The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-27
THE NEW VEGETHRIANISM.
It's Followers Not Confined to Husl<s
but Allowed n Mixed Diet.
New York Evening Post.

|
! New York Evening Post.
J. In almost all departments of thought the
old order changeth, giving place to new,
so that observers have from time to time
| to get their bearings afresh. Accepted
doctrines well innovations change
| their faces with changed times. Both those
| who defend and those who attack shift
their ground, the history of controversy
thus being often very different thing
| from the actual status of controversy.
| Everybody knows that there is a new the
| ology which 1t would be stupid to confound
with the old, a new criticism, a new his
tory, a chemistry. psychology, his
! tory, etc. What may not have been SO
clear to all is that there is also a new
vegetaranism.
The old vegetarian was weak brother
who ate herbs on the strictest hygienic
principles Flesh was to be avoided, not
because it was cruel or disgusting to kill
animals, but because meat was clearly bad
for mankind, engendering as many dread
full "humors" as the Medecin Malgre Lui
discovered in his patients diaphragm. A
vegetable diet was the thing, not because
1t was toothsome, or conformable to gentle
natures, but because 1T furnished the only
sound basis for health and strength. This
was the thorough-going vegetarianism of
| fifty years ago. and which it was so easy
to triumph over in argument. Catch an
old vegetarian eating an egg or drinking
milk, and his reputation forever gone
| He would no more touch fish than he
would the accused leg of mutton itself
This was the vegetarianism which Emer-
son knew about and Of which he made
| faithful trial at the instance of some of
his transcendental friends. He instructed
| PC ENrpaar
dinner of bread and water. At the end of
| seven days he instructed her to discontinue
| the experiment. That was the radical age
/ of vegetarianism.
But we have changed all that how COM
pletely one may find by looking at the
| rules and practices Of the Vegetarian So
ciety. The new vegetarianism abstains
from from mesh food but not necessarily. from
anI niaad pro def The hygienie value of
| as yet taboo to the orthodox, but some
daring spirits are maintaining that even to
| eat nSh might be consistent with vegetari-
| anism. Does not the old classification,
| fish. flesh and fowl intimate a way of
However that may De, the new vegetarian
| ism is much more generous, or lax in diet
than the old. and throws the main stress
| upon the ethical and humane argument.
This is very clearly brought out in Mr.
henry Salts. pleasant article in the last
Fortnightly on THE Humanities of Diet ;"
Mr.. Salt has good deal of humor. which
is of itself a sign that some great change
has come over vegetarianism. He jests with
derstandings Of true vegetarian doctrine
He knew of master of great public
school who thought he was trying vege-
tarianism" by adopting a diet of Cabbage
and potato and then giving 1t UP sadly
after month because he found himself
getting SO very "habby" Then there was
the fatal experiment of Mr.. So-and-So, who
really destroyed the whole case for vege-
tarianfsm. becoming SO alarmingly weak
you know, that he was. really Obliged to
take something nourishing. Mr. Salt laughs
with the utmost good nature at all this,
fol iecfP iol,
are ever being thrown in the faces of veg
etarianisfn, as If the new vegetarianism
had not an answer for the whole of them
Let it be clearly understood, writes Mr.
Salt, that the main object of all vegetarian
propaganda since 1S47 has been to establish
a scheme OF humane living" to secure
the discontinuance of the shocking and in
human practices that are inseparable from
the slaughter house."
Up to a certain point 1t must be admit
ted this gives Vegetarianism common
ground with all civilized men It does not
require vegetarian to be Disguised with
such state of things as Thiebault de-
scribes in Paris before the revolution. when
beeves promiscuously slaughtered Vege-
tarianS may have done more than others
surely can assert no monopoly in the hui
name sentiment which has led to model
abattoirs and the best euthanasia that sci
ence can devise for animals. If the avoid
ance of cruelty TO animals and the suppress
sion or repulSive sights be. Mr.. Salt af-
firms, "the purpose of modern food reform
ers. there seems to be no good reason why
they might not attain their end and still
admit the eating of flesh. For if a stand
is still made upon the mere humane senti-
ment of not willing another being to give
up its life for mans benefit, the danger is
that even a vegetable diet would next be
denied us. Humane sentiment cannot al
ways be prevented from running into senti-
mentality, and science is all the while re-
vealing new sensitiyeness in vegetable life
Is it really any more cruel to ask d clam
to cease to exist for our behoof than it is
to ask cabbage? The fact is that the
between
BILE kingdoms cannot be drawn, and even
a new vegetarian may be guilty of inhu-
manity without knowing it.
How near sentimentaity turks to the
vegetarian doctrine. even when expounded
by so hard-headed man as Mr.. Salt NAV
be seen by his appeal from the barbarities
of the butchers shop to the wealth OF
Did he never see fruit that was not golden?
Is anything more disgusting than a mass OF
rotten apples. moldy peaches, Shiny pears
decaying vegetables? In the way of sun
dangerous food ii is safe to say that the
Board of Health is much more occupied in
diSpoSing OF noiSome fruit and vegetables
than of flesh. This simply shows the dan
ger of sentiment and ina gina ton in such
arguments
Mr.. Salt comedies that even the new veg
etarianism is making but slow progress
Somehow 1t does not go with the robust
English temperament. Wordsworth rnieht
safely approximate to it, with his thin
blood, but when he was entertaining Scott
the latter had to slip off to the public house
for his chop and glass of ale. Tennyson
records a faithful experiment of his own
of the diet of milk, and meal and grass -
For ten long weeks" he wrote to Edward
oras.' AT first all went well. He felt like
"a thing ens1ied." But he could not keen
it up. He confessed himself:
"Child till I tasted flesh again."