The Vegan Winter 1962 by The Vegan Society

T H E VEGAN SOCIETY Founded November,

1944

V e g a n i s m is a way of living which excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom, and includes a reverence and compassion for all life. It applies to the practice of living on the products of the plant kingdom to the exclusion of flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, animal milk and its derivatives, and encourages the use of alternatives f o r all commodities derived wholly or in part f r o m animals. V e g a n i s m remembers man's responsibilities to the earth and its resources and seeks to bring about a healthy soil and plant kingdom and a proper use of the materials of the earth.

President : Mrs. E. B. SHRIOLEY, Deputy-President: Mr. JACK SANDERSON, Essex. Vice-Presidents : Dr. FREY ELLIS, D r . SEMPLE, M i s s WINIFRED SIMMONS.

Purley, Surrey. Upminster, CATHERINE NIMMO,

Honorary Secretary : Mrs. EVA BATT, Honorary Treasurer : Mrs. SERENA N . COLES, Purley, Surrey.

Mr.

DUGALD

Enfield, Middlesex. ,

Committee : M r . H . T . BONNIE, M r s . P . M . COLLINS, THE LADY DOWDINQ, D r . F . ELLIS, Mr. M . MCCULLOCH, M r . M . S. SHoLL, M i s s M . A . SUMP, M r s . D . THOMSON.

Vegan Distribution Secretary Purley, Surrey.

Mrs. S. COLES,

M i n i m u m subscription, which includes " T h e Vegan," 15s. per annum (and 7s. 6d. for each additional member of one family at same residence); 7s. 6d. if age under 1 8 ; payable in January. Life Membership, ÂŁ10 10s. Od.

THE VEGAN JOURNAL OF THE VEGAN SOCIETY Editor : Mr. JACK. SANDERSON, Upminster, Essex. Advertisements : H. H. GREAVES LTD., 106/110 Lordship Lane, London, S.E.22. Published quarterly: Annual subscription, 7s. post free; single copies, Is. 9d. post free. Obtainable f r o m the H o n . Secretary.

LITERATURE " Declaration and Rules of the Vegan Society." 2 page leaflet. Free. " T h e Reasons for Veganism." 4 page leaflet. Free. " V e g a n Protein Nutrition." 12 page leaflet. Is. 3d. post free. " A H a n d b o o k of Practical Veganism." 24 pages with cover. Obtainable f r o m the H o n . Secretary. 2s. 9d. post free. " T h e Vegetarian and Vegan F o o d Guide." 2s. 6d. post free.

THE V E G A N Journal Vol. XII

of the Vegan Winter, 1962/3

Society No. 10

EDITORIAL " Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the Children of God." " Hunting is the only thing which draws the country together apart from war." —The Duke of Beaufort (Sunday Times report). The spirit of he who finds it natural to hunt some animal is very close to the spirit of he who finds it natural to go to war. The spirit of the true vegan is very close to that of the Peacemaker. No hunter-for-pleasure or war-maker can look his Christ or his Buddha in the face and honestly ask for his work to be blessed. But he who seeks to eliminate cruelty and exploitation. is doing his Father's pleasure and may ask for His help. The change from one spirit to the other is not an easy process—with some it is sudden, but with most it is a gradual and often a slow, process. Some are callous and ruthless, efficient and cold. Others have two faces: a kindly, good-natured one for their human brothers, but a cold and unfeeling one for the animal creation or the plant kingdom in their charge—these are there only to be used. This spirit is magnified during the Christmas season in a magnificent benevolence, on the one hand, and a great slaughter for the feasting, on the other. • Yet again others divide up animals into categories—those to be treated kindly and almost as fellow beings, those to be used as food and those to be treated as vermin or to be hunted. The Animals Fair recently held in London, the Crusade Fair and all similar efforts reveal a growing spirit of compassion which seeks to bring about a true relationship between Man and the kingdoms in his charge. Most of the societies represented at the fairs, together with an equal number of societies concerned with the plant kingdom, in addition to a host of firms manufacturing non-animal commodities, represent the many practical applications of the true

vegan outlook. The full range of veganism is a vast one, enabling members to serve in an infinity of ways, and if the service is not to be short-sighted, narrowly exclusive or set about by rival or petty jealousies or animosities, it must be informed by a truly universal and compassionate spirit. Such a spirit is based on understanding and is in touch with the Divine Spirit from Whom all life emanates. " Is not the (evolving) life more than the meat and the body than raiment?" Let us help to transmute the extra benevolence that pervades the Christmas season into a wider compassion, so that in 1963 the Divine Life shall find it a little easier to accomplish its purposes, both through us and through those with whom we are associated. The nations have their generals and warmakers, but no Sandhursts to train peacemakers. That is an unpaid task to which we are called by the still small voice. Let us respond to this call with the whole of our being. J. SANDERSON. {The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the views of other writers.) I .

VEGAN MEETINGS (Open to Members and Interested Friends) .January.—Social evening for presentand__past-efficers and committee members on SaturjiajCr-fa y Mrs. Dorothy Tlio^so»-^rrTTerhome, , Londonfc_SAVrHT^Flaxman 5636). I t is regretted that lack of •aecOfSmodation makes it impossible to make it an open evening. February.—On Saturday, February 16th, at 6.30 p.m., at Mrs. Thomson's, a talk will toe given by Mr. Geoffrey Molineux on " My Visit to Australia." (It is possible that this date could coincide with Mr. Molineux's house removal, in which case another talk would be given, and Mr. Molineux's deferred until later.) March.—Annual Vegan Dinner (see notice elsewhere). May.—Advance notice of a meeting on Friday, May 24th, to be addressed by Dr. F. Ellis on the theme of " Vitamin B l2 ." December.—Advance notice of the A.G.M. 1963 to be held on Saturday, December 14th, at the Caxton Hall, Westminster. THE VEGAN DINNER, 1963 For the past six weeks on and off I have been dodging around London sampling meals, counting chairs and pacing out the floors of London's restaurants, trying to find a suitable venue for our next Annual Dinner. This means trying to match up a convenient central position with vegan food well and attractively served, suitable accommodation with regard to n u m b e r of guests expected (who can ever tell?) and a date convenient to our members and the restaurant. 2

However, we feel we have found (he answer in Maxim's (see advertisement elsewhere in this issue), with its central position, good food (several sample meals have proved most enjoyable), music, dancing, comfortable atmosphere and helpful management. We are sure that all our guests on March 15th are going to have a thoroughly enjoyable evening, but to ensure this we need the support of all members, friends and supporters who can possibly come along. A word of warning—there will not be another issue of The Vegan before then, so we cannot remind you! Be sure to make a note of the date now, and please let the Secretary know as soon as possible if you can come, and how many tickets you would like to reserve. We have enough accommodation to ensure that we shall not have to disappoint would-be guests this time—now we are anxious to fill the floor! Help us to do this and make the venture a financial as well as a social success. E.B. THE VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN FOOD GUIDE We are happy to find that this year quite a few members are buying extra copies of the Food Guide to send to friends instead of calendars. We heartily endorse this excellent idea and hope many more of our members will adopt it. Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to have to print a second edition in the New Year! (See advertisement pages.) REMINDERS (1) Subscriptions for 1963 are due, and prompt payment to Mrs. Coles with as large a donation as you can spare will be very much appreciated. (2) Did you write a letter to the O'Brien's telling them of your interest in the proposed Veganic Gardening Demonstration Centre (see Autumn issue, page 8)? If not, please do so before the year is out, as this project would fulfil the Vegan Society's greatest need. PUBLISHING DATES It has been our aim in recent years to publish The Vegan at the beginning of each seasonal quarter, i.e., about the 21st of March, June, September and December—because the publication is produced by the voluntary spare-time labour of people already doing other work, we have not always succeeded. However, the way now seems clear to make the publication dates on the 15th of March, June, September and December, and to this end contributors are asked to send in material not later than a month before these dates, i.e., the 15th of February, May, August and November. News items are always welcomed. J.S. 3

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING COMMITTEE'S REPORT It gives us very much pleasure to present this report for 1961â&#x20AC;&#x201D;-62, a year during which the Society, and veganism generally, has continued to expand and even, perhaps, become accepted. Quite a lot of the credit for this must go to a few scientists whose concern for the suffering of starving children in the East, as well as their determination to emancipate the cruelly exploited cow, has led to the production, in the laboratory stage, of a vegetable " milk " suitable as an alternative to cow's milk for all purposes. We consider it a pleasant duty to co-operate fully in this project, for cow's milk is for many would-be vegans one of the most difficult everyday commodities to replace. We are confident that, with the continued support and enthusiasm of all our members, there is no reason why veganism should not make steady progress. Our veganic gardeners, including those on allotments and smallholdings, are playing a very important part in developing a really practical aspect of veganism, for how better can we demonstrate the soundness of our ideals than through successful veganic horticulture. On the other hand, it is quite evident that Che so-called " progress " of the last few decades has resulted in an increase of mental and physical illness, and the suffering of both mankind and the creatures, from Hiroshima to the mouse in the test tube, is a condemnation of the present orthodox systems. The opening of new and bigger hospitals is announced with pride, but we shall only rejoice when they are compelled to close through lack of business! Committee and Other Meetings There have been 11 very well attended committee meetings during the year and seven other gatherings of a social nature. In February, Mrs. Dorothy Thomson was our hostess for -a New Year Social ; an March we had a Vegan Dinner at the Cranks Salad Table ; in April, Dr. Erey Ellis gave a lecture on blood formation which he called " The Living Stream," and later that month Dr. Georges Ohsawa from Japan spoke to us on " Macrobiotics and Oriental Philosophy." The London Vegetarian Society loaned their lecture room and gave some publicity for this. We were delighted to have the popular and talented Elspeth Douglas-Reid to entertain us at a Social in May. The high spot in June was a Garden Party at the home of Mrs. Serena Coles. This was a great social success and, incidentally, made a small profit! Some of our members were able to attend the B.W.C. Garden Party at the home of Drs. Douglas and Monica Latto in July. Mrs. Rosemary Maidwell-Dodd and Mrs. Eva Batt arranged a display of vegan clothing and footwear, and a â&#x20AC;˘4

number of visitors made enquiries about veganism and took leaflets. One joined later. In September, Dr. Fraiik Wokes spoke on. " Veganism and the V.N.R.C." and answered many questions. Every one of these meetings was well attended, some people travelling long distances to be able to meet other members and discuss. their problems and ideas. We would like to express our very sincere thanks to Mrs. Dorothy Thomson, Mrs. Constance White, Mr. Martin McCulloch and Mrs. Serena Coles, who have generously loaned their homes for various meetings and always made us very welcome and comfortable. Also to Mr. Alan Batt, who has given us the use of an office, complete with typewriters, etc., plus the free use of tihe telephone. All these things have helped to conserve the Society's funds. New Members Fifty-seven new members have joined us, and we have been in constant touch with vegans and vegetarian societies in other countries. We have also been able to re-establish contact with some past members. " The Vegan " Four issues of our journal The Vegan' have been published, and at least one extra library (Enfield) is now buying it regularly, and we also send some each quarter to the Australian Vegetarian Society. We should very much like to get a few more into Health Food Stores and libraries. This would help by introducing veganism to many people for the first time. We hope some of our members can introduce it to their town in one of these ways. We will send a trial order of six copies to any address and allow a generous resale discount. The article on " Cruelty to Farm Animals," in the Summer issue of The Vegan has aroused much interest, and all spare copies of this issue were sold within a few days. Our Mr. Brisco has organised a petition and we hope all our members will collect signatures for this most worthwhile cause. Publicity Our member Jack McClelland, the long-distance swimmer, made several attempts to beat records during the summer, but storms, gales and general bad weather spoiled or prevented each one. He is quite confident of his ability to swim the English Channel in less than the record time and so get some excellent publicity for veganism. The envelope-addressing and sending out of the magazines has once again been most ably done by Mrs. Serena Coles in her limited and precious spare time. This, too, has helped to keep down our overheads and make the balance sheet that bit more attractive. 5

There is much work to be done, and letters in local papers or the National Press are invaluable. Some of our members do quite a lot of this work and we are very grateful. There is so much to do, it doesn't matter where we begin. We are in a somewhat similar position to David when he faced Goliath. The giant is just too big to miss! Thanks to an introduction from one of our letter-writing members, in June the popular .magazine She carried a feature on vegetarianism and veganism, and we have since received well over 200 letters .from their readers. Several have since joined. This type of unbiased, constructive publicity is of very great value. (Also, incidentally, it cost us nothing at all.) Advertisements have appeared in The V.C.A. Guide, The British Vegetarian, The Friend and World Forum. The World League Against Vivisection have most generously placed advertisements in their journal, The Animals Charter, without charge. Also, without being asked. In July, the Editor and the Secretary made a recording on veganism for the B.B.C. This was for a sound programme on vegetarianism, but it has not yet been broadcast. Literature A few more duplicated leaflets have been added to our list (we could not have dealt with the She post without them), and one, "An Introduction to Veganism," has been reprinted for us by Mr. Brisco, who believed it would continue to be useful for some time to come. The cost of producing this was Mr Brisco's gift to the Society. The Library This has been steadily growing and has had to be recatalogued. It is proposed to insert the full printed list in The Vegan, probably as a centre pull-out for convenience, as soon as possible. Research Our Society continues to support the V.N.R.C. and to cooperate with Dr. Frank Wokes and Dr. Hugh Franklin in their investigations and experiments, and Lady Muriel Dowding gave a talk on " Vegans and Plantmilk " at the A.G.M. in July. Some of. our members have taken part in researches on nutrition being conducted by Dr. A. D. 'M. Smith, Dr. F. Wokes, and, in our own Society, Dr. F. Ellis. The formation of a Research Fund has been proposed to encourage medical research along humane lines. Commodities During this year an entirely new system of processing materials has been perfected which gives warmth and bulk to quite lightweight cloth. Already there is a wide range of this 6

foam-backed clothing in the shops for women, and a few overcoats are already appearing lor men. This is an economic development and owes nothing to the persistence of our arguments against wool, but it is in the interest of all to popularise these humanely produced goods as much as possible. Every year brings an increase in the variety of non-leather footwear available, and we can now say that, for women at any rate, the problem has almost solved itself. Vegan footwear for men and children still has to be hunted and the range- is very small, but we are glad to note that some of our members always manage to track down these rare specimens which should inspire the rest of us to renewed and determined searching. The Vegetarian and Vegan Food Guide, which also includes information on household items, remedies and toiletries, is now ready, and we hope all our members will send for, and use (this is most important), this bookletâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;2/6d. post free. Although it has taken the best part of nine months to compile, we think there is a reasonable chance of the. contents remaining stable for two or three years. Additions and alterations will continue to appear in the magazine, of course. We have all been sorry to learn that Alfonal Margarine now contains milk and is no longer on our list of vegan foods. Some of. our members have written to Messrs. Alfonal expressing their disappointment, and we hope that many more will do so. If sufficient of us did this, we could toe successful in persuading them to market two kinds, or even revert to the milkless recipe. The address of Alfonal Ltd. is in the Food Guide. Vegan Badges These were introduced in the Spring and have been very well received. The Secretary has further supplies of both types at 10/- each, post free. The fact that our membership is increasing is no cause for complacency, for the work of the Society has only just begun. Unfortunately, the use of food adulterants keeps pace with the'increase in diabetic and cancer victims, and while the consumption of flesh and dairy food rises, so do the cases of deliberate and sometimes bestial cruelty to animals by children. But a small and growing number of people are becoming more aware of their responsibilities to the creatures, and it is our duty to bring the positive, progressive and economic ideals of veganism to as many people as possible in any way we can. To help with this, we now have a variety of free pamphlets and some excellent booklets by Mr. Heron. There are also some early copies of The Vegan, which are very interesting and give a good idea of the work and difficulties of the founders of the Society. They had no bedrock of scientific certainty on which to build their, beliefs and they could not wait for perfect conditionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;no one would ever become a vegan if they did that. The true pioneer in any sphere decides to follow a certain course 7

and then finds the ways and means. But the knowledge that the vegan way of life is not only ethically desirable, but nutritionally satisfactory and economically sound, will help to make it socially acceptable as well—and its general practice would, we know, go far towards the overcoming of cruelty, famine and its companion, war! [The Balance Sheet and one or two other matters referred to at the A.G.M. will appear in the Spring issue.—EDITOR.]

A VISIT TO COOMBE LODGE B y EVA BATT

Those of our readers who have attended one of Mrs. Kathleen Keleny's cooking demonstrations in London will be able to appreciate what an enjoyable time can be had during a whole week of vegan cooking lessons at Coombe Lodge. (See The Vegan, Autumn 1962.) We have just returned from our first visit to Wotton-underEdge and are still enjoying the flush of renewed enthusiasm for trying new ways with foods, home bread baking and fresh home-grown herbs in new savoury dishes, and we are making hopeful plans to repeat the visit. Born into a sincere vegetarian household (her father founded Pitman's Health Foods), Mrs. Keleny has more than one lifetime of experience from which to draw, and her energy and enthusiasm are a joy to share. Some of our early members will remember- her advice when, as Kathleen Mayo, she wrote in the magazine some years ago on the care and rearing of vegan babies. During the week she showed us a colour film taken in Australia during her cookery lecture tour earlier this year, when her appearance on television and the front page of several newspapers demonstrated the very warm welcome she received. We came away with a firm determination to visit Australia if ever half a chance presents itself. Mrs. Keleny tells us that few Australian vegetarians include milk or eggs in their diet, and Mr. Percy Wells Cerutty, the physical instructor and coach of international repute, is firmly against the use of cow's milk as food for would-be sportsmen. He frequently lectures, writes and appears on television (twice on the B.B.C. also) and always stresses this point. There is proof enough of the soundness of his theory in his successes in the world of sport.

When man adopts the Humane Diet—his Natural F o o d then would cease his continual ruthless war upon the animal creation, and we would then deserve Peace in our time. 8

VEGANS I MET IN AUSTRALIA B y KATHLEEN KELENY

Having recently returned from Melbourne, where I had been invited to give a series of Lectures, Broadcasts and Cookery Demonstrations for the Australian Vegetarian Society, I have brought 'back news of vegans in Australia to vegans in the British Isles. When I arrived in Melbourne I found that nearly all the vegetarians in Victoria were vegans. They were just full of vitality and health and bubbling over with energy and enthusiasm, and they really seemed to me to have found the secret of successful veganism. I learned a lot from them, and I kept making mental notes so that I could share what I learned with vegans in England. I was one of the first Life Members of the Vegan Society in 1948 and I believe that logical vegetarianism is naturally veganism. The first big difference I noticed was that on the other side of the world, one's hostess did not ask, as in England, " Would you like a salad meal or a cooked meal?" as she took it for granted that everyone ate raw food ; so we were asked instead, " Would you like a protein salad or a starch salad?" And never did she offer fruit with ibrown bread as fruit went only with a protein meal. Either a salad wath fruit and nut or soya protein was served, or a salad with grated root vegetables, dried fruit and wholemeal bread. Either a salad with sliced chicory, tomatoes, green peppers, grapes, sliced melon, peaches with nut cheese, followed toy fresh fruit and nut cream, or salad with grated carrot, beetroot and artichoke with raisins, sliced bananas and wholewheat roll, followed by soaked prunes, figs or apricots, with perhaps wholewheat flakes. We all know that different digestive juices are used for the digestion of starches and proteins, and that proteins should be eaten separately from starches, but not many of us here are strict about this. In Australia it was definitely a following commandment to " Thou shall not kill." " Thou shall not eat proteins and starches together." They strongly believe that if starches and proteins are eaten together, then much of the pro^ tein is not assimilated, and I think that by obeying this simple rule they find perfect health and vitality. We hear so many people here say, " I would get tired of salad and cheese," but vegan cheeses have innumerable varieties. We had nut cheese made of grated walnuts and pineapple juice ; grated almonds and tomato juice; desiccated coconut, and crystallised cherries, grated celery and cashews, wheat germ and grated cucumber, and each one was delicious. Breakfast was either a fruit meal consisting of a variety of fresh fruit with or without grated nuts or wheat germ or wholewheat bread with nut toutter and dried fruits. 9

The Australian Vegetarian Society are most enthusiastic to hear all about English customs and methods regarding the vegetarian and vegan movement, and they are sure that this visit will result in greater co-ordination between English and Australian vegetarians. They regard visits from English vegetarians as simply essential to vitalize and progress their vegetarian movement. I think that visiting them and learning about their customs and methods can vitalize vegetarians here so that we can make more progress. (I have already demonstrated Australian vegan salads in London and prepared them for visitors staying here at Coombe Lodge, who all highly approved.) One piece of good publicity work they perform is to have an exhibition of non-animal products, health foods, labour-saving food-preparation gadgets, vegetarian literature, fruit juices, nut creams and mayonnaises at every one of their monthly meetings. Different firms show their products, including vegan clothes and footwear. Ail the recipes I demonstrated, of course, were vegan, and oh the way out I visited the Indian Humanitarian Society at Bombay, who consider that from the health standpoint " eggs are worse than meat," and they asked for vegan .recipes, and have since printed leaflets of my recipes and also put them in their magazine. The Australian Vegetarian Society try to teach people to become more health conscious and, as they put it, " To feel on top of the world." One of their Committee Members lectures to all the schools on " Radiant Health." She is not called a Vegetarian Lecturer, nor a Vegan Lecturer, but " The Radiant Health Lecturer," and she explains to growing children how important it is for their health and ibeauty for them to eat fresh fruits and nuts and wholewheat bread so that they will look and feel radiant, and she includes the explanation of how their teeth can toe perfect if they finish every meal with a slice of apple. Her lecturing at schools is, I am sure, very good work. She is trying to educate the young to become more health conscious, and it seems a subtle way of making vegan youngsters. .All Australian vegetarians and vegans sent their loving greetings to vegans in England, and their warm hospitality for an English visitor—their terrific enthusiasm for their way of life —just has to toe experienced to be believed. - " I, for my part, wonder of what sort of feeling, mind, or reason that man was possessed who was first to pollute his mouth with gore, and to allow his lips to touch the flesh of a murdered being ; who spread his table with the mangled forms of dead bodies, and claimed as daily food and dainty dishes what but now were beings endowed with movement, with perception, and with voice."—Plutarch. • 10

TWO OF A KIND . . . B y JANET E . LING, S.R.N., S.C.M.

In the few notes I wrote in the last issue of The Vegan I endeavoured to give a resume of the life of my daughter, Julia, from birth to just over two years of age. I concluded the article by a brief reference to her little brother, Trevor, and as he is now seven months of age it is possible to examine how closely they have resembled one another in their dietary requirements through the first few months of their lives. It has also been interesting to discover how their general pattern of progress has been almost identical. At the same time, they have their own pronounced idiosyncrasies. Trevor has been breast fed from birth, and is now being weaned on to Velactin, which he prefers slightly flavoured with fruit juice, as Julia did initially. He is also having Radiostol (for vitamin D intake) in Liquid form. Julia has this in tablet form now. He is having basically the same " diet " as Julia had at his age, namely, sieved stewed fruits, sieved vegetables, Holle wholewheat cereal; but whereas Julia was still having four breast feeds a day, Trevor is now having one breast feed, two Velactin drinks and one fruit drink. He is very partial to sieved bananas, and he has now taken to Sunnybisk and porridge. Made with water, the porridge is, of course, more easily digested than it would be if made with milk. So vegan babies score on this little point! At seven months Trevor is 16} lbs.; he was lbs. at birth. Like Julia, he has a beautifully clear complexion. He is very energetic, rolls over easily, and is trying hard to crawl. He takes a very active interest in all that goes on around him, and watches intently all that Julia says and does. Incidentally, she still shows no sign of jealousy, and insists that he has his share of everything, from cuddles to toys. She is extremely good with him, and gets all the bath things ready for him without any prompting. This additional experience with Trevor shows that with thoughtful guidance any normal child can be brought up vegan, and be quite healthy; and that it was not just coincidence that Julia happened to have such unlimited vitality. There must be many mothers trying to bring up their children, as vegans who would like advice, a few hints, and maybe a little encouragement. I quote from a letter received from a reader as a result of my last article, " I would be very pleased to hear from you as I know no one else with small children on a vegan diet." To fulfil these needs I shall be starting a regular feature in the magazine by way of a " MOTHER AND BABY BUREAU," and if readers have any special queries, or comments of interest, I shall be pleased to deal with the points either direct by post (if urgent) or through the medium of this new 11

feature in The Vegan. I also propose to form a REGISTER OF VEGAN MOTHERS so that I can put them in touch with each other, and I look forward to hearing from mothers, with details of number of children, age and sex, and how long they have been vegan. I should also be pleased to hear from mothers (and fathers) of vegan children who are now beyond the baby stage, and especially of those who are approaching adulthood. Please write direct to me at Coulsdon; Surrey, and if you have any urgent needs you may 'phone me: UPLands 9166. [At the suggestion of the Editor, Mrs. Ling was asked to take over the "Mother and Baby Bureau" at the last meeting of the Vegan Committee.] NEWS AND COMMENT Horses.—Two aircraft, 3 motor cycles, 3 jeeps and a dozen horsemen are engaged in the task of collecting ten thousand horses which have been coming down from the water-starved ranges to eat what the seven-year drought has left of the grasslands of the 2£ million acre Bulloon Downs Station. The operation will clear the land for cattle as well as make an estimated £80,000 out of the horsemeat to be used as canned pet food. (Recent report in Sunday Telegraph, on Queensland.) Dogs.—Punch, a Lanradir retriever owned by E. Lake, of Bylaugh, Norfolk, saw a dog in distress while retrieving a wounded pheasant which had fallen into the river. Punch jumped in, swam to the sinking dog, seized it by the neck and, holding its head above water, brought it to the bank, where its master lifted it out. An R.S.P.C.A. officer said: " There are cases on record where a dog protected an injured dog until aid arrived, but we cannot recall a case like this one!" Birds.—(1) Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, has a Bird Hospital operated by the choirmaster, Canon Renault. It is on. top of a wing of the church, and sick birds have learned to seek out the Canon, who keeps watch over them. (2) An African newspaper printed this item a few years ago: Klerksdorp.—Miss M. Blake, this town's St. Francis of Assisi, has died at the age of 63. She was an ardent S.P.C.A. worker, and for many years managed the only Bird Hospital in the Union. It was a home in her garden for injured birds. The patients were carefully nursed back to health and freed when they recovered. The birds, however, became so accustomed to free servings of birdseed that when cured they were generally reluctant to leave. One patient, placed in the last ward—a cage open to the sky—remained for three years. The Blake Bird Hospital also had a babies' ward for fledglings that had been thrown out of their nests when trees were cut down. 12

Worms.—The following was published in the Toronto Telegram: — These common wastes that are so much trouble to us are the very thing needed to bring garden soil to top fertility at small costs in cash or work. The way to do this is simple. Get some earthworms bred for this purpose. The ordinary worm costs me much valuable time; it breeds every 25 days, 3 to 5 tiny worms. But the hybrid worm breeds every 4 to 6 days 6 to 20 worms, hatching in 21 days and matures to breeding stage in 60 to 90 days. They do in a year what it takes the common worm 50 years to do. They are healthy, have no known diseases, eat any kind of food at hand. Save all your organic waste—leaves, grass, weeds, hay and kitchen waste, then make a 'box and use the same as food for hybrid worms, who will reduce it to a fine granular black soil that will make garden soil healthy, halt parasites and disease. At least that is what I find. I plant directly into earthworm compost, with yield, flavour and keeping qualities greater in a shorter .time. —Captain C. Misener, Fenwick, Ontario, Canada. Foxes.:—"Foxhunting is a traditional, healthy and lawful form of sport in the countryside. <Many people are interested in it and approve of it, some as participants and some as spectators. Those who live in the country must take its disadvantages with its joys and.pleasures. And if the hounds trespass on one's property, it is a small price to pay for an escape from petrol fumes and the roar and bustle of traffic and humanity."—Judge Harold Brown in a case concerning " Crawley and Horsham Foxhounds." J.S.

THE ANIMALS' APPEAL Condemned, though innocent, to die— I plead for pity—hear my cry— If you yourselves would mercy gain Spare me the wrong of needless pain. Needless—for in his Maker's plan Nature provides the food for man— The words to Adam still hold good And cannot be misunderstood.* In your Dominion over me Know that there is an Eye to see The tell-tale things now hid from sight— The darkest spot shall see the light. Oh! heed the warning—break away From cruel custom's . baneful s w a y Remember that the hand of fate Brings retribution soon or late. '13

Is cruelty only just a wrong When suffered by the great and strong? And is the Golden Rule confined In practice only to mankind? Death comes to me with terror dread— Could you once suffer in my stead Then would you still, as now, remain Indifferent to all my pain? Think not because you hear no sound My cries no listening ear have found, Or that because you close your eyes No ghastly scenes can then arise— Another hand may use the knife But 'tis for you I lose my life— Craving my flesh, how can you claim Immunity from guilt and shame? Is there no moment when you hear A Voice that whispers in your ear: — " Wash and be clean—your hands are stained— Is Paradise to be regained By pouring fuel on the fires Of passion and impure desires? You were not formed a beast of prey— Be your true Self—begin to-day." So in my feeble words I plead For succour in my bitter need— May God, the light in every man, Reveal to you His perfect plan To speed your lagging steps until You long to do His holy will, Feel pity strong within your breast, To help the helpless and oppressed. Man only holds his power in trust And to be worthy must be just. Did the Creator not intend That you should be my guide and friend? Awake and act your destined part— Obey the promptings of your heart— Then will you take your rightful place As loved protector of our race. (* Genesis, 1-29.) A. D . MACDONALD. Further copies.of this poem, similar literature, and further practical advice related to Animal Welfare may be obtained from A L F R E D BRISCO, BLACKWELL, CARLISLE, ENGLAND.

COMMODITY AND OTHER NEWS B y EVA BATT

Add to your Food Guide. Prewett's Stone-ground Speciality Flours and Meals. Compost and Non-Compost—Plain and Self-Raising. Ground by the real old-fashioned Millstone Process, which retains the Germ and Vitamins of the Wheat. " Sue Ann " Chive Dressing. Contains vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, chives, spices and vegetable gum. Footwear Bury Boot and Shoe Company Ltd., Bradlesholme Road, Bury, Lanes. Write for free Brochure. Once again the Autumn/ Winter Catalogue contains several models entirely free from leather or wool, namely, on pages 4 and 5: . Bootees— No. W. 246 30/9d. No. W. 270 ... ... 31 /9d. No. W. 272 33/9d. No. W. 296 29/0d. No. W. 293 28/0d. Pages 19 and 20: Low-heeled Casual Shoe— • No. W. 142 ... ••• 25/9d., Broad Fitting Lace-up— No. W. 259 28/0d. Please include postage, approx. l / 9 d . From our readers' letters and our personal shopping we have compiled a list of shoe shops where non-leather shoes have been recently purchased or who are expecting supplies very shortly: — All 100 branches of Curtess Shoe Shops.—Ladies' fashion shoes in a number of new " smart" styles. The Oxford Shoe Co.—Men's shoes. P.V.C., 18/6d. pair. Not always in stock. Jordan's Fashion Shoes.—Ladies. Some branches stock P.V.C. models. Metropole Shoes; Carlins (Portsmouth); Eashiphit Shops; ; British Home Stores ; etc. Some are branded, but not all. The following have come to our attention: — Elcho Brand. Conso Brands. Aime Brands. In fact, we can probably say that as far as the ladies are concerned there is absolutely no problem now, and we must therefore concentrate in future on shoes for the men and the children. 15

Timsons, Turners, True Form, Ereeham, Hardy & Willis, Bata Stores had the best Men's P.V.C. shoes we have foundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;21/-. Black or brown. Weatherproof. Ask for " Shiners." The Sample Shoe Shop at 134 c High Road, Wood Green, and elsewhere have stocks of men's P.V.C. (lined) Oxford shoes at present, black and brown, 2 6 / l l d . per pair, as shown on our stand at the B.W.C. Fashion Show in London in November.' We understand from the importers that a considerable quantity of P.V.C. footwear for men is expected from Malaya arid Hong Kong in the very near future, so watch your local shops and keep asking for it. It does not stay long in the shops after it arrives. M u c h of the ladies' vegan footwear is now made in this country, so that stocks are much more stable. . The excellent extra soft white bootee about which we wrote last winter is again appearing in some of the Freeman, Hardy & Willis stores. This .is ideal for anyone with " difficult " feet, as it is more like a lined glove with a sole. W e still get letters from members saying they cannot get vegan shoes, and we can only think they are trying the wrong shops or not making themselves clear. Quite often the saleslady does not know of the P.V.C. wear and assumes it all to be leather. This shows how good some of it is! But persist in your enquiries and, most important, do not be put off with anything else! For this reason it is as well to start looking for shoes ' before you really need them! One of our members writes to recommend the " B a b y t u f t " candlewick lines from T h e Blaxendon Supply Co., Conservative Works, Boxendon, Accrington. This company supply direct and invite customers to write for a free brochure. Some of our readers have seen an announcement that the Smart-Weston man's shop in London can supply men's wear of 100 per cent, man-made fibres. This does not, we regret, apply to suits and overcoats (yet), but we hope that the increase in production of " foam-backed " materials will soon lead to really warm vegan overcoats for men also. There are already many kinds available for women, but in clothes we always lead the way anyway! We accepted man-made soling quite a long time before the men, and many of them are still lured by the words " genuine leather soles " on the price ticket. Two pairs of P.V.C. and cotton gloves have just arrived. These are both lined for winter wear, and have good " grip " for driving also. In tan or brown for men, from some branches of Woolworths, 11/6d. per pair. For ladies, in black or brown, from Marshall Ward, Bridgewater Place, Manchester X. By post also, 11 /6d. per pair. Order No. 80 2065Y. Covered by " m o n e y - b a c k " guarantee if not suitable. 16

VEGAN MEALS IN LONDON Restaurants which can supply vegan meals on request: — The Cranks Salad Table, ' / 22, Carnaby Street, W.l. (Behind Libertys of Regent Street.) Now open until 8 p.m. The India Coffee House Restaurant, 8, Great Russell Street, W.C.I. (Near New Oxford Street, off Tottenham Court Road.) Highways Cafe, Roxburgh House, 281, Upper Regent Street, W.l. Open 9—3 only. Maxim's Chinese Restaurant, 30 Wardour Street, W.l. Gerrard 3724. Open until midnight, Sunday included. For a " Special Occasion " dinner telephone your arrival time, stating that it is a vegan party. You will enjoy your evening. We shall be glad to have the name and address of any others, with a few details, please.

Memo : To Prime Minister Diefenbaker :

IS ANYBOD^ GOING TO EAT THAT MEAT? B y MARILYN COOPER

HONG KONG—" Why Canada send us CANNED MEAT? Canned meat no good. Chinese people no eat. You wait, see." It was my Chinese amah (nursemaid) talking. She is an intelligent girl who has been working with European families for several years. I had just finished reading to her Prime Minister Diefenbaker's announcement on May 30th that Canada would ship skim milk powder and canned meat worth a total of $485,000 to feed hungry Hong Kong families. Her reaction was the same as mine. Hong Kong Chinese aren't that hungry. And milk and canned meat are not part of the Chinese diet. Flour is useful to the Chinese. It can be made into noodles or bread. But Chinese cooking has little place for dairy products. • Mothers with babies might find a use for the powdered skim milk. Some growing youngsters educated to the taste of milk might drink it. They'd probably prefer tea, or vita soy, a soybean and milk bottled drink rather unpalatable to foreigners, but enjoyed by children here. Among many Chinese there is still a superstition that dairy products are unhealthy. 17

As for canned meat! It can ,be likened to a reducing diet food shipped to Viet Nam by the U S. Useless. I have yet to see Chinese eating canned pork—or canned meat of any sort. (Published in Daily Star, Toronto, Canada. June 9th, 1962.) A NEW SYNTHETIC LEATHER {The following information was sent to us from " Beauty Without Cruelty " by Mrs. R. Maidwell-Dodd.) A new synthetic material for shoemaking, competitive with leather, is now being marketed by Bonded Fibre Fabric Limited, a member of the Courtaulds group. The result of many years of research, it marks a significant advance in the development of man-made products for the shoe industry. The material, marketed under the registered trade name of Quox, has already proved suitable as a shoe lining. A product for the uppers of certain types of ladies' shoes will be available shortly, and it is hoped that a material for men's uppers will be perfected in 1963. Quox has a fibrous structure formed by bonding nylon fibres with a mixture of synthetic resins, using a special process. It combines the important properties of leather with a number of striking advantages of its own. Quox can be used on standard shoemaking machinery and treated in exactly the same way as conventional materials. Being a uniform product, it will help to facilitate the increased use of automation in shoemaking processes and result in production economies. Properties Behaves like leather on the last and retains its shape. Stitches, skives and beads like leather. Has excellent flex, abrasion and wear resistance. • Porous—moisture is absorbed and released quickly and easily. Rot resistant and unharmed by perspiration. Excellent tear strength. Colours are fast. SATRA (Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association) have reported on the material in their October, 1962, Bulletin. Information Sheet Q.l, dealing with the new material, is obtainable from the Sales Promotion Department, Bonded Fibre Fabric Limited, Henrietta House, Henrietta Place, London, W.l. (Copyright Beauty Without Cruelty.) ERRATA.—In the Autumn 1962 issue the article on Civet (page 7) should have been followed by (Copyright Beauty Without Cruelty.). Also on page 18, the French magazine referred to was " La Vie Claire " (not Coaire). 18

VEGAN FARE (Some Recipes by Mabel Simmons selected by the Editor)

A VEGAN DINNER Celery Cream Soup Tomato and Rice Balls. Stuffed Vegetable Marrow. Braised Carrots, French Beans or Garden Peas. Steamed Potatoes in Jackets. Apple and Banana Sweet. Celery Cream Soup 1 onion 1 bay leaf 2 pints stock

1 head celery . 2 potatoes 1 oz. margarine Seasoning Make stock of washed outer vegetables. Cut onion and celery fairly small ; braise with margarine for 10. minutes. Add stock, potatoes (diced), seasoning and bay leaf. Cook gently. Press through sieve and garnish with chopped chives or snippets of toast. Tomato and Rice Balls 2 oz. wholemeal bread£ lb. rice i lb. tomatoes crumbs 1 tablespoonful chopped Grated rind of £ lemon parsley Seasoning 4-teaspoonful thyme Cook rice in stock. Peel and cut tomatoes in small pieces. Mix all ingredients well together. Form into balls, roll in breadcrumbs, and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Stuffed Vegetable Marrow 1 medium sized vegetable 1'small apple 2 oz. wholemeal breadmarrow crumbs 1 small onion 1 oz. margarine .1 oz. lentils £ teaspoonful sage Seasoning Cut marrow through centre. Scoop out centre. Cut onion finely, and fry to a golden brown in margarine. Add sage. Cook lentils until soft, mix with onion, breadcrumbs, grated apple and, seasoning. Press into centre of marrow. Place on a well-greased casserole. Bake in medium oven about \ hour. 19

Apple and Banana Sweet \ lb. apples 2 oz. brown sugar 2 bananas Cake crumbs Peel apples and make stock of peelings. Dice apples and cook gently in stock with sugar ; place in a dish. Beat up bananas into a cream, place on top of apples, sprinkle with cake crumbs. Savoury alternatives for the above could be: — Brazil Nut (or Cashew Nut) Stuffed Roll \ lb. milled nuts \ lb. wholemeal bread2 oz. margarine crumbs Seasoning 1 large onion lb.) Wholemeal sauce £ teaspoonful sage (powdered) Mix nuts, breadcrumbs and seasoning together. Cut onion finely, fry golden brown. Mix in powdered sage. Place onion on top of mixture, pour over about 6 tablespoonfuls wholemeal sauce, make into pliable dough. Flour board, roll out mixture oblong, spread parsley stuffing on, roll up, cover with greased paper, bake in a hot oven, £ ihour. Wholemeal Sauce 1 oz. wholemeal flour \ pint good stock 1 oz. margarine Seasoning Melt margarine, mix in flour, gradually stir in stock and seasoning, bring to the boil, simmer 5 minutes. OR

Walnut and Tomato Savoury ^ lb. tomatoes 1 oz. margarine 2 oz. milled nuts 2 oz. wholemeal bread-, 2 oz. rice crumbs 1 large onion Seasoning Cut onion finely, fry golden brown in margarine. Place cooked onion in pie-dish, then a layer of cooked rice and also a layer of sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle over with milled nuts, cover with breadcrumbs. Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes.

Sweet alternatives could be: — Nut Compote 6 oz. milled nuts 1 tablespoonful fig or other 1 dessertspoonful brown or fruit juice currant or date sugar Put currant sugar and juice into a bowl and work in milled , nuts with a wooden spoon. Roll into balls in milled nuts or Froment. Garnish with a whole nut or a soaked raisin. Serve with fresh or bottled fruit. 20

Dutch Apple Tart £ lb. apples 2 oz. brown sugar 6 oz. wholemeal flour 2 oz. sultanas 1 lemon rind 3 oz. nutter . Line a shallow sandwich tin with pastry made with wholemeal flour, nutter and water. Grate apples on coarse grater, add sugar, sultanas and grated rind of lemon, and mix with fork. Place mixture on top of pastry, cover with pastry and prick with fork. Bake for 20 minutes. All enquiries about recipes should be se l Simmons (Teacher of Vegetarian Cookery), , London, N.W.I 1. :

PUBLICITY One of the. most helpful forms of publicity takes the form of Letters—and even Articles—to the Press, i.e., to local or national, daily or weekly newspapers, and also to magazines of all types. It is also one of the cheapest forms. All it requires is pen,- notepaper, and stamp, and enough time to think out and write out a suitable and carefully thought-out letter. For local papers it can be more lengthy, but the larger the paper and the wider its circulation, the shorter and more to the point should the letter be. It can be such as to initiate a new series of letters, or it can be one to follow up or reply to a letter already printed.: From time to time we shall print a selection of such letters or parts of them to serve as a guide to others, and also because it is a matter of general, interest to our members to note how vegan and vegetarian matters are being dealt with in the nation's Press. From the County Express, Wilmslow, July 19th, 1962: THE 21st PARTY WITH A DIFFERENCE It was a 21st birthday with a difference for dental nurse Miss Dianne Hilary Cox recently. For there was no meat on the table; no fowl or fish ; nor was there anything containing milk, eggs or cheese. . . . For Dianne, who lives in Kings Road, Pownall Park, Wilmslow, has been a life-long vegetarian and is now a vegan. Vegans take the moral principles of vegetarianism a stage further and, in addition to fish, flesh or fowl, will not eat anything which involves the loss of animal life. Milk or anything having a milk basis is banned because it usually involves the death of a calf. Vegans also use soaps made without animal fats and cosmetics which are non-animal, and will not use leather or 21

natural furs. They believe that their way of life avoids all forms of cruelty to animal life and is nutritionally and economically satisfying. Dianne is chairman of the Wiknslow Guild Youth Group ; an executive committee member of the Wilmslow branch of the R.S.P.C.A.; and social secretary of the Vegetarian Outdoor Glub. She is also a member of the Vegetarian Society ; the Manchester and District Vegetarian Society; and the British Vegetarian Society. A similar article appeared on July 13th, 1962, in the Advertiser, Wilmslow, under the heading " She's a Vegan." From the Daily Herald, September 28th, 1962 : MEAT-EATERS I am a vegetarian, and, because of that, I have not had an illness for 50 years. I cannot understand meat-eaters objecting to Prince Charles killing a stag. They have animals killed for them, and have not the courage to do the killing themselves.— L E S L I E DIBBEN, St. James Road, Kingston-upon-Thames. From the Chatham Observer, September 28th, 1962: VALUE OF MILK Dear Sir,—Your correspondent, A. J. A. Woodcock (14/9/62), calls our attention, quite rightly, to the value of milk. This mucusforming calf food, if taken regularly by human beings, will ensure the continuation of any catarrhal condition and will often aggravate the congestion. Farmers and dairymen also must esteem it very highly, for it has long kept their bank balance in a good, healthy condition. It is even good as a food—to the calf for whom nature intended it. It will make him grow into a large-boned, fleshy, bovine creature in a few months, because that is the real need of the animal and the particular purpose of cows' milk. Of course, it is quite unlike human milk which nature provides for us. Only this contains the essential requirements for the highlydeveloped, large-brained species to which we belong. Further, Mr. Woodcock is quite justified in his assumption that cows' milk is clean and pure—when it is inside the cow (assuming that he excepts the strontium, probable mastitis infection, hormones, vaccines, and various other drugs with which it is contaminated). Naturally, a creature like the domestic cow, who spends her life in a circle of constant lactation and calf bearing, and is bred and raised for the sole purpose of producing a great deal more milk than ever Nature intended, lives on a very knife edge of disease and is prone to every bovine complaint there is (and there are many!), and must be constantly " d o c t o r e d " to keep her alive and productive. 22'

No wonder she is glad, as Mr. Woodcock says, to be milked. The sheer weight of all that excess liquid must get painfully uncomfortable at times. Poor, gentle cow, to bear, so often in pain and suffering, so many offspring, yet to be allowed none of the rewards of motherhood. " Just get plenty of milk running again, boys," then off to the slaughterhouse with the newborn. He can always be used up in pies, and of course the stomach juices (rennet) are so useful for making cheese. Daily Pinta While imbibing our daily pinta we might remember that the white liquid in glass bottles on the doorstep is something quite different again from the calf food leached from the docile cow, for it has almost certainly been pasteurised, or homogenised, or sterilised and/or generally mucked about to extend its " shelf life" (and, incidentally, increase the profits) and destroy the germs, together with much of the Vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and calcium. This latter gets left on the sides of the containers, and its constant removal is a real problem for farmers. Something else to remember—young calves cannot live and thrive on pasteurised milk. But human beings can, and many do, live a full, useful, healthy and happy life on a diet of fruit, vegetables, cereals, nuts and grain, and bring up their children on absolutely no dairy foods whatever. Of course, it would not be good for business if too many people realised that milk is not essential to optimum health. Coupled with some of the disadvantages of relying on this product of the over-worked, sex-hormoned, antibiotic-filled, semiinvalid cow, with her proneness to udder complaints, umbilical sepsis, mastitis and chronic catarrh, etc., it might well bring about a n ng outlook on food habits.—(Mrs.) EVA V. BATT, , Enfield, Middlesex. RIGHT BAIT! Dear Sir,—The right bait, now used, has brought a response from Mr. Woodcock who, your readers may remember, played rather unfairly last year when merely answering " Yes! " to my question: " Can an animal eater be an animal lover? " . . . Later I wrote that Freddie Grisewood, when asked a similar question, replied " The answer is, of course, both ' Yes' and ' N o , ' " but presumably the question should be " How can an animal eater honestly claim to be an animal lover? " Mr. Woodcock did not come back on that. Now he is again evasive and this time gives no direct answer owing, presumably, to .the same fault being evident in my letter. Will Mr. Woodcock kindly say what the near four million 23

experiments made annually in this country alone on living animals are (made) for please? Has he read " Victory over Cancer " by that live and still alive author, musician, and broadcaster, Cyril Scott? Has he read any other similar books on such subjects by other authors of much ability who have lived in this century?. I mean, of course, authors of similar ability who vivisection and vaccination.—R LEES, , London, N.W.8. We invite our readers to take their courage in both hands and write their own " Letter to the Editor." J.S. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS We often hear of cruelty to animals, but it is usually secondhand, and the thought must often have occurred to readers as to what they would do or should do if actual cases of cruelty were perpetrated in their presence, or came within their purview. The following advice prepared by a barrister-at-law explains how to act in cases of cruelty to animals: — " It is necessary for every individual to be prepared to act if he should come across any case of cruelty to animals. Any kind of ill-treatment, beating, kicking, overworking, frightening, infuriating, torturing ; as well as deprivation or exposure causing suffering, is an offence against the law, and, as such, must be dealt with. Before you act, make sure there is cruelty for which a magistrate might convict. If possible, get a Police Constable at once. If not possible, write down the following particulars: — • 1. The precise time and place of the occurrence. .2. If you can obtain it, the name and address of the lawbreaker. 3. The names and addresses of ALL POSSIBLE witnesses. Warn the person concerned that you are going to the Police. Ask him to accompany you. Finally, place your information promptly before a Police Officer, imperatively requesting that proceedings shall be taken if the evidence may be sufficient. The Officer is then compelled to act. This is a plain duty. It is no use writing an account of such an occurrence to the Secretary of one of the Societies, who has not the necessary" first-hand evidence and therefore cannot act effectively. It is, legally AND morally, your responsibility." . "All creatures are of one family. Treat them as you would be treated yourself." (This information is issued by The National Equine (and Smaller Animals) Defence League, Blackwell, Carlisle. Alfred Brisco, Organising Secretary. Phone: Carlisle 22469.) 24

SOUNDING BRASS They talked about the Absolute Far on into the night, Of problematic theories Of what is wrong or right; And when and where to meditate, To touch the Bhuddic Sphere, And whether concentration Would bring a Master near. They studied metaphysics And the Wisdom of the E a s t ; One knew the date Atlantis sank ; And this was not the least, For all of them in former lives Had ranked among the great— A Roman Senator, a King or an Initiate. Yet just a little while ago, Before the talk began, The longest speaker of them all, A most ambitious man, To find Nirvana for himself— And never mind the rest— • Refused a simple act of love, The tiniest request, To sign a paper which he knew Might save some creatures pain, And though he preached of Brotherhood He would not sign his name. For one thing he had never learned In spite of all he knew, That every creature crucified Is yet a brother too. DOROTHY T H O M S O N .

THOSE POOR COWS AGAIN " You are always on about milk production. Why can't you leave the cows alone?" This criticism was levelled, not at the Milk Marketing Board, or the dairy industry, or an individual farmer, or even (the root cause of the trouble) the milk consumer—but at us! While it is true that it is necessary to point out, rather frequently, the persistent and cruel practices with which this inoffensive creature is bombarded for the whole of her life, it is certainly not vegans who " will not let her alone." The matter has been brought to Che fore again by an article in The Sunday Pictorial (October 28th), which exposes one last, crowning indignity inflicted, as usual, in the name of Big Business, on the long-suffering cow. 25

Naturally she is kept alive (just) with every artifice known so long as her " milk yield " is high enough for her to remain a " financial asset," but by this time her much-abused body makes poor eating and, what is more important, fetches less per pound. Now, according to Mr. Roy Spicer in the above-mentioned article, even this obstacle can be overcome with, of course, yet another injection! Just before slaughter, these creatures may, in the future, have their last " shots " of a drug which will, according to the manufacturers, make their flesh taste as good and tender as if they had been killed years before with their more fortunate brothers and sisters who became choice steaks in the prime of life. One may well wonder how many animals were used in the vivisection experiments to produce a drug of such capabilities. The net result? Farmers will be able to get lÂŁd. per pound more for the carcasses! Butchers also are "very happy" about it. A word of warning. We are told that the process has been "Approved by the Ministry of Health." So have many other poisons been in the past, so warn your meat-eating friends! It is probably superfluous to add that Messrs. Swift & Company, who are using the process in this country, "strongly deny" that meat so treated is harmful to humans, but we are sure that many people would very much like to know on what they base this assertion. EVA BATT. HUMANE WORK Every Endeavour aids in freeing Creatures from the tyranny of Man and the Day of Emancipation is eagerly awaited. There is an immense, difficult Task to accomplish, and so very few consistent Creature Welfare Workers with the Initiative, true Vision and Spirit are achieving it through fiery Trials of Faith. The majority of people think that we, who give our Services on behalf of God's Creatures, should consider our Fellow humans first. It is quite evident that they have not yet begun to realize that Creature Welfare Work is most vitally, and inseparably connected with the spiritual Life of Mankind, and that we Animal Lovers cannot successfully abolish legal, domestic and commercial cruelty (or war) UNTIL we inculcate the Spirit of LOVE in the Hearts of Children, Women, and Men, and also have the Realization of being our Brothers' Keepers! E. CLIFFORD PRATT, Toronto, Canada. Many of the world's greatest intellectual and moral teachers adopted and advocated the humane diet, including Celsus, Buddha, Plato, Pythagoras, Plutarch, Plotinus, Ovid, Porphyry, Milton, Montaigne, Voltaire, Newton, Schopenhauer, Lamartine, Michelet, Thoreau, Blake, Wesley, Swedenborg, Booth, Tolstoy. 26

CRUSADE AGAINST ALL CRUELTY TO ANIMALS The price of cruelty . . . a sick nation ? It has truly been said that we dig our graves with our teeth. Laurence Easterhrook, who writes such good sense about farming and its problems, wrote in the Daily Mail of September 15th: " We are, physically speaking, what we eat. Our bodies are composed of the food growing in the fields, together with what they derive from water, air and sunlight. The incredible alchemy of creation sorts these elemental ingredients into the different physical patterns of the human and animal worlds. . . . What of the effect upon us who eat food grown with all kinds of chemical additives, including poisons? No one knows, because no one in the world is trying to find out. This country has now reached a point where the bill for illhealth exceeds the bill for food. It is one of the most pressing problems confronting us. So why don't we get on with it?" A supporter of our Humane Farming Campaign wrote recently: " I shall certainly distribute the leaflets you have sent me. I think, however, you are up against the most formidable opposition, as this broiler farming is now very big business and thus politically powerful However, as you say, if all people stopped buying broiler-produced food, even for one week, the repercussions would certainly be felt. My own opinion is that people will not stop buying broiler-raised veal, chickens, etc., because the process is cruel, but if it can be brought home to them that the food is inferior and that they personally may sufferâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;then you have a chance." Although the trade is clearly intent on creating an everincreasing demand for broiler products, there are hopeful signs that a growing section of the public are rejecting them. The more health-conscious are taking heed of the opinions of experts who have expressed grave doubts about the long-term effects of eating products fed on a diet which includes antibiotics. An expert poultry adviser wrote in the Farmer and Stockbreeder: " It may be that one day the effects of the medicaments we use will become such as to oblige the biologist to pronounce our drug-drenched chicken carcases to be unfit for human consumption." The T.V. Vet. wrote in Farmer and Stockbreeder, May 1st, 1962 (referring to the use of antibiotics): " I n poultry, I would say we are ' teetering on the brink of an abyss.' In broiler production it has reached the stage where it is well-nigh impossible to make a profit without the use of antibiotics, but surely and gradually the poultry bugs are becoming conditioned to the drugs and disaster cannot be so very far off." Through our Humane Farming Campaign we are fighting for a fair.deal for the animals and birds, and in doing so we are also 27

fighting for a fair deal for the unknowing public. Our leaflet " C h e a p Food? Yes! But is it Good Food?" continues to attract widespread comment and praise and is doing an excellent job in focussing public attention on the undesirability of the broiler and battery methods of food production. We welcome the efforts of readers of The Vegan in helping to make this leaflet still more widely known among the ordinary publicâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a public increasingly bombarded by clever advertising and subtle propaganda. The task of counteracting this is a mammoth one, but we can all 'be encouraged to intensify our personal efforts by the hopeful signs of awakening conscience and healthconsciousness which are apparent from time to time. Specimen copies of our other 'literature and our bi-monthly journal will gladly be sent on request. We commend to you' particularly two of our leaflets, which in response to popular' demand are now in printed form, with telling illustrations. These are: â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SLAUGHTER IN THE POLAR SEAS, by Harry R. Lillie. Price 2d STOP THIS WRETCHED TRADE! by Laurence Easterbrook. Price Id. each. MARGARET A . COOPER,

Secretary, Crusade Against All Cruelty to Animals, 3 Woodfield Way, Bounds Green Road, London, N . l l . DRIED BANANAS AND THE HEALTHY DIET (Translated by Mr. R. White from La Vie

Claire)

Eaten where it is grown, picked when ripe, the banana is an excellent fruit, rich in mineral salts and vitamins, and nourishing. Unfortunately we cannot recommend its consumption in France as imported, after a long voyage in the green state and ripened artificially in gas-heated basements. In this case, either the fruit is unripe (which is recognizable by its green or light yellow skin or by the woolly consistency of its flesh) or it shows dark patches due to the fermentation of the carbo-hydrates, whioh render it indigestible and even toxic. The dried banana is quite another matter ; it is picked ripe and the whole of the starchy constituents have been modified, under the influence of diastasis, into an easily digestible glucose. It can be eaten either raw, or steeped in water, or cooked, as a jam or puree, and is sufficiently sweetened without any additive. In these various forms the dried banana is of real nutritional interest, thanks to its perfect digestibility. Numerous doctors have studied its properties : E, W. Brubalker prescribed it with success in cases of acute diarrhoea and for children in whom summer enteritis was leading to a cachectic condition. Myers and Rose pointed out its advantages in the diet for nephritis accom28

panied by uraemia (Journal of the American Medical Assn., Chicago, 1937) and Lydia J. Roberts and colleagues, having introduced it into the diet of a group of schoolchildren, observed increased weight and growth compared with children deprived of i t ; it was, moreover, greatly appreciated. Their blood plasma contained 0.2 mgr. of ascorbic acid per 100 gr. Lastly, the late Dr. Leclerc recommended for influenzal tracheo-bronchitis, as a cough soother, a " decoction of banana " composed of 100 gr. dried bananas, 25 gr: poppy petals, 500 gr. water. ' " Cut thin circles of banana and boil until half broken down ; after boiling add the petals and infuse for an hour. Strain under pressure." The author recommended this simple remedy as particularly useful for and agreeable to children. READERS' LETTERBOX Dear Sir,—Five years ago I became a vegan and, shortly after, joined the Society. During this time I have not, of course, worn any wool, silk, leather, fur or feathers, etc., but there was one woollen dress that I could not bring myself to throw away, and it has been hanging in my wardrobe like a guilty conscience ever since. Recently I decided, for reasons of economy, that I ought to " use it up," but I had to take it off after only a few hours as my skin was getting red and quite tender where -the material touched it. Now, is there such a thing as allergy to wool? And if so, might it develop as a result of a guilty conscience? I certainly had no trouble of this kind before becoming a vegan. I should like to know if any of your other readers have had a similar experience. London. V. D. Dear Sir,—. . . and wish we lived nearer to attend meetings, etc. We do know one or two vegetarians, but no other vegans, and do at times feel rather cut off—the magazine helps to breach this gap, though. Although we cannot meet, the Society has our very best wishes, and we do hope it will continue to grow. Tavistock, Devon. H . V . G . and L . O W E N . Dear Sir,—It feels grand to be back in the fold once more and to know how we are progressing. I am still a convinced and very satisfied vegan—after seventeen years of strict adherence. In spite of an accident to my right knee and shoulder in 1958 (April), I am able to do all my own work in the house (12 rooms), shopping, sewing and gardening, and on holiday this time I was told I didn't look a day older. That I take to be a tribute to veganism. I am longing to get down to the reading of the magazines I've missed, to know what has been going on in the 29

furtherance of the movement! There is so much to do, and it is such splendid work! Brighouse, Yorks. . DAISY I . MACLACHLAN. Dear Sir,—One of the homeless waifs which have " adopted " our family is an all-white kitten with one bright, china-blue eye— and one amber one. The only other unusual trait is her choice of games. From the vegetable basket she selects (by tossing the others out) a vegetable like a beetroot with a long tail—sorry, root—and proceeds to drag it around the house by this appendage. Talk about " things that go bump in the night"—especially up and down the stairs! Perhaps her vegan " alternative " to a mouse, so we do not discourage it! V.D. Dear Sir,—I was interested to read further discussion on the subject of olive and other vegetabte oils in the Autumn number of The Vegan. Salad oil is so important to vegetarians and vegans that it behoves us .to find out a lot more about the supplies available to us. I recently saw a very fine photograph of millstones in an Allinson's Flour advertisement. One rather feared that the appreciation of the quality given to flour by genuine (not composition) stone milling would be lost in these highly mechanised days. There is need for research to clarify exactly WHY stonemilling gives better results with flour. I find that the majority of people have never given a thought to the milling of .oil, whereas it is probably just as important as regards the quality of olive and other oils that they should be stone-milled, as it is for flour. I happen to be familiar with the Isle of Capri, and last Christmastime I took considerable trouble to visit the only stone-grinding olive mill still existing, but alas no longer working. I talked with the miller. I also visited an up-to-the-minute modern mill for olives on the mainland—'there steel machines and centrifugal force are employed. We get something like the same process in the modern milling of wholemeal biscuit flour in Britain, where the grain is not milled but chopped. I am sure the change over to such modern ways is not without significance and should be carefully investigated. I was glad to read in Vegan correspondence that assurances of a reliable nature have been given regarding some vegetable oils fey their manufacturers. The more we demand such assurances and proof of their dependability the better. I did myself obtain a supply of sunflower oil from a firm who told me from what country they got it, and that they knew it was grown without chemicals. That would probably satisfy the towndweller, who knows nothing of country ways. To my mind it called up a picture of the women of Capri with baskets on their 30

heads, transporting extremely raw, smelly night-soil to vineyards. No doubt the same thing applies to crops grown for their oil content. There is grave danger of infection, of hook worm, etc., from such methods—and this concerns salad produce in even greater degree, of course. The countries of Europe and beyond, (even in the Common Market) are far more ignorant of the wholesome and safe methods of correct composting than are we in Britain today. It is not enough merely to be able honestly to label a product " Organically Grown." Our knowledge and that of the authorities put in charge of our Health Departments should go much deeper than that. N. Wales. (Mrs.) PEGGY GOODMAN. Dear Sir,—When I returned back home from my holiday a few days ago, I was agreeably surprised to find among other post that arrived in the meantime your nice letter and a big envelope, containing much-welcomed vegetarian literature. I like your literature and I hope it will help me to become a vegetarian, and also furnish sufficient material for propagating of noble ideas of your society. I would like to become a member of your society and to subscribe to The Vegan magazine, and therefore I went to our local bank with that form you enclosed to your letter, but the result was negative. Yesterday I phoned to our National Bank in Prague in this affair and I was told that any transfer of finances abroad is forbidden to private persons, and that there is not any hope this law will be changed in the near future. This means, for I have to give up my intention. It is a pity. VLADIMIR F I L I P .

Pardubice 3, Czechoslovakia. [This would seem to be a good chance for one of our members to be a good fairy—it could be arranged through our Secretary, to whom the above letter was sent.—ED.]

Do you ever wonder " What is in it?" when purchasing Soup, Soap or Margarine? Don't ' hope for the b e s t ' in future, send for

THE VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN FOOD GUIDE WITH HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS and know which are the humanely produced articles. This 40-page booklet lists hundreds of items conveniently grouped for quick reference. 2 / 6 d . post free, from: THE V E G A N SOCIETY, 123 Baker Street, Enfield, Middlesex

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