The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-12-25
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ANCIENT oASrRoNcMY.
How tho Heroes Of Mythology and Hlatosv
lndulgcd T1Aoir Appctatcs.

SuSAt@NS 0SSoSV\SNSsWus
How tho Heroes Of Mytho,osv and Hfssesv
iaduiged Their Appetatcs.
t1e Catorcr.)
II has been calculated that ., rich man
with weakness for good living INDUCES
In forty times more. food than is ahsO-
lntely necessary for his health. Nothing,
of course, 80 bcgets diseRse ~ this in
tense plentitude; II reacts on tho intclli-
gence. The muses., we know, are
chnstc, but they arc In addition
softer. The temperance makes the
head cool, the ideas clear and
the Judgment healthy. Life Is not long,
when one exists only by indigcstions. II
Is not necessary that each particle Of
our food b. weighed, each morsel
counted, each drop measured. Nor is 1t
desirable to renew the law Of sparta,
which imposed a line on each citizen,
when u certain stoutnsss exceeded a
fixed standard. In Persia, when the
ladies Of the palace get beyond certain
measurement they are compelled 10 do
Banting till the lean kind ideal Of Pha
roah I've attained. Now, hygiene is .
guide and sage, not tyrant; 1t has its
special rules that cannot he infringed
with impunity. It has also its princi.
pies, tho latter very simple and easily
followed.
Appetite or hunger should only be
satisfied, never irritated nor satiated,
and tho quantity of food ought to be in
proportion to our digestive powers. The
stomach has ito caprices. The less the
mass Of food on which digestion has to
operate, the moro erfeet will br the d.
gestion. Ever rise from tho table with
the sensation that you could eat some
thing moro. Unite contentmcnt With
abstention; this may be trying, but II
will DO repaid in good health and long
evity. II must be borne ia mind that
stomachs are not to be gagged BY
any uniformity test, no moro
than fashion plate can b suitable
model for every elegante. Louis Cor.
marc lived, at the close Of his life OF %
years, on the yolk Of an egg at each re-
Iast, and even the half Of that ocoa-
s,onaliy. But that Venetian Is an ex-
ceptional case. Two things ought never
to be COMPOUNDED, viz: Tho appetite Of
the stomach and the appetite Of the pal
ate, the latter is frequently factitiouA,
and that which fatters the txste may
prove very dangerous for she stomach.
An excellent dinner has this Of the dan
Rerous in II, that it tempts VS. to eat
overmnch.
The first dinner parties wero given By
the Greeks; they were not % much din
ncrs rs fctcs. The guests rcclinod, full
length, on touches covered with white
and purple stutfs; the tables were COW
cred with the most exquisite taste and
ornamented with gold; from tho nature
OF the position Of the guest, tho tables
were necessarily very LONG The food
was served very warm, and at the end
of the banquet the tables and couches
we're removed and chairs supplied,
which allowed the company to draw
closer together for the purpose Of con-
vcrsation. The science of table talk is
of Athcnian origin.
Byron alludcs to that tocsin OF the
soul--the dinner bell. In ancient
France, the signal for dinner WAS given
by means Of the hunting horn, ~ being
the most noble of all instruments. But
that blast was really to call guests to
wash their hands, as the poets Of the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries attest
1t was only pcrsonagcs Of very high dis.
tinction that had tho right to employ
the horn for this purpose. Before ait
ting down 10 table. there was the
ceremony Of washing the hands
with the great lords, in porfumed,
or rose water. The tables were in
carved gold Or silver works; when in
wood, they were covered with cloths
double folded. Napkins are relatively q
modern invention, and date from the
coronation Of Charles VII, at Rheims.
Forks were unknown to the ancients,
and only came into usage In France ut
the end Of the fourteenth century; they
appeared during the reign of King
Charles v. Previous to forks, food was
carried to the mouth on knives-as the
Germans do largely to this day rounded
at tho end. When retiring from table,
the hands were washed second time.
The ancients said gastronomy il the
art OF q thousand resources. Now, to
give good dinner, give your orders
very precise and detaled-leave others
to execute them. DO not aim at too
much. Let there DO few choice dishes,
and all their constituents of the best.
Have good soup to commence with,
there are at least 500 known TO select
from. A light soup is hest II the dinner
! will be long. And guest ought never
indulge under such circumstances in too
much, rs it may prove too heavy for the
stomach and weaken its functions Par
take of good plate Of soup il 1t pleases
, you, but do not patronizc many dishes
afterwards. Taken in small quantities,
soup is tho base Of dinner, sufficient
10 excite tho stomach. It Ia on SOUP
that French children, peasants. soldiers
and the working classcs live-proof that
it Is nourishing. Yet there are very
high French physicians who maintain
that soup Is not worth much in any