244 CONSUMPTION 



likely to be of much moment in the limited space of one or two 

 decades to come. In North America the northward migration of 

 the centre of population has been more rapid and is proceeding 

 more actively than in Europe. Moreover, in those parts of North 

 America where the population is increasing most noticeably, the 

 winters are, on the whole, more severe in temperature than in the 

 corresponding parts of Europe. It is possible, therefore, that 

 changes in the distribution of the population of North America 

 according to climatic zones may have some influence in maintaining 

 or even increasing the present per capita consumption of animal 

 foodstuffs. In the Southern Hemisphere, on the other hand, the 

 conditions under this head tend to be more stationary than those 

 in Europe and North America ; the combined populations of the 

 Southern Hemisphere lands is small, industrial areas are as yet 

 unimportant, and any movement of the centres of population due 

 to the development of mining or the increase of settlement, tends, 

 on the whole, except perhaps in South America, to be northward 

 into warmer latitudes. 



Habit and custom in matters of consumption act with consider- 

 able force over limited periods of time. Standards of consumption 

 that have become habitual to any generation are not easily altered, 

 except under great pressure, during the life of that generation, and 

 this applies with special force to the consumption of animal food- 

 stuffs. A customary form of diet arises, and the expenses demanded 

 by it tend to become regarded as necessary. The American or the 

 Colonial eats meat in one form or another three times a day, and 

 the wealthy European at least twice, and it matters little whether 

 meat rations once a day would be sufficient or not. Habit and 

 custom among these people render the change to a less liberal 

 consumption of meat very difficult under ordinary economic con- 

 ditions, and so long as supplies are available and purchasing power 

 remains, little change in this direction is likely to take place. In 

 Europe, where class distinctions are marked, the lower classes 

 constantly tend to follow the example set by the wealthier in 

 matters of consumption, and not less so in animal foodstuffs than 

 in other commodities. So long as social distinctions attach to 

 questions of diet, it will be rather the exception to find individuals 

 breaking away from the general class custom by simplifying their 

 dietary. A wave of economic prosperity in almost any area of 

 European population causes a rise in the standard of living, which 

 among the working classes appears particularly in the form of an 

 improved scale of diet ; and this is lowered afterwards only with 

 considerable reluctance. Among English-speaking peoples, at any 

 rate, the fact that meat is regarded as a more aristocratic article of 

 diet than cheese or milk, which for the same cost furnish a higher 

 proportion of the same food values, must be ascribed mainly to 

 customary prejudice. 



Certain sections of the world's white population have become 

 accustomed to a somewhat liberal diet in animal foodstuffs, and 



