The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-20
CHAPTER III.
THE OATMEAL SUPERSTITION.

The breakfast awakens curiosity. firs5
comes oatmeal-pasty, inferior stun, III
cooked, lit perhaps for plowman OF
shepherd who works off his food by hard
labor in the open air. but very far from
fit for u slender, nervous girl or boy ht
school. The oatmeal superstition Is nara
one 60 uproot in the minds OF mouse
keepers, who have made 1t part OF their
routine. and hate To take up anything
else. Farmers do not feed oats 10 thelr
horses unless they arc at hard work, De-
cause the grain Is too heating Tor them,
and breeds disease In animals unless
thrown of by vigorous muscular effort
daily.
Oatmeal, especially Of the finer Sort In
which the housekeeper delights, often
passes digestion in u crude shape as
masses of starch which clog the body
without nourishing it. Dry. crisp oat-
cake is much better taken than boiled
oatmeal, and Is far more ralatable, It's
oil and starch being changed in baking.
Clean cracked wheat Is the food for ner-
vous, studious or housekeeping women
and children, containing as 10 does, the
phosphate needed for the brain and the
coarse character which aids other organs
In their work.
The fine tlours and foods Of the day are
grent cause Of the carly deterioration of
the race III we wished artlully TO elimi-
nate every particle of nutrition from food.
il would only be necessary tn carry the
process Of grinding, boltihg and refining
little further. In the experience of the
most Intelligent literary people, IL Is not
possible to change from sound, coarse food,
containing all the wheat, for one day
without loss or strength and nervous
tone, while the difference in complexion
from eating it for a single month chal-.
lenges admiration from all women. The
mon don't say anything, but they notice
IL all the same.
Ordinary women scout and cavil at this
doctrine. Ihoy will have it that their
mothers were strong and good looking on
white bread and friend potatoes and steak,
and it is all nonsense TO fuss so much
about cracked wheat and coarse bread
whens they are just as wol without 10
They send to the bakers for bread five
days in seven, and put their oatmeal 10
cook for the breakfast opening course, to
be swilled down-there Is no other word
with milk and sugar, just before beef
steak or tho ham and eggs.
Oatmeal paste, half cooked, city milk
ana sugar. Why not serve ice cream be-
fore the meatsp Let the wheat carefully
cooked the night before, be served with
the Juicy steak The general habit OF Hood
ing the stomach with milk and sweets
arrests digestion at once and impairs the
value of the food taken after. All
these things tend to early dropping ana
decay OF the human flower To tell the
truth, our women are half starved.
10 women who have their own way TO
make in the world, good looks. beyond
decent, unobtrusive comeliness, are as
much weight to carry rs advantages. In
tho first place, no matter how modest or
how worthy IN themselves, they run dead
against some woman's Jealousy, and lt
will go hard, but she can embitter life
for them. The malignancy of women
toward women il something incompre-
hensible of nondish capability and en-
durance. 1t Is the insanity OF some
female natures. They cannot endure
or believe in anything frank, generous
and free of spirit They would have all
women secretive, crafty, calculating rs
themselves. This temper grows upon
women i'm our time. IL Is weighty
utterance of DIR. Weir Mitchell, that 1.-THE
womon's desire to bc on level OF COM
petition with man and to assume his
duties is, / am sure. making mischief.
1t is making worse ravage with the dis
positions of women than their physical
beinp Thanks to better circumstances
and trained taste. they dress and en-
yiron them selves better, and tho
effect Ia more pleasing at sight than that
of their hard worked grandmothers; but
the morals suffer TO extinction To the
eye which reads character.
your pretty society womans' face warns
You not to trust her with your secrets,
certainly not with an unsoaled letter.
and your duchess with the classic feat
ures has also the expression 81 faustlne.
IL is useless TO say anything about the
formal conventional lives women lead,
which make them prudcs ana pretonders
In society, and viXens when OIL guard,
which restrain tho play of wholesome
natural instincts and activities but train
them for perpetual exhibition. Social
life An America Is fast becoming n mere
of clubs, beginning with the
dancing class the girls friendly society
and the school literary clubs going on 90
tho whist or euchre club, which meets nc
the horso of Nom bers 10 play for prize.
IL is measure of the degree In which
oonpetition enters our social life that
BOYS and girls of sixteen cannot meet
once week To play euchro or authors
without n trumpory hNc-cent prize Tor the
winner You may smile but TINS Dour-
geois, commercial Idea OF going Tor
what you can get eats the lie out OF
society and makes 10 little better than
minor Monte Carlo, with favors for the
german and dinner bouquets or card urizcs
i'm view More than this 10 cats away
the bloom OF women by the inccssant
emulation and imitation 10 entails Gen.
erous sentiments and freedom from miser.
able smnll iealousics tend ~ directly to
beauty and long life rs fresh air and
plcasant food. 1ne sordid, unsp,akablo
jealousy of women, bad enough anywhere,
Inevitable I'm organized clubs and societies
where bonors are pnlpable and attainablc
by recognized stops, undoubtedly has as