VEGETARIANISM, a system popu larly designated as limiting the human diet to foods obtained from the vegetable kingdom exclusively, and abstaining from an foods obtained from the animal kingdom. This is an approximately cor rect definition of what was meant by the word when the Vegetarian Society was founded in Manchester, England, in 1847. It was not long, however, before it was discovered that there was as great a need of discrimination in the use of the various products of the vege table kingdom as there was cause to abjure the use of flesh. Vegetables are not all equally wholesome, some are ab solutely poisonous. There is a great dif ference between the stalks and leaves and the seeds of plants. Cooked and uncooked foods differ greatly. The study of food leads to the study of equally im portant laws. Eggs, milk, cheese, butter (animal products) differ from the car casses of slaughtered animals. Many of the arguments against the use of flesh do not apply to the use of fish.
Vegetarianism has spread so exten sively that in addition to its pledged ad herents it has a still greater number who practice abstinence from flesh to a greater or lesser degree in obedience to medical advice, for the curing or reliev ing of disorders of digestion, gout, and rheumatism. The Catholic Church en
joins abstinence from flesh during Lent, and on some other days during the year. Many religious orders (e. g., the Trappists) abstain wholly from flesh. Brahmins also abstain from flesh and eggs. The Vegetarian Federal Union was formed in 1889. It offices are in London. To it are affiliated the Vege tarian Society, the London Vegetarian Society, a considerable number of other English societies, and those of the United States (founded in 1850), Ger many, and Australia. An international congress was held in Cologne in 1889, and in London in 1890. There are now vegetarian restaurants in many large towns.
VEII (ve'yi), an ancient city of Entunu (q. v.); in early times the for midable rival of Rome, supposed to have been at Isola Farnese, 12 miles from Rome. It waged 14 distinct wars with Rome—an almost incessant warfare down to its capture after a 10 years' siege by Camillus (396 B. C.) .