440 Of Food. 



appearance of the men, between regiments in which 

 messes are established, and food is regularly provided 

 under the care and inspection of the officers, and 

 others in which the soldiers are left individually to 

 shift for themselves. And the difference which may 

 be observed between soldiers who live in messes, and 

 are regularly fed, and others who are not, is not con- 

 fined merely to their external appearance : the influence 

 of these causes extends much farther, and even the 

 moral character of the man is affected by them. 



Peace of mind, which is as essential to contentment 

 and happiness as it is to virtue, depends much upon 

 order and regularity in the common affairs of life ; and 

 in no case are order and method more necessary to 

 happiness (and consequently to virtue) than in that 

 where the preservation of health is connected with the 

 satisfying of hunger, an appetite whose cravings are 

 sometimes as inordinate as they are insatiable. 



Peace of mind depends likewise much upon economy, 

 or the means used for preventing pecuniary embarrass- 

 ments; and the saving to soldiers in providing food, 

 which arise from housekeeping in messes of ten or 

 twelve persons who live together, is very great in- 

 deed. 



But, great as these savings now are, I think they 

 might be made still more considerable ; and I shall give 

 my reasons for this opinion. 



Though the Bavarian soldiers live at a very small 

 expense, little more than twopence sterling a day, yet 

 when I compare this sum, small as it is, with the ex- 

 pense of feeding the poor in the House of Industry 

 at Munich, which does not amount to more than two 

 farthings a day, even including the cost of the piece of 



