5 1 4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cessities granted, cereal foods, such as well-made bread in variety, and 

 vegetable produce, including fruits, should form a great part of the 

 diet consumed, with a fair addition of eggs and milk if no meat is 

 taken, and little of other animal food than fish. On such a dietary, 

 and without alcoholic stimulants, thousands of such workers as I have 

 briefly indicated may enjoy with very little exercise far better health 

 and more strength than at present they experience on meat and heavy 

 puddings, beer, baker's bread, and cheese. Of course there are workers 

 who belong to neither of the two extreme classes indicated, and whose 

 habits can not be described as sedentary, but who occupy a middle 

 place between the two. For such, some corresponding modification of 

 the dietary is naturally appropriate. But it is a vulgar error to regard 

 meat in any form as necessary to life ; if for any it is necessary, it is 

 for the hard-working out-door laborers above referred to, and for these 

 a certain proportion is no doubt desirable. Animal flesh is useful also 

 as a concentrated form of nutriment, valuable for its portability ; and, 

 for the small space it occupies in the stomach, unrivaled in certain 

 circumstances. Like every other description of food, it is highly useful 

 in its place, but is by no means necessary for a large proportion of the 

 population. To many it has become partially desirable only by the 

 force of habit, and because their digestive organs have thus been 

 trained to deal with it, and at first resent a change. But, this being 

 gradually made, adaptation takes place, and the individual who has 

 consumed two or three meat meals daily with some little discomfort, 

 chiefly from being often indisposed to make active exertions, becomes, 

 after sufficient time has elapsed, stronger, lighter, and happier, as well 

 as better tempered, and manifestly healthier, on the more delicate 

 dietary sketched. People in general have very inadequate ideas of 

 the great power of habit alone in forming what they believe to be 

 innate personal peculiarities, or in creating conditions which are ap- 

 parently part of a constitutional necessity, laws of their nature and 

 essential to their existence. Many of these peculiarities are solely due 

 to habit, that is, to long continuance in a routine of action, adopted it 

 may be without motive or design ; and people are apt to forget that, if 

 a routine of a precisely opposite character had been adopted, precisely 

 opposite conditions would have been established, and opposite pecul- 

 iarities would have become dominant, as their contraries are now. Al- 

 terations in the dietary, especially of elderly persons, should be made 

 gradually and with caution. This condition fulfilled, a considerable 

 change may be effected with satisfactory results, when circumstances 

 render it necessary. To revert once more to the question of flesh-eat- 

 ing, it should be remarked that it appears to be by no means a natural 

 taste with the young. Few children like that part of the meal which 

 consists of meat, but prefer the pudding, the fruit, the vegetables, if 

 well dressed, which unhappily is not often the case. Many children 

 manifest great repugnance to meat at first, and are coaxed and even 



