SUMMARY (Ridvan Askin, edited by Deborah Madsen):

This is the fourth in a series of letters to the editor of The Woman's Herald of Industry (Marietta Stow) on raw veganism. In this letter, Rumford expresses his thanks for an invitation to speak “on the subject of a natural or uncooked diet” and apologizes that he has to decline the invitation due to other commitments (col. 4). He expresses his conviction that “all reform work” strives to produce “a physical body improved and developed in its highest capacity, governed in every particular by a God-inspired spirit” (col. 4). He is also convinced that his raw diet will prolong his life by “many years as a two years trial has resulted in making me, as far as ability, energy and the uses of life are concerned, about twenty-five years younger” (col. 4). Rumford lists some of the errors he committed in the initial stages, including his “failing to not drink enough water,” the failure to see that “for some persons the use of salt with food is very advantageous,” and an exclusive reliance on fruit (col. 4). In addition to wheat and oats, Rumford recommends nuts in particular. He says that he has “ceased to desire vegetables of any sort” (col. 4). The choice of diet should never be guided by “appetite” but by “what is best for the body,” as otherwise “there is little hope for the race, as the bummer likes brandy and the chewer likes tobacco, but neither of these things and many things used by those who consider themselves reformers help to build a temple fit for God to dwell in” (col. 4-5). All reform must be directed so “the best results may be accomplished or God glorified through an example of living, in every respect, a righteous life” (col. 5).