Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1917-12-06
Full Rations.

In lneSe Gays OF Wal dnu Ndnl anu
shortage, when food must be so carefully
considered even in the more favored na-
tions, and is so tragicalIy scant in others,
those days OF superfluity seem distant,
indeed, when precious edibles could be
used in fantastic ways for show Of tribul
There are no pyramids OF Egypt made Of
loaves OF bread at any county fair now
adays, or glistening mock-ice palaces OF
sugar candy, or reproductions OF the
Capitol at Washington done in ears OF
corn. We are interested to-day in
enough OF everything rather than in the
biggest specimen, heap, or accumulation
of anything. Some one. nevertheless.
has been looking up few historic in
stances OF good things 10 eat, served up
in extra sizes.
The largest pie, he finds, was made in
England, and was that in which, as jest,
the dwarf, Godfrey Hudson, was served
up to the king. But as the king and
company were not cannibals, and the pie,
except for the quaint figure crouched
within, was but an empty shell OF pie
crust, il seems hardly fair TO reckon il
among honest edibles. France, he de-
clares, has baked the largest cake. Italy,
at a civic feast in the Middle Ages,
served the most enormous dish OF fruit
with a tiny boy and girl, clad in vine
leaves, perched on top as a miniature
Adam and Eve. America has produced
the largest cheese, and Germany, as
might be expected, the most gigantic
sausage.
The king sausage OF all porkdom was
twenty three yards long, thick in propor-
tion, and occupied an entire crate when
expressed to lis destination, which was
Friedrichsruh, the home Of Bismarck, for
il was one OF the most striking OF the
almost countless birthday gifts sentto the
"man OF blood and iron" on his eightieih
birthday.
Germans have always been notable
eaters. Most Germans eat-or have
eaten, until the hardships Of war forbade
from five TO seven times day. As a
race, their physical symmetry. II not
their vigor, has suffered from too
abundant diet When the HeSsianS came
over, during the Revolution, their officers
repeatedly observed with surprise and
admiration the ''slim, ""sle der, lance
like" figures OF the American soldiers.
The reference was not TO slightness, but
TO the universal absence OF paunches or
puifinesS.
Bismarck, typical German that he was,
had huge frame and huge appetite
and his fellow Germans celebrated his
eighteth birthday with plenty OF solidly
edible gifts besides the famous sausage.
1t almost takes ones breath away to
read the list. There were dozens Of
other Sausages, The smallest came in a
letter and was fed 10 the birds,-and
cheese ranging from two hundred poundS
10 few ounces-a hundred and forty
dozen of them | There were dozen
great salmon, barrels of oysters, piles OF
pate de foie gras, crates OF apples, tank
full OF live carp, pots upon pots OF honey,
hundreds OF eggs, scores OF tarts, and
over thousand bottles OF wine and
beer.
at seemed, indeed, that our good
Germans were determined 10 provision
Friedrichsruh tor another eighty years,
declared one OF the household in admira-
tion.
Since Bismarck survived this gallant
onslaught upon his digestion for several
years, he must have had more sense OF
moderation than his admirers. He IS
said to have tlsted and approved the
giant sausage. Certainly, il the whole OF
il was consumed at Friedrichsruh. there
could have been few meatless days there
for longer time than il would be easy
to reckon. Twenty-three yards OF sau-
sage, tigurativelY and literally, goes
long way.