The Washington herald., 1908-05-12

Minister Wa Ting-fang spoke on How
l came to be a vegetarian" at Rauscher's
yesterday morning at the last Current
Topic Talk given by Miss Janet Rich
ards this season.
Two years ago Mr.. Wa gave up all rich
and palatable dishes for the simple but
wholesome vegetarian diet.
AS the guest OF Miss Richards, he told
how he was converted to the ancient or
der Of vegetarians, and the influence that
the book of Mrs. John B. Henderson,
The Aristocracy of Health had on him.
His adoption of the vegetarian diet seems.
from his narrative, to be a process of
elimination. First. he had to abandon the
use Of one dish and then another.
Gave Up Tea Drinking.
What broke his heart more than any
thing else was giving up tea drinking,
which he did, because, he said, tea con-
tains too much tannin. He gave up meat
because it contains ton much acidity-of
the gout producing kind Ordinarily Mr.
WI would not care a rap, but it so hap
pens that he has made up his mind to
live 90 years.
I mean to be a missionary in the cause
Of vegetarianism in my own country" he
said
Binding of the feet Of the Chinese wom-
en- was the subject Of a tete-a-tete be
tween Mr.. wa and Miss Richards. in
which he told of the time he petitioned
the ruler Of China, twenty years ago. TO
abandon the practice.
No Chinese maid. he said, could get a
husband if she did not have her feet
bound, nor could a man find wife who
did not have her feet bound unless he
wished 10 choose a servant.
Miss Richards delivered her lecture on
current topics and told Of the signifi-
canoe Of the sailing Of the battle ship
fleet 10 the Pacific, and the meaning of
the various conventions now meeting IN
Washington. She also reviewed the work
Of this session of Congress.
Among those present were Mrs. Fair
/ banks, Mrs. Henderson. and Mrs. Bar
nard. al whose house thirteen years age.
Miss Richards gave her first Current
| Topic Talk. and organized her clagg,
which has grown 10 be one of the intel
lectual bodies of Washington.
Some of the Guests.
Ten Of the members who first met in
Mrs Job Barnard's drawlng-room in 1896
occupied the front row. Among them
were Mrs. Barnard, Mrs John Dalzen.
Mrs. John Joy Edison. Mrs. \. D. Sperry,
Mrs. William II. Shuster. Mrs Harrison
Dinsman, Mrs. z. p. Dye. and Miss Eliz-
abeth Ross. Others were the wife of the
governor Of Hawaii, who accompanied
/ the Princess Kalananianole, of Hawaii; Mrs
Fairbanks, Mrs. n. b. Scott, Mrs Amy
/ y. Talbot, Mrs. F. /. Denny, Mrs. Mary
s Lockwood, Mrs Bigelow. Mrs Loud
/ Mrs. Heman Walbridge, Mrs John ".
! Foster. Mrs Rust Smith. Mrs. Arthur
Ramsay. Mrs. James Dudley Morgan.
Mrs. Jane Cunningham, Mrs, H N.
/ Schooley. Mrs. Nellie X. Davis. Miss Sui
/ livan. Miss Annie Mathews, Mrs Bald
/ win, Mrs. Stewart, Mrs. Partridge. Mrs.
| Frank Hooper. Of Baltimore, Mrs. Mack
rille, Mrs. J. II. Soule, Mrs. Ansberry,
Mrs. J. b. Chase. Mrs. Wilcox. Mrs. 5. s.
BirdsaH Mrs. AUdeureid. Miss Calkat
/ Mrs. Bruce. Mrs. Polknhorn, Misses Pol
| kinhorn. Mrs Polhemus, Mrs William r.
HillyeT, Mrs. Lisner. Mrs. c. B. Case.
/ Mrs. Dutton, Mrs Cox. Miss Emery
| Mrs. f. II. Diedrich, Mrs. J. Q. Kern,
/ Mrs, Kingsman, Mrs. Z. K. Goldsborough.
| This was Miss Richards last talk Of the
/ season. as she sails for Europe May 80
to be gone until October.