St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-08-31
The Use ofCofee.
A WRITER WHO HOLDS 1T TO BE BLESS
ING TO POOR AND RICH.

oS~S ~~A'~ -~~~--'
We are persuaded, from our observa-
ton of many years in Greece and Turkey,
that the moderate use of pure coffee is,
one might almost say, blessing to rich
and poor. Excess, in it's use, or the use OF
it at all, except when the decoction is made
from the genuine coffee berry, and prop
erly made, is beyond any question an evil.
One must live in the East for while, or
if not there confine himself to partaklng
of the beverage in other countries where
the character of the cafe, or the house
where it is served, is a guarantee of the
purity, to appreciate what cup OF cotfee
really meansx 1t is a recognized fact that
the mixture drunk by the majority of PEG
pie in Europe and our own country under
the name of coffee is vile, or, at the best,
an adulterated compound OF inferior per
ries, beans or other substitutes, and that
when occasionally the genuine coffee berry
is the basis of the hot fluid served at the
hotels, railroad stations, restaurants and
even in private houses, it is not prepared
properly, and more frequently than other
wise Injuries the digestion and, consequent
lY, the health of the constant drlnker.
In Athens, broadly speaking, every third
man INDUCES in cigarette smoking and
coffee drinking and this to an extent that
as;cnishes the stranger. 1t is an every day
sight, when entering an office or private
sitting room, and not infrequently the
family room, to see the tobacco box, cigar
cite paper and ash box lying on the table,
and the visitor is expected without invita-
ton, to help himself and light his cigar
cite, as preparation for, and companion
to, conversation. Little cups Of black
coffee follow as a matter of course, how
ever early or late the hour may be. But
the Greek does not con6ne his attentions
to the coffee cup on these occasions He
often takes his first cigarette and his first
cup in bed before arising, and continues
the practice at intervals through the
entire day. 1t is something akin to the
habit of ice water drinking in the United
States but without the subtle, injurious
| results that follow an habitual use of cold
LIQUIDS, which chill the stomach, impair
| the general health and produce decayed
teeth. So far as our personal observation
goes, strengthened by medical testimony,
| the Greeks in the condition of their gen.
eral health do not support the theory that
the habitual use of coffee I'M ures the sys-
tenn or affects the eyesight.
The same is the case in Turkey. There
coffee drinking is universal and contin-
| uous. The writer passed a greater part OF
| four years in Constantinople, where he
| had occasion to call upon the officials of
| the Sublime Porte so frequently that 1T
would be difficult to enumerate these otfi
cial visits and with few exceptions, when
the visit was protracted to any length,
black coffee, pure in quality and prepared
with the grounds, was regularly served in
| small, delicate cups. All Turks, from the
| highest to the lowest, indulge in the bev-
erage, few swallows at time, through
out the day, and without any evil effects.
What makes the fact more remarkable is
that neither the sedentary habits of the
| Turk nor the quick, energetic tempera-
ment of the Greek seems to be affected by
| the perpetual imbibing of this beverage.
| Spectacles, it may be remarked, are as lit
tie used in Turkey as in Greece ; nor are
complaints of the eyes more prevalent, If
| we except ophthalmia, which is brought
from Egypt and exists chiefly and among
the unclean and dissolute lower orders.
| An old pasha once told us that he consid-
cred coffee to be one of the greatest bless
ings vouchsafed by Allah to the faithful,
not only from its grateful aroma, but from
it's health preserving quail les. He re-
ferred of course, to the sd inc berry" of
Mocha, and not to the enc ,tionable COM
pound served up in the 'infdel' coun-
tries of the westryNoa american Re-
Useso. 4ece