, 1891-05-29

nourishing and regularly taken. Milk,
fresh and sweet; the best of bread,
white and brown, thoroughly baked
and ever cut or eaten until a day old;
oatmeal and any Of the varieties of pre-
pared grains; the best Of meats and veg
etables, nicely cooked and served; eggs,
simple puddings, fruits, freshly stewed
o those which have been preserved in
glass jars, should make up the dietary.
The heartiest meal should be taken in
the middle Of the day. Active children
often need some light nourishment mid
way between breakfast and the next
meal. Candies are not necessarily un-
wholesome, and if a little freedom with
the sugar bowl will not suffice to supply
the sweets so craved the mother should
select pure, uncolored candies at a reli-
able confectioner's, or what is better,
make them at home, and give them to
her children at the close OF their meal.
TIT children Of the poor are, as a rule,
insufhciently fed, but this is the result
OF the ignorance which prevails in the
selecting and preparing of their food
quite as often as from a scarcity Of it.
A bony woman presents herself at a
city dispensary. She is decently dressed,
but her skin is the color Of parchment.
She holds by the hand a pale, unhappy
looking child. The case is stated, but
before the prescription is made comes
the question, What does the child eaty7
The doctor is prepared for the answer,
that he Eats the same as the rest of
the family do. The doctor asks what
that is, and to the uninitiated the
answer is often most re~assuring, 10 wit,
Bread, meat, potatoes, milk, also pies
and cakes when we can get them" The
bread, whether baked at home or pro-
cured from the baker, is as nearly fresh
from the oven as possible, and always of
bolted -four.
The meat is fried in fat, and comes to
the table with its nutriuive qualities
nearly all destroyed by the process, while
the hardened fibers are 50 impregnated
with fat that the gastric juice Cthe sol
vent Of meats, but not a digester of fats
cannot act upon them, and an indigesti-
BILE, irritating mass is introduced into
the stomach instead of the nutriment
which the meat, if properly cooked,
would furnish. The milk is bought by
the half pint at a cheap grocery, and it
is often so poor that it does not matter
tina SO little is used. Strong tea and
coffee complete the list. The bony as
pect and parchment skin of the mother
and the sickly pallor Of the child are ex-
planned, and much advice and little medi-
cine are given.
This is no isolated case. On the con-
trary, it is one of the most common.
The rusty teapot and Great American
Spider reign in all these homes, and
thar VirtiYua nFryn hara1 h. N.,a -
thousands. AS a rule the food is sup
piled at a cost which might insure excel
lent fare for all. Intelligence in selec-
ton, ability TO buy the most nutriment
for h least money, and her to cook it
in a manner both palatable and whole
some are the necessary qualifications.
There is no truer missionary field open
10 the philanthropist than that of in
structing the poor with regard TO their
food-how to make the most and best of
what they can command-and no greater
public benefaction is possible than one
which should convert the little starve-
lings Of our underfed population into
children o. a stronger and better growth.
In other words, let a little of the good
sense which is exercised in the care OF
other growing creatures be bestowed up
on the children, and we shall soon cease
to deserve the appellation of "A nation of
dyspeptics.
Indeed, without disparagement to the
latter, l am sure no one win deny that it
Is of much more Importance that the re-
suits of careful observation and scientific
study.be concentrated upon the develop
ment of h physique of a growing citi-
zen Of u ''Great and Glorious Repub-