he confectionary shop are actually
poisonous. I refer to those things which are either frosted, as it is
called, or colored. The substances applied to the sugar for this purpose
are usually some mineral or vegetable poison; although the fact of its
being a poison may not always be known to the manufacturer. The most
unhappy consequences have occasionally followed the use of
confectionary, when poisoned in this manner. A family of four persons,
in New York, were made sick in this way in March of year before last,
and some of them came very near losing their lives. The "frosting" which
caused the mischief was pronounced by eminent chemists to be one fifth
rank poison.[Footnote: It is to be remembered that those who eat
confectionary so slightly poisoned that it does not make them sick at
once, may nevertheless be as much injured in their constitutions as they
who are poisoned outright. In the latter case, the poison is in part
thrown out of the body; in the former, it remains in it much longer--and
therefore more surely, though more slowly, accomplishes the work of
destruction.] The coloring substances used are sometimes poisonous, as
well as the frosting.

Some of the articles sold at these shops consist of sugar mixed with
paste. Others are called sweetmeats; that is, fruits, or rinds of
fruits, preserved in sugar. All these substances, I believe, without
exception, are injurious.

The great evils of confectionary yet remain to be mentioned. These are
of three kinds, physical, mental and moral.

Some of the _physical_ evils have, it is true, just been mentioned; but
there is another evil of still greater magnitude. Young people who eat
confectionary, commonly eat it between meals. This produces mischief in
two ways. First, it keeps the stomach at work when it ought to rest; for
this, like every other muscular organ, requires its seasons of repose.
Secondly, it destroys gradually the appetite; so that when the regular
meal arrives, the accustomed keenness of appetite does not come with it.
And the consequence is, not so much that we do not eat enough, as that
we are fastidious, and eat a little of this, then a little of that; and
usually select the worst things. We are not hungry enough to make a meal
of a single article of plain food. And this evil goes on increasing, as
long as we have access to the confectionary shop. These statements
describe the case of thousands of pupils, of both sexes, at our schools
and semin