The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-04-06
THE ETHICS OF FOOD.
Georges Experience with Prof
Spatling's Course OF Lectures.


Soon after our marriage. my wife,
= who is somewhat of stickler for hy-
Eicnc, found the advertisement Of a
course of lectures on the Ethics of
Food" under our knocker, and brought
IL in to me.
George, dear, isn't it fortunatef
You know you were telling me the
other day that disease is often com
municatcd by food-and here's the
very thing we want. A course of SIX
lectures on the something or other Of
food; only guinea the course, and by
Prof Spatling, too. Don't you think
as you are always so busy writing, I'd
better go and see what the lectures arc
like? tn be so useful to know what
one is eating"
The only occasion on which ! had
spoken on the subject at all was one
Sunday afternoon, when l had read
from the British Weekly a question
from u corresp ondent, whether toma-
toes were ever the cause of cancer?''
and had remarked on the impro ba bility
of such an event But then was new
ly married, and unused to the ways of
women, or possibly unduly tolerant;
SO l made only faint murmur at the
expense"
Expense? But wouldn't it be false
economy to study that when our health
is concerned? Why, we don't know
what suffering and disease we may es-
cape by taking little care"
81, l., 4 ,I.o =.
that my wife was present at the lee
ture, while | remained at my fireside
to thunp out ON my typewriter an
article for the Olympian Review. be-
came so absorbed in this that when n
gust of cool air blew into my room, and
my wife, with the usual outdoor smell
that one notices in winter about her
clothes, came in, it seemed but a few
minutes since she had left me.
''Oh, George dear, am so glad saw
that handful It's SO providcntial; for
if hadn't gone tonight, goodness only
knows what might have happened"
"What on earth do you mean, love?"
My wife was too agitated to answer,
but went into the next room and rang
the bell for Pauline. As matter of
fact, Paulinc's kitchen is almost as near
as the next room, and she might have
called her much moro easily than by
ringing the one perfect bell that we
possess. But the principle of style was
involved; and to that my wife is ready
to sacrifice any amount of personal
comfort
fAl i'll Il
"came up smiling" FROM a novelette,
she had just been reading. Pauline is
good girl, with a character which
some day intend to work into a novel.
But that, as Mr.. Kipling would prob
ably say, is quito another story
Pauline" said her mistress, take
that meat away" The table was al.
ready laid Tor SUPPER, and l attempted
a feeble protest against having my
meal spirited away thus before my
eyes. But my wife was determined,
and said: DO you know, George, what
the consequence of our eating meat
may be? It's quite possible that we
may go into consumption. Prof. Spat
ling says that mea: is prolific cause
of consumption, owing to the capacity
of animals to contract that disease
The 'basilica', or whatever you cal
those horrid little insects, get from the
meat into your system, and do the mis-
chief. Jews are much freer from con
sumption than we are, solely owing t.
the fact that their food is always rigid.
ly inspected by the rabbs before being
used
For human consumption, | sug.
gested, jocularly. But my wife was
very much in earnest.
Then those pickles. too Pickle,
are simply poisonous. Sulphate of cop
per is largely used in their manufac
ture, accounting for their bright greer
colors. You can give the beef anc
pickles to Mrs. Priggs tomorrow, Pau
line, to take home to the children"
MY dear" / ventured to suggest
''if these are to disseminate the germ.
of consumption and to poison their re
cipients, do you think it quite the
thing"
l was going to say Ito give then
to our washerwoman," but a vision O
mothers-in-law fitted across my brai1
and | was about to suggest that hei
mother might be glad of them wher
my wife continues: Then that bacor
every body who eats bacon gets trich
inosis. And you know you said your
self, George, dear, that tomatoe.
brought on cancer"
But, my love-" ventured mildly t.
suggest, If we mayn't eat meat of any
kind, or tomatoes, or pickles, what OF
earth is there left to live on?"
"oh, heaps of things-eggs. fish
poultry, vegetables, everything, al
most And am sure it wouldn't b(
right to fly in the face of Providence
after Prof Spatling' lecture"
80 for the next week we were living
on eggs, vegetables and fish, and by