The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-12-15
FOOD AND MORALS.
BETWEEN THE sPlR-
ITUAL AND PHYSICAL.

Nutriments That Exert n Good or lad In
liyEicnic Laws Tint sho;.id Make Every
Housewife Moral Agent.
Few things in domestic life deserve more
careful study than tho influence exercised
by food on cur henlth and our moral life,
aud 1t is to ba feared fow Of these obtain
less attention. Indeed, with TN unfortu.
naicly lnrso number of people the study
OF food is looked on rs almost wicked. GER
tainly dorogatory, and tho duty of "high
thinking and low living is insisted OH ud
nawscan.
Now that 1t Is possible 10 attach too
much Importance Ia tho question of ''Whut
shall we cnt and what shall wc drink?' no
ono Will for moment deny. AT the sano
time 1t is probable that mat tontion to TINT
very important question has far moro TO
answer for From the way some persons
talk lt Wou!a almost seam rs il tho phys
1cal body and tho mental body wGro two
entirely separate entities, absolutely indie
pendent tho one of tho other though for
practical purposes tho greater and moro
important WIS, 50 Ia speak, imprisoned
III the lower and least considerable nor
ton. If this wcro true, no doubt much
might so said in favor Of the doctrine that
our mental and moral powers are to be
considered above orr bodily ones But as
n,aticr of fact, plainly demonstrated by
modern research, these two entities have,
AT present anyway, 10 separate existence,
but, on tho contrary, are incxtricably
bound up In ono compile whole tho spir-
itual rcacting Oh the bodily and the body
In its turn Influencing tho spirit or soul,
call it which you will, and it is to this re-
cirrocnl action that W. owe tho absolute
Importance Of tho food question.
Ii is not too much To shy that no i'll fed
man can be either thoroughly sano or in
trinsic.lly moral, and unlucsi!y i'll fed
does not necessarily mean under or INSULT
GENTLY fed, for in that case tho remedy
would bo III tho simplest, viz, y moro gen
crous supply of nutrmcnt. OF course it
may not bo in the poor mans own power
TO obtain more food. but it would certain
~ mako tho task CT those anxious 10 re-
love him easier, as it would DO plain what
to do.
broadly speaking, ail disease is orig-
nally prcyentiblu. Eliminate dirt and it's
spiritual prototype. sin, and the human
race would bc both healthy and happy. AS,
unfortunately, we can, however get rid
entirely of neither of these factors, wo can
only Ito our best to minimize their effects.
and III this work. little us many appear to
realize 1t, no ono has moro part than tho
house mother. Do not sllirli tho knowledge
that such and such tendencies are so 10
speak, in your blood, but faco it, and
Innko it your study to countoract Thorn, If
not in yourself, at least in your children.
Now, in this work food Is undoubtedly
firm ally. Tako u baby, for instance and
see how entirely its moral condition do
ponds on its bodily. A healthy, properly
fed and tended baby Is never fretful, pco-
Wish, little imp, always on tho whine, and
restless and uneasy just whom il ought to
DO asleep. We hear n great deal of the i'm
provement in tho health OF our girls and
attribute 1t to tho increasing physiological
knowledge of the day. Asa matter OF fact
1t is duo to tho increasing amount of out
OF door exercise, fashionnbly considered
pnrt Of actual education by tho we'll to do
which enables them TO digest and nssimi-
lato their food better than in tho old days.
when q milo was looked on as an unusu-
ally long walk for q we'll bred gcntlewom-
nm, and battlcdoor and shuttlecock, or ut
most In grace, WAS tho extent OF their ath-
letics. A mans diet, and more particular
ly wonian's, requires to be carefully id
1usted to tho manner Of life. II hard out
es.-dQos ,Sagk.ls thsix lot, stss9g aitgoss-