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 Every youth should learn to do something finely and thoroughly with
 his hands.—­Ruskin.

 THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF VEGETALISM.

This article has been translated from the French of Prof.  H. Labbe, the head of the laboratoire a la Faculte de Medecine, in Paris.  It reflects a rather characteristic aloofness to any considerations other than scientific or economic.  But it will well repay careful study.—­[EDS.]

 I

 Vegetarianism has been the object of many attacks, and has also been
 warmly defended.  Most of its adepts have sought to give the value of a
 dogma to its practice.

For quite a number of people “vegetarianism” is a kind of religion, requiring of its votaries a sort of baptism, and the sacrifice of many pleasures.  It is this which justifies the infatuation of some, and the systematic disparagement of others.

“Vegetalism"[12] cannot pretend to play a similar part, or to lend itself to ambiguity.  To be a “vegetalist” is to choose in the vegetable kingdom, with a justified preference, foods susceptible of filling the energy-producing needs, and the needs of the reparation of the human system.

 “Vegetalism” is a chapter of dietetic physiology which must utilise
 the precise methods and recent discoveries of the science of
 nutrition.

[12] The word “Vegetarianism” implies a judgment of the qualities which such a diet entails.  This word is derived, in fact, from the Latin adjective “Vegetus” (strong).  The word “Vegetalism,” which we oppose to the preceding one, admits only the establishing of a fact, that of the choice—­exclusive or preferred—­of the nutritious matters in the vegetable kingdom.

 II

Before putting “vegetalism” into practice the first point is to know whether the foods of “vegetal” origin contain, and are susceptible of producing regularly, the divers nutritive principles indispensable to the organisation of an alimentary diet.  The principles are the following:—­Proteid or albuminoid substances; hydrocarbonated and sweet substances fatty substances; mineral matters, alkalis, lime, magnesia, phosphates and chlorides, etc.  In most compound foods, no matter of what origin, mineral materials almost always exist in sufficient quantities.  The most important amongst them, at all events, are found combined in liberal, even superabundant, portions in dishes of vegetal origin.  The analysis of the ashes of our most common table vegetables fixes us immediately to this subject:  Leguminous plants supply from about three to six per cent. of ashes, rich in alkalis, lime and phosphates.  Potatoes, green vegetables and fruit as a whole absorbing considerable quantities of mineral elements.  These are the elements of a nature to allow a precise reply to this question which we propose to expound briefly.

 III