A HARD-WORKING DIET. 369 



depends on the judicious selection of food suited to 

 the individual constitution, or idiosyncracy, as the old 

 Greeks called it. THE SUBJECT OF THE CHEMICAL 



COMPOSITION OF FOODS IS NOW RECOGNISED AS 

 OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE. 



In 1862 a piteous time befell South Lancashire and The first 

 the bordering counties. The people of the cotton enquiry into 

 trade had a long rest from labour. 



The greater part of the district wore an air of quiet. 

 The habitual din of the mills was hushed, the engine 

 fires did not send their accustomed rolls of smoke up 

 chimney stacks to blacken the sky, the bleach works 

 ceased to taint the air, the busy clatter and thud of 

 the cotton-and-silk hand-looms was stilled in the little 

 dwellings. Looking down from neighbouring hills on 

 groups of towns, the aspect day by day appeared that 

 of a Sabbath. But the women were not in their 

 Sunday dress, and the men were not afield with their 

 dogs or flying their pigeons. Their rest was no 

 holiday of choice ; anxiety marred attempts at enjoy- 

 ment. The quiet meant only no work was to be 

 had. No work meant no money, and no money 

 meant no food. The sufferings of the people were 

 described by the deliberately thoughtful pen of a 

 contemporary historian, well known to students of 

 blue books, though perhaps but little known to 

 readers furnished only with volumes through sub- 

 scription or free libraries. 



"The staple industry of these densely-peopled 

 districts, the industry which previously gave liveli- 

 hood, direct or indirect, to two millions of population, 

 had for some months been declining, and was now 

 probably at not more than a sixth part of its usual 

 activity. Widespread bitter poverty was of course 



VOL. I. H. 2 B 



