The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-05
MEAT AS A DIET.
Rejected by the Free
LyCeum Society.
Mrs. Margaret Briggs Explains Why
She Believes Meat Unhealthy and
Not a Necessity.

A large maj Orlty OF the members OF the
Free Lyceum Society are firm believers
that it is not only wrong to eat meat of
any kind. but that the animal was not ere
ated by the almighty for that purpose.
That in any form 1t is an unhealthy diet,
inasmuch as by eating ii person is bound
to contract any and all impurities and
diseases that may be present in the body
when the animal is killed. The society
meets every Sunday in Washington Hall
on Eddy street for the purpose Of listen
ing to addresses from any person who
may wish to be heard.
Yesterday afternoon the subject was,
'Can We Improve and Maintain Health
by Selection of Food?" Professor Holmes
who was TO have been pres ent to deliver
the lecture was confined to his home
owing to illness. In consequence Mrs.
Margaret Briggs, who spoke on the same
subject week ago yesterday before the
society, took Professor Holmes place and
ectured for short time on the subject,
after which she answered many Stlons
propounded by her audience.
She said the matter OF persons diet is
a question of vital importance. Meat is
not healthy diet, and if used at all
should only be after a full knowledge OF
how 1t was fed. raised and killed. Another
important thing TO be borne In mind was
how ii is eaten. 1t should be we'll mastl-
cated-better than almOSt any other article
of food. Meat. however, she explained. was
not an article of diet necessary to per-
sons existence. What a human beings
system wanted was rye. corn and wheat
bread, and with plenty of these kinds of
bread the body did not require meat. To
this kind of diet, she said, might be
added vegetables. fruits, all kinds of
cereals and the first products of nature.
and the result would be good health aud
much better disposition than is often
found.
An uncooked meal once day with one
well cooked, she said, was much better
and surer road to perfect health than the
too prevalent INDEPENDENTLY among
AmeTica1s-of eating too much.
In the promiScuous selection of meats
from market, she said, many dangers
were run that people generally were
| not aware of.
The following questions and answers
were asked and made by the speaker:
Can disease be cured bv diet?"
Yes, [ know il can. L know a case of
| dyspepsia that was cured by eating raw
vegetables and fruits, and only partaking
OF one meal per day"
IF you were to eat only one more meal
in this life and wished to live as long as
possible Of what would 1t consist?"
Indian corn, rye and wheat bread,
fruits and vegetables without any tea, COT
fee or other stimulant."
(which school of people is the best to
accept advice or diet from-those who ad-
vocate the eating Of fruit, vegetables or
cereals?'
ACCEPT advice from all of them and
use little of the diet advocated by EACH"
why Is raw food better than coOked?"
Because in lis natural condition raw
food contains nutritious ingredients that
cooking takes away from it,"
us water in lis natural state fit to
drink?"
mo. particularly so if it has been
stagnant for any time. The impurities of
water can be removed by boiling"
DO you believe it is right 10 kill any
animal because it is defenseless?"
mo. l do not; but they have to die
some time, and if they are in a proper
condit ion think it is 10 sin to slaughter
themp"
Are vegetables grown in enriched
ground as good as those that are not?"
Il have often thought of that. For in
stance. take the straw berry; it will grow
to an unnatural size in MANFRED ground.
La doing this 1t loses part of its real flavor
and absorbs in its place a pr0portOnate
share of the flavor of the ground"
wv hat is your objection to eating meat,
and why does the system not require it ?"
For this reason: The animal is moth
ing more or less than condensation of
vegetable matter. 1t eats, lives and
grows on the product of The ground, and,
consequr ntly. it is a secondhand dish of
vegetables. Eat vegetables from the
ground and get them first hand"
A number of other questions were asked
and answered, all of the same import.
after which several short papers on the
same subject-part advocating, part re-
leeting meat as e diet-were read.