OUR DEGENERATING BODIES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12933, 12 October 1907, Page 3

OUR DEGENERATING BODIES.

TO THE EDJTOE OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—l am heartily with you in urging military exercises as aids to physique, but before w« can do much by exercise we must hare a rigorous animal to work upon. You hare shown over and over again that a diet of Ti tat, roller-flour bread, and t«a —the staple of most English-speaking peoples at the present day—must infallibly lead to degeneration, seeing that on such diet the tissue*, and above all the brain and the nervous system, are nor properly nourished; the teeth are certain to fail in early life, and with the teeth gcea the digestion, -with tho digestion the vigour of the ideal young man and youivj woman. This failure to supply the proper nourishment ot the Animal Man (homo sapiens) is to the full as drstructive to our race as the folly or wickedness of the milky mothers who deny their babes ihe maternal fount. For this reason, that it sape the vigour of the young children who have been nursed by their mothers, nnd have been started well on the race of life; thus when the parents have done their duty, this pernicious fashion of buying only bread made ot roller flour comes in and robs the nation of its rising hope. I can hear one-half of your readers laughing at my faddiness; but I appeal to the Bober and patriotic men and women of the community, and I ask them to consider calmly whether I have overstated the facts. If they breed animals they take good care to provide the scientifically right food for them, whether cattle, sheep, horses, swine, dogs, cats, or fowls. It is only our children, "the temples of the Holy Spirit," who are neglected, their bodily welfare despised ai a matter of less importance than money-making, social civilities, and ohuroh-going. We have already seen the principle accepted that it is the nation's duty not only to educate its youths, but to feed them, if feeding is necessary to make them fit recipient* of teaching. I eubmit that the logical conclusion is that the State should provide atonefleur bread for the people before it calls upon them to bear arms. You have repeatedly published the facts about stone-flour bread, and the deeds of the English nation have been done upon it. About 1875 roller-flour came in, and since then dentistry has become one of the most remunerative of all the professions, end the physique of the English people ie conspicuously deteriorating. The causes to which this deterioration is commonly ascribed have been operating for generations, whore ac the- bet fifty years have seen innumerable amelioration* of the conditions of life: the growth of game*, the cult of fresh air, more rational clothing, better education, 'better housing, better drainage, aeoptic surgery, and more ecientifio treatment of disease Had other conditions continued as they were, wo couW have expected from all theee changes a notable improvement in the national physique. But the staff of life has been withdrawn, and the etarch of death substituted for it; and this one evil change has borne down all the* other good once. I eubmit this proposal of State-sold stone-flour tread to the consideration of all our ipetriote, to Professor Kaelam, and the Na<vy League, to the Bishops and their Churches, to the Nonconformists who have theipeople'ecaiuee in their keeping, to the Trades Unions whoee sol* capital, their ability to labour effectively, is endangered by our degenerating physique. To feed the people is but a little thing to do: ite cost would be trivial, perhaps nothing but the results—well, the mastery oi the Pacific is out one of them. —Yours, etc ' - HEBEWAKD THE WAKE.