[January, 
H 
Vegetarianism : 
II. VEGETARIANISM: THE GREAT DIETETIC 
REFORM. 
t GARRULOUS old man, who long ago came under 
our observation, was one day relating to a group of 
haymakers his own early adventures. One of the 
audience quietly chalked down on a tree-trunk the number 
of years which this rural Miinchausen — according to his 
own version — had passed in different parts of the world, 
and at last greatly amused the audience and confounded 
the speaker by exclaiming that the total reached the very 
patriarchal figure of three hundred and eighty-four years. 
In like manner it should be a consolation for us to know 
that, plentiful as evil is in the world, it can be accounted 
for many times over. Different bodies of world-betterers 
have traced it all to its sources, and can point out the way 
to its abolition, if mankind would only follow. The tee- 
totaller assures us that if we will but consent to abstain 
altogether from alcoholic beverages, at least 60 per cent of 
the existing poverty, vice, crime, disease, and so forth, will 
forthwith cease to exist. The crusaders against the use of 
tobacco trace a more modest portion, say io per cent, to the 
use of the American weed. Enthusiastic educationists 
contend that full one-half of the above-mentioned evils 
spring either from ignorance or from knowledge not instilled 
in the authorised place or by the authorised persons. A 
certain body of sanitary reformers contend that if we would 
only convert half England into an irrigation-farm a long 
step towards the golden age would be taken, and another large 
percentage of poverty, disease, and death would disappear. 
In Dr. Richardson’s model city, Hygeia, the death-rate is 
to fall to five per thousand, and we presume a corresponding 
decrease of sickness and debility is to be insured. Political 
economists are disposed to attribute a very large portion of 
existing evils to the negleCt of saving, to “ unorganised ” 
charity, and to the giving of out-door relief. The Mal- 
thusians ascribe a preponderating amount of whatever is 
undesirable to the too rapid increase of population. The 
“ Shrieking Sisterhood ” maintain, con strepitu , that the 
decay of empires, the want of public and private morality, 
and the low standard of intelligence are due to the exclusion 
of women from the franchise, from Parliament, and from 
the learned professions. Whilst we listen in amazement to 
these conflicting oracles, who jointly, if we may believe 
