The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-06-19
CHAPTER LXXII.


The Atlanta Constitution records the proceed
lngs OF eoiored debating club that found itself
unable to agree on the cause of ROmeo's fail
ure to reconcile Julias father.D
1t do seem strange friends" at last decided
the moderator; " but maybe the principal cause
Oh lt IS that he never once called the old man
Colonel"
What is in manner" is. indeed a snggage.
i've question. and there is no doubt that The
slow progress of great detetic reform party
has something to do with their mistake in call
ing themselves "VegetaIians." The word
vegetable" in the popular sense Of the word,
conJures up visions Of sauerkrous and turpips
and nightmares OF HcnOphon, who informs his
readers that Cyrus the Great was brought nm
on a diet of crosses and water, with the addition
oil ahttle salt on special HOLIDAYS The msFa
proposition OF such project would be enough
to make nine out Of 10 Americans take 70 the
woods, where nature provides at least freq
lunches OF walnuts and huckleberries.
But there Is no question that, from a physiO-
iogical point OF view, the main principle OF
yegetarlanism embOdies q truth Of much IN
derrated Importance. No intelligent anatouiss
would nowadays undertake TO deny that the
entire structure of the human organism agrees,
bone Tor bone. muscle for muscle and tooth for
tooth, with that OF the frugivOrOus animals
We have canine teeth as well as Hat molars,D
IS frequent objection to vegetarian arguments.
anu SpA-7Ct aACAtty aHOulu SubsESJ on q mixed
dIet-a diet of meat and vegetables" But the
truth is that the canine teeth, sO-called ara far
more strongly developed in some species OF
lruglyorous monkeys, the GibbOn apes and
balloons tor instance, and even in certain herb
eaters, like the musk deer and the males az
several ieaf-eating creatures. In the true car
niyora not only the canine teeth, but half the
mOlars are pointed enough to serve the ourposa
OF decorating flesh, the feet terminate in strong.
sharp claws, and the bowels are much shorter
than those Of the fruit and herb-eaters.
Presumptive evidence Of that kind certainly
Justihes the Conjecture that flesh is not our
natural diet, and that suspicion might be con-
tirmed by the result of a simple experiment.
In country like East America the plan OF
adopting the vegetarian bill Of fare for a couple
OF weeks implies no haFdships whatever: the
variety Of vegetables and fruits being so infinite.
not to mention milk and eggs, cream aud honey,
articles OF diet which enlightened vegetarian5
have ceased 20 consider Objectionable After
subsisting for half month on such fare. let
anyone watch the effect Of a sudden return 10
his hesh-pOts. The distress OF his digestive
organs will be too UnmistakabIe to escape notice.
and Tor day or two he will feel restless and
uncomfortable, mOrose, too, very likely, like a
topper slowly recovering from the effects Of an
acOhOl-spree.
IL would be sOphistry to ascribe those effects
to the suddenness Of the change. We might
live for months on bread and milk and expert
euce no Inconvenience from hearty meal az
potatoes and eggs Habitual lesh-eaters would
feel decided relief on occasional fast-days in
the Austrian sense Of the word, which permits
about any lenten-fare, excepting the flesh OF
slaughtered animals
In that very custom Of periodical abstinence
from animal food there is a significance which
has induced the founders of several religious
customs 70 esehew flesh pots altogether Oncs
n va fha De, -
during which slaves were permitted 70 hObnob
with their masters and the poorest with the
richest, and which was evidently intended to
commemorate a time when all men were equal.
or as nearly equal es differences OF natural
talents would permit. In the same way the
Rhamadan season of the MahOmetans and
the Catholic Lent serve to perpetuate the
memory OF time when our forefathers lived
more frugally,-subsIsting as exclusively on
heid-fEuits and berries as the bounty Of ths
season would permit, though in years OF erOo
failures they may sometimes have been obliged
to exc out on existence with the ala of arrows
and fish hooks
One chief obstacle to the progress Of vegetari-
anism IS The popular mpressiOn that lesh-eatinp,
nations are physically and intellectually sure
riOr to their frugal neighbors. That fact. how
ever, can be fully explained by the circumstance
that cold climate sharpens the wits aud steels
the muscles Of men who for generations were
Obliged TO purchase survival BY q severe strug-
gle for the bare means Of existence The diff
Guilty OF procuring sufficient supply of vege-
table food III country Of short Summers. made
many NOrthlanders meat-eaters: but that tba
slaughter Of our fellOw-creatures is not an in
dispenSaDie condition for the devel0pment OF
brain aud muscles IS proved BY the dietetic
habits of the Turks and the Scandinavians In
Sweden, Norway and the Danish Islands
millions of athletic aud By no means unintelII-
q. -
and dairy products. The stOutess men OF
modern times ale probably the longshoremeu
OF the Turkish seaport-tOwns,-feIlOw who
think nothing Of shOuldering 2 SEQ pound
bale OF cotton and marching away with q firm,
even step, and who yet pass whole months OF
their labOrlOus lives without tasting meat in
any form. Another cause Of the AnglO-SaxOn
prejudice is the wretched diet which the poor
of the West European cities are apt to sub
stitute for the iesh-fOOd Of the rich. The
tenants of the London and Paris slum- alleys
are often vegetarian from necessity rather
than choice; but that necessity ObIiges them
TO abstain from butter, milk, eggs and fruits al
strictly As from meat. They subsiSt on coffee
and stale bread, stale cabbage, potatoes and
whey, and too often celebrate their holidays BY
Investing their scant savings in rum. The
idea of meat-eating and physical vigOr became
thus associated ii way defying 81 physiOlOgi-
cal arguments.
The ruddiness of habitual iesh-eaters is By
no means sign Of health, and Is exhibited
in the complexion of a beef-and-pOrter fed
squire of the characteristic JOhuny Bull type,
indicates often rather a tendency to plethora
and apOpleetic fits. when the body is in 8
healthy state" says the author of Medical Re-
form, THE little minute vessels which constitute
a large part OF the body, are strong and active,
and keep themselves habitually so contracted
that nothing but the pure blood can pass them,
while the cOagulated red glObules which serve
no purpose in the nutritive process and highten
the color Of the parts where they eireulatel
are forbidden ingress or passage. Now what
ever weakens these important organs. 50 that
they are habitually obliged 70 expand suiIi-
GENTLY 70 carry the coarse glObules Of blood.
and thus give the complexion flushed appear
auce. is sappng the very foundations of per-
manent health and long life"
The flushed almost hyid) hue Of meat
gluttOns is indeed as entirely different from
the clear brown OF the suu-tanned Spanish
gardener, as from the white-and-red complexion
of the frugal and long lived Swedish peasant.
Ito be e0RiiRUscil
Big Pension Claims for Iowa Soldiers.