, 1885-08-19
49, $3.50 eIaLs IN
Ar r,umatc OF the ~oomparaii,e Iniel.
iociuai Value Of Various Foods.

Ar ~i.tinatc OF the Comparative Intel.
loctuai Value OF Various Foods.
New York Co,amercial- Adsertiser
In this scientific age, when Ill activity,
whether physical or intellectual. is un.
derstood TO be nm G ,penditure Of force,
and force IN human beings is known to
have its origin in food assimilation, the
SUI sistence report Of Nnssar college is n
document worthy of philosophical
study. We know that every sweet
by the conversion OF food into brain ac-
tiyity. that every timea yassar girl gets
Il lesson or turns dress, or oven bushes,
she expends the equivalent OF a meas
uraOle quantity Of aliment
let us sec, therefore, what 1t Is that
Nassar girls Ont, in order that we may
have some data upon which TO estimate
the comparative intellectual value Of
di ornnt articles OF diet The account
Of the years proyender reveals some
curious and interesting facts. Assuming
ms every y assar graduate will insist
that we shall assume-that there are no
intellects 50 perfectly in condition rs
those al \ assar, we must believe that
t.e ratio established between chocolate
cellars and slate pencils on the one
hand and roast beer on the other is the
right ratio for the maiAtenance OF tho
feminine mind in its highest state of
eaiciency.
t%mluckily, the account rendered by
the \ aSsar puryeyor does not enter into
cxact details, but H. Is at any rate sud-
GENTLY particular to be suggestive We
learn, Tor example. that while the Vas
sar girls ate only ~, 900 pounds Of
butter, they made away with -, 900
pounds of sugar, Il fact from which it is
n necessary inference that sugar is a
more intellectual article OF diet than
butter in the ratio of twenty-five to
fourteen. Ordinary folk eat more butter
than sugar, which is obviously wrong,
and if we mean to cultivate the mind
properly We must strmghtway amend
our in this respect. Thackeray
discovered the fact long ago and insisted
that sweets and novels are TO be com
mended because all women crave them,
bnt he did not get at Q act ratios.
II Is TO be observed, however, that
even the figures given do not quite &C
curately represent the fact, for in addi-
ton to the crude sugar used the Vassar
girls ate what we may call applied sugar
in considerable quantities. They are
credited with the consumption Of 587
boxes Jsize not stated Of caramels, 092
pounds of confections, and ninety-one
pounds OF maple sugar at the expense of
the college eommissarat, besides privately
purchased supplies. Obviously, feminine
brain activity requires n deal Of
swcctening.
Another interesting fact is that the
Nassar girls ate forty bushels of Onions
during the year. We arc pleased to
know this. The onion is a vegetable or
many sterling qualities, which is too
much neglected by women under
a mistaken notion that its consump-
ton is vulgar 1t is dainty and
succulent, and its food value is
very great. If ii disagreeably affects
the breath, that is no reason for neg
locting it. but merely a reason for tom
porary soclusion on the part of the con
sumner, and, as everybody knows, seclu-
sion Is always possible 10 n woman. She
has only to have q headache il callers
are announced. We heartily approve
of the forty bushels of onions,
Besides these things the girls made
use OF 20. 900 clams-uncookod. let us
no e., 300 pounds of tur ey, 1895
pounds Of fresh fish brain food seven
barrels OF maokerel, 9l,4e5 pounds Of
FIRE b meat, and twelve gallons Of horse
radish, in addition to other articles of
minor Importance. obviously, the girls
live well as they ought, seeing that they
do their work well. We " sh them
every happiness and all prosperity, and
good husbands, every bachelor (of arts
OF them