The Washington herald., 1906-12-18
For Cooking Reform.

There is only one other ruler of a great
nation to-day who manifests as keen and
constant an interest in the affairs of his
people as does the Emperor of Germany.
A few days ago the Kaiser visited a re-
mote part of his empire and lectured his
faithful subjects upon the value of good
cooking He told them that good cooking
conduced to good citizenship, and there
fore to the greatness Of Germany, in that
# condueed TO good health. Which Of
course. is true. Had any less a parsonage
than Wilhelm II said this it would not
have made an impression worth while
upon the stolid Teutonic mind; but, coming
from him. all Germany is now preparing
Tor an Improvement in its cooking.
No claim can be laid TO a distinctive
American cooking. as can be done by
every nation Of Europe. For century or
more New England has maintained a
wholesome standard in Some particulars,
but the characteristic New England dishes
are not relished in other sections of the
country II they We're they long ago
would have become established in every
household in the land, and certainly in
the households Of that vast stretch OF
country north of Mason and Dixon s
line and west Of the Alleghenies. which
was for the most part settled by New
Englanders.
Time was when the South had the best
/ cooking in this country but that time is
no more. That was when family negroes
were carefully trained in the art and took d
/ genuine pride in it, But there are no more
family negroes" In the large centers
in that section the food Is quite as well
prepared. of course. as it is IN the large
/ centers of the North and West; but this
Z is not saying much for our food. The fact
IS that our national diet has become a
hodgepodge Of the diets Of every civilized
people-and of some that are not civil
izcd-and there is no longer national dis
tinctiveness in our dishes or In their
preparation The result is that we are
becoming a nation Of dyspeptics and
rheumatcs-ailments that make for just
the opposite of good citizenship.
Our next great reform should be in
cooking Under strenuous leadership we
have the trust on the mourne-'s bench.
the railroads under the eagle eye of the
Federal government a uniform divorce
law on the taps. a pure-f00d enactment
in the statutes. the jails are yawning for
/ the looters Of the public domain. swollen
fortunes are to- be shrunk to decent pro-
/ portions by graduated income and in
heritance taxes. shooting galleries are adj
voCated for our public schOols-in brief,
the category Of reforms accomplished or
in prospect is replete with promises OF
good but the most needfuI Of all reforms
has not yet been initiated In the United
States by the one influence that can make
IL success. and that il Is more crying
necessity here than in Germany has only
70 be mentioned to receive general and
immediate acknowledgment. But now
that the movement has been started in
the Kaiser's realm we confidently look
Tor it soon to be rolling over this land
Of poor cooking and it's victims. the
dyspeptics and the rheumatics, the dis
contented and the Upton Sincl8irs.
Then the contumacious muck-raker
occupation will be gone, the myopc
standpatter will take TO the woods. Con-
grcss viii pluck up enough courage TO IN
crease its salary. and Secretary Shaw will
feel no dread of the evils Of increasing
prosperity.