The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-01-28
some Things that
ARE ALL WRONG.
Familiar Things They Are and We
Might as Well DO Without Them

fact, that most Of us go through
life suffering all sorts of depriva-
tons, annoyances, and discomforts
because we think-or those who in
sist on doing our thinking for US
think something that is not really
so.
The idea that sugar, particular
ly when liz candy form, is bad for
the teeth is as widespread as snow
in winter; but investigation dis
closes the fact that persons accus-
toned to take large quantities Of
sugar are not more liable to have
bad teeth than those who do not
even sweeten their coffee. The
negroes of the West Indies are in
the habit Of eating huge quantities
of sugar, and they have remarkably
fine teeth. And then it is to be
considered that all the starch we
eat-and rice, bread, and potatoes
contain much starch--has to be
converted into sugar before it is
absorbed by the system, and this
conversion begins right in the
mouth.
Sweets make bad tooth hurt
So will cold water. The harm in
candies is not found in the sugar,
but the chromate of lead, arsenic,
sulphates, &C., to say nothing of
parafin wax, which is about as di-
gestible as India rubber, with which
some candies are colored and adul-
terated Chocolates, if pure, are
beyond praise; so is good butter
scotch, ' declares a great English
physician. So 60 on and give the
kids the candy, merely making sure
that it is good candy.
Now. some of us were not fat
when we were children, in fact.
disrespectful young persons called
us skinny" but we were satisfied,
if let alone, but we were not let
alone. We were stuffed with
starchy foods, particularly "baby
foods, guaranteed to make us
resemble little red sausages. Why
did not our parents read The Lon
don Lancet, and learn that "fat
children are less able to resist dis
ease, " and that, in the opinion of
the leading authorities, the more
fattening infants foods are, the
less likely they are to cause the
children to become muscular men
and women /?
1t is not only dry heat which is
dangerous, however, for if the air
is dry, the evaporation of perspir-
alton from the skin is so rapid that
the heat is carried out Of the body,
and dry atmosphere at 100 de-
grees is not nearly so distressing as
one at 50 degrees with high per-
centage Of humidity. The greatest
danger of heat stroke is where a
number of persons are aggregated
In hot, moist air, where there is no
wind.
Now, we hated red flannel when
we were kids, but that was a point
on which grandma insisted, and
that settled tive wore red fan
mel underclothing. 1t was no
warmer, we know now, than the
nice white stuff of our desires, but
grandma thought so, and we wore
1T, taking chance, which she never
though of, of the dye coming off
and giving serious skin trouble.
Of course white looks colder than
red, and in the Summer, worn as
an outer garment, it is, because
white reflects the heat and light
rays, but the color of an undergar-
ments has absolutely no effect on
its warmth. That was the Winter
before grandma got the idea that
we should be hardened" by 60
ing lightly clad. This was simply
cruel, though, Of course, with the
best of motives" and based, as we
know, entirely on fallacy.
And when we were seated about
the fire at night and wanted to eat
an orange or an apple, some one
was sure to wag solemn head and
remark that "Fruit was golden at
morning but leaden at night. :"
Utterly absurd. Fruit is no more
to be avoided at night than any
other article of diet-whether It
should be eaten depends on the va
rlety. Naturally, no food not cas-
lily digested should be eaten at
night.
"You should not eat soup at the
beginning of a dinner because it
dilutes the gastric juice and will
cause indigestion, was warning
held over our heads. And now the
greatest authorities come along and
calmly remark that, the contrary.
soup Is food already nearly digest
ed, is rapidly absorbed, is refresh
ing, and makes the dinner feel
more fit to 20 on with the rest Of
his meal"
They came very near starving Us
to death, when we were once ill, by
giving us large quantities of jela-
tine jelly and nothing else. Just
because gelatine resembles gluten