Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-08-17
BEWARE THE CUP.
a Disserta ton on the Periis of Iced
Tea.


sometimes, to think how long the people
OF America have been permitted to 20
on. dallying with this living death, un-
warned by the mOnitlons OF science. 1t
is seldom that scientific men have been
so criminally negligent as they have
shown themselves to be in this matter ot
iced tea. They have been prompt
enough to warn US Of the poisonous
qualities OF everything else we like to
eat and drink, until they have about
blotted out everything to eat or drink
from the bill Of fare. and starved Us down
to bran bread diet, and now comes
along Dir. Holland, in Scribner for July,
and assures us that the Graham system
OF diet starves more New Englanders to
death IN six months than die from ali |
other causes IN year. Blessed be the |
name of Dr. Holland for this statement. |
He doesn't put it quite so strongly as
that bat that's the way We be ieve II. Sci
entitic men, learned men III the pro!cs-
sions, have compelled us to drop the lus-
cious strawberry in terror, by screaming
out to us that it would give Us the hy-
drophobia. They have made us heart
sick with apprehension by showing that
the tempting peach in our hands was
recking with the deadly prussic acid
! They have filled our ice-cream with poi
sonOus impurities. They have forbidden
Us to drink water that has passed through
iron or lead pipes, in a cemented cistern,
or rippled from the rock of the hillside.
| impregnated with heaven and chemistry
| only knows what awful substances, un-
| til one restriction alter another has made
it the only safe way for a man to get 4
drink OF water is for him to lie down OH
his back, open his mouth and wait tor 8.
| shower. Science has kindly warned us
OF the death that turks i'll the coffee cup.
/ The cup that bleSscs the breakfast table
mpairs the digestion. Large doses OF
it produce palpitation OF the heart It's
aduteratcd with Venetian Red and ma
tive SesqueoXide Of Iron. 1t has also
warned us against the use of warm tea
bread and butter, meat, vegetables, fruit.
grain, roots, berries, milk and similar
articles OF food. Singular enough sci
ence has not Yet assailed iced tea.
But it will not do to permit people to
enjoy the cool. delightful beverage. sim
: ply because its taste is grateful to the
wearied system during this scorchng
weather We must do our duty. though
science may shrink from it, and the peo,
, pie may cry out against us. There i,
danger in iced tea. and II You would live
long and well. shun the cooling cup
We have not the space to devote to ar
; extended discussion Of this matter, anG
can only cite 4 few instances from a long
series "i carefully made experiments
b. which cannot fail to carry conviction tc
: tina most incrcdulouS mind.
> On June 10. of this year. John G
Hempstead.o OF West Ill., began to drink
iced-,ca at dinner and supper. He kept
: up this practice for nearly three week
!, and then one day, going down the di
vision street steps. he slipped and fell
y, abrading the skin on both legs. and run
l ming silver into the ball OF his thuml
; SO tar that it made his teeth ache whel
he pulled it ont. His clothing was aISc
D considerably torn When he went hom,
II that evening he learned that his cldes
II boy had been whipped at school To-
. sticking a pin as far through inothe
! j, boy rs the head would let it 90. He Wa
warned to quit drinking iced-tea. but h,
persisted in the practice. and he is nov
; sleeping in the valley, between West an,
U North Hill, where he lives. and says h.
: never felt SO well in his life. But ma,
be he lies about it.
Il Henry Esterfeldt. of Eighth street
' drank iced-tca regularly every summer
tor three years. He noticed that ate
:, drinking il about two months his boot
1 began TO run over ut the heel. He per
,; sisted and one Sunday afternoon, Will
u he was out driving, his horse ran away
i and smashed Sl7 out of q borrowed bug
. gy. He paid the money. but neg!ectc
i the warning. He went on drinking iced
:. tea; in less than six weeks somcbod
/, poisoned his dog These statement
!" can all be verified by writing to Mr.. +
:, terielt. who is now living in Kans;.
Il CItv, the father OF eleven children. all {
> whom inherit their fathers vice.
~ \ young woman who did plain sew
} ing in this city, while employed in tn
> family OF Ralph Henderson. on Mapl
II street. became addicted during the sum
. mer, to the use OF iced-tea. She 500
- ran sewing-machine needle throug
her thumb. and for many days. .wheneve
y she picked up n cup of iced-tea, a shar
= pain ran through her thumb. She re
y =, fused to obey the warning, however, AN
y. in six weeks she was carried away. Th
II man who carried her away married he
10 first, and they are now living in Sage
town
Last week, at the beginning OF tn
V heated term, two eminent scientific ger
y tlemen OF Burlington, took a strong
10 healthy black -and-tan dog and immerse
-. - itin a tub of pure cistern water, into whic
u 4 weak solution OF iced-tea had bee
poured They held the dog head III
" " der the water fifteen minutes. althoug
= he struggled violently, thus showing tfl
~ natural and instructive aversion to 3 sui
y stance which intelligent human being
IL blindly and eagerly drink, and when tn
u gentlemen took him out of the water, h
~ was quite dead. If a tea cup full {
~ weak iced-tca in tub full of water wi
.. .. kill q dog, think tor yourselves VIII;
:. must be the effect OF Il strong, unuiute
=" cup OF this decoction upon the sy stem
=, =, weak woman.
III Last summer lumber puller in ii
II employ of +. Il. Parsons 4 Co OF tn
city, declared that he could live on ice'
y, ~ tea. Before he had time to 90 up to h
=, boarding house. however. he fell of tt
," raft upon which he was at work and W.
drowned.
y A single drop of ced-tea poured upo
II, u. the tongue of 4 living rattlesnate. wi
" produce the most startling effect. IL
u u stantly causing the man who administc
II, it to fly for his life. and his lie Will
=; in imminent danger unless he distance
- the snake before the first turn.
=. Eleven grains of strychnne. mixed
~ tablespoonful of iced tea, will Kill II
&c Oldest man in America.
1t" These instances and facts might
multiplied by scores. We have sa
enough, however. to warn every pcrst
OF the danger that lies in the tcmp,il
goblet of iced tea. If suffering Al
drath ensue from its continued use ii