A VEGETARIAN CONVERSAZIONE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5503, 15 November 1878, Page 3

A VEGETARIAN CONVERSAZIONE.

(From the Daily Chronicle.) If it be- possible-for mankind to subsist entirely upon vegetarian fare, certainly the present is the best season of the year in which to try the experiment, when flesh meat is not always of the freshest kind, and when fruit and vegetables are at their prime. The “ Order of 1 J anielites,” a vegetarian society formed after the model of secret societies, with a pledge enjoining abstinence from fish, flesh, fowl, alcohol, and tobacco, was therefore wise in inviting the public to “ a grand conversazione” at the present time, and in taking the opportunity of demonstrating the advantages -of adopting a vegetarian course of diet. The rendezvous was at 40, Brunswick-square, in which the first branch of the order, “The Garden of Eden,” meets periodically, the residence of Lieutenant Richardson. Gardeners were present in their working clothes (wearing their regalia of a yellow and green sash), and spread upon a large billiard table were refreshments of various descriptions, of which at intervals the guests were invited to partake. A Mr, Clark, a fresh-colored and vigorous-looking young vegetarian, was placed in the chair, and superintended the proceedings with much geniality, and the first speaker was a Miss Shipman, who told the audience she had been a vegetarian for the space of twelve months, and that she had reaped so much benefit from it that she strongly recommended it to others. For a long time she had suffered greatly from indigestion, and had tried everything in the way of tonics, but nothing had cured her except vegetarianism. Instead of always feeling a sinking and requiring refreshments and stimulants five and six times a day, she was now content with two meals a day, though she admitted she generally had three. If vegetarianism were adopted by the ladies there would, she said, bo fewer drunken husbands, the housekeeping expenses would be less, and there would be no kitchen drudges. If mothers would live on what she termed a “natural diet,” their children would be more healthy, more energetic, more moral, and their own sufferings would be less. After a . • recitation by Lieutenant Richardson, there was a short interval foi general conversation, in the course of which refreshments were dispensed, some vegetarian sandwiches creating much ceriosity as to what were the ingredients used, the flavor being somewhat akin to that of the “ faggot.” A dish of haricot beaus was also served, and numerous were the inquiries for the recipe ; but curiosity was restrained till later In the evening, when it was promised the recipes should be given. Then another member of the Garden (Mr. Pettyjohn) told how he had been an invalid, and asserted that vegetarianism had cured him. He also partakes of only two meals a day, requiring nothing from 1.30 p.m., when he dined, till the next morning at breakfast. The economical argument, he considered, would carry vegetarianism further than any other argument, and he asserted that 3d. spent on vegetarian diet would go as far as Is. spent ou meat. England ought to be able to furnish the whole of her population with food without reference to imports from other countries, as the increasing population of Australia would soon require all the corn that that colony raised, and Russia might not always feel inclined to supply England with corn. Some further entertainment was then provided in the shape of songs, readings, &c., and then Lieutenant Richardson gratified the curiosity of his guests by describing the mode of making vegetarian sandwiches. Between two thin slices of brown bread was laid what was generally' known as forcemeat, which is made of the following ingredients 14 ounces of bread-crumbs, 2 ounces of ground rice, 1 ounce of eemona, 2 ounces of parsley, 2 ounces of onion, 10 drops of essence of lemon, two-thirds of an ounce of salt, or more, to taste, 5 grains °f pepper, one teaspoonful of oil, 40 ounces of water, 20 grains of lemon tyme, one-third of an ounce of sugar. The water should bo first brought to a boil, then the teaspoonful of oil should be poured in, the pepper and salt added, and then the bread-crumbs and other ingredients stirred in. The preparation of the haricot beaus was more simple. A quart of haricot beans, which could be bought at any corn chandler’s for fid, and a Spanish onion, costing Id.,- were the whole contents of the dish, with the exception of three and a half quarts of water and salt to taste. The beans might be soaked overnight, and if so, required less boiling ; if not soaked they required about four hours* boiling. A teaspoonful of oil poured in caused the water to boil at a higher temperature, and thus softened the outer coat of the bean, which otherwise was sometimes rather hard. The beans of which they had partaken had been left to' cool for four hours, as it was very important that food should not be eaten too warm. Some people, he said, seemed to him as though they had got throats made of cast-steel by the way in which they swallowed things into which they would hardly dare put their finger, and it must be remembered that the skin of the throat was much more delicate than that of the finger. He believed that it was in a great measure owing to the consumption of hot foods and liquids that the teeth wore so liable to decay. His own diet cost him from fid. to Bd. per day, and upon this he asserted he did not live sparingly, but obtained plenty of nourishment. In advocating the claims of the Danielite Order, he pointed out that it only asked people to sign the pledge for a week, as at any time they could resign upon a week's notice. Another recess was then declared for refreshment and conversation, duaing which those present were requested to send up any questions for answer by the chairman. This was freely done, and amongst the questions dealt with was one, “ Are there any fat vegetarians (laughter), as there are none present.”. The chairman deprecated the idea that a large amount of fat was necessary to health, but gave several instances of well-known vegetarians, who were blessed (or otherwise) with an undue. degree of corpulence. Another questioner desired to know if some means could not be devised of introducing vegetarian cookery into the schools of cookery that are being established in various parts of the country. The chairman stated that he thought the question was one which the Danielites might well discuss when in session, with a view to taking some action thereupon; and a visitor added that recently, at the Exeter School of Cookery, an evening was specially devoted to that purpose. Some one evidently fond of statistics, was anxious to know the proportion of vegetarians to nonvegetarians present, and what was the average duration of their practice. This, of course, could not be answered on the spur of the moment, but during the. interval of a song Lieutenant Richardson, by inquiring amongst the company, ascertained that t the oldest vegetarian had been so for twenty-five years/ the youngest six weeks, and that the average practice had been over three years each, the proportion of vegetarians to non-vegetarians present being two-thirds,