The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-12
LENT and FASTING
Fish Dealers Are Having Their
Busy Season These
Days.
HOW MANY PEOPLE FAST
There Seems 10 be Reason to Believe
There Arc More Than
Formerly.

Fresh fish" reads the sign in front
of the meat markets these days, yet IL
may not be Friday. For Lent mas
come and the world is fasting. Ihat
is to say that the world. has foregohe
thick steaks and tender fowls ior
white shad and dainty pink salmon.
The world is in its monkish cowl oil
repentance and confines its narrow dlet
to dried peas and water? Perhaps
but more likely wnen the visitor IS III
the secret as in the cell of the JoVlal
monk of Sherwood forest, the drled
peas disappear and steaming Goa VIII
take its place.
Fasting? Methinks the world fasss
well with the Lenten diet that the
markets supply IT. There is in New
York, says the Hartford Courant
wholesale FISH house which publishes
an "art calendar which is not only a
wokr of art but of piety as well. for on
every day of the year is marked the
name of the saint whom the day COM
memorates. And on every day on
which the Roman Catholic church for
bids the eating of meat is pictured
big red fish. And I'm this month OF
March these fishes. are swimming IN
schools on the face of the calendar
For not only do they appear on every
Friday as in the other months Of the
year but also on every Wednesday and
ON the second Saturday
Inquiry has been made among the
fish dealers as to whether the observ-
ance of Lent--in the matter of the Ia
ble-is on the Increase or on the wane
Opinions differed as they often do. one
dealer said that Lent made a very
marked increase in his Ash sales and
decrease In the sale Of meat. Another
said that II made not particle of dr.
ference. The fish dealer who has been
In the business for a great many years,
said that as regarded his business, he
would say that great many more
people are observing Lent now than
| formerly but that those who do OBJ
serve ii observe II less strictly. The
other dealers came between these two
extremes in their opinions. Some we're
mundane enough to suggest that peo-
pie were sick of meat anyway and
were glad of change OF diet. Others
| said that many people always eat fish
once or twice a week and are as Will
ing to eat II on fast days as any other
and so arrange for fish on Wednesdays
and Fridays in Lent especially II they
have Roman Catholic servants. In
deed may families observe Lent In the
matter OF fsh for the sake Of their SER
wants. However. In the last dozen
years the Roman cathode church has
made special Indulgence in the mat
| ter of eating meat during Lent hv
reason of the fact that a large number
| of its members are very hard workers
who need the meat TO keep up strength
| for the support of their families, so
that now many dealers agree that In
the matter Of buying fish on fast days
/ the Episcopalians are much more OBJ
servant than the Roman Catholics.
/ In regard 10 the kinds Of fish that
4 are sold II depends on the people.
/ Those who want the very finest. can
get the shad which are just coming
/ into season; or they can have salmon,
bluefsh or bass. Pickerel they can
have no longer by reason of the new
law. But cod and hallbut are very
popular fishes and are bought In great
numbers during Lent. Haddock and
/ herring are also very widely eaten.
Boston liz probably the largest source
of supply but finer grades of fish can
better be bought in New York. other
kinds Of fish are sought in New Lon
don markets swordfish when they
come into season and frequently lob
sters.