“The vegetarians are making a great ado over the triumph of their theory in the long-distance test of walking endurance, seventy miles, in Germany, this week. The twenty-two starters included eight vegetarians. The distance had to be covered within eighteen hours. The first six to arrive were vegetarians, the first finishing in 14 ¼ hours, the second in 14 ½, the third in 15 ½, the fourth in 16, the fifth in 16 ½, and the sixth in 17 ½. The last two vegetarians missed their way and walked five miles more. All reached the goal in splendid condition. Not till one hour after the last vegetarian did the first meat-eater appear, completely exhausted. He was the only one. Others dropped off after thirty-five miles.”
There is no question of the great economy of vegetarianism. Dr. Alcott, in “Arguments for Vegetarianism,” says:
“Twenty-two acres of land are needed to sustain one man on fresh meat. Under wheat that land will feed forty-two people; under oats, eighty-eight; under potatoes, maize, or rice, one hundred and seventy-six; under the banana, over six thousand. The crowded nations of the future must abandon flesh-eating for a diet that will feed more than tenfold people by the same soil, expense and labor. How rich men will be when they cease to toll for flesh-meat, alcohol, drugs, sickness, and war!”
“Suffer the ox to plough, and impute his death to age and Nature's hand.
Let the sheep continue to yield us sheltering wool, and the goats the produce of their loaded udders.
Banish from among you nets and snares and painful artifices,
Conspire no longer against the birds, nor scare the meek deer, nor hide with fraud the crooked hook; . . . .
But let your mouths be empty of blood, and satisfied with pure and natural repasts.”[1]
Comparative Tables
OF
Vegetable and Animal
FOODS.
| Nitrogenous Matter. | Hydro-carbonate Matter. | Saline Matter. | Water. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lean beef | 19.3 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 72.0 |
| Fat beef | 14.8 | 29.8 | 4.4 | 51.0 |
| Lean mutton | 18.3 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 72.0 |
| Fat mutton | 12.4 | 31.1 | 3.5 | 53.0 |
| Veal | 16.5 | 15.8 | 4.7 | 63.0 |
| Fat pork | 9.8 | 48.9 | 2.3 | 39.0 |
| Dried ham | 8.8 | 73.3 | 2.9 | 15.0 |
| Tripe | 13.2 | 16.4 | 2.4 | 68.0 |
| White fish | 18.1 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 78.0 |
| Red fish (salmon) | 16.1 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 77.0 |
| Oysters | 14.010 | 1.515 | 2.695 | 80.385 |
| Mussels | 11.72 | 2.42 | 2.73 | 75.74 |
| White of egg | 20.4 | . . . . . | 1.6 | 78.0 |
| Yolk of egg | 16.0 | 30.7 | 1.3 | 52.0 |
| Cow's milk (lactin) | 4.1 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 86.0 |
| Cream | 2.7 | 26.7 | 1.8 | 66.0 |
| Butter | . . . . . | 83.0 | 2.0 | 15.0 |
| Gruyere cheese | 31.5 | 24.0 | 3.0 | 40.0 |
| Roquefort | 26.52 | 30.14 | 5.07 | 34.55 |
| Dutch | 29.43 | 27.54 | . . . . . | 36.10 |
| Chester | 25.99 | 26.34 | 4.16 | 35.92 |
| Parmesan | 44.08 | 15.95 | 5.72 | 27.56 |
| Cheddar | 28.4 | 31.1 | 4.5 | 36.0 |
| Carbohydrates. | Nitrogenous Matter. | Hydro-carbonate Matter. | Saline Matter. | Water. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beans | 55.86 | 30.8 | 2.0 | 3.65 | 8.40 |
| White haricots | 55.7 | 25.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 9.9 |
| Dried peas | 58.7 | 23.8 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 8.3 |
| Lentils | 56.0 | 25.2 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 11.5 |
| Potatoes | 21.9 | 2.50 | 0.11 | 1.26 | 74.0 |
| Black truffles | 16.0 | 8.775 | 0.560 | 2.070 | 72.0 |
| Mushrooms | 3.0 | 4.680 | 0.396 | 0.458 | 91.010 |
| Carrots | 14.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 83.0 |
| Sea-kale | 2.8 | 2.4 | . . . . . | (?) 3.0 | 93.3 |
| Turnips | 7.2 | 1.1 | . . . . . | 0.6 | 91.0 |
| Cabbage | 5.8 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 91.0 |
| Garden beet | 13.5 | .4 | . . . . . | (?) 1.0 | 82.2 |
| Tomato | 6.0 | 1.4 | . . . . . | (?) .8 | 89.8 |
| Sweet potato | 26.25 | 1.50 | 0.30 | 2.60 | 67.50 |
| Water-cress | 3.2 | 1.7 | . . . . . | (?) .7 | 93.1 |
| Arrowroot | 82.0 | . . . . . | . . . . . | . . . . . | 18.0 |
| Dry southern wheat | 67.112 | 22.75 | 2.61 | 3.02 | . . . . . |
| Dry common wheat | 77.05 | 15.25 | 1.95 | 2.75 | . . . . . |
| Oat-meal | 63.8 | 12.6 | 5.6 | 3.0 | 15.0 |
| Barley-meal | 74.3 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 15.0 |
| Rye-meal | 73.2 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 15.0 |
| Dry maize | 71.55 | 12.50 | 8.80 | 1.25 | . . . . . |
| Dry rice | 89.65 | 7.55 | 0.80 | 0.90 | . . . . . |
| Buckwheat | 64.90 | 13.10 | 3.0 | 2.50 | 13.0 |
| Quinoa-meal | 56.80 | 20.0 | 5.0 | (?) 1.0 | 15.0 |
| Dhoorra-meal | 74.0 | 9.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | . . . . . |
| Dried figs | 65.9 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 17.5 |
| Dates | 65.3 | 6.6 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 20.8 |
| Bananas | (?) 19.0 | 4.820 | 0.632 | 0.791 | 73.900 |
| Walnuts (peeled) | 8.9 | 12.5 | 31.6 | (?) 1.7 | 44.5 |
| Filberts | 11.1 | 8.4 | 28.5 | (?) 1.5 | 48.0 |
| Ground-nuts (peeled) | 11.7 | 24.5 | 50.0 | (?) 1.8 | 7.5 |
| Cocoa-nut | 8.1 | 5.5 | 35.9 | (?) 1.0 | 46.6 |
| Fresh chestnuts (peeled) | 42.7 | 3.0 | 2.5 | (?) 1.8 | 49.2 |
| Locust bean | 67.9 | 7.1 | 1.1 | (?) 2.9 | 14.6 |
| Cocoa-nibs | 11.10 | 21.20 | 50.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 |
| Chocolate |