, 1874-01-11
THE MORALITY OF GOOD LIVING.


BY PROF. WILLIAM MATHEWS, OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF CHICAGO.
That mans morality is dependent more or
less upon his bodily condition. and consequently
upon the condition OF his stomach, few persons
ut this day will hesitate to udn,it. ''A sound
mind in sound body " is condition, not only
Of healthy intellectual, but healthy spiritual
life Every mirister OF tho Gospel has to deal
Nth cases Of conscience thai bctE'e all ordi-
nary treatment, and which he finds out nj last to
DO simply cases OF rLvsical disorder, whose
remedy IS in the pharmacopeia, OF, more fre-
quen.ly, in the 1ardcr or cookbook. II the
" house Of this tabernacle be shattered in any
way, go as TO require constant props md repairs
it's sympathetic tenant is almost sure to suffer
with the crnzy dwclling-place. Old Samuel
Johnson once said that
3" EVERY A1:s is RASCAL WHEN He IS slCK ?"
and VIC all know that q nervons headache, en-
attack of dyErep6ia, rheumatic pain. even q
cold in the uofe. will often convert m amiable
man into public nuisance. man of tho
kindliest impulses las only to feed upon indi-
geatib1e food for 8 few dnys, aud forthwith bis
liver ia affected, and then his brain. His 6ensi-
bilities nre bunted; hiB constant physical tor
ture makes him ftetful aud, reckless of tue
feelings Of others, he will say and do things
from which at other times he would have re-
coiled. Sydney Smith did not exaggorato when
he said that '4Old friendships are often de-
Bt1oyed by toasted cheese, and hard salted meat
has led to suicide" There are only two bad
things in this world, said Hannah More,-
s1S AND BILE
Was she ignorant that Largo part OF the ain
springs from bile?
The doctrine that health has great deal to do
with godlineas may not be very lattering to our
pride; but we must accept our natures, Is
the transcendentalst did " the universe, and. ae-
cepting them, we must bow to the plain fact chat
q ladder renching to Heaven must, II wo ere 10
climb it, have its feet upon the ground !; and
that, to reach to the highest dosrae OF spiritual
excellence, We must begin with physical and
mental soundncss. It ls an iadubitable truth
that d man not only re2sons better, but loves
more warmly, gives more generously. aud prays
more fervently, when we'll than when i'll. It is
equally true that man who is veil fed, clothed,
and housed is more amiable being than one
who lacks the comforts Ct life. a man before
dinner may talk scandal or write scatbing criti-
cism; may c1aw; like horso-Ey over the char
he has we'll eaten and drunken, the thing ia an
impossibility. Who does not know that the se-
cret OF begging favors successfully is to request
them after man has dined Is there a lobbyist
at Washington, or Springfield. who il Ignorant
0: the fact that his little bill is more clearly
app:ehcnded by legislator after his or 2
o'clock meal OF is there q shrewd wife who
doubts that the way to mans heart il
THROUGH HIS STOMACH? !?
There is something in q generous meal
that exercises the devils Of d,sparagement and
calumuy, and substitutes therefor the spirits Of
goo1-fcllowship and philanthropy. 1t may be
doubted whether ha;f Of the suicides, murders,
hcrcsies, false PHILOSOPHERS, and apostasies that
have stained the annals of our race. have not
had thoir origin remotely in disordered stom-
acb. Voltauo afi1ns that the massacre OF St.
Bartholomew Was primarily duo to the utter in
capacity Of the Klng to digest his food. II is
not the stat, aleek-headed man." but the
"lcen and hungry Cassius" that is dangerous.
AS moral institution, therefore. dinner can
not be too highly valued but it has also
IT'S INTELLECTUAL ASPECTS.
Boast as We NAV OF the superiority OF mind to
matter, it is nevertheless true that the flow and
qualitg OF mans ideas may be affected by
such vulgar and commonplace things as VIC
tuaEB. The incst poets and prose-writers that
have charmed the world by their pens have been
mentally prostrated BY fit Of indigestion and
Generals who have proclaimed their pre-emi-
nence at the canaon's mouth have been rendered
powerless by a badly-cooked dish. Could wo
know the full history Of all victories, ancient
and modern, we should probably be amazed to
find how important part in tho destiny Of En-
pircs has been played By the gastric juice. Ma
poleon lost battle one day because his poulet
IL 3fare,.go was inoonsiderately ecorched By Ills
chef 1de-ct.iszne. Indigestion, caused by his fast
and voracious mode of eating, paralyzed him in
two Of the most critical events Of his life,-the
battle of Bo1odino aud the battle Of Leipsic,-
Which he Nigh. have converted into de-
c;eye and commanding victories had he push
Ell its advantages as be WAS won't On the third
day Of Dresden. too, the German novelist, Hon-
man, who Was present in the town, asserts that
tie Emperor would laye Won far more brilliant
SUCCESSES but for the effects Of 3
SHOULDER OF MUTTON srCrFED WITH ONIONS.
It was owing in great degree to the wretched
condition Of their co:nmissariat that the Aus
triaus wcre defeated At Austerlitz. Cest Ia soupe
qui fail h sollot.
LET US eat and drink, for tomorrow ne may
die" is motto which has often been denounc-
ed, and most Justly, by the Christian moralis:.
''Let us cat and drink we'll, lest tomorrow va
die" would bo good substitute. The pleasures
Of the table are not the highest form Of human
enjoyment, it is true; but for all that,
an oyster-pie is a good thing when well made.
"a man." says LIZ. johnson, "who has no
regard for his stomach, will have no regard for
anything else." Wo fully agree with the great
moralist, and We subscribe no less heartily to
tile saying Of the French courmand, who de-
clared that the discovery Of new dish is more
important thnn the discovery Of a new Star, be-
cause there never can be dishes enough, but
there are sta1s enough already.
IT is i MISTAKE
to suppose that only brainless men, with full
paunches and empty pates, have 3 keen relish
for the luxurios OF the table,-that, az Bhak-
speare says,
Dainty bitB
Make rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite the w4:s.
The celebrated echolar, DR.. Carr, confessed q
love for shot lobsters, with 4 profusioo Of
shrimp-sauco." Pope WAS q decided eiicure.
anl would lie in bed for days at Boiling