The Washington herald., 1909-04-11

not good As a matter OF fact, many OF
the high-grade manufacturers turn out
some Of the lower priced candies as well
as the sort for which they get the big
prices. Cheap candies as well as expen-
sive ones are pure. That is the standard
the cOnfeciOners of the country have set
and 1t is that 20 which they hold
As one man expresses 1t: "If a young
man wants 20 give box Of candy 90 a
girl II is the name on the box that makes
al the difference. She knows from the
name that the candy costs 50 much a
pound, and that means something 70 her.
But the candles are not. after ell. so
much different from the higher priced
kind. In fact. all the candy that is made
by reputable confectioners in this country
is good and pure"
Harmful If Impure.
II the candles were not pure, 1t is
argued. why should there not be whole
sale deaths because Of 1t? There are
millions OF pounds turned out annually
I'm this country. II there was so much
impure candy as many persons affect to
- believe. there certainly should be a great
deal Of illness and death directly trace
able TO it, But the Often-repeated asser-
tion Of the confectiOners that in twenty
odd years the hardest work and the most
careful searching has failed TO develop a
single case Of death from candy poison
ing stands by itself That should shut of
the discussion of whether or not danger
Gus stufs enter into the manufacture OF
confectionery.
There have been deaths which followed
..r-f -
others But not because there was any
thing poisonous in the confectionery. II
is dangerous TO drink too much milk; to
eat too much meat: 10 eat or drink any
thing in excess. That has been the case
time and again. when deaths have been
ascrlbed 10 candy poisoning. Persons
who overeat OF candy or of anything else
are likely 70 fall very very III. and IN
some cases die. But that is not blamable
20 the candy. or the other things eaten or
drank, but TO the incontinence Of the
person affected.
What Makers Are Doing.
The Confectiouers' Association. which
has been waging twenty-five years war
on behalf Of pure confectionery and has
acted all along as an advance agent OF
the pure food laws. has been to the
AOAnlH OF GNlltNkAAlE Aiit Eases " lAcl Gil
death has been ascribed 10 the eating OF
candles. Every one Of these instances OF
poisoning has been investigated. much as
the standing OF commercial concerns is
looked into.
The association in a report has letters
and replies interchanged in the course
OF such Investigations. and has emerged
Jriumphautly AT the end Of its long cam
paign. which It still is prosecuting vigOr-
ously. with a total OF no cases proved
against candy and hundreds proved
against all other sorts OF causes
The manufacturers have made every ef-
fort for years 70 see that there was no
such badly made candy put on the mar
ket. They are among the first TO be eager
10 prosecute any maker who can be
found to have put out any such bad stun
They want the industry kept as clean as
It deserves TO be, because they well know
that children are among the main con-
sumers Of cheap grades of candy. and fl
IS doubly necessary that care should be
taken with them
Much starch Used.
When candles are sold az the price %
the sugar that should go into them. It is
safe TO assume that sugar does not enter
into their composition. In the South,
where much candy Of very low price IS
made and sold 20 the negroes. for IN
stance. the chief component is not sugar.
but starch. This is harmless. but much
cheaper than sugar. The digestive proc
esses convert starch into sugar, so thar
the net result 20 the system is the same.
But even these exceptionally cheap can
dies do not contain anything deleterious.
The slogan, so 10 speak. Of the candy
manufacturers is: "Overindulgence must
he regulated by the consumer himself;
purity and wholesomeness by the manu-
facturer. ANY sickness that has resulted
from eating candy has in every case been
found to have been caused by indiscre-
tions that would have produced similar
results IN eating any other food prod
uct"
Z has been a surprise 10 some persons
20 discover that the wholesale confec-
TONERS as a body not only do not prac-
tice injurious adulteratlon, but that they
are most deeply interested and keenlv in
earnest to suppress any such practices.
The cOnfectiOners away back I'm the late
sos secured the passage Of stringent laws
against the injurious adulteration Of can
dies IN nine States - New York. Ohio.
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Massachusetts.
Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky. and Wis
consin-and began Ike movements in
practically all the other States that soon
followed.
States Ahend of Nation.
They we're that much ahead Of the pure
feod and drugs legislation enacted
against adUlteration by the government
through the activities Of its bureau in
the Department Of Agriculture The as
sOciation is heartily in accord with DR..
Wiley IN what he has done with regard
10 adulterants in candy
Very close TO one hundred cases figure
in the lists that the manufacturers have
traced down In the course OF the Years
since 1890. In not one Of these cases has
Il been shown definitely that candy was
70 blame in any other way than nv cans
ing the death or sickness through acute
Indigestion Overeating Of candy when il
caused death or illness is set forth
frankly
But there are many cases IN which, sew
eral Inquiries failed to earn response In
several. indeed many. cases two and three
letters each to the doctors, coroners, and
law officers concerned did not bring any
replies TO the inquiries OF the association.
IN two cases there proved 70 be no such
families involved in any trouble.
Where cause Of death was ascertained
beyond any doubt II was shown to be
from cerebro-spinal meningitis. ptomaine
poisoning, or acute indigestion in the ma
jority Of cases.
Real Causes of Death.
Poison spread on a stick Of candy fol
rats only caused the death Of one child
Another ate bad fruits; overeating OF
hard-boiled eggs caused the death of an.