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of fact, there is no doubt our laboring classes are living extravagantly, and that by intelligent direction, involving information in the art of cooking as well as in the selection of proper food, their expenses can be considerably reduced without detriment to the excellence of the food provided.

The collections in this section are not yet sufficiently advanced to demonstrate these purposes in view. It will be the work of considerable time, but a beginning has been made in two cases now on exhibition. The first of these illustrate the chemical composition of the human body, showing on one side the elements [[strikethrough]] containing [[/strikethrough]] found in the body, in their relative proportions, on the other side the principal compounds. In the second case are shown specimens illustrating the daily income and expenditure of the body, and the quantity of various constituents of food required to supply the waste. The constituents of a ration for one day are shown, and the transformations they undergo in the body are described. The composition of a loaf of bread is also illustrated by specimens. These examples will indicate the practical and instructive tendencies of the exhibits in this section.

A collection of foods used by the Indians of North America is now arranged, including all the specimens now on hand, and occupies [[strikethrough]] these cases [[/strikethrough]] two full cases. It is not complete, and cannot be made so until a competent and experienced collector, like Dr. Edward

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