1898, contains a practical illustration of the superiority of a vegetable diet:
“The vegetarians are making a great ado over the triumph of their theory in the long-distance test of walking endurance, seventy miles, in Germany, this week. The twenty-two starters included eight vegetarians. The distance had to be covered within eighteen hours. The first six to arrive were vegetarians, the first finishing in 14 ¼ hours, the second in 14 ½, the third in 15 ½, the fourth in 16, the fifth in 16 ½, and the sixth in 17 ½. The last two vegetarians missed their way and walked five miles more. All reached the goal in splendid condition. Not till one hour after the last vegetarian did the first meat-eater appear, completely exhausted. He was the only one. Others dropped off after thirty-five miles.”
There is no question of the great economy of vegetarianism. Dr. Alcott, in “Arguments for Vegetarianism,” says:
“Twenty-two acres of land are needed to sustain one man on fresh meat. Under wheat that land will feed forty-two people; under oats, eighty-eight; under potatoes, maize, or rice, one hundred and seventy-six; under the banana, over six thousand. The crowded nations of the future must abandon flesh-eating for a diet that will feed more than tenfold people by the same soil, expense and labor. How rich men will be when they cease to toll for flesh-meat, alcohol, drugs, sickness, and war!”
“Suffer the ox to plough, and impute his death to age and Nature's hand.
Let the sheep continue to yield us sheltering wool, and the goats the produce of their loaded udders.
Banish from among you nets and snares and painful artifices,
Conspire no longer against the birds, nor scare the meek deer, nor hide with fraud the crooked hook;..
But let your mouths be empty of blood, and satisfied with pure and natural repasts.”1
COMPARATIVE TABLES OF VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL FOODS
The analyses are those of Fresenius, Letheby, Pavy, Church, and others.
From “The Perfect Way in Diet.”
“O Golden Age, whose light is of the dawn,
And not of sunset, forward, not behind,
Flood the new heavens and earth, and with thee bring
All the old virtues, whatsoever things
Are pure and honest and of good repute,
But add thereto whatever bard has sung
Or seer has told of when in trance or dream
They saw the Happy Isles of prophecy!
Let Justice hold her scale, and Truth divide
Between the right and wrong; but give the heart
The freedom of its fair inheritance.”
Bread, Biscuit, and Rolls
BEATEN BISCUIT. – No. 1
One quart of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with the flour, a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, a large heaping tablespoonful of butter, milk enough to make a stiff dough. Beat with a rolling pin or in a biscuit-beater for ten or fifteen minutes until the dough blisters. Roll out about half an inch thick or less, prick well with a fork and bake in a quick oven.
BEATEN BISCUIT. – No. 2
Two quarts of flour, three ounces of butter, a little salt and enough water to make a stiff dough. Beat with a rolling pin or in a biscuit-beater twenty minutes until the dough blisters or snaps. Roll out about half an inch thick, prick well with a fork and bake in a quick oven. This dough rolled very thin, cut with a large cutter, pricked well and baked in a quick oven makes delicious wafers to serve with tea or chocolate.
BAKING-POWDER BISCUIT
One quart of sifted flour, three-quarters of a cup of butter, two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one teaspoonful of salt, enough milk to make a soft dough. Do not handle any more than is necessary. Roll thin, cut in small biscuits, prick with a fork and bake in a quick oven.
CREAM BISCUIT
One quart of flour sifted, two rounded teaspoonfuls of Cleveland's baking powder, two cupfuls of cream and a little salt. Mix, roll out about a quarter of an inch thick, cut with a small biscuit-cutter, prick with a fork and bake fifteen or twenty minutes in a quick oven.
FRENCH ROLLS
Two quarts of sifted flour, a pint of warm milk, half a cup of butter melted in the milk, a quarter of a cup of sugar, three or four eggs beaten light, a little salt, a half cake of compressed yeast, dissolved in a little warm milk. Make a batter of the milk and flour, add the eggs and sugar, beat hard for fifteen minutes. Cover the pan and set to rise, over night if for luncheon, in the morning if for tea. Knead well, but do not add any more flour. Make them into shape and let them rise again until light. Bake about fifteen minutes in a quick oven. For buns add cinnamon. Sift the flour before measuring, and measure lightly.
RAISED FINGER-ROLLS
Half a pint of milk, half a pint of water, one-third of a compressed yeast cake, one teaspoonful of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt. Dissolve the yeast cake in a little tepid water, mix as usual, make into a soft dough at night, bake for breakfast or luncheon.
WINDSOR ROLLS
Melt half a cup of butter in three-quarters of a pint of warm milk, dissolve one cake of compressed yeast in a little tepid milk, stir together and add a teaspoonful of salt and enough flour to make like bread dough, set to rise in a warm place. It will rise in about two hours. Roll out the dough, using as little flour as possible to keep it from sticking, and cut with a biscuit-cutter, or mould with the hands into rolls, put them in pans, and set on the shelf over the range to rise about ten or fifteen minutes. Bake fifteen or twenty minutes.
ELIZABETTI ROLLS
One cup of sweet milk, half a yeast cake, an even tablespoonful of butter, two teaspoonfuls of sugar, and one of salt, and flour enough to make as stiff as bread dough. Scald the milk and melt the butter in it, when lukewarm dissolve the yeast cake, sugar and salt and stir the flour in until as thick as bread dough. Set to rise over night. In the morning roll thin, cut with a biscuit-cutter, put a tiny lump of butter on each biscuit, fold in half, set to rise again, and when light bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven. This quantity will make twenty-four rolls.
RYE ROLLS
Take in the morning from rye bread dough one cupful, add to it a tablespoonful of Porto Rico molasses, one tablespoonful of sour cream, one even tablespoonful of butter. Bake in cups, half fill them, set in a warm place to rise for three-quarters of an hour, and bake fifteen minutes. This quantity will make eight.
GLUTEN ROLLS
Three cups of kernel flour, two even tablespoonfuls of baking powder, half a teaspoonful of salt, two cups of milk. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together, then stir in the milk, beat well. If baked in iron roll pans heat them well, brush with butter; if granite ware, only grease them. This quantity will make sixteen rolls. Bake from twenty to twenty-five minutes.
PARKER HOUSE ROLLS
Sift two cups of flour with half a teaspoonful of salt and one teaspoonful of sugar, then add a cup of tepid water in which a cake of compressed yeast has been dissolved, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter; when mixed break in one egg and add flour enough to make a soft dough. Knead well, beating the dough upon the board. Set to rise in a warm place, when light knead again, adding only enough flour to keep from sticking to the board, roll out about half an inch thick, cut with a biscuit-cutter, brush with melted butter, fold in half and set to rise again. These rolls can be set at noon if for tea, or