The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-04-28
The Philosophy of Eating.

man, who justly prides himself on the
intellectual qualities which make
him a master of the elements, and on
the godlike possibilities of his nature,
that, after all, what he is depends, to a
great extent, on what he eats; yet it is
just as true as 1t is that, without eat
ing he will, in short time, become q
mass of corruption. Yet the idea of
any system of philosopy applying to
the frequent act of eating will strike
most of our readers as something new.
Eevertheless-with the exception of
the spiritual nature, which being a
creation of the Divine Spirit, may have
miraculous aid to lit 1t above the most
depressing inhuences-what man is
depends upon what he eats.
The intelligent farmer adapts the
dressing of his land to the Requirements
OF the crop which he desires to raise
upon 1t. So soon as he finds that his
fields will not produce wheat, he knows
that the elements of the soil which are
needed for wheat are wanting; he sup
plies these, and is sure OF good crop.
If he lack the Intelligence which would
lead to the adoption of such measures,
he will, very probably, apply dressing
at random, or such as q nefghbor,
working entirely different land, has
found effscious, and will, very likely,
hit upon that of which his soil has al
ready a superabundance, and which
is therefore, Injurious. It is thus that
most OF US nourish the body-the soil
whence spring all our capabilities OF
external action.
In a natural condition OF life, with
the tastes unperyerted, each person
would crave just such food IS was, at
the time, best adapted to his needs; but
among civilized peoples there are few
natural instincts; perversion of taste
has begun in the cradle, and has been
continued through subsequent lite, and
1t becomes necessary to apply the dis
coveries of science or to suffer the con-
sequences which never fail to visit the
iniractien of the laws of our being.
In a work bearing the title which we
have adopted as the subject of this ar
ticle, DIR. Alfred ]. Bellows has aimed
to add to the information OF the people
on a subject, which, il the above views
be correct, ia of great moment. This
work is published in neat form by
Messrs. Hurd & Houghton, and may
be read 10 advantage by all who choose
to avail themselves of the means OF
knowledge which lie within their
reach.
One of the greatest blunders, accor-
ding to DIR. Bellows, is the manner in
which we prepare our grain for use.
The nitrates are necessary for the crea-
ton of the muscular tissues OF the body
and for supplying the waste caused by
their use; yet from the flour which is
commonly used nearly all these ele-
ments have been removed for the sake
OF securing whiteness.
at is estimated that ninety-h five per
cent. of bread used in Boston is made
OF wheat -four, out of which has been
taken, by the process OF grinding and
boiling, all but about five per cent. oil
| It's matchmaking and life.supporting
elements, SO that fifteen barrels are re-
quired to furnish as many OF these ele.
ments as one barrel of unbolted wheat
meal, The nitrates and phosphates are
| iuseparable by mechanical means, be-
ing bound together by gluten, ofwhich
1t is mostly composed, while the car
Donates, being mostly starch which Is
granular and loosely adherent, is
easily separated from the gIutinous
crust by the process of grinding and
| boiling. In making superfine flour
twenty-five per cent. OF the meal goes
of in the sitting, of which fifteen per
cent. is of the nitrates and phosphates,
and ten per cent. OF carbonates.
4-s,rN Ne5NTF NkaV
fine flour is only negatively deleteriousl
having lost its food for muscles and
brains: and it need not, therefore, bE
| discarded If at the same meal these ele-
mepts are supplied in lean meat, hsh
or cheese, or other food containing
| similar elements; bat If eaten with
! butter or sugar only, and nothing else
| would soon make of us bloated and
stupid idiots.
UAn Intelligent farmer knows how &c
| feed his land, his horses, his cattle, and
| MS pigs: but not how TO feed his chill
dren. he knows that fine hoTr Is not
/ good for pigs, and be gives them the
whole OF the grain, or perhaps takes
ont the bran and coarser part, which
| contain food for muscle and brains
and gives them to his pigs, while the
| fine iour, which contains neither 1000
for brain or muscle, he gives to his
children. He separates also the milk,
and gives the pigs the skim milk and
! buttermiIk, in which are found all the
1 elements OF muscle and brain, and
gives his children the butter, which
only heats them and makes them mac.
tive, without furnishing particle oil
the nutriment which they need"
But man Is designed TO be an intel
1 lectually as we'll as muscularly &C
tive being, and only as he is such does
he yindicats his manhood. God, in his
providence, has SO distributed the ele'
meuts of nutrition through the articles
designed for his sustenance, as to sup
piy all the wants OF the body, but man
| In his wisdom, carefully removes from
the Isstaf of life" those elements which
tend TO make life worthy.
s.That mental and nervous power is
denendent on food, Is an idea that may
At first strike the mind as absurd, and
unworthy of investigation; but the
I same process that proves muscles to be
dapendent for development and vtgor
and health on food containing nitrogen,
Iroyes the brain and nerves to be de-
pendent for the development and health
4 and the vigorous exercise OF their func-
tons on food containing phosphorus.
| The same laws apply to the brain as to
the muscular system, and as the mus
/ cles can be trained, and their power
developed by appropriate food as Wen
as appropriate exercise, 50 the brains
of our children may be developer IN
the dIning-room as well as In the school
room-the caterer and cook being i'm
portant auxiliaries to the sehoolmAs'