MECHANICAL EFFECT OF FOOD

The assertion sometimes made that man requires just so many ounces of certain chemical ile m en ts every day and that every- thing taken beyond that is injurious and even poisonous, should be taken with some allowance. The man who recently restricted himself to the requisite amount of nutri- ment with the full expectation of living till he was 100 years old, died at 74 Butthen, he included beef in his dietary, not r^aid- ing the poisonous ptomains contained therein. We believe the mechanical efiiect December.

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of food should always be considered and this is usually obtained from fibrine or other iDDutritious elements which are as import- ant to the healthy action of the organs of nutrition as are the nutritious elements. All fruit and vegetables as well as grain contain fiberous parts and they should not be eliminated until they have performed their important functions. Birds often swallow small pebbles in order to obtain, not nourishment, but mechanical aid to digestion. Our caged pets require sand or fine gravel ; mules in the army have been known to eat the wooden sides of their army wagons when hay and fodder have been scarce. Physiology must be recog- nized as well as chemistry.

ANOTHER VEGETARIAN VICTORY. Our friend Dr. John E. Keidell is a zeal- ous Vegetarian. When at the World's Fair, Chicago, he attended the Vegetarian Convention and made several telling speeches in English. In one of these speeches he related that 50 German Tumere had a race with 50 Austrian Turners. That they left Berlin on foot to see who had the mostendurauceinreaching Vienna. Among these racers were three Vegetarians. The newspapers made fiin of them, but the Vegetarians said wait and see, "he laughs best who laughs last." "Yesterday," said Dr. Keidel, " I got a telegram that all the 97 meat eaters collapsed and did not reach the goal, whereas the three Vegetarians did, and one of them won the race . ' '

Dr. Keidel returned to Germany and a bequest having been made for the establish- ment of an orphans' boarding school in Berlin, the control of which being placed in the hands of the City Councils, with the pioviso that the children be fed on Vegeta- rian &re, in which imilk, butter and eggs might be included, but no flesh, there was

some hesitation on the part of the authorities as to whether the children could be properly nourished without flesh-meat. To satisfy them on this subject. Dr. Keidel oflTercd to test the matter of endurance of fatigue with his own three boys in a wandering match with any number of flesh-eating boys who might be selected by the Turners (Athletic Society) of Berlin. The desire was not to show speed so much as ability to endure protracted exertion without injury.

At 6 o'clock on the morning of the ad of October, only two meat -eating boys selected by the Turner's Society were on hand and six Vegetarians, three of Dr. Keidel '3 boys and three other Vegetarian boys. The ages of the boys ranged from 7 to 14 years. The eight boys headed by Dr. Keidel started on their ramble. They leisurely walked, each with his cane beaded by a bunch of flowers, and arrived at Potsdam, about eigeteen miles from Berlin, at2.3O0'clock. All the Vegetarians were in excellent condition, but the two picked flesh-eating boys were tired out and declined to go any further — gave up the contest. Dr. Keidel and his three sons and one other Vegetarian boy started again at 3.30, reaching Werden at 7 o'clock without other resting, in fine con- dition.

The next morning, whistling and singing, the party started barefoot and bareheaded, as seen in our picture (page 161), followed by a multitude of men, women and child- ren, who were astonished at what they regarded as an exhibition of cranks. They reached Brandenburg at 7 o'clock, P. M., in fine condition, their feet uninjured, singing and swinging their canes. The certificate of the mayor of Brandenburg as to their good condition on arriving was readily obtained. They had walked 17 hours in the two days, and the distance from Berlin to Branden- burg, as near as we can make out by the

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map is about 41 miles, which showed good perseverance and endurance in children trom 7 to 14 years of age.

Dr. Keidel and his children live without any kind of animal food and Dr. Keidel has so lived about 15 years, during which time he has raised a family including these three boys, who, on theirretum, accompanied by their father, called at the offices of the newspapers and their picture was taken and the acconnt of their walking published throughout the German Kmpire. They were also taken to the Department of War, where the Chief Physician critically exam- ined them and pronounced their flesh firm, their health sound, their complexion good and declaring himself perfectly satisfied with their appearance, and that they would make excellent dragoons for His Majesty, the Emperor,

We understand Dr. Keid«l intends soon tocome again to this country aud with his boys will walk to the principal cities between New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, where they expect to embark for Honolulu, with the view of establishing therea Sanitarium of "Natnral Cure." We hope to see them in Philadelphia in the summer of 1899.

Dr. Keidel is quite musical as well as a fluent and humorous speaker, and will enliven his public addresses with appropriate songs, and with his boys, will form an entertaining quartette.