Tea at Trianon: It's in the Dirt

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, July 11, 2011

It's in the Dirt

Dirt is healthy. I always thought so. According to the Therapeutic Landscapes Network:

...A strain of bacterium in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found to trigger the release of seratonin, which in turn elevates mood and decreases anxiety. And on top of that, this little bacterium has been found to improve cognitive function and possibly even treat cancer and other diseases. Which means that contact with soil, through gardening or other means (see Elio, above), is beneficial. How did this discovery come about? (Read entire article.)

Nancy Reyes said...: Yes, dirt is "clean" unless your soil contains tetanus spores or anthrax spores...; July 12, 2011 at 5:01:00 AM EDT
Genty said...: What an interesting post. I never use gloves when gardening, just put up with broken nails and rough hands. I just have to feel the soil in my hands. (Yes, tetanus jab up to date.)

Before the advent of washed and "treated" veg, the soil had to be washed off at home but I suppose some of it remained along with the beneficial bacterium, on salad veg at least.; July 12, 2011 at 8:44:00 AM EDT
Alexandra said...: How interesting! I always found gardening relaxing, but I had no idea there was a biochemical reason. I don't use gloves either unless I'm pulling down tough vines.; July 16, 2011 at 12:17:00 AM EDT