VEGETARIANISM.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1541, 28 May 1885, Page 2

VEGETARIANISM.

Recently a public dinner was given to the villagers of Leigh, near Tunbridge, by Mr S. Morley It consisted wholly of vegetables, and was served under the auspices of the National Food Reform Society. More than 200 responded to the invitation. The meal consisted of three courses—a soup, a savory ; and a sweet, and cost with cooking 6d per head, the prime coat of the articles alone being only 3d. Mr Morley, who presided, making a speech at the close, said that he had invited them to attend in order to have a practical demonstration of the vegetarian diet. He had been accused of wanting to deprive the working man of his beer, and now he might be accused of wanting to deprive him of his meat. Everything that he had seen and tasted that night led him to believe the subject of vegetarianism was worthy of consideration. The food was good, and it had this advantage, that it could be produced at about half the cost of meat. It was, therefore, of the greatest importance, and worth considering by fathers and mothers, if they cou'a have their children properly nourished at half their present cost. Looking at the question from the thrifty point of view, he taw that it was stated that a pennyworth of meal was equal in nutriment to a pound of meat, if that was so, it was well worthy of consideration to-day, when many had such a job to make both ends meet. Then it was said that those who were thoroughgoing vegetarians were invariably total abstainers, and to his mind that was a very great charm. They ate so much fruit and vegetables that they did not need the drink which some people felt they could not do without except in the shape of intoxicants. With respect to the housing of the poor, ha believed that if the system was generally adopted it would cause tho decrease of a great deal of misery in London, because so many peopla would be engaged in the growth of fruit and vegetables. He believed that a system of iruit and , vegetable farming would pay better than corn growing, owing to the foreign com petition in the latter article ; besides , which it would enhance tho wages of the laboring classes.