New-York tribune., 1899-12-17

,.-o,rner with the conviction that not trial
te me, INIT the dinner. is the capltA institution
.! e. '-,putry" This impression IS nol perhaps
o. nls ni~. ,.ivtd when an open air appeute begins
the ledS' demands at the hollow and hungry
70 uIs ION The dweler Ia cities may-with
noo. smiling" as he feels eQual to put the
. n.ton ~ bv' for an hour or two longer. But he
Que'' =, his hest frame Of mind. IL is possible
is hOt .atfast - is not his strong point, while
u-Ss u-SSs.s,tial luncheon very likely IS Lorna
SCGtSrs's hero. the redouhtaole Jan kldd, had
DOouC and truly comfortable sense Of what
yeVl"sa-'- - himself on this account and a well
was uut boIf.f In the proper daytime. He had
seaS sba5oV Of a doubt that II O'Clock was the
I, Iot t11a f1r a man 90 have his dinner Then
n ~ balance Il east and west then the right
= Ie. SHE If a man are in due proportion, and
an l-.-i.,+. ess-lv with harmonious fluids" And
~ sunports his opinion with the ancient rhyme:
Sunrise breakfast. sun nigh. dinner
S1r5own, sup makes saint Of sinner.
xo doubt the sentiment IS hearty. wholesome
- r4tll~al en0uCl-f0r EXmoor But social
history is fun Of repeuuons. and the habit Of
sinng as pract.Sei hy ourselves has only fol-
,.ura5 the same dey.ating course as that trOdden
bv The Romans. IN the earlier stages of their
t;stpry the .cUua' mot properly transatable
.. supper" unit, a later period was eaten in
.ba middle Of the day. But as wealth and lux
NV increased ana entertainments grew more
r-,fuse it was deferred until the evening in
,-iar that more time might be devoted 10 it,
ar-andum" and not being Of heavy kind. this
involved AT early bite al some unconsdered
t-fe which the Romans called 'jentaculum'
and we breakfast" Taking the facts, apart
from the names by which they are designated
Il s clear that our three staple meals are eaten
AZ much tAa same hours a. those prevailing dur
ing the high. So level Of Roman civilization.
Now. 10 has often been matter II inquiry when
and h0V our ancestors breakfasted. When they
a6nei" at 1u p the forenoon il may be assumed
that th- later rISers needed little before that
tine But these We're only the minority and
breakfast ir some shape was certainly partaken
Z by most of the lIeseS. il was not, however. a
Sc. meal Ike dinner and supper, and has not
,sft the same mark on social records Breakfast
IL fact Was KIND Of go you please" funC-
ton 90 which few persons sat down An old
box of th- sixteenth century manners thus de-
scrb-S b.. " centric have two state meaies
day ani fr breakfast bitt IN ye buttery TO a
morning i-aGcht" often enough il consisted OF
a morning traI-ht and nothing else. except
some hungry stomach that cannot fast till din
ler time And. indeed the general idea as TO the
superfu.ty = breakfast continued for a length
ened period. and as late the time Of Izaak
Walton We find Pscator and NiatOr still agree
Ing IN not eating any but one glass of ale and
10 more t- dinner Thus is the old proverb
justified
IT. I e-,a,rs. an5 were T5ndroas is u.st. ''
As the 5ioner. however. still continued 90 grow
later breakfast became 0f real Importance. ana
the triumph Il the teapot finally led 20 its being
placed ID an assured footing a. d family meal
Breakfast. luncheon and dinner are iuterde-
pendent links ~ The same chain. The growing
a,sness ~ the dinner hour made a substantial
luncheon NJ bot vi4UiS more or less If neces-
s.,y prat4t Jan Pidd was not far wrong A
healthy man pretty generally feels himself
growing toward hunger at noon. and as the
normal luncheon time is o'clock breakfast is
fully entitled % thu F-nOrs now accorded IT,
sydney smith had a kind # standard by which
. estimate hat he described as the dining
ard sIpp.ng virtues" of men. But however these
nay be- exhibited later in the day they shin,
most c0lsp cu0usly at the breakfas, table Il
has been said that busy people must dine late
and that idl- people choose %. The axiom Will
hardly bear analyz.ng though it is certain that
both classes have adopted the practice. Dining
e habit. and it would probably never have
,se. 20 the status II an art but for the leisure