East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-01-25
Agricultural.

A~'N-N ~ ~" ANth eNeihAA "a NNhiuofctsl
SALT FOR MAN AND Distributing
the last six months we have read a
great many articles upon this subject
in agricultural, religious, political and
commercial periodicals Two or three
Of them, published as editorials, have
been sensible and scientifically correct.
But the communications Of outsiders,
uniformly worthless, range through
all gradations Of ignorance and nom
sense, with an occasional spice of hum
bug. The same laws govern the value
of occasional haphazard oorrespon-
dence on speculative questions insgen-
eral; and many agricultural journals
greatly injure their reputation with
well informed people by admitting
large quantities of such trash into
their columns. Some are so earnest
IN inviting communications that they
are charged with wishing their sub
scribers TO edit tho paper for nothing,
besides paying its nominal editors
The experience of a practical farmer
is often Of value; but the molo igno-
rant he is the more prone he will be
to give opinions instead OF experience.
Practically the most profound and
mischiovous ignorance is that of active
minds, deficient in learning, but full
of ideas; and such men are commonly
fond of writing, having no knowledge
and therefore no fear of the wisdom
which is already in the world.
1t is remarkable how many ways
such men have of settling vexed
question. One quotes Scripture, which
says salt is good;" but another turns
the text against him by the very in
genious argument that it means good
as preseryer Of meat from decompo-
sition," and decomposition being nee.
essary to digestion, salt in the stomach
must, 10y Scripture authority, hinder
digestion. One boasts Of the perfect
health he has enjoyed for years, with
out condiments of any kind, but let's
out the asses ears when relating his
obser ort tons during that period in
all parts Of vas world. So extensive
traveller, by landta-sea, had little
uttu Oh LlOIO bulJ llul WIN AOLOSO
upon him in his journeys.
But the author Of the following
j,as desprit, or rather the authors Zone
the doubly defunct DIR. Graham, the
other q still living vegetarian,) reach
the climax Of absurdity:
"The experience Of some seems to
prove one side of tho question; that
of others, the-opposite; how then are
we TO know whether salt is whole
some or necessary, or notY / answer,
demonstrate it scientifically and you
have settled it forever"
Sylvester Graham proves eonclu-
sively, that the dietetic use Of salt is
positively pernicious. He says:-
I" Salt is mineral substance, and is
wholly unnutritious and indigestible.
If tablespoonful of It be Dissolved in
half a pint water, and taken into tho
human stomach, it is immediately per-
ceived by the organic sensibilities Of
that organ as an offending or disturb
ing substance; great irritation is pro-
Guced, tho vital forces, if not exceed
ingly impaired, react with energy.
And so on through tremendously
long sentence, turgid almost to explo-
sion with tho prodigious effort Of the
most scientific DR.. Graham to express
the idea which common men suppose
to be contained in the word "physic."
We would like to know if thi Ora
hamite lives on bran bread; and if he
Is aware that peck of bran in half
pail of warm water is the common
physic for horse.
But absurdities are by no means
confined to the negative side of the
question. Several writers urge the
expediency of constantly using salt as
vermifuge, and others claim that a
temperate use Of it can do no harm.
We commend to all, and especially
to vegetarians, the experience of DIR.
Livingstone. In certain part of the
interior of Africa he found severe and
persistent forms Of indigestion preva-
lent among the natives who came to
him for medical advice. Their mode
of life suggested to him the proper
remedies, and the results Of his prac-
tice demonstrated their superiority, in
their cases, over all other medicines.
Either dinner of meat or teaspoon
full of salt was sure cure Of the most
obstinate case. 1t may be that some
dyspeptics, who think they can not
exist without bran bread, would find
meat and salt to be equally efiicacious
and less irritating laxatives. The adj
dition Of butter, or some other form
OF fat, to their food, is also worthy of
trial. If any ono wants to know
why salt is good as food, let him ex-
anime the standard works on animal
physiology studied in scientific schools.