The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-02-20
A Plea for Veg eltables.

In the London Timer William G.
Ward writes to urge greater culnya-
ton and use OF vegetables, especially
of leeuminous kinds. He speaks very
good word for lentils, which were OF old
favorite dish in Egypt and Palestine,
but are almost entirely unknown to this
generation. Lentils, or &" lentiles," as
the Bible calls them, are sort OF black
tear inclosed in long pod and ripen-
ening with q thick skin. The Hour ls
very sweet and nourishing. According
to Boussingault's scale ftty-si1 parts OF
white haricot beans, or fifty seven parts
of lentils, or si1ty-seven parts OF peas,
are equivalent to 100 parts OF wheat
-four. This shows lentils to have
high value as nutriment. They make
delicious soups and can he cooked In as
many attractive ways as the common
bean. Mr.. Wards chiet object seems
to be to introduce to the poor sort OF
food which shall be at once cheap and
wholesome. On this point he says:
"How triAing is the cost OF human
food if only what is necessary is sought.
Eight to twelve cents per day is sufti-
cent to provide for q strong man and
keep him in health and strength.
Oatmeal should not be omitted here.
Best Scotch oatmeal car be bought at
the mill for three cents per pound -.
Nearly one cent more will be required
to bring it home. A pound will make
the breakfast for four strong men If
boiled for half an hour as porridge. For
child or man better food there is not on
earth. Every pound gives more nutri-
ment than four pounds of lean beef"
He insists that rheumatism may be
cured and neuralgia greatly modified by
a strictly vegetable diet, and that 9
workingman will get as much strength
out of vegetables % out of meat. He
becomes quite enthusiastic in speaking
on this point, and thus breaks out:
"This vegetarian teaching not only
places human food on scientific foun
dation, but at once removes three.fourtht
ofhuman diseases. It uproots drunken
ness without leaving even desire fol
alcoholic drinks. Vegetarianism woule
suppress all poverty and nearly all sui
fering. Itwould make excessive luxury
on the one hand impossible and abiec
poverty on the other hand equally I'M
probable. All wars would cease. Man
kind would become one great brother
hood. THE whole creation groanett
and travaileth in pain together unit
now;' but it would then be healed ane
harmonized. All sham kings and shan
thrones would vanish as o, vision, and HI
alone whose right it is to reign would b'
king over renewed people in renewed
world"
Perhaps this writer, who is man o
considerable note in England, and q care
full observer, remembered that He wa
not vegetarian; but that fact does no
appear to have dampened his ardor at all
Whether vegetables are an absolute
specific for rheumatism and also pan
acea for all other human wees may b'
well doubted; but it is probable that the
poor, especially the American poor, ca
too much meat for either their purses o.
their health. If lentils can be made
popular as food it will no doubt mark ar
improvement ir the condition OF the race
Many new and important vegetables
have been addeG within the last two o.
three hundred Years. How should W.
get along without tomatoes, radishes
celery, Indian cotp and potatoes, which
civilized nations 3 comparatively little
while ago knew tothing OFF Probably
there are no le1tils whatever in New
York, butt is worth considering whether
their introduction and cultivation is no
something thoroug ghly worth while. II
add an edible to q market is to dimin
ish human Er lsg' Ne'0 Hor|