The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-05-13
FOOD DEGRADATION.
Deterioration Has Been Going On
Steadily for Many Years.
why Homemade Articles of Diet Are
Preferred so Those from the
store--EHect OF Poor Food
Upon the Eater.

There can be no doubt that during
the last decade food has undergone
a steady degradation, and this can
not be without a demoralizing infu-
ence upon the human race. 1t will
be noticed that by far the majority
of cases Of tampering with food re-
late to the substitution of cheaper
article rather than to the addition of
an injurious substance. The common
| defense Is that modern conditions of
life make a substitution necessity
II is difficult to see the logic of such
a defense-at least, in number of in
stances, says the London Lancet.
1t is urged, for instance, that jam
or marmalade cannot be made with
out the addition of glucose, wha'h pre-
vents the preserve from erysta-izing.
Now long before glucose was house
hold word jams and marmalade were
made-and good they were, too, con-
sisting entirely of sugar and fruit.
In the same way we are told that beer
must be brewed from sugar and that
brewing exclusively from malt pre-
sents untold difficulties. Again, golden
strip, which used formerly to be the
refined strip of molasses, consists
largely now of artificial sugar, which
is doubtless more marketable prod
uct, but is mot the same thing as cane
sugar.
Yet, again, we are told that the pub
lie demand a perfectly white loaf Of
bread, the truth in reality being that
machinery has produced roller flour
which is an inferior thing to the now,
we suppose, extinct stone-milled flour.
Instances of this sort could be multi
piled.
We could wish that all those keeping
house would make up their minds seri-
ously 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, or homemade 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 palatable
product? Even in the country good,
old-fashioned wheaton bread. with that
fascinating brown color of rich wheat
en- flour, containing the entire nutri-
tious portions of the berry and pos
sessing that delightful wheaton flavor,
now seldom, If ever, characteristic of
bread, is difficult to obtain. The bak-
er's loaf is, as a rule, tasteless, in
sipid article, which requires consid-
cradle appetite before the idea of eat
ing it can be entertained. No wonder
that tho tae4a for braod Z, .4oo1;1,. II
minishing and undoubtedly less bread
is consumed that used to be the case.
AS is well known, bread contains almost |
every element of food necessary for
existence, but we should be sorry for
the person who tried to subsist entire
ly upon the modern uninteresting loaf |
made from blanched roller mill flour.
1t has recently been stated that the
degradation of the teeth so noticeable |
among us now is due to roller milling
having largely supplanted stone mill |
ing. We should mot be surprised. The |
degradation of food is a serious mat
ter and is bound to lead sooner or later
10 the degradation of the eater. No |
movement could confer greater bless |
ing upon the people than that which
aimed at bringing about return to
the older and more rational methods
of preparing food Let us see more
of the homemade article than we now
see; let us return to more palatable |
food and to food that will do more
good than the machine-made stuffs
and the endless series of substitutes.
In all the schools throughout the land
we would have the children taught the
advantages of homemade food, and
how that bread, fruit jam, or even
beer and cider can be made at home.
1t would encourage spirit of indus
try IL would give us palatabIe and
nourishing articles to eat or drink,
and might have a wholesome effect
upon those who seem deliberately to
alternate food as much as possible or
who pay mo regard to its naturally en-
lowed palatability.