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THE ARGUS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1900. 11 Champion of ure food Side Lights on Dr. Harvey W. Wiley and His Tireless Crusade Ccmmflcder of the "Poison Squad" Is Somewhat of a Humorist, Says Americans Have the Worst Cooks and Get the Least Out of Their Foods Has Ridden His Hobby For Twenty Years, Not to Death, but to a New Lease of Life Who I F In the course of human events :tnd iimlcr the benign iutlueuce of tbe new pure food l:iw tin- people of t!ie I'niled Stales may eat ami drink and Im- merry, giving no thought to the horrible i1 : 1 1 i I i t " ot having taken' into their sysicms various poi sonous substances in I heir food aud drink, the one man ehietly to 1 thank ed fur that delightful eotisiiinuiatiou is Ir. Harvey Washington Wiley. Oill cially lr. Wiley is chief of the bureau of chemistry in the department ol" ag riculture; unofficially he may he called tuuiuiaudor in chief of the allied aud amalgamated armies of the pure food crusade in America. t-'or twenty years lr. Wiley has had a hubby and ridden it hard. At times this Pegasus of his has !e;:j;ed over ap palling precipices of human prejudice and tracked wearily through marshes of inisutidet standing, but the doctor lias ridden his hubby to a new lease of life rather than to death, for today he PIears to have arrived very near the shining iortals of success the preven tion by federal law of the use of poi sonous substances as preservatives or colorings fur food nnd drink, that is Jr. Wiley's h;bby. Ily the passage of the measure known as the pure fo.nl law last June congress tiually approved the efforts of Jr. Wiley and the thou sands of other earnest workers in the cause of preserving the human stom ach from premature decline. Somewhat of a Humorist. Dr. Wiley takes ;reai joy in hi work. Why imt": It is something Worth while to devote one's life t; the Jirutcrctiuu of the health of Ml.u m.niil That remarkable experiment of Dr, iley s is no louder n yarded as a joke. even ny tne niosr nopeiessi.v jocu lar person. Hy years of patient, tire-It-ss observation the devoted chemist has proved what he set out to prove that the use of substances sitcu as borucic acid, salicylic acid and for maldehyde as preservatives for food or drink are positively injurious to the human svstem. lv feeding his class of young men various kinds of food preserved or colons! with the drugs ciniiloved bv manufacturers he deduc ed scientific facts which, embodied in his otlicial reHrts. had much weight in securing the pure f.od law. Incidents of Food Reform. Since lr. Wilev first made himself a popular national figure by thus test ing the actual results of the eating of drugged food and boiling those re sults down to a scientific certainty many events of importance in the mat ter of food reform have taken place in the rnibil States. Ouite recently we have had I pton Sinclair s expjse of packing house horrors in '"The Jim gl" followed by the passage of the meat iusectiou law. which requires that after Oct. 1 the manufacturers of canned meats, hams anil other pack ing house products on their labels must call a spade a spade and not de ceive the public by sending out canned veal or pork with a picture or a spring chicken on the label. Ir. Wiley's work has dissipated sev eral misconceptions. For instance, he has shown that it is not necessarily the food adulterants, but the preservatives and colorings, which do the damage to fee 4-ywfflMW to v v i s & yyyj&y,:-Y?'s - i Ww0 yy.y:Ks Wr fe lilt. IIAKVKY W. WII.KY. teople. It is provocative of joy to suc ceed in inducing the enactment of legal measures calculated to tone up the mul titudinous American stomach, casting out Mich devils as dyspepsia, indiges tion, typhoid aud other ills too numer ous to mention. Among his intimate friends the good Dr. Wiley Is known as something of a humorist, and this quality sometimes displays itself upon public occasions when he discusses his hobby. Once Ir. Wiley was dispens ing his chemical wisdom before the committee on agriculture of the house of representatives when a rural con gressman scornfully asked tbe distin guished chemist to denne a "scientific agriculturist." "A scientific agriculturist," replied the doctor, "is a gentleman in the em ploy of the government who can make f'2 grow on an appropriation bill where only ?1 grew lefore." Had not Dr. Wiley possessed a keen appreciation of humor lie could not have run the gantlet of the joke mak ers duriug the four years of his "poison Squad" boarding house In Washington aud come forth fat and jolly, his use fulness unimpaired. If he had leen one of those solemn nnd serious sa vants of the story books who fly into a rage or grind their teeth when any lody happens to take a jocular view of a highly important proosition the good Dr. Wiley long ere this must have succumbed to nervous prostra tion. As it was. he seemed thorough ly to enjoy tbe jests made at the ex jense of his unique gastronomic ox Ierimut. though he never permitted his sense of humor to interfere with his strict scientific observation of the results produced by tbe consumption of a certain quantity of "doped" food or drink by a certain member of his free boarding squad. . - . .JMilJ. i' . the human stomach. The fact that fre quently we buy and eat something sold under a certain name which is realty something else in whole or in part be cause that somethiug else is cheaper for tbe manufacturer than tbe thing he pretouds to sell is disgusting, to be sure, but unless it looks like what we intend to buy we do not buy it, ami right there is where the wily manufac turer gets in his devilish work. He col rs it with aniline or coal tar dyes to make it look iike the real thing, aud that coloring matter does tbe damage. For a like purpose of deception certain drugs called preservatives are used. These serve to impress the innocent purchaser with the notion that he is buying wholesome meat, for instance, when as a matter of fact the stuff would Ik. putrid but for the "embalm ing fluid" it contains. Whisky la Five Minutes. Dr. t hose drink Wiley has Ftirred up not only who eat food, but those who alcoholic liquors. One evening in AVasbington he was entertaining a party of friends, who began to discuss their favorite brands of whisky. Scotch whisky seemed to be the most popular. "I never drink anything but the real Scotch." said two or three of the guests. "Do you drink over liars?" asked the doctor, and they said they did. "Then you never drink Scotch whis ky at all. Not a bottle of Scotch whis ky is to be had in this country except in clubs and private houses. Scotch is made of barley malt cured over a peat fire. In Great ISritain I have seen so called Scotch made of Indian corn al cohol with a little dash of Scotch, which is sold to American dealers as real Scotch whisky by well luown distillers." The conversation turned to good old fourteen-year-old whisky, American brand. "Humph!" said Dr. Wiley. "I'll make you some fourteen-year-old whisky iu five minutes." Turning to his chemical apparatus, the doctor took a bottle of alcDhol. some burned sugar and other things and five minutes later liad concocted a beautiful red liquor, which he passed around. All pronounced it tine old whisky. "It Isn't whisky at all." said Dr. Wi ley. "It's the stuff that is often called whisky. By the use of what is known as 'ageing oil" the greater portion of the stun" labeled 'fourteen-year old whisky' is made in less than fourteen minutes." Hams Smoked While You Wait. As a member of the government's pure food law commission, sitting at New York during the latter part of September, Dr. Wiley adduced the fact that hams may be smoked while you wait. One witness testified that his house used a "patent smoke" for mak ing smoked hams. This is a sort of paint, with which the ham is smeared, giving it the appearance of having been cured in the dear old smoke house at home, as your grandmother used to do it. Directly as a result of Dr. Wiley's investigations some very astounding facts regarding the true identity of the stutf we put into our stomachs from lay to day have ieen brought to light, j Just one item will suffice here. Your stomach may be too weak to stand more. The patient and long suffering mule that pulls the garbage cart past your door is more important than he looks. Do not scorn him. Next year he may be silent, alas, in death, and you may be eating his hoofs metamorphos ed stupendous change! into "pure ap ple jelly" or "pure ptyieh marmalade.' Hut the fact that you are eating the hoofs of the defunct mule is not the most serious part of the proposition. The coloring matter used to deceive you into mistaking prepared mule hoof for a peach or apple product is the se rious thing. That is what does the damage. Dr. Wiley has estimated and declar ed that about '.hi per cent of the man ufactured fods sold In America con tain deleterious substances introduced for the purpose of deceiving the public as to the true character of the product. I 'ain u in made a colossal fortune," re marked Dr. Wiley on a recent occasion, "by acting on the principle that the American people like to be humbugged. To be cheated, fooled, ha mboozlcd. ca joled, deceived. pettifogged. dema- jugued. hypnotized, manicured and chiropidized are privileges dear to us all." Kven the operation of the new food law. if rigidly enforced, will not rob the American people of their cherished privilege of being humbugged if they continue to U-Iieve the statements ol some manufacturers that certain drugs are good for their health, but the law will reduce the bunibuggery very ap preciably by insisting upon the proper labeling of all product, so that if one wants pure apple jelly he may buy a jar so labeled and if lie prefers mule hoof he may go around looking for a label to indicate the animal. It should be remembered that the new law relates not only to toou. iuc to liquors and medicines, so that there must be government inspection of ev cry thing that goes down the human gullet provided that it is sold from state to state and thereby conies un der the head of interstate commerce. Uniform Food Law. Dr. Wiley worked as hard for this uniform food law as many estimable clergymen tire working for a uniform divorce law. As a matter of fact, the situation regarding food is pretty much the same as that regarding divorce. Kach state has its own laws relating to food and to divorce. There are forty- six states aud forty-six variations iu divorce possibilities. Until the passage of tbe federal foixl law the manufac turers of some food products were compelled to place a different label on their goods for ever' state to which shipment was made. When the na tional law gets into active working or der one label will serve for each state, and that label, if the government iu spectors do their duty, will tell exactly Avhat the package contains. The fight for a pure food law in con Kress lasted nearly twenty years. Dr. Wiley saj'9 the consumers started it. aided by tbe grangers. Then some of the honest manufacturers took it up and finally some state officials, who urcred a federal law. Of course the proposed legislation was bitterly op posed by unscrupulous manufacturers of embalmed foods, doped medicines and nrematurolv a ted whiskies, but the "awakened conscience" of the people along various lines at Inst brought about the enactment of the present law which elves excellent promise of food reform after it goes into effect Jan. 3. Dr. Wiley, who is a native of In diana. in his sixty-second year, has never found time to get married. His life since early manhood has been de voted undividedly to chemistry. As a bachelor his remarks concerning cnioks may be of Interest to married people. Rays Dr. Wiley: "We have the most abundant nnd best foods of the world, but we live more poorly than any oth er civilized nation. We have the worst cooks and know least how to got the most out of our foods. Cooking is look ed down upon here. It should lie con sidered one of the fine arts, and a cook should command a high salary. I know families in Washington who live at the rate of $,000 or $10,000 a year and who nevertheless will get some Ig norant woman to spoil their victuals. They will spend thousands of dollars on their tables and waste It all by Bklmping on the -ook." ROBERTTJS LOVE, Mr .4 hi t4 ' Li fc-J 31 r" Mueller's "fil. L." Coal Produces more IIP: AT and contains LESS ASHES thnn other coals at same prices. Shed Protected Coal Veins less than rain soaked eial, a savintr of :Je per bushel, 7.r! per ton, at least. Our coal is forked, free from dust and dirt. iMmi r C-OPVUIW..' An Honest Ton of Coal For your money is what you want when you luy from a reliable and consci entious dealer Oii'"''.!'. On the Safe Side Of coal in buying here. We have just the best coal mined, we clean it rifrht, .sdl it rit?ht and deliver it ditto. You're taking no chances on quality or. cost when you order coal from us. WHY YOU MUELLER'S Twenty-fourth Street and Third Avenue, Rock Island. G. Edwin Schmid, Manager. ami I i IF 3 3 In, tl Hi & 3 1 C .ri r-- The Only Saw Mill In the three cities to cut your pine lumber. The scarcity of cars does not all'ect us. Ouick delivery on r specialty. MMy:iyy q jLUMBER & TIMBER I I .A Ail. MNUS. U MOULDlNGS.CAilNGSElc & DOORS. SASH & BLINDS 4 We Also Handle Tar paper waterproof roof ing, nails ami t in caps, sew- I docks. cr pipe, huilum drain tile, wall roofing tar and coating. copi ntr, asphalt. ST: FtN - yi -y'-T'r.. 7L-y (V y The Talk of the Trade if full of praise of our fa cilities for smooth, interior linish and llooriiitf, sash and doors and lly proof screens. fP9HCM- p n a a -HAIL rUSE THE BEST The Best Plan For your new house, for re pairs to .you r old one is t lie cheapest in the end. Small and large orders receive equal at tent ion at our hands E DC IN COLLEGE AT ELEVEN Prodigy at Tufts Head Darwin When Eight Years Old. EESTS HIMSELr WITH HIS IBSEN "h'tttlier of 'rler Wriner S Ml Sou Is Far Krom Iloinif "('riiiniiieil' and Playn All Tliat !! Wlaliea Will Slop Ilia Unnira Any Time to Talk I'liilonopliy and Metupliyalon llaa m IHarvclona Memory. The ioor,.ovorlurdonod lazy bug, on which the sins of omission of hoyn uud "boys grown tall"' liavi Iwu laid since the race was youii, has its grip even upon Xorhert Wcincr, the prodigy ot eleven years, who has been admitted tu the freshman class at Tufts college, says a ltostou special tlispalch to th New York World. "ile doesn't study too much; Le Is even lazy at times. declared Pro fessor Leo Weiner, the . Harvard in structor whose small son's accomnHsh- ments have made him the cynosure of the educational world. This was In de feuse of his letting his mou undertake college work when most boys are well down in the grammar grades. '"What else can I do?" asked the father when told people remarked that the boy's lather Is a Harvard pro fessor aud should know better." "He has not been 'crammed. He plays like other.. boxs .when he .wants ,tu nr doesn't study much. I'.ut he will stop playing any time to talk philosophy or metaphysics. "His mind is analytical, but while his learning is deep he is not sutlii-ient-ly advanced, of course, to apply the principles. He has had half a year In n kindergarten, one year iu an ele mentary school and two years In a high school. Yet he appears well tit ted for a collegiate course. I shall not press hini to study, but will permit him to follow his own course. "When he was eight years old he was familiar with Darwin, Haeckcl. Itibot and Huxley, while he had a smattering of the reasonings of many other philosophers. Ills memory Is marvelous in Its retentiveness." "I don't see wiy any one is inter ested Iu me simply because I like to study when I feel like it. Philosophy i3 more interesting than fairy tales. In fact, philosophy is fairyland." said the infant collegian, who was rather put out at being interrupted iu his perusal of Ibsen and was disinclined to be interviewed. Childlike in form as he Is in age. the child's luminous eyes contain some thing in ideas of the for his years" Is written in every line of his small but Intellectual counte nance. The marks of Hussian enforced now. to Htsen. To yon not think hTm expansive V I get suggestions from him which till my mind with a thirst for greater things. I don't like occultism. r tirnfor til n-jkt-1 tli.w. iLiLlitnia my lather tells me I will have to face" In after life. "Iiut. there. V don't want to talk now. I am to begin to work hard at Tufts and want to rest myself with my Ibsen." Norbert arises promptly at 7 a. iu., dresses himself and turns his first thoughts to his books. lie has to be drawn from them to his breakfast. An hour's play with neighboring children satisfies him. and he then wants to re turn to study. Physically he is strong for a boy of his age, and his health I Indeed remarkable considering the close confinement to which he subject! bjjnself. .Te's'aj-s he has not yet marked out a career for himself. "I am too young for that. I want to learn all I can be fore I choose a profession, and I guess I can leam." Norbert Weiner was bom In Colum bia. .Mo., Nov. ';, IS'.M. His mother was a Missouri girl, his father a Hus- Su SOUTH' EQUIPPED WITH. AuroMnc anTRiCj BL0GK SIGNALS QUEEN &CRESCENT. ROUT A. tj r-m SOUTHERN RAILWAYS FROM CINCINNATI & LOUISVILLE To all Important Cities Sauth,Sotiihea8t &SouthwMt For Information Address W. A. BECKttR, N. P. A. li:t Monroe St., Uucago, ID. A. GARRETT, CCH'L MGR., W. C. BINEARSON, G. P. A., GUiciutiaU. Flan student who came to America to their expression that recalls! seek his fortune. When ten years old' supernatural. "Too old the Imv passed the examinations for Is written iu every line admission to Harvard, but was barred because of his age. This year Tufts' college, at the solicitation of his father, reticence aud sorrow are oddly blended i admitted him as a freshman upon his with those of American energy, cour age and carelessness. "I like to play, but I much prefer to read." said he. "The boys' pranks amuse me, but when I have seen their games and participated iu them I want real, and I turn to my Huxley or, as passing the entrance examinations with higher rank than any other student matriculating. His Knglish grammar Is perfect, his Ijtln and German are high, but he Knows practically nothing of Slavonic, which hla father teacbe j in Harvard. ... ... . I El HIV AY I ST POAKl I can sell you cither a new or slightly used Steinway for nbout the price ol I an ordinary instrument, ix-t roe quote you iigures end &how you some magnificent examples. I can sell on easy monthly installments, same as cash, when drsired. Address, L. C. FINCH, P. 0. Box 355, ROCK ISLAND, ILL. I kat ant-claM riUnMW ft 4 d f all! pwrmat.