New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-27
BREAD ~. POISON

All physical evil is bsl somsthing good out Of Piscs'
Tb, eysem of na.ors, if left free 10 work, Is sras
system Of economy. She ia perpstusIly carrying -
great processes Of restoration charging evil into gssd
converting poison irio food. Men and other aninJs.
by breath ing the air. convert II into csrbonic aesd
which /, deadly poison. But sill wise sod bonsaoens
nature hss made this 10 be the food Of plants, and n
feeding uoon IL toe vegetable kingdom sbsorbs the car
bon snd r stores to the air p1re oxygen, which 10 ~
life sustaining principle 81 animal res0ira'ien willis n
the same time the vegetable is nouri'hed and gro~s1
become the feed and sus'ensncs Of the animal and o.
man
The soil Of the country furnishes food for the cay.
The city produces eueno which should in the crdsr
of nature be Tertored to the sol OF tho country
whence il was taken 10 grains, vegetable, or meat ~
support its fertility But instead Of this We throw =
into rivers or into the sea- converting those bsantiaf
sesms snd reservoirs Of nature, the means OF cissen
and purity, into great open sewers reekiog vtu
filth; or else we depoee it in ces,pools aud vsuus.
whence il is ever exhslipg poison ons gases into ths
atmosphere, and perc lsiDg downward and aroaud, y
ssturate the earth with filth and p1lne the veins an
four tains Ct Said the Hon. w. Covper. Cnatr
ms Of the Puzzle Health Section Of ths British Ma.
tonal Association Of Social Scienfe, 1859: Tho most
tempting srrspgeu is at 70 convey 81 mo the
Iearest river; and tbess oubs ges sgsts the purity q
rivers that ought to he TIE pride and pleasure Il 10 VIA
everywhere attempted to be p4rperate5; AID 1t n
necessary 20 declare and usntsn that the cleansing Of
houses and stre'ts shal not lead 10 the polutiss q
rivers. II necessity which the Metropolitan Bead
of Works believe to eJis Of csiog icto the sea- at
expense that which II sepa' sted from ths
wster aud the gravel with which II is mixed wosA
fertiizs half country lie dscredtabe TO The ueohan
cal end chemical skill Of the nation"
We sre thus In effect, throwing bread iato TIE sea:
for these substa ces, which thus seeking -
wssh away or to sink contain the elements OF fsrsy
.la of food ava haau ahotvNc -
from the SOIL and which the eminent Agricultural
chemist Prof johnson observes are at once the n,.e
necessary TO its productvenaes, and the most difsah
10 restore from aDy other source.
According 10 LiebiR, pound OF guano VII pro1nca
a pound end half Of wheat and Ia it not PROBABLE
that the buuan guano Of cities Is not less nc In r.r
ling qualities thin that which is brought from Scan
Ameril a the product Of bridal
Let us suppose (which seems rot improbab'e) thst
tte excre meDtstous matters solid and fluid, produced
by the population of NewYo'k each day, together
with the bones and other ots and garhage aae LeoE
state that pound of bone m nure will prodace six
pour ds of wbest to be equal ia fer zog qualities -
one pound Of the gusno Of oommere for each indivN
nal ard shsll have nearly 600 900 pounds Of ms
rure containing the elements Of food derived from osr
food aud originally from the soil Of the country anA
capable Of producing, restored according 20 the or.
Ger and design Of nature TO that soil, nearly wv
pounds of wheat we sha have oil this wasted Ia this
city every day; or rather than wastsd poilus
pe the Iivers, or o, hspg in poisonous gases ffs.
cesspools ard vaults fostering in open streets aad
aley That is say we in effect cast into the rivers
into the sea, sink in cesspoos and vaults, nearly
million ana half pounds Of bread every day, aad
365 times that amount every year. What An inquite.s
prodigslity Of the bounties Of kind Proyidenoo u
| this!
Some wears ago q strong writer, sueskipg OF Lsrd
Morpehs Sanitary bill in Parliament summed up shs
objtcs and merits of the proposed reform rs follows
measure which has Zoe its object 10 preserve ths
besh and lives Of the people, to give the poor man the
air light and water which are among the frst nsc.s-
stiles of exisence TO insure him cheap food BY apply
ing the disease and death producing refuse to es~
toions TO the soil to render pooraws unnecessary ~
substituting prevention for core to put AN end 70 tas
very diseases which decmsts the unhappy freight a
the ssyesbip and constitute seven-sghths of AL ~
mise ri-s of war; apply Incompetence An eiioc al
remedy in the shape Of decent and healthy hsbitaasns
for the poor and to strengthen the hands OF the rob
gous tescter, by removing the most serious imPe&-
ments 10 the success Of his sscred mission. T. Y.