Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1880-01-01

-y Ia enemies of alcoholic drrnk Of
~, @lzssnre NJ il pueaical and estate
erNhi age that water j. The only rEasoAs
Can't = right drink f0r nah, - fOr OH
bmsls: but the water which lhEy
hmend and dsscEihe Is gushing
pnfkIinK IL u0nnaain Esllp does net
20 the hearth and hone ST every
- Hkain dmelIer, mueh less - Il ats
ble - he snhshitants Of cities and
Il = plains. The hardy beasts nf ghe
is 6 i they ean aes he walsF pmse.
J. 1fee to endure 10 eoidnens u all
s~ssasi 20. peShapa might We. Il we
- oaly recosef roastness oE the
|sasEiianA4. as.krsai s Eanl&8
Of developed brsi suck re-
covery Is Impossible Is not bese assert-
ed. bat simply thai. under the existing
ciFeumsfances, the water (through Us
impurities or its coIdness) often needs
30 be cooked, to be warmed. 10 have
then some taste sUperaddpd which shall
overcome mawkishness. When this Is
conceded. the question arises. will no
native botany sufices Are we of ne
cessity driven TO import tea from Chiaa
or Assam Such are The wonderful
and deep harmonies Of nature. that in
each long inhabited country the consli-
tuition Of animals becomes adsated 10
ils plants as well as to It's climate. aud
ind among them not only IFS food, but
its remedies for disease. Native herbs
are often found more health restoring
than pretentious foreign drugs; nor is Il
exlFayagant 10 imagine that native
leaves and berries might adapt them
selves rs well TO she palate Of Engiish-
men as tea and coffee, and better to
their stomachs, IL, instead OF buying
from the foreigner, we had duly studied
our home resources. In the case Of
coffee. il curiously happens that there
are persons among rs who prefer what
Is called dandelion coffee to the coffee
Of Arabs; and that the preference is
sincere seems proved by The accident
that the dandelion thus prepared ss
dearer than the best Mocha. Nor does
this dearness weigh against our argu-
meat. Twenty years ago brown bread
was charged by bakers as fancy bread:
ten years ago lentils were double their
present price, in each case because the
demand was 50 uncertain. The price
Of dandelion would quickly come down
if it were in large and daily request.
AS substitutes for tea, many leaves may
be named which will not be called SIM
ply medicinal, prominently those Of the
sweet bay, the peach and the black cur
-rant. -If we were .by any cause cut of
from tropical markets. some combination
would soon be discovered which would
carried of public preference; and when
national taste had once been estab-
lished, every good purpose would have
been attained without the foreign arti-
Gle. Should We not then moFalize with
wonder the vast apparatus OF great
ships, which had been built, and man
ned, and stored. and sent to sea, with
loss Of sailors lives, entailing widow
hood and orphanhood. for no better Tea-
son than TO bring back leaves. for which
adequate substitutes abound at home :
THIS argument undertakes not TO prove,
but 20 illustrate. II is not specially
confined to The case Of tea and coffee.
Il does not make positive assertion that
We can now change the English taste.
nor does il urge q transition which
would be violent IL at al sudden. II
merely points 10 reasonable probabili-
ties, as showing that q vast trade with q
distant country 10 CRAFTY an aTti6eial
want; il it prove how much we can af-
ford to spend without being ruined. yet
does not at all prove that We enrich our
selves by the exchange. AT the same
time. so great is the facility Tor making
drinks that we might assume the higher
ground and press our argument further.
The delIciousness Of Oriental sheFbet Is
no matter OF doubt or controversy. Its
basis IS simply barley water: to favor
il, the foreigner, OF course, uses some
OF his own fruits, but we have plenty Of
substitutes at hand, at least while sugar
abounds to u.s. II may be warmed, IL
necessary; so little need We depend on
the Chinese. Besides; some among us
are satisfied With and warmly applaud
the drink prepared from simple oai
meal. IL we ali had this taste We should
be nationally richer Contemporary
Resiew.