The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-11-14

older world. Tho WE spend on an
average one third Of our entire
lives in bed, how careless We are IN
regard to ventilation and the other
means of gaining healthful rest,
But my object is not a TRADE
against our carelessness as a nation,
not to speak about u need of rest
as a people. | wish to show as
briefly as may be, the. necessity of
protecting ourselves against the
adulteration and willful Geteriora-
ton of articles of food and medi-
cine. Says a prominent chemist of
the old world in an appeal to the
legislative power for protection for
the people.
"The outcry of an afflicted ma
ton. because almost every article
of food, of medicine or general
household economy, is adulterated
Or injured by hurtful admiStures,
grows daily louder and louder. The
complaint is not alone that the
nutritive and commercial values OF
goods are impaired, but that food
&c are made most alarmingly dan
gerous and injurious to health, by
a reckless disregard of consequent
ces, on the part of manufacturers
and tradesmen, from whom the
greed of gain has driven the last
spark Of conscience"
Fol- the punishment of the assas
sin who aims at us his deadly blow,
for the punishment of the thief
who steals our goods, we have
specific laws which are, thank God,
well enforced in this state. There
is too much risk Of detection to
make these crimes very frequent.
But there are men who devote their
lives to a lar mole insidious and
devilish work, and we have no
specific laws to restrain them. We
can have some respect for the ami
NAL courage of the man who risks
his life to steal from oar dwelling,
but what shall we say of the man
who gives us for our hard earned
gold, stones for bread /; a serpent
for a fish !; a scorpion for an egg.
The temptation to get rich in a
hurry finds in all branches of trade
ready victims; for deliberations
are so easy to effect and SO hard to
detect, that few can resist the al
lurement.
I'm every branch O. trade says
an American writer sin which the
practice of ~adulterating could be
applied, it has been introduced,
until few can now tell what they
eat and drink, and the physician
is often unable to predict with I
tainty the effect of his prescription"
The attention of governments has
been called from time to time to
this evil and kings have sought the
aid of science to suppress the as
cality, since it is the chemist with
his microscope and his analyses
who "a always expose these care
fully laid schemes of deception. By
the subtle workings of chemical
at1inities by the knowledge how
to control the movements Of ele-
ments invisible, im~palpable, in
fnitessimal, the scientist can I'M
earth the %nefarious secret, be it
lever so carefully hidden.
We In this agricultural State are
fortunately less likely to suffer
from authorizations in the necessi-
ties of life than are the inhabitants
of great cities or manufacturing
districts. We make our own flour
and butter, raise our own vegeta-
bles, beef, pork and mutton, man
ufacture u own sausages and
hence should be profoundly CRATE
full. We are not exempt however;
in fact are an easier prey, on ac-
count of our lack of legal protec-
ton, from authorizations in u