Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-05-06
Cookery and the Alcohol Habit.

Among the various causes which
le III to the formation Of the alcohol
habit. poor cookery unquestionahIv
hold, leading place Oar market,
are supplied with every thing needed
for human food. aad at prices the low
est in tho civilized world; our labor
ers are the best paid ia the worsi !;
rich and poor are therefore able to
supply Their tables with food materials
Of the best description; yet it is a
melancholy fact that u very large pro-
portion. probably much the greater
portion of these materials. are 20 i'll
iured in preparation a. Ia he utterly un-
tit Tor food More tina this. the philoSo-
pa, Of nutrition is 50 impertectly under
stood, even among the most intelligent
Of our people. that most Of those
whose food may be prepared in an
Objectionable manner. are still unable.
from ignorance, To select such articles
rs will best subserve their needs. The
consequence is that the well paid but
poorly fed labor goes 10 the beer
saloon for something to supply the
want caused by the improper ADJUST
ment and poor quality Of his food.
The hard working mechanics and
farmers. though perhaps the best
serv ID of any classes Of our citizens.
except the very wealthy, still manage
TO destroy much of the value of their
food by ignorant cookery or mole IL
nnrant methods Of eating. and the re-
suit is premature breaking down, 4
craving for something which the table
does not supply. and which the tenn
pory ,timulous given by alcohol leads
the afflicted one to suppose may be
found in the bottle
The remedy for this state of affairs
lies in the more rational education Of
our daughters. The whole drift Of
our present educational methods. both
secular and religious, is to cultivate
the idea that the intellect and soul are
everything, the body nothing. Were
it possible to develop sound mind in
opposition to the laws governing the
health of the body-laws ofequally di-
vine origin with those relating to the
moral conduct of mankin this idea
might be rational; but the mind and
soul live not until first born in a ma
terial body: their highest intellectual
capacity is only realized in connection
with physical health; and transgres-
sion aUaipct tho lau. which oroxar,,
the welfare of the body is no less sin
than transgression against moral laws
by which society is bound together
When this shall have been recognized
and our daughters shall be taught that
the highest and hottest study of wom-
anhood is that Of the laws of life &;
when they shall see that the art of
cookery is yet more noble and enno-
bling than those of music and paint
ing when they shall learn that it is
better to understand the true functions
of food and clothing than to be versed
in all the literature of the ancients,
then we shall enter upon an era when
.'probibition" shall be useless, because
needless.
Such an education by no means i'm
plies a return to the drudgery of which
SO many housewives complain. II
means deep and reverent study OF
the divine law-that written in the
book of nature equally with that which
has come through revelation. l,
means the making of our daughters
true helpmeets in every sense of the
word, mentally, morallf, physically
with the sons who are now so eagerly
grasping the truths of this new book
so recently opened before us.-Edito
rial from Farm and Fireside.