Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-09-07
DETERIORATION OF FOOD.

There can be no doubt that during
the past decade food has undergone a
steady degradation. and this cannot be
without a demoralizing influence upon
the human race. 1t will be noticed
that by far the majority of cases of
tampering with food relates to the sub
stitution of a cheaper article rather
than To the addition of an injurious
substance. The common defense is
that modern conditions of life make
substitution a necessity. 1t is difficult
| to see the logic of such a defense-at
least, in number Of instances.
Ii is urged for instance. that jam
| or marnialade cannot be made without
| the addition of glucose, which prevents
| the preserve from crystalliZing. Now,
| long before glucose was household
word jams and marmalade We're made
and very good they were. too. con-
| SlStinS entirely of sugar and fruit. lh
| the same way we are told that beer
must be breWed from sugar. and that
| brewing exclusively from malt pres
| ents untold difficulties. Again. golden
| syrup. which used formerly TO be the
| refined syrup of moiasses. consists
largely now Of artificial sugar. which
| is doubtless q more marketable pro-
| duct. but is not the same thing as
| cane sugar. Yet. again, we are told
| that the public demands Il perfectly
| white loaf of bread. the truth in reality
| being that machinery has produced a
| roller flour which is an inferior thing
| to the now. we suppose. extinct stone
miiled four Instances of this sort
| could be multiplied.
| We could wish that all those keep
| ing house would make up their minds
| seriously to return to the excellent Gus
| tom of preparing many articles of food
/ for themselves at home. Who does not
admit the charm of home made bread.
| home -brewed beer or home made jam,
| and simply because they are known to
| be made from an honest formula which
| has stood the test of time and from
good materials which yield a palata-
| BILE product? Even in the country good
| old fashioned wheaton bread, with that
! fascinating brown color of rich wheat
| IN flour. containing the entire nut
tious portions of the berry and posse
ing that delightful wheaton flavor. n
| seldom, if ever, characteristic of breI
is difficult to obtain. The bakers
is as a rule. tasteless insipid artieg,
which requires considerable appetite
before the idea of eating it can be en-
! tertained. No wonder that the taS
FOR bread is steadily diminishing. an
undoubtedly less bread is cOnsume
than used to be the case. As Is VIZ
known, bread contains almost eHT r
element Of food ne ecessary for EXIST
but we should be sorry for the pd
who tried to subsist entirely upon
modern uninteresting loaf made
blanched roller mill flour.
1t has recently been stated th9
degradation of the teeth so snOti
among US now is due to roller d
having largely supplanted stone
ing. We should not be surprised
degradation Of food is very Sc
matter and is bound to lead so9he >
later to the degradation of the3 eater
No movement could confer create
blessing upon the people than tha
which aimed at bringing about a re
turn to the older and more 'rationa
methods Of preparing food. Let us Sc
more of the homemade article thai
we, now see: let us return to more pal
atable food and to food that will d.
more good than the machinemad
stIffs and the endless series of substi
tutes. In all the schools throughou
the land we would have the chisdrel
taught the advantages of homer mad
food, and how that bread. fruit. jar
or even beer and cider can be made a
home. 1t would encourage spirit O
industry. II would give us palatabl
and nourishing articles to eat or drinl
and might have a very wholesome ct
feet upon those who seem deliberatel
to attenuate food as much as possibl
or who pay no regard to its naturall
endowed palatability.