The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-13
POPULARITY OF COFFEE.


How 1t Came to be Universally Used
Pleading for ITSELF
While coffee now figures as one Of the
most considerable economic products, its
use as an article Of food in civilized our
tries is of comparatively recent origin. In
Abyssinia and Ethiopia, whore the coffee
plant is Indigenous, hhe people nave oesn
accustomed TO decoctions from its berries
from time immemoriaL There the Arabs
first tasted the fragrant ~draught; and,
highly delighted Herewith, transported
some of the precious beans to their own
country about the beginning of the ht-
teenth century. In Arabia the new exotic
iourished luxuriantly. and, strangely
enough, entered into the occasions of re-
ligious controversy. Legend reports that
a devout Moslem, who had heard or the
wakeful effect produced upon browsing
goats by its foliage, resolved to try
what influence a brewing from its
berries might i've upon the somnolent
dervishes VINO nonchalantly fell asleep
during protracted services. The result
was magical. Drowsy laymen followed
their example. Coffee became h a
tional beverage of the faithful. Moham-
medaa pilgrims to Mecca carried beans
to all lands whence they had come.
Egypt soon re1oiced in coffee houses, and
in Constantinople "a. d. 1854 they ac-
CURED instant popularity. Mosques were
overshadowed by them. Quickened wits
Of drinkers suggested intoxication to tn e
religious. and political characterization
to the civil authorities. The former de-
nounced the dangerous resorts, and the
latter shut them up. But the beverag e
triumphed. Prohibition did not prohibit.
In Cairo. Q523) the Governor grayely
listened to all the erudite arguments
against coffee, served it out to the rancor-
Gus opponents. and left his seat without
saying a word. He was wise. The mus
terful drink estopped discussion forever.
In 1863 coffee entered England from
Smyrna. whence it was brought by Ed
wards, an English merchant doing bust
ness with Turkey. He was wont to re-
gale his friends with the delicious liquid,
prepared by the skilful hands OF Pasqua
Rossie, his Greek servant. But visitors
increased too numerously. Hospitality
became burdensome. Peace and pocket
cried out for relief. Edwards established
his man in a coffee house at Newman's
Court, Cornhill. London. Twenty three
years after this event cofee-houses were
the favorite haunts OF wits and politicians
for discussing theoriZing and genera |
wagging of the tongue Coffee and
criticism were cronies. Therefore the
| phosphorescent Charles II. aud his cour-
tiers, wincing under the ''slanderous
| attacks upon persons in ! sta
tons" would fain have suppressed coffee
houses as "hotbeds of seditious talkp and
public n~uisances. They failed to do so.
The revolution of 1858 followed. The
victorious institution survived the Stuart
dynasty. and attained the zenith of activ-
ity and splendor in the first half OF the
next century.
Thevenot, the French traveller, on hi1
return from the Orient in 1868. treated
his guests 70 after dinner coffee. To
| Parisians this was merely an e~ecentricify
that would not have become fashionable
hut for a similar example set by Soliman
AGA, the gallant Turkish ambassador, iu
4 1863. He enlisted the enthusiasm ci
ter liquor. Philosophers and litterateurs
! gladly gave in their adhesion. Boileau,
La fontaine. Moliere, Voltaire and thu
Encyclopedias, together with the chess
PLAYERS, found inspiration in coffee
HGrpcT's Weekly.