Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-04-30
THE SPRING APPETITE.

About this time of year a large pro-
portion of the people In our Northern
climate-even those of pretty vigorous
health-begin to lose their relish for
food. The breakfast bell has no music
in it. Lunch is bore, and it takes
some time to make up their minds what
they can eat for dinner. The man char
ges it to the ''muggy spring weather"
or else concludes that he is getting bill
ious." Whatever the cause, he feels, as
the old fashioned folks would say, "kind-
er gin out" And SO, in the American
fashion, he goes to dosing. He eats rhu-
barb, or takes salts, or drinks ale or
s:root-and.yarb" tea. Or, if ne be poor
and gullible, he swallows two or three
kinds of patent medicine; anything to
disturb and punch up, as it were, poor
mother Nature.
Now this is all very bad kind Of
nonsense. Even the physicians have
made wonderful progress within the past
ten years towards practical recognition
of the fact that Nature rarely needs
medicine to help her children out of
trouble. There was pound given twen-
ty years ago, where an ounce sufices
now. Intelligent people have learned
that wise regulation of diet, with ply
sical warmth and cleanliness, and plen-
ty of either rest or exercise-will pre-
vent all ordinary disarrangements of the
system No one who has put thought
into his eating, and observed the effects
Of food or drink upon himself, as every
sensible man should do. need ever do vi
olence to his system with physic. But
there are men who will indulge heartily
in meats and heating and fat-making
food all winter-make no change when
spring comes, and then wonder what is
the matter with their appetite. The air,
| the skies, the face of the earth, all
change, and all the conditions of living
are altered +; but they stick to their beef
and ham and mutton and hearty food
just the same in April or May as in De-
cember or January. Nature brings them
up with round turn and says: "Give
me fair show-if you won't treat me
right I'll be revenged !'' And so the
man has ''spring appetite, and drench-
es himself with bitters, or peppers him.
self with pills.
1t is great pity that common sense
in these matters should be SO uncommon.
If man isn't hungry, why should he
eat? If he can eat breakfast and relish
it at IL or y o'clock, but can only force
down few morsels at Z, why shouldn't
he conform to the situation Not fifth
part of the world breakfast in the arbi-
trary and senseless fashion in vogue in
this country. Many man and woman
would find their appetite equal to
plate of oranges, or dish of oatmeal
and cream, or plate of hominy and su-
gar in the morning, who CAM eat chops,
fried potatoes and griddle cakes. A head
of lettuce and a slice of bread and but
ter will often be relished for lunch
where hot soups or cold meats would go
untouched. Fish and eggs are now plen-
ty and cheap, and they afford a great
variety and combination of dishes, es-
pecially adapted to the season.
Another point is too often forgotten
Spring means renewed activity. If the
city men who have huddled in ill-venti-
lated cars all winter, will walk to and
from their business, or far enough to
get up good glow every day, they
would soon notice change in their rel
ish for food. If the women would get
out into the open air-spy around the
market for nice things to get the home
table out of the old family ruts-visit
their children's schools-walk for the
fun of it, or even to see the spring open
ings-the change from the nerve-rasping
perplexities and sitting air of the house
would revive the interest in the bill of
fare.
We are all too prone to sit still and
"see the wheels go round in the same
old fashion-in matters religious, politi-
cal, social, industrial and astronomical.
If some of the pretty. pious notices
that adorn our homes could be traded
off for the "golden text''-Variety is
the Spice of Life-and the useful it en-
bodies could be applied as it ought to
be, there would be good deal more fun
in the world, and more digestion, and
therefore it would be less of 'a dog KEN
mel of place" than the dyspeptic phil
osopher declares it to be.
| DONE.-A man who looked like a
countryman was lately walking in the
street with packet in his hand, sealed
and addressed, with a memorandum
that it contained thousand dollars
in bank notes. AS the bearer appeared
to be at loss, he was accosted by man
who asked him what he was looking for.
The simple countryman placed the pack
4