The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-09-16
save the Children.

Detrimental food which, by reason of
their superior strength, may not seriously
affect the health of adults, as Is well known
frequently acts upon the more delicate or
gans of the child to produce disorders of
the most serious character. The amount
of Isudanum or other poison that would
be harmless to an adult will cause the
death Of an infant. This great difference
between the vitality of adults and children
Is too generally overlooked in the prepare
ton of food. Because no harm lmme-
distely perceptible comes to the adult by
the use of an article of food no thought is
given to the effect it may have upon the
more delicate organs of inferior age.
Children diet largely upon cake and
bread, and these articles, If light, sweet
and composed of materials that are free
from Injurious substances, are easily di-
gested, nutritious and wholesome. There
is q danger to our children, however.
lurking in their bread and cake which Is
too often lost sight of. These articles
are now leAvened largely by baking pow
dsrs, and when pure and wholesome bak-
ing powders are used they make not only
the most pslats Dle food but one much more
wholesome and nutritive than if leavened
with yeast or cream OF tartar and soda.
The trouble arises from the fact as shown
by recent scientific tests by the govern
ment chemists and by official
boards of health, that all
these baking powders, with the single ex-
ception of the Royal, contain either lime,
alum, phosphosphates, or acids Of an in
furious character. Therefore when bread
or cake is made with the use of these
cheap baking powders these ingredients
(Which are present through the efforts of
the manufacturers to produce q cheaper
article) pass into the food and are taken
into the delicate organs of childhood
where they are the source OF very much of
the disease with which our children are
afflicted.
Persons who have not strong constItu-
tom, growing girls, young children and
nursing mothers are particularly liable to
the evil effects produced by the introduc-
ton OF the adulterants named as found In
the cheap baking powders. Heartburn
and the prevalent forms of indigestion are
often solely trsceable to the action OF alum
on the delicate coats of the stomach. Prof.
Willard Parker. q. 8 Surgeon General
Hammond, Prof. Alonzo Clark. most emf
nent physicians of New York, with scores
of others, have written and spoken most
earnestly OF the evils arising from partak-
ing of such TODD. There should be as
much care in the choice Of q baking pow
der as In obtaining pure milk or in having
g prescription compounded from pure
drugs ami not from poisons.
The matter is one Of the greatest i'm
portance, particularly TO the rising gen.
GRAFTON, and while our conservative law
makers are making mp their minds as to
the proper legislation to stop the sale OF
the poisonous compounds, mothers will
do we'll to study it carefully. The house
keeper will experience no Inconvenience
In dlscarding the use of the adulterated
baking powder, If she bss been using it,
as the Royal Baking Powder upon the
purity and wholesomeness of which all
the government chemists agree, is equally
accessible; but she will need to exercise G
close watch upon her packages from the
grocer in order TO prevent the inferior
brands from creeping into her kitchen an.
awares-
ID what We have felt II our duty to say
in reference TO the subject Of baking pow.
dew there is no intention TO disparage thu
products OF those many manufacturers II
ether lines of food products who, WITH
cousciensiousness snd liberslitv, are serv-
ing the public with pure and wholesome
articles of diet.