THE WAY WE EAT Meatless Wonders Through the Ages

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THE WAY WE EAT
Meatless Wonders Through the Ages
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Meatless Wonders Part 1
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In past issues we have seen that some of the greatest thinkers of ancient times were guided by their hearts, minds or spirits to change the way they eat. It appears that this tendency on the part of men and women of achievement, to apply one's value system to one's dietary habits, has manifested itself throughout the ages. For the next several months this section of the newsletter will feature famous people from the Middle Ages to present times who, at some point in their lives, made the choice to pursue a vegetarian lifestyle.
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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was the ultimate Renaissance Man; artist, sculptor, architect, scientist, inventor, advisor to dukes and kings, even an accomplished musician. A genius? No doubt, and in many fields. And he was also - you guessed it - a vegetarian.
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It would be impossible to list all of the impressive accomplishments of Leonardo da Vinci in just a few paragraphs. He has been called a lover of knowledge and a lover of research. His aptitude in both the fields of art and science is quite possibly unprecedented. In art his innovations influenced the course of Italian art for the next century and beyond. His scientific observations foreshadowed many of the discoveries of modern times in the fields of anatomy, meteorology, geology, optics and hydraulics. His inventions included plans for the building and maintenance of model cities, an underwater diving suit and several flying devices which, although not entirely practicable, led the way for future developments in the field.
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Leonardo was not a selfish man. He was eager to share his knowledge and talents with his students and seemed totally unconcerned as to whether they would eventually become rivals. In fact he often supported these apprentices, as well as servants and models, with the fruits of his own labor. He even adopted a young peasant boy who repaid Leonardo's extreme generosity with many years of devilish misbehavior. But the master's love and patience ultimately paid off with the eventual development of a devoted "son" and accomplished artist.
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Leonardo da Vinci, great artist, multi-faceted genius, but a man of simple needs who reportedly ate sparingly of his vegetarian diet and drank only in moderation.
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Sir Issac Newton (1643-1727), another vegetarian, was an English scientist, astronomer and mathematician. Although his interests and accomplishments were not quite as diverse as da Vinci's, he is without a doubt one of the most respected scientists the English speaking world has ever produced and for good reason. He attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. However, as independent as most geniuses tend to be, he largely disregarded the normal course of study to pursue his own interests in mathematics and natural philosophy. At only twenty-three years of age, Newton made his first major contribution in the field of mathematics. He developed what is known as the calculus, a powerful new instrument that catapulted mathematics far beyond its previous level. Some twenty years later he formulated the law of gravity and the three laws of motion, which marked the beginning of a new and important period in the history of science. Newton also did some ground-breaking work in the field of optics.
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Despite his many incredible accomplishments, Newton shied away from public attention, sometimes to the extent of keeping his discoveries to himself while others tried to take credit for them. History reports him to be a modest man whose remarkable genius did not keep him from treating everyone he encountered with respect and kindness.
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Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778) was as versatile in the field of literature as Issac Newton was in science. During his eighty-two years he produced an imposing number of essays, plays, novels, satires and light verse. In the early 1700's Voltaire was a young French writer known for his sharp wit which was often directed at government officials. In fact, on two occasions he found himself visiting the inside of the Bastille. But that didn't stop his pen from expressing the revolutionary views on government and religious freedom that on several occasions resulted in his forced exportation from France. Whether residing in England, France or Prussia, Voltaire was a staunch defender of human rights and he considered literature to be a tool for affecting political change. Voltaire's writings reflected his devotion to the concepts of freedom of thought and respect for all people. He was a leader in the Age of Enlightenment and his influence continued to be felt into the 20th century by such literary greats as Jean Paul Sartre.
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Tolerance for opposing political views was not much higher in the English colonies than it was in France. A contemporary of Voltaire and another who spoke his mind, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) started his literary career at the tender age of fifteen. Franklin delivered the New England Courant, his brother James' publication, by day and wrote for the paper at night. When James was imprisoned and forbidden to publish his paper as the result of a particularly biting article, the paper was temporarily published under Ben's name. Franklin, who was largely self-educated, had a voracious appetite for knowledge and spent most of his time reading.
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He was influenced by the ancient Greeks as well as contemporary authors such as Thomas Tryon and the British essayists, Sir Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. His deep admiration for Socrates inspired him to imitate the philosopher's humble, questioning style of debate. By attempting to imitate Steele and Addison, authors of the Spectator, he developed his early style of prose. Thomas Tryon's The Way to Health inspired young Franklin to practice vegetarianism. His motive was twofold, one being the healthiness of this lifestyle and the other to save money so that he could buy more books. Of course, Franklin went on to become a very successful printer, author, diplomat, scientist, one of America's most popular philosophers and one of our greatest statesmen.
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Apparently Franklin did not practice vegetarianism throughout his lifetime. He was convinced however, that, at least during those early developmental years, the vegetarian lifestyle gave him "greater clearness of head and quicker apprehension." Had he continued the moderate habits of his youth, he would probably not have developed the very painful condition known as gout that plagued him in his later years.
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Meatless Wonders Part II
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Essayist, critic, poet, orator and popular philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) is undoubtedly one of the leading figures in American literature as well as the first American writer to exercise a strong influence on European thought. Although his early years were fraught with poverty and disease (Emerson suffered from a lung disease and bouts of temporary blindness) he somehow managed to qualify for a first class education. Emerson attended Harvard University from which he graduated at the age of eighteen and went on to Harvard Divinity School. In 1829, he became a minister of the Unitarian Church in Boston. Emerson became disillusioned with the church, however, and, after spending some time in England, returned to Massachusetts to take up the profession of writer/lecturer. His first book, Nature, published in 1836, was probably the impetus for the whole transcendental movement. Its attack on the materialistic lifestyle of the era and plea for freedom of the individual would no doubt have met with the approval of Voltaire, the eighteenth century French writer/philosopher whom we highlighted last month.
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Emerson's addresses at some of the top universities of the country, in which he questioned the value of formal religion and argued for spiritual self-reliance, were often met with much controversy but no lack of interest in academic circles. His essays, which were published in several volumes, became more and more popular, both in the States and abroad, throughout Emerson's lifetime. Like Voltaire he felt a responsibility to participate in the issues facing his society and became very active in the abolitionist movement, delivering countless lectures against slavery.
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Emerson encouraged his readers and listeners to learn about the past through books, to learn about life through experience and to express what they have learned through their actions. This was the way he himself lived and although he expressed himself eloquently in spoken and written word, he was not hesitant to make profound statements through his actions as well. By choosing to leave a ministry he no longer believed in, by choosing to stand up very firmly against slavery and by choosing to abstain from eating meat, he demonstrated self-respect and respect for all with whom he shared this planet.
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A contemporary of Emerson and equally influential in his field was the naturalist, Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Interestingly, Darwin also studied for the ministry, in this case, with the Church of England. During his years at Christ's College of Cambridge, under the guidance of his entomologist cousin, William Darwin Fox, he spent much time collecting and studying plant and animal specimens. Here he also came under the life-changing influence of Adam Sedgewick, a geologist and John Stevens Henslow, a naturalist. These two men sparked Darwin's interest in studying life forms. Upon graduating from Cambridge, much to his family's disapproval, he took an unpaid position as a naturalist on the ship, HMS Beagle, which was on a scientific expedition around the world. It was on this expedition that Darwin began formulating his theory of natural selection which would shake up both the religious leaders and the scientific community for decades to come. His first full-length book, On the Origin of the Species, published in 1859, was sold out on its first day on the market and went through six more publications. A later publication, The Descent of Man, is the one to actually propose that man is descended from the ape.
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In contrast to the amazing degree of controversy brought on by his work, Darwin lived the quiet life of a country gentleman, content to conduct his studies and record the results in the peaceful Victorian atmosphere of Down House in Kent. Here he tended his gardens and his pigeons, organized his voluminous notes and, with his wife Emma, raised eight children. A conservative in many ways, he must have hesitated to rock the world and risk offending his family and friends for it took him 20 years to publish his findings. Once that step had been taken, however, he continued to present his treatises in a series of books and publications, the last of which was published only a year before his death.
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It is amazing to consider that this great volume of work was accomplished by a man who was in continuous poor health. Upon his death it was discovered that he suffered from a chronic tropical disease, contracted by an insect bite while traveling in South America. Charles Darwin was not the first to espouse the theory of evolution. In fact his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) in a work entitled Zoonomia, anticipated his grandson's work. And there were others as well. But Charles Darwin was the first to make the effort and have the courage to put it all together and present it to the world.
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Darwin's work led him to the realization that, "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. We have seen that the senses and intuitions, the various emotions and faculties, such as love, memory, attention and curiosity, imitation, reason, etc, of which man boasts, may be found in an incipient, or even sometimes a well-developed condition, in the lower animals." Love for all living creatures, the interrelatedness that makes us all a part of the One -a concept that has trickled through man's consciousness since the beginning of recorded history and one that Charles Darwin helped us to understand.
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Meatless Wonders Part III
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Good health habits will undoubtedly help most of us to maintain our ability to think and reason well into our old age. This month's Meatless Wonder lived to the ripe old age of ninety-four, writing (and reportedly chopping wood at his country estate) until shortly before his death.
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George Bernard Shaw has been referred to as one of the architects of the twentieth century. He was born in Dublin, Ireland on July 26, 1856. Shaw's father was an unsuccessful merchant whose alcoholism and inability to adequately support his family put great strain on the marriage. To earn extra income, Shaw's mother taught voice lessons. When Shaw was a teenager his mother left his father and moved to England with her two daughters. Shaw followed them to London in 1876. Penniless and with little formal education, he began a long search for his chosen career.
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Shaw had done some clerical work in Dublin but this was definitely not his calling. In London he tried working for the newly established telephone company. He was also employed at various times as a music critic and an art critic, positions that he qualified for largely through self-education. In fact, Shaw had educated himself in many fields and proved to be quite capable in whatever position he held. It simply took him a while to find one that agreed with him.
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Between 1879 and 1883 Shaw wrote five novels but none of them was very successful. Shaw wrote his first play, The Widower's House in 1892. Although not a box office success, The Widower's House, dealing with the subject of slum-landlordship in England, raised a furor in London. Shaw was delighted. He had finally found his calling and went on to write a total of fifty stage plays which always made some kind of statement on social conditions. Some of his most notable dramas were Pygmalion, Arms and the Man, Major Barbara, Man and Superman and Saint Joan.
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Although Shaw downplayed his Irish heritage, his plays always had that element of Irish humor that he had inherited from his father. Plot was not the strongest quality of his productions but rather the war of principles and ideals as expressed in the verbal battles between his protagonists, his witty style and the deep sympathy with which he portrayed his characters.
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His plays were not his only medium for expressing his social viewpoints. Shaw was also an active member and chief propagandist for the socialist group, the Fabian Society. As such he wrote numerous pamphlets and gave endless speeches. The goal of the Fabian Society was nothing short of the transformation of the English government. They strongly influenced many of the major social reforms made in England during the first half of the 20th century including unemployment insurance, workman's compensation, retirement benefits and socialized medicine. Shaw's devotion to England, his belief in the ideals of Marxism and his fiery oratory style made him the perfect "mouthpiece" for this movement.
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The playwright was very skeptical towards modern medicine. His early disillusionment developed when he contacted smallpox after receiving a vaccination against the disease. In later years his lack of trust in doctors grew after it was learned that the material used to dress a long and agonizing foot wound was, in fact, the cause for it not healing. He was considered to be somewhat of a "health nut." For many years he adhered to the Prussian zoologist Gustav Jaeger's theory that people who wore clothing exclusively made of animal fibers could avoid the common cold, rheumatism and many other ailments. Jaeger's clothing design was rather extraordinary as illustrated by the infamous one piece woolen suit that Shaw wore for many years.
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Shaw's vegetarianism, however, was not so much stimulated by his health concerns as by his sympathy for all living creatures, a sentiment reportedly inspired by the writings of the English poet Percy Blythe Shelly. Even when urged by family and friends to eat meat in order to hasten recovery from a long illness, he refused. He responded that he would rather die than resort to cannibalism. Unlike his father, Shaw avoided alcoholic beverages. Nor did he drink coffee or tea. Always seemingly high on life, he did not need artificial stimulation.
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It was George Bernard Shaw's desire to be what he termed a "world betterer." His work inspired us to take a broader look at western politics, morals, art and religion, Some historians question whether Shaw's plays or his political activities have made more of an impact on modern society. Regardless, as aptly stated by Oliver Coolidge, " he has enlarged our opinions."
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Meatless Wonders Part IV
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This month's installment of Meatless Wonders highlights three vegetarian women who lived in the same time period, one an author, one a political activist and one a nurse. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), author of Little Women, is one of America's best-loved writers. Louisa was the daughter of Bronson Alcott, an innovator in the field of education, who moved his family to Concord, Massachusetts where they became close friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Bronson Alcott had difficulty supporting his large family and, in her teenage years, Louisa took on a wide variety of odd jobs to help contribute to the family coffers. At various times she was employed as a seamstress, laundress, reader and teacher. But her love was for writing, an occupation she had begun as a very young girl, writing plays that she and her sisters would perform.
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A poem entitled, Sunlight, was her first published piece. Although the payment she received for it was modest, it was the beginning of a career that would end her family's financial woes and endear the characters based on the Alcott family to the rest of the world for generations to come.
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During the Civil War, despite the hardships it imposed on Louisa and her family, she went to Washington, D.C. to offer her services as a nurse. During her service she contracted Typhoid Fever and was treated with the mercury laden drug, Calomel. For the rest of her life she suffered from mercury poisoning, a condition that would eventually cause her death at the age of fifty-six, just two days after her father's passing. Louisa left behind her a wealth of reading pleasure in Little Women, Old Fashioned Girl, Little Men, Rose in Bloom, Eight Cousins and her final work, Jo's Boys.
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Had Susan Bromwell Anthony known Louisa May Alcott when the two women were children, she probably would have enjoyed acting in the author's plays. Although she stated her occupation as "actress," Susan B. Anthony won her place in American History through her actions as an activist for the rights of women and former slaves.
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The Anthony family were members of the Quaker church, a community that fostered the cause of equal rights long before it became a popular issue. Daniel and Lucy Anthony saw to it that their daughters were given the same educational opportunities as their sons and Susan's formal education was enhanced by her parents active participation in both the temperance and the anti-slavery movements. The family involvement in these activities proved to be an appropriate training ground for the woman who probably had more to do with the eventual passage of the nineteenth amendment than any other single person.
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In 1869, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ms. Anthony organized the National Woman's Suffrage Association, forerunner to the National American Woman's Suffrage Association whose entire focus was to secure an amendment to the constitution granting women the right to vote. A strong political presence who was relentlessly ridiculed by the male press, she was not afraid to "put her money where her mouth was." In 1872 Ms. Anthony was arrested, put on trial, and fined for attempting to vote. Not content with a national organization, she founded the International Council of Women in 1888 and the International Woman Suffrage Council in 1904. In addition to her suffrage work, Ms. Anthony campaigned for voting rights for freed slaves, the formation of labor unions and equal pay for equal work. A seemingly tireless worker, Susan B. Anthony is said to have delivered 75 to 100 speeches a year for 45 years, traveling around the country in whatever conveyance would transport her. Although she did not live to see it happen, the words that she had written in 1878, entitled the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, became the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, fourteen years after her death..
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Like Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, born in 1821, enjoyed a better education than most women of her time. Hers was enhanced by the diverse interests and dedicated teaching of her four older brothers and sisters. Overcoming her extreme shyness, Clara became a school teacher at the age of seventeen. She taught for twelve years, even establishing her own school in North Oxford, Massa-chusetts before deciding to advance her education at the Liberal Institute, a school for female teachers in Clinton, New York. After graduating from the Liberal Institute, she opened and successfully established a free school in Bordentown, New Jersey. However, the board of trustees refused to grant her the position of headmaster of her own school. Suffering from physical and emotional collapse, Ms. Barton moved to Washington, D.C. and worked in the U.S. Patent Office.
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With the outbreak of the Civil War she promptly resigned from the Patent Office and began a campaign that would become her life's work. Aware of the desperate need for bandages, socks and other supplies, Ms. Barton procured and distributed these items, often delivering them directly to the front lines. Before the war was over, her tireless work earned her the position of superintendent of Union nurses. At the end of the war she initiated a letter-writing campaign to locate missing soldiers and lectured about her wartime experiences.
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In 1869, a physical breakdown led to a recuperative trip to Europe. There she learned about the Treaty of Geneva which provided relief to sick and wounded soldiers and the Red Cross which brought relief directly to the front, much as she had done in the American Civil War.
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Upon returning to the States, Ms. Barton campaigned for American participation in the Treaty of Geneva and establishment of an American Red Cross. Both of these goals were realized with Clara Barton serving as the first president of the American Red Cross from it's formation in 1881 until 1904. She also authored the American amendment to the Red Cross constitution which broadened the scope of the organization's services to include peace time as well as war time relief.
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These were three women whose passion and dedication made lasting contributions to our way of life. in addition to their shared vegetarian lifestyle, all three served as nurses during the Civil War, were involved to some degree in the Women's Suffrage Movement and produced some powerful written works. Their common love and concern for humanity led them to tackle important issues of their time, each in her own unique way.
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Meatless Wonders: Gandhi

Meatless Wonders: A Tyrant and a Victim

Meatless Wonders: John Kellogg and Nathan Pritikin

Meatless Wonders: Jane Goodall