Take 3 or 4 pounds of coarse beef, the neck will do or the long strings of the flank which some butchers sell attached to the porter house steaks; cut in pieces, put it into a jar or pot with 6 quarts of water and set it in the oven while break-fast is going on or at such a time that it may bake 3 hours. Sometime while baking throw into the jar an onion cut small, a piece of carrot, turnip, celery and parsnip or whichever may be at hand, merely to give a little flavor, but the meat gravy is the characteristic of the soup and not the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Take out the meat and reserve it for a side dish. Skim the fat off the soup, add a little flour thickening, boil up and serve with a few squares of toasted bread in the plates.