Litchfield enquirer., 1872-01-04
snoLAMD.
How peopple Eas ana Drink snsss. 1.


 How People Eat and Drink tnsse! : We make the following axtraetl from . letter written by . New Hasnns ladv now abroad and published recently in tho Journal and Courier: soHs
 It is now full three months since made partial promise to write you fro1n London.
 would write, I said, if I became &C., quainted with incidents or facts likely to interest or instruct your meetings.
 have waited long, and not . day have forgotten you, or my alf-promise. But any apparent agitation of subjects that you discuss, or thought of hygienic laws among the common. people, l feel sure shall not find in London. Indeed, this field of observation seems to me more hopeless than our own, and suggests no encouragement to workers in our cause, but goes out rather 8 constant word of warning. AS nation, our physical hab- it's are bad enough, but we shall not find them better elsewhere The great work of reform will grow fastest in that new soil and among that inquiring people.
 I see here even greater ignorace, indif- ference, and disregard of all health laws than you are lamenting there, and ap- parently no stir to correct the bad GUS toms and habits of ages.
 The sin of drinking the universal be- lief that some sort of distilled or ferment- ed drink is absolutely necessary astonishes me. The laborihg man must have glass tor more strictly pewter mug) of whiskey, or at the least beer, be- 2...,. |, l. A.~ drink with his dinner, and another before going to bed, to make him sleep-he says. These three he believes the very least posible for hard-working man, and ha hamaans hia nnverty that restricts him to these. If by good luck ho con do ez- tra work and be paid with drink of beer in addition to his regular draughts, he seems much rejoiced, and not only, it seems to me, because of the enjoyment of drinking it, but.he feels himself that he is being strengthened to bear his hard lot in life. The women drink in the same way. and so of course must the children. The only limit of drinking beer among the low CT classes seems to be what they can get. The women, like the men, say they 'scould not work without it." and have seen them drink up half their wages while do- ing day washing. @ 1T
 The upper classes regard beer as rather er vulgar, but they cultivate and gratify the same appetite with different sorts of ale, of which there is an endless variety.
 In the matter of food, the only advan- tage see them to have over us, is. that they escape somewhat our temptation to excess in food for the reason that their ta- bles are spread with much less variety than ours. Bread, meat and beer, or tea -this simple bill of fare may be called the siying" .of the middle classes-and the lower classes have only occasional tastes of all these luxuries. Fruit and vegetables are mostly foreign productions, and are used in limited quantities by even the upper classes. The cooking of the food is as ignorant and unhealthfr1l as can can be found with us. In this, too. | am surprised, for American pastry has been held up to such ridicule supposed it to be exceptionally bad. But may say in all truth that never saw such unwhole- some puddings and pies as these people make, eat and seem somehow to digest. The English plum pudding has a fame that no doubt extends round the world. but the individual that is rash enough to eat slice of it, should at least be con sistent enough never to deprecate mince pies or any other Yankee abomination. Every true English pudding is made of batter and is sure to be solid. The use ef soda in cooking has not yet begun here. All simple farinacious puddings are con- sidered as food for invalids only. The bread IS made of bolted wheat, and in the absence of good and abundant fruit and vegetables, the beef. and beer may be a real necessity. Condiments are in great use. Mustard is used excessively, not only being eaten with meat but with bread and butter, and even a piece of cheese and an accompaniment of mustard often makes dessert to dinner The chief meal of the day is dinner, and it is very plebian to have 1t in the middle of the day. The time ranges from five to eight in the eve- ning-the later, the more genteel Taking four meals day instead of three is fixed national habit. Breakfast never earlier than eight o'clock, lunch obout twelve, dinner at six, tea about an hour after din her, and not unfrequently supper at ten You will wonder how they live. It is ex- plained by the fact that save for dinner they eat but little each time. Breakfast is always late and light. Even the labor CT whose work begins at seven o'clock works an hour, or hour and half before breakfast, when the whistle blows and ev- cry thing stops half hour for the morn ing meal. This is very great inconven- fence to employers, but it is another scus- tom of the country" and employers acc customed to more business-hke proceed ings, can only ''grin and bear it. ?
 The want of any approach to cleanliness among the masses that swarm the streets of this great city, is astonishing. think tomyself over and over again, if cleanliness IS so fundamentally important as we have learned to believe, why don't this utter contempt of it depopulate the city. But of such 8 result, there seems to be not the slightest danger. Little humans spring, a dozen and more around many poor mans hearth, and with wonderful tenacity to life they live, violating almost all known laws.
 The natural surroundings of this city are such as to make attention to cleanh- ness most urgent The frequent fogs and ever humid atmosphere, combining with the black sooty smoke, arising from burn ing soft coal, fills the air with smut that settles upon everything indoors and out. How must the lungs be affected by breath ing such air?
 1 observe also more common violation of the physiological law that clothing should be equally distributed over ali parts of the body, than have ever seen in our country. All winter children of all classes with neck, arms and legs uncover ed, exposed to the certain dampness and consequent chilliness, and often severe cold of this variable climate. am told ''they are used to it, i" and it don't hurt them, but nevertheless, their flesh is puf- pie and cold, which tells what Nature thinks on the subject. tfss
 Houses are not made warm by fire. A little coal burns in an open grate, which at least secures ventilation, and also looks cheerful and inviting. Men, women and children work in their cold shops, or houses, enduring such physical discom- fort as makes one look at them with won der and pity.
 It is, too, disappointment to me that do not oftener find the tshealthy Eng lsh woman" ofwhom we, have heard so Ynuch. lam forced to conclude that healthy