Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-15


"A man" has proven to my mind mind
the truth Of the old adage. "All
fools are not dead yet"
The writer asserts that many attempts
to popularize the use of maize Qndian
corn and our common CORN as human
food have failed in Europe. The writer
also declares that IL is hardly used as
food in the United States, and is only
used by poorest of the southern people in
the shape OF a sour dough cake-baked on
the hot stone hearth, and covered with
hot ashes"
The negro and poor white. the mule
and the corn crop. go together" he says,
whose poverty and not their viii" makes
them eat the preparations Of corn.
He goes further to say that the Irish
people who are at the point of starvation
will not eat corn" because mot one man,
woman or child could be induced to eat
a mouthful of the great quantities of
corn meal sent from the United States
when ireland was famine stricken. y
He brings forward the fact that within
two years the population Of Ireland was
reduced from eight millions to six, and
in spite of the fact that Americans show
ed the Irish how to cook corn meal in
their various ways, the natives refused TO
eat it. and it was thrown to the pigs.
Ny! Ny! What a CULVER that writer
proves himself to be?
I never heard snake story to beat this
improbable yarn! Starving men will not
refuse TO eat corn bread. For whole
column this abuse of American corn and
its food preparations continues in a sim
liar strain. 1t passes beyond belief that
he should have been given such an OPP
portunity 10 falsify and expose his own
ignorance of the subject in so respectable
a farm journal as The Country Gentle
man.
l shall not seriously attempt TO refute
his statements, because II is always
waste Of ammunition to haul out column
bad to demolish brush heap, still the
appearance Of such defamation of our
great staple in The Country Gentleman
should not be overlooked l'ere in the
south.
Nobody disputes the fact lat the mig
GER and the poor white eat corn from the
time IL is in roasting ear until corn comes
again next year and nothing likes ii bet
ter than the mule, but the corn eaters do
not stop at that point. If there is any
vegetable nicer than tender green corn
for breakfast and for dinner l have
never tasted such a one. L should feel
myself elected IL I knew I could have
tender green corn to serve at my table
three hundred and sixty-fve days in the
year.
When I may not have green corn give
me I've hominy in the other months; es-
pecially in cold weather. And Ii is a IA
vorite everywhere in the country.
But the critics might say you belong
TO the common whites in the south that
were mentioned Maybe 90. But we have
had among US some very uncommon
whites this side Of Mason and Dixon's
line and the finest cooks in the United
States were first seen in Virginia kitchens
in the long ago. and the corn cake was
stand by. always present and always well
come.
Muffin bread and corn batter cakes are
good enough for the king to eat and the
niger and the poor whites have lots Of
company when IL comes TO the various
dishes that are used on southern tables,
all prepared from our maize.
How delicate are the corn starch prepar-
atoms and so wholesome as well as
tOothsome.
The editor of The Country Gentleman
adds a postscript to the article which is
here noticed in favor Of ''mush.' which
goes to show that northerners are not
averse TO some of the food preparations
from corn, but while mush is good i'm its
place, IL is also one of the commonest of
the dishes concocted from corn meal and
perhaps least respected.
When / have been Convalescing from
an Illness Cruel made from finely sifted
cornmeal has been very appetizing, dain-
~ and wholesome.
II i had to choose between corn and
wheat and to do without one or the other
for a permanent and infeXible diet, l
should choose corn rather than wheat to
live upon, becaU-e the preparations of
corn are almost as many as with wheat,
and to my taste less mOnotonous. Three
cheers and tiger for our great food sta
pie!