The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-28
For the Sunday Bulletin]
oOFFEE-ITS ORIGIN AND USE.


that the "ePettRe thai Helen received from the
Paschius in his treatise De Norris L, Ocutes pre-
tends that coffee was among the presents made by
Abigail to David. But after diligent search in
sacred aud profane history We are unable to
verify these theories.
toHee originated in Ethiopia. where it has
been III Use from time mmemoritl The Per
SLAMS were the second people to adopt it finally
the Arabians discoyeredaits merits and introduced
l it into Europe.
The discovery OF coffee is the subject of many
fables. 1t is related among others that there
was poor dervish, living in an Arabian valley
VINO possessed nothing but small hut and a few
goats. One evening these goats returned from
| their pasture in Il state Of great excitement. On
| the next morning he followed them, and OBJ
served that they c.opped the foliage aud berries
OF small shrub which had previously escaped
his notice. He tasted the berry himself and ex.
perenced pleasurable sensation. He impaired
the result OF his investigation to his neighbors.
who hnding his account true, introduced it into
| their country.
The Persans relate that Mahommed being i'll.
the Angel Gabriel invented the beverage to re-
| store the Prophet to health.
1t is also related that the superior of a convent
| in Arabia, hearing of the strange effect of the
berries on the goats of the dervish, concluded
| that they would have benetie al effect upon his
monks, who were in the habit of falling asleep
during prayers. The result exceeded his ex-
pectatlons, However this may be, it Is certain
that it was in the middle of the fifteenth cen.
fury that the Arablans first began to cultivate
coffee.
Gremaleddin Abou 'Abdallah Mahommed Ben
Said, Mutt Of Alden, having occasion to assist
Persia relative to State affairs noticed while there
that the natives used coffee very freely and were
extravasant in their praises of its virtues. On
his return to his country he fell sick of a fever
and recalling to his mind what he had heard of
the curative powers of coffee he determined to
try t.. The effect was almost miraculous In
two days he was well. On his recommendation
the prominent men of the city tested its virtues.
Since that time it's use became common and if ia
said that the Arabs never drink it without asxino
Heavens blessings fer Gremaleddin as slight
recompense for the great bonanza he bestowed
upon them.
From Alden the use Of coffee gradually ex
tended to Mecca and Northumberland it spread
throughout Arabia. In all the principal cities |
places Of entertainment where coffee was dis |
pensed were opened. Here oilers congregated !
passing the day in playing checkers and listen
ing to the poets who came to the cafes to reejte
their poems.
From Arabia the use of coffee passed into
Egypt, and was first introduced into Cairo in The
beginning of the tenth century of the hppira
From Egypt 1t was next taken INTO Syria first TO
Damascus and Aleppo, where it was in reduced
without opposition. Finally it was adopted in all
the Syrian cities.
The first opposition to the new beverage took
place III Mecca, in 917 Of the hegira Two broth
rs OF high authority persuaded the Emir Khair
Beg Mlmar that coffee was Intoxicating li1aor
and that Its Use was prohibited BY the precants
li the Prophet. Khalr Beg conyoked an assembly
)f wise men and physicians to deliberate on the
subject The first class declared that the use of
coffee was a violation Of the teachings of Mahom {
ned; the iatt,r held that it was injurious to !
lealth. Several pundlts, however, took opposite
grounds, and livel7 discussion ensued One Of | I
he doctors went so far as to say that its intoxi
,atlng qualities were greater than those of wine q
his declaration was productive of not little
nerrment. ''He has tasted wine them many
Exclaimed The authorities took the matter seri
'usly. The unfortunate debater was induced
nth eighty stripes as punishment for his viola
Ion OF the rules laid down in the Koran. a
khair Beg requested permission from the Sui n
an to prohibit the sale Of coffee in Mecca He :
lOsed the places of entertainment where if was d
old. Beng informed that prominent citizen Il
ad continued the use Of coffee in his family after
ecelvlnS notification OF the prohibition, Khair {.
'eg had HIM publicly chastsed for the oflense
The Sultan, however, soon altered his mind h
he wise men OF Cairo. more learned than those O
Mecca, announcing that coffee was an innocent =
rink, the Emlr was induced to revoke his pro-
lDlt2ry order, and the use Of coffee became more
eneral. In 932 of the hegira, the Shiek Sid
lahommed Ben-Arrak being informed that the
IfeS were the scenes or criminal contluct in | %
ructed the governors to close all public places az
mere collee Was SOLO, restricting its use to pri-
ate families. After his death the cafes were re-
pened. a
But the persecution of the innocent berry was Ii
OF to stop here. In 81 Of the hegira, a fanatic OF
poke with so much force In the Mosque against
he use OF coffee that the people, excited by his
Ords, ran to the cafes, broke the furniture the IL
Asses IN which the coffee kept assau ted the ltl
uests and treated the proprietor to the bas- %
nado These model crusaders asserted that
4 Resurrection Day coffee drinkers would an fiji
ear with faces as black the pots in which tn
ley prepared their favorite drink. The discus 4,
Oh prevailed to such length that it became =.
ecessary to have Judicial consultation. The OF
mex cOnvoked his doctors of la VIZ who decided | +,
lat the question had been formerly set at rest NJ
previous convention, which had declared in | ,
vor Of the purity Of coffee. The Shiek ratified 81
e opinion OF his distinguished Swans Thus
the efforts that were made TO prevent tho nsa
coffee III Mecca proved Intellectual W.
In 1862 OF the hegira, curing the reign of Solo of
on Ii, called the Great, coffee was introduced n,
TO dreece and Constaninope. A man from
ihascls named Schems and citizen Of Aleppo lex
med Hekem, went to Constantinople and opened fal
les wherein their customers were served re- NJ
ming on sofas. These establishments became :,
ry popular and we're frequented by sayans VI
ofessOrs and deryshes ' de
Inc Turks became great coffee drinkers. Their TIN
pItal was soon filed with h0,ra names where -
Tee was sold at all hours. eo
y en- OF leisure e99ngreSated in these places in tol
eat numbers, and young girls were emnloyed
them with songs and dancing. But
z raised furious storm. The priests alleging
1t the faithful deserted their places Of worship
witness the dancing in the cafes, created = SCI
'at dis urbance.
They asserted that in the heating process.
lee became carbonized and that every thine vei
'ahlpg OF The character OF carbon was forbid 10
1 by Mahommedapism. The Mufti snstsi,ad n
priests and prohibiting the sale of coffee in sbl
capital, closed the calas. But they were soon ;,n