qualities are more easily retained or obtained under that condition.  It is well known that the over-fed and badly fed are the most irritable and discontented Those living on a stimulating dietary consisting largely of flesh have their chief successes in feats of short duration.  Simple and abstemious living individuals or races excel in laborious work requiring endurance over long periods, such as long walking, cycling, and other athletic feats and long military campaigns.

The digestive and assimilative organs need the food constituents of which we have written, in proper proportion and quantity, and in a fairly digestible condition.  Within these very wide and comprehensive limits, the organs can be trained.  Very much of the great difference in food is due to the non-essential flavouring and stimulating part, rather than to that part which is essential and nourishing.  What is the best, interests but few; whilst what is at present the pleasantest, influences the many.  The ego, the superphysical conscious and reasoning entity should rule its material body, its temporary vehicle.  The body, being the servant of the ego, just as a horse, dog, or other of the lower animals recognises its master, becomes a docile subject.  The body can be led into good habits nearly as easily as into bad ones; often more easily, as bad habits are sometimes painfully acquired.  The body being once habituated to certain movements, conditions, foods or drinks, within reasonable limits, derives pleasure therefrom and resists change.  It is only when the food, etc., transgresses certain elementary principles, that the result is more or less painful.  We may on scientific principles condemn flesh-foods, stimulants and elaborately prepared foods; but after ruling all this out, there is still left a very great variety of foods and methods of preparing them:  hereon each individual must form his own opinion.  Of the foods thus left, the same kind is not equally suitable to everyone, nor even to the same person at different periods.

A delicately balanced, fine-grained, high-toned mind and body responds to every tender influence, and is painfully jarred by that which is coarse.  To such, fruits and delicately flavoured and easily digested foods are doubtless best and conducive to purity and clearness of thought.  A coarse-grained, badly poised, roughly working body and spirit, is non-responsive except to loud or coarse impulses; and such a one’s appetite is gratified, not by simple but by coarsely seasoned foods.

A person who is accustomed to a stimulating dietary of flesh-foods, especially if well-seasoned, finds a simple diet unsatisfying.  Should such persons dine off simple vegetarian food, there is a tendency to over-eating.  The less stimulating food fails to rouse the digestive organs and to appease the appetite; although an ample supply of nourishment be consumed.  This is the reason why so many imagine that it is necessary to eat a larger quantity of food if it be vegetable.