vegetables are most healthful and economical, but if she does not understand how to "make the mouth water," her labor is largely lost. Especially if she has but little money, should she pay great attention to this subject, for it is the only way to induce the body to take up plain food with relish. The list of these spices, flavors, harmless drinks and the like, is a long one. Unfortunately, we have no comprehensive word that will include everything of the sort, from a sprig of parsley to a cup of coffee; the German calls them "Genuss-mittel"-"pleasure-giving things." PROPORTIONS AND AMOUNTS OF FOOD PRINCIPLES. We have brought our discussion of the three great food principles to the point where we can enquire in what proportions and amounts these should be represented in our diet. The standard daily dietary that is most frequently cited, and which, perhaps, best represents the food consumption of the average European workman in towns, is that proposed by Prof. Voit. This dietary was made upon the basis of a large number of observed cases. It demands for a man of average size engaged in average manual labor, Proteids* 118 gms. Fats 56 gms. Carbohydrates. 500 gms. Now it is the opinion of all competent judges, that at least onethird of this proteid should come from the animal kingdom, and this one-third, if given in the form of fresh beef, would be represented by 230 grams of butcher's meat, calculated to consist of Bone and tendon... Lean 18 gms 21 66 191 66 When we take whole populations into account, we find that little, if any, more meat than this falls to each person per day. Thus the average consumption per day for three great cities is given as follows: Berlin ... New York .. London... 135 gms. per cap. Of course these averages include children, but they also include great numbers of the well-to-do, who eat much more meat than their bodies need. We will add a few more examples of dietaries, some of which are used by the writer in making out the bills of fare given in this essay. Fats, Carbohydrates, Proteids, 145 100 450 120 56 500 150 150 500 125 125 450 100 60 400 80 50 320 Proposed by Prof. Voit for a man at hard work. Allowed to German soldiers in garrison. Proposed by Prof. Atwater for American at hard work. By the same for American at moderate work. Proposed by Prof. Voit for a woman By the same for children from 7 to 15 years. We will give an instance of how much below these figures the amount consumed sometimes falls. Prof. Boehm found that a poor North German family, consisting of a man, wife and a child five years old, had in one week for their food: Calculating the food principles contained in these amounts, we find that the three individuals daily consumed of: Proteids, 175.5 gms. Fats, 41 gms. Carbohydrates, 1251. gms. It needs no comment to show how insufficient is this dietary in amount, and how incorrect in proportion. We have selected Prof. Atwater's dietary for a man at moderate manual labor as the basis of our twelve bills of fare and have taken Voit's standard for women and children. Our climate is more trying and our people work faster, and we shall do well to allow more fat and meat to our working-man than the foreign dietaries provide. If our man is to get daily one-third of his proteid in the form of animal food, this would be represented by 8 ozs. of butcher's meat (without bone), by from 5 to 5.8 ozs. cheese, or by 8 eggs. We believe that it is better to go a little high rather than too low with proteid food. As a rule, people who eat enough proteids, and especially enough animal food, are vigorous and have what we call "stamina," and doctors incline to the belief that such people resist disease better because their blood and tissue are less watery than in the case of people who draw their proteids almost entirely from such vegetables as potatoes. But many workingmen in America would be surprised to learn how well health and strength can be maintained on what is, after all, not such a very large amount of meat, provided the rest of the dietary contains enough vegetable proteid and fat. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS. It now remains for us to see whether the economist can get practical help from the foregoing facts about the character of foods and the use that is made of them in the body. We have seen that we cannot economize in the amount of our food beyond certain limits and yet remain healthy and strong; also that we must not greatly alter the relative proportions in which experience has shown that these foods are best combined. The true field of household economy has, then, certain prescribed limits. Its scope lies, 1st. In furnishing a certain food principle in its cheap rather than its dear form; for example, the proteid of beef instead of that of chicken, fat of meat instead of butter. 2d. Having bought foods wisely, in cooking them in such a manner as to bring out their full nutritive value; for instance, making a roast juicy and delicious instead of dry and tasteless. 3rd. 3rd. In learning how to use every scrap of food to advantage, as in soup making, and 4th, if we add to these the art of so flavoring and varying as to make simple materials relish, we have covered the whole field of the household economist, so far as the food question is concerned. We hope she will find help in the following pages, for it will be part of our task in this essay to examine different articles of food as to their nutritive value, and to recommend such combinations and such methods of cooking as will make the utmost out of a certain sum of money. As to foods, we have in America a large range of choice; staple raw products cost less generally than they do in Europe and the laboring man here has somewhat more money to buy with. The anxious provider, who must feed many mouths on what seems an insufficient sum, may feel assured that he can, without doubt, learn to do better than he now does. In this line we must not disdain to learn lessons wherever we can. There is an unfortunate prejudice among us against learning of foreign countries. The American workman says indignantly that he does not want to learn how to live on "starvation wages." But the facts, viewed coolly, are just these: the inhabitants of older countries have learned some lessons that we too must soon learn whether we will or no, and to profit by these lessons before we are really obliged to, will in no way lower wages, it will simply help us to get more comfort and pleasure out of our money. Students of economy, political and domestic, find no better school than the experience of older countries, and constantly draw lessons from their greater thrift and economy in living. Mrs. Helen Campbell found among the poor sewing women of New York, that none were skillful in cooking their scanty food excepting only the German and Swiss women. All observing travelers unanimously give this testimony,-"If our American workman knew how to make as much of his large wage as the foreigner does of his small one, he could live in luxury." But you ask, what are the special lessons to be learned of the foreign housewife? We answer, chiefly self-denial and saving. Do not give up in despair because you have a small income and resign yourself to living meanly, in a hand to mouth fashion. Diligent study of the question and resolute abstention from luxuries will solve the problem, if it can be solved. We indulge ourselves and our children too much in what tastes good, while all the time we know we have not money enough to buy necessaries. For instance, the consumption of sugar in America was in 1887, 56 lbs. per head, in Germany hardly more than onethird that amount. This means a larger consumption of sweetmeats than we can afford and at the same time be well fed otherwise. We seem, in general, to spend too much money in our country on food compared with what we use in other directions; one great trouble is that we do not know how to save every scrap of food and use it again in some form. For one thing, we have yet to learn the great art of soup making,—and it seems also, of soup eating. The American housekeeper would say to me: "This is nothing new, for years we've been hearing about soups. We don't like soups!" I only ask, "have you tried them for a considerable length of time, so that you have become skilled in making them, and your family used to their taste?" One fact alone ought to insure for them a good trial; that at least three nations, the French, German and Italian, make daily use of them and have for generations. To take part of our food in this form is an absolute necessity if we are to do the best possible with a certain amount of money. PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES. The practical difficulties in the way of improvement in household cookery are not small. As cook, we have the wife and mother, who has too little time for this very important branch of household work ; she has had, perhaps, no good training in the art of cookery (for it is an art), and besides, her kitchen and kitchen utensils are not at all what they should be. Indeed, the qualifications for a given task could not well be further from the ideal. In Europe families of small means have many helps unknown to us. In the first place, bread is never baked at home, the baker's bread being both excellent and cheap. It would seem that among us, baker's bread must shortly improve in quality and decrease in price; either the profits must be too large, or the business not well managed. For instance, in those parts of Germany where white bread is eaten as a staple, it costs a trifle over 3 cents a pound, while flour of average quality costs about the same. In contrast with this, compare the prices of bread and flour in our own country where in no large city is bread quoted at less than 7 cents, while flour costs 3 cents. That is, bread costs in Germany about the same as flour and in America more than twice as much; and yet the German baker is notably a prosperous person! The foreign housekeeper has still further help from the baker. If she makes a cake or pie, she sends it out to be baked, and pays from one to two cents (the fuel would have cost more); joints of meat and mix dishes are also sent to be baked for the same price; and before any bakeshop in a German city, at noon on Sunday, can be seen a line of servant girls, each in turn receiving a steaming dish as it is taken from the oven. The soup kitchens (Volks Küchen) of various grades are also a great help. The writer has repeatedly had brought from one of them an excellent meat broth (1 pt. for 2 |