1.0HappyCowhttps://www.happycow.net/blogJohn Edmundsonhttps://www.happycow.net/blog/author/johnnysensible/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="B9yalwYdxz"><a href="https://www.happycow.net/blog/1834-vegan-enthusiasm/">1834 Vegan Enthusiasm In Portland Maine</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.happycow.net/blog/1834-vegan-enthusiasm/embed/#?secret=B9yalwYdxz" width="600" height="338" title="“1834 Vegan Enthusiasm In Portland Maine” — HappyCow" data-secret="B9yalwYdxz" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> https://www.happycow.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Graham4a.jpg580747For the benefit of 2016 vegans – here – are HappyCow’s Maine listings In our Ernest Bell Library, we have an original handwritten letter from 1834, identifying one early ‘close to vegan’ Portland  resident – Reverend Henry Aiken Worcester, a Swedenborgian minister – and one ‘vegan’ visitor – Dr. Sylvester Graham. The letter tells us that Portland was quite a ‘vegan paradise’ in the 1830s. I use ‘vegan’ with inverted commas because in 1834 we are 110 years away from the founding of The Vegan Society. Words and phrases which we are unsure of, or which are illegible, are in red. The grammar and punctuation have been worked on just a little. The Worcester family is excellently documented. We can confidently identify everyone mentioned in the letter – details below. Over to Henry – ~ …… But I tell you that the physicians, all but one quack, of Portland, a very scientific class of men, have attended the course, and I believe all, to a man, acknowledge the correctness of Graham’s principles. The change that it is making in this city you can hardly conceive of – for a very large portion of the inhabitants have adopted his mode of diet […]