From the Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger
(Manchester, England), April 1885, p107:
[Extracts from a lengthy article]. . . a few words regarding
the progress of the cause here [Paris]. For some time past it
has been rather neglected, the original society having ceased to hold
meetings and discontinued it publication, La Reforme Alimentaire.
A new society has, however, recently been organised under the most favourable
auspices, having as its head, as president, one of the most effective
writers of France, M. de Wogan, the author of several excellent and
popular works on health and right living from the Vegetarian standpoint.
Five distinct nationalities are represented in the attendance upon the
meetings of the new society, a fact well indicating the wide prevalence
of the Vegetarian reform. These meetings are being held, for the present,
weekly at No.34, Rue Truffaut, the residence of the Secretary, Madame
Sezzi, a lady already known in connection with the Society for the Prevention
fo Cruelty to Animals. One immediate result of the new organisation
will be an increase in popular hygienic literature in a form and by
methods of distribution calculated to reach the masses. The President
has led the way by writing an apt and exceedingly vigorous pamphlet
entitled La Vie à Bon Marché, and addressed especially
to the labouring classes. . . . At the last meeing of the society it
was decided to print immediately a popular tract for gratuitous distribution
by the members, and one thousand copies were immediately subscribed
for by those present. The wish was expressed to cop-operate with like
societies in other countries, and several distinguished advocates of
hygienic reform in England, Gemany, and the United States were chosen
honorary member. . . - Edwin F. Bacon, Corresponding Sec. to Vegetarian
Society.
Postscript.- The Vegetarian Society of France desires to establish or
aid in the establishment of a Vegetarian restaurant in Paris, and would
be glad to receive any suggestions from those hwo have had experience
in this field of usefulness in England.
[there were no further reports of this society - in July 1889 a lecture
and discussion in Paris was reported which ended with an implication
that a Society might be formed.]
From the Vegetarian Messenger (Manchester, England),
April 1899, p151/2:
Vegetarian Society of France. - The French nation which is apparently
less inclined to flesh food than most European nations has, strange
to say, not been very receptive of vegetarianism. Early in the eighties
there was a society called first the Société Vegétarianne
de Paris and afterwards Société Vegétarianne de
France, but it made little impression and after two years work was dissolved.
Dr. Bonnejoy, however, continued to impress on his countrymen the advantages
of vegetarianism. We are glad to learn from La Réforme Alimentaire
that the French vegetarians have again decided to form a Vegetarian
Society to be called, like its predecessor, the Société
Vegétarienne de France. The offices are at Boulevard de Strasbourg,
75, Paris, and by a very sensible arrangement with the Societé
Belge pour l'étude de la Réforme alimentaire, the two
societies will have as a joint organ the interesting little magazine
La Réforme Alimentaire, which is now in its third year,
and thus becomes the organ of vegetarianism throughout the whole of
the French speaking world. We wish the Vegetarian Society of France
a long and prosperous career. It will be able to find plenty of work
and we hope will take steps at once to arrange for a vegetarian restaurant
at the Paris Exhibition of 1900.
From the Vegetarian Messenger (Manchester, England),
October 1899, p337:
France. - The Société Vegétarianne
has put itself in communication with Herr Phillip Hotz, with the object
of establishing vegetarian restaurants in France. The Society has invited
Herr Hotz over to Paris for the purpose of opening a restaurant, and
to remain to conduct it for the first twelve months. HerrHotz has shown
himself an expert in this department.
from Jan in Prague:
A brief note from "Prirodni Lekar", czech magazine from 1906,
october : " Vegetarian Association in Paris - " Societé
Vegetarienne Paris" has 800 members this year.
In 1910 the editor was Dr Nyssens, president of the Belgian
Society, he appears to have been the editor of La Reforme Alimentaire
for several years.
The following extracts are all from the Vegetarian Messenger,
the magazine of the UK Vegetarian Society at that time:
July 1908
International Vegetarian Federation. - Arrangements are in
progress for carrying out the suggestion made by Dr. Danjou [Vice-President
of the French Vegetarian Society] at the 60th Anniversary of the
Vegetarian Society [October 1907] for the inauguration of an
International Federation of Vegetarian Societies.
Vegetarian Fellowship. - At Nice a "Groupement Végétarien"
has been formed under the presidency of Dr. Danjou for the purpose of
bringing together any vegetarians who may be staying in the town. It
frequently has happened that such have come to Nice for the winter,
and have felt isolated. Now they have somewhere to foregather. The "Groupement"
was started at one of the meetings addressed by Dr. Danjou on April
9th, at the "Palais Marie Christine," where Dr. Danjou has
set a room at the disposal of the members. A second meeting was held
on May 9th.
October 1908
[report on the first IVU Congress in Dresden] ... After he
had spoken a few words of welcome, the President read the names of the
Societies, which while in fullest sympathy with the formation of an
International Vegetarian Union, had been unable to send delegates. The
... ... French ... ... Vegetarian Societies all sent letters and telgrams
of greeting and good wishes. ... ... Mr. Albert Broadbent, who on behalf
of the Vegetarian Society, had called together the Congress, then explained
the proposal to found an International Vegetarian Union had emanated
from Dr. Danjou, vice-president of the French Vegetarian Society ...
January 1909
Dr Danjou has paid a visit to the vegetarian friends in Spain. Both
guests and hosts appear to have derived great pleasure and profit from
the intercourse. El Regimen Naturalista , the organ of the Spanish Vegetarian
Society, and Revista Vegetariana, which represents the "Lliga vegetariana
de Catalunya," give long and appreciative accounts of the meetings,
which Dr. Danjou addressed. And on his part the Doctor is announced
to speak at several meetings in various towns in France; he appears
to give much time in this way and we feel sure that he will be a very
welcome speaker.
August 1909
The French Vegetarian Society, according to its latest report, had
at the end of 1908, 1,175 members. There were 134 new adherents during
the year, as against 154 in 1907. But the latter is stated to have been
an abnormal year. During 1906 there were 124 new members, and the number
has been steadily rising since 1900. …
December 1909 [reporting on the IVU Congress in Manchester]
Owing to the unavoidable absence of Dr. Danjou, of Nice, which was all
the more to be regretted because he was the projector of the International
Union, Dr. Nyssens [Belgium] read a long letter from him.
March 1910
The Third Congress will take place in Brussels ... The Comité
d' Honneur are ... le Dr. Jules Grand, prest. de la Soc. Veg. de France
... Organising Committee :- ...J. Morand, Paris ... The work of the
Congress will -be divided into four sections, which can sit simultaneously
or consecutively according to the amount of matter in hand. 1.Vegetarianism
and Hygiene, under the guidance of M. J. Lefèvre, Prof. of Biology
at Havre. 2. Therapeutic Vegetarianism, i.e., the treatment of disease
by means of the vegetarian diet, under the guidance of M. le Dr. Pascault,
of Cannes. 3.- Social and Economic Aspects of Vegetarianism, under the
guidance of M. le Dr. Danjou, of Nice ....
July 1910 [report on the 1910 Congress in Brussels]
The President of the French Society, Dr. Jules Grand, was unable to
attend, but sent a Paper, which was read by the secretary of the French
Society, M. Morand. It struck a very high note against the cruelty of
slaughter and sport and hunting. Those who have read Dr. Grand's contributions
to the vegetarian journals, know his standpoint.
... one [paper] on the proportion of albumin required in our food, by
the Professor of Physiology at Paris, Dr. Marcel Labbé.
September 1910
La Reforme Alimentaire for September 15th, contains the address
given by Prof. J. Lefévre at the Brussels Congress, where he
had charge of the section of Physiology. He stated that vegetarianism
had entered the ranks of Science, and therein lay its force and its
future. He alluded to the valuable experiments conducted by Prof. Atwater
and others, and asked for experimenters to use the utmost care and judgement,
and not lay down all anything of which they did not feel absolutely
convinced. And even then there always remained the "scientific
doubt," the open mind which would yeild its convictions on higher
proof being forthcoming. That was indeed wisdom itself
August 1913 [report of the 4th IVU Congress at the Hague]
On Monday morning we proceeded to Hotel Zeerust at Scheveningen for
the business part of our Congress. Here we had the sea in view as we
sat, which was very refreshing. We had plenty of business on hand, thirty-four
papers on the programme, not to mention Presidents' introductory and
closing addresses, discussions, etc., Messrs. J. Morand, of Paris, and
Saxon, of Stockholm, were appointed presidents.
The following is a list of the papers:-
Those marked with an * were read.
J. Morand, of Paris, *"The Vegetarian Movement in France."
J. Morand, of Paris, *"Some Objections to Vegetarianism Discussed."
Dr. G. Danjou, of Nice.
Dr. Carton, of Brévannes (France), "The Salt Question."
L. Michaud, of St. Maurice (France), *" The Danger of Fruit in
Cases of Hyper-acidity."
Dr. G. Petit, of Paris, "Danger of High Feeding for Tuberculous
Patients.''
Dr. Jules Grand, of Paris.*
The 1916 IVU Congress was planned for Paris, could not ahead because
of the war. At the next IVU Congress, held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1923,
there appears to have been no representation at all from France.
Some extracts from the 1926 Congress, held in London, England:
the delegates were introduced to the assembly, and the following is
the order in which they responded to the roll call ... Dr. Héléne
Sosnowska (France), ...
... Dr. HELENE SOSNOWSKA (France) in acknowledging the toast on behalf
of the foreign delegates, said they were all brothers and sisters and
that, while men and women had a right to poison themselves with animal
food if they chose, they had no such right to poison their children.
...
... Taking part in the discussion, Dr. HELENE SOSNOWSKA said that their
movement was not the result of the clash of material forces, but was
part of an intelligent evolutionary process. They had to recognise the
close relation that existed between the physical, the emotional and
the intellectual kingdoms, and that vegetarianisrn would not only help
to quicken the intellect, but would also help them to transmute their
egoism into altruism. ...
... Dr. HELENE SOSNOWSKA read a Paper contributed by Dr. JULES GRAND,
President of the French Vegetarian Society, on ''The Importance of Vegetarianism
from the Universal Point of View," ...
The report of the 1929 IVU Congress, in Czechoslovakia, mentions that
France was represented at the Congress, but gives no further details.
The report for the 1932 Congress, in Germany, does not give a list of
countries represented and makes no mention of France elsewhere in the
report. However the Vegetarian Messenger, in 1929, mentions two
French Societies: Trait d'Union (with their magazine: Regeneration)
and the French Vegetarian Society.
The following extract is from the report of the 1935 Congress in Denmark:
Vegetarianism and Health.
Dr. JEAN NUSSBAUM (France), took for his subject "Life and Health,"
and opened by saying:- A vegetarian to be truly healthy must have, not
only a well nourished body, but also a well developed mind and soul.
If man thought only of his body he committed a grave error. A boxer
thought only of his muscles, a nun of her soul, and many teachers only
of their intelligence. We must develop all three.
A visit to the Antwerp Zoological Gardens had led him to study the
anatomy and physiology of animals, and he found that animals like the
lion, the tiger and the panther had short intestines. With the carnivora,
food remained only a short time in the intestines, an excellent arrangement
for the meat-eater, for if the food remained longer it would putrefy.
The intestines of man were, relatively, much longer than those of the
carnivora, and the food, therefore, remained for a much longer time
in the body. For that reason it was wise to select foods that did not
putrefy quickly. The carnivorous animals that lived longest were those
which retained the food the least time in the intestines, and those
which ate coarse foods.
There was no animal equal to the camel. He was always at work but never
tired - he was a vegetarian ! The horse was fleeter than any other animal
- he was a vegetarian ! The elephant was the strongest of all animals
- he was also a good-tempered animal - he was a vegetarian! You could
play with an elephant, but not with a lion.
Dr. Nussbaum, in conclusion, said that for the attainment and maintenance
of good health it was necessary to take into consideration the alimentary
system and the food eaten.
He spoke of the necessity for a wisely selected, properly balanced
diet, and condemned those foods which had been robbed of their nutritive
elements in the processes of manufacture. In spite of modern scientific
knowledge there was more illness than fifty years ago and this was due
mainly to perverted dietetic habits. The future was with the vegetarian
and we must continue to aim at making vegetarianism a world-wide movement.
 The
report of the 1938 IVU Congress makes no specific mention of France.
From reports of the 1947 IVU Congress, held in Stonehouse,
England: "... Brief speeches were made by the overseas delegates
... Mr. A. J. Perroud (France), ..." [the photo on the right is
from a group of 'overseas delegates' at the Congress, the caption said
'A.J.Perroud (France) ]
From reports of the 1950 IVU Congress, held in The Netherlands:
... Brief speeches were made by delegates from the countries represented.
...A. J. Perroud (France), ...
Dr. Jean Nussbaum was a member of the International Council from 1953-67,
and helped organise the 14th World Vegetarian
Congress in Paris, 1955 . Dr Nussbaum died in 1967.
1958 - The Vegetarian World Forum, July 1958, carried
a complete list of IVU " Affiliated Societies - and others in association
with the I.V.U." These included:
- Vega Club, Mr. and Mrs. Brobecker, 21 rue de Diane,
Argenteuil, Paris, France
- Vivre en Harmonie, M. Raymond Dextreit, 5 rue Emile-Level, Paris 17e,
France
- L'Association Vegetarienne de France, Mr. Woodland Kahler, 87 av Henri
martin, Paris 16e, France
mentioned in IVU records:
- 1960 - The Vega
Club (France)
- 1960 - Vivre en
Harmonie (France)
- 1963 - Association
Vegetarienne de France
From a meeting of the Executive Committee (now the International Council)
in 1963:
Donation of £10 from Madame Bruse on behalf of the Association
Végétarienne de France was appreciated by the Committee.
French Vegetarian Movement: Dr Nussbaum was authorised to study the
matter of re-activating the French Vegetarian Movement and to suggest
possible methods.
It was agreed that if the next Committee Meeting was in Paris the opportunity
should be taken to invite a Conference with French Vegetarians.
The next meeting was held in Paris,in 1964, and includes the following
in the minutes:
"FRENCH VEGETARIAN MOVEMENT Dr Nussbaum reported the situation
in France where there are a number of independent groups. It was suggested
that the President might seek the advice and co-operation of Mr Dextriet.
"
In 1977 and 1979 the Association Végétarienne de France
was listed as a paid up member society (these are the only years for which
lists of members have survived).
The program for the 1979 Congress, in England, included: "Discussions
on Union Nationale des Végétariennes by M.P.Trouve"
and "Discussion on 'Why there are problems in Vegetarianism in France'
Mme.M.Galliard".
The Vegetarian Movement in France today is mainly represented by Alliance
Végétarienne - www.ivu.org/avf
- which was founded in1995.
From 1998 - Vitaverde,
was an IVU member for a few years before closing.
Newer groups in France:
- 2000 - Societe
Holistic Conseil (France)
- 2001 - Douceur
et Harmony (France)
See www.ivu.org/europe.html for more IVU members
and supporters in France.
If you have any more information about anything on this page please contact
John Davis - webmaster@ivu.org
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