The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-07-23
THE THINGS rnir WE EAT.

Tdk IhlNOB THi.T WE kAT.
II is n subject nf sensible rrtnaik by all who
properly consider tho matter, TINT scruples aud
prejudices by which we endenvur 10 thwart the
dispensutions of Providence are more thun idle.
One Of tho most absurd OF these is tho fnnry
some people huvc for depriying themselves of the
materials which have been placed at our disposal
for the purpose Of food. Many persons appear
rcully 10 esteem it virtue to condemn themselves
to rntire abstinence from anmnl food. Others
regulate their diet according To notions which
examination in the light Of scicncc would speedi.
~ explode.
prejudice against fish has been Mt times gem
cru; und during the prevalence of cholera, cspe.
cialy, the public could not be persuaded that the
danger lay, not in eating fish. but in eating It
when not perfectly fresll One i'll effect uscrib
cd to fish is the production or augmentation of
skin diseases This is supposed by many to have
been the origin OF the partial prohibition among
tho. Jews; whereas, it is more probable That,
like other laws regulating their diet, it wus framed
with the view OF. Keeping the Hebrews distinct
nation. An old Roman law prohibited the use
Of poultry; and a reference to Apicus the great
oracle OF Roman cookery, will show how much
r modern bill of fare is limited by prejudice
They considered delicacies many things we could
not DC Induced to taste. On the other hand
pork, which is among lis flvorte meat, has been
the ubon,ination of Eastern nations The twu
nutioma dishes of China are dried sharks fins and
birds nest soup the nests being formed Of sea-
weed coated with Il gelatnous matter deposited
bya species of burnacle.
The old Britons denied themselves hare, goose
and fowl. Backbirds were ciassed tv Cranmer
among choice articles Of food, and cranes i,erons
and cnrews were eaten in the middle ages. II
we look at the hubits Of various nations with re-
gard to diet, wc can hardly discover mythng
hclon9inS to the animal er vegetable kingdoms
that hns not been, at one time another, used
as food Experience also has taught us what
Kinds of food arc most nutritious, and science
has explained why they so. The first great
principle in regard to food seems TO be that, as
the constituents of the blood may be arranred
III the four classes OF Observation-Disclosures
containing nitrogen, us the albumcn and fibrin
oi The muscles, and substances containing no nj
troscn, as fat-so i'll food the same four constitu-
ents should be present, for the substances cannot
be converted into each other. All four are con-
taned in animal aud vegetable food, and in milk
The similarity, i'll composition, between fat and
the snga and starch which form the chief part of
vegetables, has long been known to be very
close, hut 1t Is alst, discovered that vegetables
contain substance identical with the albnmen
aud fiGrin Of The blood. These clements, howev-
or, are in diiteront proportions in different sub
stances. -
From the fables, sthal Hercules lived on beef
and fSa, and that Chron fed Achilles, in his in
fnncy npou the marrow of lions and buls-we
sec that the ancients had correct notion of the
"n!ue OF animal food. To do work, food rich in
nitrogen is requisite. Highest in this scale stand
the tlcsh OF the n'amnalia; TINT of n darker col
or Is rather more nutritious than white meat: the
,lesli oil birds and fish is less nutritious than thut
Of animals. Neither llbunien nor fatty substan.
res ale alone capable of aifordng proper nouriSh-
nent. Animals fed ON fresh butter lard and fat
have died starved, though in remarkable state
uf em0onpoint. 1t is probablc that fat aud other
non nltrogenous substances merely serve for The |
purpose Of respiration by means Of their carbon.
The effect Of IN abundance Of fatty und ve,sea |
BILE food in producing fat. isfamiar to every |
owner OF live stock Fowls are fattened for the |
London markedly being confined in the dark, and |
crammed with paste made of Oat meal mutton !
suet and malasses, or course sugar mixed with |
milk. On this diet they ready in n fortnight |
but cannon well be kept longer. The influence |
OF external temperature, excess Of food, aud want
Of exercise upon the condition of the liver is seen |
IN that especial delicacy-foe grass The goose
basket where it cannot move, kept in n room
highly heated aud assiduo,lsly stuffed with food
There is hole in its prison through which it
Pokcs lis head 10 get at trough of charcoal and
water In month the liver has acquired the
requisite size and true flavor. There are some
human beings who subject themselves to q SINH
lar discpline-a course of cramning and stuifing
heated rooms and an idle life. They would do
better. if insead Of taking medicines for dyspep-
STA, they would give full play to the faculties of
mind aud body, and proportion their food to the
requirements of nature, without any experiments
Ill the way of departure from the ordinary expe-
renee OF men i'll regard to suitable variety for
the table. Man is an omnvorous animal-nei:
ther vegetarian nor muttonar;an-and the
permission given by Divine Providence to I" sIay
aud eat, as well ms to use the fruits of the field
for food, is significant of the certainty that our
health and comfort will be best promoted by n
compliance with this wise provision.-Nc,c York
Express -
POSITIONS OF MISSISSIPPI ann GEoRGIA