Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-11-04
THE EATERS OF CLAY
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
WHO FEED ON DIRT.

In Java the Women Eat Cakes Of
Earth to Keep Themselves slender.
and In New Caledonia the Natives
Feed On Friable stones.
No collection Of national dishes in
cludes earth or clay among Them bur
this is favorite plat with good
many millions Of people up and down
Even In Europe they are not difficult
to find, or We're not 80 years ago
Tastes have changed good deal since
then, no doubt. But human beings do
not readily give up Il favorite dish. es-
pecally when 1t is cheap. II superior
persons denounce it, they enjoy the
treat on the sly.
Probably the quarrymen of kiffhan-
sen no longer breakfast in public upon
slices OF bread "buttered" with fine
clay. as Humboldt saw them, but We
should he rather surprised to learn
that thrifty souls among them do not
follow tho custom of their ancestors
in private. Humboldt was reminded
of that early experience upon the
banks of the Amur, where he saw
Russian soldiers eating what they
called crock butter" IL similar clay.
Mr.. Iaing had the good fortune to oh
serve the first appreciation Of the deli
cacy, or almost. in one district of Swe
den. Five years only before he made
the tour" so famous in our grandsrrs'
time there was dearth in the country.
The people had already begun to eat
ozark bread" when n very poor wood.
man noticed some white stuff among
the roots of n tree he felled. 1t looked
so clean and nice that he carried home
Il basketful, mixed II with rye and
bark and baked ii. The loaf proved to
be excellent, and no disa greeablc con
sequences followed. So the woodnan
told his neighbOrs, and rush set In.
When the magistrates heard of this
abnormal provender, they forbade thr
use Of it, of course; that would be the
natural impulse Of the superior per
son. But the peasantry were not T."
be persuaded or cOerced into rejecting
food which they knew by experience
When Mr.. Laing visited the district
1t Is called Dcgenfors--they were MS.
ing the stuff both for soup and bread
Samples dispatched to Stockholm for
analysis gave Finely pulvcriZrd flint
ana feldspar, lime, clay. oxide Of iron
and rrsidlum of some organic matte,
similar to animal which yielded am.
mOnia and al OIL
1t is organic matter which contains
the nourishment everywhere no doubt.
If nourlshment there be. But that IL q.
not always the case. and earth eating
seems to deserve more attention than
has yet been paid to it. so far MS our
reading goes. Commonly it is dismiss.
ed rs a degrading practice of savagcs.
But German quarrymen. Swedes. even
Russian soldiers, are not 10 bt classed
with SavaEes. Nor are the peters of !
S,lpde. Their work is fashionable NJ
present and they make money that Is.
by the Indian standard. But among
their weekly expenses an allowance
must Ia made for the quantity of
''chaniNu" which their wives and chill
lrpn consume; "chauiah" Is II white,
nnctuOus earth used for giazing pot.
terry.
But. as a rule, Of colrsc. 1t IL saw.
ages who affect this dieI. alike useful
and agreeable to their taste. Few I'M
lerstand, perhaps, how common it Is.
Instances might he found in every con.
.lnent and every zone by any one who
OokCd into the matter thoroughly. We
give n few which recur to mind.
lie Amos are enthusiastic earth eat
as. In the north of their island Is a
valley where alone the material can
Do dug, but it is carried to all parts
| ney boil 1t with the root of the wild
lily. When certain proportion Of the
lay has settled. the remainder Is pour
III Off and eaten like cream. Sir
Spencer st. John reports that the Sea
'yaks always took supply of red
'chrc on their piratical expeditions as
reserve in case stores should run
hort and we once found in some de.
erted Seribas praus many packets of
white. oleaginOus clay used for the
anne purpose"
In Java little cakes of earth are sold
II the market; women buy and eat
hem to preserve n slender shape. The
rratment succeeds. for they lose all
ppetitc. Humboldt asserts that the
Indians OF Quito put earth and quartz
and into their drinking water: but
his is not unusual. so far as the earth
.Ocs. at least We have heard RUcr
nmily complain thu, they could no
where get good water when absent
rom their home on the banks of the
orange. Til" water Of the Orange Isl
PURGE of mud: hence It's name.
The peoples Of New Caledonia rnt
'irccs of IL friablr stone, "lapis OIL
'riS." Mcssrs. tloqur, and Bris,het.
ruvrlinG in those islands. could get
10 food for several days. They came
pom some green laminate tale ana ate
we ounces each: their strength return
Il. ana thcJ !i'vrr frlt any iucnny.ni-
nee The httOruc Indians of South
.nerica live. exclusively Oh fish when
hey can gr, it. Rut during the s.n-
on OF nuo,iS there il 40 fishing. and
he! na'ag" very comfortably with
;lrth. Moreover they find the diet 80
tltar during the rnet OF the
car they ear n ball Of clay for dessert.
Widen ly il n:-rrcs with them. for tile
'ttOmacs ar" very tall and robust
all Mall Guz.ttc.
Made Him Weep.