Part 6

If a lady can ever find a good excuse for having poor bread, she certainly can find none, except perhaps extreme poverty, for setting her poor bread on the table the second time. Yet, too generally, women seem to think that, as a matter of course, if they, by carelessness or any other means, have been so unlucky as to make a batch of poor bread, their family and friends must share their misfortune, and help them eat it up; and, by this means, many a child has had its health seriously impaired, and its constitution injured, and perhaps its moral character ruined—by being driven, in early life, into pernicious dietetic habits.

It was observed many years ago, by one of the most eminent and extensive practitioners in New England, that, during a practice of medicine for thirty years, he had always remarked that, in those families where the children were most afflicted with worms, he invariably found poor bread; and that, as a general fact, the converse of this was true; that is, in those families where they uniformly had heavy, sour, ill-baked bread, he generally found that the children were afflicted with worms.

A careful and extensive observation for a few years, would convince every intelligent mind that there is a far more intimate relation between the quality of the bread and the moral character of a family, than is generally supposed.

“Keep that man at least ten paces from you, who eats no bread with his dinner,” said Lavater, in his “Aphorisms on Man.” This notion appears to be purely whimsical at first glance; but Lavater was a shrewd observer, and seldom erred in the moral inferences which he drew from the voluntary habits of mankind; and depend upon it, a serious contemplation of this apparent whim, discloses a deeper philosophy than is at first perceived upon the surface.

Whatever may be the cause which turns our children and ourselves away from the dish of bread, and establishes an habitual disregard for it, the effect, though not perhaps in every individual instance, yet, as a general fact, is certainly, in some degree, unfavorable to the physical, and intellectual, and moral, and religious, and social, and civil and political interests of man.

Of all the artificially prepared articles of food which come upon our table, therefore, bread should be that one which, as a general fact, is uniformly preferred by our children and our household,—that one, the absence of which they would notice soonest, and feel the most,—that one which—however they may enjoy for a time the little varieties set before them—they would be most unwilling to dispense with—and which, if they were driven to the necessity, they would prefer to any other dish, as a single article of subsistence.

To effect this state of things, it is obvious that the quality of the bread must be uniformly excellent; and to secure this, I say again, there must be a judgment, an experience, a skill, a care, a vigilance, which can only spring from the sincere affections of a devoted wife and mother, who accurately perceives and duly appreciates the importance of these things, and, in the lively exercise of a pure and delicate moral sense, feels deeply her responsibilities, and is prompted to the performance of her duties.

Would to God that this were all true of every wife and mother in our country—in the world!—that the true relations, and interests, and responsibilities of life were understood and felt by every human being, and all the duties of life properly and faithfully performed!

VARIETIES OF BREAD.

Rye bread. Indian meal bread. Use of sour milk, or butter-milk. Acids. Family grinding.

I have thus far spoken almost entirely of wheaten bread, because I consider that the most wholesome kind of bread for ordinary use—for “daily bread.” When bread is made of superfine flour, the same general rules should be observed.

Rice, barley, oats, rye, Indian corn, and many other farinaceous products of the vegetable kingdom, may also be manufactured into bread, but none of them will make so good bread as wheat. Good rye, raised on a sandy soil, when cleansed and ground in the manner I have already described, and prepared in all respects according to the rules I have laid down, will make very excellent bread. Rye, coarsely ground, without bolting, and mixed with Indian meal, makes very wholesome bread, when it is well made. Good rye and Indian bread is far more wholesome for common or every-day use, than that made of superfine flour.

There are various ways of preparing Indian meal bread; and when such bread is well made, it is very wholesome—much more so, for every-day use, than superfine flour bread. “In a memoir lately read before the French Academy,” says the Journal of Health, “the author undertook to show that maize (Indian corn) is more conducive to health than any other grain; and, as a proof of this, the fact was adduced that, in one of the departments in which this grain was most abundantly and universally used, the inhabitants were remarkable for their health and vigor.”

One great drawback to the wholesomeness of Indian meal bread, however, is, that it is almost universally eaten hot, and too generally, pretty well oiled with butter, or some other kind of animal fat or oil. But Indian meal bread can be prepared in such a manner as to obviate these difficulties, and render it very wholesome.

Barley and oats may be manufactured into very wholesome bread; but they are little used for such purposes in this country.

Rice, peas, beans, potatoes, &c., may also, by mixing them with a portion of wheat or rye flour, be manufactured into bread; but, as I have already stated, there is no other kind of grain or farinaceous vegetable substance from which so good loaf bread can be made, as good wheat.

In making bread from Indian meal, and other kinds of farinaceous substances containing little or no gluten, yeast or leaven is rarely if ever used to make it light. More generally sour milk or butter-milk and saleratus or soda are used for this purpose; and they who do not well understand the principle upon which these substances make their bread light, often greatly impair their own success by their mismanagement.

It is, perhaps, most common for them to mix their sour milk or butter-milk and saleratus together, and wait till the effervescence is over, before they stir in their meal. But by this means they lose the greater part of the gas or air by which their dough should be made light.

The true way is, to take their sour milk or butter-milk, and stir meal into it till a thin batter is formed, and then dissolve their saleratus or soda, and stir that quickly and thoroughly into the batter, and then hastily add meal till the batter or dough is brought into the consistency desired.

If, instead of sour milk or butter-milk, a solution of muriatic or tartaric acid is used, the bread will be equally light. In this case, the batter should be first made with a solution of saleratus or soda, and then the solution of acid should be stirred in as above described. Batter cakes are made in this manner very light and very promptly. When from any cause batter or dough mixed with yeast fails to rise according to expectations, the thorough mixing in, first the solution of muriatic or tartaric acid, and then the solution of saleratus or soda, will, in a few minutes, make the whole mass very light; but such cakes and bread are not so sweet and savory as those raised with good sweet yeast.

I have said that recently ground meal makes far sweeter and richer bread, than that which has been ground a considerable time; but as it is not convenient for many families to send to a mill as often as they would like to have fresh meal, they are obliged generally to use staler meal or flour than they would choose. Yet every family might easily be furnished with a modern patent hand-mill, constructed after the plan of a coffee mill, with which they could at all times, with great ease, grind their wheat, and rice, and corn, as they want it, for bread and other purposes. With these mills they can grind their stuff as finely or coarsely as they wish, for bread or hominy, and always have it very fresh and sweet.

LIGHT & STEARNS,

PUBLISHERS AND BOOKSELLERS,

1 Cornhill, Facing Washington Street,

BOSTON,

Keep constantly on hand a general assortment of SCHOOL, THEOLOGICAL and MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS, for sale on the most reasonable terms, at wholesale and retail—together with a good assortment of STATIONARY. Among the works published by them, they would ask particular attention to the following:

DR. ALCOTT’S WORKS.

We have made arrangements to publish a regular series of works by DR. ALCOTT, of which these are a part:

THE YOUNG MOTHER,

OR

THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.

_Second Edition—Embellished by a Vignette._

BY DR. WM. A. ALCOTT.

The “Young Mother” is designed as an every-day manual for those who are desirous of conducting the physical education of the young—from the very first—on such principles as Physiology and Chemistry indicate. It inculcates the great importance of preventing evil—especially physical evil—by implanting good habits. We believe it to be the only work of a popular character, written by a medical man, on this subject, and that it is, on this account, doubly valuable. It is recommended by the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, and by the Press generally, as a work which should be possessed by every family. The following remarks by the editor of the Portland Christian Mirror, will give some idea of the manner in which it has been noticed in various parts of the country, though many of the best periodicals have spoken of it in still stronger terms of approbation:

“The subject of this book is of vital interest to the whole human family, and is treated by Dr. Alcott with the most intelligible simplicity. We hope it will find its way into the hands of all who are entrusted with the training and rearing of children; and that its sound views will supplant many of those hurtful maxims and practices which are lamentably prevalent, and that the existing generation of mankind will be succeeded by a more healthy and a more moral race.”

Price 75 cts.—By the dozen, 62 1-2 cts.

THE HOUSE I LIVE IN,

OR

THE HUMAN BODY.

_Second Edition—entirely re-written, enlarged and improved._

FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS.

BY DR. ALCOTT.

The great difficulty of making a subject which has hitherto been deemed dry and unintelligible, at once agreeable and interesting to the young mind, has led the author of this volume to describe the human body as a HOUSE.

The work treats, first, on the FRAME—consisting of the bones, muscles, tendons, &c.; secondly, of the COVERING—consisting of the skin, hair, nails, eyes, ears, &c.; and thirdly, of the APARTMENTS and FURNITURE—by which are meant the interior cavities and organs. Nearly every anatomical and physiological term which appears in the work is so used or so explained, as to be at once clearly understood and apprehended. The subject is illustrated by numerous engravings.

The best recommendation of this work is, that it has been universally approved of by the families and schools where it has been introduced, and by all medical men who have examined it. It has also received the entire approbation of the Press, and is selling rapidly.

Prices:—50 cts. single—$5.40 a dozen.

WAYS

OF

LIVING ON SMALL MEANS.

A CHEAP MANUAL ON HEALTH AND ECONOMY.

_Fifth Edition—Enlarged and Improved._

BY DR. ALCOTT.

This work was prepared to meet the demand of the present exigency. Thousands of families, in the poorer and middling classes of society, are suffering from their unwise attempts to live in the style of those persons whose means are far greater than their own. The author has endeavored to convince them—in a brief manner—that a very few things only, are really indispensable to physical and even intellectual comfort and happiness—and that both these are within the reach of all, even in times like the present, would they be content to live in a manner at once rational, simple and healthful. It discusses the following subjects:

Estates and Business; Houses and Furniture; Equipage and Servants; Dress; Food and Drink; Medicine and Physicians; Books and Schools; Customs and Habits; Society; and gives several interesting Examples of living on small means.

With the emendations and improvements made in this edition, it is believed the work cannot fail to be regarded by every unprejudiced mind, as one of the most useful manuals of the day. Four editions, of 1000 copies each, were sold in a few weeks.

Prices:—25 cts. single—$2.50 a dozen—$20 a hundred.

Will soon be ready,

THE YOUNG WIFE.

_Stereotyped—and Embellished by a beautiful Plate and Vignette._

BY DR. ALCOTT.

This work is based on the principle, that the great business of the wife is Education—the education of herself and her family. It therefore exhibits the duties of a wife, especially to her husband, in a manner at once original and striking. The author presupposes her to have set out in matrimony with christian principles and purposes; and hence proceeds to inculcate what he deems the best methods of applying them in the routine of daily life and conversation. We believe that no one can rise from the perusal of this volume without a higher respect for female character, as well as a higher confidence in the divine wisdom of matrimony.

The price will probably be the same as that of the Young Mother.

LIBRARY OF HEALTH,

AND

TEACHER ON THE HUMAN CONSTITUTION.

_Monthly—Price $1 a Year, in advance._

DR. ALCOTT, EDITOR.

This is a Periodical work, originally called the “Moral Reformer and Teacher on the Human Constitution.” It is published in numbers of 32 pages each, in neat book style for binding into a volume, illustrated by engravings, and is now on the third year of its publication. The numbers of the two past years are for sale, bound in two neat volumes.

This work discusses, in a familiar manner, all subjects connected with physical education and self-management. It treats on the connection of LIGHT, AIR, TEMPERATURE, CLEANLINESS, EXERCISE, SLEEP, FOOD, DRINK, CLIMATE, the PASSIONS, AFFECTIONS, &c., with HEALTH, HAPPINESS and LONGEVITY. The editor takes the ground that a proper understanding of the constitutional laws of the human body, and of all its organs and functions, and a strict obedience thereto, are indispensable to the highest perfection and happiness—present and future—of every living human being. He deems this knowledge more and more indispensable in proportion to the progress of civilization and refinement. The work is pledged to support no system nor set of principles, any farther than that system and those principles can be proved to be based on the laws of Physiology, and revealed truth, and on human experience; and consequently its pages are always open to fair and temperate discussion.

The work has recently been warmly approved of by GEORGE COMBE, (author of the “Constitution of Man,”) as well as a large number of distinguished men of this country, among whom are the following:

Dr. John C. Warren, Dr. S. B. Woodward, Rev. Dr. Humphrey, Rev. S. R. Hall, Rev. Hubbard Winslow, Rev. R. Anderson, Rev. Baron Stow, Rev. B. B. Wisner, R. H. Gillet, Esq., Rev. Wm. Hague, Roberts Vaux, Esq., Dr. John M. Keagy, Dr. R. D. Mussey, Prof. E. A. Andrews, Rev. L. F. Clark, Rev. M. M. Carll, Rev. Dr. Fay, Dr. Sylvester Graham.

These recommendations are similar to the following, received from Dr. WARREN:

“The Library of Health, is, in my opinion, an excellent publication. It seems to be well adapted to aid in the great reform in habits and customs which is now going on in this country and Great Britain; and which, it may be hoped, will extend to other parts of the world. I beg leave to recommend this little work to all who are desirous of promoting their health of body and tranquillity of mind.”

Many of the most respectable Journals in the country, have also given their testimony in its favor. The following are a very few of them:

Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, Annals of Education, Abbott’s Religious Magazine, Boston Recorder, Christian Register, Christian Watchman, Zion’s Herald, New York Farmer.

We feel entire confidence in offering this publication to all who are interested in the improvement which Dr. Alcott is endeavoring to promote.

THE YOUNG MAN’S GUIDE.

BY DR. ALCOTT.

We keep a good supply of this work on hand at all times, for sale at wholesale and retail, at the publishers’ lowest prices. It is too extensively known to need comment.

DR. GRAHAM’S WORKS.

A LECTURE TO YOUNG MEN,

ON

CHASTITY.

INTENDED ALSO FOR THE SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF

PARENTS AND GUARDIANS.

_Second Edition—Enlarged and Improved, with Notes._

BY DR. SYLVESTER GRAHAM.

The second edition of this important work is nearly double the size of the first, although the price is increased but a trifle. It is selling rapidly. Notwithstanding its value is extensively known, we cannot forbear to insert two or three

TESTIMONIALS.

The following remarks, from the Annals of Education for 1834, are from the pen of WILLIAM C. WOODBRIDGE; whose long and zealous devotion to the cause of education, and whose extensive travels and researches both in Europe and America, and special attention to the subject of which he here speaks, pre-eminently qualify him to judge accurately in the matter:

“We are rejoiced to see a work published in our country, on a topic in physiology which the ‘artificial modesty’ to which we have formerly alluded, has covered up, until a solitary, but fatal vice is spreading desolation through our _schools_ and _families_, unnoticed or unknown. The experience of teachers, the case-books of physicians, and the painful exposures which accident, or the dreadful diseases which follow in its train, have occasionally produced, have at length forced it upon public attention; and we hope it will not again be forgotten. The work before us is the result of extensive observation and study; its usefulness has been tested by its influence as a lecture; and its views of this evil are in accordance with the experience of the few teachers whom we have known possessed of the moral courage to encounter it. We would offer it to those who have earnestly desired a work on this subject, as one adapted to their purposes. We would recommend its perusal to every _parent_ and _teacher_. We would warn them that those who have been most confident of the safety of their charge, have often been most deceived; and that the youthful bashfulness which seems to shrink from the bare mention of the subject, is _sometimes_ the blush of shame for concealed crime. We feel bound to add, what abundant and decisive evidence has shown, that ignorance on this subject is no protection from the vice—nay, that it is often the original cause or encouragement of it; that it gives tenfold power to the evil example and influence which are so rarely escaped; and that a cure can be effected only by the most careful instruction and long continued discipline, both physical and moral, directed by sad experience, as is presented in this work.”

The following brief but highly valuable testimony is from the distinguished superintendent of the Massachusetts Lunatic Hospital at Worcester:

“DEAR SIR:—The subject of your Lecture to Young Men, has been much neglected, although of great importance.

This lecture, while it sounds the alarm to the young, will not fail to awaken the attention of parents, if once perused. It is couched in language as delicate as the nature of the subject will admit, and may be read with propriety and benefit by all.

The evil of which it treats, if I mistake not, is more extensively sapping the foundation of _physical vigor_ and _moral purity_, in the rising generation, than is generally apprehended, even by those who are awake to the danger, and who have witnessed the deplorable influence of it upon its victims.

Yours, with respect,

S. B. WOODWARD.”

The following is from Dr. ALCOTT; author of the works advertised on the preceding pages—addressed to Dr. GRAHAM.

“DEAR SIR:—The subject of your Lecture to Young Men is one of immense importance, and demands the profound attention of every friend of man. It is vain longer to shuffle it off, when those whose opportunities best qualify them to give an opinion, do not hesitate to say that solitary vice is rapidly gaining ground among us. It is a subject which must be met.

In this view, I rejoice to find that an increasing demand for your little work has justified the publication of a second edition. I rejoice, especially, to see such sound principles in physiology inculcated and warmly enforced. I have no hesitation in saying that it ought to be circulated throughout our country. It would thus not only save many a young person from the murderous fangs of quackery, but—what is much better—it would prevent the necessity of his applying either to quacks or physicians for relief from a situation in which he ought never to be placed.”

The following is an extract from a letter written by the chaplain of one of our New England State Prisons to a brother clergyman in a neighboring state:

“I have read the book _three_ times, and derived more benefit from the last, than from either of the other readings. I like this book. Why is it not in the hands of every young man, especially in cities, to counteract the influence of indecent pictures and corrupting books?

One excellence in Graham’s Lecture, as it strikes me, is, that it is so purely philosophical. Even an atheist might see force in his statements. A man must deny many of the best established principles of science, before he can deny most of the conclusions to which the lecturer comes.”

The Boston Recorder, and several other valuable periodicals, coincide with these testimonials.

Prices:—62 1-2 cts. single—$6 a dozen—$45 a hundred.

A TREATISE

ON

BREAD AND BREAD-MAKING.

BY DR. GRAHAM.

There has been for some time a considerable demand for this work, and it will doubtless have a wide circulation among all classes of society.

Prices:—37 1-2 cts. single—$4 a dozen—$30 a hundred.

MISCELLANEOUS WORKS.

We would call attention to the following valuable and interesting works, by popular writers:

THE BOSTON BOOK, for 1836 and 1837, being Specimens of Metropolitan Literature. Edited by H. T. TUCKERMAN, and B. B. THATCHER. Elegantly executed, and embellished by Vignettes of the Great Tree and Tri-Mountain.

THE ITALIAN SKETCH BOOK. By H. T. TUCKERMAN. Second edition—revised and enlarged, with a plate.

THE PARENT’S PRESENT. Edited by the author of Peter Parley’s Tales. A handsome present for youth; with cuts.

MOGG MEGONE—a Poem, descriptive of New England and its early inhabitants. By JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER. Pocket Edition.

BOSTON MECHANIC, and Journal of the Useful Arts and Sciences. The matter furnished by Practical Men. Valuable for mechanics and manufacturers; numerous Cuts.

SCIENTIFIC TRACTS, for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Complete in one volume. By B. B. Thatcher, Dr. Alcott, Dr. C. T. Jackson, Dr. Sylvester Graham, William Ladd, Lieut. R. Park, and others.

THE MORAL REFORMER, and Teacher on the Human Constitution. Edited by Dr. ALCOTT. This work contains a large quantity of matter on Health and Morals, as connected with the education of the Body. With cuts.

REMAINS OF MELVILLE B. COX, (Missionary to Africa,) with a MEMOIR. Published under the superintendence of his brother, GERSHOM F. COX. With a Portrait, and death-bed autograph.