Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-07-17
ABOUT SWEETS.

Progress of Their Manufacture I'm
This Country-Various DelicacIes
that Delight the Palates of Youth
Vegetable CoIors Taking the Place
ofPotsonous Ones.
The last thing a child inquiries into
is how the sugar plum it snaps up
with some avidity is made. Yet the
manufacture of these delicacies-I
had almost said necessaries-of the
nursery is a thing worth witnessing
A marvellous change has come across
the public opinion respecting sugar
and sweets of all kinds, They used
to be denounced by tender mothers
as trash, and, possibly because they
were SO denounced, they tasted all the
sweeter to the little ones. In moder-
alton there is nothing more whole
some than sugar; and it is, wlthal,
nourishing and warming because of
the large amount of carbon contained
ia it. Formerly all the higher class
came from France and Germany,
where for ages they have been famous
for their delicacies. But since the IN
PRODUCTION of steam into their fabri~
cation these articles are now made on
the largest scale in this country, and
are vastly cheapened since the days
when we used to spend our last penny
in taffy. The rude style of old is also
gone. The eye must now be satisfied
as we'll as the palate, even in the
cheapest items. Think of the 1 cent
sweets done up in a ruby colored
gelatine packet. There was color, it
is true, in some of the more showy
sweets of old. but it was metallic color
containing the most viralent poison.
An analysis of this painted confec-
tionery, published in medical jour
nal some years ago, exposed the vil~
famous manner in which this vividly
colored sweetmeat was made attract
i've to the children by poisonous paint
The brighter the hue the more dead
ly the sweet. The brilliant green for
instance, with which the toy confec-
tionery was adorned, contained arsen-
ic of copper, as it will be seen present
ly. One can quite understand the
bad name sweets acquired when thus
made up. There was a vermilion in
the reds, of course, and the gamboge
and chroaate of lead in the yellows
No doubt many young children were
absolutely killed by plentIfully par
taking of these artIstically poisoned
comits. The analysis of that medi-
cal paper has delivered us from this
cause of infantile trouble, Nothing
but harmless vegetable colors are now
used, which, if not so brilliant as
metallic ones, are quite safe.
Formerly the making of bonbons
was a tedious affair, and the chief
manufacturers were in the habit of
beginning the preparations for the
great consumption on Christmas and
New Years as early as the month of
August. Now, however, when the pro-
cess is far more delicate and complex,
and the demand has more than doubl-
ed, they commence preparing only
some few weeks in advance. One
grand reason for this Is because bon>
bons belong to the category of perish
able merchandise. If one were oAly
to forget to eat them for a sufficient
length of tine they woald devour
themselves. To preserve them they
have to be shut up In air-tight cases
with layer of chloride OF calcium,
which absorbs all moisture at one end,
and by this means they may be kept
for several years
A large New York establishment,
which ordinarily employs some ninety
persons, about the commencement of
December requires the services OF al
most double that number, tie major
ity of whom are engaged in making
bonbons by the million until the turn
of the new year The entire under
ground portion of the premises is de
voted to the manufacture of sweet
meats. On descending the stone stair
case one finds ones SELF in a sitting
atmosphere, too heavily laden with
tie aroma of vanilla and other essen
ces. Around are scores of workmen,
their faces lighted up by the rsd glare
of numerous furnaces, bus.iy engaged
in plunging particular fruits into
large csldrons filed with boiling
syruss. More in the shade are other
stalwart-looking men, Their counten-
ances made pallid y the intensely