Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-02
QUEST FOR PURE EDIDLES
rOw American People Have Escaped All
Manner Of Bvila
WHAT MRS. PRoWDtn TOUNON MARKET
MENU for the Sunday Dinner and How
II should BE Prepared for the
Table by the Cook
Lady.


we homenakers. with a subtitle OF food
preparers, who are trying to provide the
best foods for our families have listened
TO the well attested stories OF the ways in
which foods were prepared for the market
until we felt the ground slipping beneath
our feet and CROPPED with dsmay for nrm
footing The milk which fed our babies
had preservaline in II; II was unclean, with [
millions OF bacteria to the teaspoonfui; the
COW had tuberculosis; Chicago had an
epidemic Of diseases In consequence; dairies /
from whence came much OF Omaha's milk |
supply were scenes OF filth, dangerous and
disgusting, and Omaha had no power 60
cleanse them because East Omaha was in |
Iowa Our meat supply, much OF II, was
prepared for the market under unsanitary |
conditions, with inadequate inspection; the |
cattle had tuberculosis, were ,'downers;"
the hogs had trichinosis, cholera the chick |
ems were cold-stored, not dressed and con- |
seauently evolved toxic germs that made |
them UNIT for food. Our canned goods |
were preserved" colored with anillne |
dyes; our spices, coffees and teas were
adulterated with cheaper and sometimes
dangerous articles; our candies contained
glucose and white earth. melodiously in
our mother Latin designated terra alba,
more dyes; chocolate that was mysteri-
ously doctored, and gelatine that was as
uncleanly as the poorest glue. Our bread
was made and baked In unsanitary bake
ries: the nutriment was all raised" out
of II and 1t was carted around in unclean
wagons and handled by careless employees
until we had to cut on all the best portion,
the crust, before we dared eat II, and we
were all liable to appendicitis in conse-
quenee with the result Of curtailed and
miserable existence after we had been be-
reft of our appendix vermiformis.
Congress Gives Blessed Relief.
Just as those really studying to know
what to give their families were about re-
duoed to despair and to the conclusion that
no good food was to be bad unless pro-
duced direct from the ground by them
selves, with no intermediate middle" man,
to adulterate, preserve" color or make a
breeding house for Nth bacteria, and they
must either retire to a farm or fall a prey
to all these schemes Of trade to render their
food dangerous and useless a ray of relief
| came to tighten the darkness.
! Congress was turned into a sample room,
wherein was displayed an array OF adult
| terated, preserved" dyed and filth-bac-
teria-laden foods for the inspection Of those
who must either provide -pure food law"
that should forever do away with all this
condemnation OF death-dealing things, or
else hereafter know that they would be
responsible to the people for such condi-
tons. For twenty years congress- had been
importuned to do this thing and had re-
fused. but the people, gradually awakening
in this twenty years Of slow percolation
OF facts into their inner consciousness to q
realization that they were being slowly
poisoned by those who prepared their foods
flor them, and that the lawmakers whom
they had sent to see that they had justice
ana fair play were permitting It, spoke,
and public sentiment finally compelled ao-
ton at the end Of the twenty years.
And SO national pure food law was
passed. The fist OF January It went into
effect. ~ -.&. -.Gf% .H
~ states Also Called In.
But then 1t was found that these slow
poison foods could still be made in any
state IL sold only in that state and the
national law could not touch them; 1t was
only when they were made In one state and
cold in another that the law was OF any
avail.
So state food laws must be passed TO
make ali really safe and sure they were to
have the foods they had found were 30 hard
to get
And to make them thoroughly effective
law and each other. 50 the various states
: either have such laws or they are under
. consideration.
To attend strictly to our own food-provid-
/ ing, as all women should we have learned
that Nebraska's lawmakers now In session
are endeavoring to pass such a law and
really seem to be trying to tread the
straight and narrow path that will brine
them TO law which none OF the interests
} concerned will hght, or II they do their fight
! will be ine1ectual.
When there is a state law as we'll as q
national. the people most vitality interested
, in It are the food preparers and homo
makers. the women. They should know
what the law is, how 1t Is to be carried
out, and should so watch and learn thai
IL II is not properly enforced they can anC
will sound the note OF alarm.
The Investigations OF foods that were re-
ported last May at the Biennial Of the
National Federation OF Women's clubs. and
the request teiegraphed congress for pure
! food law from that body representing 4
hundred thousand women. showed tina
they were alive to the necessity and were
= already doing.
Eating Has Never stopped
In the meantime the food providers mus
! go right on preparing three meals daS
! even though Nebraska law makers have no
cleared away the dangers that beset them
5 So. Mrs. Provldem must sally forth every
Z morning to the markets for the days sup
plies. and her market basket and its con
tents and the uses to which they were pu
{ may be Of value to others.
Through the portals OF the Gate City com
supplies from north. south, east and west
few cities having a better market. Tn
9 food provider who would have June pa,
: tribute Nto February has but TO open Wild
: her purse and June products win be forth