St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-06-08
REM A RKABLE EXPERT
MENT.
Startling Effects Of Scientific Diet Upon a
Family Of Children

euAueHt sClentlnc persons That the va
rlous forms of religion now prevailing
are the direct results of different kind
), OF food. There have hitherto been in
superable difficulties in the way of de
monstrating the truth of this theory
but that mans religion depends upol
the kind of food that he uses, and
modified to some extent by the climate
: IN which he lives, nearly all advanced
thinkers are convinced. It is pleasant
. to be able to announce that at last al
possibility Of doubt on this subject ha!
been removed by series of successful
experiments narrated by Prof Huxley
,, IN his contemplated book on Vegetable
and Alcoholic Religions"
Some time ago Prof. Huxley was SC
fortunate as to obtain possession of a
3 large litter of young children, the prop
erty of a Pcsitivist, who desired to de.
vote his whole time to the stady of gin,
and who held that, inasmuch as there is
no hereafter, it was not worth while for
him to trouble himself about his children.
The latter, who were to great extent
twins, and were all under eight years of
age, were perfectly free from all religious
prejudices, and although the oldest
swore with much auency, he had no
thought of the possibility of the existence
of God. Placing them in strict con-
finement, where no human being but
himself and a deaf and dumb nurse
could obtain access to them, Prof Hux-
ley began a series of experiments with
their food, which produced the most
satisfactory and valuable results.
The oldest child was fed exclusively
upon Swiss cheese, and was allowed to
drink weak brandy and water. He was
kept III room where the temperature
was a little above the freezing point, and
was constantly exercised in climbing
artificial precipices made of trunks and
bookcases. Like the rest of the chil>
dren, he was taught to read and write,
but received no other instruction. At
the end of three months Prof. Huxley
was delighted to find him making pre-
parations for bonfire, in which he pro.
posed to burn his nurse, on the ground
that she did not believe certain doctrines
which he believed. A month later the
boy constructed rude pulpit, in which
he constantly preached sermons de"
nouncing the flies and gnats, who were
his only hearers, for their fondness for
sunshine. Before the end of the first
year he had formulated a creed which
Prof. Huxley found to besr very close
resemblance to that of John Calvin. It
thus became clear that a diet of Swiss
cheese, combined with brandy and water
and modified by q low temperature, are
the immediate cause OF Cslvinism.
Meanwhile, another boy had been fed
upon oatmeal and whisky, made to live
in damp room, and frequently sprinkled
with a fine spray of water closely
resembling q Scotch mist. This boy
soon acquired a peculiar broad accent,
and showed disposition to preach SER
mons several hours in length. He dis
played a violent aversion to pictures of
all sorts, to scarlet, and to the sound of
an organ. A very short time was all
that was needed to develop him into an
unmistakable Scotch Presbyterian. The
experiment was satisfactory in den1on>
strating the truth of the materialistic
theory of the origin of eligions, but the
unsatisfactory feature was the uncon~
querable tendency of the boy to throw
things at the Professor whenever the
latter incidentally mentioned that there
was a God.
The third boy was kept in hot room,
fed upon macaroni and light wines, and
compelled to constantly grind a small
hand-organ. This experiment was also
a complete success. The boy became an
unmistakable Roman Catholic, and dis
played degree of devoutness, joined to
fondness for sticking his knife into
the Professors legs, which filed the lat.
ter with scientific delight. There we're
five children in all, but the experiments
made upon the younger two were not |
altogether satisfactory. One of them
was fed upon pork and hominy, varied
with occasional chickens, and allowed to
drink nothing but water. It was sup
posed that under this course of treatment |
strong Baptist symptoms would have
been developed: but, on the contrary,
the boy became sort of cross between |
Methodist and Presbyterian. 1t is
Prof HuSley's opinion that an error was
made in his diet, although he claims to
have fed him in accordance with the |
custom prevailing in the southern part
of the United States. At all events, the
experiment was little better than fail
ure, and the formula for the production
of Baptists is not found in the Professors /,
contemplated book.
AS for the fifth hoy, he was treated
with special care with the view of maxi
ing him an earnest and able scientific
person. His diet consisted of roast beef
and ale, and his playthings were slate,
and pencils, mathematical Instruments
specimens of minerals and fossils, and