A Solemn Appeal - James White

therefore, depend very much upon the food and
drink he takes into his stomach. No one doubts this.
Some substances actually poison the body to death,
others produce but little perceivable injury, while
others still produce results of a doubtful character,
and yet others do the system some good; and,
finally, others support, invigorate, and strengthen,
to the greatest possible degree. All this seems
plain. And plain must therefore seem the
importance of that knowledge of which we have
above spoken.
But, while the state of the body depends so
much and so evidently upon the diet, the state of
the mind generally--and of some of the passions in
particular--is by no means independent of it. The
stomach, in its relation to the body, has been very
justly called "the center of sympathies." In its
relation to the mind, it may certainly be safely
called the seat of strong sympathies. Take, as an
illustration, the passion of combativeness. Who has
not seen this passion raised to a fury in a few hours
by what has been thrown into the stomach? But it
will be said that strong drink is no part of diet. And
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