The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-01-18
A Plea in Defence of Swine.

Swine have at certain periods in the his
tory of the world, being considered umciedn
creatures, Of gross habits, dc. If they are
nelean and Of gross habits, their owners are
more to blame than they. How can we cx-
pect to teach them better habits, while con-
fined in cellars and other locations, where
they are often compelled to wallow knee
deep in mud and cxcrement, dragging out
woeful existence in the midst of a perfect
hot-bed of filth, respiring an atmosphere con-
coctcd from the decomposition of pest hole.
And their food, what shall we say of that :?
1t is too beastly to describe, yet the cravings
Of an appetite not naturally morbid but
otherwise, compel them to convert their
stomachs into cess-pools. Some persons con-
slider any system ofmanagement good enough
for hogs. How then can we expect them to
improve, either in habits or condition p
Hence if domesticated swine have lost their
natural instincts and acquired filthy habits,
the blame should fall on their keepers. We
know from experience, that If young pigs
are kept in clean locations - not brutalized
and fed on good wholesome diet, they will
refuse to partake of some of the horrid stuff
called swill. They will exercise the same
sagacity in the selection Of nice morsels, as
the wild originals are known to manifest.
The idea originating with the Egytians,
Jews and Mahommedans, that the use of
swine's flesh was an abomination, and its
touch pollution, is nothing more that pre-
iudice has no foundation in fact.
That il is the cause of Scrofuia and lcpro-
sy, as some contend, We emphatically deny.
For the very persons who most abhor pork,
and consequently abstain from its use the
Jews were the greatest sufferers from the
above diseases. Then again, Jewish histori-
ans have informed the world that the stran-
gers sojourning with them partook freely of
pork, yet enjoyed immunity from scrofula
and leprosy. Pork is the principal article
of flesh food among the Romans, Greeks,
Chinese, natives of the Archipelagon Islands,
the negroes inhabiting the burning regions
of Asia, and the moro refined, straight hair
ed of the northern. ..
England, a nation of beef eaters, consume
an immense amount Of pork. America, her
eldest daughter, boasts Of host Of fat,
hearty, good looking, smart men, who subsist
on pork and beans one day, and beans and
pork the next, and on Sunday more pork and
less beans. Now If pork is the cause Of lcp-
rosy, we might expect to find among the lat.
ter a host of leper; but the converse in the
case, and American physicians do not pro-
fess to be practically acquainted with the dis
ease. So that the uncomplaining and much
abused creature we arc writing about has,
hitherto, been most awfully- slandered, i'll
treated.
We contend therefore that the flesh Of
swine, properly fed, is nutritive, Wholesome
and pleasant to the taste, and its excellence
is considered a great delicacy. Like other
substantial food, however, it does not agree
with some stomachs; but therein lies the
fault and not in tho pork. Still, it would
appear to be in perfect harmony with retri-
butire justice if the above diseases were the
consequence of mans criminal neglect and
Indifference towards class of animals that
claim his care and protection, and on whom
a great proportion of the human family are
dependent for subsistence. But this is not
the case; the very worst kind of pork, fed
in the most Objectionable places is partaken
Of by most men with impunity.