Evening star., 1902-03-01

water Is not without its successes one rea.
son being the comparative absence of acid
fermentation. another the addition Of abun-
dant hot water and another-as a friend
has kindly pointed out to me-the general
idea and conviction that beef is strength.
We. however are seeking not the possible
diet Tor man, but the best possible. or tha
the best feasible diet for sedentary as
well as for an active life. And / cannot
yet find clear proof that any one diet is
most natural to man in black clothes and
In stuffy rooms. and In q crowded city. In
fact, a crowded city is itself an unnatural
condition, which may. for all We know to
the contrary demand a special diet-a diet
SO extra-natural that 1t may be classed as
unnatural We want to know not what
some men here or there can eat. but what
We here as individuals should eat In order
that We may get the most We can out OF
ourselves for the benefit and happiness OF
ourselves and Of others
II is usual for ''vegetarians" to quote the
diet OF strong and enduring and active ami
mails, such as the horse the racing dog,
the reindeer. the gazelle and the elephant.
But one objection to such examples Is that
these animals live an active life in fresh
country air. and not sedentary life under
varying conditions. not a life in which
conscious brain competes against conscious
orain. amid conditions which seem espe-
c1ally devised to harass and strain the
nerves. And the same objection applies to
the parallel between man and the ape.
Man and the Ape.
Except for the number OF convolutions
In his brain. and the number Of brain cells.
and few minor differences. man resem-
bles the ape more closely than he resembles
any other animal. In the general shape
Of his body in the number and position Of
his teeth, in his digestive organs, in his
capacity for sweating, and so on, the ami
mai man Is sort Of anthropoid ape. And
the ape lives chiefly on grains, nuts and
fruits. and on such a diet far surpasses
man In strength. The ape can live on such
foods as civilized man prefers; in fact.
most or the higher animals seem to be
able TO change their diet without imme-
diate death. so that even lions and tigers
have been trained to live and thrive on
f1eshless foods. and cows and sheep to live
on fish and flesh and various concoctions.
But undoubtedly the natural diet OF the
ape. and that on which he seems to thrive
best. Is the above diet OF grains, nuts and
fruits
The ape. however. eats slowly, has plenty
of fresh air. and plenty Of exercise. very
little care, and seemingly very little con-
scious brain work. Such is the diet for
"simian'' health and strength under GER
tain conditions. But is this necessarily the
diet for human health and purity and
strength under the commonest modern con-
ditions? No, not necessarily. For, let us
look facts In the face and observe people
and things they are. We eat fast and
frequently, We take a vast amount Of stim-
ulant. We have little fresh air and little
exercise during the week. but much care
and brain work. We are not apes and we
are not living the life Of apes.
Vegetarian Types.
We want examples Of men who are
healthy under such conditions. The "vege-
tarians" mention among their examples Of
healthy men:
The Hindu runners, the Japanese runners
and wrestlers. the COnstantinople and
Andes weight-carriers; Karl Mann, the IA
nous walker and Olley, the cyclist.
These are quoted as types Of physical ra-
pidity, endurance. strength. etc. The Hindu
runner may take his single meal scarcely
a handful Of RICE in the evening of his days
work He may have no breakfast no lunch,
no tea, no supper, but just this one meal,
this kind of dinner. And yet. on this diet.
he will keep up with carriage along un-
even ground, hour after hour, day after
day.
But this is not necessarily what we want,
for the Hindu eats dry food slowly, and we,
as a rule. eat wet food rapidly, and there
are the differences of climate, dress, etc,
to say nothing Of physical heredity. All
these points are Of the outmost Importance.
Moreover. the Hindu has been taught to
breathe pure air correctly through the nose.
We have not been trained to breathe cor
rectly. and our city air is not always OF
the best.
We need to be shown healthy men in
cities, men who are clean and active and
strong in mind and thought, well as in
body and blood. But where are they? We
look for them in vain. We look in vain
even for the men who can do their daily
brain work easily and happily and without
the desire for any stimulant, who are pure
in body and mind, and who can. at short
notice. show athletic activity, promptitude,
adapta bility, endurance, skill and strength.
We look in vain even for q few such men.
And yet it Is just such men, yes, and
such women. too, and boys and girls, that
the nation today needs more than ever be-
fore When young men or young women
Set before them such an ideal as this they
are like people on the seashore with the
high cliff above them; they path up
to the summit. Few of them can even see
the summit at all; they see just the near
est height. not realizing that there are
heights and heights beyond. Let us con-
slider well If theory will not do something
to guide US If We have no clear tracks to
follow. at least let notice the general
direction of such tracks we have. Let
avoid the places where others have
fallen. And let us begin with the safest
way Of reform, namely, the reform Of our
way of eating
For the answer to the question, "How
shall we eat?" is far simpler than the an
swer to the question, when shall we eat?'
Most complex of all is the problem, What
shall we eat?"