are separated from each
other by a substance which cannot be acted upon by the juices of the
stomach until it has been heated to a temperature which results in the
cooking of the entire mass. It is true that the muscular substance proper
may be digested without heat--resembling in this way the white of the
egg, to which it is chemically closely related; by scraping meat with
some dull instrument the muscle fibers may be separated in a more or
less pure state--leaving the substance that requires heat in order to
become digestible behind--and after having been removed in this way, of
course, may be eaten in a raw or semi-cooked condition without ill
effects. In preparing meat it is not absolutely essential that it be
cooked until thoroughly "done"--a slight tinge of red being allowable.

_Healthful Recipes._--In an Appendix to this volume will be found a
series of recipes for the preparation of common foods, for which the
author is indebted to Dr. Mary E. Lapham, of Highlands, N. C. They will
be found extremely practicable for making not only very palatable but
thoroughly wholesome dishes; and are earnestly recommended to young
housewives, who err through ignorance, as a rule, rather than because of
carelessness or of lack of good materials. It has often been said that
the road to a man's heart lies through his stomach. It would not be
surprising to learn that this aphorism fell first from the lips of some
wise woman who had observed that in a great number of cases unhappiness
in home-life had resulted primarily from lack of home-comfort, and
chiefly from unvaried, unappetizing meals and table-service. Another
point is well worth remembering, especially by young married women: a man
whose home is pleasant and comfortable is likely to spend as much of his
time there as he can--if it is otherwise, he will seek some place that
has these desirable qualities, such as his club, or an arm-chair in some
corner saloon. Furthermore, a man who is not only abundantly, but
_nicely_ fed, has far less desire for the stimulants which lead to
drunkenness, than the man who is denied at home the properly cooked and
seasonably varied food which his system craves. No better work in the
"Temperance cause" can be done than to make an attractive home.

These are facts which many a young housewife needs to learn and keep in
mind; and it is for her benefit that Dr. Lapham has prepared her simple
but excellent cooking directions presented in the Ap