the cereals, legumes, roots, starches, sugar, herbs, and fruits. Persons
who style themselves vegetarians often consume milk, eggs, butter, and
lard, which are choice foods from the animal kingdom. There are other
persons, of course, who are strictly vegetarian eaters, and such alone have
any right to the title of vegetarians."

In the following pages will be found ample recipes for the benefit of
parties who take either view. In questions of this kind there will always
be found conflicting views. We have no wish or desire to give opinions,
but consider it will be more advisable, and probably render the book far
more useful, if we confine ourselves as much as possible to facts.

The origin of vegetarianism is as old as the history of the world itself,
and probably from time immemorial there have been sects which have
practised vegetarianism, either as a religious duty, or under the belief
that they would render the body more capable of performing religious
duties. In the year 1098, or two years prior to the date of Henry I.,
there was a strictly vegetarian society formed in connection with the
Christian Church, which lived entirely on herbs and roots, and the society
has lasted to the present day. Again, there have been many sects who, not
so strict, have allowed themselves the use of fish.

Again, there are those who adopt a vegetarian course of diet on the ground
of health. Many maintain that diseases like gout and dyspepsia would
disappear were vegetarian diet strictly adhered to. On the other hand, we
have physicians who maintain that the great cause of indigestion is not
eating enough. An American physician, some years ago, alleged he had
discovered the cause, his argument being that the more work the stomach had
to do the stronger it would become, on the same principle that the arm of a
blacksmith is more powerful in consequence of hard work. Of one thing we