Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/345

 334 ONCE  A WEEK. [October 22,  1859.

plain cooks  of  the  women. This w ould  be  the  best method of  economy; but  it  is  also  a question  how more material  may  be  obtained. If we  were  all as wise  as  we  might  be,  there  would  be  meat,  and! other prime  articles  of  food,  'within  reach  of  every laborious man  in  the  kingdom. It is  painful  to write  of  the  inferior  parts  of  the  ox  as  the  food of the  labourer,  while  the  sirloin  and  the  rump- steak are  for  the  squire  and  the  farmer. In the primary articles  of  food  it  might  seem  that  men  of all  ranks  should  be  on  an  equality. But what  can one do  and  say? The truth  is,  practically,  that the labourer  rarely  sees  good  meat,  or  any  meat but bacon,  on  his  table. I believe and  trust  that there will  ere  long  be  more  meat  produced; and if, at  the  same  time,  a wise  economy  could  be introduced  into  all  classes,  by  which  no  meat would be  wasted,  and  no  one  would  eat  too  much of it,  and  everyone  could  understand  how  to  obtain and use  it,  we  might  hope  to  see  the  leg  of  mutton, and loin  of  pork,  and  goodly  piece  of  boiling-beef, on the  ploughman’s  and  the  mason’s  table,  as  regu- larly as in  the  houses  of  their  employers.

Meantime, what  can  be  done?

It is  well  known  in  certain  rural  districts  that the labourer’s  expenditure  usually  exceeds  his avowed income: and  that  it  is  impossible  to  pre- serve the health  and  strength  of  cottage  families on such  means  as  they  nominally  have. Some- thing is due  to  chance  earnings  or  gifts: but  the main part  of  the  mystery  is  solved  when  we  look at the  game-preserves. Half a century  ago,  when the labourers  actually  could  not  live, — when  bread was not  only  dear,  but  intolerable  in  quality,  the offence of  sheep -stealing  was  prevalent  beyond example. In the  parishes  where  wages  are  8s. per week,  there  is  much  poaching; and  so  there will be  while  men  are  required  to  live  on  such  a pittance. Now, if  the  improvement  in  farming admitted of  an  advance  of  wages  to  12#.,  or  14#. or 16#. a week (rates  paid  now  where  the  farming is  good),  the  man  and  the  boys  would  be  worth the increase,  in  mere  strength  and  spirit; and, instead of  stealing  the  squire’s  wild  birds,  the family might  and  would  keep  fowls  of  their  own. Instead of  getting  hares  and  rabbits  on  the  sly, they would  keep  a pig,  be  sure  of  prime  bacon, and exchange  the  rest  for  beef  and  mutton. Till we see  this  change  taking  place  in  the  very poorest districts,  how  may  the  interval  be  best bridged over? How may  the  greatest  number  be preserved  from  that  condition  of  imperfect  feed- ing which prepares  thousands  of  our  neighbours for being  victims  of  every  assault  of  disease?

It is  essential  to  good  nourishment  that  there should be  some  variety  in  food. Not only  must there be  both  the  classes  of  elements  above  spoken of, which  are  found  together  in  the  main  articles of food,  but  the  articles  themselves  must  be varied. Bread includes  various  good  elements; and so  does  milk; and  so  do  potatoes: yet nobody could  long  remain  in  health  on  a diet  of bread  alone,  or  of  potatoes  without  milk  or  other animal product. Thus, it  is  wretched  manage- ment to buy  bread,  and  nothing  but  bread,  and feed the  whole  family  upon  it,  because  bread  is  the best single  article  of  food. The aim  should  be  to have  both  animal  and  vegetable  food  at  every dinner. It must  be  remembered  that  animal  food does not  mean  meat  only. It includes  fish, cheese, butter,  milk,  and  eggs. This point  might be carried,  if  the  labouring  class  understood  the importance of  it,  and  knew  better  how  to  manage their affairs.

They might  be  assisted  in  many  ways,  and  from two points  of  view  especially; and  without  insult- ing them by  the  offer  of  alms,  or  of  any  further aid than  neighbours  ought  always  to  be  glad  to afford  and  accept. They might  be  helped  first  to  the food itself; and  next,  to  the  due  preparation  of  it.

It is  not  an  unusual  thing  for  ladies,  in  town and country,  to  buy  calico,  prints,  and  flannel, wholesale, in  order  to  furnish  schools  and  cottages with clothing,  good  and  cheap. Why the  same thing is  not  done  with  articles  of  food  is strange. Ladies who  have  a little  time  to  spare could do  a prodigious  amount  of  good  in  a rural parish (or  in  towns  also),  by  procuring  rice  and coffee by  the  cwt.,  as  imported; and  barrels  of  Irish beef, and  of  Ohio  pork; and  quarter  chests  of  tea; and carrots  by  the  load,  when  the  smaller  roots would serve  for  the  pig  and  the  cows,  while  the best would  come  very  cheap  for  the  cottagers.

In Russian  villages  there  is  often  a pair  of  scales under a shed  for  general  use. It is  intended  pri- marily to weigh  the  wool  and  yarn  of  the  spinners; but what  a blessing  it  would  be  for  many  an English  hamlet,  where  the  people  are  at  the mercy of  the  shop  scales,  and  where  they  now buy mere  pinches  or  handfuls  of  what  they  want! A pair of  scales  and  a coffee-roaster  for  general use, with  arrivals  of  rice  at  two  pence  farth- ing a pound, when  it  is  fourpence  or  five- pence at  the  shop,  and  coffee  at  a shilling,  reduced to ten-pence  by  a due  mixture  -with  chicory,  and prime pork  at  fourpence,  and  beef  at  fivepence, and Indian  meal  at  some  wonderfully  low  figure, — would change  the  aspect  of  many  dinner-tables in the  parish. The cheapest  food,  nutritious  and really palatable,  at  present  known,  is  believed  to be  one  on  which  the  operatives  of  a manufacturing town were  mainly  fed  in  abad  winter  by  abenevolent employer, whose  object  was  to  embrace  the  greatest number within  his  means  of  relief. A mixture of  In- dian meal and  rice,  boiled  for  many  hours,  with  con- diments, made an  excellent  daily  meal  for  hundreds of men,  at  (if  I remember  right),  three -farthings a head. In ordinary  times,  the  main  object  is  not to discover  the  cheapest  food,  but  the  cheapest good food,  in  sufficient  variety; and  the  difference between the  lazy  slice  of  bread,  served  out  to  the whole family,  to  be  eaten  anyhow  and  anywhere, and the  hot  meal,  properly  served  at  table,  need not be  insisted  on  here,  or  anywhere. Wholesale prices tend  powerfully  to  the  establishment  of  the dinner-table in  cottage-life.

But what  is  to  become  of  the  village  shopkeeper? some will  ask. The village  shopkeeper,  or  the city huckster,  loses  more  by  long  credits  and  bad debts in  an  unthrifty  neighbourhood  than  he can  by  three  or  four  articles  of  his  stock  being otherwise supplied  to  his  poorest  customers. Where there  is  a general  shop,  the  prosperity  of the  villagers  is  the  best  thing  for  the  shopkeeper on the  'whole.

Finally, there  is  the  preparation  of  the  food. If