Dugald Patterson McDougall Semple (7 February 1884 – 19 January 1964) was a Scottish advocate of

simple living Simple living refers to practices that promote simplicity in one's lifestyle. Common practices of simple living include reducing the number of possessions one owns, depending less on technology and services, and spending less money. In addition t ...

and

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

, naturalist, prolific author, and fruitarian. He is sometimes credited with co-founding the

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

movement in 1944 (with Dorothy and

Donald Watson Donald Watson (2 September 1910 – 16 November 2005) was an English animal rights and veganism advocate who co-founded The Vegan Society. Early life Watson was born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, the son of a headmaster in a mining community. As a ...

and other friends) without using the term "vegan".

Biography

Semple's mother hailed from a farm near

Beith Beith (locally ) is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "''Hill o' Beith''" (hill of the birches) afte ...

, and his father worked as a tailor. He was born in

Johnstone Johnstone (,
) is a town in the

Dugald won a bursary to Paisley Grammar School and served an apprenticeship as an engineering draughtsman. In 1907, he moved into a tent, and later an old omnibus located on Linwood Moss. In 1916, he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

and thus exempted from

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

on condition that he continued lecturing on food economy. Dugald Semple,

and "Scottish Apostle of the simple life," farmed at Davie's o'the Mill near

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire (, ) is one of 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and s ...

from the 1930s until around 1950, when it was a

smallholding A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...

. Dugald was a hippy before hippies officially existed and started living in an army tent from 1907. He was sometimes known as the 'Hut Man' from living in his 'hut on wheels' or caravan and therefore probably did not live in the house. He later lived in Fairlie, North Ayrshire.The Scotsman
Retrieved : 19 September 2011 Semple preached self-responsibility and care for others. Curiously for a vegetarian he appears in a photograph of Davie's o'the Mill to be keeping chickens. He regularly appeared on radio programmes, including ''Out with Romany'' and ''Hutman of the BBC''. He lived with his wife Cathie in London for two years when he was secretary of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...

. Semple was a vice-president of the International Vegetarian Union and honorary president of the Scottish Vegetarian Society. A regular visitor to

Ailsa Craig Ailsa Craig (; ) is an island of in the outer Firth of Clyde, west of mainland Scotland, upon which microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The now-uninhabited island comprises the remains of a magmatic pluton formed d ...

, he was known locally as the 'Bird Man' and was an enthusiast for outdoor living, publishing a book entitled ''A Free Man's Philosophy''. He welcomed walkers and cyclists who often camped on his land. In 1963, Dugald detailed his dietary journey:

I began rather drastically over 50 years ago
1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...
by cutting out not only all meat or flesh foods, but milk, eggs, butter, tea and coffee. Cheese I have never eaten; indeed I hate the very smell of this decayed milk. Next, I adopted a diet of nuts, fruit, cereals and vegetables. On this Edenic fare I lived for some ten years, and found that my health and strength were greatly improved. ��While I was in London (during World War I), I found it necessary to add some dairy products to my meals, but on returning to Scotland I gradually eliminated these again.

In later life, he lived in a modern cottage and even owned a car. Dugald Semple died in a nursing home in Fairlie, aged 79; the cause of his death was not disclosed. Cathie Amos, his wife, predeceased him, dying of heart failure in 1941. They had no children, although Cathie had a son, Ian, who was killed in World War I.

Fruitarianism

The Fruitarian Society was plagued with disputes over the definition of Fruitarianism from as early as 1907. The Scottish Vegetarian Society featured an article in their 1907 journal entitled "Fruitarianism" by Dugald Semple, in which he wrote:

By fruitarianism is meant a dietary consisting chiefly of nuts and fruits. Cooked cereals and vegetables are not necessarily excluded, although the exclusion of all cooked foods, should means and knowledge permit, will lead to better results. For this dietary it will be noticed that not only is flesh and meat omitted, but also the animal products milk and eggs. The use of these products by vegetarians has long been one of the chief objections to vegetarianism, especially in medical circles.

Dugald stated, to make the point about "Lacto-Vegetarianism" stated that he had "never tasted cheese, and therefore it could not be considered as an essential 'binding agent' for body and soul!" In 1912, Dugald stated that he did not believe that milk and eggs were natural foods for man: "Eggs were meant to produce chickens and not omelettes; and cow's milk is a perfect food for a calf, but most assuredly not for a grown-up human being." In his 1915 book, ''Joys of the Simple Life'', he wrote an essay entitled "Alone with Nature", stating that "I left off eating flesh-meat and drinking tea ten years ago, and for over eight years have rarely used milk, eggs, salt, sugar, dairy butter, white bread, or condiments of any kind. My health has improved considerably and I have never regretted the change."

Influence

;Committee positions In 1938 Dugald was the President of the Scottish Vegetarian Society (SVS) and Vice-President of the Vegetarian Society. In 1944, Dugald is recorded as the chairman of the

Vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

Society and vice-president of the International Vegetarian Union.Vegetarian Society History
Retrieved : 19 September 2011 In 1953 he was Honorary President of the Scottish Vegetarian Society. In 1954, Dugald was still president of the SVS, one of several Vice-Presidents of IVU. ;Lecture Tours The Victoria Advocate newspaper of Texas reported that he lectured on his beliefs and way of life in the USA, Canada, and America. From the August 1910 issue of the ''Vegetarian Messenger'': "Mr. Dugald Semple, the Scottish apostle of the Simple Life, is arranging lecturing tours for the coming winter. He is prepared to give lectures for a modest fee, and we are sure that his services would be appreciated by vegetarian and allied societies. His address is Wheelhouse, Bridge of Weir, Scotland."
Retrieved : 19 September 2011 The address appears to refer to his horse drawn caravan that can be seen in the photograph of Davie's o'the Mill. ; Conferences Dugald Semple - Title page

Dugald was a delegate from Great Britain to the 1938 10th World Vegetarian Congress held in Norway, attending as President of the Scottish Vegetarian Society and Vice-President of The Vegetarian Society. He delivered a speech on "Vegetarianism and Peace", in which he stated:

Vegetarianism is not merely a matter of food reform – it is a philosophy of life, and war will only cease when we cease to live as beasts of prey. So long as we prepare for war we shall get war. We must not only study Darwin but also Kropotkin. Those animals which are carnivorous are becoming less and the vegetarian animals are increasing. Vegetarianism is the first great step. The killing of human beings is akin to the killing of animals and so the exploiting of animal life leads to the selfish exploitation of human beings.

Dugald quoted Robert Burns, appealing for a more widespread appreciation of the real values in life – more sunshine for the body, more love for the soul, peace for every living creature the world over. In 1953, at the 15th World Vegetarian Congress held in India, Dugald stated: "What a tragedy it would be if Mother India was to become estranged from her sympathy with the rights of animals, which although it may have been carried to extremes, nevertheless has been a noble example to the flesh-eating and vivisecting nations of the West." Yes, let us do our utmost to save India from the soulless materialism of imperialistic nations. Let us show that war and disease are the result of disobedience to spiritual and natural law. That if we harden our hearts against the everyday cruelty off flesh-eating and blood sports, we cannot wonder that the whole; so-called civilised world is preparing for another world catastrophe. East and West must meet if we are to hasten the coming of the New Jerusalem. We go forth to show that science is an affair of the heart as well as the head. That the poor Indian need not live on such a meagre diet, and that we must realise that without love the people perish. The basic error, as Maitra, editor of the Indian journal, once told me, "You people live beside yourself, we live from ourselves. It is only more life in the soul that can unite all people." In 1955, at the World Vegetarian Congress in Paris, Dugald Semple was listed as a speaker. ;Individuals Morris Krok, born in Johannesburg, South Africa and whilst seeking solutions for his health problems was influenced by natural healing writers of the 20th century such as Dugald Semple, Vincent Priessnitz, Louis Kuhne, etc. ;Government Civilian rationing began at the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, on 1 January 1918, with sugar, then meat, butter, and margarine. The Government of the day consulted Dugald and a colleague to educate people concerning how to ration available produce and other food and to propose acceptable substitutes for meat, which had become familiar in their diets. ;No Stipend League Dugald organised a Scottish 'No Stipend League' against the Church of Scotland's practice of levying a tithe on landowners for the minister's stipend. He was particularly offended because the levy applied to landowners regardless of their faith.

Published works

* ''Simple Life Visitors.'' Paisley: J & J Cook, printers, 1909. * ''Living in Liberty: Or, The Wheelhouse Philosophy.'' Paisley: Alexander Gardner, 1911. * ''Fruitarianism: A Treatise on the Diet Question.'' Paisley: Alexander Gardner, 1913. * ''Joys of the Simple Life.'' London: G. Bell, 1915. * ''Simple Life Recipes: With Hints on Diet.'' London: C. W. Daniel, 1915. * ''Life in the Open.'' London: G. Bell, 1919. * ''Diet and Good health: A Popular Treatise on the Food Question.'' London: C. W. Daniel, 1925. * ''Diet in Relation to Climate.'' London: C. W. Daniel, . * ''A Free Man's Philosophy.'' London: C. W. Daniel, 1933. * ''An Appeal for Freedom.'' . * ''What to Eat in War-time,'' with Meatless Recipes by Cathie Semple. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 1943. * ''Be Your Own Doctor: Natural Cures for Common Ailments.'' Glasgow: William MacLellan, . Contains details of cures for colds, constipation, how to slim, better eyesight, health from herbs etc. * ''Looking at Nature.'' Glasgow: William MacLellan, . * ''A Scots Health Cookery Book, with Meatless Recipes by Cathie Semple''. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 1949. * ''Round Kintyre with Dugald Semple.'' Glasgow: William MacLellan, 1950. * ''Home Cures for Common Ailments: With Curative Diet.'' Glasgow: William MacLellan, 1952. * ''The Sunfood Way to Health.'' London: Health for All Publishing Co., 1956. * ''Joy in Living.'' Glasgow: Maclellan, 1957.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Semple, Dugald 1884 births 1964 deaths 20th-century British naturalists 20th-century Scottish male writers People associated with the Vegetarian Society People from Beith People from Fairlie, North Ayrshire People from Johnstone Raw foodists Scottish animal welfare workers Scottish conscientious objectors Scottish naturalists Scottish veganism activists Simple living advocates