New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-12
TIE MORALS or EXCESSITE EATING.

To me Editor Of The n. T. Tribune.
SIR: Those who arc familiar with the Memoirs Of the
Rev Sindey Smith, recently published in two volumes,
will hardly fail TO recognize the following extract from
that curious work, found in Vol Q, at page 40, in
letter addressed to Lord Murray:
"You are, l hear attending more TO diet than here
tofore. If you wish for anything like happiness in the
fifth act of life, eat and drink about half what you
could eat and drink. Did tell you my calcula
ton about eating and drinking Having ascertaDed
the weight of what could live upon to preserve
health and strength and what did live upon found
that between ten and seventy years Of age had eaten
and drunk IA horse.wagon loads of meat and drink
more than would have preserved me in life and health
The value of this mass Of nOurishment considered to
be worth $1,000 sterling. Ii occurred to me that
must by my voracity, have starved to death fully
hundred This is frightfu calculation, but irresis
bly, true; and think, dear Murray, your wagons would
require additional horse each!"
Now confess do not fully understand what Mr. Smith
means in every particular He had been, in reality,
poor man-sOmetimes very poor-for about two thirds
of that long period and when his circumstances be-
osn 10 be improved he found himself compelled live
very plainly regarded both food and drink in order to
avoid great and immediate suffering from the govt Yet,
poor he he had doubtless been trained to what We
Americans, well fed though are, should call full
table, whenever abundance was possible. And yet,
with the most liberal allowance for this and other cir
cumsances it is hard TO believe his estimate, which he
maintains to be int sistiby true must not have
embraced some element of correctness. Why $4,000
for 60 years, fraction more than 1888 year
Could any poor man, even an English parsoa, have
wasted $3.50 year for 90 years in the mere matter OF
eating aud drinking
As to the amount, in wagon loads of his 90 years
waste there need be room for scrupe With US, it is
not probably much less in many conditions of society
much more But then in these a wagon loads which
have set down the average waste of every indiyidu
al for 60 years who lives to the age of TO- should in
Guide all the eatabes which made of apples and
other fruits nuts confectionery, &c.or these are as
properly food anything else. The aggregate waste
for nation is Why, if the loaded wagons of
food which the $4,000 900 of the United States would
waste in 60 year,, according TO the above estimate,
were placed along many urnpikes around our globe
each horse and wagon occupying for convenience sake
distance OF two rods, they would form 2e0 rows or
circles, encompassng our globe Our readers may CAL
cuate for themselves, and whether the deductions
if not the data as far as they are ours are not and
must not be " irTesstibly true"
The value of this waste, however, in our country
would fall very far short of S95 900 to each quanum of
foty-four wagon loads. Either, therefore, there
must be some flaw in Mr.. Smiths estmates-l mean
this particularor his food must have been much
costly than our own, or he must have reckoned the
food of his table, instead Of his own plate exclusively
One thing, however, is quite conceivable--nay more
quite probable 1t is generally conceded fact, among
those who best qualified to judge that we OF the
United States, general rule, eat about twice g.
much as the best nterosts Of our systems require. My
own observations which think have not been behind
those of other men, either regards extent accu
racy 20 not only TO confirm this long fact but
than twice much rs we ought and hence, as there
is vast difference, and large portion the slaves
DO not greatly exceed their real wants. il follows that
some OF waste much more than one half of what we
really consune-perhaps more nearly two thirds Fur
Their than this | am compelled TO CO. aud TO ssy
most unhesitatingly and unequivocay that much less
than half the money actually expend for food If
expended the best interests Of health and economy
clearly dictate, would taking life together, greatly
increase present aggregate OF mere gustatOry or
animal enjoyment.
A lr,,.t ~. -apI Ia ho
lieve any who has duly investigated the subject
will hesitate do so-and it follows that the waste of
each Of families would supply for life another fam
ly of the size. Whether Ia the language Of Mr.
Smith each Of our families may be said to starve out
hundred other families, do not know; though
seriously doubt it, But in maintenance OF my own
position and admitting the UNIVERSAL tendency of the
POPULATION of country TO keep up with its means of
support am compelled to the conclusion that each
average family among of tve persons, does praci-
caly prevent the existence and enjoyment for whole
natural life, of another family OF smilsr size Ths
not starving them TO DEATH grant; but viewed n-
telgenty j. il not crime And does It not involve
guilt And if TO- on whom does the guilt rest
But if guilt there is in the premises, have we duly
considered the magnitude OF the gum AZ each fanny
prevents the existence and enjoyment of ie BY another
family ike itself then the aggregage hve millions OF
families in the United States prevent or preclude the
aggregate enjoyment of that temporal HE ana hsppi.
ness which God is ready to profer-ssylng nothing OF
the hfe eternal and spiritua-to another NATION IKE
ours with its FIVE millions of families or its twenty-five
millions of individuals! AND most fearful aggregate
il Is!
But since what is national guilt is not easily seen TO
be individual guilt, after sl--on the brosd though
vulgar principle that rhdt Is ererybodys business IS
apt TO DC Hob0dys-let eudcavor 10 make the mai
ter stip more tangible and practical. II my family
by their excess thus virtually preclude from the hing
dom of God on earth, and perchsnce from the King
dom of Heaven above, another family like itself, Is
net TO exclude from existence in the comparatively short
natural period of about 1000 yess, on the supposton
that each successive generation 10 just double that Of
the formers very low rate OF human incrcsse--a
ME And il excess or extrsvagsace even Of living