Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-05-23
TheQuestion of Diet.

EDITOR LEDGER:-YOur extract
from a Yokohama correspondent con-
corning the Japanese diet, is one Of
the important facts that our American
people have to learn, and especially in
the South. That the disuse Of pork,
making the diet largely vegetable,
will give increased power OF endurance
and of resistance to heat or cold, has
been very satisfactorily demonstrated
to me in the past thTeey years, watching
the children and teachers in a board
ing school in New Jersey. The two
teachers are maiden ladies, both over
fifty years of age, and have taught
school ell their lives since six
teen and eighteen years OF age.
The eldest never eats meat, the other
only veal or chicken. Their diet is
steWed fruit, cereals aud milk; no tea
or coffee. They wear so small an
amount Of clothing that one would
not believe it possible they could be
comfortable in cold weather. They
have taught twenty years in their
present locality and when the measles,
scarlet fever and other diseases have
ragged in the town, not a child who
boarded in the house was ever sick.
In twenty years they have had only
two cases that required a physician,
and both of these we're from hurt
caused by falling. The children are
not SO rigidly excluded from meat
but are urged more to eat it, and none
is ever cooked excepting beef or
chicken. Their diet is largely cereals
and stewed fruit. vegetables OF all
kinds, and quantities Of brown bread
With plenty Of milk, or hot water and
milk. Neither of these ladies ever
had a headache, nor were ever i'll. My
youngest child has never tasted meat,
aud dislikes it very much. No matter
how much is on the table his choice
is always rice or hominy, with sugar
ind milk. He has never been i'll au
honr In his life, and is nine years old
That these people are what is termed
s richly hygiene" l do not mean But
they are strictly temperate in all things
and take a vast amount OF exercise.
The habits of eating are changing in
the South very much, aud in few
years time it will be found wise
plan to discontinue the use of meat.
The Lenten days serve a good purpose
10 preparing the system for the sum
mer months, and it is a wise mother
who gives her little family all she can
Of rice, oatmeal stewed fruit aud milk
to the exclusion of all meats, tea, cot
fee and pastry.
To Danish the rolling pin will be
frequently the banishing Of dyspepsia
and headaches.
Captain Grant, of Grant Pass, now
in New Orleans, is near ninety and .
strictly temperate man, hale, hearty
aud cheerful. | mean temperate in
eating. for intemperance in this leads
often to intemperance in drinking.
Peter Cooper lived as simply as 3
child and was rarely ever off his feet
He once told me he thought" proper
eating would 60 far toward abolishinl
crime. And the teachers | first men
toned declared that if childrer
learned to love fruit and at,
largely of it they would neve
become drunkards, and furtheTmor,
that il was the surest help in destroy
ing the appetite for liquor, when ono
acquired. know that discOntinuinI
meat is Of great help where one reall
is trying to reform from a drinkin
habit, and drinking het water befor
eating is also help to cure the infam
ed and diseased stomach, made so b,
excessive drinking. Il. f. s.