Page:Henry Stephens Salt - A Plea for Vegetarianism and Other Essays.pdf/79

sentimentalists and fanatical crotchet-mongers. This is an argument which, in the mouth of an unscrupulous opponent, is always sure of a considerable amount of success ; for there is no charge of which Englishmen stand in such mortal and unreasoning terror as the very vague accusation of “sentimentalism.” Men who are naturally gentle and kind-hearted, will obstinately close their ears to anything which can expose them to the least suspicion of “sentiment,” and will sanction any cruelty rather than run the risk of being ridiculed as “humanitarians.” Again, there is a natural disinclination among honest and hard-working men to attend to any new doctrines or speculations which may distract their thoughts from the leading object of their lives, and this disinclination is strengthened tenfold when they are told that the theories in question are visionary and unpractical. Now this is exactly what is constantly being asserted by the opponents of all reforms, not least of Food Reform. Yet, how can Vegetarianism be truthfully described as a mere craze and oddity? It can hardly be denied that it is practicable ; for it is seen to be practised by many who owe to it increased health and happiness. Its