HOW TO LIVE ON SIXPENCE A DAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2519, 1 September 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

HOW TO LIVE ON SIXPENCE A DAY.

A correspondent writes:—l was much struck the other day, in turning over an old copy of the late Mr Bnckmastor's "Cookery Instructor," to find how easily the author had solved the problem of cheap living. It is not only possible to live on sixpence a day, but, if the Buckmasterian regime is properly followed, it is possible to live considerably within that limit. It is needless to say that to carry out this programme it is necessary to dispense with butchers' meat and the multitudinous kickshaws under which the tables of even plain-living people groan. There is no need for such edibles, for " in a pennyworth of lentils there is more nitrogen than in a shilling's worth of beef, and a pennyworth of treacle supplies more carbon than five pennyworth of fat pork." Oatmeal, we are told, is a cheaper food than ordinary bread, maize bread cheaper than oatmeal, and buttermilk cheaper than either. Here, then, within the compass of half-a-dozen simple substances, is a scheme of living and fattening which is well worth the attention of the economist and the philanthrophist. It has never, however, been clearly revealed how, when, and in what proportions these delectable and lifesustaining articles are to be taken. That treacle is a compost possessed of almost diabolical fascination is obvious enough. Once put an intelligent infant on a diet of treacle, and there is no weaning him from it. Next to lining his stomach with this remarkable mixture, a baby's greatest pleasure is to plaster his face with it, and lick it off at his leisure. It is not easy to discover what place treacle should hold in human dietary. Should it be taken neat, or sandwiched between two slices of bread ? Should it be the piece tie resistance of a tneal, or a mere adjunct or dessert ? Probably the former, since a pennyworth supplies more carbon than five-pennyworth of fat pork. Suppose a man takes for breakfast a pennyworth from the family mug and supports it by a pennyworth of lentils, equal in life-sustaining qualities to a good steak. Would this be quite safe ? Would it not be a kind of gluttony, even though such a breakfast cost only twopence ? I doubt if any mortal following out this dietary scheme would find much inclination for dinner. He certainly could not venture on another such meal as treacle and lentils in the afternoon, and would probably confine himself to a pennyworth of oatmeal, which contains more carbon and nitrogen than a shilling's worth of beef. It has never been denied by food reformers that the meal called tea is an absolute superfluity—little more, in fact, than an excuse for gossiping. But those who want some kiud of refection late in the afternoon could obtain it by imbibing ihineral salts and water; which we are told, have the wonderful property of rectifying any imperfections in food which either has been or is to be taken. This liquor is so cheap that it is reckoned a halfpenny would provide an ample " tea" for one person. This would bring the daily expenditure to 3id., leaving still 24d. in hand for supper—a meal which according to a cynical Frenchman kills half of the people of Paris; and may, therefore, be regarded, like tea, as wholly unnecessary. But, conceding the desirability, if not necessity, of a late repast, what can be more appropriate than to wind up the day with a pennyworth of buttermilk ? No one who has ever revelled in that appetising liquor will deny its power to fill a vacuum. It is both food and drink. It is a cheaper and better food than the renowned cakes and porridge of Scotland, audits soporific qualities are undeniable. Finishing up the day in this fashion t!ie economist would find himself probably regretting that he had rather exceeded the bounds of prudence, and might be tempted to look around for some cheap form of jollity in which he could indulge with the aid of the three-halfpence remaining of the sixpence. This is a danger which Mr Buckmaster overlooked. High living such as I have sketched is absolutely incompatible with clear thinking of any kind ; and a man without a thought in his head and with three unruly halfpence in his pocket is just the kind of person for whom the unseen powers of evil are constantly on the watch.—Scotsman.