Sidney Hartnoll Beard | |
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 Portrait fromFifty Years of Food Reform (1898) | |
| Born | (1862-02-14)14 February 1862 Kensington, London, England |
| Died | 20 October 1938(1938-10-20) (aged 76) Putney, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Vegetarianism activist, writer |
| Organization(s) | Order of the Golden Age (founder and president) |
| Spouse | Annie Patterson |
| Children | 3 |
Sidney Hartnoll Beard (14 February 1862 – 20 October 1938) was an Englishvegetarian andfruitarian activist and writer. He re-established and served as president of theOrder of the Golden Age, edited its journal, theHerald of the Golden Age (1896–1918), and advanced a Christian case for vegetarianism framed as a moral duty. Defining fruitarianism broadly to include cereals, seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables with dairy and eggs permitted, he treated fish as a transitional food for those leaving flesh-eating.
Operating fromIlfracombe and, from 1904, Barcombe Hall inPaignton, he organised lectures and public outreach, including a 1908 address withJosiah Oldfield at theCambridge Guildhall. His publications wereA Simple Guide to a Natural and Humane Diet (1898),Is Flesh-Eating Morally Defensible? (1898),A Comprehensive Guide-Book to Natural, Hygienic and Humane Diet (1902), andOur Real Relationship to God: The Lost Ideal of Christianity, by a Disciple of the Christ (1922).
Beard was born inKensington, London, on 14 February 1862.[1] He became avegetarian in 1894, at the age of 32.[2]
Beard re-established theOrder of the Golden Age in 1895, serving as president.[3][4] The Order's headquarters were located at his residence inIlfracombe,[5] and from 1904 at Barcombe Hall inPaignton.[5][4]Charles W. Forward characterised him as having "militant enthusiasm, intense earnestness and unswerving faith" in his work for the society.[6]
Beard was editor of theHerald of the Golden Age (1896–1918), the Order's journal.[3][7] The journal promoted the "fruitarian system of living" and advanced vegetarianism from aChristian perspective; Beard held that a vegetarian diet was a moral duty.[7][8] He also campaigned against vivisection and for the humane treatment of animals as part of his Christian beliefs.[9]
Beard argued that "the first step must be abstinence from the flesh and blood of animals and birds"; fish could be included as a transitional stage toward fruitarianism.[10]
WithJosiah Oldfield, he lectured on the benefits of fruitarianism at theCambridge Guildhall Council Chamber in 1908. As with Oldfield, Beard's usage of "fruitarianism" was not strict and includeddairy andegg products. He defined it as "systematic living upon the various fruits of the earth, instead of upon the products of the shambles", listing cereals, seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, supplemented by dairy and eggs; he held that such a regime supported a humane and hygienic life, free from the butchery of animal flesh.[11]
Beard authoredA Comprehensive Guide-Book to Natural, Hygienic and Humane Diet (1902). The health writerCarl Malmberg criticised the book for making extremist claims.[12]
Beard married Annie Patterson and they had 3 children.[3] He and his wife were both members ofThe Salvation Army.[1] They were alsospiritualists.[5]
Beard died inPutney on 20 October 1938.[5]
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