PELIGION AND DIET.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2943, 22 July 1878, Page 2

PELIGION AND DIET.

Some Interesting Experiments by Pbofessob Huxley. FEOM THE NEW XOBK TIMES. It has long been the belief of many eminent scientific persons that the various forms of religion now prevailing are the direct results of different kinds of food. There have hitherto been inseparable difficulties in the way of demonstrating the truth of this theory, but that a man's religion depends upon the kind of food he uses, and is modified to some extent by the. climate in which, he lives, nearly all advanced' thinkers are convinced. It is pleasant to be able to announce that at last all possibility of doubt on this subject has been removed by a series of successft? 1 experiments narrated by Professor Huxley in his contemplated book- on "Vegetable rid Alcoholic .Religions."' Sometime ago Prof. Huxley was so fortunate as to obtain possession of a large litter of young children, the property of a Positivist, who desired to devote his whole time fo the study of gin, and who held that, inasmuch as there is no hereafter, it was not worth while for him to trouble himself about his children. The latter, who were to a great extent twins, and were all under eight years of age, were perfectly free from ail religious prejudices, and although the oldest swore with much fluency, he had no thought of the possibility of ' the existence of a God. Placing them in strict confinement, where no human being but himself and a deaf-and-dumb nurse could obtain access to them, Professor Huxley began a series of experiments with their food, which, produced the most satisfactory and valuable results. '.The oldest child was fed exclusively upon Swiss cheese, and was allowed to drink weak brandy and water. He was kept in a room where the temperature was a little above the freezing point, and was con* stantly exercised in climbing artificial precipices made of trunks and bookcases. Like the rest of the children, he was taught to read and write, but received no other instruction. At the end of three months Professor Huxley was delighted to find him mak'ig preparations for a bonfire, in which he proposed to burn his nurse, on the ground that she did not believe certain doctrines which he believed. A month later the boy constructed a rude pulpit, in which Tie constantly preach'd sermons denouncing flies and gnats, who' were his only hearers, for their fondness for sunshine. Before the end of the first year he had formulated a creed which Professor Huxley found to bear a very close resemblance to that of John Calvin. It thus became clear that a diet of Swiss caeese, combined with brandy and water and modified!)/ a low temperature, are the immediate cause of Calvinism. Meanwhile another boy had been fed upon oatmeal and whisky, made to live ?i a damp room and frequently sprinkled with a fine spray of water closely resembling a Scotch mist. This boy soon acquired.a peculiar broad accent, and showed a disposition to preach sermons several hours in length. He displayed a violent aversion to pictures of all sorts, to scarlet and i6i the sound of an organ. A very short time was all that was needed to develop him into an unmistakable Scotch Presbyterian. The experiment was satisfactory in demonstrating the truth of the materialistic theory of the origin of religion, but the unsatisfactory feature was the unconquerable tendency of the boy to throw things at the Professor whenever the latter incidentally mentioned that there was no God. The third boy was kept in a'hot room, fed upon macaroni and light wines, and compelled to grind a small hand organ. This experiment also was a complete success. The boy became an unmistakable Eoman Catholic, and displayed a degree of devbutness, joined to a fondness for sticking his pen-knife into the Professor's legs, which filled the latter with scientific delight. There were five children in all, but the experiments made on the younger two were not altogether satisfactory. One of them was fed upon pork and hominy, varied with occasional chickens, and allowed to drink nothing but water. It was, supposed that under this course of treatment strong Baptist symptoms would have been developed; but, on the contraiy, the boy became a sort of cross between a Methodist and a Presbyterian. It is Professor Huxley's opinion that an error was made in his diet, although he darns to have fed him m accordance with the custom prevailing in the southern part of the United States. At rdi

events, the experiment was little better than a failure, and the formula for the produciiou of Baptists is not fouud in the Professor's contemplated book. As for the filth boy, ho was treated with special care with the view of making him an earnest and able scientific person. His diet consisted of roast beef'and ale, and his playthings were slates and pencils, mathematical instruments, specimens of minerals and fossils, and anatomical drawings. Three times every day he was taken to the open window, and held, with his mouth open, exposed to the east wind. Every afternopn, two well behaved little scientific boys were brought to play with him, and the three were accustomed to play pitch and toss with a pocket Bible for several hours. It was confidently believed that under this treatment he would become a-i eminent scientific person, but Professor Huxley was bitterly disappointed. The boy became a most impertinent and malicious little wretch. His self-conceit grew intolerable. It was bis delight to pick in pieces and to spoil every beautiful object that came within his reach, and to throw stones and to hoot at every respectable person who passed near his window. It is true that he did not believe in the existence of a God, but this was a slight consolation to Professor Huxley when the latter was csMed a bigoted idiot by this wretched boy, or told by him that he was a stupid automaton and would like to disarrange his internal mechanism with a knife. The boy did not, as need hardly be remarked, resemble a modern scientific person in the remotest degree, and professor Huxley confesses himself unable to account for the failure of this experiment. ' Nevertheless, in his contemplated volume the learned Professor' has been able to give the several formula? for the productions" of Swis3 Calvinists, Scotch Presbyterians and Italian fiomah Catholics, and by these establish, beyond Controversy, his assertion that religion is the result of diet. At the same time it should be remarked that the nurse has confessed that she secret'y supplied the boys with religious books, and that from the latter they derived their religious views. As between the assertions of a woman with a quicken i conscience and the grave statements of a scientific person, there can be but little room for choice, and we must accept Professor Huxley's account of his experiments with the same faith-with which we accept a!! his other scientific assertions.