable opium, laudanum, morphine and other deadly poisons. Morphine and opium are not well borne by children and these "mother's friends" have soothed many a baby into the sleep from which there is no waking. Make it a rule to give the children no medicines, either patent or those prescribed by physicians. Please remember that any remedy that quiets a child is poisonous. Children who get proper care require no medical quieting. Condiments should not be used. Salt is not necessary despite the popular belief to the contrary, though a small amount does no harm. Salt eating is a habit and when carried to excess it is a bad one. Salt is a good preservative, but there is little excuse for our using preserved foods extensively. There are so many foods that can be had without being preserved in this country that it would not be difficult to exclude these inferior foods from the dietary. Children whose foods are not seasoned do not desire seasoning, provided they are fed on natural foods from the start. They want the seasoning because they are taught to eat their food that way. If they are given fresh fruit every day, such as apples, oranges, cherries, grapes and berries, they get all the seasoning they need and they get it in natural form. The objection is made that such feeding deprives children of many of the good things of life. This is not true. Natural foods taste better than the doctored ones every time. Nature imparts a flavor to food products which man has never been able to equal, to say nothing of surpassing it. Children are taught to like abnormal foods. What is better, to give children good foods upon which they thrive, or denatured foods which taste well to a perverted palate, but are injurious? Instead of giving sugar or candy, give raisins, figs, dates or sweet prunes. Small children may be given the strained juices of these fruits, obtained either by soaking the raw fruits several hours or by stewing them. Children who are given these fruits do not crave refined sugar. They like these natural sugars better than the artificial extract. These sweet fruits take the place of starchy food. Very few people know anything definite about food values. Those who have studied foods and their values in order to be able to feed children properly generally make the mistake of believing that they should have all the necessary elements at each meal in about the proper proportion. This is a grave mistake and leads to trouble. The child needs salts, protein, sugar and fat, and in the absence of sugar some starch. Milk contains all these substances except starch. Give one fruit meal and two meals of starch daily. Milk may be given with all the meals or it may be given but once or twice. Do not overfeed on milk, for it is a rich food. Until the child is two years old, confine it in its starch eating pretty much to the products of whole wheat. Give no white bread. White bread is an unsatisfying form of food. It is so tasteless and insipid and so deprived of the natural wheat salts that too much has to be eaten to satisfy. Children who would be satisfied with a reasonable amount of whole wheat bread eat more white bread and still do not feel satisfied. The same is true of rice, the natural brown rice being so superior to the polished article that there is no comparison. The bread should be toasted in the oven until it is crisp clear through, or else it should be stale. Let the bread for toast get stale, and then place it in the oven when this is cooling off. Make the slices moderately thin. This is an easy and satisfactory way of making toast. Scorched bread--what is usually called toast--is not fit food for young children. After the second year is completed gradually increase the variety of starch. Some of the better forms of starch that are easy to obtain are: Puffed rice or puffed wheat; brown, unpolished rice; triscuit or shredded wheat biscuit; the prepared corn and wheat flakes; baked potatoes; occasionally well cooked oatmeal or whole wheatmeal gruel. Mushes are to be given seldom or never. Children seldom chew them well, and they require thorough mastication. The rice is not to be sugared but after the child has had enough, milk may be given. A small amount of butter may be served with either rice or baked potato. The cereal foods should be eaten dry. Let the children masticate them, as they should, and as they will not if the starches are moistened with milk. When they have had sufficient of these starches, and but one kind is to be served at a meal, give milk, if milk is to be a part of the meal. To observe the suggestions here given for the manner of feeding starches to children may mean the difference between success and failure in raising them. It is the little things that are important in the care of children. The acid fruits should not be given in the meals containing starchy foods. Strong children who have plenty of opportunity to be in the fresh air and who are very active can stand this combination, but it is injurious to the nervous type. It is not a good thing to make such combinations habitually for robust children. A good meal can be made of fruit followed by milk. Do not slice the fruit, sprinkle it with sugar and cover it with cream. Give the child the fruit and nothing else. Neither oranges nor grapefruits are to be sugared. Their flavor is better without. If the children want sweets, give them a meal of sweet fruits. When the child is eighteen months old it should have learned to masticate well enough to eat various fruits. Apples, oranges, grapefruits, berries, cherries, grapes and melons are among the foods that may be given. If the child does not masticate well, either grind the fruit or scrape it very fine. The sweet fruits require so much mastication that only their juices should be fed until the child is old enough to masticate thoroughly. Bananas should also be withheld until there is no doubt about the mastication. They must be thoroughly ripe, the skin being dark in spots and the flesh firm and sweet. A green banana is very starchy, but a ripe one contains hardly any starch and digests easily. At first the meal is fruit, followed with milk. Buttermilk or clabbered milk may be substituted for sweet milk. A little later, begin giving cottage cheese occasionally in place of milk, if the child likes it. The succulent vegetables may be given quite early. At the age of two years stewed onions, green peas, cauliflower, egg plant and summer squash may be given. Gradually increase the variety until all the succulent vegetables are used. At first it may be necessary to mash these vegetables. The longer children go without meat the better, and if they never acquired the meat-eating habit it would be a blessing. If the parents believe in feeding their children meat, they should wait until the little ones are at least four years old before beginning. Meats are digestible enough, but too stimulating for young people. Chicken and other fowls may be used at first, and it is best to use young birds. Beef and pork should not be on the children's menu. At the age of seven or eight the variety may be increased. However, parents who wish to do the best by their children will give them little or no meat. Many of the sorrows that parents suffer through their wayward children would be done away with if the young people were fed on less stimulating foods. Eggs are better for children than meat. However, it is not necessary to give them. The children get enough milk to supply all the protein they need. Eggs may be given earlier than meat. At the age of two and one-half years an egg may be given occasionally. At three they may be given every other day, one egg at a meal. At five or six years of age, an egg may be given daily, but not more than one at a time. If they are soft boiled, three and one-half minutes will suffice. If hard boiled, cook them fifteen to twenty minutes. An egg boiled seven or eight minutes is not only hard but tough. Longer boiling makes the albumin mellow. Always prepare eggs simply without using grease. Eggs may be given in combination with either fruits or vegetables. Milk is not to be taken in the egg meal, for if such combinations are made the child gets more protein than necessary. Eggs are easy to digest and the chief objection to their free use in feeding children is that the protein intake will be too great, which causes disease. Nuts should not be given until the children are old enough to masticate them thoroughly. The best combination is the same as for eggs. Children under six years of age should not have much more than one-half of an ounce of nut meats at a meal. The pecans are the best. Children rarely chew nuts well enough, so they should seldom be used. They may be ground very fine and made into nut butter, which may be substituted for ordinary butter. Give no butter until the child has completed his second year. The whole milk contains all the fat necessary. Butter should always be used in moderation, for although it digests easily, it is a very concentrated food. Again the question will be asked: "How much shall I feed my child?" I do not know, but I do know that most children get at least three times as much food as is good for them. People can establish a toleration to a certain poison, and seemingly take it with impunity for a while. Some arsenic eaters and morphine addicts take enough of their respective drugs daily to kill a dozen normal men. However, the drugs, if not stopped, always ruin the user in the end. It is the same way with food. Children seem to establish a toleration for an excess for a shorter or longer period of time, but the overeating always produces discomfort and disease in the end, and if it is continued it will cause premature death. About one-third or one-fourth of what children eat is needed to nourish them. The rest makes trouble. Read the chapters in this book on overeating and on normal food intake. They give valuable pointers. Parents know their children best, and the mother can, or should be able to tell when there are signs of impending danger. If there is a decided change in the child's disposition it generally denotes illness. Some children become very sweet when they are about to be ill, but most of them are so cranky that they make life miserable for the family. A foul, feverish breath nearly always comes before the attack. A common danger signal is a white line around the mouth. Another one is a white, pinched appearance of the nose. A flushed face is quite common. The tongue never looks normal. Except the abnormal tongue, these symptoms are not all present before every attack, but one or more of them generally are. No matter what the signs of trouble may be, stop all feeding immediately. If this is done, the disease generally fails to develop, but if feeding is continued there is sure to be illness. These symptoms indicate that the digestion is seriously disturbed. It is folly to feed when there is an acute attack of indigestion. Besides, it is very cruel, for it causes much suffering. Such symptoms in children are caused by improper eating, and overeating is generally the chief fault. The remedy is very simple: Feed less. A coated tongue indicates too much food. A clean tongue shows that the digestive organs are working well. If the tongue is not smooth and a pretty pink in color, it means that the child has had too much food and the meals must be reduced in quantity until the tongue does become normal, which may take a few months in chronic cases. Peculiar little protruding spots when red and prominent on the tip and edges of the tongue indicate irritation of the alimentary tract and call for reduction of food intake. The parents can soon learn how much to feed the children if they will be guided by these hints. Poor health in the children indicates parental failure, and this is one place where they can not afford to fail. Parents must be honest with themselves and not put the blame where the doctors put it--on bacteria, draughts, the weather, etc. Sometimes the climate is very trying on the babies, but it never kills those who have intelligent care. If it is found that the child next door, of the same age, eats three or four times as much as your child, do not become alarmed about your little one, but give the neighbor's child a little silent sympathy because its parents are ignorant enough to punish the little one so cruelly. For those who desire more definite hints regarding feeding of children, an outline has been prepared for several days. This is very simple feeding, but it is the kind of feeding that will make a rose bloom in each cheek. The child will be happy and contented and bring joy to the hearts of the parents. Breakfast: Whole wheat toast, butter and a glass of milk. Lunch: A baked apple and a dish of cottage cheese. Supper: Steamed or boiled brown rice and milk. Breakfast: Puffed wheat and milk. Lunch: Oranges and milk. Supper: An egg, parsnips and onions, both stewed. Breakfast: Oatmeal or whole wheat porridge and milk. Lunch: Berries and milk. Supper: Baked potato, spinach and a plate of lettuce. Breakfast: Shredded wheat biscuit and milk. Lunch: Stewed prunes and milk or cottage cheese. Supper: Whole wheat toast and milk. These are merely hints. Where one juicy fruit is suggested, another may be substituted. In place of the succulent vegetables named, others may be used. Any of the starches may be selected in place of the ones given. However, no mistake will be made in using the whole wheat products as the starch mainstay. Desserts should not be fed to children often. Rich cakes and all kinds of pies should be omitted from the bill of fare. It is true that some children can take care of them, but what is the use of taking chances? A plain custard, lightly flavored, may be given with toast. If ice cream is above suspicion a moderate dish of this with some form of starch may be given, but milk is not to be taken in the same meal with either ice cream or custard. At the end of the third year it is time enough to begin to feed the salad vegetables, though they may be given earlier to children who masticate well. The dressing should be very plain, nothing more than a little salt and olive oil, or some clabbered cream. No dressing is necessary. The salad vegetables may be eaten with the meal containing eggs and the stewed succulent vegetables. At the age of about seven or eight the child may be put on the same diet as the parents, provided they live simply. Otherwise, continue in the old way a little longer. For the best results in raising children, simplicity is absolutely necessary. Children who are early put on a stimulating diet develop mental and sexual precocity, both of which are detrimental to physical welfare. The first desideratum is to give the children healthy bodies, and then there will be no trouble in giving them what knowledge they need. In overfed boys the sex urge is so strong that they acquire secret habits, and sometimes commit overt acts. Too much protein is especially to blame. These facts are not understood by many and the result is that the parents fail in their duty to their children. It is best not to bring young children to the table, if there is anything on it that they should not have, for it nearly always results in improper feeding. The children are curious and they beg for a little of this and a little of that. Unthinkingly the parents give them little tastes and bites and before the meal is over they have had from six to twelve different kinds of food, some of them not fit for adult consumption. If the child understands that it is not to ask for these things and abides by this rule, it is all right, but such children are rare. A child that fretfully begs for this and that at the table upsets itself and the parents. Make no sudden changes in the manner of feeding, unless the feeding is decidedly wrong. Active children get all the exercise they need. They should spend a large part of the day in the open, and this is even more important for the delicate ones. The bedroom should be well ventilated, but the children must be kept cozy and warm or they do not sleep well. After the child is old enough not to soil itself, one or two baths a week are sufficient. There is no virtue in soaking. Swimming is different, for here the child is active in the water and it does not weaken him so. Swimming should be a part of every child's education. Bed time should be early. The children should be tucked in and the light turned off by 8 o'clock, and 7 o'clock is better for children under five. If they want to get up early in the morning, let them, but put them to bed early at night. Infants should not be exposed long to the direct rays of the summer sun, for it is liable to cause illness. It upsets the stomach and then there is a feverish spell. If nothing is fed that will generally be all, but it is unnecessary to make babies ill in this way. They should not be chilled either. Husband and wife do not agree at all times, but they make a mistake when they disagree in the presence of their children. Young people are quick to take advantage of such a state of affairs and they begin to play the parents against each other. When a point comes up where there is a difference of opinion, the decision of the parent who speaks first should stand, at least for the time being. Then when they are by themselves, man and wife can discuss the matter if it is not satisfactory, and even quarrel about it, if that gives them pleasure. Parents who do not control themselves can not long retain the full respect of their children. Lost respect is not very far distant from lost love. People often object to a change in methods, for, they say, the new plan will cause too much trouble. The plan here outlined causes less trouble than the conventional method of caring for children. It is simpler and gives better results. If it were followed out the mortality of children under ten years of age in this country would be reduced from over 400,000 annually to less than 25,000. In spite of everything, a number of young people will get into fatal pranks. There are difficulties in the way of raising children properly, but a healthy child is such a great reward that the efforts are paid for a hundred times over. Nothing wears the parents out more quickly than a child who is always fretting and crying, always on the brink of disease or in its grasp. In raising children the best way is the easiest way. THE CHILD'S MENTAL TRAINING. A healthy body is the child's first requirement. However, if the mental training is poor, giving wrong views of life, a good physique is of but little service. It is quite generally agreed among observers that the first seven years of life leave the mental impressions which guide the whole life, and that after the age of fourteen the mental trend rarely changes. There are a few individuals with strength enough to make themselves over mentally after reaching adult life, but these are so few that they are almost negligible, and even they are largely influenced by their youth and infancy. It is as easy to form good mental habits as bad ones. It is within the power of all parents to give their children healthy bodies and healthy minds, and this is a duty, which should prove a pleasure. The reason such heritage is so rare is that it requires considerable self-control and most parents live chaotic lives. Upon the mentality depends the success in life. "It is the mind that makes the body rich." No matter how great an individual's success may seem in the eyes of the public, if the person lacks the proper perspective, the proper vision and the right understanding, his success is an empty thing. Wealth and success are considered synonymous, but I have found more misery in the homes of the rich than among the poor. Physical wants can be supplied and the suffering is over, but mental wants can only be satisfied through understanding, which should be cultivated in childhood. "All our problems go back to the child--corrupt politics, dishonesty and greed in commerce, war, anarchism, drunkenness, incompetence and criminality."--Moxom. Given a healthy body and a good mind, every individual is able to become a useful member of society, and that is all that can be expected of the average individual. All can not be eminent, and it is not necessary. Upon the child's mental impressions and the habits formed in infancy and youth depend the mental workings and the habits of later life. Therefore it is necessary to nurture the little people in the right kind of atmosphere. If the child is trained properly from infancy there will be no serious bad habits to overcome during later years, and, as all know, habits are the hardest of all bonds to break. To overcome the coffee and alcohol habits is hard, but to overcome bad mental habits is even more difficult. First of all, let the infant alone most of the time. Some mothers are so full of love and nonsense that they take their babies up to cuddle and love them at short intervals, and then there are the admiring relatives who like to flatter the parents by telling them that the baby is the finest one they have seen; it is an exceptional baby. So the relatives have to bother the infant and kiss it. This should not be. The child should be kept in a quiet room and should not be disturbed. There are no exceptional babies. They are all much alike, except that some are a little healthier than others. If they are let alone, they have the best opportunity to develop into exceptional men and women. Paying too much attention to babies makes them cross and irritable. They soon learn to like and then to demand attention. If they do not get it at once they become ill-tempered and cry until attention is given. Thus the foundation of bad temper is laid in the very cradle. They gain their ends in infancy by crying. Later on they develop the whining habit. When they grow older they fret and worry. Such dispositions are the faults of the parents. It does not take long for children to learn how to get their way, and if they can do it by being disagreeable, you may be sure that they will develop the worst side of their nature. Let the child understand that being disagreeable buys nothing, and there will soon be an end of it. Children who are well and well cared for are happy. They cause their elders almost no trouble. To lavish an excessive amount of care on a baby may be agreeable to the mother at first, but it is different when it comes to caring for an ill-tempered, spoiled child of eight or nine years. Many crimes are committed in the name of love. Many babies are killed by love. Unless love is tempered by understanding it is as lethal as poison. Many parents think they are showing love when they indulge their children, but instead they are putting them onto the road that leads to physical and mental decay. True love is helpful, kind and patient. The spurious kind is noisy, demonstrative and impatient. Do what is necessary for children, but do not allow them to cause unnecessary work. What they can do for themselves they should do. They can be taught to be helpful very early. They should be taught to be neat and tidy. They should learn to dress themselves and how to keep their rooms and personal effects in good order early in life, no matter how many servants there may be. These little things are reflected in their later lives. They help to form the individual's character. It is what we do that largely make us what we are, and every little act and every thought has a little influence in shaping our lives. An orderly body helps to make an orderly mind and vice versa. Many of the rich children are unfortunate indeed. Some times poor parents have so many children that each one gets scant attention, but the children of many of the rich get no parental attention. The parents are too busy accumulating or preserving a fortune and climbing a social ladder to bother with their children. Their raising is delegated to servants. At times the little ones are put on display for a few minutes and then the parents are as proud of them as they are of the expensive paintings that adorn the walls or the blooded dogs and horses in kennels and stables. No amount of paid service can compensate for the lack of parental love. The ideal today, especially for female children, seems to be to make ornaments of them, to train them to be useless. Girls, as well as boys, should be taught to be useful. They should be taught that those who do not labor are parasites. If some do not work, others have to work too hard. The story is told of Mark Twain that he dined with an English nobleman who boasted that he was an earl and did not labor. "In our country," said Mark Twain, "we do not call people of your class earls; we call them hoboes." It does not matter how wealthy parents are, they should teach their children how to earn a living, and they should instill into them the ideal of service, for a life of idleness is a failure. The shirkers and wasters are not happy. The greatest contentment in life comes from the performance of good work. Ecstatic love and riotous pleasure can not last. Work with love and pleasure is good. But love and pleasure without work are corroding. Children who are waited upon much become selfish. They soon become grafters, expecting and taking everything and giving nothing. This is immoral, for life is a matter of compensation, and consists in giving as well as in taking. Children should be taught consideration for others, and should not be allowed to order the servants around; not that it harms the servants, but it has a bad effect on the children. Because the child's period of development is so long, it is important to have a proper adjustment in the home between parents and the children. Lack of adjustment wears out the parents, especially the mother, and gives false impressions to the young people. To prevent friction and get good results, children should be taught obedience. Obedience is one of the stepping stones to ability to command. In those homes where the words of the parents are law there is but little friction. Obedience should be taught from the very start. As soon as the child realizes that the parents mean what they say and that it is useless to fret and complain about a command, that is the end of the matter. How different it is with disobedient children! The parents have to tell them what to do several times and then the bidding often remains undone. Begin to teach obedience and promptness as soon as the children understand, for it is more difficult later. The older the children the harder it is. Children know so little and are so conceited that they do not realize that because of lack of experience, observation and reflection they can not safely guide themselves at all times. When they are allowed to act so that they are a nuisance to others and harmful to themselves, they do not give up this license with good grace. There are times to be firm and then firmness should be used. It is necessary for the parents to cooperate. Various parents have different ways of correcting their children, and it is not difficult to make them realize that obedience is a part of the plan of early life. To illustrate: If the children are called for a meal, they should come promptly. If there is a tendency to lag, tell them that if they do not come when called they will get nothing to eat until next mealtime, and act accordingly. This is no cruelty, for no one is harmed by missing a meal. It generally proves very effective. At the table, serve the children what your experience has told you they can take with benefit, without saying anything about it. If they ask for anything else, give it if you think proper. If not, say no. If they start to beg and whine, tell them that such conduct will result in their being sent away from the table, and if they still continue, do as you have said, and let there be no weakening. This may cause a few very disagreeable experiences at first, but it is much better to have a few of them and be through, than to continue year after year to have such trouble. Some children can eat everything with apparent impunity and their parents usually pay no attention to what they eat. But there are others who become ill if they are improperly fed. Children who are often feverish and take all the diseases peculiar to the young, are maltreated. They are not properly fed. Those who are prone to convulsions must be fed with great care, or there is danger of their becoming epileptics. Firmness in such cases generally means the difference between health and disease or even death. By all means be firm in such matters. Indulging the children to excess is invariably harmful. When your children become ill and die, you can truly say, "Behold my handiwork." In the same way teach the children to do promptly whatever they are told to do. If they are told to go to bed, it should be done without delay or protest. All the little duties that fall to their lot should likewise be accomplished promptly. However, the parents should be reasonable and they should avoid bombarding their children with commands to do or not to do a thousand and one things that do not matter at all. Let the children alone except when it is really necessary to direct them. Unfortunately, most of the parents are blind to their own faults, but see very clearly those of others. The mistakes they make in their own families open their eyes to those of others, and then they are often very impatient. I know one gentleman who has excellent knowledge of the proper training of the young, but as a parent he is a total failure. He is so explosive and lacking in patience and firmness, perhaps also in love, that his knowledge has not helped him. It is not what we know, but what we apply, that makes or mars. Obedience reduces friction and trains the children into habits of efficiency. It is not only valuable in preserving the health of the parents, but in increasing the child's earning capacity when the time comes to labor in earnest. Plato said that democracies are governed as well as they deserve to be. Likewise, parents get as much obedience, respect, affection and love as they deserve, and the three latter are largely dependent upon the former. It would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of obedience. In nature we find that the animals teach their young how to live independently as soon as they have the strength to care for themselves. This is what parents should teach their children. This may cause the mother pain, for many mothers like to keep their children helpless, dependent and away from contact with the world as long as possible. Wise mothers do not handicap their children thus. The best parents are those who teach their children early how to make their own way. Doubtless the greatest happiness is to be found in a congenial family, where the parents understand and love each other and their children. Those parents who are so busy that they lack the time to become acquainted with their infants and keep up this intimacy, are losing a part of life that neither money nor social position can give them. Many wait until too late to get on intimate terms with their children. When young, the children are naturally loving and then the beautiful ties which neither time nor misfortune can sunder are formed. When the children are grown it is too late to establish such a relation. Then they look at their parents with as critical eyes as they use toward other people, and though they may become very good friends, the tender love is lacking. Love between man and woman is unstable, but the beautiful love that springs from companionship of children and parents lasts until the end. While some mothers neglect their children, many become too absorbed in them. The children become all of the mother's life. As the young people become older, their horizon naturally widens. During infancy the parents can fill the child's whole life, but soon other interests crave attention. There is always a tragedy in store for the mother who refuses to see that her children, as they grow older, will demand the human experience necessary for individual growth and development. If the mother has no other interest than her children she will one day be left with a heart as empty as the home from which the children are gone. There are so many interesting things in this world, and every mother should have her hobby. She should have at least one hour each day sacred to herself, in which she can relax and cultivate the mind. This will help to fill the coming years, which too often prove barren. Loving parents get all the reward they should expect from the beautiful intimacy that exists between them and their growing children. So-called ungrateful children have incompetent parents. Parents have no right to demand gratitude. They do no more for their children than was done for themselves in the morning of their lives. The right kind of parents never want for rewards. They are repaid every day so long as they live. Children grow under the care of their parents, but the parents also grow and expand in understanding, sympathy and love through association with their children. Today society does not treat the mothers with the proper consideration. The mothers deserve well, for they have to give many of their best years to the children. These are the productive years, and generally unfit the women to go into economic competition with the rest of the world afterwards. Society owes it to the mothers of the race to see that they are not made to suffer for fulfilling their destiny. Motherhood today is as dangerous as the soldier's life, though it ought not to be, and it is more difficult to raise children than to conduct a successful business. However, the financial rewards for motherhood are generally nil. The least society can do is to see that these women do not want for the necessities of life. Most children are interrogation points. This is well, for they learn through curiosity. The questions should be answered honestly, or not at all. It is common to give untrue answers. This is poor policy, for the answers are a part of the child's education and untruths make the young people ignorant and superstitious. It takes considerable patience to raise a child and he who is unwilling to exercise a little patience has no right to become a parent. Whether to use corporeal punishment or not is a question that the parents must decide for themselves. Many parents are in the habit of nagging their children. It is, "Don't do this," and "Don't do that," until the little ones feel as exasperated as the Americans in Berlin, where everything that one has an impulse to do is "Verboten." The children have not yet acquired caution, nor are they able to think of more than one or two things at a time. Consequently they forget what they are not to do, and then parental wrath descends upon them. Parents can well afford to be deaf and blind to many things that happen. Those mothers who are ever shouting prohibitions soon cultivate a fretful, irritable tone that is bad for all concerned, and which does not breed respect and obedience. Make it a rule not to interfere with the children except when it is necessary, and tell them to do but one thing at a time. If too many commands and prohibitions are issued, the children are prone to forget them all. If they are talked to less, what is said is more deeply impressed on their minds, and the chances are that they will remember. Boisterousness is not badness, but indicates a state of well-being, which results in bodily activity, including the use of the vocal cords. It is common to all young animals, and the human animal is the only one that is severely punished for manifesting happiness. If the parents decide that corporeal punishment is necessary, they should be sure that it has been deserved, for a child resents being punished unjustly, and undeserved punishment is always harmful. Many parents become so angry that they inflict physical punishment to relieve their own feelings, and this is very wrong. If a parent calmly decides that his child needs punishment, perhaps this is the case. The punishment should be given calmly. Nothing can be more cowardly and disgusting than the brutal assault of an angry parent upon a defenseless child, and such parents always regret their actions if they have any conscience, but they are generally of such poor moral fibre and so full of false pride that they fail to apologize to the children for the injustice done. These parents inflict suffering upon their children, but they punish themselves most of all, for they kill filial regard and love. Children have a very keen sense of fair play. If it is decided to administer corporeal punishment, it should have enough sting to it so that it will be remembered. Parents who temper their justice with patience and love are not compelled to resort to corporeal punishment often. Children should never be hit on the head. Pulling or boxing the ears should not be recognized as civilized warfare. Blows on the head may partly destroy the hearings and affect the brain. Another thing that may not come under the head of punishment in the strictest sense, is lifting children by one of the arms. Women are prone to do this. Often it partly dislocates the elbow joint. The children whine and no one knows exactly what is the matter. If one arm is occupied and the child has to be lifted from curb to street or over a puddle, stoop and pass the unoccupied arm about the child's body and no harm will be done. No one should suggest to the child that it is bad. It is better to dwell upon goodness. If a child is often told that it is bad, it will soon begin to live up to its name and reputation, just as adults often do. Many parents are in the habit of scaring their children. If the little ones cry or disobey, they are told that the boogy-man is coming after them, or they are threatened with being put out into the dark, or perhaps some animal or bad person is coming to get them. Fear is injurious to everybody, being ruinous to both the body and the mind, and it is especially bad for growing children. The fear instilled in them during childhood remains with some people to the end of life. It is not uncommon to find people who dare not go out alone after dark because they were scared in childhood. Children like exciting stories that would naturally inspire fear, but it is not difficult for the reader or story teller to inform the little ones that there are no big black bears or bold robbers in the neighborhood, and that now there is nothing to fear in the darkness. Many teach the children to be ashamed of their bodies. Every part of the body has its use and whatever is useful is good. Those who do not abuse their bodies have nothing of which to be ashamed. The education of children in the past has been along wrong lines. It has been the aim to cram them full of isolated facts, many of them untrue. We are slowly outgrowing this tendency, but too much remains. Thanks largely to Froebel and Doctor Montessori, our methods are growing more natural. The adult learns by doing and so does the child. Doctor Montessori teaches the children to use all their senses. She gives them fabrics of various textures and objects of different shapes and colors. Thus they learn colors, forms, smoothness, roughness, etc. She teaches them how to dress and undress and how to take their baths. She lets them go about the schoolroom instead of compelling them to sit still at their desks in cramped positions. In this way they get knowledge that they never forget. They learn to read and write and figure in playful ways through the proper direction of their curiosity. Little tots of four, or even younger, are often able to read, and there has been no forcing. All has come about through utilizing the child's curiosity. If children are delicate, they should not be put into a schoolroom with thirty or forty other children. Keep such children outdoors when the weather permits and allow them to become strong. The education will take care of itself later. There is nothing to be gained by overtaxing a delicate child in the schoolroom, which too often is poorly ventilated, and having a funeral a little later. Children should be taught the few simple fundamental rules of nutrition until they are second nature. A thorough knowledge of the fact that it is very injurious to eat when there is bodily or mental discomfort is worth ten thousand times as much to a child as the ability to extract cube root or glibly recite, "Arma virumque cano Trojae," etc. The realization that underchewing and overeating will cause mental and physical degeneration is much more valuable than the ability to demonstrate that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. This knowledge can be given so unobtrusively that the child does not realize that it is learning, for there are many opportunities. When a child gets sick and is old enough to understand, instead of sympathizing with it explain how the illness came about, and please remember that in explaining you can leave the germs out of the question, for diseases of childhood are almost entirely due to improper feeding. The value of education like that is beyond any price, for it is a form of health insurance. Reforming the race, means that we must begin with the children. In parts of Europe cultured people have a working knowledge of two or three languages. This is certainly convenient. Those who wish their children to know one or two tongues beside English should remember that in infancy two tongues are learned as readily as one, if they are spoken. Those who can use three languages when they are four years old are not infant prodigies. They have had the opportunity to learn, and languages are simply absorbed. The language teaching in the public schools is a joke. After taking several years of French or German the school children can not speak about the common things of life in those tongues, though they may know more about the grammar than the natives. In other words, they know the science of the language, but not the language itself. A time comes when the child wants to know about the origin of life. If the parents have been companions, they can impart this knowledge better than anyone else. If they are unable to explain, the family doctor should be able to impart the knowledge with delicacy. I do not believe that such knowledge should be imparted to mixed classes in the public schools, as advocated by some. If the parents do their duty, there will be no need of public education in sex hygiene. The doctor should be an educator, so he merits consideration here. Nearly all families have their medical advisers, and these professional people have it in their power to bring more sunshine into the homes than their fees will pay for. On the other hand, they can, and too often do, give both advice and remedies that are harmful They should sow seeds of truth. If the infant is properly cared for, it is never ill. Inasmuch as there are but few families with sufficient knowledge to keep their babies healthy at all times, there are many calls for the doctor. Parents are generally unduly alarmed about their infants. Nearly always the trouble is primarily in the alimentary tract, due to improper feeding, and the doctor with his wide experience can relieve the parental anxiety, and at the same time tell them where they have made their mistakes and how they have brought suffering upon their little ones. Of course, there should be no dosing with medicine and no injections of foreign matter into the blood stream. Rest, quiet, cleanliness and warmth are what the children need to restore them to health. The right kind of physician when acting as adviser to intelligent parents who wish to do the best by their children will see to it that there is little or no disease. If the parents do not know what to do, the most economical procedure is to consult a physician who has understanding of and confidence in nature. Pay no attention to the women of many words who give advice "because they have had many children and have buried them all." It is not as difficult to raise healthy children as sickly ones. It is so simple that it takes many pages to explain it. CHAPTER XXVIII. DURATION OF LIFE. Old age today brings to mind a picture of decrepitude and decay. This is because there is practically no natural old age. Those who live so that they are unhealthy during the early years of life will not be well if they reach advanced years. Old people can be well in body and sound in mind. In order to attain this desirable end, it is necessary to live properly during the first part of life. It is true that people may dissipate and reform and then live long in comfort, but usually those who spend too lavishly destroy their capital and go into physical or mental bankruptcy. There are many who during their prime say that they do not wish to grow old. Their desire for a short life can easily be satisfied. All that is necessary is to live in the conventional manner and the chance of dying before reaching the age of fifty or sixty is good. A few live to be seventy or more in spite of dissipation, but these are the exceptions. They were endowed with excellent constitutions to begin with, constitutions that were made to last over one hundred years. Where we find one who has lived long in spite of intemperance, thousands have died from it. Most people desire to remain on earth long and they can have their wish. They can advance in years healthy in body and with growing serenity of mind. Physical and mental well-being are necessary to attain one's life's expectancy. Old age should not be considered as apart from the rest of life. It is but one of the natural phases. Those who do not live to be old have failed to live completely. Those who express their desire to die young generally change their mind when they face death. Man clings to life. Old age is a desirable condition. The physical tempests have been subdued, if the life has been well spent. On the other hand, the faults and foibles of the self-indulgent are accentuated and in such cases old age is a misfortune. No one knows what man's natural length of life is. Anatomists and physiologists compare the human body with the bodies of various animals. In this they are justified, for we all develop according to the same laws. Most of the animals, when allowed to live as nature intended them to live, reach an age of from five to six times the length of the period of their growth. Human beings, with their ability to control their environment, should be able to do even better than that. Man reaches physical maturity between twenty and twenty-five years of age. This would make his natural age one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty years. There are cases on record that have lived longer and it may be that if man would cease going in the way of self-destruction and spend more thought and time on the welfare of the race, life would be prolonged beyond even one hundred and fifty years. R. T. Trall, M. D., thought that man should live to be two hundred years old. "What man has done man can do." If long life is worth while, doubtless a time will come when long life will be enjoyed. The worry, fretting and foolish haste of today will doubtless be partly done away with some time. Then men and women will have time to live, instead of merely existing, as most people do today. Men have lived long and found life good. Long life for its own sake is perhaps not to be desired, but the benefit that can be bestowed upon the race by those advanced in years is desirable. Occasionally a brilliant individual appears on the scene, doing superior work in life's morning, but most of the work that has been found worthy of the consideration of the ages has been done by men of mature years. Galen, the famous physician, is said to have lived to a great age. It is hard to tell exactly how old he was, but he was probably well past the century mark at his death. His long life gave him time to do work that is appreciated after the lapse of eighteen centuries. For many hundred years after his death he dominated the practice of medicine and he is today spoken of as often as any living medical man. Thomas Parr, an Englishman, died at the age of one hundred and fifty-two. He was hale and hearty to the very end. Unfortunately, his reputation traveled far. He was brought to the English court, where he was wined and dined, and as a consequence he died. Before this he had always led the simple life. An autopsy was performed and the physicians found his organs in excellent condition. The only reason they could give for his death was his departure from the simple life which he had led in his home. Henry Jenkins, also an Englishman, lived to the age of one hundred and sixty-nine years. He lived very frugally and was always on friendly terms with nature. His favorite drink was water, though he partook in moderation of "hop bitters." He was moderate in all things, and it is said that he was never really ill until near the end of life. He was not shriveled and shrunken, but a wholesome looking man. King Charles II. sent a carriage to bring Mr. Jenkins to London, when he was one hundred and sixty years old. The old gentleman declined to ride and walked the two hundred miles to the metropolis. The king questioned him regarding his life and desired to know the reason for his longevity. Mr. Jenkins replied that he had always been sober and temperate and that this was the reason for his many years. The Merry Monarch was neither sober nor temperate, and you may be sure that this reply did not please him. Mr. Jenkins was wiser than Mr. Parr had been, refusing to dissipate, even though he was old. Consequently he returned to his home to enjoy life nine years longer. These two cases are authentic. All are familiar with the records given in the Bible. Whether they are figurative or not it is hard to tell. However, so many cases of longevity are recorded that they in all probability have a basis in fact. The Hebrews of old must have been a long-lived people. One hundred and twenty years was not an extreme age. In Genesis is the record of many over five hundred years old, and a few over nine hundred years of age. At the time of the apostles the life span of the Hebrews had grown shorter and hence the dictum of three score years and ten. Between the time of Moses and that of the apostles the Hebrews had advanced--or shall we say degenerated?--from a semi-barbarous people to one that had the graces and also the vices of a higher civilization. The Hebrews of old were husbandmen, who lived simply and got their vigor from the soil. The cause of so much unnecessary suffering and of the premature deaths has been discussed elsewhere in this book. In short, it is wrong living and wrong thinking. Impure air and bad food kill no more surely than does worry. The bodies of children are composed largely of water. The structures are flexible and elastic. The bones are made up mostly of cartilaginous structure. As the children grow older more solids are deposited in the body and the proportion of solid matter to water grows greater. Lime is deposited in the bones. When they are limy throughout they are said to be ossified. After this process is complete no more growth can take place. Bone formation continues until about the age of twenty-five. At this age the body is efficient. The fluids circulate without obstruction. Could this condition be maintained, there would be no decay. During the early years of life the food intake in proportion to the weight of the body is great. The child is active and uses much fuel to produce power and to repair the waste. Considerable food is required for body building. At this time a broken bone mends quickly and cuts heal in a short time. With advancing years come slowness and sluggishness of the various vital activities. The slowing up can be retarded almost indefinitely by proper care of the body. If the circulation could be maintained and the purity of the blood stream guarded, old age would be warded off. A healthy body is able to cleanse itself under favorable conditions and so long as the body is clean through and through there is no opportunity for disease to take place and there can be no aging. By aging I mean not so much the number of years one has lived as the amount of hardening and degeneration of the body that take place. Some are as old at forty as others are at seventy. When people have reached physical maturity they should begin to reduce their food intake. There is no need for building material then. All that is necessary is enough to repair the waste and to keep up the temperature. The individual at twenty-seven should eat a little less than when he was twenty and by the age of thirty-five he should have reduced his food still more and made his meals very simple. Children enjoy the gratification of the sense of taste, but at the age of thirty-five a man has lived enough and experienced enough so that he should know that the overgratification of appetites is an evanescent and unprofitable pleasure, always costing more than it is worth. It is best to grow into good habits while young, for it is difficult to do so after one has grown old. The man who reforms after fifty is the exception. Children are fond of cereal foods and sugars. They can eat these foods two or three times a day and thrive. A man of thirty-five should make it a general rule to limit his starch eating to once a day. Various physiologists say that as much as sixteen ounces of dry starch (equivalent to about thirty ounces of ordinary bread) are necessary each day. This is entirely too much. Very few people can profitably eat more than four ounces of dry starch a day, and for many this is too much. Through eating as much as is popularly and professionally advocated, early decay and death result. The arteries are normally pliable and elastic. When too much food is taken, the system is unable to cleanse itself. Debris is left at various points. One of the favorite lodging places is in the coats of the arteries. After considerable deposits have been formed the arteries lose their elasticity. They become hard and unyielding. A normal radial artery can easily be compressed with one finger. Sometimes the radial artery becomes so hard that it is difficult to compress it with three fingers. As the arteries grow harder they become more brittle and sometimes they break, often a fatal accident. This hardness of the arteries impedes the circulation, for the tone and natural elasticity of the vessel walls is one of the aids to a normal circulation. So long as the arteries are normal all parts of the body are bathed in a constantly changing stream of blood. The muscles, the nerves, the bones, in fact all parts of the body, remove from the blood stream those elements that are necessary for repairing or building the various tissues. They also throw into the blood stream the refuse and waste due to the constant repair and combustion going on all over the body. The blood then leaves this refuse with the skin, lungs, kidneys and bowels, which throw it out of the body. So long as there are enough fuel and food, but not too much, and so long as all the debris is carried away, there is health. But let this process be thrown out of balance and there will be disease. The food intake is seldom too small, though the digestion is frequently so poor that not enough good food gets into the blood. Old age is largely due to overeating and eating the wrong kinds of food. This is how overeating causes premature aging, when it does not kill more quickly: When too much food is taken, too much is absorbed into the blood, provided the nutritive processes are active. Then all the food in the blood can not be used for repair and fuel. The balance must either be excreted or stored away in the body as deposits. If this storing takes place in the joints, the result may be rheumatism or gout and at times even a complete locking of the joints (anchylosis). If it is stored in the walls of the blood-vessels they become hard and unyielding. No matter where deposits take place, some of them will be found in the walls of the blood-vessels. When these vessels grow hard they decrease in caliber. The result is that the heart is compelled to work very hard, but even then enough blood is not forced through the vessels. The circulation becomes sluggish. The blood in the various parts becomes stagnant. Then insufficient good oxygen and first-class nourishment are brought to the parts and not enough waste is carried away. Now the billions of cells of which the body is composed are constantly bathed in poisonous blood. The result is lowering of physical tone, or degeneration, of the whole body. The hands and the feet suffer most at first from the poor blood supply and become cold easily. Those who suffer constantly from cold hands and feet should know that they are aging, although they may be but twenty years old. Such a condition as this often gives rise to varicose veins in the legs. The feet are so far away from the heart, and it is such a long upgrade return of the blood, that the circulation in the lower extremities easily becomes sluggish. The flabby, relaxed tissues and the hardened blood-vessels allow the blood to stagnate. This is why senile gangrene is so common in the feet and so often fatal. The brain gets a copious blood supply, yet the hardening of the arteries often deprives this organ of its necessary nourishment. Then the higher faculties begin to abdicate. If the hardening is extensive senile softening of the brain may take place. This is always due to a lack of pure blood. Sometimes the arteries are brittle enough to break. Baldness is another symptom of physical decay. The hair follicles are not properly nourished, for the arteries have become so contracted and the tissues of the scalp so hardened that there is not enough blood to feed the hair roots. Baldness begins on top of the head, generally the only part affected, because it is farthest away from the blood supply. Baldness is also partly due to man's headwear. Women are rarely bald. There is a saying that there are no bald men in the poorhouse. Even if this were true, it would not be very consoling, for the bald heads on the street cleaning forces are numerous. Overeating also causes premature aging because if results in fermentation in the alimentary tract. The acids produced cause degeneration of various tissues, having an especially bad effect on the nervous system, which reflects the evil to other parts of the body. It is well to bear in mind how this comes about: First there is overeating; too much food improperly prepared is taken into the blood stream; this makes the blood impure; deposits, causing hardening of the tissues and reduction of the lumen of the vessels, are formed; the blood grows more impure and the circulation sluggish; the tissues are constantly bathed in impure blood, causing further degeneration. When a certain point is reached nature can tolerate no more and life flits away. Those who wish to remain young must give some thought to the selection of their food, especially if they are hearty eaters. If only sufficient food is taken to keep the body well nourished it does not make much difference what is eaten, provided it contains sufficient of fresh foods, for when only enough food is taken to supply fuel and repairing material, the food will all be used and none is left to ferment in the digestive tract and form deposits in the body. The body will then keep itself clean, or at least the formation of deposits takes place so slowly that it is hardly perceptible. This can be compared with the process taking place in the flues of a boiler. Stoke properly and they remain clean. Choke the firebox with an excess of coal and the combustion is so incomplete that the flues are soon filled up and the grates are often burned out. Just so with the body: Feed too heavily and the digestive organs are burned by the abnormal amount of acid produced and the blood-vessels are filled with debris. As most people lack the self-control to eat a normal amount of food, they should select foods that are compatible and that are not too concentrated. Too much meat causes degeneration of all parts of the body and hardening. Too much starch causes acidity and hardening. The fruits and the light vegetables have a tendency to overcome these degenerating processes. Starch is surely the chief offender in aging people. It is such a concentrated food that overeating is easy, especially when it is taken in the soft forms, such as mushes, fresh bread, griddle cakes and mashed potatoes. If people would masticate their starchy foods thoroughly it would greatly reduce the danger of overeating. It is common to eat bread three times a day and in addition to take potatoes once or twice a day. Those who consume so much starch carry into the system more food than can be used and more of the mineral salts than can be excreted. The result is the formation of deposits, chiefly of lime carbonate and lime phosphate; fatty deposits are also common. In order to live long and comfortably it would be well to reduce the starch intake to once a day. The meats also are objectionable when taken in excess. To them can be attributed the chief blame for the formation of gelatinous deposits in the body. However, they do not carry so much earthy matter into the blood stream as do the starches. It is best to partake of meat but once a day, or even more seldom. Meat should certainly not be taken more than twice a day even by those who are advanced in years. People who care enough for starch to take it three times a day, or are compelled to live chiefly upon it, grow old and homely more quickly than do those who are able to partake more plentifully of the more expensive proteins. The flesh obtained from young animals and birds is not so heavily charged with earthy matters as is that which is obtained from old animals and birds. Fruits and nuts do not carry so much earthy matter as do the starches and meats. The sweet fruits could with profit partly take the place of the starchy foods. The sugar they contain, which has the same nutritive value as starches, needs very little preparation before entering the blood stream. Thus a large part of the energy required for starch digestion is saved. On the other hand, the use of too much refined sugar is even worse than an excessive intake of starch. Nuts are not difficult to digest if they are well masticated.. The objection to acid fruits during the latter years of life is that they thin the blood and cause chilliness. This is true if they are partaken of too liberally. It is not necessary to refrain from eating acid fruits, but they should be taken in moderation and the mild ones should be selected. Pears, mild apples and grapes are better than oranges, grapefruits and apricots. Those who have learned moderation can eat all the fruit desired, for they will not be harmed by what a normal appetite craves. Vegetables carry considerable earthy matter, but on account of their helpfulness in keeping the blood sweet they should be eaten several times a week. Those who think that overeating of starch is too harshly condemned are referred to the horse. When he is allowed to roam about and partake of his natural food, grass, he stays well and lives to be forty or more years old. When compelled to eat great quantities of corn and oats, which are very rich in starch, the horse becomes listless and slow at an early age. He is old at fifteen and before twenty he is generally dead. When horses suffer from stiffness in the joints a few weeks spent in pasture, where they have nothing but green grass and water, remove the stiffness and make them younger. This shows what partaking of nature's green salad does for them. Any good stock man will tell you that feeding too much grain "burns a cow out." It does exactly the same for a human being, burns him out and fills him with clinkers. Many people think that it is a hardship to be moderate in eating and drinking, but it is not. It brings such a feeling of well-being and comfort that it is unbelievable to those who have not experienced it. Many envy the rich, thinking that they can and do live riotously. Rich men must live as simply as though they were poor or else they soon lose the mental efficiency that brought them their fortunes, for when health is gone mental power is reduced. According to information in the Saturday Evening Post, the eating habits of many of our most influential business men are very simple and the amount of food partaken of small. John D. Rockefeller could hardly live more simply and plainly than he does. William Rockefeller, George F. Baker, James Stillman, Otto H. Kahn, Thomas Fortune Ryan, George W. Perkins, J. Ogden Armour, John H. Patterson, Jacob H. Schiff and Andrew Carnegie, all business giants with money enough to subsist on the most expensive delicacies, are said to live more plainly than does the average American who is complaining of the high cost of living. It is the price they have had to pay for success and it is the price that you and I will have to pay to live successfully, though our success may not take the form of financial power. The one conspicuous exception among the financially great to the rule of simplicity was J. P. Morgan. His eating habits were somewhat gross, but on account of his rugged constitution he lived to be more than seventy-five years old. If he had given himself just a little more care he would be alive today. They say that his strong black cigars did him no apparent harm, but those who read of his last illness understandingly cannot agree to that statement. Mr. Morgan started with enough vitality to live and work far beyond the century mark. John D. Rockefeller was not physically strong when young. He has been compelled to take good care of himself and to be moderate. Now he is past seventy and enjoying good health. John W. Gates died a martyr to excess, partly excess of food. He lacked balance. His son followed in his footsteps and died young. Frank A. Vanderlip, who is looming large on the financial horizon takes but two meals a day, from which he gets enough sustenance to do good work and he says that this plan makes for efficiency. Perhaps now that such men as Mr. Vanderlip live well on two meals a day, it is time to cease calling those who live thus faddists. Eating three meals a day is a habit and many can and do get along very well on two meals, and a few take only one meal daily. E. H. Harriman also lived simply. He illustrates the evil of a poorly controlled mind. He died when but little past sixty, probably because his frail body was too weak to harbor his great ambition. He took his business wherever he went. When ill and business was forbidden by his physician, Mr. Harriman had a telephone concealed in his bedroom and as soon as the doctor was gone, he was on the wire. Another cause of premature aging is the drinking of very hard water. The earthy matter is absorbed into the blood stream with the water, and a part of it is deposited in the various tissues. People beyond middle age should drink water containing only a small portion of salts. Those who partake of fresh fruits or fresh vegetables daily get all the salts that the system needs. Even the young should not drink water that is exceedingly hard. We can well illustrate the harm that comes from the excessively hard water by referring to the disease known as cretinism. This disease is quite prevalent in some parts of Europe. They say that the disease is hereditary, which is questionable. What is inherited is the environment and the habits of the parents. The chief cause is without doubt the superabundance of earthy matter in the drinking water. The cretins are ill-favored in face and figure. They do not reach normal mental or physical maturity. They are old long before the normal person has reached his prime. They die young, rarely living to be over thirty years old. The bones are completely ossified early, which is the cause of their small stature and their stupidity. The bones of the skull harden so early that the brain has no room to expand. There is no need of suffering, even in a mild degree, from the disease of cretinism. If the water is very hard it is easy to distill what is needed for drinking purposes. Such water should at least be boiled. It is much better to have a teakettle lined with earthy matters than to have such a lining in our arteries. The excessive use of table salt is another cause of early aging. It is a good preservative and pickles meat very well. People have long used salt as a preservative and perhaps they got the salt-eating habit in this way, first using it on the foods to be preserved, and then on nearly all foods. Salts to excess, especially table salt, help to mummify or pickle those who partake of them too liberally. The addition of sodium chloride to foods is unnecessary. We get all we need of this salt in our fruits, vegetables and cereals. Salt should be used in moderation. Alcohol, tobacco and coffee are harmful. However, it will be found that most of the old people have used one or more of these drugs for many years and this is often largely responsible for their reaching old age. Overeating causes more deaths than any other single factor. The use of tobacco, coffee or alcohol has a tendency to reduce the desire for food and thus these drugs at times prove to be conservers of individual lives, though they are undoubted racial evils. They never can or will take the place of self-control. The senses were given us to use for our protection, but most people abuse them for temporary gratification, and thus they go in the way of self-destruction. Other things being equal, a healthy child will live longer than a weakly one. But other things are not equal, so it often happens that a weakling has as much chance to survive as a healthy person. Strong people frequently squander their inheritance by the time they are forty or fifty years old. Healthy people are very imprudent. They are well so they think they will always remain well. What a surprise it is when after thirty they discover that they cannot do with impunity what they could do before with apparently no bad results! When warned about their eating habits they boast that they can "eat tacks". Smoking and drinking are harmless, they say! But the day of reckoning always comes and the account is often so great that under the conventional treatment of today they die. The weakling has been compelled to be careful. Habits of moderation grew upon him in youth, and his health has improved as he has advanced in years. He may never be strong, but great physical strength is not essential to health. Thus the strong often perish and the weak survive. If both classes lived with equal care the strong would outlive and outwork the weak every time. It is necessary to give the skin some care if continued good health is desired during the latter part of life. The skin has a tendency to grow hard, which should not be allowed. It will always remain soft if it is properly cared for. When our ancestors roved forests and plains with scarcely any attire, the skin exposed to the rain and the sunshine, there was no need to give it special care. It served its purpose of protecting their bodies and was exercised through its immediate contact with the elements in all kinds of weather. Now the skin has little opportunity to exercise its protective function and the result is that it is not as active as it should be. The skin must be active to rid itself of the waste that the blood-vessels leave with it. The best exercise for this important organ is rubbing. The whole body should be rubbed every day and it would be well to do this twice a day. An occasional olive oil rub is also good. The rubbings make the body hardier. They also help to keep the circulation active and the skin smooth and soft. The blood is brought near the surface. The tendency as we grow older is for the circulation to grow less and less near the surface and in the extremities. This is slow death. The daily rub is more important than the daily bath. If we have enough rubbing very little bathing is necessary, for an active skin cleans itself. There are many men who have lived in the conventional way until the age of forty, fifty or sixty. They have been healthy, which means that they have been able to work most of the time, but have had their share of ills, which have incapacitated them for work or business at various times. They find after reaching a certain age that they are surely going down hill physically and that they are not as active mentally as previously. The question is, can anything be done under the circumstances? Very few of these people are in such a bad physical state that death is inevitable within the next few years. If they seek the right advice and follow it, they can generally continue to live in improved health for thirty to sixty years more. A celebrated case in point is that of Louis Cornaro, an Italian, who died in the year 1566 at the age of one hundred and two years. In his youth he was very indiscreet and dissipated. He lived riotously until he was forty years old, and then he found himself in such poor physical condition that it was only a question of a few months until the end would come. He had everything to make life worth living, except health, so he decided to attempt to regain health and prolong his life. He quit his old life, began to live simply and instead of being a waster he became a useful citizen. We are unable to get much definite information about his habits from what he wrote but we learn that he reduced the quantity of food taken and used fewer varieties. Also, he drank sparingly of wine. He did not have any definite ideas regarding diet except that it is best to eat moderately and avoid the foods that disagree with one. In his own words: "Little by little I began to draw myself away from my disorderly life, and, little by little, to embrace the orderly one. In this manner I gave myself up to the temperate life, which has not since been wearisome to me; although, on account of the weakness of my constitution, I was compelled to be extremely careful with regard to the quality and quantity of my food and drink. However, those persons who are blessed with strong constitutions may make use of many other kinds and qualities of food and drink, and partake of them, in greater quantities, than I do; so that, even though the life they follow be the temperate one, it need not be as strict as mine, but much freer." These sentences were written fifty or sixty years after he changed his mode of life, and show how well Mr. Cornaro realized the important fact that all people need not be treated alike. They also show that after making the change, Mr. Cornaro did not find it difficult to live simply enough to enjoy health. In nearly every instance it is temporarily disagreeable to forsake the path that is leading to death and take the one that leads to life, but after one gets used to the new way, it appears more beautiful and is more pleasant than the old. If Cornaro had died at forty, as nearly every person situated as he was would have done, his life would have been a total loss. A few of those who were his boon companions and dissipated with him would have thought of him for a few years and regretted his early passing, for "he was a jolly good fellow." He lived a useful life, for over sixty years thereafter, and has left us in his debt for his beautiful exhortations to be temperate. Many of the physical wrecks we meet, who will probably live from a few months to a few years more, if they continue in the old way, are in the same boat as Mr. Cornaro was at forty. They have had enough experience to begin to do good work, to be of some benefit to humanity. Instead of living and giving the world their best, they die. The world has had to educate these people, and it is expensive. Instead of living on and doing their work, they leave us when they ought to begin to repay us for what we have done for them. They are quitters. Suppose Andrew Carnegie had died at the time he sold out his steel business. To most people he would have left an unsavory memory, for though we should have considered him successful from the business standpoint, many of us would say that the means were not justified by the end. However, Mr. Carnegie has spent many years since in furthering the cause of the spread of knowledge and in working for universal peace. Perhaps when Carnegie, the man of business, is well nigh forgotten, Carnegie, the educator, will be held in tender and thankful memory. He is now influencing the times for good and this influence will go down the ages. A man has no right to say that he is weary of life and that he wants to die. The race has a claim on him. We learn through our mistakes. The race in general has to pay and suffer for every individual's education. When a man has acquired a measure of wisdom through experience, we have a right to claim it as our own. Many men are wise in their own lines, but they have been so busy attending to the affairs that brought them success that they have omitted to learn how to have health. These people owe it to themselves and to humanity to take enough time to learn how to live so that they can work in health. The better the health the finer their product. Health and efficiency go hand in hand. What is a man to do when he has reached middle age and finds himself degenerating? A man ought to know how to live at forty, but if he does not he should immediately learn. It may be true that "a man is a fool or a physician at forty," yet there is time and if a man lacks wisdom at forty he should immediately acquire some. Such an individual should get the best health adviser possible, avoiding any man who would have him take drugs. What he needs is not medicine, but to learn how to live. I am confident that the careful reader will find enough knowledge in this book to give him the key to the situation. If the sufferer uses narcotics and stimulants, they must be stopped immediately. Even the least harmful of these, such as beer and light wine, should be avoided until good health has been won. These beverages need never be used. If they are taken rarely and in moderation they do no harm. In every case that has come under my observation it has been necessary to simplify the food intake, that is, to reduce the quantity and the number of articles of food taken at each meal, also to simplify the cooking. The result is that the individual gets less food, but it is of better quality, for the conventional cooking spoils much of the food. Most of these men neglect to exercise. It is necessary to be active and in the open, also to take good care of that important organ, the skin. Constipation is common, and it is a very annoying symptom, which disappears in time under proper living. The absorption of poisons from a constipated lower bowel is one of the factors that causes premature aging. When the constipation is overcome there are a feeling of physical well-being and a mental clearness which are impossible in the presence of constipation. The treatment of such a condition is very much the same as the treatment of catarrh or any other curable disease, that is, find the errors of living and correct them. It is really surprising how little food people need after they are fifty or sixty years old. If such people eat enough to be well nourished, but not enough to produce any bad feelings there will be no disease. People who die from disease are physical failures, for the natural end does not come in a physical upheaval. Those who live as they should will pass away without any pain. The organism simply grows weary and goes into the last sleep. There are people who say that there needs be no physical death. Harry Gaze wrote an entertaining book on the subject some years ago and gave lectures in this country. It will not convince the average student of nature that people can live forever, for in nature there is constant change. The order of life is birth, development, reproduction, decline and death. It is not likely that man is an exception. It is believed that in olden times men were larger and lived longer than they do today. There is not much foundation for such a belief to rest upon, except in a few cases. The last census shows that there are several thousand centennarians in the United States. In the Technical World for March, 1914, appeared an article by Byron C. Utecht, entitled, "When is Man Old?" This magazine is careful in gathering its facts. I shall quote a few paragraphs: "Abraham Wilcox, of Fort Worth, Texas, is one hundred and twelve years old, but he takes keen enjoyment in life. He walks two miles or more every day as a constitutional and, occasionally, he even takes a small glass of beer. He looks forward with all the enthusiasm of a boy to a visit to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. Mr. Wilcox reads the newspapers every day and is interested in everything about him, from the food being prepared for his dinner to the latest feats by aeroplanes. This aged man looks forty or fifty years younger than he really is. His skin is white but not deeply lined. His vision is excellent and he walks nearly erect. Thirty years ago he gave up smoking, as his doctors warned him he was near death from old age and that the use of tobacco would only hasten the end." "In the Ozark Mountains of Marion County, Arkansas, just across the Missouri line, lives Mrs. Elmyra Wagoner. She, too, is one hundred and twelve years old. There are a thousand wrinkles in her face and she looks her age, but in her actions she is sixty. Up until a very few years ago, when still past the hundred-year mark, Mrs. Wagoner kept a large garden and was able to work in the fields. While she has given up outdoor work, she is still active. On inclement days she sits by the fireplace in her mountain home and spins. On pleasant days she may be found walking about the yard. Recently her great-great-granddaughter was married at Protein, Missouri, six miles from the Wagoner home. This woman of one hundred and twelve years walked to the wedding, enjoyed it, and then walked back home, a distance that would tire many persons half that age. There are scores of persons at Protein who vouch for this and they tell of similar feats by Mrs. Wagoner showing remarkable physical power. "Asked to give the causes of her longevity, the aged woman smiled and said that she hated to admit she was getting old. 'Clean, honest living, plenty of work, plenty of good food, and a desire to help others when sick or in trouble, I think gave me my long lease of life. I was always so busy caring for others and thinking of them that I never had time to worry whether I was getting old or not.'" "Asa Goodwin, of Serrett, Alabama, is one hundred and six years old. His endurance powers are even more remarkable than those of Mrs. Wagoner or Abraham Wilcox. He walks five miles every day. He works several hours daily in his garden, eats anything he likes, and reads without glasses. His family is probably the largest in the United States. A reunion recently held in his honor was attended by eight hundred and fifty persons, three hundred and fifty being blood relatives. Goodwin has been a hunter all his life and he frequently takes down his rifle and proves that his aim is still good. He ascribes his length of life and vitality to his great interest in outdoor sport and hunting, when a young man, developing a rugged constitution that lasted him many years after he was forced to quit strenuous work because of 'old age.' He asserts that he was so busy living that he reached one hundred and six years before he realized it and wants to live fifty years more if possible. 'I feel as if I could do it, too,' he declares. 'I now can take my ease and comfort and the world looks good to me. I have always lived a temperate life, never drank, never kept late hours, and still have had as much or more fun than the average man, I think. It is only now when I have nothing to do that I get to worrying and when I find myself in that condition I take a walk or weed the garden and then feel better.'" These people are not in what some call the higher walks of life, but they have succeeded in living, where almost all fail. They have been useful members of society, satisfied to take life as it comes, and thus they have gathered much of the sweet. They have enjoyed life, and those who enjoy give enjoyment to others. It takes an audience to make even the best of plays. Mrs. Wagoner is not rich, but she has a philosophy that is riches enough. She knows that she receives through giving. She has lived this knowledge, which has brought blessings upon her. These people have all led simple lives and they have worked. There is no secret about growing old gracefully. It means self-control, simple living, work for body and mind, cleanliness of body and mind, and the most important part of physical cleanliness is a clean colon. It is necessary to have a tranquil mind most of the time, for anger and worry are injurious to health. The average span of life is lengthening. In the sixteenth century the average European did not live to be twenty years old. Now he lives to be about forty. The same increase has taken place in America. In India and China the average of life is still below twenty-four years. As civilization advances the tendency is for the average of life to lengthen, provided life does not grow so complex that knowledge is antidoted by too great artificiality. However, it is well to note that it is not the last part of life that is being lengthened. We are allowing less and less infants to die as the years roll on. The proportion of the adult population that reaches advanced age is no greater than in the past. Our mode of life is so wrong that tuberculosis, typhoid fever, cancer, kidney diseases, pneumonia and circulatory degeneration carry off immense numbers of those whom we call middle aged, but who are really young people. These are diseases of degeneration. It is to our interest to reduce these diseases. Proper living will do it. The life expectancy of people over fifty is even less than it was thirty years ago. Middle aged people die from diseases caused by bad habits, extended over a period of years. Therefore, these people should learn to live well if they would live longer. The diet of the old can be about the same as that of an adult in the prime of life, except that less should be eaten. Those who live correctly have no digestive disturbances. It will be noted by those who are normal that there is not a desire for as much food as earlier in life, and this should be a guide. Old people get all the nourishment they need in two moderate meals a day. If the three-meal-a-day plan is preferred, it is all right, but then less should be taken at each meal. White flour products are easier to digest than the whole wheat products, but normal people can digest the latter very well and it is a better food than white flour. I know one gentleman in his eighth decade of life who has grown stronger and younger by abandoning the conventional eating habits and living mostly on moderate meals of milk and whole wheat biscuits. As Cornaro said, some need more than others, but all should be moderate. One meal a day of milk and biscuits is all right. These biscuits should be well baked and well masticated. The milk should be taken slowly. Another meal can be meat or eggs or fish with some of the cooked and raw succulent vegetables. If a third meal is taken, it may consist of clabbered milk or buttermilk; or of one of the sweet fruits, and the sweet fruits may be used any time in place of bread or biscuits. Cottage cheese is a good food at any time, and may be taken with fruits, either acid or sweet. As often as desired, in summer, take fruit. Because the very acid, juicy fruits have a tendency to cause chilliness and to thin the blood, it is well to take them in moderation during advanced years, but that does not mean that those who like them should avoid them. In winter time the sweet fruit is best. Mild apples and bananas may be used as often as there is a desire for them. Oranges should be taken more rarely, as well as grapefruit, pineapples and other fruits that are heavily charged with acid. As a general rule, the starchy foods should be eaten but once a day, but those who are very moderate may take them twice a day without bad results. Vegetarians have eggs and milk to take the place of flesh foods. They also have lentils, peas, beans and the protein in the whole wheat and other cereals. Lentils, peas and beans must be taken in moderation, for they are rich in nutriment and if too much is eaten they soon cause disease. Nuts, if well masticated, are also all right. The general basis of feeding should be starch once a day and protein once a day in moderation. All kinds of starch and all kinds of protein may be used. Fruits more moderately than during the earlier years of life is best. All the succulent vegetables that are desired may be partaken of. By cooking the foods simply, as recommended in this book, they are rendered easier to digest than under the conventional manner of cooking. Simple cooking will help to preserve health and prolong life. Work is one of the greatest blessings of life. Those who would live long and be useful must exercise both body and mind. Like all other blessings, if it is carried to excess it is injurious. It is unfortunate that some people must work too hard because there is a class of people who do nothing useful, being content to be wasters. Work has been looked upon as a curse. This is a mistake. Those who live in the hope and expectation that they may some day cease working in order to enjoy life, will find when they reach the goal that life without work is not worth while. Those who can afford it can with benefit lessen the amount of productive work they do and evolve more into cultural lines, but it is dangerous to cease working. The human being is so constituted that without activity of body and mind there is degeneration. What is sadder than to see a capable individual who has won a competence and then has retired to enjoy it! He does not enjoy it. Either he has to get into some line of work, physical or mental, or he soon dies. We must have a lively interest in something or there is stagnation. There are many beautiful things in life, and we should cultivate them while we are young enough to be able to learn to enjoy them. The loftiest spirits of the ages have left their inspirations and their aspirations with us in poetry, prose, music, painting, statuary and in other forms. We should try to cultivate understanding of these subjects, not necessarily all of them, but of one or more, for with understanding come the elevation and broadening of mind that are always present when there is sympathy, and sympathy is closely related to understanding. Culture along one or more lines broadens the mind and makes a person more worth while not only to himself, but to others. We can not estimate the value of the beauty in life in dollars and cents, but he is poor indeed who is rich in worldly goods alone. It is necessary to be interested in the activities about us. Those who think of nothing or no one except themselves are almost dead to the world, even though they go through the same physical activities as other people. The tendency is to get into a rut with advancing years and remain there. It is easy to keep both a pliable mind and a pliable body in spite of age, and this can be done by intelligent use. A short time daily should be spent in becoming informed of what is happening throughout the world and thinking it over. A mental hobby is most excellent. A garden or a few birds can furnish an almost inexhaustible source of interest. Those who doubt this should read of the comedy and tragedy among such humble beings as the spider, the fly and the beetle. J. H. Fabre has written charmingly about these, investing them with an interest rarely to be found in good fiction. This naturalist is a good example of what can be accomplished when one has years to do it in and is content to labor along from day to day without giving too much thought for the morrow. At fifty Mr. Fabre was practically unknown. Now, at about ninety, he is one of the most admired and best loved of men. His recognition came late and he has done much of his best work during his later years. If Mr. Fabre had died at the average age of forty, the world would have been deprived of his beautiful insight. Another cause of old age is getting mentally old. An individual begins to grow old by dwelling on the subject. The girl of thirteen must cease romping and racing about because it is not lady-like. At twenty-five it is very, very undignified to run a little. At forty a woman must be rather sedate, for being natural would mean frivolity. People are continually growing too old to do this and that, not because they have lost the desire and the ability, but because it is unbecoming at their age. This is folly. Keep a young heart all through life. A heartfelt laugh is one of nature's best tonics. There is no more harm in dancing at fifty than at fifteen and not so much danger. The relaxation of muscles and sagging of the face are as much the result of mental attitude as of loss of tonicity. Thinking young and associating with children are helpful and healthful. People who are very stiff and dignified are mentally sterile. The charming people are the ones who are willing and able to understand and sympathize with the aims and aspirations of others, and in order to do so it is necessary to thaw out. The art of life is delightful if properly developed. Worry is such a detriment that its victims can neither live nor work as they should. It is necessary to overcome this bad habit. Most of the worry is due to narrow selfishness. Much of it is caused by the fact that others will not do as we do. To try to make others accept our standards and then worry and fret because they will not is folly. When force is employed to convert anyone the conversion is but superficial and lasts only so long as the converted individual's hypocrisy holds out. To get the best out of life we have to be broad, forbearing, patient and forgiving. A normal old age is beautiful. It is the privilege, nay more, the duty of every intelligent being to attain it. When we adjust ourselves we shall live longer. It is with old age as it is with health. We can have it if we wish it. Accidents alone can deprive us of either. Let us hope that the day will come when men and women will not be satisfied to die as life is but beginning, but that they will live as they should and could live, thus proving a blessing to the race. CHAPTER XXIX. EVOLVING INTO HEALTH. By the time most people are twenty years old they have some kind of disease. It may be only a slight catarrh, a touch of indigestion, trouble with the eyes, defective hearing, or some other ill. Very seldom do we meet a person of this age who is perfectly well. Most people are taught to believe that health is something mysterious which may come to them or may pass them by, but that they have little or nothing to do with it. If they are well, they are fortunate, but if they are ill they are not to blame. Most of them go to conventional physicians when they are ill, expecting to be cured. They take medicine or injections of serums or they are operated upon. When they are through with the doctors they are no wiser than they were before. A few have friends who tell them that they must change their mode of living if they would have health. They are interested enough to go to a healer who believes in nature. He tells them that they are well or ill according to their desserts, that they can be well at all times, if they wish, for if they live as they should health is a natural consequence. This sounds like nonsense at first. It is different from anything else they have heard. The sufferer often makes up his mind that the healer is a fool or a faker. He remembers that when he went to the conventional physicians they sounded and thumped him and examined all his excretions. They were very thorough and scientific. The natural healer does not generally go into so many details. He asks enough and examines enough to find the trouble and then he stops. This the patient charges against him, for he takes for granted that the healer is brief from lack of knowledge. So he goes back to his old physician. As his trouble is due to deranged nutrition, he does not get well. He thinks over what the natural healer said, and the more he thinks about it the more reasonable it sounds, and he returns again. This time he gets instructions, and he follows them enough to get benefit, but not faithfully enough to get well. He is convinced that the conventional physicians are wrong, but still believes that the natural healer can hardly be right. After a while he makes up his mind to get down to business and he goes to the healer for instructions and follows them. The results are surprising. The trouble he has had for years may disappear within a month or two, or it may become less and less apparent, but take considerable time before it leaves entirely. The healer gives instructions. The most important ones are those concerning the diet. A plan is given that brings good results. The healer fails to explain that this is but one correct method of feeding, that there are other good ones. The patient is enthused over the benefits derived, he makes up his mind that he is living the only correct life, and he too often becomes a food crank, trying to force his ideas upon all about him. Here the healer is at fault, for he should explain that some method is necessary, but that there is no one and only method of feeding. If the patient is fairly intelligent, in time he realizes that it is not so much what he eats as his manner of eating and moderation that are helpful, and that any plan in which moderation and simplicity are followed is better than the ordinary way of eating. As the patient evolves into health and gets a broader view of the art of living, he gets a better perspective of life. He learns that under like conditions like causes always produce like effects, that the law of compensation is always operative, and we therefore get what we deserve. He loses his fear of many things that caused him grave concern previously. He sees in sickness and death the working of natural law, not of chance. Some patients realize that healers who work in accordance with nature are right, at the very start, but most people are not so logically constructed. It often takes from one to three years before people make up their mind to order their lives so that they can have health at their command. In the old way, the doctor was supposed to cure, which was impossible. In the new way, the healer educates people and then if they live their knowledge they get health. The healer must instruct in the care of all parts of the body, weeding out bad habits and trying to instill good ones in their place. Eating according to correct principles is the most helpful and powerful aid in regaining health. The patient finds that as the years pass his tastes change, becoming more simple and more moderate. He is well nourished on one-half to one-third of what he used to consume and consider necessary. The following is the last half of a month's record of food intake for a man in the thirties. Some years ago he changed his manner of living in order to regain health, in which he succeeded. Now he takes only one or two meals a day, according to his desires, not that he has any objection to three meals a day, but he finds it best to eat more seldom. He is in good physical condition, as heavy as he ought to be, and he has not had any real physical trouble for a number of years. His work is mental, but he walks considerably and swims from three to six times a week, besides taking a few set exercises. It was taken in spring, the weather averaging cool. This is a little lighter than usual, because the record was taken during a period of exceptionally hard mental work. In cold weather heavier foods are taken. Lunch: Nothing. Dinner: Three slices of rye toast, very thin, celery, three slices broiled onion, dish of peas, glass of beer. Dinner at noon: Roast lamb, dish of spinach, one and one-half dishes summer squash, lettuce and tomato salad. Supper: Nothing. Lunch: Dish of baked lentils, vegetable soup, lettuce. Dinner: Two small oranges, cottage cheese. Lunch: Piece of gingerbread, cup of cocoa, two lumps of sugar. Dinner: Two small oranges, cottage cheese. Lunch: Dish of stewed prunes, tablespoonful cottage cheese. Dinner: Two eggs, two slices buttered toast. Lunch: Small grapefruit. Dinner: Vegetable soup, dish of stewed turnips, dish of peas. Lunch: Nothing. Dinner: Half a grapefruit, three stewed figs, glass of milk. Lunch: Dish of strawberries, large dish of rhubarb with grapefruit juice in it and cream on the side; half serving cream cheese. Dinner: Two small baked apples. Lunch: Small grapefruit. Dinner: Two eggs, dish of turnips, dish of spinach, sliced tomatoes. Lunch: One raw apple. Dinner: Two shredded wheat biscuits, glass of milk. Lunch: Dish of rhubarb. Dinner: Vegetable soup, one egg, a boiled potato. Lunch: Dish of rhubarb. Dinner: Sweet potato, dish of parsnips, stewed peas. Lunch: Dish of ice cream, piece of white cake. Dinner: Cheese cake, dish of fruit salad. Lunch: One hard boiled egg, about one and one-half slices white bread, two big radishes, one young onion, butter. Dinner: Nothing. The servings are the ordinary restaurant servings. No dressings were used except the ones mentioned. This man used to be very fond of sweets and employed salt freely. Now he finds his foods more agreeable when taken plain, for they have a better flavor. He rarely uses salt or pepper. He has simplified his food intake because he finds he feels better and stronger and is able to think to better advantage than he did when he partook of a greater variety and amount of food at each meal. Food scientists say that from two thousand, seven hundred to three thousand, three hundred calories are needed daily, but you will note that this man generally keeps below one-half of this, if you are able to figure food values. People who are trying to get well are often called fools and cranks when they treat themselves properly, but this does not matter, for such fools generally live to see their wise critics prematurely consigned to the earth. When taking health advice, try to keep your balance. Get thoroughly well before you try to guide others. CHAPTER XXX. RETROSPECT. Several hundred pages have been devoted to those matters which must receive attention in order to have good physical and mental health, so as to be able to get the most out of life and give the most, that is, in order to live fully. The basis of health is internal cleanliness, and to attain this it is necessary to exercise self-control and moderation, as well as to cultivate good will and kindliness towards others. Kindness and love lubricate life and make the running smooth. Envy, spite, hatred and the other negative emotions act like sand in the bearings, producing friction in the vital machinery, which they destroy in the end. Success in life means balance, poise, adjustment. We must adjust ourselves so as to be in harmony with others, and we must be in harmony with nature. Our minds will at times be in opposition to the laws of nature. Then we must exercise enough self-control to bring them into harmony again, for natural laws are no respecters of persons. It is said that we break these laws, but that is not true. If we disregard them often enough they break us. We must realize our unity with nature, our at-one-ment. We must realize that we are a part of nature, not above it, and hence that we are governed by the same fixed laws that govern the rest of nature. These laws are for our good. Attempts to escape from their workings indicate a lack of understanding. Discord produces disease and death. Harmony leads to health and long life. The adjustment must be both physical and mental. The physical part means to live or adjust ourselves so that all the functions of the body are carried on normally. The body is self-regulating and if we do nothing harmful health will be our portion. However, life under our present civilization is so complex that the demands upon our nervous systems are excessive. It is easy to live so that we can have health, but to do so is not conventional, and hence not very popular. In order to have good physical health under present conditions, it is necessary to make some effort. The effort is not great enough to be onerous and does not require much time. It is important to get health knowledge, which the majority lacks today. This knowledge is most excellent, but it does not benefit the individual unless it is applied. We all wish to have health, but this is not enough. We must will to have it. When we say that we cannot, it should generally be interpreted to mean that we will not. Some important subjects regarding which special knowledge should be secured are: Food, drink, exercise, care of the skin, sleep, work and play, breathing, clothing, and mental attitude. These subjects, as well as others, have been quite extensively discussed. It is impossible to give full information in tabloid form. It is also impossible to read a book of this character once and get all the information it contains. Those who are in earnest will study the subject, instead of merely reading it. Allow me to remind you that nearly all of our diseases are due to faulty dietary habits. So it was in the time of Hippocrates, according to that sage, and so it is today. It is a common statement that about 90 per cent. of our physical ills come from improper diet, and this is the truth. It follows from this that it is most important to know about correct feeding habits, and put them in practice. Improper diet results in faulty nutrition, after which physical and mental ills make their appearance. There are many systems of feeding, and nearly all of them will bring good results if the most important prescription is followed, namely, moderation. Simplicity leads to moderation. Those who are reasonable about their food intake often serve as targets for the shafts of ridicule launched at them by those who are ignorant of the subject or too self-indulgent to exercise a little self-control. Ridicule is one of the most deadly of weapons, but it never harms those who have the hardihood of getting down to basic facts and classifying things and ideas according to their true value. Why should we be guided by the wit and sarcasm of indolent voluptuaries who daily desecrate their bodies through ruinous indulgences? There is no need of becoming harsh and austere, nor is it necessary to fall into deadly habits of self-indulgence. Sometimes we can go with the current with benefit, but at times it is also necessary to paddle up-stream. Life demands a certain amount of hardihood from those who would live in health, and this comes not from self-indulgence, but from self-denial. It is necessary to do almost daily something that we are not inclined to do. It is well to remember that if the eating is correct, it is difficult to become physically deranged, and consequently to become mentally deranged. Allow me to repeat four short sentences which are helpful and most important guides, sentences which ought to form a part of every child's education: If ill, eat nothing, but live on water. Eat only when there is a desire for food. Masticate all foods thoroughly. Always be moderate in your food intake. These are the four golden rules regarding eating, and if they were adhered to, they would save us from an incalculable amount of sin and suffering. They would increase the duration of life and the joy of living. They would add to our physical and mental prosperity. Hence they are worthy of the emphasis given them. In brief: Physical health is based on internal cleanliness, which can be attained only through moderation, that is, by not habitually overburdening the system, especially with food. Our bodies thrive when used, but not when abused. It is necessary for our physical well-being to get air, sunshine, water, food, sleep, rest, exercise, work and play in proper proportion, and in addition cultivate a kindly, balanced spirit. Drugs, such as alcohol, coffee, morphine, bromine, and hundreds of others which could be named, are not only unnecessary, but harmful. The mental side is as important as the physical side. With a healthy body it is easy to have a happy outlook. Indigestion and biliousness can make a dreary waste out of the most beautiful landscape. The body and mind react and interact, one upon the other. When one is poised it is easy to get the other into balance. It requires a poised body to produce the best fruitage--a fine spirit. It is necessary to be honest with one's self. Face life courageously and honestly. If you do, you will soon realize that the physical and mental ills from which you suffer are mostly of your own making. Then you can choose whether to let them continue or to end them, but if you choose to remain ill, bear your cross uncomplainingly, for you have no right to afflict others with your self-imposed sufferings. On the other hand, try to see life from the view point of others, and you will often find that what you think is the highest good and most desirable in life does not seem worthy of great effort to them. Variety adds spice to life. To impose one's own views and ways on others has always seemed desirable to the majority of people, but it is the height of folly and stupidity. So long as the race exists there will be many men of many minds, and it is best so. We can not force any benefit, such as health or goodness, upon others. Instead of attracting, the process of forcing repels. What we can do mentally to benefit ourselves and others is to get adjusted, to cultivate kindness and charity, to be broad-minded and forgiving, to be slow to take and give offense, to accept the little buffetings that fate has in store for us all with good grace, and through it all to possess our souls in patience. Physically, be moderate. Mentally, cultivate equanimity. 12238 ---- Michigan State University Libraries Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 12238-h.htm or 12238-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/1/2/2/3/12238/12238-h/12238-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/1/2/2/3/12238/12238-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through the Michigan State University Libraries. See http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/sciencekitchen/scie.pdf SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN. A Scientific Treatise on Food Substances and Their Dietetic Properties, together with a Practical Explanation of the Principles of Healthful Cookery, and a Large Number of Original, Palatable, and Wholesome Recipes. by MRS. E. E. KELLOGG, A.M. Superintendent of the Sanitarium School of Cookery and of the Bay View Assembly School of Cookery, and Chairman of the World's Fair Committee on Food Supplies, for Michigan 1893 PREFACE. The interest in scientific cookery, particularly in cookery as related to health, has manifestly increased in this country within the last decade as is evidenced by the success which has attended every intelligent effort for the establishment of schools for instruction in cookery in various parts of the United States. While those in charge of these schools have presented to their pupils excellent opportunities for the acquirement of dexterity in the preparation of toothsome and tempting viands, but little attention has been paid to the science of dietetics, or what might be termed the hygiene of cookery. A little less than ten years ago the Sanitarium at Battle Creek Mich., established an experimental kitchen and a school of cookery under the supervision of Mrs. Dr. Kellogg, since which time, researches in the various lines of cookery and dietetics have been in constant progress in the experimental kitchen, and regular sessions of the school of cookery have been held. The school has gradually gained in popularity, and the demand for instruction has become so great that classes are in session during almost the entire year. During this time, Mrs. Kellogg has had constant oversight of the cuisine of both the Sanitarium and the Sanitarium Hospital, preparing bills of fare for the general and diet tables, and supplying constantly new methods and original recipes to meet the changing and growing demands of an institution numbering always from 500 to 700 inmates. These large opportunities for observation, research, and experience, have gradually developed a system of cookery, the leading features of which are so entirely novel and so much in advance of the methods heretofore in use, that it may be justly styled, _A New System of Cookery_. It is a singular and lamentable fact, the evil consequences of which are wide-spread, that the preparation of food, although involving both chemical and physical processes, has been less advanced by the results of modern researches and discoveries in chemistry and physics, than any other department of human industry. Iron mining, glass-making, even the homely art of brick-making, and many of the operations of the farm and the dairy, have been advantageously modified by the results of the fruitful labors of modern scientific investigators. But the art of cookery is at least a century behind in the march of scientific progress. The mistress of the kitchen is still groping her way amid the uncertainties of mediæval methods, and daily bemoaning the sad results of the "rule of thumb." The chemistry of cookery is as little known to the average housewife as were the results of modern chemistry to the old alchemists; and the attempt to make wholesome, palatable, and nourishing food by the methods commonly employed, is rarely more successful than that of those misguided alchemists in transmuting lead and copper into silver and gold. The new cookery brings order from out the confusion of mixtures and messes, often incongruence and incompatible, which surrounds the average cook, by the elucidation of the principles which govern the operations of the kitchen, with the same certainty with which the law of gravity rules the planets. Those who have made themselves familiar with Mrs. Kellogg's system of cookery, invariably express themselves as trebly astonished: first, at the simplicity of the methods employed; secondly, at the marvelous results both as regards palatableness, wholesomeness, and attractiveness; thirdly, that it had never occurred to them "to do this way before." This system does not consist simply of a rehash of what is found in every cook book, but of new methods, which are the result of the application of the scientific principles of chemistry and physics to the preparation of food in such a manner as to make it the most nourishing, the most digestible, and the most inviting to the eye and to the palate. Those who have tested the results of Mrs. Kellogg's system of cookery at the Sanitarium tables, or in their own homes through the instruction of her pupils, have been most enthusiastic in their expressions of satisfaction and commendation. Hundreds of original recipes which have appeared in her department in _Good Health_, "Science in the Household", have been copied into other journals, and are also quite largely represented in the pages of several cook books which have appeared within the last few years. The great success which attended the cooking school in connection with the Bay View Assembly (the Michigan Chautauqua), as well as the uniform success which has met the efforts of many of the graduates of the Sanitarium school of cookery who have undertaken to introduce the new system through the means of cooking classes in various parts of the United States, has created a demand for a fuller knowledge of the system. This volume is the outgrowth of the practical and experimental work, and the popular demand above referred to. Its preparation has occupied the entire leisure time of the author during the last five or six years. No pains or expense has been spared to render the work authoritative on all questions upon which it treats, and in presenting it to the public, the publishers feel the utmost confidence that the work will meet the highest expectations of those who have waited impatiently for its appearance during the months which have elapsed since its preparation was first announced. PUBLISHERS. TABLE OF CONTENTS. FOODS Properties of food Food elements Uses of food elements Proper combinations of food Proper proportion of food elements Condiments Relation of condiments to intemperance Variety in food Table topics. THE DIGESTION OF FOODS The digestive organs The digestion of a mouthful of bread Salivary digestion Stomach digestion Intestinal digestion Other uses of the digestive fluids Absorption Liver digestion Time required for digestion Dr. Beaumont's table made from experiments on Alexis St. Martin Hygiene of digestion Hasty eating Drinking freely at meals Eating between meals Simplicity in diet Eating when tired Eating too much How much food is enough Excess of certain food elements Deficiency of certain food elements Food combinations Table topics. COOKERY Evils of bad cookery The principles of scientific cookery Fuels Making fires Care of fires Methods of cooking Roasting Broiling or grilling Baking The oven thermometer Boiling The boiling point of water How to raise the boiling point of water Action of hot and cold water upon foods Steaming Stewing Frying Evaporation Adding foods to boiling liquids Measuring Comparative table of weights and measures Mixing the material Stirring Beating Kneading Temperature Cooking utensils Porcelain ware Granite ware Galvanized iron ware Tests for lead Adulterated tin Table topics. THE HOUSEHOLD WORKSHOP Description of a convenient kitchen The kitchen furniture Cupboards A convenient kitchen table The kitchen sink Drainpipes Stoves and ranges Oil and gas stoves The "Aladdin Cooker" Kitchen utensils The tin closet The dish closet The pantry The storeroom The refrigerator The water supply Test for pure water Filters Cellars Kitchen conveniences The steam cooker The vegetable press-The lemon drill The handy waiter The wall cabinet The percolater holder Kneading table Dish-towel rack Kitchen brushes Vegetable brush Table topics. THE GRAINS, OR CEREALS, AND THEIR PREPARATION General properties of grains Cooking of grains The double boiler Table showing amount of liquid, and time required for cooking different grains Grains for breakfast-Grains an economical food Wheat Description of a grain of wheat Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Pearl wheat Cracked wheat Rolled wheat Boiled wheat Wheat with raisins Wheat with fresh fruit Molded wheat Finer mill products of wheat _Recipes_: Farina Farina with fig sauce Farina with fresh fruit Molded farina Graham grits Graham mush Graham mush No. 2 Graham mush No. 3 Graham mush with dates Plum porridge Graham apple mush Granola mush Granola fruit mush Granola peach mush Bran jelly The oat, description of Oatmeal Brose Budrum Flummery Preparation and cooking of oats _Recipes_: Oatmeal mush Oatmeal fruit mush Oatmeal blancmange Oatmeal Blancmange No. 2 Jellied oatmeal Mixed mush Rolled oats Oatmeal with apple Oatmeal porridge Barley, description of Gofio Scotch milled or pot barley Pearl barley Suggestions for cooking barley _Recipes_: Baked barley Pearl barley with raisins Pearl barley with lemon sauce Rice, description of Rice paddy Preparation and cooking of rice _Recipes_: Steamed rice Boiled rice Rice with fig sauce Orange rice Rice with raisins Rice with peaches Browned rice Rye, description of Rye meal Rye flour _Recipes_: Rolled rye Rye mush Maize, or Indian corn, description of Suggestions for cooking corn _Recipes_: Corn meal mush Corn meal mush with fruit Corn meal cubes Browned mush Samp Cerealine flakes Hulled corn Coarse hominy Fine hominy or grits Popped corn Macaroni, description of Semolina Spaghetti Vermicelli To select macaroni To prepare and cook macaroni _Recipes_: Homemade macaroni Boiled macaroni Macaroni with cream sauce Macaroni with tomato sauce Macaroni baked with granola Eggs and macaroni Table topics. BREADSTUFFS AND BREAD-MAKING The origin of bread Chestnut bread Peanut bread Breadstuffs Qualities necessary for good bread Superiority of bread over meat Graham flour Wheat meal Whole-wheat or entire wheat flour How to select flour To keep flour Deleterious adulterations of flour Tests for adulterated flour Chemistry of bread-making Bread made light by fermentation The process of fermentation Fermentative agents Yeast Homemade yeasts How to keep yeast Bitter yeast Tests for yeast Starting the bread Proportion of materials needed Utensils When to set the sponge Temperature for bread-making How to set the sponge Lightness of the bread Kneading the dough How to manipulate the dough in kneading How many times shall bread be kneaded Dryness of the surface Size of loaves Proper temperature of the oven How to test the heat of an oven Care of bread after baking Best method of keeping bread Test of good fermented bread Whole-wheat and Graham breads Toast Steamed bread Liquid yeast _Recipes_: Raw potato yeast Raw potato yeast No. 2 Hop yeast Boiled potato yeast Boiled potato yeast No. 2 Fermented breads _Recipes_: Milk bread with white flour Vienna bread Water bread Fruit roll Fruit loaf Potato bread Pulled bread Whole-wheat bread Whole-wheat bread No. 2 Miss B's one-rising bread Potato bread with whole-wheat flour Rye bread Graham bread Graham bread No. 2 Graham bread No. 3 Raised biscuit Rolls Imperial rolls French rolls Crescents Parker House rolls Braids Brown bread Date bread Fruit loaf with Graham and whole-wheat flour Raised corn bread Corn cake Oatmeal bread Milk yeast bread Graham salt rising bread Unfermented breads Passover cakes Tortillas Evils of chemical bread raising Rochelle salts in baking powders General directions Gem irons Perforated sheet-iron pan for rolls Unfermented batter breads Unfermented dough breads _Recipes_: Whole-wheat puffs Whole-wheat puffs No. 2 Whole-wheat puffs No. 3 Graham puffs Graham puffs No. 2 Currant puffs Graham gems Crusts Rye puffs Rye puffs No. 2 Rye gems Blueberry gems Hominy gems Sally Lunn gems Corn puffs Corn puffs No. 2 Corn puffs No 3 Corn puffs No. 4 Corn dodgers Corn dodgers No. 2 Cream corn cakes Hoe cakes Oatmeal gems Snow gems Pop overs Granola gems Bean gems Breakfast rolls Sticks Cream Graham rolls Corn mush rolls Fruit rolls Cream mush rolls Beaten biscuit Cream crisps Cream crisps No. 2 Graham crisps Oatmeal crisps Graham crackers Fruit crackers Table topics. FRUITS: Chemical constituents of Value as nutrients Structure of fruits The jelly-producing principle Digestibility of fruits Unripe fruits Table of fruit analysis Ripe fruit and digestive disorders Over-ripe and decayed fruits Dangerous bacteria on unwashed fruit Free use of fruit lessens desire for alcoholic stimulants Beneficial use of fruits in disease Apples The pear The quince The peach The plum The prune The apricot The cherry The olive; its cultivation and preservation The date, description and uses of The orange The lemon The sweet lemon or bergamot The citron The lime The grape-fruit The pomegranate, its antiquity The grape Zante currants The gooseberry The currant The whortleberry The blueberry The cranberry The strawberry The raspberry The blackberry The mulberry The melon The fig, its antiquity and cultivation The banana Banana meal The pineapple Fresh fruit for the table Selection of fruit for the table Directions for serving fruits Apples Bananas Cherries Currants Goosberries Grapes Melons Oranges Peaches and pears Peaches and cream Pineapples Plums Pressed Figs Raspberries, Blackberries, Dewberries, Blueberries and Whortlberries Frosted fruit Keeping fresh fruit Directions for packing, handling, and keeping fruits _Recipes_: To keep grapes To keep lemons and oranges To keep cranberries Cooked fruit General suggestions for cooking fruit _Recipes_: Baked apples Citron apples Lemon apples Baked pears Baked quince Pippins and quince Baked apple sauce Baked apple sauce No. 2 Apples stewed whole Steamed apples Compote of apples Apple compote No. 2 Stewed pears Stewed apple sauce Boiled apples with syrup Stewed apples Stewed crab apples Sweet apple sauce with condensed apple juice Apples with raisins Apples with apricots Peaches, pears, cherries, berries, and other small fruits Baked apples Baked pears Baked peaches Cranberries Cranberries with raisins Cranberries with sweet apples Oranges and apples Stewed raisins Dried apples Dried apples with other dried fruit Dried apricots and peaches Evaporated peach sauce Dried pears Small fruits Prunes Prune marmalade Canning fruit Selection of cans How to test and sterilize cans Selection of fruit Directions for preparing fruit Cooking fruit for canning Storing of canned fruit Mold on canned fruit Opening of canned fruit Rules for selecting canned fruit _Recipes_: To can strawberries To can raspberries, blackberries and other small fruit To can gooseberries To can peaches To can pears To can plums To can cherries To can mixed fruit Quinces and apples Plums with sweet apples To can grapes To can crab apples To can apples To can pineapples Fruit jellies _Recipes_: Apple jelly Apple jelly without sugar Berry and currant jellies Cherry jelly Crab apple jelly Cranberry jelly Grape jelly Orange jelly Peach Jelly Quince jelly Plum jelly Fruit in jelly Fruit juices, value of How to prepare fruit juices _Recipes:_ Grape juice or unfermented wine Grape juice No. 2 Another method Fruit syrup Currant syrup Orange syrup Lemon syrup Lemon syrup No 2 Blackberry syrup Fruit ices Nuts Composition and nutritive value of The almond Almond bread The Brazil nut The cocoanut, its uses in tropical countries The chestnut Chestnut flour The acorn The hazel nut The filbert The cobnut The walnut The butternut The hickory nut The pecan The peanut or ground nut _Recipes:_ To blanch almonds Boiled chestnuts Mashed chestnuts Baked chestnuts To keep nuts fresh Table topics. THE LEGUMES Composition and nutritive value Legumes as a substitute for animal food Legumin, or vegetable casein Chinese cheese Legumes the "pulse" of Scripture Diet of the pyramid builders Digestibility of legumes A fourteenth century recipe The green legumes Suggestions for cooking Slow cooking preferable Soaking the dry seeds Effects of hard water upon the legumes Temperature of water for cooking Amount of water required Addition of salt to legumes Peas, description of Buying votes with peas A commemorative dinner Peas bainocks Peas sausages Peas pudding Time required for cooking _Recipes:_ Stewed split peas Peas puree Mashed peas Peas cakes Dried green peas Beans, description of Mention of beans in Scripture Beans in mythology Time required for digestion Method of cooking Experiment of an English cook Parboiling beans Time required to cook _Recipes:_ Baked beans Boiled beans Beans boiled in a bag Scalloped beans Stewed beans Mashed beans Stewed Lima beans Succotash Pulp succotash Lentils, description of Use of lentils by the ancients Lentil meal Preparation for cooking _Recipes:_ Lentil puree Lentils mashed with beans Lentil gravy with rice Table topics. VEGETABLES Composition and nutritive value of vegetables Exclusive diet of vegetables not desirable To select vegetables Poison in potato sprouts Stale vegetables a cause of illness Keeping vegetables To freshen withered vegetables Storing winter vegetables Preparation and cooking To clean vegetables for cooking Methods of cooking Time required for cooking various vegetables Irish potato, description of The chemistry of cooking Digestibility of the potato New potatoes Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Potatoes boiled in "jackets" Boiled potatoes without skins Steamed potatoes Roasted potatoes Baked potatoes Stuffed potatoes Stuffed potatoes No. 2 Mashed potatoes New potatoes Cracked potatoes Creamed potatoes Scalloped potatoes Stewed potatoes Potatoes stewed with celery Potato snow balls Potato cakes Potato cakes with egg Potato puffs Browned potatoes Ornamental potatoes Broiled potatoes Warmed-over potatoes Vegetable hash The sweet potato, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Baked sweet potatoes Baked sweet potatoes No 2 Boiled sweet potatoes Steamed sweet potatoes Browned sweet potatoes Mashed sweet potatoes Potato hash Roasted sweet potatoes Turnips, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Boiled turnips Baked turnips Creamed turnips Chopped turnips Mashed turnips Scalloped turnips Steamed turnips Stewed turnips Turnips in juice Turnips with cream sauce Parsnips, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Baked parsnips Baked parsnips No. 2 Boiled parsnips Browned parsnips Creamed parsnips Mashed parsnips Parsnips with cream sauce Parsnips with egg sauce Parsnips with potatoes Stewed parsnips Stewed parsnips with celery Carrots, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Boiled carrots Carrots with egg sauce Stewed carrots Beets, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Baked beets Baked beets No. 2 Beets and potatoes Beet hash Beet greens Beet salad or chopped beets Beet salad No 2 Boiled beets Stewed beets Cabbage, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Baked cabbage Boiled cabbage Cabbage and tomatoes Cabbage and celery Cabbage hash Chopped cabbage or cabbage salad Mashed cabbage Stewed cabbage Cauliflower and Broccoli, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Boiled cauliflower Browned cauliflower Cauliflower with egg sauce With tomato sauce Stewed cauliflower Scalloped cauliflower Spinach, description of Preparation and cooking Celery To keep celery fresh _Recipes_: Celery salad Stewed celery Stewed celery No. 2 Celery with tomato sauce Celery and potato hash Asparagus, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Asparagus and peas Asparagus Points Asparagus on toast Asparagus with cream sauce Asparagus with egg sauce Stewed asparagus Sea-kale, description of Lettuce and radish, description of _Recipes:_ Lettuce Radishes Cymling Description Preparation and cooking _Recipes:_ Mashed squash Squash with egg sauce Stewed squash Winter squash Preparation and cooking Time required for cooking _Recipes_: Baked squash Steamed squash The pumpkin, description of _Recipes_: Baked pumpkin Stewed pumpkin Dried pumpkin Tomato, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Baked tomatoes Baked tomatoes No. 2 Scalloped tomatoes Stewed corn and tomatoes Tomato gravy Tomato salad Tomato salad No. 2 Broiled tomatoes Tomato pudding Stewed tomatoes Tomato with okra Egg plant, description of Nutritive value _Recipes_: Scalloped egg plant Baked egg plant Cucumber, description of Digestibility Preparation and cooking Salsify or vegetable oyster, description of Preparation and cooking _Recipes_: Scalloped vegetable oysters Stewed vegetable oysters Green corn, peas, and beans, description of General suggestions for selecting and cooking _Recipes for corn_: Baked corn Baked corn No. 2 Boiled green corn Stewed corn pulp Corn cakes Corn pudding Roasted green corn Stewed green corn Summer succotash Dried corn _Recipe for peas_: Stewed peas _Recipes for beans_: Lima beans Shelled beans String beans Canning vegetables _Recipes_: Canned corn Canned corn and tomatoes Canned peas Canned tomatoes Canned tomatoes No. 2 String beans Canned pumpkin and squash Table topics. SOUPS Value of soup as an article of diet Superiority of soups made from grain and legumes Economical value of such soups Digestibility of soups Cooking of material for soups Use of a colander in preparing soups Quantity of salt required Flavoring soups Seasoning of soup Chinese soup strainer Whole grains, macaroni, shredded vegetables, etc., for soups Milk in the preparation of soups Consistency of soups Preparation of soups from left-over fragments Croutons _Recipes_: Asparagus soup Baked bean soup Bean and corn soup Bean and hominy soup Bean and potato soup Bean and tomato soup Black bean soup Black bean soup No. 2 Bran stock Brown soup Canned green pea soup Canned corn soup Carrot soup Celery soup Chestnut soup Combination soup Combination soup No. 2 Another Another Cream pea soup Cream barley soup Green corn soup Green pea soup Green bean soup Kornlet soup Kornlet and tomato soup Lentil soup Lentil and parsnip soup Lima bean soup Macaroni soup Oatmeal soup Parsnip soup Parsnip soup No. 2 Pea and tomato soup Plain rice soup Potato and rice soup Potato soup Potato and vermicelli soup Sago and potato soup Scotch broth Split pea soup Sweet potato soup Swiss potato soup Swiss lentil soup Tomato and macaroni soup Tomato cream soup Tomato and okra soup Tomato soup with vermicelli Vegetable oyster soup Vegetable soup Vegetable soup No. 2 Vegetable soup No. 3 Vegetable soup No. 4 Velvet Soup Vermicelli soup No. 2 White celery soup Table topics. BREAKFAST DISHES Importance of a good breakfast Requirements for a good breakfast Pernicious custom of using fried and indigestible foods for breakfast Use of salted foods an auxiliary to the drink habit The ideal breakfast Use of fruit for breakfast Grains for breakfast An appetizing dish Preparation of zwieback Preparation of toast _Recipes_: Apple toast Apricot toast Asparagus toast Banana toast Berry toast Berry toast No. 2 Celery toast Cream toast Cream toast with poached egg Cherry toast Gravy toast Dry toast with hot cream Grape toast Lentil toast Prune toast Peach toast Snowflake toast Tomato toast Vegetable oyster toast _Miscellaneous breakfast dishes:_ Brewis Blackberry mush Dry granola Frumenty Macaroni with raisins Macaroni with kornlet Peach mush Rice with lemon Table topics. DESSERTS Appropriate and healthful desserts Objections to the use of desserts The simplest dessert General suggestions Importance of good material Preparation of dried fruit for dessert Molded desserts _Suggestions for flavoring:_ To prepare almond paste Cocoanut flavor Orange and lemon flavor To color sugar Fruit desserts _Recipes:_ Apple dessert Apple meringue dessert. Apple rose cream Apple snow Baked apples with cream Baked sweet apple dessert Bananas in syrup Baked bananas Fresh fruit compote Grape apples Peach cream Prune dessert Desserts made of fruit with grains, bread, etc. _Recipes:_ Apple sandwich Apple sandwich No. 2 Baked apple pudding Barley fruit pudding Barley fig pudding Blackberry cornstarch pudding Cocoanut and cornstarch blancmange Cornstarch blancmange cornstarch with raisins Cornstarch with apples Cornstarch fruit mold Cornstarch fruit mold No. 2 Cracked wheat pudding Cracked wheat pudding No. 2 Farina blancmange Farina fruit mold Fruit pudding Jam pudding Plain fruit pudding or Brown Betty Prune pudding Rice meringue Rice snowball Rice fruit dessert Rice dumpling Rice cream pudding Rice pudding with raisins Red rice mold Rice and fruit dessert Rice and tapioca pudding Rice flour mold Rice and stewed apple dessert Rice and strawberry dessert Stewed fruit pudding Strawberry minute pudding Sweet apple pudding Whortleberry pudding Desserts with tapioca, sago, manioca, and sea moss _Recipes_: Apple tapioca Apple tapioca No. 2 Banana dessert Blackberry tapioca Cherry pudding Fruit tapioca Molded tapioca with fruit Pineapple tapioca Prune and tapioca pudding Tapioca and fig pudding Peach tapioca Tapioca jelly Apple sago pudding Red sago mold Sago fruit pudding Sago pudding Manioca with fruit Raspberry manioca mold Sea moss blancmange Desserts made with gelatin Gelatine an excellent culture medium Dangers in the use of gelatine Quantity to be used _Recipes_: Apples in jelly Apple shape Banana dessert Clear dessert Fruit foam dessert Fruit shape Gelatine custard Layer-pudding Lemon jelly Jelly with fruit Orange dessert; Oranges in jelly Orange jelly Snow pudding Desserts with crusts _Recipes_: Apple tart Gooseberry tart Cherry tart Strawberry and other fruit shortcakes Banana shortcake Lemon shortcake Berry shortcake with prepared cream Cream Raised pie Baked apple loaf Custard puddings Importance of slow cooking Best utensils for cooking Custard desserts in cups To stir beaten eggs into heated milk To flavor custards and custard puddings _Recipes_: Apple custard Apple custard No. 2 Apple custard No. 3 Apple cornstarch custard Apple and bread custard Almond cornstarch pudding Almond cream Apple charlotte Banana custard Boiled custard Boiled custard bread pudding Bread and fruit custard Bread custard pudding Bread and fig pudding Bread and apricot pudding Caramel custard Carrot pudding Cocoanut cornstarch pudding Cocoanut custard Cocoanut rice custard Corn meal pudding Corn meal pudding No. 2 Corn meal and fig pudding Cornstarch meringue Cracked wheat pudding Cup custard Farina custard Farina pudding Floating island Fruit custard Graham grits pudding Ground rice pudding Lemon pudding Lemon cornstarch pudding Lemon cornstarch pudding No. 2 Macaroni pudding Molded rice or snowballs Orange float Orange custard Orange pudding Peach meringue Picnic pudding Plain cornstarch pudding Plain custard Prune pudding Prune whip Rice apple custard pudding Rice custard pudding Rice snow Rice snow with jelly Rice with eggs Snow pudding Steamed custard Strawberry charlotte Pop corn pudding Sago custard pudding Sago and fruit custard pudding Snowball custard Tapioca custard Tapioca pudding Vermicelli pudding White custard White custard No. 2 Steamed pudding Precautions to be observed in steaming puddings _Recipes:_ Batter pudding Bread and fruit custard Date pudding Rice balls Steamed bread custard Steamed fig pudding Pastry and cake Deleterious effects from the use of Reasons for indigestibility General directions for making pies _Recipes_ Paste for pies Corn meal crust Granola crust Paste for tart shells Cream filling Grape tart Lemon filling Tapioca filling Apple custard pie Banana pie Bread pie Carrot pie Cocoanut pie Cocoanut pie No. 2 Cream pie Cranberry pie Dried apple pie Dried apple pie with raisins Dried apricot pie Farina pie Fruit pie Grape jelly pie Jelly custard pie Lemon pie Lemon meringue custard One crust peach pie Orange pie Peach custard pie Prune pie Pumpkin pie Pumpkin pie No. 2 Pumpkin pie without eggs Simple custard pie Squash pie Squash pie without eggs Sweet apple custard pie Sweet potato pie Cake General suggestions for preparation of Cake made light with yeast Cake made light with air _Recipes:_ Apple cake Cocoanut custard cake Cream cake Delicate cup cake Fig layer cake Fruit jelly cake Gold and silver cake Icing for cakes Orange cake Fruit cake Loaf cake Pineapple cake Plain buns Sponge cake Sugar crisps Variety cake Table topics. GRAVIES AND SAUCES Importance of proper preparation Accuracy of measurement Proportion of material necessary The double boiler for cooking gravies Flavoring of gravies for vegetables Gravies and sauces for vegetables _Recipes:_ Brown sauce Cream and white sauce Celery sauce Egg sauce Pease gravy Tomato gravy Tomato cream gravy Sauces for desserts and puddings _Recipes:_ Almond sauce Caramel sauce Cocoanut sauce Cream sauce Cranberry pudding sauce Custard sauce Egg sauce Egg sauce No. 2 Foamy sauce Fruit cream Fruit sauce Fruit sauce No. 2 Lemon pudding sauce Mock cream Molasses sauce Orange sauce Peach sauce Plain pudding sauce Red Sauce Rose cream Sago sauce Whipped cream sauce Table topics. BEVERAGES Large quantities of fluid prejudicial to digestion Wholesome beverages The cup that cheers but not inebriates Harmful substances contained in tea Theine Tannin Use of tea a cause of sleeplessness and nervous disorders Tea a stimulant Tea not a food Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate Caffein Adulteration of tea and coffee Substitutes for tea and coffee _Recipes:_ Beet coffee Caramel coffee Caramel coffee No. 2 Caramel coffee No. 3 Caramel coffee No. 4 Mrs. T's caramel coffee Parched grain coffee Wheat, oats, and barley coffee _Recipes for cold beverages:_ Blackberry beverage Fruit beverage Fruit beverage No. 2 Fruit cordial Grape beverage Lemonade Mixed lemonade Oatmeal drink Orangeade Pineapple beverage Pineapple lemonade Pink lemonade Sherbet Tisane Table topics. MILK, CREAM, AND BUTTER Milk, chemical composition of Proportion of food elements Microscopic examination of milk Casein Casein coagulated by the introduction of acid Spontaneous coagulation or souring of milk Adulteration of milk Quality of milk influenced by the food of the animal Diseased milk Kinds of milk to be avoided Distribution of germs by milk Proper utensils for keeping milk Where to keep milk Dr. Dougall's experiments on the absorbent properties of milk Washing of milk dishes Treatment of milk for cream rising Temperature at which cream rises best Importance of sterilizing milk To sterilize milk for immediate use To sterilize milk to keep Condensed milk Cream, composition of Changes produced by churning Skimmed milk, composition of Buttermilk, composition of Digestibility of cream Sterilized cream Care of milk for producing cream Homemade creamery Butter, the composition of Rancid butter Tests of good butter Flavor and color of butter Artificial butter Test for oleomargarine Butter in ancient times Butter making Best conditions for the rising of cream Upon what the keeping qualities of butter depend Cheese Tyrotoxicon _Recipes_: Hot milk Devonshire or clotted cream Cottage cheese Cottage cheese from buttermilk Cottage cheese from sour milk French butter Shaken milk Emulsified butter Table topics. EGGS Eggs a concentrated food Composition of the egg How to choose eggs Quality of eggs varied by the food of the fowl Stale eggs Test for eggs How to keep eggs To beat eggs Albumen susceptible to temperature Left-over eggs _Recipes_: Eggs in shell Eggs in sunshine Eggs poached in tomatoes Eggs in cream Poached or dropped eggs Poached eggs with cream sauce Quickly prepared eggs Scrambled eggs Steamed eggs Whirled eggs Omelets _Recipes_: Plain omelets Foam omelets Fancy omelets soft omelets Table topics. MEATS Character of meat Nutritive value Excrementitious elements Flesh food a stimulant Diseased meats Jewish customs in regard to meat Trichina Tapeworm and other parasites Meat unnecessary for health The excessive use of meat tending to develop the animal propensities Objections to its use Pork Calves' brains and other viscera Meat pies Scallops Pates Comparative nutritious value Variation and flavor Composition and digestibility Selection of meats Preservation of meats Jerked beef Pemmican Preparation and cooking of meat Frozen beef Best methods of cooking Boiling Stewing Steaming Roasting Broiling Beef, economy and adaptability in selection of _Recipes_: Broiled beef Cold meat stew Pan-broiled steak Pan-broiled steak No. 2 Roast beef Smothered beef Vegetables with stewed beef Stewed beef Mutton Cause of Strong flavor of _Recipes_: Boiled leg of mutton Broiled chops Pot roast lamb Roast mutton Stewed mutton Stewed mutton chop Stewed mutton chop No. 2 Veal and lamb Poultry and game To dress poultry and birds To truss a fowl or bird To stuff a fowl or bird _Recipes_: Birds baked in sweet potatoes Boiled fowl Broiled birds Broiled fowl Corn and chicken Pigeons quails and partridges Roast chicken Roast turkey Smothered chicken Steamed chicken Stewed chicken Fish, two classes of Difference in nutritive value Flavor and wholesomeness Poison fish Parasites in fish Fish as a brain food Salted fish Shellfish (Oysters, Clams, Lobsters, Crabs) Not possessed of high nutritive value Natural scavengers Poisonous mussels How to select and prepare fish Frozen fish Methods of cooking _Recipes_: Baked fish Broiled fish Meat soup Preparation of stock Selection of material for stock Quantity of materials needed Uses of scraps Extracting the juice Temperature of the water to be used Correct proportion of water Time required for cooking Straining the stock To remove the fat Simple Stock or broth Compound stock or double broth To clarify soup stock _Recipes_: Asparagus soup Barley rice sago or tapioca soup Caramel for coloring soup brown Julienne soup Tomato soup White soup Vermicelli or macaroni soup Puree with chicken Tapioca cream soup Table Topics. FOOD FOR THE SICK Need of care in the preparation of food for the sick What constitutes proper food for the sick Knowledge of dietetics an important factor in the education of every woman No special dishes for all cases Hot buttered toast and rich jellies objectionable The simplest food the best Scrupulous neatness in serving important To coax a capricious appetite A "purple" dinner A "yellow" dinner To facilitate the serving of hot foods Cooking utensils Gruel Long-continued cooking needed Use of the double boiler in the cooking of gruels Gruel strainer _Recipes_: Arrowroot gruel Barley gruel Egg gruel Egg gruel No. 2 Farina gruel Flour gruel Gluten gruel Gluten gruel No. 2 Gluten cream Gluten meal gruel Graham gruel Graham grits gruel Gruel of prepared flour Indian meal gruel Lemon oatmeal gruel Milk oatmeal gruel Milk porridge Oatmeal gruel Oatmeal gruel No. 2 Oatmeal gruel No. 3 Peptonized' gluten gruel Raisin gruel Rice water Preparations of milk Milk diet Advantages of Quantity of milk needed Digestibility of milk _Recipes_: Albumenized milk Hot milk Junket, or curded milk Koumiss Milk and lime water Peptonized milk for infants Beef tea, broths, etc. Nutritive value Testimony of Dr. Austin Flint _Recipes_: Beef extract Beef juice Beef tea Beef tea and eggs Beef broth and oatmeal Bottled beef tea Chicken broth Mutton broth Vegetable broth Vegetable broth No. 2 Mixed vegetable broth _Recipes for Panada_: Broth panada Chicken panada Egg panada Milk panada Raisin panada Grains for the sick _Recipes_: Gluten mush Tomato gluten Tomato gluten No. 2 Meats for the sick Importance of simple preparation _Recipes_: Broiled steak Chicken Chicken jelly Minced chicken Mutton chop Minced steak Scraped steak Eggs for the sick _Recipes_: Floated egg Gluten meal custard Gluten custard Steamed eggs Soft custard Raw egg White of egg White of egg and milk Refreshing drinks and delicacies for the sick Nature's delicacies How to serve Fruit juices _Recipes_: Acorn coffee Almond milk Apple beverage Apple beverage No. 2 Apple toast water Baked milk Barley lemonade Barley and fruit drinks Barley milk Cranberry drink Currantade Crust coffee Egg cream Egg cream No. 2 Egg cream No. 3 Egg lemonade Flaxseed coffee Gum Arabic water Hot water Hot lemonade Irish moss lemonade Orangeade Plain lemonade Slippery elm tea Toast water Tamarind water Bread _Recipes_; Diabetic biscuit Diabetic biscuit No. 2 Gluten meal gems Jellies and other desserts for the side _Recipes_: Arrowroot jelly Arrowroot blancmange Currant jelly Iceland moss jelly Iceland moss blancmange Orange whey White custard Table topics. FOOD FOR THE AGED AND THE VERY YOUNG Requisites of food for the aged Stimulating diet not necessary Flesh food unsuitable Bill of fare Quantity of food for the aged Heavy meals a tax upon digestion Cornaro's testimony Diet for the young Causes of mortality among young children Best artificial food Use of sterilized milk. Difference between cows' milk and human milk Common method of preparing cows' milk Artificial human milk Artificial human milk No. 2 Artificial human milk No. 3 Peptonized milk Mucilaginous food excellent in gastro-enteritis Preparation of food for infants Time required for digestion of artificial food Quantity of food for infants Rules for finding the amount of food needed Table for the feeding of infants Interval between feeding Intervals for feeding at different ages Manner of feeding artificial foods Danger from unclean utensils Diet of older children An abundance of nitrogenous material important Flesh food unnecessary Experiments of Dr. Camman Testimony of Dr. Clouston Candy and similar sweets Eating between meals Education of the appetite Inherited appetites and tendencies Table topics. FRAGMENTS AND LEFT-OVER FOODS Preserving and utilizing the left-over fragments Precautions to be observed Uses of stale bread To insure perfect preservation of fragments Preparation of zwieback and croutons Left-over grains Left-over vegetables Left-over meats Left-over milk Table topics. THE ART OF DINING Pleasant accessories essential The dining room Neatness an essential Care of the dining room Furnishings of the dining room Table talk A pleasant custom Table manners Suggestions for table etiquette The table Its appearance and appointments The table an educator in the household A well ordered table an incentive to good manners Ostentation not necessary Setting the table The sub-cover Napkins The center piece Arrangement of dishes "Dishing up" Setting the table over night Warming the dishes The service of meals A capital idea Fruit as the first course at breakfast To keep the food hot A employed General suggestions for waiters Suggestions concerning dinner parties Proper form of invitation Arrangement and adornment of table A pleasing custom The _menu_ card Service for a company dinner Etiquette of dinner parties Table topics. AFTER MEALTIME Clearing the table Washing the dishes _papier-maché_ tubs Ammonia, uses of Clean dishes not evolved from dirty dishwater Washing all dishes of one kind together Washing milk dishes Uses of the dish mop Cleaning of grain boilers and mush kettles Washing of tin dishes To clean iron ware To wash wooden ware Care of steel knives and forks Draining the dishes Dishcloths and towels To make a dish mop The care of glass and silver To keep table cutlery from rusting To wash trays and Japanned ware Care of the table linen To remove stains To dry table linen To iron table linen Washing colored table linen The garbage Table topics. A YEAR'S BREAKFASTS AND DINNERS A perplexing problem Requisites for a well arranged _menu_ Suggestions for preparing bills of fare Table of food analyses Fifty-two weeks' breakfasts and dinners Average cost Analysis of various bills of fare Table topics. A BATCH OF DINNERS Holiday dinners Holiday feasting Holiday dinners opposed to temperance Thanksgiving _menus_ Holiday _menus_ Picnic dinners The lunch basket, provision for Fruit sandwiches Egg sandwiches Picnic biscuit Fig wafers Suitable beverages School lunches Deficiency of food material in the ordinary school lunch Why the after dinner session of school drags wearily Simple lunches desirable Suggestions for putting up the lunch Creamy rice Neatness and daintiness essential The lunch basket Sabbath dinners A needed reform Feasting on the Sabbath, deleterious results of Simple meals for the Sabbath A Sabbath bill of fare Table topics. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. THE ALIMENTARY CANAL AN OVEN THERMOMETER CONVENIENT KITCHEN TABLE A DOUBLE BOILER COMPARTMENT SINK FOR DISH-WASHING OPEN COMPARTMENT SINK FOR DISH-WASHING CLOSED THE STEAM COOKER VEGETABLE PRESS LEMON DRILL THE HANDY WAITER WALL CABINET PERCOLATER HOLDER KNEADING TABLE DISH TOWEL RACK VEGETABLE BRUSH A DOUBLE BOILER SECTIONAL VIEW OF WHEAT KERNEL MEASURING CUPS BREAD PAN MEXICAN WOMEN MAKING TORTILLAS STONE METATE GEM IRONS PERFORATED SHEET IRON PAN FOR ROLLS MAKING UNFERMENTED BREAD CANNING UTENSILS BAIN MARIE CHINESE SOUP STRAINER CREAMERY ORIENTAL BUTTER MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR STRAINING STOCK GRUEL STRAINER EXTENSION STRAINER WIRE DISHCLOTH A PICNIC DINNER INTRODUCTION. No one thing over which we have control exerts so marked an influence upon our physical prosperity as the food we eat; and it is no exaggeration to say that well-selected and scientifically prepared food renders the partaker whose digestion permits of its being well assimilated, superior to his fellow-mortals in those qualities which will enable him to cope most successfully with life's difficulties, and to fulfill the purpose of existence in the best and truest manner. The brain and other organs of the body are affected by the quality of the blood which nourishes them, and since the blood is made of the food eaten, it follows that the use of poor food will result in poor blood, poor muscles, poor brains, and poor bodies, incapable of first-class work in any capacity. Very few persons, however, ever stop to inquire what particular foods are best adapted to the manufacture of good blood and the maintenance of perfect health; but whatever gratifies the palate or is most conveniently obtained, is cooked and eaten without regard to its dietetic value. Far too many meals partake of the characteristics of the one described in the story told of a clergyman who, when requested to ask a blessing upon a dinner consisting of bread, hot and tinged with saleratus, meat fried to a crisp, potatoes swimming in grease, mince pie, preserves, and pickles, demurred on the ground that the dinner was "not worth a blessing." He might with equal propriety have added, "and not worth eating." The subject of diet and its relation to human welfare, is one deserving of the most careful consideration. It should be studied as a science, to enable us to choose such materials as are best adapted to our needs under the varying circumstances of climate growth, occupation, and the numerous changing conditions of the human system; as an art, that we may become so skilled in the preparation of the articles selected as to make them both appetizing and healthful. It is an unfortunate fact that even among experienced housekeepers the scientific principles which govern the proper preparation of food, are but little understood, and much unwholesome cookery is the result. The mechanical mixing of ingredients is not sufficient to secure good results; and many of the failures attributed to "poor material," "bad luck," and various other subterfuges to which cooks ignorance of scientific principles. The common method of blindly following recipes, with no knowledge of "the reason why," can hardly fail to be often productive of unsatisfactory results, which to the uninformed seem quite inexplicable. Cookery, when based upon scientific principles, ceases to be the difficult problem it so often appears. Cause and effect follow each other as certainly in the preparation of food as in other things; and with a knowledge of the underlying principles, and faithfulness in carrying out the necessary details, failure becomes almost an impossibility. There is no department of human activity where applied science offers greater advantages than in that of cookery, and in our presentation of the subjects treated in the following pages, we have endeavored, so far as consistent with the scope of this work, to give special prominence to the scientific principles involved in the successful production of wholesome articles of food. We trust our readers will find these principles so plainly elucidated and the subject so interesting, that they will be stimulated to undertake for themselves further study and research in this most important branch of household science. We have aimed also to give special precedence of space to those most important foods, the legumes, and grains and their products, which in the majority of cook books are given but little consideration or are even left out altogether, believing that our readers will be more interested in learning the many palatable ways in which these especially nutritious and inexpensive foods may be prepared, than in a reiteration of such dishes as usually make up the bulk of the average cook book. For reasons stated elsewhere (in the chapter on Milk, Cream, and Butter), we have in the preparation of all recipes made use of cream in place of other fats; but lest there be some who may suppose because cream occupies so frequent a place in the recipes, and because of their inability to obtain that article, the recipes are therefore not adapted to their use, we wish to state that a large proportion of the recipes in which it is mentioned as seasoning, or for dressing, will be found to be very palatable with the cream omitted, or by the use of its place of some one of the many substitutes recommended. We ought also to mention in this connection, that wherever cream is recommended, unless otherwise designated, the quality used in the preparation of the recipes is that of single or twelve hour cream sufficiently diluted with milk, so that one fourth of each quart of milk is reckoned as cream. If a richer quality than this be used, the quantity should be diminished in proportion; otherwise, by the excess of fat, a wholesome food may become a rich, unhealthful dish. In conclusion, the author desires to state that no recipe has been admitted to this work which has not been thoroughly tested by repeated trials, by far the larger share of such being original, either in the combination of the materials used, the method employed, or both materials and method. Care has been taken not to cumber the work with useless and indifferent recipes. It is believed that every recipe will be found valuable, and that the variety offered is sufficiently ample, so that under the most differing circumstances, all may be well served. We trust therefore that those who undertake to use the work as a guide in their culinary practice, will not consider any given recipe a failure because success does not attend their first efforts. Perseverance and a careful study of the directions given, will assuredly bring success to all who possess the natural or acquired qualities essential for the practice of that most useful of the arts,--"Healthful Cookery." ELLA E. KELLOGG. _Battle Creek, April 20, 1892._ Foods The purposes of food are to promote growth, to supply force and heat, and to furnish material to repair the waste which is constantly taking place in the body. Every breath, every thought, every motion, wears out some portion of the delicate and wonderful house in which we live. Various vital processes remove these worn and useless particles; and to keep the body in health, their loss must be made good by constantly renewed supplies of material properly adapted to replenish the worn and impaired tissues. This renovating material must be supplied through the medium of food and drink, and the best food is that by which the desired end may be most readily and perfectly attained. The great diversity in character of the several tissues of the body, makes it necessary that food should contain a variety of elements, in order that each part may be properly nourished and replenished. THE FOOD ELEMENTS.--The various elements found in food are the following: Starch, sugar, fats, albumen, mineral substances, indigestible substances. The digestible food elements are often grouped, according to their chemical composition, into three classes; _vis._, carbonaceous, nitrogenous, and inorganic. The carbonaceous class includes starch, sugar, and fats; the nitrogenous, all albuminous elements; and the inorganic comprises the mineral elements. _Starch_ is only found in vegetable foods; all grains, most vegetables, and some fruits, contain starch in abundance. Several kinds of _sugar_ are made in nature's laboratory; _cane_, _grape_, _fruit_, and _milk_ sugar. The first is obtained from the sugar-cane, the sap of maple trees, and from the beet root. Grape and fruit sugars are found in most fruits and in honey. Milk sugar is one of the constituents of milk. Glucose, an artificial sugar resembling grape sugar, is now largely manufactured by subjecting the starch of corn or potatoes to a chemical process; but it lacks the sweetness of natural sugars, and is by no means a proper substitute for them. _Albumen_ is found in its purest, uncombined state in the white of an egg, which is almost wholly composed of albumen. It exists, combined with other food elements, in many other foods, both animal and vegetable. It is found abundant in oatmeal, and to some extent in the other grains, and in the juices of vegetables. All natural foods contain elements which in many respects resemble _albumen_, and are so closely allied to it that for convenience they are usually classified under the general name of "albumen." The chief of these is _gluten_, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. _Casein_, found in peas, beans, and milk, and the _fibrin_ of flesh, are elements of this class. _Fats_ are found in both animal and vegetable foods. Of animal fats, butter and suet are common examples. In vegetable form, fat is abundant in nuts, peas, beans, in various of the grains, and in a few fruits, as the olive. As furnished by nature in nuts, legumes, grains, fruits, and milk, this element is always found in a state of fine subdivision, which condition is the one best adapted to its digestion. As most commonly used, in the form of free fats, as butter, lard, etc., it is not only difficult of digestion itself, but often interferes with the digestion of the other food elements which are mixed with it. It was doubtless never intended that fats should be so modified from their natural condition and separated from other food elements as to be used as a separate article of food. The same may be said of the other carbonaceous elements, sugar and starch, neither of which, when used alone, is capable of sustaining life, although when combined in a proper and natural manner with other food elements, they perform a most important part in the nutrition of the body. Most foods contain a percentage of the _mineral_ elements. Grains and milk furnish these elements in abundance. The cellulose, or woody tissue, of vegetables, and the bran of wheat, are examples of _indigestible_ elements, which although they cannot be converted into blood in tissue, serve an important purpose by giving bulk to the food. With the exception of gluten, none of the food elements, when used alone, are capable of supporting life. A true food substance contains some of all the food elements, the amount of each varying in different foods. USES OF THE FOOD ELEMENTS.--Concerning the purpose which these different elements serve, it has been demonstrated by the experiments of eminent physiologists that the carbonaceous elements, which in general comprise the greater bulk of the food, serve three purposes in the body; 1. They furnish material for the production of heat; 2. They are a source of force when taken in connection with other food elements; 3. They replenish the fatty tissues of the body. Of the carbonaceous elements,--starch, sugar, and fats,--fats produce the greatest amount of heat in proportion to quantity; that is, more heat is developed from a pound of fat than from an equal weight of sugar or starch; but this apparent advantage is more than counterbalanced by the fact that fats are much more difficult of digestion than are the other carbonaceous elements, and if relied upon to furnish adequate material for bodily heat, would be productive of much mischief in overtaxing and producing disease of the digestive organs. The fact that nature has made a much more ample provision of starch and sugars than of fats in man's natural diet, would seem to indicate that they were intended to be the chief source of carbonaceous food; nevertheless, fats, when taken in such proportion as nature supplies them, are necessary and important food elements. The nitrogenous food elements especially nourish the brain, nerves, muscles, and all the more highly vitalized and active tissues of the body, and also serve as a stimulus to tissue change. Hence it may be said that a food deficient in these elements is a particularly poor food. The inorganic elements, chief of which are the phosphates, in the carbonates of potash, soda, and lime, aid in furnishing the requisite building material for bones and nerves. PROPER COMBINATIONS OF FOODS.--While it is important that our food should contain some of all the various food elements, experiments upon both animals and human beings show it is necessary that these elements, especially the nitrogenous and carbonaceous, be used in certain definite proportions, as the system is only able to appropriate a certain amount of each; and all excess, especially of nitrogenous elements, is not only useless, but even injurious, since to rid the system of the surplus imposes an additional task upon the digestive and excretory organs. The relative proportion of these elements necessary to constitute a food which perfectly meets the requirements of the system, is six of carbonaceous to one of nitrogenous. Scientists have devoted much careful study and experimentation to the determination of the quantities of each of the food elements required for the daily nourishment of individuals under the varying conditions of life, and it has come to be commonly accepted that of the nitrogenous material which should constitute one sixth of the nutrients taken, about _three ounces_ is all that can be made use of in twenty-four hours, by a healthy adult of average weight, doing a moderate amount of work. Many articles of food are, however, deficient in one or the other of these elements, and need to be supplemented by other articles containing the deficient element in superabundance, since to employ a dietary in which any one of the nutritive elements is lacking, although in bulk it may be all the digestive organs can manage, is really starvation, and will in time occasion serious results. It is thus apparent that much care should be exercised in the selection and combination of food materials. The table on page 484, showing the nutritive values of various foods, should be carefully studied. Such knowledge is of first importance in the education of cooks and housekeepers, since to them falls the selection of the food for the daily needs of the household; and they should not only understand what foods are best suited to supply these needs, but how to combine them in accordance with physiological laws. CONDIMENTS.--By condiments are commonly meant such substances as are added to season food, to give it "a relish" or to stimulate appetite, but which in themselves possess no real food value. To this category belong mustard, ginger, pepper, pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cloves, spices, and other similar substances. That anything is needed to disguise or improve the natural flavor of food, would seem to imply either that the article used was not a proper alimentary substance, or that it did not answer the purpose for which the Creator designed it. True condiments, such as pepper, pepper sauce, ginger, spice, mustard, cinnamon, cloves, etc., are all strong irritants. This may be readily demonstrated by their application to a raw surface. The intense smarting and burning occasioned are ample evidence of the irritating character. Pepper and mustard are capable of producing powerfully irritating effects, even when applied to the healthy skin where wholly intact. It is surprising that it does not occur to the mother who applies a mustard plaster to the feet of her child, to relieve congestion of the brain, that an article which is capable of producing a blister upon the external covering of the body, is quite as capable of producing similar effects when applied to the more sensitive tissues within the body. The irritating effects of these substances upon the stomach are not readily recognized, simply because the stomach is supplied with very few nerves of sensation. That condiments induce an intense degree of irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, was abundantly demonstrated by the experiments of Dr. Beaumont upon the unfortunate Alexis St. Martin. Dr. Beaumont records that when St. Martin took mustard, pepper, and similar condiments with his food, the mucous membrane of his stomach became intensely red and congested, appearing very much like an inflamed eye. It is this irritating effect of condiments which gives occasion for their extended use. They create an artificial appetite, similar to the incessant craving of the chronic dyspeptic, whose irritable stomach is seldom satisfied. This fact with regard to condiments is a sufficient argument against their use, being one of the greatest causes of gluttony, since they remove the sense of satiety by which Nature says, "Enough." To a thoroughly normal and unperverted taste, irritating condiments of all sorts are very obnoxious. It is true that Nature accommodates herself to their use with food to such a degree that they may be employed for years without apparently producing very grave results; but this very condition is a source of injury, since it is nothing more nor less than the going to sleep of the sentinels which nature has posted at the portal of the body, for the purpose of giving warning of danger. The nerves of sensibility have become benumbed to such a degree that they no longer offer remonstrance against irritating substances, and allow the enemy to enter into the citadel of life. The mischievous work is thus insidiously carried on year after year until by and by the individual breaks down with some chronic disorder of the liver, kidneys, or some other important internal organ. Physicians have long observed that in tropical countries where curry powder and other condiments are very extensively used, diseases of the liver, especially acute congestion and inflammation, are exceedingly common, much more so that in countries and among nations where condiments are less freely used. A traveler in Mexico, some time ago, described a favorite Mexican dish as composed of layers of the following ingredients: "Pepper, mustard, ginger, pepper, potato, ginger; mustard, pepper, potato, mustard, ginger, pepper." The common use of such a dish is sufficient cause for the great frequency of diseases of the liver among the Mexicans, noted by physicians traveling in that country. That the use of condiments is wholly a matter of habit is evident from the fact that different nations employ as condiments articles which would be in the highest degree obnoxious to people of other countries. For example, the garlic so freely used in Russian cookery, would be considered by Americans no addition to the natural flavors of food; and still more distasteful would be the asafetida frequently used as a seasoning in the cuisine of Persia and other Asiatic countries. The use of condiments is unquestionably a strong auxiliary to the formation of a habit of using intoxicating drinks. Persons addicted to the use of intoxicating liquors are, as a rule, fond of stimulating and highly seasoned foods; and although the converse is not always true, yet it is apparent to every thoughtful person, that the use of a diet composed of highly seasoned and irritating food, institutes the conditions necessary for the acquirement of a taste for intoxicating liquors. The false appetite aroused by the use of food that "burns and stings," craves something less insipid than pure cold water to keep up the fever the food has excited. Again, condiments, like all other stimulants, must be continually increased in quantity, or their effect becomes diminished; and this leads directly to a demand for stronger stimulants, both in eating and drinking, until the probable tendency is toward the dram-shop. A more serious reason why high seasonings leads to intemperance, is in the perversion of the use of the sense of taste. Certain senses are given us to add to our pleasure as well as for the practical, almost indispensable, use they are to us. For instance, the sense of sight is not only useful, but enables us to drink in beauty, if among beautiful surroundings, without doing us any harm. The same of music and other harmonics which may come to us through the sense of hearing. But the sense of taste and was given us to distinguish between wholesome and unwholesome foods, and cannot be used for merely sensuous gratification, without debasing and making of it a gross thing. An education which demands special enjoyment or pleasure through the sense of taste, is wholly artificial; it is coming down to the animal plane, or below it rather; for the instinct of the brute creation teaches it merely to eat to live. Yet how wide-spread is this habit of sensuous gratification through the sense of taste! If one calls upon a neighbor, he is at once offered refreshments of some kind, as though the greatest blessing of life came from indulging the appetite. This evil is largely due to wrong education, which begins with childhood. When Johnnie sits down to the table, the mother says, "Johnnie, what would you like?" instead of putting plain, wholesome food before the child, and taking it as a matter of course that he will eat it and be satisfied. The child grows to think that he must have what he likes, whether it is good for him or not. It is not strange that an appetite thus pampered in childhood becomes uncontrollable at maturity; for the step from gormandizing to intoxication is much shorter than most people imagine. The natural, unperverted taste of a child will lead him to eat that which is good for him. But how can we expect the children to reform when the parents continually set them bad examples in the matter of eating and drinking? The cultivation of a taste for spices is a degradation of the sense of taste. Nature never designed that pleasure should be divorced from use. The effects of gratifying the sense of taste differ materially from those of gratifying the higher senses of sight and hearing. What we see is gone; nothing remains but the memory, and the same is true of the sweetest sounds which may reach us through the ears. But what we taste is taken into the stomach and what has thus given us brief pleasure through the gratification of the palate, must make work in the alimentary canal for fourteen hours before it is disposed of. VARIETY IN FOOD.--Simplicity of diet should be a point of first consideration with all persons upon whom falls the responsibility of providing the family bills of fare, since the simplest foods are, as a rule, the most healthful. Variety is needed; that is, a judicious mingling of fruits, grains, and vegetables; but the general tendency is to supply our tables with too many kinds and to prepare each dish in the most elaborate manner, until, in many households, the cooking of food has come to be almost the chief end of life. While the preparation of food should be looked upon as of so much importance as to demand the most careful consideration and thought as to its suitability, wholesomeness, nutritive qualities, and digestibility, it should by no means be made to usurp the larger share of one's time, when simpler foods and less labor would afford the partakers equal nourishment and strength. A great variety of foods at one meal exerts a potent influence in creating a love of eating, and is likewise a constant temptation to overeat. Let us have well-cooked, nutritious, and palatable food, and plenty of it; variety from day to day, but not too great a variety at each meal. The prevalent custom of loading the table with a great number of viands, upon occasions when guests are to be entertained in our homes, is one to be deplored, since it is neither conducive to good health nor necessary to good cheer, but on the contrary is still laborious and expensive a practice that many are debarred from social intercourse because they cannot afford to entertain after the fashion of their neighbors. Upon this subject a well-known writer has aptly said: "Simplify cookery, thus reducing the cost of living, and how many longing individuals would thereby be enabled to afford themselves the pleasure of culture and social intercourse! When the barbarous practice of stuffing one's guests shall have been abolished, a social gathering will not then imply, as it does now, hard labor, expensive outlay, and dyspepsia. Perhaps when that time arise, we shall be sufficiently civilized to demand pleasures of a higher sort. True, the entertainments will then, in one sense, be more costly, as culture is harder to come by than cake. The profusion of viands now heaped upon the table, betrays poverty of the worst sort. Having nothing better to offer, we offer victuals; and this we do with something of that complacent, satisfied air with which some more northern tribes present their tidbits of whale and walrus." TABLE TOPICS. "Let appetite wear reason's golden chain, and find in due restrain its luxury." A man's food, when he has the means and opportunity of selecting it, suggests his moral nature. Many a Christian is trying to do by prayer that which cannot be done except through corrected diet.--_Talmage._ Our pious ancestors enacted a law that suicides should be buried where four roads meet, and that a cart-load of stones should be thrown upon the body. Yet, when gentlemen or ladies commit suicide, not by cord or steel, but by turtle soup or lobster salad, they may be buried on consecrated ground, and the public are not ashamed to read an epitaph upon their tombstones false enough to make the marble blush.--_Horace Mann._ It is related by a gentleman who had an appointment to breakfast with the late A.T. Stewart, that the butler placed before them both an elaborate bill of fare; the visitor selected a list of rare dishes, and was quite abashed when Mr. Stewart said, "Bring me my usual breakfast,--oatmeal and boiled eggs." He then explained to his friend that he found simple food a necessity to him, otherwise he could not think clearly. That unobscured brain applied to nobler ends would have won higher results, but the principle remains the same.--_Sel._ Study simplicity in the number of dishes, and a variety in the character of the meals.--_Sel._ I have come to the conclusion that more than half the disease which embitters life is due to avoidable errors in diet, ... and that more mischief, in the form of actual disease, of impaired vigor, and of shortened life, accrues to civilized man from erroneous habits of eating than from the habitual use of alcoholic drink, considerable as I know that evil to be.--_Sir Henry Thompson._ The ancient Gauls, who were a very brave, strong, and hearty race, lived very abstemiously. Their food was milk, berries, and herbs. They made bread of nuts. They had a very peculiar fashion of wearing a metal ring around the body, the size of which was regulated by act of Parliament. Any man who outgrew in circumference his metal ring was looked upon as a lazy glutton, and consequently was disgraced. To keep in health this rule is wise: Eat only when you need, and relish food, chew thoroughly that it may do you good, have it well cooked, unspiced, and undisguised. --_Leonardo da Vinci_ THE DIGESTION OF FOODS. It is important that the housekeeper not only understand the nature and composition of foods, but she should also know something of their digestive properties, since food, to be serviceable, must be not only nutritious, but easily digested. Digestion is the process by which food rendered soluble, and capable of being absorbed for use in carrying on the various vital processes. The digestive apparatus consists of a long and tortuous tube called the alimentary canal, varying in length from twenty-five to thirty feet, along which are arranged the various digestive organs,--the mouth, the stomach, the liver, and the pancreas,--each of which, together with the intestines, has an important function to perform. In these various organs nature manufactures five wonderful fluids for changing and dissolving the several food elements. The mouth supplies the saliva; in the walls of the stomach are little glands which produce the gastric juice; the pancreatic juice is made by the pancreas; the liver secretes bile; while scattered along the small intestines are minute glands which make the intestinal juice. Each of these fluids has a particular work to do in transforming some part of the food into suitable material for use in the body. The saliva acts upon the starch of the food, changing it into sugar; the gastric juice digests albumin and other nitrogenous elements; the bile digests fat, and aids in the absorption of other food elements after they are digested; the pancreatic juice is not confined in its action to a single element, but digests starch, fats, and the albuminous elements after they have been acted upon by the gastric juice; the intestinal juice is capable of acting upon all digestible food elements. [Illustration: The Alimentary Canal, _a._ Esophagus; _b._ Stomach; _c._ Cardiac Orifice; _d._ Pylorus; _e._ Small Intestine; _f._ Bile Duct; _g._ Pancreatic Duct; _h._ Ascending Colon; _i._ Transverse Colon; _j._ Descending Colon; _k._ Rectum.] THE DIGESTION OF A MOUTHFUL OF BREAD.--A mouthful of bread represents all, or nearly all, the elements of nutrition. Taking a mouthful of bread as a representative of food in general, it may be said that its digestion begins the moment that it enters the mouth, and continues the entire length of the alimentary canal, or until the digestible portion of the food has been completely digested and absorbed. We quote the following brief description of the digestive process from Dr. J.H. Kellogg's Second Book in Physiology[A]:-- [Footnote A: Good Health Pub. Co., Battle Creek, Mich.] "_Mastication._--The first act of the digestive process is mastication, or chewing the food, the purpose of which is to crush the food and divide it into small particles, so that the various digestive fluids may easily and promptly come into contact with every part of it. "_Salivary Digestion._--During the mastication of the food, the salivary glands are actively pouring out the saliva, which mingles with the food, and by softening it, aids in its division and prepares it for the action of the other digestive fluids. It also acts upon the starch, converting a portion of it into grape-sugar. "_Stomach Digestion._--After receiving the food, the stomach soon begins to pour out the gastric juices, which first makes its appearance in little drops, like beads of sweat upon the face when the perspiration starts. As the quantity increases, the drops run together, trickle down the side of the stomach, and mingle with the food. The muscular walls of the stomach contract upon the food, moving it about with a sort of crushing action, thoroughly mixing the gastric juice with the food. During this process both the openings of the stomach are closed tightly. The gastric juice softens the food, digests albumen, and coagulates milk. The saliva continues its action upon starch for sometime after the food reaches the stomach. "After the food has remained in the stomach from one to three hours, or even longer, if the digestion is slow, or indigestible foods have been eaten, the contractions of the stomach become so vigorous that the more fluid portions of the food are squeezed out through the pylorus, the lower orifice of the stomach, thus escaping into the intestine. The pylorus does not exercise any sort of intelligence in the selection of food, as was once supposed. The increasing acidity of the contents of the stomach causes its muscular walls to contract with increasing vigor, until finally those portions of the food which may be less perfectly broken up, but which the stomach has been unable to digest, are forced through the pylorus. "_Intestinal Digestion._--As it leaves the stomach, the partially digested mass of food is intensely acid, from the large quantity of gastric juices which it contains. Intestinal digestion cannot begin until the food becomes alkaline. The alkaline bile neutralizes the gastric juice, and renders the digesting mass slightly alkaline. The bile also acts upon the fatty elements of the food, converting them into an emulsion. The pancreatic juice converts the starch into grape-sugar, even acting upon raw starch. It also digest fats and albumem. The intestinal juice continues the work begun by the other digestive fluids, and, in addition, digests cane-sugar, converting it into grape-sugar. "_Other Uses of the Digestive Fluids._--In addition to the uses which we have already stated, several of the digestive fluids possess other interesting properties. The saliva aids the stomach by stimulating its glands to make gastric juice. The gastric juice and the bile are excellent antiseptics, by which the food is preserved from fermentation while undergoing digestion. The bile also stimulates the movements of the intestines by which the food is moved along, and aids absorption. It is remarkable and interesting that a fluid so useful as the bile should be at the same time composed of waste matters which are being removed from the body. This is an illustration of the wonderful economy shown by nature in her operations. "The food is moved along the alimentary canal, from the stomach downward, by successive contractions of the muscular walls of the intestines, known as peristaltic movements, which occur with great regularity during digestion. "_Absorption_.--The absorption of the food begins as soon as any portion has been digested. Even in the mouth and the esophagus a small amount is absorbed. The entire mucous membrane lining the digestive canal is furnished with a rich supply of blood-vessels, by which the greater part of the digestive food is absorbed. "_Liver Digestion._--The liver as well as the stomach is a digestive organ, and in a double sense. It not only secretes a digestive fluid, the bile, but it acts upon the food brought to it by the portal vein, and regulates the supply of digested food to the general system. It converts a large share of the grape-sugar and partially digested starch brought to it into a kind of liver starch, termed glycogen, which it stores up in its tissues. During the interval between the meals, the liver gradually redigests the glycogen, reconverting it into sugar, and thus supplying it to the blood in small quantities, instead of allowing the entire amount formed in digestion to enter the circulation at once. If too large an amount of sugar entered the system at once, it would be unable to use it all, and would be compelled to get rid of a considerable portion through the kidneys. The liver also completes the digestion of albumen and other food elements." TIME REQUIRED FOR DIGESTION.--The length of time required for stomach digestion varies with different food substances. The following table shows the time necessary for the stomach digestion of some of the more commonly used foods:-- min Rice 1 00 Sago 1 45 Tapioca 2 00 Barley 2 00 Beans, pod, boiled 2 30 Bread, wheaten 3 30 Bread, corn 3 15 Apples, sour and raw 2 00 Apples, sweet and raw 1 30 Parsnips, boiled 2 30 Beets, boiled 3 45 Potatoes, Irish, boiled 3 30 Potatoes, Irish, baked 2 30 Cabbage, raw 2 30 Cabbage, boiled 4 30 Milk, boiled 2 00 Milk, raw 2 15 Eggs, hard boiled 3 30 Eggs, soft boiled 3 00 Eggs, fried 3 30 Eggs, raw 2 00 Eggs, whipped 1 30 Salmon, salted, boiled 4 00 Oysters, raw 2 55 Oysters, stewed 3 30 Beef, lean, rare roasted 3 00 Beefsteak, boiled 3 00 Beef, lean, fried 4 00 Beef, salted, boiled 4 15 Pork, roasted 5 15 Pork, salted, fried 4 15 Mutton, roasted 3 15 Mutton, broiled 3 00 Veal, broiled 4 00 Veal, fried 4 30 Fowls, boiled 4 00 Duck, roasted 4 30 Butter, melted 3 30 Cheese 3 30 Soup, marrowbone 4 15 Soup, bean 3 00 Soup, mutton 3 30 Chicken, boiled 3 00 The time required for the digestion of food also depends upon the condition under which the food is eaten. Healthy stomach digestion requires at least five hours for its completion, and the stomach should have an hour for rest before another meal. If fresh food is taken before that which preceded it is digested, the portion of food remaining in the stomach is likely to undergo fermentation, thus rendering the whole mass of food unfit for the nutrition of the body, besides fostering various disturbances of digestion. It has been shown by recent observations that the length of time required for food to pass through the entire digestive process to which it is subjected in the mouth, stomach, and small intestines, is from twelve to fourteen hours. HYGIENE OF DIGESTION.--With the stomach and other digestive organs in a state of perfect health, one is entirely unconscious of their existence, save when of feeling of hunger calls attention to the fact that food is required, or satiety warns us that a sufficient amount or too much has been eaten. Perfect digestion can only be maintained by careful observance of the rules of health in regard to habits of eating. On the subject of Hygiene of Digestion, we again quote a few paragraphs from Dr. Kellogg's work on Physiology, in which is given a concise summary of the more important points relating to this:-- "The hygiene of digestion has to do with the quality and quantity of food eaten, in the manner of eating it. "_Hasty Eating._--If the food is eaten too rapidly, it will not be properly divided, and when swallowed in coarse lumps, the digestive fluids cannot readily act upon it. On account of the insufficient mastication, the saliva will be deficient in quantity, and, as a consequence, the starch will not be well digested, and the stomach will not secrete a sufficient amount of gastric juice. It is not well to eat only soft or liquid food, as we are likely to swallow it without proper chewing. A considerable proportion of hard food, which requires thorough mastication, should be eaten at every meal. "_Drinking Freely at Meals_ is harmful, as it not only encourages hasty eating, but dilutes the gastric juice, and thus lessens its activity. The food should be chewed until sufficiently moistened by saliva to allow it to be swallowed. When large quantities of fluid are taken into the stomach, digestion does not begin until a considerable portion of the fluid has been absorbed. If cold foods or drinks are taken with the meal, such as ice-cream, ice-water, iced milk or tea, the stomach is chilled, and a long delay in the digestive process is occasioned. "The Indians of Brazil carefully abstain from drinking when eating, and the same custom prevails among many other savage tribes. "_Eating between Meals._--The habit of eating apples, nuts, fruits, confectionery, etc., between meals is exceedingly harmful, and certain to produce loss of appetite and indigestion. The stomach as well as the muscles and other organs of the body requires rest. The frequency with which meals should be taken depends somewhat upon the age and occupation of an individual. Infants take their food at short intervals, and owing to its simple character, are able to digest it very quickly. Adults should not take food oftener than three times a day; and persons whose employment is sedentary say, in many cases at least, adopt with advantage the plan of the ancient Greeks, who ate but twice a day. The latter custom is quite general among the higher classes in France and Spain, and in several South American countries. "_Simplicity in Diet._--Taking too many kinds of food at a meal is a common fault which is often a cause of disease of the digestive-organs. Those nations are the most hardy and enduring whose dietary is most simple. The Scotch peasantry live chiefly upon oatmeal, the Irish upon potatoes, milk, and oatmeal, the Italian upon peas, beans, macaroni, and chestnuts; yet all these are noted for remarkable health and endurance. The natives of the Canary Islands, an exceedingly well-developed and vigorous race, subsist almost chiefly upon a food which they call gofio, consisting of parched grain, coarsely ground in a mortar and mixed with water. "_Eating when Tired._--It is not well to eat when exhausted by violent exercise, as the system is not prepared to do the work of digestion well. Sleeping immediately after eating is also a harmful practice. The process of digestion cannot well be performed during sleep, and sleep is disturbed by the ineffective efforts of the digestive organs. Hence the well-known evil effects of late suppers. "_Eating too Much._--Hasty eating is the greatest cause of over-eating. When one eats too rapidly, the food is crowded into the stomach so fast that nature has no time to cry, 'Enough,' by taking away the appetite before too much has been eaten. When an excess of food is taken, it is likely to ferment or sour before it can be digested. One who eats too much usually feels dull after eating. "_How Much Food is Enough?_--The proper quantity for each person to take is what he is able to digest and utilize. This amount of various with each individual, at different times. The amount needed will vary with the amount of work done, mental or muscular; with the weather or the season of the year, more food being required in cold than in warm weather: with the age of an individual, very old and very young persons requiring less food than those of middle age. An unperverted appetite, not artificially stimulated, is a safe guide. Drowsiness, dullness, and heaviness at the stomach are indications of an excess of eating, and naturally suggest a lessening of the quantity of food, unless the symptoms are known to arise from some other cause. "_Excess of Certain Food Elements._--When sugar is too freely used, either with food or in the form of sweetmeats or candies, indigestion, and even more serious disease, is likely to result. Fats, when freely used, give rise to indigestion and 'biliousness.' An excess of albumen from the too free use of meat is harmful. Only a limited amount of this element can be used; an excess is treated as waste matter, and must be removed from the system by the liver and the kidneys. The majority of persons would enjoy better health by using meat more moderately than is customary in this country. "_Deficiency of Certain Food Elements._--A diet deficient in any important food element is even more detrimental to health than a diet in which certain elements are in excess. "The popular notion that beef-tea and meat extracts contain the nourishing elements of meat in a concentrated form, is a dangerous error. Undoubtedly many sick persons have been starved by being fed exclusively upon these articles, which are almost wholly composed of waste substances. Prof. Paule Bernard, of Paris, found that dogs fed upon meat extracts died sooner than those which received only water." FOOD COMBINATIONS.--Some persons, especially those of weak digestive powers, often experience inconvenience in the use of certain foods, owing to their improper combinations with other articles. Many foods which are digested easily when partaken of alone or in harmonious combinations, create much disturbance when eaten at the same meal with several different articles of food, or with some particular article with which they are especially incompatible. The following food combinations are among the best, the relative excellence of each being indicated by the order in which they are named: Milk and grains; grains and eggs; grains and vegetables or meats; grains and fruits. Persons with sound stomachs and vigorous digestion will seldom experience inconvenience in making use of other and more varied combinations, but dyspeptics and persons troubled with slow digestion will find it to their advantage to select from the bill of fare such articles as best accord with each other, and to avoid such combinations as fruits and vegetables, milk and vegetables, milk and meats, sugar and milk, meat or vegetables, fats with fruits, meats, or vegetables, or cooked with grains. TABLE TOPICS. Now good digestion waits on appetite, and health on both--_Shakespeare._ We live not upon what we eat, but upon what we digest.--_Abernethy._ If we consider the amount of ill temper, despondency, and general unhappiness which arises from want of proper digestion and assimilation of our food, it seems obviously well worth while to put forth every effort, and undergo any sacrifice, for the purpose of avoiding indigestion, with its resulting bodily ills; and yet year after year, from the cradle to the grave, we go on violating the plainest and simplest laws of health at the temptation of Cooks, caterers, and confectioners, whose share in shortening the average term of human life is probably nearly equal to that of the combined armies and navies of the world.--_Richardson._ Almost every human malady is connected, either by highway or byway, with the stomach.--_Sir Francis Head._ It is a well-established fact that a leg of mutton caused a revolution in the affairs of Europe. Just before the battle of Leipsic, Napoleon the Great insisted on dining on boiled mutton, although his physicians warned him that it would disagree with him. The emperor's brain resented the liberty taken with its colleague, the stomach; the monarch's equilibrium was overturned, the battle lost, and a new page opened in history.--_Sel._ Galloping consumption at the dinner table is one of the national disorders.--_Sel._ The kitchen (that is, your stomach) being out of order, the garret (the head) cannot be right, and every room in the house becomes affected. Remedy the evil in the kitchen, and all will be right in parlor and chamber. If you put improper food into the stomach, you play the mischief with it, and with the whole machine besides.--_Abernethy._ Cattle know when to go home from grazing, but a foolish man never knows his stomachs measures.--_Scandinavian proverb._ Enough is as good as a feast. Simplicity of diet is the characteristic of the dwellers in the Orient. According to Niebuhr, the sheik of the desert wants only a dish of pillau, or boiled rice, which he eats without fork or spoon. Notwithstanding their frugal fare, these sons of the desert are among the most hearty and enduring of all members of the human family. A traveler tells of seeing one of them run up to the top of the tallest pyramid and back in six minutes. One fourth of what we eat keeps us, and the other three fourths we keep at the peril of our lives.--_Abernethy._ COOKERY. It is not enough that good and proper food material be provided; it must have such preparation as will increase and not diminish its alimentary value. The unwholesomeness of food is quite as often due to bad cookery as to improper selection of material. Proper cookery renders good food material more digestible. When scientifically done, cooking changes each of the food elements, with the exception of fats, in much the same manner as do the digestive juices, and at the same time it breaks up the food by dissolving the soluble portions, so that its elements are more readily acted upon by the digestive fluids. Cookery, however, often fails to attain the desired end; and the best material is rendered useless and unwholesome by a improper preparation. It is rare to find a table, some portion of the food upon which is not rendered unwholesome either by improper preparatory treatment, or by the addition of some deleterious substance. This is doubtless due to the fact that the preparation of food being such a commonplace matter, its important relations to health, mind, and body have been overlooked, and it has been regarded as a menial service which might be undertaken with little or no preparation, and without attention to matters other than those which relate to the pleasure of the eye and the palate. With taste only as a criterion, it is so easy to disguise the results of careless and improper cookery of food by the use of flavors and condiments, as well as to palm off upon the digestive organs all sorts of inferior material, that poor cookery has come to be the rule rather than the exception. Another reason for this prevalence of bad cookery, is to be found in the fact that in so many homes the cooking is intrusted to an ignorant class of persons having no knowledge whatever of the scientific principles involved in this most important and practical of arts. An ethical problem which we have been unable to solve is the fact that women who would never think of trusting the care of their fine china and bric-a-brac to unskilled hands, unhesitatingly intrust to persons who are almost wholly untrained, the preparation of their daily food. There is no department of life where superior intelligence is more needed than in the selection and preparation of food, upon which so largely depend the health and physical welfare of the family circle. The evils of bad cookery and ill-selected food are manifold, so many, in fact, that it has been calculated that they far exceed the mischief arising from the use of strong drink; indeed, one of the evils of unwholesome food is its decided tendency to create a craving for intoxicants. Bad cookery causes indigestion, indigestion causes thirst, and thirst perpetuates drunkenness. Any one who has suffered from a fit of indigestion, and can recollect the accompanying headache and the lowness of spirits, varying in degree from dejection or ill-humor to the most extreme melancholy, until the intellectual faculties seemed dazed, and the moral feelings blunted, will hardly wonder that when such a condition becomes chronic, as is often the case from the use of improperly prepared food, the victim is easily led to resort to stimulants to drown depression and enliven the spirits. A thorough practical knowledge of simple, wholesome cookery ought to form a part of the education of every young woman, whatever her station in life. No position in life is more responsible than that of the person who arranges the bills of fare and selects the food for the household; and what higher mission can one conceive than to intelligently prepare the wherewithal to make shoulders strong to bear life's burdens and heads clear to solve its intricate problems? what worthier work than to help in the building up of bodies into pure temples fit for guests of noble thoughts and high purposes? Surely, no one should undertake such important work without a knowledge of the principles involved. THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC COOKERY. Cookery is the art of preparing food for the table by dressing, or by the application of heat in some manner. FUELS.--Artificial heat is commonly produced by combustion, caused by the chemical action of the oxygen of the air upon the hydrogen and carbon found in fuel. The different fuels in common use for cooking purposes are hard wood, soft wood, charcoal, anthracite coal, bituminous coal, coke, lignite, kerosene oil, gasoline, and gas. As to their respective values, much depends upon the purpose for which they are to be used. Wood charcoal produces a greater amount of heat than an equal weight of any other fuel. Soft wood burns quicker and gives a more intense heat than hard wood, and hence is best for a quick fire. Hard wood burns slowly, produces a larger mass of coals, and is best where long-continued heat is desired. Anthracite coal kindles slowly, and burns with little flame or smoke, but its vapor is sulphurous, and on that account it should never be burned in an open stove, nor in one with an imperfect draft. Its heat is steady and intense. Bituminous coal ignites readily, burns with considerable flame and smoke, and gives a much less intense heat than anthracite, Lignite, or brown coal, is much less valuable as fuel. Coke is useful when a short, quick fire is needed. Kerosene and gas are convenient and economical fuels. MAKING FIRES.--If coal is the fuel to be used, first clean out the stove by shaking the grate and removing all ashes and cinders. Remove the stove covers, and brush the soot and ashes out of all the flues and draft holes into the fire-box. Place a large handful of shavings or loosely twisted or crumpled papers upon the grate, over which lay some fine pieces of dry kindling-wood, arranged crosswise to permit a free draft, then a few sticks of hard wood, so placed as to allow plenty of air spaces. Be sure that the wood extends out to both ends of the fire-box. Replace the covers, and if the stove needs blacking, mix the polish, and apply it, rubbing with a dry brush until nearly dry, then light the fuel, as a little heat will facilitate the polishing. When the wood is burning briskly, place a shovelful or two of rather small pieces of coal upon the wood, and, as they ignite, gradually add more, until there is a clear, bright body of fire, remembering, however, never to fill the stove above the fire bricks; then partly close the direct draft. When wood or soft coal is used, the fuel may be added at the same time with the kindling. CARE OF FIRES.--Much fuel is wasted through the loss of heat from too much draft. Only just enough air should be supplied to promote combustion. A coal fire, when well kindled, needs only air enough to keep it burning. When the coal becomes red all through, it has parted with the most of its heat, and the fire will soon die unless replenished. To keep a steady fire, add but a small amount of fuel at a time, and repeat often enough to prevent any sensible decrease of the degree of heat. Rake the fire from the bottom, and keep it clear of ashes and cinders. If a very hot fire is needed, open the drafts; at other times, keep them closed, or partially so, and not waste fuel. There is no economy in allowing a fire to get low before fuel is added; for the fresh fuel cools the fire to a temperature so low that it is not useful, and thus occasions a direct waste of all fuel necessary to again raise the heat to the proper degree, to say nothing of the waste of time and patience. The addition of small quantities of fuel at short intervals so long as continuous heat is needed, is far better than to let the fuel burn nearly out, and then add a larger quantity. The improper management of the drafts and dampers has also much to do with waste of fuel. As stoves are generally constructed, it is necessary for the heat to pass over the top, down the back, and under the bottom of the oven before escaping into the flue, in order to properly heat the oven for baking. In order to force the heat to make this circuit, the direct draft of the stove needs to be closed. With this precaution observed, a quick fire from a small amount of fuel, used before its force is spent, will produce better results than a fire-box full under other circumstances. An item of economy for those who are large users of coal, is the careful sifting of the cinders from the ashes. They can be used to good advantage to put first upon the kindlings, when building the fire, as they ignite more readily than fresh coal, and give a greater, quicker heat, although much less enduring. METHODS OF COOKING.--A proper source of heat having been secured, the next step is to apply it to the food in some manner. The principal methods commonly employed are roasting, broiling, baking, boiling, stewing, simmering, steaming, and frying. _Roasting_ is cooking food in its own juices before an open fire. A clear fire with intense heat is necessary. _Broiling_, or _grilling_, is cooking by radiant heat over glowing coals. This method is only adapted to thin pieces of food with a considerable amount of surface. Larger and more compact foods should be roasted or baked. Roasting and broiling are allied in principle. In both, the work is chiefly done by the radiation of heat directly upon the surface of the food, although some heat is communicated by the hot air surrounding the food. The intense heat applied to the food soon sears its outer surfaces, and thus prevents the escape of its juices. If care be taken frequently to turn the food so that its entire surface will be thus acted upon, the interior of the mass is cooked by its own juices. _Baking_ is the cooking of food by dry heat in a closed oven. Only foods containing a considerable degree of moisture are adapted for cooking by this method. The hot, dry air which fills the oven is always thirsting for moisture, and will take from every moist substance to which it has access a quantity of water proportionate to its degree of heat. Foods containing but a small amount of moisture, unless protected in some manner from the action of the heated air, or in some way supplied with moisture during the cooking process, come from the oven dry, hard, and unpalatable. Proper cooking by this method depends greatly upon the facility with which the heat of the oven can be regulated. When oil or gas is the fuel used, it is an easy matter to secure and maintain almost any degree of heat desirable, but with a wood or coal stove, especial care and painstaking are necessary. It is of the first importance that the mechanism of the oven to be used, be thoroughly understood by the cook, and she should test its heating capacity under various conditions, with a light, quick fire and with a more steady one; she should carefully note the kind and amount of fuel requisite to produce a certain degree of heat; in short, she should thoroughly know her "machine" and its capabilities before attempting to use it for the cooking of food. An oven thermometer is of the utmost value for testing the heat, but unfortunately, such thermometers are not common. They are obtainable in England, although quite expensive. It is also possible at the present time to obtain ranges with a very reliable thermometer attachment to the oven door. [Illustration: An Oven Thermometer] A cook of good judgment by careful observation and comparison of results, can soon learn to form quite a correct idea of the heat of her oven by the length of time she can hold her hand inside it without discomfort, but since much depends upon the construction of stoves and the kind of fuel used, and since the degree of heat bearable will vary with every hand that tries it, each person who depends upon this test must make her own standard. When the heat of the oven is found to be too great, it may be lessened by placing in it a dish of cold water. _Boiling_ is the cooking of food in a boiling liquid. Water is the usual medium employed for this purpose. When water is heated, as its temperature is increased, minute bubbles of air which have been dissolved by it are given off. As the temperature rises, bubbles of steam will begin to form at the bottom of the vessel. At first these will be condensed as they rise into the cooler water above, causing a simmering sound; but as the heat increases, the bubbles will rise higher and higher before collapsing, and in a short time will pass entirely through the water, escaping from its surface, causing more or less agitation, according to the rapidity with which they are formed. Water boils when the bubbles thus rise to the surface, and steam is thrown off. If the temperature is now tested, it will be found to be about 212° F. When water begins to boil, it is impossible to increase its temperature, as the steam carries off the heat as rapidly as it is communicated to the water. The only way in which the temperature can be raised, is by the confinement of the steam; but owing to its enormous expansive force, this is not practicable with ordinary cooking utensils. The mechanical action of the water is increased by rapid bubbling, but not the heat; and to boil anything violently does not expedite the cooking process, save that by the mechanical action of the water the food is broken into smaller pieces, which are for this reason more readily softened. But violent boiling occasions an enormous waste of fuel, and by driving away in the steam the volatile and savory elements of the food, renders it much less palatable, if not altogether tasteless. The solvent properties of water are so increased by heat that it permeates the food, rendering its hard and tough constituents soft and easy of digestion. The liquids mostly employed in the cooking of foods are water and milk. Water is best suited for the cooking of most foods, but for such farinaceous foods as rice, macaroni, and farina, milk, or at least part milk, is preferable, as it adds to their nutritive value. In using milk for cooking purposes, it should be remembered that being more dense than water, when heated, less steam escapes, and consequently it boils sooner than does water. Then, too, milk being more dense, when it is used alone for cooking, a little larger quantity of fluid will be required than when water is used. The boiling point for water at the sea level is 212°. At all points above the sea level, water boils at a temperature below 212°, the exact temperature depending upon the altitude. At the top of Mt. Blanc, an altitude of 15,000 feet, water boils at 185°. The boiling point is lowered one degree for every 600 feet increase in altitude. The boiling point may be increased by adding soluble substances to the water. A saturated solution of common baking soda boils at 220°. A saturated solution of chloride of sodium boils at 227°. A similar solution of sal-ammoniac boils at 238°. Of course such solutions cannot be used advantageously, except as a means of cooking articles placed in hermetically sealed vessels and immersed in the liquid. Different effects upon food are produced by the use of hard and soft water. Peas and beans boiled in hard water containing lime or gypsum, will not become tender, because these chemical substances harden vegetable casein, of which element peas and beans are largely composed. For extracting the juices of meat and the soluble parts of other foods, soft water is best, as it more readily penetrates the tissue; but when it is desired to preserve the articles whole, and retain their juices and flavors, hard water is preferable. Foods should be put to cook in cold or boiling water, in accordance with the object to be attained in their cooking. Foods from which it is desirable to extract the nutrient properties, as for broths, extracts, etc., should be put to cook in cold water. Foods to be kept intact as nearly as may be, should be put to cook in boiling water. Hot and cold water act differently upon the different food elements. Starch is but slightly acted upon by cold water. When starch is added to several times its bulk of hot water, all the starch granules burst on approaching the boiling point, and swell to such a degree as to occupy nearly the whole volume of the water, forming a pasty mess. Sugar is dissolved readily in the either hot or cold water. Cold water extracts albumen. Hot water coagulates it. _Steaming_, as its name implies, is the cooking of food by the use of steam. There are several ways of steaming, the most common of which is by placing the food in a perforated dish over a vessel of boiling water. For foods not needing the solvent powers of water, or which already contain a large amount of moisture, this method is preferable to boiling. Another form of cooking, which is usually termed steaming, is that of placing the food, with or without water, as needed, in a closed vessel which is placed inside another vessel containing boiling water. Such an apparatus is termed a double boiler. Food cooked in its own juices in a covered dish in a hot oven, is sometimes spoken of as being _steamed_ or _smothered_. _Stewing_ is the prolonged cooking of food in a small quantity of liquid, the temperature of which is just below the boiling point. Stewing should not be confounded with simmering, which is slow, steady boiling. The proper temperature for stewing is most easily secured by the use of the double boiler. The water in the outer vessel boils, while that in the inner vessel does not, being kept a little below the temperature of the water from which its heat is obtained, by the constant evaporation at a temperature a little below the boiling point. _Frying_, which is the cooking of food in hot fat, is a method not to be recommended--Unlike all the other food elements, fat is rendered less digestible by cooking. Doubtless it is for this reason that nature has provided those foods which require the most prolonged cooking to fit them for use with only a small proportion of fat, and it would seem to indicate that any food to be subjected to a high degree of heat should not be mixed and compounded largely of fats. The ordinary way of frying, which the French call _sauteing_, is by the use of only a little fat in a shallow pan, into which the food is put and cooked first on one side and then the other. Scarcely anything could be more unwholesome than food prepared in this manner. A morsel of food encrusted with fat remains undigested in the stomach because fat is not acted upon by the gastric juice, and its combination with the other food elements of which the morsel is composed interferes with their digestion also. If such foods are habitually used, digestion soon becomes slow and the gastric juice so deficient in quantity that fermentation and putrefactive changes are occasioned, resulting in serious disturbance of health. In the process of frying, the action of the heat partially decomposes the fat; in consequence, various poisonous substances are formed, highly detrimental to the digestion of the partaker of the food. ADDING FOODS TO BOILING LIQUIDS.--Much of the soddenness of improperly cooked foods might be avoided, if the following facts were kept in mind:-- When vegetables, or other foods of ordinary temperature, are put into boiling water, the temperature of the water is lowered in proportion to the quantity and the temperature of the food thus introduced, and will not again boil until the mass of food shall have absorbed more heat from the fire. The result of this is that the food is apt to become more or less water-soaked before the process of cooking begins. This difficulty may be avoided by introducing but small quantities of the food at one time, so as not to greatly lower the temperature of the liquid, and then allowing the latter to boil between the introduction of each fresh supply, or by heating the food before adding it to the liquid. EVAPORATION is another principle often overlooked in the cooking of food, and many a sauce or gravy is spoiled because the liquid, heated in a shallow pan, from which evaporation is rapid, loses so much in bulk that the amount of thickening requisite for the given quantity of fluid, and which, had less evaporation occurred, would have made it of the proper consistency, makes the sauce thick and unpalatable. Evaporation is much less, in slow boiling, than in more rapid cooking. MEASURING.--One of the most important principles to be observed in the preparation of food for cooking, is accuracy in measuring. Many an excellent recipe proves a failure simply from lack of care in this respect. Measures are generally more convenient than weights, and are more commonly used. The common kitchen cup, which holds a half pint, is the one usually taken as the standard; if any other size is used, the ingredients for the entire recipe should be measured by the same. The following points should be observed in measuring:-- 1. The teaspoons and tablespoons to be used in measuring, are the silver spoons in general use. 2. Any material like flour, sugar, salt, that has been packed, should either be sifted or stirred up lightly before measuring. 3. A cupful of dry material is measured level with the top of the cup, without being packed down. 4. A cupful of liquid is all the cup will contain without running over. Hold the cup in a saucer while measuring, to prevent spilling the liquid upon the floor or table. COMPARATIVE TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.--The following comparative table of weights and measurements will aid in estimating different materials:-- One heaping tablespoonful of sugar weighs one ounce. Two round tablespoonfuls of flour weigh one ounce. Two cupfuls of granulated sugar weigh one pound. Two cupfuls of meal weigh one pound. Four cupfuls of sifted flour weigh one pound. One pint of oatmeal, cracked wheat, or other coarse grains, weighs about one pound. One pint of liquid weighs one pound. One pint of meat chopped and packed solid weighs one pound. Seven heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar = one cupful. Five heaping tablespoonfuls of flour = one cupful. Two cupfuls of liquid or dry material = one pint Four cupfuls of liquid or dry material = one quart. MIXING MATERIALS.--In the compounding of recipes, various modes are employed for mingling together the different ingredients, chief of which are _stirring_, _beating_, and _kneading_. By _stirring_ is meant a continuous motion round and round with a spoon, without lifting it from the mixture, except to scrape occasionally from the sides of the dish any portion of the material that may cling to it. It is not necessary that the stirring should be all in one direction, as many cooks suppose. The object of the stirring is to thoroughly blend the ingredients, and this may be accomplished as well by stirring--in one direction as in another. _Beating_ is for the purpose of incorporating as much air in the mixture as possible. It should be done by dipping the spoon in and out, cutting clear through and lifting from the bottom with each stroke. The process must be continuous, and must never be interspersed with any stirring if it is desired to retain the air within the mixture. _Kneading_ is the mode by which materials already in the form of dough are more thoroughly blended together; it also serves to incorporate air. The process is more fully described in the chapter on "Bread," TEMPERATURE.--Many a cook fails and knows not why, because she does not understand the influence of temperature upon materials and food. Flour and liquids for unfermented breads cannot be too cold, while for bread prepared with yeast, success is largely dependent upon a warm and equable temperature throughout the entire process. COOKING UTENSILS.--The earliest cookery was probably accomplished without the aid of any utensils, the food being roasted by burying it in hot ashes or cooked by the aid of heated stones; but modern cookery necessitates the use of a greater or less variety of cooking utensils to facilitate the preparation of food, most of which are so familiar to the reader as to need no description. (A list of those needed for use will be found on page 66.) Most of these utensils are manufactured from some kind of metal, as iron, tin, copper, brass, etc. All metals are dissolvable in certain substances, and some of those employed for making household utensils are capable of forming most poisonous compounds when used for cooking certain foods. This fact should lead to great care on the part of the housewife, both in purchasing and in using utensils for cooking purposes. Iron utensils, although they are, when new, apt to discolor and impart a disagreeable flavor to food cooked in them, are not objectionable from a health standpoint, if kept clean and free from rust. Iron rust is the result of the combination of the iron with oxygen, for which it has so great an affinity that it will decompose water to get oxygen to unite with; hence it is that iron utensils rust so quickly when not carefully dried after using, or if left where they can collect moisture. This is the reason why a coating of tallow, which serves to exclude the air and moisture, will preserve ironware not in daily use from rusting. "Porcelain ware" is iron lined with a hard, smooth enamel, and makes safe and very desirable cooking utensils. German porcelain ware is unexcelled for culinary purposes. "Granite ware" is a material quite recently come into use, the composition of which is a secret, although pronounced by eminent chemists to be free from all injurious qualities. Utensils made from it are light in weight, easily kept clean, and for most cooking purposes, are far superior to those made from any other material. What is termed "galvanized iron" is unsuitable for cooking utensils, it being simply sheet iron coated with zinc, an exceedingly unsafe metal to be used for cooking purposes. Tin, which is simply thin sheet iron coated with tin by dipping several times into vats of the melted metal, is largely employed in the manufacture of cooking utensils. Tinware is acted upon by acids, and when used for holding or cooking any acid foods, like sour milk, sour fruits, tomatoes, etc., harmful substances are liable to be formed, varying in quantity and harmfulness with the nature of the acid contained in the food. In these days of fraud and adulteration, nearly all the cheaper grades of tinware contain a greater or less amount of lead in their composition, which owing to its greater abundance and less price, is used as an adulterant of tin. Lead is also used in the solder with which the parts of tinware are united. The action of acids upon lead form very poisonous compounds, and all lead-adulterated utensils should be wholly discarded for cooking purposes. _Test for Lead-Adulterated Tin._--Place upon the metal a small drop of nitric acid, spreading it to the size of a dime, dry with gentle heat, apply a drop of water, then add a small crystal of iodide of potash. If lead is present, a yellowish color will be seen very soon after the addition of the iodide. Lead glazing, which is frequently employed on crockery and ironware in the manufacture of cooking utensils, may also be detected in the same manner. Cooking utensils made of copper are not to be recommended from the point of healthfulness, although many cooks esteem them because copper is a better conductor of heat than iron or tin. The acids of many fruits combine with copper to form extremely poisonous substances. Fatty substances, as well as salt and sugar, act upon copper to a greater or less degree, also vegetables containing sulfur in their composition and produce harmful compounds. Utensils made of brass, which is a compound of copper and zinc, are not safe to use for cooking purposes. TABLE TOPICS. Bad cooking diminishes happiness and shortens life.--_Wisdom of Ages._ Says Mrs. Partington: "Many a fair home has been desiccated by poor cooking, and a man's table has been the rock on which his happiness has split." SIGNIFICANT FACT.--_Lady_--"Have you had much experience as a cook?" _Applicant_--"Oh, indeed I have. I was the cook of Mr. and Mrs. Peterby for three years." _L._--"Why did you leave them?" _A._--"I didn't leave them. They left me. They both died." _L._--"What of?" _A._--"Dyspepsia." Cooking is generally bad because people falling to routine; habit dulls their appreciation, and they do not think about what they are eating.--_Didsbury._ _Lilly_ (Secretary of the cooking class)--"Now girls, we've learned nine cakes, two kinds of angel food, and seven pies. What next?" _Susie_ (engaged)--"Dick's father says I must learn to bake bread." _Indignant chorus_--"Bread? How absurd! What are bakers for?" It is told of Philip Hecgnet, a French, physician who lived in the 17th, century, that when calling upon his wealthy patients, he used often to go to the kitchen and pantry, embrace the cooks and butlers, and exhort them to do their duty well. "I owe you so much gratitude, my dear friends," he would say; "you are so useful to us doctors; for if you did not keep on poisoning the people, we should all have to go to the poorhouse." There are innumerable books of recipes for cooking, but unless the cook is master of the principles of his art, and unless he knows the why and the wherefore of its processes, he cannot choose a recipe intelligently and execute it successfully.--_Richard Estcourt._ They who provide the food for the world, decide the health of the world. You have only to go on some errands amid the taverns and hotels of the United States and Great Britain, to appreciate the fact that a vast multitude of the human race are slaughtered by incompetent cookery. Though a young woman may have taken lessons in music, and may have taken lessons in painting, and lessons in astronomy, she is not well educated unless she has taken lessons in dough!--_Talmage._ HOUSEHOLD WORKSHOP It is a mistake to suppose that any room, however small and unpleasantly situated, is "good enough" for a kitchen. This is the room where housekeepers pass a great portion of their time, and it should be one of the brightest and most convenient rooms in the house; for upon the results of no other department of woman's domain depend so greatly the health and comfort of the family as upon those involved in this "household workshop." The character of a person's work is more or less dependent upon his surroundings, hence is it to be greatly wondered at that a woman immured in a small, close, dimly-lighted room, whose only outlook may be the back alley or the woodshed, supplies her household with products far below the standard of health and housewifely skill? Every kitchen should have windows on two sides of the room, and the sun should have free entrance through them; the windows should open from the top to allow a complete change of air, for light and fresh air are among the chief essentials to success in all departments of the household. Good drainage should also be provided, and the ventilation of the kitchen ought to be even more carefully attended to than that of a sleeping room. The ventilation of the kitchen should be so ample as to thoroughly remove all gases and odors, which, together with steam from boiling and other cooking processes, generally invade and render to some degree unhealthful every other portion of the house. It is the steam from the kitchen which gives a fusty odor to the parlor air and provides a wet-sheet pack for the occupant of the "spare bed." The only way of wholly eradicating this evil, is the adoption of the suggestion of the sanitary philosopher who places the kitchen at the top of the house. To lessen to discomforts from heat, a ventilator may be placed above the range, that shall carry out of the room all superfluous heat, and aid in removing the steam and odors from cooking food. The simplest form of such a ventilator this inverted hopper of sheet iron fitted above the range, the upper and smaller end opening into a large flue adjacent to the smoke flue for the range. Care must be taken, however, to provide an ample ventilating shaft for this purpose, since a strong draft is required to secure the desired results. There should be ample space for tables, chairs, range, sink, and cupboards, yet the room should not be so large as to necessitate too many steps. A very good size for the ordinary dwelling is 16 x 18 feet. Undoubtedly much of the distaste for, and neglect of, "housework," so often deplored in these days, arises from unpleasant surroundings. If the kitchen be light, airy, and tidy, and the utensils bright and clean, the work of compounding those articles of food which grace the table and satisfy the appetite will be a pleasant task, and one entirely worthy of the most intelligent and cultivated woman. It is desirable, from a sanitary standpoint, that the kitchen floor be made impervious to moisture; hence, concrete or tile floors are better than wooden floors. If wooden floors are used, they should be constructed of narrow boards of hard wood, carefully joined and thoroughly saturated with hot linseed oil, well rubbed in to give polish to the surface. Cleanliness is the great _desideratum_, and this can be best attained by having all woodwork in and about the kitchen coated with varnish; substances which cause stain and grease spots, do not penetrate the wood when varnished, and can be easily removed with a damp cloth. Paint is preferable to whitewash or calcimine for the walls, since it is less affected by steam, and can be more readily cleaned. A carpet on a kitchen floor is as out of place as a kitchen sink would be in a parlor. The elements of beauty should not be lacking in the kitchen. Pictures and fancy articles are inappropriate; but a few pots of easily cultivated flowers on the window ledge or arranged upon brackets about the window in winter, and a window box arranged as a jardiniere, with vines and blooming plants in summer, will greatly brighten the room, and thus serve to lighten the task of those whose daily labor confines them to the precincts of the kitchen. THE KITCHEN FURNITURE.--The furniture for a kitchen should not be cumbersome, and should be so made and dressed as to be easily cleaned. There should be plenty of cupboards, and each for the sake of order, should be devoted to a special purpose. Cupboards with sliding doors are much superior to closets. They should be placed upon casters so as to be easily moved, as they, are thus not only more convenient, but admit of more thorough cleanliness. Cupboards used for the storage of food should be well ventilated; otherwise, they furnish choice conditions for the development of mold and germs. Movable cupboards may be ventilated by means of openings in the top, and doors covered with very fine wire gauze which will admit the air but keep out flies and dust. All stationary cupboards and closets should have a ventilating flue connected with the main shaft by which the house is ventilated, or directly communicating with the outer air. No kitchen can be regarded as well furnished without a good timepiece as an aid to punctuality and economy of time. An eight-day clock with large dial and plain case is the most suitable. Every kitchen should also be provided with a slate, with sponge and pencil attached, on one side of which the market orders and other memoranda may be jotted down, and on the other the bills of fare for the day or week. In households where servants are kept, the slate will save many a vexatious blunder and unnecessary call to the kitchen, while if one is herself mistress, cook, and housekeeper, it may prove an invaluable aid and time-saver if thus used. [Illustration: A Convenient Kitchen Table.] Lack of sufficient table room is often a great source of inconvenience to the housekeeper. To avoid this, arrange swinging tables or shelves at convenient points upon the wall, which may be put up or let down as occasion demands. For ordinary kitchen uses, small tables of suitable height on easy-rolling casters, and with zinc tops, are the most convenient and most easily kept clean. It is quite as well that they be made without drawers, which are too apt to become receptacles for a heterogeneous mass of rubbish. If desirable to have some handy place for keeping articles which are frequently required for use, an arrangement similar to that represented in the accompanying cut may be made at very small expense. It may be also an advantage to arrange small shelves about and above the range, on which may be kept various articles necessary for cooking purposes. One of the most indispensable articles of furnishing for a well-appointed kitchen, is a sink; however, a sink must be properly constructed and well cared for, or it is likely to become a source of great danger to the health of the inmates of the household. Earthen-ware is the best material for kitchen sinks. Iron is very serviceable, but corrodes, and if painted or enameled, this soon wears off. Wood is objectionable from a sanitary standpoint. A sink made of wood lined with copper answers well for a long time if properly cared for. The sink should if possible stand out from the wall, so as to allow free access to all sides of it for the sake of cleanliness, and under no circumstances should there be any inclosure of woodwork or cupboards underneath to serve as a storage place for pots and kettles and all kinds of rubbish, dust, and germs. It should be supported on legs, and the space below should be open for inspection at all times. The pipes and fixtures should be selected and placed by a competent plumber. Great pains should be taken to keep the pipes clean and well disinfected. Refuse of all kinds should be kept out. Thoughtless housekeepers and careless domestics often allow greasy water and bits of table waste to find their way into the pipes. Drain pipes usually have a bend, or trap, through which water containing no sediment flows freely; but the melted grease which often passes into the pipes mixed with hot water, becomes cooled and solid as it descends, adhering to the pipes, and gradually accumulating until the drain is blocked, or the water passes through very slowly. A grease-lined pipe is a hotbed for disease germs. Water containing much grease should be cooled and the grease removed before being turned into the kitchen sink, while bits of refuse should be disposed of elsewhere, since prevention of mischief is in this case, as in most others, far easier than cure. It is customary for housekeepers to pour a hot solution of soda or potash down the sink pipes occasionally, to dissolve any grease which may tend to obstruct the passage; but this is only a partial safeguard, as there is no certainty that all the grease will be dissolved, and any particles adhering to the pipes very soon undergo putrefaction. A frequent flushing with hot water is important; besides which the pipes should be disinfected two or three times a week by pouring down a gallon of water holding in solution a pound of good chloride of lime. STOVES AND RANGES.--The furnishing of a modern kitchen would be quite incomplete without some form of stove or range. The multiplicity of these articles, manufactured each with some especial merit of its own, renders it a somewhat difficult task to make a choice among them. Much must, however, depend upon the kind of fuel to be used, the size of the household, and various other circumstances which make it necessary for each individual housekeeper to decide for herself what is best adapted to her wants. It may be said, in brief, that economy of fuel, simplicity of construction, and efficiency in use are the chief points to be considered in the selection of stoves and ranges. A stove or range of plain finish is to be preferred, because it is much easier to keep clean, and will be likely to present a better appearance after a few months' wear than one of more elaborate pattern. But whatever stove or range is selected, its mechanism should be thoroughly understood in every particular, and it should be tested with dampers open, with dampers closed, and in every possible way, until one is perfectly sure she understands its action under all conditions. OIL AND GAS STOVES.--In many households, oil, gas, and gasoline stoves have largely taken the place of the kitchen range, especially during the hot weather of summer. They can be used for nearly every purpose for which a wood or a coal range is used; they require much less labor and litter, and can be instantly started into full force and as quickly turned out when no longer required, while the fact that the heat can be regulated with exactness, makes them superior for certain processes of cooking to any other stove. But while these stoves are convenient and economical, especially in small families, they should be used with much care. Aside from the danger from explosion, which is by no means inconsiderable in the use of gasoline and oil stoves, they are not, unless well cared for altogether healthful. Unless the precaution is taken to use them in well-ventilated rooms or to connect them with a chimney, they vitiate the atmosphere to a considerable extent with the products of combustion. Oil stoves, unless the wicks are kept well trimmed, are apt to smoke, and this smoke is not only disagreeable, but extremely irritating to the mucous membrane of the nose and throat. Oil stoves are constructed on the same principle as ordinary oil lamps, and require the same care and attention. Quite recently there has been invented by Prof. Edward Atkinson a very unique apparatus for cooking by means of the heat of an ordinary kerosene lamp, called the "Aladdin Cooker." The food to be cooked is placed in a chamber around which hot water, heated by the flame of the lamp, circulates. The uniform heat thus obtained performs the process of cooking, slowly, but most satisfactorily and economically, the result being far superior to that obtained by the ordinary method of cooking by quick heat. The cooker is only used for stewing and steaming; but Mr. Atkinson has also invented an oven in which the heat is conveyed to the place where it is needed by a column of hot air instead of hot water. With this oven, which consists of an outer oven made of non-conducting material, and an inner oven made of sheet iron, with an intervening space between, through which the hot air circulates, no smoke or odor from the lamp can reach the interior. KITCHEN. UTENSILS.--The list of necessary kitchen utensils must of course be governed somewhat by individual circumstances, but it should not be curtailed for the sake of display in some other department, where less depends upon the results. A good kitchen outfit is one of the foundation-stones of good housekeeping. The following are some of the most essential:-- Two dish pans; two or more _papier-maché_ tubs for washing glassware; one kneading board; one bread board; one pair scales, with weights; scrubbing and stove brushes; brooms; dustpans; roller for towel; washbowl; soap dish; vegetable brushes. [Illustration: A Double Boiler.] FOR THE TIN CLOSET.-One dipper; one egg-beater; one two-quart pail; one four-quart pail; six brick-loaf bread pans; three shallow tins; three granite-ware pie tins; two perforated sheet iron pans for rolls, etc.; one set of measures, pint, quart, and two quart; two colanders; two fine wire strainers; one flour sifter; one apple corer; one set patty pans; two dripping pans; two sets gem irons; one set muffin rings; one toaster; one broiler; the six saucepans, different sizes; two steamers; six milk-pans; one dozen basins, different sizes; one chopping bowl and knife; six double boilers; two funnels, large and small; one can opener; griddle; kettles, iron and granite ware; two water baths. FOR THE DISH CLOSET.--One half dozen iron-stone china cups; three quart bowls; three pint bowls; two large mixing bowls; two quart bowls with lip; six deep plates; three kitchen pitchers; one glass rolling pin; six wooden and six iron spoons, assorted sizes; six kitchen teaspoons; one stone baking pot; glass jars for stores; crocks and jars. THE PANTRY.--The pantry and china closet should have direct light and good ventilation. The dark, dingy places sometimes used for this purpose are germ breeders. There should be plenty of shelf room and cupboards for the fine glass and china-ware, with a well-arranged sink for washing the dishes. The sink for this purpose is preferably one lined with tinned or planished copper; for dishes will be less liable to become injured and broken then when washed in an iron or earthen-ware sink. Extension or folding shelves are a great convenience, and can be arranged for the sink if desired. The accompanying cuts illustrate a sink of four compartments for dish-washing, devised by the writer for use in the Sanitarium Domestic Economy kitchen, which can be closed and used as a table. Two zinc trays fit the top, upon which to place the dish drainers. If preferred, the top might be arranged as a drainer, by making it of well-seasoned hard wood, with a number of inclined grooves to allow the water to run into the sink. If the house be heated by steam, a plate-warmer is an important part of the pantry furnishing. [Illustration: Compartment Sink for Dish-Washing. Open.] THE STOREROOM.--If possible to do so, locate the room for the keeping of the kitchen supplies on the cool side of the house. Plenty of light, good ventilation, and absolute cleanliness are essential, as the slightest contamination of air is likely to render the food supply unfit for use. The refrigerator should not be connected with the kitchen drain pipe, and the greatest care should be taken to keep it clean and sweet. It should be thoroughly scrubbed with borax or sal-soda and water, and well aired, at least once a week. Strongly flavored foods and milk should not be kept in the same refrigerator. The ice to be used should always be carefully washed before putting in the refrigerator. Care should also be taken to replenish it before the previous supply is entirely melted, as the temperature rises when the ice becomes low, and double the quantity will be required to cool the refrigerator that would be necessary to keep it of uniform temperature if added before the ice was entirely out. THE WATER SUPPLY.--The water used for drinking and cooking purposes should receive equal consideration with the food supply, and from whatever source obtained, it should be frequently tested for impurities, since that which looks the most refreshing may be contaminated with organic poison of the most treacherous character. [Illustration: Compartment Sink for Dish-Washing. Closed.] A good and simple test solution, which any housewife can use, may be prepared by dissolving twelve grains of caustic potash and three of permanganate of potash in an ounce of distilled water, or filtered soft water. Add a drop of this solution to a glass of the water to be tested. If the pink color imparted by the solution disappears at once, add another drop of the solution, and continue adding drop by drop until the pink color will remain for half an hour or more. The amount of the solution necessary to security permanent color is very fair index to the quality of the water. If the color imparted by the first one or two drops disappears within a half hour, the water should be rejected as probably dangerous. Water which is suspected of being impure may be rendered safe by boiling. Filters are only of service in removing suspended particles and the unpleasant taste of rain water; a really dangerous water is not rendered safe by filtering in the ordinary manner. CELLARS.--Sanitarians tell us that cellars should never be built under dwelling houses. Because of improper construction and neglect, they are undoubtedly the cause of much disease and many deaths. A basement beneath the house is advantageous, but the greatest of care should be given to construct it in accord with sanitary laws. It should be thoroughly drained that there may be no source of dampness, but should not be connected with a sewer or a cesspool. It should have walls so made as to be impervious to air and water. An ordinary brick or stone wall is inefficient unless well covered with good Portland cement polished smooth. The floors should likewise be covered with cement, otherwise the cellar is likely to be filled with impure air derived from the soil, commonly spoken of as "ground air," and which offers a constant menace to the health of those who live over cellars with uncemented walls and floors. Light and ventilation are quite as essential to the healthfulness of a cellar as to other rooms of the dwelling. Constantly during warm weather, and at least once a day during the winter season, windows should be opened wide, thus effecting a free interchange of air. All mold and mustiness should be kept out by thorough ventilation and frequent coats of whitewash to the walls. Vegetables and other decomposable articles, if stored in the basement, should be frequently sorted, and all decaying substances promptly removed. This is of the utmost importance, since the germs and foul gases arising from decomposing food stuffs form a deadly source of contamination through every crack and crevice. KITCHEN CONVENIENCES. In these days of invention and progress, much thought and ingenuity have been expended in making and perfecting labor-saving articles and utensils, which serve to make housework less of a burden and more of a delight. THE STEAM-COOKER.--One of the most unique of these conveniences is the steam-cooker, one kind of which is illustrated by the accompanying cut. Steaming is, for many foods, a most economical and satisfactory method of cooking. Especially is this true respecting fruits, grains, and vegetables, the latter of which often have the larger proportion of their best nutritive elements dissolved and thrown away in the water in which they are boiled. In the majority of households it is, however, the method least depended upon, because the ordinary steamer over a pot of boiling water requires too much attention, takes up too much stove room, and creates too much steam in the kitchen, to prove a general favorite. The steam-cooker has an escape-steam tube through which all excess of steam and odors passes into the fire, and thus its different compartments may contain and cook an entire dinner, if need be, and over one stove hole or one burner of an oil or gasoline stove. [Illustration: The Steam-Cooker.] THE VEGETABLE PRESS.--The accompanying cut represents this handy utensil, which is equally useful as a potato and vegetable masher; as a sauce, gruel, and gravy strainer; as a fruit press, and for many other purposes for which a colander or strainer is needed, while it economizes both time and labor. [Illustration: Vegetable Press.] LEMON DRILL.--This little article for extracting the juice of the lemon, and which can be purchased of most hardware dealers, is quite superior to the more commonly used lemon squeezer. Being made of glass, its use is not open to the danger that the use of metal squeezer is are from poisonous combinations of the acid and metal, while the juice extracted is free from pulp, seeds, and the oil of the skin. [Illustration: Lemon Drill.] A HANDY WAITER.--In many households where no help is employed, a labor-saving device like the one represented in the accompanying illustration, will be found of great service. It is a light double table on easy-rolling casters, and can be readily constructed by anyone handy in the use of tools. If preferred, the top may be covered with zinc. In setting or clearing the table, the dishes may be placed on the lower shelf, with the food on the top, and the table rolled from pantry to dining room, and from dining room to kitchen; thus accomplishing, with one trip, what is ordinarily done with hundreds of steps by the weary housewife. If desirable to reset the table at once after a meal, the waiter will be found most serviceable as a place whereon the glassware and silverware may be washed. It is equally serviceable for holding the utensils and material needed when cooking; being so easily moved, they can be rolled to the stove and is always convenient. [Illustration: The Handy Waiter.] WALL CABINET.--where cupboard space is limited, or where for convenience it is desirable to have some provision for supplies and utensils near the range and baking table, a wall cabinet offers a most convenient arrangement. It may be made of a size to fit in any convenient niche, and constructed plainly or made as ornamental as one pleases, with doors to exclude the dust, shelves on which to keep tin cans filled with rice, oatmeal, cracked wheat, and other grains; glass jars of raisins, sugar, citron, cornstarch, etc.; hooks on which may hang the measures, egg-beater, potato masher, and such frequently needed utensils; and with drawers for paring knives, spoons, and similar articles, the wall cabinet becomes a _multum in parvo_ of convenience which would greatly facilitate work in many households. [Illustration: Wall Cabinet.] PERCOLATE HOLDER.--The accompanying cut illustrates an easily-constructed device for holding a jelly bag or percolate. It may be so made as to be easily screwed to any ordinary table, and will save the housekeeper far more than its cost in time and patience. KNEADING TABLE.--Much of the tiresome labor of bread-making can be avoided if one is supplied with some convenient table similar to the one represented in the cut, wherein the needed material and utensils may be kept in readiness at all times. The table illustrated has two large tin drawers, each divided into two compartments, in which may be kept corn meal, entire wheat, and Graham and white flours. Two drawers above provide a place for rolling-pin, bread mallet, gem irons, spoons, etc., while a narrow compartment just beneath the hardwood top affords a place for the kneading board. The table being on casters is easily moved to any part of the kitchen for use. [Illustration: Percolater Holder.] [Illustration: Kneading Table.] DISH-TOWEL RACK.--Nothing adds more to the ease and facility with which the frequent dish-washings of the household may be accomplished than clean, well-dried towels. For quick drying,--an item of great importance if one would keep the towels fresh and sweet,--the towel rack represented in the cut, and which can be made by any carpenter, is a most handy device. When not in use, it can be turned up against the wall as illustrated. It is light, affords sufficient drying space so that no towel need be hung on top of another, and projecting out from the wall as it does, the free circulation of air between the towels soon dries them. [Illustration: Dish-Towel Rack.] KITCHEN BRUSHES.--These useful little articles can be put to such a variety of uses that they are among the chiefest of household conveniences. They are also so inexpensive, costing but five cents apiece without handles and seven cents with handles, that no housewife can afford to be without a supply of them. For the washing of dishes with handles, the outside of iron kettles, and other cooking utensils made of iron, they are especially serviceable. The smaller sizes are likewise excellent for cleaning cut glass ware, Majolica ware,--in fact, any kind of ware with raised figures or corrugated surfaces. For cleaning a grater, nothing is superior to one of these little brushes. Such a brush is also most serviceable for washing celery, as the corrugated surface of the stalk makes a thorough cleaning with the hands a difficult operation. Then if one uses a brush with handle, ice water, which adds to the crispness of the celery, may be used for the cleaning, as there will be no necessity for putting the hands in the water. A small whisk broom is also valuable for the same purpose. Such vegetables as potatoes, turnips, etc., are best cleaned with a brush. It makes the work less disagreeable, as the hands need not be soiled by the process, and in no other way can the cleaning be so well and thoroughly done. [Illustration: Vegetable Brush.] All brushes after being used should be carefully scalded and placed brush downward in a wire sponge basket, or hung up on hooks. If left around carelessly, they soon acquire the musty smell of a neglected dishcloth. TABLE TOPICS. The kitchen is a chemical laboratory, in which are conducted a number of chemical processes by which our food is converted from its crudest state to condition more suitable for digestion and nutrition, and made more agreeable to the palate.--_Prof. Matthew Williams._ Half the trouble between mistresses and maids arises from the disagreeable surroundings to which servants are confined. There is no place more dismal than the ordinary kitchen in city dwellings. It is half underground, ill-lighted, and unwholesome. What wonder, then, in the absence of sunlight, there is a lack of sunny temper and cheerful service? An ill-lighted kitchen is almost sure to be a dirty one, where germs will thrive and multiply. Let sanitary kitchens be provided, and we shall have more patient mistresses and more willing servants.--_Sel._ A sluggish housemaid exclaimed, when scolded for the uncleanliness of her kitchen, "I'm sure the room would be clean enough if it were not for the nasty sun, which is always showing the dirty corners."--_Sel._ If we would look for ready hands and willing hearts in our kitchens, we should make them pleasant and inviting for those who literally bear the "burden and heat of the day" in this department of our homes, where, emphatically, "woman's work is never done." We should no longer be satisfied to locate our kitchens in the most undesirable corner of the house. We should demand ample light,--sunshine if possible,--and justly too; for the very light itself is inspiring to the worker. It will stir up cheer and breed content in the minds of those whose lot is cast in this work-a-day room.--_Sel._ Any invention on the part of the housekeeper intended to be a substitute for watchfulness, will prove a delusion and a snare.--_Sel._ "The first wealth is health," says Emerson. A knowledge of sanitary principles should be regarded as an essential part of every woman's education, and obedience to sanitary laws should be ranked, as it was in the Mosaic code, as a religious duty.--_Sel._ Much of the air of the house comes from the cellar. A heated house acts like a chimney. A German experimenter states that one half of the cellar air makes its way into the first story, one third into the second, and one fifth into the third. CEREALS AND THEIR PREPARATION FOR THE TABLE Cereal is the name given to those seeds used as food (wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice, etc.), which are produced by plants belonging to the vast order known as the grass family. They are used for food both in the unground state and in various forms of mill products. The grains are pre-eminently nutritious, and when well prepared, easily digested foods. In composition they are all similar, but variations in their constituent elements and the relative amounts of these various elements, give them different degrees of alimentary value. They each contain one or more of the nitrogenous elements,--gluten, albumen, caseine, and fibrin,--together with starch, dextrine, sugar, and fatty matter, and also mineral elements and woody matter, or cellulose. The combined nutritive value of the grain foods is nearly three times that of beef, mutton, or poultry. As regards the proportion of the food elements necessary to meet the various requirements of the system, grains approach more nearly the proper standard than most other foods; indeed, wheat contains exactly the correct proportion of the food elements. Being thus in themselves so nearly perfect foods, and when properly prepared, exceedingly palatable and easy of digestion, it is a matter of surprise that they are not more generally used; yet scarcely one family in fifty makes any use of the grains, save in the form of flour, or an occasional dish of rice or oatmeal. This use of grains is far too meager to adequately represent their value as an article of diet. Variety in the use of grains is as necessary as in the use of other food material, and the numerous grain preparations now to be found in market render it quite possible to make this class of foods a staple article of diet, if so desired, without their becoming at all monotonous. In olden times the grains were largely depended upon as a staple food, and it is a fact well authenticated by history that the highest condition of man has always been associated with wheat-consuming nations. The ancient Spartans, whose powers of endurance are proverbial, were fed on a grain diet, and the Roman soldiers who under Caesar conquered the world, carried each a bag of parched grain in his pocket as his daily ration. Other nationalities at the present time make extensive use of the various grains. Rice used in connection with some of the leguminous seeds, forms the staple article of diet for a large proportion of the human race. Rice, unlike the other grain foods, is deficient in the nitrogenous elements, and for this reason its use needs to be supplemented by other articles containing an excess of the nitrogenous material. It is for this reason, doubtless, that the Hindoos use lentils, and the Chinese eat peas and beans in connection with rice. We frequently meet people who say they cannot use the grains,--that they do not agree with them. With all deference to the opinion of such people, it may be stated that the difficulty often lies in the fact that the grain was either not properly cooked, not properly eaten, or not properly accompanied. A grain, simply because it is a grain, is by no means warranted to faithfully fulfil its mission unless properly treated. Like many another good thing excellent in itself, if found in bad company, it is prone to create mischief, and in many cases the root of the whole difficulty may be found in the excessive amount of sugar used with the grain. Sugar is not needed with grains to increase their alimentary value. The starch which constitutes a large proportion of their food elements must itself be converted into sugar by the digestive processes before assimilation, hence the addition of cane sugar only increases the burden of the digestive organs, for the pleasure of the palate. The Asiatics, who subsist largely upon rice, use no sugar upon it, and why should it be considered requisite for the enjoyment of wheat, rye, oatmeal, barley, and other grains, any more than it is for our enjoyment of bread or other articles made from these same grains? Undoubtedly the use of grains would become more universal if they were served with less or no sugar. The continued use of sugar upon grains has a tendency to cloy the appetite, just as the constant use of cake or sweetened bread in the place of ordinary bread would do. Plenty of nice, sweet cream or fruit juice, is a sufficient dressing, and there are few persons who after a short trial would not come to enjoy the grains without sugar, and would then as soon think of dispensing with a meal altogether as to dispense with the grains. Even when served without sugar, the grains may not prove altogether healthful unless they are properly eaten. Because they are made soft by the process of cooking and on this account do not require masticating to break them up, the first process of digestion or insalivation is usually overlooked. But it must be remembered that grains are largely composed of starch, and that starch must be mixed with the saliva, or it will remain undigested in the stomach, since the gastric juice only digests the nitrogenous elements. For this reason it is desirable to eat the grains in connection with some hard food. Whole-wheat wafers, nicely toasted to make them crisp and tender, toasted rolls, and unfermented zwieback, are excellent for this purpose. Break two or three wafers into rather small pieces over each individual dish before pouring on the cream. In this way, a morsel of the hard food may be taken with each spoonful of the grains. The combination of foods thus secured, is most pleasing. This is a specially advantageous method of serving grains for children, who are so liable to swallow their food without proper mastication. COOKING OF GRAINS.--All grains, with the exception of rice, and the various grain meals, require prolonged cooking with gentle and continuous heat, in order to so disintegrate their tissues and change their starch into dextrine as to render them easy of digestion. Even the so-called "steam-cooked" grains, advertised to be ready for use in five or ten minutes, require a much longer cooking to properly fit them for digestion. These so-called quickly prepared grains are simply steamed before grinding, which has the effect to destroy any low organisms contained in the grain. They are then crushed and shredded. Bicarbonate of soda and lime is added to help dissolve the albuminoids, and sometimes diastase to aid the conversion of the starch into sugar; but there is nothing in this preparatory process that so alters the chemical nature of the grain as to make it possible to cook it ready for easy digestion in five or ten minutes. An insufficiently cooked grain, although it may be palatable, is not in a condition to be readily acted upon by the digestive fluids, and is in consequence left undigested to act as a mechanical irritant. [Illustration: A Double Boiler.] For the proper cooking of grains the double boiler is the best and most convenient utensil for ordinary purposes. If one does not possess a double boiler, a very fair substitute may be improvised by using a covered earthen crock placed within a kettle of boiling water, or by using two pails, a smaller within a larger one containing boiling water. A closed steamer or steam-cooker is also valuable for the cooking of grains. Grains may be cooked in an ordinary kettle, but the difficulties to be encountered, in order to prolong the cooking sufficiently and prevent burning, make it the least desirable utensil for this purpose. Water is the liquid usually employed for cooking grains, but many of them are richer and finer flavored when milk is mixed with the water,--one part to two of water. Especially is this true of rice, hominy, and farina. When water is used, soft water is preferable to hard. No salt is necessary, but if used at all, it is generally added to the water before stirring in the grain or meal. The quantity of liquid required varies with the different grains, the manner in which they are milled, the method by which they are cooked, and the consistency desired for the cooked grain, more liquid being required for a porridge than for a mush. The following table gives the time necessary for cooking and the quantity of liquid required for the various grains, with the exception of rice, when cooked in a double boiler or closed steamer, to produce a mush of ordinary consistency. If an ordinary kettle is used for cooking the grains, a larger quantity of water will be needed:-- TABLE SHOWING PROPORTION OF GRAIN AND LIQUID REQUIRED, WITH APPROXIMATE TIME, WHEN A DOUBLE BOILER IS USED. Quantity of Water Hours to Grain. Required. Cook. Graham Grits 1 part 4 parts 3 to 5 Rolled Wheat 1 " 3 " 3 to 4 Cracked " 1 " 4-1/2 " 3 to 4 Pearl " 1 " 4 " 4 to 5 Whole " 1 " 5 " 6 to 8 Rolled Oats 1 " 3 " 3 to 4 Coarse Oatmeal 1 " 4 " 4 to 6 Rolled Rye 1 " 3 " 3 to 4 Pearl Barley 1 " 5 " 4 to 5 Coarse Hominy 1 " 5 " 6 to 10 Fine Hominy 1 " 4 " 4 to 6 Cerealine 1 " 1 part 1/2 All grains should be carefully looked over before being put to cook. In the cooking of grains, the following points should be observed:-- 1. Measure both liquid and grain accurately with the same utensil, or with two of equal size. 2. Have the water boiling when the grain is introduced, but do not allow it to boil for a long time previous, until it is considerably evaporated, as that will change the proportion of water and grain sufficiently to alter the consistency of the mush when cooked. Introduce the grain slowly, so as not to stop the sinking to the bottom, and the whole becomes thickened. If the grain is cooked in a double boiler, this first boiling should be done with the inner dish directly over the fire, and when the grain has thickened or become "set," as it is termed, the dish should at once be placed in the outer boiler, the water in which should be boiling. It will then require no further care during the entire cooking, safe to keep the outer boiler filled and the water boiling. If the grain is to be cooked in a steam-cooker, as soon as set it may be turned into a china or an earthen dish, suitable for use on the table, and placed at once in the steamer to complete the cooking. If an ordinary kettle is used, it is well to place it upon an iron ring or brick on some part of the range were it will just simmer, for the remainder of the cooking. 3. Stir the grain continuously until it has set, but not at all afterward. Grains are much more appetizing if, while properly softened, they can still be made to retain their original form. Stirring renders the preparation pasty, and destroys its appearance. Grains cooked in a double boiler will require no stirring, and there will be little danger of their being lumpy, underdone on top, and scorched at the bottom, as is so often the case when cooked in a single boiler. 4. Cook continuously. If it be necessary to replenish the water in the outer boiler at anytime, let it be done with water of boiling temperature. If it is desired to have the mush quite thick and dry, the boiler should be left uncovered during the latter part of the cooking. If preferred moist, keep the cover on. In the preparation of all mushes with meal or flour, it is a good plan to make the material into a batter with a portion of the liquid retained from the quantity given, before introducing it into the boiling water. This prevents the tendency to cook in lumps, so frequent when dry meal is scattered into boiling liquid. Care must be taken, however, to add the moistened portion very slowly, stirring vigorously meantime, so that the boiling will not be checked. Use warm water for moistening. The other directions given for the whole or broken grains are applicable to the ground products. GRAINS FOR BREAKFAST.--Since hasty preparation will not suffice for the grains, they cannot be conveniently cooked in the morning in time for breakfast. This difficulty may be obviated by cooking the day previous, and reheating in the following way:-- Place the grain, when sufficiently cooked, in the refrigerator or in some place where it will cool quickly (as slow cooling might cause fermentation), to remain overnight. If cooked in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware double boiler, it may be left undisturbed, if uncovered. If cooked in tin or iron, turn the grain into a large earthen or china dish. To heat in the morning, fill the outer boiler with boiling water, place the inner dish containing the grain therein, and steam until thoroughly heated. No stirring and no additional liquid will be necessary, and if placed upon the stove when beginning the preparations for breakfast, it will be ready for serving in good season. If the grain has been kept in an earthen dish, it may best be reheated by placing that inside the steam cooker or an ordinary steamer over a kettle of boiling water. Cracked wheat, pearl wheat, oatmeal, and other course grain preparations to be reheated, require for cooking a half cup of water in addition to the quantity given in the table. For rolled wheat, rolled oats, rolled rye, and other crushed grains, no more is needed. Grains may be used for breakfast without reheating, if served with hot milk or cream. If one has an Aladdin oven, the problem of grains for breakfast may be easily solved by cooking them all night, and if started late in the evening, they may be thus cooked over a single burner oil stove with the flame turned low. GRAINS AN ECONOMICAL FOOD.--While grains are pre-eminently among the most nutritious of foods, they are also among the most economical, the average price being from five to seven cents a pound, and even less when purchased in bulk. If it be objected that they require much fuel to secure the prolonged cooking necessary, we would say that a few cents' worth of oil a week and a small lamp stove will accomplish the cooking in a most efficient manner. For a hot-weather food there are few articles which give greater satisfaction and require less time and labor on the part of the housewife than grains, cooked by the aid of a small lamp stove. WHEAT. DESCRIPTION.--Wheat is the most important of the grain foods. It is probably a native of Southwestern Asia, though like most grains cultivated from the earliest periods, its history is extremely obscure. Wheat is of two principal kinds, characterized as soft and hard wheat, though there are hundreds of named varieties of the grain. The distinction between many of these is due to variation in the relative proportions of starch and nitrogenous matter. Some contain not more than eight per cent of nitrogenous elements, while others contain eighteen or twenty per cent, with a corresponding decrease in carbonaceous elements. This difference depends upon the soil, cultivation, season, climate, and other conditions under which the grain is produced. The structure of the wheat grain consists of an external tegument of a hard, woody nature, so coherent that it appears in the form of scales or bran when the wheat is ground, and an inner portion, more soft and friable, consisting of several cellular layers. The layer nearest the outer husk contains vegetable fibrin and fatty matter. The second layer is largely composed of gluten cells; while the center comprising the bulk of the grain, is chiefly made up of starch granules with a small proportion of gluten. The structure of a wheat kernel is well illustrated in the accompanying cut. As will be seen, the different food elements are situated in different parts of the grain, and not uniformly distributed throughout its structure. The outer husk of the berry is composed wholly of innutritious and indigestible matter, but the thin layers which lie next this outer covering contain the larger proportion of the nitrogenous elements to be found in the entire kernel. The central portion consists almost wholly of farinaceous matter. [Illustration: Sectional View of Wheat Kernel.] Phosphates and other mineral matter are present to some extent throughout the entire grain, but preponderates in the external part. Here is also found a peculiar, soluble, active principle called diastase, which possesses the power of converting starch into sugar. The dark color and marked flavor of Graham bread is undoubtedly due to the influence of this element. Until within a few years the unground grain was rarely used as an article of food, but people are beginning to appreciate its wholesomeness, and cracked, rolled, and pearled wheats are coming rapidly into favor. Cracked wheat is the grain cleaned and then cut into two or more pieces; in rolled wheat the grains are mashed between rollers, by which process they are thoroughly softened in every part, and are then easily cooked. Pearl wheat is the whole grain cleaned and dressed. The whole grain is also cooked sometimes in its natural state. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Few articles of food show greater difference between good and poor cooking than the various grains. Dry, harsh, or underdone, they are as unwholesome as unpalatable. Like most of the grains, wheat, with the exception of new wheat boiled whole, should be put into boiling water and allowed to cook continuously but slowly until done. Any of the unground preparations require prolonged cooking. The average length of time and the approximate amount of water needed in cooking _one cupful_ of the various wheat preparations in a double boiler is stated on page 82. _RECIPES._ PEARL WHEAT.--Heat a quart of water to boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler, and stir into it one cup or one-half pint of pearl wheat. Let it boil rapidly until thickened and the wheat has ceased settling, then place in the outer boiler, in which the water should be boiling, and cook continuously from three to four hours. CRACKED WHEAT.--Cracked wheat may be cooked in the same manner as pearl wheat, by using four and one-half parts of water to one of grain. The length of time required to cook it thoroughly is about the same as for pearl wheat. ROLLED WHEAT.--This preparation of wheat requires only three parts water to one of wheat. It should be cooked in the same way as pearled wheat, but requires only three hours' cooking. BOILED WHEAT (sometimes called frumenty).--Select newly-cut wheat, well rubbed or threshed out. Look it over carefully, wash, and put to cook in five times its measure of cold water. Let it come to a boil, and cook gently until the grains burst open, and it can be readily mashed between the thumb and finger. This will require from four to ten hours, depending upon the age and variety of the wheat used. When done, it should be even full of a rich, thick liquor. If necessary, add more boiling water, but stir as little as possible. It may be served with cream, the same as other wheat preparations. It is also excellent served with lemon and other fruit sauces. WHEAT WITH RAISINS.--Raisins or Zante currants may be added to any of the foregoing recipes, if desired. The raisins or currants should be well steamed previously, however, and stirred in lightly and evenly just before dishing. If cooked with the grain, they become soft, broken, and insipid. Figs, well steamed and chopped, may be added in the same way. WHEAT WITH FRESH FRUIT.--Fresh whortleberries, blueberries, and blackberries stirred into any of the well-cooked wheat preparations just before serving, make a very desirable addition. A most delicious dish may be prepared by stirring into well-cooked cracked wheat a few spoonfuls of rather thick cream and some fresh wild blackberries. Serve hot. MOLDED WHEAT.--Cracked wheat, rolled wheat, or pearl wheat, cooked according to the foregoing recipes, and turned into molds until cold, makes a very palatable dessert, and may be served with sugar and cream or with fruit juice. Bits of jelly placed on top of the molds in the form of stars or crosses, add to the appearance. Molded grains are also very nice served with fresh berries, either mashed or whole, arranged around the mold. FINER MILL PRODUCTS OF WHEAT. The grain of wheat is inclosed in a woody envelope. The cellular layers just beneath contain the largest proportion of nitrogenous matter, in the form of gluten, and are hard of pulverization, while the starchy heart of the grain is easily crumbled into fine dust. Thus it will be readily understood that when the grain is subjected to an equal pulverizing force, the several portions will be likely to be crushed into particles of different sizes. The outer husk being toughest, will be the least affected, the nitrogenous or glutenous portion will be much finer, while the brittle starch will be reduced to powder. This first simple product of grinding is termed wheat meal, unbolted, or Graham flour, and of course contains all the elements of the grain. In ordinary milling, however, this is subjected to various siftings, boltings, or dressings, to separate the finer from the coarser particles, and then subdivided into various grades of flour, which vary much in composition and properties. The coarser product contains the largest proportion of nutrients, while in the finer portions there is an exclusion of a large part of the nitrogenous element of the grain. The outer portions of the wheat kernel, which contain the greater part of the nitrogenous element, are darker in color than the central, starchy portion. It will be apparent, then, that the finer and whiter the flour, the less nutriment it is likely to contain, and that in the use of superfine white flour the eye is gratified at the expense of the body. A preparation called farina, is made from the central portion of wheat, freed from bran, and crushed into granules. Another preparation, called Graham grits, is prepared by granulating the outer layers of the kernel together with the germ of the wheat. This preparation, comparatively a new one, includes the most nutritious properties of the grain, and its granular form renders it excellent for mushes as well as for other purposes. Farina is scarcely more nutritious than white flour, and should not be used as a staple food. Graham grits contains the best elements of the wheat grain in good proportion, and is one of the best preparations of wheat. Other preparations of wheat somewhat similar in character are farinose, germlet, etc. _RECIPES._ FARINA.--Heat a pint of milk and one of water, or if preferred, a quart of milk, in the inner cup of a double boiler; and when boiling, stir in five tablespoonfuls of farina, moistened evenly with a little milk. Let it boil rapidly until well set, which will be in about five or eight minutes; then place in the outer boiler, and cook one hour. Serve cold or hot with a dressing of cream or fruit juices. Farina may be cooked in water alone, but on account of its lack of nutritive elements, it is more valuable if prepared with milk. FARINA WITH FIG SAUCE.--Cook the farina as in the foregoing recipe, and serve hot with a fig sauce prepared as follows:-- Carefully look over, washed, and chop or cut quite finally, enough good figs to make a cupful. Stew in a pint of water, to which has been added a tablespoonful of sugar, until they are one homogeneous mass. If the figs are not of the best quality and do not readily soften, it is well, after stewing for a time, to rub them through a colander or vegetable press to break up the tough portions and make a smooth sauce. Put a spoonful of the hot fig sauce on each individual dish of farina, and serve with cream or without dressing. FARINA WITH FRESH FRUIT.--Cook the farina as previously directed. Have some sliced yellow peaches, mellow sweet apples, or bananas in a dish, turn the farina over them, stir up lightly with a fork, and serve hot with cream. MOLDED FARINA.--Farina to be used cold may be cooked in the same manner as before described, with two or three tablespoonfuls of sugar added at the same time with the farina, and when done, molded in cups previously wet with a little cold water. Serve with a dressing of fruit juice, whipped cream flavored with lemon, or mock cream flavored with cocoanut. GRAHAM GRITS.--To four parts of water boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler add slowly, so as not to stop the boiling of the water, one part of Graham grits. Stir until thickened, then place in the outer boiler, and steam from three to five hours. Serve hot with cream, or mold in cups previously dipped in cold water, and serve with a dressing of fruit juice. The fig sauce prepared as previously directed, is also excellent with Graham grits. GRAHAM MUSH NO. 1.--Good flour is the first requisite for making good Graham mush. Poor Graham flour cannot be made into first-class mush. Flour made from the best white winter wheat is perhaps the best. It may be used either sifted or unsifted, as preferred. The proportion of flour and liquid to be used will necessarily vary somewhat with the quality of the flour, but in general, three parts water to one of flour will be needed. Too much flour not only makes the mush too thick, but gives it an underdone taste. Stir the dried flour rapidly into boiling water, (which should not cease to boil during the process), until a thick porridge is obtained. It is well to have it a little thinner at first than is desirable for serving, as it will thicken by cooking. Cook slowly at least one hour. A longer time makes it more digestible. Left-over Graham mush is nice spread on rather shallow tins, and simply heated quickly in a hot oven. GRAHAM MUSH NO. 2.--Moisten one pint of good Graham flour with a pint of warm water, or enough to make a batter thin enough to pour. (The quantity of water needed will vary a little with the fineness and quality of the flour.) Pour this batter into a quart of water boiling in the inner cup of a double boiler. Remember to add the batter sufficiently slow, so as not to stop the boiling of the water. When thickened, put into the outer boiler, and cook for one hour. GRAHAM MUSH NO. 3.--Prepare in the same way as above, using milk or part milk in the place of water. Left-over Graham mush at breakfast, which has been prepared with water, is very nice if, while it is still warm, a small quantity of hot milk is well stirred into it, and it is then set by to be reheated in a double boiler for dinner. GRAHAM MUSH WITH DATES.--Prepare a mush as for Graham mush No. 2. When done, place in the dish in which the mush is to be served, some nice, fresh dates from which the stones have been removed. Pour the mush over them, and stir up lightly, taking care not to break the fruit, and serve. Raisins previously steamed, or figs steamed and cut into pieces, may be used instead of dates. Serve hot with cream, or mold, and serve cold. PLUM PORRIDGE.--Prepare a Graham mush as previously directed, and when done, add to it a cup of well-steamed raisins and sufficient rich milk to thin it to the consistency of porridge. GRAHAM APPLE MUSH.--Prepare a smooth apple sauce of rather tart apples. Sweeten it slightly, and thin with boiling water. Have this mixture boiling, and add to it Graham flour, either sprinkled in dry or moistened with water, sufficient to make a well-thickened mush. Cook, and serve hot with cream. GRANOLA MUSH.--Granola, a cooked preparation of wheat and oats, manufactured by the Sanatarium Food Co., makes a most appetizing and quickly prepared breakfast dish. Into a quart of boiling water sprinkle a pint of granola. Cook for two or three minutes, and serve hot with cream. GRANOLA FRUIT MUSH.--Prepare the mush as directed, and stir into it, when done, a large cupful of nicely-steamed, seedless raisins. Serve hot with cream. Milk may be used instead of water, if preferred. GRANOLA PEACH MUSH.--Instead of the raisins as directed in the foregoing recipe, add to the mush, when done, a pint of sliced yellow peaches. Finely-cut, mellow sweet apples, sliced bananas, and blueberries may be used in a similar way. BRAN JELLY.--Select some clean wheat bran, sprinkle it slowly into boiling water as for Graham mush, stirring briskly meanwhile with a wooden spoon, until the whole is about the consistency of thick gruel. Cook slowly in a double boiler for two hours. Strain through a fine wire sieve placed over the top of a basin. When strained, reheat to boiling. Then stir into it a spoonful or so of sifted Graham flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Boil up once; turn into molds previously wet in cold water, and when cool, serve with cream or fruit juice. THE OAT, OR AVENA. DESCRIPTION.--The native country of the plant from which our common varieties of the oat are derived, is unknown. Oat grains have been found among the remains of the lake-dwellers in Switzerland, and it is probable that this plant was cultivated by the prehistoric inhabitants of Central Europe. The ancient Greeks and Romans used oats, ranking them next in value to barley, which they esteemed above all other cereals. Although principally grown as food for horses, the oat, when divested of its husk and broken by a process of milling, is an exceedingly nutritious and valuable article of diet for human beings; and there is no article of food that has increased in general favor more rapidly in the last few years than this grain. The Scotch have long been famed for their large consumption of oatmeal. It forms the staple article of diet for the peasantry, to which fact is generally attributed the fine physique and uniform health for which they, as a race, are particularly noted. It is related that Dr. Johnson, of dictionary fame, who never lost an opportunity to disparage the Scotch, on one occasion defined oats as, "In Scotland, food for men; in England, food for horses." He was well answered by an indignant Scotchman who replied, "Yes; and where can you find such fine men as in Scotland, or such horses as in England?" Oatmeal justly ranks high as an alimentary substance. It contains about the same proportion of nitrogenous elements as wheat, and with the exception of maize, is richer in fatty matter than any other of the cultivated cereals. In general structure the oat resembles wheat. To prepare oats for food, the husk, which is wholly indigestible in character, must be thoroughly removed. To accomplish this, the grain is first kiln-dried to loosen the husk, and afterward submitted to a process of milling. Denuded of its integument, the nutritive part of the grain is termed groats; broken into finer particles, it constitutes what is known as oatmeal; rolled oats, or avena, is prepared by a process which crushes the kernels. Oatmeal varies also in degrees of trituration, some kinds being ground much finer than others. The more finely-ground products are sometimes adulterated with barley meal, which is cheaper than oatmeal and less nutritious. The black specks which are sometimes found in oatmeal are particles of black oats which have been ground in connection with the other. Oatmeal lacks the tenacity of wheaten flour, and cannot, without the addition of some other flour, be made into light bread. It is, however, largely consumed by the inhabitants of Scotland and the north of England, in the form of oatcakes. The oatmeal is mixed with water, kneaded thoroughly, then rolled into very thin cakes, and baked on an iron plate or griddle suspended over a fire. So much, however, depends upon the kneading, that it is said that the common inquiry before the engagement of a domestic servant in Scotland, is whether or not she is a good kneader of oatcakes. The most common use of oatmeal in this country is in the form of mush or porridge. For this the coarser grades of meal are preferable. For people in health, there is no more wholesome article of diet than oatmeal cooked in this way and eaten with milk. For growing children, it is one of the best of foods, containing, as it does, a large proportion of bone and muscle-forming material, while to almost all persons who have become accustomed to its use, it is extremely palatable. The time required for its digestion is somewhat longer than that of wheaten meal prepared in the same manner. It is apt to disagree with certain classes of dyspeptics, having a tendency to produce acidity, though it is serviceable as an article of diet in some forms of indigestion. The manner of its preparation for the table has very much to do with its wholesomeness. Indeed, many objectionable dishes are prepared from it. One of these, called _brose_, much used in Scotland, is made by simply stirring oatmeal into some hot liquid, as beef broth, or the water in which a vegetable has been boiled. The result is a coarse, pasty mass of almost raw oatmeal, an extremely indigestible compound, the use of which causes water brash. A preparation called _sowens_, or flummery, made by macerating the husks of the oats in water from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, until the mixture ferments, then boiling down to the consistency of gruel, is a popular article of food among the Scotch and Welsh peasantry. When boiled down still more, so it will form a firm jelly when cold, the preparation is called _budrum_. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Oatmeal requires much cooking in order to break its starch cells; and the coarser the meal, the longer it should be allowed to cook. A common fault in the use of oatmeal is that it is served in an underdone state, which makes a coarse, indigestible dish of what, with more lengthy preparation, would be an agreeable and nutritious food. Like most of the grains, it is best put into boiling soft water, and allowed to cook continuously and slowly. It is greatly injured by stirring, and it is therefore preferably cooked in a double boiler or closed steamer. If it is necessary to use an ordinary kettle, place it on some part of the range where the contents will only simmer; or a hot brick may be placed under it to keep it from cooking too fast. It may be cooked the day previous, and warmed for use the same as other grains. RECIPES. OATMEAL MUSH.--Heat a quart of water to boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler, sift into it one cup of coarse oatmeal, and boil rapidly, stirring continuously until it sets; then place in the outer boiler, the water in which should be boiling, and cook three hours or longer. Serve with cream. OATMEAL FRUIT MUSH.--Prepare the oatmeal as directed above, and stir in lightly, when dishing for the table, some sliced mellow and juicy raw sweet apples. Strawberry apples and other slightly tart apples are likewise excellent for the purpose. Well-ripened peaches and bananas may also be used, if care is taken to preserve the slices whole, so as to present an appetizing appearance. Both this and the plain oatmeal mush are best eaten with toasted whole-wheat wafers or some other hard food. OATMEAL BLANCMANGE NO. 1.--Soak a cupful of coarse oatmeal over night in a pint and a half of water. In the morning, beat the oatmeal well with a spoon, and afterwards pass all the soluble portion through a fine strainer. Place the liquid in the inner dish of a double boiler, and cook for half an hour. Turn into cups, cool fifteen or twenty minutes, and serve warm with cream and sugar, or a dressing of fruit juice. A lemon sauce prepared as directed on page 354 likewise makes an excellent dressing. OATMEAL BLANCMANGE NO. 2.--Take a pint of well-cooked oatmeal, add to it a pint of milk, part cream if obtainable. Beat well together, and strain through a fine wire sieve. Turn the liquid into a saucepan, and boil for a few moments, until it is thick enough to drop from the point of a spoon; then turn into cups previously wet in cold water, and mold. Serve with a dressing of fruit juice or whipped cream slightly sweetened and flavored with lemon. JELLIED OATMEAL.--Cook oatmeal or rolled oats with an additional cup or cup and a half of water, and when done, turned into cups and mold. Serve cold with hot cream. MIXED MUSH.--A cup and a half of rolled wheat, mixed with one-half cup of coarse oatmeal, and cooked the same as oatmeal, forms a mush preferred by some to oatmeal alone. ROLLED OATS.--This preparation of oats should be cooked the same as oatmeal, but requires only three parts water to one of rolled oats, when cooked in a double boiler. OATMEAL WITH APPLE.--Cold oatmeal which has been left over may be made into an appetising dish by molding in alternate layers with nicely-steamed tart apple, sprinkled lightly with sugar. Serve with cream. Other cooked fruit, such as cherries, evaporated peaches, and apricots may be used in the same way. A very pleasing dish is made by using between the layers ripe yellow peaches and plums sliced together, and lightly sprinkled with sugar. OATMEAL PORRIDGE.--Into a quart and a half of water, which should be boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler, sprinkle one cup of rather coarse oatmeal. Boil rapidly, stirring meanwhile until the grain is set; then place in the outer boiler, and cook continuously for three hours or longer. A half cup of cream added just before serving, is a desirable addition. BARLEY. DESCRIPTION.--Barley is stated by historians to be the oldest of all cultivated grains. It seems to have been the principal bread plant among the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. The Jews especially held the grain in high esteem, and sacred history usually uses it interchangeably with wheat, when speaking of the fruits of the Earth. Among the early Greeks and Romans, barley was almost the only food of the common people and the soldiers. The flour was made into gruel, after the following recipe: "Dry, near the fire or in the oven, twenty pounds of barley flour, then parch it. Add three pounds of linseed meal, half a pound of coriander seeds, two ounces of salt, and the water necessary." If an especially delectable dish was desired, a little millet was also added to give the paste more "cohesion and delicacy." Barley was also used whole as a food, in which case it was first parched, which is still the manner of preparing it in some parts of Palestine and many districts of India, also in the Canary Islands, where it is known as _gofio_. Of this custom a lady from Palestine writes: "The reapers, during barley harvest, take bunches of the half-ripe grain, and singe, or parch, it over a fire of thorns. The milk being still in the grain, it is very sweet, and is considered a delicacy." In the time of Charles I, barley meal took the place of wheat almost entirely as the food of the common people in England. In some parts of Europe, India, and other Eastern countries, it is still largely consumed as the ordinary farinaceous food of the peasantry and soldiers. The early settlers of New England also largely used it for bread making. At the present day only a very insignificant quantity of barley is used for food purposes in this country, and most of this in the unground state. Barley is less nutritious than wheat, and to many people is less agreeable in flavor. It is likewise somewhat inferior in point of digestibility. Its starch cells being less soluble, they offer more resistance to the gastric juice. There are several distinct species of barley, but that most commonly cultivated is designated as two-rowed, or two-eared barley. In general structure, the barley grain resembles wheat and oats. Simply deprived of its outer husk, the grain is termed _Scotch milled_ or _pot barley_. Subjected still further to the process by which the fibrous outer coat of the grain is removed, it constitutes what is known as _pearl barley_. Pearl barley ground into flour is known as _patent barley_. Barley flour, owing to the fact that it contains so small a proportion of gluten, needs to be mixed with wheaten flour for bread-making purposes. When added in small quantity to whole-wheat bread, it has a tendency to keep the loaf moist, and is thought by some to improve the flavor. The most general use made of this cereal as a food, is in the form of pearl, or Scotch, barley. When well boiled, barley requires about two hours for digestion. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR COOKING BARLEY.--The conditions requisite for cooking barley are essentially the same as for oatmeal. It is best cooked slowly. Four parts of water to one of grain will be needed for steaming or cooking in a double boiler, and from four to five hours' time will be required, unless the grain has been previously soaked for several hours, in which case three hours will do. If the strong flavor of the grain is objected to, it may be soaked over night and cooked in fresh water. This method will, however, be a sacrifice of some of the nutriment contained in the grain. Barley thus soaked will require only three parts water to one of barley for cooking. _RECIPES._ BAKED BARLEY.--Soak six tablespoonfuls of barley in cold water over night. In the morning, turn off the water, and put the barley in an earthen pudding dish, and pour three and one half pints of boiling water over it; add salt if desired, and bake in a moderately quick oven about two and one half hours, or till perfectly soft, and all the water is absorbed. When about half done, add four or five tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed with grated lemon peel. It may be eaten warm, but is very nice molded in cups and served cold with cream. PEARL BARLEY WITH RAISINS.--Carefully look over and wash a cupful of pearl barley. Cook in a double boiler in five cups of boiling water for four hours. Just before serving, add a cupful of raisins which have been prepared by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to stand until swollen. Serve hot, with cream. PEARL BARLEY WITH LEMON SAUCE.--Pearl barley cooked in the same manner, but without the addition of the raisins, is excellent served with cream or with a lemon sauce prepared as directed on page 354. RICE. DESCRIPTION.--Rice is one of the most abundantly used and most digestible of all the cereals. It grows wild in India, and it is probable that this is its native home. It is, however, now cultivated in most tropical and sub-tropical climates, and is said to supply the principal food for nearly one third of the human race. It is mentioned in history several hundred years before Christ. According to Soyer, an old writer on foods, the Greeks and Romans held rice in high esteem, believing it to be a panacea for chest and lung diseases. The grain is so largely grown and used by the Chinese that "fan," their word for rice, has come to enter into many compound words. A beggar is called a "tou-fan-tee," that is, "the rice-seeking one." The ordinary salutation, "Che-fan," which answers to our "How do you do?" means, "Have you eaten your rice?" Rice requires a wet soil, and the fields in which the grain is raised, sometimes called "paddy" fields, are periodically irrigated. Before ripening, the water is drained off, and the crop is then cut with a sickle, made into shocks, stacked, threshed, and cleaned, much like wheat. The rice kernel is inclosed within two coverings, a course outer husk, which is easily removed, and an inner, reddish, siliceous coating. "Paddy" is the name given in India to the rice grain when inclosed in its husk. The same is termed "rough rice" in this country. The outer husk of the rice is usually removed in the process of threshing, but the inner red skin, or hull, adheres very closely, and is removed by rubbing and pounding. The rough rice is first ground between large stones, and then conveyed into mortars, and pounded with iron-shod pestles. Thence, by fanning and screening, the husk is fully removed, and the grain divided into three different grades, whole, middlings, and small whole grains, and polished ready for market. The middlings consist of the larger broken pieces of the grain; the small rice, of the small fragments mixed with the chit of the grain. The broken rice, well dried, is sometimes ground into flour of different degrees of fineness. The small rice is much sweeter and somewhat superior in point of nutritive value to the large or head rice usually met with in commerce. Rice is characterized by a large percentage of starch, and is so deficient in other food elements that if used alone, unless consumed in very large quantities, it will not furnish the requisite amount of nitrogenous material necessary for a perfect health food. For this reason, it is necessary to supplement its use with some other food containing an excess of nitrogenous elements, as peas, beans, milk, etc. Associated with other articles rich in albuminous elements, rice is exceedingly valuable, and one of the most easily digested foods. Boiled or steamed rice requires but a little over one hour for digestion. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Rice needs to be thoroughly washed to remove the earthy taste it is so apt to have. A good way to do this is to put it into a colander, in a deep pan of water. Rub the rice well with the hands, lifting the colander in and out the water, and changing the water until it is clear; then drain. In this way the grit is deposited in the water, and the rice left thoroughly clean. The best method of cooking rice is by steaming it. If boiled in much water, it loses a portion of its already small percentage of nitrogenous elements. It requires much less time for cooking than any of the other grains. Like all the dried grains and seeds, rice swells in cooking to several times its original bulk. When cooked, each grain of rice should be separate and distinct, yet perfectly tender. RECIPES. STEAMED RICE.--Soak a cup of rice in one and a fourth cups of water for an hour, then add a cup of milk, turn into an earthen dish suitable for serving it from at table, and place in a steam-cooker or a covered steamer over a kettle of boiling water, and steam for an hour. It should be stirred with a fork occasionally, for the first ten or fifteen minutes. BOILED RICE (Japanese method).--Thoroughly cleanse the rice by washing in several waters, and soak it overnight. In the morning, drain it, and put to cook in an equal quantity of boiling water, that is, a pint of water for a pint of rice. For cooking, a stewpan with tightly fitting cover should be used. Heat the water to boiling, then add the rice, and after stirring, put on the cover, which is not again to be removed during the boiling. At first, as the water boils, steam will puff out freely from under the cover, but when the water has nearly evaporated, which will be in eight to ten minutes, according to the age and quality of the rice, only a faint suggestion of steam will be observed, and the stewpan must then be removed from over the fire to some place on the range, where it will not burn, to swell and dry for fifteen or twenty minutes. Rice to be boiled in the ordinary manner requires two quarts of boiling water to one cupful of rice. It should be boiled rapidly until tender, then drained at once, and set in a moderate oven to become dry. Picking and lifting lightly occasionally with a fork will make it more flaky and dry. Care must be taken, however, not to mash the rice grains. RICE WITH FIG SAUCE.--Steam a cupful of best rice as directed above, and when done, serve with a fig sauce prepared as directed on page 89. Dish a spoonful of the fig sauce with each saucer of rice, and serve with plenty of cream. Rice served in this way requires no sugar for dressing, and is a most wholesome breakfast dish. ORANGE RICE.--Wash and steam the rice according to directions already given. Prepare some oranges by separating into sections and cutting each section in halves, removing the seeds and all the white portion. Sprinkle the oranges lightly with sugar, and let them stand while the rice is cooking. Serve a portion of the orange on each saucerful of rice. RICE WITH RAISINS.--Carefully wash a cupful of rice, soak it, and cook as directed for Steamed Rice. After the rice has began to swell, but before it has softened, stir into it lightly, using a fork for the purpose, a cupful of raisins, or Zante currents. Serve with cream. RICE WITH PEACHES.--Steam the rice as previously directed, and when done, serve with cream and a nicely ripened peach pared and sliced on each individual dish. BROWNED RICE.--Spread a cupful of rice on a shallow baking tin, and put into a moderately hot oven to brown. It will need to be stirred frequently to prevent burning and to secure a uniformity of color. Each rice kernel, when sufficiently browned, should be of a yellowish brown, about the color of ripened wheat. Steam the same as directed for ordinary rice, using only two cups of water for each cup of browned rice, and omitting the preliminary soaking. When properly cooked, each kernel will be separated, dry, and mealy. Rice prepared in this manner is undoubtedly more digestible than when cooked without browning. RYE. DESCRIPTION.--Rye is much more largely grown and used in European countries that in America. In appearance it closely resembles wheat, although somewhat darker in color and smaller in size. Bread made from rye constitutes the staple food of the people in many parts of Europe. In nutritive value such bread nearly equals that made from wheat, but it has an acid taste not relished by persons unaccustomed to its use. Rye is found in market deprived of its husk and crushed or rolled, and also in the form of meal and flour. _RECIPES._ ROLLED RYE.--Into three parts water boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler, stir one part rolled rye. Boil rapidly until set, stirring meanwhile, then place in the outer boiler, and cook for three or more hours. RYE MUSH.--Stir a cupful of rye meal to a smooth batter with a cupful of water, then turn it slowly into three cupfuls of water, which should be boiling on the range, in the inner dish of a double boiler. Stir until thickened, then place in the outer boiler, and cook for an hour or longer. MAIZE, OR INDIAN CORN. DESCRIPTION.--There can be little doubt that maize is of American origin. The discoverers of the new world found it cultivated by the aborigines, and from the fact that corn was the generic term then largely used to designate grain (in old English, "corn" means grain), they named it "Indian corn." Since that time it has been carried to nearly every part of the globe, and probably it is more extensively used than any other one of the cereals, with the exception of rice. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that it is the most prolific of the grains, and is adapted to the widest range of climate. Maize was the chief food of the slaves of Brazil, as it used to be of those in our own Southern States, and is very largely consumed in Mexico and Peru. It was used very little in Europe until the Irish famine in 1847; since then, it has become a staple food with the poorer classes. The varieties of corn are almost too numerous to be counted. For general purposes, however, they may be classified as field corn, sweet corn, and pop corn. Corn is characterized by an excess of fatty matter, containing upwards of three times the amount of that element to be found in wheat. Corn requires stronger powers of digestion than wheat, and is unsuited to some stomachs. The skin of the corn kernel is thin, and when subjected to milling processes, is included in the grinding. When well ground, it can be digested, with the exception of the siliceous coating. Sweet corn and some of the field varieties, form a nutritious and favorite food while green. The mature grain is used in many forms. The whole grain, hulled, is an agreeable food. Hulled, broken, or split to various degrees of fineness, it is known according to the size to which the grain has been reduced as hominy, fine hominy, or grits; or, if finer still, as samp. Subjected to a process of still finer trituration, it forms meal. Cornstarch consists of the farinaceous portions of the grain. On account of the large proportion of fatty matter contained in maize, it acquires, if kept for some time and unpleasant, rancid taste, occasioned by the usual change which takes place in fat when exposed to the atmosphere. The new process granular meal, which is prepared from corn dried for a long period before grinding, becomes rank less quickly than that ground in the old way. Maize meal is very largely consumed in the form of mush or porridge. This, in Ireland, is termed "stirabout;" in Italy it is called "polenta;" and in British Honduras it is known as "corn lob." GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR COOKING.--Most of the various preparations from maize require prolonged cooking to render them wholesome; this is equally true respecting mushes prepared from samp or meal, a dish which unfortunately some cook in bygone days saw fit to term "hasty pudding." Unthinking people since, supposing it to have been so named because of the little time required to cook it, have commonly prepared it in fifteen or twenty minutes, whereas from one to two hours, or even longer, are necessary to cook it properly. Hulled corn, hominy, and grits, all require prolonged cooking. The time for cooking these preparations may be somewhat lessened if they are previously soaked over night. They should, however, be cooked in the same water in which they are soaked. _RECIPES._ CORN MEAL MUSH.--stir together one pint of cornmeal, one tablespoonful of flour, and one pint of cold milk. Turn this slowly, stirring well meanwhile, into one quart of boiling water, which should not cease to boil during the introduction of the batter. Cook three or four hours. If milk is not obtainable, water alone may be used, in which case two tablespoonfuls of flour will be needed. Cook in a double boiler. CORN MEAL MUSH WITH FRUIT.--Mush prepared in the above manner may have some well-steamed raisins or chopped figs added to it just before serving. CORN MEAL CUBES.--Left-over corn meal mush may be made into an appetizing dish by first slicing into rather thick slices, then cutting into cubes about one inch squares. Put the cubes into a tureen and turn over them a quantity of hot milk or cream. Cover the dish, let them stand until thoroughly heated through, then serve. BROWNED MUSH.--Slice cold corn meal mush rather thin, brush each slice with thick, sweet cream, and brown in a moderate oven until well heated through. SAMP.--Use one part of samp to four and one half parts of boiling water. It is the best plan to reserve enough of the water to moisten the samp before adding it to the boiling water, as it is much less likely to cook in lumps. Boil rapidly, stirring continuously, until the mush has well set, then slowly for from two to three hours. CEREALINE FLAKES.--Into one measure of boiling liquid stir an equal measure of cerealine flakes, and cook in a double boiler from one half to three fourths of an hour. HULLED CORN.--_To Hull the Corn._--Put enough wood ashes into a large kettle to half fill it; then nearly fill with hot water, and boil ten minutes. Drain off the water from the ashes, turn it into a kettle, and pour in four quarts of clean, shelled field corn, white varieties preferred. Boil till the hulls rub off. Skim the corn out of the lye water, and put it into a tub of fresh cold water. To remove the hulls, scrub the corn well with a new stiff brush broom kept for the purpose, changing the water often. Put through half a dozen or more waters, and then take the corn out by handfuls, rubbing each well between the hands to loosen the remaining hulls, and drop again into clear water. Pick out all hulls. Cleanse the corn through several more waters if it is to be dried and kept before using. Well hulled corn is found in the markets. _To Cook._--If it is to be cooked at once, it should be parboiled in clear water twice, and then put into new water and cooked till tender. It should be nearly or quite dry when done. It may be served with milk or cream. COARSE HOMINY.--For coarse hominy use four parts of water or milk and water to one of grain. It is best steamed or cooked in a double boiler, though it may be boiled in a kettle over a slow fire. The only objection to this method is the need of frequent stirring to prevent sticking, which breaks and mashes the hominy. From four to five hours' slow cooking will be necessary, unless the grain has been previously soaked; then about one hour less will be required. FINE HOMINY OR GRITS.--This preparation is cooked in the same manner as the foregoing, using three and one half or four parts of water to one of the grain. Four or five hours will be necessary for cooking the unsoaked grits. POPPED CORN.--The small, translucent varieties of maize known as "pop corn," possessed the property, when gently roasted, of bursting open, or turning inside out, a process which is owing to the following facts: Corn contains an excess of fatty matter. By proper means this fat can be separated from the grain, and it is then a thick, pale oil. When oils are heated sufficiently in a vessel closed from the air, they are turned into gas, which occupies many times the bulk of the oil. When pop corn is gradually heated, and made so hot that the oil inside of the kernel turns to gas, being unable to escape through the hull of the kernel, the pressure finally becomes strong enough to burst the grain, and the explosion is so violent as to shatter it in a most curious manner. Popped corn forms an excellent food, the starch of the grain being will cooked. It should, however, be eaten in connection with other food at mealtime, and not as a delicacy between meals. Ground pop corn is considered a delectable dish eaten with milk or cream; it also forms the base of several excellent puddings. To pop the corn, shell and place in a wire "popper" over a bed of bright coals, or on the top of a hot stove; stir or shake continuously, so that each kernel may be subjected to the same degree of heat on all sides, until it begins to burst open. If a popper is not attainable, a common iron skillet covered tightly, and very lightly oiled on the bottom, may be used for the purpose. The corn must be very dry to begin with, and if good, nearly every kernel will pop open nicely. It should be used within twenty-four hours after popping. MACARONI. DESCRIPTION.--Macaroni is a product of wheat prepared from a hard, clean, glutenous grain. The grain is ground into a meal called _semolina_, from which the bran is excluded. This is made into a tasty dough by mixing with hot water in the proportion of two thirds _semolina_ to one third water. The dough after being thoroughly mixed is put into a shallow vat and kneaded and rolled by machinery. When well rolled, it is made to assume varying shapes by being forced by a powerful plunger through the perforated head of strong steel or iron cylinders arranged above a fire, so that the dough is partially baked as it issues from the holes. It is afterwards hung over rods or laid upon frames covered with cloth, and dried. It is called by different names according to its shape. If in the shape of large, hollow cylinders, it is _macaroni;_ if smaller in diameter, it is _spaghetti;_ if fine, _vermicelli;_ if the paste is cut into fancy patterns, it is termed _pasta d'Italia_. Macaroni was formerly made only in Italy, but at present is manufactured to a considerable extent in the United States. The product, however, is in general greatly inferior to that imported from Italy, owing to the difference in the character of the wheat from which it is made, the Italian macaroni being produced from a hard, semi-translucent wheat, rich in nitrogenous elements, and which is only grown successfully in a hot climate. Like all cereal foods, macaroni should be kept in a perfectly dry storeroom. TO SELECT MACARONI.--Good macaroni will keep in good condition for years. It is rough, elastic, and hard; while the inferior article is smooth, soft, breaks easily, becomes moldy with keeping. Inferior macaroni contains a large percentage of starch, and but a small amount of gluten. When put into hot water, it assumes a white, pasty appearance, and splits in cooking. Good macaroni when put into hot water absorbs a portion of the water, swells to nearly double its size, but perfectly retains its shape. Inferior macaroni is usually sold a few cents cheaper per pound than the genuine article. It contains a much smaller amount of gluten. The best quality of any shape one pleases can be bought in most markets for ten or fifteen cents a pound. TO PREPARE AND COOK MACARONI.--Do not wash macaroni. If dusty, wipe with a clean, dry cloth. Break into pieces of convenient size. Always put to cook in boiling liquid, taking care to have plenty of water in the saucepan (as it absorbs a large quantity), and cook until tender. The length of time required may vary from twenty minutes, if fresh, to one hour if stale. When tender, turn into a colander and drain, and pour cold water through it to prevent the tubes from sticking together. The fluid used for cooking may be water, milk, or a mixture of both; also soup stock, tomato juice, or any preferred liquid. Macaroni serves as an important adjunct to the making of various soups, and also forms the basis of other palatable dishes. _RECIPES._ HOME-MADE MACARONI.--To four cupfuls of flour, add one egg well beaten, and enough water to make a dough that can be rolled. Roll thin on a breadboard and cut into strips. Dry in the sun. The best arrangement for this purpose is a wooden frame to which a square of cheese-cloth has been tightly tacked, upon which the macaroni may be laid in such a way as not to touch, and afterwards covered with a cheese-cloth to keep off the dust during the drying. BOILED MACARONI.--Break sticks of macaroni into pieces about an inch in length, sufficient to fill a large cup; put it into boiling water and cook until tender. When done, drained thoroughly, then add a pint of milk, part cream if it can be afforded, a little salt and one well-beaten egg; stir over the fire until it thickens, and serve hot. MACARONI WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Cook the macaroni as directed in the proceeding, and serve with a cream sauce prepared by heating a scant pint of rich milk to boiling, in a double boiler. When boiling, add a heaping tablespoonful of flour, rubbed smoothed in a little milk and one fourth teaspoonful of salt. If desired, the sauce may be flavored by steeping in the milk before thickening for ten or fifteen minutes, a slice of onion or a few bits of celery, and then removing with a fork. MACARONI WITH TOMATO SAUCE.--Break a dozen sticks of macaroni into two-inch lengths, and drop into boiling milk and water, equal parts. Let it boil for an hour, or until perfectly tender. In the meantime prepare the sauce by rubbing a pint of stewed or canned tomatoes through a colander to remove all seeds and fragments. Heat to boiling, thicken with a little flour; a tablespoonful to the pint will be about the requisite proportion. Add salt and if desired, a half cup of very thin sweet cream. Dish the macaroni into individual dishes, and serve with a small quantity of the sauce poured over each dish. MACARONI BAKED WITH GRANOLA.--Break macaroni into pieces about an inch in length sufficient to fill a large cup, and cook until tender in boiling milk and water. When done, drain and put a layer of the macaroni in the bottom of an earthen pudding dish, and sprinkle over it a scant teaspoonful of granola. Add a second and third layer and sprinkle each with granola; then turn over the whole a custard sauce prepared by mixing together a pint of milk, the well beaten yolks of two eggs or one whole egg, and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of salt. Care should be taken to arrange the macaroni in layers loosely, so that the sauce will readily permeate the whole. Bake for a few minutes only, until the custard has well set, and serve. EGGS AND MACARONI.--Break fifteen whole sticks of macaroni into two-inch lengths, and put to cook in boiling water. While the macaroni is cooking, boil the yolks of four eggs until mealy. The whole egg may be used if caught so the yolks are mealy in the whites simply jellied, not hardened. When the macaroni is done, drain and put a layer of it arranged loosely in the bottom of an earthen pudding dish. Slice the cooked egg yolks and spread a layer of them over the macaroni. Fill the dish with alternate layers of macaroni and egg, taking care to have the top layer of macaroni. Pour over the whole a cream sauce prepared as follows: Heat one and three fourths cup of rich milk to boiling, add one fourth teaspoonful of salt and one heaping spoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Cook until thickened, then turn over the macaroni. Sprinkle the top with grated bread crumbs, and brown in a hot oven for eight or ten minutes. Serve hot. TABLE TOPICS. Sir Isaac Newton, when writing his grail work, "Principia," lived wholly upon a vegetable, diet. ROBERT COLLYER once remarked; "One great reason why I never had a really sick day in my life was that as boy I lived on oatmeal and milk and brown bread, potatoes and a bit of meat when I could get it, and then oatmeal again." HOT-WEATHER DIET.--The sultry period of our summer, although comparatively slight and of short duration, is nevertheless felt by some people to be extremely oppressive, but this is mainly due to the practice of eating much animal food or fatty matters, conjoined as it often is with the habit of drinking freely of fluids containing more or less alcoholics. Living on cereals, vegetables, and fruits, and abstaining from alcoholic drinks, the same persons would probably enjoy the temperature, and be free from the thirst which is the natural result of consuming needlessly heating food.--_Sir Henry Thompson._ _Mistress_ (arranging for dinner)--"Didn't the macaroni come from the grocer's, Bridget?" _Bridget_--"Yis, mum, but oi sint it back. Every won av thim leetle stims wuz impty." Some years since, a great railroad corporation in the West, having occasion to change the gauge of its road throughout a distance of some five hundred miles, employed a force of 3,000 workmen upon the job, who worked from very early in the morning until late at night. Alcoholic drinks were strictly prohibited, but a thin gruel made of oatmeal and water was kept on hand and freely partaken of by the men to quench their thirst. The results were admirable; not a single workmen gave out under the severe strain, and not one lost a day from sickness. Thus this large body of men were kept well and in perfect strength and spirits, and the work was done in considerably less time than that counted on for its completion. In Scotch households oatmeal porridge is as inevitable as breakfast itself, except perhaps on Sundays, as this anecdote will illustrate. A mother and child were passing along a street in Glasgow, when this conversation was overheard:-- "What day is the morn, mither?" "Sabbath, laddie." "An' will wi hae tea to breakfast, mither?" "Aye, laddie, gin we're spared." "An' gin we're no spared, will we hae parrich?" BREADSTUFFS AND BREADMAKING Although the grains form most nutritious and palatable dishes when cooked in their unground state, this is not always the most convenient way of making; use of them. Mankind from earliest antiquity has sought to give these wonderful products of nature a more portable and convenient form by converting them into what is termed bread, a word derived from the verb _bray_, to pound, beat, or grind small, indicative of the ancient manner of preparing the grain for making bread. Probably the earliest form of bread was simply the whole grain moistened and then exposed to heat. Afterward, the grains were roasted and ground, or pounded between stones, and unleavened bread was made by mixing this crude flour with water, and baking in the form of cakes. Among the many ingenious arrangements used by the ancients for baking this bread, was a sort of portable oven in shape something like a pitcher, in the inside of which a fire was made. When the oven was well heated, a paste made of meal and water was applied to the outside. Such bread was baked very quickly and taken off in small, thin sheets like wafers. A flat cake was the common form in which most of the bread of olden times was baked; being too brittle to be cut with a knife, the common mode of dividing it was by breaking and hence the expression "breaking bread" so common in Scripture. Various substances have been and are employed for making this needful article. Until the last few decades, barley was the grain most universally used. Chestnuts, ground to a flour, are made into bread in regions where these nuts abound. Quite recently, an immense peanut crop in the Southern States was utilized for bread-making purposes. In ancient times, the Thracians made to bread from a flour made from the _water coltran_, a prickly root of triangular form. In Syria, mulberries were dried and grounded to flour. Rice, moss, palm tree piths, and starch producing roots are used by different nationalities in the preparation of bread. In many parts of Sweden, bread is made from dried fish, using one half fish flour and one half barley flour; and in winter, flour made from the bark of trees is added. Desiccated tomatoes, potatoes, and other vegetables are also mixed with the cereals for bread-making. In India, the lower classes make their bread chiefly from millet. Moss bread is made in Iceland from the reindeer moss, which toward autumn becomes soft, tender, and moist, with a taste like wheat bran. It contains a large quantity of starch, and the Icelanders gather, dry, pulverize it, and thus prepare it for bread-making. The ancient Egyptians often made their bread from equal parts of the whole grain and meal. The breadstuff's most universally used among civilized nations at the present time are barley, rye, oats, maize, buckwheat, rice, and wheat, of which the last has acquired a decided preference. If made in the proper manner and from suitable material, bread is, with the exception of milk, the article best fitted for the nourishment of the body, and if need be, can supply the place of all other foods. Good bread does not cloy the appetite as do many other articles of food, and the simplest bill of fare which includes light, wholesome bread, is far more satisfying than an elaborate meal without it. Were the tables of our land supplied with good, nutritious, well-baked bread, there would be less desire for cake, pastry, and other indigestible particles, which, under the present system of cookery, are allowed to compensate for the inferior quality and poor preparation of more wholesome foods. Bread has been proverbially styled the "staff of life." In nearly all ancient languages the entomology of the word "bread" signifies all, indicating; that the bread of earlier periods was in truth what it should be at the present time,--a staff upon which all the functions of life might with safety depend. Notwithstanding the important part bread was designed to play in the economy of life, it would be hardly possible to mention another aliment which so universally falls below the standard either through the manner of its preparation or in the material used. Bread, to answer the requirements of a good, wholesome article of food, beside being palatable, must be light, porous, and friable, so that it can be easily insalivated and digested. It should not contain ingredients which will in any way be injurious if taken into the system, but should contain as many as possible of the elements of nutrition. Wheat, the substance from which bread is most generally made, contains all the necessary food elements in proper proportions to meet the requirements of nutrition, and bread should also contain them. The flour, however, must be made from the whole grain of the wheat, with the exception of the outer husk. What is ordinarily termed fine flour has a large part of the most nutritive properties of the grain left out, and unless this deficiency is made up by other foods, the use of bread made from such material will leave the most vital tissues of the body poorly nourished, and tend to produce innumerable bad results. People who eat bread made from fine white flour naturally crave the food elements which have been eliminated from the wheat, and are thus led to an excessive consumption of meat, and the nerve-starvation and consequent irritability thus induced may also lead to the use of alcoholic drinks. We believe that one of the strongest barriers women could erect against the inroads of intemperance would be to supply the tables of the land with good bread made from flour of the entire wheat. The superiority of bread made from the entire wheat or unbolted meal has been attested by many notable examples in history. In England, under the administration of William Pitt, there was for several years such a scarcity of wheat that to make it hold out longer, a law was passed by Parliament that the army should be supplied with bread made of unbolted flour. This occasioned much murmuring on the part of the soldiers, but nevertheless the health of the army improved so greatly as to be a subject of surprise. The officers and the physicians at last publicly declared that the soldiers had never before been so robust and healthy. According to the eminent Prof. Liebig, whole-wheat bread contains 60 per cent more of the phosphate or bone forming material than does meat, and 200 per cent more gluten than white bread. To the lack of these elements in a food so generally used as white flour bread, is undoubtedly due the great prevalence of early decaying teeth, rickets, and other bone diseases. Indeed, so many are the evils attendant upon a continued use of fine flour bread that we can in a great measure agree with a writer of the last century who says, in a quaint essay still to be seen at the British Museum, that "fine flour, spirituous liquors, and strong ale-house beer are the foundations of almost all the poverty and all the evils that affect the labouring part of mankind." Bread made from the entire wheat is looked upon with far more favor than formerly, and it is no longer necessary to use the crude products of the grain for its manufacture, since modern invention has worked such a revolution in milling processes that it is now possible to obtain a fine flour containing all the nutritious elements of the grain. The old-time millstone has been largely superceded by machinery with which the entire grain may be reduced to fine flour without the loss of any of its valuable properties. To be sure, the manufacture of fine white flour of the old sort, is still continued, and doubtless will be continued so long as color takes precedence over food value. The improved processes of milling have, however, enabled the millers to utilize a much larger proportion of the nutritious elements of the grain than formerly, and still preserve that whiteness is so pleasing to many consumers. Although it is true that there are brands of white flour which possess a large percentage of the nutrient properties of the wheat, it is likewise true that flour which contains _all_ the nutritive elements is _not_ white. Of flours made from the entire grain there are essentially two different varieties, that which is termed _unbolted wheat meal_ or _Graham_ flour, and that called _wheat-berry, whole-wheat_, or _entire-wheat_ flour. The principal difference between the two consists in the preliminary treatment of the wheat kernel before reduction, Graham flour containing more or less of the flinty bran, which is wholly innutritious and to a sensitive stomach somewhat irritating. In the manufacture of _whole_ or _entire_-wheat flour, the outer, flinty bran is first removed by special machinery, and then the entire grain pulverized, by some of approved method, to different grades of fineness. The absence of the indigestible bran renders the entire-wheat flour superior in this respect to Graham, though for many persons the latter is to preferred. HOW TO SELECT FLOUR.--The first requisite in the making of good bread is good flour. The quality of a brand of flour will of course depend much upon the kind of grain from which it is prepared--whether new or old, perfect, or deteriorated by rust, mold, or exposure, and also upon the thoroughness with which it has been cleansed from dust, chaff, and all foreign substances, as well as upon the method by which it is ground. It is not possible to judge with regard to all these particulars by the appearance of the flour, but in general, good flour will be sweet, dry, and free from any sour or musty smell or taste. Take up a handful, and if it falls from the hand light and elastic, it is pretty sure to be good. If it will retain the imprint of the fingers and falls and a compact mass or a damp, clammy, or sticky to the touch, it is by no means the best. When and knead a little of it between the fingers; if it works soft and sticky, it is poor. Good flour, when made into dough, is elastic, and will retain its shape. This elastic property of good flour is due to the gluten which it contains. The more gluten and the stronger it is, the better the flour. The gluten of good flour will swell to several times its original bulk, while that of poor flour will not. In buying white flour, do not select that which is pure white with a bluish tinge, but that which is of a creamy, yellowish-white tint. While the kinds of flour that contain the entire nutritive properties of the wheat will necessarily be darker in color, we would caution the reader not to suppose that because flour is dark in color it is for that reason good, and rich in nutritive elements. There are many other causes from which flour may be dark, such as the use of uncleansed or dark varieties of wheat, and the large admixture of bran and other grains; many unscrupulous millers and flour dealers make use of this fact to palm off upon their unsuspecting customers an inferior article. Much of the so-called Graham flour is nothing more than poor flour mixed with bran, and is in every way inferior to good white flour. Fine flour or made from the entire wheat may generally be distinguished from a spurious article by taking a small portion into the mouth and chewing it. Raw flour made from the entire grain has a sweet taste, and a rich, nutty flavor the same as that experienced in chewing a whole grain of wheat, and produces a goodly quantity of gum or gluten, while a spurious article tastes flat and insipid like starch, or has a bitter, pungent taste consequent upon the presence of impurities. This bitter taste is noticeable in bread made from such flour. A given quantity of poor flour will not make as much bread as the same quantity of good flour, so that adulteration may also be detected in this way. Doubtless much of the prejudice against the use of whole-wheat flour has arisen from the use of a spurious article. As it is not always possible to determine accurately without the aid of chemistry and a microscope whether flour is genuine, the only safe way is to purchase the product of reliable mills. It is always best to obtain a small quantity of flour first, and put it to the test of bread-making; then, if satisfactory, purchase that brand so long as it proves good. It is true economy to buy a flour known to be good even though it may cost more than some others. It is not wise to purchase too large a quantity at once unless one has exceptionally good facilities for storage, as flour is subject to many deteriorating influences. It is estimated that a barrel of good flour contains sufficient bread material to last one person one year; and from this standard it can be easily estimated in what proportion it is best to purchase. TO KEEP FLOUR.--Flour should always be kept in a tight receptacle, and in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place. It should not be allowed to remain in close proximity to any substances of strong odor, as it very readily absorbs odors and gaseous impurities. A damp atmosphere will cause it to absorb moisture, and as a result the gluten will lose some of its tenacity and become sticky, and bread made from the flour will be coarser and inferior in quality. Flour which has absorbed dampness from any cause should be sifted into a large tray, spread out thin and exposed to the hot sun, or placed in a warming oven for a few hours. DELETERIOUS ADULTERATIONS OF FLOUR.--Besides the fraud frequently practiced of compounding whole-wheat flour from inferior mill products, white flour is sometimes adulterated--more commonly, however, in European countries that in this--with such substances as alum, ground rice, plaster of Paris, and whiting. Alum is doubtless the most commonly used of all these substances, for the reason that it gives the bread a whiter color and causes the flour to absorb and retain a larger amount of water than it would otherwise hold. This enables the user to make, from an inferior brand of flour, bread which resembles that made from a better quality. Such adulteration is exceedingly injurious, as are other mineral substances used for a similar purpose. The presence of alum in flour or bread may be detected in the following way: Macerate a half slice of bread in three or four tablespoonfuls of water; strain off the water, and add to it twenty drops of a strong solution of logwood, made either from the fresh chips or the extract. Then add a large teaspoonful of a strong solution of carbonate of ammonium. If alum is present, the mixture will change from pink to lavender blue. The _Journal of Trade_ gives the following simple mode of testing for this adulterant: "Persons can test the bread they buy for themselves, by taking a piece of it and soaking it in water. Take this water and mix it with an equal part of fresh milk, and if the bread contains alum, the mixture will coagulate. If a better test is required, boil the mixture, and it will form perfect clot." Whiting can be detected by dipping the ends of the thumb and forefinger in sweet oil and rubbing the flour between them. If whiting is present, the flour will become sticky like putty, and remain white; whereas pure flour, when so rubbed, becomes darker in color, but not sticky. Plaster of Paris, chalk, and other alkaline adulterants may be detected by a few drops of lemon juice: if either be present, effervescence will take place. CHEMISTRY OF BREAD-MAKING.--Good flour alone will not insure good bread. As much depends upon its preparation as upon the selection of material; for the very best of flour may be transformed into the poorest of bread through improper or careless preparation. Good bread cannot be produced at random. It is not the fruit of any luck or chance, but the practical result of certain fixed laws and principles to which all may conform. The first step in the conversion of flour into bread is to incorporate with it a given amount of fluid, by which each atom of flour is surrounded with a thin film of moisture, in order to hydrate the starch, to dissolve the sugar and albumen, and to develop the adhesiveness of the gluten, thus binding the whole into one coherent mass termed _dough_, a word from a verb meaning to wet or moisten. If nothing more be done, and this simple form of dough be baked, the starch granules will be ruptured by the heat and thus properly prepared for food; but the moistening will have developed the glue-like property of the gluten to the extent of firmly cementing the particles of flour together, so that the mass will be hard and tough, and almost incapable of mastication. If, however, the dough be thoroughly kneaded, rolled very thin, made into small cakes, and then quickly baked with sufficient heat, the result will be a brittle kind of bread termed unleavened bread, which, although it requires a lengthy process of mastication, is more wholesome and digestible than soft bread, which is likely to be swallowed insufficiently insalivated. The gluten of wheat flour, beside being adhesive, is likewise remarkably elastic. This is the reason why wheat flour is much more easily made into light bread than the product of other cereals which contain less or a different quality of gluten. Now if while the atoms of flour are supplied with moisture, they are likewise supplied with some form of gaseous substance, the elastic walls of the gluten cells will become distended, causing the dough to "rise," or grow in bulk, and at the same time become light, or porous, in texture. This making of bread light is usually accomplished by the introduction of air into the dough, or by carbonic acid gas generated within the mass, either before or during the baking, by a fermentative or chemical process. When air is the agency used, the gluten, by its glue-like properties, catches and retains the air for a short period; and if heat is applied before the air, which is lighter than the dough, rises and escapes, it will expand, and in expanding distend the elastic glutinous mass, causing it to puff up or rise. If the heat is sufficient to harden the gluten quickly, so that the air cells throughout the whole mass become firmly fixed before the air escapes, the result will be a light, porous bread. If the heat is not sufficient, the air does not properly expand; or if before a sufficient crust is formed to retain the air and form a framework of support for the dough, the heat is lessened or withdrawn, the air will escape, or contract to its former volume, allowing the distended glutinous cell walls to collapse; in either case the bread will be heavy. If carbonic acid gas, generated within the dough by means of fermentation or by the use of chemical substances, be the means used to lighten the mass, the gluten by virtue of its tenacity holds the bubbles of gas as they are generated, and prevents the large and small ones from uniting, or from rising to the surface, as they seek to do, being lighter than the dough. Being thus caught where they are generated, and the proper conditions supplied to expand them, they swell or raise the dough, which is then termed a loaf. (This word "loaf" is from the Anglo-Saxon _hlifian_, to raise or lift up.) The structure is rendered permanent by the application of heat in baking. BREAD MADE LIGHT BY FERMENTATION. For general use, the most convenient form of bread is usually considered to be that made from wheat flour, raised or made light by some method of fermentation, although in point of nutritive value and healthfulness, it does not equal light, unfermented, or aërated bread made without the aid of chemicals. THE PROCESS OF FERMENTATION.--Fermentation is a process of decomposition, and hence more or less destructive to the substances subjected to its influence. When animal and vegetable substances containing large amounts of nitrogenous elements are in a moist state and exposed to air, they very soon undergo a change, the result of which is decomposition or decay. This is occasioned by the action of germs, which feed upon nitrogenous substances, as do the various species of fungi. Meat, eggs, milk, and other foods rich in nitrogenous elements can be preserved but a short time if exposed to the atmosphere. The carbonaceous elements are different in this respect. When pure starch, sugar, or fat is exposed to the air in a moistened state, they exhibit the very little tendency to change or decay. Yet if placed in contact with decomposing substances containing nitrogen, they soon begin to change, and are themselves decomposed and destroyed. This communication of the condition of change from one class of substances to another, is termed fermentation. If a fermenting substance be added to a watery solution containing sugar, the sugar will be changed or decomposed, and two new substances, alcohol and carbonic acid gas, are produced. The different stages of fermentation are noted scientifically as alcoholic, acetous, and putrefactive. The first is the name given to the change which takes place in the saccharine matter of the dough, which results in the formation of alcohol and carbonic acid gas. This same change takes place in the saccharine matter of fruits under the proper with conditions of warmth, air, and moisture, and is utilized in the production of wines and fermented liquors. In bread-making, the alcohol and carbonic acid gas produced during the fermentation, are formed from sugar,--that originally contained in the flour and the additional quantity formed from starch during the fermenting process. It is evident, therefore, that bread cannot be fermented without some loss in natural sweetness and nutritive value, and bread made after this method should be managed so as to deteriorate the material as little as possible. If this fermentation continues long enough, the acetous fermentation is set up, and _acetic_ acid, the essential element of vinegar, is formed and the dough becomes sour. If the process of fermentation is very much prolonged, the putrefactive change is set up, and the gluten is more or less decomposed. If the dough be baked during the alcoholic and carbonic-acid stage of fermentation, the gas will render the loaf light and porous. The alcohol will be dissipated by the heat during the baking, or evaporated shortly afterward, provided the baking be thorough. If the fermentation is allowed to proceed until the acetous fermentation has begun, the loaf, when baked, will be "sad" and heavy, since there is no longer any gas to puff it up. If, however, during the first or alcoholic stage of fermentation, new material be added, the same kind of fermentation will continue for a certain period longer. These facts serve to show that great care and attention are necessary to produce good bread by a fermentative process. If the fermentation has not been allowed to proceed far enough to generate a sufficient amount of gas to permeate the whole mass, the result will be a heavy loaf; and if allowed to proceed too far, acid fermentation begins, the gas escapes, and we have sour as well as heavy bread. It is not enough, however, to prevent bread from reaching the acetous or sour stage of fermentation. Bread may be over-fermented when there is no appreciable sourness developed. Fermentation may be carried so far as to destroy much of the richness and sweetness of the loaf, and yet be arrested by the baking process just before the acetous stage begins, so that it will be light and porous, but decidedly lacking in flavor and substance. Over-fermentation also develops in the bread various bitter substances which obscure the natural sweetness of the bread and give to it an unpleasant flavor. Many of these substances are more or less harmful in character, and include many poisons known as ptomaines, a class of chemical compounds produced by germs whenever fermentation or decomposition of organic matter takes place. Much skill is required to determine at what point to arrest the fermentation, in order to save the sweetness and richness of the bread. FERMENTATIVE AGENTS.--Fermentation in vegetable matter is always accompanied by the growth of living organisms. The development of these minute organisms is the exciting cause of fermentation and putrefaction. The germs or spores of some of these fermenting agents are always present in the air. It is well known to housekeepers that if a batter of flour and water and a little salt be kept in a jar of water at a temperature of from 100° to 110°, it will ferment in the course of five or six hours. Scientists assure us that this fermentation is occasioned by the introduction of the spores of certain species of fungi which are continually floating in the atmosphere, and the proper conditions of warmth and moisture being supplied, they at once begin to grow and multiply. This method of securing fermentation is utilized by housewives in making what is termed salt-rising bread. The raising of dough by this process is lengthy and uncertain, and a far more convenient method is to accelerate the fermentation by the addition of some active ferment. The ancient method of accomplishing this was by adding to the dough a leaven, a portion of old dough which had been kept until it had begun to ferment; but since the investigations of modern chemistry have made clear the properties of yeast, that has come to be considered the best agent for setting up the process of alcoholic fermentation in bread. The use of leaven is still practiced to somewhat in some European countries. The bread produced with leaven, although light and spongy in texture, has an unpleasant, sour taste, and is much less wholesome than that produced with fresh yeast. Yeast is a collection of living organisms or plants belonging to the family of fungi, which, like all other plants, require warmth, moisture, and food, in order to promote growth, and when properly supplied with these, they begin to grow and multiply rapidly. Fermentation will not take place at a temperature below 30°, it proceeds slowly at 45°, but from 70° to 90° it goes on rapidly. Fermentation may be arrested by the exhaustion of either the fermenting agent or the food supply, or by exposure to heat at the temperature of boiling water. This latter fact enables the housewife to arrest the process of fermentation, when the loaf has become sufficiently light, by baking it in a hot oven. Heat destroys most of the yeast cells; a few, however, remain in the loaf unchanged, and it is for this reason that yeast bread is considered less wholesome for dyspeptics than light unleavened bread. It is apparent, then, that the more thoroughly fermented bread is baked, the more wholesome it will be, from the more complete destruction of the yeast germs which it contains. YEAST.--Next to good flour, the most important requisite in the manufacture of fermented bread is good yeast. The best of flour used in conjunction with poor yeast will not produce good bread. The most convenient and reliable kind of marketable yeast, when fresh, is the compressed yeast. The dry though they are always ready for use, the quality of the bread they produce is generally inferior to that made with either compressed yeast or good liquid yeast. If this sort of yeast must be depended upon, the cakes known as "Yeast Foam" are the best of any with which we are acquainted. Of homemade yeasts there are almost as many varieties as there are cooks. Their comparative value depends mainly upon the length of time they will keep good, or the facility with which they can be prepared. Essentially the same principles are involved in the making of them all; viz., the introduction of a small quantity of fresh, lively yeast into a mixture of some form of starch (obtained from flour, potato, or a combination of both) and water, with or without the addition of such other substances as will promote fermentation, or aid in preventing the yeast from souring. Under proper conditions of warmth, the small amount of original yeast begins to supply itself with food at once by converting the starch into dextrine, and then into grape sugar, and multiplies itself with great rapidity, and will continue to do so as long as there is material to supply it with the means of growth. While its growth is rapid, its decay is equally so; and unless some means of preservation be employed, the yeast will die, and the mixture become sour and foul. Ordinarily it can be kept good for several days, and under the best conditions, even three or four weeks. After it has been kept from four to six hours, it should be placed in some receptacle as nearly air-tight as possible and set in the cellar or refrigerator, where it can be kept at a temperature not conducive to fermentation. Thus the little yeast organisms will remain in a quiescent state, but yet alive and capable of multiplying themselves when again surrounded with favorable conditions. The yeast should be kept in glass or glazed earthen ware. The vessel containing it should be washed and scalded with scrupulous care before new yeast is put in, since the smallest particle of sour or spoiled yeast will ruin the fresh supply in a very short time. It is generally conceded that yeast will keep longer if the material of which it is made be mixed with liquid of a boiling temperature, or cooked for a few minutes at boiling heat before adding the yeast. The reason for this undoubtedly lies in the fact that the boiling kills foreign germs, and thus prevents early souring or putrefaction. The yeast must not be added, however, until the liquid has cooled to a little more than blood heat, as too great heat will kill the yeast cells. The starch of the potato is thought to furnish better material for the promotion of yeast growth than that of wheat flour; but whether the potato be first cooked, mashed, and then combined with the other ingredients, or grated raw and then cooked in boiling water, makes little difference so far as results are concerned, though the latter method may have the advantage of taking less time. If potatoes are used for this purpose, they should be perfectly mature. New ones will not answer. Sugar assists in promoting the growth of the yeast plant, and a small amount is usually employed in making yeast. Hops serve to prevent the yeast from souring, and an infusion of them is frequently used for this purpose. While it is essential that the water used should be boiling, it is also necessary that the mixture should cooled to a lukewarm temperature before the introduction of the original yeast, as intense heat will kill the yeast plant. Freezing cold will likewise produced the same result. While a cool temperature is one of the requisites for keeping yeast fresh, care must be taken, especially in winter, that it does not get chilled. When yeast is needed for bread, it is always the best plan to take a cup to the cellar or refrigerator for the desired quantity, and re-cover the jar as quickly as possible. A half hour in a hot kitchen would be quite likely to spoiled it. Always shake or stir the whole well before measuring out the yeast. In making yeast, used earthen bowls for mixing, porcelain-lined or granite-ware utensils for boiling, and silver or wooden spoons for stirring. BITTER YEAST.--It sometimes happens that an excessive use of hops in the making of yeast gives to it so bitter a flavor as to communicate a disagreeable taste to the bread. To correct this bitterness, mix with the yeast a considerable quantity of water, and let it stand for some hours, when the thickest portion will have settled at the bottom. The water, which will have extracted much of the bitterness, can then be turned off and thrown away. Yeast also sometimes becomes a bitter from long keeping. Freshly burnt charcoal thrown into the yeast is said to absorb the odors and offensive matter and render the yeast more sweet; however, we do not recommend the use of any yeast so stale as to need sweetening or purifying. Yeast that is new and fresh is always best; old and stale yeast, even though it may still possess the property of raising the dough, will give an unpleasant taste to the bread, and is much less wholesome. TESTS FOR YEAST.--Liquid yeast, when good, is light in color and looks foamy and effervescent; it has a pungent odor somewhat similar to weak ammonia, and if tasted will have a sharp, biting flavor. Yeast is poor when it looks dull and watery, and has a sour odor. Compressed yeast, if good, breaks off dry and looks white; if poor, it appears moist and stringy. If there is any question as to the quality of yeast, it is always best to test it before use by adding a little flour to a small quantity and setting it in a warm place. If it begins to ferment in the course of fifteen or twenty minutes, it is good. STARTING THE BREAD.--Having secured good yeast, it is necessary in some way to diffuse it through the bread material so that it will set up an active fermentation, which, by the evolution of gas, will render the whole mass light and porous. As fermentation is more sure, more rapid, and requires less yeast to start it when set in action in a thin mixture than when introduced into stiff dough, the more common method of starting fermented bread is by "setting a sponge;" viz., preparing a batter of flour and liquid, to which potato is sometimes added, and into which the yeast is introduced. Some cooks, in making the batter, use the whole amount of liquid needed for the bread, and as the sponge rises, add flour in small quantities, beating it back, and allowing it to rise a second, third, or even fourth time, until sufficient flour has been added to knead; others use only half the liquid in preparing the sponge, and when it has well risen, prepare a second one by adding the remainder of the liquid and fresh flour, in which case the fermented batter acts as a double portion of yeast and raises the second sponge very quickly. The requisite amount of flour is then added, the dough kneaded, and the whole allowed to rise a third time in the loaf. Other cooks dispense altogether with the sponge, adding to the liquid at first the requisite amount of flour, kneading it thoroughly and allowing it to rise once in mass and again after molding into loaves. As to the superiority of one method over another, much depends upon their adaptability to the time and convenience of the user; light bread can be produced by either method. Less yeast but more time will be required when the bread is started with a sponge. The end to be attained by all is a complete and equal diffusion of gas bubbles generated during fermentation throughout the whole mass of dough. The preferable method of combining the materials needed for the batter is by first mingling the yeast with the water or milk. If condensed or dry yeast is used, previously dissolve it well in a half cupful or less of lukewarm water. Stir the flour slowly into the liquid mixture and beat it _very thoroughly_ so that the yeast shall be evenly distributed throughout the whole. PROPORTION OF MATERIALS NEEDED.--The material needed for making: the bread should all be carefully measured out beforehand and the flour well sifted. Many housekeepers fail in producing good bread, because they guess at the quantity of material to be used, particularly the flour, and with the same quantity of liquid will one time use much more flour that at another, thus making the results exceedingly variable. With this same brand of flour, this same quantity should always be used to produce a given amount of bread. This amount will depend upon the quality of the material used. Good flour will absorb a larger quantity of liquids than that of an inferior quality, and the amount of liquid a given quantity of flour will take up determines the quantity of bread that can be produced from it. This amount is chiefly dependent upon the proportion of gluten contained in the flour. One hundred pounds of good flour will absorb sufficient water to produce one hundred and fifty pounds of bread. One reason why bread retains so much water is that during the baking a portion of starch is converted into gum, which holds water more strongly than starch. Again: the gluten, when wet, is not easily dried, while the dry crust which forms around the bread in baking is merely impervious to water, and, like the skin of a baking potato, prevents the moisture from escaping. Kinds of flour vary so considerably in respect to their absorbent properties that it is not possible to state the exact proportions of flour and liquid required; approximately, three heaping measures of flour for one scant measure of liquid, including the yeast, will in general be found a good proportion. Bread made from the entire wheat will require from one half to one cupful less flour than that made of white flour. A quart of liquid, including the yeast, is sufficient for three ordinary-sized loaves. One half or two thirds of a cup of homemade yeast, according to its strength, or one half a cake of compressed yeast dissolved in a half cup of lukewarm water, will be sufficient for one quart of liquid. It is a common mistake to use too much yeast. It lessens the time required, but the result is less satisfactory. Bread to be set over night requires less yeast. Whether water or milk should be used for bread-making, depends upon taste and convenience. Bread retains more nearly the natural flavor of the grain if made with water, and is less apt to sour; at the same time, bread made with milk is more tender than that made with water. Bread made with milk requires from one half to one cupful less of flour. Potatoes are sometimes used in conjunction with flour for bread-making. They are by no means necessary when good flour is used, but bread made from inferior flour is improved by their use. Only potatoes that are fully matured should be used for this purpose, and they should be well cooked and smoothly mashed. Neither sugar nor salt is essential for the production of good bread, though most cook books recommend the use of one or both. The proportion of the former should not exceed one even tablespoonful to three pints of flour, and the very smallest amount of salt, never more than a half teaspoonful, and better less. No butter or other free fat is required; the tenderness of texture produced by its use can be secured as well by the use of unskimmed milk and thorough kneading. UTENSILS.--For bread-making purposes, earthen or china ware is preferable to either tin or wooden utensils: being a poor conductor, it protects the sponge from the cold air much more effectually than tin, and is much more easily kept clean and sweet than wood. The utensil should be kept exclusively for the purpose of bread-making, and should never be allowed to contain any sour substance. The bowl should be thoroughly scalded before and after each using. Use silver or granite-ware spoons for stirring the bread. Iron and tin discolor the sponge. For measuring the material, particularly the liquid and the yeast, half-pint cups, divided by marks into thirds and fourths, as shown in the cut, are especially serviceable. [Illustration: Measuring Cup] [Illustration: Measuring Cup] WHEN TO SET THE SPONGE.--The time to set the sponge for bread-making is a point each housekeeper must determine for herself. The fact before stated, that temperature controls the activity of fermentation, and that it is retarded or accelerated according to the conditions of warmth, enables the housewife, by keeping the bread-mixture at a temperature of about 50° F., to set her bread in the evening, if desired, and find it light and ready for further attention in the morning. In winter, the sponge will need to be prepared early in the evening and kept during the night at as even a temperature as possible. A good way to accomplish this is to cover the bowl with a clean napkin and afterwards wrap it about very closely with several folds of a woolen blanket. In extremely cold weather bottles of hot water may be placed around the bowl outside the wrappings. In case this plan is employed, care must be taken to have sufficient wrappings between the bread and the bottles to prevent undue heat, and the bottles should be covered with an additional blanket to aid in retaining the heat as long as possible. If the sponge is set in the evening, if in very warm weather, it should be started as late as practicable, and left in a rather cool place. Cover closely to exclude the air, but do not wrap in flannel as in winter. It will be likely to need attention early in the morning. TEMPERATURE FOR BREAD-MAKING.--Except in very warm weather, the ferment or sponge should be started with liquid at a lukewarm temperature. The liquid should never be so cold as to chill the yeast. Milk, if used, should be first sterilized by scalding, and then cooled before using. After the sponge is prepared, the greatest care must be taken to keep it at an equable temperature. From 70° to 90° is the best range of temperature, 75° being considered the golden mean throughout the entire fermentative process of bread-making. After fermentation has well begun, it will continue, but much more slowly if the temperature be gradually lowered to 45° or 50°. If it is necessary to hasten the rising, the temperature can be raised to 80° or 85°, but it will necessitate careful watching, as it will be liable to over-ferment, and become sour. Cold arrests the process of fermentation, while too great heat carries forward the work too rapidly. Too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance of an equable temperature. The housewife who permits the fermentation to proceed very slowly one hour, forces it rapidly by increased heat the next, and perhaps allows it to subside to a chilling temperature the third, will never be sure of good bread. Putting the bowl containing the sponge into a dish of warm (not hot) water, or keeping it in the warming oven, or on the back of the range, are all methods which may bring about good results, provided the same degree of heat can be maintained continuously; but if the fire is one which must be increased or diminished to suit the exigencies of household details, nothing but the closest and most careful attention will keep the sponge at uniform temperature. The better way is to cover the bowl with a napkin, and in cold weather wrap closely in several thicknesses of flannel, and place on a stand behind the stove, or in some place not exposed to draughts. A bread-raiser purposely arranged for keeping the bread at proper temperature is a great convenience. Two small and rather thick earthen ware crocks of the same size, serve very well for this purpose. Scald both with hot water, and while still warm, put the sponge in one, invert the other for a cover, and leave in a warm room. All flour used in the bread should be warm when added. LIGHTNESS OF THE BREAD.--The time required for bread in its different stages to grow light will vary according to the quantity and strength of the yeast used and the amount of warmth supplied. A thin batter is light enough when in appearance it resembles throughout a mass of sea foam. It will not greatly increase in bulk, but will be in the state of constant activity, sending up little bubbles of gas and emitting a sharp, pungent odor like fresh yeast. When the thicker batter or second sponge is sufficiently light, it will have risen to nearly double its original bulk and become cracked over the top like "crazed" china. It should never be allowed to rise to the point of sinking or caving in, and should be kneaded as soon as ready. If for any reason it is not possible to knead the bread at once when it has arrived at this stage, do not allow it to stand, but take a knife or spoon and gently beat it back a little. This dissipates some of the gas and reduces the volume somewhat. Let it rise again, which it will do in a short time, if it has not been allowed to become too light. If dough that has been kneaded and allowed to rise in mass, becomes sufficiently light at some inopportune moment for shaping into loaves, it may be kept from becoming too light and souring, by taking a knife and cutting it away from the sides of the bowl and gradually working it over toward the center. Re-cover and put in a warm place. It will soon assume its former bulk. This "cutting down" may be repeated several times if necessary, provided the bread has not been allowed to become too light at any time, and some cook's recommend it as a uniform practice. We do not, however, except in case of necessity; since, though it may possibly make the bread more light, the long-continued fermentation destroys more than is necessary of the food elements of the flour, and develops an unnecessary amount of the products of fermentation. Lightness is not the only requisite for bread, and should be secured with as little deterioration of the flour as possible. An important point in the preparation of bread is to decide when it is sufficiently light after having been molded and placed in pans. The length of time cannot be given, because it will vary with the temperature, the quality of the flour, and the quantity added during the kneading. At a temperature of 75°, an hour or an hour and a half is about the average length of time needed. A loaf should nearly double its size after being placed in a pan, before baking; when perfectly risen, the bread feels light when lifted and weighed upon the hand. It is better to begin the baking before it has perfectly risen them to wait until it has become so light as to commence to fall, since if the fermentation proceeds too far, the sweetness of the grain will be destroyed, and the bread will be tasteless and innutritious, even if it does not reach the acetous stage. The exercise of a little judgment and careful attention to detail will soon enable a person successfully to determine the proper degree of lightness of bread in its various stages. Bread which passes the extreme point of fermentation, or in common phrase gets "too light," will have a strong acid odor, and will pull away from the bowl in a stringy mass, having a watery appearance very different from the fine, spongy texture of properly risen dough. The acidity of such dough may be neutralized by the addition of an alkali, and housewives who through carelessness and inattention have allowed their bread to become "sour," often resort to saleratus or soda to neutralize the acid. The result of such treatment is unwholesome bread, wholly unfit for food. It is better economy to throw away bread material which needs to be sweetened with soda than to run the risk of injury to health by using it. KNEADING THE DOUGH.--As fresh flour is added during the bread-making, it is necessary to mix it in thoroughly. As long as the batter is thin, this can be done by thoroughly beating the mixture with the addition of material; but when it is a thick dough, some other method must be adopted to bring about the desired result. The usual way is by mixing the dough to a proper consistency, and working it with the hands. This is termed _kneading_. Much of the excellence of bread depends upon the thoroughness of this kneading, since if the yeast is not intimately and equally mixed with every particle of flour, the bread will not be uniform; some portions will be heavy and compact, while others will be full of large, open cavities, from the excessive liberation of gas. The length of time required for kneading depends upon the perfection with which the yeast cells have been previously diffused throughout the sponge, and upon the quality of the flour used in preparing the bread, much less time being required for kneading dough made from good flour. Some consider an hour none too long to knead bread. Such a lengthy process may be advantageous, since one of the objects of kneading is to render the glutinous parts of the flour so elastic that the dough may be capable of expanding to several times its bulk without cracking or breaking, but excellent results can be obtained from good flour with less labor. Bread has been kneaded all that is necessary when it will work clean of the board, and when, after a smart blow with the fist in the center of the mass, it will spring back to its original shape like an India rubber ball. Its elasticity is the surest test of its goodness; and when dough has been thus perfectly kneaded, it can be molded into any shape, rolled, twisted, or braided with ease. Chopping, cutting, stretching, and pulling--the dough are other methods for accomplishing the same end. If a large mass is to be kneaded, it is better to divide it into several portions and knead each separately. It is less laborious and more likely to result in an equal diffusion of the yeast. Bread is often spoiled by the addition of too much flour during kneading. Dough should always be kneaded as soft as it can be handled, and only sufficient flour added to prevent its sticking to the board. Stiff bread is close in texture, and after a day or two becomes dry and hard. HOW TO MANIPULATE THE DOUGH IN KNEADING.--Sprinkle the board well with flour, and scrape the dough from the bowl with a knife. Dust the hands with flour, and then draw the dough with a rolling motion from the farthest side toward you, using the finger tips for the purpose, but pressing firmly down upon the mass with the palm of the hands. Reach forward again with the finger tips, and again press the ball of the hands upon the dough. Continue this process of manipulation until the mass is very much elongated; then turn at right angles and repeat the process, taking care that the finger tips do not break through the light film which will form upon the outside of soft dough when well managed. _Keep the dough constantly in motion_ until it is smooth, elastic, and fine-grained. The hands and the board may need a light dusting of flour at frequent intervals. If the dough sticks, lift it quickly, and clean the board, that it may be kept smooth. The dough will not stick if kept in constant motion. Do not rub off little wads of dough either from the hands or the board and keep kneading them into the loaf; they will seriously injure the uniform texture of the bread. HOW MANY TIMES SHALL BREAD BE KNEADED?--As the objects to be attained in kneading dough are to render the gluten more elastic and thoroughly to diffuse the yeast, it will be seen that there has been sufficient kneading when all the flour necessary for the bread has been added. Furthermore, it must be apparent that continued manipulation of the dough at this stage will dissipate and press out the little vesicles of gas held in place by the elastic gluten, and thus lose in part what so much pains has been taken to secure. At whatever stage the requisite amount of flour be added, the dough should then be thoroughly kneaded once for all. If allowed to rise in bulk, when light it should be shaped into loaves with the greatest care, handled lightly, and worked as little as possible, and if at all diminished, allowed to rise again before baking. DRYNESS OF THE SURFACE.--Bread in all stages should be covered over the top, since it rises much more evenly, and does not have a stiff, dried surface, as when placed in a warm place exposed to air. It sometimes happens that this precaution is forgotten or not sufficiently attended to, and a dry crust forms and over the dough, which, if kneaded into the loaves, leaves hard, dry spots in the bread. In case of such a mishap, take the dry crust off, dissolve it in a little warm water, add flour enough to mold, make it into a small loaf, and raise it separately. SIZE OF LOAVES.--The lightness of the bread after baking depends upon the perfection with which the little air-cells, formed during the fermenting process, have become fixed by the heat during the baking. The heat expands the carbonic acid gas contained within the open spaces in the dough, and at the same time checks further development of gas by destroying the yeast plant. The sooner, then, that the cells can be made permanent after the arrest of fermentation, the more light and porous the bread will be. Although this fixing of the cells is largely dependent upon the degree of heat maintained, it likewise in a measure depends upon the size of the loaf, as the heat will penetrate and fix the cells of a small loaf throughout much sooner than, those of a large one. Therefore, bake in small loaves, and have a separate pan for each, as that admits of an equal degree of heat to all sides. This aids in a more rapid fixing of the air-cells and likewise gives more crust, which is the sweetest and most digestible part of the bread. Sheet-iron pans, about eight inches in length, four in width, and five in depth, are the most satisfactory. After the dough is molded, divide it into loaves which will fill such pans to the depth of two inches. Let them rise until double their first volume, and then put them in the oven. In baking, the loaves will rise still higher, and if about five inches high when done, will have expanded to about the right proportions. [Illustration: Bread Pan] PROPER TEMPERATURE OF THE OVEN.--The objects to be attained in the baking of bread are to break up the starch and gluten cells of the Sour so as to make them easily digestible, to destroy the yeast plant, and render permanent the cells formed by the action of the carbonic acid gas. To accomplish well these ends, the loaf must be surrounded by a temperature ranging from 400° to 600°. The oven should be one in which the heat is equal in all parts, and which can be kept at a steady, uniform heat. Old-fashioned brick ovens were superior in this respect to most modern ranges. The fire for baking bread should be of sufficient strength to keep the oven heated for at least an hour. If the oven has tendency to become too hot upon the bottom, a thin, open grate, broiler, or toasting rack, should be placed underneath the tins to allow a circulation of air and avoid danger of burning. If the heat be insufficient, fermentation will not cease until the bread has become sour; the cells will be imperfectly fixed or entirely collapsed; too little of the moisture will have evaporated, and the result will be a soft, wet, and pasty or sour loaf. If the heat be too great, the bread will be baked before it has perfectly risen, or a thick, burned crust will be produced, forming a non-conducting covering to the loaf, which will prevent the heat from permeating the interior, and thus the loaf will have an overdone exterior, but will be raw and doughy within. If, however, the temperature of the oven be just right, the loaf will continue for a little time to enlarge, owing to the expansion of the carbonic acid gas, the conversion of the water into steam, and the vaporizing of the alcohol, which rises in a gaseous form and is driven off by the heat; a nicely browned crust will be formed over the surface, the result of the rapid evaporation of water from the surface and consequent consolidation of the dough of this portion of the loaf, and a chemical change caused by the action of the heat upon the starch by which is converted into dextrine, finally assuming a brown color due to the production of a substance known to the chemist as _assama_. Bread is often spoiled in the baking. The dough may be made of the best of flour and yeast, mixed and kneaded in the most perfect manner, and may have risen to the proper degree of lightness' before going to the oven, yet if the oven is either too hot or not hot enough, the bread will be of an inferior quality. Without an oven thermometer, there is no accurate means of determining the temperature of the oven; but housekeepers resort to various means to form a judgment about it. The baker's old-fashioned method is to throw a handful of flour on the oven bottom. If it blackens without igniting, the heat is deemed sufficient. Since the object for which the heat is desired is to cook the flour, not to burn it, it might be supposed that this would indicate too high a temperature; but the flour within the loaf to be baked is combined with a certain amount of moisture, the evaporation of which lowers the temperature of the bread considerably below that of the surrounding heated atmosphere. The temperature of the inner portion of the loaf cannot exceed 212° so long as it continues moist. Bread might be perfectly cooked at this temperature by steam, but it would lack that most digestible portion of the loaf, the crust. A common way of ascertaining if the heat of the oven is sufficient, is to hold the bare arm inside it for a few seconds. If the arm cannot be held within while thirty is counted, it is too hot to begin with. The following test is more accurate: For rolls, the oven should be hot enough to brown a teaspoonful of flour in _one_ minute, and for loaves in _five_ minutes. The temperature should be high enough to arrest the fermentation, which it will do at a point considerably below the boiling point of water, and at the same time to form a shell or crust, which will so support the dough as to prevent it from sinking or collapsing when the evolution of carbonic acid gas shall cease; but it should not be hot enough to brown the crust within ten or fifteen minutes. The heat should increase for the first fifteen minutes, remain steady for the next fifteen minutes, and may then gradually decrease during the remainder of the baking. If by any mischance the oven be so hot as to brown the crust too soon, cover the loaf with a clean paper for a few minutes. Be careful that no draught reaches the bread while baking; open the oven door very seldom, and not at all for the first ten minutes. If it is necessary to turn the loaf, try to do so without bringing it to the air. From three fourths of an hour to an hour is usually a sufficient length of time to bake an ordinary sized loaf. Be careful not to remove the bread from the oven until perfectly done. It is better to allow it to bake ten minutes too long than not long enough. The crust of bread, when done, should be equally browned all over. The common test for well-baked bread is to tap it on the bottom with the finger; if it is light and well done, it will sound hollow; heavy bread will have a dull sound. A thoroughly baked loaf will not burn the hand when lifted upon it from the pan. CARE OF BREAD AFTER BAKING.--When done, remove the loaves from the tins, and tilt them upon edge so that the air may circulate freely on all sides of them to prevent "sweating." Do not, however, lay them on a pine shelf or table to absorb the odor of the wood. A large tin dripping pan turned over upon the table does very well to tilt them on. If they are turned often, so that they will not soften on one side, but a fine wire bread cooler is the best thing. If this is not obtainable, a fair substitute can be easily improvised by tacking window-screen wire to a light frame of sufficient size to hold the requisite number of loaves. If the bread is left exposed to the air until cold, the crust will be crisp; if a soft crust is desired, it can be secured by brushing the top of the loaf while hot, with tepid water, and covering with several thicknesses of a clean bread cloth. If by accident any portion of the crust is burnt, grate it away as soon as cold; this is preferable to cutting or clipping it off. BEST METHOD OF KEEPING BREAD.--When the bread is quite cold, put it away in a bread box, which should be of tin, or of wood lined with tin, convenient in form and supplied with a well-fitting cover. Never use an unlined wooden box of any kind, as it cannot easily be kept fresh and free from musty odors, which bread so readily absorbs. Stone and earthen ware are not open to this objection, but they are likely to collect moisture, and hence are not equal to a tin receptacle. Do not keep bread in the cellar or any other damp place, nor in a close closet, where there are other foods from which it can absorb odors. The bread box should be kept well covered, and free from crumbs and stale bits. It should be carefully washed in boiling soapsuds, scalded, and dried, every two or three days. If cloths are used to wrap or cover the bread, they too should be washed and scalded every week, and oftener if at any time the loaf about which they are wrapped becomes moldy or musty. TEST OF GOOD FERMENTED BREAD.--A loaf of good bread, well risen and perfectly baked, may be taken in the hands, and, with the thumb on the top crust and fingers upon the bottom of the loaf, pressed to less than half its thickness, and when the pressure is removed, it will immediately expand like a sponge, to its former proportions. Good yeast bread, while it should be firm and preserve a certain amount of moisture, will, when cold, crumble easily when rubbed between the fingers. If, instead, it forms a close, soggy mass, it may be regarded as indigestible. This is one reason why hot, new yeast bread and biscuit are so indigestible. In demonstration of this, take a small lump of new bread, gently roll it into a ball, and put into a glass of water, adding a similar quantity of stale bread of the same kind also. The latter will crumble away very soon, while the former will retain its form for hours, reminding one of its condition in the stomach, "as hard as a bullet," for a long time resisting the action of the gastric juice, although, meanwhile, the yeast germs which have not been killed in the oven are converting the mass into a lump of yeast, by which the whole contents of the stomach are soured. A soluble article like salt or sugar in fine powdered form is much more easily and quickly dissolved than the same article in solid lumps, and so it is with food. The apparent dryness of stale bread is not caused by its loss of moisture; for if carefully weighed, stale bread will be found to contain almost exactly the same proportion of water as new bread that has become cold. The moisture has only passed into a state of concealment, as may be demonstrated by subjecting a stale loaf inclosed in a tightly-sealed receptacle to a temperature equal to boiling heat in an oven for half an hour, when it will again have the appearance of new bread. Hot bread eaten with butter is still more unwholesome, for the reason that the melted grease fills up the pores of the bread, and further interferes with the action of the digestive fluids. WHOLE-WHEAT AND GRAHAM BREADS.--The same general principles are involved in the making of bread with whole-wheat and Graham flours as in the production of bread from white flour. Good material and good care are absolutely essential. Whole-wheat flour ferments more readily and rises more quickly than does white flour, hence bread made with it needs more careful management, as it is more liable to sour. The novice in bread-making should not undertake the preparation of bread with whole-wheat flour, until she has thoroughly mastered all the details of the art by practical experience, and can produce a perfect loaf from white flour. Breads from whole-wheat and Graham flours require less yeast and less flour than bread prepared from white flour. A slower process of fermentation is also advantageous. Such breads will be lighter if at least one third white flour be employed in their manufacture. When the bread is made with a sponge, this white flour may be utilised for the purpose. Thus the length of time the whole-wheat flour will be undergoing fermentation will be somewhat lessened, and its liability to become sour diminished. This plan is a preferable one for beginners in bread-making. Graham and whole-wheat flour breads must be kneaded longer than white-flour bread, and require a hotter oven at first and a longer time for baking. Much Graham and whole-wheat bread is served insufficiently baked, probably owing to the fact that, being dark in color, the crust appears brown very soon, thus deluding the cook into supposing that the loaf is well baked. For thorough baking, from one to one and a half hours are needed, according to the size of the loaf and the heat of the oven. TOAST.--Toasting, if properly done, renders bread more digestible, the starch being converted into dextrine by the toasting process; but by the ordinary method of preparing toast, that of simply browning each side, only the surfaces of the slices are really toasted, while the action of the heat upon the interior of the slice, it is rendered exactly in the condition of new bread, and consequently quite as indigestible. If butter is added while the toast is hot, we have all the dyspepsia-producing elements of new bread and butter combined. Although considered to be the dish _par excellence_ for invalids, nothing could be more unwholesome than such toast. To properly toast the bread, the drying and browning should extend throughout the entire thickness of the slice. Bread may be thus toasted before an open fire, but the process would be such a lengthy and troublesome one, it is far better to secure the same results by browning the bread in a moderate oven. Such toast is sometimes called _zwieback_ (twice baked), and when prepared from good whole-wheat bread, is one of the most nourishing and digestible of foods. Directions for its preparation and use will be found in the chapter on "Breakfast Dishes." STEAMED BREAD.--Steaming stale bread is as open to objection as the surface toasting of bread, if steamed so as to be yielding and adhesive. It is not, perhaps, as unwholesome as new bread, but bread is best eaten in a condition dry and hard enough to require chewing, that its starch may be so changed by the action of the saliva as to be easily digested. LIQUID YEAST. _RECIPES._ RAW POTATO YEAST.--Mix one fourth of a cup of flour, the same of white sugar, and a teaspoonful of salt to a paste with a little water. Pare three medium-size, fresh, and sound potatoes, and grate them as rapidly as possible into the paste; mix all quickly together with a silver spoon, then pour three pints of boiling water slowly over the mixture, stirring well at the same time. If this does not rupture the starch cells of the flour and potatoes so that the mixture becomes thickened to the consistency of starch, turn it into a granite-ware kettle and boil up for a minute, stirring well to keep it from sticking and burning. If it becomes too much thickened, add a little more boiling water. It is impossible to give the exact amount of water, since the quality of the flour will vary, and likewise the size of the potatoes; but three pints is an approximate proportion. Strain the mixture through a fine colander into an earthen bread bowl, and let it cool. When lukewarm, add one cup of good, lively yeast. Cover with a napkin, and keep in a moderately warm place for several hours, or until it ceases to ferment. As it begins to ferment, stir it well occasionally, and when well fermented, turn into a clean glass or earthen jar. The next morning cover closely, and put in the cellar or refrigerator, not, however, in contact with the ice. It is best to reserve enough for the first baking in some smaller jar, so that the larger portion need not be opened so soon. Always shake the yeast before using. RAW POTATO YEAST NO. 2.--This is made in the same manner as the preceding, with this exception, that one fourth of a cup of loose hops tied in a clean muslin bag, is boiled in the water for five minutes before pouring it into the potato and flour mixture. Many think the addition of the hops aids in keeping the yeast sweet for a longer period. But potato yeast may be kept sweet for two weeks without hops, if cared for, and is preferred by those who dislike the peculiar flavor of the bread made from hop yeast. HOP YEAST.--Put half a cup of loose hops, or an eighth of an ounce of the pressed hops (put up by the Shakers and sold by druggists), into a granite-ware kettle; pour over it a quart of boiling water, and simmer about five minutes. Meanwhile stir to a smooth paste in a tin basin or another saucepan, a cup of flour, and a little cold water. Line a colander with a thin cloth, and strain the boiling infusion of hops through it onto the flour paste, stirring continually. Boil this thin starch a few minutes, until it thickens, stirring constantly that no lumps be formed. Turn it into a large earthen bowl, add a tablespoonful of salt and two of white sugar, and when it has cooled to blood heat, add one half cup of lively yeast, stirring all well together. Cover the bowl with a napkin, and let it stand in some moderately warm place twenty-four hours, or until it ceases to ferment or send up bubbles, beating back occasionally as it rises; then put into a wide-mouthed glass or earthen jar, which has been previously scalded and dried, cover closely, and set in a cool place. Yeast made in this manner will keep sweet for two weeks in summer and longer in winter. BOILED POTATO YEAST.--Peel four large potatoes, and put them to boil in two quarts of cold water. Tie two loose handfuls of hops securely in a piece of muslin, and place in the water to boil with the potatoes. When the potatoes are tender, remove them with a perforated skimmer, leaving the water still boiling. Mash them, and work in four tablespoons of flour and two of sugar. Over this mixture pour gradually the boiling hop infusion, stirring constantly, that it may form a smooth paste, and set it aside to cool. When lukewarm, add a gill of lively yeast, and proceed as in the preceding recipe. BOILED POTATO YEAST NO. 2.--To one teacupful of very smoothly mashed, mealy potato, add three teaspoonfuls of white sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, and one cup of lively yeast, or one cake of Yeast Foam, dissolved in a very little water. The potatoes should be warm, but not hot enough to destroy the yeast. Allow this to stand until light, when it is ready for use. FERMENTED BREADS. In the preparation of breads after the following recipes, the measure of flour should be heaping. _RECIPES._ MILK BREAD WITH WHITE FLOUR.--Scald and cool on pint of unskimmed milk. Add to the milk when lukewarm, one fourth of a cup, or three tablespoonfuls, of liquid yeast, and three cups of flour. Give the batter a vigorous beating, turn it into a clean bread bowl or a small earthen crock, cover, and let it rise over night. In the morning, when well risen, add two or three cupfuls of warm flour, or sufficient to knead. Knead well until the dough is sufficiently elastic to rebound when struck forcibly with the fist. Allow it to rise again in mass; then shape into loaves; place in pans; let it stand until light, and bake. If undesirable to set the bread over night, and additional tablespoonfuls or two of cheese may be used, to facilitate the rising. VIENNA BREAD.--Into a pint of milk sterilized by scalding, turn a cup and a half of boiling water. When lukewarm, add one half cup of warm water, in which has been dissolved a cake of compressed yeast, and a quart of white flour. Beat the batter thus made very thoroughly, and allow it to rise for one hour; then add white flour until the dough is of a consistency to knead. Knead well, and allow it to rise again for about three hours, or until very light. Shape into four loaves, handling lightly. Let it rise again in the pans, and bake. During the baking, wash the tops of the loaves with a sponge dipped in milk, to glaze them. WATER BREAD.--Dissolve a tablespoonful of sugar in a pint of boiling water. When lukewarm, add one fourth of a cup full of liquid yeast, and sufficient flour to make a batter thick enough to drop from the spoon. Beat vigorously for ten minutes, turn into a clean, well-scalded bread bowl, cover (wrapping in a blanket if in cold weather), and let it rise over night. In the morning, when well risen, add flour to knead. Knead well for half an hour, cover, and let it become light in mass. When light, shape into loaves, allow it to rise again, and bake. FRUIT ROLL.--Take some bread dough prepared as for Milk Bread, which has been sufficiently kneaded and is ready to mold, and roll to about one inch in thickness. Spread over it some dates which have been washed, dried, and stoned, raisins, currants, or chopped figs. Roll it up tightly into a loaf. Let and it rise until very light, and bake. FRUIT LOAF.--Set a sponge with one pint of rich milk, one fourth cup of yeast, and a pint of flour, over night. In the morning, add two cups of Zante currents, one cup of sugar, and three cups of flour, or enough to make a rather stiff dough. Knead well, and set to rise; when light, mold into loaves; let it rise again, and bake. POTATO BREAD.--Cook and mash perfectly smooth, potatoes to make a cupful. Add a teaspoonful of best white sugar, one cup and a half of warm water, and when the mixture is lukewarm, one half cup of yeast, prepared as directed for Boiled Potato Yeast No. 2, and flour to make a very thick batter. Allow it to rise over night. In the morning, add a pint of warm water and flour enough to knead. The dough will need to be considerably stiffer than when no potato is used, or the result will be a bread too moist for easy digestion. Knead well. Let it rise, mold into four loaves, and when again light, bake. PULLED BREAD.--Remove a loaf from the oven when about half baked, and lightly pull the partially set dough into pieces of irregular shape, about half the size of one's fist. Do not smooth or mold the pieces; bake in a slow oven until browned and crisp throughout. WHOLE WHEAT BREAD.--The materials needed for the bread are: one pint of milk, scalded and cooled, one quart of wheat berry flour, one pint Minnesota spring wheat flour, one third cup of a soft yeast, or one fourth cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in one third cup of cold water. Stir enough flour into the milk to make a stiff batter, put in the yeast, and let it rise until foamy. Have the milk so warm that, when the flour is put in, the batter will be of a lukewarm temperature. Wrap in a thick blanket, and keep at an equable temperature. When light, stir in, slowly, warm flour to make a soft dough. Knead for fifteen minutes, and return to the bowl (which has been washed and oiled) to rise again. When risen to double its size, form into two loaves, place in separate pans, let rise again, and bake from three fourths to one and one half hours, according to the heat of the oven. WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD NO. 2.--Scald one pint of unskimmed milk; when lukewarm, add one half cup of liquid yeast, or one fourth cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in one half cup of warm water, and a pint of Pillsbury's best white flour. Beat this batter thoroughly, and allow it to rise. When well risen, add three and two thirds cups of wheat berry flour. Knead thoroughly, and allow it to become light in mass; then shape into two loaves, allow it to rise again, and bake. MISS. B'S ONE-RISING BREAD.--Sift and measure three and three fourths cups of wheat berry flour. Scald and cool a pint of unskimmed milk. When lukewarm, add one tablespoonful of lively liquid yeast. By slow degrees add the flour, beating vigorously until too stiff to use a spoon, then knead thoroughly for half an hour, shape into a loaf, place in a bread pan, cover with a napkin in warm weather, wrap well with blankets in cold weather, and let rise over night. In the morning, when perfectly light, pat in a well heated oven, and bake. POTATO BREAD WITH WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR.--Take a half gill of liquid yeast made as for Boiled Potato Yeast No. 2, and add milk, sterilised and cooled to lukewarm, to make a pint. And one cup of well-mashed, mealy potato and one cup of white flour, or enough to make a rather thick batter Beat thoroughly, cover, and set to rise. When well risen, add sufficient whole-wheat flour to knead. The quantity will vary somewhat with the brand of flour used, but about four and one fourth cupfuls will in general be needed. Knead well, let it rise in mass and again in the loaf, and bake. RYE BREAD.--Prepare a sponge over night with white flour as for Water Bread. In the morning, when light, add another tablespoonful of sugar, and rye flour to knead. Proceed as directed for the Water Bread, taking care to use only enough rye flour to make the dough Just stiff enough to mold. Use white flour for dusting than kneading board, as the rye flour is sticky. GRAHAM BREAD.--Take two tablespoonfuls of lively liquid yeast, or a little less than one fourth cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in a little milk, and add new milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm, to make one pint. Add one pint of white flour, beat very thoroughly, and set to rise. When very light, add three find one half cupfuls of sifted Graham flour, or enough to make a dough that can be molded. Knead well for half an hour. Place in a clean, slightly oiled bread bowl, cover, and allow it to rise. When light, shape into a loaf: allow it to rise again, and bake. GRAHAM BREAD NO. 2.--Mix well one pint of white and two pints of best Graham flour. Prepare a batter with a scant pint of milk, scalded and cooled, two table spoonfuls of liquid yeast, or a little less than one fourth of a cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in two table spoonfuls of milk, and a portion of the mixed flour. Give it a vigorous beating, and put it in a warm place to rise. When well risen, add more flour to make a dough sufficiently stiff to knead. There will be some variation in the amount required, dependent upon the brands of flour used, but in general, two and one half pints of the flour will be enough for preparing the sponge and kneading the dough. Knead thoroughly for twenty-five or thirty minutes. Put into a clean and slightly oiled bread bowl, cover, and set to rise again. When double its first bulk, mold into a loaf; allow it to rise again, and bake. GRAHAM BREAD NO. 3.--Mix three pounds each of Graham and Minnesota spring wheat flour. Make a sponge of one and a half pints of warm water, one half cake compressed yeast, well dissolved in the water, and flour to form a batter. Let this rise. When well risen, add one and a half pints more of warm water, one half cup full of New Orleans molasses, and sufficient flour to knead. Work the bread thoroughly, allow it to rise in mass; then mold, place in pans, and let it rise again. The amount of material given is sufficient for four loaves of bread. RAISED BISCUIT.--These may be made from dough prepared by any of the preceding recipes for bread. They will be more tender if made with milk, and if the dough is prepared expressly for biscuits, one third cream may be used. When the dough has been thoroughly kneaded the last time, divide into small, equal-sized pieces. A quantity of dough sufficient for one loaf of bread should be divided into twelve or sixteen such portions. Shape into smooth, round biscuits, fit closely into a shallow pan, and let them rise until very light. Biscuit should be allowed to become lighter than bread before putting in the oven, since, being so much smaller, fermentation is arrested much sooner, and they do not rise as much in the oven as does bread. ROLLS.--Well kneaded and risen bread dough is made into a variety of small forms termed rolls, by rolling with the hands or with a rolling-pin, and afterward cutting or folding into any shape desired, the particular manner by which they are folded and shaped giving to the rolls their characteristic names. Dough prepared with rich milk or part cream makes the best rolls. It may be divided into small, irregular portions, about one inch in thickness, and shaped by taking each piece separately in the left hand, then with the thumb and first finger of the right hand, slightly stretch one of the points of the piece and draw it over the left thumb toward the center of the roll, holding it there with the left thumb. Turn the dough and repeat the operation until you have been all around the dough, and each point has been drawn in; then place on the pan to rise. Allow the rolls to become very light, and bake. Rolls prepared in this manner are termed _Imperial Rolls_, and if the folding has been properly done, when well baked they will be composed of a succession of light layers, which can be readily separated. _French Rolls_ may be made by shaping each portion of dough into small oval rolls quite tapering at each end, allowing them to become light, and baking far enough apart so that one will not touch another. If, when the dough is light and ready to shape, it be rolled on the board until about one eighth of an inch in thickness, and cut into five-inch squares, then divided through the center into triangles, rolled up, beginning with the wide side, and placed in the pan to rise in semicircular shape, the rolls are called _Crescents_. What are termed _Parker House Rolls_ may be made from well-risen dough prepared with milk, rolled upon the board to a uniform thickness of about one forth inch; cut into round or oval shapes with the cutter; folded, one third over the other two thirds; allowed to rise until very light, and baked. The light, rolled dough, may be formed into a _Braid_ by cutting into strips six inches in length and one in width, joining the ends of each three, and braiding. The heat of the oven should be somewhat greater for roils and biscuit than for bread. The time required will depend upon the heat and the size of the roll, but it will seldom exceed one half hour. Neither rolls nor biscuits should be eaten hot, as they are then open to the same objections as other new yeast bread. BROWN BREAD.--To one and one fourth cups of new milk which has been scalded and cooled, add one fourth of a cup of lively yeast, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one cup each of white flour, rye flour or sifted rye meal, and yellow corn meal. With different brands of flour there may need to be some variation in the quantity of liquid to be used. The mixture should be thick enough to shape. Allow it to rise until light and cracked over the top; put into a bread pan, and when again well risen, bake for an hour and a half or two hours in an oven sufficiently hot at first to arrest fermentation and fix the bread cells, afterwards allowing the heat to diminish somewhat, to permit a slower and longer baking. Graham flour may be used in place of rye, if preferred. DATE BREAD.--Take a pint of light white bread sponge prepared with milk, add two tablespoons of sugar, and Graham flour to make a very stiff batter. And last a cupful of stoned dates. Turn into a bread pan. Let it rise, and bake. FRUIT LOAF WITH GRAHAM AND WHOLE-WHEAT FLOUR.--Dissolve one fourth cake of compressed yeast in a pint of sterilized milk; and a pint of white flour; heat thoroughly, and set to rise. When well risen, add three and one fourth cups of flour (Graham and whole-wheat, equal proportions, thoroughly mixed), or sufficient to knead. Knead well for half an hour, and just at the last add a cup of raisins, well washed, dried, and dusted with flour. Let the loaf rise in mass; then shape, put in the pan, allow it to become light again, and bake. RAISED CORN BREAD.--Into two cupfuls of hot mush made from white granular corn meal, stir two cupfuls of cold water. Beat well, and add one half cup of liquid yeast, or one half cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in one half cup of warm water, and two teaspoonfuls of granulated sugar. Stir in white or sifted Graham flour to make it stiff enough to knead. Knead very thoroughly, and put in a warm place to rise. When light, molded into three loaves, put into pans, and allow it to rise again. When well risen, bake at least for three fourths of an hour. CORN CAKE.--Sterilise a cupful of rich milk or thin cream. Cool to lukewarm, and dissolve in it half a cake of compressed yeast Add two small cupfuls of white flour; beat very thoroughly, and put in a warm place to rise. When light, add a cup of lukewarm water or milk, and two cups of best yellow cornmeal. Turn into a shallow square pan, and leave until again well risen. Bake in a quick oven. A tablespoonful of sugar may be added with the corn meal, if desired. OATMEAL BREAD.--Mix a quart of well-cooked oatmeal mush with a pint of water, beating it perfectly smooth; add a cupful of liquid yeast and flour to make a stiff batter. Cover, and let it rise. When light, add sufficient flour to mold; knead as soft as possible, for twenty or thirty minutes; shape into four or more loaves, let it rise again, and bake. MILK YEAST BREAD.--Prepare the yeast the day before by scalding three heaping teaspoonfuls of fresh cornmeal with boiling milk. Set in a warm place until light (from seven to ten hours); then put in a cool place until needed for use. Start the bread by making a rather thick batter with one cupful of warm water, one teaspoonful of the prepared yeast, and white flour. Put in a warm place to rise. When light, add to it a cupful of flour scalded with a cupful of boiling milk, and enough more flour to make the whole into a rather stiff batter. Cover, and allow it to rise. When again well risen, add flour enough to knead. Knead well; shape into a loaf; let it rise, and bake. Three or four cupfuls of white flour will be needed for all purposes with the amount of liquid given; more liquid and flour may be added in forming the second sponge if a larger quantity of bread is desired. In preparing both yeast and bread, all utensils used should first be sterilized by scalding in hot sal-soda water. GRAHAM SALT-RISING BREAD.--Put two tablespoonfuls of milk into a half-pint cup, add boiling water to fill the cup half full, one half teaspoonful of sugar, one fourth teaspoonful of salt, and white flour to make a rather stiff batter. Let it rise over night. In the morning, when well risen, add a cup and a half of warm water, or milk scalded and cooled, and sufficient white flour to form a rather stiff batter. Cover, and allow it again to rise. When light, add enough sifted Graham flour to knead. When well kneaded, shape into a loaf; allow it to become light again in the pan, and bake. All utensils used should be first well sterilized by scalding in hot sal-soda water. UNFERMENTED BREADS. The earliest forms of bread were made without fermentation. Grain was broken as fine as possible by pounding on smooth stones, made into dough with pure water, thoroughly kneaded, and baked in some convenient way. Such was the "unleavened breads" or "Passover cakes" of the Israelites. In many countries this bread is the only kind used. Unleavened bread made from barley and oats is largely used by the Irish and Scotch peasantry. In Sweden an unleavened bread is made of rye meal and water, flavored with anise seed, and baked in large, thin cakes, a foot or more in diameter. [Illustration: Mexican Woman Making Tortillas] Some savage tribes subsists chiefly upon excellent corn bread, made simply of meal and water. Unleavened bread made of corn, called _tortillas_, forms the staple diet of the Mexican Indians. The corn, previously softened by soaking in lime water, is ground to a fine paste between a stone slab and roller called a _metate_, then patted and tossed from hand to hand until flattened into thin, wafer-like cakes, and baked over a quick fire, on a thin iron plate or a flat stone. Unquestionably, unleavened bread, well kneaded and properly baked, is the most wholesome of all breads, but harder to masticate than that made light by fermentation, but this is an advantage; for it insures more thorough mixing with that important digestive agent, the saliva, than is usually given to more easily softened food. [Illustration: Stone Metate.] What is usually termed unfermented bread, however, is prepared with flour and liquid, to which shortening--of some kind is added, and the whole made light by the liberation of gas generated within the dough during the process of baking. This is brought about either by mixing with the flour certain chemical substances, which, when wet and brought into contact, act upon each other so as to set free carbonic acid gas, which expands and puffs up the loaf; or by introducing into the dough some volatile substance as carbonate of ammonia, which the heat during baking will, cause to vaporize, and which in rising produces the same result. Carbonic acid gas maybe for this purpose developed by the chemical decomposition of bicarbonate of potassa (saleratus), or bicarbonate of soda, by some acid such as sour milk, hydrochloric acid, tartaric acid, nitrate of potassa, or the acid phosphate of lime. The chemical process of bread-raising originally consisted in adding to the dough definite proportions of muriatic acid and carbonate of soda, by the union of which carbonic acid gas and common salt were produced. This process was soon abandoned, however, on account of the propensity exhibited by the acid for eating holes in the fingers of the baker as well as in his bread pans; and a more convenient one for hands and pans, that of using soda or salaratus with cream of tartar or sour milk, was substituted. When there is an excess of soda, a portion of it remains in the loaf uncombined, giving to the bread a yellow color and an alkaline taste, and doing mischief to the delicate coating of the stomach. Alkalies, the class of chemicals to which soda and salaratus belong, when pure and strong, are powerful corrosive poisons. The acid used with the alkali to liberate the carbonic-acid gas in the process of bread-making, if rightly proportioned, destroys this poisonous property, and unites with it to form a new compound, which, although not a poison, is yet unwholesome. We can hardly speak too strongly in condemnation of the use of chemicals in bread-making, when we reflect that the majority of housewives who combine sour milk and salaratus, or cream of tartar and soda, more frequently than otherwise _guess_ at the proportions, or measure them by some "rule of thumb," without stopping to consider that although two cups of sour milk may at one time be sufficiently acid to neutralize a teaspoonful of saleratus, milk may vary in degree of acidity to such an extent that the same quantity will be quite insufficient for the purpose at another time; or that though a teaspoonful of some brand of cream of tartar will neutralize a half teaspoonful of one kind of soda, similar measures will not always bring about the same result. Very seldom, indeed, will the proportions be sufficiently exact to perfectly neutralise the alkali, since chemicals are subject to variations in degree of strength, both on account of the method by which they are manufactured and the length of time they have been kept, to say nothing of adulterations to which they may have been subjected, and which are so common that it is almost impossible to find unadulterated cream of tartar in the market. Baking powders are essentially composed of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar, mixed in the proper proportions to exactly neutralize each other, and if they were always pure, would certainly be as good as soda and cream of tartar in any form, and possess the added advantage of perfect proportions; but as was demonstrated not long ago by the government chemist, nearly every variety of baking powder in the market is largely adulterated with cheaper and harmful substances. Alum, a most frequent constituent of such baking powders, is exceedingly injurious to the stomach. Out of several hundred brands of baking powder examined, only one was found pure. Even when in their purest state, these chemicals are not harmless, as is so generally believed. It is a very prevalent idea that when soda is neutralized by an acid, both chemical compounds are in some way destroyed or vaporized in the process, and in some occult manner escape from the bread during the process of baking. This is altogether an error. The alkali and acid neutralize each other chemically, but they do not destroy each other. Their union forms a salt, exactly the same as the Rochelle salts of medicine, a mild purgative, and if we could collected from the bread and weigh or measure it, we would find nearly as much of it as there was of the baking powder in the first place. If two teaspoonfuls of baking powder to the quart of flour be used, we have remaining in the bread made with that amount of flour 165 grains of crystallized Rochelle salts, or 45 grains more than this to be found in a Seidlitz powder. It may be sometimes useful to take a dose of salts, but the daily consumption of such chemical substances in bread can hardly be considered compatible with the conditions necessary for the maintenance of health. These chemical substances are unusable by the system, and must all be removed by the liver and excretory organs, thus imposing upon them an extra and unnecessary burden. It has also been determined by scientific experimentation that the chemicals found in baking powders in bread retard digestion. These substances are, fortunately, not needed for the production of good light bread. The purpose of their use is the production of a gas; but air is a gas much more economical and abundant than carbonic-acid gas, and which, when introduced into bread and subjected to heat, has the property of expanding, and in doing, puffing up the bread and making it light. Bread made light with air is vastly superior to that compounded with soda or baking powder, in point of healthfulness, and when well prepared, will equal it in lightness and palatableness. The only difficulty lies in catching and holding the air until it has accomplished the desired results. But a thorough understanding of the necessary conditions and a little practice will soon enable one to attain sufficient skill in this direction to secure most satisfactory results. [Illustration: Gem Irons] GENERAL DIRECTIONS.--All materials used for making aërated bread should be of the very best quality. Poor flour will not produce good bread by this or by any other process. Aërated breads are of two kinds: those baked while in the form of a batter, and such as are made into a dough before baking. [Illustration: Perforated Sheet Iron Pan for Rolls.] All breads, whether fermented or unfermented, are lighter if baked in some small form, and this is particularly true of unfermented breads made light with air. For this reason, breads made into a dough are best baked in the form of rolls, biscuits, or crackers, and batter breads in small iron cups similar to those in the accompanying illustration. These cups or "gem irons" as they are sometimes called, are to be obtained in various shapes and sizes, but for this purpose the more shallow cups are preferable. For baking the dough breads a perforated sheet of Russia iron or heavy tin, which any tinner can make to fit the oven, is the most serviceable, as it permits the hot air free access to all sides of the bread at once. If such is not obtainable, the upper oven grate, carefully washed and scoured, may be used Perforated pie tins also answer very well for this purpose. [Illustration: Making Unfermented Bread.] The heat of the oven for baking should be sufficient to form a slight crust over all sides of the bread before the air escapes, but not sufficient to brown it within the first fifteen minutes. To aid in forming the crust on the sides and bottom of batter breads, the iron cups should be heated previous to introducing the batter. The degree of heat required for baking will be about the same as for fermented rolls and biscuit, and the fire should be so arranged as to keep a steady but not greatly increasing heat. Air is incorporated into batter breads by brisk and continuous agitating and beating; into dough breads by thorough kneading, chopping, or pounding. Whatever the process by which the air is incorporated, it must be _continuous_. For this reason it is especially essential in making aërated bread that every thing be in readiness before commencing to put the bread together. All the materials should be measured out, the utensils to be used in readiness, and the oven properly heated. Success is also dependent upon the dexterity with which the materials when ready are put together. Batter bread often proves a failure although the beating is kept up without cessation, because it is done slowly and carelessly, or interspersed with stirring, thus permitting the air to escape between the strokes. If the bread is to be baked at once, the greater the dispatch with which it can be gotten into a properly-heated oven the lighter it will be. Crackers, rolls and other forms of dough breads often lack in lightness because they were allowed to stand some time before baking. The same is true of batter breads. If, for any reason, it is necessary to keep such breads for any length of time after being prepared, before baking, set the dish containing them directly on ice. The lightness of aërated bread depends not only upon the amount of air incorporated in its preparation, but also upon the expansion of the air during the baking. The colder the air, the greater will be its expansion upon the application of heat. The colder the materials employed, then, for the bread-making, the colder will be the air confined within it, and the lighter will be the bread. For this reason, in making batter bread, it will be found a good plan, when there is time, to put the materials together, and place the dish containing the mixture on ice for an hour or two, or even over night. When ready to use, beat thoroughly for ten or fifteen minutes to incorporate air, and bake in heated irons. Rolls and other breads made into a dough, may be kneaded and shaped and put upon ice to become cold. Thus treated, less kneading is necessary than when prepared to be baked at once. Many of the recipes given for the batter breads include eggs. The yolk is not particularly essential, and if it can be put to other uses, may be left out. The white of an egg, because of its viscous nature, when beaten, serves as a sort of trap to catch and hold air, and added to the bread, aids in making it light. Very nice light bread may be made without eggs, but the novice in making aërated breads will, perhaps, find it an advantage first to become perfectly familiar with the processes and conditions involved, by using the recipes with eggs before attempting those without, which are somewhat more dependent for success upon skill and practice. When egg is used in the bread, less heating of the irons will be necessary, and not so hot an oven as when made without. If the bread, when baked, appears light, but with large holes in the center, it is probable that either the irons or the oven was too hot at first. If the bread after baking, seems sticky or dough-like in the interior, it is an indication that either it was insufficiently baked, or that not enough flour in proportion to the liquid has been used. It should be stated, that although the recipes given have been prepared with the greatest care, and with the same brands of flour, careful measurement, and proper conditions, prove successful every time, yet with different brands of flour some variation in quantity may needed,--a trifle more or less,--dependent upon the absorbent properties of the flour, and if eggs are used, upon the size of the eggs. A heavy bread may be the result of the use of poor flour, too much flour, careless or insufficient beating, so that not enough air was incorporated, or an oven not sufficiently hot to form a crust over the bread before the air escaped. Breads made into a dough, if moist and clammy, require more flour or longer baking. Too much flour will make them stiff and hard. The length of time requisite for baking aërated breads made with whole-wheat, wheat berry, or Graham flours, will vary from forty minutes to one hour, according to the kind and form in which the bread is baked, and the heat of the oven. The irons in which batter breads are to be baked should not be smeared with grease; if necessary to oil them at all, they should only be wiped out lightly with a clean, oiled cloth. Irons well cared for, carefully washed, and occasionally scoured with Sapolio to keep them perfectly smooth, will require no greasing whatever. In filling the irons, care should be taken to fill each cup at first as full as it is intended to have; it, as the heat of the irons begins the cooking of the batter as soon as it is put in, and an additional quantity added has a tendency to make the bread less light. _RECIPES._ WHOLE-WHEAT PUFFS.--Put the yolk of an egg into a basin, and beat the white in a separate dish to a stiff froth. Add to the yolk, one half a cupful of rather thin sweet cream and one cupful of skim milk. Beat the egg, cream, and milk together until perfectly mingled and foamy with air bubbles; then add, gradually, beating well at the same time, one pint of wheat berry flour. Continue the beating vigorously and without interruption for eight or ten minutes; then stir in, lightly, the white of the egg. Do not beat again after the white of the egg is added, but turn at once into heated, shallow irons, and bake for an hour in a moderately quick oven. If properly made and carefully baked, these puffs will be of a fine, even texture throughout, and as light as bread raised by fermentation. WHOLE-WHEAT PUFFS NO. 2.--Make a batter by beating together until perfectly smooth the yolk of one egg, one and one half cups of new or unskimmed milk, and one pint of whole-wheat flour. Place the dish containing it directly upon ice, and leave for an hour or longer. The bread may be prepared and left on the ice over night, if desired for breakfast. When ready to bake the puffs, whip the white of the egg to a stiff froth, and after vigorously beating the batter for ten minutes, stir in lightly the white of the egg; turn at once into heated irons, and bake. If preferred, one third white flour and two thirds sifted Graham flour may be used in the place of the wheat berry flour. WHOLE-WHEAT PUFFS NO. 3.--Take one cupful of sweet cream (twelve-hour cream), one half cupful of soft ice water, and two slightly rounded cupfuls of wheat berry flour. Beat the material well together, and set the dish containing it on ice for an hour or more before using. When ready to bake, beat the mixture vigorously for ten minutes, then turn into heated iron cups (shallow ones are best), and bake for about an hour in a quick oven. GRAHAM PUFFS.--Beat together vigorously until full of air bubbles, one pint of unskimmed milk, the yolk of one egg, and one pint and three or four tablespoonfuls of Graham flour, added a little at a time. When the mixture is light and foamy throughout, stir in lightly and evenly the white of the egg, beaten to a stiff froth; turn into heated irons, and bake in a rather quick oven. Instead of all Graham, one third white flour may be used if preferred. GRAHAM PUFFS NO. 2.--Beat the yolks of two eggs in two cupfuls of ice water; then add gradually, beating well meantime, three and one fourth cupfuls of Graham flour. Continue the beating, after all the flour is added, until the mixture is light and full of air bubbles. Add last the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, and bake at once in heated irons. CURRANT PUFFS.--Prepare the puffs as directed in any of the foregoing recipes with the addition of one cup of Zante currants which have been well washed, dried, and floured. GRAHAM GEMS.--Into two cupfuls of unskimmed milk which has been made very cold by standing on ice, stir gradually, sprinkling it from the hand, three and one fourth cupfuls of Graham flour. Beat vigorously for ten minutes or longer, until the batter is perfectly smooth and full of air bubbles. Turn at once into hissing hot gem irons, and bake in a hot oven. If preferred, the batter may be prepared, and the dish containing it placed on ice for an hour or longer; then well beaten and baked. Graham gems may be made in this manner with soft water instead of milk, but such, in general, will need a little more flour than when made with milk. With some ovens, it will be found an advantage in baking these gems to place them on the upper grate for the first ten minutes or until the top has been slightly crusted, and then change to the bottom of the oven for the baking. CRUSTS.--Beat together very thoroughly one cupful of ice-cold milk, and one cupful of Graham flour. When very light and full of air bubbles, turn into hot iron cups, and bake twenty-five or thirty minutes. The best irons for this purpose are the shallow oblong, or round cups of the same size at the bottom as at the top. Only a very little batter should be put in each cup. The quantity given is sufficient for one dozen crusts. RYE PUFFS.--Beat together the same as for whole-wheat puffs one cupful of milk, one tablespoonful of sugar, and the yolk of an egg. Add one cupful of good rye flour, mixed with one half cupful of Graham flour, and stir in lastly the well beaten white of the egg. Bake at once, in heated gem-irons. RYE PUFFS NO. 2.--Beat together until well mingled one pint of thin cream and the yolk of one egg. Add gradually, beating meanwhile, four cups of rye flour. Continue to beat vigorously for ten minutes, then add the stiffly-beaten white of the egg, and bake in heated irons. RYE GEMS.--Mix together one cupful of corn meal and one cupful of rye meal. Stir the mixed meal into one and a half cupfuls of ice water. Beat the batter vigorously for ten or fifteen minutes, then turn into hot irons, and bake. BLUEBERRY GEMS.--To one cupful of rich milk add one tablespoonful of sugar, and the yolk of an egg. Beat well till full of air bubbles; then add gradually one cupful of Graham flour, and one cupful of white flour, or white corn meal. Beat vigorously until light; stir in the beaten white of the egg, and one cupful of fresh, sound blueberries. Bake in heated irons, in a moderately quick oven. Chopped or sour apples may be used in place of the berries. HOMINY GEMS.--Beat one egg until very light, add to it one tablespoonful of thick sweet cream, a little salt if desired, and two cupfuls of cooked hominy (fine). Thin the mixture with one cupful or less of boiling water until it will form easily, beat well, and bake in heated irons. SALLY LUNN GEMS.--Beat together the yolk of one egg, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one cupful of thin, ice-cold, sweet cream. Add slowly, beating at the same time, one cup and two tablespoonfuls of sifted Graham flour. Beat vigorously, until full of air bubbles, add the white of the egg beaten stiffly, and bake in heated irons. CORN PUFFS.--Mingle the yolk of one egg with one cupful of rich milk. Add to the liquid one cupful of flour, one-half cupful of fine, yellow corn meal, and one-fourth cupful of sugar, all of which have previously been well mixed together. Place the batter on ice for an hour, or until very cold. Then beat it vigorously five or ten minutes, till full of air bubbles; stir in lightly the stiffly beaten white of the egg, and put at once into heated irons. Bake in a moderately quick oven, thirty or forty minutes. CORN PUFFS NO. 2.--Scald two cupfuls of fine white corn meal with boiling water. When cold, add three tablespoonfuls of thin sweet cream, and the yolk of one egg. Beat well, and stir in lastly the white of the egg, beaten to a stiff froth. The batter should be sufficiently thin to drop easily from a spoon, but not thin enough to pour. Bake in heated irons, in a moderately quick oven. CORN PUFFS NO. 3.--Take one cupful of cold mashed potato, and one cupful of milk, rubbed together through a colander to remove all lumps. Add the yolk of one well beaten, egg, and then stir in slowly, beating vigorously meantime, one cupful of good corn meal. Lastly, stir in the white of the egg beaten to a stiff froth, and bake in heated irons, in a rather quick oven. CORN PUFFS NO. 4.--Beat together one and one-half cupfuls of unskimmed milk and the yolks of two eggs, until thoroughly blended. Add two cupfuls of flour, and one cupful best granular corn meal. Beat the batter thoroughly; stir in lightly the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, turn into heated irons, and bake. CORN DODGERS.--Scald one cupful of best granular corn meal, with which a tablespoonful of sugar has been sifted, with one cup of boiling milk. Beat until smooth, and drop on a griddle, in cakes about one inch in thickness, and bake slowly for an hour. Turn when brown. CORN DODGERS NO. 2.--Mix one tablespoonful of sugar with two cups best corn meal. Scald with one cup of boiling water. Add rich milk to make a batter thin enough to drop from a spoon. Lastly, add one egg, yolk and white beaten separately, and bake on a griddle in the oven from three fourth of an hour to one hour. CREAM CORN CAKES.--Into one cup of thin cream stir one and one half cups of granular corn meal, or enough to make a stiff batter; beat well, drop into heated irons, and bake. HOE CAKES.--Scald one pint of white corn meal, with which, if desired, a tablespoonful of sugar, and one half teaspoonful of salt have been mixed, with boiling milk, or water enough to make a batter sufficiently thick not to spread. Drop on a hot griddle, in large or small cakes, as preferred, about one half inch in thickness. Cook slowly, and when well browned on the under side, turn over. The cake may be cooked slowly, until well done throughout, or, as the portion underneath becomes well browned the first browned crust may be peeled off with a knife, and the cake again turned. As rapidly as a crust becomes formed and browned, one may be removed, and the cake turned, until the whole is all browned. The thin wafer-like crusts are excellent served with hot milk or cream. OATMEAL GEMS.--To one cupful of well-cooked oatmeal add one half cupful of rich milk or thin cream, and the yolk of one egg. Beat all together thoroughly; then add, continuing to beat, one and one third cupfuls of Graham flour, and lastly the stiffly beaten white of the egg. Bake in heated irons. If preferred, one cupful of white flour may be used in place of the Graham. SNOW GEMS.--Beat together lightly but thoroughly two parts clean, freshly fallen, dry snow, and one part best granular corn meal. Turn into hot gem irons and bake quickly. The snow should not be packed in measuring, and the bread should be prepared before the snow melts. POP OVERS.--For the preparation of these, one egg, one cupful of milk, and one scant cupful of white flour are required. Beat the egg, yolk and white separately. Add to the yolk, when well beaten, one half of the milk, and sift in the flour a little at a time, stirring until the whole is a perfectly smooth paste. Add the remainder of the milk gradually, beating well until the whole is an absolutely smooth, light batter about the thickness of cream. Stir in the stiffly beaten white of the egg, and bake in hot earthen cups or muffin rings, and to prevent them from sticking, sift flour into the rings after slightly oiling, afterward turning them upside down to shake off all of the loose flour. GRANOLA GEMS.--Into three fourths of a cup of rich milk stir one cup of Granola (prepared by the Sanitarium Food Co.). Drop into heated irons, and bake for twenty or thirty minutes. BEAN GEMS.--Prepare the gems in the same manner as for Whole-Wheat Puffs, using one half cup of milk, one egg, one cup of cooked beans which have been rubbed through a colander and salted, and one cup and one tablespoonful of white flour. A little variation in the quantity of the flour may be necessary, dependent upon the moisture contained in the beans, although care should be taken to have them quite dry. BREAKFAST ROLLS.--Sift a pint and a half of Graham flour into a bowl, and into it stir a cupful of very cold thin cream or unskimmed milk. Pour the liquid into the flour slowly, a few spoonfuls at a time, mixing each spoonful to a dough with the flour as fast as poured in. When all the liquid has been added, gather the fragments of dough together, knead thoroughly for ten minutes or longer, until perfectly smooth and elastic. The quantity of flour will vary somewhat with the quality, but in general, the quantity given will be quite sufficient for mixing the dough and dusting the board. When well kneaded, divide into two portions; roll each over and over with the hands, until a long roll about once inch in diameter is formed; cut this into two-inch lengths, prick with a fork and place on perforated tins, far enough apart so that one will not touch another when baking. Each roll should be as smooth and perfect as possible, and with no dry flour adhering. Bake at once, or let stand on ice for twenty minutes. The rolls should not be allowed to stand after forming, unless on ice. From thirty to forty minutes will be required for baking. When done, spread on the table to cool, but do not pile one on top of another. Very nice rolls may be made in the same manner, using for the wetting ice-cold soft water. They requite a longer kneading, are more crisp, but less tender than those made with cream. With some brands of Graham flour the rolls will be much lighter if one third white flour be used. Whole-wheat flour may be used in place of Graham, if preferred. STICKS.--Prepare, and knead the dough the same as for rolls. When ready to form, roll the dough much smaller; scarcely larger than one's little finger, and cut into three or four-inch lengths. Bake the same as rolls, for about twenty minutes. CREAM GRAHAM RAILS.--To one half cup cold cream add one half cup of soft ice water. Make into a dough with three cups of Graham flour, sprinkling in slowly with the hands, beating at the same time, so as to incorporate as much air as possible, until the dough is too stiff to be stirred; then knead thoroughly, form into rolls, and bake. CORN MUSH ROLLS.--Make a dough of one cup of corn meal mush, one half cup of cream, and two and one half cups of white flour; knead thoroughly, shape into rolls, and bake. FRUIT ROLLS.--Prepare the rolls as directed in the recipe for Breakfast Rolls, and when well kneaded, work into the dough a half cupful of Zante currants which have been well washed, dried, and floured. Form the rolls in the usual manner, and bake. CREAM MUSH ROLLS.--Into a cupful of cold Graham mush beat thoroughly three tablespoonfuls of thick, sweet cream. Add sufficient Graham flour to make a rather stiff dough, knead thoroughly, shape into roils, and bake. Corn meal, farina, and other mushes may be used in the place of the Graham mush, if preferred. BEATEN BISCUIT.--Into a quart of whole-wheat flour mix a large cup of must be very stiff, and rendered soft and pliable by thorough kneading and afterward pounding with a mallet for at least half an hour in the following manner: Pound the dough oat flat, and until of the same thickness throughout; dredge lightly with flour; double the dough over evenly and pound quickly around the outside, to fasten the edges together and thus retain the air within the dough. When well worked, the dough will appear flaky and brittle, and pulling a piece off it quickly will cause a sharp, snapping sound. Mold into small biscuits, making an indenture in the center of each with the thumb, prick well with a fork, and place on perforated sheets, with a space between, and put at once into the oven. The oven should be of the same temperature as for rolls. If they are "sad" inside when cold, they were not well baked, as they should be light and tender. If preferred, use one third white flour, instead of all whole-wheat. Excellent results are also obtained by chopping instead of pounding the dough. CREAM CRISPS.--Make a dough of one cupful of thin cream, and a little more than three cups of Graham flour. Knead until smooth, then divide the dough into several pieces, and place in a dish on ice for an hour, or until ice cold. Roll each piece separately and quickly as thin as brown paper. Cut with a knife into squares, prick with a fork, and bake on perforated tins, until lightly browned on both sides. CREAM CRISPS NO. 2.--Into two and one half cups of cold cream or rich milk, sprinkle slowly with the hands, beating meanwhile to incorporate air, four cups of best Graham flour, sifted with one half cup of granulated sugar. Add flour to knead; about two and one fourth cups will be required. When well kneaded, divide into several portions, roll each as thin as a knife blade, cut into squares, prick well with a fork, and bake. GRAHAM CRISPS.--Into one half cupful of ice-cold soft water, stir slowly, so as to incorporate as much air as possible, enough Graham flour to make a dough stiff enough to knead. A tablespoonful of sugar may be added to the water before stirring in the flour, if desired. After kneading fifteen minutes, divide the dough into six portions; roll each as thin as brown paper, prick with a fork, and bake on perforated tins, turning often until both sides are a light, even brown. Break into irregular pieces and serve. OATMEAL CRISPS.--Make a dough with one cupful of oatmeal porridge and Graham flour. Knead thoroughly, roll very thin, and bake as directed for Graham Crisps. A tablespoonful of sugar may be added if desired. GRAHAM CRACKERS.--Make a dough of one cup of cream and Graham flour sufficient to make a soft dough. Knead thoroughly, and place on ice for half an hour; then roll thin, cut into small cakes with a cookie-cutter, prick with a fork, and bake on floured pans, in a brisk oven. A tablespoonful of sugar may be added if desired. FRUIT CRACKERS.--Prepare a dough with one cup of cold sweet cream and three cups of Graham flour, knead well, and divide into two portions. Roll each quite thin. Spread one thickly with dates or figs seeded and chopped; place the other one on top and press together with the rolling pin. Cut into squares and bake. An additional one fourth of a cup of flour will doubtless be needed for dusting the board and kneading. TABLE TOPICS. Behind the nutty loaf is the mill wheel; behind the mill is the wheat field; on the wheat field rests the sunlight; above the sun is God.--_James Russell Lowell._ Bread forms one of the most important parts of the ration of the German soldier. In time of peace, the private soldier is supplied day by day with one pound and nine ounces of bread; when fighting for the Fatherland, every man is entitled to a free ration of over two pounds of bread, and field bakery trains and steam ovens for providing the large amount of bread required, form a recognized part of the equipment of the German army. The wandering Arab lives almost entirely upon bread, with a few dates as a relish. According to Count Rumford, the Bavarian wood-chopper, one of the most hardy and hard-working men in the world, receives for his weekly rations one large loaf of rye bread and a small quantity of roasted meal. Of the meal he makes an infusion, to which he adds a little salt, and with the mixture, which he calls burned soup, he eats his rye bread. No beer, no beef, no other food than that mentioned, and no drink but water; and yet he can do more work and enjoys a better digestion and possesses stronger muscles than the average American or Englishman, with their varied dietary. The following truthful bit of Scandinavian history well illustrates the influence of habits of frugality upon national character: "The Danes were approaching, and one of the Swedish bishops asked how many men the province of Dalarna could furnish. "'At least twenty thousand,' was the reply; 'for the old men are just as strong and brave as the young ones.' "'But what do they live upon?' "'Upon bread and water. They take little account of hunger and thirst, and when corn is lacking, they make their bread out of tree bark.' "'Nay,' said the bishop, 'a people who eat tree bark and drink water, the devil himself could not vanquish!' and neither were they vanquished. Their progress was one series of triumphs, till they placed Gustavus Vasa on the throne of Sweden." The word _biscuit_ embodies the process by which this form of bread was made from time immemorial down to within the last century. _Bis_ (twice), and _coctus_ (cooked), show that they were twice baked. Fragments of unfermented bread were discovered in the Swiss lake-dwellings, which belong to the Neolithic age. Fermented bread is seldom seen in Northern Europe and Asia except among the rich or the nobility. At one time, the captain of an English vessel requested a baker of Gottenburg to bake a large quantity of loaves of raised bread. The baker refused to undertake an order of such magnitude, saying it would be quite impossible to dispose of so much, until the captain agreed to take and pay for it all. I made a study of the ancient and indispensable art of bread-making, consulting such authorities as offered, going back to the primitive days and first invention of the unleavened kind, and traveling gradually down in my studies through that accidental souring of the dough which it is supposed taught the leavening process, and through the various fermentations thereafter till I came to "good, sweet, wholesome bread,"--the staff of life. Leaven, which some deemed the soul of bread, the _spiritus_ which fills its cellular tissues, which is religiously preserved like the vestal fire,--some precious bottleful, I suppose, brought over in the Mayflower, did the business for America, and its influence is still rising, swelling, spreading in cerulean billows over the land,--this seed I regularly and faithfully procured from the village, until one morning I forgot the rules and scalded my yeast; by which accident I discovered that even this was not indispensable, and I have gladly omitted it ever since. Neither did I put any soda or other acid or alkali into my bread. It would seem that I made it according to the recipe which Marcus Porcius Cato gave about two centuries before Christ: "Make kneaded bread thus: Wash your hands and trough well. Put the meal into the trough, add water gradually, and knead it thoroughly. When you have needed it well, mold it, and bake it under a cover," that is in a baking kettle.--_Thoreau in Walden._ FRUITS Of all the articles which enter the list of foods, none are more wholesome and pleasing than the fruits which nature so abundantly provides. Their delicate hues and perfect outlines appeal to our sense of beauty, while their delicious flavors gratify our appetite. Our markets are supplied with an almost unlimited variety of both native and tropical fruits, and it might be supposed that they would always appear upon the daily bill of fare; yet in the majority of homes this is rarely the case. People are inclined to consider fruit, unless the product of their own gardens, a luxury too expensive for common use. Many who use a plentiful supply, never think of placing it upon their tables, unless cooked. Ripe fruit is a most healthful article of diet when partaken of at seasonable times; but to eat it, or any other food, between meals, is a gross breach of the requirements of good digestion. Fruits contain from seventy-five to ninety-five per cent of water, and a meager proportion of nitrogenous matter; hence their value as nutrients, except in a few instances, is rather small; but they supply a variety of agreeable acids which refresh and give tone to the system, and their abundant and proper use does much to keep the vital machinery in good working order. Aside from the skin and seeds, all fruits consist essentially of two parts,--the cellulose structure containing the juice, and the juice itself. The latter is water, with a small proportion of fruit sugar (from one to twenty per cent in different varieties), and vegetable acids. These acids are either free, or combined with potash and lime in the form of acid salts. They are mallic, citric, tartaric, and pectic acids. The last-named is the jelly-producing principle. While the juice, as we commonly find it, is readily transformable for use in the system, the cellular structure of the fruit is not so easily digested. In some fruits, as the strawberry, grape, and banana, the cell walls are so delicate as to be easily broken up; but in watermelons, apples, and oranges, the cells are coarser, and form a larger bulk of the fruit, hence are less easily digested. As a rule, other points being equal, the fruits which yield the richest and largest quantity of juices, and also possess a cellular framework the least perceptible on mastication, are the most readily digested. A certain amount of waste matter is an advantage, to give bulk to our food; but persons with weak stomachs, who cannot eat certain kinds of fruit, are often able to digest the juice when taken alone. Unripe fruits differ from ripe fruits in that they contain, starch, which during ripening is changed into sugar, and generally some proportion of tannic acid, which gives them their astringency. The characteristic constituent of unripe fruit, however, is pectose, an element insoluble in water, but which, as maturation proceeds, is transformed into pectic and pectosic acids. These are soluble in boiling water, and upon cooling, yield gelatinous solutions. Their presence makes it possible to convert the juice of ripe fruits into jelly. Raw starch in any form is indigestible, hence unripe fruit should never be eaten uncooked. As fruit matures, the changes it undergoes are such as best fit for consumption and digestion. The following table shows the composition of the fruits in common use:-- ANALYSIS. Water. Albumen. Sugar. Free Acid. Pectose. Cellulose Mineral Matter. Apples 83.0 0.4 6.8 1.0 5.2 3.2 0.4 Pears 84.0 0.3 7.0 0.1 4.6 3.7 0.3 Peaches 85.0 0.5 1.8 0.7 8.0 3.4 0.6 Grapes 80.0 0.7 Glucose. Tartaric. 3.1 2.0 0.4 13.0 0.8 Plums 82.0 0.2 3.6 0.5 5.7 ... 0.6 Gooseberries 86.0 0.4 7.0 1.5 1.9 2.7 0.5 Strawberries 87.6 0.5 4.5 1.3 0.1 ... 0.6 Raspberries 86.+ 0.5 4.7 1.3 1.7 ... 0.4 Currants 85.2 0.4 6.4 1.8 0.2 ... 0.5 Blackberries 86.4 0.5 4.4 1.1 1.4 ... 0.4 Cherries 75.0 0.9 13.1 0.3 2.2 ... 0.6 Apricots 85.0 .08 1.0 ... 5.9 ... 0.8 Oranges 86.0 [A] 8 to 10 ... ... ... ... Dates 20.8 6.6 54.0 Fat. 12.3 5.5 1.6 0.2 Bananas 73.9 4.8 19.7[B] Fat. ... 0.2 0.8 0.6 Turkey Figs 17.5 6.1 57.5 Fat. 8.4[C] 7.3 2.3 0.9 [Table Note A: Small quantities of albumen, citric acid, citrate of potash, cellulose, etc.] [Table Note B: Sugar and pectose.] [Table Note C: Starch, pectose, etc.] There is a prevailing notion that the free use of fruits, especially in summer, excites derangement of the digestive organs. When such derangement occurs, it is far more likely to have been occasioned by the way in which the fruit was eaten than by the fruit itself. Perhaps it was taken as a surfeit dish at the end of a meal. It may have been eaten in combination with rich, oily foods, pastry, strong coffee, and other indigestible viands, which, in themselves, often excite an attack of indigestion. Possibly it was partaken of between meals, or late at night, with ice cream and other confections, or it was swallowed without sufficient mastication. Certainly, it is not marvelous that stomach and bowel disorders do result under such circumstances. The innocent fruit, like many other good things, being found in "bad company," is blamed accordingly. An excess of any food at meals or between meals, is likely to prove injurious, and fruits present no exception to this rule. Fruit taken at seasonable times and in suitable quantities, alone or in combination with proper foods, gives us one of the most agreeable and healthful articles of diet. Fruit, fats, and meats do not affiliate, and they are liable to create a disturbance whenever taken together. Partially decayed, stale, and over-ripe, as well as unripe fruit, should never be eaten. According to M. Pasteur, the French scientist, all fruits and vegetables, when undergoing even incipient decay, contain numerous germs, which, introduced into the system, are liable to produce disturbances or disease. Perfectly fresh, ripe fruit, with proper limitations as to quantity and occasion, may be taken into a normal stomach with impunity at any season. It is especially important that all fruits to be eaten should not only be sound in quality, but should be made perfectly clean by washing if necessary, since fruit grown near the ground is liable to be covered with dangerous bacteria (such as cause typhoid fever or diphtheria), which exist in the soil or in the material used in fertilizing it. Most fruits, properly used, aid digestion either directly or indirectly. The juicy ones act as dilutents, and their free use lessens the desire for alcohol and other stimulants. According to German analysts, the apple contains a larger percentage of phosphorus than any other fruit, or than any vegetable. In warm weather and in warm climates, when foods are not needed for a heat-producing purpose, the diet may well consist largely of fruits and succulent vegetables, eaten in combination with bread and grains. In case of liver and kidney affections, rheumatism, and gout, the use of fruit is considered very beneficial by many scientific authorities. To serve its best purpose, raw fruit should be eaten without sugar or other condiments, or with the addition of as small a quantity as possible. It is a disputed question whether fruits should begin or end the meal; but it is generally conceded by those who have given the matter attention, that fruit eaten at the beginning of a meal is itself the more readily digested, and aids in the digestion of other foods, since fruits, like soups, have the property of stimulating the flow of the digestive juices. Something, however, must depend upon the character of the fruit; oranges, melons, and like juicy fruits, are especially useful as appetizers to begin the meal, while bananas and similar fruits agree better if taken with other food, so as to secure thorough mixture with saliva. This is true of all fruits, except such pulpy fruits as strawberries, peaches, melons, grapes, and oranges. It is often erroneously asserted that fruit as dessert is injurious to digestion. For those people, however, who regulate their bill of fare in accordance with the principles of hygiene, a simple course of fruit is not only wholesome, but is all that is needed after a dinner; and much time, labor, and health will be saved when housekeepers are content to serve desserts which nature supplies all ready for use, instead of those harmful combinations in the preparing of which they spend hours of tiresome toil. DESCRIPTION.--For convenience, fruits may be grouped together; as, _pomaceous_ fruits, including the apple, quince, pear, etc.; the _drupaceous_ fruits, those provided with a hard stone surrounded by a fleshy pulp, as the peach, apricot, plum, cherry, olive, and date; the orange or citron group, including the orange, lemon, lime, citron, grape fruit, shaddock, and pomegranate; the _baccate_ or berry kind, comprising the grape, gooseberry, currant, cranberry, whortleberry, blueberry, and others; the _arterio_ group, to which belong raspberries, strawberries, dewberries, and blackberries; the fig group; the gourd group, including--melons and cantaloupes; and foreign fruits. It is impossible, in the brief scope of this work, to enumerate the infinite varieties of fruit; but we will briefly speak of some of the most common found in the gardens and markets of this latitude. APPLES.--The origin and first home of the apple, is unknown. If tradition is to be believed, it was the inauspicious fruit to which may be traced all the miseries of mankind. In pictures of the temptation in the garden of Eden, our mother Eve is generally represented as holding an apple in her hand. We find the apple mentioned in the mythologies of the Greeks, Druids, and Scandinavians. The Thebans offered apples instead of sheep as a sacrifice to Hercules, a custom derived from the following circumstance:-- "At one time, when a sacrifice was necessary, the river Asopus had so inundated the country that it was impossible to take a sheep across it for the purpose, when some youths, recollecting that the Greek word _melon_ signified both sheep and an apple, stuck wooden pegs into the fruit to represent legs, and brought this vegetable quadruped as a substitute for the usual offering. After this date, the apple was considered as especially devoted to Hercules." In ancient times, Greece produced most excellent apples. They were the favorite dessert of Phillip of Macedon and Alexander the Great, the latter causing them to be served at all meals. Doubtless they came to be used to excess; for it is recorded of the Athenian lawgiver, Solon, that he made a decree prohibiting a bridegroom from partaking of more than one at his marriage banquet, a law which was zealously kept by the Greeks, and finally adopted by the Persians. In Homer's time the apple was regarded as one of the precious fruits. It was extensively cultivated by the Romans, who gave to new varieties the names of many eminent citizens, and after the conquest of Gaul, introduced its culture into Southwestern Europe, whence it has come to be widely diffused throughout all parts of the temperate zone. Apples were introduced into the United States by the early settlers, and the first trees were planted on an island in Boston Harbor, which still retains the name of Apple Island. The wild crab tree is the parent of most of the cultivated varieties. THE PEAR.--The origin of the pear, like that of the apple, is shrouded in obscurity, though Egypt, Greece, and Palestine dispute for the honor of having given birth to the tree which bears this prince of fruits. Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher of the fourth century, speaks of the pear in terms of highest praise; and Galen, the father of medical science, mentions the pear in his writings as possessing "qualities which benefit the stomach." The pear tree is one of the most hardy of all fruit trees, and has been known to live several hundred years. THE QUINCE.--This fruit appears to have been a native of Crete, from whence it was introduced into ancient Greece; and was largely cultivated by both Greeks and Romans. In Persia, the fruit is edible in its raw state; but in this country it never ripens sufficiently to be palatable without being cooked. The fruit is highly fragrant and exceedingly acid, and for these reasons it is largely employed to flavor other fruits. THE PEACH.--This fruit, as its botanical name, _prinus Persica_, indicates, is a native of Persia, and was brought from that country to Greece, from whence it passed into Italy. It is frequently mentioned by ancient writers, and was regarded with much esteem by the people of Asia. The Romans, however, had the singular notion that peaches gathered in Persia contained a deadly poison, but if once transplanted to another soil, this injurious effect was lost. In composition, the peach is notable for the small quantity of saccharine matter it contains in comparison with other fruits. THE PLUM.--The plum is one of the earliest of known fruits. Thebes, Memphis, and Damascus were noted for the great number of their plum trees in the early centuries. Plum trees grow wild in Asia, America, and the South of Europe, and from these a large variety of domestic plum fruits have been cultivated. Plums are more liable than most other fruits to produce disorders of digestion, and when eaten raw should be carefully selected, that they be neither unripe nor unripe. Cooking renders them less objectionable. THE PRUNE.--The plum when dried is often called by its French cognomen, _prune_. The larger and sweeter varieties are generally selected for drying, and when good and properly cooked, are the most wholesome of prepared fruits. THE APRICOT.--This fruit seems to be intermediate between the peach and the plum, resembling the former externally, while the stone is like that of the plum. The apricot originated in Armenia, and the tree which bears the fruit was termed by the Romans "the tree of Armenia." It was introduced into England in the time of Henry VIII. The apricot is cultivated to some extent in the United States, but it requires too much care to permit of its being largely grown, except in certain sections. THE CHERRY.--The common garden cherry is supposed to have been derived from the two species of wild fruit, and historians tell us that we are indebted to the agricultural experiments of Mithridates, the great king of ancient Pontus, for this much esteemed fruit. It is a native of Asia Minor, and its birthplace. THE OLIVE.--From time immemorial the olive has been associated with history. The Scriptures make frequent reference to it, and its cultivation was considered of first importance among the Jews, who used its oil for culinary and a great variety of other purposes. Ancient mythology venerated the olive tree above all others, and invested it with many charming bits of fiction. Grecian poets sang its praises, and early Roman writers speak of it with high esteem. In appearance and size the fruit is much like the plum; when ripe, it is very dark green, almost black, and possesses a strong, and, to many people, disagreeable flavor. The pulp abounds in a bland oil, for the production of which it is extensively cultivated in Syria, Egypt, Italy, Spain, and Southern France. The fruit itself is also pickled and preserved in various ways, but, like all other similar commodities when thus prepared, it is by no means a wholesome article of food. THE DATE.--The date is the fruit of the palm tree so often mentioned in the Sacred Writings, and is indigenous to Africa and portions of Asia. The fruit grows in bunches which often weigh from twenty to twenty-five pounds, and a single tree will bear from one to three thousand pounds in a season. The date is very sweet and nutritious. It forms a stable article of diet for the inhabitants of some parts of Egypt, Arabia, and Persia, and frequently forms the chief food of their horses, dogs, and camels. The Arabs reduce dried dates to a meal, and make therefrom a bread, which often constitutes their sole food on long journeys through the Great Desert. The inhabitants of the countries where the date tree flourishes, put its various productions to innumerable uses. From its leaves they make baskets, bags, mats, combs, and brushes; from its stalks, fences for their gardens; from its fibers, thread, rope, and rigging; from its sap, a spirituous liquor; from its fruit, food for man and beast; while the body of the tree furnishes them with fuel. The prepared fruit is largely imported to this country. That which is large, smooth, and of a soft reddish yellow tinge, with a whitish membrane between the flesh and stone, is considered the best. THE ORANGE.--According to some authors, the far-famed "golden fruit of the Hesperides," which Hercules stole, was the orange; but it seems highly improbable that it was known to writers of antiquity. It is supposed to be indigenous to Central and Eastern Asia. Whatever its nativity, it has now spread over all the warmer regions of the earth. The orange tree is very hardy in its own habitat, and is one of the most prolific of all fruit-bearing trees, a single tree having been known to produce twenty thousand good oranges in a season. Orange trees attain great age. There are those in Italy and Spain which are known to have flourished for six hundred years. Numerous varieties of the orange are grown, and are imported to our markets from every part of the globe. Florida oranges are among the best, and when obtained in their perfection, are the most luscious of all fruits. THE LEMON.--This fruit is supposed to be a native of the North of India, although it is grown in nearly all sub-tropical climates. In general, the fruit is very acid, but in a variety known as the sweet lemon, or bergamot (said to be a hybrid of the orange and lemon), the juice is sweet. The sour lemon is highly valued for its antiscorbutic properties, and is largely employed as a flavoring ingredient in culinary preparations, and in making a popular refreshing beverage. THE CITRON.--The citron is a fruit very similar to the lemon, though larger in size and less succulent. It is supposed to be identical with the Hebrew _tappuach_, and to be the fruit which is mentioned in the English version of the Old Testament as "apple." The citron is not suitable for eating in its raw state, though its juice is used in connection with water and sugar to form an excellent acid drink. Its rind, which is very thick, with a warty and furrowed exterior, is prepared in sugar and largely used for flavoring purposes. THE LIME.--The fruit of the lime is similar to the lemon, though much smaller in size. It is a native of Eastern Asia, but has long been cultivated in the South of Europe and other sub-tropical countries. The fruit is seldom used except for making acidulous drinks, for which it is often given the preference over the lemon. THE GRAPE FRUIT.--This fruit, a variety of shaddock, belongs to the great _citrus_ family, of which there are one hundred and sixty-nine known varieties. The shaddock proper, however, is a much larger fruit, frequently weighing from ten to fourteen pounds. Although a certain quantity of grape fruit is brought from the West Indies, our principal supply is derived from Florida. It is from two to four times the size of an ordinary orange, and grows in clusters. It is rapidly gaining in favor with fruit lovers. Its juice has a moderately acid taste and makes a pleasing beverage. The pulp, carefully separated, is also much esteemed. THE POMEGRANATE.--This fruit has been cultivated in Asia from earliest antiquity, and is still quite generally grown in most tropical climes. In the Scriptures it is mentioned with the vine, fig, and olive, among the pleasant fruits of the promised land. It is about the size of a large peach, of a fine golden color, with a rosy tinge on one side. The rind is thick and leathery. The central portion is composed of little globules of pulp and seeds inclosed in a thin membrane, each seed being about the size of a red currant. It is sub-acid, and slightly bitter in taste. The rind is strongly astringent, and often used as a medicine. THE GRAPE.--Undoubtedly the grape was one of the first fruits eaten by mankind, and one highly valued from antiquity down to the present time. Although this fruit is often sadly perverted in the manufacture of wine, when rightly used it is one of the most excellent of all fruits. The skins and seeds are indigestible and should be rejected, but the fresh, juicy pulp is particularly wholesome and refreshing. Several hundred varieties of the grape are cultivated. Some particularly sweet varieties are made into raisins, by exposure to the sun or to artificial heat. Sun-dried grapes make the best raisins. The so-called English or Zante currant belongs to the grape family, and is the dried fruit of a vine which grows in the Ionian Islands and yields a very small berry. The name _currant_, as applied to these fruits, is a corruption of the word _Corinth_, where the fruit was formerly grown. THE GOOSEBERRY.--The gooseberry probably derives its name from gorse or goss, a prickly shrub that grows wild in thickets and on hillsides in Europe, Asia, and America. It was known to the ancients, and is mentioned in the writings of Theocritus and Pliny. Gooseberries were a favorite dish with some of the emperors, and were extensively cultivated in gardens during the Middle Ages. The gooseberry is a wholesome and agreeable fruit, and by cultivation may be brought to a high state of perfection in size and flavor. THE CURRANT.--This fruit derives its name from its resemblance to the small grapes of Corinth, sometimes called Corinthus, and is indigenous to America, Asia, and Europe. The fruit is sharply acid, though very pleasant to the taste. Cultivation has produced white currants from the red, and in a distinct species of the fruit grown in Northern Europe and Russia, the currants are black or yellow. THE WHORTLEBERRY AND BLUEBERRY.--These are both species of the same fruit, which grows in woods and waste places in the North of Europe and America. Of the latter species there are two varieties, the high-bush and the low-bush, which are equally palatable. The fruit is very sweet and pleasant to the taste, and is one of the most wholesome of all berries. THE CRANBERRY.--A German writer of note insists that the original name of this fruit was cram-berry, because after dinner, when one was filled with other food, such was its pleasant and seductive flavor that he could still "cram" quite a quantity thereof, in defiance of all dietetic laws. Other writers consider the name a corruption of craneberry, so called because it is eagerly sought after by the cranes and other birds which frequent the swamps and marshes where it chiefly grows. The fruit is extremely acid, and is highly valued for sauces and jellies. Cranberries are among the most convenient fruits for keeping. Freezing does not seem to hurt them, and they may be kept frozen all winter, or in water without freezing, in the cellar, or other cool places, for a long period. THE STRAWBERRY.--The flavor of antiquity rests upon the wild strawberry. Its fruit was peddled by itinerant dealers about the streets of ancient Grecian and Roman cities. Virgil sings of it in pastoral poems, and Ovid mentions it in words of praise. The name by which the fruit was known to the Greeks indicates its size; with the Latins its name was symbolic of its perfume. The name _strawberry_ probably came from the old Saxon _streawberige_, either from some resemblance of the stems to straw, of from the fact that the berries have the appearance when growing of being strewn upon the ground. In olden times, children strung the berries upon straws, and sold so many "straws of berries" for a penny, from which fact it is possible the name may have been derived. The strawberry is indigenous to the temperate regions of both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, but it seems to have been matured in gardens, only within the last two centuries. THE RASPBERRY.--This fruit grows in both a wild and a cultivated state. It derives its name from the rough rasps or spines with which the bushes are covered. Among the ancients it was called "the bramble of Mt. Ida," because it was abundant upon that mountain. It is a hardy fruit, found in most parts of the world, and is of two special varieties, the black and the red. THE BLACKBERRY.--This fruit is a native of America and the greater part of Europe. There are one hundred and fifty-one named species, although the high-blackberry and the low-blackberry, or dewberry, are said to have furnished the best cultivated varieties. THE MULBERRY.--Different varieties of the mulberry tree produce white, red, and black mulberries of fine aromatic flavor, and acidulous or sweet taste. Persia is supposed to be the native home of this fruit, from whence it was carried, at an early date, to Asia Minor and to Greece. The Hebrews were evidently well acquainted with it. It was also cultivated by the farmers of Attica and Peloponnesus. The ancient mulberry was considered the wisest and most prudent of trees, because it took care not to put forth the smallest bud until the cold of winter had disappeared, not to return. Then, however, it lost no time, but budded and blossomed in a day. Several varieties are found in the United States. THE MELON.--This is the generic name for all the members of the gourd tribe known as cantaloupes, muskmelons, and watermelons. The fruit varies greatly in size and color, and in the character of the rind. When fresh and perfectly ripe, melons are among the most delicious of edible fruits. THE FIG.--In the most ancient histories, the fig tree is referred to as among the most desirable productions of the earth. It was the only tree in the garden of Eden of which the Sacred Writings make particular mention. Among the inhabitants of ancient Syria and Greece, it formed one of the principal articles of food. Its cultivation was, and is still, extensively carried on in nearly all Eastern countries; also in Spain, Southern France, and some portions of the United States. The fruit is pear-shaped, and consists of a pulpy mass full of little seeds. Dried and compressed figs are largely imported, and are to be found in all markets. Those brought from Smyrna are reputed to be the best. THE BANANA.--This is essentially a tropical fruit growing very generally in the East, the West Indies, South American countries, and some of the Southern States. The plant is an annual, sending up stems to the height of ten or fifteen feet, while drooping from the top are enormous leaves three or four feet in length, and looking, as one writer has aptly said, like "great, green quill pens." It is planted in fields like corn, which in its young growth it much resembles. Each plant produces a single cluster of from eighty to one hundred or more bananas, often weighing in the aggregate as high as seventy pounds. The banana is exceedingly productive. According to Humboldt, a space of 1,000 feet, which will yield only 38 pounds of wheat, or 462 pounds of potatoes, will produce 4,000 pounds of bananas, and in a much shorter period of time. It is more nutritious than the majority of fruits, and in tropical countries is highly valued as a food, affording in some localities the chief alimentary support of the people. Its great importance as a food product is shown by the fact that three or four good sized bananas are equal in nutritive value to a pound of bread. The amount of albumen contained in a pound of bananas is about the same as that found in a pound of rice, and the total nutritive value of one pound of bananas is only a trifle less than that of an equal quantity of the best beefsteak. The unripe fruit, which contains a considerable percentage of starch, is often dried in the oven and eaten as bread, which, in this state, it considerably resembles in taste and appearance. Thus prepared, it may be kept for a long time, and is very serviceable for use on long journeys. The variety of the banana thus used is, however, a much larger kind than any of those ordinarily found in our Northern markets, and is known as the plantain. The dried plantain, powdered, furnishes a meal of fragrant odor and bland taste, not unlike common wheat flour. It is said to be easy of digestion, and two pounds of the dry meal or six pounds of the fruit is the daily allowance for a laborer in tropical America. THE PINEAPPLE.--This delicious fruit is a native of South America, where it grows wild in the forests. It is cultivated largely in tropical America, the West Indies, and some portions of Europe. The fruit grows singly from the center of a small plant having fifteen or more long, narrow, serrated, ridged, sharp-pointed leaves, seemingly growing from the root. In general appearance it resembles the century plant, though so much smaller that twelve thousand pineapple plants may be grown on one acre. From the fibers of the leaves is made a costly and valuable fabric called _pina_ muslin. Nothing can surpass the rich, delicate flavor of the wild pineapple as found in its native habitat. It is in every way quite equal to the best cultivated variety. The most excellent pineapples are imported from the West Indies, but are seldom found in perfection in out Northern markets. FRESH FRUIT FOR THE TABLE. All fruit for serving should be perfectly ripe and sound. Immature fruit is never wholesome, and owing to the large percentage of water in its composition, fruit is very prone to change; hence over-ripe fruit should not be eaten, as it is liable to ferment and decompose in the digestive tract. Fruit which has begun, however slightly, to decay, should be rejected. Juice circulates through its tissues in much the same manner as the blood circulates through animal tissues, though not so rapidly and freely. The circulation is sufficient, however, to convey to all parts the products of decomposition, when only a small portion has undergone decay, and although serious results do not always follow the use of such fruit, it certainly is not first-class food. If intended to be eaten raw, fruit should be well ripened before gathering, and should be perfectly fresh. Fruit that has stood day after day in a dish upon the table, in a warm room, is far less wholesome and tempting than that brought fresh from the storeroom or cellar. All fruits should be thoroughly cleansed before serving. Such fruit as cherries, grapes, and currants may be best washed by placing in a colander, and dipping in and out of a pan of water until perfectly clean, draining and drying before serving. _DIRECTIONS FOR SERVING FRUITS._ APPLES.--In serving these, the "queen of all fruits," much opportunity is afforded for a display of taste in their arrangement. After wiping clean with a damp towel, they may be piled in a fruit basket, with a few sprigs of green leaves here and there between their rosy cheeks. The feathery tops of carrots and celery are pretty for this purpose. Oranges and apples so arranged, make a highly ornamental dish. Raw mellow sweet apples make a delicious dish when pared, sliced, and served with cream. BANANAS.--Cut the ends from the fruit and serve whole, piled in a basket with oranges, grapes, or plums. Another way is to peel, slice, and serve with thin cream. Bananas are also very nice sliced, sprinkled lightly with sugar, and before it had quite dissolved, covered with orange juice. Sliced bananas, lightly sprinkled with sugar, alternating in layers with sections of oranges, make a most delicious dessert. CHERRIES.--Serve on stems, piled in a basket or high dish, with bits of green leaves and vines between. Rows of different colored cherries, arranged in pyramidal form, make also a handsome dish. CURRANTS.--Large whole clusters may be served on the stem, and when it is possible to obtain both red and white varieties, they make a most attractive dish. Put them into cold water for a little time, cool thoroughly, and drain well before using. Currants, if picked from the stems after being carefully washed and drained, may be served lightly sprinkled with sugar. Currants and raspberries served together, half and half, or one third currants two thirds raspberries, are excellent. Only the ripest of currants should be used. GOOSEBERRIES.--When fresh and ripe, the gooseberry is one of the most delicious of small fruits. Serve with stems on. Drop into cold water for a few moments, drain, and pile in a glass dish for the table. GRAPES.--Grapes need always to be washed before serving. Drop the bunches into ice water, let them remain ten of fifteen minutes, then drain and serve. An attractive dish may be made by arranging bunches of different colored grapes together on a plate edged with grape leaves. MELONS.--Watermelons should be served very cold. After being well washed on the outside, put on ice until needed. Cut off a slice at the ends, that each half may stand upright on a plate, and then cut around in even slices. Instead of cutting through the center into even halves, the melon may be cut in points back and forth around the entire circumference, so that when separated, each half will appear like a crown. Another way is to take out the central portion with a spoon, in cone-shaped pieces, and arrange on a plate with a few bits of ice. Other melons may be served in halves, with the seeds removed. The rough skin of the cantaloupe should be thoroughly scrubbed with a vegetable brush, then rinsed and wiped, after which bury the melon in broken ice till serving time; divide into eighths or sixteenths, remove the seeds, reconstruct the melon, and serve surrounded with ice, on a folded napkin, or arranged on a bed of grape leaves. Do not cool the melon by placing ice upon the flesh, as the moisture injures the delicate flavor. ORANGES.--Serve whole or cut the skin into eighths, halfway down, separating it from the fruit, and curling it inward, thus showing half the orange white and the other half yellow; or cut the skin into eighths, two-thirds down, and after loosening from the fruit, leave them spread open like the petals of a lily. Oranges sliced and mixed with well ripened strawberries, in the proportion of three oranges to a quart of berries, make--a palatable dessert. PEACHES AND PEARS.--Pick out the finest, and wipe the wool from the peaches. Edge a plate with uniform sized leaves of foliage plant of the same tints as the fruit, and pile the fruit artistically upon it, tucking sprays or tips of the plant between. Bits of ice may also be intermingled. Yellow Bartlett pears and rosy-cheeked peaches arranged in this way are most ornamental. PEACHES AND CREAM.--Pare the peaches just as late as practicable, since they become discolored by standing. Always use a silver knife, as steel soon blackens and discolors the fruit. If sugar is to be used, do not add it until the time for serving, as it will start the juice, and likewise turn the fruit brown, destroying much of its rich flavor. Keep on ice until needed for the table. Add cream with each person's dish. PINEAPPLES.--The pineapple when fresh and ripened to perfection, is as mellow and juicy as a ripe peach, and needs no cooking to fit it for the table. Of course it must be pared, and have the eyes and fibrous center removed. Then it may be sliced in generous pieces and piled upon a plate, or cut into smaller portions and served in saucers. No condiments are necessary; even the use of sugar detracts from its delicate flavor. Pineapples found in our Northern markets are, however, generally so hard and tough as to require cooking, or are valuable only for their juice, which may be extracted and used for flavoring other fruits. When sufficiently mellow to be eaten raw, they are usually so tart as to seem to require a light sprinkling of sugar to suit most tastes. Pineapples pared, cut into dice or small pieces, lightly sprinkled with sugar, to which just before serving, a cup of orange juice is added, form a delicious dish. PLUMS.--Plums make a most artistic fruit piece, served whole and arranged with bunches of choice green grapes, in a basket or glass dish. A fine edge may be made from the velvety leaves of dark purple foliage plants. PRESSED FIGS.--Look over carefully, and select only such as are perfectly good. They may be served dry, mixed with bunches of raisins, or steamed over a kettle of boiling water. Steamed figs make an excellent breakfast dish, and are considered much more wholesome then when used dry. Steamed raisins are likewise superior to dried raisins. RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, DEWBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES AND WHORTLEBERRIES, require careful looking over to remove all insects, stems, and over-ripe fruit. Blueberries and whortleberries frequently need to be washed. They are then drained by spreading on a sieve or colander. Perfectly ripe, they are more healthful without condiments; but sugar and cream are usually considered indispensable. If necessary to wash strawberries, they should be put into cold water, a few at a time, pushed down lightly beneath the water several times until entirely clean, then taken out one by one, hulled, and used at once. Like all other small fruits and berries they are more wholesome served without cream, but if cream is used, each person should be allowed to add it to his own dish, as it quickly curdles and renders the whole dish unsightly; if allowed to stand, it also impairs the flavor of the fruit. FROSTED FRUIT.--Prepare a mixture of the beaten white of egg, sugar, and a very little cold water. Dip nice bunches of clean currants, cherries, or grapes into the mixture; drain nearly dry, and roll lightly in powdered sugar. Lay them on white paper to dry. Plums, apricots, and peaches may be dipped in the mixture, gently sprinkled with sugar, then allowed to dry. This method of preparing fruit is not to be commended for its wholesomeness, but it is sometimes desirable for ornament. KEEPING FRESH FRUIT. Of the numerous varieties of fruits grown in this country, apples and pears are about the only ones that can be kept for any length of time without artificial means. As soon as fruit has attained its maturity, a gradual change or breaking down of tissues begins. In some fruits this process follows rapidly; in other it is gradual. There is a certain point at which the fruits are best suited for use. We call it mellowness, and say that the fruit is in "good eating condition." When this stage has been reached, deterioration and rotting soon follow. In some fruits, as the peach, plum, and early varieties of apples and pears, these changes occur within a few days after maturity, and it is quite useless to attempt to keep them; in others, like the later varieties of apples and pears, the changes are slow but none the less certain. To keep such fruits we must endeavor to retard or prolong the process of change, by avoiding all conditions likely to hasten decay. Even with ordinary care, sound fruit will keep for quite a length of time; but it can be preserved in better condition and for a longer period by careful attention to the following practical points:-- 1. If the fruit is of a late variety, allow it to remain on the tree as long as practicable without freezing. 2. Always pick and handle the fruit with the greatest care. 3. Gather the fruit on a dry, cool day, and place in heaps or bins for two or three weeks. 4. Carefully sort and pack in barrels, placing those most mellow and those of different varieties in different barrels; head the barrels, label, and place in a cool, dry place where the temperature will remain equable. Some consider it better to keep fruit in thin layers upon broad shelves in a cool place. This plan allows frequent inspection and removal of all affected fruit without disturbance of the remainder. 5. Warmth and moisture are the conditions most favorable to decomposition, and should be especially guarded against. 6. The best temperature for keeping fruit is about 34° F., or 2° above freezing. Another method which is highly recommended is to sprinkle a layer of sawdust on the bottom of a box, and then put in a layer of apples, not allowing them to tough each other. Upon this pack more sawdust; then another layer of apples, and so on until the box is filled. After packing, place up from the ground, in a cellar or storeroom, and they will keep perfectly, retaining their freshness and flavor until brought out. The _Practical Farmer_ gives the following rough but good way to store and keep apples: "Spread plenty of buckwheat chaff on the barn floor, and on this place the apples, filling the interstices with the chaff. Cover with the chaff and then with straw two or three feet deep. The advantage of this is that covering and bedding in chaff excludes cold, prevents air currents, maintains a uniform temperature, absorbs the moisture of decay, and prevents the decay produced by moisture." The ordinary cellar underneath the dwelling house is too warm and damp for the proper preservation of fruit, and some other place should be provided if possible. A writer in the _American Agriculturist_ thus calls attention to an additional reason why fruit should not be stored beneath living-rooms: "After late apples are stored for the winter, a gradual change begins within the fruit. It absorbs oxygen from the air of the room, and gives off carbonic acid gas. Another change results in the formation of water, which is given off as moisture. The taking up of oxygen by the fruit and the giving off of carbonic acid, in a short time so vitiates the atmosphere of the room in which the fruit is kept, that it will at once extinguish a candle, and destroy animal life. An atmosphere of this kind tends to preserve the fruit. There being little or no oxygen left in the air of the room, the process of decay is arrested. Hence it is desirable that the room be air tight, in order to maintain such an atmosphere." The production of carbonic acid shows that a cellar in or under a dwelling, is an improper place for storing fresh fruit. When the gas is present in the air in sufficient proportion, it causes death, and a very small quantity will cause headache, listlessness, and other unpleasant effects. No doubt many troubles attributed to malaria, are due to gases from vegetables and fruits stored in the cellar. A fruit cellar should be underneath some other building rather than the dwelling, or a fruit house may be built entirely above the ground. A house to keep fruit properly must be built upon the principle of a refrigerator. Its walls, floor, and ceiling should be double, and the space between filled with sawdust. The doors and windows should be double; and as light is undesirable, the windows should be provided with shutters. There should be a small stove for use if needed to keep a proper temperature in severe weather. TO KEEP GRAPES.--Select such bunches as are perfect, rejecting all upon which there are any bruised grapes, or from which a grape has fallen. Spread them upon shelves in a cool place for a week or two. Then pack in boxes in sawdust which has been recently well dried in an oven. Bran which has been dried may also be used. Dry cotton is employed by some. Keep in a cool place. Some consider the following a more efficient method: select perfect bunches, and dip the broken end of the stems in melted paraffine or sealing wax. Wrap separately in tissue paper, hang in a cool place, or pack in sawdust. TO KEEP LEMONS AND ORANGES.--Lemons may be kept fresh for weeks by placing them in a vessel of cold water in a very cool cellar or ice house. Change the water every day. Oranges may be kept in the same way. The usual method employed by growers for keeping these fruits is to wrap each one separately in tissue paper, and put in a cool, dry place. TO KEEP CRANBERRIES.--Put them in water and keep in a cool place where they will not freeze. Change the water often, and sort out berries which may have become spoiled. COOKED FRUIT. Perfectly ripe fruit is, as a rule, more desirable used fresh than in any other way. Fruits which are immature, require cooking. Stewing and baking are the simplest methods of preparation. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR COOKING FRUIT.--The utensils for stewing should be porcelain-lined, or granite ware. Fruit cooked in tin loses much of its delicate flavor; while if it be acid, and the tin of poor quality, there is always danger that the acid of the fruit acting upon the metal will form a poisonous compound. Cover with a china plate or granite-ware cover, never with a tin one, as the steam will condense and run down into the kettle, discoloring the contents. Use only silver knives for preparing the fruit, and silver or wooden spoons for stirring. Prepare just before cooking, if you would preserve the fruit perfect in flavor, and unimpaired by discoloration. In preparing apples, pears, and quinces for stewing, it is better to divide the fruit into halves or quarters before paring. The fruit is more easily handled, can be pared thinner and cored more quickly. Peaches, apricots, and plums, if divided and stoned before paring, can be much more easily kept whole. Cook in a small quantity of boiling water, and if economy is a point to be considered, do not add sugar until the fruit is done. Sugar boiled with an acid will be converted into glucose, two and one half pounds of which only equal one pound of cane sugar in sweetening properties. It will require a much larger amount of sugar to sweeten fruit if added before the cooking process is completed. Fruit should be cooked by stewing, or by gentle simmering; hard boiling will destroy the fine flavor of all fruits, and especially of berries and other small fruits. Cinnamon, cloves, or other spices, should not be added, as their stronger flavors deaden or obliterate the natural flavor, which should always be preserved as perfectly as possible. If desirable to add some foreign flavor, let it be the flavor of another fruit, or the perfume of flowers. For Instance, flavor apple with lemon, pineapple, quince, or rose water. Unripe fruit is improved by making the cooking quite lengthy, which acts in the place of the ripening process, changing the starchy matter to saccharine elements. In cooking fruit, try to preserve its natural form. The more nearly whole it is, the better it looks, and the more natural will be its flavor. Apples are best cooked by baking. Pears and quinces are also excellent baked. The oven should be only moderately hot; if the heat is too great, they brown on the outside before they are done throughout. In cooking fruit by any method, pains should be taken to cook together such as are of the same variety, size, and degree of hardness; if it is to be cut in pieces, care should be taken to have the pieces of uniform size. _RECIPES._ BAKED APPLES.--Moderately tart apples or very juicy sweet ones are best for baking. Select ripe apples, free from imperfections, and of nearly equal size. Wipe carefully and remove the blossom ends. Water sufficient to cover bottom of the baking dish, should be added if the fruit is not very juicy. If the apples are sour and quite firm, a good way is to pare them before baking, and then place them in an earthen pie dish with a little hot water. If they incline to brown too quickly, cover the tops with a granite-ware pie dish. If the syrup dries out, add a little more hot water. When done, set them away till nearly cold, then transfer to a glass dish, pour the syrup, which should be thick and amber colored, over them. Sour apples are excellent pared, cored, and baked with the centers filled with sugar, jelly, or a mixture or chopped raisins and dates. They should be put into a shallow earthen dish with water sufficient to cover the bottom, and baked in a quick oven, basting often with the syrup. Sweet apples are best baked without paring. Baked apples are usually served as a relish, but with a dressing of cream they make a most delicious dessert. CITRON APPLES.--Select a few tart apples of the same degree of hardness, and remove the cores. Unless the skins are very tender, it is better to pare them. Fill the cavities with sugar, first placing in each apple a few bits of chopped citron. If the skins have been removed, place the stuffed apples on a flat earthen dish with a tablespoonful of water on the bottom; cover closely, and bake till perfectly tender, but not till they have fallen to pieces. If the skins are left on, they may be baked without covering. When cold, serve in separate dishes, with or without a spoonful or two of whipped cream on each apple. LEMON APPLES.--Prepare tart apples the same as for citron apples. Fill the cavities made by removing the cores with a mixture of grated lemon and sugar, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over each apple, and bake. Serve with or without whipped cream. BAKED PEARS.--Hard pears make an excellent dessert when baked. Pare, halve, remove seeds, and place in a shallow earthen dish, with a cup of water to each two quarts of fruit. If the pears are sour, a little sugar may be added. Bake, closely covered, in a moderate oven until tender. Serve with sugar and cream. Tart pears are the best for baking, as the sweet varieties are often tasteless. BAKED QUINCES.--Pare and remove the cores. Fill the cavities with sugar, put in a shallow earthen dish, and add water to cover the bottom; bake till soft, basting often with the syrup. If the syrup dries out before the fruit is perfectly tender, add a little more hot water. PIPPINS AND QUINCE.--Pare and quarter nice golden pippins, and cook in boiling water until reduced to a jelly. Add two or three quinces sliced, and simmer slowly in the jelly until the quince is tender. Add sugar to taste. Serve cold. BAKED APPLE SAUCE.--Pare, core, and quarter apples to fill an earthen crock or deep pudding dish, taking care to use apples of the same degree of hardness, and pieces of the same size. For two quarts of fruit thus prepared, add a cup of water, and if the apples are sour, a cup of sugar. Cover closely, and bake in a moderate oven several hours, or until of a dark red color. Sweet apples and quinces in the proportion of two parts of apple to one of quince, baked in this way, are also good. Cut the apples into quarters, but slice the quinces much thinner, as they are more difficult to cook. Put a layer of quince on the bottom of the dish, alternating with a layer of apple, until the dish is full. Add cold water to half cover the fruit, and stew in the oven well covered, without stirring, until tender. Pears may be cooked in a similar way, and both apples and pears thus cooked may be canned while hot and kept for a long period. BAKED APPLE SAUCE NO. 2.--Prepare nice tart apples as for No. 1. Bake, with a small quantity of water, in a covered pudding dish, in a moderate oven, until soft. Mash with a spoon, add sugar, and when cold, a little grated orange rind. APPLES STEWED WHOLE.--Take six large red apples, wash carefully, and put in a fruit kettle with just enough boiling water to cover. Cover the kettle, and cook slowly until the apples are soft, with the skins broken and the juice a rich red color. After removing the apples, boil the juice to a syrup, sweeten, and pour over the apples. STEAMED APPLES.--Select pound sweets of uniform size, wipe, cut out the blossom-ends, and pack in a large pudding dish. Pour in a cupful of water, cover the dish closely, set in a moderate oven, and steam till the apples are tender. Remove from the dish, and pour the liquor over them frequently as they cool. COMPOTE OF APPLES.--Pare and extract the cores from moderately tart, juicy apples. Place them in a deep pudding dish with just enough water to cover them. Cover, place in a moderate oven, and stew until they are tender. Remove the apples and place in a deep dish to keep hot. Measure the juice and pour it into a saucepan, add a few bits of lemon rind, and boil up until thickened almost like a jelly. While the juice is boiling, heat some sugar, one tablespoonful to each cup of juice, in the oven, and add to the juice when thickened. Pour scalding hot over the apples, and cover until cold. APPLE COMPOTE NO. 2.--Pare eight or ten rather tart, finely flavored and easy-cooking apples, carefully removing the cores, and put them into a broad, shallow, granite-ware saucepan with just enough hot water to cover the bottom. Cover tightly and place over the fire. The steam will cook the apples tender in a short time. Do not allow them to fall to pieces. Make a syrup by dissolving one cup of sugar in a pint of hot water. Add three teaspoonfuls of the juice of canned pineapple, and pour over the apples while both are hot. STEWED PEARS.--Select some fine Bartlett pears which are ripe, but have hardly begun to soften; remove the skins, cut in halves or quarters, and take out the seeds. Put loosely in a granite-ware kettle, and add a pint of water for three and a half quarts of fruit. Cover closely, and when it begins to boil, set it where it will just simmer until the top pieces are tender. Serve cold. Sugar will not be necessary if the fruit is of good quality. SMOOTH APPLE SAUCE.--If fruit is not sufficiently perfect to be cut into uniform quarters, a good way to prepare it is to pare, core, and slice into thin slices. Cook in as small a quantity of water as possible, the fruit covered closely, so that the top portion will steam tender as soon as the bottom, and when done rub through a colander, or beat smooth with a wooden spoon or an egg beater. Let it cool before adding sugar. A little lemon peel may be added to the fruit just long enough before it is done to flavor it, if desired. BOILED APPLES WITH SYRUP.--Halve and remove the cores of a half dozen nice apples, leaving the skins on. Boil till tender in sufficient water to cover them. Take out with a fork into a glass dish. Add to the juice three or four slices of a large lemon; boil for ten or fifteen minutes; sweeten to taste; then pour over the apples, and cool. STEWED APPLES.--Select fine fruit of a sub-acid flavor and not over-ripe. Pare, remove the cores and all blemishes, and divide into sixths if large, into quarters if small. Put into a porcelain or granite-ware kettle with enough boiling water to cook and leave a good liquor. Cover, and simmer gently, without stirring, from one to two hours. Do not add sugar till cold. Be careful not to break the fruit in serving. STEWED CRAB APPLES.--Select perfect fruit. Wash and stew in but little water until they are very soft. Rub through a coarse sieve or colander to remove the seeds and skins. Sweeten to taste. SWEET APPLE SAUCE WITH CONDENSED APPLE JUICE.--For the juice, wash, divide, and core rather tart apples and cook until softened with one cup of water for every six pounds of fruit. When soft, put into a percolater and drain off the juice or extract it with a fruit press. Boil until it is reduced one half. Skim if needed while boiling, and if not perfectly clear allow it to settle before using. A considerable quantity of the juice may be thus prepared and put into stone jars, to be used as needed. For the sauce, pare, core, and quarter sweet apples. Put into a porcelain kettle with enough of the condensed juice to cover. Cook slowly until tender. APPLES WITH RAISINS.--Pare, core, and quarter a dozen or more medium sized sour apples. Clean thoroughly one fourth as many raisins as apples, and turn over them a quart of boiling water. Let them steep until well swollen, then add the apples, and cook until tender. Sugar to sweeten may be added if desired, although little will be needed unless the apples are very tart. Dried apples soaked over night may be made much more palatable by stewing with raisins or English currants, in the same way. APPLES WITH APRICOTS.--Pare, core, and quarter some nice, sour apples. Put them to cook with two halves of dried apricot for each apple. When tender, make smooth by beating or rubbing through a colander, and sweeten. Dried apples may be used in place of fresh ones. PEACHES, PLUMS, CHERRIES, BERRIES, and all small fruits may be cooked for sauce by stewing in a small amount of water, adding sugar to sweeten when done. BAKED APPLES.--Take any good tart apples; peel, cut in halves, and remove the cores. Scatter a few spoonfuls of sugar in the bottom of a dish, and lay the apples in, flat side down; add a teacupful of cold water, and bake till tender. Let stand in the dish till cold, then take up the pieces in a vegetable dish, and poor over them what juice remains. Sweet apples are good baked in this way without sugar. BAKED PEARS.--Peel ripe pears; cut in halves, and pack in layers in a stone ware jar. Strew a little sugar over each layer, and add a small cupful of water, to prevent burning. Cover tightly, and bake three or four hours in a well-heated oven. Let them get very cold, and serve with sweet cream. BAKED PEACHES.--Peaches which are ripe but too hard for eating, are nice baked. Pare, remove the stones, and place in loose layers in a shallow, earthen pudding dish with a little water. Sprinkle each layer lightly with sugar, cover and bake. CRANBERRIES.--Cranberries make an excellent sauce, but the skins are rather hard of digestion, and it is best to exclude them. Stew in the proportion of a quart of berries to a pint of water, simmering gently until the skins have all burst, and the quantity is reduced to a pint. Put through a colander to remove the skins, and when nearly cool, add for the quart of berries two thirds of a cup of sugar. CRANBERRIES WITH RAISINS.--Cook the cranberries as in the preceding recipe, and when rubbed through the colander, add for every pound of cranberries before cooking, one fourth pound of raisins which have been steeped for half an hour in just sufficient boiling water to cover. A little less sugar will be needed to sweeten than when served without the raisins. CRANBERRIES AND SWEET APPLES.--Stew equal parts of cranberries and sweet apples together. Mash, rub through a fine sieve or colander to remove the skins and make the whole homogeneous. This makes a very palatable sauce without the addition of sugar. California prunes and cranberries stewed together in equal proportion, in a small quantity of water, also make a nice sauce without sugar. ORANGES AND APPLES.--The mild, easy cooking, tart varieties of apples make an excellent sauce stewed with one third sliced oranges from which the seeds have been removed. Pare, core, and slice the apples, and cook gently so as to preserve the form of both fruits until the apples are tender. Add sugar to sweeten, and if desired a very little of the grated yellow of the orange rind. STEWED RAISINS.--Soak a pint of good raisins, cleaned and freed from stems, in cold water for several hours. When ready to cook, put them, with the water in which they were soaked, in a fruit kettle and simmer until the skins are tender. Three or four good-sized figs, chopped quite fine, cooked with the raisins, gives an additional richness and thickness of juice. No sugar will be needed. DRIED APPLES.--Good apples properly dried make a very palatable sauce; but unfortunately the fruit generally selected for drying is of so inferior a quality that if cooked in its fresh state it would not be good. The dried fruit in most of our markets needs to be looked over carefully, and thoroughly washed before using. Put into a granite-ware kettle, cover with boiling water, and cook gently until tender. Fresh steam-dried or evaporated apples will cook in from one half to three fourths of an hour; if older, they may require from one to two more hours. Add boiling water, as needed, during the cooking. If when tender they are lacking in juice, add a little boiling water long enough before lifting from the fire to allow it to boil up once. If the fruit is very poor, a few very thin slices of the yellow portion of lemon or orange rind added a half hour before it is done, will sometimes be an improvement. DRIED APPLES WITH OTHER DRIED FRUIT.--An excellent sauce may be made by cooking a few dried plums with dried or evaporated apples. Only enough of the plums to give a flavor to the apples will be needed; a handful of the former to a pound of apples will be sufficient. Dried cherries, raisins, English currants, dried apricots, prunelles, and peaches are also excellent used in combination with dried apples. DRIED APRICOTS AND PEACHES.--These fruits, if dried with the skins on, need, in addition to the preparation for cooking recommended for dried apples, a thorough rubbing with the fingers, while being washed, to remove the down. Put into boiling water in about the proportion of two parts of fruit to three of water. If the fruit was pared before drying, a little more water will be required. Cook quickly, but gently, until just tender, and take from the fire as soon as done. If too soft, they will be mushy and insipid. EVAPORATED PEACH SAUCE.--Soak the peaches over night in just enough water to cover. In the morning put to cook in boiling water. When tender, sweeten and beat perfectly smooth with an egg beater. DRIED PEARS.--These may be treated in the same way as dried apples. SMALL FRUITS.--These when dried must be carefully examined, thoroughly washed, and then cooked rather quickly in boiling water. They swell but little, do not require much water, and usually cook in a few minutes. They should be taken from the fire as soon as soft, as long standing makes them insipid. PRUNES.--Use only the best selected prunes. Clean by putting them into warm water; let them stand a few minutes, rubbing them gently between the hands to make sure that all dust and dirt is removed; rinse, and if rather dry and hard, put them into three parts of water to one of prunes; cover closely, and let them simmer for several hours. If the prunes are quite easily cooked, less water may be used. They will be tender, with a thick juice. The sweet varieties need no sugar whatever. Many persons who cannot eat fruit cooked with sugar, can safely partake of sweet prunes cooked in this way. A slice of lemon added just before the prunes are done, is thought an improvement. PRUNE MARMALADE.--Cook sweet California prunes as directed above. When well done, rub through a colander to remove the skins and stones. No sugar is necessary. If the pulp is too thin when cold, it may be covered in an earthen pudding dish and stewed down by placing in a pan of hot water in a moderate oven. THE PRESERVATION OF FRUIT. Fresh fruit is so desirable, while at the same time the season during which most varieties can be obtained is so transient, that various methods are resorted to for preserving it in as nearly a natural state as possible. The old-fashioned plans of pickling in salt, alcohol, or vinegar, or preserving in equal quantities of sugar, are eminently unhygienic. Quite as much to be condemned is the more modern process of keeping fruit by adding to it some preserving agent, like salicylic acid or other chemicals. Salicylic acid is an antiseptic, and like many other substances, such as carbolic acid, creosote, etc., has the power of preventing the decay of organic substances. Salicylic acid holds the preference over other drugs of this class, because it imparts no unpleasant flavor to the fruit. It is nevertheless a powerful and irritating drug, and when taken, even in small doses, produces intense burning in the stomach, and occasions serious disturbances of the heart and other organs. Its habitual use produces grave diseases. What is sold as antifermentive is simply the well-known antiseptic, salicylate of soda. It should be self-evident to one at all acquainted with the philosophy of animal existence, that an agent which will prevent fermentation and decay must be sufficiently powerful in its influence to prevent digestion also. The fermentation and decay of fruits as well as that of all other organic substances, is occasioned by the action of those minute living organisms which scientists call germs, and which are everywhere present. These germs are very much less active in a dry, cold atmosphere, and fruit may be preserved for quite a long period by refrigeration, an arrangement whereby the external air is excluded, and the surrounding atmosphere kept at an equal temperature of about 40° F. The most efficient and wholesome method of preserving fruit, however, is destruction of the germs and entire exclusion from the air. The germs are destroyed at a boiling temperature; hence, if fruit be heated to boiling, and when in this condition sealed in air-tight receptacles, it will keep for an unlimited period. CANNING FRUIT. Canning consists in sealing in air-tight cans or jars, fruit which has been previously boiled. It is a very simple process, but requires a thorough understanding of the scientific principles involved, and careful management, to make it successful. The result of painstaking effort is so satisfactory, however, it is well worth all the trouble, and fruit canning need not be a difficult matter if attention is given to the following details:-- Select self-sealing glass cans of some good variety. Tin cans give more trouble filling and sealing, are liable to affect the flavor of the fruit, and unless manufactured from the best of material, to impair its wholesomeness. Glass cans may be used more than once, and are thus much more economical. Those with glass covers, or porcelain-lined covers, are best. Test the cans to see if they are perfect, with good rubbers and covers that fit closely, by partly filling them with cold water, screwing on the tops, and placing bottom upward upon the table for some time before using. If none of the water leaks out, they may be considered in good condition. If the cans have been previously used, examine them with special care to see that both cans and covers have been carefully cleaned, then thoroughly sterilize them, and fit with new rubbers when necessary. Cans and covers should be sterilized by boiling in water for half an hour, or by baking in an oven, at a temperature sufficient to scorch paper, for two hours. The cans should be placed in the water or oven when cold, and the temperature allowed to rise gradually, to avoid breaking. They should be allowed to cool gradually, for the same purpose. Select only the best of fruit, such as is perfect in flavor and neither green nor over-ripe. Fruit which has been shipped from a distance, and which is consequently not perfectly fresh, contains germs in active growth, and if the least bit musty, it will be almost sure to spoil, even though the greatest care may be taken in canning. Poor fruit will not be improved by canning; over-ripe fruit will be insipid and mushy; and though cooking will soften hard fruit, it cannot impart to it the delicate flavors which belong to that which is in its prime. The larger varieties of fruit should not be quite soft enough for eating. Choose a dry day for gathering, and put up at once, handling as little as possible. Try to keep it clean enough to avoid washing. If the fruit is to be pared, use a silver knife for the purpose, as steel is apt to discolor the fruit. If the fruit is one needing to be divided or stoned, it will be less likely to become broken if divided before paring. Cook the fruit slowly in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware kettle, using as little water as possible. It is better to cook only small quantities at a time in one kettle. Steaming in the cans is preferable to stewing, where the fruit is at all soft. To do this, carefully fill the cans with fresh fruit, packing it quite closely, if the fruit is large, and set the cans in a boiler partly filled with cold water, with something underneath them to prevent breaking,--muffin rings, straw, or thick cloth, or anything to keep them from resting on the bottom of the boiler (a rack made by nailing together strips of lath is very convenient); screw the covers on the cans so the water cannot boil into them, but not so tightly as to prevent the escape of steam; heat the water to boiling, and steam the fruit until tender. Peaches, pears, crab apples, etc., to be canned with a syrup, may be advantageously cooked by placing on a napkin dropped into the boiling syrup. Fruit for canning should be so thoroughly cooked that every portion of it will have been subjected to a sufficient degree of heat to destroy all germs within the fruit, but overcooking should be avoided. The length of time required for cooking fruits for canning, varies with the kind and quality of fruit and the manner of cooking. Fruit is more frequently spoiled by being cooked an insufficient length of time, than by overcooking. Prolonged cooking at a boiling temperature is necessary for the destruction of certain kinds of germs capable of inducing fermentation. Fifteen minutes may be considered as the shortest time for which even the most delicate fruits should be subjected to the temperature of boiling water, and thirty minutes will be required by most fruits. Fruits which are not perfectly fresh, or which have been shipped some distance, should be cooked not less than thirty minutes. The boiling should be very slow, however, as hard, rapid boiling will break up the fruit, and much of its fine flavor will be lost in the steam. Cooking the sugar with the fruit at the time of canning, is not to be recommended from an economical standpoint; but fruit thus prepared is more likely to keep well than when cooked without sugar; not, however, because of the preservative influence of the sugar, which is too small in amount to prevent the action of germs, as in the case of preserves, but because the addition of sugar to the water or fruit juice increases its specific gravity, and thus raises the boiling point. From experiments made, I have found that the temperature of the fruit is ordinarily raised about 5° by the addition of the amount of sugar needed for sweetening sub-acid fruit. By the aid of this additional degree of heat, the germs are more certainly destroyed, and the sterilization of the fruit will be accomplished in a shorter time. Another advantage gained in cooking sugar with the fruit at the time of canning, is that the fruit may be cooked for a longer time without destroying its form, as the sugar abstracts the juice of the fruit, and thus slightly hardens it and prevents its falling in pieces. The temperature to which the fruit is subjected may also be increased by the same method as that elsewhere described for sterilizing milk, the covers of the cans being screwed down tightly before they are placed in the sterilizer, or as soon as the boiling point is approached, so that the steam issues freely from the can. See page 396. If this method is employed, it must be remembered that the cans should not be removed from the sterilizer until after they have become cold, or nearly so, by being allowed to stand over night. Use the best sugar, two tablespoonfuls to a quart of fruit is sufficient for most sub-acid fruits, as berries and peaches; plums, cherries, strawberries, and currants require from five to eight tablespoonfuls of sugar to a quart. Have the sugar hot, by spreading it on tins and heating in the oven, stirring occasionally. See that; it does not scorch. Add it when the fruit is boiling. Pears, peaches, apples, etc., which contain a much smaller quantity of juice than do berries, may be canned in a syrup prepared by dissolving a cup of sugar in two or three cups of water. Perfect fruit, properly canned, will keep without sugar, and the natural 'flavor of the fruit is more perfectly retained when the sugar is left out, adding the necessary amount when opened for use. If the fruit is to be cooked previous to being put in the cans, the cans should be heated before the introduction of the fruit, which should be put in at a boiling temperature. Various methods are employed for this purpose. Some wrap the can in a towel wrung out of hot water, keeping a silver spoon inside while it is being filled; others employ dry heat by keeping the cans in a moderately hot oven while the fruit is cooking. Another and surer way is to fill a large dishpan nearly full of scalding (not boiling) water, then gradually introduce each can, previously baked, into the water, dip it full of water, and set it right side up in the pan. Repeat the process with other cans until four or five are ready. Put the covers likewise into boiling water. Have in readiness for use a granite-ware funnel and dipper, also in boiling water; a cloth for wiping the outside of the cans, a silver fork or spoon, a dish for emptyings, and a broad shallow pan on one side of the range, half filled with boiling water, in which to set the cans while being filled. When everything is in readiness, the fruit properly cooked, and _at a boiling temperature,_ turn one of the cans down in the water, roll it over once or twice, empty it, and set in the shallow pan of hot water; adjust the funnel, and then place first in the can a quantity of juice, so that when the fruit is put in, no vacant places will be left for air, which is sometimes quite troublesome if this precaution is not taken; then add the fruit. If any bubbles of air chance to be left, work them out with a fork or spoon handle, which first dip in boiling water, and then quickly introduce down the sides of the jar and through the fruit in such a way that not a bubble will remain. Fill the can to overflowing, remembering that any vacuum invites the air to enter; use boiling water or syrup when there is not enough juice. Skim all froth from the fruit, adding more juice if necessary; wipe the juice from the top of the can, adjust the rubber, put on the top, and screw it down as quickly as possible. If the fruit is cooked in the cans, as soon as it is sufficiently heated, fill the can completely full with boiling juice, syrup, or water; run the handle of a silver spoon around the inside of the can, to make sure the juice entirely surrounds every portion of fruit, and that no spaces for air remain, put on the rubbers, wipe off all juice, and seal quickly. [Illustration: Canning Utensils.] As the fruit cools, the cover can be tightened, and this should be promptly done again and again as the glass contracts, so that no air may be allowed to enter. If convenient to fill the cans directly from the stove, the fruit may be kept at boiling heat by placing the kettle on a lamp stove on the table, on which the other utensils are in readiness. Many failures in fruit canning are due to neglect to have the fruit boiling hot when put into the cans. When the cans are filled, set them away from currents of air, and not on a very cold surface, to avoid danger of cracking. A good way is to set the cans on a wet towel, and cover with a woolen cloth as a protection from draughts. After the cans have cooled, and the tops have been screwed down tightly, place them in a cool place, bottom upward, and watch closely for a few days. If the juice begins to leak out, or any appearance of fermentation is seen, it is a sign that the work has failed, and the only thing to do is to open the can immediately, boil the fruit, and use as quickly as possible; recanning will not save it unless boiled a long time. If no signs of spoiling are observed within two or three weeks, the fruit may be safely stored away in a dark, cool place. If one has no dark storeroom, it is an advantage to wrap each can in brown paper, to keep out the light. Sometimes the fruit will settle so that a little space appears at the top. If you are perfectly sure that the can is tight, do not open to refill, as you will be unable to make it quite as tight again, unless you reheat the fruit, in which case you would be liable to have the same thing occur again. Air is dangerous because it is likely to contain germs, though in itself harmless. If mold is observed upon the top of a can, it should be opened, and the fruit boiled and used at once, after carefully skimming out all the moldy portions. If there is evidence of fermentation, the fruit should be thrown away, as it contains alcohol. If care be taken to provide good cans, thoroughly sterilized, and with perfectly fitting covers; to use only fruit in good condition; to have it thoroughly cooked, and at boiling temperature when put into the can; to have the cans well baked and heated, filled completely and to overflowing, and sealed at once while the fruit is still near boiling temperature, there will be little likelihood of failure. OPENING CANNED FRUIT.--Canned fruit is best opened a short time before needed, that is may be will aërated; and if it has been canned without sugar, it should have the necessary quantity added, so that it may be well dissolved before using. Fruit purchased in tin cans should be selected with the utmost care, since unscrupulous dealers sometimes use cans which render the fruit wholly--unfit for food. The following rules which we quote from a popular scientific journal should be 'carefully observed in selecting canned fruit:-- "Reject every can that does not have the name of the manufacturer or firm upon it, as well as the name of the company and the town where manufactured. All 'Standards' have this. When the wholesale dealer is ashamed to have his name on the goods, be shy of him. "Reject every article of canned goods which does not show the line of resin around the edge of the solder of the cap, the same as is seen on the seam at the side of the can. "Press up the bottom of the can; if decomposition is beginning, the tin will rattle the same as the bottom of your sewing-machine oil can does. If the goods are sound, it will be solid, and there will be no rattle to the tin. "Reject every can that show any rust around the cap on the inside of the head of the can. Old and battered cans should be rejected; as, if they have been used several times, the contents are liable to contain small amounts of tin or lead" _RECIPES._ TO CAN STRAWBERRIES.--These are generally considered more difficult to can than most other berries. Use none but sound fruit, and put up the day they are picked, if possible. Heat the fruit slowly to the boiling point, and cook fifteen minutes or longer, adding the sugar hot, if any be used, after the fruit is boiling. Strawberries, while cooking, have a tendency to rise to the top, and unless they are kept poshed down, will not be cooked uniformly, which is doubtless one reason they sometimes fail to keep well. The froth should also be kept skimmed off. Fill the cans as directed on page 197, taking special care to let out every air bubble, and to remove every particle of froth from the top of the can before sealing. If the berries are of good size, the may be cooked in the cans, adding a boiling syrup prepared with one cup of water and one of sugar for each quart can of fruit. If after the cans are cold, the fruit rises to the top, as it frequently does, take the cans and gently shake until the fruit is well saturated with the juice and falls by its own weight to the bottom, or low enough to be entirely covered with the liquid. TO CAN RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, AND OTHER SMALL FRUITS.--Select none but good, sound berries; those freshly picked are best; reject any green, over-ripe, mashed, or worm-eaten fruit. If necessary to wash the berries, do so by putting a quart at a time in a colander, and dipping the dish carefully into a pan of clean water, letting it stand for a moment. If the water is very dirty, repeat the process in a second water. Drain thoroughly, and if to be cooked previous to putting in the cans, put into a porcelain kettle with a very small quantity of water, and heat slowly to boiling. If sugar is to be used, have it hot, but do not add it until the fruit is boiling; and before doing so, if there is much juice, dip out the surplus, and leave the berries with only a small quantity, as the sugar will have a tendency to draw out more juice, thus furnishing plenty for syrup. Raspberries are so juicy that they need scarcely more than a pint of water to two quarts of fruit. The fruit may be steamed in the cans if preferred. When thoroughly scalded, if sugar is to be used, fill the can with a boiling syrup made by dissolving the requisite amount of sugar in water; if to be canned without sugar, fill up the can with boiling water or juice. Seal the fruit according to directions previously given. TO CAN GOOSEBERRIES.--Select such as are smooth and turning red, but not fully ripe; wash and remove the stems and blossom ends. For three quarts of fruit allow one quart of water. Heat slowly to boiling; cook fifteen minutes, add a cupful of sugar which has been heated dry in the oven: boil two or three minutes longer, and can. TO CAN PEACHES.--Select fruit which is perfectly ripe and sound, but not much softened. Free-stone peaches are the best. Put a few at a time in a wire basket, and dip into boiling water for a moment, and then into cold water, to cool fruit sufficiently to handle with comfort. The skins may then be rubbed or peeled off easily, if done quickly, and the fruit divided into halves; or wipe with a clean cloth to remove all dirt and the wool, and with a silver knife cut in halves, remove the stone, and then pare each piece, dropping into cold water at once to prevent discoloration. Peaches cut before being pared are less likely to break in pieces while removing the stones. When ready, pour a cupful of water in the bottom of the kettle, and fill with peaches, scattering sugar among the layers in the proportion of a heaping tablespoonful to a quart of fruit. Heat slowly, boil fifteen minutes or longer till a silver fork can be easily passed through the pieces; can in the usual way and seal; or, fill the cans with the halved peaches, and place them in a boiler of warm water with something underneath to avoid breaking; cook until perfectly tender. Have ready a boiling syrup prepared with one half cup of sugar and two cups of water, and pour into each can all that it will hold, remove air bubbles, cover and seal. A few of the pits may be cooked in the syrup, and removed before adding to the fruit, when their special flavor is desired. ANOTHER METHOD.--After paring and halving the fruit, lay a clean napkin in the bottom of a steamer; fill with fruit. Steam until a fork will easily penetrate the pieces. Have ready a boiling syrup prepared as directed above, put a few spoonfuls in the bottom of the hot cans, and dip each piece of fruit gently in the hot syrup; then as carefully place it in the jars. Fill with the syrup, and finish in the usual way. Peaches canned without sugar, retain more nearly their natural flavor. To prepare in this way, allow one half pint of water to each pound of fruit. Cook slowly until tender, and can in the usual manner. When wanted for the table, open an hour before needed, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. TO CAN PEARS.--The pears should be perfectly ripened, but not soft. Pare with a silver knife, halve or quarter, remove the seeds and drop into a pan of cold water to prevent discoloration. Prepare a syrup, allowing a cup of sugar and a quart of water to each two quarts of fruit. When the syrup boils, put the pears into it very carefully, so as not to bruise or break them, and cook until they look clear and can be easily pierced with a fork. Have the cans heated, and put in first a little of the syrup, then pack in the pears very carefully; fill to overflowing with the scalding syrup, and finish as previously directed. The tougher and harder varieties of pears must be cooked till nearly tender in hot water, or steamed over a kettle of boiling water, before adding to the syrup, and may then be finished as above. If it is desirable to keep the pears whole, cook only those of a uniform size together; or if of assorted sizes, put the larger ones into the syrup a few minutes before the smaller ones. Some prefer boiling the kins of the pears in the water of which the syrup is to be made, and skimming them out before putting in the sugar. This is thought to impart a finer flavor. Pears which are very sweet, or nearly tasteless, may be improved by using the juice of a large lemon for each quart of syrup. Pears may be cooked in the cans, if preferred. TO CAN PLUMS.--Green Gages and Damsons are best for canning. Wipe clean with a soft cloth. Allow a half cup of water and the same of sugar to every three quarts of fruit, in preparing a syrup. Pick each plum with a silver fork to prevent it from bursting, and while the syrup is heating, turn in the fruit, and boil until thoroughly done. Dip carefully into hot jars, fill with syrup, and cover immediately. TO CAN CHERRIES.--These may be put up whole in the same way as plums, or pitted and treated as directed for berries, allowing about two quarts of water and a scant pint of sugar to five quarts of solid fruit, for the tart varieties, and not quite half as much sugar for the sweeter ones. TO CAN MIXED FRUIT.--There are some fruits with so little flavor that when cooked they are apt to taste insipid, and are much improved by canning with some acid or strongly flavored fruits. Blackberries put up with equal quantities of blue or red plums, or in the proportion of one to three of the sour fruit, are much better than either of these fruits canned separately. Black caps are much better if canned with currants, in the proportion of one part currants to four of black caps. Red and black raspberries, cherries and raspberries, are also excellent combinations. QUINCES WITH APPLES.--Pare and cut an equal quantity of firm sweet apples and quinces. First stew the quinces till they are tender in sufficient water to cover. Take them out, and cook the apples in the same water. Lay the apples and quinces in alternate layers in a porcelain kettle or crock. Have ready a hot syrup made with one part sugar to two and a half parts water, pour over the fruit, and let it stand all night. The next day reheat to boiling, and can. Quinces and sweet apples may be canned in the same way as directed below for plums and sweet apples, using equal parts of apples and quinces, and adding sugar when opened. PLUMS WITH SWEET APPLES.--Prepare the plums, and stew in water enough to cover. When tender, skim out, add to the juice an equal quantity of quartered sweet apples, and stew until nearly tender. Add the plumbs again, boil together for a few minutes, and can. When wanted for the table, open, sprinkle with sugar if any seems needed, let stand awhile and serve. TO CAN GRAPES.--Grapes have so many seeds that they do not form a very palatable sauce when canned entire. Pick carefully from the stems, wash in a colander the same as directed for berries, and drain. Remove the skins, dropping them into one earthen crock and the pulp into another. Place both crocks in kettles of hot water over the stove, and heat slowly, stirring the pulp occasionally until the seeds will come out clean. Then rub the pulp through a colander, add the skins to it, and a cupful of sugar for each quart of pulp. Return to the fire, boil twenty minutes until the skins are tender, and can; or, if preferred, the whole grapes may be heated, and when well scalded so that the seeds are loosened, pressed through a colander, thus rejecting both seeds and skins, boiled, then sweetened if desired, and canned. TO CAN CRAB APPLES.--These may be cooked whole, and canned the same way as plums. TO CAN APPLES.--Prepare and can the same as pears, when fresh and fine in flavor. If old and rather tasteless, the following is a good way:--several thin slices of the yellow part of the rind, four cups of sugar, and three pints of boiling water. Pare and quarter the apples, or if small, only halve them, and cook gently in a broad-bottomed closely-covered saucepan, with as little water as possible, till tender, but not broken; then pour the syrup over them, heat all to boiling, and can at once. The apples may be cooked by steaming over a kettle of hot water, if preferred. Care must be taken to cook those of the same degree of hardness together. The slices of lemon rind should be removed from the syrup before using. TO CAN PINEAPPLES.--The writer has had no experience in canning this fruit, but the following method is given on good authority: Pare very carefully with a silver knife, remove all the "eyes" and black specks; then cut the sections in which the "eyes" were, in solid pieces clear down to the core. By doing this all the valuable part of the fruit is saved, leaving its hard, woody center. As, however, this contains considerable juice, it should be taken in the hands and wrung as one wrings a cloth, till the juice is extracted, then thrown away. Prepare a syrup with one part sugar and two parts water, using what juice has been obtained in place of so much water. Let it boil up, skim clean, then add the fruit. Boil just as little as possible and have the fruit tender, as pineapples loses its flavor by overcooking more readily than any other fruit. Put into hot cans, and seal. FRUIT JELLIES. The excess of sugar commonly employed in preparing jellies often renders them the least wholesome of fruit preparations, and we cannot recommend our readers to spend a great amount of time in putting up a large stock of such articles. The juice of some fruits taken at the right stage of maturity may be evaporated to a jelly without sugar, but the process is a more lengthy one, and requires a much larger quantity of juice than when sugar is used. Success in the preparation of fruit jellies depends chiefly upon the amount of pectose contained in the fruit. Such fruits as peaches, cherries, and others containing but a small proportion of pectose, cannot be made into a firm jelly. All fruit for jelly should, if possible, be freshly picked, and before it is over-ripe, as it has then a much better flavor. The pectose, the jelly-producing element, deteriorates with age, so that jelly made from over-ripe fruit is less certain to "form." If the fruit is under-ripe, it will be too acid to give a pleasant flavor. Examine carefully, as for canning, rejecting all wormy, knotty, unripe, or partially decayed fruit. If necessary to wash, drain very thoroughly. Apples, quinces, and similar fruits may require to be first cooked in a small amount of water. The juice of berries, currants, and grapes, may be best extracted by putting the fruit in a granite-ware double boiler, or a covered earthen crock placed inside a kettle of boiling water, mashing as much as possible with a spoon, and steaming without the addition of water until the fruit is well scalded and broken. For straining the juice, have a funnel-shaped bag made of coarse flannel or strong, coarse linen crash. The bag will be found more handy if a small hoop of wire is sewn around the top and two tapes attached to hang it by while the hot juice is draining, or a wooden frame to support the bag may be easily constructed like the one shown on page 74. A dish to receive the juice should be placed underneath the bag, which should first be wrung out of hot water, and the scalded fruit, a small quantity at a time, turned in; then with two large spoons press the sides of the bag well, moving the fruit around in the bag to get out all the juice, and removing the pressed pulp and skins each time before putting in a fresh supply of the hot fruit. If a very clear jelly is desired, the juice must be allowed to drain out without pressing or squeezing. The juice of berries, grapes, and currants may be extracted without the fruit being first scalded, if preferred, by putting the fruit into an earthen or granite-ware dish, and mashing well with a wooden potato masher, then putting into a jelly bag and allowing the juice to drain off for several hours. When strained, if the jelly is to be prepared with sugar, measure the juice and pour it into a granite or porcelain fruit kettle with a very broad bottom, so that as much surface can be on the stove possible. It is better to boil the juice in quantities of not more than two or three quarts at a time, unless one has some utensil in which a larger quantity can be cooked with no greater depth of liquid than the above quantity would give in a common fruit kettle. The purpose of the boiling is to evaporate the water from the juice, and this can best be accomplished before the sugar is added. The sugar, if boiled with the juice, also darkens the jelly. The average length of time required for boiling the juice of most berries, currants, and grapes, extracted as previously directed, before adding the sugar, is twenty minutes from the time it begins to bubble all over its surface. It is well to test the jelly occasionally, however, by dropping a small quantity on a plate to cool, since the quantity of juice and the rapidity with which it is boiled, may necessitate some variation in time. In wet season, fruits of all kinds absorb more moisture and a little longer boiling may be necessary. The same is true of the juice of fruits gathered after a heavy rain. Jellies prepared with sugar are generally made of equal measures of juice, measured before boiling, and sugar; but a very scant measure of sugar is sufficient, and a less amount will suffice for many fruits. White granulated sugar is best for all jellies. While the juice is heating, spread the sugar evenly on shallow tins, and heat in the oven, stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching. If portions melt, no great harm will be done, as the melted portions will form in lumps when turned into the juice, and can be removed with a spoon. When the juice has boiled twenty minutes, turn in the sugar, which should be so hot that the hand cannot be borne in it with comfort, stirring rapidly until it is all dissolved. Let the syrup boil again for three or four minutes, then take immediately from the fire. Heat the jelly glasses (those with glass covers are best), by rolling in hot water, and place them in a shallow pan partially filled with hot water, or stand them on a wet, folded towel while filling. If it is desired to have the jelly exceptionally clear and nice, it may be turned through a bag of cheese cloth, previously wrung out of hot water, into the jelly glasses. If the covers of the glasses are not tight fitting, a piece of firm paper should be fitted over the top before putting on the cover, to make it air tight. Pint self-sealing fruit cans are excellent for storing jelly, and if it is sealed in them in the same manner as canned fruit, will keep perfectly, and obviate any supposed necessity for the use of brandied paper as a preservative measure. Label each variety, and keep in some cool, dry place. If the jelly is not sufficiently firm when first made, set the glasses in the sunshine for several days, until the jelly becomes more firm. This is better than reheating and boiling again, as it destroys less of the flavor of the fruit. _RECIPES._ APPLE JELLY.--Cut nice tart apples in quarters, but unless wormy, do not peel or core. Put into a porcelain kettle with a cup of water for each six pounds of fruit, and simmer very slowly until the apples are thoroughly cooked. Turn into a jelly-bag, and drain off the juice. If very tart, allow three fourths of a pound of sugar to each pint of juice. If sub-acid, one half pound will be sufficient. Put the sugar into the oven to heat. Clean the kettle, and boil the juice therein twenty minutes after it begins to boil thoroughly. Add the sugar, stirring until well dissolved, let it boil up once again, and remove from the fire. The juice of one lemon may be used with the apples, and a few bits of lemon rind, the yellow portion only, cooked with them to give them a flavor, if liked. One third cranberry juice makes a pleasing combination. APPLE JELLY WITHOUT SUGAR.--Select juicy, white fleshed, sub-acid fruit, perfectly sound and mature but not mellow. The snow apple is one of the best varieties for this purpose. Wash well, slice, and core without removing the skins, and cook as directed in the preceding recipe. Drain off the juice, and if a very clear jelly is desired, filter it through a piece of cheese cloth previously wrung out of hot water. Boil the juice,--rapidly at first, but more gently as it becomes thickened,--until of the desired consistency. The time required will vary with the quantity of juice, the shallowness of the dish in which it is boiled, and the heat employed. One hour at least, will be required for one or two quarts of juice. When the juice has become considerably evaporated, test it frequently by dipping a few drops on a plate to cool; and when it jellies sufficiently, remove at once from the fire. A much larger quantity of juice will be needed for jelly prepared in this manner than when sugar is used, about two quarts of juice being required for one half pint of jelly. Such jelly, however, has a most delicious flavor, and is excellent served with grains. Diluted with water, it forms a most pleasing beverage. BERRY AND CURRANT JELLIES.--Express the juice according to the directions already given. For strawberries, red raspberries, and currants, allow three fourths of a pound of sugar to a pint of juice. Black raspberries, if used alone, need less sugar. Strawberry and black raspberry juice make better jelly if a little lemon juice is used. The juice of one lemon to each pint of fruit juice will be needed for black raspberries. Two parts red or black raspberries with one part currants, make a better jelly than either alone. Boil the juice of strawberries, red raspberries, and currants twenty minutes, add the sugar, and finish, as previously directed. Black raspberry juice is much thicker, and requires less boiling. CHERRY JELLY.--Jelly may be prepared from cherries by using with the juice of cherries an equal amount of apple juice, which gives an additional amount of pectose to the juice and does not perceptibly change the flavor. CRAB APPLE JELLY.--Choose the best Siberian crab apples; cut into pieces, but do not pare or remove seeds. Place in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware double boiler, with a cup of water for each six pounds of fruit, and let them remain on the back of the range, with the water slowly boiling, seven or eight hours. Leave in the boiler or turn into a large china bowl, and keep well covered, all night. In the morning drain off the juice and proceed as for apple jelly, using from one half to three fourths of a pound of sugar to one of juice. CRANBERRY JELLY.--Scald the berries and express the juice for other jellies. Measure the juice, and allow three fourths of a pound of sugar to one of juice. Boil twenty minutes, add the sugar hot, and finish as directed for other jellies. GRAPE JELLY.--Jelly from ripe grapes may be prepared in the same manner as that made from the juice of berries. Jelly from green grapes needs one half measure more of sugar. ORANGE JELLY.--Express the juice of rather tart oranges, and use with it an equal quantity of the juice of sub-acid apples, prepared in the manner directed for apple jelly. For each pint of the mixed juice, use one half pound of sugar and proceed as for other jellies. PEACH JELLY.--Stone, pare, and slice the peaches, and steam them in a double boiler. Express the juice, and add for each pint of peach juice the juice of one lemon. Measure the juice and sugar, using three fourths of a pound of sugar for each pint of juice, and proceed as already directed. Jelly prepared from peaches will not be so firm as many fruit jellies, owing to the small amount of pectose contained in their composition. A mixture of apples and peaches, in the proportion of one third of the former to two thirds of the latter, makes a firmer jelly than peaches alone. The apples should be pared and cored, so that their flavor will not interfere with that of the peaches. QUINCE JELLY.--Clean thoroughly good sound fruit, and slice thin. Put into a double boiler with one cup of water for each five pounds of fruit, and cook until softened. Express the juice, and proceed as with other jellies, allowing three fourths of a pound of sugar to each pint of juice. Tart or sweet apples may be used with quinces, in equal proportions, and make a jelly of more pleasant flavor than quinces used alone. The seeds of quinces contain considerable gelatinous substance, and should be cooked with the quince for jelly making. PLUM JELLY.--Use Damsons or Green Gages. Stone, and make in the same way as for berry and other small fruit jellies. FRUIT IN JELLY.--Prepare some apple jelly without sugar. When boiled sufficiently to form, add to it, as it begins to cool, some nice, stoned dates or seeded raisins. Orange jelly may be used instead of the apple jelly, if preferred. FRUIT JUICES. As sauces for desserts and for summer beverages for sick or well, the pure juices of fruits are most wholesome and delicious. So useful are they and so little trouble to prepare, that no housewife should allow the fruit season to pass by without putting up a full stock. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants, grapes, and cherries are especially desirable. In preparing them, select only the best fruit, ripe, but not over-ripe. Extract the juice by mashing the fruit and slowly heating in the inner cup of a double boiler, till the fruit is well scalded; too long heating will injure its color. Strain through a jelly bag and let it drain slowly for a long time, but do not squeeze, else some of the pulp will be forced through. Reheat slowly to boiling and can the same as fruit. It may be put up with or without sugar. If sugar is to be used, add it hot as for jelly, after the juice is strained and reheated to boiling. For strawberries and currants, raspberries and cherries, use one cup of sugar to a quart of juice. Black raspberries and grapes require less sugar, while blueberries and blackberries require none at all, or not more than a tablespoonful to the quart. A mixed juice, of one part currants and two parts red or black raspberries, has a very superior flavor. _RECIPES._ GRAPE JUICE, OR UNFERMENTED WINE.--Take twenty-five pounds of some well ripened very juicy variety of grapes, like the Concord. Pick them from the stems, wash thoroughly, and scald without the addition of water, in double boilers until the grapes burst open; cool, turn into stout jelly bags, and drain off the juice without squeezing. Let the juice stand and settle; turn off the top, leaving any sediment there may be. Add to the juice about four pounds of best granulated sugar, reheat to boiling, skim carefully, and can the same as fruit. Keep in a cool, dark place. The wine, if to be sealed in bottles, will require a corker, and the corks should first be boiled in hot water and the bottles well sterilized. GRAPE JUICE NO. 2.--Take grapes of the best quality, picked fresh from the vines. Wash well after stripping from the stems, rejecting any imperfect fruit. Put them in a porcelain or granite fruit kettle with one pint of water to every three quarts of grapes, heat to boiling, and cook slowly for fifteen minutes or longer, skimming as needed. Turn off the juice and carefully filter it through a jelly bag, putting the seeds and skins into a separate bag to drain, as the juice from them will be less clear. Heat again to boiling, add one cupful of hot sugar to each quart of juice, and seal in sterilized cans or bottles. The juice from the skins and seeds should be canned separately. ANOTHER METHOD.--Wash the grapes, and express the juice without scalding the fruit. Strain the juice three or four times through muslin or cheese cloth, allowing it to stand and settle for some time between each filtering. To every three pints of juice add one of water and two cupfuls of sugar. Heat to boiling, and keep at that temperature for fifteen minutes, skim carefully, and bottle while at boiling heat. Set away in a cool, dark place. FRUIT SYRUP.--Prepare the juice expressed from strawberries, raspberries, currants, or grapes, as directed above for fruit juices. After it has come to a boil, add one pound of sugar to every quart of juice. Seal in pint cans. It may be diluted with water to form a pleasing beverage, and is especially useful in flavoring puddings and sauces. CURRANT SYRUP.--Boil together a pint of pure currant juice and one half pound of best white sugar for ten minutes, and can or bottle while at boiling temperature. One or two spoonfuls of the syrup in a glass of water makes a most refreshing drink. Two parts currants and one of red raspberries may be used in place of all currants, if preferred. ORANGE SYRUP.--Select ripe and thin-skinned fruit. To every pint of the juice add one pound of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and a little of the grated rind. Boil for fifteen minutes, removing all scum as it rises. If the syrup is not clear, strain through a piece of cheese cloth, and reheat. Can and seal while boiling hot. LEMON SYRUP.--Grate the yellow portion of the rind of six lemons, and mix with three pounds of best granulated white sugar. Add one quart of water and boil until it thickens. Strain, add the juice of the six lemons, carefully leaving out the pulp and seeds; boil ten minutes, and bottle. Diluted with two thirds cold water, it forms a delicious and quickly prepared lemonade. LEMON SYRUP NO. 2.--To every pint of lemon juice add one pound of sugar; boil, skim, and seal in cans like fruit. BLACKBERRY SYRUP.--Crush fresh, well-ripened blackberries, and add to them one fourth as much boiling water as berries; let them stand for twenty-four hours, stirring frequently. Strain, add a cup of sugar to each quart of juice, boil slowly for fifteen minutes, and can. FRUIT ICES.--Express the juice from a pint of stoned red cherries, add the juice of two lemons, one cup of sugar and a quart of cold water. Stir well for five minutes, an freeze in an ice cream freezer. Equal parts currant and red raspberry juice may be used instead of cherry, if preferred. DRYING FRUIT. This method of preserving fruit, except in large establishments where it is dried by steam, is but little used, since canning is quicker and superior in every way. Success in drying fruits is dependent upon the quickness with which, they can be dried, without subjecting them to so violent a heat as to burn them or injure their flavor. Pulpy fruits, such as berries, cherries, plums, etc., should be spread on some convenient flat surface without contact with each other, and dried in the sun under glass, or in a moderate oven. They should be turned daily. They will dry more quickly if first scalded in a hot oven. Cherries should be first stoned and cooked until well heated through and tender, then spread on plates, and the juice (boiled down to a syrup) poured over them. When dried, they will be moist. Pack in jars. Large fruit, such as apples, pears, and peaches, should be pared, divided, and the seeds or stones removed. If one has but a small quantity, the best plan is to dry by mean of artificial heat; setting it first in a hot oven until heated through, which process starts the juice and forms a film or crust over the cut surfaces, thus holding the remaining: quantity of juice inside until it becomes absorbed in the tissues. The drying process may be finished in a warming oven or some place about the range where the fruit will get only moderate heat. If a larger quantity of fruit is to be dried, after being heated in the oven, it may be placed in the hot sun out of doors, under fine wire screens, to keep off the flies; or may be suspended for the ceiling in some way, or placed upon a frame made to stand directly over the stove. As the drying proceeds, the fruit should be turned occasionally, and when dry enough, it should be thoroughly heated before it is packed away, to prevent it from getting wormy. NUTS. The nuts, or shell fruits, as they are sometimes termed, form a class of food differing greatly from the succulent fruits. They are more properly seeds, containing, in general, no starch, but are rich in fat and nitrogenous elements in the form of vegetable albumen and casein. In composition, the nuts rank high in nutritive value, but owing to the oily matter which they contain, are difficult of digestion, unless reduced to a very minutely divided state before or during mastication. The fat of nuts is similar in character to cream, and needs to be reduced to the consistency of cream to be easily digested. Those nuts, such as almonds, filberts, and pecans, which do not contain an excess of fat, are the most wholesome. Nuts should be eaten, in moderation, at the regular mealtime, and not partaken of as a tidbit between meals. It is likewise well to eat them in connection with some hard food, to insure their thorough mastication. Almonds and cream crisps thus used make a pleasing combination. Most of the edible nuts have long been known and used as food. The _Almond_ was highly esteemed by the ancient nations of the East, its native habitat, and is frequently referred to in sacred history. It is grown extensively in the warm, temperate regions of the Old World. There are two varieties, known as the bitter and the sweet almond. The kernel of the almond yields a fixed oil; that produced from the bitter almond is much esteemed for flavoring purposes, but it is by no means a safe article to use, at it possesses marked poisonous qualities. Fresh, sweet almonds are a nutritive, and, when properly eaten, wholesome food. The outer brown skin of the kernel is somewhat bitter, rough, and irritating to the stomach but it can be easily removed by blanching. Blanched almonds, if baked for a short time, become quite brittle, and may be easily pulverized, and are then more easily digested. Bread made from almonds thus baked and pulverized, is considered an excellent food for persons suffering with diabetes. _Brazil Nuts_ are the seeds of a gigantic tree which grows wild in the valleys of the Amazon, and throughout tropical America. The case containing these seeds is a hard, woody shell, globular in form, and about the size of a man's head. It is divided into four cells, in each of which are closely packed the seeds which constitute the so-called nuts, of commerce. These seeds are exceedingly rich in oil, one pound of them producing about nine ounces of oil. The _Cocoanut_ is perhaps the most important of all the shell fruits, if we may judge by the variety of uses to which the nut and the tree which bears it can be put. It has been said that nature seldom produces a tree so variously useful to man as the cocoanut palm. In tropical countries, where it grows abundantly, its leaves are employed for thatching, its fibers for manufacturing many useful articles, while its ashes produce potash in abundance. The fruit is eaten raw, and in many ways is prepared for food; it also yields an oil which forms an important article of commerce. The milk of the fruit is a cooling beverage, and the woody shell of the nut answers very well for a cup from which to drink it. The saccharine juice of the tree also affords an excellent drink; and from the fresh young stems is prepared a farinaceous substance similar to sago. The cocoanuts grow in clusters drooping from the tuft of long, fringed leaves which crown the branchless trunk of the stately palm. The cocoanut as found in commerce is the nut divested of its outer sheath, and is much smaller in size than when seen upon the tree. Picked fresh from the tree, the cocoanut consists first of a green outer covering; next of a fibrous coat, which, if the nut is mature, is hairy-like in appearance; and then of the woody shell, inside of which is the meat and milk. For household purposes the nuts are gathered while green, and before the inner shell has become solidified; the flesh is then soft like custard, and can be easily eaten with a teaspoon, while a large quantity of delicious, milk-like fluid is obtainable from each nut. As found in our Northern markets, the cocoanut is difficult of digestion, as is likewise the prepared or desiccated cocoanut. The cocoanut contains about seventy per cent of oil. The _Chestnut_ is an exception to most nuts in its composition. It contains starch, and about fifteen per cent of sugar. No oil can be extracted from the chestnut. In Italy, and other parts of Southern Europe, the chestnut forms an important article of food. It is sometimes dried and ground into flour, from which bread is prepared. The chestnut is a nutritious food, but owing to the starch it contains, is more digestible when cooked. The same is true of the _Acorn_, which is similar in character to the chestnut. In the early ages, acorns were largely used for food, and are still used as a substitute for bread in some countries. The _Hazelnut_, with the _Filbert_ and _Cobnut_, varieties of the same nut obtained by cultivation, are among the most desirable nuts for general consumption. The _Walnut_, probably a native of Persia, where in ancient times it was so highly valued as to be considered suited only for the table of the king, is now found very commonly with other species of the same family, the _Butternut_ and _Hickory nut_, in most temperate climates. The _Pecan_, a nut allied to the hickory nut, and grown extensively in the Mississippi Valley and Texas, is one of the most easily digested nuts. The _Peanut_ or _Groundnut_ is the seed of an annual, cultivated extensively in most tropical and sub-tropical countries. After the plant has blossomed, the stalk which produced the flower has the peculiarity of bending down and forcing itself under ground so that the seeds mature some depth beneath the surface. When ripened, the pods containing the seeds are dug up and dried. In tropical countries the fresh nuts are largely consumed, and are thought greatly to resemble almonds in flavor. In this country they are more commonly roasted. They are less easily digested than many other nuts because of the large amount of oily matter which they contain. _RECIPES._ TO BLANCH ALMONDS.--Shell fresh, sweet almonds, and pour boiling water over them; let them stand for two or three minutes, skim out, and drop into cold water. Press between the thumb and finger, and the kernels will readily slip out of the brown covering. Dry between clean towels. Blanched almonds served with raisins make an excellent dessert. BOILED CHESTNUTS.--The large variety, knows as the Italian chestnut, is best for this purpose. Remove the shells, drop into boiling water, and boil for ten minutes, take out, drop into cold water, and rub off the brown skin. Have some clean water boiling, turn the blanched nuts into it, and cook until they can be pierced with a fork. Drain thoroughly, put into a hot dish, dry in the oven for a few minutes, and serve. A cream sauce or tomato sauce may be served with them if liked. MASHED CHESTNUTS.--Prepare and boil the chestnuts as in the preceding recipe. When tender, mash through a colander with a potato masher. Season with cream and salt if desired. Serve hot. TO KEEP NUTS FRESH.--Chestnuts and other thin-shelled nuts may be kept from becoming too dry by mixing with an equal bulk of dry sand and storing in a box or barrel in some cool place. TABLE TOPICS. Who lives to eat, will die by eating.--_Sel._ Fruit bears the closest relation to light. The sun pours a continuous flood of light into the fruits, and they furnish the best portion of food a human being requires for the sustenance of mind and body.--_Alcott._ The famous Dr. John Hunter, one of the most eminent physicians of his time, and himself a sufferer from gout, found in apples a remedy for this very obstinate and distressing malady. He insisted that all of his patients should discard wine and roast beef, and make a free use of apples. Do not too much for your stomach, or it will abandon you.--_Sel._ The purest food is fruit, next the cereals, then the vegetables. All pure poets have abstained almost entirely from animal food. Especially should a minister take less meat when he has to write a sermon. The less meat the better sermon.--_A. Bronson Alcott._ There is much false economy: those who are too poor to have seasonable fruits and vegetables, will yet have pie and pickles all the year. They cannot afford oranges, yet can afford tea and coffee daily.--_Health Calendar._ What plant we in the apple tree? Fruits that shall dwell in sunny June, And redden in the August moon, And drop, when gentle airs come by, That fan the blue September sky, While children come, with cries of glee, And seek there when the fragrant grass Betrays their bed to those who pass At the foot of the apple tree. --_Bryant._ LEGUMES The legumes, to which belong peas, beans, and lentils, are usually classed among vegetables; but in composition they differ greatly from all other vegetable foods, being characterized by a very large percentage of the nitrogenous elements, by virtue of which they possess the highest nutritive value. Indeed, when mature, they contain a larger proportion of nitrogenous matter than any other food, either animal or vegetable. In their immature state, they more nearly resemble the vegetables. On account of the excess of nitrogenous elements in their composition, the mature legumes are well adapted to serve as a substitute for animal foods, and for use in association with articles in which starch or other non-nitrogenous elements are predominant; as, for example, beans or lentils with rice, which combinations constitute the staple food of large populations in India. The nitrogenous matter of legumes is termed _legumin_, or vegetable casein, and its resemblance to the animal casein of milk is very marked. The Chinese make use of this fact, and manufacture cheese from peas and beans. The legumes were largely used as food by the ancient nations of the East. They were the "pulse" upon which the Hebrew children grew so fair and strong. According to Josephus, legumes also formed the chief diet of the builders of the pyramids. They are particularly valuable as strength producers, and frequently form a considerable portion of the diet of persons in training as athletes, at the present day. Being foods possessed of such high nutritive value, the legumes are deserving of a more extended use than is generally accorded them in this country. In their mature state they are, with the exception of beans, seldom found upon the ordinary bill of fare, and beans are too generally served in a form quite difficult of digestion, being combined with large quantities of fat, or otherwise improperly prepared. Peas and lentils are in some respects superior to beans, being less liable to disagree with persons of weak digestion, and for this reason better suited to form a staple article of diet. All the legumes are covered with a tough skin, which is in itself indigestible, and which if not broken by the cooking process or by thorough mastication afterward, renders the entire seed liable to pass through the digestive tract undigested, since the digestive fluids cannot act upon the hard skin. Even when the skins are broken, if served with the pulp, much of the nutritive material of the legume is wasted, because it is impossible for the digestive processes to free it from the cellulose material of which the skins are composed. If, then, it be desirable to obtain from the legumes the largest amount of nutriment and in the most digestible form, they must be prepared in some manner so as to reject the skins. Persons unable to use the legumes when cooked in the ordinary way, usually experience no difficulty whatever in digesting them when divested of their skins. The hindrance which even the partially broken skins are to the complete digestion of the legume, is well illustrated by the personal experiments of Prof. Strümpell, a German scientist, who found that of beans boiled with the skins on he was able to digest only 60 per cent of the nitrogenous material they contained. When, however, he reduced the same quantity of beans to a fine powder previous to cooking, he was enabled to digest 91.8 per cent of it. The fact that the mature legumes are more digestible when prepared in some manner in which the skins are rejected, was doubtless understood in early times, for we find in a recipe of the fourteenth century, directions given "to dry legumes in an oven and remove the skins away before using them." The green legumes which are more like a succulent vegetable are easily digested with the skins on, if the hulls are broken before being swallowed. There are also some kinds of beans which, in their mature state, from having thinner skins, are more readily digested, as the Haricot variety. SUGGESTIONS FOR COOKING.--The legumes are best cooked by stewing or boiling, and when mature, require prolonged cooking to render them tender and digestible. Slow cooking, when practicable, is preferable. Dry beans and peas are more readily softened by cooking if first soaked for a time in cold water. The soaking also has a tendency to loosen the skins, so that when boiled or stewed, a considerable portion of them slip off whole, and being lighter, rise to the top during the cooking, and can be removed with a spoon; it likewise aids in removing the strong flavor characteristic of these foods, which is considered objectionable by some persons. The length of time required for soaking will depend upon the age of the seed, those from the last harvest needing only a few hours, while such as have been kept for two or more years require to be soaked twelve or twenty-four hours. For cooking, soft water is best. The mineral elements in hard water have a tendency to harden the casein, of which the legumes a largely composed, thus rendering it often very difficult to soften them. The dry, unsoaked legumes are generally best put to cook in cold water, and after the boiling point is reached, allowed to simmer gently until done. Boiling water may be used for legumes which have been previously soaked. The amount of water required will vary somewhat with the heat employed and the age and condition of the legume, as will also the time required for cooking, but as a general rule two quarts of soft water for one pint of seeds will be quite sufficient. Salt should not be added until the seeds are nearly done, as it hinders the cooking process. PEAS. DESCRIPTION.--The common garden pea is probably a native of countries bordering on the Black Sea. A variety known as the gray pea (_pois chiche_) has been used since a very remote period. The common people of Greece and Rome, in ancient times made it an ordinary article of diet. It is said that peas were considered such a delicacy by the Romans that those who coveted public favor distributed them gratuitously to the people in order to buy votes. Peas were introduced into England from Holland in the time of Elizabeth, and were then considered a great delicacy. History tells us that when the queen was released from her confinement in the tower, May 19, 1554, she went to Staining to perform her devotions in the church of Allhallows, after which she dined at a neighboring inn upon a meal of which the principal dish was boiled peas. A dinner of the same kind, commemorative of the event, was for a long time given annually at the same tavern. Peas, when young, are tender and sweet, containing a considerable quantity of sugar. The nitrogenous matter entering into their composition, although less in quantity when unripe, is much more easily digested than when the seeds are mature. When quite ripe, like other leguminous seeds, they require long cooking. When very old, no amount of boiling will soften them. When green, peas are usually cooked and served as a vegetable; in their dried state, they are put to almost every variety of use in the different countries where they are cultivated. In the southeast of Scotland, a favorite food is made of ground peas prepared in thick cakes and called peas-bainocks. In India and southern Europe, a variety of the pea is eaten parched or lightly roasted, or made into cakes, puddings, and sweetmeats. In Germany, in combination with other ingredients, peas are compounded into sausages, which, during the Franco-Prussian war, served as rations for the soldiers. Dried peas for culinary use are obtainable in two forms; the split peas, which have had the tough envelope of the seed removed, and the green or Scotch peas. The time required for cooking will vary from five to eight hours, depending upon the age of the seed and the length of time it has been soaked previous to cooking. _RECIPES._ STEWED SPLIT PEAS.--Carefully examine and wash the peas, rejecting any imperfect or worm-eaten ones. Put into cold water and let them come to a boil; then place the stewpan back on the range and simmer gently until tender, but not mushy. Season with salt and a little cream if desired. PEAS PUREE.--Soak a quart of Scotch peas in cold water over night. In the morning, drain and put them to cook in boiling water. Cook slowly until perfectly tender, allowing them to simmer very gently toward the last until they become as dry as possible. Put through a colander to render them homogeneous and remove the skins. Many of the skins will be loosened and rise to the top during the cooking, and it is well to remove these with a spoon so as to make the process of rubbing through the colander less laborious. Season with salt if desired, and a cup of thin cream. Serve hot. MASHED PEAS.--Soak and cook a quart of peas as for Peas _Puree_ When well done, if the Scotch peas, rub through a colander to remove the skins. If the split peas are used, mash perfectly smooth with a potato masher. Season with a teaspoonful of salt and a half cup of sweet cream, if desired. Beat well together, turn into an earthen or granite-ware pudding dish, smooth the top, and bake in a moderate oven until dry and mealy throughout, and nicely browned on top. Serve hot like mashed potato, or with a tomato sauce prepared as follows: Heat a pint of strained, stewed tomato, season lightly with salt, and when boiling, thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. PEAS CAKES.--Cut cold mashed peas in slices half an inch in thickness, brush lightly with cream, place on perforated tins, and brown in the oven. If the peas crumble too much to slice, form them into small cakes with a spoon or knife, and brown as directed. Serve hot with or without a tomato sauce. A celery sauce prepared as directed in the chapter on Sauces, is also excellent. DRIED GREEN PEAS.--Gather peas while young and tender and carefully dry them. When needed for use, rinse well, and put to cook in cold water. Let them simmer until tender. Season with cream the same as fresh green peas. BEANS. DESCRIPTION.--Some variety of the bean family has been cultivated and used for culinary purposes from time immemorial. It is frequently mentioned in Scripture; King David considered it worthy of a place in his dietary, and the prophet Ezekiel was instructed to mix it with the various grains and seeds of which he made his bread. Among some ancient nations the bean was regarded as a type of death, and the priests of Jupiter were forbidden to eat it, touch it, or even pronounce its name. The believer in the doctrine of transmigration of souls carefully avoided this article of food, in the fear of submitting beloved friends to the ordeal of mastication. At the present day there is scarcely a country in hot or temperate climates where the bean is not cultivated and universally appreciated, both as a green vegetable and when mature and dried. The time required to digest boiled beans is two and one half hours, and upwards. In their immature state, beans are prepared and cooked like other green vegetables. Dry beans may be either boiled, stewed, or baked, but whatever the method employed, it must be very slow and prolonged. Beans to be baked should first be parboiled until tender. We mention this as a precautionary measure lest some amateur cook, misled by the term "bake," should repeat the experiment of the little English maid whom we employed as cook while living in London, a few years ago. In ordering our dinner, we had quite overlooked the fact that baked beans are almost wholly an American dish, and failed to give any suggestions as to the best manner of preparing it. Left to her own resources, the poor girl did the best she knew how, but her face was full of perplexity as she placed the beans upon the table at dinner, with, "Well, ma'am, here are the beans, but I don't see how you are going to eat them." Nor did we, for she had actually baked the dry beans, and they lay there in the dish, as brown as roasted coffee berries, and as hard as bullets. Beans to be boiled or stewed do not need parboiling, although many cooks prefer to parboil them, to lessen the strong flavor which to some persons is quite objectionable. From one to eight hours are required to cook beans, varying with the age and variety of the seed, whether it has been soaked, and the rapidity of the cooking process. _RECIPES._ BAKED BEANS.--Pick over a quart of best white beans and soak in cold water over night. Put them to cook in fresh water, and simmer gently till they are tender, but not broken. Let them be quite juicy when taken from the kettle. Season with salt and a teaspoonful of molasses. Put them in a deep crock in a slow oven. Let them bake two or three hours, or until they assume a reddish brown tinge, adding boiling water occasionally to prevent their becoming dry. Turn, into a shallow dish, and brown nicely before sending to the table. BOILED BEANS.--Pick over some fresh, dry beans carefully, and wash thoroughly. Put into boiling water and cook gently and slowly until tender, but not broken. They should be moderately juicy when done. Serve with lemon juice, or season with salt and a little cream as preferred. The colored varieties, which are usually quite strong in flavor, are made less so by parboiling for fifteen or twenty minutes and then pouring the water off, adding more of boiling temperature, and cooking slowly until tender. BEANS BOILED IN A BAG.--Soak a pint of white beans over night. When ready to cook, put them into a clean bag, tie up tightly, as the beans have already swelled, and if given space to move about with the boiling of the water will become broken and mushy. Boil three or four hours. Serve hot. SCALLOPED BEANS.--Soak a pint of white beans over night in cold water. When ready to cook, put into an earthen baking dish, cover well with new milk, and bake in a slow oven for eight or nine hours; refilling the dish with milk as it boils away, and taking care that the beans do not at any time get dry enough to brown over the top till they are tender. When nearly done, add salt to taste, and a half cup of cream. They may be allowed to bake till the milk is quite absorbed, and the beans dry, or may be served when rich with juice, according to taste. The beans may be parboiled in water for a half hour before beginning to bake, and the length of time thereby lessened. They should be well drained before adding the milk, however. STEWED BEANS.--Soak a quart of white beans in water over night. In the morning drain, turn hot water over them an inch deep or more, cover, and place on the range where they will only just simmer, adding boiling water if needed. When nearly tender, add salt to taste, a tablespoonful of sugar if desired, and half a cup of good sweet cream. Cook slowly an hour or more longer, but let them be full of juice when taken up, never cooked down dry and mealy. MASHED BEANS.--Soak over night in cold water, a quart of nice white beans. When ready to cook, drain, put into boiling water, and boil till perfectly tender, and the water nearly evaporated. Take up, rub through a colander to remove the skins, season with salt and a half cup of cream, put in a shallow pudding dish, smooth the top with a spoon, and brown in the oven. STEWED LIMA BEANS.--Put the beans into boiling water, and cook till tender, but not till they fall to pieces. Fresh beans should cook an hour or more, and dry ones require from two to three hours unless previously soaked. They are much better to simmer slowly than to boil hard. They should be cooked nearly dry. Season with salt, and a cup of thin cream, to each pint of beans. Simmer for a few minutes after the cream is turned in. Should it happen that the beans become tender before the water is sufficiently evaporated, do not drain off the water, but add a little thicker cream, and thicken the whole with a little flour. A little flour stirred in with the cream, even when the water is nearly evaporated may be preferred by some. SUCCOTASH.--Boil one part Lima beans and two parts sweet corn separately until both are nearly tender. Put them together, and simmer gently till done. Season with salt and sweet cream. Fresh corn and beans may be combined in the same proportions, but as the beans will be likely to require the most time for cooking, they should be put to boil first, and the corn added when the beans are about half done, unless it is exceptionally hard, in which case it must be added sooner. PULP SUCCOTASH.--Score the kernels of some fresh green corn with a sharp knife blade, then with the back of a knife scrape out all the pulp, leaving the hulls on the cob. Boil the pulp in milk ten or fifteen minutes, or until well done. Cook some fresh shelled beans until tender, and rub them through a colander. Put together an equal quantity of the beans thus prepared and the cooked corn pulp, season with salt and sweet cream, boil together for a few minutes, and serve. Kornlet and dried Lima beans may be made into succotash in a similar manner. _LENTILS._ DESCRIPTION.--Several varieties of the lentil are cultivated for food, but all are nearly alike in composition and nutritive value. They have long been esteemed as an article of diet. That they were in ordinary use among the Hebrews is shown by the frequent mention of them in Scripture. It is thought that the red pottage of Esau was made from the red variety of this legume. The ancient Egyptians believed that a diet of lentils would tend to make their children good tempered, cheerful, and wise, and for this reason constituted it their principal food. A gravy made of lentils is largely used with their rice by the natives of India, at the present day. The meal which lentils yield is of great richness, and generally contains more casein than either beans or peas. The skin, however, is tough and indigestible, and being much smaller than peas, when served without rejecting the skins, they appear to be almost wholly of tough, fibrous material; hence they are of little value except for soups, _purees_, toasts, and other such dishes as require the rejection of the skin. Lentils have a stronger flavor than any of the other legumes, and their taste is not so generally liked until one has become accustomed to it. Lentils are prepared and cooked in the same manner as dried peas, though they require somewhat less time for cooking. The large dark variety is better soaked for a time previous to cooking, or parboiled for a half hour and then put into new water, to make them less strong in flavor and less dark in color. _RECIPES._ LENTIL PUREE.--Cook the lentils and rub through a colander as for peas _puree_. Season, and serve in the same manner. LENTILS MASHED WITH BEANS.--Lentils may be cooked and prepared in the same manner as directed for mashed peas, but they are less strong in flavor if about one third to one half cooked white beans are used with them. LENTIL GRAVY WITH RICE.--Rub a cupful of cooked lentils through a colander to remove the skins, add one cup of rich milk, part cream if it can be afforded, and salt if desired. Heat to boiling, and thicken with a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Serve hot on nicely steamed or boiled rice, or with well cooked macaroni. TABLE TOPICS. The men who kept alive the flame of learning and piety in the Middle Ages were mainly vegetarians.--_Sir William Axon._ According to Xenophon, Cyrus, king of Persia, was brought up on a diet of water, bread, and cresses, till his fifteenth year, when honey and raisins were added; and the family names of Fabii and Lentuli were derived from their customary diet. Thomson, in his poem, "The Seasons," written one hundred and sixty years ago, pays the following tribute to a diet composed of seeds and vegetable products:--#/ "With such a liberal hand has Nature flung These seeds abroad, blown them about in winds-- ... But who their virtues can declare? who pierce, With vision pure, into those secret stores Of health and life and joy--the food of man, While yet he lived in innocence and told A length of golden years, unfleshed in blood? A stranger to the savage arts of life-- Death, rapine, carnage, surfeit, and disease-- The _lord_, and not the _tyrant_ of the world." Most assuredly I do believe that body and mind are much influenced by the kind of food habitually depended upon. I can never stray among the village people of our windy capes without now and then coming upon a human being who looks as if he had been split, salted, and dried, like the salt fish which has built up his arid organism. If the body is modified by the food which nourishes it, the mind and character very certainly will be modified by it also. We know enough of their close connection with each other to be sure of what without any statistical observation to prove it.--_Oliver Wendell Holmes._ The thoughts and feelings which the food we partake of provokes, are not remarked in common life, but they, nevertheless, have their significance. A man who daily sees cows and calves slaughtered, or who kills them himself, hogs "stuck," hens "plucked," etc., cannot possibly retain any true feeling for the sufferings of his own species....Doubtless, the majority of flesh-eaters do not reflect upon the manner in which this food comes to them, but this thoughtlessness, far from being a virtue, is the parent of many vices....How very different are the thoughts and sentiments produced by the non-flesh diet!--_Gustav Von Struve._ That the popular idea that beef is necessary for strength is not a correct one, is well illustrated by Xenophon's description of the outfit of a Spartan soldier, whose dietary consisted of the very plainest and simplest vegetable fare. The complete accoutrements of the Spartan soldier, in what we would call heavy marching order, weighed seventy-five pounds, exclusive of the camp, mining, and bridge-building tools and the rations of bread and dried fruit which were issued in weekly installments, and increased the burden of the infantry soldier to ninety, ninety-five, or even to a full hundred pounds. This load was often carried at the rate of four miles an hour for twelve hours _per diem_, day after day, and only when in the burning deserts of southern Syria did the commander of the Grecian auxiliaries think prudent to shorten the usual length of the day's march. DIET OF TRAINERS.--The following are a few of the restrictions and rules laid down by experienced trainers:-- Little salt. No course vegetables. No pork or veal. Two meals a day; breakfast at eight and dinner at two. No fat meat is allowed, no butter or cheese, pies or pastry. VEGETABLES Vegetables used for culinary purposes comprise roots and tubers, as potatoes, turnips, etc.; shoots and stems, as asparagus and sea-kale; leaves and inflorescence, as spinach and cabbage; immature seeds, grains, and seed receptacles, as green peas, corn, and string-beans; and a few of the fruity products, as the tomato and the squash. Of these the tubers rank the highest in nutritive value. Vegetables are by no means the most nutritious diet, as water enters largely into their composition; but food to supply perfectly the needs of the vital economy, must contain water and indigestible as well as nutritive elements. Thus they are dietetically of great value, since they furnish a large quantity of organic fluids. Vegetables are rich in mineral elements, and are also of service in giving bulk to food. An exclusive diet of vegetables, however, would give too great bulk, and at the same time fail to supply the proper amount of food elements. To furnish the requisite amount of nitrogenous material for one day, if potatoes alone were depended upon as food, a person would need to consume about nine pounds; of turnips, sixteen pounds; of parsnips, eighteen pounds; of cabbage, twenty-two pounds. Hence it is wise to use them in combination with other articles of diet--grains, whole-wheat bread, etc.--that supplement the qualities lacking in the vegetables. TO SELECT VEGETABLES.--All roots and tubers should be plump, free from decay, bruises, and disease, and with fresh, unshriveled skins. They are good from the time of maturing until they begin to germinate. Sprouted vegetables are unfit for food. Potato sprouts contain a poison allied to belladonna. All vegetables beginning to decay are unfit for food. Green vegetables to be wholesome should be freshly gathered, crisp, and juicy; those which have lain long in the market are very questionable food. In Paris, a law forbids a market-man to offer for sale any green vegetable kept more than one day. The use of stale vegetables is known to have been the cause of serious illness. KEEPING VEGETABLES.--If necessary to keep green vegetables for any length of time, do not put them in water, as that will dissolve and destroy some of their juices; but lay them in a cool, dark place,--on a stone floor is best,--and do not remove their outer leaves until needed. They should be cooked the day they are gathered, if possible. The best way to freshen those with the stems when withered is to cut off a bit of the stem or stem-end, and set only the cut part in water. The vegetables will then absorb enough water to replace what has been lost by evaporation. Peas and beans should not be shelled until wanted. If, however, they are not used as soon as shelled, cover them with pods and put in a cool place. Winter vegetables can be best kept wholesome by storing in a cool, dry place of even temperature, and where neither warmth, moisture, nor light is present to induce decay or germination. They should be well sorted, the bruised or decayed, rejected, and the rest put into clean bins or boxes; and should be dry and clean when stored. Vegetables soon absorb bad flavors if left near anything odorous or decomposing, and are thus rendered unwholesome. They should be looked over often, and decayed ones removed. Vegetables, to be kept fit for food, should on no account be stored in a cellar with barrels of fermenting pickle brine, soft soap, heaps of decomposing rubbish, and other similar things frequently found in the dark, damp vegetable cellars of modern houses. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Most vegetables need thorough washing before cooking. Roots and tubers should be well cleaned before paring. A vegetable brush or a small whisk broom is especially serviceable for this purpose. If necessary to wash shelled beans and peas, it can best be accomplished by putting them in a colander and dipping in and out of large pans of water until clean. Spinach, lettuce, and other leaves may be cleaned the same way. Vegetables admit of much variety in preparation for the table, and are commonly held to require the least culinary skill of any article of diet. This is a mistake. Though the usual processes employed to make vegetables palatable are simple, yet many cooks, from carelessness or lack of knowledge of their nature and composition, convert some of the most nutritious vegetables into dishes almost worthless as food or almost impossible of digestion. It requires no little care and skill to cook vegetables so that they will neither be underdone nor overdone, and so that they will retain their natural flavors. A general rule, applicable to all vegetables to be boiled or stewed, is to cook them in as little water as may be without burning. The salts and nutrient juices are largely lost in the water; and if this needs to be drained off, much of the nutriment is apt to be wasted. Many cooks throw away the true richness, while they serve the "husks" only. Condiments and seasonings may cover insipid taste, but they cannot restore lost elements. Vegetables contain so much water in their composition that it is not necessary to add large quantities for cooking, as in the case of the grains and legumes, which have lost nearly all their moisture in the ripening process. Some vegetables are much better cooked without the addition of water. Vegetables to be cooked by boiling should be put into boiling water; and since water loses its goodness by boiling, vegetables should be put in as soon as the boiling begins. The process of cooking should be continuous, and in general gentle heat is best. Remember that when water is boiling, the temperature is not increased by violent bubbling. Keep the cooking utensil closely covered. If water is added, let it also be boiling hot. Vegetables not of uniform size should be so assorted that those of the same size may be cooked together, or large ones may be divided. Green vegetables retain their color best if cook rapidly. Soda is sometimes added to the water in which the vegetables are cooked, for the purpose of preserving their colors, but this practice is very harmful. Vegetables should be cooked until they are perfectly tender but not overdone. Many cooks spoil their vegetables by cooking them too long, while quite as many more serve them in an underdone state to preserve their form. Either plan makes them less palatable, and likely to be indigestible. Steaming or baking is preferable for most vegetables, because their finer flavors are more easily retained, and their food value suffers less diminution. Particularly is this true of tubers. The time required for cooking depends much upon the age and freshness of the vegetables, as well as the method of cooking employed. Wilted vegetables require a longer time for cooking than fresh ones. TIME REQUIRED FOR COOKING.--The following is the approximate length of time required for cooking some of the more commonly used vegetables:-- Potatoes, baked, 30 to 45 minutes. Potatoes, steamed, 20 to 40 minutes. Potatoes, boiled (in jackets), 20 to 25 minutes after the water is fairly boiling. Potatoes, pared, about 20 minutes if of medium size; if very large, they will require from 25 to 45 minutes. Green corn, young, from 15 to 20 minutes. Peas, 25 to 30 minutes. Asparagus, 15 to 20 minutes, young; 30 to 50 if old. Tomatoes, 1 to 2 hours. String beans and shelled beans, 45 to 60 minutes or longer. Beets, boiled, 1 hour if young; old, 3 to 5 hours. Beets, baked, 3 to 6 hours. Carrots, 1 to 2 hours. Parsnips, 45 minutes, young; old, 1 to 2 hours. Turnips, young, 45 minutes; old, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Winter squash, 1 hour. Cabbage, young, 1 hour; old, 2 to 3 hours. Vegetable oysters, 1 to 2 hours. Celery, 20 to 30 minutes. Spinach, 20 to 60 minutes or more. Cauliflower, 20 to 40 minutes. Summer squash, 20 to 60 minutes. If vegetables after being cooked cannot be served at once, dish them up as soon as done, and place the dishes in a _bain marie_ or in pans of hot water, where they will keep of even temperature, but not boil. Vegetables are never so good after standing, but they spoil less kept in this way than any other. The water in the pans should be of equal depth with the food in the dishes. Stewed vegetables and others prepared with a sauce, may, when cold, be reheated in a similar manner. [Illustration: Bain Marie.] If salt is to be used to season, one third of a teaspoonful for each pint of cooked vegetables is an ample quantity. THE IRISH POTATO. DESCRIPTION.--The potato, a plant of the order _Solanaceae_, is supposed to be indigenous to South America. Probably it was introduced into Europe by the Spaniards early in the sixteenth century, but cultivated only as a curiosity. To Sir Walter Raleigh, however, is usually given the credit of its introduction as a food, he having imported it from Virginia to Ireland in 1586, where its valuable nutritive qualities were first appreciated. The potato has so long constituted the staple article of diet in Ireland, that it has come to be commonly, though incorrectly, known as the Irish potato. The edible portion of the plant is the tuber, a thick, fleshy mass or enlarged portion of an underground stem, having upon its surface a number of little buds, or "eyes," each capable of independent growth. The tuber is made up of little cells filled with starch granules, surrounded and permeated with a watery fluid containing a small percentage of the albuminous or nitrogenous elements. In cooking, heat coagulates the albumen within and between the cells, while the starch granules absorb the watery portion, swell, and distend the cells. The cohesion between these is also destroyed, and they easily separate. When these changes are complete, the potato becomes a loose, farinaceous mass, or "mealy." When, however, the liquid portion is not wholly absorbed, and the cells are but imperfectly separated, the potato appears waxen, watery, or soggy. In a mealy state the potato is easily digested; but when waxy or water-soaked, it is exceedingly trying to the digestive powers. It is obvious, then, that the great _desideratum_ in cooking the potato, is to promote the expansion and separation of its cells; in other words, to render it mealy. Young potatoes are always waxy, and consequently less wholesome than ripe ones. Potatoes which have been frozen and allowed to thaw quickly are much sweeter and more watery, because in thawing the starch changes into sugar. Frozen potatoes should be thawed in cold water and cooked at once, or kept frozen until ready for use. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Always pare potatoes very thin. Much of the most nutritious part of the tuber lies next its outer covering; so care should be taken to waste as little as possible. Potatoes cooked with the skins on are undoubtedly better than those pared. The chief mineral element contained in the potato is potash, an important constituent of the blood. Potash salts are freely soluble in water, and when the skin is removed, there is nothing to prevent these salts from escaping into the water in which the potato is boiled. If the potato is cooked in its "jacket," the skin, which does not in general burst open until the potato is nearly done, serves to keep this valuable element largely inside the potato while cooking. For the same reason it is better not to pare potatoes and put them in water to soak over night, as many cooks are in the habit of doing, to have them in readiness for cooking for breakfast. Potatoes to be pared should be first washed and dried. It is a good plan to wash quite a quantity at one time, to be used as needed. After paring, drop at once into cold water and rinse them thoroughly. It is a careless habit to allow pared potatoes to fall among the skins, as in this way they become stained, and appear black and discolored after cooking. Scrubbing with a vegetable brush is by far the best means for cleaning potatoes to be cooked with the skins on. When boiled in their skins, the waste, according to Letheby, is about three per cent, while without them it is not less than fourteen per cent, or more than two ounces in every pound. Potatoes boiled without skins should be cooked very gently. Steaming, roasting, and baking are much better methods for cooking potatoes than boiling, for reasons already given. Very old potatoes are best stewed or mashed. When withered or wilted, they are freshened by standing in cold water for an hour or so before cooking. If diseased or badly sprouted, potatoes are wholly unfit for food. _RECIPES._ BOILED POTATOES (IN JACKETS).--Choose potatoes of uniform size, free from specks. Wash and scrub them well with a coarse cloth or brush; dig out all eyes and rinse in cold water; cook in just enough water to prevent burning, till easily pierced with a fork, not till they have burst the skin and fallen in pieces. Drain thoroughly, take out the potatoes, and place them in the oven for five minutes, or place the kettle back on the range; remove the skins, and cover with a cloth to absorb all moisture, and let them steam three or four minutes. By either method they will be dry and mealy. In removing the skins, draw them off without cutting the potatoes. BOILED POTATOES (WITHOUT SKINS).--Pare very thin, and wash clean. If not of an equal size, cut the larger potatoes in two. Cook in only sufficient water to prevent burning until a fork will easily pierce their center; drain thoroughly, place the kettle back on the range, cover with a cloth to absorb the moisture, and let them dry four or five minutes. Shake the kettle several times while they are drying, to make them floury. STEAMED POTATOES.--Potatoes may be steamed either with or without the skin. Only mature potatoes can be steamed. Prepare as for boiling; place in a steamer, over boiling water, and steam until tender. If water is needed to replenish, let it always be boiling hot, and not allow the potatoes to stop steaming, or they will be watery. When done, uncover, remove the potatoes to the oven, and let them dry a few minutes. If peeled before steaming, shake the steamer occasionally, to make them floury. ROASTED POTATOES.--Potatoes are much more rich and mealy roasted than cooked in any other way. Wash them very carefully, dry with a cloth, and wrap in tissue paper; bury in ashes not too hot, then cover with coals and roast until tender. The coals will need renewing occasionally, unless the roasting is done very close to the main fire. BAKED POTATOES.--Choose large, smooth potatoes as near the same size as possible; wash and scrub with a brush until perfectly clean; dry with a cloth, and bake in a moderately hot oven until a fork will easily pierce them, or until they yield to pressure between the fingers. They are better turned about occasionally. In a slow oven the skins become hardened and thickened, and much of the most nutritious portion is wasted. When done, press each one till it bursts slightly, as that will allow the steam to escape, and prevent the potatoes from becoming soggy. They should be served at once, in a folded napkin placed in a hot dish. Cold baked potatoes may be warmed over by rebaking, if of good quality and not overdone the first time. STUFFED POTATO.--Prepare and bake large potatoes of equal size, as directed in the preceding recipe. When done, cut them evenly three fourths of an inch from the end, and scrape out the inside, taking care not to break the skins. Season the potato with salt and a little thick sweet cream, being careful not to have it too moist, and beat thoroughly with a fork until light; refill the skins with the seasoned potato, fit the broken portions together, and reheat in the oven. When hot throughout, wrap the potatoes in squares of white tissue paper fringed at both ends. Twist the ends of the paper lightly together above the fringe, and stand the potatoes in a vegetable dish with the cut end uppermost. When served, the potatoes are held in the hand, one end of the paper untwisted, the top of the potato removed, and the contents eaten with a fork or spoon. STUFFED POTATOES NO. 2.--Prepare large, smooth potatoes, bake until tender, and cut them in halves; scrape out the inside carefully, so as not to break the skins; mash smoothly, mix thoroughly with one third freshly prepared cottage cheese; season with nice sweet cream, and salt if desired. Fill the shells with the mixture, place cut side uppermost, in a pudding dish, and brown in the oven. MASHED POTATOES.--Peel and slice potatoes enough to make two quarts; put into boiling water and cook until perfectly tender, but not much broken; drain, add salt to taste; turn into a hot earthen dish, and set in the oven for a few moments to dry. Break up the potatoes with a silver fork; add nearly a cup of cream, and beat hard at least five minutes till light and creamy; serve at once, or they will become heavy. If preferred, the potatoes may be rubbed through a hot sieve into a hot plate, or mashed with a potato beetle, but they are less light and flaky when mashed with a beetle. If cream for seasoning is not obtainable, a well-beaten egg makes a very good substitute. Use in the proportion of one egg to about five potatoes. For mashed potatoes, if all utensils and ingredients are first heated, the result will be much better. NEW POTATOES.--When potatoes are young and freshly gathered, the skins are easiest removed by taking each one in a coarse cloth and rubbing it; a little coarse salt used in the cloth will be found serviceable for this purpose. If almost ripe, scrape with a blunt knife, wash very clean, and rinse in cold water. Boiling is the best method of cooking; new potatoes are not good steamed. Use only sufficient water to cover, and boil till tender. Drain thoroughly, cover closely with a clean cloth, and dry before serving. CRACKED POTATOES.--Prepare and boil new potatoes as in the preceding recipe, and when ready to serve, crack each by pressing lightly upon it with the back of a spoon, lay them in a hot dish, salt to taste, and pour over them a cup of hot thin cream or rich milk. CREAMED POTATOES.--Take rather small, new potatoes and wash well; rub off all the skins; cut in halves, or if quite large, quarter them. Put a pint of divided potatoes into a broad-bottomed, shallow saucepan; pour over them a cup of thin sweet cream, add salt if desired; heat just to the boiling point, then allow them to simmer gently till perfectly tender, tossing them occasionally in the stewpan to prevent their burning on the bottom. Serve hot. SCALLOPED POTATOES.--Pare the potatoes and slice thin; put them in layers in an earthen pudding dish, dredge each layer lightly with flour, and salt, and pour over all enough good, rich milk to cover well. Cover, and bake rather slowly till tender, removing the cover just long enough before the potatoes are done, to brown nicely. If preferred, a little less milk may be used, and a cup of thin cream added when the potatoes are nearly done. STEWED POTATO.--Pare the potatoes and slice rather thin. Put into boiling water, and cook until nearly tender, but not broken. Have some rich milk boiling in the inner dish of a double boiler, add to it a little salt, then stir in for each pint of milk a heaping teaspoonful of corn starch or rice flour, rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Stir until it thickens. Drain the potatoes, turn them into the hot sauce, put the dish in the outer boiler, and cook for a half hour or longer. Cold boiled potatoes may be sliced and used in the same way. Cold baked potatoes sliced and stewed thus for an hour or more, make a particularly appetizing dish. POTATOES STEWED WITH CELERY.--Pare and slice the potatoes, and put them into a stewpan with two or three tablespoonfuls of minced celery. Use only the white part of the celery and mince it finely. Cover the whole with milk sufficient to cook and prevent burning, and stew until tender. Season with cream and salt. POTATO SNOWBALLS.--Cut largo potatoes into quarters; if small, leave them undivided; boil in just enough water to cover. When tender, drain and dry in the usual way. Take up two or three pieces at a time in a strong, clean cloth, and press them compactly together in the shape of balls. Serve in a folded napkin on a hot dish. POTATO CAKES.--Make nicely seasoned, cold mashed potato into small round cakes about one half an inch thick. Put them on a baking tin, brush them over with sweet cream, and bake in a hot oven till golden brown. POTATO CAKES WITH EGG.--Bake nice potatoes till perfectly tender; peel, mash thoroughly, and to each pint allow the yolks of two eggs which have been boiled until mealy, then rubbed perfectly smooth through a fine wire sieve, and one half cup of rich milk. Add salt to taste, mix all well together, form the potato into small cakes, place them on oiled tins, and brown ten or fifteen minutes in the oven. POTATO PUFF.--Mix a pint of mashed potato (cold is just as good if free from lumps) with a half cup of cream and the well-beaten yolk of an egg; salt to taste and beat till smooth; lastly, stir in the white of the egg beaten to a stiff froth. Pile up in a rocky form on a bright tin dish, and bake in a quick oven until heated throughout and lightly browned. Serve at once. BROWNED POTATOES.--Slice cold potatoes evenly, place them on an oiled tin, and brown in a very quick oven; or slice lengthwise and lay on a wire broiler or bread-toaster, and brown over hot coals. Sprinkle with a little salt if desired, and serve hot with sweet cream as dressing. ORNAMENTAL POTATOES.--No vegetable can be made palatable in so many ways as the potato, and few can be arranged in such pretty shapes. Mashed potatoes made moist with cream, can easily be made into cones, pyramids, or mounds. Cold mashed potatoes may be cut into many fancy shapes with a cookie-cutter, wet with a little cold water, and browned in the oven. Mounds of potatoes are very pretty smoothed and strewn with well-cooked vermicelli broken into small bits, and then lightly browned in the oven. Scoring the top of a dish of mashed potato deeply in triangles, stars, and crosses, with the back of a carving knife, and then browning lightly, gives a very pretty effect. BROILED POTATO.--Mashed potatoes, if packed firmly while warm into a sheet-iron bread tin which has been dipped in cold water, may be cut into slices when cold, brushed with cream, and browned on a broiler over hot coals. WARMED-OVER POTATOES.--Cut cold boiled potatoes into very thin slices; heat a little cream to boiling in a saucepan; add the potato, season lightly with salt if desired, and cook until the cream is absorbed, stirring occasionally so as to prevent scorching or breaking the slices. VEGETABLE HASH.--With one quart finely sliced potato, chop one carrot, one red beet, one white turnip, all boiled, also one or two stalks of celery. Put all together in a stewpan, cover closely, and set in the oven; when hot, pour over them a cup of boiling cream, stir well together, and serve hot. THE SWEET POTATO. DESCRIPTION.--The sweet potato is a native of the Malayan Archipelago, where it formerly grew wild; thence it was taken to Spain, and from Spain to England and other parts of the globe. It was largely used in Europe as a delicacy on the tables of the rich before the introduction of the common potato, which has now taken its place and likewise its name. The sweet potato is the article referred as potato by Shakespeare and other English writers, previous to the middle of the seventeenth century. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--What has been said in reference to the common potato, is generally applicable to the sweet potato; it may be prepared and cooked in nearly all the ways of the Irish potato. In selecting sweet potatoes, choose firm, plump roots, free from any sprouts; if sprouted they will have a poor flavor, and are likely to be watery. The sweet potato is best cooked with the skin on; but all discolored portions and the dry portion at each end, together with all branchlets, should be carefully removed, and the potato well washed, and if to be baked or roasted, well dried with a cloth before placing in the oven. The average time required for boiling is about fifty minutes; baking, one hour; steaming, about one hour; roasting, one and one half hours. _RECIPES._ BAKED SWEET POTATOES.--Select those of uniform size, wash clean, cutting out any imperfect spots, wipe dry, put into moderately hot oven, and bake about one hour, or until the largest will yield to gentle pressure between the fingers. Serve at once without peeling. Small potatoes are best steamed, since if baked, the skins will take up nearly the whole potato. BAKED SWEET POTATO NO. 2.--Select potatoes of medium size, wash and trim but do not pare, and put on the upper grate of the oven. For a peek of potatoes, put in the lower part of the oven in a large shallow pan a half pint of hot water. The water may be turned directly upon the oven bottom if preferred. Bake slowly, turning once when half done. Serve in their skins, or peel, slice, and return to the oven until nicely browned. BOILED SWEET POTATOES.--Choose potatoes of equal size; do not pare, but after cleaning them well and removing any imperfect spots, put into cold water and boll until they can be easily pierced with a fork; drain thoroughly, and lay them on the top grate in the oven to dry for five or ten minutes. Peel as soon as dry, and send at once to the table, in a hot dish covered with a folded napkin. Sweet potatoes are much better baked than boiled. STEAMED SWEET POTATOES.--Wash the potatoes well, cut out any discolored portions, and steam over a kettle of boiling water until they can be easily pierced with a fork, not allowing the water in the pot to cease boiling for a moment. Steam only sufficient to cook them, else they will be watery. BROWNED SWEET POTATOES.--Slice cold, cooked sweet potatoes evenly, place on slightly oiled tins in a hot oven, and brown. MASHED SWEET POTATOES.--Either bake or steam nice sweet potatoes, and when tender, peel, mash them well, and season with cream and salt to taste. They may be served at once, or made into patties and browned in the oven. POTATO HASH.--Take equal parts of cold Irish and sweet potatoes; chop fine and mix thoroughly; season with salt if desired, and add sufficient thin cream to moisten well. Turn into a stewpan, and heat gently until boiling, tossing continually, that all parts become heated alike, and serve at once. ROASTED SWEET POTATOES.--Wash clean and wipe dry, potatoes of uniform size, wrap with tissue paper, cover with hot ashes, and then with coals from a hardwood fire; unless near the main fire, the coals will need renewing a few times. This will require a longer time than by any other method, but they are much nicer. The slow, continuous heat promotes their mealiness. When tender, brush the ashes off with a broom, and wipe with a dry cloth. Send to the table in their jackets. TO DRY SWEET POTATOES.--Carefully clean and drop them into boiling water. Let them remain until the skins can be easily slipped off; then cut into slices and spread on racks to dry. To prepare for cooking, soak over night, and boil the next day. TURNIPS. DESCRIPTION.--The turnip belongs to the order _Cruciferæ_, signifying "cross flowers," so called because their four petals are arranged in the form of a cross. It is a native of Europe and the temperate portions of Asia, growing wild in borders of fields and waste places. The ancient Roman gastronomists considered the turnip, when prepared in the following manner, a dish fit for epicures: "After boiling, extract the water from them, and season with cummin, rue or benzoin, pounded in a mortar; afterward add honey, vinegar, gravy, and boiled grapes. Allow the whole to simmer, and serve." Under cultivation, the turnip forms an agreeable culinary esculent; but on account of the large proportion of water entering into its composition, its nutritive value is exceedingly low. The Swedish, or Rutabaga, variety is rather more nutritive than the white, but its stronger flavor renders it less palatable. Unlike the potato, the turnip contains no starch, but instead, a gelatinous substance called pectose, which during the boiling process is changed into a vegetable jelly called pectine. The white lining just inside the skin is usually bitter; hence the tuber should be peeled sufficiently deep to remove it. When well cooked, turnips are quite easily digested. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Turnips are good for culinary purposes only from the time of their ripening till they begin to sprout. The process of germination changes their proximate elements, and renders them less fit for food. Select turnips which are plump and free from disease. A turnip that is wilted, or that appears spongy, pithy, or cork-like when cut, is not fit for food. Prepare turnips for cooking by thoroughly washing and scraping, if young and tender, or by paring if more mature. If small, they may be cooked whole; if large, they should be cut across the grain into slices a half inch in thickness. If cooked whole, care must be taken to select those of uniform size; and if sliced, the slices must be of equal thickness. _RECIPES._ BOILED TURNIPS.--Turnips, like other vegetables, should be boiled in as small an amount of water as possible. Great care must be taken, however, that the kettle does not get dry, as scorched turnip is spoiled. An excellent precaution, in order to keep them from scorching in case the water becomes low, is to place an inverted saucer or sauce-dish in the bottom of the kettle before putting in the turnips. Put into boiling water, cook rapidly until sufficiently tender to pierce easily with a fork; too much cooking discolors and renders them strong in flavor. Boiled turnips should be drained very thoroughly, and all water pressed out before preparing for the table. The age, size, and variety of the turnip will greatly vary the time necessary for its cooking. The safest rule is to allow plenty of time, and test with a fork. Young turnips will cook in about forty-five minutes; old turnips, sliced, require from one and a quarter to two hours. If whole or cut in halves, they require a proportionate length of time. White turnips require much, less cooking than yellow ones. BAKED TURNIPS.--Select turnips of uniform size; wash and wipe, but do not pare; place on the top grate of a moderately hot oven; bake two or more hours or until perfectly tender; peel and serve at once, either mashed or with cream sauce. Turnips are much sweeter baked than when cooked in any other way. CREAMED TURNIPS.--Pare, but do not cut, young sweet white turnips; boil till tender in a small quantity of water; drain and dry well. Cook a tablespoonful of flour in a pint of rich milk or part cream; arrange the turnips in a baking dish, pour the sauce over them, add salt if desired, sprinkle the top with grated bread crumbs, and brown in a quick oven. CHOPPED TURNIPS.--Chop well-boiled white turnips very fine, add salt to taste and sufficient lemon juice to moisten. Turn into a saucepan and heat till hot, gently lifting and stirring constantly. Cold boiled turnip may be used advantageously in this way. MASHED TURNIPS.--Wash the turnips, pare, and drop into boiling water. Cook until perfectly tender; turn into a colander and press out the water with a plate or large spoon; mash until free from lumps, season with a little sweet cream, and salt if desired. If the turnips are especially watery, one or two hot, mealy potatoes mashed with them will be an improvement. SCALLOPED TURNIPS.--Prepare and boil whole white turnips until nearly tender; cut into thin slices, lay in an earthen pudding dish, pour over them a white sauce sufficient to cover, made by cooking a tablespoonful of flour in a pint of milk, part cream if preferred, until thickened. Season with salt, sprinkle the top lightly with grated bread crumbs, and bake in a quick oven until a rich brown. Place the baking dish on a clean plate, and serve. Rich milk or cream may be used instead of white sauce, if preferred. STEAMED TURNIPS.--Select turnips of uniform size, wash, pare, and steam rapidly till they can be easily pierced with a fork; mash, or serve with lemon juice or cream sauce, as desired. STEWED TURNIPS.--Prepare and slice some young, fresh white turnips, boil or steam about twenty minutes, drain thoroughly, turn into a saucepan with a cup of new milk for each quart of turnips; simmer gently until tender, season with salt if desired, and serve. TURNIPS IN JUICE.--Wash young white turnips, peel, and boil whole in sufficient water to keep them from burning. Cover closely and cook gently until tender, by which time the water in the kettle should be reduced to the consistency of syrup. Serve at once. TURNIPS WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Wash and pare the turnips, cut them into half-inch dice, and cook in boiling water until tender. Meanwhile prepare a cream sauce as directed for Scalloped Turnips, using thin cream in place of milk. Drain the turnips, pour the cream sauce over them, let them boil up once, and serve. PARSNIPS. DESCRIPTION.--The common garden parsnip is derived by cultivation from the wild parsnip, indigenous to many parts of Europe and the north of Asia, and cultivated since Roman times. It is not only used for culinary purposes, but a wine is made from it. In the north of Ireland a table beer is brewed from its fermented product and hops. The percentage of nutritive elements contained in the parsnip is very small; so small, indeed, that one pound of parsnips affords hardly one fifth of an ounce of nitrogenous or muscle-forming material. The time required for its digestion, varies from two and one half to three and one half hours. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Wash and trim off any rough portions: scrape well with a knife to remove the skins, and drop at once into cold water to prevent discoloration. If the parsnips are smooth-skinned, fresh, and too small to need dividing, they need only be washed thoroughly before cooking, as the skins can be easily removed by rubbing with a clean towel. Reject those that are wilted, pithy, coarse, or stringy. Large parsnips should be divided, for if cooked whole, the outside is likely to become soft before the center is tender. They may be either split lengthwise or sliced. Parsnips may be boiled, baked, or steamed; but like all other vegetables containing a large percentage of water, are preferable steamed or baked. The time required for cooking young parsnips, is about forty-five minutes; when old, they require from one to two hours. _RECIPES._ BAKED PARSNIPS.--Wash, thoroughly, but do not scrape the roots; bake the same as potatoes. When tender, remove the skins, slice, and serve with cream or an egg sauce prepared as directed for Parsnips with Egg Sauce. They are also very nice mashed and seasoned with cream. Baked and steamed parsnips are far sweeter than boiled ones. BAKED PARSNIPS NO. 2.--Wash, scrape, and divide; drop into boiling water, a little more than sufficient to cook them, and boil gently till thoroughly tender. There should remain about one half pint of the liquor when the parsnips are done. Arrange on an earthen plate or shallow pudding dish, not more than one layer deep; cover with the juice, and bake, basting frequently until the juice is all absorbed, and the parsnips delicately browned. Serve at once. BOILED PARSNIPS.--Clean, scrape, drop into a small quantity of boiling water, and cook until they can be easily pierced, with a fork. Drain thoroughly, cut the parsnips in slices, and mash or serve with a white sauce, to which a little lemon juice may be added if desired. BROWNED PARSNIPS.--Slice cold parsnips into rather thick pieces, and brown as directed for browned potatoes. CREAMED PARSNIPS.--Bake or steam the parsnips until tender; slice, add salt if desired, and a cup of thin sweet cream. Let them stew slowly until nearly dry, or if preferred, just boil up once and serve. MASHED PARSNIPS.--Wash and scrape, dropping at once into cold water to prevent discoloration. Slice thinly and steam, or bake whole until perfectly tender. When done, mash until free from lumps, removing all hard or stringy portions; add salt to taste and a few spoonfuls of thick sweet cream, and serve. PARSNIPS WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Bake as previously directed. When tender, slice, cut into cubes, and pour over them a cream sauce prepared as for Turnips with Cream Sauce. Boil up together once, and serve. PARSNIPS WITH EGG SAUCE.--Scrape, wash, and slice thinly, enough parsnips to make three pints; steam, bake, or boil them until very tender. If boiled, turn into a colander and drain well. Have ready an egg sauce, for preparing which heat a pint of rich milk or very thin cream to boiling, stir into it a level tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth with a little milk. Let this boil a few minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is well cooked and the sauce thickened; then add slowly the well-beaten yolk of one egg, stirring rapidly so that it shall be well mingled with the whole; add salt to taste; let it boil up once, pour over the parsnips, and serve. The sauce should be of the consistency of thick cream. PARSNIPS WITH POTATOES.--Wash, scrape, and slice enough parsnips to make two and a half quarts. Pare and slice enough potatoes to make one pint. Cook together in a small quantity of water. When tender, mash smoothly, add salt, the yolks of two eggs well beaten, and a cup of rich milk. Beat well together, put into an earthen or china dish, and brown lightly in the oven. STEWED PARSNIPS.--Prepare and boil for a half hour; drain, cover with rich milk, add salt if desired, and stew gently till tender. STEWED PARSNIPS WITH CELERY.--Prepare and steam or boil some nice ones until about half done. If boiled, drain thoroughly; add salt if desired, and a tablespoonful of minced celery. Turn rich boiling milk over them, cover, and stew fifteen or twenty minutes, or till perfectly tender. CARROTS. DESCRIPTION.--The garden carrot is a cultivated variety of a plant belonging to the _Umbettiferæ_, and grows wild in many portions of Europe. The root has long been used for food. By the ancient Greeks and Romans it was much esteemed as a salad. The carrot is said to have been introduced into England by Flemish refugees during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. Its feathery leaves were used by the ladies as an adornment for their headdresses, in place of plumes. Carrots contain sugar enough for making a syrup from them; they also yield by fermentation and distillation a spirituous liquor. In Germany they are sometimes cut into small pieces, and roasted as a substitute for coffee. Starch does not enter into the composition of carrots, but a small portion of pectose is found instead. Carrots contain more water than parsnips, and both much cellulose and little nutritive material. Carrots when well cooked form a wholesome food, but one not adapted to weak stomachs, as they are rather hard to digest and tend to flatulence. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--The suggestions given for the preparation of parsnips are also applicable to carrots; and they may be boiled, steamed, or browned in the same manner. From one to two hours time will be required, according to age, size, variety, and method of cooking. _RECIPES._ BOILED CARROTS.--Clean, scrape, drop into boiling water, and cook till tender; drain thoroughly, slice, and serve with a cream sauce. Varieties with strong flavor are better parboiled for fifteen or twenty minutes, and put into fresh boiling water to finish. CARROTS WITH EGG SAUCE.--Wash and scrape well; slice and throw into boiling water, or else steam. When tender, drain thoroughly, and pour over them a sauce prepared the same as for parsnips (page 244), with the addition of a tablespoonful of sugar. Let them boil up once, and serve. STEWED CARROTS.--Prepare young and tender carrots, drop into boiling water, and cook for fifteen or twenty minutes. Drain, slice, and put into a stewpan with rich milk or cream nearly to cover; simmer gently until tender; season with salt and a little chopped parsley. BEETS. DESCRIPTION.--The beet is a native of the coasts of the Mediterranean, and is said to owe its botanical name, _beta_, to a fancied resemblance to the Greek letter B. Two varieties are in common use as food, the white and the red beet; while a sub-variety, the sugar beet, is largely cultivated in France, in connection with the beet-sugar industry in that country. The same industry has recently been introduced into this country. It is grown extensively in Germany and Russia, for the same pose, and is also used there in the manufacture of alcohol. The beet root is characterized by its unusual amount of sugar. It is considered more nutritive than any other esculent tuber except the potato, but the time required for its digestion exceeds that of most vegetables, being three and three fourths hours. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Beets, like other tubers, should be fresh, unshriveled, and healthy. Wash carefully, scrubbing with a soft brush to remove all particles of dirt; but avoid scraping, cutting, or breaking, lest the sweet juices escape. In handling for storage, be careful not to bruise or break the skins; and in purchasing from the market, select only such as are perfect. Beets may be boiled, baked, or steamed. In boiling, if the skin is cut or broken, the juice will escape in the water, and the flavor will be injured; for this reason, beets should not be punctured with a fork to find if done. When tender, the thickest part will yield readily to pressure of the fingers. Beets should be boiled in just as little water as possible, and they will be much better if it has all evaporated by the time they are cooked. Young beets will boil in one hour, while old beets require from three to five hours; if tough, wilted, and stringy, they cannot be boiled tender. Baked beets require from three to six hours. _RECIPES._ BAKED BEETS.--Beets are far better baked than boiled, though it takes a longer time to cook properly. French cooks bake them slowly six hours in a covered dish, the bottom of which is lined with well-moistened rye straw; however, they may be baked on the oven grate, like potatoes. Wipe dry after washing, and bake slowly. They are very nice served with a sauce made of equal quantities of lemon juice and whipped cream, with a little salt. BAKED BEETS NO. 2.--Wash young and tender beets, and place in an earthen baking dish with a very little water; as it evaporates, add more, which must be of boiling temperature. Set into a moderate oven, and according to size of the beets, bake slowly from two to three hours. When tender, remove the skins and dress with lemon juice or cream sauce. BEETS AND POTATOES.--Boil newly matured potatoes and young beets separately till tender; then peel and slice. Put thorn in alternate layers in a vegetable dish, with salt to taste, and enough sweet cream nearly to cover. Brown in the oven, and serve at once. BEET HASH.--Chop quite finely an equal quantity of cold boiled or baked beets and boiled or baked potatoes. Put into a shallow saucepan, add salt and sufficient hot cream to moisten. Toss frequently, and cook until well heated throughout. Serve hot. BEET GREENS.--Take young, tender beets, clean thoroughly without separating the tops and roots. Examine the leaves carefully, and pick off inferior ones. Put into boiling water, and cook for nearly an hour. Drain, press out all water, and chop quite fine. Serve with a dressing of lemon juice or cream, as preferred. BEET SALAD, OR CHOPPED BEETS.--Cold boiled or baked beets, chopped quite fine, but not minced, make a nice salad when served with a dressing of lemon juice and whipped cream in the proportion of three tablespoonfuls of lemon juice to one half cup of whipped cream, and salt if desired. BEET SALAD NO. 2.--Chop equal parts of boiled beets and fresh young cabbage. Mix thoroughly, add salt to taste, a few tablespoonfuls of sugar, and cover with diluted lemon juice. Equal quantities of cold boiled beets and cold boiled potatoes, chopped fine, thoroughly mixed, and served with a dressing of lemon juice and whipped cream, make a palatable salad. Care should be taken in the preparation of these and the preceding salad, not to chop the vegetables so fine as to admit of their being eaten without mastication. BOILED BEETS.--Wash carefully, drop into boiling water, and cook until tender. When done, drop into cold water for a minute, when the skins can be easily rubbed off with the hand. Slice, and serve hot with lemon juice or with a cream sauce. STEWED BEETS.--Bake beets according to recipe No. 2. Peel, cut in slices, turn into a saucepan, nearly cover with thin cream, simmer for ten or fifteen minutes, add salt if desired, and thicken the gravy with a little corn starch or flour. CABBAGE. DESCRIPTION.--The common white garden cabbage is one of the oldest of cultivated vegetables. A variety of the plant known as red cabbage was the delight of ancient gourmands more than eighteen centuries ago. The Egyptians adored it, erected altars to it, and made it the first dish at their repasts. In this they were imitated by the Greeks and Romans. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, considered the cabbage one of the most valuable of remedies, and often prescribed a dish of boiled cabbage to be eaten with salt for patients suffering with violent colic. Erasistratus looked upon it as a sovereign remedy against paralysis, while Cato in his writings affirmed it to be a panacea for all diseases, and believed the use the Romans made of it to have been the means whereby they were able, during six hundred years, to do without the assistance of physicians, whom they had expelled from their territory. The learned philosopher, Pythagoras, composed books in which he lauded its wonderful virtues. The Germans are so fond of cabbage that it enters into the composition of a majority of their culinary products. The cabbage was first raised in England about 1640, by Sir Anthony Ashley. That this epoch, important to the English horticultural and culinary world, may never be forgotten, a cabbage is represented upon Sir Anthony's monument. The nutritive value of the cabbage is not high, nearly ninety per cent being water; but it forms an agreeable variety in the list of vegetable foods, and is said to possess marked antiscorbutic virtue. It is, however, difficult of digestion, and therefore not suited to weak stomachs. It would be impossible to sustain life for a lengthened period upon cabbage, since to supply the body with sufficient food elements, the quantity would exceed the rate of digestion and the capacity of the stomach. M. Chevreul, a French scientist, has ascertained that the peculiar odor given off during the boiling of cabbage is due to the disengagement of sulphureted hydrogen. Cabbage is said to be more easily digested raw than cooked. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--A good cabbage should have a well-developed, firm head, with fresh, crisp leaves, free from worm-holes and decayed portions. To prepare for cooking, stalk, shake well to free from dirt, and if there are any signs of insects, lay in cold salted water for an hour or so to drive them out. Rinse away the salt water, and if to be boiled, drop into a small quantity of boiling water. Cover closely and boil vigorously until tender. If cooked slowly, it will be watery and stringy, while overdone cabbage is especially insipid and flavorless. If too much water has been used, remove the cover, that evaporation may go on more rapidly; if too little, replenish with boiling water. Cabbage should be cooked in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware sauce pan or a very clean iron kettle. Cabbage may also be steamed, but care must be taken to have the process as rapid as possible. Fresh young cabbage will cook in about one hour; old cabbage requires from two to three hours. _RECIPES._ BAKED CABBAGE.--Prepare and chop a firm head of young white cabbage, boil until tender, drain, and set aside until nearly cold. Then add two well-beaten eggs, salt to taste, and a half cup of thin cream or rich milk. Mix and bake in a pudding dish until lightly browned. BOILED CABBAGE.--Carefully clean a nice head of cabbage, divide into halves, and with a sharp knife slice very thin, cutting from the center of the head outward. Put into boiling water, cover closely, and cook rapidly until tender; then turn into a colander and drain, pressing gently with the back of a plate. Return to the kettle, add salt to taste, and sufficient sweet cream to moisten well, heat through if at all cooled, dish, and serve at once. If preferred, the cream may be omitted, and the cabbage served with tomato sauce or lemon juice as a dressing. CABBAGE AND TOMATOES.--Boil finely chopped cabbage in as little water as possible. When tender, add half the quantity of hot stewed tomatoes, boil together for a few minutes, being careful to avoid burning, season with salt if desired, and serve. If preferred, a little sweet cream may be added just before serving. CABBAGE CELERY.--A firm, crisp head of cabbage cut in slices half an inch or an inch thick, and then again into pieces four or five inches long and two or three inches wide, makes a quite appetizing substitute for celery. CABBAGE HASH.--Chop fine, equal parts of cold boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage, and season with salt. To each quart of the mixture add one half or three fourths of a cup of thin cream; mix well and boil till well heated. CHOPPED CABBAGE OR CABBAGE SALAD.--Take one pint of finely chopped cabbage; pour over it a dressing made of three tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a half cup of whipped cream, thoroughly beaten together in the order named; or serve with sugar and diluted lemon juice. MASHED CABBAGE.--Cut a fine head of cabbage into quarters, and cook until tender. A half hour before it is done, drop in three good-sized potatoes. When done, take all up in a colander together, press out the water, and mash very fine. Season with cream, and salt if desired. STEWED CABBAGE. Chop nice cabbage quite fine, and put it into boiling water, letting it boil twenty minutes. Turn into a colander and drain thoroughly; return to the kettle, cover with milk, and let it boil till perfectly tender; season with salt and cream to taste. The beaten yolk of an egg, stirred in with the cream, is considered an improvement by some. CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI. DESCRIPTION.--These vegetables are botanically allied to the cabbage, and are similar in composition. They are entirely the product of cultivation, and constitute the inflorescence of the plant, which horticultural art has made to grow into a compact head of white color in the cauliflower, and of varying shades of buff, green, and purple in the broccoli. There is very little difference between the two aside from the color, and they are treated alike for culinary purposes. They were known to the Greeks and Romans, and highly appreciated by connoisseurs. They are not as nutritious as the cabbage, but have a more delicate and agreeable flavor. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--The leaves should be green and fresh, and the heads of cauliflower creamy white; when there are dark spots, it is wilted. The color of broccoli will depend upon the variety, but the head should be firm, with no discolorations. To prepare, pick off the outside leaves, cut the stalk squarely across, about two inches below the flower, and if very thick, split and wash thoroughly in several waters; or better still, hold it under the faucet, flower downward, and allow a constant stream of water to fall over it for several minutes; then place top downward in a pan of lukewarm salted water, to drive out any insects which may be hidden in it; examine carefully for worms just the color of the stalk; tie in a net (mosquito netting, say) to prevent breaking, or place the cauliflower on a plate in a steamer, and boil, or steam, as is most convenient. The time required for cooking will vary from twenty to forty minutes. _RECIPES._ (The recipes given are applicable to both broccoli and cauliflower.) BOILED CAULIFLOWER.--Prepare, divide into neat branches, and tie securely in a net. Put into boiling milk and water, equal quantities, and cook until the main stalks are tender. Boil rapidly the first five minutes, afterward more moderately, to prevent the flower from becoming done before the stalks. Serve on a hot dish with cream sauce or diluted lemon juice. BROWNED CAULIFLOWER.--Beat together two eggs, a little salt, four tablespoonfuls of sweet cream, and a small quantity of grated bread crumbs well moistened with a little milk, till of the consistency of batter. Steam the cauliflower until tender, separate it into small bunches, dip each top in the mixture, and place in nice order in a pudding dish; put in the oven and brown. CAULIFLOWER WITH EGG SAUCE.--Steam the cauliflower until tender, separate into small portions, dish, and serve with an egg sauce prepared as directed for parsnips on page 244. CAULIFLOWER WITH TOMATO SAUCE.--Boil or steam the cauliflower until tender. In another dish prepare a sauce with a pint of strained stewed smooth in a little water, and salted to taste. When the cauliflower is tender, dish, and pour over it the hot tomato sauce. If preferred, a tablespoonful of thick sweet cream may be added to the sauce before using. STEWED CAULIFLOWER.--Boil in as little water as possible, or steam until tender; separate into small portions, add milk, cream and salt to taste; stew together for a few minutes, and serve. SCOLLOPED CAULIFLOWER.--Prepare the cauliflower, and steam or boil until tender. If boiled, use equal quantities of milk and water. Separate into bunches of equal size, place in a pudding dish, cover with a white or cream sauce, sprinkle with grated bread crumbs, and brown in the oven. SPINACH. DESCRIPTION.--This plant is supposed to be a native of western Arabia. There are several varieties which are prepared and served as "greens." Spinach is largely composed of water. It is considered a wholesome vegetable, with slightly laxative properties. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Use only tender plants or the tender leaves of the older stalks, and be sure to have enough, as spinach shrinks greatly. A peck is not too much for a family of four or five. Pick it over very carefully, trim off the roots and decayed leaves, and all tough, stringy stalks, and the coarse fibers of the leaves, as those will not cook tender until the leaves are overdone. Wash in several waters, lifting grit. Shake each bunch well. Spinach is best cooked in its own juices; this may be best accomplished by cooking it in a double boiler, or if placed in a pot and slowly heated, it will however, be stirred frequently at first, to prevent burning; cover closely and cook until tender. The time required will vary from twenty minutes to half an hour or more. If water is used in the cooking, have a half kettleful boiling when the spinach is put in, and continue to boil rapidly until the leaves are perfectly tender; then drain in a colander, press with the back of a plate to extract all water, chop very fine, and either serve with lemon juice as a dressing, or add a half cup of sweet cream with or without a teaspoonful of sugar. Boil up once, stirring constantly, and serve very hot. A garnish of sliced boiled eggs is often employed with this vegetable. CELERY. DESCRIPTION.--The common celery is a native of Great Britain. In its wild state it has a strong, disagreeable taste and smell, and is known as _smallage_. By cultivation it becomes more mild and sweet. It is usually eaten uncooked as a salad herb, or introduced into soups as a flavouring. In its raw state, it is difficult of digestion. Celery from the market may be kept fresh for some time by wrapping the bunches in brown paper, sprinkling them with water, then wrapping in a damp cloth and putting in some cool, dark place. _RECIPES_ CELERY SALAD.--Break the stems apart, cut off all green portions, and after washing well put in cold water for an hour or so before serving. STEWED CELERY.--Cut the tender inner parts of celery heads into pieces about a finger long. The outer and more fibrous stalks may be saved to season soups. Put in a stewpan, and add sufficient water to cover; then cover the pan closely, and set it where it will just simmer for an hour, or until the celery is perfectly tender. When cooked, add a pint of rich milk, part cream if you have it, salt to taste, and when boiling, stir in a tablespoon of flour rubbed smooth in a little milk. Boil up once and serve. STEWED CELERY NO. 2.--Cut the white part of fine heads of celery into small pieces, blanch in boiling water, turn into a colander, and drain. Heat a cup and a half of milk to boiling in a stewpan; add the celery, and stew gently until tender. Remove the celery with a skimmer, and stir into the milk the beaten yolks of two eggs and one half cup of cream. Cook until thickened; pour over the celery, and serve. CELERY WITH TOMATO SAUCE.--Prepare the celery as in the preceding recipe, and cook until tender in a small quantity of boiling water. Drain in a colander, and for three cups of stewed celery prepare a sauce with a pint of strained stewed tomato, heated to boiling and thickened with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. If desired, add a half cup of thin cream. Turn over the celery, and serve hot. CELERY AND POTATO HASH.--To three cups of cold boiled or baked potato, chopped rather fine, add one cup of cooked celery, minced. Put season. Heat to boiling, tossing and stirring so that the whole will be heated throughout, and serve hot. ASPARAGUS. DESCRIPTION.--The asparagus is a native of Europe, and in its wild state is a sea-coast plant. The young shoots form the edible portion. The plant was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who not only used it as a table delicacy but considered it very useful in the treatment of internal diseases. Roman cooks provided themselves with a supply of the vegetable for winter use by cutting fine heads and drying them. When wanted, they were put into hot water and gently cooked. The asparagus is remarkable as containing a crystalline alkaloid called _asparagin_, which is thought to possess diuretic properties. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Select fresh and tender asparagus. Those versed in its cultivation, assert that it should be cut at least three times a week, and barely to the ground. If it is necessary to keep the bunches for some time before cooking, stand them, tops uppermost, in water about one half inch deep, in the cellar or other cool place. Clean each stalk separately by swashing back and forth in a pan of cold water till perfectly free from sand, then break off all the tough portions, cut in equal lengths, tie in bunches of half a dozen or more with soft tape, drop into boiling water barely sufficient to cover, and simmer gently until perfectly tender. If the asparagus is to be stewed, break: (not cut) into small pieces; when it will not snap off quickly, the stalk is too tough for use. Asparagus must be taken from the water just as soon as tender, while yet firm in appearance. If boiled soft, it loses its flavor and is uninviting. It is a good plan when it is to be divided before cooking, if the stalks are not perfectly tender, to boil the hardest portions first. Asparagus cooked in bunches is well done, if, when held by the thick end in a horizontal position between the fingers, it only bends lightly and does not fall heavily down. The time required for boiling asparagus depends upon its freshness and age. Fresh, tender asparagus cooks in a very few minutes, so quickly, indeed, that the Roman emperor Augustus, intimating that any affair must be concluded without delay, was accustomed to say, "Let that be done quicker than you can cook asparagus." Fifteen or twenty minutes will suffice if young and fresh; if old, from thirty to fifty minutes will be required. _RECIPES._ ASPARAGUS AND PEAS.--Asparagus and green peas make a nice dish served together, and if of proportionate age, require the same length of time to cook. Wash the asparagus, shell and look over the peas, put together into boiling water, cook, and serve as directed for stewed asparagus. ASPARAGUS POINTS.--Cut of enough heads in two-inch lengths to make three pints. Put into boiling water just sufficient to cover. When tender, drain off the water, add a half cup of cream, and salt if desired. Serve at once. ASPARAGUS ON TOAST.--Cook the asparagus in bunches, and when tender, drain and place on slices of nicely browned toast moistened in the asparagus liquor. Pour over all a cream sauce prepared as directed below. ASPARAGUS WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Thoroughly wash, tie in small bunches, and put into boiling water; boil till perfectly tender. Drain thoroughly, untie the bunches, place the stalks all the same way upon a hot plate, with a dressing prepared as follows: Let a pint of sweet cream (about six hours old is best) come to the boiling point, and stir into it salt to taste and a level tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth with a little cold cream. ASPARAGUS WITH EGG SAUCE.--Prepare and cook asparagus as directed above. When tender, drain thoroughly, and serve on a hot dish or on slices of nicely browned toast, with an egg sauce prepared in the following manner: Heat a half cup of rich milk to boiling, add salt, and turn into it very slowly the well-beaten yolk of an egg, stirring constantly at the same time. Let the whole just thicken, and remove from the fire at once. STEWED ASPARAGUS.--Wash, break into inch pieces, simmer till tender in water just to cover, add sufficient rich milk, part cream if convenient, to make a gravy, thicken slightly with flour, a teaspoonful to a pint of milk; add salt if desired, boil up together once, and serve. SEA-KALE. DESCRIPTION.--This plant, a native of Britain, and much esteemed as a vegetable in England and on the Continent, is also in its wild state a sea-coast plant. When properly cooked, it is nutritious and easy of digestion. In appearance and flavor it greatly resembles asparagus, and the suggestions for cooking and recipes given for that vegetable are applicable to sea-kale. LETTUCE AND RADISH. DESCRIPTION.--These two vegetables, although wholly different, the one being the leaf of a plant, the other the root, are both so commonly served as relishes that we will speak of them together. Both have long been known and used. Wild lettuce is said to be the bitter herb which the Hebrews ate with the Paschal lamb. The ancient Greek and Roman epicures valued lettuce highly, and bestowed great care upon its cultivation, in some instances watering the plants with sweet wine instead of water, in order to communicate to them a delicate perfume and flavor. The common garden lettuce of the present day is a hardy plant, which supplies an agreeable, digestible, and, when served with a wholesome dressing, unobjectionable salad. The common radish is supposed to be indigenous to China. Ancient writers on foods mention the radish as used by the early Greeks and Romans, who fancied that at the end of three years its seed would produce cabbages. They had also the singular custom of making the radish the ignominious projectile with which in times of tumult the mob pursued persons whose political opinions had made them obnoxious. When quiet was restored, the disgraced vegetable was boiled and eaten with oil and vinegar. Common garden radishes are of different shapes and of various colors on the outside, there being black, violet, red, and white radishes. The inside portion of all, however, is white. They are sometimes cooked, but more commonly served raw. A dish of crisp, coral radishes adds beauty to the appearance of the table, but they are not possessed of a high nutritive value, being very similar to the turnip in composition, and unless very young, tender, and when eaten thoroughly masticated, are quite difficult of digestion. _RECIPES._ LETTUCE.--Wash well, put into cold water, and set on ice or on the cellar bottom for an hour or more before using. Dry the leaves with a soft towel and use whole or tear into convenient pieces with a silver fork; never cut with a knife. Serve with a dressing prepared of equal quantities of lemon juice and sugar, diluted with a little ice water; or, with a dressing of cream and sugar, in the proportion of three or four tablespoonfuls of thin cream to a teaspoonful of sugar. The dressing may be prepared, and after the sugar is dissolved, a very little lemon juice (just enough to thicken the cream slightly, but not sufficient to curdle it) may be added if desired. RADISHES.--Wash thoroughly young and tender radishes, and arrange in a glass dish with the taper ends meeting. Scatter bits of cracked ice among them. An inch of the stem, if left on, serve as a convenience in handling. CYMLING, SUMMER SQUASH, OR VEGETABLE MARROW. DESCRIPTION.--The vegetable marrow (sometimes called cymling) is thought to be a variety of the common gourd, from which also the pumpkin and winter squash appear to have been derived. It is easily digested, but on account of the abundance of water in its composition, its nutritive value is very low. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--When very young, most varieties need no preparation for cooking, aside from washing thoroughly. After cooking, the skin can be easily rubbed off and the seeds removed. If more mature, pare thinly, and if large, divide into halves or quarters and scoop out the seeds. Summer squashes are better steamed than boiled. If boiled, they should be cooked in so little water that it will be quite evaporated when they are tender. From twenty to sixty minutes will be required for cooking. _RECIPES._ MASHED SQUASH.--Wash, peel, remove seeds, and steam until tender. Place the squash in a clean cloth, mash thoroughly, squeeze until the squash is quite dry, or rub through a fine colander and afterward simmer until neatly dry; season with cream, and a little salt if desired, and heat again before serving. A teaspoonful of sugar may be added with the cream, if desired. SQUASH WITH EGG SAUCE.--Prepare, steam till tender, cut into pieces, and serve with an egg sauce made the same as directed for asparagus, page 256. STEWED SQUASH.--Prepare, cut into pieces, and stew until tender in a small quantity of boiling water; drain, pressing out all the water; serve on toast with cream or white sauce. Or, divide in quarters, remove the seeds, cook in a double boiler, in its own juices, which when done may be thickened with a little flour. Season with salt if desired, and serve hot. WINTER SQUASHES. The winter squash and pumpkin are allied in nature to the summer squash. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Select squashes of a firm texture, wash, break in pieces with a hatchet if hard-shell, or if the shell is soft, divide with a knife; remove all seeds, and boil, stew, steam, or bake, as preferred. To boil or steam, from thirty minutes to one hour's time will be needed; to bake, one to two hours. _RECIPES._ BAKED SQUASH..--The hard-shell varieties are best for baking. Wash, divide, and lay, shells downward, on the top grate of the oven, or place in a shallow baking dish with a little boiling water. Boil until tender, serve in the shell, or scrape out the soft part, mash and serve with two largo tablespoonful of cream to a pint of squash. If preferred, the skins may be removed before baking, and the squash served the same as sweet potato, for which it makes a good substitute. STEAMED SQUASH.--Prepare the squash, and steam until tender. Mash and season as for baked squash. THE PUMPKIN. DESCRIPTION.--When our forefathers came to this country, they found the pumpkin growing in the Indian cornfields, and at once made use of it. Although as food it did not supply what its handsome exterior promised, yet in the absence of other fruits and relishes, of which the exigencies of a new country deprived them, they soon found the pumpkin quite palatable; and the taste, cultivated through necessity, has been handed down through generations, until the pumpkin stewed and baked in pies, has become an established favorite. _RECIPES._ BAKED PUMPKIN.--Wash the pumpkin well on the outside, divide into quarters if small, into sixths or eighths if large; remove the seeds but not the rind. Bake as directed for squash. Serve in the rind, dishing it out by spoonfuls. STEWED PUMPKIN.--Select a good, ripe pumpkin, and cut in halves; remove the seeds, slice halfway around, pare, cut into inch pieces, put over the fire in a kettle containing a small quantity of boiling water, and stew gently, stirring frequently until it breaks to pieces. Cool, rub through a colander, and place where it will just simmer, but not burn, until the water is all evaporated and the pumpkin dry. Pumpkin for pies is much richer baked like squash, and rubbed through a colander after the skin has been removed. DRIED PUMPKIN.--Pumpkin may be dried and kept for future use. The best way is first to cut and stew the pumpkin, then spread on plates, and dry quickly in the oven. Dried in this manner, it is easily softened, when needed, by soaking in a small quantity of water, and is considered nearly as good as that freshly stewed. TOMATO. DESCRIPTION.--The tomato, or "love apple," as it was called in the early part of the century, is a native of South America and Mexico. It was formerly regarded as poisonous, and though often planted and prized as a curiosity in the flower garden, it has only within the last half century come to be considered as a wholesome article of diet. Botanically, it is allied to the potato. It is an acid fruit, largely composed of water, and hence of low nutritive value; but it is justly esteemed as a relish, and is very serviceable to the cook in the preparation of soups and various mixed dishes. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Tomatoes to be served in an uncooked state should be perfectly ripe and fresh. The medium-sized, smooth ones are the best. To peel, pour scalding water over them; let them remain for half a minute, plunge into cold water, allow them to cool, when the skins can be easily rubbed off. Tomatoes should always be cooked in porcelain or granite ware; iron makes them look dark, and being slightly acid in character, they are not wholesome cooked in tin vessels. Tomatoes require cooking a long time; one hour is needed, and two are better. _RECIPES._ BAKED TOMATOES.--Fill a pudding dish two thirds full of stewed tomatoes; season with salt, and sprinkle grated crumbs of good whole-wheat or Graham bread over it until the top looks dry. Brown in the oven, and serve with a cream dressing. BAKED TOMATOES NO. 2. Wash and wipe a quantity of smooth, even-sized tomatoes; remove the stems with a sharp-pointed knife. Arrange on an earthen pudding or pie dish, and bake whole in a moderate oven. Serve with cream. SCALLOPED TOMATOES.--Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, which have been rubbed through a colander, thicken with one and one fourth cups of lightly picked crumbs of Graham or whole-wheat bread, or a sufficient quantity to make it quite thick, add salt if desired, and a half cup of sweet cream, mix well, and bake for twenty minutes. Or, fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of peeled and sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs, letting the topmost layer be of tomatoes. Cover, and bake in a moderate oven for an hour or longer, according to depth. Uncover, and brown for ten or fifteen minutes. STEWED CORN AND TOMATOES.--Boil dried or fresh corn until perfectly tender, add to each cup of corn two cups of stewed, strained tomatoes, either canned or freshly cooked. Salt to taste, boil together for five or ten minutes, and serve plain or with a little cream added. TOMATO GRAVY.--Heat to boiling one pint of strained stewed tomatoes, either canned or fresh, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little water; add salt and when thickened, if desired, a half cup of hot cream. Boil together for a minute or two and serve at once. TOMATO SALAD.--Select perfectly ripe tomatoes, and peel at least an hour before using. Slice, and place on ice or in a cool place. Serve plain or with lemon juice or sugar as preferred. TOMATO SALAD NO. 2.--Use one half small yellow tomatoes and one half red. Slice evenly and lay in the dish in alternate layers. Powder lightly with sugar, and turn over them a cupful of orange juice to a pint of tomato, or if preferred, the juice of lemons may be used instead. Set on ice and cool before serving. BROILED TOMATOES.--Choose perfectly ripened but firm tomatoes of equal size. Place them on a wire broiler, and broil over glowing coals, from three to eight minutes, according to size, then turn and cook on the other side. Broil the stem end first. Serve hot with salt to season, and a little cream. TOMATO PUDDING.--Fill an earthen pudding dish with alternate layers of stale bread and fresh tomatoes, peeled, sliced, and sprinkled lightly with sugar. Cover the dish and bake. STEWED TOMATOES.--Peel and slice the tomatoes. Put them into a double boiler, without the addition of water, and stew for an hour or longer. When done, serve plain with a little sugar added, or season with salt and a tablespoonful of rather thick sweet cream to each pint of tomatoes. If the tomatoes are thin and very juicy, they may be thickened with a little flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. They are much better, however, to stew a longer time until the water they contain is sufficiently evaporated to make them of the desired consistency. The stew may also be thickened, if desired, by the addition of bread crumbs, rice, or macaroni. TOMATO WITH OKRA.--Wash the okra, cut off the stem and nibs, and slice thin. For a quart of sliced okra, peel and slice three large tomatoes. Stew the tomatoes for half an hour, then add the okra, and simmer together for half an hour longer. Season with salt and a little cream. EGG PLANT. DESCRIPTION.--The egg plant, a vegetable indigenous to the East Indies, is somewhat allied in character to the tomato. In shape, it resembles an egg, from which fact it doubtless derives its name. It ranks low in nutritive value. When fresh, the plant is firm and has a smooth skin. _RECIPES._ SCALLOPED EGG PLANT.--Pare a fresh egg plant. If large, divide in quarters, if small, in halves, and put to cook in boiling water. Cook until it can be easily pierced with a straw, and drain in a colander. Turn into a hot dish, and beat with a silver fork until finely broken. Measure the egg plant, and add to it an equal quantity of graded bread crumbs, a little salt, and a tablespoonful of thick sweet cream. Lastly, add one well beaten egg. Put in an earthen pudding dish, and brown in the oven until the egg is set, and the whole is heated throughout but not dry. BAKED EGG PLANT.--Wash and cook whole in boiling water until tender. Divide in halves, remove the inside with a spoon, taking care not to break the skin. Beat the egg plant smooth with a fork. Season with salt and cream, and if desired, a stalk of celery or a small slice of onion very finely minced, for flavor. Put back in the skin, sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, and brown the outside uppermost in the oven. CUCUMBER. DESCRIPTION.--The cucumber is a native of Southern Asia, although it is quite commonly cultivated in most civilized countries. It formed a part of the dietary of the Israelites when in Egypt, where it grew very plentifully. The ancient Greeks held the cucumber in high esteem, and attributed to it wonderful properties. The cucumber is not a nutritious vegetable, and when served in its raw state, as it so generally is, dressed with salt, vinegar, pepper, and similar condiments, it is an exceedingly indigestible article. If it is to be eaten at all, it should first be cooked. It may be pared, divided in quarters, the seeds removed, and cooked in a small quantity of water until perfectly tender, and served on toast with an egg sauce or a cream sauce; or it may be prepared the same as directed for Escalloped Egg Plant. SALSIFY, OR VEGETABLE OYSTER. DESCRIPTION.--The vegetable oyster plant, sometimes called purple goat's-beard, or salsify, is indigenous to some portions of Great Britain. The long, slender root becomes fleshy and tender under cultivation, with a flavor, when cooked, somewhat resembling that of the mollusk for which it is named. On this account, it is much esteemed for soups. A variety of the plant grows near the line of perpetual snow, and forms the principal article of fresh vegetable food in the dietary of Kurdistan. PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Select fresh and unshriveled roots, wash and scrape well, dropping into cold water as soon as cleaned, to prevent discoloration. If the roots are covered with cold water for a half hour or more before scraping, they can be cleaned much easier. Use a porcelain-lined kettle, for cooking, as an iron one will discolor it and injure its flavor. From twenty minutes to one hour, according to age, is required to cook it tender. _RECIPES._ SCALLOPED VEGETABLE OYSTERS.--Boil two quarts of sliced vegetable oysters in about two quarts of water until very tender. Skim them out, and fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of crumbs and oysters, having a layer of crumbs for the top. To the water in which they were boiled, add a pint and a half of thin cream, salt to taste, boil up, and thicken with a heaping tablespoonful or two of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold cream. Pour this over the oysters and crumbs, and bake a half hour. If this is not enough to cover well, add more cream or milk. Stewed tomatoes are a nice accompaniment for escalloped vegetable oysters. STEWED VEGETABLE OYSTERS.--Wash, scrape, and cut into slices not more than one half inch in thickness. Put into a small quantity of boiling water and cook until tender. If a large quantity of water is used, the savory juices escape, and leave the roots very insipid. When tender, pour in a cup of rich milk and simmer for five or ten minutes; add a little flour rubbed smooth in milk, and salt if desired; boil up once, and serve as a vegetable or on slices of nicely browned toast. If preferred, a well-beaten egg may be used in the place of flour. GREEN CORN, PEAS, AND BEANS. DESCRIPTION.--Corn, peas, and beans in their immature state are so nearly allied to vegetables, that we give in this connection recipes for cooking green corn, green beans, and green peas. A general rule applicable to all is that they should, when possible, be cooked and eaten the day they are gathered, as otherwise they lose much of their sweetness and flavor. For corn, select young, tender, well-filled ears, from which the milk will spurt when the grain is broken with the finger nail. Beans and peas are fresh only when the pods are green, plump, snap crisply when broken, and have unshriveled stems. If the pods bend and appear wilted, they are stale. Corn, peas, and beans are wholesome and nutritious foods when thoroughly cooked and sufficiently masticated, but they are almost indigestible unless the hull, or skin, of each pea, bean, or grain of corn, be broken before being swallowed. _RECIPES FOR CORN._ BAKED CORN.--Select nice fresh ears of tender corn of as nearly equal size as possible. Open the husks and remove all the silk from the corn; replace and tie the husks around the ears with a thread. Put the corn in a hot oven, and bake thirty minutes or until tender. Remove the husks before serving. BAKED CORN NO. 2.--Scrape enough corn from the cob (as directed below for Corn Pulp) to make one and a half quarts. Put into a baking dish, season with salt if desired, add enough milk, part cream if convenient, barely to cover the corn, and bake in a hot oven twenty-five or thirty minutes. BOILED GREEN CORN.--Remove the husks and every thread of the silk fiber. Place in a kettle, the larger ears at the bottom, with sufficient boiling water nearly to cover. Cover with the clean inner husks, and cook from twenty to thirty minutes, according to the age of the corn; too much cooking hardens it and detracts from its flavor. Try a kernel, and when the milk has thickened, and a raw taste is no longer apparent, it is sufficiently cooked. Green corn is said to be sweeter, boiled with the inner husks on. For cooking in this way, strip off all outer husks, and remove the silk, tying the inner husk around the ear with a bit of thread, and boil. Remove from the kettle, place in a heated dish, cover with a napkin and serve at once on the cob. Some recommend scoring or splitting the corn by drawing a sharp knife through each row lengthwise. This is a wise precaution against insufficient mastication. STEWED CORN PULP.--Take six ears of green corn or enough to make a pint of raw pulp; with a sharp knife cut a thin shaving from each row of kernels or score each kernel, and with the back of the knife scrape out the pulp, taking care to leave the hulls on the cob. Heat a cup and a half of rich milk--part cream if it can be afforded--to boiling, add the corn, cook twenty or thirty minutes; season with salt and a teaspoonful of sugar if desired. CORN CAKES.--To a pint of corn pulp add two well-beaten eggs and two tablespoonfuls of flour; season with salt if desired, and brown on a griddle. Canned corn finely chopped can be used, but two tablespoonfuls of milk should be added, as the corn is less moist. CORN PUDDING.--One quart of corn pulp prepared as for stewing, one quart of milk, three eggs, and a little salt. Mix the corn with a pint of the milk, and heat it to boiling. Break the eggs into the remainder of the milk, and add it to the corn, turn all into an oiled pudding dish, and bake slowly until the custard is well set. ROASTED GREEN CORN.--Remove the husks and silk, and place the corn before an open grate or in a wire broiler over hot coals until the kernels burst open, or bury in hot ashes without removing the husks. Score the grains, and serve from the cob. STEWED GREEN CORN.--Cut the corn from the cob and with the back of the knife scrape off all the pulp, being careful to leave the hull on the cob. Put into a stewpan with half as much water as corn, cover closely and stew gently until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently to prevent the corn from sticking to the pan; add cream or milk to make the requisite amount of juice, and season with salt if desired. A teaspoonful of white sugar may be added if desired. Cold boiled corn cut from the cob and stewed a few minutes in a little milk, makes a very palatable dish. SUMMER SUCCOTASH.--This maybe made by cooking equal quantities of shelled beans and corn cut from the cob, separately until tender, and then mixing them; or the beans may be cooked until nearly soft, an equal quantity of shaved corn added, and the whole cooked fifteen or twenty minutes or longer. Season with cream, and salt if desired. DRIED CORN.--The sweet varieties of corn taken when young and tender and properly dried, furnish an excellent material for nearly all purposes to which green corn is put. Take green corn, just right for eating, have it free from silk; cut the fleshy portion from the cob with a sharp knife, then with the back of the knife gently press the remaining pulp from the cob. Spread thinly on plates and put into an oven hot enough to scald, not scorch it. Watch closely for a half hour or more, turning and stirring frequently with a fork. When thus thoroughly scalded, the corn may be left without further attention if placed in a moderate oven, save an occasional stirring to prevent its sticking to the plate, until the drying is complete, which ought to be in about forty-eight hours; however, if one can spend the time to watch closely and stir very frequently, the drying may be completed in a single afternoon in a rather hot oven. Be careful that it does not scorch. When needed for use, soak over night and cook in accordance with recipes for Stewed Corn, Succotash, etc., pages 265, 234, only remembering to allow a longer time. _RECIPES FOR PEAS._ STEWED PEAS.--If from the garden, pick and shell the peas with clean hands; if from the market, wash the pods before shelling, so that the peas will not require washing, as they are much better without. When shelled, put into a colander and sift out the fine particles and undeveloped blossoms. If not of equal growth, sort the peas and put the older ones to cook ten minutes before the others. Use a porcelain kettle, with one half pint of boiling water for each quart of peas, if young and tender; older ones, which require longer stewing, need more. Cover closely, and simmer gently till tender. The time required for young peas is from twenty-five to thirty minutes; older ones require forty to fifty minutes. Serve without draining, season with salt and enough sweet cream to make them as juicy as desired. If preferred, the juice may be thickened with a little flour. The peas may be purposely stewed in a larger quantity of water, and served in their own juices thickened with a little flour and seasoned with salt. _RECIPES FOR BEANS._ LIMA BEANS.--Lima beans are not good until they are full grown and have turned white. Shell, wash, cover with boiling water, and cook about one hour or until tender. Let the water nearly evaporate, and add milk or cream thickened with a little flour. Season with salt to taste, boil up once, and serve. SHELLED BEANS.--Shell, wash, drop into boiling water sufficient to cover, and cook until tender. Let the water boil nearly away, and serve without draining. Season with thin cream, and salt if desired. STRING BEANS.--Wash well in cold water. Remove the strong fiber, or strings, as they are called, by paring both edges with a sharp knife; few cooks do this thoroughly. Break off stems and points, carefully rejecting any imperfect or diseased pods. Lay a handful evenly on a board and cut them all at once into inch lengths. Put in a porcelain kettle, cover with boiling water, and cook from one to three hours, according to age and variety, testing frequently, as they should be removed from the kettle just as soon as done. When very young and tender, only water sufficient to keep them from burning will be needed. When done, add a half cup of thin cream, and salt to taste. If the quantity of juice is considerable, thicken with a little flour. THE ONION. The onion belongs to a class of foods containing an acrid oil of a strongly irritating character, on which account it cannot be considered a wholesome food when eaten raw, as it so generally is. The essential oil is, however, quite volatile, so that when cooked, after being first parboiled in two or three waters, its irritating properties are largely removed. The varieties grown in warm climates are much milder and sweeter than those grown in colder countries. The onion is valuable for flavoring purposes. It may also be boiled and served whole with a cream sauce, or cut in quarters and prepared as directed for Scalloped Turnips, page 242. CANNING VEGETABLES. Most housekeepers experience more difficulty in canning and keeping vegetables than fruit. This is frequently owing to lack of care to secure perfect cans, covers, and rubbers, and to cook the vegetables thoroughly. Whatever is to be canned must be cooked sufficiently to be eaten, and must be boiling at the time it is put into the cans. Care as to the cleanliness of the cans and their sterilization is also important, and after the canning process is completed, all vegetables put up in glass should be kept in a cool, dark place. The general directions given for canning fruits should be followed in canning vegetables. _RECIPES._ CANNED CORN.--Select corn just ripe enough for table use, and prepare as directed for stewed corn. It will require from twelve to fifteen ears to fill sufficiently each quart can. To insure success, the cans should be so full that when the corn is shrunken by the cooking, the can will still be well filled. Pack the corn in the cans, working it down closely by means of the small end of a potato masher, so the milk will cover the corn and completely fill the can; heap a little more corn loosely on the top, and screw the covers on sufficiently tight to prevent water from getting into the can. Place the cans in a boiler, on the bottom of which has been placed some straw or a rack; also take care not to let the cans come in contact with each other, by wrapping each in a cloth or by placing a chip between them. A double layer of cans may be placed in the boiler, one on top of the other, if desirable, provided there is some intervening substance. Fill the boiler with cold water so as completely to cover the cans; place over the fire, bring gradually to a boil, and keep boiling steadily for four hours. Remove the boiler from the fire, and allow the cans to cool gradually, tightening the covers frequently as they cool. If the corn in the can shrinks, do not open to refill. If cooked thoroughly, and due care is taken in other particulars, there need be no failure. Wrap closely in brown paper, and put away in a dark, cool, dry place. CANNED CORN AND TOMATOES.--Use about one third corn and two thirds tomatoes, or in equal portions if preferred. Cook the tomatoes in a double boiler for an hour and a half or longer; and in another double boiler, when the tomatoes are nearly done, cook the corn in its own juices until thoroughly done. Turn them together, heat to boiling, and can at once. CANNED PEAS.--Select peas which are fresh, young, and tender. Shell, pack into perfect cans, shaking and filling as full as possible, add sufficient cold water to fill them to overflowing, screw on the covers, and cook and seal the same as directed for canning corn. CANNED TOMATOES.--Tomatoes for canning should be freshly gathered, ripe, but not at all softened. As they are best cooked in their own juices, peel, slice, put into a double boiler or a porcelain fruit-kettle set inside a dish filled with boiling water, and cook from one to two hours. Cooked in the ordinary way, great care will be required to keep the fruit from burning. When thoroughly cooked--simple scalding will not do--put into cans, and be sure that all air bubbles are expelled before sealing. Wrap in dark brown paper, and put in a cool, dry, dark place. CANNED TOMATOES NO. 2.--Cut the fruit into thick slices, let it stand and drain until a large portion of the juice has drained off; then pack solid in new or perfect cans. Allow them to stand a little time, then again drain off the juice; fill up a second time with sliced tomatoes, and screw on the top of the cans without the rubbers. Pack into a wash boiler as directed for canning corn, and boil for two hours, then put on the rubbers and seal. When cold, tighten the covers and put away. STRING BEANS.--Select young and tender beans, string them, and cut into pieces about one half inch in length. Pack the cans as full as possible, and fill with water until every crevice between the beans is full. Screw on the covers and can in the same manner as corn. Shelled beans may be canned in the same way. CANNED PUMPKIN AND SQUASH.--These fruits when canned are quite as desirable for pies as the fresh material. The same general rules should be followed as in canning other vegetables and fruits. TABLE TOPICS. The word "vegetarian" is not derived from "vegetable," but from the Latin, _homo vegetus_, meaning among the Romans a strong, robust, thoroughly healthy man. AN INTELLECTUAL FEAST.--Professor Louis Agassiz in his early manhood visited Germany to consult Oken, the transcendentalist in zoölogical classification. "After I had delivered to him my letter of introduction," he once said to a friend, "Oken asked me to dine with him, and you may suppose with what joy I accepted the invitation. The dinner consisted only of potatoes, boiled and roasted; but it was the best dinner I ever ate; for there was Oken. Never before were such potatoes grown on this planet; for the mind of the man seemed to enter into what we ate sociably together, and I devoured his intellect while munching his potatoes." Dr. Abernethy's recipe for using cucumbers: "Peel the cucumber, slice it, pepper it, put vinegar to it, then throw it out the window." A green son of the Emerald Isle was eating sweet corn from the cob for the first time. He handed the cob to the waiter, and asked, "Will you plaze put some more beans on my shtick?" A French physician styles spinach, _le balai de l'estomac_ (broom of the stomach). An ox is satisfied with the pasture of an acre or two; one wood suffices for several elephants. Man alone supports himself by the pillage of the whole earth and sea. What? Has Nature indeed given us so insatiable a stomach, while she has given us so insignificant bodies? No; it is not the hunger of our stomachs, but insatiable covetousness which costs so much.--_Seneca._ The oftener we go to the vegetable world for our food, the oftener we go to the first and therefore the cheapest source of supply. The tendencies of all advanced scholars in thrift should be to find out plans for feeding all the community, as far as possible, direct from the lap of earth; to impress science into our service so that she may prepare the choicest viands minus the necessity of making a lower animal the living laboratory for the sake of what is just a little higher than cannibal propensities. _--Dr. B.W. Richardson._ A VOICE FROM THE CORN. I was made to be eaten, not to be drank, To be husked in a barn, not soaked in a tank; I come as a blessing when put in a mill, As a blight and a curse when run through a still. Make me up into loaves, and your children are fed; But made into drink, I will starve them instead. In bread I'm a servant the eater shall rule, In drink I'm a master, the drinker a fool. Then remember my warning; my strength I'll employ, If eaten, to strengthen, if drunk, to destroy. --_Sel._ SOUPS Soup is an easily made, economical, and when properly prepared from healthful and nutritious material, very wholesome article of diet, deserving of much more general use than is commonly accorded it. In general, when soup is mentioned, some preparation of meat and bones is supposed to be meant; but we shall treat in this chapter of a quite different class of soups, viz., those prepared from the grains, legumes, and vegetables, without the previous preparation of a "stock." Soups of this character are in every way equal, and in many points superior to those made from meat and bones. If we compare the two, we shall find that soups made from the grains and legumes rank much higher in nutritive value than do meat soups. For the preparation of the latter, one pound of meat and bones, in about equal proportion, is required for each quart of soup. In the bone, there is little or no nourishment, it being valuable simply for the gelatine it contains, which gives consistency to the soup; so in reality there is only one half pound of material containing nutriment, for the quart of soup. Suppose, in comparison we take a pea soup. One half pound of peas will be amply enough for a quart. As we take an equal amount of material as basis for each soup, we can easily determine their relative value by comparing the amount of nutritive material contained in peas with that of beef, the most commonly used material for meat soups. As will be seen by reference to the table of food analyses on page 486, peas contain 87.3 parts nutritive material, while lean beef contains only 28 parts in one hundred. Thus the pea soup contains more than three times as much nourishment as does the beef soup. Soups prepared from grains and legumes are no more expensive than meat soups, and many kinds cost much less, while they have the added advantage of requiring less time and no more labor to prepare. The greater bulk of all meat soups is water, holding in solution the essence of meat, the nutritive value of which is of very doubtful character. When properly prepared, the solid matter which enters into the composition of vegetable soups, is so broken up in the process of cooking, that it is more easily digested than in any other form. Taken hot at the beginning of a meal, soup stimulates the flow of the digestive juices, and on account of the bulk, brings a sense of satiety before an excessive quantity of food has been taken. In preparing soups from grains, legumes, and vegetables, the material should be first cooked in the ordinary manner, using as small an amount of water as practicable, so as the more thoroughly to disintegrate or break it up. If the material be legumes or grains, the cooking should be slow and prolonged. The purpose to be attained in the cooking of all foods is the partial digestion of the food elements; and in general, with these foods, the more slowly (if continuous) the cooking is done, the more completely will this be brought about. When the material is cooked, the next step is to make it homogeneous throughout, and to remove any skins or cellulose material it may contain. To do this, it should be put through a colander. The kind of colander depends upon the material. Peas and beans require a fine colander, since the skins, of which we are seeking to rid them, would easily go through a coarse one. To aid in this sifting process, if the material be at all dry, a small quantity of liquid may be added from time to time. When the colander process is complete, a sufficient amount of milk or other liquid may be added to make the whole of the consistency of rather thick cream. [Illustration: Chinese Soup Strainer.] If the material is now cold, it must be reheated, and the salt, if any is to be used, added. The quantity of salt will depend somewhat upon the taste of the consumer; but in general, one half teaspoonful to the pint of soup will be an ample supply. If any particular flavor, as of onion or celery, is desired, it may be imparted to the soup by adding to it a slice of onion or a few stalks of celery, allowing them to remain during the reheating. By the time the soup is well heated, it will be delicately flavored, and the pieces of onion or celery may be removed with a fork or a skimmer. It is better, in general, to cook the soup all that is needed before flavoring, since if allowed to boil, all delicate flavors are apt to be lost by evaporation. When reheated, add to the soup a quantity of cream as seasoning, in the proportion of one cup of thin cream for every quart or three pints of soup. To avoid the possibility of any lumps or fragments in the soup, pour it again through a colander or a Chinese soup strainer into the soup tureen, and serve. It is well to take the precaution first to heat the strainer and tureen, that the soup be not cooled during the process. If it is desired to have the soup especially light and nice, beat or whip the cream before adding, or beat the hot soup with an egg beater for a few minutes after adding the cream. The well-beaten yolk of an egg for every quart or three pints of soup, will answer as a very fair substitute for cream in potato, rice, and similar soups. It should not be added to the body of the soup, but a cupful of the hot soup may be turned slowly onto the egg, stirring all the time, in order to mix it well without curdling, and then the cupful stirred into the whole. Soups made from legumes are excellent without cream. The consistency of the soup when done should be about that of single cream, and equal throughout, containing no lumps or fragments of material. If it is too thick, it may be easily diluted with hot milk or water; if too thin, it will require the addition of more material, or may be thickened with a little flour or cornstarch rubbed to a cream with a small quantity of milk, used in the proportion of one tablespoonful for a quart of soup,--heaping, if flour; scant, if cornstarch,--and remembering always to boil the soup five or ten minutes after the flour is added, that there may be no raw taste. The addition of the flour or cornstarch gives a smoothness to their consistency which is especially desirable for some soups. A few spoonfuls of cooked oatmeal or cracked wheat, added and rubbed through the colander with the other material, is valuable for the same purpose. Browned flour prepared by spreading a cupful thinly on shallow tins, and placing in a moderately hot oven, stirring frequently until lightly and evenly browned, is excellent to use both for thickening and flavoring certain soups. If whole grains, macaroni, vermicelli, or shredded vegetables are to be used in the soup, cook them separately, and add to the soup just before serving. The nutritive value of soup depends of course upon its ingredients, and these should be so chosen and combined as to produce the best possible food from the material employed. Milk is a valuable factor in the preparation of soups. With such vegetables as potatoes, parsnips, and others of the class composed largely of starch, and containing but a small proportion of the nitrogenous food elements, its use is especially important as an addition to their food value, as also to their palatableness. Very good soups may, however, be made from legumes, if carefully cooked with water only. Soups offer a most economical way of making use of the "left-over" fragments which might otherwise be consigned to the refuse bucket. A pint of cold mashed potatoes, a cupful of stewed beans, a spoonful or two of boiled rice, stewed tomatoes, or other bits of vegetables and grains, are quite as good for soup purposes as fresh material, provided they have been preserved fresh and sweet. To insure this it is always best to put them away in clean dishes; if retained in the dish from which they were served, the thin smears and small crumbs on the sides which spoil much sooner than the larger portion, will help to spoil the rest. One may find some difficulty in rubbing them through the colander unless they are first moistened. Measure the cold food, and then determine how much liquid will be needed, and add a part of this before attempting to put through the colander. It is difficult to give specific directions for making soups of fragments, as the remnants to be utilized will vary so much in character as to make such inapplicable, but the recipes given for combination soups will perhaps serve as an aid in this direction. Where a sufficient amount of one kind of food is left over to form the basis of a soup or to serve as a seasoning, it can be used in every way the same as fresh material. When, however, there is but a little of various odds and ends, the general rule to be observed is to combine only such materials as harmonize in taste. Soups prepared from the grains, legumes, and vegetables, are so largely composed of food material that it is important that they be retained in the mouth long enough for proper insalivation; and in order to insure this, it is well to serve with the soup _croutons_, prepared by cutting stale bread into small squares or cubes, and browning thoroughly in a moderate oven. Put a spoonful or two of the _croutons_ in each plate, and turn the hot soup over them. This plan also serves another purpose,--that of providing a means whereby the left-over bits of stale bread may be utilized to advantage. _RECIPES._ ASPARAGUS SOUP.--Wash two bunches of fresh asparagus carefully, and cut into small pieces. Put to cook in a quart of boiling water, and simmer gently till perfectly tender, when there should remain about a pint of the liquor. Turn into a colander, and rub all through except the hard portion. To a pint of asparagus mixture add salt and one cup of thin cream and a pint of milk; boil up for a few minutes, and serve. BAKED BEAN SOUP.--Soak a half pint of white beans over night. In the morning turn off the water, and place them in an earthen dish with two or two and one half quarts of boiling water; cover and let them simmer in a moderate oven four or five hours. Also soak over night a tablespoonful of pearl tapioca in sufficient water to cover. When the beans are soft, rub through a colander, after which add the soaked tapioca, and salt if desired; also as much powdered thyme as can be taken on the point of a penknife and sufficient water to make the soup of proper consistency if the water has mostly evaporated. Return to the oven, and cook one half hour longer. A little cream may be added just before serving. BEAN AND CORN SOUP.--Cold boiled or stewed corn and cold baked beans form the basis of this soup. Take one pint of each, rub through a colander, add a slice of onion, three cups of boiling water or milk, and boil for ten minutes. Turn through the colander a second time to remove the onion and any lumps or skins which may remain. Season with salt and a half cup of cream. If preferred, the onion may be omitted. BEAN AND HOMINY SOUP.--Soak separately in cold water over night a cupful each of dry beans and hominy. In the morning, boil them together till both are perfectly tender and broken to pieces. Rub through a colander, and add sufficient milk to make three pints. Season with salt, and stir in a cup of whipped cream just before serving. Cold beans and hominy may be utilized for this soup. BEAN AND POTATO SOUP.--Soak a half pint of dry white beans over night; in the morning drain and put to cook in boiling water. When tender, rub through a colander. Prepare sliced potato sufficient to make one quart, cook in as small a quantity of water as possible, rub through a colander, and add to the beans. Add milk or water sufficient to make two quarts, and as much prepared thyme as can be taken on the point of a penknife, with salt to season. Boil for a few minutes, add a teacup of thin cream, and serve. BEAN AND TOMATO SOUP.--Take one pint of boiled or a little less of mashed beans, one pint of stewed tomatoes, and rub together through a colander. Add salt, a cup of thin cream, one half a cup of nicely steamed rice, and sufficient boiling water to make a soup of the proper consistency. Reheat and serve. BLACK BEAN SOUP.--Soak a pint of black beans over night in cold water. When ready to cook, put into two and one half quarts of fresh water, which should be boiling, and simmer until completely dissolved, adding more boiling water from time to time if needed. There should be about two quarts of all when done. Rub through a colander, add salt, a half cup of cream, and reheat. When hot, turn through a soup strainer, add two or more teaspoonfuls of lemon juice, and serve. BLACK BEAN SOUP NO. 2.--Soak a pint of black beans in water over night. Cook in boiling water until tender, then rub through a colander. Add sufficient boiling water to make about two quarts in all. Add salt, and one half a small onion cut in slices to flavor. Turn into a double boiler and reheat. When sufficiently flavored, remove the onion with a skimmer, thicken the soup with two teaspoonfuls of browned flour, turn through the soup strainer and serve. If desired, a half cup of cream may be added, and the onion flavor omitted. BRAN STOCK.--For every quart of stock desired, boil a cup of good wheat bran in three pints of water for two or three hours or until reduced one third. This stock may be made the base of a variety of palatable and nutritious soups by flavoring with different vegetables and seasoning with salt and cream. An excellent soup may be prepared by flavoring the stock with celery, or by the addition of a quantity of strained stewed tomato sufficient to disguise the taste of the stock. It is also valuable in giving consistence to soups, in the preparation of some of which it may be advantageously used in place of other liquid. BROWN SOUP.--Simmer together two pints of sliced potatoes and one third as much of the thin brown shavings (not thicker than a silver dime) from the top of a loaf of whole-wheat bread, in one quart of water. The crust must not be burned or blackened, and must not include any of the soft portion of the loaf. When the potatoes are tender, mash all through a colander. Flavor with a cup of strained, stewed tomatoes, a little salt, and return to the fire; when hot, add a half cup of cream, and boiling water to make the soup of proper consistency, and serve at once. If care has been taken to prepare the crust as directed, this soup will have a brown color and a fine, pungent flavor exceedingly pleasant to the taste. CANNED GREEN PEA SOUP.--Rub a can of green peas through a colander to remove the skins. Add a pint of milk and heat to boiling. If too thin, thicken with a little flour rubbed smooth in a very little cold milk. Season with salt and a half cup of cream. A small teaspoonful of white sugar may be added if desired. Green peas, instead of canned, may be used when procurable. When they have become a little too hard to serve alone, they can be used for soup, if thoroughly cooked. CANNED CORN SOUP.--Open a can of green corn, turn it into a granite-ware dish, and thoroughly mash with a potato-masher until each kernel is broken, then rub through a colander to remove the skins. Add sufficient rich milk to make the soup of the desired consistency, about one half pint for each pint can of corn will be needed. Season with salt, reheat, and serve. If preferred, a larger quantity of milk and some cream may be used, and the soup, when reheated, thickened with a little corn starch or flour. It may be turned through the colander a second time or not, as preferred. CARROT SOUP.--For a quart of soup, slice one large carrot and boil in a small quantity of water for two hours or longer, then rub it through a colander, add a quart of rich milk, and salt to season. Reheat, and when boiling, thicken with two teaspoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. CELERY SOUP.--Chop quite fine enough fresh, crisp celery to make a pint, and cook it until tender in a very little boiling water. When done, heat three cupfuls of rich milk, part cream if it can be afforded, to boiling, add the celery, salt to season, and thicken the whole with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk; or add to the milk before heating a cupful of mashed potato, turn through a colander to remove lumps, reheat, add salt and the celery, and serve. CELERY SOUP NO. 2.--Cook in a double boiler a cupful of cracked wheat in three pints of water for three or four hours. Rub the wheat through a colander, add a cup of rich milk, and if needed, a little boiling water, and a small head of celery cut in finger lengths. Boil all together for fifteen or twenty minutes, until well flavored, remove the celery with a fork, add salt, and serve with or without the hard-boiled yolk of an egg in each soup plate. CHESTNUT SOUP.--Shell and blanch a pint of Italian chestnuts, as directed on page 215, and cook in boiling milk until tender. Rub the nuts through a colander, add salt and sufficient milk and cream to make a soup of the proper consistency, reheat and serve. COMBINATION SOUP.--This soup is prepared from material already cooked, and requires two cups of cracked wheat, one and one half cups of Lima beans, one half cup of black beans, and one cup of stewed tomato. Rub the material together through a colander, adding, if needed, a little hot water to facilitate the sifting. Add boiling water to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt and if it can be afforded a little sweet cream,--the soup is, however, very palatable without the cream. COMBINATION SOUP NO. 2.--Take three and one half cups of mashed (Scotch) peas, one cup each of cooked rice, oatmeal, and hominy, and two cups of stewed tomato. Rub the material through a colander, add boiling water to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt, reheat, and add, just before serving, two cups of cooked macaroni. If preferred, a cup of cream may be used in place of the tomato, or both may be omitted. ANOTHER.--One half cup of cold mashed potato, one cup each of cooked pearl wheat, barley and dried peas. Rub all through a colander, add boiling milk to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt and a half cup of cream. ANOTHER.--Take three cups of cooked oatmeal, two of mashed white beans, and one of stewed tomato. Rub the ingredients through a colander, add boiling milk to thin to the proper consistency, season with salt and a little cream. CREAM PEA SOUP.--Soak three fourths of a pint of dried Scotch peas over night in a quart of water. In the morning put to cook in boiling water, cover closely and let them simmer gently four or five hours, or until the peas are very tender and well disintegrated; then rub through a colander to remove the skins. If the peas are very dry, add a little water or milk occasionally, to moisten them and facilitate the sifting. Just before the peas are done, prepare potatoes enough to make a pint and a half, after being cut in thin slices. Cook the potatoes until tender in a small amount of water, and rub them through a colander. Add the potatoes thus prepared to the sifted peas, and milk enough to make three and one half pints in all. Return to the fire, and add a small head of celery cut finger lengths, and let the whole simmer together ten or fifteen minutes, until flavored. Remove the celery with a fork, add salt and a cup of thin cream. This should make about two quarts of soup. If preferred, the peas may be cooked without soaking. It will, however, require a little longer time. CREAM BARLEY SOUP.--Wash a cup of pearl barley, drain and simmer slowly in two quarts of water for four or five hours, adding boiling water from time to time as needed. When the barley is tender, strain off the liquor, of which there should be about three pints; add to it a portion of the cooked barley grains, salt, and a cup of whipped cream, and serve. If preferred, the beaten yolk of an egg may be used instead of cream. GREEN CORN SOUP.--Take six well-filled ears of tender green corn. Run a sharp knife down the rows and split each grain; then with the back of a knife, scraping from the large to the small end of the ear, press out the pulp, leaving the hulls on the cob. Break the cobs if long, put them in cold water sufficient to cover, and boil half an hour. Strain off the water, of which there should be at least one pint. Put the corn water on again, and when boiling add the corn pulp, and cook fifteen minutes, or until the raw taste is destroyed. Rub through a rather coarse colander, add salt and a pint of hot unskimmed milk; if too thin, thicken with a little cornstarch or flour, boil up, and serve. If preferred, a teaspoonful of sugar may be added to the soup. A small quantity of cooked macaroni, cut in rings, makes a very pretty and palatable addition to the soup. The soup is also excellent flavored with celery. GREEN PEA SOUP.--Gently simmer two quarts of shelled peas in sufficient water to cook, leaving almost no juice when tender. Rub through a colander, moistening if necessary with a little cold milk. Add to the sifted peas an equal quantity of rich milk and a small onion cut in halves. Boil all together five or ten minutes until the soup is delicately flavored, then remove the onion with a skimmer; add salt if desired, and serve. If preferred, a half cup of thin cream may be added just before serving. Celery may be used in place of the onion, or both may be omitted. GREEN BEAN SOUP.--Prepare a quart of fresh string beans by pulling off ends and strings and breaking into small pieces. Boil in a small quantity of water. If the beans are fresh and young, three pints will be sufficient; if wilted or quite old, more will be needed, as they will require longer cooking. There should be about a teacupful and a half of liquid left when the beans are perfectly tender and boiled in pieces. Rub through a colander, return to the kettle, and for each cup of the bean pulp add salt, a cup and a half of unskimmed milk; boil together for a few minutes, thicken with a little flour, and serve. The quart of beans should be sufficient for three pints of soup. KORNLET SOUP.--Kornlet or canned green corn pulp, may be made into a most appetizing soup in a few minutes by adding to a pint of kornlet an equal quantity of rich milk, heating to boiling, and thickening it with a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. KORNLET AND TOMATO SOUP.--Put together equal quantities of kornlet and strained stewed tomato, season with salt and heat to boiling; add for each quart one fourth to one half cup of hot thin cream, thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little water, and serve. Cooked corn rubbed through a colander may also be used for this soup. LENTIL SOUP.--Simmer a pint of lentils in water until tender. If desired to have the soup less dark in color and less strong in flavor, the lentils may be first parboiled for a half hour, and then drained and put into fresh boiling water. Much valuable nutriment is thus lost, however. When perfectly tender, mash through a colander to remove all skins; add salt and a cup of thin cream, and it too thick, sufficient boiling milk or water to thin to the proper consistency, heat again to boiling, and serve. If preferred, an additional quantity of liquid may be added and the soup slightly thickened with browned flour. LENTIL AND PARSNIP SOUP.--Cook together one pint of lentils and one half a small parsnip, sliced, until tender in a small quantity of boiling water. When done, rub through a colander, and add boiling water to make a soup of the proper consistency. Season with salt and if desired a little cream. LIMA BEAN SOUP.--Simmer a pint of Lima beans gently in just sufficient water to cook and not burn, until they have fallen to pieces. Add more boiling water as needed. When done, rub the beans through a colander. Add rich milk or water to make of the proper consistency, and salt to season; reheat and serve. White beans may be used in place of Lima beans, but they require more prolonged cooking. A heaping tablespoonful of pearl tapioca or sago previously soaked in cold water, may be added to the soup when it is reheated, if liked, and the whole cooked until the sago is transparent. MACARONI SOUP.--Heat a quart of milk, to which has been added a tablespoonful of finely grated bread crust (the brown part only, from the top of the loaf) and a slice of onion to flavor, in a double boiler. When the milk is well flavored, remove the onion, turn through a colander, add salt, and thicken with two teaspoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Lastly add one cupful of cooked macaroni, and serve. OATMEAL SOUP.--Put two heaping tablespoonfuls of oatmeal into a quart of boiling water, and cook in a double boiler for two hours or longer. Strain as for gruel, add salt if desired, and two or three stalks of celery broken into finger lengths, and cook again until the whole is well flavored with the celery, which may then be removed with a fork; add a half cup of cream, and the soup is ready to serve. Cold oatmeal mush may be thinned with milk, reheated, strained, flavored, and made into soup the same as fresh material. A slice or two of onion may be used with the celery for flavoring the soup if desired, or a cup of strained stewed tomato may be added. PARSNIP SOUP.--Take a quart of well scraped, thinly sliced parsnips, one cup of bread crust shavings (prepared as for Brown Soup), one head of celery, one small onion, and one pint of sliced potatoes. The parsnips used should be young and tender, so that they will cook in about the same length of time as the other vegetables. Use only sufficient water to cook them. When done, rub through a colander and add salt and sufficient rich milk, part cream if desired, to make of the proper consistency. Reheat and serve. PARSNIP SOUP NO. 2.--Wash, pare, and slice equal quantities of parsnips and potatoes. Cook, closely covered, in a small quantity of water until soft. If the parsnips are not young and tender, they must be put to cook first, and the potatoes added when they are half done. Mash through a colander. Add salt, and milk to make of the proper consistency, season with cream, reheat and serve. PEA AND TOMATO SOUP.--Soak one pint of Scotch peas over night. When ready to cook, put into a quart of boiling water and simmer slowly until quite dry and well disintegrated. Rub through a colander to remove the skins. Add a pint of hot water, one cup of mashed potato, two cups of strained stewed tomato, and one cup of twelve-hour cream. Turn into a double-boiler and cook together for a half hour or longer; turn a second time through a colander or soup strainer and serve. The proportions given are quite sufficient for two quarts of soup. There may need to be some variation in the quantity of tomato to be used, depending upon its thickness. If very thin, a larger quantity and less water will be needed. The soup should be a rich reddish brown in color when done. The peas may be cooked without being first soaked, if preferred. PLAIN RICE SOUP.--Wash and pick over four tablespoonfuls of rice, put it in an earthen dish with a quart of water, and place in a moderate oven. When the water is all absorbed, add a quart of rich milk, and salt if desired; turn into a granite kettle and boil ten minutes, or till the rice is done. Add a half cup of sweet cream and serve. A slice of onion or stalk of celery can be boiled with the soup after putting in the kettle, and removed before serving, if desired to flavor. POTATO AND RICE SOUP.--Cook a quart of sliced potatoes in as little water as possible. When done, rub through a colander. Add salt, a quart of rich milk, and reheat. If desired, season with a slice of onion, a stalk of celery, or a little parsley. Just before serving, add a half cup of cream and a cup and a half of well-cooked rice with unbroken grains. Stir gently and serve at once. POTATO SOUP.--For each quart of soup required, cook a pint of sliced potatoes in sufficient water to cover them. When tender, rub through a colander. Return to the fire, and add enough rich, sweet milk, part cream if it can be afforded to make a quart in all, and a little salt. Let the soup come to a boil, and add a teaspoonful of flour or corn starch, rubbed to a paste with a little water; boil a few minutes and serve. A cup and a half of cold mashed potato or a pint of sliced baked potato can be used instead of fresh material; in which case add the milk and heat before rubbing through the colander. A slice of onion or a stalk of celery may be simmered in the soup for a few minutes to flavor, and then removed with a skimmer or a spoon. A good mixed potato soup is made by using one third sweet and two thirds Irish potatoes, in the same manner as above. POTATO AND VERMICELLI SOUP.--Breakup a cupful of vermicelli and drop into boiling water. Let it cook for ten or fifteen minutes, and then turn into a colander to drain. Have ready a potato soup prepared the same as in the proceeding; stir the vermicelli lightly into it just before serving. SAGO AND POTATO SOUP.--Prepare the soup as directed for Potato Soup, from fresh or cold mashed potato, using a little larger quantity of milk or cream, as the sago adds thickness to the soap. When seasoned and ready to reheat, turn a second time through the colander, and add for each quart of soup, one heaping tablespoonful of sago which has been soaked for twenty minutes in just enough water to cover. Boil together five or ten minutes, or until the sago is transparent, and serve. SCOTCH BROTH.--Soak over night two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley and one of coarse oatmeal, in water sufficient to cover them. In the morning, put the grains, together with the water in which they were soaked, into two quarts of water and simmer for several hours, adding boiling water as needed. About an hour before the soup is required, add a turnip cut into small dice, a grated carrot, and one half cup of fine pieces of the brown portion of the crust of a loaf of whole-wheat bread. Rub all through a colander, and add salt, a cup of milk, and a half cup of thin cream. This should make about three pints of soup. SPLIT PEA SOUP.--For each quart of soup desired, simmer a cupful of split peas very slowly in three pints of boiling water for six hours, or until thoroughly dissolved. When done, rub through a colander, add salt and season with one half cup of thin cream. Reheat, and when boiling, stir into it two teaspoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Boil up until thickened, and serve. If preferred, the cream may be omitted and the soup flavored with a little celery or onion. SWEET POTATO SOUP.--To a pint of cold mashed sweet potato add a pint and a half of strained stewed tomato, rub together through a colander, add salt to season, and half a cup of cream. Reheat and serve. SWISS POTATO SOUP.--Pare and cut up into small pieces, enough white turnips to fill a pint cup, and cook in a small quantity of water. When tender, add three pints of sliced potatoes, and let them boil together until of the consistency of mush. Add hot water if it has boiled away so that there is not sufficient to cook the potatoes. When done, drain, rub through a colander, add a pint and a half of milk and a cup of thin cream, salt if desired, and if too thick, a little more milk or a sufficient quantity of hot water to make it of the proper consistency. This should be sufficient for two and a half quarts of soup. SWISS LENTIL SOUP.--Cook a pint of brown lentils in a small quantity of boiling water. Add to the lentils when about half done, one medium sized onion cut in halves or quarters. When the lentils are tender, remove the onion with a fork, and rub the lentils through a colander. Add sufficient boiling water to make three pints in all. Season with salt, reheat to boiling, and thicken the whole with four table spoonfuls of browned flour, rubbed to a cream in a little cold water. TOMATO AND MACARONI SOUP.--Break a half dozen sticks of macaroni into small pieces, and drop into boiling water. Cook for an hour, or until perfectly tender. Rub two quarts of stewed or canned tomatoes through a colander, to remove all seeds and fragments. When the macaroni is done, drain thoroughly, cut each piece into tiny rings, and add it to the strained tomatoes. Season with salt, and boil for a few minutes. If desired, just before serving add a cup of thin cream, boil up once, and serve immediately. If the tomato is quite thin, the soup should be slightly thickened with a little flour before adding the macaroni. TOMATO CREAM SOUP.--Heat two quarts of strained, stewed tomatoes to boiling; add four tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Let the tomatoes boil until thickened, stirring constantly that no lumps form; add salt to season. Have ready two cups of hot rich milk or thin cream. Add the cream or milk hot, and let all boil together for a minute or two, then serve. TOMATO AND OKRA SOUP.--Take one quart of okra thinly sliced, and two quarts of sliced tomatoes. Simmer gently from one to two hours. Rub through a colander, heat again to boiling, season with salt and cream if desired, and serve. Canned okra and tomatoes need only to be rubbed through a colander, scalded and seasoned, to make a most excellent soup. If preferred, one or two potatoes may be sliced and cooked, rubbed through a colander, and added. TOMATO SOUP WITH VERMICELLI.--Cook a cupful of broken vermicelli in a pint of boiling water for ten minutes. Turn into a colander to drain. Have boiling two quarts of strained, stewed tomatoes, to which add the vermicelli. If preferred, the tomato may be thickened slightly with a little cornstarch rubbed smooth in cold water before adding the vermicelli. Salt to taste, and just before serving turn in a cup of hot, thin cream. Let all boil up for a moment, then serve at once. VEGETABLE OYSTER SOUP.--Scrape all the outer covering and small rootlets from vegetable oysters, and lay them in a pan of cold water to prevent discoloration. The scraping can be done much easier if the roots are allowed first to stand in cold water for an hour or so. Slice rather thin, enough to make one quart, and put to cook in a quart of water. Let them boil slowly until very tender. Add a pint of milk, a cup of thin cream, salt, and when boiling, a tablespoonful or two of flour, rubbed to a cream with a little milk. Let the soup boil a few minutes until thickened, and serve. VEGETABLE SOUP.--Simmer together slowly for three or four hours, in five quarts of water, a quart of split peas, a slice of carrot, a slice of white turnip, one cup of canned tomatoes, and two stalks of celery cut into small bits. When done, rub through a colander, add milk to make of proper consistency, reheat, season with salt and cream, and serve. VEGETABLE SOUP NO. 2.--Prepare and slice a pint of vegetable oysters and a pint and a half of potatoes. Put the oysters to cook first, in sufficient water to cook both. When nearly done, add the potatoes and cook all till tender. Rub through a colander, or if preferred, remove the pieces of oysters, and rub the potato only through the colander, together with the water in which the oysters were cooked, as that will contain all the flavor. Return to the fire, and add salt, a pint of strained, stewed tomatoes, and when boiling, the sliced oysters if desired, a cup of thin cream and a cup of milk, both previously heated; serve at once. VEGETABLE SOUP NO. 3.--Soak a cupful of white beans over night in cold water. When ready to cook, put into fresh boiling water and simmer until tender. When nearly done, add three large potatoes sliced, two or three slices of white turnip, and one large parsnip cut in slices. When done, rub through a colander, add milk or water to make of proper consistency, season with salt and cream, reheat and serve. This quantity of material is sufficient for two quarts of soup. VEGETABLE SOUP NO. 4.--Prepare a quart of bran stock as previously directed. Heat to boiling, and add to it one teaspoonful of grated carrot, a slice of onion, and a half cup of tomato. Cook together in a double boiler for half an hour. Remove the slice of onion, and add salt and a half cup of turnip previously cooked and cut in small dice. VELVET SOUP.--Pour three pints of hot potato soup, seasoned to taste, slowly over the well-beaten yolks of two eggs, stirring briskly to mix the egg perfectly with the soup. It must not be reheated after adding the egg. Plain rice or barley soup may be used in place of potato soup, if preferred. VERMICELLI SOUP.--Lightly fill a cup with broken vermicelli. Turn it into a pint of boiling water, and cook for ten or fifteen minutes. Drain off all the hot water and put into cold water for a few minutes. Turn into a colander and drain again; add three pints of milk, salt to taste, and heat to boiling. Have the yolks of three eggs well beaten, and when the soup is boiling, turn it gradually onto the eggs, stirring briskly that they may not curdle. Return to the kettle, reheat nearly to boiling, and serve at once. VERMICELLI SOUP NO. 2.--Cook a cupful of sliced vegetable oysters, a stalk or two of celery, two slices of onion, a parsnip, and half a carrot in water just sufficient to cover well. Meanwhile put a cupful of vermicelli in a quart of milk and cook in a double boiler until tender. When the vegetables are done, strain off the broth and add it to the vermicelli when cooked. Season with salt and a cup of cream. Beat two eggs light and turn the boiling soup on the eggs, stirring briskly that they may not curdle. Reheat if not thickened, and serve. WHITE CELERY SOUP.--Cut two heads of celery into finger lengths, and simmer in a quart of milk for half an hour. Remove the pieces of celery with a skimmer. Thicken the soup with a tablespoonful of cornstarch braided with a little milk, add salt if desired, and a teacup of whipped cream. TABLE TOPICS. Soup rejoices the stomach, and disposes it to receive and digest other food.--_Brillat Savarin._ To work the head, temperance must be carried into the diet.--_Beecher._ To fare well implies the partaking of such food as does not disagree with body or mind. Hence only those fare well who live temperately.--_Socrates._ The aliments to which the cook's art gives a liquid or semi-liquid form, are in general more digestible.--_Dictionaire de Medicine._ In the most heroic days of the Grecian army, their food was the plain and simple produce of the soil. When the public games of ancient Greece were first instituted, the _athleta_, in accordance with the common dietetic habits of the people, were trained entirely on vegetable food. The eating of much flesh fills us with a multitude of evil diseases and multitudes of evil desires.--_Perphyrises, 233 A.D._ No flocks that range the valley free To slaughter I condemn; Taught by the Power that pities me, I learn to pity them. But from the mountain's grassy side A guiltless feast I bring; A scrip with herbs and fruits supplied And water from the spring. --_Goldsmith._ BREAKFAST DISHES A good breakfast is the best capital upon which people who have real work to do in the world can begin the day. If the food is well selected and well cooked, it furnishes both cheer and strength for their daily tasks. Poor food, or good food poorly prepared, taxes the digestive powers more than is due, and consequently robs brain and nerves of vigor. Good food is not rich food, in the common acceptation of the term; it is such food as furnishes the requisite nutriment with the least fatigue to the digestive powers. It is of the best material, prepared in the best manner, and with pleasant variety, though it may be very simple. "What to get for breakfast" is one of the most puzzling problems which the majority of housewives have to solve. The usually limited time for its preparation requires that it be something easily and quickly prepared; and health demands that the bill of fare be of such articles as require but minimum time for digestion, that the stomach may have chance for rest after the process of digestion is complete, before the dinner hour. The custom of using fried potatoes or mushes, salted fish or meats, and other foods almost impossible of digestion, for breakfast dishes, is most pernicious. These foods set completely at variance all laws of breakfast hygiene. They are very difficult of digestion, and the thirst-provoking quality of salted foods makes them an important auxiliary to the acquirement of a love of intoxicating drinks. We feel very sure that, as a prominent temperance writer says, "It very often happens that women who send out their loved ones with an agony of prayer that they may be kept from drink for the day, also send them with a breakfast that will make them almost frantic with thirst before they get to the first saloon." The foods composing the breakfast _menu_ should be simple in character, well and delicately cooked, and neatly served. Fruits and grains and articles made from them offer the requisites for the ideal breakfast. These afford ample provision for variety, are easily made ready, and easily digested, while at the same time furnishing excellent nutriment in ample quantity and of the very best quality. Meats, most vegetables, and compound dishes, more difficult of digestion, are better reserved for the dinner bill of fare. No vegetable except the potato is especially serviceable as a breakfast food, and it is much more readily digested when baked than when prepared in any other manner. Stewing requires less time for preparation, but about one hour longer for digestion. As an introduction to the morning meal, fresh fruits are most desirable, particularly the juicy varieties, as oranges, grape fruit, melons, grapes, and peaches, some one of which are obtainable nearly the entire year. Other fruits; such as apples, bananas, pears, etc., though less suitable, may be used for the same purpose. They are, however, best accompanied with wafers or some hard food, to insure their thorough mastication. For the second course, some of the various cereals, oatmeal, rye, corn, barley, rice, or one of the numerous preparations of wheat, well cooked and served with cream, together with one or more unfermented breads (recipes for which have been given in a previous chapter), cooked fruits, and some simple relishes, are quite sufficient for a healthful and palatable breakfast. If, however, a more extensive bill of fare is desired, numerous delicious and appetizing toasts may be prepared according to the recipes given in this chapter, and which, because of their simple character and the facility with which they can be prepared, are particularly suitable as breakfast dishes. The foundation of all these toasts is _zwieback_, or twice-baked bread, prepared from good whole-wheat or Graham fermented bread cut in uniform slices not more than a half inch thick, each slice being divided in halves, placed on tins, or what is better, the perforated sheets recommended for baking rolls, and baked or toasted in a slow oven for a half hour or longer, until it is browned evenly throughout the entire slice. The zwieback may be prepared in considerable quantity and kept on hand in readiness for use. It will keep for any length of time if stored in a dry place. Stale bread is the best for making zwieback, but it should be good, light bread; that which is sour, heavy, and not fit to eat untoasted, should never be used. Care must be taken also not to scorch the slices, as once scorched, it is spoiled. Properly made, it is equally crisp throughout, and possesses a delicious, nutty flavor. Its preparation affords an excellent opportunity for using the left-over slices of bread, and it may be made when the oven has been heated for other purposes, as after the baking of bread, or even during the ordinary cooking, with little or no additional heat. If one possesses an Aladdin oven, it can be prepared to perfection. Zwieback may also be purchased in bulk, all ready for use, at ten cents a pound, from the Sanitarium Food Co., Battle Creek, Mich., and it is serviceable in so many ways that it should form a staple article of food in every household. For the preparation of toasts, the zwieback must be first softened with some hot liquid, preferably thin cream. Heat the cream (two thirds of a pint of cream will be sufficient for six half slices) nearly to boiling in some rather shallow dish. Put the slices, two or three at a time, in it, dipping the cream over them and turning so that both sides will become equally softened. Keep the cream hot, and let the slices remain until softened just enough so that the center can be pierced with a fork, but not until at all mushy or broken. With two forks or a fork and a spoon, remove each slice from the hot cream, draining as thoroughly as possible, and pack in a heated dish, and repeat the process until as much zwieback has been softened as desired. Cover the dish, and keep hot until ready to serve. Special care should be taken to drain the slices as thoroughly as possible, that none of them be wet and mushy. It is better to remove them from the cream when a little hard than to allow them to become too soft, as they will soften somewhat by standing after being packed in the dish. Prepare the sauce for the toast at the same time or before softening the slices, and pour into a pitcher for serving. Serve the slices in individual dishes, turning a small quantity of the hot sauce over each as served. _RECIPES._ APPLE TOAST.--Fresh, nicely flavored apples stewed in a small quantity of water, rubbed through, a colander, sweetened, then cooked in a granite-ware dish in a slow oven until quite dry, make a nice dressing for toast. Baked sweet or sour apples rubbed through a colander to remove cores and skins, are also excellent. Soften slices of zwieback in hot cream, and serve with a spoonful or two on each slice. If desired, the apple may be flavored with a little pineapple or lemon, or mixed with grape, cranberry, or apricot, thus making a number of different toasts. APRICOT TOAST.--Stew some nice dried apricots as directed on page 191. When done, rub through a fine colander to remove all skins and to render them homogeneous. Add sugar to sweeten, and serve as a dressing on slices of zwieback which have been previously softened in hot cream. One half or two thirds fresh or dried apples may be used with the apricots, if preferred. ASPARAGUS TOAST.--Prepare asparagus as directed on page 255. When tender, drain off the liquor and season it with a little cream, and salt if desired. Moisten nicely browned zwieback in the liquor and lay in a hot dish; unbind the asparagus, heap it upon the toast, and serve. BANANA TOAST.--Peel and press some nice bananas through a colander. This may be very easily done with a potato masher, or if preferred a vegetable press may be used for the purpose. Moisten slices of zwieback with hot cream and serve with a large spoonful of the banana pulp on each slice. Fresh peaches may be prepared and used on the toast in the same way. BERRY TOAST.--Canned strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries may be made into an excellent dressing for toast. Turn a can of well-kept berries into a colander over an earthen dish, to separate the juice from the berries. Place the juice in a porcelain kettle and heat to boiling. Thicken to the consistency of cream with flour rubbed smooth in a little water; a tablespoonful of flour to the pint of juice will be about the right proportion. Add the berries and boil up just sufficiently to cook the flour and heat the berries; serve hot. If cream for moistening the zwieback is not obtainable, a little juice may be reserved without thickening, and heated in another dish to moisten the toast; of if preferred, the fruit may be heated and poured over the dry zwieback without being thickened, or it may be rubbed through a colander as for Apricot Toast. BERRY TOAST NO. 2.--Take fresh red or black raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, and mash well with a spoon. Add sugar to sweeten, and serve as a dressing on slices of zwieback previously moistened with hot cream. CELERY TOAST.--Cut the crisp white portion of celery into inch pieces, simmer twenty minutes or half an hour, or until tender, in a very little water; add salt and a cup of rich milk. Heat to boiling, and thicken with a little flour rubbed smooth in a small quantity of milk--a teaspoonful of flour to the pint of liquid. Serve hot, poured over slices of zwieback previously moistened with cream or hot water. CREAM TOAST.--For this use good Graham or whole-wheat zwieback. Have a pint of thin sweet cream scalding hot, salt it a little if desired, and moisten the zwieback in it as previously directed packing it immediately into a hot dish; cover tightly so that the toast may steam, and serve. The slices should be thoroughly moistened, but not soft and mushy nor swimming in cream; indeed, it is better if a little of the crispness still remains. CREAM TOAST WITH POACHED EGG.--Prepare the cream toast as previously directed, and serve hot with a well-poached egg on each slice. CHERRY TOAST.--Take a quart of ripe cherries; stem, wash and stew (if preferred the stones may be removed) until tender but not broken; add sugar to sweeten, and pour over slices of well-browned dry toast or zwieback. Serve cold. GRAVY TOAST.--Heat a quart and a cupful of rich milk to boiling, add salt, and stir into it three scant tablespoonfuls of flour which has been rubbed to a smooth paste in a little cold milk. This quantity will be sufficient for about a dozen slices of toast. Moisten slices of zwieback with hot water and pack in a heated dish. When serving, pour a quantity of the cream cause over each slice. DRY TOAST WITH HOT CREAM.--Nicely prepared zwieback served in hot saucers with hot cream poured over each slice at the table, makes a most delicious breakfast dish. GRAPE TOAST.--Stem well-ripened grapes, wash well, and scald without water in a double boiler until broken; rub through a colander to remove sends and skins, and when cool, sweeten to taste. If the toast is desired for breakfast, the grapes should be prepared the day previous. Soften the toast in hot cream, as previously directed, and pack in a tureen. Heat the prepared grapes and serve, pouring a small quantity over each slice of toast. Canned grapes may be used instead of fresh ones, if desired. LENTIL TOAST.--Lentils stewed as directed for Lentil Gravy on page 226 served as a dressing on slices of zwieback moistened with hot cream or water, makes a very palatable toast. Browned flour may be used to thicken the dressing if preferred. PRUNE TOAST.--Cook prunes as directed on page 191, allowing them to simmer very slowly for a long time. When done, rub through a colander, and if quite thin, they should be stewed again for a time, until they are about the consistency of marmalade. Moisten slices of zwieback with hot cream, and serve with a spoonful or two of the prune dressing on each. One third dried apple may be used with the prune, if preferred. PEACH TOAST.--Stew nice fresh peaches in a small quantity of water; when tender, rub through a colander, and if quite juicy, place on the back of the range where they will cook very slowly until nearly all the water has evaporated, and the peach is of the consistency of marmalade. Add sugar to sweeten, and serve the same as prunes, on slices of zwieback previously moistened with hot cream. Canned peaches may be drained from their juice and prepared in the same manner. Dried or evaporated peaches may also be used. Toast with dried-peach dressing will be more delicate in flavor if one third dried apples be used with the peaches. SNOWFLAKE TOAST.--Heat to boiling a quart of milk to which a half cup of cream, and a little salt have been added. Thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Have ready the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth; and when the sauce is well cooked, turn a cupful of it on the beaten egg, stirring well meanwhile so that it will form a light, frothy mixture, to which add the remainder of the sauce. If the sauce is not sufficiently hot to coagulate the albumen, it may be heated again almost to the boiling point, but should not be allowed to boil. The sauce should be of a light, frothy consistency throughout. Serve as dressing on nicely moistened slices of zwieback. TOMATO TOAST.--Moisten slices of zwieback in hot cream, and serve with a dressing prepared by heating a pint of strained stewed tomato to boiling, and thickening with a tablespoonful of corn starch or flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Season with salt and a half cupful of hot cream. The cream may be omitted, if preferred. VEGETABLE OYSTER TOAST.--Cook a quart of cleaned, sliced vegetable oysters in a quart of water until very tender; add a pint and a half of rich milk, salt to taste, and thicken the whole with two tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed to a smooth paste with a little milk. Let it boil for a few minutes, and serve as a dressing on slices of well-browned toast previously moistened with hot water or cream. _MISCELLANEOUS BREAKFAST DISHES._ BREWIS.--Heat a pint of rich milk to boiling, remove from fire, and beat into it thoroughly and quickly a cup of very fine stale rye or Graham bread crumbs. Serve at once with cream. BLACKBERRY MUSH.--Rub a pint of canned or fresh stewed and sweetened blackberries, having considerable juice, through a fine colander or sieve to remove the seeds. Add water to make a pint and a half cupful in all, heat to boiling, and sprinkle into it a cupful of sifted Graham flour, or sufficient to make a mush of desired thickness. Cook as directed for Graham Mush, page 90. Serve hot with cream. DRY GRANOLA.--This prepared food, made from wheat, corn, and oats, and obtainable from the Sanitarium Food Co., Battle Creek, Mich., forms an excellent breakfast dish eaten with cold or hot milk and cream. Wheatena, prepared wholly from wheat; Avenola, made from oats and wheat; and Gofio, made from parched grains, all obtainable from the same firm, are each delicious and suitable foods for the morning meal. FRUMENTY.--Wash well a pint of best wheat, and soak for twenty-four hours in water just sufficient to cover. Put the soaked wheat in a covered earthen baking pot or jar, cover well with water, and let it cook in a very slow oven for twelve hours. This may be done the day before it is wanted, or if one has a coal range in which a fire may be kept all night, or an Aladdin oven, the grain may be started in the evening and cooked at night. When desired for use, put in a saucepan with three pints of milk, a cupful of well-washed Zante currants, and one cup of seeded raisins. Boil together for a few minutes, thicken with four tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and serve. MACARONI WITH RAISINS.--Break macaroni into inch lengths sufficient to fill a half-pint cup. Heat four cups of milk, and when actively boiling, put in the macaroni and cook until tender. Pour boiling water over a half cup of raisins, and let them stand until swelled. Ten or fifteen minutes before the macaroni is done, add the raisins. Serve hot with or without the addition of cream. Macaroni cooked in the various ways as directed in the chapter on Grains, is also suitable for breakfast dishes. MACARONI WITH KORNLET.--Break macaroni into inch lengths and cook in boiling milk and water. Prepare the kornlet by adding to it an equal quantity of rich milk or thin cream, and thickening with a little flour, a tablespoonful to the pint. When done, drain the macaroni, and add the kornlet in the proportion of a pint of kornlet mixture to one and one half cups of macaroni. Mix well, turn into an earthen dish, and brown in a moderate oven. Left-over kornlet soup, if kept on ice, may be utilized for this breakfast dish, and the macaroni may be cooked the day before. Green corn pulp may be used in place of the kornlet. PEACH MUSH.--Prepare the same as Blackberry Mush using very thin peach sauce made smooth by rubbing through a colander. Freshly stewed or canned peaches or nicely cooked dried peaches are suitable for this purpose. Apples and grapes may be likewise used for a breakfast mush. RICE WITH LEMON.--Wash a cup of rice and turn it into three pints of boiling water, let it boil vigorously until tender, and turn into a colander to drain. While still in the colander and before the rice has become at all cold, dip quickly in and out of a pan of cold water several times to separate the grains, draining well afterward. All should be done so quickly that the rice will not become too cold for serving; if necessary to reheat, place for a few moments in a dish in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water. Serve with a dressing of lemon previously prepared by cutting two fresh lemons in thin, wafer-like slices, sprinkling each thickly with sugar, and allowing them to stand for an hour or more until a syrup is formed. When the rice is ready to serve, lay the slices of lemon on top of it, pouring the syrup over it, and serve with a slice or two of the lemon for each dish. TABLE TOPICS. The lightest breakfast is the best.--_Oswald._ A NEW NAME FOR BREAKFAST.--"Tum, mamma, leth's go down to tupper," said a little toddler to her mother, one morning, recently. "Why, we don't have supper in the morning," replied the mother. "Den leth's do down to dinner," urged the little one. "But we don't have dinner in the morning," corrected the mother. "Well, den, leth's do down any way," pleaded the child. "But try and think what meal we have in the morning," urged mamma. "I know," said the toddler, brightening up. "What meal do we have in the morning?" "Oatmeal. Tum on; leth's do."--_Sel._ Seneca, writing to a friend of his frugal fare which he declares does not cost a sixpence a day, says:-- "Do you ask if that can supply due nourishment? Yes; and pleasure too. Not indeed, that fleeting and superficial pleasure which needs to be perpetually recruited, but a solid and substantial one. Bread and polenta certainly is not a luxurious feeding, but it is no little advantage to be able to receive pleasure from a simple diet of which no change of fortune can deprive one." Breakfast: Come to breakfast! Little ones and all,-- How their merry footsteps Patter at the call! Break the bread; pour freely Milk that cream-like flows; A blessing on their appetites And on their lips of rose. Dinner may be pleasant So may the social tea, But yet, methinks the breakfast Is best of all the three. With its greeting smile of welcome, Its holy voice of prayer, It forgeth heavenly armor To foil the hosts of care. --_Mrs. Sigourney._ Health is not quoted in the markets because it is without price.--_Sel._ It is a mistake to think that the more a man eats, the fatter and stronger he will become.--_Sel._ DESSERTS Custom has so long established the usage of finishing the dinner with a dessert of some kind, that a _menu_ is considered quite incomplete without it; and we shall devote the next few pages to articles which may be deemed appropriate and healthful desserts, not because we consider the dessert itself of paramount importance, for indeed we do not think it essential to life or even to good living, but because we hope the hints and suggestions which our space permits, may aid the housewife in preparing more wholesome, inexpensive dishes in lieu of the indigestible articles almost universally used for this purpose. We see no objection to the use of a dessert, if the articles offered are wholesome, and are presented before an abundance has already been taken. As usually served, the dessert is but a "snare and delusion" to the digestive organs. Compounded of substances "rich," not in food elements, but in fats, sweets, and spices, and served after enough has already been eaten, it offers a great temptation to overeat; while the elements of which it is largely composed, serve to hamper the digestive organs, to clog the liver, and to work mischief generally. At the same time it may be remarked that the preparation of even wholesome desserts requires an outlay of time and strength better by far expended in some other manner. Desserts are quite unnecessary to a good, healthful, nutritious dietary. The simplest of all desserts are the various nuts and delicious fruits with which nature has so abundantly supplied us, at no greater cost than their harmful substitutes, and which require no expenditure of time or strength in their preparation. If, however, other forms of dessert are desired, a large variety may be prepared in a simple manner, so as to be both pleasing and appetizing. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. In the preparation of desserts, as in that of all other foods it is essential that all material used shall be thoroughly good of its kind. If bread is to be used, the crumbs should be dry and rather stale, but on no account use that which is sour or moldy. Some housekeepers imagine that if their bread happens to spoil and become sour, although it is hardly palatable enough for the table, it may be advantageously used to make puddings. It is indeed quite possible to combine sour bread with other ingredients so as to make a pudding agreeable to the palate; but disguising sour bread makes sweets and flavors by no means changes it into a wholesome food. It is better economy to throw sour bread away at once than to impose it upon the digestive organs at the risk of health and strength. Bread which has begun to show appearance of mold should never be used; for mold is a poison, and very serious illness has resulted from the eating of puddings made from moldy bread. Eggs, to be used for desserts, should always be fresh and good. Cooks often imagine that an egg too stale to be eaten in any other way will do very well for use in cakes and puddings, because it can be disguised so as not to be apparent to the taste; but stale eggs are unfit for food, either alone or in combination with other ingredients. Their use is often the occasion of serious disturbances of the digestive organs. Most desserts in which eggs are used will be much lighter if the yolks and whites are beaten separately. If in winter, and eggs are scarce, fewer may be used, and two tablespoonfuls of dry snow for each omitted egg stirred in the last thing before baking. Milk, likewise, should always be sweet and fresh. If it is to be heated, use a double boiler, so that there will be no danger of scorching. If fresh milk is not available, the condensed milk found at the grocer's is an excellent substitute. Dissolve according to directions, and follow the recipe the same as with fresh milk, omitting one half or two thirds the given amount of sugar. If dried sweet fruits, raisins, or currants are to be used, look them over carefully, put them in a colander, and placing it in a pan of warm water, allow the currants to remain until plump. This will loosen the dirt which, while they are shriveled, sticks in the creases, and they may then be washed by dipping the colander in and out of clean water until they are free from sediment; rinse in two waters, then spread upon a cloth, and let them get perfectly dry before using. It is a good plan, after purchasing raisins and currants, to wash and dry a quantity, and store in glass cans ready for use. To facilitate the stoning of raisins, put them into a colander placed in a dish of warm water until plump; then drain, when the seeds can be easily removed. For desserts which are to be molded, always wet the molds in cold water before pouring in the desserts. _SUGGESTIONS FOR FLAVORING, ETC._ TO PREPARE ALMOND PASTE.--Blanch the nuts according to directions given on page 215. Allow them to dry thoroughly, and pound in a mortar to a smooth paste. They can be reduced much easier if dried for a day or two after blanching. During the pounding, sprinkle with a few drops of cold water, white of egg, rose water, or lemon juice, to prevent them from oiling. COCOANUT FLAVOR.--Cocoanut, freshly grated or desiccated, unless in extremely fine particles, is a very indigestible substance, and when its flavor is desired for custards, puddings, etc., it is always better to steep a few tablespoonfuls in a pint of milk for twenty minutes or a half hour, and strain out the particles. The milk should not be allowed to boil, as it will be likely to curdle. One tablespoonful of freshly grated cocoanut or two of the desiccated will give a very pleasant and delicate flavor; and if a more intense flavor is desired, use a larger quantity. ORANGE AND LEMON FLAVOR.--Orange or lemon flavor may be obtained by steeping a few strips of the yellow part of the rind of lemon or orange in milk for twenty minutes. Skim out the rind before using for desserts. Care should be taken to use only the yellow part, as the white will impart a bitter flavor. The grated rind may also be used for flavoring, but in grating the peel, one must be careful to grate very lightly, and thus use only the outer yellow portion, which contains the essential oil of the fruit. Grate evenly, turning and working around the lemon, using as small a surface of the grater as possible, in order to prevent waste. Generally, twice across the grater and back will be sufficient for removing all the yellow skin from one portion of a lemon. A well-grated lemon should be of exactly the same shape as before, with no yellow skin remaining, and no deep scores into the white. Remove the yellow pulp from the grater with a fork. TO COLOR SUGAR.--For ornamenting the meringues of puddings and other desserts, take a little of the fresh juice of cranberries, red raspberries, currants, black raspberries, grapes, or other colored juices of fruits, thicken it stiff with the sugar, spread on a plate to dry, or use at one. It may be colored yellow with orange peel strained through a cloth, or green with the juice of spinach. Sugar prepared in this manner is quite as pretty and much more wholesome than the colored sugars found in market, which are often prepared with poisonous chemicals. FRUIT DESSERTS. _RECIPES._ APPLE DESSERT.--Pare some large tart apples, remove the cores, put into the cavities a little quince jelly, lemon flavored sugar, or grated pineapple and sugar, according to the flavor desired. Have as many squares of bread with the crust taken off as there are apples, and place a filled apple on each piece of bread, on earthen pie plates; moisten well with a little quince jelly dissolved in water, lemon juice, or pineapple juice, according to the filling used. Cover closely, and bake in a rather quick oven till the apples are tender. Serve with whipped cream and sugar. APPLE MERINGUE DESSERT.--Pare and core enough tart, easy-cooking apples to make a quart when stewed. Cover closely and cook slowly till perfectly tender, when they should be quite dry. Mash through a colander, add a little sugar and a little grated pineapple or lemon peel. Beat light with a silver fork, turn into a pudding dish, and brown in a moderate oven ten or fifteen minutes. Then cover with a meringue made with two tablespoonfuls of sugar and the beaten whites of two eggs, and return to the oven for a moment to brown. Serve cold. APPLE ROSE CREAM.--Wash, core, slice, and cook without paring, a dozen fresh snow apples until very dry. When done, rub through a colander to remove the skins, add sugar to sweeten, and the whites of two eggs; beat vigorously with an egg beater until stiff, add a teaspoonful of rose water for flavoring, and serve at once, or keep on ice. It is especially important that the apples be very dry, otherwise the cream will not be light. If after rubbing through the colander, there is still much juice, they should be cooked again until it has evaporated; or they may be turned into a jelly bag and drained. Other varieties of apple may be used, and flavored with pineapple or vanilla. Made as directed of snow apples or others with white flesh and red skins, the cream should be of a delicate pink color, making a very dainty as well as delicious dessert. APPLE SNOW.--Pare and quarter some nice tart apples. Those that when cooked will be whitest in color are best. Put them into a china dish, and steam until tender over a kettle of boiling water. When done, rub through a colander or beat with a fork until smooth, add sugar to sweeten and a little grated lemon rind, and beat again. For every cup and a half of the prepared apple allow the white of one egg, which beat to a stiff froth, adding the apple to it a little at a time, beating all together until, when taken up in a spoon, it stands quite stiff. Serve cold, with or without a simple custard prepared with a pint of hot milk, a tablespoonful of sugar, and the yolks of two eggs. BAKED APPLES WITH CREAM.--Pare some nice juicy sweet apples, and remove the cores without dividing. Bake until tender in a covered dish with a spoonful or two of water on the bottom. Serve with whipped cream. Or, bake the apples without paring and when done, remove the skins, and serve in the same manner. The cream may be flavored with a little lemon or rose if desired. Lemon apples and Citron apples, prepared as directed on pages 186 and 187, make a most delicious dessert served with whipped cream and sugar, or with mock cream flavored with cocoanut. BAKED SWEET APPLE DESSERT.--Wash and remove the cores from a dozen medium-sized sweet apples, and one third as many sour ones, and bake until well done. Mash through a colander to make smooth and remove the skins. Put into a granite-ware dish, smooth the top with a knife, return to the oven and bake very slowly until dry enough to keep its shape when cut. Add if desired a meringue made by heating the white of one egg with a tablespoonful of sugar. Cut into squares, and serve in individual dishes. The meringue may be flavored with lemon or dotted with bits of colored sugar. BANANAS IN SYRUP.--Heat in a porcelain kettle a pint of currant and red raspberry juice, equal parts, sweetened to taste. When boiling, drop into it a dozen peeled bananas, and simmer very gently for twenty minutes. Remove the bananas, boil the juice until thickened to the consistency of syrup, and pour over the fruit. Serve cold. BAKED BANANAS.--Bake fresh, firm, yelow bananas with the skins on fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot. FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE.--Flavor three tablespoonfuls of sugar by mixing with it a little of the grated yellow rind of an orange, or by rubbing it over the orange to extract the oil. If the latter method is used, the square lump sugar will be preferable. Pare, quarter, and slice three medium-sized tart apples. Peel, remove the seeds, and cut in quite fine pieces three oranges. Put the fruit in alternate layers in a glass dish. Sweeten a cupful of fresh or canned raspberry juice with the flavored sugar, and turn it over the fruit. Put the dish on ice to cool for a half hour before serving. GRAPE APPLES.--Sweeten a pint of fresh grape juice with a pint of sugar, and simmer gently until reduced one third. Pare and core without dividing, six or eight nice tart apples, and stew very slowly in the grape juice until tender, but not broken. Remove the apples and boil the juice (if any remain) until thickened to the consistency of syrup. Serve cold with a dressing of whipped cream. Canned grape pulp or juice may be utilized for this purpose. Sweet apples may be used instead of tart ones, and the sugar omitted. PEACH CREAM.--Pare and stone some nice yellow peaches, and mash with a spoon or press through a colander with a potato masher. Allow equal quantities of the peach pulp and cream, add a little sugar to sweeten, and beat all together until the cream is light. Serve in saucers or glasses with currant buns. A banana cream may be prepared in the same manner. PRUNE DESSERT.--Prepare some prune marmalade as directed on page 191. Put in a square granite-ware dish, which place inside another dish containing hot water, and cook it in a slow oven until the marmalade is dry enough to retain its shape when cut with a knife. If desired add a meringue as for baked sweet apple dessert, dotting the top with pink sugar. Serve in squares in individual dishes. DESSERTS MADE OF FRUIT WITH GRAINS, BREAD, ETC. _RECIPES._ APPLE SANDWICH.--Mix half a cup of sugar with the grated yellow rind of half a lemon. Stir half a cup of cream into a quart of soft bread crumbs; prepare three pints of sliced apples, sprinkled with the sugar; fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of moistened crumbs and sliced apples, finishing with a thick layer of crumbs. Unless the apples are very juicy, add half a cup of cold water, and unless quite tart, have mixed with the water the juice of half a lemon. Cover and bake about one hour. Remove the cover toward the last, that the top may brown lightly. Serve with cream. Berries or other acid fruits may be used in place of apples, and rice or cracked wheat mush substituted for bread crumbs. APPLE SANDWICH NO. 2.--Prepare and stew some apples as for sauce, allowing them to become quite dry; flavor with lemon, pineapples, quince, or any desired flavor. Moisten slices of zwieback in hot cream as for toast. Spread a slice with the apple mixture, cover with a second slice of the moistened zwieback, then cut in squares and serve, with or without a dressing of mock cream. If desired to have the sandwiches particularly dainty, cut the bread from which the zwieback is prepared in rounds, triangles, or stars before toasting. BAKED APPLE PUDDING.--Pour boiling water over bread crumbs; when soft, squeeze out all the water, and line the bottom and sides of an oiled earthen pudding dish with the crumbs. Fill the interior with sliced apples, and cover with a layer of bread crumbs. Bake in a covered dish set in a pan of hot water, until the apples are tender; then remove the cover and brown. Loosen the pudding with a knife, invert on a plate, and it will turn out whole. Serve with sugar and cream. BARLEY FRUIT PUDDING.--Mix together a pint of cold, well steamed pearl barley, a cup of finely minced tart apples, three fourths of a cup of chopped and seeded raisins, a third of a cup of sugar, and a cup of boiling water and turn into a pudding dish; cover, and place the dish in the oven in a pan of hot water, and bake slowly an hour and a half, or until the water has become quite absorbed and the fruit tender. Serve warm with a water, adding sugar to taste, and thickening with a half teaspoonful of cornstarch. Any tart fruit jelly may be used, or the pudding may be served with cream and sugar flavored with a little grated lemon rind. BARLEY FIG PUDDING.--One pint of well-steamed pearl barley, two cups of finely chopped best figs, one half cup of sugar, one half cup of thin sweet cream, and one and one half cups of fresh milk. Mix all thoroughly, turn into an earthen pudding dish; place it in the oven in a pan half full of hot water, and bake slowly till the milk is nearly absorbed. The pudding should be stirred once or twice during the baking, so that the figs will be distributed evenly, instead of rising to the top. BLACKBERRY CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Take two quarts of well-ripened blackberries which have been carefully looked over, put them into a granite-ware boiler with half a cup of water, and stew for twenty minutes. Add sugar to sweeten, and three heaping tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed to a cream with a little cold water. Cook until thickened, pour into molds, and cool. Serve cold with milk or cream. Other fresh or canned berries may be used in the same way. COCOANUT AND CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE.--Simmer two tablespoonfuls of desiccated cocoanut in a pint of milk for twenty minutes, and strain through a fine sieve. If necessary, add more cold milk to make a full pint. Add a tablespoonful of sugar, heat to boiling, and stir in gradually two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a very little cold milk. Cook five minutes, turn into cups, and serve cold with fruit sauce or cream. CORNSTARCH BLANCMANGE.--Stir together two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, half a cup of sugar, the juice and a little of the grated rind of one lemon; braid the whole with cold water enough to dissolve well. Then pour boiling water over the mixture, stirring meanwhile, until it becomes transparent. Allow it to bubble a few minutes longer, pour into molds, and serve cold with cream and sugar. CORNSTARCH WITH RAISINS.--Measure out one pint of rich milk. Rub two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch perfectly smooth with a little of the milk, and heat the remainder to boiling, adding to it a tablespoonful of sugar. Add the braided cornstarch, and let it cook until it thickens, stirring constantly. Then add a half cup of raisins which have been previously steamed. This may be served hot with sugar and cream, or turned into cups and molded, and served cold with lemon, orange, or other fruit sauce for dressing. CORNSTARCH WITH APPLES.--Prepare the cornstarch as in the preceding recipe, omitting the raisins. Place in a pudding dish some lemon apple sauce, without juice, about two inches deep. Pour the cornstarch over it, and serve hot or cold with cream. CORNSTARCH FRUIT MOLD.--Heat a quart of strawberry, raspberry, or currant juice, sweetened to taste, to boiling. If the pure juice of berries is used, it may be diluted with one cup of water to each pint and a half of juice. Stir in four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch well braided with a little of the juice reserved for this purpose. Boil until the starch is well cooked, stirring constantly. Pour into molds previously wet with cold water, and cool. Serve with cream and sugar. A circle of fresh berries around the mold when served adds to its appearance. CORNSTARCH FRUIT MOLD NO. 2.--Wash, stone, and stew some nice French prunes, add sugar to sweeten, and if there is not an abundance of juice, a little boiling water. For every one fourth pound of prunes there should be enough juice to make a pint in all, for which add two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, rubbed smooth in a little cold water, and boil three or four minutes. Pour into cups previously wet in cold water, and mold. Serve cold with whipped cream. Other dried or canned fruits, as apricots, peaches, cherries, etc., may be used in place of prunes, if preferred. CRACKED-WHEAT PUDDING.--A very simple pudding may be made with two cups of cold, well-cooked cracked wheat, two and a half cups of milk, and one half cup of sugar. Let the wheat soak in the milk till thoroughly mixed and free from lumps, then add the sugar and a little grated lemon peel, and bake about three fourths of an hour in a moderate oven. It should be of a creamy consistency when cold, but will appear quite thin when taken from the oven. By flavoring the milk with cocoanut, a different pudding may be produced. Rolled or pearl wheat may be used for this pudding. A cupful of raisins may be added if desired. CRACKED-WHEAT PUDDING NO. 2.--Four and one half cups of milk, a very scant half cup of cracked wheat, one half cup of sugar; put together in a pudding dish, and bake slowly with the dish covered and set in a pan of hot water for three or four hours, or until the wheat is perfectly tender, as may be ascertained by dipping a few grains with a spoon out from the side of the dish. FARINA BLANCMANGE.--Heat a quart of milk, reserving one half cup, to boiling. Then add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and four heaping tablespoonfuls of farina, previously moistened with the reserved half cup of milk. Let all boil rapidly for a few minutes till the farina has well set, then place in a double boiler, or a dish set in a pan of boiling water, to cook an hour longer. Mold in cups previously wet with cold water. Serve with sugar and cream flavored with vanilla or a little grated lemon rind, mock cream, or cocoanut sauce. Much variety may be given this simple dessert by serving it with a dressing of fruit juices; red raspberry, strawberry, grape, current, cranberry, cherry, and plum are all very good. If desired, the milk with which the blancmange is prepared may be first flavored with cocoanut, thus making a different blancmange. Fresh fruit, as sliced banana, blueberries, or strawberries, lightly stirred in just before molding, make other excellent varieties. FARINA FRUIT MOLD.--Put a quart of well-sweetened red raspberry juice into the inner cup of a double boiler. Heat to boiling, and stir in four heaping tablespoonfuls of farina first moistened with a little of the juice. Boil up until thickened, then set into the outer boiler, the water in which should be boiling, and cook for one hour. Pour into molds previously wet in cold water, and cool. Serve with whipped cream or mock cream. Currant, strawberry, cherry, or blackberry juice may be used instead of raspberry. If water be added to dilute the juice, a little more farina will be needed. FRUIT PUDDING.--Measure out one quart of rich new milk, reserving half a pint to wet five large rounded tablespoonfuls of sifted flour. Add to the milk one even cup of sugar, turn in the flour mixture and heat to boiling in a farina kettle, stirring all the while to prevent lumps, and cook till it thickens, which will be about ten minutes after it begins to boil. Remove from the stove, and beat while it is cooling. When cool, add sliced bananas or whole strawberries, whortleberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced apricots, or peaches. Serve cold. JAM PUDDING.--Make a jam by mashing well some fresh raspberries or blueberries and sweetening to taste. Spread over slices of fresh, light bread or buns, and pile in layers one above another in a pudding dish. Pour over the layers enough rich milk or thin cream heated to scalding, to moisten the whole. Turn a plate over the pudding, place a weight upon it, and press lightly till cold. Cut in slices, and serve with or without a cream dressing. PLAIN FRUIT PUDDING OR BROWN BETTY.--Chop together one part seeded raisins and two parts good tart apples. Fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of the fruit and bread crumbs, finishing with the bread crumbs on top. Unless the apples are very juicy, moisten the whole with a tablespoonful of lemon juice in a cup of cold water, for a pudding filling a three-pint dish. Cover the dish and place it in a moderate oven in a pan of hot water, and bake nearly an hour; then remove from the pan, uncover, and brown nicely. Serve warm with cream and sugar, or with an orange or lemon sauce. Seeded cherries may be used in place of the apples and raisins. In that case, each layer of fruit should be sprinkled lightly with sugar, and the water omitted. PRUNE PUDDING.--Moisten rather thin slices of stale bread in hot milk and place in a pudding dish with alternate layers of stewed prunes from which the stones have been removed, finishing with bread on top. Pour over the whole a little more hot milk or pure juice or both, and bake in a moderate over three fourths of an hour. Serve hot or cold with orange or lemon sauce. RICE MERINGUE.--Steam a cupful of rice as directed on page 99 until tender and dry. Heap it loosely on a glass dish, and dot with squares of cranberry or currant jelly. Beat with the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth with one third cup of sugar, and pile it roughly over the rice. Serve with cream. RICE SNOWBALL.--Wash a cupful of good rice and steam until half done. Have pared and cored without dividing, six large, easy cooking tart apples. Put a clean square of cheese cloth over a plate, place the apples on it, and fill them and all the interstices between with rice. Put the remainder of the rice over and around the apples; tie up the cloth, and cook in a kettle of boiling water until the apples are tender. When done, lift from the water and drain well, untie the cloth, invert the pudding upon a plate and remove the cloth. Serve hot with cream and sugar or cocoanut sauce. RICE FRUIT DESSERT.--Cold boiled rice, molded so that it can be sliced, may be utilized in making a variety of delicious desserts. A nice pudding may be prepared by filling a dish with alternate layers of half-inch slices of molded rice and grated tart raw apples the same thickness. Grate a little lemon rind over each layer. Cover, and place in the oven in a pan of boiling water, and bake for an hour. Serve with sugar and cream. Stoned cherries or peaches may be used instead of the apple. RICE DUMPLING.--Steam a teacup of rice until tender, and line an oiled earthen pudding dish, pressing it up around the sides and over the bottom. Fill the crust thus made with rather tart apples cut in small slices; cover with rice, and steam until the apples are tender, which may be determined by running a broom-straw through them. Let stand until cold, then turn from the dish, and serve with sugar and cream. Any easy cooking tart fruit, as stoned cherries, gooseberries, etc., may be used in place of the apples when preferred. RICE CREAM PUDDING.--Take one cup of good well-washed rice, one scant cup of sugar, and eight cups of new milk, with a little grated lemon rind for flavoring. Put all into an earthen pudding dish, and place on the top of the range. Heat very slowly until the milk is boiling, stirring frequently, so that the rice shall not adhere to the bottom of the dish. Then put into a moderately hot oven, and bake without stirring, till the rice is perfectly tender, which can be ascertained by dipping a spoon in one side and taking out a few grains. It should be, when cold, of a rich, creamy consistency, with each grain of rice whole. Serve cold. It is best if made the day before it is needed. If preferred, the milk may be first flavored with cocoanut, according to the directions given on page 298. RICE PUDDING WITH RAISINS.--Wash thoroughly one half cup of rice, and soak for two hours in warm water. Drain off the water, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one half cup of raisins, and four cups of milk. Put in an earthen pudding dish and cook for two hours in a moderate oven, stirring once or twice before the rice begins to swell, then add a cup of hot milk, and cook for an hour longer. RED RICE MOLD.--Take one and one half pints of red currants and one half pint of red raspberries, and follow directions on page 209 for extracting their juice. The juice may be diluted with one part water to two of juice if desired. Sweeten to taste, and for each pint when boiling stir in two tablespoonfuls of ground rice or rice flour rubbed smooth in a little of the juice which may be retained for the purpose. Pour into molds, cool, and serve with whipped cream. RICE AND FRUIT DESSERT.--Steam a cup of good well-washed rice in milk till tender. Prepare some tart apples by paring, dividing midway between the stem and blow ends, and removing the cores. Fill the cavities with quince or pineapple jelly; put the apples in a shallow stewpan with a half cup of water, cover, and steam till nearly tender. Put the rice, which should be very moist, around the bottom and sides of a pudding dish; place the apples inside, cover, and bake ten minutes. Serve with cream flavored with quince or lemon. RICE AND TAPIOCA PUDDING.--Soak one half cup of tapioca over night in a cup of water; in the morning drain off the water if any remains. Add to the tapioca half a cup of rice, one cup of sugar, one cup of raisins, and eight cups of new milk, with a little grated lemon rind for flavoring. Put all in an earthen pudding dish on the top of the range, where it will heat very gradually to the boiling point, stirring frequently. When the milk boils, put the pudding in the oven, and bake till the rice grains are perfectly tender but not broken and mushy. From twenty minutes to half an hour is usually sufficient. When taken from the oven, it will appear quite thin, but after cooling will be of a delicious, creamy consistency. Serve cold. RICE-FLOUR MOLD.--Braid two tablespoonfuls of rice flour with a little milk and stir the mixture into a pint of boiling milk to which has been added three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little salt if desired. Let this boil until it thickens, then mold, and serve with cream and sugar or with lemon, orange, or other fruit sauce. RICE AND STEWED APPLE DESSERT.--Steam or bake some rice in milk until tender, sweeten slightly and spread a layer of the rice half an inch thick on the bottom of a pudding dish, then a layer of lemon-flavored apple sauce, which has been rubbed through a colander and afterward simmered on the range until stiff. If preferred, the sauce may be prepared by first baking the apples, and then rubbing the pulp through a colander. Add another layer of rice, then one of sauce, and so on until the dish is full. Bake in a moderate oven and serve hot. If the apples are not very tart, part stewed and sifted cranberries may be used with them. RICE AND STRAWBERRY DESSERT.--Soak a cup of rice in one and a half cups of new milk; place all in an earthen dish, and steam an hour, or until dry and tender, stirring occasionally for the first fifteen minutes. When the rice is done, place in the bottom of cups previously moistened with cold water, five nice hulled strawberries in the shape of a star. Carefully fill the interstices between the berries with the cooked rice, and put in a layer of rice. Add next a layer of strawberries, then another of rice. Press firmly into the cups, and set away to cool. When well molded, turn into saucers, and pile whipped cream around each mold; sprinkle with sugar and serve. A little care in forming the stars and filling the molds makes this a delicious and pretty dessert. If preferred, the dessert may be prepared in one large mold, and a larger number of berries arranged in the form of a cross in the bottom of the dish, covering with rice, and adding as many alternate layers of berries and rice as desired. STEWED FRUIT PUDDING.--Take a deep, square or oblong granite-ware or earthen dish; cut strips of stale bread uniformly an inch in width and three fourths of an inch in thickness, and place them in the mold with spaces between them equal to their width. Or, fit the strips around the bottom of a round, earthen pudding dish, like the spokes of a wheel, with stewed or canned fruit, sweetened to taste; whortleberries are best, but apricots, cherries, currants, strawberries, and gooseberries may all be used. Separate the juice from the berries by turning them into a colander. Fill the interstices between the bread with hot fruit, using just as little juice as possible. Cover with another layer, this time placing the strips of bread over the fruit in the first layer, and leaving the spaces for fruit over the bread in the first layer. Fill the dish with these layers of fruit and bread, and when full, pour over all the hot fruit juice. Put a plate with a weight on it on the top to press it firmly. Dip off any juice that may be pressed out, and set the pudding in the refrigerator to cool and press. When cold, it will turn out whole, and can be cut in slices and served with whipped cream or cocoanut sauce. STRAWBERRY MINUTE PUDDING.--Cook a quart of ripe strawberries in a pint of water till well scalded. Add sugar to taste. Skim out the fruit, and into the boiling juice stir a scant cup of granulated wheat flour previously rubbed to a paste with a little cold water; cook fifteen or twenty minutes, pour over the fruit, and serve cold with cream sauce. SWEET APPLE PUDDING.--Pare, core, and slice enough ripe, juicy sweet apples to fill a pint bowl. Heat a quart of new milk to scalding in a double boiler. Pour it hot over one cup of good granulated cornmeal, and beat very thoroughly to remove all lumps. Return to the double boiler, and cook until the meal is set. The batter then should be about the consistency of corn mush. Remove from the fire, add a pint of cold milk, stir in the sliced apples, one third of a cup of sugar or molasses, and a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a very little milk. Turn all into a deep earthen crock or pudding dish, and bake slowly from three to four hours, stirring frequently the first hour. It should be moderately browned on top when done. Serve warm or cold. WHORTLEBERRY PUDDING.--One quart of new milk, one quart of fine bread crumbs, two quarts of fresh whortleberries, one or two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Heat the milk to boiling; fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs and berries, beginning and ending with crumbs. Add the sugar to the milk, let it dissolve, and pour the whole over the pudding. Cover closely, and bake in a slow oven within a pan of hot water nearly an hour. Serve warm with cream or cocoanut sauce. DESSERTS WITH TAPIOCA, SAGO, MONICA, AND SEA MOSS. Both pearl and flake tapioca are suitable for these desserts. They should be soaked for some hours before using, and it is always best to soak over night if convenient. The flake tapioca requires longer soaking and cooking than the pearl tapioca. For soaking, use one and a half cups of water for each cup of flake tapioca, and one pint of water for a cup of pearl tapioca. For cooking, three or four additional cups of water will be required for each cup of tapioca, depending upon, the articles used with it. A double boiler should be used for the cooking. _RECIPES._ APPLE TAPIOCA.--Soak a cupful of pearl tapioca over night. In the morning simmer in a quart of boiling water until transparent and thickened. Arrange in the bottom of a pudding dish four or five good-sized tart apples, which have been pared, cored, and the cavities filled with sugar. Squeeze the juice of a lemon and grate a very little of the rind over the apples. Pour the tapioca over the fruit. Set the dish inside a pan filled with hot water, cover, and bake one hour, or until the apples are done. Serve with sugar and cream. It is best nearly cold. Fresh peaches, pared and stewed, may be used in place of apples, if preferred. APPLE TAPIOCA NO. 2.--Soak a half cup of tapioca in a cap of tepid water, for at least three hours. Pare, core, and quarter nice tart apples to fill a two-quart pudding dish nearly half full. Add four cups of water and one of sugar to the soaked tapioca, pour it over the apples, and bake two or three hours in a slow oven. Serve with whipped cream. BANANA DESSERT.--Soak a cup of tapioca over night. In the morning cook in a double boiler in a quart of water until transparent. When done, add a cup of sugar and three or four sliced bananas. Serve cold with cream. BLACKBERRY TAPIOCA.--Soak a cup of tapioca over night. When ready to cook, add three cups of boiling water and cook in a double boiler until transparent and smooth. Sprinkle a quart of fresh blackberries with sugar, and stir lightly into the tapioca. Pour into molds and serve cold with cream and sugar. Other fresh berries may be used in the same way. CHERRY PUDDING.--Soak and cook a half cup of tapioca in a pint of water until transparent. Have a pint of fresh pitted cherries in an earthen pudding dish. Sprinkle them well with sugar, pour over them the cooked tapioca, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven. Serve hot with or without cream. FRUIT TAPIOCA.--Cook three fourths of a cup of tapioca in four cups of water until smooth and transparent Stir into it lightly a pint of fresh strawberries, raspberries, currants, or any small fruit, adding sugar as required. For variety a cup of canned quinces or apricots may be substituted for fresh fruit. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or mock cream. MOLDED TAPIOCA WITH FRUIT.--Simmer one half cup of desiccated cocoanut in a pint of milk for twenty minutes. Strain out the cocoanut, and add milk to make a full pint. Add one half cup of sugar and one half cup of tapioca previously soaked over night. Let the whole simmer until the tapioca is transparent. Dip some cups in cold water, drain, and lay fresh strawberries, currants, or cherries in the bottom of each in the form of a star or cross. Pour the tapioca into the molds gently, so as not to displace the fruit. When cold, turn out and serve with whipped cream or fruit sauce. Raisins may be substituted for fresh fruit, or bits of jelly may be placed around the mold after it has cooled, if preferred. PINEAPPLE TAPIOCA.--Soak one cup of tapioca over night in one and one half cups of water. Add two and one half cups of water and cook in a double boiler until transparent, then add one cup of sugar and one juicy pineapple minced fine with a sharp knife. Mold, and serve cold with or without cream. PRUNE AND TAPIOCA PUDDING.--Soak one half cup of tapioca over night. In the morning cook until transparent in two cups of water. Stew two cups of well-washed and stoned prunes in a quart of water till perfectly tender; then add the juice of a good lemon and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and boil till the syrup becomes thick and rich. Turn the prunes into a pudding dish, cover with the cooked tapioca, and add a little grated lemon rind. Bake lightly. Serve without dressing or with sugar and cream or almond sauce. If preferred, the prunes and tapioca may be placed in the dish in alternate layers, having the top one of tapioca. TAPIOCA AND FIG PUDDING.--Cook three fourths of a cup of tapioca as for Apple Tapioca. Have ready two cups of finely sliced or chopped tart apples, and one cup of chopped figs, which have first been lightly steamed. If preferred, raisins may be used in place of half the figs. Put the fruit in the bottom of the pudding dish, turn the tapioca over it, and bake till the fruit is very soft. If the apples are not very tart, sprinkle the juice of a lemon over them before adding the figs and tapioca. A nice fruit pudding can also be made by using half canned pears and half apples, or canned quinces may be substituted for figs. PEACH TAPIOCA.--For this will be needed a quart of nicely canned peaches, a cup of tapioca, and from one half to three fourths of a cup of sugar, according to the sweetness of the peaches. Soak the tapioca over night in just enough water to cover. When ready to cook, put in a double boiler with three cups of water, and cook for an hour. Remove from the fire and add to it the juice from the peaches, of which there should be a cup and a half, which has been secured by draining the peaches in a colander, and stir it well into the tapioca. Place a layer of this mixture in an oiled pudding dish, add the peaches, cover with the remainder of the tapioca, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven. TAPIOCA JELLY.--Soak a cup of tapioca in a pint of water over night. Add another pint and cook until transparent and smooth. Add three tablespoonfuls of lemon juice and four tablespoonfuls of sugar; beat well together and tun into molds. Serve cold. No dressing is required. This may be varied by using unsweetened currant, grape, or other acid fruit juice in place of lemon. Fruit jelly may be used if the juice is not easily obtained. Add when the tapioca is well cooked, and stir until dissolved. APPLE SAGO PUDDING.--Soak one cup of sago in six cups of water; stew ten small apples, mix with the sago, and bake three quarters of an hour. Serve with cream and sugar. It is better warm than cold, but acceptable either way. RED SAGO MOLD.--Take a quart of red raspberry juice, pure or diluted with one third water, and sweeten to taste. Have ready one half cup of best sago which has soaked for twenty minutes in just enough water to cover. Drain off any water that may remain. Add the sago to the juice, and cook until the sago is transparent, then turn into molds. Serve cold with cream. Cranberry or strawberry juice may be used in place of the raspberry, if preferred. SAGO FRUIT PUDDING.--Soak a small cup of sago an hour in just enough water to cover. Drain off any water that may not be absorbed. Mix two thirds of a cup of sugar with this sago, and stir all into a quart of boiling water. Let it boil until the sago is perfectly transparent and pour in a pint of nicely hulled strawberries. Turn into molds to cool, or serve warm with cream, as preferred. Tapioca can be used instead of sago, but needs longer soaking. Raspberries, stoned cherries, or currants can be used in place of strawberries. SAGO PUDDING.--Soak a cupful of sago for twenty minutes in a cup of cold water; then pour over it a quart and a cup of boiling water, add a cup of sugar and one half cup of raisins. Cook till the sago is perfectly transparent, flavor with vanilla, and set away to cool. Serve with whipped cream. MANIOCA WITH FRUIT.--Pare, core, and quarter six medium-sized tart apples, and put them to cook in a quart of boiling water. Add a cup of sugar, and cook without stirring until softened, then sprinkle into the water in which they are cooking five tablespoonfuls of manioca, and cook until it is transparent, which will be in about ten minutes. Flavor with a little grated lemon rind, and serve hot with sugar and cream, or mold, as preferred. Canned peaches, apricots, or cherries may be used in a similar manner, adding boiling water if there is not sufficient juice to properly cook the manioca. Or the manioca may be first cooked in boiling water, using four scant tablespoonfuls for a pint of water, and when transparent, turning it over sliced bananas, pineapples, or oranges, molding and serving with cream and sugar. RASPBERRY MANIOCA MOLD.--Heat a pint of water, and when boiling, sprinkle into it four scant tablespoonfuls of manioca and cook for ten minutes or until transparent, stirring continually. When transparent and thickened, remove from the fire and add a tablespoonful of lemon juice and one cup of sugar. Place a layer of the cooked manioca in the bottom of a pudding dish, add a layer of freshly picked red raspberries, then another of the manioca, filling the dish in alternate layers with one of manioca for the top. Set away in some cool place until well molded. Serve in slices with cream flavored with rose. Other fresh berries may be used instead of raspberries. SEA MOSS BLANCMANGE.--Wash the moss well in several waters, and soak in a very little cold water for an hour before using. It is hardly possible to give exact directions for making this blancmange, owing to the difficulty of accurately measuring the moss, but in general, a small handful will be ample for a quart of milk. Add the moss, when washed, to the milk, and cook in a double boiler until the milk has become thickened and glutinous. Add sugar to sweeten, flavor with vanilla or rose water, and strain through a fine sieve into cups previously wet in cold water, and mold. This may be varied by using boiling water instead of milk for cooking, adding the juice of one or two lemons and a little grated rind to flavor. DESSERTS MADE WITH GELATINE. Gelatine is an article largely employed in making delicate and dainty dishes. It is economical and convenient, because the dessert can be prepared several hours before needed; but it must be stated that it has in itself little or no food value, and there is great liability of its being unwholesome. A writer in the _Anti-Adulteration Journal_, a short time since, speaking of the use of gelatine, says:-- "The nutritive value of pure gelatine has been shown to be very low in the scale of foods. The beef gelatine of the markets that is used by bakers, is far from being pure gelatine. It frequently has a very disagreeable, fetid odor, and has evidently begun to decompose during the process of manufacture. After a thorough drying, putrefaction does not take place as long as it remains dry. But suppose that gelatine which has thus begun to decompose during the drying process, containing, perhaps, putrefactive germs in the dried state, be dissolved in water, and in hot weather, kept in this condition for a few hours previous to being used; the result would be rapid putrefaction. The putrefaction would be checked by freezing; but the bacteria causing it are not killed by the low temperature. As soon as the dessert is melted or eaten, they resume their activity in the body, and may cause sickness. It is a well-known fact that gelatine is an excellent medium in which to cultivate various kinds of micro-organisms; and if the conclusions here mentioned be correct, it seems that gelatine should be used with great care in connection with food preparations. When used carelessly, it may do a great deal of harm. I wish to impress those who use it with the importance of guarding against its dangers. Gelatine should not be allowed to remain in solution for many hours before using, especially in hot weather. "When used at all, the best varieties should be employed, and such as are free from putrefactive odor." A "box" of gelatine is used to signify a two-ounce package. If half a box is called for, divide it by cutting the box and its contents in halves rather than by emptying the box and then attempting to make a division. To prepare gelatine for desserts, first soak it till soft in a small quantity of cold water (a cupful to one box of gelatine is sufficient); fifteen minutes will suffice if it is stirred frequently; then dissolve in boiling liquid. Do not cook the gelatine, and after it is dissolved, always strain through a cloth strainer before using. In winter, a two-ounce package will solidify two quarts of liquid, including the water in which the gelatine is soaked. In summer, a little less liquid should be used. Gelatine desserts must be left on ice or in a cool place until hardened, but they should not be served at the table so cold as to interfere with the digestion of other foods. _RECIPES._ APPLES IN JELLY.--Pare and core without cutting open, a half dozen medium-sized tart apples of the same degree of hardness. Fill the centers with a little grated lemon rind and sugar. Steam until tender but not broken. Have ready half a package of gelatine which has been soaked for an hour in just enough water to cover. Prepare a syrup with one cup of sugar and a pint of water. When boiling, turn the syrup over the gelatine, stirring well to dissolve it, and add the juice of half a lemon. Strain, place the apples in a deep dish with a little space between each; turn the mixture over them, and set in the ice box to cool. Serve with or without a little whipped cream. APPLE SHAPE.--Steam some nice tart apples. When tender, rub through a colander. Have two thirds of a box of gelatine soaked in just enough water to cover; pour over it a cup and a half of boiling water; when well dissolved, strain and add a pint of the sifted apples sweetened to taste, and one half cup of grated fresh or canned pineapple, or if preferred, one half cup of the juice of canned pineapple. Turn into cups previously wet in cold water, and mold. Serve with a little cream. Canned peaches, apricots, and other fruit may be used the same as apples, if preferred. Rub the fruit with but little juice through a colander, and proceed as above. BANANA DESSERT.--Dissolve half a box of gelatine in a half cup of warm water. Heat three cups of rich milk to boiling, and add to it one cup of sugar and turn over the well-dissolved gelatine and strain. Let it partly cool, and mix in three or four bananas, sliced thin or chopped fine. Turn all into a mold previously wet with cold water, and leave till hardened, which may require several hours unless the mold be placed on ice. When well molded, turn into a glass dish, serve with whipped cream flavored with vanilla or lemon. CLEAR DESSERT.--Soak a box of gelatine in a large bowl with half a cup of cold water. When soft, pour over it three pints of boiling water, add the juice of three large lemons and two cups of sugar. Stir well, strain, and pour into molds previously wet with cold water. Put into the refrigerator until hardened. Serve with whipped cream. Quince, apricot, orange, or pineapple juice may be substituted for lemon, and thus a variety of desserts may be made. FRUIT FOAM DESSERT.--Soak half a package of gelatine in half a cup of cold water until soft. Heat to boiling two and one half cups of red raspberry, currant, strawberry, or grape juice, sweetened to taste, and pour over the soaked gelatine. Stir until perfectly dissolved, then strain, and set the dish in ice water to cool. When it is cold and beginning to thicken, beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth and stir into the thickening gelatine. Beat thoroughly for fifteen minutes with an egg beater, or whip till the whole is of a solid foam stiff enough to retain its shape. Turn into molds previously wet with cold water, or pile roughly in large spoonfuls in a glass dish. Set away in the refrigerator until needed. Serve with a little whipped cream piled lightly around it. FRUIT SHAPE.--Take a quart of nicely canned red raspberries, sweetened to taste; turn into a colander and drain off the juice, taking care to keep the fruit as perfect as possible. Put two thirds of a box of gelatine to soak in just enough of the juice to cover. When the gelatine is ready, heat the remainder of the juice to boiling and pour over it. When well dissolved, add the fruit, turn into cups, and mold. Serve with cream. Peaches, strawberries, apricots, and other canned fruit may be used in place of the raspberries, if preferred. GELATINE CUSTARD.--Soak a quarter of a box of gelatine in one fourth of a cup of cold water till soft; then pour over it three fourths of a cup of boiling water, and stir until dissolved. Beat the yolks of two eggs and three tablespoonfuls of sugar to a cream; pour over it slowly, stirring continuously, a pint of boiling milk, and cook in a double boiler until it thickens. Then add the gelatine mixture, which should first be strained, the whites of the two eggs beaten stiff, and a little vanilla for flavoring. Beat all well together, turn into molds previously wet in cold water, and place on ice to harden. Serve with fruit sauce. LAYER PUDDING.--Divide a package of gelatine into three portions, and put each to soak in one third of a cup of cold water. Heat one and one fourths cups of water to boiling, add the juice of one lemon and two thirds of a cup of sugar. Turn this slowly, stirring well meanwhile, over the well-beaten yolks of two eggs. Cook in a double boiler five minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Pour the hot custard over one portion of the soaked gelatine, and stir it until dissolved. Strain, add a little grated lemon rind for flavoring, and turn into a broad, shallow dish to mold. A square granite-ware baking tin is admirable for this purpose. Take one and one half cups of raspberry, strawberry, grape, or currant juice, sweetened to taste; heat to boiling and pour over the second portion of the soaked gelatine. Stir till well dissolved, strain, and turn into a shallow mold like that containing the first portion. Heat one and one half cups of rich milk to boiling, add one half cup of sugar, and pour over the third portion of soaked gelatine. Strain and cool a little, flavor with vanilla or a few chopped bananas; or, if preferred, flavor the milk with cocoanut before using, as directed on page 298. Pour into a third mold like the others to cool. When all are cold, arrange in layers, the yellow at the bottom and the white at the top. The whites of the eggs may be used for meringue, or for making a whipped cream sauce to serve with the pudding. LEMON JELLY.--Soak one half box of gelatine in a scant cup of cold water until soft. Then pour over it one pint of boiling water and stir until well dissolved. Add one cup of sugar, the yellow rind of one lemon, and one half cup of lemon juice. Strain, put into molds previously wet in cold water, and place in the ice chest to harden. If preferred, the above may be cooled in a shallow dish and cut into irregular shapes to be served with a custard sauce. Use only the yolks of eggs in making the custard, that it may have a rich color, using two yolks in place of one whole egg. JELLY WITH FRUIT.--Soak a package of gelatine in a cup of cold water until soft; then pour over it one quart and a cup of boiling water. Strain, add the juice of four lemons and twelve tablespoonfuls of sugar. Cool a little of the gelatine in a mold, and as soon as set, scatter in some nice currants or seedless raisins; add another layer of gelatine, and when set, scatter in more fruit; continue until the mold is full, having gelatine at the top. Fresh fruit, currants, grapes, cherries, plums, peaches, etc., may be used in place of raisins, if preferred. ORANGE DESSERT.--Soak one third of a cup of gelatine in one third of a cup of cold water until soft; then pour over it one third of a cup of boiling water. Add a scant cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and a cupful of orange juice and pulp. Set the dish containing the mixture in a pan of ice water until it begins to harden. Have ready the whites of three eggs well whipped, add to the jelly, and beat all together until light and stiff enough to drop. Pour into molds wet in cold water, and lined with sections of oranges, from which seeds and white fiber have been removed. ORANGES IN JELLY.--Pare divide, and take out the seeds from four or five sweet oranges, being careful to remove all the white rind and shreds. Place in a deep dish and pour over them a syrup prepared as for Apples in Jelly, using the juice of a whole lemon. Set in the ice box over night. A very little orange peel may be grated into the syrup if liked; and if the oranges are very sweet, less sugar will be required. If one can afford to use orange juice in place of the water in making the syrup, the dessert will be greatly improved. ORANGE JELLY.--Soak one quarter of a box of gelatine until soft in just enough cold water to cover. Then pour over it one half cup of boiling water. Stir until well dissolved, add the juice of one small lemon, one cupful of orange juice, and one half cup of sugar. Strain, turn into molds previously wet in cold water, and set on ice to harden. Strawberry, raspberry, and other fruit juices may be used in a similar manner. SNOW PUDDING.--Soak one fourth of a box of gelatine until soft in an equal measure of cold water. Then pour over it one cup of boiling water, and add one fourth of a cup of strained lemon juice and one cup of sugar; stir till the sugar is all dissolved. Strain into a large china dish, and set in ice water to cool. Let it stand until cold and beginning to thicken. Have ready the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and add to the gelatine as it begins to thicken; beat all together for fifteen or twenty minutes, until it is of a solid foam and stiff enough to hold its shape. Turn into molds and keep in a cool place till needed. A half dozen finely sliced or chopped bananas stirred in toward the last, makes a nice variation. Serve with custard sauce made with the yolks of the eggs and flavored with rose or vanilla. Orange, quince, or pineapple juice may be substituted for lemon, for a change. This dessert is best if made several hours before it is needed and set in the refrigerator to keep cold. DESSERTS WITH CRUSTS. _RECIPES._ APPLE TART.--Pare and slice some quick-cooking, tart apples, and place them in the bottom of a pudding dish, with a tablespoonful of water. Cover with a crust prepared in the following manner: Into a cup of thin cream stir a gill of yeast and two cups of flour; let this become very light, then add sufficient flour to mix soft. Knead for fifteen or twenty minutes very thoroughly, roll evenly, and cover the apples; put all in a warm place until the crust has become very light, then bake. If the apples do not bake easily, they may be partially cooked before putting on the crust. Dish so that the fruit will be uppermost, and serve cold with cream and sugar, cocoanut sauce, or mock cream. GOOSEBERRY TART.--Fill a pudding dish with well prepared green gooseberries, adding a tablespoonful or two of water. Cover with a crust as for Apple Tart, and when light, bake in a moderately quick oven. Cut the crust into the required number of pieces, and dish with gooseberries heaped on top. Serve cold with sugar and cream. CHERRY TART.--Prepare the same as for Apple Tart, with stoned cherries, only omitting the water, as the cherries will be sufficiently juicy of themselves. If the fruit is very juicy, sprinkle a tablespoonful of flour over it before putting on the crust. Plum and peach tart may be made in the same manner, and are both very nice. STRAWBERRY AND OTHER FRUIT SHORTCAKES.--Beat together one cup of thin cream, slightly warmed, a tablespoonful of yeast, and two small cups of flour. Set in a warm place till very light. Add sufficient warm flour to mix soft, and knead thoroughly for fifteen or twenty minutes. Divide into two equal portions, and roll into sheets about one half inch in thickness, making the center a very little thinner than the edges, so that when risen, the center will not be highest. Place in tins, and set in a warm place until perfectly risen, or until they have doubled their first thickness. Bake quickly. When cold, spread one cake with fruit, and cover with the other. If the fruit is large, it may be chopped fine with a knife, or mashed with a spoon. A little lemon juice added to peaches is an addition for shortcake. BANANA SHORTCAKE.--Prepare the crust as previously directed. Fill with sliced bananas, for every three of which add the juice of one orange, a little of the grated rind, and a half cup of sugar. LEMON SHORTCAKE.--Prepare the crust as for Fruit Shortcake. For the filling, grate the yellow portion only of the lemon, and squeeze the juice into a bowl; add a cupful of sugar. Braid a tablespoonful of flour smooth with two tablespoonfuls of water, add enough boiling water, stirring well meanwhile, to make a teacupful. Add this to the other ingredients, beat well together, and place the bowl in a basin of boiling water or over the teakettle. Cook until about as thick as boiled custard. Fill this between the shortcakes and serve. BERRY SHORTCAKE WITH PREPARED CREAM.--Prepare the shortcake as previously directed. Sweeten the berries and spread on the lower crust, then pour over them a "cream" prepared as follows, and add top crust:-- CREAM.--Heat one half cup of milk and the same of thin cream to boiling, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and thicken with one teaspoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Turn the hot sauce over the beaten white of two eggs, stirring rapidly meanwhile, until the egg is thoroughly mingled with the whole. Allow it to become cold before using. RAISED PIE.--Prepare the dough as for shortcake. Divide in two portions, spread one on the tin, and cover with a layer of easy-cooking tart apples sliced in eighths. Put two or three spoonfuls of rather thick sweet cream over the apples, and cover with the top crust. Let the crusts rise until very light, and bake. Peaches may be used in the same manner. BAKED APPLE LOAF.--Prepare some dough as for buns on page 347, leaving out the sugar, and when ready for the last melding, cut it into three portions. Put some flour on the bread board, mold the dough well, and roll as thin as pie crust in such shape as will fit a shallow baking tin. Spread over the tin, and cover the dough with a layer of easy-cooking, sour apples sliced very thin, or with very stiff apple marmalade. Cover this with a second layer of dough, then add another layer of apples, and cover with the third portion of the dough. Pinch the edges of the dough well together, let the loaf rise till very light, then bake. Eat cold with sugar and cream. If the apples will not cook quickly, they may be first steamed until nearly tender. If the crust appears too hard when taken from the oven, cover with a wet napkin and allow it to steam for a little time until softened. CUSTARD PUDDINGS. Very much depends upon the baking in all puddings made with milk and eggs. A custard pudding made with one egg, and slowly baked, will be much thicker and nicer than one made with more eggs, baked in too hot an oven. A custard pudding baked too quickly or too long will have the eggs mixed with the farinaceous substance and the milk turned to whey, while one more carefully baked will have eggs and milk formed into a thick custard on the top. Custard puddings and all other baked puddings which require to be cooked slowly, are best cooked in an earthen dish set in the oven in a pan of hot water, and baked only till the pudding is set. If it is desirable to use with eggs any ingredient which requires a lengthy cooking, it is much better to cook it partially before adding the eggs. Many custard desserts are much more dainty and more easily served when cooked in cups than when baked in a large dish. The blue willow pattern stoneware cups and the blue and white Japanese ware are very suitable for this purpose. When cooking, set the cups, allowing one for each person, in the oven in a dripping pan containing hot water, and bake. Serve without removing from the cups. If desired to stir beaten eggs into heated milk, add a few spoonfuls of cold milk to the eggs, and pour the mixture, a little at a time, into the hot milk, taking care to stir it constantly. A nice way to flavour custards and meringues for custard puddings is to beat fruit jelly with the whites of the eggs; red raspberry, quince, and pineapple jellies give especially nice flavours. _RECIPES._ APPLE CUSTARD.--Bake good tart apples; when done, remove the pulp, and rub through a sieve; sweeten, and flavour with grated pineapple or grated orange or lemon rind. Put in a glass dish, and cover with a plain custard prepared as directed on page 328. Bits of jelly may be scattered over the top of the custard. APPLE CUSTARD NO. 2.--Peel, halve, and core eight or ten medium-sized sour apples. Have prepared a syrup made with a cup of water, the juice of one lemon, a little grated rind, and a half cup of sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, add the fruit, and simmer till tender but not fallen to pieces. Skim out the apples, draining thoroughly, and lay them in a glass dish. Boil up the syrup until thick, and poor it over the apples. Make a soft boiled custard with a pint of milk, yolks of three eggs, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. When cold, spread over the apples; whip the whites to a stiff froth, flavor with lemon, and pile irregularly upon the top. Brown lightly in the oven. APPLE CUSTARD NO. 3.--Pare and remove the cores from a dozen tart apples, and fill the cavities with black raspberry, quince, or grape jelly. Put them in a covered baking dish with a tablespoonful of water, and steam in the oven till tender but not fallen to pieces. Then cover the apples with a raw custard made by cooking two tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth with a little milk, in a quart of milk, till just thickened, and adding, when cold, the yolks of two eggs well beaten with two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, and lastly the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth. Bake in a dish set in a pan of hot water, until the custard has set, but not till it separates. APPLE CORNSTARCH CUSTARD.--Cover the bottom of a small earthen-ware pudding dish an inch or more in depth with apples stewed until very dry, sweetened and flavored with a teaspoonful of rose water. Heat a cup of milk to boiling, and stir into it a tablespoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and one fourth cup of sugar; cook until thickened, then add the yolk of one egg, and pour the whole over the apple. Meringue the top with the white of the egg beaten stiff with a tablespoonful of sugar, and flavored with a little rose water. APPLE AND BREAD CUSTARD.--For this is required one cup of finely rolled bread crumbs, two eggs, one half cup of sugar, one cup minced sour apples, and one quart of milk. Beat the sugar and yolks together, add the milk, bread, and fruit, and lastly the well-beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in a dish set in a pan of hot water till firm but not dry. ALMOND CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Blanch one and one half ounces of sweet almonds, and reduce them to a paste as directed on page 298; or if obtainable, almondine may be used instead of the prepared almonds. Heat a quart of milk, and while boiling, stir into it four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch which has been braided smooth with a little cold milk; let it thicken over the fire, stirring all the time. Then add two tablespoonfuls of thick, sweet cream. Lastly, stir in two or three well-beaten eggs and a tablespoonful of rose water. Let it come just to the boiling point, and remove from the stove. Keep in a cold place till needed. Serve with hot mock cream or with grape pulp as dressing. ALMOND CREAM.--Heat a pint of milk, and when boiling stir into it two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, also one fourth cup of sugar and three tablespoonfuls of almondine. Cook until thickened, and pour it, stirring constantly meanwhile, over the beaten whites of two eggs. Set on ice to cool, and serve with grape pulp as dressing. A cupful of blanched and chopped almonds may be used instead of almondine if that is not obtainable. The pudding will then require an additional one fourth cup of sugar. APPLE CHARLOTTE.--Take three cups of nicely stewed tart apples which have been beaten smooth or rubbed through a colander and sweetened to taste. If the sauce is thin and very juicy, place it upon the range, and simmer slowly till it is of the consistency of thick marmalade or jelly. Add to the apples four tablespoonfuls of grated fresh or canned pineapple for flavoring. Remove the hard crusts from slices of light whole-wheat bread, spread them quite thickly with the prepared apple, and pack in layers in a pudding mold. Cover with a simple custard made of a quart of milk, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two eggs. Let it stand half an hour, then bake. Do not press the bread or beat it after the custard is turned on, as that will be likely to make the pudding heavy. Other fruit marmalade may be used in place of the apple preparation if preferred. BANANA CUSTARD.--Prepare a custard as directed for Plain Custard with a quart of milk, two well-beaten eggs, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one of cornstarch. When the custard is cool, pour it over four thinly sliced yellow bananas, over which a tablespoonful of sugar and a teaspoonful of water have been sprinkled. Serve cold. BOILED CUSTARD.--Beat thoroughly together one pint of milk, two eggs, and a tablespoonful or two of sugar, until thoroughly mingled. Turn the mixture into a double boiler, and cook until the custard is set. BOILED CUSTARD BREAD PUDDING.--Crumble enough of the soft portion of stale whole-wheat bread to lightly fill a pint bowl. Heat a pint of milk to boiling. Stir into it, as soon as it boils, two eggs, yolks and whites well beaten separately, two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, a little grated lemon rind, and the light bread crumbs; stir rapidly till the whole thickens, pour into a deep dish, and when cold, dot the top with bits of currant or cranberry jelly. BREAD AND FRUIT CUSTARD.--Take for this, two cups of grated bread crumbs, two cups of finely chopped tart apples, one cup of English currants or stoned raisins, mixed with a very little chopped citron for flavor, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, three cups of milk, and two eggs. Beat the yolks of the eggs and the sugar together, then add the milk, bread, fruit, and lastly the well-beaten whites of the eggs. Bake in a dish set within a pan of hot water, until the custard is set. BREAD CUSTARD PUDDING.--Take one cup of finely powdered bread crumbs, one half cup of sugar, one quart of milk, and the beaten yolks of three eggs and whites of two. Mix the bread and milk, and when well softened, add the beaten yolks, sugar, and lastly the well-beaten whites; beat all together thoroughly, season with a little grated lemon rind; place the pudding dish in the oven in a pan of hot water, and bake till firm and lightly brown. Take from the oven, cover the top with a layer of apple marmalade made without sugar, or with some tart fruit jelly; add to this a meringue made of the white of the remaining egg and a tablespoonful of sugar, beaten to a stiff froth, and place in the oven a moment to brown lightly. Fresh fruit, strawberries, raspberries, chopped peaches, currants, cherries, or shredded oranges are equally as good as the marmalade or jelly for the top dressing, and may be used to vary this pudding in a number of different ways. Canned fruits, if well drained from juice, especially apricots and peaches, are excellent for this purpose. A cocoanut custard pudding may be made of the above by flavoring the milk before using, with two tablespoonfuls of desiccated cocoanut Another variety still may be made by adding to the first recipe half a cup of Zante currants and the same of seedless raisins, or a half cup of finely shredded, tender citron. BREAD AND FIG PUDDING.--Put together two cups of finely grated bread crumbs, two cups of milk, one cup of finely chopped figs previously steamed or cooked, one fourth cup of sugar, and lastly, two well-beaten eggs. Bake in a moderate oven till the custard is set. BREAD AND APRICOT PUDDING.--Fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of bread crumbs and canned apricots well drained from juice. Pour over it a custard made with two eggs, one half cup of sugar, and a pint of milk. Bake one half hour, or only until the custard is set. Canned peaches, to which a teaspoonful of lemon juice has been added after draining, may be used in place of apricots. CARAMEL CUSTARD.--Turn one fourth of a cup of sugar into a stewpan, and stir it over the fire until it becomes liquid and brown. Scald a cup and a half of milk, and add the browned sugar. Beat two eggs thoroughly, add to them one half cup cold milk, and turn the mixture slowly, stirring constantly that no lumps form, into the scalding milk; continue to stir until the custard thickens. Set away to cool, and serve in glasses. CARROT PUDDING.--Take two cups of carrots, boiled tender and rubbed through a colander, one pint of milk, two thirds of a cup of sugar, and two well beaten eggs. Flavor with vanilla, and having beaten all well together, turn into an earthen pudding dish, set the dish in a pan of hot water, and place in the oven. Bake only till the custard sets. COCOANUT CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Simmer a cupful of grated cocoanut in a quart of milk for twenty minutes. Strain the milk to remove the cocoanut, adding enough more milk to make a full quart. With a small portion of it braid smoothly one and one half tablespoonfuls of cornstarch or rice flour, and put the remainder in a saucepan over the fire. When the milk is boiling, add the cornstarch, stirring constantly until it thickens; then remove from the fire and cool. Next add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and two well-beaten eggs. Bake in a moderate oven, in a dish set in a pan of hot water, until the custard is well set. COCOANUT CUSTARD.--Flavor a pint of milk with cocoanut, add a tablespoonful of sugar and two well-beaten eggs, and boil till set in a double boiler or a bowl set in a dish of boiling water. Richer custards may be made by using three or four eggs, but the richer the custard the more likely it is to curdle and become watery, as well as being less wholesome. COCONUT RICE CUSTARD.--Flavor one quart of milk quite strongly with coconut, as previously directed. Add to it one and one half cups of boiled rice, one cup of raisins, one half cup of sugar, and lastly three well-beaten eggs. Set the pudding dish in a pan of hot water, and bake till the custard is well set. CORN MEAL PUDDING.--Heat a quart of milk lacking two thirds of a cupful, to boiling. Moisten three tablespoonfuls of nice granulated corn meal with the two thirds of a cup of milk, and stir gradually into the boiling milk. Let it boil up until set, turn into a double boiler, and cook for an hour. Then add a tablespoonful of thick sweet cream, one half a cup of molasses or sugar, a quart of cold milk, a little salt if desired, and lastly, two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a pudding dish and bake one hour. A cup of currants or seeded raisins may be used to give variety. CORN MEAL PUDDING NO. 2.--Crumble cold corn puffs or corn cake to make a cupful; add a pint of sweet milk, three teaspoonfuls of sugar, the yolks of two eggs and the white of one, and bake slowly in a dish set inside a pan of hot water for an hour. CORN MEAL AND FIG PUDDING.--Beat together a scant cup of best sifted corn meal with a cupful of molasses, and stir the mixture gradually into a quart of boiling milk. Cook ten or twelve minutes, or until well thickened, then set aside to cool. Add a cupful of finely chopped figs, one and two thirds cups of cold milk, part cream if it can be afforded, and when the mixture is cool, add two well-beaten eggs. Pour into a pudding dish and bake in a moderate, steady oven for three or more hours; the longer the better. When the pudding has baked an hour, pour over it a cupful of cold milk. Do not stir the pudding, but allow the milk to soak in gradually, a pint of finely sliced or chopped sweet apples may be used in place of figs for variety, or if preferred, both may be omitted. CORNSTARCH MERINGUE.--Heat one and one half pints of milk to boiling, and then stir in gradually two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch which has been previously rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. When the starch has thickened, allow it partially to cool, and then add, stirring continuously meanwhile, the yolks of two eggs which have been previously well beaten with three table spoonfuls of sugar. Let the whole simmer for a minute or two longer, turn into a dish, meringue with the whites of the eggs, and when cold, dot with lumps of strawberry jelly. CRACKED WHEAT PUDDING.--Beat two cups of cold steamed cracked wheat in two cups of rich milk until so thoroughly mingled that no lumps remain. Add one cup of canned sweet cherries well drained from juice, one half cup of sugar, and two eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately. Bake in a slow oven till the custard is set. CUP CUSTARD.--Into four cups of milk stir the yolks of three eggs and one whole one well beaten. Add four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and strain the mixture into cups; place these in a dripping pan full of hot water, grate a little lemon rind over the top of each, and bake in a moderate oven. If preferred, the milk may be first flavoured with cocoanut. It is also better to have the milk nearly hot when stirring in the egg. Half a cupful of the milk should be reserved to add to the egg before turning into the heated portion. FARINA CUSTARD.--Flavor a quart of milk with cocoanut as directed on page 298. Cook two tablespoonfuls of farina in the flavored milk for twenty minutes, in a double boiler; then set aside to cool. When nearly cold, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and the well-beaten yolks of two eggs. Beat all together very thoroughly, and lastly stir in the whites of the eggs which have been previously beaten to a stiff froth. Bake in one dish set inside another filled with hot water, just long enough to set the custard. Serve cold. FARINA PUDDING.--Take a cup of cold cooked farina and soak it in four cups of milk until there are no lumps, or rub through a colander; add two well-beaten eggs, one scant cup of sugar and one cup of raisins; bake in a moderate oven until the custard is well set. FLOATING ISLAND.--Make a custard of a pint of milk flavored with cocoanut, and the yolks of three eggs; sweeten to taste, and steam in a double boiler. When done, turn into a glass dish. Have the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth, and drop for a few seconds on the top of a pan of scalding hot water, turning so that both sides may be alike coagulated but not hardened; skim off, and put in islands on the top of the custard. When quite cold, drop bits of different colored jellies on the islands, and keep in a cool place till needed. Or put a spoonful of fruit jelly in the bottom of small glasses, and fill with the custard with a spoonful of the white on top. FRUIT CUSTARD.--Heat a pint of red raspberry, strawberry, or currant juice to boiling, and stir into it two tablespoonfuls or cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Stir constantly until thickened, then add half a cup of sugar, or less if the fruit juice has been sweetened; take from the fire and stir in the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs, stirring all the time so that the hot mixture will coagulate the egg. Make a custard of a pint of milk, the yolks of the three eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. When done, set on the ice to cool. Dish in a glass dish when cold, placing the fruit mixture by spoonfuls on top, and serve. GRAHAM GRITS PUDDING.--Heat two cups of milk in a double boiler. When boiling, stir in one cup of Graham grits moistened with one cup of cold milk. Cook for an hour and a half in a double boiler, then remove from the fire and cool. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar, three fourths of a cup of finely chopped apples, and one fourth of a cup of chopped raisins, and two well-beaten eggs. Bake three fourths of an hour in a moderate oven. GROUND RICE PUDDING.--Simmer a few pieces of thinly cut lemon rind or half a cup of cocoanut, very slowly in a quart of milk for twenty minutes, or until the milk is well flavored. Strain the milk through a fine strainer to remove the lemon rind or cocoanut, and put into a saucepan to boil. Mix four large tablespoonfuls of ground rice smooth with a little cold milk, and add to the boiling milk. Cook until the whole has thickened, then set aside to cool. When nearly cold, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and two well-beaten eggs. Bake in a gentle oven in a dish placed in a pan of hot water, until the whole is lightly browned. LEMON PUDDING.--Grate the rind of one lemon; soften one pint of bread crumbs in one quart of sweet milk, add the yolks of two eggs, and half a cup of sugar mixed with grated lemon rind. Bake twenty minutes. Beat to a froth the whites of the eggs, the juice of the lemon, and half a cup of sugar. Spread over the top, and return to the oven for five minutes. This may be baked in cups if preferred. LEMON CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Beat the yolks of two eggs in a pudding dish; add a cupful of sugar; dissolve four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch in a little cold water, stir it into two teacupfuls of actively boiling water; when thickened, add the juice of two lemons with a little grated peel; turn over the eggs and sugar, beating well to mix all together, and bake about fifteen minutes. If desired, the beaten whites of the eggs may be used to meringue the top. Serve either cold or hot. LEMON CORNSTARCH PUDDING NO. 2.--Mix together one half cup of cornstarch, one half cup of sugar, the juice and a portion of the grated rind of one medium-sized lemon. Add to these ingredients just enough cold water to dissolve thoroughly, then pour boiling water over the mixture until it becomes thickened and looks transparent. Stir continuously and boil for a few minutes until the starch is cooked. Take from the fire, and add gradually, with continuous stirring, the well-beaten yolks of three eggs. Whip the whites of the eggs with a teaspoonful of quince jelly to a stiff froth, and pour over the pudding; then brown in the oven. Orange juice with a very little of the grated rind, or pineapple juice may be substituted for the lemon, if preferred. MACARONI PUDDING.--Break sufficient macaroni to make a pint in inch lengths, put into a double boiler, turn over it three pints of milk, and cook until tender. Turn into a pudding dish, add a pint of cold milk, two thirds of a cup of sugar, one egg, and the yolks of two others well beaten. Bake from twenty minutes to one half hour. When done, cool a little, spread the top with some mashed fresh berries or grape marmalade, and meringue with the whites of the eggs and a tablespoonful of sugar. MOLDED RICE OR SNOW BALLS.--Steam a pint of well-cleaned rice until tender, as directed on page 99, and tarn Into cups previously wet in cold water, to mold. When perfectly cold, place in a glass dish, and pour over them a cold custard made of a pint of milk, half a cup of sugar, a teaspoonful of cornstarch, and one egg. Or, if preferred, the rice balls may be served in individual dishes with the custard sauce, or with a dressing of fruit juice. ORANGE FLOAT.--Heat one quart of water, the juice of two lemons, and one and one half cupfuls of sugar. When boiling, stir into it four tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a very little water. Cook until the whole is thickened and clear. When cool, stir into the mixture five nice oranges which have been sliced, and freed from seeds and all the white portions. Meringue, and serve cold. ORANGE CUSTARD.--Turn a pint of hot milk over two cups of stale bread crumbs and let them soak until well softened: add the yolks of two eggs, and beat all together until perfectly smooth; add a little of the grated rind and the juice of three sweet oranges, and sugar to taste. Lastly add the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, turn into cups, which place into a moderate oven in a pan of hot water, and bake twenty minutes, or until the custard is well set but not watery. ORANGE PUDDING.--Pare and slice six sweet Florida oranges, removing the seeds and all the white skin and fibers. Place in the bottom of a glass dish. Make a custard by stirring two table spoonfuls of cornstarch braided with a little milk into a pint of boiling milk, and when thickened, adding gradually, stirring constantly meanwhile, one egg and the yolk of a second egg well beaten with one fourth cup of sugar. When partially cool, pour over the oranges. Whip the white of the second egg to a stiff froth with one fourth cup of sugar which has been flavored by rubbing over some orange peel, and meringue the top of the pudding. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, or peaches may be substituted for oranges in making this dessert, if preferred. PEACH MERINGUE.--To every pint of stewed or canned peaches, sweetened to taste, stir in the beaten yolks of two eggs. Bake in a deep pudding dish fifteen minutes, then cover with the whites of the two eggs beaten till very light with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Brown in the oven, and serve cold with whipped cream. For peaches, substitute any other stewed fruit desired. PICNIC PUDDING.--Thicken a pint of strawberry or raspberry juice, sweetened to taste, with two tablespoonfuls of corn starch, as for Fruit Custard. Turn into the bottom of cups previously wet with cold water, or a large mold, as preferred. In a second dish heat to boiling a pint of milk, flavored with cocoanut, to which a tablespoonful of sugar has been, added. Stir into it two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and cook thoroughly. When done, cool slightly and turn into the molds on the top of the pink portion, which should be sufficiently cool so that it will not mix. A third layer may be added by cooking two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch and one of sugar, rubbed smooth in a little milk, in a pint of boiling milk, and stirring in, just as it is taken from the stove, the well-beaten yolks of two eggs. PLAIN CORNSTARCH PUDDING.--Heat to boiling a pint and a half of milk, with a few bits of the yellow rind of a lemon to flavor it. While the milk is heating, rub four large spoonfuls of cornstarch to a cream with half a cup of cold milk; beat well together the yolks of three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and half a cup of cold milk, and whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth. When the milk is actively boiling, remove the bits of lemon rind with a skimmer, and stir in the starch mixture; stir constantly and boil three or four minutes--until the starch is well cooked; then add gradually, stirring well meanwhile, the yolks and sugar. Remove from the fire, and stir the beaten whites lightly through the whole. Serve with a dressing of fruit juice or fruit syrup; if in the season of fresh berries, the pudding may be dressed with a few spoonfuls of mashed strawberries, raspberries, or currants. PLAIN CUSTARD.--Heat a pint of milk to boiling, and stir in a tablespoonful of cornstarch nabbed smooth in a little milk; let the milk and starch boil together till they thicken; then cool and add one well-beaten egg and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Cook in the oven in a dish set inside another filled with hot water, or in a double boiler. The milk may be previously flavored with orange, lemon, or cocoanut. PRUNE PUDDING.--Heat two and one half cups of milk to boiling, then stir in gradually a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch which has been rubbed smooth in a little cold milk; let this boil and thicken for a minute, then remove from the fire. When cool, add three well-beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a cupful of prunes which have been stewed, then drained of all juice, the stones removed, and the prunes chopped fine. Pour into a pudding dish and bake twenty minutes. Serve with or without cream. PRIME WHIP.--Sift through a colander some stewed sweet California prunes which have been thoroughly drained from juice, and from which the stones have been removed. Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth, and add two cups of the sifted prunes; beat all together thoroughly; turn into a pudding dish, and brown in the oven fifteen minutes. Serve cold, with a little cream or custard for dressing. Almond sauce also makes an excellent dressing. RICE APPLE CUSTARD PUDDING.--Pare, and remove the cores without dividing from a sufficient number of apples to cover the bottom of a two-quart pudding dish. Fill the cavities of the apples with a little grated lemon rind and sugar, and put them into the oven with a tablespoon of water on the bottom of the dish. Cover, and steam till the apples are tender, but not fallen to pieces. Then pour over them a custard made with two cups of boiled rice, a quart of milk, half a cup of sugar, and two eggs. RICE CUSTARD PUDDING.--Take one and one half cups of nicely steamed rice, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a pint of milk; heat to boiling in a saucepan. Then stir in very carefully the yolk of one egg and one whole egg, previously well beaten together with a few spoonfuls of milk reserved for the purpose. Let the whole boil up till thickened, but not longer, as the custard will whey and separate. When partly cool, flavor with a little vanilla or lemon, turn into a glass dish, and meringue with the white of the second egg beaten to a stiff froth. Cold steamed rice may be used by soaking it in hot milk until every grain is separate. RICE SNOW.--Into a quart of milk heated to boiling, stir five tablespoonfuls of rice flour previously braided with a very little cold milk; add one half cup of sugar. Let the whole boil up together till well cooked and thickened; then remove from the stove, and stir in lightly the beaten whites of four eggs. Mold, and serve cold with foam sauce. RICE SNOW WITH JELLY.--Steam or bake a teacupful of best rice in milk until the grains are tender. Pile it up on a dish roughly. When cool, lay over it squares of jelly. Beat the whites of two eggs and one third of a cup of sugar to a stiff froth, and pile like snow over the rice. Serve with cream sauce. RICE WITH EGGS.--Steam rice as previously directed, and when sufficiently cooked, stir into half of it while hot, the yolks of one or two eggs well beaten with a little sugar. Into the other half, the whites of the eggs, sweetened and beaten to a stiff froth, may be lightly stirred while the rice is still hot enough to set the eggs. Serve with the yellow half in the bottom of the dish, and the white part piled on top covered with whipped cream flavored with lemon or vanilla. SNOW PUDDING.--Heat one half pint each of water and milk together, to boiling, stir into this a tablespoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and cook for five minutes. Cool partially and add the whites of two well-beaten eggs. Turn into molds and set in the ice box to cool. Serve with a cream made by stirring into a half pint of boiling milk the yolks of two eggs, a teaspoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk, and half a cup of sugar. Cook until well thickened. Cool and flavor with a little lemon or vanilla. Or, if preferred, serve with a dressing of fruit juice. STEAMED CUSTARD.--Heat a pint of milk, with which has been well beaten two eggs and one third of a cup of sugar, in a double boiler until well thickened. When done, turn into a glass dish, and grate a little of the yellow rind of lemon over the top to flavor. If desired to have the custard in cups, remove from the fire when it begins to thicken, turn into cups, and finish in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water. STRAWBERRY CHARLOTTE.--Fit slices of nice plain buns (those made according to recipe on page 347 are nice for this) in the bottom of a pudding dish, and cover with a layer of hulled strawberries; add another layer of the buns cut in slices, a second layer of strawberries, and then more slices of buns. Make a custard in the following manner: Heat a scant pint of milk to boiling in the inner cup of a double boiler, and stir into it gradually, beating thoroughly at the same time, an egg which has been previously well beaten with half a cup of sugar, a teaspoonful of cornstarch, and a spoonful or two of milk until perfectly smooth. Cook together in the double boiler until well set. Cool partially, and pour over the buns and strawberries. Place a plate with a weight upon it on the top of the charlotte, and set away to cool. POP CORN PUDDING.--Take a scant pint of the pop corn which is ground and put up in boxes, or if not available, freshly popped corn, rolled fine, is just as good. Add to it three cups of new milk, one half cup of sugar, two whole eggs and the yolk of another, well beaten. Bake in a pudding dish placed inside another filled with hot water, till the custard is set. Cover with a meringue made of the remaining white of egg, a teaspoonful of sugar, and a sprinkling of the pop corn. SAGO CUSTARD PUDDING.--Put one half cup of sago and a quart of rich milk into the inner cup of a double boiler, or a basin set inside a pan of boiling water, and let it simmer until the sago has thickened the milk and become perfectly transparent. Allow it to cool, then add a cup of sugar, two well-beaten eggs, and a little of the grated rind of a lemon. Turn into a pudding dish, and bake only till the custard has set. SAGO AND FRUIT CUSTARD PUDDING.--Soak six table spoonfuls of sago in just enough water to cover it, for twenty minutes. Meanwhile pare and remove the cores from half a dozen or more tart apples, and fill the cavities with a mixture of grated lemon rind and sugar. Place the apples in the bottom of a pudding dish, with a tablespoonful of water; cover, and set in the oven to bake. Put the soaked sago with a quart of milk into a double boiler. Let it cook until the sago is clear and thick; then add three fourths of a cup of sugar and two well-beaten eggs. Pour the sago custard over the apples, which should be baked tender but not mushy. Put the pudding dish in the oven in a pan of hot water, and bake till the custard is well set. Serve cold. SNOWBALL CUSTARD.--Flavor a pint of milk by sleeping in it three or four slices of the yellow rind of a lemon for twenty minutes or more. Skim out the rind; let the milk come to the boiling point, and drop into it the well-beaten whites of two eggs, in tablespoonfuls, turning each one over carefully, allowing them to remain only long enough to become coagulated but not hardened, and then place the balls upon a wire sieve to drain. Afterward stir into the scalding milk the yolks of the eggs and one whole one well beaten, together with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Stir until it thickens. Pour this custard into a glass dish, and lay the white balls on top. TAPIOCA CUSTARD.--Soak a cup of pearl tapioca over night in sufficient water to cover. When ready to prepare the custard, drain off the water if any remain, and add one quart of milk to the tapioca; place in a double boiler and cook until transparent; then add the well-beaten yolks of three eggs or the yolks of two and one whole one, mixed with three fourths of a cup of sugar. Let it cook a few minutes, just long enough for the custard to thicken and no more, or it will whey and be spoiled; flavor with a little vanilla and turn into a glass dish. Cover the top with the whites beaten stiffly with a tablespoonful of sugar, and dot with bits of jelly, or colored sugar prepared by mixing sugar with cranberry or raspberry juice and allowing it to dry. For variety, the custard may be flavored with grated lemon rind and a tablespoonful of lemon juice whipped up with the whites of the eggs, or other flavor may be dispensed with, and the meringue flavored by beating with a tablespoonful of quince jelly with the whites of the eggs. TAPIOCA PUDDING.--Soak a cupful of tapioca over night in just enough water to cover. In the morning, add to it one quart of milk, and cook in a double boiler until transparent. Add three eggs well beaten, one half cup of sugar, one half cup of chopped raisins, and a very little chopped citron. Bake till the custard is set. Serve warm or cold as preferred. VERMICELLI PUDDING.--Flavor two and one half cups of milk with lemon as directed on page 229. Drop into it, when boiling, four ounces of vermicelli, crushing it lightly with one hand while sprinkling it in, and stir to keep it from gathering in lumps. Let it cook gently in a double boiler, stirring often until it is tender and very thick. Then pour it into a pudding dish, let it cool, and add a tablespoonful of rather thick sweet cream if you have it (it does very well without), half a cup of sugar, and lastly, two well-beaten eggs. Bake in a moderately hot oven till browned over the top. WHITE CUSTARD.--Beat together thoroughly one cup of milk, the whites of two eggs, one tablespoonful of sugar, and one and one half tablespoonfuls of almondine. Turn into cups and steam or bake until the custard is set. WHITE CUSTARD NO. 2.--Cook a half cup of farina in a quart of milk in a double boiler, for an hour. Remove from the stove, and allow it to become partially cool, then add one half cup of sugar, the whites of two eggs, and one half the yolk of one egg. Turn into a pudding dish, and bake twenty minutes or until the custard is well set. STEAMED PUDDING. The following precautions are necessary to be observed in steaming puddings or desserts of any sort:-- 1. Have the water boiling rapidly when the pudding is placed in the steamer, and keep it constantly boiling. 2. Replenish, if needed, with boiling water, never with cold. 3. Do not open the steamer and let in the air upon the pudding, until it is done. _RECIPES._ BATTER PUDDING.--Beat four eggs thoroughly; add to them a pint of milk, and if desired, a little salt. Sift a teacupful of flour and add it gradually to the milk and eggs, beating lightly the while. Then pour the whole mixture through, a fine wire strainer into a small pail with cover, in which it can be steamed. This straining is imperative. The cover of the pail should be tight fitting, as the steam getting into the pudding spoils it. Place the pail in a kettle of boiling water, and do not touch or move it until the pudding is done. It takes exactly an hour to cook. If moved or jarred during the cooking, it will be likely to fall. Slip it out of the pail on a hot dish, and serve with cream sauce. A double boiler with tightly fitting cover is excellent for cooking this pudding. BREAD AND FRUIT CUSTARD.--Soak a cupful of finely grated bread crumbs in a pint of rich milk heated to scalding. Add two thirds of a cup of sugar, and the grated yellow rind of half a lemon. When cool, add two eggs well beaten. Also two cups of canned apricots or peaches drained of juice, or, if preferred, a mixture of one and one half cups of chopped apples, one half cup of raisins, and a little citron. Turn into a pudding dish, and steam in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water for two hours. The amount of sugar necessary will vary somewhat according to the fruit used. DATE PUDDING.--Turn a cup of hot milk over two cups of stale bread crumbs, and soak until softened; add one half cup of cream and one cup of chopped and stoned dates. Mix all thoroughly together. Put in a china dish and steam for three hours. Serve hot with lemon sauce. RICE BALLS.--Steam one cup of rice till tender. Wring pudding cloths about ten inches square out of hot water, and spread the rice one third of an inch over the cloth. Put a stoned peach or apricot from which the skin has been removed, in the center, filling the cavity in each half of the fruit with rice. Draw up the cloth until the rice smoothly envelops the fruit, tie, and steam ten or fifteen minutes. Remove the cloth carefully, turn out into saucers, and serve with sauce made from peach of apricot juice. Easy-cooking tart apples may also be used. Steam them thirty minutes, and serve with sugar and cream. STEAMED BREAD CUSTARD.--Cut stale bread in slices, removing hard crusts. Oil a deep pudding mold, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with Zante currants; over these place a layer of the slices of bread, sprinkled with currants; add several layers, sprinkling each with the currants in the same manner. Cover with a custard made by beating together three or four eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one quart of milk. Put the pudding in a cool place for three hours; at the end of that time, steam one and a quarter hours. Serve with mock cream flavored with vanilla. Apple marmalade may be used to spread between the slices in place of currants, if preferred. STEAMED FIG PUDDING.--Moisten two cupfuls of finely grated Graham bread crumbs with half a cup of thin sweet cream. Mix into it a heaping cupful of finely chopped fresh figs, and a quarter of a cup of sugar. Add lastly a cup of sweet milk. Turn all into a pudding dish, and steam about two and one half hours. Serve as soon as done, with a little cream for dressing, or with orange or lemon sauce. PASTRY AND CAKE. So much has been said and written about the dietetic evils of these articles that their very names have been almost synonymous with indigestion and dyspepsia. That they are prolific causes of this dire malady cannot be denied, and it is doubtless due to two reasons; first, because they are generally compounded of ingredients which are in themselves unwholesome, and rendered doubly so by their combination; and secondly, because tastes have become so perverted that an excess of these articles is consumed in preference to more simple and nutritious food. As has been elsewhere remarked, foods containing an excess of fat, as do most pastries and many varieties of cake, are exceedingly difficult of digestion, the fat undergoing in the stomach no changes which answer to the digestion of other elements of food, and its presence interferes with the action of the gastric juice upon other elements. In consequence, digestion proceeds very slowly, if at all, and the delay often occasions fermentative and putrefactive changes in the entire contents of the stomach. It is the indigestibility of fat, and this property of delaying the digestion of other foods, chiefly that render pastry and cakes so deleterious to health. We do not wish to be understood as in sympathy with that class of people who maintain that dyspepsia is a disciplinary means of grace, when, after having made the previous statement, we proceed to present recipes for preparing the very articles we have condemned. Pie and cake are not necessarily utterly unwholesome; and if prepared in a simple manner, may be partaken of in moderation by persons with good digestion. Nevertheless, they lack the wholesomeness of more simple foods, and we most fully believe that would women supply their tables with perfectly light, sweet, nutritious bread would cease. However, if pies and cakes must needs be, make them as simple as possible. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING PIES.--Always prepare the filling for pies before making the crust, if the filling is to be cooked in the crust. Have all the material for the crust on the table, measured and in readiness, before beginning to put together. Follow some of the simple recipes given in these pages. Have all the material cold, handle the least possible to make it into a mass, and do not knead at all. When the crust is ready, roll it out quickly to about one half inch in thickness, then fold up like a jelly roll, and cut from the end only sufficient for one crust at a time. Lay this, the flat side upon the board, and roll evenly in every direction, until scarcely more than an eighth of an inch in thickness, and somewhat larger than the baking plate, as it will shrink when lifted from the board. Turn one edge over the rolling pin, and carefully lift it onto the plate. If there is to be an upper crust, roll that in the same manner, make a cut in the center to allow the steam to escape, fill the pie, slightly rounding it in the center, and lift on the upper crust; press both edges lightly together; then, lifting the pie in the left hand, deftly trim away all overhanging portions of crust with a sharp knife; ornament the edge if desired, and put at once into the oven, which should be in readiness at just the right temperature, a rather moderate oven being best for pies. The under crust of lemon, pumpkin, custard, and very juicy fruit pies, filled before baking, is apt to become saturated and softened with the liquid mixture, if kept for any length of time after baking. This may be prevented in a measure by glazing the crust, after it is rolled and fitted on the plate, with the beaten white of an egg, and placing in the oven just a moment to harden the egg before filling; or if the pie is one of fruit, sprinkle the crust with a little flour and sugar, brushing the two together with the hand before; adding the filling. During the baking, the flour and melted sugar will adhere together, tending to keep the juice from contact with the crust. Pies are more wholesome if the crusts are baked separately and filled for use as needed. This is an especially satisfactory way to make pies of juicy fruit, as it does away largely with the saturated under crusts, and the flavor of the fruit can be retained much more perfectly. Pies with one crust can be made by simply fitting the crust to the plate, pricking it lightly with a fork to prevent its blistering while baking, and afterward filling when needed for the table. For pies with two crusts, fit the under crust to the plate, and fill with clean pieces of old white linen laid in lightly to support the upper crust. When baked, slip the pie on a plate, lift off the upper crust, take out the pieces of cloth, and just before serving, fill with fruit, which should be previously prepared. Canned peaches filled into such a crust make a delicious pie. Strawberries, cherries, gooseberries, and other juicy fruits, that lose so much of their flavor in baking, may be lightly scalded, the juice thickened a little with flour if desired, sweetened to taste, and filled into such a crust. An excellent pie may be made in this manner from apples, stewed carefully so as to keep the slices whole, sweetened to taste, and flavored with lemon, orange, or grated pineapple. One pineapple will be sufficient for four pies. Fresh fruit for filling may be used without cooking, if desired. If desired, several crusts may be baked and put away unfilled. When needed, the crusts may be placed for a few minutes in a hot oven until heated through, then filled with freshly prepared fruit. In preparing material for custard or pumpkin pies, if the milk used be hot, the pies will be improved and the time of baking be considerably shortened. Tin or granite-ware plates are preferable to earthen ones for pies, as they bake better on the bottom. The perforated pans are superior in some respects. No greasing is needed; simply rub them well with flour. The time required for baking pies varies from one half to three fourths of an hour. The dampers should be so adjusted as to bake the bottom crust first. After baking, remove at once to heated earthen plates, or set the tins upon small supports, so that the air can circulate underneath them. _RECIPES._ PASTE FOR PIES.--Sift together equal parts of Graham grits and white flour (Graham flour will do if the grits are not obtainable, but the grits will produce a more crisp and tender crust), and wet with very cold, thin sweet cream. Have the flour also as cold as possible, since the colder the material, the more crisp the paste; mix together very quickly into a rather stiff dough. Do not knead at all, but gather the fragments lightly together, roll out at once, fill and bake quickly, since much of the lightness of the crust depends upon the dispatch with which the pie is gotten into the oven after the materials are thrown together. If for any reason it is necessary to defer the baking, place the crust in the ice-chest till needed. CORN MEAL CRUST.--Equal parts of sifted white corn meal and flour, mixed together lightly with rather thin sweet cream which has been set in the ice-chest until very cold, makes a very good crust. GRANOLA CRUST.--For certain pies requiring an under crust only, the prepared granola manufactured by the Sanitarium Food Co. makes a superior crust. To prepare, moisten with thin sweet cream--one half cup of cream for every two thirds cup of granola is about the right proportion, and will make sufficient crust for one pie. Flour the board, and lift the moistened granola onto it, spreading it as much as possible with the hands. Dredge lightly with flour over the top, and roll out gently to the required size without turning. The material, being coarse and granular, will break apart easily, but may be as easily pressed together with the fingers. Change the position of the rolling pin often, in order to shape the crust without moving it. When well roiled, carefully slip a stiff paper under it, first loosening from the board with a knife if necessary, and lift it gently onto the pan. Press together any cracks, trim the edges, fill, and bake at once. Use the least flour possible in preparing this crust, and bake as soon as made, before the moisture has become absorbed. Such a crust is not suited for custard or juicy fruit pies, but filled with prune, peach, or apple marmalade, it makes a most delicious and wholesome pie. A cooked custard may be used in such a crust. PASTE FOR TART SHELLS.--Take one half cup of rather thin sweet cream, which has been placed on ice until very cold; add to it the stiffly beaten whites of two eggs, and whip all together briskly for ten minutes. Add sufficient white flour to roll. Cut into the required shape, bake quickly, but do not brown. Fill after baking. This paste, rolled thin and cut into shapes with a cookie-cutter, one half of them baked plain for under crusts, the other half ornamented for tops by cutting small holes with a thimble or some fancy mold, put together with a layer of some simple fruit jelly between them, makes a most attractive looking dessert. It is likewise very nice baked in little patty pans, and afterward filled with apple or peach marmalade, or any of the following fillings:-- CREAM FILLING.--One cup of rich milk (part cream if it can be afforded) heated to boiling. Into this stir one scant tablespoonful of flour previously braided smooth with a little cold milk. Add to this the well-beaten yolk of one egg and one tablespoonful of sugar. Turn this mixture into the hot milk and stir until it thickens. Flavor with a little grated lemon rind, vanilla, or, if preferred, flavor the milk with cocoanut before using. Fill the tart shells, and meringue with the white of the egg beaten stiff with a tablespoonful of sugar. GRAPE TART.--Into one pint of canned or fresh grape juice, when boiling, stir two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch braided with a little water, and cook for five minutes. Sweeten to taste, and fill a baked crust. LEMON FILLING.--Into one cup of boiling water stir one tablespoonful of cornstarch previously braided smooth with the juice of a large lemon. Cook until it thickens, then add one half cup of sugar and a little grated yellow rind of the lemon. TAPIOCA FILLING.--Soak one tablespoonful of tapioca over night in one cup of water; mash and stir the tapioca, simmer gently until clear and thick, adding enough water to cook it well; add half a cup of white sugar and a tablespoonful each of lemon and orange juice. If desired, a little raspberry or currant juice may be added to make the jelly of a pink color. APPLE CUSTARD PIE.--Stew good dried apples till perfectly tender and there remains but very little juice. Rub through a colander. For each pie use one cup of the sifted apples, one and a half cups of rich milk, two eggs, five tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little grated lemon rind for flavoring. Bake with under crust only. Stewed fresh apples, beaten smooth or rubbed through a colander, can be used if preferred. The eggs may be omitted, and one half cup more of the sifted apples, with more sugar, may be used instead. BANANA PIE.--For each pie required prepare a custard with one and one half cups of milk, the yolks of two eggs, and two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar. Mash two large bananas through a colander, strain the custard over them, and beat well together. Bake in an under crust only, and meringue the top with the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. BREAD PIE.--Soak a slice of very light bread in a pint of rich milk. When it is quite soft, rub through a colander and afterward beat well through the milk. Add one well-beaten egg, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little grated lemon rind for flavor. Bake with under crust only, till the custard is set. This is sufficient for one pie. CARROT PIE.--Boil, drain, and rub the carrots through a colander. For each pie required, use two large tablespoonfuls of carrot thus prepared, two eggs, two cups of milk, a little salt if desired, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and lemon or vanilla for flavoring. Bake with under crust only. COCOANUT PIE.--Flavor a pint of milk with two tablespoonfuls of desiccated, or finely grated fresh cocoanut according to directions on page 298; strain, and add enough fresh milk to make a pint in all. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar, heat, and as the milk comes to a boil, add a tablespoonful of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Boil for a minute or two till the cornstarch thickens the milk; then remove from the stove. Allow it to get cold, and then stir in one well-beaten egg; bake in an under crust. Tie a tablespoonful of desiccated cocoanut in a clean cloth, and pound it as fine as flour; mix it with a tablespoonful of sugar and the white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth. When the pie is done, spread this over the top, and brown in the oven for a moment only. COCOANUT PIE NO. 2.--Steep one half cup of cocoanut in a pint of milk for one half hour. Strain out the cocoanut and add sufficient fresh milk to make a pint. Allow it to become cold, then add a quarter of a cup of sugar and two well-beaten eggs. Bake with an under crust only. When done, the top may be covered with a meringue the same as in the preceding recipe. CREAM PIE.--For one pie beat together one egg, one half cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of flour, and two cups of rich milk. Bake in one crust. CRANBERRY PIE.--Stew a quart of cranberries until broken in a pint of boiling water. Rub through a colander to remove the skins, add two cups of sugar and one half cup of sifted flour. Bake with under crust only. DRIED APPLE PIE.--Stew good dried apples till perfectly tender in as small a quantity of water as possible. When done, rub through a colander; they should be about the consistency of fruit jam; if not, a little flour may be added. Sweeten to taste, fill under crusts with the mixture, and bake. If lemon flavor is liked, a few pieces of the yellow rind may be added to the apples a little while before they are tender. If the apples are especially tasteless, lemon juice or some sour apple jelly should be added after rubbing through the colander. The crusts may first be baked, and filled with the mixture when needed; in which case the sauce should be simmered lightly till of the desired consistency. The top may be ornamented with strips or rings of crust, if desired. DRIED APPLE PIE WITH RAISINS.--Rub a quart of well-stewed dried apples through a colander, add a cupful of steamed raisins, sugar to sweeten, and bake with two crusts. This is sufficient for two pies. DRIED APRICOT PIE.--Stew together one third dried apricots and two thirds dried apples or peaches. When soft, rub through a colander, add sugar to sweeten, and if very juicy, stew again until the juice is mostly evaporated; then beat until light and bake in a granola crust. FARINA PIE.--Cook one fourth cup of farina in a double boiler for an hour in three cups of rich milk. Allow it to become cool, then add one half cup of sugar, the yolks of two eggs, and a little grated lemon rind. Bake with under crust only. Meringue the top with the white of the egg beaten to a stiff froth with one tablespoonful of sugar and a little grated lemon rind for flavoring. The quantity given is sufficient for two small pies. FRUIT PIES.--Apples, peaches, and all small fruits and berries may be made into palatable pies without rich crusts or an excess of sugar, or the addition of unwholesome spices and flavorings. Bake the crust separately, and fill when needed with prepared fruit; or, fill with the fruit, using only sufficient sugar to sweeten; add no spices, and bake quickly. Prepare apples for pies by paring, coring, and dividing in eighths. Peaches are best prepared in a similar manner. Fill crusts in which the fruit is to be baked quite full and slightly heaping in the center. If flavoring is desired, let it be that of some other fruit. For apple pies, a teaspoonful or two of pineapple juice, a little grated lemon or orange peel, or a little strawberry or quince syrup, may be used for flavoring. For pies made of apples, peaches, and fruits which are not very juicy, add a tablespoonful or so of water or fruit juice; but for very juicy fruits and berries, dredge the under crust with a tablespoonful of sugar and a little flour mixed together before filling, or stir a spoonful of flour into the fruit so that each berry or piece may be separately floured. GRAPE JELLY PIE.--Cook perfectly ripe, purple grapes; rub them through a colander to remove the seeds and skins. Return the pulp to the fire and thicken with rice flour or cornstarch, to the consistency of thick cream or jelly, and sweeten to taste. Fill an under crust with the mixture, and bake. The top may be ornamented with pastry cut in fancy shapes if desired. JELLY CUSTARD PIE.--Dissolve three tablespoonfuls of nice, pure fruit jelly in very little warm water, add one and one half cups of milk and two well-beaten eggs, stirring the whites in last. Bake with under crust only. Jellies are usually so sweet that no sugar is needed. Apple, raspberry, currant, strawberry, and quince jellies all make nice pies, prepared in this way. LEMON PIE.--Take four tablespoonfuls of lemon juice (one large lemon or two small ones will yield about this quantity), the grated yellow portion only of the rind of half a lemon, and two thirds of a cup of sugar. Beat the lemon juice and sugar together. Braid a slightly heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch with as little water as possible, and pour over it, stirring constantly, one half pint of boiling water, to thicken the starch. Add the lemon and sugar to the starch, and let it cool; then stir in the yolks of two eggs and half the white of one, well beaten together. Beat thoroughly, pour into a deep crust, and bake. When done, cover with the remaining whites of the eggs, beaten with one and a half tablespoonfuls of sugar, and brown lightly in the oven. LEMON MERINGUE CUSTARD.--Heat two cups of milk to boiling, add a tablespoonful of cornstarch well braided with a little cold milk; let the whole simmer till thickened, stirring constantly. Allow it to cool, add one third of a cup of sugar and the beaten yolks of two eggs. Bake in an under crust, and cover with a meringue made of the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth with two tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed with grated lemon peel. If liked, a spoonful of lemon juice may be added, a few drops at a time, during the beating of the meringue. ONE-CRUST PEACH PIE.--Pare and remove the stones from ripe, nice flavored peaches; stew till soft in the smallest quantity of water possible without burning. Rub through a colander, or beat smooth with a large spoon. Add sugar as required. Bake with one crust. If the peach sauce is evaporated until quite dry, it is very nice baked in a granola crust. When done, meringue with the whites of two eggs whipped stiff with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. The flavor is improved by adding by degrees to the egg while whipping, a tablespoonful of lemon juice. Return to the oven and brown lightly. Serve cold. Canned peaches or stewed dried peaches may be used in place of the fresh ones. In using the dried peaches, carefully examine and wash; soak them over night in cold water, and stew them in the same water until soft enough to rub through the colander. For each pie, add two tablespoonfuls of sweet cream, and sufficient sugar to sweeten; too much, sugar destroys the flavor of the fruit. Evaporated peaches, soaked over night and stewed carefully until tender, then removed from the syrup, which may be sweetened and boiled until thick and rich and afterward turned over the peaches, makes a delicious pie. Bake in one crust, with or without a meringue. ORANGE PIE.--Rub smooth a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch in three tablespoonfuls of water; pour over it a cup of boiling water, and cook until clear, stirring frequently that no lumps form. Add one cupful of sour orange juice, a little grated rind, and the juice of one lemon, with two eggs. Bake with under crust only. Meringue the top when baked, with the whites of the eggs well beaten with a tablespoonful of sugar, and a very little grated orange peel sprinkled over it. PEACH CUSTARD PIE.--Cover a pie plate with an under crust. Take fresh peaches, pare, halve, and stone them, and place a layer, hollow side up, in the pie. Prepare a custard with one egg, one cup of milk, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar. Pour the custard over the peaches, and bake. If the quantity given will not entirely cover the peaches, a little more must be prepared. Canned peaches which are not broken can be used instead of fresh ones. The pieces should be drained free from juice, and less sugar used. PRUNE PIE.--Prepare and cook sweet California prunes as directed for Prune Marmalade. Fill an under crust and bake. The top may be ornamented with strips of crust or pastry leaves; or if desired, may be meringued with the whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth with two tablespoonfuls of sugar and a little grated lemon peel. This pie is excellent baked in a granola crust. PUMPKIN PIE.--To prepare the pumpkin, cut into halves, remove the seeds, divide into moderately small pieces, and bake in the oven until thoroughly done. Then scrape from the shell, rub through a colander, and proceed as follows: For one and one third pints of the cooked pumpkin use one quart of hot, rich, sweet milk. Add one half cup of sugar and the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, beat well together, add the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and beat thoroughly. Line the tins with a stiff cream paste, fill, and bake in a moderate oven till the pies are barely firm in the center, or till the custard is well set. PUMPKIN PIE NO. 2.--For each pie desired, take one half pint of baked pumpkin, a pint of rich milk, one third of a cup of sugar, and two eggs. Mix the sugar and eggs, add the pumpkin, and lastly the milk, which should be hot, and beat all together with an egg beater until very light. Fill the crust, and bake slowly. PUMPKIN PIE WITHOUT EGGS.--Prepare the pumpkin as previously directed. For two medium-sized pies, heat a pint and a half of milk in a farina kettle, and when scalding, stir into it two scant tablespoonfuls of white flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Cook, stirring often, until it thickens. Add half a cup of sugar, or a little less of syrup, to a pint and a half of the sifted pumpkin, and after beating well together, stir this into the hot milk. Bake in an under crust; or, for three pies, take one quart and a cupful of pumpkin, three fourths of a cup of sugar, two thirds of a cup of best New Orleans molasses, and three pints of hot milk. Beat all together thoroughly. Line deep plates with a cream crust, and bake an hour and a half in a moderate oven. SIMPLE CUSTARD PIE.--For one pie, take one pint of milk, two well-beaten eggs, one third of a cup of sugar, and a little grated lemon rind for flavor. Bake in an under crust. If eggs are scarce, a very good pie can be made by using only one egg, and a tablespoonful of cornstarch, with the above proportions of milk and sugar; in which case, heat the milk to scalding, stir in the cornstarch, and cook till thickened; cool, and then add the well-beaten egg. If preferred, the crust may be baked before filling, and the custard steamed, meanwhile. SQUASH PIE.--Squash prepared as directed for pumpkin, and flavored with rose water, makes an excellent pie. Or, for each pie desired, take one pint of rich milk (part cream if it can be afforded), add one cup of nicely baked mealy squash which has been rubbed through a colander, one third of a cup of sugar, and two well-beaten eggs. Beat all together thoroughly. Bake in a deep pan slowly and carefully until firm. SQUASH PIE WITHOUT EGGS.--Bake the squash in the shell; when done, remove with a spoon and mash through a colander. For one pie, take eight tablespoonfuls of the squash, half a cup of sugar, and one and one third cups of boiling milk. Pour the milk slowly over the squash, beating rapidly meanwhile to make the mixture light. Bake in one crust. SWEET-APPLE CUSTARD PIE.--Into one pint of new milk, grate three ripe sweet apples (Golden Sweets are excellent); add two well-beaten eggs, and sugar to taste. Bake with under crust only. SWEET POTATO PIE.--Bake sufficient sweet potatoes to make a pint of pulp when rubbed through a colander; add a pint of rich milk, a scant cup of sugar, salt if desired, the yolks of two eggs, and a little grated lemon rind for flavor. Bake with under crust. When done, meringue with the whites of the eggs beaten up with a tablespoonful of sugar. CAKE. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS.--Always sift the flour for cake before measuring out the amount required. Use the best granulated white sugar. Eggs for use in cake are better to have the yolks and whites beaten separately. Beat the former until they cease to froth and begin to thicken as if mixed with flour. Beat the whites until stiff enough to remain in the bowl if inverted. Have the eggs and dishes cool, and if practicable, beat in a cool room. Use earthen or china bowls to beat eggs in. If fruit is to be used, it should be washed and dried according to directions given on page 298, and then dusted with flour, a dessertspoonful to the pound of fruit. For use in cup cake or any other cake which requires a quick baking, raisins should be first steamed. If you have no patent steamer, place them in a close covered dish within an ordinary steamer, and cook for an hour over a kettle of boiling water. This should be done the day before they are to be used. Use an earthen or granite-ware basin for mixing cake. Be very accurate in measuring the materials, and have them all at hand and all utensils ready before beginning to put the cake together. If it is to be baked at once, see that the oven also is at just the right temperature. It should be less hot for cake than for bread. Thin cakes require a hotter oven than those baked in loaves. They require from fifteen to twenty minutes to bake; thicker loaves, from thirty to sixty minutes. For loaf cakes the oven should be at such a temperature that during the first half of the time the cake will have risen to its full height and just begun to brown. The recipes given require neither baking powder, soda, nor saleratus. Yeast and air can be made to supply the necessary lightness, and their use admits of as great a variety in cakes as will be needed on a hygienic bill of fare. In making cake with yeast, do not use very thick cream, as a rich, oily batter retards fermentation and makes the cake slow in rising. If the cake browns too quickly, protect it by a covering of paper. If necessary to move a cake in the oven, do it very gently. Do not slam the oven door or in any way jar a cake while baking, lest it fall. Line cake tins with paper to prevent burning the bottom and edges. Oil the paper, not the tins, very lightly. Cake is done when it shrinks from the pan and stops hissing, or when a clean straw run into the thickest part comes up clean. As soon as possible after baking, remove from the pan, as, if allowed to remain in the pan, it is apt to become too moist. _RECIPES._ APPLE CAKE.--Scald a cup of thin cream and cool to blood heat, add one and a half cups of sifted white flour, one fourth of a cup of sugar, and a gill of liquid yeast or one half cake of compressed yeast dissolved in a gill of thin cream. Beat well together, set in a warm place, and let it rise till perfectly light. When well risen, add one half cup of sugar mixed with one half cup of warm flour. Beat well and set in a warm place to rise again. When risen a second time, add two eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, and about one tablespoonful of flour. Turn the whole into three round shallow baking tins, which have been previously oiled and warmed, and place where it will rise again for an hour, or until it is all of a foam. Bake quickly in a moderately hot oven. Make this the day before it is needed, and when ready to use prepare a filling as follows: Beat together the whites of two eggs, one half cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and two large tart apples well grated. Heat in a farina kettle until all are hot; cool, and spread between the layers of cake. This should be eaten the day the filling is prepared. COCOANUT CUSTARD CAKE.--Make the cake as directed in the preceding recipe. For the filling, prepare a soft custard by heating just to the boiling point one pint of rich milk previously flavored with cocoanut; into which stir A tablespoonful of cornstarch braided with a little milk, and let it boil until thickened. Beat together an egg and one third of a cup of sugar, and turn the hot mixture slowly over it, stirring constantly till the custard thickens. When cold, spread between the layers of raised cake. CREAM CAKE.--Prepare the cake as above. Spread between the layers when cold a cream made as follows: Stir into one half pint of boiling milk two teaspoonfuls of cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Take with two tablespoonfuls of sugar; return to the rest of the custard and cook, stirring constantly until quite thick. Cool and flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla or rose water. DELICATE CUP CAKE.--This cake contains no soda or baking powder, and to make it light requires the incorporation of as much air as possible. In order to accomplish this, it should be put together in the same manner as directed for Batter Breads (page 154). Have all material measured and everything in readiness before beginning to put the cake together, then beat together the yolk of one egg, one cup of sugar, and one cup of very cold sweet cream, until all of a foam; add a little grated lemon rind for flavoring; stir in slowly, beating briskly all the time, two cups of granular white flour (sometimes termed gluten flour) or Graham meal. When all the flour is added, add lastly the beaten whites of two eggs, stirring just enough to mix them well throughout the whole; turn at once into slightly heated gem irons which have been previously oiled, and bake in a moderately quick oven. If made according to directions, this cake will be very light and delicate. It will not puff up much above its first proportions, but will be light throughout. A nice cake may be prepared in the same manner with Graham meal or even white flour, by the addition of a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch sifted into the flour, in the way in which baking powder is ordinarily mixed with flour before using. FIG LAYER CAKE.--Prepare the cake as directed for Apple Cake. Chop one half pound of figs very fine, add one half cup of sugar, one cup of water and boil in a farina kettle until soft and homogeneous. Cool, and spread between the cakes. Or chop steamed figs very fine, mix with an equal quantity of almondine, and use. FRUIT JELLY CAKE.--Prepare the cake as in the foregoing, using fruit jelly between the layers. GOLD AND SILVER CAKE.--Prepare the cake as for Apple Cake. When it has risen the second time, measure out one third of it, and add the yolks of the eggs to that portion with a little grated lemon rind for flavoring; add the whites with some very finely pulverized desiccated cocoanut to the other two thirds. Make two sheets of the white and one of the yellow. Allow them to become perfectly light before baking. When baked, place the yellow portion between the two white sheets, binding them together with a little frosting or white currant jelly. ICING FOR CAKES.--Since icing adds to the excess of sugar contained in cakes, it is preferable to use them without it except when especially desired for ornament. An icing without eggs may be prepared by boiling a cup of granulated sugar in five tablespoonfuls of sweet milk for five minutes, then beating until cool enough to spread. One with egg may be easily made of six tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, the white of one egg, and one teaspoonful of boiling water mixed without beating. A colored icing may be made by using a teaspoonful of boiling cranberry juice or other red fruit juice instead of water. The top of the icing may be ornamented with roasted almonds, bits of colored sugar or frosted fruits, directions for the preparation of all of which have already been given. ORANGE CAKE.--Prepare the cake as for Apple Cake, and bake in two layers. For the filling, take two good-sized, juicy oranges. Flavor two tablespoonfuls of sugar by rubbing it over the skin of the oranges, then peel, remove the white rind, and cut into small pieces, discarding the seeds and the central pith. Put the orange pulp in a china bowl, and set in a dish of boiling water. When it is hot, stir in a heaping teaspoonful of cornstarch which has been braided smooth in two spoonfuls of water. Stir constantly until the starch has cooked, and the whole becomes thickened. Beat the yolk of one egg to a cream with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. Stir this very gradually, so as not to lump, into the orange mixture, and cook two or three minutes longer. Remove from the fire, and when cool, spread between the cakes. If the oranges are not very tart, a little lemon juice is an improvement. Meringue the top of the cake with the white of the egg beaten up with the two tablespoonfuls of sugar flavored with orange. FRUIT CAKE.--Make a sponge of one pint of thin cream which has been scalded and cooled to lukewarm, one gill of liquid yeast or one half cake of compressed yeast dissolved in a gill of cream, one half cup of sugar, and two and one half cups of flour. Beat all together very thoroughly and let rise until light. When light, add another half cup of sugar, one half cup of rather thick cream which has been scalded and cooled, one cup of warm flour, and after beating well together, set away to rise again. When well risen, add one cup of seeded raisins, one fourth cup of citron chopped fine, one half cup of Zante currants, two well-beaten eggs, and about one and one third cups of flour. Turn into a brick loaf bread pan, let it rise until very light, and bake. When done, remove from the pan and set away until at least twenty-four hours old before using. LOAF CAKE.--Scald a cup of rather thin cream, and cool to blood heat. Add one and one half cups of warm flour, one half a cup of sugar, and one fourth cake of compressed yeast dissolved in two tablespoonfuls of thin cream or as much of liquid yeast. Beat well, and let rise until perfectly light; then add one half cup more of sugar mixed with one half cup of warm flour. Beat well, and set away to rise a second time. When again well risen, add the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, one half cup of warm flour, and a little grated lemon rind, or two teaspoonfuls of rose water to flavor. Turn into a brick loaf bread pan lined with oiled paper, allow it to become perfectly light again, and bake. This cake, like other articles made with yeast, should not be eaten within at least twenty-four hours after baking. PINEAPPLE CAKE.--Prepare as for orange cake, using grated pineapple in place of oranges. PLAIN BUNS.--These are the simplest of all cakes. Dissolve half a small cake of compressed yeast in a cup of thin cream which has been previously warmed to blood heat, add two cups of warm flour, and beat thoroughly together. Put in a warm place, and let it rise till very light. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed well with a half cup of warm flour, one half cup of Zante currants, and sufficient flour to make of the consistency of dough. Buns should be kneaded just as soft as possible, and from fifteen to twenty minutes. Shape into biscuits a little larger than an English walnut, place them on tins far enough apart so they will not touch each other when risen. Put in a warm place till they have risen to twice their first size, then bake in a moderately quick oven. If desired, the currants may be omitted and a little grated lemon rind for flavoring added with the sugar, or a bit of citron may be placed in the top of each bun when shaping. When taken from the oven, sprinkle the top of each with moist sugar if desired, or glace by brushing with milk while baking. SPONGE CAKE.--For this will be required four eggs, one cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of lemon juice with a little of the grated rind, and one cup of white flour. Success in the making of sponge cake depends almost wholly upon the manner in which it is put together. Beat the yolks of the eggs until very light and thick, then add the sugar little by little, beating it in thoroughly; add the lemon juice and the grated rind. Beat the whites of the eggs until perfectly stiff and firm, and fold or chop them very lightly into the yolk mixture. Sift the flour with a sifter little by little over the mixture and fold it carefully in. On no account stir either the white of the eggs or the flour in, since stirring will drive out the air which has been beaten into the eggs. Do not beat after the flour is added. The cake, when the flour is all in, should be stiff and spongy. If it is liquid in character, it will be apt to be tough and may be considered a failure. Bake in a shallow pan in a rather hot oven fifteen or twenty minutes. SUGAR CRISPS.--Make a soft dough of two and one fourth cups of Graham flour, one half cup of granulated white sugar, and one cup of rather thick sweet cream. Knead as little as possible, roll out very thinly, cut in rounds or squares, and bake in a quick oven. VARIETY CAKE.--Make the same as Gold and Silver Cake, and mix a half cup of Zante currants and chopped raisins with the yellow portion. The white portion may be flavored by adding a very little chopped citron instead of the cocoanut, if preferred. TABLE TOPICS. If families could be induced to substitute the apple--sound, ripe, and luscious--for the pies, cakes, candies, and other sweetmeats with which children are too often stuffed, there would be a diminution of doctors' bills, sufficient in a single year to lay up a stock of this delicious fruit for a season's use.--_Prof. Faraday._ Food for repentance--mince pie eaten late at night. _Young Student_--"This cook book says that pie crust needs plenty of shortening. Do you know what that means, pa?" _Father_--"It means lard." "But why is lard called shortening, pa?" "Because it shortens life." The health journals and the doctors all agree that the best and most wholesome part of the New England country doughnut is the hole. The larger the hole, they say, the better the doughnut. An old gentleman who was in the habit of eating a liberal slice of pie or cake just before retiring, came home late one evening after his wife had gone to bed. After an unsuccessful search in the pantry, he called to his wife, "Mary, where is the pie?" His good wife timidly acknowledged that there was no pie in the house. Said her husband, "Then where is the cake?" The poor woman meekly confessed that the supply of cake was also exhausted; at which the disappointed husband cried out in a sharp, censorious tone, "Why, what would you do if somebody should be sick in the night?" _Woman_ (to tramp)--"I can give you some cold buckwheat cakes and a piece of mince pie." _Tramp_--(frightened) "What ye say?" _Woman_--"Cold buckwheat cakes and mince pie." _Tramp_--(heroically) "Throw in a small bottle of pepsin, Madam, and I'll take the chances." GRAVIES AND SAUCES Gravies for vegetables, sauces for desserts, and similar foods thickened with flour or cornstarch, are among the most common of the poorly prepared articles of the _cuisine_, although their proper preparation is a matter of considerable importance, since neither a thin, watery sauce nor a stiff, paste-like mixture is at all palatable. The preparation of gravies and sauces is a very simple matter when governed by that accuracy of measurement and carefulness of detail which should be exercised in the preparation of all foods. In consistency, a properly made sauce should mask the back of the spoon; that is to say, when dipped into the mixture and lifted out, the metal of the spoon should not be visible through it as it runs off. The proportion of material necessary to secure this requisite is one tablespoonful of flour, slightly rounded, for each half pint of water or stock. If the sauce be made of milk or fruit juice, a little less flour will be needed. If cornstarch be used, a scant instead of a full tablespoonful will be required. The flour, or cornstarch should be first braided or rubbed perfectly smooth in a very small amount of the liquid reserved for the purpose (salt or sugar, if any is to be used, being added to the flour before braiding with the liquid), and then carefully added to the remaining liquid, which should be actively boiling. It should then be continuously stirred until it has thickened, when it should be allowed to cook slowly for five or ten minutes until the starch or flour is well done. If through any negligence to observe carefully these simple details, there should be lumps in the sauce, they must be removed before serving by turning the whole through a fine colander or wire strainer. The double boiler is the best utensil for the preparation of sauces and gravies, since it facilitates even cooking and renders them less liable to become scorched. The inner cup should be placed on the top of the range until the sauce has become thickened, as in the cooking of grains, and afterwards placed in the outer boiler to continue the cooking as long as needed. Cream gravies for vegetables may be delicately flavored with celery, by steeping a few bits of celery in the milk for a few minutes, and removing with a fork before adding the thickening. Sauces for puddings may be similarly flavored, by steeping cocoanut or bits of orange or lemon rind in the milk. GRAVIES AND SAUCES FOR VEGETABLES. _RECIPES._ BROWN SAUCE.--Heat a pint of thin cream, and when boiling, add half a teaspoonful of salt and a tablespoonful of flour browned in the oven as directed on page 274, and rubbed to a smooth paste with a little cold milk. Allow it to boil rapidly, stirring constantly until thickened; then cook more slowly, in a double boiler, for five or ten minutes. If desired, the milk may be flavored with onion before adding the flour. This makes a good dressing for potatoes. CREAM OR WHITE SAUCE.--Heat a pint of rich milk, part cream if it can be afforded, to boiling, and stir into it one tablespoonful of flour previously rubbed smooth in a little milk. Season with salt, and cook in a double boiler five or ten minutes, stirring frequently that no lumps be formed. If lumps are found in the sauce, turn it quickly through a fine, hot colander into the dish in which it is to be served. CELERY SAUCE.--Cut half a dozen stalks of celery into finger-lengths, and simmer in milk for ten or fifteen minutes. Skim out the celery, add a little cream to the milk, salt to taste, and thicken with flour as for white sauce. This is very nice for potatoes and for toast. EGG SAUCE.--Heat a pint of milk to boiling, and stir in a dessertspoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little milk. Stir constantly until the sauce is well thickened; add the well-beaten yolk of an egg, turning it in very slowly and stirring rapidly so that it shall be well mingled. Boil up once only, add a very little salt, and serve. The egg makes an excellent substitute for cream. PEASE GRAVY.--A gravy prepared either of dried or green peas as directed for Lentil Gravy on page 226, makes a suitable dressing for baked potatoes. Lentil gravy is also good for the same purpose. The addition of a little lemon juice to the lentil gravy makes another variety. TOMATO GRAVY.--A gravy made of tomatoes as directed on page 261, is excellent to use on baked or boiled sweet potatoes. TOMATO CREAM GRAVY.--Prepare a gravy as for Cream Sauce, using a slightly heaping measure of flour. When done, add, just before serving, for each quart of the cream sauce, one cup of hot, stewed tomato which has been put through a fine colander to remove all seeds. Beat it thoroughly into the sauce and serve on boiled or baked potato. SAUCES FOR DESSERTS AND PUDDINGS. _RECIPES._ ALMOND SAUCE.--Heat a pint of rich milk in the inner cup of a double boiler, placed directly upon the stove. When the milk is boiling, stir into it a heaping tablespoonful of flour which has been rubbed to a cream in a little cold milk. Boil rapidly until thickened, stirring constantly; then add three tablespoonfuls of almondine; place in the outer boiler, and cook for five or ten minutes longer. CARAMEL SAUCE.--Stir a cup of sugar in a saucepan over the fire until melted and lightly browned. Add one cup of boiling water, and simmer ten minutes. COCOANUT SAUCE.--Flavor a pint of new milk with cocoanut, as directed on page 298. Skim out the cocoanut, and add enough fresh milk to make one pint. Heat the milk to boiling, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, thicken with two even spoonfuls of cornstarch, and proceed in the same manner as for Mock Cream. CREAM SAUCE.--Beat together two thirds of a cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of thick, sweet cream, and one egg. Wet half a teaspoonful of cornstarch with a little milk, and stir in with the mixture; then add five tablespoonfuls of boiling milk, stirring rapidly all the time. Pour into the inner cup of a double boiler; have the water in the outer cup boiling, and cook five minutes. Flavor to taste. CRANBERRY PUDDING SAUCE.--To a quart of boiling water add two cups of sugar, and when well dissolved, one quart of carefully sorted cranberries. Mash the berries as much as possible with a silver spoon, and boil just seven minutes. Turn through a colander to remove skins, cool and serve. CUSTARD SAUCE.--Rub two teaspoonfuls of flour to a smooth paste with half a cup of new milk. Heat two and a half cups of fresh milk in a double boiler to scalding, then stir in the braided flour; heat again, stirring constantly till just to the boiling point, but no longer; remove from the stove and cool a little. Beat together one egg, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little lemon rind for flavoring. Turn the hot milk over this, a little at a time, stirring briskly meanwhile. Return the whole to the double boiler, and cook, stirring frequently, until when a spoon is dipped into the custard a coating remains upon it. Then remove at once from the fire. If the spoon comes out clean, the custard is not sufficiently cooked. EGG SAUCE.--Separate the yolks and whites of three eggs. Beat the whites to a stiff froth, and stir in very gently, so as not to let the air out of the beaten whites, one cup of powdered sugar and a teaspoonful of vanilla or lemon flavoring powder. Lastly, stir in carefully the beaten yolks of the eggs, and serve at once. EGG SAUCE NO. 2.--Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth with one half cup of sugar. Add three tablespoonfuls of lemon juice and one of water. Serve at once. FOAMY SAUCE.--Beat one egg or the whites of two very thoroughly with one half cup of sugar and a little grated lemon rind. Pour on this very slowly, stirring constantly to make it smooth, one cup of boiling milk, part cream if it can be afforded. If the whites alone are used, they should not be beaten stiff. If preferred, the lemon may be omitted and a tablespoonful or two of currant juice or quince jelly added last as flavoring. FRUIT CREAM.--Take the juice pressed from a cupful of fresh strawberries, red raspberries, or black caps, add to it one third of a cup of sugar, and place in the ice chest till chilled. Set a cup of sweet cream also on ice till very cold. When thoroughly cold, whip with an egg beater till the froth begins to rise, then add to it the cold fruit juice and beat again. Have ready the white of one egg beaten to a stiff froth, which add to the fruit cream, and whip till no more froth will rise. This makes a delicious dressing for simple grain molds and blancmanges, but is so rich it should be used rather sparingly. Serve as soon as possible after being prepared. Fruit syrup, in the proportion of two or three tablespoonfuls to the pint of cream, may be used in the same manner when the fresh juice is not available. The juice of orange, quince, and pineapple may also be used in the same manner as that of berries. FRUIT SAUCE.--Heat a pint of red raspberry, currant, grape, strawberry, apricot, or any other fruit juice to scalding, and stir in a tablespoonful of cornstarch previously rubbed to a cream with a little cold water. Cook till it thickens; then add sugar according to the acidity of the fruit. Strain and cool before using. If fruit juice is not available, two or three tablespoonfuls of pure fruit jelly may be dissolved in a pint of hot water and used instead of the juice. A mixture of red and black raspberry juice, or currant and raspberry, will be found acceptable for variety. FRUIT SAUCE NO. 2.--Mash a quart of fresh berries, add one cup of sugar, beat very thoroughly together, and set away until needed. Just before it is wanted for serving, turn into a granite fruit kettle and heat nearly to boiling, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Serve hot with hot or cold puddings, or molded desserts. LEMON PUDDING SAUCE.--Heat to boiling, in a double boiler, a pint of water in which are two slices of lemon, and stir into it a dessertspoonful of cornstarch; cook four to five minutes, or until it thickens. Squeeze the juice from one large lemon, and mix it with two thirds of a cup of sugar. Add this to the cornstarch mixture, and allow the whole to boil up once, stirring constantly; then take from the fire. Leave in the double boiler, surrounded by the hot water, for ten minutes. Cool to blood heat before serving. MOCK CREAM.--Heat a pint of fresh, unskimmed milk in a double boiler. When the milk is boiling, stir in two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two even tablespoonfuls of cornstarch which has first been rubbed smooth in a very little cold milk. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly; then pour the hot mixture, a little at a time, beating thoroughly all the while, over the well-beaten white of one egg. Put again into the double boiler, return to the fire, and stir till it thickens to the consistency of cream. MOLASSES SAUCE.--To one half cup of molasses, add one half cup of water, and heat to boiling. Thicken with a teaspoonful of flour rubbed to a cream with a little cold water. Serve hot. ORANGE SAUCE.--Squeeze a cupful of juice from well-flavored, sour oranges. Heat a pint of water, and when boiling, thicken with a tablespoonful of cornstarch. Add the orange juice, strain, and sweeten to taste with sugar that has been flavored by rubbing over the yellow rind of an orange until mixed with the oil in the rind. If a richer sauce is desired, the yolk of an egg may be added lastly, and the sauce allowed to cook until thickened. PEACH SAUCE.--Strain the juice from a well-kept can of peaches. Dilute with one half as much water, heat to boiling, and thicken with cornstarch, a scant tablespoonful to the pint of liquid. PLAIN PUDDING SAUCE.--Thicken one and one half cups of water with one tablespoonful of cornstarch; boil a few minutes, then stir in two thirds of a cup of sugar, and one half cup of sweet cream. Take off the stove, and flavor with a little rose, vanilla, or lemon. RED SAUCE.--Pare and slice a large red beet, and simmer gently in three cups of water for twenty minutes, or until the water is rose colored, then add two cups of sugar, the thin yellow rind and juice of one lemon, and boil until the whole is thick syrup. Strain, add a teaspoonful of rose water or vanilla, and serve. ROSE CREAM.--Remove the thick cream from the top of a pan of cold milk, taking care not to take up any of the milk. Add sugar to sweeten and a teaspoonful or two of rose water. Beat with an egg beater until the whole mass is thick. Good thick cream, beaten in this manner, makes nearly double its original quantity. SAGO SAUCE.--Wash one tablespoonful of sago in two or three waters, then put it into a saucepan with three fourths of a cup of hot water, and some bits of lemon peel. Simmer gently for ten minutes, take out the lemon peel, add half a cup of quince or apricot juice; and if the latter, the strained juice of half a lemon, and sugar to taste. Beat together thoroughly. WHIPPED CREAM SAUCE.--Beat together with an egg beater until of a stiff froth one cup of sweet cream which has been cooled to a temperature of 64° or less, one teaspoonful of vanilla or a little grated lemon rind, and one half cup of powdered white sugar, and the whites of one or two eggs. The sauce may be variously flavored with a little fruit jelly beaten with the egg, before adding to the cream. TABLE TOPICS. Whether or not life is worth living, all depends upon the liver.--_Sel._ Diet cures mair than doctors.--_Scotch Proverb._ According to the ancient Hindu Scriptures, the proper amount of food is half of what can be conveniently eaten. Every hour you steal from digestion will be reclaimed by indigestion.--_Oswald._ "Very few nations in the world," says a sagacious historian, "produce better soldiers than the Russians. They will endure the greatest fatigues and sufferings with patience and calmness. And it is well know that the Russian soldiers are from childhood nourished by simple and coarse vegetable food. The Russian Grenadiers are the finest body of men I ever saw,--not a man is under six feet high. Their allowance consists of eight pounds of black bread, and four pounds of oil per man for eight days." Colonel Fitzgibbon was, many years ago, colonial agent at London for the Canadian Government, and wholly dependent upon remittances from Canada for his support. On one occasion these remittances failed to arrive, and it being before the day of cables, he was obliged to write to his friends to ascertain the reason of the delay. Meanwhile he had just one sovereign to live upon. He found he could live upon a sixpence a day,--four pennyworth of bread, one pennyworth of milk, and one pennyworth of sugar. When his remittances arrived a month afterward, he had five shillings remaining of his sovereign, and he liked his frugal diet so well that he kept it up for several years. An hour of exercise to every pound of food.--_Oswald._ Some eat to live, they loudly cry; But from the pace they swallow pie And other food promiscuously, One would infer they eat to die. --_Sel._ BEVERAGES The use of beverages in quantities with food at mealtime is prejudicial to digestion, because they delay the action of the gastric juice upon solid foods. The practice of washing down food by copious draughts of water, tea, or coffee is detrimental, not only because it introduces large quantities of fluid into the stomach, which must be absorbed before digestion can begin, but also because it offers temptation to careless and imperfect mastication, while tea and coffee also serve as a vehicle for an excessive use of sugar, thus becoming a potent cause of indigestion and dyspepsia. It is best to drink but sparingly, if at all, at mealtimes. Consideration should also be given to the nature of the beverage, since many in common use are far from wholesome. Very cold fluids, like iced water, iced tea, and iced milk, are harmful, because they cool the contents of the stomach to a degree at which digestion is checked. If drunk at all, they should be taken only in small sips and retained in the mouth until partly warmed. Tea is often spoken of as the "cup that cheers but not inebriates." "The cup that may cheer yet does injury" would be nearer the truth, for there is every evidence to prove that this common beverage is exceedingly harmful, and that the evils of its excessive use are second only to those of tobacco and alcohol. Tea contains two harmful substances, theine and tannin,--from three to six per cent of the former and more than one fourth its weight of the latter. Theine is a poison belonging to the same class of poisonous alkaloids, and is closely allied to cocaine. It is a much more powerful poison than alcohol, producing death in less than one hundredth part the deadly dose of alcohol; and when taken in any but the smallest doses, it produces all the symptoms of intoxication. Tannin is an astringent exercising a powerful effect in delaying salivary and stomach digestion, thus becoming one of the most common causes of digestive disorders. It is also a matter of frequent observation that sleeplessness, palpitation of the heart, and various disorders of the nervous system frequently follow the prolonged use of tea. Both theine and tannin are more abundant in green than in black tea. The dependence of the habitual tea-drinker upon the beverage, and the sense of loss experienced when deprived of it, are among the strongest proofs of its evil effects, and should be warnings against its use. No such physical discomfort is experienced when deprived of any article of ordinary food. The use of tea makes one feel bright and fresh when really exhausted; but, like all other stimulants, it is by exciting vital action above the normal without supplying extra force to support the extra expenditure. The fact that a person feels tired is evidence that the system demands rest, that his body is worn and needs repair; but the relief experienced after a cup of tea is not recuperation. Instead, it indicates that his nerves are paralyzed so that they are insensible to fatigue. Some people suppose the manner of preparing tea has much to do with its deleterious effects, and that by infusion for two or three minutes only, the evils resulting from the tannin will be greatly lessened. This, however, is a delusion, if the same amount of tea be used proportionate to the water; for tannin in its free state, the condition in which it is found in tea is one of the most readily soluble of substances; and tea infused for two minutes is likely to hold nearly as much tannin in solution as that infused for a longer period. Tea is not a food, and it can in no wise take the place of food, as so many people attempt to make it, without detriment to health in every respect. Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate rank in the same category with tea, as beverages which are more or less harmful. Coffee contains caffein, a principle identical with theine and a modified form of tannin, though in less quantity than tea. Cocoa and chocolate contain substances similar to theine and equally harmful, though usually present in much less proportion than in tea. Custom has made the use of these beverages so common that most people seldom stop to inquire into their nature. Doubtless the question arises in many minds; If these beverages contain such poisons, why do they not more commonly produce fatal results?--Because a tolerance of the poison is established in the system by use, as in the case of tobacco and other narcotics and stimulants; but that the poisons surely though insidiously are doing their work is attested by the prevalence of numerous disorders of the digestive and nervous systems, directly attributable to the use of these beverages. Both tea and coffee are largely adulterated with other harmful substances, thus adding another reason why their use should be discarded. It is stated on good authority that it is almost impossible to obtain unadulterated ground coffee. In view of all these facts, it certainly seems wisest if a beverage is considered essential, to make use of one less harmful. Hot milk, hot water, hot lemonade, caramel coffee, or some of the various grain coffees, recipes for which are give in the following pages, are all excellent substitutes for tea and coffee, if a hot drink is desired. _RECIPES_ BEET COFFEE.--Wash best beets thoroughly, but do not scrape; slice, and brown in a moderate oven, taking care not to burn. When brown, break in small pieces and steep the same as ordinary coffee. CARAMEL COFFEE.--Take three quarts best bran, one quart corn meal, three tablespoonfuls of molasses; mix and brown in the oven like ordinary coffee. For every cup of coffee required, use one heaping tablespoonful of the caramel. Pour boiling water over it, and steep, not boil, for fifteen or twenty minutes. CARAMEL COFFEE NO. 2.--Take one cup each of white flour, corn meal, unsifted Graham flour, and molasses. Mix well, and form into cakes half an inch thick and a little larger around than a silver dollar. If the molasses is not thin enough to take up all the dry material, one fourth or one half a cup of cold water may be added for that purpose. Bake the cakes in the oven until very dark brown, allowing them to become slightly scorched. When desired for use, take one cake for each cup of coffee required, pour sufficient water over them, and steep, not boil, twenty minutes. CARAMEL COFFEE NO. 3.--To three and one half quarts of bran and one and one half quarts of corn meal, take one pint of New Orleans molasses and one half pint of boiling water. Put the water and molasses together and pour them over the bran and corn meal which have been previously mixed. Rub all well together, and brown slowly in the oven, stirring often, until a rich dark brown. Use one heaping tablespoonful of coffee to each small cup of boiling water, let it just boil up, then steep on the back of the stove for five or ten minutes. CARAMEL COFFEE NO. 4.--Beat together four eggs and one pint of molasses, and mix thoroughly with four quarts of good wheat bran. Brown in the oven, stirring frequently. Prepare for use the same as the preceding. MRS. T'S CARAMEL COFFEE.--Make a rather thick batter of Graham grits or Graham meal and milk, spread it in shallow pans and bake in a moderate oven until evenly done throughout. Cut the cake thus prepared into thin strips, which break into small uniform pieces and spread on perforated tins or sheets and brown in the oven. Each piece should be very darkly and evenly browned, but not burned. For each cup of coffee required, steep a small handful in boiling water for ten or fifteen minutes, strain and serve. PARCHED GRAIN COFFEE.--Brown in the oven some perfectly sound wheat, sweet corn, barley, or rice, as you would the coffee berry. If desired, a mixture of grains may be used. Pound or grind fine. Mix the white of an egg with three tablespoonfuls of the ground grain, and pour over it a quart of boiling water. Allow it to come just to the boiling point, steep slowly for twelve or fifteen minutes, and serve. WHEAT, OATS AND BARLEY COFFEE.--Mix together equal quantities of these grains, brown in the oven like ordinary coffee, and grind. To one quart of boiling water take three tablespoonfuls of the prepared coffee mixed with the white of an egg, and steep in boiling water ten or fifteen minutes. _RECIPES FOR COLD BEVERAGES._ BLACKBERRY BEVERAGE.--Crush a quart of fresh blackberries, and pour over them a quart of cold water; add a slice of lemon and a teaspoonful of orange water, and let it stand three or four hours. Strain through a jelly bag. Sweeten to taste with a syrup prepared by dissolving white sugar in hot water, allowing it to become cold before using. Serve at once with bits of broken ice in the glasses, or place the pitcher on ice until ready to serve. FRUIT BEVERAGE.--A great variety of pleasant, healthful drinks may be made by taking equal quantities of water and the juice of currants, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, or a mixture of two kinds, as raspberries and currants, sweetening to taste, and putting into each glass a small lump of ice. Directions for the preparation of fruit juices will be found on page 209. FRUIT BEVERAGE NO. 2.--Mash a pint of red raspberries, add one cup of canned pineapple or half a fresh one chopped fine; pour over all three pints of water. Stir frequently, and let the mixture stand for two hours. Strain, add the juice of six lemons, and sugar or syrup to sweeten. ANOTHER.--Extract the juice from three lemons and as many sour oranges, add a quart of cold water, sugar or syrup to sweeten, half a teaspoonful of rose water, and a cup of pure grape juice; or the rose water and grape juice may be omitted and two tablespoonfuls of strawberry, raspberry, or cherry juice used instead, and the whole poured over half a dozen slices of pineapple, and allowed to stand until well flavored before using. FRUIT CORDIAL.--Crush a pint of blackberries, raspberries, grapes, currants, or cherries, adding the juice of two sour oranges, and a sliced lemon; pour over all a quart of cold water. Stir the mixture frequently and let it stand for two hours, then strain and add a syrup made by dissolving white sugar in boiling water, sufficient to sweeten. Cool on ice and serve. GRAPE BEVERAGE.--Crush two pounds of perfectly ripened purple grapes and strain the juice through a jelly bag. Add to the juice three tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar or syrup, and dilute with cold water to suit the taste. LEMONADE.--Use three large or four medium-sized lemons for each quart of water, and from six to eight tablespoonfuls of sugar. Rub or squeeze the lemons till soft. Cut a slice or two from each, and extract the juice with a lemon drill; strain the juice through a fine wire strainer to remove the seeds and bits of pulp, and pour it over the sugar. Add the slices of lemon, and pour over all a very little boiling water to thoroughly dissolve the sugar; let it stand ten or fifteen minutes, then add the necessary quantity of cold water, and serve. Or rub the sugar over the outside of the lemons to flavor it, and make it into a syrup by adding sufficient boiling water to dissolve it. Extract and strain the lemon juice, add the prepared syrup and the requisite quantity of cold water, and serve. MIXED LEMONADE.--A very pleasant, cooling summer drink is made from the juice of six oranges and six lemons, with sugar to taste; add to this some pounded ice and the juice of a small can of pineapple, and lastly pour over the whole two quarts of water. OATMEAL DRINK.--Boil one fourth of a pound of oatmeal in three quarts of water for half an hour, then add one and one half tablespoonfuls of sugar, strain and cool. It may be flavored with a little lemon or raspberry syrup if desired; or the sugar may be omitted and a quart of milk added. Cool on ice and serve. ORANGEADE.--Pare very thin from one orange a few bits of the yellow rind. Slice three well-peeled sour oranges, taking care to remove all the white portion and all seeds. Add the yellow rind and a tablespoonful of sugar; pour over all a quart of boiling water. Cover the dish, and let it remain until the drink is cold. Or, if preferred, the juice of the oranges may be extracted with a lemon drill and strained as for lemonade. PINEAPPLE BEVERAGE.--Pare and chop quite fine one fresh pineapple; add a slice or two of lemon, and cover with three pints of boiling water. Let it stand for two hours or more, stirring frequently; then strain and add the juice of five lemons, and sugar or syrup to sweeten. PINEAPPLE LEMONADE.--Lemonade made in the usual manner and flavored with a few spoonfuls of canned pineapple juice, is excellent for variety. PINK LEMONADE.--Add to a pint of lemonade prepared in the usual manner half a cup of fresh or canned strawberry, red raspberry, currant, or cranberry juice. It gives a pretty color besides adding a pleasing flavor. SHERBET.--Mash a quart of red raspberries, currants, or strawberries, add the juice of a lemon, and pour over all three pints of cold water. Stir frequently, and let it stand for two or three hours. Strain through a jelly bag, sweeten to taste, and serve. TISANE.--This is a favorite French beverage, and is prepared by chopping fine a cupful of dried fruits, such as prunes, figs, or prunelles, and steeping for an hour in a quart of water, afterward straining, sweetening to taste, and cooling on ice before using. TABLE TOPICS. The nervousness and peevishness of our times are chiefly attributable to tea and coffee. The digestive organs of confirmed coffee drinkers are in a state of chronic derangement which reacts on the brain, producing fretful and lachrymose moods. The snappish, petulant humor of the Chinese can certainly be ascribed to their immoderate fondness for tea.--_Dr. Bock._ Dr. Ferguson, an eminent physician who has carefully investigated the influence of tea and coffee upon the health and development of children, says he found that children who were allowed these beverages gained but four pounds a year between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, while those who had been allowed milk instead, gained fifteen pounds in weight during the same period. Dr. Richardson, the eminent English physician and scientist, asserts that the misery of the women of the poorer classes of the population in England is more than doubled by the use of tea, which only soothes or stimulates to intensify the after-coming depression and languor. A physician recommended a lady to abandon the use of tea and coffee. "O, but I shall miss it so," said she. "Very likely," replied her medical adviser, "but you are missing health now, and will soon lose it altogether if you do not." Dr. Stenhouse, of Liverpool, once made a careful analysis of a sample package of black tea, which was found to contain "some pure Congo tea leaves, also siftings of Pekoe and inferior kinds, weighing together twenty-seven per cent of the whole. The remaining seventy-three per cent was composed of the following substances; Iron, plumbago, chalk, China-clay, sand, Prussian-blue, tumeric, indigo, starch, gypsum, catechu, gum, the leaves of the camelia, sarangna, _Chlorantes officinalis_, elm, oak, willow, poplar, elder, beach, hawthorn, and sloe." MILK CREAM BUTTER MILK. Chemically considered, the constituents of milk are nitrogenous matter (consisting of casein and a small proportion of albumen), fat, sugar of milk, mineral matter, and water, the last constituting from sixty-five to ninety per cent of the whole. The proportion of these elements varies greatly in the milk of different animals of the same species and of the same animals at different times, so that it is not possible to give an exact analysis. The analysis of an average specimen of cow's milk, according to Letheby, is:-- Nitrogenous matter.......................................4.1 Fat......................................................3.9 Sugar of milk............................................5.2 Mineral matter...........................................0.8 Water...................................................86.0 If a drop of milk be examined with a microscope, it will be seen as a clear liquid, holding in suspension a large number of minute globules, which give the milk its opacity or white color. These microscopic globules are composed of fatty matter, each surrounded by an envelope of casein, the principal nitrogenous element found in milk. They are lighter than the surrounding liquid, and when the milk remains at rest, they gradually rise to the top and form cream. Casein, unlike albumen, is not coagulated by heat; hence when milk is cooked, it undergoes no noticeable change, save the coagulation of the very small amount of albumen it contains, which, as it solidifies, rises to the top, carrying with it a small portion of the sugar and saline matter and some of the fat globules, forming a skin-like scum upon the surface. Casein, although not coagulable by heat, is coagulated by the introduction into the milk of acids or extract of rennet. The curd of cheese is coagulated casein. When milk is allowed to stand for some time exposed to warmth and air, a spontaneous coagulation occurs, caused by fermentative changes in the sugar of milk, by which it is converted into lactic acid through the action of germs. Milk is sometimes adulterated by water, the removal of more or less of the cream, or the addition of some foreign substance to increase its density. The quality of milk is more or less influenced by the food upon which the animal is fed. Watery milk may be produced by feeding a cow upon sloppy food. The milk of diseased animals should never be used for food. There is no way by which such milk can invariably be detected, but Prof. Vaughan, of Michigan University, notes the following kinds of milk to be avoided: 1. Milk which becomes sour and curdles within a few hours after it has been drawn, and before any cream forms on its surface. This is known in some sections as 'curdly' milk, and it comes from cows with certain inflammatory affections of the udder, or digestive diseases, or those which have been overdriven or worried. 2. "Bitter-sweet milk" has cream of a bitter taste, is covered with 'blisters,' and frequently with a fine mold. Butter and cheese made from such milk cannot be eaten on account of the disagreeable taste. 3. 'Slimy milk' can be drawn out into fine, ropy fibers. It has an unpleasant taste, which is most marked in the cream. The causes which lead to the secretion of this milk are not known. 4. 'Blue milk' is characterized by the appearance on its surface, eighteen or twenty-four hours after it is drawn, of small, indigo-blue spots, which rapidly enlarge until the whole surface is covered with a blue film. If the milk be allowed to stand a few days, the blue is converted into a greenish or reddish color. This coloration of the milk is due to the growth of microscopic organisms. The butter made from 'blue milk' is dirty-white, gelatinous, and bitter. 5. 'Barnyard milk' is a term used to designate milk taken from unclean animals, or those which have been kept in filthy, unventilated stables. The milk absorbs and carries the odors, which are often plainly perceptible. Such milk may not be poisonous, but it is repulsive. There is no doubt that milk often serves as the vehicle for the distribution of the germs of various contagious diseases, like scarlet fever, diphtheria, and typhoid fever, from becoming contaminated in some way, either from the hands of milkers or from water used as an adulterant or in cleansing the milk vessels. Recent investigations have also shown that cows are to some extent subject to scarlet fever, the same as human beings, and that milk from infected cows will produce the same disease in the consumer. Milk should not be kept in brass or copper vessels or in earthen-ware lined with lead glazing; for if the milk becomes acid, it is likely to unite with the metal and form a poisonous compound. Glass and granite ware are better materials in which to keep milk. Milk should never be allowed to stand uncovered in an occupied room, especially a sitting-room or bedroom, as its dust is likely to contain disease-germs, which falling into the milk, may become a source of serious illness to the consumer. Indeed it is safest to keep milk covered whenever set away, to exclude the germs which are at all times present in the air. A good way is to protect the dishes containing milk with several layers of cheese-cloth, which will permit the air but not the germs to circulate in and out of the pans. Neither should it be allowed to stand where there are strong odors, as it readily takes up by absorption any odors to which it is exposed. A few years ago Dr. Dougall, of Glasgow, made some very interesting experiments on the absorbent properties of milk. He inclosed in jars a portion of substances giving off emanations, with a uniform quantity of milk, in separate vessels, for a period of eight hours, at the end of which time samples of the milk were drawn off and tested. The result was that milk exposed to the following substances retained odors as described:-- Coal gas, distinct; paraffine oil, strong; turpentine, very strong; onions, very strong; tobacco smoke, very strong; ammonia, moderate; musk, faint; asafetida, distinct; creosote, strong; cheese (stale), distinct; chloroform, moderate; putrid fish, very bad; camphor, moderate; decayed cabbage, distinct. These facts clearly indicate that if the emanations to which milk is exposed are of a diseased and dangerous quality, it is all but impossible that the milk can remain free from dangerous properties. Too much pains cannot be taken in the care of milk and vessels containing it. Contact with the smallest quantity of milk which has undergone fermentation will sour the whole; hence the necessity for scrupulous cleanliness of all vessels which have contained milk before they are used again for that purpose. In washing milk dishes, many persons put them first into scalding water, by which means the albumen in the milk is coagulated; and if there are any crevices or seams in the pans or pails, this coagulated portion is likely to adhere to them like glue, and becoming sour, will form the nucleus for spoiling the next milk put into them. A better way is first to rinse each separately in cold water, not pouring the water from one pan to another, until there is not the slightest milky appearance in the water, then wash in warm suds, or water containing sal-soda, and afterward scald thoroughly; wipe perfectly dry, and place if possible where the sun will have free access to them until they are needed for further use. If sunshine is out of the question, invert the pans or cans over the stove, or place for a few moments in a hot oven. The treatment of milk varies with its intended use, whether whole or separated from the cream. Cream rises best when the milk is quite warm or when near the freezing-point. In fact, cream separates more easily from milk at the freezing-point than any other, but it is not thick and never becomes so. An intermediate state seems to be unfavorable to a full rising of the cream. A temperature of 56° to 60°F. is a good one. Milk to be used whole should be kept at about 45° and stirred frequently. All milk obtained from city milkmen or any source not certainly known to be free from disease-germs, should be sterilized before using. Indeed, it is safest always to sterilize milk before using, since during the milking or in subsequent handling and transportation it is liable to become infected with germs. TO STERILIZE MILK FOR IMMEDIATE USE.--Put the milk as soon as received into the inner dish of a double boiler, the outer vessel of which should be filled with boiling water. Cover and heat the milk rapidly to as near the boiling point as possible. Allow it to remain with the water in the outer boiler actively boiling for half an hour, then remove from the stove and cool very quickly. This may be accomplished by pouring into shallow dishes, and placing these in cold water, changing the water as frequently as it becomes warm, or by using pieces of ice in the water. It is especially important to remember that the temperature of the milk should be raised as rapidly as possible, and when the milk is sufficiently cooked, cooled very quickly. Either very slow heating or slow cooling may prove disastrous, even when every other precaution is taken. Or, well-cleaned glass fruit cans may be nearly filled with milk, the covers screwed on loosely, then placed in a kettle of cold water, gradually heated to boiling and kept at that temperature for a half hour or longer, then gradually cooled. Or, perfectly clean bottles may be filled with milk to within two inches of the top, the neck tightly closed with a wad of cotton, and the bottles placed in a steam cooker, the water in which should be cold at the start, and steamed for half an hour. This cooking of milk, while it destroys many of the germs contained in milk, particularly the active disease-germs which are liable to be found in it, thus rendering it more wholesome, and improving its keeping qualities somewhat, does not so completely sterilize the milk that it will not undergo fermentative changes. Under varying conditions some thirty or forty different species of germs are to be found in milk, some of which require to be subjected to a temperature above that of boiling water, in order to destroy them. The keeping quality of the milk may be increased by reboiling it on three successive days for a half hour or longer, and carefully sealing after each boiling. TO STERILIZE MILK TO KEEP.--This is a somewhat more difficult operation, but it may be done by boiling milk sealed in very strong bottles in a saturated solution of salt. The milk used should be perfectly fresh. It is best, when possible, to draw the milk from the cow directly into the bottles. Fill the bottles to within two inches of the top, cork them immediately and wire the corks down firmly and place them in the cold salt solution. Boil fifteen minutes or half an hour. Allow the solution to cool before removing them. If the bottles are removed from the solution while hot, they will almost instantly break. When cold, remove the bottles, and cover the tops with sealing wax. Store in a cool place, shake thoroughly once or twice a week. Milk sterilized in this manner will keep indefinitely. CONDENSED MILK.--Condensed milk is made by evaporating milk in a vacuum to one fifth its original volume; it is then canned like any other food by sealing at boiling temperature in air-tight cans. When used, it should be diluted with five times its bulk of warm water. Condensed milk, when not thoroughly boiled in the process of condensation, is liable to harbor disease-germs the same as any other milk. CREAM. Cream varies in composition according to the circumstances under which it rises. The composition of an average specimen as given by Letherby is:-- Nitrogenous matter............................................ 2.7 Fat.......................................................... 26.7 Sugar of milk................................................. 2.8 Mineral matter................................................ 1.8 Water........................................................ 66.0 In the process of churning; the membranes of casein which surround each of the little globules constituting the cream are broken, and the fat of which they are composed becomes a compact mass known as butter. The watery looking residue containing casein, sugar of milk, mineral matter, and a small proportion of fat, comprises the buttermilk. Skim-milk, or milk from which the cream has been removed, and buttermilk are analogous in chemical composition. The composition of each, according to Dr. Edward Smith, is:-- SKIM-MILK Nitrogenous matter......................................... 4.0 Sugar...................................................... 3.8 Fat........................................................ 1.8 Mineral matter............................................. 0.8 Water......................................................88.0 BUTTERMILK Nitrogenous matter..........................................4.1 Sugar.......................................................3.6 Fat.........................................................0.7 Mineral matter..............................................0.8 Water......................................................88.0 Skim-milk and buttermilk, when the butter is made from sweet cream and taken fresh, are both excellent foods, although lacking the fat of new milk. Cream is more easily digested than butter, and since it contains other elements besides fat, is likewise more nutritious. In cream the fat is held in the form of an emulsion which allows it to mingle freely with water. As previously stated, each atom of fat is surrounded with a film of casein. The gastric juice has no more power to digest casein than it has free fat, and the little particles of fat thus protected are carried to the small intestines, where the pancreatic juice digests them, and on their way they do not interfere with the stomach digestion of other foods, as the presence of butter and other free fats may do. It is because of its greater wholesomeness that in the directions for the preparation of foods given in this work we have given preference to the use of cream over that of butter and other free fats. The usual objection to its use is its expense, and the difficulty of obtaining it from city dealers. The law of supply and cost generally corresponds with that of demand, and doubtless cream would prove no exception if its use were more general. [Illustration: Creamery.] Cream may be sterilized and preserved in a pure state for some time, the same as milk. Milk requires especial care to secure a good quality and quantity of cream. Scrupulous cleanliness, good ventilation, and an unvarying temperature are absolute essentials. The common custom of setting milk in pans is objectionable, not only because of the dust and germs always liable to fall into the milk, but also from the difficulty of keeping milk thus set at the proper temperature for cream-rising. Every family using milk in any quantity ought to have a set of creameries of large or small capacity according to circumstances, in which the milk supply can be kept in a pure, wholesome condition, and so arranged as to facilitate the full rising of the cream if desired. A very simple and satisfactory creamery, with space for ice around the milk, similar to that represented in the accompanying cut, may be constructed by any tinman. The plan of scalding milk to facilitate the rising of the cream is excellent, as it not only secures a more speedy rising, but serves to destroy the germs found in the milk, thus lessening its tendency to sour. The best way to do this is to heat the milk in a double boiler, or a dish set inside another containing hot water, to a temperature of 150° to 165°F. as indicated by wrinkles upon its surface. The milk must not, however, be allowed to come to a boil. When scalded, it should be cooled at once to a temperature of about 60° F. and kept thus during the rising of the cream. BUTTER. Of all foods wholly composed of fat, good fresh butter is the most wholesome. It should, however, be used unmelted and taken in a finely divided state, and only in very moderate quantities. If exposed to great heat, as on hot buttered toast, meats, rich pastry, etc., it is quite indigestible. We do not recommend its use either for the table or for cooking purposes when cream can be obtained, since butter is rarely found in so pure a state that it is not undergoing more or less decomposition, depending upon its age and the amount of casein retained in the butter through the carelessness of the manufacturer. Casein, on exposure to air in a moist state, rapidly changes into a ferment, which, acting upon the fatty matter of the butter, produces rancidity, rendering the butter more or less unwholesome. Poor, tainted, or rancid butter should not be used as food in any form. Good butter is pale yellow, uniform throughout the whole mass, and free from rancid taste or odor. White lumps in it are due to the incorporation of sour milk with the cream from which it was produced. A watery, milk-like fluid exuding from the freshly cut surface of butter, is evidence that insufficient care was taken to wash out all the buttermilk, thus increasing its liability to spoil. The flavor and color of butter vary considerably, according to the breed and food of the animal from which the milk was obtained. An artificial color is often given to butter by the use of a preparation of annatto. Both salt and saltpeter are employed as preservatives for butter; a large quantity of the former is often used to increase the weight of the butter. ARTIFICIAL BUTTER.--Various fraudulent preparations are sold as butter. Oleomargarine, one of the commonest, is made from tallow or beef-fat, cleaned and ground like sausage, and heated, to separate the oil from the membranes. It is then known as "butter-oil," is salted, cooled, pressed, and churned in milk, colored with annatto, and treated the same as butter. Butterine, another artificial product, is prepared by mixing butter-oil and a similar oil obtained from lard, then churning them with milk. An eminent analyst gives the following excellent way of distinguishing genuine butter from oleomargarine:--"When true butter is heated over a clear flame, it 'browns' and gives out a pleasant odor,--that of browned butter. In heating there is more or less sputtering, caused by minute particles of water retained in washing the butter. On the bottom of the pan or vessel in which true butter is heated, a yellowish-brown crust is formed, consisting of roasted or toasted casein. When oleomargarine is heated under similar circumstances, it does not 'brown,' but becomes darker by overheating, and when heated to dryness, gives off a grayish steam, smelling of tallow. There is no 'sputtering' when it is being heated, but it boils easily. If a pledget of cotton or a wick saturated with oleomargarine be set on fire and allowed to burn a few moments before being extinguished, it will give out fumes which are very characteristic, smelling strongly of tallow, while true butter behaves very differently." BUTTER IN ANCIENT TIMES.--Two kinds of butter seem to have been known to the ancient Jews, one quite like that of the present day, except that it was boiled after churning, so that it became in that warm climate practically an oil; the other, a sort of curdled milk. The juice of the Jerusalem artichoke was mixed with the milk, when it was churned until a sort of curd was separated. The Oriental method of churning was by putting the milk into a goat-skin and swinging and shaking the bag until the butter came, as illustrated in the accompanying cut. [Illustration: Oriental Butter-Making.] An article still sold as butter in Athens is made by boiling the milk of goats, allowing it to sour, and then churning in a goat-skin. The result is a thick, white, foamy substance appearing more like cream than butter. BUTTER-MAKING.--The manufacture of good butter is dependent upon good cows and the care given them, as well as most careful treatment of the milk and cream. The milk to be used for butter making, as indeed for all purposes, should be most carefully strained through a wire strainer covered with three or four thicknesses of perfectly clean cheese cloth. The following points given by an experienced dairyman will be found worthy of consideration by all who have to do with the manufacture of this article:-- "Milk is almost as sensitive to atmospheric changes as mercury itself. It is a question among many as to what depth milk should be set to get the most cream. It does not make so much difference as to the depth as it does the protection of the milk from acid or souring. As soon as the milk begins to sour, the cream ceases to rise. "With a clear, dry atmosphere the cream will rise clean in the milk; but in that condition of the atmosphere which readily sours the milk, the cream will not rise clean, but seems to hang in the milk, and this even when the milk is protected by being set in water. "The benefit of setting milk in cold water is that the water protects the milk from becoming acid until the cream has time to rise. For cream to rise readily on milk set in cold water, the atmosphere in the room should be warmer than the water. As much cream will rise on milk set in cold water in one hour as on milk not set in water in twenty-four hours. The milk should be skimmed while sweet, and the cream thoroughly stirred at each skimming. "Cream skimmed from different milkings, if churned at the same time in one churn, should be mixed eight to ten hours before churning; then the cream will all come alike. "The keeping qualities of butter depend principally upon two things: First, the buttermilk must be all gotten out; and secondly, the grain of the butter should be kept as perfect as possible. Butter should not be allowed to be churned after it has fairly come, and should not be gathered compactly in the churn in taking out, but the buttermilk should be drained from the butter in the churn, through a hair sieve, letting the butter remain in the churn. Then take water and turn it upon the butter with sufficient force to pass through the butter, and in sufficient quantity to rinse the buttermilk all out of the butter. With this process of washing the butter the grain is not injured or mashed, and is thus far kept perfect. And in working in the salt the ladle or roll or worker, whatever it is, should never be allowed to slip on the butter,--if it does, it will destroy the grain,--but it should go upon the butter in a pressing or rolling motion." Test the temperature of the cream with a thermometer, and churn it at 60° in summer and 62° in winter. If the butter is soft, it may be hardened by pouring onto it while working a brine made by dissolving a pint of salt in ten quarts of water. The salt used in the butter should be carefully measured, three fourths of an ounce of salt to the pound being the usual allowance. Butter, like milk, absorbs odors readily, and should never be allowed to remain in occupied rooms or any place exposed to strong or foul odors, but be kept covered in a cold place. CHEESE. Cheese is a product of milk prepared by separating the casein, with more or less of the cream, according to the manner in which it has been prepared, from the other ingredients of the milk. It is an article, which, although possessing a large proportion, of nutritive material, is very difficult of digestion, and the use of which is very questionable, not only for this reason, but because it is very liable to contain a poison called tyrotoxicon, capable of producing most violent and indeed fatal results, according to the remarkable researches of Prof. Vaughan of Michigan University. This poison is sometimes found in ice cream and custards, cream-puffs, etc., made from stale milk or cream. It is much better to use milk in its fresh, natural state than in any of its products. Made into either butter or cheese, we lose some of its essential elements, so that what is left is not a perfect food. _RECIPES_ HOT MILK.--Milk is more easily digested when used hot. This is not due to any marked chemical change in the milk, but to the stimulating effect of heat upon the palate and stomach. To prepare hot milk, heat it in a double boiler until a wrinkled skin appears upon the surface. In the double boiler it may be kept at the proper temperature for a long time without difficulty, and thus prepared, it forms one of the most healthful of foods. Milk, either cold or hot, should be taken a few sips only at a time, and not be drank in copious draughts when used in connection with other foods at mealtime. It will then coagulate in the stomach in small flakes much more easily digested than the large mass resulting when a large quantity is swallowed at a time. DEVONSHIRE OR CLOTTED CREAM.--This is prepared as follows: Strain the milk as it comes fresh from the cow into a deep pan which will fit tightly over a kettle in which water can be boiled, and set away in a cool well-ventilated place, where it should be allowed to remain undisturbed from eight to twelve hours or longer. Then take the pan up very carefully so as not to disturb the cream, place over a kettle of water, heat to near the boiling point, or until a rim of bubbles half an inch wide forms all around the dish of milk. It must not, however, be allowed to boil, or the cream will be injured. Now lift the pan again with equal care back to a cool place and allow it to stand from twelve to twenty-four hours longer. The cream should be a compact mass of considerable thickness, and may be divided with a knife into squares of convenient size before skimming. It is delicious for use on fruit and grains. COTTAGE CHEESE.--This dish is usually prepared from milk which has curdled from lack of proper care, or from long standing exposed to the air, and which is thus in some degree decomposing. But the fact that the casein of the milk is coagulated by the use of acids makes it possible to prepare this dish in a more wholesome manner without waiting for decomposition of the milk. Add to each four quarts of milk one cupful of lemon juice; let it stand until coagulated, then heat slowly, but do not boil, until the curd has entirely separated from the whey. Turn the whole into a colander lined with a square of clean cheese cloth, and drain off the whey. Add to the curd a little salt and cream, mix all together with a spoon or the hands, and form into cakes or balls for the table. The use of lemon gives a delicious flavor, which may be intensified, if desired, by using a trifle of the grated yellow rind. COTTAGE CHEESE FROM BUTTERMILK.--Place a pail of fresh buttermilk in a kettle of boiling water, taking care to have sufficient water to come up even with the milk in the pail. Let the buttermilk remain until it is heated throughout to about 140°, which can be determined by keeping a thermometer in the milk and stirring it frequently. When it is sufficiently heated, empty the curd into strong muslin bags and hang up to drain for several hours. If properly scalded and drained, the curd will be quite dry and may be seasoned and served the same as other cottage cheese. If scalded too much, it will be watery. COTTAGE CHEESE WITH SOUR MILK.--Take a pan of newly-loppered thick sour milk, and place it over a kettle of boiling water until the whey separates from the curd, breaking and cutting the curd as the milk becomes warmed, so as to allow the whey to settle. The milk should be well scalded, but not allowed to boil, as that will render the curd tough and leathery. Have ready a clean piece of cheese cloth spread inside a colander, dip the curd into it, and leave it to drain. If preferred, the corners of the cloth may be tied with a string, thus forming a bag in which the cheese may be hung up to drain. When well drained, remove the dry curd to a dish, rub it fine with the hands, add salt, and season with sweet cream, beating it well through the curd with a silver fork. It may be shaped into balls with the hands or pressed in large cups or bowls. FRENCH BUTTER.--Fill a large, wide-mouthed glass bottle or jar about half full of thick sweet cream. Cork tightly, and with one end of the bottle in each hand shake it vigorously back and forth until the butter has separated from the milk, which it will generally do in a few minutes. Work out the buttermilk, make into small pats, and place on ice until ready to serve. As a rule this butter is not washed or salted, as it is intended for immediate use. SHAKEN MILK.--Fit a conical tin cup closely over a glass of milk and shake it vigorously until all of a foam, after which it should be slowly sipped at once; or a glass of milk may be put into a quart fruit can, the cover tightly screwed on, and then shaken back and forth until the milk is foamy. EMULSIFIED BUTTER.--Boil the butter with water for half an hour to destroy any germs it may contain; use plenty of water and add the butter to it while cold. When boiled, remove from the fire and allow it to become nearly cold, when the butter will have risen to the top and may be removed with a skimmer, or it may be separated from the water by turning the whole after cooling into a clean strainer cloth placed inside a colander. The butter may be pressed in the cloth if any water still remains. If hardened, reheat just sufficient to soften, and add to it, while still liquid, but cooled to about blood heat, the yolk of one egg for each tablespoonful of butter, and stir until very thoroughly mingled. Or, add to each tablespoonful of the liquid butter two level tablespoonfuls of flour, rub together thoroughly, and cook until thickened in a half cupful of boiling water. If cream is not obtainable and butter must be used for seasoning, it is preferable to prepare it in one of the above ways for the purpose, using the quantity given as an equivalent of one cupful of thin cream. It will be evident, however, that these preparations will not only season but thicken whatever they are used in, and that additional liquid should be used on that account. TABLE TOPICS. A little six-year-old boy went into the country visiting. About the first thing he got was a bowl of bread and milk. He tasted it, and then hesitated a moment, when his mother asked if he didn't like it; to which he replied, smacking his lips, "Yes, ma'am. I was only wishing that our milkman in town would keep a cow!" When Horace Greeley was candidate for the presidency, he at one time visited New Orleans, whose old creole residents gave him a dinner; and to make it as fine an affair as possible, each of the many guests was laid under contribution for some of the rarest wines in his cellar. When dinner was announced, and the first course was completed, the waiter appeared at Mr. Greeley's seat with a plate of shrimp. "You can take them away," he said to the waiter, and then added to the horrified French creole gentleman who presided, "I never eat insects of any kind." Later on, soup was served, and at the same time a glass of white wine was placed at Mr. Greeley's right hand. He pushed it quietly away, but not unobserved by the chief host. "Do you not drink wine?" he asked. "No," answered Mr. Greeley; "I never drink any liquors." "Is there anything you would like to drink with your soup?" the host then asked, a little disappointed. "If you've got it," answered Mr. Greeley, "and it isn't any trouble, I'd like a glass of fresh buttermilk." Said the host afterward in his broken English, "Ze idea of electing to ze presidency a man vot drink buttermilk vis his soup!" Old friendships are often destroyed by toasted cheese, and hard salted meat has often led to suicide.--_Sydney Smith._ A German sitting beside a Spanish officer on board a Havana steamer, was munching Limberger cheese with evident satisfaction when it occurred to him that he ought to offer some to his neighbor, who very coolly declined. "You think it unhealthful to eat that?" inquired the German in polite astonishment. "_Unhealthful?_" exclaimed the Hidalgo, with a withering look and a gasp for a more adequate word; "No, sir: I think it an unnatural crime!"--_Oswald._ Good for Dyspepsia.--"Really, don't you think cheese is good for dyspepsia?" said an advocate of the use of this common article of food. "Why, my uncle had dyspepsia all his life, and he took a bit of cheese at the close of every meal!" Mattieu Williams tells us, "When common sense and true sentiment supplant mere unreasoning prejudice, vegetables oils and vegetable fats will largely supplant those of animal origin in every element of our dietary." EGGS As will be seen from the analysis given below, an egg is particularly rich in nitrogenous elements. It is indeed one of the most highly concentrated forms of nitrogenous food, about one third of its weight being solid nutriment, and for this reason is often found serviceable in cases of sickness where it is desirable to secure a large amount of nourishment in small bulk. Composition of the white of an ordinary hen's egg. Nitrogenous matter..................... 20.4 Fatty matter........................... 10.0 Mineral matter......................... 1.6 Water.................................. 68.0 Composition of the yolk. Nitrogenous matter..................... 1.0 Fatty matter........................... 30.7 Mineral matter......................... 1.3 Water.................................. 52.0 The white of egg is composed mainly of albumen in a dissolved state, inclosed in layers of thin membrane. When beaten, the membranes are broken, and the liberated albumen, owing to its viscous or glutinous nature, entangles and retains a large amount of air, thus increasing to several times its original bulk. The yolk contains all the fatty matter, and this, with a modified form of albumen called vitellin, forms a kind of yellow emulsion. It is inclosed in a thin membrane, which separates it from the surrounding white. The yolk, being lighter than the white, floats to that portion of the egg which is uppermost, but is held in position by two membranous cords, one from each end of the egg. The average weight of an egg is about two ounces, of which ten per cent consists of shell, sixty of white, and thirty of yolk. HOW TO CHOOSE EGGS.--The quality of eggs varies considerably, according to the food upon which the fowls are fed. Certain foods communicate distinct flavors, and it is quite probable that eggs may be rendered unwholesome through the use of filthy or improper food; hence it is always best, when practicable, to ascertain respecting the diet and care of the fowls before purchasing eggs. On no account select eggs about the freshness of which there is any reason to doubt. The use of stale eggs may result in serious disturbances of the digestive organs. An English gentleman who has investigated the subject quite thoroughly, finds upon careful microscopical examination that stale eggs often contain cells of a peculiar fungoid growth, which seems to have developed from that portion of the egg which would have furnished material for the flesh and bones of the chick had the process of development been continued. Experiments with such eggs upon dogs produce poisonous effects. There are several ways of determining with tolerable accuracy respecting the freshness of an egg. A common test is to place it between the eye and a strong light. If fresh, the white will appear translucent, and the outline of the yolk can be distinctly traced. By keeping, eggs become cloudy, and when decidedly stale, a distinct, dark, cloud-like appearance may be discerned opposite some portion of the shell. Another test is to shake the egg gently at the ear; if a gurgle or thud is heard, the egg is bad. Again, eggs may be tested by dropping into a vessel containing a solution of salt and water, in the proportion of a tablespoonful to a quart. Newly laid eggs will sink; if more than six days old, they will float in the liquid; if bad, they will be so light as to ride on the surface of the brine. The shell of a freshly laid egg is almost full; but owing to the porous character of the shell, with age and exposure to air a portion of the liquid substance of which the egg is composed evaporates, and air accumulates in its place at one of the extremities of the shell. Hence an egg loses in density from day to day, and the longer the egg has been kept, the lighter it becomes, and the higher it will rise in the liquid. An egg that will float on the surface of the liquid is of too questionable a character to be used without breaking, and is apt to be unfit for use at all. HOW TO KEEP EGGS.--To preserve the interior of an egg in its natural state, it is necessary to seal the pores of the shell air-tight, as the air which finds its way into the egg through the pores of the shell causes gradual decomposition. Various methods are devised to exclude the air and thus preserve the egg. A good way is to dip perfectly fresh eggs into a thick solution of gum-arabic,--equal parts of gum and water,--let the eggs dry and dip them again, taking care that the shells are entirely covered with the solution each time. When dry, wrap separately in paper and pack in a box of sawdust, bran, salt, or powdered charcoal, and cover tightly to keep out the air. There is a difference of opinion as to which end should be placed down in packing; most authorities recommend the smaller end. However, an experienced poultryman offers the following reasons for packing with the larger end down: "The air-chamber is in the larger end, and if that is placed down, the yolk will not break through and touch the shell and thereby spoil. Another thing: if the air-chamber is down, the egg is not so liable to shrink away." It would be well for housekeepers to make the test by packing eggs from the same lot each way and noting the result. Melted wax or suet may be used to coat the shells. Eggs are sometimes immersed and kept in a solution of lime water, a pound of lime to a gallon of cold water, or simply packed in bran or salt, without a previous coating of fat or gum. By any of these methods they will keep for several weeks. Eggs, however, readily absorb flavors from surrounding substances, and for that reason lime water or salt solution are somewhat objectionable. Nothing of a disagreeable odor should be placed near eggs. Eggs for boiling may be preserved by placing in a deep pan, and pouring scalding water over them. Let them stand half a minute, drain off the water, and repeat the process two or three times. Wipe dry, and when cool, pack in bran. Eggs should be kept in a cool, not cold, place and handled carefully, as rough treatment may cause the mingling of the yolk and white by rupturing the membrane which separates them; then the egg will spoil quickly. The time required for the digestion of a perfectly cooked egg varies from three to four hours. It is generally conceded that eggs lightly cooked are most readily digested. What is generally termed a hard-boiled egg is not easily acted upon by the digestive juices, and any other manner of cooking by which the albumen becomes hardened and solid offers great resistance to digestion. TO BEAT EGGS.--This may seem trivial, but no dish requiring eggs can be prepared in perfection, unless they are properly beaten, even if every other ingredient is the best. An egg-beater or an egg-whip is the most convenient utensil for the purpose; but if either of these is not to be had, a silver fork will do very well, and with this the beating should be done in sharp, quick strokes, dipping the fork in and out in rapid succession, while the egg should grow firmer and stiffer with every stroke. When carelessly beaten, the result will be a coarse and frothy instead of a thick and cream-like mass. Use a bowl in beating eggs with an egg-beater, and a plate when a fork or egg-whip is employed. If the white and yolk are used separately, break the shells gently about the middle, opening slowly so as to let the white fall into the dish, while retaining the yolk in one half of the shell. If part of the white remains, turn the yolk from the one half to the other till the white has fallen. Beat the yolks until they change from their natural orange color to a much lighter yellow. The whites should be beaten until firm and dry enough not to fall from the bowl if turned upside down. The yolk should always be beaten first, since, if the white is left to stand after being beaten, a portion of the air, which its viscous nature allows it to catch up, escapes and no amount of beating will render it so firm a second time. Eggs which need to be washed before breaking should always be wiped perfectly dry, that no water may become mingled with the egg, as the water may dilute the albumen sufficiently to prevent the white from becoming firm and stiff when beaten. In cold weather, it is sometimes difficult to beat the whites as stiff as desirable. Albumen is quite susceptible to temperature, and this difficulty may be overcome by setting the dish in which the eggs are beaten into warm water--not hot by any means--during the process of beating. In very hot weather it is often advantageous to leave the eggs in cold or ice water for a short time before beating. When a number of eggs are to be used, always break each by itself into a saucer, so that any chance stale egg may not spoil the whole. If the white or yolk of an egg--is left over, it may be kept for a day or two if put in a cool place, the yolk thoroughly beaten, the white unbeaten. _RECIPES._ EGGS IN SHELL.--The usual method of preparing eggs for serving in this way is to put them into boiling water, and boil or simmer until they are considered sufficiently cooked. Albumen, of which the white of the egg is composed, is easiest digested when simply coagulated. The yolk, if cooked at all, is easiest digested when dry and mealy. Albumen coagulates at 160°, and when the boiling point is reached, it becomes hardened, tough, and leathery, and very difficult of digestion. If the egg were all albumen, it might be easily and properly cooked by dropping into boiling water, allowing it to remain for a few seconds, and removing it, since the shell of the egg would prevent its becoming sufficiently heated in so short a time as to become hardened; but the time necessary to cook properly the white of the egg would be insufficient for the heat to penetrate to and cook the yolk; and if it is desirable to cook the yolk hard, the cooking process should be carried on at a temperature below the boiling point, subjecting the egg to a less degree of heat, but for a longer time. The most accurate method is to put the eggs into water of a temperature of 160°, allowing them to remain for twenty minutes and not permitting the temperature of the water to go above 165°. Cooked in this way, the white will be of a soft, jelly-like consistency throughout, while the yolks will be hard. If it is desired to have the yolks dry and mealy, the temperature of the water must be less, and the time of cooking lengthened. We have secured the most perfect results with water at a temperature of 150°, and seven hours' cooking. The temperature of the water can be easily tested by keeping in it an ordinary thermometer, and if one possesses a kerosene or gas stove, the heat can be easily regulated to maintain the required temperature. Another method, although less sure, is to pour boiling water into a saucepan, draw it to one side of the range where it will keep hot, but not boil, put in the eggs, cover, and let stand for twenty minutes. If by either method it is desired to have the yolk soft-cooked, lessen the time to ten minutes or so, according to the hardness desired. Eggs are best served as soon as done, as the white becomes more solid by being kept in a hot shell. It should be remarked that the time necessary to cook eggs in the shell will vary somewhat with the firmness of the shell, the size of the eggs, and the number cooked together. EGGS IN SUNSHINE.--Take an earthen-ware dish which will stand heat and also do to use in serving the eggs. Oil it and break therein as many eggs as desired; sprinkle lightly with salt, and put into the oven for two or more minutes till the eggs are set. Have ready some hot tomato sauce prepared as for Tomato Toast; pour the sauce over them, and serve. EGGS POACHED IN TOMATOES.--Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, cooked until they are homogeneous or which have been rubbed through a colander; season with salt if desired, and heat. When just beginning to boil, slip in gently a half dozen eggs, the shells of which have been so carefully broken that the yolks are intact. Keep the tomato just below the boiling point until the eggs are cooked. Lift the whites carefully with a fork as they cook, until they are firm, then prick them and let the yellow mix with the tomato and the whites. The whole should be quite soft when done, but showing the red of the tomatoes and the white and yellow of the eggs quite distinctly. Serve on toast. If the flavor is agreeable, a little onion. EGGS IN CREAM.--Put a half cupful or more of cream into a shallow earthen dish, and place the dish in a kettle or pan of boiling water. When the cream is hot, break in as many eggs as the bottom of the dish will hold, and cook until well set, basting them occasionally over the top with the hot cream. Or, put a spoonful or two of cream into individual egg or vegetable dishes, break a fresh egg in each, and cook in the oven or in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water until the white of the egg is well set. POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS.--Break each egg into a saucer by itself. Have a shallow pan half filled with scalding, not boiling, water on the stove. If desired, a little salt and a tablespoonful of lemon juice may be added. Slip the eggs gently from the saucer upon the top of the water, holding the edge of the saucer under water to prevent the eggs from scattering; dip the water over them with a spoon and let them stand five minutes, or until the yolk is covered with a film, and the white is firm but not hardened; keep the water just below the boiling point. Take out the eggs one by one on a skimmer, and serve in egg-saucers, or on slices of nicely browned toast moistened with a little sweet cream, as preferred. If one is especially particular to keep the shape of the eggs, an egg poacher should be used, or a set of muffin-rings may be laid in the bottom of the pan, and the eggs turned into the rings. POACHED EGGS WITH CREAM SAUCE.--Poach eggs as in the foregoing, and pour over them a sauce made according to direction on page 351. QUICKLY PREPARED EGGS.--A good way to cook quickly a large number of eggs, is to use a large-bottomed earthen dish, which will stand the heat and in which the eggs may be served. Oil it well; break the requisite number of eggs separately, and turn each carefully into the dish; sprinkle lightly with salt; set the dish in the oven or in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water for a few minutes until the eggs are set, then serve. SCRAMBLED EGGS.--Beat four eggs lightly, add a little salt if desired, and half a cup of milk or cream. Have ready a hot, oiled saucepan; turn the eggs in and cook quickly, stirring constantly until firm, but soft. STEAMED EGGS.--Break eggs into egg or vegetable dishes or patty-pans, salt very lightly, and set in a steamer over a kettle of boiling water until the whites are set and a film has formed over the yolk. Serve the same as poached eggs, with or without toast. WHIRLED EGGS.--Have a small kettle of water heated almost to boiling, and with a wooden spoon, stir it rapidly round and round in the same direction until a miniature whirlpool is produced. Have ready some eggs broken in separate cups, and drop them carefully one at a time into the whirling water, the stirring of which must be kept up until the egg is a soft round ball. Remove with a skimmer, and serve on cream toast. OMELETS. _RECIPES._ PLAIN OMELET.--Beat the yolks of three eggs to a cream and beat the whites to a stiff froth. Add to the yolks three tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, one tablespoonful of finely grated bread crumbs, and season lightly with salt; lastly, fold, not stir, the whites lightly in. An omelet pan is the best utensil for cooking, but if that is not to be had, an earthen-ware pudding dish which will stand the heat is good; an iron spider will do, but a larger omelet would need to be prepared. A tin saucepan is apt to cook the omelet so rapidly as to burn it in spots. Whatever the utensil used, it should be hot, the fire clear and steady, and all in readiness by the time the eggs are beaten. Oil the dish well and gently pour in the omelet mixture; cover, and place the pan on the range where the heat will be continuous. Do not stir, but carefully, as the egg sets, lift the omelet occasionally by slipping a broad-bladed knife under it, or with a fork by dipping in here and there. It should cook quickly, but not so quickly as to burn. From three to five minutes will generally be ample time. When the middle of the omelet is set, it may be put into a hot oven to dry the top. As soon as the center is dry, it should be removed immediately, as it will be hard and indigestible if overdone. To dish, loosen from the pan by running a knife under it, lay a hot platter, bottom upward, over the pan, and invert the latter so as to shake out the omelet gently, browned side uppermost; or if preferred, double one part over the other before dishing. Serve at once, or it will fall. An omelet of three eggs is sufficient for two or three persons; if more is desired, a second omelet of three eggs may be made. Larger ones are not so light nor so easily prepared. The dish used should be reserved for that purpose alone, and should be kept as smooth and dry as possible. It is better to keep it clean by wiping with a coarse towel than by washing; if the omelet comes from the pan perfectly whole and leaving no fragments behind. FOAM OMELET.--Prepare as above, leaving out the white of one egg, which must be beaten to a stiff froth and spread over the top of the omelet after it is well set. Let this white just heat through by the time the omelet is done. Fold the omelet together, and dish. The whites will burst out around the edges like a border of foam. FANCY OMELETS.--Various fancy omelets may be made by adding other ingredients and preparing the same as for plain omelets. Two or three tablespoonfuls of orange juice instead of milk, with a little grated rind for flavor and three tablespoonfuls of sugar, may be combined with the eggs and called an orange omelet. A little cold cauliflower or cooked asparagus chopped very fine and mixed in when the omelet is ready for the pan, may be denominated a vegetable omelet. SOFT OMELET.--Beat together thoroughly one quart of milk and six eggs. Season with salt. Pour into a shallow earthen pudding dish, and bake in the oven until well set. TABLE TOPICS. The candidates for ancient athletic games were dieted on boiled grain, with warm water, cheese, dried figs, but no meat. An unpleasant reminder.--(Scene, Thanksgiving dinner, everybody commenting on the immense size of the turkey.) An appalling silence fell upon the crowd when Tommy cried out, "Mamma, is that the old sore-headed turkey?" The eminent Prof. Wilder was reared a vegetarian, having passed his earlier years without even knowing that flesh food was ever eaten by human beings. When six years old, he saw on the table for the first time, a roasted chicken, at which he gazed for some moments in great bewilderment, when he seemed to make a discovery, and in his astonishment burst out with the remark, "I'll bet that's a dead hen!" A story is told of a minister who was spending the day in the country, and was invited to dine. There was chicken for dinner, much to the grief of a little boy of the household, who had lost his favorite hen to provide for the feast. After dinner, prayer was proposed, and while the preacher was praying, a poor little lonesome chicken came running under the house, crying for its absent mother. The little boy shouted, "Peepy! Peepy! I didn't kill your mother! They killed her for that big preacher's dinner!" The "Amen" was said very suddenly. MEATS This is the term usually applied to the flesh and various organs of such animals, poultry, and game as are used for food. This class of foods contains representatives of all nutritive elements, but is especially characterized by as excess of albuminous matter. But in actual nutritive value flesh foods do not exceed various other food materials. A comparison of the food grains with beefsteak and other flesh foods, shows, in fact, that a pound of grain is equivalent in food value to two or three pounds of flesh. At present time there is much question in the minds of many intelligent, thinking people as to the propriety of using foods of this class, and especially of their frequent use. Besides being in no way superior to vegetable substances, they contain elements of an excrementitious character, which cannot be utilized, and which serve only to clog and impede the vital processes, rendering the blood gross, filling the body with second-hand waste material which was working its way out of the vital domain of the animal when slaughtered. To this waste matter, consisting of unexpelled excretions, are added those produced by the putrefactive processes which so quickly begin in flesh foods exposed to air and warmth. That flesh foods are stimulating has been shown by many observations and experiments. Flesh foods are also specially liable to be diseased and to communicate to the consumer the same disease. The prevalence of disease among animals used for food is known to be very great, and their transmission to man is no longer a matter of dispute. It has been abundantly proved that such diseases as the parasitic, tuberculous, erysipelatous, and foot and mouth diseases are most certainly communicable to man by infected flesh. All stall and sty fed animals are more or less diseased. Shut up in the dark, cut off from exercise, the whole fattening process is one of progressive disease. No living creature could long retain good health under such unnatural and unwholesome conditions. Add to this the exhaustion and abuse of animals before slaughtering; the suffering incident to long journeys in close cars, often without sufficient food and water; and long drives over dusty roads under a burning sun to the slaughter house, and it will be apparent to all thoughtful persons that such influences are extremely liable to produce conditions of the system that render the flesh unfit for food. Thousands of animals are consumed each year which were slaughtered just in time to save them from dying a natural death. It is a common thing for cattle owners, as soon as an animal shows symptoms of decline, to send it to the butcher at once; and when epidemics of cattle diseases are prevalent, there can be no doubt that the meat markets are flooded with diseased flesh. There are few ways in which we can more effectually imperil our health than in partaking freely of diseased animal food. This is no new theory. The Jews have for ages recognized this danger, and their laws require the most careful examination of all animals to be used as food, both before and after slaughtering. Their sanitary regulations demand that beast or fowl for food must be killed by bleeding through the jugular vein, and not, according to custom, by striking on the head, or in some violent way. Prior to the killing, the animal must be well rested and its respiration normal; after death the most careful dissection and examination of the various parts are made by a competent person, and no flesh is allowed to be used for food which has not been inspected and found to be perfectly sound and healthy. As a result, it is found in many of our large cities that only about one in twenty of the animals slaughtered is accepted as food for a Jew. The rejected animals are sold to the general public, who are less scrupulous about the character of their food, and who are in consequence more subject to disease and shorter-lived than are Jews. Trichinæ, tapeworms, and various other parasites which infest the flesh of animals, are so common that there is always more or less liability to disease from these sources among consumers of flesh foods. Meat is by no means necessary for the proper maintenance of life or vigorous health, as is proved by the fact that at least "four tenths of the human race," according to Virey, "subsist exclusively upon a vegetable diet, and as many as seven tenths are practically vegetarians." Some of the finest specimens of physical development and mental vigor are to be found among those who use very little or no animal food. Says St. Pierre, a noted French author, "The people living upon vegetable foods are of all men the handsomest, the most vigorous, the lease exposed to disease and passion; and they are those whose lives last longest." The use of large quantities of animal food, however free from disease germs, has a tendency to develop the animal propensities to a greater or less degree, especially in the young, whose characters are unformed. Among animals we find the carnivorous the most vicious and destructive, while those which subsist upon vegetable foods are by nature gentle and tractable. There is little doubt that this law holds good among men as well as animals. If we study the character and lives of those who subsist largely upon animal food, we are apt to find them impatient, passionate, fiery in temper, and in other respects greatly under the dominion of their lower natures. There are many other objections to the use of this class of foods--so many in fact that we believe the human race would be far healthier, better, and happier if flesh foods were wholly discarded. If, however, they are to be used at all, let them be used sparingly and prepared in the simplest and least harmful manner. Let them be cooked and served in their own juices, not soaked in butter or other oils, or disguised by the free use of pepper, mustard, catsup, and other pungent sauces. Salt also should be used only in the smallest possible quantities, as it hardens the fiber, rendering it more difficult of digestion. We can conceive of no possible stretch of hygienic laws which admits the use of pork; so we shall give it and its products no consideration in our pages. Such offal as calves' brains, sheep's kidneys, beef livers, and other viscera, is not fit food for any one but a scavenger. The liver and kidneys are depurating organs, and their use as food is not only unwholesome but often exceedingly poisonous. Meat pies, scallops, sauces, fricassees, _pâtés_, and other fancy dishes composed of a mixture of animal foods, rich pastry, fats, strong condiments, etc., are by no means to be recommended as hygienic, and will receive no notice in these pages. In comparative nutritive value, beef ranks first among the flesh foods. Mutton, though less nutritive, is more easily digested than beef. This is not appreciable to a healthy person, but one whose digestive powers are weak will often find that mutton taxes the stomach less than beef. Veal or lamb is neither so nutritious nor so easily digested as beef or mutton. Flesh from different animals, and that from various parts of the same animal, varies in flavor, composition, and digestibility. The mode of life and the food of animals influence in a marked manner the quality of the meat. Turnips give a distinctly recognizable flavor to mutton. The same is true of many fragrant herbs found by cattle feeding in pastures. THE SELECTION OF MEAT.--Good beef is of a reddish-brown color and contains no clots of blood. A pale-pink color indicates that the animal was diseased; a dark-purple color that the animal has suffered from some acute febrile affection or was not slaughtered, but died with the blood in its body. Good beef is firm and elastic to the touch; when pressed with the finger, no impression is left. It should be so dry upon the surface as scarcely to moisten the fingers. Meat that is wet, sodden, and flabby should not be eaten. Good beef is marbled with spots of white fat. The suet should be dry and crumble easily. If the fat has the appearance of wet parchment or is jelly-like, the beef is not good. Yellow fat is an indication of old, lean animals. Good beef has little or no odor. If any odor is perceptible, it is not disagreeable. Diseased meat has a sickly odor, resembling the breath of feverish persons. When such meat is roasted, it emits a strong, offensive smell. The condition of a piece of beef may be ascertained by dipping a knife in hot water, drying it, and passing it through the meat. Apply to the nose on withdrawal, and if the meat is not good, a disagreeable odor will be quite perceptible. Good beef will not shrink greatly in cooking. In boiling or stewing, the shrinkage is computed to be about one pound in four; in baking, one and one fourth pounds in four. Beef of a close, firm fiber shrinks less than meat of coarse fiber. Good veal is slightly reddish or pink, and the fat should be white and clear. Avoid veal without fat, as such is apt to be too young to be wholesome. Good mutton should be firm and compact, the flesh, fine-grained and bright-red, with an accumulation of very hard and clear white fat along the borders of the muscles. Meat should not be kept until decomposition sets in, as by the putrefaction of the albuminous elements certain organic poisons are generated, and flesh partaken of in this condition is liable to result in serious illness. Meat containing white specks is probably infested by parasites and should not be used as food. PRESERVATION OF MEAT.--The tendency of flesh foods to rapid decomposition has led to the use of various antiseptic agents and other methods for its preservation. One of the most common methods is that of immersion in a brine made of a solution of common salt to which a small portion of saltpeter has been added. This abstracts the juice from the meat and also lessens the tendency to putrefaction. Salt is used in various other ways for preserving meat. It should be remarked, however, that cured and dried meats are much more difficult to digest than fresh meat, and the nature of the meat itself is so changed by the process as to render its nutritive value much less. Meat is sometimes packed in salt and afterward dried, either in the sun or in a current of dry air. Both salting and smoking are sometimes employed. By these means the juices are abstracted by the salt, and at the same time the flesh is contracted and hardened by the action of creosote and pyroligneous acid from the smoke. What is termed "jerked" beef is prepared by drying in a current of warm air at about 140°. This dried meat, when reduced to a powder and packed in air-tight cans, may be preserved for a long time. When mixed with fat, it forms the pemmican used by explorers in Arctic voyages. Meat is also preserved by cooking and inclosing in air-tight cans after the manner of canning fruit. This process is varied in a number of ways. The application of cold has great influence in retarding decomposition, and refrigeration and freezing are often employed for the preservation of flesh foods. All of these methods except the last are open to the objection that while they preserve the meat, they greatly lessen its nutritive value. It should also be understood that the decomposition of its flesh begins almost the moment an animal dies, and continues at a slow rate even when the flesh is kept at a low temperature. The poisons resulting from this decomposition are often deadly, and are always detrimental to health. THE PREPARATION AND COOKING OF MEAT.--Meat, when brought from the market, should be at once removed from the paper in which it is wrapped, as the paper will absorb the juices of the meat; and if the wrapping is brown paper, the meat is liable to taste of it. Joints of meat should not be hung with the cut surface down, as the juices will be wasted. Meat kept in a refrigerator should not be placed directly on the ice, but always upon plates or shelves, as the ice will freeze it or else draw out its juices. If meat is accidentally frozen, it should be thoroughly thawed in cold water before cutting. Meat should not be cleaned by washing with water, as that extracts the nutritive juices, but by thoroughly wiping the outside with a damp cloth. The inside needs no cleaning. Meat may be cooked by any of the different methods of cookery,--boiling, steaming, stewing, roasting, broiling, baking, etc.,--according as the object is to retain the nutriment wholly within the meat; to draw it all out into the water, as in soups or broths; or to have it partly in the water and partly in the meat, as in stews. Broiling is, however, generally conceded to be the most wholesome method, but something will necessarily depend upon the quality of the meat to be cooked. Meat which has a tough, hard fiber will be made tenderest by slow, continuous cooking, as stewing. Such pieces as contain a large amount of gelatine--a peculiar substance found in the joints and gristly parts of meat, and which hardens in a dry heat--are better stewed than roasted. BOILING.--The same principles apply to the boiling of all kinds of meats. The purpose to be attained by this method is to keep the nutritive juices so far as possible intact within the meat; consequently, the piece to be cooked should be left whole, so that only a small amount of surface will be exposed to the action of the water. Since cold water extracts albumen, of which the juices of the meat are largely composed, while hot water coagulates it, meat to be boiled should be plunged into boiling water sufficient to cover it and kept there for five or ten minutes, by which time the albumen over the entire surface will have become hardened, thus forming a coat through which the juices cannot escape. Afterward the kettle, closely covered, may be set aside where the water will retain a temperature of about 180°. A small portion of albumen from the outer surface will escape into the water in the form of scum, and should be removed. Meat cooked in this way will require a longer time than when the water is kept boiling furiously, but it is superior in every respect and more digestible. Something depends upon the shape of the piece cooked, thin pieces requiring less time than a thick, cubical cut; but approximately, first allowing fifteen or twenty minutes for the heat to penetrate the center of the meat, at which time the real process of cooking begins, it will require from twelve to fifteen minutes for every pound cooked. STEWING.--While the object in boiling is to preserve the juices within the meat as much as possible, in stewing, the process is largely reversed; the juices are to be partly extracted. Some of the juices exist between the fibers, and some are found within the fibers. The greater the surface exposed, the more easily these juices will be extracted; hence meat for stewing should be cut into small pieces and cooked in a small quantity of water. Since cold water extracts the albuminous juices, while boiling water hardens them into a leathery consistency, water used for stewing should be neither cold nor boiling, but of a temperature which will barely coagulate the albumen and retain it in the meat in as tender a condition as possible; _i.e.,_ about 134° to 160°. To supply this temperature for the prolonged process of cooking necessary in stewing, a double boiler of some form is quite necessary. Put the pieces of meat to be stewed in the inner dish, add hot water enough to cover, fill the outer boiler with hot water, and let this outer water simmer very gently until the meat is perfectly tender. The length of time required will be greater than when meat is stewed directly in simmering water, but the result will be much more satisfactory. The juices should be served with the meat. STEAMING.--Meat is sometimes steamed over boiling water until it is made very tender and afterward browned in the oven. Another method of steaming, sometimes called smothering, is that of cooking meat in a tightly covered jar in a moderate oven for an hour (the moderate heat serves to draw out the juice of the meat), after which the heat is increased, and the meat cooked in its own juices one half hour for each pound. ROASTING.--This method, which consists in placing meat upon a revolving spit and cooking it before an open fire, is much less employed now than formerly, when fireplaces were in general use. What is ordinarily termed roasting is in reality cooking meat it in own juices in a hot oven. In cooking meat by this method it is always desirable to retain the juices entirely within the meat, which can be best accomplished by first placing the clean-cut sides of the meat upon a smoking-hot pan over a quick fire; press the meat close to the pan until well scared and slightly browned, then turn over and sear the opposite side in the same manner. This will form a coating of hardened albumen, through which the interior juices cannot escape. Put at once into the oven, arrange the fire so that the heat will be firm and steady but not too intense, and cook undisturbed until tender. Basting is not necessary if the roast is carefully seared and the oven kept at proper temperature. When the heat of the oven is just right, the meat will keep up a continuous gentle sputtering in the pan. If no sputtering can be heard, the heat is insufficient. The heat is too great when the drippings burn and smoke. BROILING.--This is the method employed for cooking thin cuts of meat in their own juices over glowing coals. When properly done, broiled meat contains a larger amount of uncoagulated albumen than can be secured by cooking in any other manner; hence it is the most wholesome. For broiling, a bed of clear, glowing coals without flame is the first essential. Coke, charcoal, or anthracite coal serves best for securing this requisite. In an ordinary stove, the coals should be nearly to the top of the fire-box, that the meat may be held so as almost to touch the fire. No utensil is better for ordinary purposes than a double wire broiler. First, rub it well with a bit of suet, then put in the meat with the thickest part in the center. Wrap a coarse towel around the hand to protect it from the heat, hold the meat as near the fire as possible, so as to sear one side instantly, slowly count ten, then turn and sear the other side. Continue the process, alternating first one side and then the other, slowly counting ten before each turning, until the meat is sufficiently done. Successful broiling is largely dependent upon frequent turning. The heat, while it at once sears the surface, starts the flow of the juices, and although they cannot escape through the hardened surface, if the meat were entirely cooked on one side before turning, they would soon come to the top, and when it was turned over, would drip into the fire. If the meat is seared on both sides, the juices will be retained within, unless the broiling is too prolonged, when they will ooze out and evaporate, leaving the meat dry and leathery. Salt draws out the juices, and should not be added until the meat is done. As long as meat retains its juices, it will spring up instantly when pressed with a knife; when the juices have begun to evaporate, it will cease to do this. Broiled meats should be served on hot dishes. BEEF. ECONOMY AND ADAPTABILITY IN SELECTION.--While the greatest care should be exercised in the selection of beef as regards its soundness and wholesomeness, it must likewise be selected with reference to economy and adaptability for cooking purposes, pieces from different portions of the animal being suitable for cooking only in certain ways. Ox beef is said to be best. That beef is most juicy and tender which has fine streaks of fat intermingled with the lean. Beef which is coarse-grained and hard to cut is apt to be tough. An economical piece of beef to purchase is the back of the rump. It is a long piece with only a small portion of bone, and weighs about ten pounds. The thickest portion may be cut into steaks, the thin, end with bone may be utilized for soups and stews, while the remainder will furnish a good roast. Only a small portion of choice tender lean meat is to be found in one animal, and these are also the most expensive; but the tougher, cheaper parts, if properly cooked, are nearly as nutritious. _RECIPES._ BROILED BEEF.--Beef for broiling should be juicy and have a tender fiber. Steaks cut from three parts of the beef are in request for this purpose,--tenderloin, porterhouse, and round steak. The last-named is the more common and economical, yet it is inferior in juice and tenderness to the other two. Steak should be cut three fourths of an inch or more in thickness. If it is of the right quality, do not pound it; if very tough, beat with a steak-mallet or cut across it several times on both sides with a sharp knife. Wipe, and remove any bone and superfluous fat. Have the fire in readiness, the plates heating, then proceed as directed on page 398. COLD-MEAT STEW.--Cut pieces of cold roast beef into thick slices and put into a stewpan with six or eight potatoes, a good-sized bunch of celery cut into small pieces; and a small carrot cut in dice may be added if the flavor is liked. Cover with hot water, and simmer for three fourths of an hour. Thicken with a little browned flour. PAN-BROILED STEAK.--In the absence of the necessary appliances for broiling over coals, the following method may be employed. Heat a clean skillet to blue heat, rub it with a bit of suet, just enough to keep the meat from sticking, but leave no fat in the pan. Lay in the steak, pressing it down to the pan, and sear quickly on one side; turn, and without cutting into the meat, sear upon the other. Keep the skillet hot but do not scorch; cook from five to ten minutes, turning frequently, so as not to allow the juices to escape. Add no salt until done. Serve on hot plates. This method is not frying, and requires the addition of no water, butter, or stock. PAN-BROILED STEAK NO.2.--Take a smooth pancake-griddle, or in lieu of anything better, a clean stove-griddle may be used; heat very hot and sear each side of the steak upon it. When well seared, lift the steak into a hot granite-ware or sheet-iron pan, cover, and put into a hot oven for two or three minutes, or until sufficiently cooked. ROAST BEEF.--The sirloin and rib and rump pieces are the best cuts for roasting. Wipe, trim, and skewer into shape. Sear the cut surfaces and proceed as directed on page 397, cooking twenty minutes to the pound if it is to be rare, less half an hour deducted on account of soaring. The application of salt and water has a tendency to toughen the meat and draw out its juices; so if it is desired to have the meat juicy and tender, it is better to cook without basting. Unless the heat of the oven is allowed to become too great, when meat is cooked after this manner there will be a quantity of rich, jelly-like material in the pan, which with the addition of a little water and flour may be made into a gravy. SMOTHERED BEEF.--Portions from the round, middle, or face of the rump are generally considered best for preparing this dish. Wipe with a clean wet cloth, put into a smoking-hot skillet, and carefully sear all cut surfaces. Put into a kettle, adding for a piece of beef weighing about six pounds, one cup of hot water. Cover closely and cook at a temperature just below boiling, until the meat is tender but not broken. As the water boils away, enough more boiling water may be added to keep the meat from burning. Another method of securing the same results is to cut the beef into small pieces and put into a moderate oven inside a tightly covered jar for an hour. Afterward increase the heat and cook closely covered until the meat is tender. Thicken and season the juice, and serve as a gravy. VEGETABLES WITH STEWED BEEF.--Prepare the beef as directed for Stewed Beef, and when nearly tender, add six or eight potatoes. Just before serving, thicken the gravy with a little browned flour braided in cold water, and add a cup of strained, stewed tomato and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. STEWED BEEF.--The aitch-bone and pieces from the shin, the upper part of the chuck-rib and neck of beef, are the parts most commonly used for stewing. All meat for stews should be carefully dressed and free from blood. Those portions which have bone and fat, as well as lean beef, make much better-flavored stews than pieces which are wholly lean. The bones, however, should not be crushed or splintered, but carefully sawed or broken, and any small pieces removed before cooking. It is generally considered that beef which has been previously browned makes a much more savory stew, and it is quite customary first to brown the meat by frying in hot fat. A much more wholesome method, and one which will have the same effect as to flavor, is to add to the stew the remnants of roasts or steak. It is well when selecting meat for a stew to procure a portion, which, like the aitch-bone, has enough juicy meat upon it to serve the first day as a roast for a small family. Cut the meat for a stew into small pieces suitable for serving, add boiling water, and cook as directed on page 396. Remove all pieces of bone and the fat before serving. If the stew is made of part cooked and part uncooked meat, the cooked meat should not be added until the stew is nearly done. The liquor, if not of the proper consistency when the meat is tender, may be thickened by adding a little flour braided in cold water, cooking these after four or five minutes. MUTTON. The strong flavor of mutton is said to be due to the oil from the wool, which penetrates the skin, or is the result, through heedlessness or ignorance of the butcher, in allowing the wool to come in contact with the flesh. There is a quite perceptible difference in the flavor of mutton from a sheep which had been for some time sheared of its woolly coat and that from one having a heavy fleece. The smallest proportion of both fat and bone to muscle is found in the leg; consequently this is the most valuable portion for food, and is likewise the most economical, being available for many savory dishes. On account of the disagreeable adhesive qualities of its fat when cold, mutton should always be served hot. _RECIPES._ BOILED LEG OF MUTTON.--Wipe carefully, remove the fat, and put into boiling water. Skim, and cook as directed on page 395, twelve minutes for each pound. BROILED CHOPS.--The best-flavored and most tender chops are those from the loins. Remove carefully all the pink skin above the fat, scraping it off if possible without cutting into the lean. Wipe with a wet cloth, and broil in the same manner as beefsteak over hot coals or in a hot skillet, turning frequently until done; five or eight minutes will suffice to cook. Sprinkle salt on each side, drain on paper, and serve hot. POT-ROAST LAMB.--For this purpose a stone jar or pot is best, although iron or granite-ware will do; wipe the meat well and gash with a sharp knife. If crowded closely in the pot, all the better; cover with a lid pressed down firmly with a weight to hold it if it does not fit tightly. No water is needed, and no steam should be allowed to escape during the cooking. Roast four or five hours in a moderate oven. ROAST MUTTON.--The best pieces for this purpose are those obtained from the shoulder, and saddle, loin, and haunches. Wipe carefully, sear the cut surfaces, and proceed as directed for roasting beef. Cook slowly without basting, and unless desired rare, allow twenty-five or thirty minutes to the pound. A leg of mutton requires a longer time to roast than a shoulder. When sufficiently roasted, remove from the pan and drain off all the grease. STEWED MUTTON.--Pieces from the neck and shoulder are most suitable for this purpose. Prepare the meat, and stew as directed for beef, although less time is usually required. STEWED MUTTON CHOP.--Wipe, trim off the fat, and remove the bone from two or three pounds of chops. Put into the inner dish of a double boiler with just enough hot water to cover; add a minced stalk of celery, a carrot, and a white turnip cut in dice; cover, and cook until the chops are tender. Sliced potato may be added if liked, when the meat is nearly done. Remove the grease and thicken the liquor with a little browned flour braided with thin cream. STEWED MUTTON CHOP NO. 2.--Prepare the chops as in the preceding. Place a layer of meat in a deep baking dish, and then a layer of sliced potato, sprinkled with a little minced celery. Add two or more layers of meat, alternating with layers of potatoes. Cover with boiling water and bake closely covered in a very moderate oven two and a half hours. VEAL AND LAMB.--Both veal and lamb should be thoroughly cooked; otherwise they are not wholesome. They may be prepared for the tale in the same way as beef or mutton, but will require longer time for cooking. POULTRY AND GAME. Poultry and game differ from other animal foods in the relative quantity of fat and the quality of their juices. The fat of birds is laid up underneath the skin and in various internal parts of the body, while but a small proportion is mingled with the fibers or the juices of the flesh. The flesh of the chicken, turkey, and guinea-fowl is more delicately flavored, more tender and easy to digest, than that of geese and ducks. Chickens broiled require three hours for digestion; when boiled or roasted, four hours are needed. The flesh of poultry is less stimulating than beef, and is thus considered better adapted for invalids. The flesh of wild fowl contains less fat than that of poultry; it is also tender and easy of digestion. Different birds and different parts of the same bird, vary considerably in color and taste. The breed, food, and method of fattening, influence the quality of this class of foods. Fowls poorly fed and allowed wide range are far from cleanly in their habits of eating; in fact, they are largely scavengers, and through the food they pick up, often become infested with internal parasites, and affected with tuberculosis and other diseases which are liable to be communicated to those who eat their flesh. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SELECTION OF POULTRY AND GAME.--The first care in the selection of poultry should be its freedom from disease. Birds deprived of exercise, shut up in close cages, and regularly stuffed with as much corn or soft food as they can swallow, may possess the requisite fatness, but it is of a most unwholesome character. When any living creature ceases to exercise, its excretory organs cease to perform their functions thoroughly, and its body becomes saturated with retained excretions. A stall-fed fowl may be recognized by the color of its fat, which is pale white, and lies in thick folds beneath the skin along the lower half of the backbone. The entire surface of the body presents a more greasy, uninviting appearance than that of fowls permitted to live under natural conditions. Never purchase fowls which have been sent to the market undrawn. All animals intended for use as food should be dressed as quickly as possible after killing. Putrefactive changes begin very soon after death, and the liver and other viscera, owing to their soft texture and to the quantity of venous blood they retain, advance rapidly in decomposition. When a fowl or animal is killed, even if the large arteries at the throat are cut, a large quantity of blood remains in and around the intestines, owing to the fact that only through the capillaries of the liver can the blood in the portal system find its way into the large vessels which convey it to the heart, and which at death are cut off from the general circulation at both ends by a capillary system. This leaves the blood-vessels belonging to the portal circulation distended with venous blood, which putrefies very quickly, forming a virulent poison. The contents of the intestines of all creatures are always in a more or less advanced state of putrescence, ready to undergo rapid decomposition as soon as the preservative action of the intestinal fluids ceases. It will readily be seen, then, that the flesh of an undrawn fowl must be to a greater or less degree permeated with the poisonous gases and other products of putrefaction, and is certainly quite unfit for food. Young fowls have soft, yellow feet, a smooth, moist skin, easily torn with a pin, wings which will spring easily, and a breastbone which will yield to pressure. Pinfeathers are an indication of a young bird; older fowls are apt to have sharp scales, long hairs, long, thin necks, and flesh with a purplish tinge. Poultry should be entirely free from disagreeable odors. Methods are employed for sweetening fowls which have been kept too long in market, but if they need such attention, bury them decently rather than cook them for the table. Turkeys should have clear, full eyes, and soft, loose spurs. The legs of young birds are smooth and black; those of older ones, rough and reddish. Geese and ducks, when freshly killed, have supple feet. If young, the windpipe and beak can be easily broken by pressure of the thumb and forefinger. Young birds also have soft, white fat, tender skin, yellow feet, and legs free from hairs. The legs of young pigeons are flesh-colored. When in good condition, the breast should be full and plump, and if young, it is of a light reddish color. Old pigeons have dark flesh; squabs always have pinfeathers. Partridges, when young, have dark bills and yellow legs. The breast of all birds should be full and plump. Birds which are diseased always fall away on the breast, and the bone feels sharp and protrudes. TO DRESS POULTRY AND BIRDS.--First strip off the feathers a few at a time, with a quick, jerking motion toward the tail. Remove pinfeathers with a knife. Fowls should be picked, if possible, while the body retains some warmth, as scalding is apt to spoil the skin and parboil the flesh. When all the feathers but the soft down have been removed, a little hot water may be poured on, when the down can be easily rubbed off with the palm of the hand. Wipe dry, and singe the hairs off by holding the bird by the legs over the flame of a candle, a gas-jet, or a few drops of alcohol poured on a plate and lighted. To dress a bird successfully, one should have some knowledge of its anatomy, and it is well for the amateur first to dress one for some dish in which it is not to be cooked whole, when the bird may be opened, and the position of its internal organs studied. Remove the head, slip the skin back from the neck, and cut it off close to the body, take out the windpipe and pull out the crop from the end of the neck. Make an incision through the skin a little below the leg-joint, bend the leg at this point and break off the bone. If care has been taken to cut only through the skin, the tendons of the leg may now be easily removed with the fingers. If the bird is to be cut up, remove the legs and wings at the joints. Then beginning near the vent, cut the membrane down between the breastbone and tail to the backbone on each side, and separate just below the ribs. The internal organs can now been seen and easily removed, and the body of the bird divided at its joints. If desired to keep the fowl whole, after removing the windpipe and crop, loosen the heart, liver, and lungs by introducing the forefinger at the neck; cut off the oil-sack, make a slit horizontally under the tail, insert the first and middle fingers, and after separating the membranes which lie close to the body, press them along within the body until the heart and liver can be felt. The gall bladder lies directly under the left lobe of the liver, and if the fingers are kept up, and all adhesions loosened before an effort is made to draw the organs out, there will be little danger of breaking it. Remove everything which can be taken out, then hold the, fowl under the faucet and cleanse thoroughly. TO TRUSS A FOWL OR BIRD.--Twist the tips of the wings back under the shoulder and bend the legs as far up toward the breast as possible, securing them in that position by putting a skewer through one thigh into the body and out through the opposite thigh. Then bring the legs down and fasten close to the vent. TO STUFF A FOWL.--Begin at the neck, stuff the breast full, draw the neck skin together, double it over on the back and fasten with a darning needle threaded with fine twine. Put the remainder of the stuffing into the body at the other opening. _RECIPES._ BIRDS BAKED IN SWEET POTATOES.--Small birds, of which the breast is the only suitable portion for eating, may be baked in the following manner: Cut a sweet potato lengthwise; make a cavity in each half. Place the breast of the bird therein; fit, and tie together carefully; bake until the potato is soft. Serve in the potato. BOILED FOWL.--After cleaning and dividing the fowl, put into boiling water, and proceed as directed on page 395. BROILED BIRDS.--Pluck and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Split down the middle of the back, and carefully draw the bird. Proceed as directed below. BROILED FOWL.--A young bird well dressed and singed is best for this purpose. Split down the middle of the back, wipe clean with a damp cloth, twist the top of the wings from the second joint; spread out flat, and with a rolling pin break the projecting breastbone so that the bird will lie flat upon the broiler. When ready to cook, place it skin uppermost and sear the under side by pressing it on a hot pan; then broil the same as beefsteak over glowing coals. CORN AND CHICKEN.--Clean and divide a chicken in joints. Stew in milk or part milk and water until nearly tender; then add the grains and juice from a dozen ears of corn. Cook slowly until the corn is done; season lightly with salt, and serve with dry toast. PIGEONS, QUAILS, AND PARTRIDGES may be half baked, then cooked as directed for Smothered Chicken until tender. ROAST CHICKEN.--Dress carefully, singe, wash, and wipe dry. Put into a pan of the proper size, add a cup of boiling water, and cook very slowly for the first half hour, then increase the heat, baste frequently, turn occasionally so that no portion will brown too fast. Cook from one to two hours according to size and age of the bird. It is usually considered essential to stuff a fowl for roasting, but a dressing compounded of melted fat and crumbs seasoned with herbs and strong condiments is not to be recommended. If a dressing is considered necessary, it may be made of a quart of crumbs of rather stale whole-wheat bread, moistened with cream, to which add a small handful of powdered and sifted sage leaves which have been dried in the oven until crisp. Add salt as desired, a well-beaten egg, and a little chopped celery. ROAST TURKEY.--Pluck, singe, and dress the turkey; wash thoroughly and wipe with a dry cloth. If dressing is to be used, stuff the body full, sew up, and truss. Place in a dripping-pan, add a pint of boiling water, and put in an oven so moderate that the turkey will not brown for the first hour; afterward the heat may be somewhat increased, but at no time should the oven be very hot. After the bird becomes brown, baste it occasionally with the water in the pan, dredging lightly with flour. Cook until the legs will separate from the body; three or four hours will be necessary for a small turkey. One half hour to the pound is the usual rule. When tender, remove the stuffing and serve it hot, placing the turkey on a large hot platter to be carved. It may be garnished with parsley or celery leaves and served with cranberry sauce. Ducks and geese may be prepared and roasted in the same manner, but less time will suffice for cooking, about one and one third hours for ducks of ordinary size, and about three hours for a young goose. A stuffing of mashed potato seasoned with onion, sage, and salt is considered preferable for a goose. Equal parts of bread crumbs and chopped apples moistened in a little cream are also used for this purpose. SMOTHERED CHICKEN.--Cut two chickens into joints and put in a closely covered kettle with a pint of boiling water. Heat very slowly to boiling, skim, keep covered, and simmer until tender and the water evaporated; add salt, turn the pieces, and brown them in their own juices. STEAMED CHICKEN.--Prepare the chicken as for roasting, steam until nearly tender, dredge with flour and a little salt; put into a dripping-pan and brown in the oven. Other birds and fowls may be prepared in the same way. STEWED CHICKEN.--Divide a chicken into pieces suitable for serving, and stew as directed for beef on page 400. Old fowls left whole and stewed in this manner for a long time and afterward roasted, are much better than when prepared in any other way. If a gravy is desired, prepare as for stewed beef. Other poultry may be stewed likewise. FISH. Fish is a less stimulating article of food than other meats. Edible fish are generally divided into two classes, those of white flesh and those more or less red. The red-fleshed fish, of which the salmon is a representative, have their fat distributed throughout the muscular tissues, while in white fish the fat is stored up in the liver; hence the latter class is much easier of digestion, and being less stimulating, is to be recommended as more wholesome. Different kinds of fish have different nutritive values. Their flavor and wholesomeness are greatly influenced by the nature of their food and the condition of the water in which they are caught; those obtained in deep water with strong currents are considered superior to those found in shallow water. Fish are sometimes poisonous, owing no doubt to the food they eat. Like all animal foods, fish are subject to parasites, some of which take up their abode in the human body when fish infected with them are eaten. An eminent scientist connected with the Smithsonian Institution, contributed an article to _Forest and Stream_ a few years ago, in which he stated that in the salmon no less than sixteen kinds of parasitic worms have been discovered, and undoubtedly many others remain unknown; four species were tapeworms, and four, roundworms. The yellow perch is known to be infested with twenty-three species of parasitic worms. The pike carries with him at least twenty kinds, while many other varieties of fish are equally infested. Fish have been highly lauded as a food particularly suited to the development of the brain and nervous system. This no doubt has arisen from the fact that fish contain a considerable amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus is also present in the human brain, and for this reason it has been supposed that fish must be excellent nutriment for the brain; but the truth is, there is no such thing as any special brain or nerve food. What is good to build up one part of the body is good for the whole of it; a really good food contains the elements to nourish every organ of the body. Salted fish, like salted meat, is deprived of most of its nutriment during the curing process, and being rendered much more difficult of digestion, possesses very little value as a food. SHELL-FISH (OYSTERS, CLAMS, SCALLOPS, LOBSTERS, CRABS, ETC.)--Although considered a luxury by epicures, shellfish are not possessed of a high nutritive value. The whole class are scavengers by nature and according to recent researches it appears that they are not altogether safe articles of diet. Many cases of severe and extensive sickness have been traced to the use of clams and oysters. Investigations made to ascertain the cause show the poisonous part of the mussel to be the liver. Rabbits and other small animals inoculated with the poison died in one or two minutes. Not all mussels are thus poisonous, but inasmuch as there is an abundance of wholesome food, it would certainly seem the part of wisdom to discard shellfish altogether. HOW TO SELECT AND PREPARE FISH.--The flesh of good, fresh fish is firm and hard, and will respond at once to pressure with the fingers. If the flesh feels soft and flabby, the fish is not fresh. The eyes should be full and bright and the gills of a clear red color. Fish should be cleaned as soon as possible after being caught. To do this, lay the fish upon a board, and holding it by the tail, scrape off the scales with a dull knife held nearly flat, working from the tail toward the head. Scrape slowly, and rinse the knife frequently in cold water. Cut off the head and fins, make an opening from the gills halfway down the lower part of the body, scrape out the entrails and every particle of blood. Remove the white part that lies along the backbone, then thoroughly rinse and wipe dry. Keep in a cool place until ready to cook, but do not place directly on ice, as that will have a tendency to soften the flesh. Fresh fish should never be allowed to soak in water. If salt fish is to be used, it should be freshened by placing it skin-side up in cold water, and soaking for several hours, changing the water frequently. Frozen fish should be placed in cold water to thaw, and when thawed, should be cooked immediately. Fish is cooked by nearly all methods, but retains more nourishment when broiled or baked. It should be thoroughly cooked, being both indigestible and unpalatable when underdone. Boiled fish is usually dependent for flavor upon some kind of rich sauce so incompatible with healthy digestion that we do not recommend this method. _RECIPES._ BAKED FISH.--Select a perfectly fresh, properly dressed fish. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry. Fold it together and place in a dripping pan with a cup of boiling water. Cook slowly and steadily until tender. A fish weighing three or four pounds will require at least two hours. If desired, the fish may be lightly dredged with flour, toward the last, as it begins to brown. BROILED FISH.--Thoroughly clean the fish, and if small, split down the back. Fish of larger size should be cut into inch slices. Use a double wire broiler well oiled with a bit of suet. Lay the fish, with its thickest part next the center of the broiler, skin uppermost, and broil over a bed of clear coals until the flesh-side is of an even brown. The time required will vary, according to the size of the fish, from five to twenty minutes; then turn and brown on the other side. If the fish be very thick, when both sides are browned, put the broiler in the oven over a dripping pan and cook until done. MEAT SOUP. Soups made from meat require first the preparation of a special material called _stock_, a liquid foundation upon which to begin the soup. Beef, veal, mutton, and poultry are all made into stock in the same manner, so that general rules for its preparation will be sufficient for all meat soups. The principal constituents of meat and bones, the material from which stock is compounded, are fiber, albuminous elements, gelatinous substances, and flavoring matters. The albuminous elements are found only in the flesh. The gelatinous substance found in bones, skin, and tendons, is almost devoid of nutriment. In selecting material for stock, therefore, it is well to remember that the larger the proportion of lean meat used, the more nutritious will be the soup. But little else than gelatine is obtained from the bones, and although serviceable in giving consistency, a soup made principally from bones is not valuable as a food. The amount of bone used for soup should never exceed the flesh material in weight. The bones, trimmings, and remnants of steaks, chops, and roasts may be advantageously utilized for soups. Bits of roast meat and roast gravies are especially serviceable material, since they are rich in the flavoring elements of meat. It should be remembered, however, that these flavoring matters are chiefly excrementitious or waste substances, derived from the venous blood of the animal. The greatest care must be observed to keep the scraps perfectly sweet and fresh until needed, as stale meat is exceedingly unwholesome. If the scraps are mostly cooked meats and bones, a small portion of raw, lean meat should be used with them; it need not be of the choicest quality; tough, coarse meat, when fresh and good, can be advantageously used for soup stock. If fresh material is to be procured, select for beef soups a piece from the shin or lower round; the same choice of pieces may be made of veal; of mutton, pieces from the forequarter and neck are best. In preparing meat for soup, if it is soiled, scrub the outside thoroughly with a clean cloth wet in cold water, or cut away the soiled portion. Break the bones into as small pieces as convenient; cut the meat into inch dice, remove the marrow from the bones, and put it aside. If added to the stock, it will make it greasy. Having selected proper material and prepared it for use, the next step is to extract the juices. To do this put it into cold water, bring very gradually to the boiling point,--an hour is not too long for this,--then cook slowly but continuously. In the observation of these simple measures lies the secret of success in stock-making. The albuminous elements of the meat, which are similar in character to the white of an egg, are readily dissolved in cold or tepid water, but boiling water coagulates them. If the meat is put into boiling water, the albumen coagulates, or hardens, forming a sort of crust on the outside of the meat, which prevents the inner juices from escaping; on the contrary, if the meat is put to cook in cold water, and is gradually raised to the boiling point, the soaking and simmering will easily extract and dissolve the juices. Salt likewise hinders the extraction of the meat juices, and should not be added to stock during its preparation. The best utensil for use in the preparation of stock is a soup digester. This is a porcelain-lined kettle, resting on standards, with a cover fitting closely into a groove, so that no steam can escape except through a valve in the top of the cover. In this the meat can be placed and allowed to cook for hours without burning. An ordinary granite-ware kettle with tightly fitting cover set on a stove ring or brick, answers quite well. It should, however, be kept entirely for this purpose. A double boiler is also suitable. The correct proportion of water is to be used is about one quart to each pound of meat and bones, though this will vary somewhat with the material and the length of time required for cooking. The scum which is thrown to the surface of the water during the cooking process is composed of blood and other impurities, and should be removed as rapidly as it rises. If allowed to remain after the water reaches the boiling point, it will become incorporated into the stock and injure it in flavor and wholesomeness. If the meat and bones are well cut and broken, the juices ought to be all extracted, with proper cooking, in three or four hours. Longer cooking will render the stock thicker and more gelatinous but not more nutritious, and too long cooking will detract from its flavor. As soon as the meat will fall from the bones, the stock should be removed from the pot and strained at once. A good way to strain stock is to place a colander over an earthen crock or jar (the colander should fit inside the jar), with a cloth strainer within the colander. Then dip the contents of the stock kettle into the colander, and leave it there to drain for fifteen or twenty minutes. Do not squeeze the cloth, and when well drained, throw the scraps away. [Illustration: Arrangement for Straining Stock.] French cooks, with their propensity for economy, sometimes select a good quality of beef, cook it so as to retain a portion of the juices in the meat, and make it serve both for preparing the soup and for boiled beef on the bill of fare. The meat is not cut up, but is heated quickly and removed as soon as tender, so that only part of the juices are extracted. Set the stock where it will become cold. The more rapidly it cools, the more delicate will be its flavor, and the better it will keep. The fat will rise to the surface, and can be easily removed when desired. If the quantity of fat in the material used was considerable, a solid cake will cover the top. This fat, by excluding the air, helps keep the stock sweet, and should not be removed until the stock is needed. If only a portion is to be used at one time, the remainder with the fat should be reheated and cooled, that a new crust may be formed. In winter, stock may be kept several days, if care is thus taken to reheat it. In summer, unless kept in a very cold place, it will spoil in a few hours. Soup should never be greasy, and hence, before using the stock, every particle of the fat should be removed. To accomplish this, loosen the cake of fat from the dish with a knife, and if solid, it will sometimes come off whole; if soft, remove all that is possible without cutting into the stock, and afterwards wipe the top of the jellied stock with a cloth wrung out of very hot water, which will readily absorb any lingering portion of fat. If the stock is not jellied, skim off all the fat possible, and then turn the stock through a napkin wrung out of ice water. This will harden the grease, which will adhere to the napkin. It is always better to prepare stock long enough before it is needed to allow it to become perfectly cold; if, however, it is necessary to use the stock very soon after it is prepared, the fat may be quickly hardened by turning the stock into a dripping pan or some other shallow dish, and placing it on ice in a cool place; if there is no time for this, strain several times through a napkin wrung out of ice-cold water, removing the particles of fat each time and wringing the cloth anew before straining again. A little cold water poured into hot stock will also cause the grease to rise so that it can be easily skimmed off; but this method weakens the stock. Stock may be prepared from one kind of meat only, or from two or more different kinds mixed together. Chicken stock is generally conceded to be better if a small portion of beef is combined with the fowl. Beef and veal are largely used together; but mutton on account of its strong flavor is better used alone. Stock, when prepared from a single kind of meat, is termed simple stock or broth. When prepared from two or more kinds of flesh cooked together, or when stock prepared separately from different kinds of meat are mixed together, the result is termed compound stock or double broth. With either of these stocks as a foundation, an innumerable variety of soups may be prepared, either by serving them as plain broth or by the addition of some of the various grains and vegetables, the distinctive name of each soup being given it according to its principal solid ingredient. TO CLARIFY SOUP STOCK.--Having removed all the fat from the stock, add to it before reheating, the shell of an egg, and the whole of one egg well beaten, with a little cold water, for every three pints of soup. Place the soup over the fire and stir it constantly to keep the egg from setting until it is hot. Simmer for fifteen minutes, removing the scum as it rises, and strain through a flannel cloth or napkin laid in a colander. It is also a good plan to place a fine wire strainer on the napkin to catch the shells and scum. Do not squeeze the cloth or stir the liquid with a spoon to hasten the straining process. If the cloth is clogged so that the stock does not run through well, carefully change it in the colander so that the liquid will run down upon a clean portion. When strained, it may be reheated, seasoned, and served as clear soup. _RECIPES._ ASPARAGUS SOUP.--This soup is prepared in every way like the one on page 276, except that while stock made from veal is used instead of milk. Green pea soup, celery soup, green corn soup, and green bean soup may be prepared according to the recipes already given for these soups by substituting for milk the same quantity of the stock of veal or chicken. BARLEY, RICE, SAGO, OR TAPIOCA SOUP.--Any kind of stock may be used in making these soups, though chicken and mutton stock are generally considered preferable. Prepare the grains, the sago, or the tapioca, by steaming or boiling till well cooked, and add to the stock, which should be at boiling temperature. Season and serve. CARAMEL FOR COLORING SOUP BROWN.--Melt a half pint of sugar and one tablespoonful of water in a saucepan over the fire; stir constantly until it is of a dark brown color; then add a half pint of boiling water, simmer ten minutes, strain, and put into an air-tight can or bottle. When needed, mix such a quantity with the soup as will give the desired degree of color. JULIENNE SOUP.--Take an equal proportion of carrot, parsnip, turnip, celery, and string beans, cut into thin pieces of inch lengths, sufficient to make one pint. Simmer the vegetables gently in a small quantity of water until tender, but not long enough to destroy their shape. Heat a quart of clear stock to boiling, add vegetables, salt to taste, and serve. Other vegetables, as peas, asparagus, etc. may be used in the season. Sometimes the vegetables are cut into dice or fancy shapes with a vegetable cutter. It makes little difference about the shape, so that the pieces are small and uniform in size. Such vegetables as potatoes, carrots, or turnips, when used for soups, are easiest cut, after paring in the usual manner, by taking the vegetable in the left hand, holding it on the table or board between thumb and finger, and with the right hand cutting downward in even slices not over one third of an inch wide, to within a quarter of an inch of the bottom. Turn the vegetable and repeat the process, cutting across the first slices. Again lay the vegetable on its side, and make a third series of cuts, which will divide it into cubes. If several kinds of vegetables are used, those which require a longer time for cooking should be cut into smaller pieces. TOMATO SOUP.--Into two quarts of boiling beef stock stir a teaspoonful of cornstarch well braided with a little cold water, and a pint of strained, stewed tomatoes. Boil a few minutes, and serve. A teaspoonful of sugar may also be added, if desired. WHITE SOUP.--White soups are made from veal or chicken stock, seasoned with cream, flavored with onion or celery, and thickened with cornstarch or flour. VERMICELLI OR MACARONI SOUPS.--Drop into boiling water and cook the macaroni about one hour, the vermicelli ten minutes. Drain well, dash cold water through them to separate the pieces, which are apt to stick together, and add to boiling stock (beef and veal are preferable) in the proportion of a pint of cooked macaroni or vermicelli to a quart of soup. Salt to taste and serve. PUREE WITH CHICKEN.--Take a quart of chicken stock from which the fat has been removed. Add a stalk or two of celery cut into finger-lengths, and a slice of onion, and put to boil. Beat together the mashed yolk of two hard boiled eggs, and a half cup of sweet cream. Chop the white meat of the chicken until fine as meal and beat with the egg mixture. Add slowly a cup and a half of hot milk. Remove the celery and onion from the hot stock, and stir all together. Boil up, salt to taste, and serve. If too thick, a little more stock or milk can be added. TAPIOCA CREAM SOUP.--Soak two tablespoonfuls of tapioca over night. Heat a quart of stock prepared from the white meat of chicken, to boiling, in a saucepan. Then stir the tapioca in gradually. Move the saucepan to the side of the range where it will simmer till the tapioca is transparent. Have ready in a large dish a mixture prepared by beating together very thoroughly the yolks of three eggs and four tablespoonfuls of sweet cream. When the tapioca is clear, remove the stock from the range and pour it very gradually onto the egg mixture, stirring briskly all the time, so that the egg will not curdle. Season with salt if desired. The soup may be returned to the stove and warmed before serving if necessary, but it must not be boiled or allowed to stand a long time. TABLE TOPICS. Animal food is one of the greatest means by which the pure sentiment of the race is depressed.--_Alcott._ An English medical author says, "It is no doubt true that the constant use of animal food disqualifies the mind for literary application. We can scarcely imagine a philosopher living on horse flesh like a Tartar, or on buffalo meat like an Indian; and it is a fact that these tribes appear incapable of civilization until they acquire the habit of using a less stimulating diet, and begin to cultivate the fruits of the earth for their own use. The difference, in the success of Christian missions, between such people and those whose chief sustenance is farinaceous food, is very striking and worthy of especial notice. In the East, and in Polynesia, literature and Christian doctrines are seized upon with avidity. But in vain were the most earnest labors of the best men to introduce reading and writing among the American Indians until they had first been taught to grow corn and to eat bread." An American gentleman traveling in the East met a Brahmin priest, who refused to shake hands with him for fear of pollution. The reason he assigned was that Americans eat hogs. Said the priest, "Why, I have heard that in America they put hogs' flesh in barrels and eat it after it has been dead six months! Horrible!" Pork is by no means a favorite food in Scotland. King James is said to have abhorred pork almost as much as he did tobacco. He said, "If I were to give a banquet to the devil, I would provide a loin of pork and a poll of ling, with a pipe of tobacco for digestion!" --_Scott._ The Hindu would as soon think of becoming a cannibal as of eating swine's flesh. It is stated that the Indian mutiny so frightful in its results originated in a fear among the Sepoys that they would be forced to eat pork. A lady in India had an amusing experience which illustrates the Hindu sentiment on the subject of pig. Arriving late at a grand dinner, she and her husband saw the first course being carried in as they went down the hall. A row of khitmutgars was drawn up, waiting to follow the dish into the dining-room, and serve their respective employers; as a dish of ham was carried by, each man gravely and deliberately spat upon it! Needless to say, Mrs. B. and her lord waited for the second course. Both the ancient Syrians and Egyptians abstained from flesh-eating out of dread and abhorrence, and when the latter would represent any thing as odious or disagreeable by hieroglyphics, they painted a fish. Yes, Agassiz does recommend authors to eat fish because the phosphorus in it makes brains. So far you are correct. But I cannot help you to a decision about the amount you need to eat--at least with certainty. If the specimen composition you send is about your fair usual average, I should judge that perhaps a couple of whales would be all you want for the present; not the largest kind, but simply good, middling-sized whales!--_Mark Twain's Letter to a Young Author._ FOOD FOR THE SICK [Illustration: Food for the Sick] There is no branch of the culinary art which requires more skill than that of preparing food for the sick and feeble. The purpose of food at all times is to supply material for repairing--the waste which is constantly be chosen with reference to its nutritive value. But during illness and convalescence, when the waste is often much greater and the vital powers less active, it is of the utmost importance that the food should be of such a character as will supply the proper nutrition. Nor is this all; an article of food may contain all the elements of nutrition in such proportions as to render it a wholesome food for those in health, and not be a proper food for the sick, for the reason that its conversion into blood and tissue lays too great a tax upon the digestive organs. Food for the sick should be palatable, nutritious and easily assimilated. To discriminate as to what food will supply these requisites, one must possess some knowledge of dietetics and physiology, as well as of the nature of the illness with which the patient is suffering; and such a knowledge ought to be part of the education of every woman, no matter to what class of society she belongs. There are no special dishes suitable alike for all cases. Hot buttered toast, tea, rich jellies, and other dainties so commonly served to the sick, are usually the very worst articles of diet of which they could partake. As a general rule, elaborate dishes are not suitable. Well-cooked gruel, a nicely broiled steak, a glass of milk, or some refreshing drink often serve far better than foods which combine a greater variety of ingredients, and require more extensive preparation. The simplest foods are always the best, because the most readily assimilated. Scrupulous neatness and care in all the minute particulars of the cooking and serving of food for invalids, will add much to its palatableness. The clean napkin on the tray, the bright silver, and dainty china plate, with perhaps a sprig of leaves and flowers beside it, thinly sliced bread, toast or cracker, and the light cup partly filled with hot gruel, are far more appetizing to the invalid than coarse ware, thickly cut bread, and an overflowing cup of gruel, though the cooking may be just as perfect. Anything that suggests excess or weight fatigues the sick. The appearance of milk served in a bowl, water in a mug, beef-tea in a saucer, though seemingly a trivial thing, is often sufficient to remove all desire for food. So far as practicable, the wants of the patient should be anticipated, and the meal served, a surprise. The capricious appetite of an invalid may sometimes be coaxed by arranging his simple food upon a tray so planned that in the napery and service-ware used, some one particular color predominates, and if this color be selected to accord or harmonize as far as possible with the food allowed, the _tout ensemble_ presents a pleasing fancy, which will tempt the eye, and through its influence, the appetite of the patient. For example: an invalid whose dietary must consist of fruit and grains, might be served to a "purple" dinner, with bill of fare including a fresh, cool bunch of purple grapes, a glass of unfermented grape juice, a saucer of blackberry mush, a plate of nicely toasted wafers, Graham puffs or zwieback, with stewed prunes, or a slice of prune toast served on dishes decorated with purple. Tie the napkin with a bow of purple ribbon, and place a bunch of purple pansies just within its folds. The monotonous regimen of a poor dyspeptic which poached eggs, beaten biscuit, wheat gluten, eggnog, with, perhaps, stewed peaches or an orange, are served on gilt-band china with a spray of goldenrod, a bunch of marigolds, or a water-lily to give an additional charm. Foods which are ordered to be served hot, should be _hot,_ not merely warm, when they reach the patient. To facilitate this, let the dish in which the food is to be served, stand in hot water for a few moments; take out, wipe dry, turn in the hot food, place on the tray, and serve. An oil stove, alcohol lamp, or a pocket stove is very convenient for warming gruels, broths and other similar foods, as either can be made ready for use in a moment, and will heat the small quantity of food necessary for an invalid in one fourth the time in which it could be accomplished over the range, if necessary to reduce the fire. In the preparation of food for the sick, a scrupulously clean dish for cooking is of the first importance. It is a good plan in every household to reserve one or two cooking utensils for this purpose, and not be obliged to depend upon those in daily use. Utensils used for the cooking of fruits, vegetables, meat, etc., unless cleaned with the utmost call will sometimes impart a sufficiently unpleasant flavor to the food to render it wholly unpalatable to an invalid whose senses are preternaturally acute. GRUELS These simple foods, the base of which is usually some one of the grains, play an important part in the dietary for the sick, if properly prepared; but the sloppy messes sometimes termed gruel, the chief merit of which appears to be that they "are prepared in ten minutes," are scarcely better than nothing at all. Like other dishes prepared from the grains, gruel needs a long, continuous cooking. When done, it should be the very essence of the grain, possessing all its nutritive qualities, but in such form as to be readily assimilated. For the making of gruels, as for the cooking of grains for any other purpose, the double boiler is the best utensil. [Illustration: Gruel Strainer.] If it is desirable to strain the gruel before serving, have a fine wire strainer of a size to stand conveniently within a large bowl or basin, turn the gruel into this, and rub it through with a wooden or silver spoon, using a second spoon, if necessary, to remove that which hangs beneath the sieve. On no account use the first spoon for the latter operation, as by so doing one is apt to get some of the hulls into the gruel and destroy its smoothness. When as much of the gruel as possible has been rubbed through the sieve, pour the strained liquid into a clean dish, reheat to boiling, and season as desired before serving. An extension strainer which can be fitted over any sized dish is also serviceable for straining gruels. [Illustration: Extension Strainer.] Gruels, like all other foods, should be retained in the mouth for proper insalivation, and it is well to eat them with wafers or some hard food, when solid food is allowed. _RECIPES._ ARROWROOT GRUEL.--Rub a dessertspoonful of _pure_ arrowroot to a thin paste in two tablespoonfuls of cold water, and stir it into a half pint of boiling water, or, if preferred, a cup and a third of boiling milk, and stir rapidly until thickened and clear. If desired, a little lemon peel for flavoring may be infused in the water or milk, before adding the arrowroot. Sweeten, if allowed, and serve. BARLEY GRUEL.--Wash three heaping tablespoonfuls of pearl barley, drop it into a pint of boiling water, and parboil five minutes. Pour this water off and add a quart of fresh boiling water. Let it simmer gently for three hours. Strain, season, and serve. A small piece of lemon rind added to the gruel a half hour before it is done, gives it a very agreeable flavor. Equal quantities of milk and barley gruel make a very nourishing drink; the milk, however, should not be added to the gruel until needed, as in a warm atmosphere it undergoes quite rapid change, and is likely to ferment. A little lemon juice, with sugar to sweeten to taste, is sometimes preferred as seasoning for barley gruel. EGG GRUEL.--Heat a cup of milk to boiling, and stir into it one well-beaten egg mixed with one fourth cup of cold milk. Stir constantly for a few minutes till thickened, but do not allow it to boil again. Season with a little salt, or if preferred and allowed, a little loaf sugar. EGG GRUEL NO. 2.--Boil the yolks of three eggs until dry and mealy, mash perfectly smooth, then add a cup of boiling milk. Season with salt, and serve. FARINA GRUEL.--Moisten two table spoonfuls of farina with a very little cold milk, and stir it into a cupful of boiling water. Boil until it thickens, add a cupful of new milk, turn into a double boiler, and cook again for twenty or thirty minutes. Strain if necessary, season with salt or sugar, and serve. FLOUR GRUEL.--Rub one heaping tablespoonful of whole-wheat flour to a thin paste with three tablespoonfuls of cold milk, and stir it into a pint of boiling milk. Cook for ten or twelve minutes. Season with salt, strain if necessary, and while hot, stir in the beaten white of one egg. The egg may be omitted if preferred; or the yolk of the egg and a little sugar may be used instead, if the patient's condition will allow it. GLUTEN GRUEL.--Stir two and one half tablespoonfuls of the wheat gluten prepared by the Sanitarium Food Co., Battle Creek, Mich., into a pint of boiling milk; boil until thickened, when it is ready to serve. GLUTEN GRUEL NO. 2.--Into a pint of boiling water stir three heaping tablespoonfuls of the prepared gluten. Boil until thickened, and add a half cup of thin cream. GLUTEN CREAM.--Heat a pint of thin cream to boiling, and stir into it three tablespoonfuls of wheat gluten. When thickened, it is ready to serve. GLUTEN MEAL GRUEL.--Into a cup and a half of boiling water stir four tablespoonfuls of gluten meal (prepared by the Sanitarium Food Co.), let it boil for a moment, add six tablespoonfuls of rather thin, sweet cream, and serve. GRAHAM GRUEL.--Heat three cups of water in the inner dish of a double boiler, and when vigorously boiling stir into it carefully, a little at a time, so as not to check the boiling, one scant cup of Graham flour which has been rubbed perfectly smooth in a cup of warm, not hot, water. Stir until thickened, then place in the outer boiler and cook for an hour or longer. When done, strain if necessary, season with salt if desired, and a half cup of sweet cream. GRAHAM GRITS GRUEL.--Cook three heaping tablespoonfuls of Graham grits in a quart of boiling water, as directed in the chapter on Grains, for three hours. Turn through a soup strainer to remove any lumps, season with half a cup of cream, and salt if desired. Well cooked Graham grits may be made into gruel by thinning with water or milk, straining and seasoning as above. GRUEL OF PREPARED FLOUR.--Knead a pint of flour with water into a ball, and tie firmly in a linen cloth; put it into a granite-ware basin or kettle, cover with boiling water, and boil slowly, replenishing with boiling water as needed, for twelve hours. Put it before the fire to dry. Afterward remove the cloth, and also a thick skin which will have formed over the ball. Dry the interior again. When needed for use, rub a tablespoonful of the prepared flour smooth with three spoonfuls of cold milk, and stir it into a pint of boiling milk. Cook from three to five minutes. Season with salt if desired. INDIAN MEAL GRUEL.--Make a thin paste of one teaspoonful of flour, two tablespoonfuls of best cornmeal, and a little water. Stir this into a quart of boiling water, or milk and water in equal proportions, as preferred. Boil until the meal has set, stirring constantly; then turn into a double boiler and cook for an hour and half or two hours. Season with salt, and strain. If too thick, thin with milk or cream. LEMON OATMEAL GRUEL.--The United States Dispensary recommends the following method of preparing oatmeal gruel for fever patients; "Rub one heaping tablespoonful of fine oatmeal smooth in a little cold water; stir this into three pints of boiling water. Cook until the quantity is reduced to two pints; then strain, and let it cool and settle. When it is quite cold, pour the clear gruel from the sediment, add the juice of a lemon, and sugar to sweeten slightly. If desirable to serve it warm, reheat before adding the lemon juice." Freshly cooked oatmeal may be thinned with boiling water, strained and seasoned in the same manner. MILK OATMEAL GRUEL.--Take a pint of milk and one of water, and heat to boiling. Stir in three heaping table spoonfuls of oatmeal, and cook in a double boiler for two or three hours. MILK PORRIDGE.--Take one pint of milk and the same quantity of water, and heat to boiling. Stir in two heaping tablespoonfuls of cornmeal or Graham grits, boil, stirring continuously, until the meal has set, then turn into a double boiler and cook for two hours or longer. Season with salt, and a tablespoonful of sweet cream if allowed. OATMEAL GRUEL.--Into one quart of boiling water stir two heaping tablespoonfuls of fine oatmeal; let it boil until it thickens, stirring all the time; then turn into a double boiler and cook for three and a half or four hours. Strain before serving. A little cream may also be added, unless contra-indicated by the patient's condition. OATMEAL GRUEL NO. 2.--Pound one half cup of coarse oatmeal until it is mealy. The easiest way to do this is to tie the oatmeal in a coarse cloth and pound it with a wooden mallet. Put it in a pint bowl, and fill the bowl with cold water. Stir briskly for a few moments until the water is white, then allow the meal to settle. Pour off the water, being careful to get none of the sediment. Fill the bowl a second time with cold water, stir thoroughly, let settle, and pour off the water as before. Do this the third time. Boil the liquid one half hour, strain, and serve hot. If very thick, a little cream or milk may be added. OATMEAL GRUEL NO, 3.--Add to one cup of well-cooked oatmeal while hot two cups of hot milk, or one cup of hot milk and one of hot water. Beat all thoroughly together, add a little salt if desired, strain, and serve. PEPTONIZED GLUTEN GRUEL.--Prepare the gruel as directed for Gluten Gruel No. 1. Strain if needed, cook to lukewarm, and turn it into a pitcher, which place in a dish containing hot water even in depth with the gruel in the pitcher; add the peptonizing fluid or powder, stir well, and let it stand in the hot water bath for ten minutes. The temperature must not be allowed to rise over 130°. Put into a clean dish and serve at once, or place on ice till needed. Other well-cooked gruels maybe peptonized in the same way. RAISIN GRUEL.--Stone and quarter two dozen raisins and boil them twenty minutes in a small quantity of water. When the water has nearly boiled away, add two cups of new milk. When the milk is boiling, add one heaping tablespoonful of Graham or whole-wheat flour which has been rubbed to a thin paste with a little cold milk. Boil until thickened, stirring all the time; then turn into a double boiler and cook for twenty minutes or half an hour. Season with salt and serve. RICE WATER.--Wash half a cup of rice very thoroughly in several waters. Put it into a saucepan with three cups of cold water and boil for half an hour. Strain off the rice water, season with salt if desired, and serve. PREPARATIONS OF MILK. MILK DIET.--An almost exclusive milk diet is sometimes a great advantage in cases of sickness. It is usually necessary to begin the use of the milk in moderate quantities, gradually withdrawing the more solid food and increasing the quantity of milk. In the course of a week, all other food should be withdrawn, and the quantity of milk increased to three or four quarts a day. Milk is easily digested, and hence may be taken at more frequent intervals than other food. _RECIPES._ ALBUMINIZED MILK.--Shake together in a well-corked bottle or glass fruit can, a pint of fresh milk and the well-beaten whites of two eggs, until thoroughly mixed. Serve at once. HOT MILK.--Hot milk is an excellent food for many classes of invalids. The milk should be fresh, and should be heated in a double boiler until the top is wrinkled over the entire surface. JUNKET, OR MILK CURD.--Heat a cup of fresh milk to 85°, add one teaspoonful of the essence of pepsin, and stir just enough to mix thoroughly. Let it stand until firmly curded, and serve. KOUMISS.--Dissolve one fourth of a two-cent cake of compressed yeast, and two teaspoonfuls of white sugar, in three tablespoonfuls of lukewarm water. Pour this into a quart bottle and add sufficient fresh, sweet milk to nearly fill. Shake well, and place in a room of the temperature of 70° to 80° F., and allow it to ferment about six hours. Cork tightly and tie the cork in. Put in a cool place, act above 60° and let it remain a week, when it will be ready for use. In making koumiss be sure that the milk is pure, the bottle sound, and the yeast fresh. Open the bottle with a champagne tap. If there is any curd or thickening resembling cheese, the fermentation has been prolonged beyond the proper point, and the koumiss should not be used. MILK AND LIME WATER.--In cases where milk forms large curds, or sours in the stomach, lime water prepared in the following manner may be added to the milk before using:-- Into a gallon jar of water, put a piece of lime the size of one's fist. Cover the jar and let the lime settle over night. In the morning, draw the water off the top with a syphon, being careful not to move the jar so as to mix again the particles of lime with the water. Two tablespoonfuls of the lime water is usually sufficient for a pint of milk. PEPTONIZED MILK FOR INFANTS.--One gill of cows' milk, fresh and unskimmed; one gill of pure water; two tablespoonfuls of rich, sweet cream; two hundred grains of milk sugar, one and one fourth grains of _extractum pancreatis_; four grains of sodium bicarbonate. Put the above in a clean nursing bottle, and place the bottle in water so warm that the whole hand cannot be held in it longer for one minute without pain. Keep the milk at this temperature for exactly twenty minutes. Prepare fresh just before using. BEEF-TEA, BROTHS, ETC. Beef tea and meat broths are by no means so useful as foods for the sick as is generally supposed. The late Dr. Austin Flint used to say of these foods, that "the valuation by most persons outside of the medical profession, and by many within it, of beef tea or its analogues, the various solutions, most of the extracts, and the expressed juice of meat, is a delusion and a snare which has led to the loss of many lives by starvation. "The quantity of nutritive material in these preparations is insignificant or nil, and it is vastly important that they should be reckoned as of little or no value, except as indirectly conducive to nutrition by acting as stimulants for the secretion of the digestive fluids, or as vehicles for the introduction of the nutritive substances. Furthermore, it is to be considered that water and pressure not only fail to extract the alimentary principles of meat, but that the excrementitious principles, or the products of destructive assimilation, _are_ thereby extracted." Vegetable broths prepared from grains and legumes possess a much higher nutritive value, while they lack the objectionable features of meat broths. _RECIPES._ BEEF EXTRACT.--Take a pound of lean beef, cut it up into small dice, and put into a glass fruit jar. Screw on the cover tightly, put the jar into a vessel filled with cold water to a depth sufficient to come to the top of contents of the jar, and set over a slow fire. As soon as the water boils, set where it will keep just boiling, but no more; and cook for an hour or an hour and a quarter. Then strain, season, and serve. If preferred, a double boiler may be used for the preparation of the extract. BEEF JUICE.--Cut a thick slice of round steak, trim off every particle of fat, and broil it over a clear fire just long enough to heat it throughout. Next gash it in many places with a sharp knife, and with the aid of a beef-juice press or lemon squeezer, press out all the juice into a bowl set in hot water, salt but very slightly, remove all globules of fat, and serve. This may also be frozen and given the patient in small lumps, if so ordered. BEEF TEA.--Take a pound of fresh, lean, juicy beef of good flavor,--the top of the round and the back and middle of the rump are the best portions for the purpose,--from which all fat, bones, and sinews have been carefully removed; cut into pieces a quarter of an inch square, or grind in a sausage-cutter. Add a quart of cold water, and put into a clean double boiler. Place over the fire, and heat very slowly, carefully removing all scum as it rises. Allow it to cook gently for two or three hours, or until the water has been reduced one half. Strain, and put away to cool. Before using, remove all fat from the surface, and season. In reheating, a good way is to place a quantity in a cup, and set the cup into hot water until the tea is sufficiently hot. This prevents waste, and if the patient is not ready for the tea, it can be easily kept hot. BEEF TEA AND EGGS.--Beat the yolk of an egg thoroughly in a teacup and fill the cup with boiling beef tea, stirring all the while. Season with a little salt if desired. BEEF BROTH AND OATMEAL.--Rub two tablespoonfuls of oatmeal smooth in an equal quantity of cold water, and stir into a quart of boiling beef broth. Cook in a double broiler for two hours, strain, and season with salt and a little cream if allowed. Or, thin well-cooked oatmeal mush with beef-tea; strain, reheat, season, and serve. BOTTLED BEEF TEA.--Cut two pounds of round steak into small dice, rejecting all skin and fat. Put it into a glass fruit jar with one cup of cold water. Cover the can sufficiently tight to prevent any water from boiling in, and place it on a wisp of straw or a muffin ring in a kettle of cold water. Heat very gradually, and keep it just below the boiling point for two or more hours; or, place the can in a deep dish of hot water, and cook in a moderate oven for three hours. Allow the meat to cook thus four or five hours, or until it appears white, by which time it will have discharged all its juice. Turn the liquor off, strain through a piece of muslin or cheese cloth laid in a colander, and cool; then if any fat has been left, it will harden on the top, and can be removed. When needed for use, reheat, season, and serve. CHICKEN BROTH.--Take a well dressed, plump spring chicken, cut it into half-inch pieces, cracking well all the bones; add cold water,--a quart to the pound of meat and bones,--and cook the same as beef-tea. Allow the broth to cool before using, and carefully skim off all particles of fat before reheating. If allowed, a tablespoonful of steamed rice may be added to the broth, or a well-beaten egg may be stirred in while hot just before serving. Heat until the whole becomes thickened, but do not boil. If preferred, the broth may be prepared by using only the white portion of the chicken in connection with lean beef. This is liked better by some to whom the strong flavor of the chicken is not pleasant. Or, prepare equal quantity of rich milk, season with salt, reheat, and serve. The broth may be flavored with celery if allowed. MUTTON BROTH.--Cut a pound of perfectly fresh, lean mutton or lamb--the scrags of neck are best--into small dice. Add a quart of cold water, and simmer gently for two or three hours. Strain, and when cold skim off all fat. Reheat when needed for use. If preferred, a tablespoonful of rice which has been soaked for an hour in a little warm water, or a tablespoonful of cooked barley, may be simmered in the broth for a half hour before serving. Season with salt as desired. VEGETABLE BROTH.--Put a cupful of well washed white beans into a quart of cold water in a double boiler, and cook slowly until but a cupful of the liquor remains. Strain off the broth, add salt, and serve hot. If preferred, a few grains of powdered thyme may be added as flavoring. VEGETABLE BROTH NO. 2.--Pick over and wash a cup of dried Scotch peas, and put to cook in a quart of cold water, cook slowly in a double boiler or in a kettle placed on the range where they will just simmer, until but a cupful of liquid remains. Strain off the broth, add salt and one third of a cupful of the liquor, without pulp, from well-stewed tomatoes. Serve hot. MIXED VEGETABLE BROTHS.--Broths may be prepared as directed from both black and white beaus, and combined in the proportion of one third of the former to two thirds of the latter; or a broth of lentils may be used instead of the black bean. _RECIPES FOR PANADA._ BROTH PANADA.--Use beef or chicken broth in place of water, and proceed the same as in Egg Panada, omitting the egg. CHICKEN PANADA.--Take a cupful of the white meat of chicken, pounded to a paste in a mortar, and half a cup of whole-wheat crust or zwieback crumbs. Add sufficient chicken broth to make a thick gruel. Season with salt, boil up for a few minutes, and serve hot. EGG PANADA.--Put two ounces of light, whole-wheat crusts into a pint of cold water in a granite-ware stewpan; simmer gently for three quarters of an hour, stirring occasionally. Season with a spoonful of sweet cream and a little salt, then stir in the well-beaten yolk of an egg, and serve. MILK PANADA.--Heat a pint of milk to boiling, then allow it to cool. Add two ounces of nice, light, whole-wheat crusts, and simmer for half an hour, stirring frequently. Season with a little sugar, if allowed. Granola may be used in place of the crusts, if preferred. RAISIN PANADA.--Boil a half cup of raisins in a half pint of water. Break a slice of zwieback into fragments in a bowl. Add a well-beaten egg and a teaspoonful of sugar. Pour in the raisins, water and all, and beat very thoroughly. GRAINS FOR THE SICK. For invalids able to digest solid food, rice, cracked wheat, Graham grits, oatmeal, barley, farina and other grains may be prepared and cooked as previously directed in the chapter on Grains. The various cooked preparations of grains--granola, wheatena, avenola, wheat gluten and gluten meal--manufactured by the Sanitarium Food Co., Battle Creek, Mich., form excellent articles of diet for many invalids, when served with hot milk or cream, or prepared in the form of mush. Several recipes for their use have already been given in preceding chapters; the following are a few additional ones:-- _RECIPES._ GLUTEN MUSH.--Heat together a cup of thin cream and three cups of water; when boiling, sift in lightly with the fingers, stirring continuously meanwhile, enough wheat gluten to make a mush of the desired consistency. Boil up once and serve. A few blanched or roasted almonds may be stirred in just before serving, if desired. TOMATO GLUTEN.--Heat a pint of stewed tomato, which has been rubbed through a fine colander to remove the seeds, to boiling, add salt to season, and three tablespoonfuls of gluten meal. Boil together for a moment until thickened, and serve hot. TOMATO GLUTEN NO. 2.--Prepare the same as the preceding, using five tablespoonfuls of the gluten meal, and seasoning with two tablespoonfuls of rather thick, sweet cream. MEATS FOR THE SICK. All meats for the sick should be prepared in the very simplest way, served with the plainest possible dressing, and without the use of condiments other than salt. _RECIPES._ BROILED STEAK.--Take a half pound of round steak and a slice of tenderloin; wipe well with a clean, wet cloth. Have a clear fire; place the meat in an open wire broiler or on a gridiron over the coals, and cook, turning as often as you can count ten, for four or five minutes, if the slices are about one inch thick; then with a lemon squeezer squeeze the juice from the round steak over the tenderloin, season with a little salt, and serve at once on a hot plate. CHICKEN.--For an invalid, the breast of a tender chicken broiled quickly over hot coals is best. For directions for broiling chicken see page 406. CHICKEN JELLY.--Dress a small chicken. Disjoint, break or pound the bones, and cut the meat into half-inch pieces. Remove every particle of fat possible. Cover with cold water, heat very slowly, and simmer gently until the meat is in rags, and the liquid reduced about one half. Strain off the liquor, cool, and remove all the fat. To make the broth more clear, add the shell and white of an egg, then reheat slowly, stirring all the time until hot. Strain through a fine cloth laid inside of a colander. Salt and a little lemon may be added as seasoning. Pour into small cups, and cool. MINCED CHICKEN.--Stew the breast of a young chicken until tender; mince fine with a sharp knife. Thicken the liquor in which it was stewed with a little flour, add salt and a little cream if allowed, then the minced chicken, and serve hot on zwieback, softened with cream as directed in the chapter on Breakfast Dishes. MUTTON CHOP.--Select a chop containing a large tenderloin: cut thick, and broil for eight or ten minutes as directed for beef steak. Season lightly with salt, and serve hot. MINCED STEAK.--Mince some nice, juicy steak with a chopping knife, or in a sausage-cutter, rejecting as much of the fiber as possible; make into small cakes and broil the same as steak. Salt lightly when done, and for dressing use a little beef juice prepared as directed on page 427. It may be thickened with a little flour as for gravy, if preferred. SCRAPED STEAK.--Take a small piece of nice, juicy steak, and with a blunt case-knife or tablespoon, scrape off all the pulp, being careful to get none of the fibers. Press the pulp together in the form of patties, and broil quickly over glowing coals. Salt lightly, and serve hot. It is better to be as rare as the patient can take it. Instead of butter, turn a spoonful or two of thick, hot beef juice over the steak, if any dressing other than salt is required. EGGS FOR THE SICK. _RECIPES._ FLOATED EGG.--Separate the white from the yolk, and drop the yolk, taking great care not to break it, into boiling, salted water. Cook until hard and mealy. In the meantime, beat the white of the egg until stiff and firm. When the yolk is cooked, remove it from the water with a skimmer. Let the water cease to boil, then dip the beaten white in spoonfuls on the top of the scalding water, allowing it to remain for a second or two until coagulated, but not hardened. Arrange the white in a hot egg saucer, and place the cooked yolk in the center, or serve on toast. This makes a very pretty, as well as appetising dish, if care is taken to keep the yolk intact. GLUTEN MEAL CUSTARD.--Beat together thoroughly, one pint of rich milk, one egg, and four tablespoonfuls of gluten meal. Add a little salt if desired, and cook with the dish set in another containing boiling water, until the custard has set. Or, turn the custard into cups, which place in a dripping pan partly filled with hot water, and cook in a moderate oven until the custard is set. GLUTEN CUSTARD.--Into a quart of boiling milk stir four tablespoonfuls of wheat gluten moistened with a little of the milk, which may be reserved for the purpose. Allow it to cook until thickened. Cool to lukewarm temperature, and add three well-beaten eggs, and a trifle of salt, if desired. Turn into cups, and steam over a kettle of boiling water until the custard is set. STEAMED EGGS.--Break an egg into an egg saucer, sauce-dish, or patty pan, salt very slightly, and steam until the white has just set. In this way, it will retain its shape perfectly, and not be mixed with the few drops of water so annoying to invalids, and so hard to avoid in dishing a poached egg from water. SOFT CUSTARD.--Boil some milk, then cool it to 180°, add three whipped eggs to each quart of milk, and keep at the temperature of 180° for fifteen or twenty minutes. The object is to coagulate the eggs without producing the bad effect of exposure to a high temperature. RAW EGGS.--Break a fresh egg into a glass, add a tablespoonful of sugar, and heat to a stiff froth; a little cold water may be added if liked. WHITE OF EGG.--Stir the white of an egg into a glass of cold water, or water as warm as it can be without coagulating the egg, and serve. WHITE OF EGG AND MILK.--The white of an egg beaten to a stiff froth and stirred into a glass of milk, forms a nourishing food for persons of weak digestion. REFRESHING DRINKS AND DELICACIES FOR THE SICK. In many fevers and acute diseases, but little food is required, and that of a character which merely appeases hunger and quenches thirst, without stimulation and without affording much nourishment. Preparations from sago, tapioca, and other farinaceous substances are sometimes serviceable for this purpose. Oranges, grapes, and other perfectly ripened and juicy fruits are also most excellent. They are nature's own delicacies, and serve both for food and drink. They should not, however, be kept in the sick room, but preserved in some cool place, and served when needed, as fresh and in as dainty a manner as possible. Like all food provided for the sick, they should be arranged to please the eye as well as the palate. The capricious appetite of an invalid will often refuse luscious fruit from the hand of a nurse, which would have been gladly accepted had it been served on dainty china, with a clean napkin and silver. The juice of the various small fruits and berries forms a basis from which may be made many refreshing drinks especially acceptable to the dry, parched mouth of a sick person. Fruit juices can be prepared with but little trouble. For directions see page 209. Beverages from fruit juices are prepared by using a small quantity of the juice, and sufficient cold water to dilute it to the taste. If it is desirable to use such a drink for a sick person in some household where fruit juices have not been put up for the purpose, the juice may be obtained from a can of strawberries, raspberries, or other small fruit, by turning the whole into a coarse cloth and straining off the juice; or a tablespoonful of currant or other jelly may be dissolved in a tumbler of warm water, and allowed to cool. Either will make a good substitute for the prepared fruit juice, though the flavor will be less delicate. The hot beverages and many of the cold ones given in the chapter on Beverages will be found serviceable for the sick, as will also the following additional ones:-- _RECIPES._ ACORN COFFEE.--Select plump, round, sweet acorns. Shell, and brown in an oven; then grind in a coffee-mill, and use as ordinary coffee. ALMOND MILK.--Blanch a quarter of a pound of shelled almonds by pouring over them a quart of boiling water, and when the skins soften, rubbing them off with a coarse towel. Pound the almonds in a mortar, a few at a time, adding four or five drops of milk occasionally, to prevent their oiling. About one tablespoonful of milk in all will be sufficient. When finely pounded, mix the almonds with a pint of milk, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a little piece of lemon rind. Place the whole over the fire to simmer for a little time. Strain, if preferred, and serve cold. APPLE BEVERAGE.--Pare and slice very thin a juicy tart apple into a china bowl. Cover with boiling water, put a saucer over the bowl, and allow the water to get cold. Strain and drink. Crab apples may be used in the same way. APPLE BEVERAGE NO. 2.--Bake two large, sour apples, and when tender, sprinkle a tablespoonful of sugar over them, and return to the oven until the sugar is slightly browned. Break and mash the apples with a silver spoon, pour over them a pint of boiling water; cover and let stand until cold; then strain and serve. APPLE TOAST WATER.--Break a slice of zwieback into small pieces, and mix with them two or three well-baked tart apples. Pour over all a quart of boiling water, cover, and let stand until cold, stirring occasionally. When cold, strain, add sugar to sweeten if desired, and serve. BAKED MILK.--Put a quart of new milk in a stone jar, tie a white paper over it, and let it stand in a moderately heated oven eight or ten hours. It becomes of a creamy consistency. BARLEY LEMONADE.--Put a half cup of pearl barley into a quart of cold water, and simmer gently until the water has become mucilaginous and quite thick. This will take from an hour to an hour and a half. The barley will absorb most of the water, but the quantity given should make a teacupful of good, thick barley water. Add to this two teaspoonfuls of lemon juice and a tablespoonful of sugar. Let it get cold before serving. By returning the barley to the stewpan with another quart of cold water, and simmering for an hour or an hour and a half longer, a second cap of barley water may be obtained, almost as good as the first. BARLEY AND FRUIT DRINK.--Prepare a barley water as above, and add to each cupful a tablespoonful or two of cranberry, grape, raspberry, or any tart fruit syrup. The pure juice sweetened will answer just as well; or a little fruit jelly may be dissolved and added. BARLEY MILK.--Wash two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley in cold water until the water is clear. Put it to cook in a double boiler, with a quart of milk, and boil till the milk is reduced to a pint. Strain off the milk, and sweeten if desired. CRANBERRY DRINK.--Mash carefully selected, ripe cranberries thoroughly in an earthen dish, and pour boiling water over them. Let the mixture stand until cold, strain off the water, and sweeten to taste. Barberries prepared in the same manner make a nice drink. CURRANTADE.--Mash thoroughly a pint of ripe, red currants, and one half the quantity of red raspberries; add sugar to sweeten and two quarts of cold water. Stir, strain, cool on ice, and serve. CRUST COFFEE.--Brown slices of Graham bread in a slow oven until very ark in color. Break in pieces and roll fine with a rolling pin. A quantity of this material may be prepared at one time and stored in glass fruit cans for use. When needed, pour a cupful of actively boiling water over a dessertspoonful of the prepared crumbs, let it steep for a few moments, then strain and serve. EGG CREAM.--Beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth, add one tablespoonful of white sugar, then beat again. Next add the yolk, and beat; then a tablespoonful of milk, one of cold water, and one of any fruit juice desired. EGG CREAM NO. 2.--Prepare as above, using two tablespoonfuls of water instead of one of water and one of milk, and a teaspoonful of lemon juice in place of other fruit juice. EGG CREAM NO. 3.--Beat the yolk of a freshly laid egg with a tablespoonful of sugar until it is light and creamy; add to this, one half cup of hot milk and stir in lightly the stiffly beaten white of the egg. Serve at once. EGG LEMONADE.--Beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth, then mix with it the juice of a small lemon, and one tablespoonful of sugar. Add a half pint of cold water. Or, beat together with an egg beater a tablespoonful of lemon juice, a teaspoonful of sugar, the white of an egg and a cup of cold water, until thoroughly mingled, then serve at once. FLAXSEED TEA.--Take an ounce of whole flaxseed, half an ounce of crushed licorice root, an ounce of refined sugar, and four tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Pour a quart of boiling water over them; keep near the fire for four hours, and then strain off the liquid. The flaxseed should not be crushed, as the mucilage is in the outer part of the kernel, and if braised, the boiling water will extract the oil of the seed, and render the decoction nauseous. Make fresh daily. GUM ARABIC WATER.--Pour a pint of boiling water over an ounce of clean gum arabic. When dissolved, add the juice of one lemon and a teaspoonful of sugar, and strain. HOT WATER.--Put good, fresh water into a perfectly clean granite-ware kettle, already warmed; let it come to a boil very quickly, and use at once. Do not leave it to simmer until it has become insipid through the loss of the air which it contains. HOT LEMONADE.--Put in a glass a thin slice of lemon and the juice of half a small lemon, being careful to remove all seeds; mix with it one dessertspoonful of white sugar, and fill the glass with boiling water. Or, remove the peel of a lemon in very thin parings, turn one pint of boiling water over them, letting it stand for a few moments covered. Remove the peel, add the juice of a lemon and one tablespoonful of sugar, and serve. IRISH MOSS LEMONADE.--Soak one fourth of a cup of Irish moss in cold water until it begins to soften; then work it free from sand and tiny shells likely to be on it, and thoroughly wash. Put it in a granite-ware basin, and pour over it two cups of boiling water. Leave on the back of the range where it will keep hot, but not boil, for half an hour; strain, add the juice of one lemon, and sugar to taste. Drink hot or cold, as preferred. ORANGEADE.--Rub lightly two ounces of lump sugar on the rind of two nice, fresh oranges, to extract the flavor; put this sugar into a pitcher, to which add the juice expressed from the oranges, and that from one lemon. Pour over all one pint of cold water, stir thoroughly, and serve. PLAIN LEMONADE.--For one glass of lemonade squeeze the juice of half a small lemon into the glass; carefully remove all seeds and particles. Add a dessertspoonful of sugar, and fill the glass with cold water. SLIPPERY ELM TEA.--Pour boiling water over bits of slippery elm bark or slippery elm powder, cool, and strain, if desired, a little lemon juice and sugar may be added to flavor. TOAST WATER.--Toast a pint of whole-wheat or Graham bread crusts very brown, but do not burn. Cover with a pint of cold water. Let it stand an hour, strain, and use. Sugar and a little cream may be added if allowed. TAMARIND WATER.--Boil four ounces of tamarinds and the same of raisins slowly, in three quarts of water, for fifteen or twenty minutes, or until the water is reduced nearly one fourth; strain while hot into a bowl with a small slice of lemon peel in it. Set away until cold before using. BREAD. For invalids who are able to partake of solid foods, the Breakfast Rolls, Whole-wheat Puffs, Beaten Biscuit, Crisps, and other unfermented breads, directions for the preparation of which are given in the chapter on Bread, will be found excellent. The various crackers, wafers, and invalid foods manufactured by the Sanitarium Food Co., Battle Creek, Mich., are also to be recommended. Zwieback, prepared as directed on page 289, will be found serviceable and wholesome to be used with broths and gruels. It may be prepared so as to look especially tempting by cutting off the crust of the bread, and cutting the slice into fancy shapes with a cookie-cutter before toasting. In cases where their use is allowable, many of the various toasts given under the head of Breakfast Dishes will be relished. _RECIPES._ DIABETIC BISCUIT.--Make a stiff dough of Graham or entire-wheat flour and water. Knead thoroughly, and let it stand three hours; then place on a sieve under a faucet, turn a stream of water over the dough, and wash out the starch, kneading and working with the hands so that all portions of the dough will be equally washed. When the starch has been all washed out, as will be indicated by the water running off clear, the dough will be a rubber-like, glutinous mass. It may then be cut into long strips, and these divided into equal-sized pieces or cubes. Place the pieces on shallow baking pans in a rather hot oven, which, after a short time, should be allowed to cool to moderate heat, and bake for two hours, when they should be of a dark, rich brown color and light and crisp throughout. If tough, they need rebaking. If the oven is too hot, the pieces will puff up, becoming mere hollow shells; if not sufficiently hot, they will not rise properly. DIABETIC BISCUIT NO. 2.--Prepare a dough and wash out the starch as in the preceding. Add coarse middlings so that the dough can be rolled into thin cakes, and bake. GLUTEN MEAL GEMS.--Beat together one half cup of ice water, one half cup of thick, sweet cream, and one egg; then add one cup and a tablespoonful of the gluten meal prepared by the Sanitarium Food Co. Turn into slightly heated gem irons, and bake in a moderately hot oven from one half to three fourths of an hour. JELLIES AND OTHER SIMPLE DESSERTS FOR THE SICK. Invalids whose digestion will allow of other than the plainest foods will find most of the desserts made with fruits and those with fruits and grains given in the chapter on Desserts, excellent for their use. The following are a few additional recipes of a similar character:-- _RECIPES._ ARROWROOT JELLY.--Rub two heaping teaspoonfuls of arrowroot smooth in a very little cold water, and stir it into a cupful of boiling water, in which should be dissolved two teaspoonfuls of sugar. Stir until clear, allowing it to boil all the time; lastly, add a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Serve cold, with cream and sugar if allowed. ARROWROOT BLANCMANGE.--Rub two and a half tablespoonfuls of best arrowroot smooth in half a cup of cold milk, and stir slowly into two and one half cups of boiling new milk. When it begins to thicken, add three fourths of a cup of sugar, and cook, stirring constantly for several minutes. Turn into molds and cool. Serve with fruit juice or fruit sauces. CURRANT JELLY.--Soak an ounce of Cox's gelatine in half a pint of cold water for fifteen minutes, then pour over it a teacupful of boiling water; strain, and add one pint at currant juice, one tablespoonful of sugar, and set on ice to cool. ICELAND MOSS JELLY.--Wash about four ounces of moss very clean in lukewarm water. Boil slowly in a quart of cold water. When quite dissolved, strain it onto a tablespoonful of currant or raspberry jelly, stirring so as to blend the jelly perfectly with the moss. Turn into a mold, and cool. ICELAND MOSS BLANCMANGE.--Substitute milk for the water, and proceed as in the foregoing. Flavor with lemon or vanilla. Strain through a muslin cloth, turn into a mold, and let stand till firm and cold. ORANGE WHEY.--Add the juice of one sour orange to a pint of sweet milk. Heat very slowly until the milk is curded, then strain and cool. WHITE CUSTARD.--Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth, add a little salt if desired, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar. A bit of grated lemon rind may also be used for flavoring. Add lastly a pint of new milk, little by little, beating thoroughly all the while. Bake in cups set in a pan of hot water. When firm in the center, take out and set in a cool place. TABLE TOPICS. Regimen is better than physic.--_Voltaire._ Many dishes have induced many diseases.--_Seneca._ Dr. Lyman Beecher tells the following story of his aunt, which well illustrates a popular notion that sick people should be fed with all sorts of dainties, no matter what the nature of the disease. When a boy eight or nine years of age, he was one day suffering in the throes of indigestion, as the result of having swallowed a large amount of indigestible mince pie. His kind-hearted aunt noticed the pale and distressed look on his face, and said to him, with genuine sympathy in her voice, "Lyman, you look sick. You may go into the pantry and help yourself to a nice piece of fruit cake just warm from the oven." Fix on that course of life which is the most excellent, and custom will render it the most delightful.--_Pythagoras._ A MERE indigestion can temporarily metamorphose the character. The eel stews of Mohammed II. kept the whole empire in a state of nervous excitement, and one of the meat-pies which King Philip failed to digest caused the revolt of the Netherlands.--_Oswald._ Few seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality. Man's habitual words and acts imply that they are at liberty to treat their bodies as they please. The fact is, that all breaches of the laws of health are physical sins.--_Herbert Spencer._ Practical right and good conduct are much more dependent on health of body than on health of mind.--_Prof. Schneider._ Dr. Abernathy's reply to the Duke of York when consulted about his health was, "Cut off the supplies and the enemy will soon leave the citadel." FOOD FOR THE AGED AND THE VERY YOUNG. FOOD FOR THE AGED One of the first requisites of food for the aged is that it shall be easy of digestion, since with advancing age and decreasing physical energy, digestion and assimilation may be taken with impunity at an earlier period of life, overtax the enfeebled organs and prove highly injurious. The fact that the vital machinery is worn and weakened with age has led to the popular notion that old people require a stimulating diet as a "support" for their declining forces. That this is an error is apparent from the fact that stimulation either by drink or food lessens instead of reinforces vital strength, thus defeating the very purpose desired. Flesh food in quantities is a peculiarly unsuitable diet for the aged, not alone because it is stimulating, but because it produces a tendency to plethora, a condition which is especially inimical to the health of old persons. Eminent authorities on diet also reason that the loss of the teeth at this period, whereby thorough mastication of flesh food is done with difficulty, even with the best artificial aids, should be considered a sign that nature intends such foods to be discarded by the old. A milk, grain, and fruit diet is undoubtedly the one best suited to the average person in old age. Vegetables and legumes in well-prepared soups may also be used to advantage. Directions for such soups, as also for cooking grains and grain products, will be found in the preceding pages. The following bills of fare, one for each season of the year, will perhaps serve to illustrate how a varied and appetizing regimen may be provided without the use of flesh foods:-- BREAKFAST Fresh Fruits Graham Grits and Cream Prune Toast Graham Puffs Cream Crisps Strawberries Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk DINNER Vegetable Broth with Toasted Rolls Baked Potato with Pease Gravy Stewed Asparagus Cracked Wheat and Cream Whole-Wheat Bread Canned Berries Manioca with Fruit Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk BREAKFAST Fresh Fruits Rolled Oats and Cream Baked Sweet Apples Macaroni with Cream Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Peaches Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk DINNER Lentil Soup Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Escalloped Tomato Green Corn Pulp Browned Rice and Cream Fruit Bread Lemon Apple Sauce Prune Pie Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk BREAKFAST Fresh Fruits Blackberry Mush and Cream Cream Toast Graham Crusts Blueberries Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk DINNER Green Pea Soup Mashed Potato Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Pearl Barley and Cream Cream Rolls Blackberries Stewed Fruit Pudding Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk BREAKFAST Fresh Fruits Rolled Wheat and Cream Tomato Toast Corn Bread Graham Gems Stewed Prunes Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Baked Sweet Potato Mashed Peas Steamed Rice with Fig Sauce Graham Bread Stewed Dried Fruit Apples Caramel Coffee or Hot Milk In the selection of a dietary for elderly persons, much must depend upon their physical condition, the daily amount of exercise to which they are accustomed, their habits in earlier life, and a variety of other circumstances. The quantity as well as quality of food for the aged should receive consideration. Diminished bodily activity and the fact that growth has ceased, render a smaller amount of food necessary to supply needs; and a decrease in the amount taken, in proportion to the age and the activity of the subject, must be made or health will suffer. The system will become clogged, the blood filled with imperfectly elaborated material, and gout, rheumatism, apoplexy, or other diseased conditions will be the inevitable result. The digestion of heavy meals is a tax upon vital powers at any time of life, but particularly so as age advances; and for him who has passed his first half-century, over-feeding is fraught with great danger. Cornaro, an Italian of noble family, contemporary with Titian in the sixteenth century, after reaching his eighty-third year wrote several essays upon diet and regimen for the aged, in one of which he says: "There are old lovers of feeding who say that it is necessary that they should eat and drink a great deal to keep up their natural heat, which is constantly diminishing as they advance in years; and that it is therefore their duty to eat heartily and of such things as please their palate, be they hot, cold, or temperate, and that if they were to lead a sober life, it would be a short one. To this I answer; Our kind Mother Nature, in order that old men may live to still greater age, has contrived matters so that they may be able to subsist on little, as I do; for large quantities of food cannot be digested by old and feeble stomachs." Cornaro lived to be one hundred years old, doubtless owing largely to his simple, frugal habits. DIET FOR THE YOUNG. A very large share of the mortality among young children results from dietetic errors which proper knowledge and care on the part of those who have them in charge might commonly avoid. From infancy to the age of twelve or eighteen months, milk is the natural and proper food. Milk contains all the food elements except starch, which cannot be digested by very young children, owing to the insufficient formation of digestive elements of the salivary secretion during the first few months. If the child is deprived of the milk provided by nature, the best artificial food is cow's milk; it, however, requires very careful selection and intelligent preparation. The animal from which the milk comes, should be perfectly healthy and well cared for. The quality of her food should also receive attention, as there is little doubt that disease is often communicated to infants by milk from cows improperly fed and cared for. An eminent medical authority offers the following important points on this subject:-- "The cow selected for providing the food for an infant should be between the ages of four and ten years, of mild disposition, and one which has been giving milk from four to eight weeks. She should be fed on good, clean grain, and hay free from must. Roots, if any are fed, should be of good quality, and she should have plenty of good clean water from a living spring or well. Her pasture should be timothy grass or native grass free from weeds; clover alone is bad. She should be cleaned and cared for like a carriage horse, and milked twice a day by the same person and at the same time. Some cows are unfit by nature for feeding infants." Milk from the same animal should be used if possible. Changing from one cow's milk to another, or the use of such milk as is usually supplied by city milkmen, often occasions serious results. The extraction of the heat from the milk immediately after milking and before it is used or carried far, especially in hot weather, is essential. While the milk itself should be clean and pure, it should also be perfectly fresh and without any trace of decomposition. To insure all these requisites, besides great care in its selection, it must be sterilized, and if not intended for immediate use, bottled and kept in a cool place until needed. It is not safe to feed young children upon unsterilized milk that has stood a few hours. Even fresh milk from the cleanest cows, unless drawn into bottles and sealed at once, contains many germs. These little organisms, the cause of fermentation and decomposition, multiply very rapidly in milk, and as they increase, dangers from the use of the milk increase. There is no doubt that cholera infantum and other digestive disturbances common among young children would be greatly lessened by the use of properly sterilized milk. Directions for sterilizing milk, and additional suggestions respecting points to be considered in its selection, are to be found in the chapter on Milk, etc. Cow's milk differs from human milk in that it contains nearly three times as much casein, but only two thirds as much fat and three fourths as much sugar. Cow's milk is usually slightly acid, while human milk is alkaline. The casein of cow's milk forms large, hard curds, while that of breast milk forms fine, soft curds. These facts make it important that some modification be made in cow's milk to render it acceptable to the feeble stomach of an infant. Cases are rare where it is safe to feed a child under nine months of age on pure, undiluted cow's milk. A common method of preparing cow's milk so as to make it suitable for infant feeding, is to dilute it with pure water, using at first only one third or one fourth milk, the proportion of milk being gradually increased as the child's stomach becomes accustomed to the food and able to bear it, until at the age of four months the child should be taking equal parts of milk and water. When sterilized milk is to be thus diluted, the water should be first boiled or added before sterilizing. A small amount of fine white sugar, or what is better, milk sugar, should be added to the diluted milk. Barley water, and thin, well-boiled, and carefully strained oatmeal gruel thoroughly blended with the milk are also used for this purpose. A food which approximates more nearly the constituents of mother's milk may be prepared as follows:-- ARTIFICIAL HUMAN MILK NO. 1.--Blend one fourth pint of fresh, sweet cream and three fourths of a pint of warm water. Add one half ounce of milk sugar and from two to ten ounces of milk, according to the age of the infant and its digestive capacity. ARTIFICIAL HUMAN MILK NO. 2.--Meigs's formula: Take two tablespoonfuls of cream of medium quality, one tablespoonful of milk, two of lime water, and three of water to which sugar of milk has been added in the proportion of seventeen and three fourths drams to the pint. This saccharine solution must be prepared fresh every day or two and kept in a cool place. A child may be allowed from half a pint to three pints of this mixture, according to age. ARTIFICIAL HUMAN MILK NO. 3.--Prepare a barley water by adding one pint boiling water to a pint of best pearl barley. Allow it to cool, and strain. Mix together one third of a pint of this barley water, two thirds of a pint of fresh, pure milk, and a teaspoonful of milk sugar.--_Medical News._ Peptonized milk, a formula for the preparation of which may be found on page 426, is also valuable as food for infants, especially for those of weak digestion. MUCILAGINOUS FOOD EXCELLENT IN GASTRO-ENTERITIS.--Wheat, one tablespoonful; oatmeal, one half tablespoonful; barley, one half tablespoonful; water, one quart. Boil to one pint, strain, and sweeten.--_Dietetic Gazette._ PREPARED FOODS FOR INFANTS.--Of prepared infant foods we can recommend that manufactured by the Sanitarium Food Co., Battle Creek, Mich., as thoroughly reliable. There are hundreds of prepared infant foods in the market, but most of them are practically worthless in point of food value, being often largely composed of starch, a substance which the immature digestive organs of a young child are incapable of digesting. Hundreds of infants are yearly starved to death upon such foods. All artificial foods require longer time for digestion than the food supplied by nature; and when making use of such, great care should be taken to avoid too frequent feeding. It is absolutely essential for the perfect health of an infant as well as of grown people, that the digestive organs shall enjoy a due interval of rest between the digestion of one meal and the taking of another. As a rule, a new-born infant may be safely fed, when using human milk, not oftener than once in every three or four hours. When fed upon artificial food, once in five or six hours is often enough for feeding. The intervals between meals in either case should be gradually prolonged as the child grows older. QUANTITY OF FOOD FOR INFANTS.--Dr. J.H. Kellogg gives the following rules and suggestions for the feeding of infants:-- "During the first week of a child's life, the weight of the food given should be 1/100 of the weight of the infant at birth. The daily additional amount of food required for a child amounts to about one fourth of a dram, or about one ounce at the end of each month. A child gains in weight from two thirds of an ounce to one ounce per day during the first five months of its life, and an average of one half as much daily during the balance of the first year. "From a series of tables which have been prepared, as the result of experiments carefully conducted in large lying-in establishments, we have devised this rule:-- "To find the amount of food required by a child at each feeding during the first year of life, divide the weight of the child at birth by 100 and add to this amount 3/100 of the gain which the child has made since birth. Take, for example, a child which weighs 7-1/2 lbs--at birth, or 120 ounces. Dividing by 100 we have 1.2 oz. Estimating the weight according to the rule above given, the child at the end of nine months will have gained 210 oz. Dividing this by 100 and multiplying by 3, we have 6.3 oz. Adding to this our previous result, 1.3, we have 7.5 oz, as the amount of food required at each feeding at the end of nine months by a child which weighed 7-1/2 lbs. at birth. To save mothers the trouble of making these calculations, we have prepared the following table, which will be found to hold good for the average child weighing 7-1/2 lbs. at birth. This is rather more than the ordinary child weighs, but we have purposely chosen a large child for illustration, as it is better that the child should have a slight excess of food than too little. AGE OF CHILD. |1w.| 1m. |2m.|3m.|4m.|6m.|9m.|12m Amount of each feeding in ounces...| 1| 1½-2| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |7½ | 9 Number of feedings.................| 10| 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 Amount of food daily, in ounces....| 10|12-16|18 |24 |30 |36 |37½|45 Interval between feedings, in hours| 2| 2½ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |3½ |3½ "In the above table the first column represents quantities for the first week, the second for the end of the second month, the third for the end of the third month, etc. It need not be mentioned that the change in quantity should be even more gradual than represented in the table. "Attention should also be called to the fact that the time mentioned as the interval for feeding at different ages, does not apply to the whole twenty-four hours. Even during the first week, the child is expected to skip two feedings during the night, making the interval four hours instead of two. By the end of the second month, the interval between the feedings at night becomes six hours, and at the end of the ninth month, six and one half hours. "From personal observation we judge that in many cases children will do equally well if allowed a longer interval between feedings at night. The plan of feeding five times daily instead of six, may be begun at as early an age as six months in many instances." MANNER OF FEEDING ARTIFICIAL FOODS.--All artificial foods are best fed with a teaspoon, as by this method liability to over-feeding and danger from unclean utensils are likely to be avoided. If a nursing-bottle is used, it should be of clear flint glass so that the slightest foulness may be easily detected, and one simple in construction, which can be completely taken apart for cleaning. Those furnished with conical black rubber caps are the best. Each time after using, such a bottle should have the cap removed, and both bottle and cap should be thoroughly cleansed, first with cold water, and then with warm water in which soda has been dissolved in the proportion of a teaspoonful to a pint of water. They should then be kept immersed in weak soda solution until again needed, when both bottle and cap should be thoroughly rinsed in clean boiled water before they are used. Neglect to observe these precautions is one of the frequent causes of stomach disturbances in young children. It is well to keep two bottles for feeding, using them alternately. DIET FOR OLDER CHILDREN.--No solid food or table-feeding of any kind should be given to a child until it has the larger share of its first, or milk teeth. Even then it must not be supposed that because a child has acquired its teeth, it may partake of all kinds of food with impunity. It is quite customary for mothers to permit their little ones to sit at the family table and be treated to bits of everything upon the bill of fare, apparently looking upon them as miniature grown people, with digestive ability equal to persons of mature growth, but simply lacking in, stomach capacity to dispose of as much as older members of the family. The digestive apparatus of a child differs so greatly from that of an adult in its anatomical structure and in the character and amount of the digestive fluids, that it is by no means proper to allow a child to eat all kinds of wholesome foods which a healthy adult stomach can consume with impunity, to say nothing of the rich, highly seasoned viands, sweetmeats, and epicurean dishes which seldom fail to form some part of the bill of fare. It is true that many children are endowed with so much constitutional vigor that they do live and seemingly thrive, notwithstanding dietetic errors; but the integrity of the digestive organs is liable to be so greatly impaired by continued ill-treatment that sooner or later in life disease results. Till the age of three years, sterilized milk, whole-wheat bread in its various forms, such of the grains as contain a large share of gluten, prepared in a variety of palatable ways, milk and fruit toasts, and the easily digested fruits, both raw and cooked, form the best dietary. Strained vegetable soups may be occasionally added for variety. For from three to six years the same simple regimen, with easily digested and simply prepared vegetables, macaroni, and legumes prepared without skins, will be all-sufficient. If desserts are desirable, let them be simple in character and easily digestible. Tea, coffee, hot bread and biscuit, fried foods of all kinds, salted meats, preserves, rich puddings, cake, and pastries should be wholly discarded from the children's bill of fare. It is especially important that a dietary for children should contain an abundance of nitrogenous material. It is needed not only for repairs, but must be on deposit for the purpose of food. Milk, whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, barley, and preparations of wheat, contain this element in abundance, and should for this reason be given great prominence in the children's dietary. Flesh foods are in no way necessary for children, since the food elements of which they are composed can be supplied from other and better sources, and many prominent medical authorities unite in the opinion that such foods are decidedly deleterious, and should not be used at all by children under eight or ten years of age. Experiments made by Dr. Camman, of New York, upon the dietary of nearly two hundred young children in an orphan's home, offer conclusive evidence that the death rate among children from gastro-intestinal troubles is greatly lessened by the exclusion of meat from their dietary. Dr. Clouston, of Edinburgh, an eminent medical authority, states that in his experience, those children who show the greatest tendencies to instability of the brain, insanity, and immoral habits are, as a rule, those who use animal food in excess; and that he has seen a change of diet to milk and farinaceous food produce a marked change in their nervous irritability. Scores of other authorities corroborate. Dr. Clouston's observation, and assert that children fed largely on flesh foods have capricious appetites, suffer more commonly from indigestion in its various forms, possess an unstable nervous system, and have less resisting power in general. Candy and similar sweets generally given to children as a matter of course, may be excluded from their dietary with positive benefit in every way. It is true, as is often stated in favor of the use of these articles, that sugar is a food element needed by children; but the amount required for the purpose of growth and repair is comparatively small, and is supplied in great abundance in bread, grains, fruits, and other common articles of food. If an additional quantity is taken, it is not utilized by the system, and serves only to derange digestion, impair appetite, and indirectly undermine the health. Children are not likely to crave candy and other sweets unless a taste for such articles has been developed by indulgence in them; and their use, since they are seldom taken at mealtime, helps greatly to foster that most pernicious habit of childhood--eating between meals. No food, except at their regular mealtimes, should be the universal rule for children from babyhood up; and although during their earliest years they require food at somewhat shorter intervals than adults, their meal hours should be arranged for the same time each day, and no piecing permitted. Parents who follow the too common practice of giving their little ones a cracker or fruit between meals are simply placing them under training for dyspepsia, sooner or later. Uninterrupted digestion proceeds smoothly and harmoniously in a healthy stomach; but interruptions in the shape of food sent down at all times and when the stomach is already at work, are justly resented, and such disturbances, if long continued, are punished by suffering. The appetite of a child is quite as susceptible of education, in both a right and wrong direction, as are its mental or moral faculties; and parents in whose hands this education mainly rests should give the subject careful consideration, since upon it the future health and usefulness of their children not a little devolve. We should all be rulers of our appetites instead of subject to them; but whether this be so or not, depends greatly upon early dietetic training. Many a loving mother, by thoughtless indulgence of her child, in season and out of season, in dainties and tidbits that simply serve to gratify the palate, is fostering a "love of appetite" which may ruin her child in years to come. There are inherited appetites and tendencies, it is true; but even these may be largely overcome by careful early training in right ways of eating and drinking. It is possible to teach very young children to use such food as is best for them, and to refrain from the eating of things harmful; and it should be one of the first concerns of every mother to start her children on the road to manhood and womanhood, well trained in correct dietetic habits. TABLE TOPICS. "The wanton taste no flesh nor fowl can choose, For which the grape or melon it would lose, Though all th' inhabitants of earth and air Be listed in the glutton's bill of fare." --_Cowley._ Jean Jacques Rousseau holds that intemperate habits are mostly acquired in early boyhood, when blind deference to social precedents is apt to overcome our natural antipathies, and that those who have passed that period in safety, have generally escaped the danger of temptation. The same holds good of other dietetic abuses. If a child's natural aversion to vice has never been wilfully perverted, the time will come when his welfare may be intrusted to the safe-keeping of his protective instincts. You need not fear that he will swerve from the path of health when his simple habits, sanctioned by nature and inclination, have acquired the additional strength of long practice. When the age of blind deference is past, vice is generally too unattractive to be very dangerous.--_Oswald._ That a child inherits certain likes and dislikes in the matter of food cannot be questioned, and does not in the least forbid the training of the child's taste toward that which is healthful and upbuilding; it merely adds an element to be considered in the training.--_Sel._ Prevention is better than cure. It is worth a life effort to lift a man from degradation. To prevent his fall is better.--_Gough._ A cynical French writer of the last century intending a satire upon the principles of vegetarianism adopted by Phillippe Hecquet, puts into the mouth of one of the characters in his book what, in the grossly voluptuous life of that country and time, the author no doubt imagined to be the greatest absurdities conceivable in reference to diet, but which, in the light of present civilization are but the merest hygienic truths. A doctor had been called to a gouty and fever-stricken patient. "Pray what is your ordinary diet?" asked the physician. "My usual food," replied the patient, "is broth and juicy meat." "Broth and juicy meat!" cried the doctor, alarmed. "I do not wonder to find you sick; such dishes are poisoned pleasures and snares that luxury spreads for mankind, so as to ruin them the more effectually.... How old are you, pray?" "I am in my sixty-ninth year," replied the patient. "Exactly," ... said the physician; "if you had drunk nothing else than pure water all your life, and had been satisfied with simple nourishment,--such as boiled apples for example,--you would not now be tormented with the gout, and all your limbs would perform their functions with ease." Dr. Horace Bushnell says: "The child is taken when his training begins in a state of naturalness as respects all the bodily tastes and tempers, and the endeavour should be to keep him in that key, to let no stimulation of excess or delicacy disturb the simplicity of nature, and no sensual pleasure in the name of food become a want or expectation of his appetite. Any artificial appetite begun is the beginning of distemper, disease, and a general disturbance of natural proportion. Nine tenths of the intemperate drinking begins, not in grief and destitution, as we so often hear, but in vicious feeding." Always let the food be simply for nourishment--never more, never less. Never should food be taken for its own sake, but for the sake of promoting bodily and mental activity. Still less should the peculiarities of food, its taste or delicacy ever become an object in themselves, but only a means to make it good, pure, wholesome nourishment; else in both cases the food destroys health.--_Froebel._ Since what need mortals, save twain things alone, Crushed grain (heaven's gift), and steaming water-draught? Food nigh at hand, and Nature's aliment-- Of which no glut contents us. Pampered taste hunts out device of other eatables. --_Euripides._ FRAGMENTS & LEFT-OVER FOODS Economy, one of the cardinal principles of success in the details of housekeeping, as in all other occupations in life, consists not alone in making advantageous use of fresh material, but in carefully preserving and utilizing the "left-over" fragments and bits of food which accrue in every household. Few cooks can make such perfect calculation respecting the desires and needs of their families as to provide just enough and no more, and the improvident waste of the surplus thus prepared, is in many homes fully equal to one half the first cost of the meal. Scarcely anything need ever be wasted--certainly nothing which was at first well cooked. There are ways of utilizing almost every kind of cooked food so that it will be quite as appetizing and nutritious as when first prepared. All left-over foods, as grains, vegetables, or others of a moist character, should be removed to clean dishes before putting away. Unless this precaution is observed, the thin smears and tiny bits about the edges of the dish, which become sour or moldy much sooner than the larger mass, are apt to spoil the whole. They should also be set on ice or be kept in a cool, dry place until needed. Left-over foods of any kind, to be suitable again for use, must be well preserved. Sour or moldy fragments are not fit for food. USES OF STALE BREAD.--If properly made from wholesome and nutritious material and well preserved, there are few other foods that can be combined into more varied and palatable dishes than left-over bread. To insure the perfect preservation of the fragments, the loaf itself should receive good care. Perfectly sweet, light, well-baked bread has not the same propensity to mold as a poorer loaf; but the best of bread is likely to become musty if its surroundings are not entirely wholesome. The receptacle used for keeping the loaves should be frequently washed, scalded, and well dried. Crumbs and fragments should be kept in a separate receptacle and as thoroughly cared for. It is well in cutting bread not to slice more than will be needed, and to use one loaf before beginning on another. Bread grows stale much faster after being cut. Whole or half slices of bread which have become too dry to be palatable may be utilized for making zwieback, directions for the use and preparation of which are given on page 289. Broken pieces of bread not suitable for zwieback, crusts, and trimmings of the loaf make excellent _croutons_, a most palatable accompaniment for soups, gruels, hot milk, etc. To prepare the _croutons_ cut the fragments as nearly uniform in size as possible,--half-inch cubes are convenient,--and place them on tins in a warming oven to dry. Let them become crisply dry, and lightly browned, but not scorched. They are preferable to crackers for use in soups, and require so little work to prepare, and are so economical withal, that one who has once tried them will be likely to keep a supply on hand. The crumbs and still smaller fragments may be utilized for thickening soups and for various dressings and puddings, recipes for many of which are given in preceding chapters. If crumbs and small bits of bread accumulate more rapidly than they can be used, they may be carefully dried, not browned, in a warming oven, after which put them in a mortar and pound them, or spread them upon an old bread board, fold in a clean cloth and roll them with a rolling pin until fine. Prepared thus, stored in glass fruit cans and put away in a dry place, they will keep almost indefinitely, and can be used when needed. For preparing escalloped vegetables of all kinds, these prepared crumbs are excellent; they give a fine, nutty flavor to the dish, which fresh crumbs do not possess. LEFT-OVER GRAINS.--Left-over grains, if well kept, may be reheated in a double boiler without the addition of water, so as to be quite as palatable as when freshly cooked. Small quantities of left-over grains can be utilized for preparing various kinds of desserts, where the ingredients require previous cooking. Rice, barley, pearl wheat, and other whole grains can be satisfactorily used in soups in which a whole grain is required; oatmeal, rolled oats, corn meal, grits, etc., with the addition of a little milk and cream, may be made into delicious gruels; they may also be used advantageously in the preparation of vegetable soups, many of which are even improved by the addition of a few spoonfuls of well-kept cooked oatmeal or rolled oats. The left-over grains may also be utilized in a variety of breads, directions for the preparation of which are given in the chapter on Bread. LEFT-OVER VEGETABLES.--Left-over portions of most varieties of vegetables can be best utilized for soups as stated on page 275. Cold mashed potato may be made into potato cakes as directed on page 237 of the chapter on Vegetables, where will also be found many other recipes, suited to the use of these left-over foods. LEFT-OVER MEATS.--Most cook books offer numerous recipes for croquettes, hashes, and fried dishes prepared from remnants of meat and fish, which, although they serve the purpose of using up the fragments, are not truly economical, because they are generally far from wholesome. Most fragments of this character are more digestible served cold as a relish, or utilized for soups and stews, than compounded into fancy dishes requiring to be fried and highly seasoned or served with rich sauces. LEFT-OVER MILK.--Small quantities of unsterilized milk or cream left over should always be carefully scalded, then cooled at once to a temperature of 60,° and put in a cool place, in order to keep it sweet and fresh until the next meal. TABLE TOPICS. "Care preserves what Industry gains. He who attends to his business diligently, but _not_ carefully, throws away with one hand what he gathers with the other."--_Colton._ "What does cookery mean?" It means the knowledge of all fruits and herbs and balms and spices--it means carefulness, and inventiveness, and watchfulness, and willingness, and readiness of appliance. It means the economy of your great grandmothers and the science of modern chemists,--it means much tasting and no wasting.--_Ruskin._ A penny saved is two pence clear A pin a day's a groat a year. --_Franklin._ Bad cooking is waste--waste of money and loss of comfort. Whom God has joined in matrimony, ill-cooked joints and ill-boiled potatoes have very often put asunder.--_Smiles._ Never sacrifice the more precious things--time, health, temper, strength--in attempting to save the less precious--money. --_Sel._ Learn by how little life may be sustained and how much nature requires. The gifts of Cerea and water are sufficient nourishment for all peoples.--_Pharsalia._ THE ART OF DINING Human nature is so susceptible to externals, while good digestion is so dependent upon interior conditions, that all the accessories of pleasant surroundings--neatness, cheeriness, and good breeding--should be brought into requisition for the daily gathering of the family at mealtime. The dining room should be one of the airiest, choicest rooms in the house, with a pleasant outlook, and, if possible, with east windows, that the morning sun may gladden the breakfast hour with its cheering rays. Let plants, flowers, birds, and pictures have a place in its appointments, that the association with things bright and beautiful may help to set the keynote of our own lives in cheerful accord. A dark, gloomy, ill-ventilated room brings depression of spirits, and will make the most elaborate meal unsatisfactory; while the plainest meal may seem almost a feast when served amid attractive surroundings. Neatness is an important essential; any home, however humble, may possess cleanliness and order, and without these, all charms of wealth and art are of little account. A thorough airing each morning and opening of the windows a few minutes after each meal to remove the odor of food, are important items in the care of the dining room. The furnishing may be simple and inexpensive,--beauty in a home is not dependent upon expense,--but let it be substantial, tasteful, harmonious in color and soft in tone, nothing gaudy or showy. Use no heavy draperies, and have no excess of ornament and bric-a-brac to catch dust and germs. A hard-finished wood floor is far superior to a carpet in point of healthfulness, and quite as economical and easy to keep clean. The general furnishing of the room, besides the dining table and chairs, should include a sideboard, upon which may be arranged the plate and glassware, with drawers for cutlery and table linen; also a side-table for extra dishes needed during the service of a meal. An open fireplace, when it can be afforded, aids in ventilation as well as increases the cheerful aspect of the room. A moveable china closet with glass encasements for keeping the daintier china, glass, or silver ware not in common use is often a desirable article of furniture in small homes; or a shallow closet may be built in the wall of the dining-room for this purpose. A good size for such a closet is twelve inches deep and three feet wide. Four shelves, with one or more drawers below, in which may be kept the best table napery, afford ample space in general. The appearance of the whole may be made very pleasing by using doors of glass, and filling in the back and sides of the shelves with velvet paper in dark-brown, dull-red, or any shade suitable for background, harmonizing with the general furnishing of the room. The shelves should be of the same material and have the same finish as the woodwork of the room. The upper side may be covered with felt if desired; and such artistic taste may be displayed in the arrangement of the china as to make the closet ornamental as well as convenient. TABLE-TALK.--A sullen, silent meal is a direct promoter of dyspepsia. "Laugh and grow fat" is an ancient adage embodying good hygienic doctrine. It has long been well understood that food digests better when seasoned with agreeable conversation, and it is important that unpleasant topics should be avoided. Mealtime should not be made the occasion to discuss troubles, trials, and misfortunes, which rouse only gloomy thoughts, impair digestion, and leave one at the close of the meal worried and wearied rather than refreshed and strengthened. Let vexatious questions be banished from the family board. Fill the time with bright, sparkling conversation, but do not talk business or discuss neighborhood gossip. Do not let the food upon the table furnish the theme of conversation; neither praise nor apology are in good taste. Parents who make their food thus an especial topic of conversation are instilling into their children's minds a notion that eating is the best part of life, whereas it is only a means to a higher end, and should be so considered. Of all family gatherings the meals should be the most genial and pleasant, and with a little effort they may be made most profitable to all. It is said of Dr. Franklin that he derived his peculiarly practical turn of mind from his father's table talk. Let themes of conversation be of general interest, in which all may take a part. If there are children, a pleasant custom for the breakfast hour is to have each in turn relate something new and instructive, that he or she has read or learned in the interval since the breakfast hour of the previous day. This stimulates thought and conversational power, while music, history, adventure, politics, and all the arts and sciences offer ample scope for securing interesting items. Another excellent plan is the selection of a special topic for conversation for each meal or for the meals of a day or a week, a previous announcement of the topic being made, that all, even the youngest, may have time to prepare something to say of it. The benefits from such social intercourse around the board can hardly be over-estimated; and if thus the mealtime is prolonged, and too much appears to be taken out of the busy day, be sure it will add to their years in the end, by increasing health and happiness. TABLE MANNERS.--Good breeding and true refinement are nowhere more apparent than in manners at table. These do not relate alone to the proper use of knife and fork, napkin and spoon, but to habits of punctuality, neatness, quietness, order, and that kind thoughtfulness and courteous attention which spring from the heart--"in honor preferring one another." The purpose of eating should not be merely the appeasement of hunger or the gratification of the palate, but the acquiring of strength for labor or study, that we may be better fitted for usefulness in the world. Consequently, we should eat like responsible beings, and not like the lower orders of animals. Good table manners cannot be put on for special occasions and laid aside like a garment. Persons not wont to observe the rules of politeness in the every-day life of their own households can never deceive others into thinking them well bred on "company" occasions. Ease and refinement of manners are only acquired by habitual practice, and parents should early accustom their children by both precept and example to observe the requirements of good behavior and politeness at table. Elaborate details are not necessary. We subjoin a few of the more simple rules governing table etiquette:-- 1. Eat slowly, never filling the mouth very full and avoiding all appearance of greediness. 2. Masticate thoroughly, keeping the lips closed. Eating and drinking should be noiseless. 3. Never speak with the mouth full, nor interrupt another when talking. Any remark worthy of utterance will keep. 4. Do not express a choice for any particular portion or dish, unless requested to do so; and do not find fault with the food. If by chance anything unpleasant is found in it, do not call the attention of others to the fact by either remark or manner. 5. Sit conveniently near the table, but not crowded up close against it; and keep the hands, when not in use to convey food to the mouth, in the lap, beneath the table, never resting upon the table, toying with knife, fork, or spoon. 6. Do not tilt back your chair, or lean upon the table with the elbow, or drum with the fingers. 7. It is contrary to good breeding to shovel one's food into the mouth with a knife. Everything which can be eaten with a fork should be taken with that utensil alone. If necessary, use the knife for dividing the food, and afterward the fork to convey it to the mouth. Use a spoon for soups and juicy foods. 8. Bread should be broken, not cut. In eating large fruits, like apples or pears, divide with a knife, and take in small portions, holding the knife by the handle rather than the blade. 9. Soup is eaten from the side of the spoon, which is filled without noisily touching the plate. 10. Seeds or stones to be rejected should be taken from the lips with a spoon, never with the fingers. The mouth should not go to the food, but the food to the mouth. 11. Do not crumble food about your plate, nor in any avoidable way soil the table linen. 12. Do not hang the napkin about the neck like a bib, but unfold and lay across the lap in such a manner that it will not slide to the floor. Carefully wipe the mouth before speaking, and as often at other times as may keep the lips perfectly clean of food and drink. At the close of a meal, if at home, fold the napkin neatly and place it in the ring. If at a hotel or away from home, leave the napkin unfolded by your plate. 13. Do not appear impatient to be served, and ordinarily at the home meals wait until all are served before commencing to eat. At a public table where waiters are provided, it is proper to begin eating as soon as the food is served. This is admissible because the wants of other guests are supposed to be similarly looked after. 14. Never reach across a neighbor's plate for anything. If something beyond him is needed, ask to have it passed to you. 15. Do not tilt your plate or scrape it for the last atom of food. 16. Drink very sparingly, if at all, while eating, and then do not pour the liquid down the throat like water turned from a pitcher. 17. Children should not be allowed to use their fingers to aid themselves in eating. If their hands are too small or too awkward to use a fork, a piece of bread or cracker may be held in the left hand to aid in pushing the food upon the fork or spoon. 18. To help one's self to butter or any other food from a common dish with one's own knife or spoon is a gross breach of table etiquette. 19. Never use the handkerchief unnecessarily at the table, and do not cough or sneeze if avoidable. 20. It is not considered proper to pick the teeth at table. If this becomes absolutely necessary, a napkin should be held before the mouth. 21. When a meal or course is finished, lay the knife and fork side by side upon the plate. 22. Except at a hotel or boarding house, it is not proper to leave the table before the rest of the family or guests, without asking the hostess to excuse you. 23. If a guest declines a dish, he need give no reason. "No, I thank you," is quite sufficient. The host or hostess should not insist upon guests' partaking of particular dishes, nor put anything upon their plates which they have declined. THE TABLE.--None will deny that the appearance of the table affects one's enjoyment of the food upon it. A well-appointed table with its cloth, though coarse in texture, perfectly clean and neatly laid, its glass and china bright and shining, and the silver showing by its glistening surface evidence of frequent polishings, gives far more comfort and enjoyment than one where little attention is given to neatness, order, or taste. In many families, effort is made to secure all these important accessories when guests have been invited; but for common use, anything is considered "good enough for just one's own folks." This ought not to be, and mothers who permit such a course, need not be surprised if their children exhibit a lack of self-respect and genuineness as well as awkwardness and neglect of manners. The table around which the family meals are taken, ought to be at all times the model of what it should be when surrounded by guests. As a writer has well said, "There is no silent educator in the household that has higher rank than the table. Surrounded each day by the family who are eager for refreshment of body and spirit, its impressions sink deep; and its influences for good or ill form no mean part of the warp and woof of our lives. Its fresh damask, bright silver, glass, and china, give beautiful lessons in neatness, order, and taste; its damask soiled, rumpled, and torn, its silver dingy, its glass cloudy, and china nicked, annoy and vex us at first, and then instill their lessons of carelessness and disorder. An attractive, well-ordered table is an incentive to good manners, and being a place where one is incited to linger, it tends to control the bad habits of fast eating; while, on the contrary, an uninviting, disorderly table gives license to bad manners, and encourages the haste which is proverbial among Americans. The woman, then, who looks after her table in these particulars, is not doing trivial work, for it rests with her to give silently these good or bad lessons in manners and morals to her household as they surround the daily board." A well-appointed table requires very little time and labor. No pretense or ostentation is necessary; neatness and simplicity are far more pleasing. SETTING THE TABLE.--Lay a piece of double-faced canton flannel underneath the tablecloth. Even coarse napery will present a much better appearance with a sub-cover than if spread directly upon the table. It will likewise lessen noise in changing courses and the likelihood of injury to the table from hot dishes. Spread the tablecloth evenly, without wrinkles, and so that the center fold shall be exactly in the middle, parallel with the sides of the table. Mats, if used, should be placed exactly straight and with regularity. If meat is served, spread a large napkin with points toward the center of the table at the carver's place, to protect the tablecloth. Place the plates upon the table, right side up, at even distances from each other and straight with the cloth and the edge of the table. Lay the napkins directly in front or at the right of each plate. Place the fork at the left, the knife on the right with the edge toward the plate, beyond this the soup spoon and two teaspoons, and at the front of these set the glass, cream glass, and individual butter plate if these are used. A center piece consisting of a vase of freshly cut flowers, a pot of ferns, a jar of small plants in bloom, a dish of well-polished red apples, peaches, or other seasonable fruit, will add a touch of beauty and attractiveness. If the serving is to be done from the table by members of the family, place large spoons near dishes to be served, also the proper number and kind of separate dishes for the purpose. If fruit is to be served, a finger bowl should be placed for each person. If the service is by course, the extra dishes, knives, forks, and spoons needed, also the finger bowls, water service, and cold foods in reserve for a renewed supply or for other courses, should be made ready and arranged upon the sideboard. The soup ladle should be placed in front of the lady of the house, who always serves the soup; and if meat is served, the carving knife and fork must, of course, be placed before the carver's place. The necessary dishes for each course should be brought on with the food, those for the first course being placed upon the table just a moment before dinner is announced. The arrangement of all dishes and foods upon the table should be uniform, regular, and tasteful, so as to give an orderly appearance to the whole. The "dishing up" and arranging of the food are matters of no small importance, as a dull appetite will often be sharpened at the sight of a daintily arranged dish, while the keenest one may have its edge dulled by the appearance of a shapeless mass piled up with no regard to looks. Even the simplest food is capable of looking its best, and the greatest care should be taken to have all dishes served neatly and tastefully. The table should not be set for breakfast the night before nor kept so from one meal to another, unless carefully covered with a cloth thick enough to prevent the dust from accumulating upon the dishes. The plates and glasses should then be placed bottom-side up and turned just before mealtime. No food of any kind should ever be allowed to remain uncovered upon the table from one meal to another. The cloth for covering the table should be carefully shaken each time before using, and always used the same side up until washed. Plates and individual meat dishes should be warmed, especially in winter; but the greatest care should be taken that no dish becomes hot, as that not only makes it troublesome to handle, but is ruinous to the dishes. THE SERVICE OF MEALS.--There are few invariable rules for either table-setting or service. We will offer a few suggestions upon this point, though doubtless other ways are equally good. A capital idea for the ordinary home meal, when no servant is kept, especially if in the family there are older children, is to make different members of the family responsible for the proper service of some dish or course. The fruit, which should be the first course at breakfast, may be prepared and placed upon fruit plates with the proper utensils for eating--napkins and finger bowls at each place before the meal is announced. If apples or bananas are served, a cracker should be placed upon each plate to be eaten in connection with the fruit. Oranges and grapes are, however, to be preferred when obtainable; the former may be prepared as directed on page 180. The hot foods may be dished, and the dishes placed on a side table in a _bain marie_, the hot water in which should be as deep as the food within the dishes. The foods will thus be in readiness, and will keep much better than if placed upon the table at the beginning of the meal. When the fruit is eaten, some member of the family may remove the fruit plates, and bring the hot grains, toasts, and other foods, placing them, together with the necessary individual dishes, before those who have their serving in charge. One member may be selected to pass the bread, another to dish the sauce, etc.; and thus each child, whether boy or girl--even those quite young--may contribute to the service, and none be overburdened, while at the same time it will be a means of teaching a due regard for the comfort and enjoyment of others. If the meal is dinner, usually consisting of three courses, after the soup has been eaten, it may be the duty of some member of the family to remove the soup plates and place the vegetables, grains, and meats if any are to served, before those chosen to serve them. At the close of this course, another may remove the dishes and food, crumb the cloth, and place the dessert, with the proper dishes for serving, before the lady of the house or her oldest daughter, one of whom usually serves it. If a servant is employed, the following is an excellent plan of service: The soup plates or bowls should be placed hot upon the table, with the tureen of soup before the lady of the house, and the glasses filled before the dinner is announced. Grace having been said, the servant removes the cover of the soup tureen, and standing at the left of the lady, takes up with her left hand a soup plate, which she changes to the palm of her right hand and holds at the edge of the soup tureen until the lady has filled it, then carries it, still holding it upon the palm of the hand, and places it before the head of the table. In the same manner all are served to soup. If bowls instead of plates are used, a small silver or lacquered tray may be used on which to carry the bowl. While the soup is being eaten, the servant goes to the kitchen and brings in the hot dishes and foods for the next course, and places them upon the side table. When the soup has been finished, beginning with the one who sits at the head of the table, the servant places before each person in turn a hot dinner plate, at the same time removing his soup plate to the sideboard or pantry. After changing all the plates, she removes the soup tureen, and if meat is to be served, places that before the carver with the individual plates, which, when he has placed a portion thereon, she serves to each in turn; then she takes the potato and other vegetables upon her tray, and serves them, going to the left of each person when passing them a dish, but placing individual dishes at the right; next she passes the bread, refills the glasses, taking each one separately to the sideboard, and then serves the grains. When every one has finished the course, she begins the clearing of the table by first removing all large dishes of food; after that the plates and all soiled dishes, mats, and all table furniture except the glasses, napkin rings, and center-pieces. Lastly she removes all crumbs with a brush or napkin. When done, she places in front of each person a plate with a doily and finger bowl upon it, and then brings the dessert and dessert dishes, placing them before the lady of the house, and passes these for her as in the other courses. If the dessert is pudding, a spoon or fork should be placed on the plate at one side of the finger bowl. If the dessert is fruit, a fruit napkin may be used in place of the doily, the real purpose of which is to prevent the bowl from sliding about the plate in moving it. A fork and silver knife, or knife and spoon as the fruit may require, should be served with it. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR WAITERS.--In serving a dish from which people are expected to help themselves, always go to the left side. Soup, food in individual dishes, clean plates, and finger bowls should be set down before people at their right hand. When removing soiled dishes after a course, always exchange them for clean ones, remembering that the only time when it is allowable to leave the table without plates is when it is being cleared for the dessert. In serving grains either dish them in small dishes before serving or pass clean saucers at the same time for each to help himself, and in all cases see that each person is served to cream, sugar, and a teaspoon, with grains. Pass the bread two or three times during each meal, and keep careful watch that all are well supplied. Pour hot milk and all beverages on the side table; fill only three fourths full, and serve the same as anything else in individual dishes, placing the glass at each person's right hand. Waiters should be noiseless and prompt, and neatly attired in dress suitable to their occupation. SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING DINNER PARTIES.--Much of the success of a dinner party depends upon the guests selected; and the first point for consideration by the lady who decides upon entertaining her friends thus, should be the congeniality of those whom she desires to invite, remembering that after the first greetings the guests see very little of their hostess, and consequently their enjoyment must largely depend upon each other. It is customary to issue invitations in the name of the host and hostess, from five to ten days in advance of the occasion. Printed or written invitations may be used. The following is a proper form:-- _Mr. and Mrs. George Brown_ _request the pleasure_ _of_ _Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clark's company_ _at dinner_ _December 5th, at four o'clock._ _24 Maple Avenue._ If the dinner is given in especial honor to some stranger, a second card is inclosed on which is written:-- _To meet_ _Mrs. Harold Brooks of Philadelphia._ Invitations to a dinner should be promptly accepted or declined, and if accepted, the engagement should on no account be lightly broken. Unless one has a large establishment, and is very sure of good service, the bill of fare selected should not be an elaborate one, and the choice of dishes should be confined to those which one is used to preparing, and which in cost will not exceed one's means. It is the quality of the dinner which pleases, and not the multiplicity of dishes. Small dinners for not less than six or more than ten guests are always the most pleasant, and for those of moderate means or those unaccustomed to dinner-giving are by far the most suitable. The arrangement and adornment of the table afford an opportunity for the display of much artistic taste and skill. An expensive outlay is by no means necessary, as highly pleasing effects may be produced by the addition of a few choice, well-arranged flowers or blossoming plants to a table already well laid with spotless linen, bright silver, and clean glass and china ware. A profusion of ornament should be avoided, large pieces of plate, and high, elaborate designs of flowers or fruit should not be used, as they obstruct the intercourse of the guests. A center piece of flowers, with a small bouquet tied with ribbon for each guest, is quite sufficient. Low dishes filled with violets or pansies; a basket filled with oranges, mingled with orange leaves and blossoms; bowls of ferns and roses; a block of ice wreathed in ferns, with an outer circle of water lilies; dishes of vari-colored grapes resting amid the bright leaves of the foliage plant, are some of many pleasing designs which may be employed for the adornment of the dinner table. The amount of space occupied with decorations must depend upon the style of service employed. If no calculation need be made for placing the different dishes composing the dinner, a strip of colored plush or satin bordered with ivy, smilax, or some trailing vine, is quite frequently used for the decoration of a long table. A very pleasing custom consists in selecting some especial color for the decorations with which the table napery, dishes, and even the food to be served shall accord; as, for example, a "pink" dinner, with roses as the chief flower, strawberries, pink lemonade, and other pink attractions; or a "yellow" luncheon, served on napery etched with yellow, with vases of goldenrod for center pieces, and dainty bouquets of the same tied with yellow ribbon at each plate, while yellow tapers in golden candlesticks cast a mellow light over all, during the serving of a bill of fare which might include peaches and cream, oranges, pumpkin pie, and other yellow comestibles. The menu cards afford much opportunity for adding attractiveness to a company dinner. If one possesses artistic skill, a floral decoration or a tiny sketch, with an appropriate quotation, the guest's name, and date of the dinner, make of the cards very pleasing souvenirs. A proper quotation put after each dish is much in vogue as a means of promoting conversation. The quotations are best selected from one author. There are no absolute rules for the service of company dinners, much depending upon social conditions and established customs. Two modes are in general use,--placing the dishes upon the table to be dished by the host and hostess, and placing all food upon the side table to be dished and served by a waiter. When the latter method is used, it is quite customary to place the plates of soup upon the table before dinner is announced. As many knives, forks, and spoons as will be needed for the courses may be placed beside each plate, or they may be brought in with the course, as preferred. Clean plates are necessary for every course. The manner of serving is essentially like that already described. Care should be taken to have the dining room at an agreeable temperature, neither too warm nor too cold. At large dinner parties, each gentleman, as he enters, receives a card upon which is written the name of the lady he is to take in to dinner, to whom the hostess at once presents him. When dinner is announced, the host leads the way with the oldest or most distinguished lady or the one to whom the dinner is given, while the hostess follows last, with the most honored gentleman. The host places the lady whom he escorts on his right. If the number is small, the host indicates the places the guests should occupy as they enter the room; if the party is large, the menu card at each plate bears the name of the guest for whom it is designed. The lady escorted by the host should be the first one served. Soup is always taken and tasted, whether liked or not; after the first course, it is proper to accept or refuse a dish, as preferred. No well-bred hostess ever apologizes for the food upon her table or urges anything upon her guests when once declined. No orders should be given to servants during the meal; everything that will contribute to the proper serving of the dinner should be arranged beforehand, and all necessary instructions given. At the close of the dinner, the hostess gives the sign for retiring. TABLE TOPICS. A meal--what is it? Just enough of food To renovate and well refresh the frame, So that with spirits lightened, and with strength renewed, We turn with willingness to work again. --_Sel._ Do not bring disagreeable things to the table in your conversation any more than you would in your dishes.--_Sel._ Courtesy in the mistress of the house consists in feeding conversation; never in usurping it.--_Mme. Swetchine_ Good humor and good health follow a good meal; and by a good meal we mean anything, however simple, well dressed in its way.--_Smiles._ Unquiet meals make ill digestion.--_Shakespeare._ Eat slowly and do not season your food with care.--_Sel._ To rise from the table _able_ to eat a little more is a proverbially good rule for every one. There is nothing more idiotic than forcing down a few mouthfuls, because they happen to remain on one's plate after hunger is satisfied, and because they may be "wasted" if left. It is the most serious waste to overtax the stomach with even half an ounce more than it can take care of.--_Sel._ I pray you, O excellent wife! cumber not yourself and me to get a curiously rich dinner for this man and woman who have just alighted at our gate.... These things, if they are desirous of them, they can get for a few shillings at any village inn; but rather let that stranger see, if he will, in your looks, accents, and behavior, your heart and earnestness, your thought and will, that which he cannot buy at any price in any city, and which he may travel miles and dine sparely and sleep hardly to behold.--_Emerson._ AFTER MEAL TIME To no other department of domestic work perhaps is so little thought given or so little science applied as to the routine work of clearing the table and washing the dishes after mealtime. Any way to accomplish the object, seems to be the motto in very many households. But even for these prosaic tasks there is a best way, which, if employed, may make of an otherwise irksome service a really pleasurable one. CLEARING THE TABLE.--First of all, put back the chairs, and brush up the crumbs from the floor, then collect all untouched foods and store them away in clean dishes; next gather the silver, place it handles upward in pitchers or other deep dishes, and pour hot water over it. For gathering the silver a compartment tray in which knives, forks, and spoons may be placed separately is important. Many of the scratches and marks on their silver ware, which housekeepers deplore, come from the careless handling together of forks, knives, and spoons. Now in a deep basin upon a tray, collect all the refuse and partly eaten foods, carefully emptying cups, glasses, finger bowls, etc., and scraping all dishes which contained food as clean as possible; for no crumbs or particles of food should be introduced into the dishwater. Pile the dishes as fast as cleaned upon a second tray in readiness for washing. It saves much liability of breakage in transferring from the dining room to the kitchen, if each kind of soiled dishes is packed by itself. Wipe carefully, if not needing to be washed, and replenish all salts, granola cups, and sugar bowls before putting away. Gather the soiled napkins for the laundry, and put those clean enough to be used again in their proper places. Especial care must be taken, however, so to designate those reserved for future use that each shall receive the same again, as nothing is more disgusting to a sensitive person than to be tendered a napkin which has been used by some one else. Some form of napkin holder should be considered an essential part of the table furnishing. If rings cannot be afforded, ordinary clothes pins, gilded and decorated with a bit of ribbon, make very pretty substitutes. Brush the tablecloth, fold in its creases, also the sub-cover of canton flannel, and lay both away until again needed. _Washing the Dishes._--Plenty of hot water and clean towels are the essential requisites for expeditious and thorough dish-washing. A few drops of crude ammonia added to the water will soften it and add to the luster of the silver and china. Soap may be used or not according to circumstances; all greasy dishes require a good strong suds. There should also be provided two dish drainers or trays, unless there is a stationary sink with tray on which to drain the dishes. For washing glassware and fine china, _papier-maché_ tubs are preferable to anything else, as they are less liable to occasion breakage of the ware. If many dishes are to be washed, frequent changes of water will be necessary as the first becomes either cold or dirty. Perfectly sweet, clean dishes are not evolved from dirty dishwater. The usual order given for the washing of dishes is, glasses, silver, fine china, cups, saucers, pitchers, plates and other dishes. This is, however, based upon the supposition that cups and saucers are used for beverages, and plates are soiled by the use of various greasy foods; but in families where tea and coffee and animal foods are dispensed with, and saucers are used for grains with cream dressing, the plates are often cleaner than the saucers and should be washed first. The general rule to be followed is always to wash the dishes least soiled first, and all of one kind together. The latter item is specially important, since much of the nicking of dishes and breaking of handles from cups, covers, and pitchers is the result of piling dishes promiscuously together while washing. It is quite as easy to finish washing one kind before beginning on another as to do it in any less safe and systematic way, and if wiped in the same order, it does away with the need of sorting when putting the dishes away. If for any reason the dishes must wait for a time before being washed, the best plan is to pack them carefully into large pans, cover with warm water, and let them soak. When ready to wash them, prepare hot suds and clear water for rinsing in additional pans. Do not use too hot water, as a high temperature will break glass and "check" the enamel of ordinary ware. The law of expansion holds good with both china and glassware, and all glass and glazed wares should be dipped into hot water in such a manner that all its surfaces may receive the heat and expand together. All dishes used for milk should be first thoroughly rinsed in cold water before being washed in hot water or suds. Be sure that the inside of all cups and pitchers is thoroughly clean. It is a good plan to have a mop made by fastening finger-lengths of coarse cotton twin to a suitable handle, for washing the inside of pitchers. In cleaning forks, spoons, or cups, which have been employed in beating or eating eggs, rinse them in cold water before putting them into hot suds, as hot water cooks the egg and causes it to adhere. Common table salt is said to be excellent for removing the egg tarnish from silver. Clean Dover egg beaters by beating a dish of cold water, or by holding under a stream of cold water from the faucet, then carefully rinse and wipe perfectly dry. Do not put the upper part of the beater into hot water, as it will remove the oil from the wheels so that they will not work easily. Grain-boilers and mush-kettles should be allowed to cool, then filled with cold water and allowed to soak during the meal hour, when they can be easily cleaned. Tin dishes should be washed with hot suds as soon as possible after using. [Illustration: Wire Dishcloth] For cleaning; iron pots, use soft water and soap or washing-soda with a wire dishcloth or kettle scraper. If the food adheres to the sides, fill with cold water and soak. Kettles and all dishes placed over a fire should be cleaned on the outside as well as the inside. To remove the soot, rub first with pieces of dry paper and afterward with damp paper; then wash with hot suds and a cloth. Kettles and saucepans burned on the inside may he cleaned by putting a little cold water and ashes in them and allowing them to soak on the range until the water is warm. Porcelain-lined and granite-ware utensils stained from food burning on, may be cleaned after soaking for a time in a solution of sal-soda, which may be prepared by pouring boiling water over the soda in the proportion of two pints of water to one pound of sal-soda, and stirring until dissolved. It may be prepared in quantity and stored in a stone jar until needed. Wash wooden ware and bread boards with cold water and sand soap. In scraping dough from the bread board, always scrape with the grain of the wood and be careful not to roughen the surface. Steel knives and forks with ivory or wooden handles should not be put into dishwater. Hot water will expand the steel and cause the handles to crack. Wash them thoroughly with the dishcloth, scour with bath brick, and wipe dry. All tin and iron dishes should be thoroughly dried before putting away, to prevent rusting. If draining is considered preferable to wiping dishes, a good plan, if one has not a patent dish drainer, is to fold an old tablecloth in several thicknesses and spread upon the table. Wash the dishes carefully and rinse in hot water. Place a cup or bowl bottom upward, lay a plate on each side, then one between and above them, with two more on the outside, and so on, not permitting them to touch more than necessary. DISHCLOTHS AND TOWELS.--No dishes or utensils can be well cared for without good, clean dishcloths and towels, and plenty of them. An excellent dishcloth may be either knit or crocheted in some solid stitch of coarse cotton yarn. Ten or twelve inches square is a good size. Several thicknesses of cheese-cloth basted together make good dishcloths, as do also pieces of old knitted garments and Turkish toweling. If a dish mop is preferred, it may be made as follows: Cut a groove an inch from the end of a stick about a foot in length and of suitable shape for a handle; cut a ball of coarse twine, into nine-inch lengths, and lay around the stick with the middle of the strands against the groove; wind a fine wire or cord around the twine to fasten it in the groove; then shake down the twine, so it will lie all one way like a mop, and fasten it to the handle by tying a second cord around it on the outside. Towels for drying dishes should be of three different grades,--fine ones without lint for glass, silver, and fine china; coarser ones for the ordinary table ware, and still another quality for pans, kettles, and other kitchen ware. The right size is a yard in length and half as wide, with the ends hemmed. As to material, fine checked linen is usually employed for glass and silver towels, and crash for ordinary dishes, for iron and tinware towels which have become somewhat worn, or a coarse bag opened and hemmed, may be used. Old, half-worn tablecloths may be cut into excellent dish towels. It is of the greatest importance that all dishcloths, mops, and towels be kept perfectly sweet and clean. Greasy dishcloths and sour towels are neither neat nor wholesome and are a most fertile source of germs, often breeding disease and death. After each dish washing, the dishcloth, towels, and mops should be thoroughly washed in hot water with plenty of soap, well rinsed and hung up to dry either upon a line out of doors or a rack made for the purpose near the kitchen range. If care is always taken to clean the dishes as much as possible before washing and to change the suds as often as they become dirty, the towels will not be hard to keep clean and sweet-smelling. Those used during the week should go into the wash as regularly as other household articles. Dish towels are also much better for being ironed. It gives them a "surface" which facilitates the drying operation. THE CARE OF SILVER, GLASS, ETC.--If silver is well washed in hot water containing a few drops of ammonia, and carefully dried with a fine, soft towel, it will keep bright for a long time without other cleaning. If special cleaning is necessary, try the following: Place the silver in a pan of hot water, then with a soft cloth, soaped and sprinkled with powdered borax, scour the silver well; afterward rinse in clear cold water, and dry with a clean cloth. If a more thorough cleaning is needed, apply moistened Spanish whiting with a silver brush and soft flannel, afterward polishing with dry whiting and chamois skin. Frequent scouring should be avoided by careful washing, as too much rubbing wears out plated ware and dulls the best of silver. Silver ware and plate which is not in ordinary use can be kept from tarnishing by varnishing with collodion, a solution of gun-cotton in ether. The articles should be carefully brushed in this colorless varnish with an elastic brush, taking care that the entire surface is covered. The film of collodion will protect the underlying metal from the action of the sulphurous vapors to which is due the blackening of silver. Tinware which has become blackened may be made to look bright and shining again by rubbing with a damp cloth dipped in sal-soda. Afterward wipe dry. Sand soap or sapolio may be used for the same purpose. Cut-glass ware which has become in any way blurred or tarnished can be restored by polishing it with a soft piece of newspaper. First rub well with a piece slightly moistened and afterward repeat the process with dry paper. Rubbing with a soft brush dipped in fine, soft whiting is another method often employed for the same purpose. Cut-glass water-bottles dim or stained on the inside are best cleaned by rinsing with dilute muriatic acid, then carefully rinsing several times in clear cold water to remove all trace of the acid, which is a poison. All fine china should be handled carefully in washing and drying. There will be less danger of breakage if the china is gradually heated by allowing it to stand in a pan of warm water before being put into hot water. The same is true of all table ware, and is of especial importance in cold weather. Brass faucets and other brass or copper articles may be cleaned by rubbing with whiting wet with aqua ammonia. Yellowed ivory handles may be restored to their original whiteness by rubbing with sandpaper and emery; mineral soap or pumice stone may be used for the same purpose. Nice table cutlery packed away for a season may be kept from rusting by covering the metal portion with a thin coating of paraffine. Rust may be removed from steel by scouring with emery and oil; but if there is much corrosion, some weak muriatic acid will be needed. This, however, will take some of the metal with the rust, and must be washed off quickly. Trays and japanned goods should never have boiling water poured over them, as it will make the varnish crack and peel. If a tray is badly soiled, wet with a sponge moistened in warm water and soap, and rub with a dry cloth; if it looks smeary, dust on a little flour and rub again. Marks and scratches may sometimes be removed by rubbing with a flannel cloth dipped in sweet oil. CARE OF THE TABLE LINEN.--Much of the attractiveness of the table depends upon the linen used; if this is not well cared for, the finest table ware cannot make up for the defect. Stains upon table linen made by acids and vinegar may be removed by simply washing in clear water; berry stains are easily taken out by pouring boiling water over them; peach stains are best removed by soaking for some time in cold water and then washing with soap before allowing warm water to touch them. Chlorine water or a solution of chloride of lime will remove fruit stains, and vegetable colors. Coffee stains rubbed with a mixture of warm water and the yolk of egg, are said to disappear when the mixture is washed off with clean warm water. Sour buttermilk well rubbed into the material, dried in, and afterward washed out in several waters, is said to be effectual in removing tea stains. All stains should be removed as soon as possible after being made, and always before putting the linen into the wash. In washing table linen, housekeepers should remember that hard rubbing is the worst wear which it can receive. If soaked over night, a gentle squeezing will usually be quite sufficient to remove all soil, or if a little borax (a handful to ten gallons of water) or household ammonia in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls to a pail of water be added, two or three hours' soaking will suffice. Care should also be taken in hanging and fastening properly upon the line. Fold the cloth over the line six or eight inches at least, and in such a manner as to keep the thread straight, and fasten with three or more clothes pins. Table linen is often sadly frayed at the corners by being pinned so that all strain comes upon the corners, and if left to whip in the wind, is soon ruined. Napkins in summer are much nicer if dried upon the grass. Only the merest trifle of starch, if any, should be used for table linen. Table linen should be taken from the line while still damp, folded evenly lengthwise with the selvage together, then folded lengthwise again, rolled tight, and wrapped in damp towels so that the outside will not become dry, and ironed the same day. The irons should be heavy and as hot as possible without danger of scorching, and the board should be well padded with several thicknesses of flannel. Iron the linen in single folds, keeping a damp cloth over portions which will not be immediately reached. When the entire surface has been ironed, fold evenly lengthwise and with the selvage edges toward the ironer, again go over the entire upper side; then fold with the just completed portion inside, iron again, and so continue until the whole is ironed and folded. Both napkins and tablecloths are ironed in this way. They should be thoroughly dried with the iron and well aired before being laid away, in order to bring out the patterns well and to give them the desirable glossy finish. Colored table linen should be washed in tepid water containing a little powdered borax, which serves to set the color. Very little, if any, soap should be used. Rinse in tepid water containing a small quantity of boiled starch; dry in the shade, and iron while yet damp. Table linen should be carefully darned at once when it begins to wear and become thin, and may thus be preserved for a long time. When new, it should be washed before being made up, and the threads raveled or drawn, so as to make the ends exactly straight. Napkins should be washed before being cut apart. When not required for regular use, the linen should be folded loosely, and laid away without ironing in some place where it will not be subjected to pressure. When needed, it can be quickly dampened and ironed. THE GARBAGE.--What to do with the waste accumulating from preparation of foods is a question of no small importance. The too frequent disposition of such material is to dump it into a waste-barrel or garbage box near the back door, to await the rounds of the scavenger. Unless more than ordinary precautions in regard to cleanliness are observed, such a proceeding is fraught with great danger. The bits of moist food, scraps of meat, vegetables, and other refuse, very quickly set up a fermentative process, which, under the sun's rays, soon breeds miasm and germs; especially is this true if the receptacle into which the garbage is thrown is not carefully cleaned after each emptying. A foul-smelling waste-barrel ought never to be permitted under any circumstances. The best plan is to burn all leavings and table refuse as fast as made, which may be done without smell or smoke by opening all the back drafts of the kitchen range, and placing them on the hot coals to dry and burn. Some housekeepers keep in one end of the sink a wire dish drainer into which all fruit and vegetable parings are put. If wet, the water quickly drains from them, and they are ready to be put into the stove, where a very little fire soon reduces them to ashes. All waste products which cannot well be burned, may be buried at a distance from the house, but not too much in one spot, and the earth should be carefully covered over afterward. Under no circumstances should it be scattered about on the surface of the ground near the back door, as heedless people are apt to do. If the table refuse must be saved and fed to animals, it should be carefully sorted, kept free from all dishwater, sour milk, etc., and used as promptly as possible. It is a good plan to have two tightly covered waste pails of heavy tin to be used on alternate days. When one is emptied, it may be thoroughly cleansed and left to purify in the air and sunshine while the other is in use. Any receptacle for waste should be entirely emptied and thoroughly disinfected each day with boiling suds and an old broom. This is especially imperative if the refuse is to be used as food for cows, since the quality of the milk is more or less affected by that of the food. TABLE TOPICS. A woman cannot work at dressmaking, tailoring, or any other sedentary employment, ten hours a day, year in and out, without enfeebling her constitution, impairing her eyesight, and bringing on a complication of complaints; but she can sweep, cook, wash, and do the duties of a well-ordered house, with modern arrangements, and grow healthier every year. The times in New England when all women did housework a part of every day, were the times when all women were healthy.--_Harriet Beecher Stowe._ The best ways are commonly the easiest ways and those that give most comfort to the household. _Know how_ is a great labor-saving invention, on which there is no patent.--_Sel._ Who sweeps a room as for God's law Makes that and th' action fine. --_George Herbert._ A YEAR'S BREAKFASTS & DINNERS What to get for the family meals is frequently a most perplexing problem, especially when one remembers the many important points that should enter into the arrangement of the daily bill of fare. A well-arranged menu should be composed of articles which supply the requisite amount of food elements for proper nutrition, palatably prepared. These should be adapted to the season and also to the family purse. There should be an agreeable and pleasing change from day to day, with never too great variety at one meal, and no incongruous association of foods that do not harmonize, upon the same bill of fare. The amount of time and strength available for the preparation of the meal must also receive consideration. The problem would be easier of solution could one select her menu wholly from fresh material each time; but in most households the odds and ends and "left-over" foods must be utilized, and if possible compounded into dishes that will not have the savor of yesterday's breakfast or dinner. The making of a bill of fare offers opportunity for thought and study under all circumstances; but it is often particularly difficult for the housewife long accustomed to the use of foods of a different character, to make up a menu of hygienic dishes properly adapted to all requirements. For such of our readers as need aid in this direction, we give in this chapter bills of fare for fifty-two weeks' breakfasts and dinners. Not that we presume to have arranged a model dietary which every one can adopt,--individual preferences, resources, and various other conditions would preclude that,--but we have endeavored to prepare a list of menus suitable for use should circumstances admit, and which we trust may be found helpfully suggestive of good, hygienic living. We have given meats no place upon these bills of fare, as we wished particularly to illustrate how good, substantial menus of appetizing variety can be provided without their use; but such of our readers as desire this class of foods will have no difficulty in supplementing the bills we have arranged by adding such meats as accord with their tastes and purses, while our chapter on Meats will give them all needed information as to their preparation. In arranging the bills of fare it has been presupposed that the housewife has provided herself with at least a moderate allowance of canned or dried vegetables and fruits during their season, for use throughout the year. Effort has also been made to suggest an ample variety of seasonable and wholesome articles and to make provision for any probable left-over foods; and to illustrate how by planning and thinking beforehand the same material may be used to form the base of two different dishes for successive days, enough of which for both may often be cooked at the same time, thus economizing in time and fuel. No particular year has been taken, as we desired the menus to be adapted to all years, and as no dates could be given, we have taken even weeks, ending each with a Sabbath menu, beginning with the first month of the year. A third meal, if desired, whether it be luncheon or supper, should, for health's sake, be so simple in character that we have not deemed it necessary to give bills of fare. Breads, fruits, and grains, with milk, cream, and some simple relish, tastefully served, offer ample provision for a healthful and nourishing repast. No mention has been made of beverages upon the bills of fare. If any are used, hot milk or caramel coffee are to be preferred. Cooked fruit, either fresh, dried, or canned, is desirable for every meal, but the kind--as also of the fresh fruit upon the breakfast bill--may be arranged according to individual preferences and resources. The use of cream, sugar, and other accessories should be suited to circumstances. It is intended that croutons be served with the soups, and in arranging the variety of breads, an effort has been made to provide one of harder texture for use with grains and other soft foods. The wafers mentioned are the whole-wheat and gluten wafers manufactured by the Sanitarium Food Co., which by many families are considered more convenient for general use as a hard bread than the crisps, sticks, etc., which upon some of the menus are designed for the same purpose. Less variety may be used, and changes made to suit the taste and circumstances of those providing and partaking of the meals; but whatever is subtracted should still leave upon the bill of fare the more nutritious articles, like grains, whole-wheat bread, and other foods rich in nerve and muscle forming elements. Whether the housewife follows the bills of fare given with such modifications as are best suited to the needs of her household, or provides some of her own choosing, she will find it a great saving of vexation and trouble to make them out for several days or a week ahead, at one time, rather than from day to day or from meal to meal. She can then plan her work and her resources so as the more nearly to make "both ends meet," and can provide a more varied fare, while if changes are needed, they can be easily made by substituting one article for another, as circumstances demand. In the arrangement of her menus she will find it well to select first the grain and breads to be used, since being among the most nutritious of all foods, they may well form the chief and staple food, around which all other articles upon the bill of fare are grouped. If the grain chosen be rice, farina, or one largely composed of starch, the remainder of the menu should include some foods rich in nitrogenous elements, such as macaroni, whole-wheat or Graham breads, the legumes, eggs, etc. If the choice of grain be one containing a high percentage of nitrogenous material, less of this element will be required in the accompanying foods. As an aid in determining the nutritive value of any given food substance, the following table, presenting the results of the chemical analysis of the more common articles used as food, which we have compiled from the most recent scientific authorities, will be found helpful:-- TABLE SHOWING THE NUTRITIVE VALUES OF COMMON FOOD SUBSTANCES. (1)Water. (2)Albuminous elements. (3)Starch. (4)Grape Sugar. (5)Cane Sugar. (6)Free Fat. (7)Free Acid. GRAINS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Wheat, Poland 13.2 21.5 61.9 X 1.5 X Mich. White 12.8 11.6 71. X 1.3 X " Diehle 12.2 13.8 72.2 X X X Japanese 12.4 16.5 65.1 X 1.6 X Rye, Winter 8.7 11. 74.6 X 1.9 X German 8. 14. 78. X X X Barley 24. 10.5 66.7 X 2. X So. Russian 4. 12.7 70.9 X X X Oats 12. 10.7 58.3 X 7.8 X Corn, Flint 13.1 10.2 68.5 X 4.8 X Dent 13.4 9.4 68.5 X 5. X Sweet 13.4 11.4 62.7 X 7.8 X Rice 12.6 6.7 78.5 X .9 X Millet 11.8 10.5 68.2 X 4.2 X Buckwheat 12.7 10. 71.8 X 1.4 X Iceland Moss 16. 22. 36.3 X 1.4 X FLOUR. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Graham 13. 11.7 69.9 X 1.7 X Wheat 11.6 11.1 75.4 X 1.1 X Rye 13.7 11.6 69.7 X 2. X Barley 14.8 11.4 71.2 X 1.5 X Oat 7.7 15.1 67.2 X 7.1 X Corn 14.2 9.7 69.5 X 3.8 X Buckwheat 13.5 8.9 74.3 X 1.6 X Bean 10.3 23.2 59.4 X 2.1 X Pea 11.4 25.2 57.2 X 2. X Banana 14.9 2.9 77.9 X .5 X Arrowroot 18. X 82. X X X BREADS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Barley 12.4 9.4 64.4 4.7 1. X Whole Wheat 13. 8.7 60. 4. 6. X White 45.1 5.3 46. 2.3 .8 X Rye 42.3 6.1 46.9 2.3 .4 X Swedish Speise 12. 10. 72.3 3.1 1.6 X Brod Zwieback, White 13.3 8.5 73.3 1.8 1. X Rye 11.6 9.3 67.2 3.6 1. X Macaroni 13.1 9. 76.8 X .3 X Manna 15.3 1.9 18.1 49.[2] X X FRESH FRUITS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Apple 84.8 .4 X 7.2 X .8 Apricot 81.2 .5 X 4.6 X 1.2 Blackberry 86.4 .5 X 4.1 X .2 Banana 73. 1.9 X X .6 X Cherry 79.8 .7 X 10.2 X .9 Cranberry 89.6 .1 X 1.5 X 3.3 Currant 84.7 .5 X 6.4 X 2.3 Grape 78.2 .6 X 14.3 X .8 Gooseberry 85.7 .5 X 7.1 X 1.4 Pear 83.2 .4 X 8.2 X .2 Prune 81.2 .8 X 6.2 X .8 Plum 84.9 .4 X 3.6 X 2.5 Peach 80. .7 X 4.5 X .9 Raspberry 85.7 .4 X 3.9 X 1.4 Strawberry 87.6 1.1 X 6.3 .5 .9 Whortleberry 78.4 .8 X 5. X 1.6 DRIED FRUITS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Prune 29.3 2.3 .2 44.5 .5 X 2.7 Pear 29.4 2. 10.8 29.1 .4 X .8 Apple 27.9 1.3 5.6 42.8 .8 X 3.6 Cherry 49.8 2. X 31.2 X .3 X Raisin 32. 3.4 X 54.6 X .6 X Fig 31.2 4. X 49.8 X X X Date 33. 9. X X 58. X X NUTS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Chestnut 7.3 14.6 69. X X 2.4 X Walnut 7.2 15.8 13. X X 57.4 X Hazelnut 7.1 17.4 7.2 X X 62.6 X Sweet Almond 6.2 23.5 7.8 X X 53. X Peanut 6.5 26.3 1.8 X X 46.2 X Cocoanut 46.5 5.6 8. X X 35.9 X Syrup 24.6 X X 26.2 44.9 X X Honey 20.6 .8 X 72.8 1.8 X X VEGETABLES. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Carrot 85.8 1.2 X X .3 X Winter Cabbage 80. 4. X 1.2 .9 X Red Cabbage 90. 1.8 X 1.7 .2 X White Cabbage 90. 1.9 X 2.3 .2 X Spinach 38.5 3.5 X .1 .6 X Celery 84.1 1.5 X .8 .4 X Head Lettuce 94.3 1.4 X X .3 X Potato 75. 2.2 X X .2 X White Turnip 92.5 1.5 X X .2 X Beet 87.5 1.3 X X .1 X Sugar Beet 71.6 2. X 12.6 .5 X Parsnip 82. 1.2 X X .6 X Sweet Potato 71.8 1. X X .2 X Cucumber 95.2 1.2 X 1. X X Asparagas 93.7 1.8 X .4 .3 X Cauliflower 90.9 2.3 X 1.2 .3 X Melon 90.4 1. X 2.2 .3 X Squash 90.3 1.1 X 1.4 .1 X Onion 86. 1.7 X 2.8 .1 X Pumpkin 90.3 1.1 5.1 1.5 .1 X Tomato 92.4 1.6 X 2.5 .3 1.8 Peas, green, garden 78.4 6.4 12. X X .5 X small 10.3 24.6 52.6 X 3.5 X African 6.5 23.4 57.8 X 6. X green shelled 12.7 21.7 57.7 X 1.9 X Beans, field 13.5 25. 48.3 X 1.7 X French or Kidney 11. 23.7 55.6 X 2.2 X white 15. 26.9 48.8 X 3. X Lima 9. 21.9 60.6 X 1.6 X String beans 88.7 2.7 5.5 1.2 .1 X Lentils 12.3 25.9 53. X 1.9 X German 11.7 33. 30.3 X 8.7 X MILK AND BUTTER. Milk FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) Sug. (6) (7) Mother's milk 89.2 .9 X X 5.4 3.2 X Cows' " 86. 4.1 X X 5.2 3.9 X Cream 66. 2.7 X X 2.8 26.7 X Swedish Butter 13.8 .6 X X .6 84.4 X French " 12.6 X X X .2 86.4 X Cheese, Stilton 32. 26.2 X X 34.5 3.3 X Skimmed milk 88. .4 X X 3.8 1.8 X Buttermilk 88. 4.1 X X 3.6 .7 X Milk of Cow 58. 1.7 X 2.8 X 35.2 X Tree MEATS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Lean Beef 72. 19.3 X X X 3.6 X Lean Mutton 72. 18.3 X X X 4.9 X Veal 63. 16.3 X X X 15.8 X Pork 39. 9.8 X X X 49.9 X Poultry 74. 21. X X X 3.8 X White Fish 78. 18.1 X X X 2.9 X Salmon 77. 16.1 X X X 5.5 X Entire Egg 74. 14. X X X 10.5 X White of Egg 78. 20.4 X X X X X Yolk of Egg 52. 16. X X X 30.7 X (8)Pectose. (9)Non-Nitrog. Substances. (10)Salts. (11)Cellulose. (12)Propor. Carbon to Nitrogenous. (13)Total Nutritive Value. GRAINS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Wheat, Poland X X 1.9 X 2.9 86.8 Mich. White X X 1.6 1.7 6.2 85.5 " Diehle X X 1.8 X 5.2 87.8 Japanese X X 1.5 2.9 4. 84.7 Rye, Winter X X 2.3 1.5 6.9 89.8 German X X X X 5.5 92. Barley X X 2.6 3.8 6.5 82.2 So. Russian X X 2.4 X 5.5 86. Oats X X 3.3 17.9 5.2 86.7 Corn, Flint X X 1.4 1.7 7.1 84.9 Dent X X 1.5 2.2 7.8 84.4 Sweet X X 1.8 2.9 6.1 83.7 Rice X X .8 .5 11.8 86.9 Millet X X 2.8 2.5 6.9 85.7 Buckwheat X X 1.9 1.7 7.3 85.6 Iceland Moss X X 1.4 2.9 2.6 81.1 FLOUR. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Graham X X 1.8 1.9 6.1 85.1 Wheat X X .6 .2 6.8 88.2 Rye X X 1.4 1.6 6.1 84.7 Barley X X .6 .5 6.3 84.7 Oat X X 2. .9 4.9 91.4 Corn X X 1.3 1.5 7.5 84.3 Buckwheat X X 1. .7 8.5 83.8 Bean X X 3.3 1.7 2.6 88. Pea X X 2.9 1.3 2.3 87.3 Banana X X 2.2 1.6 27. 83.5 Arrowroot X X X X 82. 82. BREADS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Barley X X 3.8 4.3 7.4 83.3 Whole Wheat X X 3. 5.3 8. 81.7 White X X .5 X 9.2 54.9 Rye X X 1.5 .5 8.1 57.2 Swedish Speise X X X 1. 7. 87. Brod Zwieback, White X X .6 1.5 9. 83.2 Rye X X 2.1 4.7 7.7 83.7 Macaroni X X .8 X 8.5 86.9 Manna X 5.6 X 10.1 67. 72.7 FRESH FRUITS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Apple 4.8 X .5 1.5 18. 13.7 Apricot 5.4 X .8 5.3 9.2 13.5 Blackberry 1.4 X .4 7. 6.2 8.1 Banana X 23.9 1. .3 .3 26.7 Cherry 1.8 X .7 5.9 14.5 14.8 Cranberry X X .2 6.3 15. 4.1 Currant .9 X .7 4.6 12.8 10.7 Grape 2. X .5 3.6 13.8 18.2 Gooseberry 1.4 X .4 3.5 14.2 10.8 Pear 3.3 X .3 4.4 20.5 12.4 Prune 4.9 X .7 5.5 7.7 13.4 Plum 4.6 X .7 4.3 9. 10.8 Peach 7.1 X .7 6.1 6.4 13.9 Raspberry .7 X .5 7.4 9.7 6.9 Strawberry .5 X .8 2.3 6.1 10.1 Whortleberry .9 X 1. 12.3 6.2 9.3 DRIED FRUITS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Prune 4.3 13.4 1.4 1.5 19.6 69.2 Pear 4.5 14.9 1.7 6.9 19.9 63.7 Apple 4.8 6.5 1.6 5.1 37.8 67. Cherry X 14.3 1.6 2.4 15.7 47.8 Raisin X 7.5 1.2 1.7 23. 66.3 Fig X X 2.9 12.1 12.4 36.7 Date X X X X 6.4 67. NUTS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Chestnut X X 3.3 3.4 4.8 89.3 Walnut X X 2. 4.6 4.4 88.2 Hazelnut X X 2.5 3.2 4. 89.7 Sweet Almond X X 3. 6.5 2.6 87.3 Peanut X X 3.3 13.9 1.7 79.6 Cocoanut X X 1. 2.9 7.8 50.5 Syrup X 2. 2.3 X 71. 75.4 Honey X 3.8 .2 X 91. 78.1 VEGETABLES. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Carrot X 9.2 1. 1.5 .2 11.7 Winter Cabbage X 10.4 1.6 1.9 .5 18.1 Red Cabbage X 4.2 .8 1.3 1. 8.7 White Cabbage X 2.6 1.2 1.8 1.3 8.2 Spinach X 4.3 2. 1. .2 10.5 Celery X 11. .8 1.4 .8 14.5 Head Lettuce X 2.2 1. .8 1.8 4.9 Potato X 21. 1. .6 .1 24.4 White Turnip X 3. .7 2.1 .1 5.4 Beet X 9. 1.1 1. .1 11.5 Sugar Beet X .7 1. 11.6 21.5 23.3 Parsnip X 7.2 1. 8. .5 10. Sweet Potato X 25.3 .7 1. .2 27.2 Cucumber X 1.4 .4 .8 .8 4. Asparagas X 2.3 .5 1. .4 5.3 Cauliflower X 3.4 .8 .9 .6 8.2 Melon X 4. .7 1.4 2.1 3.8 Squash X 5.2 .7 1.2 1.3 8.5 Onion X 8. .7 .7 1.7 13.3 Pumpkin X X .7 1.2 6. 8.5 Tomato X X .6 .8 1.8 6.8 Peas, green, garden X X .8 1.9 2. 19.7 small X X 2.6 6.4 2.2 83.3 African X X 3. 3.3 2.7 90.2 green shelled X X 2.8 3.2 2.7 84.1 Beans, field X X 3.5 8. 2. 78.5 French or Kidney X X 3.7 3.8 2.4 85.2 white X X 3.5 2.8 1.9 82.2 Lima X X 2.9 4. 3.1 93. String beans X X .6 1.2 2.5 10.1 Lentils X X 3. 3.9 2.1 83.8 German X X 2.7 13.6 1.2 74.7 MILK AND BUTTER. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Mother's milk X X .4 X X X Cows' " X X .8 X 2.2 14. Cream X X 1.8 X 11. 34. Swedish Butter X X .6 X 141. 86.2 French " X X .8 X 86.6 87.4 Cheese, Stilton X X 4. X 1.4 68. Skimmed milk X X .8 X 1.4 10.4 Buttermilk X X .8 X 1. 9.2 Milk of Cow X X .5 X 2.2 40.2 Tree MEATS. FOOD SUBSTANCES (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) Lean Beef X X 5.1 X .18 28. Lean Mutton X X 4.8 X .26 28. Veal X X 4.7 X .93 37. Pork X X 2.3 X .49 61. Poultry X X 1.2 X .18 26. White Fish X X 1. X .16 22. Salmon X X 1.4 X .34 23. Entire Egg X X 1.5 X .75 26. White of Egg X X 1.6 X X 22. Yolk of Egg X X 1.3 X 1.9 48. [Footnote 1: Chiefly sugar and starch.] [Footnote 2: Mannite] BILLS OF FARE FOR EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR. In the following pages will be found a breakfast and dinner bill of fare for every day in the year, beginning with January 1. We would particularly recommend a trial of their use by the young and inexperienced matron just entering upon housekeeping, whose desire should be to begin right--provide simple and healthful as well as palatable food for her family. To many such we trust that our "year's breakfasts and dinners" may come like the grateful suggestions of a helpful friend. An explanation of the bills of fare has been given in the preceding pages, and need not be repeated here. FIRST WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Gravy Toast Corn Puffs Breakfast Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Baked Potato with Tomato Cream Sauce Mashed Peas Baked Squash Rolled Rye Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Pop Corn Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Baked Potato and Pease Gravy Macaroni with Kornlet Stewed Lima Beans Pearl Barley Corn Cake Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Cream Toast Breakfast Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Hominy Graham Puffs Oatmeal Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Simple Custard Pie FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Dry Toast with Hot Cream Hominy Gems Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Potatoes with Tomato Gravy Celery Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Boiled Potatoes with Cream Sauce Mashed Peas Baked Chestnuts Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Rice Stewed Fruit Stewed Fruit Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Mixed Mush Browned Sweet Potato Macaroni with Cream Sauce Baked Sweet Apples Graham Bread Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Potatoes Baked Cabbage Stewed Corn Pearl Wheat Zwieback Current Puffs Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Apple Tart SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Toasted Wafers Celery Toast Raised Biscuit Whole-Wheat Puffs Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn Soup Baked Squash Mashed Beans Rolled Rye Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Apple Meringue Desert SABBATH BREAKFAST Oranges Oatmeal Prune Toast Baked Sour Apples Breakfast Rolls Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Canned Green Peas Scalloped Potato Steamed Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Plain Buns Zwieback Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit and Nuts SECOND WEEK. FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Cream Toast Toasted Rolls Fruit Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Combination Soup Boiled Potato with Cream Sauce Pease Cakes Stewed Celery Cracked Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Sally Lunn Gems Zwieback Stewed Fruit Apple Tapioca SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Strawberry Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crisps Pop Overs Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup No. 2. Mashed Squash Mashed Potato Chopped Turnip Rolled Wheat Graham Crisps Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Cream Rice Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Corn Cake Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Boiled Macaroni Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Baked Sweet Potato Boiled Beets, Sliced Succotash Graham Grits Graham Bread Toasted Rolls Stewed Fruit Cornstarch Meringue FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Snowflake Toast Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Graham Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Farina Graham Fruit Bread Crusts Zwieback Stewed Fruit Apple Pie FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Apple Mush Gravy Toast Breakfast Rolls Graham Fruit Bread Macaroni with Kornlet Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Soup Mashed Potato Cabbage Salad Mashed Peas with Tomato Sauce Pearl Barley Toasted Wafers Vienna Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice Mold with Fruit Sauce SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Orange Rice Blackberry Toast Currant Puffs Graham Crisps Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Potato Puffs Baked Beets Stewed Corn and Tomatoes Pearl Wheat Parker House Rolls Zwieback Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit Prune Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Grape Toast Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Stewed Potato Canned Okra and Tomato Browned Rice Beaten Biscuits Graham Crackers Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit Prune Pie with Granola Crust THIRD WEEK. FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Raisins Gravy Toast Toasted Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Puffs Baked Potato with Celery Sauce Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Steamed Potatoes with Pease Gravy Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Mashed Parsnip Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Bread Custard Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Peach Toast Cottage Cheese Hoe Cake Graham Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil and Parsnip Soup Mashed Potato Celery Hulled Corn Scalloped Tomato Macaroni with Raisins Raised Corn Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Celery Toast Potato Cakes Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Zwieback Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Rice Soup Boiled Potato with Brown Sauce Stewed Cabbage Mashed Split Peas Boiled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Corn Meal Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Apricot Toast Crusts Toasted Wafers Corn Puffs Granola Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Potato Cabbage Hash Stewed Vegetable Oysters Graham Mush Graham Puffs Buns Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cornstarch with Raisins FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Graham Gruel Lentil Toast Beaten Biscuits Graham Gems Zwieback Baked Potato with Cream Gravy Stewed Fruit DINNER Mixed Potato Soup Macaroni with Kornlet Baked Beans Graham Grits Toasted Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Bread Sally Lunn Gems Stewed Fruit Fig Pudding with Orange Sauce SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Brewis Blackberry Toast Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Green Pea Soup Boiled Potato Corn and Tomato Mashed Lentils and Beans Farina Graham Crusts Zwieback Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Grape Toast Graham Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Corn Soup Creamed Potatoes Mashed Peas Cold Boiled Beets, sliced Steamed Rice Graham Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Raised Jelly Cake Fresh Fruit FOURTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Snowflake Toast Toasted Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Bread Corn Puffs Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Baked Potatoes with Brown Sauce Cabbage Salad Parsnips with Egg Sauce Cracked Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Rye Gems Sticks Stewed Fruit Rice and Stewed Apple Dessert SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Prune Toast Pop Overs Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Boiled Potato with Lentil Gravy Turnips in Juice Celery with Tomato Cracked Wheat Toasted Rolls Raised Biscuit Oatmeal Gems Stewed Fruit Tapioca and Fig Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Gravy Toast Hoe Cake Graham Sticks Whole-Wheat Bread Boiled Macaroni Baked Chestnuts Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup No. 2 Mashed Sweet Potato Chopped Beets Succotash Graham Grits Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Apple Toast Graham Puffs Zwieback Graham Bread Baked Bananas Stewed Fruit DINNER Parsnip Soup No. 2 Scalloped Potatoes Stewed Lima Beans Macaroni with Egg Sauce Farina Graham Crisps Crescents Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Prune Dessert FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Cakes Gravy Toast Bean Gems Graham Crisps Fruit Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Soup Baked Potato with Tomato Cream Sauce Stewed Parsnip with Celery Mashed Peas Pearl Wheat Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Lemon Pie SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Cream Toast Breakfast Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Corn Puffs Macaroni with Raisins Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Stewed Potato Hulled Corn Chopped Turnip Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Molded Cracked Wheat with Fruit Sauce SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Prune Toast Pulled Bread Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Stewed Corn Steamed Rice Cream Crisps Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Caramel Custards Fruit and Nuts FIFTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Okra and Tomato Soup Baked Sweet Potatoes Mashed Cabbage Pease Cakes Boiled Wheat Oatmeal Crisps Graham Gems Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Carrot Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Banana Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Zwieback Rye Bread Browned Sweet Potato Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Potato Soup Potatoes Stewed with Celery Egg Macaroni Stewed Carrots Hominy Rye Bread Sticks Currant Buns Stewed Fruit Prune Whip THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Snowflake Toast Hominy Gems Sticks Whole-Wheat Bread Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Scalloped Turnip Mashed Chestnuts Lentil Puree with Lemon Graham Grits Graham Bread Beaten Biscuit Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Cream Rice Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Apple Mush Blackberry Toast Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Stewed Vegetable Oysters Pearl Wheat Sally Lemon Gems Graham Bread Zwieback Stewed Fruit Apple Tart FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Vegetable Oyster Toast Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Corn Cake Baked Sweet Potato Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Soup Baked Potato Stewed Beans Kornlet Chopped Beets Browned Rice Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Orange Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Boiled Oats Strawberry Toast Graham Gems Hoe Cakes Toasted Wafers Macaroni with Kornlet Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Browned Potato Cabbage Salad Baked Squash Mashed Peas Rice Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Baked Corn Meal Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Lemon Rice Dry Toast with Hot Cream Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Graham Crackers Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Pea Soup Chopped Sweet Potatoes Stewed Lima Beans Celery Boiled Wheat Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Squash Pie SIXTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Poached Eggs on Toast Corn Cakes Toasted Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Hominy Soup Potato Rice Turnips with Cream Sauce Mashed Parsnips Baked Barley Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Graham Rolls Stewed Fruit Plain Fruit Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Gravy Toast Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Crescents Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Baked Potato Boiled Beets Stewed Cabbage Mashed Squash Cracked Wheat Graham Raised Biscuit Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Mock Cream THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Graham Puffs Lemon Apples Macaroni with Cream Sauce Stewed Fruit DINNER Velvet Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Peas Vegetable Hash Graham Grits Graham Bread Sticks Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Gravy Toast Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Boiled Potato with Cream Sauce Browned Parsnips Baked Turnip Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Almond Cornstarch Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Porridge Cream Toast Zwieback Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Macaroni with Egg Sauce Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Potato Snowballs Carrots with Egg Sauce Mashed Beans Rolled Wheat Fruit Loaf Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Tart SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Graham Rolls Fruit Bread Bean Gems Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Broth Baked Potato Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Hulled Corn Pearl Barley Toasted Wafers Zwieback Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Floating Islands Oranges SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat with Raisins Blackberry Toast Graham Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Stewed Fruit Baked Sour Apples DINNER Canned Green Corn Soup Stewed Potato Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rice Buns Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Bread Custard Almonds SEVENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Steamed Potatoes with Cream Sauce Baked Parsnips Scalloped Beans Browned Rice Toasted Wafers Whole Wheat Puffs Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit. Cocoanut Blancmange or Fresh Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Lentil Gravy Snowflake Toast Crusts Toasted Wafers Corn Puffs Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Combination Soup Baked Potato Mashed Squash Turnips in Juice Graham Grits Graham Crisps Whole-Wheat Bread Zwieback Stewed Fruit Orange Float THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Lentil Toast Granola Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Creamed Potatoes Celery Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Mashed Potatoes Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Cracked Wheat Corn Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit Apples or Bananas FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Apple Toast Rye Bread Pop Overs Toasted Wafers Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Baked Potatoes Carrots with Egg Sauce Mashed Peas Corn Meal Cubes with Hot Cream Rye Bread Graham Sticks Stewed Fruit Farina Fruit Mold FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Dry Toast with Hot Cream Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Rye Bread Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Boiled Potato with Brown Sauce Baked Cabbage Stewed Corn Rolled Rye Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Date Pudding with Lemon Sauce SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Snowflake Toast Zwieback Whole-Wheat Puffs Crescents Boiled Macaroni Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn Soup Steamed Potatoes with Cream Sauce Stewed Lima Beans Baked Beets Pearl Wheat Vienna Bread Graham Crisps Oatmeal Gems Stewed Fruit Apple Manioca or Fresh Fruit SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Currant Buns Toasted Wafers Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Pea Soup Stewed Potato Succotash Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Rolls with Fruit Jelly Stewed Fruit Bananas EIGHTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Peach Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Whole-Wheat Bread Granola Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Soup Potato Rice Scalloped Tomatoes Mashed Parsnips Boiled Wheat Zwieback Whole-Wheat Bread Sally Lunn Gems Stewed Fruit Oranges and Nuts SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Gravy Toast Hoe Cake Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Boiled Potatoes Mashed Turnips Canned Green Peas Pearl Barley Fruit Loaf Beaten Biscuit Farina Blancmange with Fruit Sauce Stewed Fruit THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Banana Toast Corn Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil and Parsnip Soup Scalloped Potato Chopped Cabbage Hulled Corn Graham Apple Mash Graham Puffs Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Grape Apples FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Brewis Cream Toast Macaroni with Cream sauce Corn Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Dates DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Potato Puffs Stewed Split Peas Sliced Beets Crusts Graham Bread Fruit Rolls Molded Cracked Wheat with Fruit Juice Stewed Fruit Bananas FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Prune Toast Peas Puree Fruit Rolls Rye Gems Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup with Vermicelli Boiled Potato with Brown Sauce Mashed Squash Baked Beans Pearl Wheat Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Granola Gems Stewed Fruit Apple Tart SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Wheat Porridge Gravy Toast Graham Puffs Hoe Cake Toasted Wafers Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Steamed Potato Stewed Corn Macaroni Baked with Granola Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Bean Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Orange Custard SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Orange Rice Strawberry Toast Beaten Biscuit Fruit Bread Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Creamed Corn Soup Creamed Potatoes Macaroni with Tomato Baked Wheat Beaten Biscuit Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cocoanut Layer Cake California Grapes NINTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Gravy Toast Graham Gems Toasted Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Lima Beans Baked Beets Graham Grits Graham Gems Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit Snowball Custard or Fresh Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gruel, with Croutons Apple and Prune Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean and Tapioca Soup Beet Hash Stewed Vegetable Oysters Mashed Peas with Tomato Sauce Rice with Raisins Raised Biscuit Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Apple Rose Cream THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Raised Biscuits Crusts Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Scalloped Potatoes Cabbage Celery Stewed Tomato Baked Squash Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crackers Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice Fruit Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Apple Toast Breakfast Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Potato Baked Parsnips Rolled Rye Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Baked Apple Loaf FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Date Bread Toasted Wafers Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Parsnip Soup Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Mashed Lentils with Beans Boiled Macaroni Farina Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Apple and Fig Tapioca SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Lentil Toast Cream Crisps Date Bread Graham Puffs Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Macaroni Soup Stewed Split Peas Scalloped Turnip Browned Rice Corn Meal Mush Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Farina Custard or Fresh Fruit SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Prune Toast Graham Fruit Bread Toasted Rolls Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Potato Cakes Stewed Corn Steamed Rice Beaten Biscuits Buns Stewed Fruit Apple Pie or Fresh Fruit TENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Dry Toast with Hot Cream Toasted Beaten Biscuits Corn Cakes Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Scalloped Beans Macaroni baked with Granola Graham Grits Graham Crisps Pop Overs Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Stewed Fruit Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Strawberry Toast French Rolls Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Combination Soup Scalloped Potato Browned Parsnips Hulled Corn Graham Apple Mush Rye Bread Zwieback Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Cocoanut Cornstarch Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gravy Toast Graham Gems Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Parsnip Soup No. 2. Boiled Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Mashed Peas Chopped Cabbage Pearl Barley Crusts Corn Dodgers Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit Cream Rice Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Blackberry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Potato Rice Succotash Stewed Tomato Cracked Wheat with Raisins Rye Bread Sticks Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Bread Pudding or Fresh Fruit FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Cream Toast Graham Gems Hoe Cake Toasted Wafers Baked Potato with Cream Gravy Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Steamed Potato with Brown Sauce Cabbage Celery Carrots with Egg Sauce Macaroni with Kornlet Farina Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Baked Apples with Whipped Cream SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat with Dates Boiled Macaroni Graham Biscuits Breakfast Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Carrot Soup Baked Potatoes Mashed Turnips Baked Squash Hominy Graham Bread Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Banana Shortcake Nuts SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Boiled Wheat Grape Toast Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuits Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Browned Potatoes Canned Green Peas Steamed Rice Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Almond Cream ELEVENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuits Macaroni with Raisins Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Scalloped Potatoes Mashed Parsnips Hulled Corn Mixed Mush Rye Gems Corn Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Custard or Fresh Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Apricot Toast Graham Gems Corn Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Turnip Stewed Split Peas Farina Fruit Mush Whole-Wheat Bread Sally Lunn Gems Zwieback Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Parched Farinose Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Pop Overs Browned Corn Meal Mush Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Stewed Potatoes Chopped Beets Mashed Lima Beans Pearl Wheat Pulled Bread Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Bread and Fruit Custard FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Boiled Potato Cabbage and Tomato Mashed Peas Rice Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Tapioca Lemon Jelly FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Gruel with Croutons Boiled Macaroni Graham Gems Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Baked Potato with Gravy Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Mashed Potato Carrots with Egg Sauce Scalloped Tomato Graham Grits Graham Bread Buns Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Dried Apple Pie or Fresh Fruit SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Graham Bread Breakfast Rolls Potato Cakes Peas Puree Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Boiled Potato with Cream Sauce Succotash Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rolled Wheat with Raisins Graham Puffs Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Graham Grits Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Fruit Rolls Graham Biscuit Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Stewed Potato Cold Sliced Beets Kornlet Steamed Rice Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Fruit Rolls Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit and Nuts TWELFTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Steamed Eggs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Potatoes Scalloped Tomatoes Stewed Cabbage Pearl Barley Cream Crisps Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Cocoanut Sauce SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Apple and Apricot Toast Cream Rolls Graham Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Potato Rice Creamed Parsnips Chopped Turnip Graham Mush Crusts Graham Bread Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Prune and Tapioca Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush with Fruit Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Parker House Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Broth Baked Potato and Brown Sauce Boiled Beets Corn and Tomato Graham Grits Mush Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Sally Lunn Gems Stewed Fruit Cream Rice Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Prune Toast Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Beet Hash Mashed Peas Macaroni with Kornlet Orange Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Apple Sago Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Potatoes Pease Cakes with Tomato Sauce Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup No. 2. Mashed Potato Mashed Parsnips Stewed Corn Rolled Rye Corn Bread Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Blackberry Toast Macaroni with Raisins Pop Overs Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Potato Puff Scalloped Tomato Baked Beans Cracked Wheat Graham Bread Sticks Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Malaga Grapes SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Tomato Toast Buns Beaten Biscuit Baked Apples Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Stewed Potato Canned String Beans Boiled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Buns Lemon Shortcake Nuts THIRTEENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Cream Toast Breakfast Rolls with Fruit Jelly Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Potato Soup Mashed Potato Beets with Cream Sauce Macaroni baked with Granola Pearl Barley with Raisins Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Lemon Apples with Whipped Cream SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Poached Eggs on Toast Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Potato Cakes Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Mashed Potato Cabbage Salad Mashed Turnip Graham Grits Graham Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Baked Apple Dessert THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Snowflake Toast Oatmeal Gems Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Baked Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Mashed or Stewed Peas Canned Corn Graham Mush Pulled Bread Fruit Bread Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit Apple Tart FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Dry Toast with Hot Cream Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Corn Puffs Creamed Potatoes Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Potato Rice Tomato and Macaroni Hulled Corn Rice Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Raised Pie or Fresh Fruit FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Apple Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Baked Bananas Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Creamed Potatoes Chopped Turnips Parsnips with Cream Sauce Cracked Wheat Toasted Rolls Date Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Prune Toast Macaroni with Egg Sauce Date Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Boiled Potatoes Macaroni and Lentil Gravy Stewed Carrots Graham Grits Cream Crisps Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Gravy Toast Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Cup Custard Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Soup with Vermicelli Warmed-over Potato Canned Green Peas Cold Sliced Beets Rolled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Prune Pie Fruit FOURTEENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Steamed Figs Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Fruit Bread Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Corn Soup Baked Potatoes with Cream Sauce Scalloped Tomatoes Mashed Peas Browned Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Stewed Fruit Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Peach Toast Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Gems Dates Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Creamed Potatoes Baked Cabbage Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Hominy Toasted Rolls Corn Puffs Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Fruit Cornstarch Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Parker House Rolls Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Hominy Soup Mashed Potatoes Mashed Lentils Turnips with Cream Sauce Farina Vienna Bread Sally Lunn Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert or Fresh Fruit FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Lentil Toast Currant Puffs Breakfast Rolls Graham Bread Potato Cakes Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Scalloped Potatoes Baked or Stewed Beans Macaroni Baked with Granola Rice Vienna Bread Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Prune Dessert Nuts FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Gravy Toast Graham Bread Breakfast Rolls Rice and Corn Cakes Baked Apples Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Parsnips Succotash Graham Grits Raised Corn Bread Graham Gems Toasted Rolls Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gruel with Croutons Strawberry Toast Macaroni with Raisins Cream Rolls Corn Bread Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Potato Cakes Chopped Cabbage Stewed Corn and Tomatoes Pearl Barley Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Pop Overs Stewed Fruit Bread Pudding or Fresh Fruit SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Currant Buns Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit White Custard in Cups DINNER Cream Barley Soup Baked Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Stewed Lima Beans Rice Graham Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Pie Oranges FIFTEENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Fruit Mush Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Baked Bananas Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Potato Soup Mashed Potato Cabbage Celery Scalloped Tomato Lentil Puree Cerealine Graham Bread Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Macaroni with Cream Sauce Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Corn Soup Broiled Potato Stewed Parsnips Mashed Peas Farina with Maple Syrup Graham Puffs Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Lemon Apples with Almond Sauce THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Lentil Gravy Poached Egg on Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Rice Soup Boiled Potato Mashed Turnip Pease Cakes with Tomato Sauce Graham Grits Rye Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Oatmeal Blancmange Nuts FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Apple and Apricot Toast Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Breakfast Rolls Rye Bread Graham Puffs Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Baked Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Hulled Corn Boiled Beets Boiled Wheat with Lemon Sauce Toasted Rolls Currant Puffs Rye Bread Stewed Fruit Tapioca Custard FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Carrot Soup Scalloped Potato Mashed Beans Cold Boiled Beets, sliced Rolled Rye Graham Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit Cornstarch with Raisins SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Frumenty Blueberry Toast Breakfast Rolls Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Combination Soup Mashed Potatoes Stewed Split Peas Cabbage Salad Cracked Wheat with Raisins Toasted Rolls Currant Puffs Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Rice Snowball SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Blackberry Toast Raised Corn Bread Crescents Fruit Rolls Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Canned String Beans or Kornlet Macaroni, Tomato Sauce Rice with Oranges Fruit Rolls Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Nuts SIXTEENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Potato Rice Chopped Beets Egg and Macaroni Pearl Wheat Graham Bread Sally Lunn Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cottage Cheese Nuts SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Grape Toast Graham Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Baked Potatoes Stewed Cabbage Stewed Dried Corn Rolled Wheat Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Rolls Stewed Fruit Rice Meringue THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn Soup Cabbage Hash Stewed Split Peas Scalloped Tomato Steamed Rice Graham Bread Cream Crisps Oatmeal Gems Stewed Fruit Prune Dessert FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Breakfast Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Cottage Cheese Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Baked Potatoes Succotash Macaroni Baked with Granola Farina with Maple Syrup Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Lemon Apples with Cocoanut Sauce FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Prune Toast Corn Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Plain Omelet Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Potato Snowballs Baked Turnips Lentil Puree with Lemon Browned Rice Graham Crisps Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Corn Meal Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Gravy Toast Macaroni with Egg Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil and Parsnip Soup Boiled Potatoes with Brown Sauce Chopped Beets Mashed Peas Graham Grits Toasted Rolls Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Farina Custard SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Peach Toast Sticks Fruit Crackers Graham Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Pea Soup Stewed Potato Canned Okra and Tomatoes Boiled Wheat Toasted Wafers Graham Raised Biscuit Stewed Fruit Pineapple Tapioca Nuts SEVENTEENTH WEEK. FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Strawberry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Beans Macaroni with Tomato Rolled Rye Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Bread Custard SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Apple Mush Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Boiled Potatoes with Cream Sauce Chopped Cabbage Mashed Lentils Pearl Wheat with Raisins Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Granola Gems Stewed Fruit Apple Custard THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Lentil Toast Toasted Rolls Graham Crackers Currant Puffs Stewed Potatoes Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Mashed Potatoes Canned Green Peas Boiled Macaroni Pearl Wheat Oatmeal Crisps Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Cornstarch Meringue or Fresh Fruit FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Wheat Porridge with Croutons Banana Toast Molded Rice with Custard Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Sticks Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Baked Potatoes with Brown Sauce Mashed Turnips Stewed Split Peas Pearl Barley with Raisins Whole-Wheat Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Prune and Tapioca Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Granola Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Split Pea Soup Creamed Potatoes Scalloped Tomatoes Chopped Beets Graham Grits Pop Overs Toasted Wafers Graham Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Mixed Mush Snowflake Toast Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Toasted Rolls Fruit Bread Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Mashed Potato Macaroni with Kornlet Stewed Carrots Rolled Rye Whole-Wheat Bread Mush Rolls Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Cornstarch Blancmange with Fruit Sauce SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Graham Raised Biscuits Toasted Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Soup with Vermicelli Broiled Potato Canned Corn Whole-Wheat Bread Beaten Biscuit Rolled Wheat Stewed Fruit Custard Pie EIGHTEENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Banana Mush Gravy Toast Macaroni with Egg Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuits Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn Soup Mashed Potatoes Spinach Stewed Lima Beans Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Crusts Stewed Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Apricot Toast Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Rolls Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean Soup Steamed Potatoes Stewed Asparagus Scalloped Tomato Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Sticks Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Graham Grits Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge with Croutons Blueberry Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Macaroni Soup Potato Rice Stewed Cabbage Pearl Barley Whole-Wheat Bread Oatmeal Crisps Currant Puffs Egg Sandwich Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit Molded Tapioca FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Granola Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Cabbage Hash Asparagus Points Boiled Macaroni Browned Rice Graham Bread Sally Lunn Gems Mush Rolls Stewed Fruit Fig Pudding with Orange Sauce FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Macaroni with Kornlet Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Boiled Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Mashed Peas Spinach Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Rolled Rye Stewed Fruit Nuts SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Snowflake Toast Rye Puffs Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Potatoes Lettuce Egg and Macaroni Farina Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Oatmeal Bread Stewed Fruit Prune Whip SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Prune Toast Plain Buns Oatmeal Bread Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Green Pea Soup Creamed Potato Mashed Lima Beans Steamed Rice Oatmeal Bread Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert NINETEENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mash with Dates Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Scalloped Potatoes Stewed Asparagus Egg Sandwich Granola Fruit Mush Rice and Corn Cakes Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Almond Cornstarch Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Asparagus Toast Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Boiled Potato Mashed Peas Scalloped Tomato Pearl Wheat Sally Lunn Gems Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Custard Pie THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Steamed Rice Lentil Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Mashed Potatoes Radishes Asparagus with Cream Sauce Macaroni Baked with Granola Cracked Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Zwieback Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Asparagus Soup Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Mashed Beans Lettuce Farina Whole-Wheat Bread Oatmeal Crisps Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Molded Wheat with Fruit Sauce FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Peach Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potatoes Spinach Succotash Rolled Rye Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Farina Fruit Mold SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gravy Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Cream Rolls Graham Bread Rye Gems Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn and Bean Soup Boiled Potatoes Fresh or Canned Green Peas Scalloped Tomatoes Cracked Wheat with Raisins Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Plain Custard SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Prune Toast Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Asparagus Soup Stewed Potato Macaroni with Tomato Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Rice Stewed Fruit Pineapple TWENTIETH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Beaten Biscuit Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Baked Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Stewed Split Peas Spinach Boiled Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit Cocoanut Cornstarch Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Asparagus Toast Macaroni with Egg Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Scalloped Potatoes Hulled Corn Asparagus with Egg Sauce Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Puffs Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Banana Custard THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Snowflake Toast Breakfast Rolls Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Rice Soup Mashed Potatoes Lettuce Stewed Lima Beans Hominy Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Crusts Stewed Fruit Snowball Custard FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Berry Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Graham Crisps Hominy Gems Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Asparagus Soup Baked Potatoes Scalloped Tomatoes Stewed Corn Graham Grits Graham Bread Bean Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Prune Dessert FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Raisins Tomato Toast Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn and Tomato Soup Creamed Potatoes Mashed Peas Spinach Cracked Wheat Toasted Wafers Sally Lunn Gems Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Asparagus Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Toasted Rolls Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Mashed Potatoes Stewed Asparagus Lettuce Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Baked Barley Whole-Wheat Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Molded Rice with Fruit Sauce SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Prune Toast Cream Rolls Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Kornlet Soup Canned Okra and Tomato Mashed Peas Rice Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Pineapple Tapioca TWENTY-FIRST WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Farina with Fig Sauce Snowflake Toast Corn Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Kornlet and Tomato Soup Stuffed Potato Stewed Beans Macaroni with Egg Sauce Cracked Wheat with Raisins Graham Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cornstarch Blancmange SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Frumenty Dry Toast with Hot Cream Pease Paree Breakfast Rolls Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tapioca Soup Baked Potato with Pease Gravy Stewed Dried Corn Scalloped Tomato Browned Rice Graham Bread Rolls Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Mush Dried Apple and Apricot Toast Raised Biscuit Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Macaroni Soup Mashed Potato Succotash Canned Green Peas Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Fruit Roll Stewed Fruit Lemon Cornstarch Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Jellied Oatmeal Lentil Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Boiled Potato with Tomato Cream Sauce Mashed Lentils with Beans Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Hominy Fruit Rolls Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit Rice Snowball FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Orange Rice Gravy Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Graham Crisps Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Hominy Soup Potato Puff Stewed Split Peas Stewed Asparagus Pearl Barley with Lemon Sauce Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Orange Float SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rye Mush Prune Toast Graham Bread Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Stewed Potato Spinach Stewed Corn and Tomato Graham Grits Raised Corn Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Farina Fruit Mold SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Grape Toast Currant Buns Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Green Pea Soup Stewed Potato Macaroni with Kornlet Rice Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Loaf Cake Bananas TWENTY-SECOND WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Potatoes Spinach Stewed Dried Corn Rolled Wheat Graham Bread Rye Gems Sticks Bread Custard Stewed Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Dry Toast with Hot Cream Macaroni with Raisins Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Boiled Potatoes Scalloped Tomato Mashed Lima Beans Boiled Wheat Graham Bread Rye Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Macaroni Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Prune Toast Breakfast Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crackers Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Mashed Potatoes Stewed Split Peas Radishes Asparagus with Cream Sauce Rolled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Gravy Toast Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Crusts Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Broiled Potato Lettuce Hominy Egg and Macaroni Oatmeal Bread Sally Lunn Gems Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit Molded Wheat with Fruit Sauce FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Poached Egg on Toast Hominy Gems Graham Crisps Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Macaroni Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Asparagus Scalloped Beans Cracked Wheat Oatmeal Bread Cream Rolls Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Stewed Fruit Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Gruel with Croutons Asparagus Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Potato Cakes Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Baked Potatoes Spinach Succotash Granola Fruit Mush Currant Puffs Sticks Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Tapioca Jelly SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Prune Toast Fruit Bread Cream Rolls Graham Crisps Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato with Vermicelli Soup Mashed Peas Creamed Potato Lettuce Browned Rice Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Custard Pie TWENTY-THIRD WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Banana Toast Beaten Biscuit Graham Puffs Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potato with Brown Sauce Scalloped Tomato Asparagus with Egg Sauce Graham Grits Fruit Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Banana Shortcake SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Jellied Oatmeal Asparagus Toast Graham Gems Cream Mush Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Rice Soup Baked Beans Stewed Dried Corn Lettuce Cracked Wheat with Raisins Crusts Toasted Wafers Raised Biscuit Stewed Fruit Almond Cream THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tapioca Soup Mashed Potato Green Peas Macaroni Baked with Granola Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Crusts Stewed Fruit Floating Islands FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Mixed Mush Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Split Pea Soup Potato Cakes Spinach Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rolled Rye Sally Lunn Gems Cream Mush Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cocoanut Rice Custard FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Prune Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Graham Gems Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Baked Potato Stewed Asparagus Mashed Lentils with Beans Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Farina Pie SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Porridge with Croutons Asparagus Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Crisps Crescents Stewed Fruit White Custard in Cups DINNER Cream Barley Soup Steamed Potato Green Peas Stewed Corn and Tomato Granola Fruit Mush Graham Gems Cream Crisps Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Grape Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Crescents Fruit Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Soup with Vermicelli Stewed Asparagus Mashed Peas Rice with Raisins Graham Biscuit Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Nuts TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Figs Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Broth with Croutons Baked Potato Asparagus Points Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Rolled Rye Whole-Wheat Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice Meringue SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Fruit Crackers Fresh Strawberries DINNER Asparagus Soup Scalloped Potatoes Spinach with Cream Stewed Corn Cottage Cheese Pearl Barley Sticks Graham Gems Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Farina Custard THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Gruel with Croutons Snowflake Toast Graham Puff Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Strawberries DINNER Cream Barley Soup Stewed Potatoes Asparagus with Green Peas Scalloped Tomato Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Stewed or Fresh Berries Oatmeal Blancmange with Fruit Sauce FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Tomato Toast Boiled Macaroni Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Mashed Potatoes Green Peas Macaroni Baked with Granola Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crisps Fresh or Stewed Berries Bread Custard FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Strawberries DINNER Plain Rice Soup Potato Cakes Mashed Split Peas Stewed Corn and Tomato Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Strawberry Shortcake SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Fresh Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crusts Toasted Wafers Lettuce Fresh or Stewed Berries DINNER Corn and Bean Soup Baked Potato Boiled Macaroni Asparagus with Egg Sauce Rolled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Rye Gems Strawberries Lemon Cornstarch Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Prune Toast Graham Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Cup Custard Strawberries DINNER Green Pea Soup Canned Okra and Tomato Stewed Asparagus Rice Fruit Rolls Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Strawberries Sliced Pineapple TWENTY-FIFTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Fresh Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Peas Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rolled Wheat Graham Bread Sally Lunn Gems Sticks Stewed Fruit Gooseberry Tart SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Dry Toast with Hot Cream Lettuce Whole-Wheat Puffs Sticks Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Cream Pea Soup Potato Cakes Spinach Scalloped Tomato Boiled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Rye Puffs Toasted Wafers Strawberries Molded Rice with Strawberry Sauce THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Prune Toast Cream Rolls Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Lettuce Strawberries DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Boiled Potato with Tomato Cream Sauce Green Peas Macaroni with Kornlet Molded Wheat with Fruit Sauce Fruit Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Cherries on Stems FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gruel with Croutons Gravy Toast Rice with Lentil Gravy Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Baked Potato String Beans Asparagus with Egg Sauce Baked Barley Currant Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Strawberries Slice Pineapple FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Grape Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Lettuce Fresh or Stewed Berries DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Baked Potato Green Peas Summer Squash Farina with Bananas Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Graham Gems Strawberry Shortcake SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Cream Toast Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Pea Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Cauliflower Stewed Lima Beans Graham Grits Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Oatmeal Bread Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Cocoanut Sauce SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Snowflake Toast Beaten Biscuit Date Bread Toasted Wafers Strawberries DINNER Canned Corn Soup Potato Cakes String Beans Rice Date Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Strawberry Pie TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Strawberry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit DINNER String Bean Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Peas Chopped Cabbage Boiled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Tapioca Dessert with Strawberries SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Lettuce Breakfast Rolls and Currant Jelly DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Baked Potato Summer Squash Browned Cauliflower Pearl Wheat Crusts White Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Strawberry Sandwich THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Cherry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs White Bread Graham Crackers Strawberries DINNER Potato Soup Green Peas Mashed Lentils Lettuce Browned Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Rye Gems Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit Cherry Tart FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Fresh Berry Toast Graham Crisps Graham Bread French Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Potato Soup Mashed Potato Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Macaroni Baked with Granola Cracked Wheat with Raisins Graham Bread Cream Mush Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Broiled Potato Succotash Summer Squash Pearl Barley Cream Rolls Crusts Zwieback Graham Bread Rice Cream Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Prune Toast Cottage Cheese Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Boiled Potato Mashed Split Peas Scalloped Tomato Farina with Banana Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Strawberry Minute Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Banana Toast Currant Buns Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Strawberries DINNER Cream Pea Soup Stewed Potato String Beans Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Fresh Cherries Banana Dessert TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Cream Toast Boiled Macaroni Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Fresh or Stewed Berries DINNER Potato Soup with Vermicelli Mashed Potato Beet Greens Pease Cakes with Tomato Sauce Pearl Wheat White Bread Graham Crisps Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Prune Whip SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Boiled Wheat Fresh Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Broiled Potatoes Summer Squash Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Graham Grits Graham Bread Crusts Fruit Crackers Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries Fruit Shape THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice Snowflake Toast Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Fruit Rolls Fresh Berries DINNER Lentil Soup Mashed Potato Green Peas Scalloped Tomatoes Browned Rice Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Fresh Cherries FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Tomato Toast Toasted Fruit Rolls Graham Puffs Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Beets and Potato String Beans Pearl Barley Pop Overs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Fresh or Stewed Fruit Gooseberry Tart FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat Porridge with Croutons Macaroni with Raisins Whole-Wheat Puffs Breakfast Rolls Graham Crackers Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Baked Potato Spinach Green Peas Cracked Wheat Rye Puffs Oatmeal Bread Graham Crisps Fruit Foam SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Fresh Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Graham Crisps Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Pea Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Lima Beans Stewed Dried or Fresh Corn Rice Oatmeal Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Strawberry Shortcake SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Gravy Toast Fruit Rolls Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Baked Bananas DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Broiled Potato Macaroni with Cream Sauce Browned Rice Beaten Biscuit Fruit Rolls Strawberries Nuts TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Raisins Cherry Toast Toasted Beaten Biscuit Graham Puffs Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Cream Barley Soup Baked Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Summer Squash Green Peas Cracked Wheat Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice and Strawberry Dessert SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Pea Soup Macaroni Baked with Granola String Beans Lettuce Boiled Wheat Cream Rolls Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Berry Sandwich (prepared like Apple Sandwich) THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Fresh Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Creamed Potato Mashed Peas Cottage Cheese Pearly Wheat Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Crusts Stewed Fruit Farina Fruit Mold FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Molded Rice with Fresh Berries Dry Toast with Hot Cream Graham Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Beet Greens Stewed Dried Corn Graham Grits Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Vienna Bread Stewed Fruit Fruit Tapioca FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Snowflake Toast Vienna Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Lettuce Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Potato and Sago Soup Stewed Lima Beans Radishes Boiled Macaroni Hominy Cream Rolls Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Berry Shortcake with Prepared Cream SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Tomato Toast French Rolls Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Mashed Potato String Beans Canned Kornlet Cream Rolls Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Red Sago Mold SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Prune Toast Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Steamed Figs Cottage Cheese Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER String Bean Soup Macaroni with Egg Sauce New Beets with Lemon Dressing Rice Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Plain Buns Stewed Fruit Fruit and Nuts TWENTY-NINTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Brewis Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Mashed Peas Beet Greens Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Buns Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Dry Toast with Hot Cream Fresh Tomato Salad Graham Crisps Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Steamed Potato String Beans Baked Cabbage Graham Grits Graham Crisps Whole-Wheat Bread Pop Overs Stewed Fruit Cream Rice Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Strawberry Toast Graham Crisps Whole-Wheat Puffs Molded Rice with Currant Sauce DINNER Lentil Soup New Beets and Potato Summer Squash Green Peas Farina Crusts Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Fresh Berries Stewed Fruit Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Snowflake Toast Rice with Lentil Gravy Graham Raised Biscuits Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Fresh or Stewed Berries DINNER Cream Barley Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Egg Plant Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Molded Wheat with Fruit Sauce Cream Rolls Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries Raspberry Manioca Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Gravy Toast Cream Rolls Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Radishes Stewed Fruit DINNER String Bean Soup Scalloped Potato Baked Beets Spinach Boiled Wheat with Lemon Sauce Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Graham Gems Fresh Berries Prune Dessert SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Gruel with Croutons Fresh Berry Toast Fruit Crackers Breakfast Rolls Graham Bread Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Green Pea Soup Creamed Potato Cabbage Salad Macaroni baked with Granola Rolled Rye Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Berry Pie SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Fresh Black Raspberry Toast Graham Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cup Custard DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Stewed Potato String Beans Boiled Wheat with Raisins Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Fresh Berries Bananas THIRTIETH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Farina with Bananas Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Fruit Rolls Toasted Beaten Biscuit Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Baked Bean Soup Stewed Potato Green Peas Lettuce Graham Grits Graham Puffs Cream Crisps Black Raspberries Rice Custard Shape SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Banana Toast Graham Gems Sticks Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Velvet Soup Baked Potato Mashed Peas Macaroni with Tomato Pearl Wheat Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Vienna Bread Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Raspberry Juice THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat Fresh Raspberry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Parker House Rolls Lettuce Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Browned Potatoes Chopped Cabbage Green Corn Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Black Raspberry Shortcake FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crisps Cup Custard Fresh Berries DINNER Black Bean Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Turnip String Beans Graham Mush Graham Bread Cream Rolls Pop Overs Stewed Fruit Raspberry Tapioca FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Cream Toast Fresh Tomatoes Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup No. 2 Broiled Potato Beet Greens Scalloped Cauliflower Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Fruit Bread Fresh Berries Snow Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Prune Toast Cottage Cheese Cream Rolls Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Lima Bean Soup Steamed Potato Boiled Beets Scalloped Egg Plant Cracked What Fruit Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Fresh Berry Toast Beaten Biscuit Graham Puffs Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Corn Soup Mashed Peas Cold Boiled Beets, Sliced Rice with Raisins Buns Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Nuts Fresh or Stewed Fruit THIRTY-FIRST WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Snowflake Toast Macaroni with Raisins Graham Crackers Graham Puffs Buns Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Potato Rice Baked Corn Celery Graham Grits Currant Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Fruit Red Rice Mold SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Gravy Toast Boiled Macaroni with Cottage Cheese Graham Bread Rye Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Baked Potatoes Green Peas Beet Greens Boiled Wheat Graham Biscuit Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries Rice Custard Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Cream Toast Graham Puffs Sticks Pulled Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Mashed Potato String Beans Summer Squash Cracked Wheat with Whortleberries Pulled Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Watermelon FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed or Fresh Berried Cream Graham Rolls with Raspberry Jelly DINNER String Bean Soup Stewed Split Peas Beets and Potato Pearl Wheat Graham Bread Toasted Rolls Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Whortleberry Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Celery Toast Graham Gems Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Fresh Berries DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Stewed Lima Beans Lettuce Boiled Macaroni Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Fruit Crackers Fresh Berries Fruit Tapioca SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Lemon Fresh Berry Toast Cream Mush Rolls Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Potato Soup Green Corn Pulp Stewed Potato Chopped Turnip Graham Grits Pop Overs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Fresh Berries Cream Rice Pudding Stewed Fruit SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat with Blueberries Prune Toast Graham Crisps Raised Biscuit Stewed Fruit DINNER Green or Canned Pea Soup Creamed Potato Kornlet Celery Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Fruit Rolls Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit THIRTY-SECOND WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Fresh Black Raspberry Toast Fresh Tomatoes Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Fruit Rolls Stewed or Fresh Berries DINNER Cream Rice Soup Boiled Potato with Brown Sauce Green Corn Pulp String Beans Pearl Wheat with Whortleberries Graham Gems Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Raspberry Manioca Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gravy Toast Lettuce Breakfast Rolls Whortleberry Gems Toasted Wafers Fresh or Stewed Berries DINNER Green Corn Soup Beets and Potato Scalloped Egg Plant Boiled Wheat Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Crusts Stewed or Fresh Berries Whortleberry Pie THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Dry Toast with Hot Cream Fresh Tomatoes Graham Puffs Breakfast Rolls Stewed or Fresh Berries Raspberry Jelly DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Potato Rice Stewed Lima Beans Radishes Green Corn Pudding Graham Mush with Berries Graham Gems Oatmeal Crisps Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Cream Rice Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Tomato Toast Oatmeal Crisps Graham Bread Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Cauliflower Mashed Peas Graham Grits Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Whortleberry Gems Stewed or Fresh Fruit Molded Tapioca FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Gruel with Croutons Fresh Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Breakfast Rolls Lettuce Baked Sweet Apples Fresh Berries DINNER Cream Pea Soup Cracked Potato Scalloped Turnip Beet Greens Cracked Wheat with Blackberries Graham Bread Toasted Rolls Crusts Fresh or Stewed Fruit Banana Dessert SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Blueberries Gravy Toast Fresh Tomatoes French Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Fresh or Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Broth Baked Potato Summer Squash Boiled Beets, sliced, with Cream Sauce Pearl Barley Graham Bread Whortleberry Gems Toasted Wafers Fresh Berries Damsons SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Blackberry Mush Prune Toast Crusts Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Baked Sweet Apples Fresh Berries DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Stewed Potato Cold Sliced Beets Green Corn Pulp Rice Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Blackberry Pie THIRTY-THIRD WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Snowflake Toast Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Fresh Berries DINNER Green Pea Soup Scalloped Potato Boiled Corn Cauliflower with Egg Sauce Graham Grits Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Sliced Peaches Nuts SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Cream Toast Whortleberry Gems Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Fresh Blackberries DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Baked Potato String Beans Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Farina with Banana Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Plums and Peaches THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Peaches Blackberry Toast Fresh Tomatoes Whole-Wheat Puffs Sticks Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER String Bean Soup Mashed Potato Baked Green Corn Scalloped Egg Plant Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Blackberry Mush Tomato Toast Baked Sweet Apples Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Raised Graham Biscuit Fresh Berries DINNER Celery Soup No. 2 Boiled Potato Macaroni baked with Granola Succotash Browned Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Blackberry Cornstarch Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Berry Toast Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Scalloped Potato Chopped Cabbage Mashed Peas Rice Graham Bread Sticks Stewed or Fresh Berries Bread Custard SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Apple Mush Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Fruit Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Boiled Potatoes Green Corn Sliced Tomatoes Cracked Wheat with Blackberries Graham Bread Fruit Rolls Rye Gems Sliced Peaches Pears SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Sliced Tomatoes Fruit Bread Cream Crisps Stewed or Sliced Peaches DINNER Green Corn Soup Boiled Macaroni Stewed Tomatoes Rice Fruit Bread Cream Crisps Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Fruit Blackberry or Peach Pie THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Blackberry Mush Gravy Toast Graham Puffs Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Potato Snowballs Stewed Corn Stewed Lima Beans Rolled Wheat Rye Puffs Cream Rolls Graham Bread Sliced Peaches Nuts SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Cream Toast Sliced Tomato Graham Crisps Graham Bread Rye Gems Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Mashed Potato Summer Squash Baked Beets with Lemon Dressing Pearl Barley Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed or Fresh Berries Peach Tapioca THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Tomato Toast Cottage Cheese Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Broiled Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Green Corn Pulp Graham Grits French Rolls Cream Crisps Fresh Fruit Sliced Sweet Apples and Cream FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Peach Toast Macaroni with Corn Pulp Fresh Tomatoes Cream Rolls Vienna Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER String Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Egg Plant Cabbage and Tomato Pearl Wheat Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Vienna Bread Stewed Fruit Fruit Shape FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Peach Mush Dry Toast with Hot Cream Celery Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Rolls Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit DINNER White Celery Soup Steamed Potato Chopped Beets Mashed Peas Farina with Bananas Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Rolls Rye Puffs Sliced Peaches Baked Apple Dessert SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Berry Toast Baked Sweet Apples Fresh Tomatoes Currant Puffs Toasted Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potato Stewed Celery Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Boiled Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crackers Crescents Stewed Fruit Sago Fruit Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Steamed Rice Tomato Toast Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Creamed Potato Green Peas Pearl Wheat Fruit Bread Rolls Graham Crackers Sliced Peaches Nuts Tapioca Custard THIRTY-FIFTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with dates Sliced Tomatoes Macaroni with Egg Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Steamed Potato Stewed Tomato Mashed Split Peas Rolled Rye Graham Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Peach Shortcake SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Peach Mush Cream Toast Sliced Tomatoes Graham Bread Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup No. 2. Boiled Potato Shelled Beans Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Graham Grits Graham Bread Oatmeal Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Baked Sweet Apples with Whipped Cream THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Macaroni Baked with Corn Pulp Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Rice Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Celery Mashed Lentils and Beans Rolled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Peach Meringue FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Peach Mush Snowflake Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Sticks Date Bread Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Potato Snowballs Corn and Tomatoes Scalloped Egg Plant Cracked Wheat Date Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Grapes FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Peach Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Breakfast Rolls Graham Gems Baked Pears Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Boiled Potato Baked Corn Celery Pearl Barley Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Peach Shortcake SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Strawberry Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Sliced Tomato Graham Puffs Parker House Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Baked Sweet Potato Mashed Peas Cauliflower with Egg Sauce Graham Grits Granola Fruit Rolls Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat with Blackberries and Cream Prune Toast Fruit Rolls Raised Graham Biscuit Toasted Wafers Fresh Tomatoes Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Sweet Potato String Beans Pearl Wheat with Peaches and Cream Buns Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Nuts THIRTY-SIXTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Blackberry Toast Sliced Tomato Currant Puffs Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Sweet Potato Soup Steamed Potato Boiled Beets Stewed Lima Beans Rolled Wheat Buns Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Peach Sandwich SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Apricot Toast Zwieback Graham Puffs Breakfast Rolls Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Potato Stewed with Celery Mashed Squash Scalloped Tomatoes Farina Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Graham Gems Sliced Peaches Bran Jelly with Fruit Sauce THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Apple Mush Blueberry Toast Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Sliced Tomatoes Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn and Bean Soup Baked Potato Stewed Tomato Scalloped Cauliflower Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit Farina Custard FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Rice Soup Baked Sweet Potato Mashed Beans Green Peas Graham Grits Oatmeal Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Sliced Peaches Red Rice FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat Banana Toast Baked Sweet Apples Oatmeal Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup Mashed Potato Baked Tomato Baked Green Corn Graham Grits Graham Bread Sticks Rye Puffs Stewed Fruit Baked Apple Dessert SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Corn Cakes Sticks Sliced Tomatoes Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato and Rice Soup Macaroni Baked with Granola Mashed Cabbage String Beans Pearl Wheat Pop Overs Cream Crisps Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Almonds SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Toasted Wafers Fruit Rolls Raised Biscuit Baked Pears Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Corn Soup Tomato and Macaroni Stewed Potato Rolled Wheat Fruit Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Peach Pie Grapes THIRTY-SEVENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Toast with Egg Sauce Fruit Bread Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Sliced Peaches DINNER Green Bean Soup Mashed Potato Baked Squash Corn Pudding Graham Grits Graham Bread Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Peach Shortcake SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Peach Mush Tomato Toast Macaroni with Kornlet Graham Bread Cream Mush Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potato Shelled Beans Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Browned Rice Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Whole-wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Jam Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Peach Toast Sliced Tomato Graham Crisps Graham Gems Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Scalloped Potato Beet Salad Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Molded Wheat with Grape Sauce FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Dry Toast with Tomato Gravy Whole-Wheat Bread Crusts Breakfast Rolls Baked Pears Stewed Fruit DINNER White Celery Soup Baked Sweet Potato Mashed Peas Scalloped Tomatoes Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Beaten Biscuit Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit Cocoanut Rice Custard FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Macaroni with Apple Sauce Sliced Tomato Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Mashed Potato Baked Squash String Beans Rolled Rye Whole-Wheat Bread Crusts Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit Peach Pudding or Fresh Fruit SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Fruit Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Crescents Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Split Pea Soup Baked Potato Baked Tomato Green Corn Pulp Rice Fruit Loaf Graham Gems Sticks Stewed Fruit Sweet Apple Pie or Fresh Fruit SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Peach Toast Sliced Tomato Baked Pears Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Corn Soup Stewed Lima Beans Mashed Sweet Potato Rice with Peaches Beaten Biscuit Currant Buns Stewed Fruit Pears THIRTY-EIGHTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Peach Mush Dry Toast with Hot Cream Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Toasted Beaten Biscuit Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tapioca Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Celery Baked Squash Rolled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Peach Tapioca SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Lentil Toast Sliced Tomato Cream Rolls Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Potato Snowballs Stewed Tomato Egg and Macaroni Browned Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Rolls Crusts Stewed Fruit Plain Fruit Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Sweet Apple Toast Cottage Cheese Whole-Wheat Puffs French Rolls Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Baked Potato with Celery Sauce Shelled Beans Baked Corn Farina with Fresh Fruit Graham Puffs Oatmeal Crisps Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit, or Sweet Apple Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Peaches Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Oatmeal Crisps Breakfast Rolls Sliced Peaches DINNER Shelled Bean Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Celery Pearl Wheat Toasted Rolls Buns Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Apple Manioca FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Strawberry Toast Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Rye Gems Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Squash Boiled Macaroni Browned Rice Graham Bread Beaten Biscuit Fruit Crackers Stewed Fruit Cup Custard SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Macaroni with Raisins Slice Tomatoes Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Boiled Potato Stewed Celery Pease Cakes with Tomato Sauce Graham Grits Raised Biscuit Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Grape Tart SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice Grape Toast Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Stewed Corn Boiled Wheat Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuits Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Grape Sauce THIRTY-NINTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Boiled Green Corn String Beans Rolled Wheat Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Bread Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit Stewed Fruit Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Peach Mush Snowflake Toast Graham Puffs Cream Rolls Baked Pears Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Bean Soup Potato Cakes Stewed Tomato Baked Beets Cracked Wheat Pop Overs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Bread Custard THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Graham Bread Corn Puffs Graham Crisps Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Mixed Potato Soup Baked Potato Chopped Beets Succotash Graham Grits Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Cream Toast Cottage Cheese Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Celery Corn Pudding Rolled Wheat Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Buns Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Corn Soup Steamed Potato Mashed Squash Scalloped Turnip Rolled Wheat Crusts Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Lemon Cornstarch Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Gruel with Croutons Grape Toast Macaroni with Kornlet Cream Rolls Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Creamed Potato Celery Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Cracked Wheat Graham Bread Toasted Rolls Fruit Crackers Stewed Fruit Snowball Custard SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Peaches Apricot Toast Toasted Wafers Fruit Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Chopped Sweet Potato Sliced Tomato Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Grape Pie FORTIETH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Grape Mush Cream Toast Graham Gems Toasted Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato and Vermicelli Soup Boiled Macaroni Stewed Lima Beans Boiled Corn Cracked Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Corn Cakes Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cornstarch Meringue SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Celery Toast Baked Sweet Potatoes Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Tomato Salad DINNER Lima Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Green Corn Cakes Mixed Mush Sally Lunn Gems Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice Snow THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice Tomato Toast Graham Crisps Raised Biscuit Grape Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Potato Snowballs Stewed Split Peas Scalloped Cauliflower Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crisps Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Grape Sauce FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Apple Mush Grape Toast Cream Rolls Rye Gems Whole-Wheat Bread Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Baked Potato Baked Squash Boiled Beets with Cream Sauce Pearl Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Sticks Raised Corn Bread Stewed Fruit Nuts FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Gravy Toast Oatmeal Crisps Corn Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Egg Plant Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Farina Stewed Fruit Almond Cornstarch Pudding with Grape Sauce SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Grape Mush Cream Toast Fruit Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Granola Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Potato Rice Mashed Squash Boiled Green Corn Graham Mush Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Apple Sandwich SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Peach Toast Sliced Tomato Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Green Corn Pulp Boiled Wheat Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Grape Tarts Stewed Fruit FORTY-FIRST WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Browned Rice Grape Toast Toasted Beaten Biscuit Graham Puffs Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn and Tomato Soup Sweet Potato Cakes Shelled Beans Macaroni Baked with Granola Farina Graham Puffs Zwieback Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Apple Mush Gravy Toast Sliced Tomato Toasted Rolls Corn Dodgers Stewed Fruit DINNER Shelled Bean Soup Baked Potato with Brown Sauce Chopped Cabbage Baked Tomato Pearl Barley Graham Puffs Sticks Rye Bread Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Dry Toast with Hot Cream Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Baked Sour Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Rice Soup Steamed Potato with Cream Sauce Baked Squash Mashed Peas Graham Apple Mush Rye Bread Zwieback Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with dates Gravy Toast Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Corn Puffs Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Scalloped Potato Chopped Turnip Macaroni Baked with Kornlet Steamed Rice Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Rye Bread Stewed Fruit Cornmeal Pudding FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Tomato Toast Graham Bread Breakfast Rolls Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Baked Beans Boiled Macaroni Boiled Wheat Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice and Tapioca Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Lentil Gravy Gravy Toast Sliced Tomato Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn and Bean Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Tomato Stewed Celery Cracked Wheat Graham Bread Zwieback Crusts Stewed Fruit Graham Grits Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Grape Toast Graham Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Baked Sweet Apples Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Broiled Potato Stewed Corn Browned Rice Graham Biscuit Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Apple Pie FORTY-SECOND WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Gravy Toast Caked Peas Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup Boiled Potato with Tomato Cream Sauce Baked Cauliflower Shelled Beans Graham Grits Currant Puffs Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Tapioca Grape Jelly SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Rolls Bakes Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Mashed Peas Mashed Cabbage Cracked Wheat Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crisps Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Grape Toast Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Steamed Potato Boiled Beets Celery Tomato and Macaroni Rice Parker House Rolls Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Steamed Rice with Grape Sauce Prune Toast Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Crusts Baked Pears Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Baked Potato Baked Squash Chopped Cabbage Boiled Wheat Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice Snowballs FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Lentil Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Baked Sweet Potato Stewed Celery Boiled Green Corn Rolled Rye Graham Bread Currant Puffs Sticks Stewed Fruit Molded Wheat with Grape Sauce SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Gruel with Croutons Tomato Toast Graham Crisps Graham Bread Pop Overs Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Corn Soup Chopped Potato Baked Beans Mashed Squash Farina Cream Mush Rolls Vienna Bread Stewed Fruit Stewed Fruit Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat with Raisins Prune Toast Vienna Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Potato Soup Stewed Corn Boiled Macaroni Granola Fruit Mush Buns Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Nuts Fresh Fruit FORTY-THIRD WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Stewed Fruit Granola Apple Mush Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Beaten Biscuit Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Celery Soup Mashed Potato Scalloped Tomato Mashed Peas Graham Grits Corn Puffs Cream Crisps Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Tomato Toast Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Gems Grape Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potatoes with Brown Sauce Shelled Beans Corn and Tomato Graham Grits Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit Bake Sweet Apples with Whipped Cream THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge with Croutons Grape Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Sticks Fruit Crackers Bake Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Baked Potatoes with Celery Sauce Mashed Beans Parsnip with Cream Sauce Graham Grits Corn Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Tart FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Gravy Toast Cream Rolls Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Chopped Beets Macaroni Baked with Granola Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Gems Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Blancmange with Grape Sauce Sweet Apple Toast Corn Meal Gruel with Croutons Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Crisps French Rolls Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Squash Baked Turnip Pearl Wheat with Raisins Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crisps Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice Custard SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Peach Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Pears Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Scalloped Potato Succotash Scalloped Tomato Graham Grits Graham Puffs Graham Bread Sticks Stewed Fruit Plain Fruit Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Prune Toast Beaten Biscuit Buns Toasted Wafers Baked Chestnuts Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Corn Soup Canned Green Peas Tomato and Macaroni Graham Grits Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Squash Pie FORTY-FOURTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Almonds with Wafers Cerealine Steamed Eggs Baked Potato Toasted Beaten Biscuit Graham Gems Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Macaroni with Cream Sauce Mashed Beans Baked Corn Browned Rice Graham Bread Cream Crisps Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Baked Sweet Apple Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Cream Crisps Fruit Rolls Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Potato Rice Mashed Squash Stewed Celery Cracked Wheat Graham Puffs Fruit Rolls Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Macaroni Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Peach Mush Snowflake Toast Macaroni with Kornlet Cream Mush Rolls Fruit Loaf Graham Crackers Stewed Fruit DINNER Oatmeal Soup Potato Cakes Celery Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce Hominy Fruit Loaf Toasted Rolls Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Snow Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat Dry Toast with Hot Cream Hominy Gems Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Cottage Cheese Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Potato Snowballs Scalloped Tomato Parsnip with Egg Sauce Rolled Wheat Corn Puffs Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Berry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Crescents Granola Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Mashed Potato Carrots with Egg Sauce Scalloped Beans Rice Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Prune and Tapioca Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat with Baked Apples Gravy Toast Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Cream Rolls and Crab Apple Jelly Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Baked Sweet Potato Stewed Celery Shelled Beans Pearl Barley with Raisins Graham Bread Corn Cake Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Tapioca Custard SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Blackberry Toast Beaten Biscuits Fruit Bread Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Warmed-over Sweet Potato Stewed Corn Boiled Wheat Graham Bread Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Nuts FORTY-FIFTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge Dry Toast with Hot Cream Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Fruit Loaf Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Soup Steamed Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Stewed Cabbage Mashed Squash Pearl Wheat Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Sago Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Samp and Milk Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Hoe Cake Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Mashed Potatoes Celery and Tomato Turnip with Cream Sauce Oatmeal Crisps Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Grits Stewed Fruit Baked Corn Meal Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Banana Toast Breakfast Rolls Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Granola Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Peas Broccoli with Egg Sauce Cracked Wheat with Raisins Toasted Rolls Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Nuts FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Berry Toast Graham Crackers Hoe Cake Whole-Wheat Puffs Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Boiled Potato with Celery Sauce Baked Beets Stewed Lima Beans Farina Raised Corn Cake Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Apple Tart FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Cream Toast Currant Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Browned Potatoes Succotash Steamed Squash Graham Grits Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Farina Custard SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Lentil Toast Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Cream Rolls Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Roasted Almonds DINNER Potato Soup Potato Puff Browned Parsnips Celery Mashed Peas Rolled Wheat Rye Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crisps Apple Rose Cream SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Prune Toast Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit White Custard in Cups Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Stewed Potato Kornlet and Tomato Rice Rye Bread Buns Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Pie Fresh Fruit FORTY-SIXTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Gravy Toast Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Green Pea Soup Scalloped Potatoes Baked Beans Macaroni with Egg Farina Pop Overs Toasted Wafers Rye Bread Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Blackberry Toast Rice with Lentil Gravy Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Rye Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Hominy Soup Boiled Potatoes Stewed Celery Creamed Parsnips Pearl Wheat Raised Corn Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Stewed Fruit THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Samp and Milk Dry Toast with Hot Cream Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Scalloped Potatoes Beet Salad Mashed Turnips Boiled Wheat Hoe Cake Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Rice and Corn Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Macaroni Baked with Granola Succotash Baked Squash Pearl Barley Pulled Bread Oatmeal Crisps Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Apple Tart FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Celery Toast Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Corn Cakes Pulled Bread Oatmeal Crisps Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Barley Soup Baked Sweet Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Celery Pearl Wheat Rye Gems Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Bread Custard SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Mixed Mush Snowflake Toast Graham Bread Cream Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato Cream Soup Potatoes Stewed with Celery Parsnips with Egg Sauce Mashed Peas Oatmeal Blancmange with Cranberry Sauce Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Raised Corn Cake Stewed Fruit Nuts SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Cream Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Buns Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Corn Soup Canned Peas Macaroni with Egg Sauce Cracked Wheat Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit Cranberry Pie FORTY-SEVENTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush and Milk Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Fruit Bread Toasted Beaten Biscuit Baked Chestnuts Stewed Fruit DINNER Combination Soup Baked Potato with Brown Sauce Scalloped Turnips Mashed Squash Graham Grits Raised Corn Cake Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Tapioca SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Gruel with Toasted Wafers Blueberry Toast Breakfast Rolls Corn Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Baked Sweet Potato Mashed Beans Stewed Sweet Corn Cracked Wheat Toasted Rolls Pulled Bread Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat with Raisins Banana Toast Hoe Cake Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Boiled Potatoes with Tomato Cream Sauce Mashed Parsnips Mashed Lentils Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Bean Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Almonds FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Cream Toast Potato Cakes Celery Corn Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Parsnip Soup Scalloped Potatoes Mashed Peas Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Steamed Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Cup Custards FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Porridge with Toasted Wafers Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Hoe Cakes Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potato Boiled Macaroni Stewed Cabbage and Tomato Graham Grits Zwieback Graham Bread Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit Apple Rose Cream SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Tomato toast Macaroni with Kornlet Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Rye Gems Stewed Fruit DINNER Plain Rice Soup Mashed Potatoes Baked Squash Scalloped Beans Graham Mush Whole-Wheat Bread Oatmeal Crisps Graham Crusts Stewed Fruit Baked Apple Loaf SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Prune Toast Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Bread Graham Crackers Grape Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Mashed Sweet Potatoes Scalloped Tomato Rice Fruit Bread Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange FORTY-EIGHTH WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mash with Dates Blackberry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Green Pea Soup Boiled Potato with Cream Sauce Mashed Lima Beans Stewed Vegetable Oysters Graham Grits Corn Puffs Toasted Wafers Graham Crusts Stewed Fruit Rice Custard Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Baked Chestnuts Samp and Milk Vegetable Oyster Toast Creamed Potatoes Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Bean and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Split Peas Macaroni with Egg Cracked Wheat Parker House Rolls Sticks Corn Puffs Stewed Fruit Prune Tapioca THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Graham Sticks Fruit Loaf Baked Apples Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Potato Soup Baked Potato Boiled Beets with Cream Sauce Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Rolled Wheat Fruit Loaf Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Baked Apples with Whipped Cream FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Steamed Rice Lentil Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Crisps Fruit Bread DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Mashed Potato Parsnips with Egg Sauce Succotash Boiled Wheat with Lemon Sauce Graham Crisps Beaten Biscuit Whole-Wheat Puffs Cocoanut Blancmange Cranberry Jelly FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Gruel with Croutons Tomato Toast Macaroni with Raisins Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Baked Apples DINNER Cream Barley Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Mashed Peas Stewed Celery Hominy Cream Crisps Corn Cake Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Apple Tart SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Apple Mush Tomato Toast Cream Crisps Graham Bread Hominy Gems Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea soup Boiled Potato Scalloped Tomatoes Mashed Squash Cracked Wheat with Raisins Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Baked Apples with Cream Sauce SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Raisins Prune toast Toasted Wafers Crescents Graham Bread Baked Apples Cup Custards Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Canned Sweet Corn Cold Boiled Beets, Sliced Graham Grits Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Prune Pie FORTY-NINTH WEEK. FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Chopped Figs Gravy Toast Cream Rolls Corn Gems Baked Chestnuts Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Corn Soup Mashed Potato Chopped Beets Stewed Parsnips with Celery Rolled Wheat Toasted Rolls Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Stewed Fruit Fig Pudding with Orange Sauce SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Cracker Toast Graham Sticks Currant Puff Graham Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Potato Rice Chopped Cabbage Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Browned Rice Graham Sticks Raised Corn Cake Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Granola Fruit Mush Cream Toast Boiled Macaroni Hoe Cake Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Steamed Potato with Cream Sauce Stewed Corn and Tomatoes Mashed Squash Mixed Mush Pop Overs Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Cornstarch Blancmange FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Grits Strawberry Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Cream Rolls Baked Chestnuts Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Stewed Pumpkin Macaroni Baked with Granola Pearl Barley Graham Bread Sally Lunn Gems Toasted Rolls Stewed Fruit Molded Tapioca FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush Tomato Toast Potato Cakes Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Potato Snow Stewed Parsnips Chopped Turnip Rolled Rye Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Crusts Stewed Fruit Prune Dessert SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Gravy Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Hoe Cake Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Mixed Potato Soup Macaroni with Cream Sauce Stewed Beans Scalloped Tomato Pearl Wheat Pulled Bread Corn Cakes Stewed Fruit Farina Custard SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Prune Toast Fruit Bread Cream Rolls Toasted Wafers Steamed Figs Cup Custard Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Macaroni with Kornlet Canned String Beans Steamed Rice Graham Fruit Bread Cream Rolls Cranberry Jelly Fresh Fruit FIFTIETH WEEK. FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Baked Potato with Cream Gravy Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Hoe Cake Baked Chestnuts Stewed Fruit DINNER Velvet Soup Broiled Potato Succotash Baked Squash Cracked Wheat Toasted Rolls Graham Bread Crusts Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Cream Toast Cream Rolls Granola Gems Graham Bread Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Brown Soup Baked Potato Stewed Celery Mashed Peas with Tomato Sauce Graham Grits French Rolls Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Snow THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat Grape Toast Graham Crisps Rye Bread Graham Puffs Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Parsnips Macaroni with Egg Pearl Wheat with Raisins Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Currant Puffs Stewed Fruit California Grapes FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Sticks Corn Cakes Granola Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Parsnip Soup Potato Rice Steamed Squash Baked Beans Cracked Wheat Raised Biscuit Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Stewed Fruit Farina Blancmange with Cranberry Dressing FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Apple Mush Blackberry Toast Macaroni with Cream Sauce Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit DINNER Baked Bean Soup Potato Cakes Scalloped Tomatoes Stewed Vegetable Oysters Rice Graham Bread Oatmeal Crisps Beaten Biscuit Stewed Fruit Tapioca Jelly SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Rye Snowflake Toast Toasted Wafers Graham Bread Corn Puffs Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Baked Sweet Potato Mashed Peas Boiled Beets with Lemon Dressing Graham Grits Pulled Bread Graham Crusts Stewed Fruit SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rice with Fig Sauce Gravy Toast Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Cream Rolls Grape Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Kornlet Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Pease Cakes Browned Rice Buns Pulled Bread Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Bananas FIFTY-FIRST WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cerealine Flakes Cream Toast Graham Puffs Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Swiss Lentil Soup Boiled Potatoes with Cream Sauce Scalloped Tomato Stewed Vegetable Oysters Pearl Barley Graham Bread Rye Gems Toasted Wafers Lemon Apples Stewed Fruit SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Oatmeal Vegetable Oyster Toast Lentil Puree Toasted Wafers Corn Puffs Graham Bread Stewed Fruit DINNER Pea and Tomato Soup Mashed Potato Mashed Turnip Parsnip with Egg Sauce Graham Grits Raised Corn Cake Graham Sticks Stewed Fruit Ground Rice Pudding THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Raisins Tomato Toast Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Parsnip Soup Baked Potato Mashed Squash Stewed Lima Beans Cracked Wheat Graham Bread Cream Crisps Pop Overs Stewed Fruit Bread Custard FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Dry Toast with Hot Cream Whole-Wheat Bread Cream Crisps Hoe Cake Granola Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Vermicelli Soup Baked Potato with Pease Gravy Boiled Beets Stewed Tomatoes Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Cranberry Tarts FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Gravy Toast Baked Sweet Potato Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Graham Puffs Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Macaroni Soup Baked Potatoes with Brown Sauce Mashed Peas Stewed Dried Corn Rice Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Rye Gems Stewed Fruit Nuts and Oranges SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Apricot Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Breakfast Rolls Steamed Figs Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Boiled Potato Stewed Carrots Celery Mashed Chestnuts Cracked Wheat Raised Corn Cake Toasted Wafers Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Grape Toast Beaten Biscuit Roasted Almonds Stewed Fruit DINNER Tomato and Vermicelli Soup Boiled Macaroni Canned String Beans Steamed Rice Beaten Biscuit Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit FIFTY-SECOND WEEK FIRST DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Plum Porridge Strawberry Toast Toasted Wafers Hoe Cake Graham Puffs Baked Chestnuts Stewed Fruit DINNER Vegetable Oyster Soup Baked Potato Cabbage and Tomato Hulled Corn or Hominy Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Puffs Graham Sticks Fruit Bread Stewed Fruit Snow Pudding SECOND DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Corn Meal Mush Tomato Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lentil Soup Mashed Potato Boiled Macaroni Canned Okra and Tomato Corn Bread Graham Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Fresh Fruit and Nuts THIRD DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Dry Toast with Hot Cream Currant Puffs Rye Bread Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Lima Bean Soup Scalloped Potato Mashed Peas Baked Squash Celery Rice with Raisins Rye Bread Graham Crusts Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Apple Manioca FOURTH DAY BREAKFAST Baked Chestnuts Rolled Wheat Gravy Toast Baked Sweet Potato with Tomato Sauce Cream Rolls Graham Puffs Granola Stewed Fruit DINNER Cream Pea Soup Baked Potato Stewed Tomatoes Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Graham Grits Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Buns Stewed Fruit Apple Tart FIFTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Cracked Wheat Vegetable Oyster Toast Graham Bread Crusts Toasted Wafers Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Potato Soup Baked Beans Stewed Parsnips Pearl Wheat Graham Bread Currant Puffs Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Rice Cream Pudding SIXTH DAY BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Graham Mush with Dates Snowflake Toast Graham Bread Toasted Wafers Whole-Wheat Puffs Baked Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Black Bean Soup Mashed Potato Kornlet and Tomato Macaroni baked with Granola Farina Graham Bread Crescents Cream Rolls Stewed Fruit Cracked Wheat Pudding SABBATH BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Oats Blackberry Toast Pulled Bread Buns Beaten Biscuit Baked Chestnuts Citron Apples Stewed Fruit DINNER Canned Green Pea Soup Broiled Potato Macaroni with Egg Sauce Steamed Rice with Raisins Buns Beaten Biscuit Toasted Wafers Stewed Fruit Farina Pie COUNTING THE COST. The expense of the menus given will vary somewhat with the locality and the existing market prices. The following analysis of several similar bills of fare used in widely different localities will serve to show something of the average cost. The first of these were taken at random from the daily menus, during the month of January, of a Michigan family of seventeen persons, grown persons and hearty, growing children, none younger than six years. In the estimates made of the cost of material, wherever fractions occurred, the next higher whole number was taken. No butter was used, a small pitcher of cream for each individual supplying its place. The milk used for cooking was not counted, since in this case most of the cream had been removed, and its cost reckoned at the entire cost of the milk itself, or twenty cents a quart, allowing four quarts of milk at five cents a quart for one quart of cream. BILLS OF FARE. BREAKFAST Fresh Apples Toasted Whole-Wheat Wafers Rolled Wheat with Cream Grape Toast Whole-Wheat Puffs Toasted Wafers Baked Sweet Apples Stewed Prunes Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ Apples (fresh and baked), one half peck, 10c.; one lb. rolled wheat, 5c.; one and one half lbs. zwieback for toast, 15c.; one pint of canned grape pulp for toast, 12c.; puffs (for which beside milk, three eggs at 25c. per doz., and one and one half lbs. whole-wheat flour at 5c. per lb. were used), 14c.; two and one half lbs. of California prunes, 37c.; two qts. cream, an amount quite sufficient for moistening the toast and supplying a small cream cup for each individual, 40c.; two lbs. of toasted whole-wheat wafers, 20c. --making the entire cost of breakfast $1.53, or exactly nine cents per person. DINNER Lima Bean Soup Baked Potato with Cream Sauce Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Graham Grits Whole-Wheat Bread Whole-Wheat Wafers, Toasted Canned Cherries Citron Apples with Whipped Cream Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ One and one fourth lbs. Lima beans, 9c.; one half peck of potatoes, 12c.; one lb. Graham grits, 5c.; 1 loaf whole-wheat bread, 10c.; 2-1/4 lbs. whole-wheat wafers, 23c.; canned cherries, 25c.; apples and citron, 10c.; 3 bunches vegetable oysters, 15c.; cream (1 cup for the soup, one for the cream sauce, and one for whipped cream, beside three and one fourth pints for individual use), 50c.; flour and sugar for cooking, 10c. Total, $1.69--a little less than ten cents each. BREAKFAST NO. 2 Bananas Oatmeal Gravy Toast Graham Gems Toasted Wafers Apple Sauce Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ 1 1/2 doz. bananas, 45c.; toast, 15c.; cream for gravy, 5c.; material for gems (Graham flour, milk, and a small portion of cream), 8c.; apple sauce, 10c.; wafers, 20c.; cream for individual use, 30c.; sugar, 5c. Total, $1.46, or a trifle more than 8 cents apiece. DINNER NO. 2 Tomato and Macaroni Soup Boiled Potato with Gravy Mashed Peas Pearl Barley with Raisins Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Wafers Canned Berries Apple Tapioca with Cream Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ For the soup was required two cans of tomatoes at 10c. each, 2 oz. macaroni at 15c. per lb., and one cup of cream, 27c.; 1/2 peck of potatoes, 12c.; 1 1/2 lbs. peas, 6c.; 1 lb. pearl barley, 5c.; 1/3 lb. raisins, 5c.; 1/2 lb. tapioca, 3c.; apples, 20c.; cream, 50c.; canned fruit, 25c.; flour and sugar, 4c. Total, $1.70--ten cents apiece for each member of the household. The following bills of fare were used by an Iowa family of six persons. The prices given were those current in that locality in the month of March. BREAKFAST Apples Rolled Oats Tomato Toast Toasted Wafers Graham Gems Patent Flour Bread Dried Apple Sauce Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ One sixth peck of apples, 3 1/3c.; one third lb. rolled oats, 1 2/3c.; three fourths lb. whole-wheat wafers, 7 1/2c.; one half can tomatoes, 5c.; bread for table and for toast, 10c.; material for gems, 3 1/2c.; dried apples, 6c.; sugar, 2c.; cream and milk, 15c. Average cost for each person, 9 1/2 cents. DINNER Canned Corn Soup with Croutons Scalloped Tomato Parsnip with Egg Sauce Graham Mush Buns Whole-Wheat Bread Cup Custard Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ One can of corn, 10c.; tomatoes (using the half can left over from breakfast), 5c.; bread for the table, for the scalloped tomatoes, and for croutons for the soup, 10c.; parsnips, 5c.; buns, 5c.; four eggs, 6 1/2c.; milk and cream, 15c.; sugar, 2c.; Graham flour, 1c. Average cost, 10 cents apiece. The material for the bills of fare given on the next page was reckoned at prices current in a city in northern West Virginia, in the autumn, and was for a family of six persons. BREAKFAST Browned Rice Graham Crisps Whole-Wheat Puffs Dried Peach Sauce Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ One half doz. bananas, 10c.; one half lb. rice, 5c.; puffs, 5c; crisps 2-1/3c.; one lb. dried peaches, 8c.; 2 qts. milk, 10c.; sugar, 1-1/2c. Total, 42 cents, or 7 cents for each individual. DINNER Tomato Soup with Croutons Baked Potatoes Mashed Peas Rolled Wheat Whole-Wheat Bread Orange Rice Cream Hot Milk _Cost:_ One half peck tomatoes, 7-1/2c.; one fourth peck potatoes, 5c.; one half lb. rolled wheat, 2-1/2c.; one fourth loaf of bread to make croutons, 2-1/2c,; whole-wheat bread, 5c.; one half doz. oranges,12-1/2c.; one half lb. rice, 5c.; two qts. milk, 10c. Total, 60 cents, or exactly 10 cents apiece. The following four days' bills of fare,--the first two served by a Michigan lady to her family of four persons, the second used by an Illinois family of eight,--although made up of much less variety, serve to show how one may live substantially even at a very small cost. BREAKFAST NO. 1 Apples Graham Mush with Dates Toasted Wafers Bread Dried Apples Stewed with Cherries Milk Cream _Cost:_ Apples, 4c.; Graham mush and dates, 3c.; toasted wafers, 3c.; bread, 2c.; sauce, 3c.; milk and cream, 5c. Total, 20 cents, or 5 cents apiece. DINNER NO. 1 Baked Potatoes with Gravy Mashed Peas Oatmeal Blancmange Whole-Wheat Bread Stewed Fruit Milk Cream _Cost:_ Mashed peas, 3c.; baked potato and gravy, 3c.; whole-wheat bread, 2c.; milk and cream, 5c.; Oatmeal Blancmange, 2c.; Sauce, 5c. Total cost, 20 cents, or 5 cents apiece. BREAKFAST NO. 2 Apples Graham Grits Zwieback Cream Milk _Cost:_ Apples, 4c.; Graham grits, 2c.; Graham gems, 5c.; Zwieback, 2c.; cream and milk, 5c. Total, 20 cents, or 5 cents per person. DINNER NO. 2 Pea and Tomato Soup Scalloped Potatoes Graham Rolls Rice Custard Milk Cream _Cost:_ Soup, 4c.; potatoes, 1c.; rolls 4c.; milk and cream, 5c.; rice custard, 6c. Total, 20 cents, or 5 cents each. BREAKFAST NO. 3 Baked Apples Graham Grits with Cream Cream Toast Graham Gems Graham and Whole-Wheat Wafers Stewed Prunes BREAKFAST NO. 4 Oatmeal with Cream Blueberry Toast Breakfast Rolls Graham and Whole-Wheat Wafers Stewed Apples DINNER NO. 3 Bean Soup with Croutons Mashed Potatoes Pearl Wheat Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Oatmeal Crackers Patent Flour Bread Fresh Apples DINNER NO. 4 Rice Soup Baked Potatoes with Cream Gravy Baked Beans Graham Crackers Whole-Wheat Bread Fresh Apples Farina with Cream Material necessary to furnish these four meals for eight persons,-- Six lbs. flour, 18c.; two lbs. crackers, different varieties, 20c.; pearl wheat, oatmeal, graham grits, and farina, one half lb. each, 10c.; one peck apples, 30c.; prunes, 10c.; one half lb. rice, 3-1/2c.; two lbs. beans, 8c.; one can tomatoes, 10.; one half peck of potatoes, 13c.; blueberries, 10c.; eight qts. milk, 32c.; macaroni, 5c.; sugar, 1-1/2c. Total, $1.71, or cost to each individual, 5-2/3 cents a meal. TABLE TOPICS. The food on which the man who would be healthy should live must be selected so as to ensure variety without excess.--_Dr. Richardson._ Hearty foods are those in which there is an abundance of potential energy.--_Prof. Atwater._ AN OLD-FASHIONED RECIPE FOR A LITTLE HOME COMFORT.--Take of thought for self one part, two parts of thought for family; equal parts of common sense and broad intelligence, a large modicum of the sense of fitness of things, a heaping measure of living above what your neighbors think of you, twice the quantity of keeping within your income, a sprinkling of what tends to refinement and aesthetic beauty, stirred thick with the true brand of Christian principle, and set it to rise.--_Sel._ For all things have an equal right to live. 'T is only just prerogative we have; But nourish life with vegetable food, and shun the sacrilegious taste of blood.--_Ovid._ A BATCH OF DINNERS HOLIDAY DINNERS, A Special dinner for a holiday celebration has so long been a time-honored custom in most families, that the majority of housewives consider it indispensable. While we admire the beautiful custom of gathering one's friends and neighbors around the hospitable board, and by no means object to a special dinner on holiday occasions, yet we are no wise in sympathy with the indiscriminate feastings so universally indulged in at such dinners, whereby stomachs are overloaded with a decidedly unhealthful quality of food, to be followed by dull brains and aching heads for days to come. And this is not the extent of the evil. Holiday feasting undoubtedly has much to do with the excessive use of intoxicants noticeable at such times. Tempted to overeat by the rich and highly seasoned viands which make up the bill of fare, the heaviness resulting from a stomach thus overburdened creates a thirst not readily satisfied. A person who has noted how frequently one is called upon to assuage thirst after having eaten too heartily of food on any occasion, will hardly doubt that indigestible holiday dinners are detrimental to the cause of total abstinence. Then, for the sake of health and the cause of temperance, while an ample repast is provided, let not the bill of fare be so lavish as to tempt to gormandizing; and let the viands be of the most simple and wholesome character practicable, although, of course, inviting. As an aid in this direction, we offer the following bills of fare;-- THANKSGIVING MENUS. NO. 1 Tomato Soap with Pasta d'Italia Stuffed Potatoes Canned Asparagus Pulp Succotash Celery Graham Grits Fruit Rolls Graham Puffs Buns Canned Peaches Pumpkin Pie Baked Chestnuts Grape Apples Fresh Fruits NO. 2 Vegetable Oyster Soup Potato Puff Roasted Sweet Potatoes Parsnip Stewed with Celery Beet Salad Boiled Wheat with Raisins Cream Crisps Whole-Wheat Bread Crescents with Peach Jelly Canned Fruit Cranberry Tarts Almonds and Pecans HOLIDAY MENUS. NO. 1 Canned Corn Soup Mashed Sweet Potato Macaroni with Tomato Sauce Canned Wax Beans or Cabbage Salad Steamed Rice Graham Puffs Fruit Bread Toasted Wafers Canned Strawberries Malaga Grapes Loaf Cake with Roasted Almonds Bananas in Syrup NO. 2 Pea and Tomato Soup Ornamental Potatoes Scalloped Vegetable Oysters Egg and Macaroni Farina with Fig Sauce Sally Lunn Gems Beaten Biscuit Graham Bread Apply Jelly Canned Gooseberries Prune Pie with Granola Crust Citron Apples Pop Corn [Illustration: A Picnic Dinner] PICNIC DINNERS A picnic, to serve its true end, ought to be a season of healthful recreation; but seemingly, in the general acceptation of the term, a picnic means an occasion for a big dinner composed of sweets and dainties, wines, ices, and other delectable delicacies, which tempt to surfeiting and excess. The preparation necessary for such a dinner usually requires a great amount of extra and wearisome labor, while the eating is very apt to leave results which quite overshadow any benefit derived from the recreative features of the occasion. It is generally supposed that a picnic is something greatly conducive to health; but where everything is thus made subservient to appetite, it is one of the most unhygienic things imaginable. The lunch basket should contain ample provision for fresh-air-sharpened appetites, but let the food be as simple as possible, and of not too great variety. Good whole-wheat or Graham bread in some form, with well sterilized milk and cream, or a soup previously prepared from grains or legumes, which can be readily heated with the aid of a small alcohol or kerosene stove, and plenty of fruit of seasonable variety, will constitute a very good bill of fare. If cake is desirable, let it be of a very simple kind, like the buns or raised cake for which directions are given in another chapter. Beaten biscuits, rolls, and crisps are also serviceable for picnic dinners. Fruit sandwiches--made by spreading slices of light whole-wheat or Graham bread with a little whipped cream and then with fresh fruit jam lightly sweetened, with fig sauce or steamed figs chopped, steamed prunes or sliced bananas--are most relishable. These should be made on the ground, just before serving, from material previously prepared. An egg sandwich may be prepared in the same manner by substituting for the fruit the hard-boiled yolks of eggs chopped with a very little of the whitest and tenderest celery, and seasoned lightly with salt. Two pleasing and palatable picnic breads may be made as follows:-- _RECIPES._ PICNIC BISCUIT.--Prepare a dough as for Raised Biscuit, page 145, and when thoroughly kneaded the last time, divide, and roll both portions to about one fourth of an inch in thickness. Spread one portion with stoned dates, or figs that have been chopped or cut fine with scissors, cover with the second portion, and cut into fancy shapes. Let the biscuits rise until very light, and bake. Wash the tops with milk to glace before baking. FIG WAFERS.--Rub together equal quantities of Graham meal, and figs that have been chopped very fine. Make into a dough with cold sweet cream. Roll thin, cut in shape, and bake. If provision can be made for the reheating of foods, a soup, or grain, macaroni with tomato sauce, or with egg or cream sauce, or some similar article which can be cooked at home, transported in sealed fruit cans, and reheated in a few moments on the grounds, is a desirable addition to the picnic bill of fare. Recipes for suitable beverages for such occasions will be found in the chapter on Beverages. SCHOOL LUNCHES. Mothers whose children are obliged to go long distances to school, are often greatly perplexed to know what to put up for the noonday lunch which shall be both appetizing and wholesome. The conventional school lunch of white bread and butter, sandwiches, pickles, mince or other rich pie, with a variety of cake and cookies, is scarcely better than none at all; since on the one hand there is a deficiency of food material which can be used for the upbuilding of brains, muscles, and nerves; while on the other hand it contains an abundance of material calculated to induce dyspepsia, headache, dullness of intellect, and other morbid conditions. Left in an ante-room, during the school session, until, in cold weather, it becomes nearly frozen, and then partaken of hurriedly, that there may be more time for play, is it to be wondered at that the after-dinner session drags so wearily, and that the pupils feel sleepy, dull, and uninterested? Our brains are nourished by blood made from the food we eat; and if it be formed of improper or unwholesome food, the result will be a disordered organ, incapable of first-class work. Again, the extra work imposed upon the digestive organs and the liver in getting rid of the excess of fats and sugar in rich, unwholesome foods, continually overtaxes these organs. It can hardly be doubted that a large majority of the cases of so-called overwork from which school children suffer, are caused by violation of hygienic laws regarding food and diet rather than by an excess of brain work; or in other words, had the brain been properly nourished by an abundance of good, wholesome food, the same amount of work could have been easily accomplished with no detriment whatever. Whenever practicable, children should return to their homes for the midday lunch, since under the oversight of a wise mother there will be fewer violations of hygienic laws, and the walk back to the school room will be far more conducive to good digestion than the violent exercise or the sports so often indulged in directly after eating. When this is impracticable, let the lunch be as simple as possible, and not so ample as to tempt the child to overeat. Good whole-wheat or Graham bread of some kind, rolls, crisps, beaten biscuit, sticks, fruit rolls, and wafers, with a cup of canned fruit or a bottle of rich milk as an accompaniment, with plenty of nice, fresh fruits or almonds or a few stalks of celery, is as tempting a lunch as any child need desire. It would be a good plan to arrange for the heating of a portion of the milk to be sipped as a hot drink. In many school rooms the ordinary heating stove will furnish means for this, or a little alcohol stove or a heating lamp may be used for the purpose, under the supervision of the teacher. Furnish the children with apples, oranges, bananas, pears, grapes, filberts, and almonds in place of rich pie and cake. They are just as cheap as the material used for making the less wholesome sweets, and far easier of digestion. An occasional plain fruit or grain pudding, cup custard, or molded dessert may be substituted for variety. Fruit sandwiches, or a slice of Stewed Fruit Pudding prepared as directed on page 308 are also suitable for this purpose. Rice prepared as directed below makes a wholesome and appetizing article for the lunch basket:-- CREAMY RICE.--Put a pint of milk, one quarter of a cup of best Carolina rice, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a handful of raisins into an earthen-ware dish, and place on the top of the range where it will heat very slowly to boiling temperature. Stir frequently, so that the rice will not adhere to the bottom of the dish. When boiling, place in the oven, and bake till the rice is tender, which can be ascertained by dipping a spoon into one side and taking out a few grains. Twenty minutes will generally be sufficient. Much care should be used in putting up the lunch to have it as neat and dainty as possible. A basket of suitable size covered with a clean white napkin is better for use than the conventional dinner pail, in which air-tight receptacle each food is apt to savor of all the others, making the entire contents unappetizing, if not unwholesome. SABBATH DINNERS. One of the most needed reforms in domestic life is a change to more simple meals on the Sabbath. In many households the Sabbath is the only day in the week when all the members of the family can dine together, and with an aim to making it the most enjoyable day of all, the good housewife provides the most elaborate dinner of the week, for the preparation of which she must either spend an unusual amount of time and labor the day previous or must encroach upon the sacred rest day to perform the work. Real enjoyment ought not to be dependent upon feasting and gustatory pleasures. Plain living and high thinking should be the rule at all times, and especially upon the Sabbath day. Nothing could be more conducive to indigestion and dyspepsia than this general custom of feasting on the Sabbath. The extra dishes and especial luxuries tempt to over-indulgence of appetite; while the lack of customary exercise and the gorged condition of the stomach incident upon such hearty meals, fosters headaches and indigestion and renders brain and mind so inactive that the participants feel too dull for meditation and study, too sleepy to keep awake during service, too languid for anything but dozing and lounging, and the day that should have fostered spiritual growth is worse than thrown away. Nor is this all; the evil effects of the indigestion occasioned are apt to be felt for several succeeding days, making the children irritable and cross, and the older members of the family nervous and impatient,--most certainly an opposite result from that which ought to follow a sacred day of rest. Physiologically such feasting is wrong. The wear and consequent repair incident upon hard labor, calls for an equivalent in food; but when no labor is performed, a very moderate allowance--is all that is necessary, and it should be of easy digestibility. Let the Sabbath meals be simple, and served with abundant good cheer and intelligent thought as an accompaniment. Let as much as possible of the food be prepared and the necessary work be done the day previous, so that the cook may have ample opportunity with the other members of the family to enjoy all Sabbath privileges. This need by no means necessitate the use of cold food nor entail a great amount of added work in preparation. To illustrate, take the following-- SABBATH BILL OF FARE. BREAKFAST Fresh Fruit Rolled Wheat with Cream Prune Toast Whole-Wheat Bread Toasted Waters Buns Fresh Strawberries DINNER Canned Green Corn Soup Creamed Potato Green Peas Tomato and Macaroni Rice Toasted Wafers Beaten Biscuit Buns Canned Peaches Fruit and Nuts Both the rolled wheat and rice may be prepared the day previous, as may also the prune sauce for the toast, the buns, bread, and nearly all the other foods. The potatoes can be boiled and sliced, the corn for the soup rubbed through the colander and placed in the ice chest, the green peas boiled but not seasoned, and the macaroni cooked and added to the tomato but not seasoned. The berries may be hulled, the nuts cracked, and the canned fruit opened. If the table is laid over night and covered with a spread to keep off dust, a very short time will suffice for getting the Sabbath breakfast. Heat the rolled wheat in the inner dish of a double boiler. Meanwhile moisten the toast; and heat the prune sauce. To prepare the dinner, all that is necessary is to add to the material for soup the requisite amount of milk and seasoning, and heat to boiling; heat and season the peas and macaroni; make a cream sauce and add the potatoes; reheat the rice, which should have been cooked by steaming after the recipe given on page 99. All may be done in half an hour, while the table is being laid, and with very little labor. TABLE TOPICS. WATER. To the days of the aged it addeth length; To the might of the strong it addeth strength; It freshens the heart, it brightens the sight; 'T is like quaffing a goblet of morning light. --_Sel._ It is said that Worcester sauce was first introduced as a medicine, the original formula having been evolved by a noted physician to disguise the assafetida which it contains, for the benefit of a noble patient whose high living had impaired his digestion. The turnpike road to people's hearts I find Lies through their mouth, or I mistake mankind.--_Dr. Wolcott._ A good dinner sharpens wit, while it softens the heart.--_Daran._ Small cheer and great welcome make a merry feast.--_Shakespeare._ INDEX. Absorption 38 Acetic acid 119 Acetic fermentation 119 Acorn coffee 433 A fourteenth century recipe 219 After mealtime 471 Aladdin cooker 66 Albumen 26, 53, 78, 365, 384 Albumenized milk 425 Alcoholic fermentation 119 Almond cornstarch pudding 321 cream 321 paste, to prepare 298 sauce 352 Almonds 212 blanched 212, 215 Alum, how to detect in flour 115 Ancient recipe for cooking barley 95 Animal food 391 Anti-fermentatives 192 Appetite, education of 449 Apple, the 169 and bread custard 321 beverage 433 cake 344 charlotte 321 compote 188 custard 320, 321 custard pie 338 dessert 299 jelly 206 jelly without sugar 207 meringue dessert 300 pudding, baked 302 rose cream 300 sago pudding 311 Apple sandwich 303 shape 314 snow 300 tapioca 309 tart 317 toast 290 toast water 433 Apples, directions for serving 179 in jelly 314 sour, raw, digestion of 39 stewed whole 187 sweet, raw, digestion of 39 with apricots 189 with raisins 189 Apricots 171 Apricot toast 290 Arrowroot blancmange 437 gruel 421 jelly 437 Artificial butter 373 feeding 446 foods, digestibility of 445 human milk 444 Art of dining, the 456 Asparagus 254 and peas 255 on toast 255 points 255 preparation and cooking of 254 recipes for cooking 255 soup 276, 415 stewed 256 toast 290 with cream sauce 255 with egg sauce 256 Assama 135 Avena 91 Avenola 429 Baccate fruits or berries 168 Bacteria in gelatine 313 Bad cookery, evils of 46 Bad cooking the ally of intemperance 46 Bain marie 232, 464 Baked apples 186, 189 apple loaf 319 apple pudding 302 apple sauce 187 apples with cream 300 bananas 301 barley 97 bean soup 276 beets 247 cabbage 250 corn 265 egg plant 262 fish 410 milk 433 parsnips 244 peaches 190 pears 189 potatoes 235 quinces 187 sweet apple dessert 300 sweet potatoes 239 turnips 242 vegetables 231 Baking 49 powders 150 Banana custard 322 dessert 310 dessert with gelatine 315 pie 338 shortcake 318 toast 290 Bananas 177 directions for serving 179 in syrup 301 Barley 95 and fruit drink 434 antiquity of 95 bread 110 description of 95 digestibility of 96 digestion of 39 fig pudding 302 fruit pudding 302 general suggestions for cooking 96 grain, structure of 96 gruel 422 lemonade 433 meal in the time of Charles I 96 milk 434 milk for infants 443 nutritive value of 96 patent 96 pearl 96 pot 96 recipes for cooking 97 Scotch milled 96 soup 415 used for bread making 96 Batter for bread, test for lightness of 129 pudding 332 Beans 222 boiled in a bag 223 green, description of 264 green, recipes for cooking 267 Lima 267 pod, digestion of 39 preparation and cooking of 222 recipes for cooking 223 shelled 267 string 267 time required for cooking 223 time required for digestion 222 Bean and corn soup 276 and hominy soup 276 and potato soup 276 and tomato soup 277 Bean gems 160 Beaten biscuit 161 Beating 55 Beaumont's experiments 29 Beef, broiled 399 broth and oatmeal comparative food value of 392 digestion of 39 economy and adaptability in selection of 398 jerked 394 juice 427 liver of 392 recipes for cooking 399 selection of 393 smothered 400 soups 411 stewed 400 tea 43, 426, 427 tea and egg 427 tea in bottles 427 tea, nutritive value of 426 Beet coffee 360 greens 247 hash 247 salad or chopped beets 248 sugar 26 Beets 246 baked 247 preparation and cooking of 246 recipes for cooking 247 stewed 248 with potatoes 247 Berries 189 Berry shortcake 318 toast 291 Beverages 357 cold, recipes for 361 for the sick, recipes for 433 from fruit juices for the sick 432 recipes for 360 Bile 36 Bills of fare for 52 weeks 487-538 Bills of fare 440 Birds baked in sweet potatoes 406 Black bean soup 277 Blackberry, the 176 beverage 361 cornstarch pudding 303 mush 293 syrup 210 tapioca 310 Blackberries, directions for serving 181 Boiled apples with syrup 188 Boiled beans 223 beets 248 cabbage 250 carrots 246 cauliflower 251 custard 322 custard bread pudding 322 leg of mutton 401 macaroni 106 parsnips 244 potatoes in jackets 235 potatoes without skins 235 potato yeast 141 rice 99 rice, digestion of 98 sweet potatoes 239 turnips 241 wheat 87 Boiling 51, 395 of vegetables 231 violent, result of 51 Bottled beef tea 427 Bran stock 277 Brass utensils 58 Bray 109 Brazil nuts 213 Bread and apricot pudding 323 and fig pudding 323 and fruit custard 332 articles from which prepared 110 care after baking 136 corn 146 corn, digestion of 39 custard, steamed 333 custard pudding 332 dryness of 133 early forms of 109 entire wheat 112, 138 for the sick 436 Graham 138 heavy, cause of 155 how to knead 132 keeping of 137 perfectly risen 130 to detect alum in 116 to detect whiting in 116 in desserts 297 fermented 118 flour, amount of required 126 made light with air 152 making, chemistry of 116 materials, how to combine 125 milk 142 moldy 297 necessary qualities of 111 of mulberries 110 overfermentation of 120 pans 134 pie 338 pulled 143 rye 144 sour 130, 297 stale 138 stale, use of 453 steamed 140 test of 140 the rising of 129 unfermented, general directions for making 152 unfermented, time required for baking 155 unleavened 117 Vienna 142 water 142 white, injurious effects of 111 whole-wheat 138, 143 whole-wheat, proportion of phosphates in 112 Breads, fermented 142 Breadstuffs and bread-making 109 Breakfast dishes 287 miscellaneous 293 Breakfast, grains for 84 rolls 160 Breakfasts and dinners, a year's 481 the ideal 288 use of fruits for 288 Breaking bread 110 Brewis 293 Broccoli 251 recipes 251 Broiled beef 399 Broiled birds 406 fish 410 mutton chop 401 potato 238 steak 430 Broiling 49, 397 Brose 93 Broth panada 428 vegetable 428 Brown Betty 305 bread 146 sauce 351 soup 277 Browned cauliflower 252 flour in soups 274 mush 103 parsnips 244 rice 100 sweet potatoes 240 Budrum 93 Buns, plain 343 Butter 364, 370 absorbent properties of 376 artificial 373 digestion of 39 emulsified 378 French 378 good, test for 372 in ancient times 373 in bread 127 keeping qualities of 375 making 374 Butterine 373 Buttermilk, composition of 370 Butternut 214 Butter-oil 373 Cabbage, description of 248 baked 250 boiled 250 digestion of 39 hash 250 preparation and cooking of 249 recipes for cooking 250 salad 250 with celery 250 with tomatoes 250 Cake, general directions for making 343 heat required for baking 344 icing for 346 made light with yeast 344 recipes for making 344 Calves' brains 392 Candies 449 Cane sugar 26 Canned corn soup 278 green pea soup 278 Canning fruit 193 utensils 197 Caramel coffee 360 custard 323 for coloring soup brown 415 sauce 352 Carrots 245 digestibility of 245 pie 338 pudding 323 recipes for cooking 246 soup 278 Carrots boiled 246 preparation and cooking 245 stewed 246 with egg sauce 246 Casein 26, 78, 365, 372 Cauliflower 251 and broccoli, preparation and cooking 251 recipes for cooking 251 with egg sauce 252 with tomato sauce 252 Celery 253 and potato hash 254 recipes for cooking 253 sauce 352 soup 278 to keep fresh 253 with tomato sauce 254 Cellar 70 floor 70 need of frequent whitewashing 70 ventilation of 70 walls 70 Cereals 78 Charcoal 47 Cheese 376 cottage 377 Chinese 218 Cherry, the 171 jelly 207 tart 318 toast 291 Cherries 189 direction for serving 179 to can 202 Chicken 430 broth 427 jelly 430 panada 428 China closet 67, 457 the care of 477 Chinese soup strainer 273 Chestnut, the 214 bread 110 soup 278 Chestnuts, boiled 215 mashed 215 Chocolate 359 Chopped beets 248 cabbage 250 turnips 242 Cinders, use of 49 Citric acid 165 Citron 173 apples 186 Clams 409 Clear dessert 315 Clearing the table 471 Clear jelly, to make 205 Clotted cream 377 Coal 47 Coarse hominy 104 Cobnut 214 Cocoa 359 Cocoanut, the 213 and cornstarch blancmange 303 cornstarch pudding 323 custard 323 custard cake 345 flavor 298 pie 338 sauce 352 rice custard 324 Coffee 359 Coke 47 Colander, use of in the preparation of soups 273 Combination soup 275, 279 Compartment sink 68, 69 Compote of apples 188 Compound stock 414 Compressed yeast 122 Condiments 29 in cookery 46 Condensed milk 369 Cooked fruit 185 Cookery 45 Cooking of grains 81 utensils 56 Copper utensils 58 Cornaro, experiences of 441 Corn 101 and chicken 406 and tomatoes canned 269 bread, digestion of 39 cake 147 cakes 265 canned 268 digestibility of 101 dodgers 158, 159 dried 266 keeping qualities of 102 lob 102 mush rolls 160 pudding 265 puffs 158 roasted green 265 stewed green 266 Corn meal 102 and fig pudding 324 crust 337 cubes 103 mush 103 mush with fruit 103 pudding 324 recipes for cooking 103 suggestions for cooking 102 Cornstarch blancmange 303 fruit mold 303, 304 meringue 324 pudding, plain 328 with raisins 303 with apples 303 Cottage cheese 377 Cows' milk, analysis of 364 milk, prepared for infants 443 Crab apples, to can 203 Crab apple jelly 207 Cracked potatoes 236 wheat 86, 87 wheat pudding 304, 324 Cranberry, the 175 drink 434 jelly 207 pie 339 Cranberries, to keep 184 and sweet apples 190 with raisins 190 Cream 364, 370 barley soup 279 cake 345 composition of 370 corn cakes 159 crisps 161 digestibility of 370 filling 337 for shortcake 319 Graham rolls 160 or white sauce 351 pea soup 279 pie 339 sauce 352 temperature for raising 368 toast 291 toast with poached eggs 291 use of in soups 274 wholesomeness of 371 Creamed parsnips 244 potatoes 237 turnips 242 Creamery 371 Creamy rice 548 Crescents 145 Crust coffee 434 Crusts 157 Croutons 453 Cucumber, description of 263 the serving of 263 Cupboards 62 Cupboard ventilation 62 Cup custard 320, 325 Currantade 434 Currant jelly 437 puffs 157 Custard, boiled 322 in cups 320 plain 328 puddings 319 pudding, importance of slow cooking of 319 puddings, recipes for cooking 320 sauce 353 snowball 331 steamed 330 tapioca 331 Cut-glass ware 476 Cymling 258 description of 258 preparation and cooking of 258 Date, the 172 bread 146 pudding 333 Decaying vegetables in cellar 70 Delicate cup cake 345 Description of Indian corn 101 Desserts 296 fruits, recipes for 299 for the sick 437 general directions for preparation of 297 made of fruit, grains, bread, etc., recipes for 302 made with, gelatine, recipes for 314 molded 293 objections to 296 with crusts, recipes for 317 with manioca 312 with sago 311, 312 with tapioca, recipes for 309 with tapioca 309 Devonshire cream 377 Dextrine 78 Diabetic biscuit 436 Diastase86 Diet of the pyramid builders 218 for older children 447 for the young 442 simplicity in 41 Digestion deferred by the use of fried foods 54 hygiene of 40 in stomach 37 intestinal 38 liver 39 Salivary 37 time required for 39 Digestive apparatus 35 fluids, uses of 38 Dining, the art of 456 Dining room, the 456 furnishing of 456 temperature of 469 ventilation of 457 Dinners, a batch of 543 holiday 543 Dinner parties, invitations for 467 suggestions concerning 466 Diseased animal food 390 Disease germs in meat 391 Dish closet, utensils for 67 Dish drainer 68 Dishing up 463 Dishes, washing the 472 Dish mop 475 towel rack 74 Double boiler 53, 81 in the preparation of gravies 351 in the preparation of gruels 421 substitute for 81 Double broth 414 Dough 117 kneading the 131 Drafts and dampers, management of 49 Draining dishes 475 Drain pipes 64 Dried apple pie 339 apple pie with raisins 339 apples with other dried fruit 191 apples 190 apricot pie 339 apricots and peaches 191 pears 191 Drinks and delicacies for the sick 432 Dropped eggs 386 Drupaceous fruits 168 Dry granola 293 Drying fruit 211 Drying towels 475 Dry toast with hot cream 292 Duck, digestion of 39 Eating between meals 449 hastily 40 too much 42 when tired 42 Effects of cooking fat 53 Egg gruel 422 lemonade 434 panada 429 plant, description of 262 sauce 352, 353 Egg Cream 434 Eggs and macaroni 107 composition of 380 digestion of 39 for the sick, recipes for 431 for use in desserts 297 how to choose 381 how to keep 382 in cream 386 in shell 384 in sunshine 385 micro-organisms in 381 poached 386 poached in tomatoes 385 recipes for cooking 384 stale 297 test for 381 to beat 383 use of in unfermented breads 154 Evaporation 54 Evaporated peach sauce 191 Extension strainer 421 Fancy omelets 387 Farina 88, 89 blancmange 304 custard 325 fruit mold 304 molded 89 nutritive value of 89 pie 339 pudding 325 recipes for cooking of 89 with fig sauce 89 with fresh fruit 89 Fat, decomposition by the action of heat 54 Fats 26 effects of cooking upon 53 Fatty matter 42 Fermentation 118 the different stages of 119 temperature for 121 the process of 118 Fermentative agents 120 Fermented breads 142 recipes for 142 Fibrin 26, 78 Field corn 101 Fig, the 176 layer cake 345 pudding, steamed 333 Filbert, the 214 Filters 69 Fine hominy or grits 104 Fires, care of 48 Fish 408 as a brain-food 408 baked 410 best method for cooking 410 boiled 410 broiled 410 how to select and prepare 409 parasites in 408 recipes for cooking 410 Flavoring suggestions for 298 Flaxseed tea 434 Floated egg 431 Floating island 325 Floors, kitchen 61 Flour, to keep 115 absorbent quality of 126 adulteration of, how to select 116 deleterious adulteration of 115 entire wheat 114 Graham, how to test 114 gruel 422 how to select 113 measuring of 55 Flummery 93 Foam omelets 387 Foamy sauce 353 Food amount required 42 apologies for 469 Food elements 25 changes in by cooking 45 correct proportion of in wheat 79 deficiency of 43 excess of 42 nitrogenous, subject to rapid decomposition 118 proportions of 28 uses of 27 Food for infants 444 for infants, quantity of 445 for the aged and the very young 439 for the aged, requirements for 439 for the sick 418 for the sick, to heat 420 for the sick, utensils for the preparation of 420 mucilaginous, excellent in gastro-enteritis 444 Foods 35 adding to boiling liquids 54 combinations of 28, 43 digestion of 35 effects of hard and soft water upon 52 Fowl, broiled 406 to stuff 406 to truss 405 Fowls, digestion of 39 Fragments and left-over food 452 French butter 378 rolls 145 Fresh fruit compote 301 fruit pie 336 Fried foods for breakfast 287 Frosted fruit 181 Frozen fish 410 Fruit 164 acids 165 beverage 361 cake 346 canned, selection of 193 canned, the storing of 198 canned, to open 199 canned, to sterilize 193 canning, causes of failure in 198 canning of 193 cans, to test 193 cause of decay 192 cellar, the 184 cooking of for jelly 204 crackers 162 custard 325 dessert 299 directions for picking and handling 182 directions for serving 179 dried, for cake 343 foam dessert 315 for the sick 432 for the table 178 general directions for cooking 185 how to keep fresh 182 ices 211 jelly 204 jelly cake 345 jelly, recipes for 206 jelly, storing of 206 jelly, straining the juice for 204 jelly, time required for boiling juice 205 juices for the sick 432 juices, recipes for 209 loaf 142 loaf with Graham or whole-wheat flour 146 or vegetables in tin cans 199 pie 339 pudding 305 rolls 142, 161 sandwich 545 sauce 354 shape 315 shortcake 318 sugar 26 syrup 210 tapioca 310 the storing of 183 the circulation of juice in 178 the preservation of 192 to cook for canning 194 use of spices with 185 Fruits, analysis of 166 at the beginning of a meal 168 dried 298 drying of 211 for breakfast 288 in jelly 208 kinds most easily digested 165 recipes for cooking 186 stale 167 structure of 165 their value as nutrients 165 Frumenty 87, 293 Frying 53 Fuel 47 economical use of 48 waste of 51 Galvanized iron ware 57 Game, suggestions for selection of 403 Garbage 479 Gasoline and gas 47 Gastric juice 36 Geese and ducks, suggestions for selection of 404 Gelatine, a culture medium 313 custard 315 nutritive value of 313 preparation of for deserts 314 Gem irons 152 irons, filling of 156 Germs in stale fruits 167 in the fermentation of bread 120 Glass, care of 476 utensils 477 Glucose 26 Gluten 78 custard 431 cream 422 gruel 422 meal custard 431 meal gems 436 meal gruel 422 mush 429 Gofio 95 Gold and silver cake 346 Gooseberry 174 tart 318 Gooseberries, directions for serving 179 to can 200 Graham apple mush 90 bread 139, 144 crisps 161 flour 88, 113 gems 157 grits 89 grits gruel 423 grits, how manufactured 88 grits, nutritive value of 89 grits pudding 325 gruel 422 mush 90 mush with dates 90 puffs 156, 157 rolls 160 salt-rising bread 147 Grain and fruit diet for the aged 440 Grains 78 an economical food and liquids employed for cooking 82 composition of 78 digestibility of 78 for the sick 429 for breakfast 84 importance of variety and use of 79 insalivation of 80 in soups 274 insufficiently cooked not easily digested 81 left over 454 nutritive value of 78 suggestions for cooking 81 use of by other nationalities 79 use of condiments with 79 Granite ware 57 utensils, to clean 474 Granola 429 crust 337 fruit mush 91 gems 159 mush 91 peach mush 91 Granular corn meal 102 Grape apples 301 fruit, the 173 beverage 361 jelly 208 jelly pie 340 juice 209 sugar 26 tart 338 toast 292 Grapes, to keep 184 directions for serving 180 Gravy toast 291 Gravies and sauces 350 and sauces for vegetables, recipes for 351 to flavor 351 Green bean soup 280 beans, preparation and cooking of 264 corn 264 corn, boiled 265 corn preparation and cooking of, recipes 264, 265 corn soup pea soup 280 peas, dried 222 peas, preparation and cooking of 264 Ground air 70 Ground rice pudding 326 Gruel, barley 422 egg 422 flour 422 gluten meal 422 Graham 422 Indian meal 423 lemon oatmeal 403 milk oatmeal 423 oatmeal 424 of prepared flour 423 peptonized gluten 424 raisin 424 strainer 421 Gruels 420 recipes for 421 Gum arabic water 435 Hasty pudding 102 Hazelnut, the 214 Hickory nut, the 214 Hoecake 139 Holiday dinners 543 feasting 543 menus 544 Homemade macaroni 106 Hominy 102, 104 gems 158 Honey 26 Hop yeast 141 Hot butter toast 419 lemonade 435 milk 376, 425 water 435 Household workshop 60 Iced milk 357 tea 357 water 357 Ice in refrigerator 68 Icelandic bread 110 Iceland moss blancmange 437 moss jelly 437 Imperial rolls 145 Indian corn 101 Indian meal gruel 423 Indigestion caused by bad cooking 46 Infants' food 444 Intestinal digestion 38 juice 36 Invalid food 426 Irish moss lemonade 435 potatoes 233 Iron rust 57 utensils 57 Ivory handles 477 Jam pudding 305 Japanned goods 477 Jellied oatmeal 94 Jelly, apple 206 cherry 207 crab apple 207 cranberry 207 custard pie 340 for the sick 419, 437 grape 208 orange 208 pear 208 plum 208 producing principle 165 quince 208 with fruit 316 Julienne soup 415 Junket 425 Keeping fresh fruit 182 Kerosene oil 47 Kitchen brushes 75, 76 clock 62 conveniences 70 drain pipes 64 floor 61 flowers in 62 furnishing 61 furniture 62 good sized one 61 location of 60 plumbing 64 refuse 64 sanitary 61 sink, best material for 64 slate 63 table 63 utensils 66 ventilation 61 woodwork 62 Kneading 55, 131 table 74 Kornlet and tomato soup 280 soup 280 Koumiss 425 Lamb 402 comparative nutritive value of 392 Layer pudding 316 Lead-adulterated tin 57 test of 58 Leaven 121 Left-over foods, care of 453 fragments in soup 275 Legumes 217 composition of 217 digestibility of 218 green 219 suggestions for cooking 319 value as strength producers 218 Legumin 217 Lemon, the 173 Lemonade 362 Lemon apples 187 cornstarch pudding 326 drill 72 filling 338 flavor 299 jelly 316 meringue custard 340 oatmeal gruel 423 pie 340 pudding 326 pudding sauce 354 shortcake 318 syrup 210 Lemons and oranges, to keep 184 Lentil and parsnip soup 281 gravy with rice 226 Lentil meal 225 puree 226 soup 281 toast 292 Lentils, description of 225 mashed with beans 226 recipes for cooking 226 Lettuce 256 to clean 230 to serve 257 Lignite 47 Lima bean soup 281 Lime, the 173 Liquid, quantity required for bread making 126 Liquid yeast 140 Liquids best suited for cooking 51 Liver digestion 39 Loaf cake 347 Loaf, size of 133 Lobsters 409 Love apple 260 Luncheon, cold, provision for 545 Macaroni 105 boiled 106 description of 105 in soups 274 pudding 326 recipes for cooking 106 soup 281, 416 to select 105 to prepare and cook 106 to keep 105 with cream sauce 106 with kornlet 294 with granola 106 with raisins 293 with tomato sauce 106 Maize 101 meal 102 Mallic acid 165 Manioca 309 with fruit 312 Maple sugar 26 Mashed cabbage 250 beans 224 peas 221 parsnips 244 potatoes 236 sweet potatoes 240 Mashed turnips 243 Mastication 37 Materials, mixing of 55 Meals, drinking at 41 eating between 41 service of 464 Measures and weights, comparative table of 55 Measuring 54 dry materials 55 flour 55 liquids 55 salt 55 sugar 55 Meat broth 426 diseased 390 extracts 43 for children 448 importance of simple cooking of 392 nutritive value of 389 pies 392 preparation and cooking of 395 preservation of 394 soup, recipes for 415 soup, preparation and cooking of 412 soup 410 selection of 393 Meats for the sick, recipes for 430 left over 454 Melon, the 176 directions for serving 180 Menu cards 468 Metate 148 Micro-organisms in gelatine 313 Milk, absorbent properties of 367 adulteration of 365 albumenized 425 and contagious diseases 366 and lime water 425 baked 433 bread 127 bread with white flour 142 care of 367 composition of 364 condensed 369 cream and butter 364 diet 425 diet for the young 442 digestion of 39 dishes, washing of 367 diseased 365 for cooking purposes 52 hot 376, 425 left over 455 oatmeal gruel 423 panada 429 porridge 423 preparations of 425 recipes for 376, 425 sugar 26 to sterilize for immediate use 368 to sterilize to keep 369 use of in soups 274 utensils for keeping 366 yeast bread 147 Minced chicken 430 steak 430 Mineral elements 26, 78 soap 477 Miss B's salt-rising bread 143 Mixed lemonade 362 fruits, to can 202 mush 94 vegetable broths 428 Mock cream 354 Molasses sauce 354 Molded farina 89 rice, or snow balls 327 tapioca with fruit 310 wheat 88 Mrs. T's caramel coffee 360 Mulberry, the 176 Mush, rye 101 Mutton broth 428 chop 430 chops, stewed 402 comparative nutritive value of 392 digestion of 39 recipes for cooking 401 rules for selection of 393 stewed 402 New potatoes 236 Nitrogenous elements, importance in dietary for children 448 Nursing bottles 447 Nuts 212 recipes for serving 215 to keep fresh 215 Oatcakes 92 Oatmeal blancmange 94 bread 147 character of 92 crisps 162 drink 362 for children 93 fruit mush 94 gems 159 gruel 424 in soups 274 mush 94 porridge 95 preparation and cooking of 93 proportion of nitrogenous element in 92 recipes for cooking of 94 soup 281 time required for the digestion of 93 with apple 95 Oat, the 91 ancient use of 91 a staple article of diet with the Scotch peasantry 91 description of 91 Dr. Johnson's definition of 92 how prepared for food 92 nutritive value of 91 Oil and gas stoves 95 Oleomargarine 373 Olive, the 171 Omelet, foam 387 plain 387 soft 388 Omelets, fancy 387 recipes for making 387 One-crust peach pie 341 Onions 267 Orangeade 362, 435 Oranges and apples 190 cake 346 custard 327 dessert 316 directions for serving 180 flavor 299 float 327 in jelly 317 pie 208, 317 pudding 341 rice 100 sauce 354 syrup 210 whey 437 Ornamental potatoes 238 Oven, heat of for baking unfermented bread 153 proper temperature of 134 test for heating of 50, 136 thermometer 50 Oysters 409 digestion of 39 Paddy fields 98 Paint for kitchen walls 62 Panada, recipes for 428 Pan broiled steak 399 Pantry, the 67 Parched grain coffee 360 Parker House rolls 145 Parsnip beer 243 boiled 244 boiled, digestion of 39 browned 244 creamed 244 description of 243 mashed 244 preparation and cooking of 243 recipes for cooking of 244 soup 281, 282 stewed 245 stewed with celery 345 with cream sauce 244 with egg sauce 244 with potato 245 Partridges 404, 406 to dress 404 Passover bread 148 Pasta d'Italia 105 Pastry and cake 333 indigestibility of 334 Paste for pies 336 for tart shells 337 Pates 392 Patent barley 96 Pea and tomato soup 282 Peach, the 170 cream 301 custard pie 341 digestion of 39 jelly 208 mush 294 meringue 327 sauce 355 tapioca 311 toast 292 Peaches 189 and cream, directions for serving 180 and pears, directions for serving 180 to can 201 Peanut bread 110 the, or ground nut 214 Pear, the 170 Pearl barley 96 barley with lemon sauce 97 barley with raisins 97 wheat 87 Pearled wheats 86 Pears, to can 201 Peas bainock 220 cake 221 canned 269 description of 220 gravy 352 green, description of 264 green, recipes for cooking of 266 pudding 220 puree 221 recipes for cooking 221 sausage 221 stewed 266 the history 220 Pecan, the 214 Pectic acid 165 Pemmican 394 Peptonized gruel 424 milk for infants 426 Percolater holder 73 Perforated sheet iron pans for rolls 152 Phosphates in wheat 86 Picnic biscuit 546 dinners 545 pudding 327 Pie, fresh fruit 336 crust, raised 319 with one crust 335 Pies, general suggestions for making 334 paste for 336 recipes for making 336 Pigeons 406 to select 404 Pineapple, the 178 beverage 362 cake 347 directions for serving 180 lemonade 362 tapioca 347 Pineapples, to cane 203 Pink dinners 468 lemonade 362 Pippins and quinces 187 Plain cornstarch pudding 328 custard 328 fruit pudding 305 omelets 387 pudding sauce 355 rice soup 282 Plaster of Paris in flour 116 Plum, the 170 jelly 208 porridge 90 Plums 189 to can 202 with sweet apples 202 Poached eggs with cream sauce 386 Poisonous mussels 409 substances produced in fried foods 54 Polenta 102 Pomaceous fruits 168 Pomegranate, the 174 Pop corn 101, 104 pudding 330 Popovers 159 Porcelain-lined utensils, to wash 474 ware 57 Pork, digestion of 39 Porridge, milk 423 Potato and rice soup 282 and vermicelli soup 283 bread 143 bread with whole-wheat flour 144 browned 238 cake with egg 237 cake 237 chemistry of cooking 233 cooked in jackets 234 digestion of 39 frozen 233 hash 240 Irish, description of 233 paring of 234 preparation and cooking of 234 recipes for cooking of 235 snowballs 237 soup 282 sprouts, poisonous 239 stewed with celery 237 structure of 233 sweet, preparation and cooking of 238, 239 yeast in bread making 140 Pot barley 96 roast lamb 401 Poultry and game 402 and game, recipes for cooking 406 less stimulating than game 402 suggestions for selecting 403 Preparation of mushes with meal or flour 83 Prepared food for infants 444 Prune, the 171 marmalade 191 pie 341 pudding 305, 328 toast 292 whip 328 Prunes 191 Pulled bread 143 Pulp succotash 224 Pumice stone 477 Pumpkin 259 baked 260 canned 269 dried 260 pie 342 pie without eggs 342 recipes for cooking of 260 stewed 260 Puree with chicken 416 Putrefactive fermentation 119 Quails 406 Quantity of food for the aged 441 Quince, the 170 jelly 208 Radish 256 description of 257 Radishes, to serve 257 Raised biscuit 145 corn bread 146 pie crust 319 Raisin gruel 424 panada 429 Range ventilator 61 Raspberries, blackberries and other small fruits 200 directions for serving 181 Raspberry, the 176 manioca mold 312 Raw eggs 431 potato yeast 140 Recipes for canning fruit 200 for cooking rye 101 for steamed pudding 332 for unfermented bread 156 for yeast 140 Red rice mold 307 sago mold 311 sauce 355 Refrigerator 68 Rice and fruit dessert 307 and strawberry dessert 308 and stewed apple dessert 307 and tapioca pudding 307 and apple custard pudding 329 balls 333 best methods of cooking 99 cream pudding 306 custard pudding 329 description of 97 digestibility of 97 digestion of 39 division in food elements 98 dumpling 306 fruit dessert 306 flour 98 flour mold 307 history of 97 kernel, structure of 98 meringue 305 preparation and cooking of 99 pudding with raisins 98 recipes for cooking of 329 requisites for cultivation of 306 snow 329 snowball 306 snow with jelly 329 soup 415 time required for digestion of 98 to clean 99 water 424 with eggs 329 with fig sauce 99 with lemon 294 with peaches 100 with raisins 100 Roast beef 399 chicken 406 mutton 401 turkey 407 Roasted potatoes 235 sweet potatoes 240 Roasting 49, 397 Rochelle salts 151 Roll, fruit 142 Rolled oats 95 rye 101 wheat 86, 87 Rolls 145 Rose cream 355 Rough rice 98 Rust, to remove 477 Rye, appearance of 100 bread 144 description of 100 flour 100 meal 100 nutritive value of 100 puffs 157 Sabbath bill of fare 549 dinners 548 Sago and fruit custard pudding 330 and potato soup 283 custard pudding 330 digestion of 39 fruit pudding 312 pudding 312 sauce 355 soup 415 Saleratus 149 Salicylic acid, in fruit 192 Saliva, the 36 Sally Lunn gems 158 Salmon, digestion of 39 Salsify, description of 263 preparation and cooking of 263 recipes for cooking of 264 Salted fish 409 Salted meats 394 Salt, measuring of 55 Samp 103 Sanitary customs among the Jews 390 Sauce for desserts and puddings, recipes for 352 Sauteing 53 Scalloped beans 223 cauliflower 252 egg plant 262 potatoes 237 turnips 242 vegetable oyster 264 Scallops 409 School lunches 546 Scientific cookery, principles of 47 Scotch broth 283 milled barley 96 Scrambled eggs 386 Scraped steak 430 Sea kale 256 Sea moss 309 blancmange 312 Seasonings 31 Semolina 105 Setting the sponge 124 Shaken milk 378 Sheep's kidneys 392 Shell fish 409 Sherbet 362 Shortcake, banana 318 lemon 318 strawberry 318 Silver, care of 476 to remove egg tarnish from 473 Simmering 53 Simple custard pie 342 stock, or broth 414 Sink in kitchen 64 Skim milk, composition of 370 Slippery elm tea 435 Small fruits 191 Smoked meats 394 Smooth apple sauce 188 Smothered beef 400 chicken 407 Snowball custard 331 Snowballs 327 Snowflake toast 292 Snow gems 159 Snow pudding 317, 329 Snow, use of in place of eggs 298 Soda 149 use of in cooking vegetables 231 Soft custard 431 omelet 388 Soup, digestion of 39 digestibility of 272, 412 seasoning of 275 Soups 271 economical value of 272 from grains and legumes, to prepare 272 recipes for making 276 selection for material for 411 to flavor 273 to thicken 274 Sour bread 130 Sowens 93 Spaghetti 105 Spice and flavorings 185 Spinach 252 description of 252 preparation and cooking of 252 Split pea soup 283 Sponge 127 cake 347 how to secure the best temperature 127 when sufficiently light 129 Spoons, kind to be used in measuring 55 Squash, baked 259 canned 269 mashed 258 pie 342 pie without eggs 343 summer 258 winter 259 Stains, removal of 477 Stale bread 138 Starch 26, 78 action of cold water upon 53 action of hot water upon 53 Steak, pan broiled 399 Steam cooker 71, 81 cooker for grains 81 Steamed apples 188 chicken 407 custard 330 eggs 386, 431 potatoes 235 prunes 545 pudding 332 rice 99 rice, digestion of 98 squash 259 sweet potatoes 240 turnips 242 Steaming 53, 397 different methods of 53 vegetables 231 Steel knives, to clean 474 Sterilized milk 369 for infants 443 Stewed apples 188 asparagus 256 beans 224 beef 400 beef with vegetables 400 beets 278 cabbage 250 carrots 246 cauliflower 252 celery 253, 254 chicken 407 corn and tomatoes 261 crab apples 189 fruit pudding 308 Lima beans 224 mutton 402 mutton chop 402 parsnips 245 pears 188 potato 237 squash 258 raisins 190 turnips 242 Stewing 53, 396 proper temperature for 53 Sticks 160 St. Martin, Alexis; experiments on 29 Stock 410 preparation of 413 to clarify 414 to cool 413 to strain 413 Stomach digestion 37 Storeroom 68 Stoves and ranges 65 Strawberry, the 175 charlotte 330 minute pudding 308 shortcake 318 Strawberries, to can 200 String beans, canned 269 Stirabout 102 Stirring 55 of grains 83 Stuffed potatoes 236 Succotash 224 Sugar 78 amount of required, in canning 196 cane 26 crisps 348 excess of in fruit jelly 204 fruit 26 grape 26 in canned fruit 194 measuring of 55 milk 26 to color 299 Summer squash 258 squash, preparation and cooking of 258 squash, recipes for cooking 258 succotash 266 Swedish bread 110 Sweet apple custard pie 343 pudding 308 sauce with condensed apple juice 189 Sweet corn 102 Sweet potato 238 pie 343 soup 383 to dry 240 Swiss lentil soup 284 Swiss potato soup 283 Table, the 461 appointments of 462 arrangement of 463 for estimating the amount of food required for infants 446 in kitchen 63 linen, care of 477 linen, colored 479 linen, washing of 478 manners 458 of nutritive values of foods 484-486 refuse 480 setting the 462 the setting of over night 463 topics 44, 59, 77, 108, 162, 216, 226, 270, 286, 295, 349, 356, 363, 379, 388, 417, 438, 450, 455, 470, 480, 542, 550 Tamarind water 435 Tapeworm 391 Tapioca and fig pudding 311 cream soup 416 custard 331 digestion of 39 filling 338 jelly 311 pudding 331 soup 415 Tartaric acid 165 Tea 358 and coffee, adulteration of 359 and coffee, substitutes for 359 not a food 359 use of, detrimental 358 Temperature 56 for bread-making 128 Test for bad water 69 Testimony of St. Pierre 391 Thanksgiving menus 544 Theine 358 Tin closet, list of utensils for 67 utensils 57 Tinware, action upon by acids 57 adulterated with lead 58 Tisane 363 Toast 139 apple 290 apricot 290 asparagus 290 banana 290 berry 291 celery 291 cherry 291 cream 291 for the sick 419 grape 292 gravy 291 lentil 291 peach 292 prune 292 preparation of 289 recipes for 290 snowflake 290 tomato 293 vegetable oyster 293 water 435 Tomato and macaroni soup 284 and okra soup 284 and rice soup 282 cream gravy 352 cream soup 284 description of 260 gluten 429 gravy 261, 352 preparation and cooking of 260 pudding 262 recipes for 261 salad 261 soup 416 soup with vermicelli 284 toast 293 with okra 262 Tomatoes, baked 261 canned 269 scalloped 261 stewed 262 Tortillas 148 Trays for invalids, suggestions for preparing 419 Trichinæ 391 Turkey, roast 407 suggestions for selection of 404 Turnips, baked 242 boiled 241 chopped 242 composition of 241 description of 240 digestion of 39 scalloped 242 in juice 242 mashed 242 preparation and cooking of 241 recipes for cooking 241 steamed 242 stewed 242 with cream sauce 243 Tyrotoxicon 376 Unfermented batter bread 154 bread 148 recipes for 156 wine 209 Unleavened bread 117 Unripe fruits 165 Utensils for bread-making 127 Variety cake 348 Veal 402 comparative nutritive value of 392 rules for selection of 393 Vegetable broth 426, 428 brush 76 casein 217 casein hardened by the use of hard water 156 hash 238 marrow 258 marrow, description of 258 oyster, description of 263 oyster, preparation and cooking of 263 oysters, recipes for cooking 264 oyster soup 285 oyster toast 293 press 71 Vegetable soup 285 Vegetables 228 canning of 268 composition of 228 decayed 229 dietetic value of 228 fresh, value of 229 keeping of 229 left over 454 overdone 231 preparation and cooking of 230 recipes for canning 268 shredded in soups 274 sprouted 229 stale 229 storing of 229 time required for cooking 231 to keep after cooking 232 to select 229 underdone 231 Velvet soup 285 Ventilation of china closet 67 of cupboards 62 of kitchen 61 of pantry 67 Ventilator 61 Vermicelli 105 pudding 331 in soups 274 soup 285, 286, 416 Vienna bread 142 Vitellin 381 Waiters, general suggestions for 466 Waiter, the handy 72 Walnut, the 214 Wall cabinet 73 Warmed-over potatoes 238 Washing the dishes 472 Waste barrel, the 479 Water, action of upon food elements 52 amount of for cooking vegetables 230 boiling point at different altitudes 52 boiling point at sea level 52 boiling, temperature of 51 bread 126, 142 comparative value of use of hot and cold in cookery 52 rice 424 supplies 69 supplies, tests for 69 tamarind 422 to increase the boiling point of 52 Wheat-berry flour 113 cracked 86 description of 85 Wheatena 429 Wheat, finer mill products of 88 flour, nutritive elements of 111 gluten 429 meal 88 molded 88 oats and barley coffee 361 pearled 86 preparation and cooking of 86 recipes for cooking 87 relative proportion of food elements in 85 rolled 86 structure of 85 with fresh fruit 87 with raisins 87 Whipped cream sauce 355 Whirled eggs 386 White celery soup 286 custard 331, 332, 437 of egg 432 of egg and milk 432 soup 416 Whiting in flour, how to detect 115 Whole-wheat bread 138, 143 puffs 156 Whortleberry pudding 309 Whortleberries and blueberries 175 directions for serving 181 Window box 62 Winter squash 259 preparation and cooking of 259 recipes for cooking of 259 Wire dishcloth 474 Wooden ware, to wash 474 Yeast 121 amount required for bread-making 126 bitter 123 boiled potato 141 cells, effect of heat upon 121 compressed 122 effects of freezing upon 123 foam 122 homemade 122 how to keep 122 how to promote the growth of 123 liquid 140 raw potato 140 recipes for 140 test for 124 the most convenient kind 122 the stirring of 123 Yellow luncheon 468 Zwieback 139, 289, 436, 453 preparation of 289