The Opelousas courier., 1891-08-01
A UNIVERSAL BEVERAGE.
LEGENDARY AND AUTHENTIC his.
TORY OF COFFEE.

LEGENDARY AND AUTHENTIC BILL
TORY OF COFFEE.
Its Discoverer Noted Its Wakeful f.
feet ON Browsing Goats-Intrc
duction Into Europe.
While coffee now figures as one of tn
most considerable economic products, it
use as an article of food in c~ivilize
countries is Of comparatively recent orr
gin. In Abyssinia and Ethiopia, wher
the coffee-plant is indigenous, the peopl
have been accustomed to decoetions fror
It's berries from time immemorial. Their
the Arabs first tasted the fragran
draught; and, highly delighted thsre
with, transported some of the preciou
beans to their own country about the be
ginning of the fifteenth century. Ii
Arabia the new exotic fourished luxu
riantly, and, strangely enough, entered
into the occasions of religious contro.
versy. Legend reports that a devou'
Moslem, who had heard OF the wakefuI
effect produced upon browsing goats BY
its foliage, resolved to try what influence
a brewing from its berries might have
upon the somnolent dervishes who non
chalantly fell asleep during protracted
services. The result was magical. Drowsy
laymen followed their example. Coffee
became the national beverage of the faith
full. Mohammedan pilgrims to Mecca
carried beans to all lands whence they
had come. Egypt soon rejoiced in cof-
fee-houses, and in Constantinople "a. D.
1854 they acquired instant popularity.
Mosques were overshadowed by them.
Quickened wits of drinkers suggested
intoxication to the religious, and poll
tical insubordination to the civil author
tiles. The former denounced the dam
gerous resorts, and the latter shut them
up. But the beverage tr%iumphed. Pro-
hibition did not prohibit.
In Cairo 1929 the Governor gravely
listened to all the erudite arguments
against coffee, served it out to the ran
corous opponents, and left his seat
without saying a word. He was wise
The masterful drink estopped discussion
forever. In 1862 coffee entered Eng
land from Smyrna, whence it was
brought by Edwards, an English mer-
chant doing business with Turkey. He
was wont to regale his friends with the
delicious liquid, prepared by the skillful
hands of Pasqua Rosie, his Greek sera
want. But visitors increased too num-.
erously. Hospitality became burden.
some. Peace and pocket cried cut for
relief. Edwards established his man in
a coffee-house at Newman's Court, Corn
hill, London. Twenty-three years after
this event coffee-houses were the favor
tie haunts of wits and politicians 'sfor,.
discussing, theorizing, and general wag-
ging of tongue" Coffee and criticism
were c%ronies. Therefore the phosphog-
escent Charles Il. and his c~ourtiers,
wincing under the "~slanderous attacks
upon persons in high stations" would
fain have suppressed coffee-houses as.
sshot-beds of seditious TALK and public
nuisances. They failed to do SO. The
revolution of 1858 followed. The VIC
torious institution survived the Stuart
dynasty, and attained the zenith of &C
tivity and splendor in the first half of
the next century.
Thevenot, the French traveller, on his
return from the Orient in 1858, treated
his guests to after-dinner coffee. TOT
Parisians this was merely an eccentricity,'
that would not have become fashionable
but for a similar example set by Solimani
Aga, the gallant Turkish ambassador, I'M
1869. He enlisted the enthusiasm of
court ladies in favor of the black and
bitter liquor. Philosophers and litera-;;
teurs gladly gave in their adhesion.t
Boileau, La Fontaine, Moliere, Voltaire
and the Encyclopedias, together with
the chessplayers, found inspirationin the
coffee-houses, which thenceforward as4
sumed conspicuous positions in the social
life of Gallo cities. 'tRacine and coffee
will pass is a prediction Of Madame de
as yet most unlikely of %fulfllI
ment. :
Germans began drinking coffee during
The Seven Years War 1756-63), stolidlY
at opposition to the practice, and
hated Napoleon all the more for RESTRICT I
ing it by his continental Blockade
Universal peace was accompanied BY
universal indulgence in the exhilarating
cup. Americans took kindly to its conf
tents, and by constantly charging de-
nand impaired powerful impetus td
coffee commerce and culture. rise in
prices during the great civil war "di-
minished the consumption about two
hundred thousand TONS" But for that
it is asserted that ssthe world would not
have had coffee enough" Demand rose
every Union victory, and fell with
every Union defeat. Consumption in1
1864 per cent. in 1854, 17.S
per cent. in 1865, 23.5 per cent. in 1866,
RPS per cent. in 1867. Removal of
luties and financial prosperity increased
he call for the aromatic berry, and 3D.
rance in price because of short crops or
indicate operations diminished it. The
is a business Thermometer in
he United States. -Hdfper's Weekly.
Their First Day in Court.
RI 10 aIu7,us ara,,s;no ~ r-atoL r..,r.