Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1915-06-05 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

REMINISCENCE.  In the matter of food the poor have very strong prejudices and give a sour reception to any novelty. It may be taken for granted that were some philanthropist to elaborate a scheme for the scientific utilisation of part of what is now thrown away in the markets of great cities, he would meot with a precisely similar fate to that which befel Francois Soyer sixty years ago. The story is very instructive, and deserves to be recalled.  Soyer, who, if anybody did, so well merited the title of "Cu:inary Artist," was in 1848 at the head of the Kitchen Department in the London Reform Club. At that time the famine was raging in Ireland. Sozer declared. he knew a method of checking it, and, with the authorisation of the English Government he established a great people's kitchen in on of the Dublin Squares. At the inaugural ceremony an enormous crowd was present, including all the principal inhabitants of the Irish capital, presided over by the Archbishop and the Viceroy in person. there was a great circular table plentifully furnished with soup plates and spoons. In the centre were eight huge soup tureens, each containing a different kind of soup, the savoury aroma of which tilled all the neighbouring btreets. Above each tureen was a big board, on which was printed the name of the soup—onion, pea, mutton broth, cabbage. bean, lentil, and so on. Everybody who tasted the soup acknowledged it was delicious, and day after day saw an interminable procession of hunger-stricken people approach the fable. This went on for about a month. during which Sozer was the hero of the day. Banquets were given in his honour, and he was even bidden as a guest to the Viceroy's own table. The poor with one accord called down blessings on his head. Parliament was on the eve of passing a law to establish similar kitchens in all the districts where the famine prevailed, when Soyer had the unlucky idea to publish a pamphlet in which he laid bare all the details of the composition of his famous soups. being at great pains *to explain what a small quantity of meat was required, and for some of the soups none at all. Immediately there arose in the Pres.s and elsewhere the most infernal hullabaloo. The opposition newspapers declared with much show of learned argument that such soups, so far from being nourishing, cnuld only ruin the health, and might in all probability provoke dangerous and oven mortal diseases. From this to the theory thaeEngland had in-4 vented this murderous kind of food, which WO3 to pacify Ireland by getting rid in a ,eleeent manner of thousands of siarving men and women who were the- cause of such anxiety and public expense, was only a step naturally. And the step was 60011 taken. So terrific grew the popular resentment that Soyer had to clandesinely run out of Ireland in order to escape being lvnehed.,--G. Ford 26, Lorne-street, Stock ton-on-tees .  It's a mistaks to know nricii about anybody. Ereryor's nicer the leg., you know of thin. Like ..hops---the' mi.st exc.itinz things a:ways az windows.  --*-•  The.re is 110Ciii:li; to rero:22 SdIJCP lASI, ing(:ornmunique.' says a licuter nicssage..Th Censor. is tc, be congratulated at. last upon ailowing this news to filter through.  31:NM $,