The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-12
STIMULANTS IN TIME OF WAR.
TOBACCO Is RECOGNIZED BY THE
WAR DEPARTMENT. AS ESSENTIAL

CohuI as InferiOrit
oG Tired and Dispiritcd Troops
qhe New Emergency RatiOns-IIoV
tbe Germans MRnufncturc PEI
SauSnge-Thc Difficulty in Obtain
ing Good Condensed Provisions.
From the Philadelphia Times.
Washington. soldiers really nee
e+imuIants has been formally recognizes
Inv tbe war department, which includes il
its new emergency ration half an ounc
n; tobacco per diem. In this practica
nay an official opinion is expressed to tn
effect chat the herb nicotian is to be re
earied as an important help to the fight
ing man-so important that he must havt
it even under conditions where starvation
stares him in the face. 1t is the same way
with tea or coffee. one of the two being
prescribed as a requisite element of thu
little store of supplies which every wear
er of Uncle Sans coat is obliged to carry
with him while engaged IN active service
as a precaution to cover the chance of his
being cut off from his base. There is rea.
son to believe that before very long the
kola nut will be tried as military stimui
liant by this government.
The war department this week publishS
d bulletin in which it is declared that 'u-
der the influence of tea, coffee or tobaqo
man seems to be brought to higher Ell
cheney than without them. They keep Mp
cheerfulness and enable men TO endurefi-
tIgue and privations, while depriVatioI q
them may cause depression, homesickBeSl,
feebeuess and, indeed, may lead 70 DE
feat in battle. Depressed troops do mo-
hght well and cannot be kept well In hand.
A wise military leader will see to it thft
his men are not deprived of tobacco, pr
he Will regret his carelessness. L.
The new emergency ration includes hllf
an ounce of tea per diem, or, as an alPr-
native, two ounces of roasted and grotnd
coffee. There has been great deal of dis
CussiOn as TO the best method of supply
ing coffee and tea to the troops, the Aeslre
being to save weight and bulk sfar as
practicable. From this point of visV there
was much TO be said in favor oftaa but
tons and coffee tablets, which hrnished
the articles represented in Composed and
compact shape. But the buttory and tab
lets did not obtain the approbflon OF the
board which was appointed by the Secre-
tary of War to consider thy ana other
such matters. They were VeU convenient,
inasmuch as the user ne9del only to- dis
solve one of them In a clpSt boiling wa
ter and he had cup of cdfee or or tea.
A minute quantity of saocharine, which is
2C0 times as sweet as sugeE, included in the
button, served for sweetning. But the tea
and coffee prepared iron the buttons ana
tablets did not taste GOD, and soldiers
are ready kickers WIN anything goes
against the palate. Thesame objection APP
pied to certain cOndnsed preparations
OF coffee and tea in CAPSULES of gelatine.
During the civil wareottee was supplleo
TO the federal troops "a the shape OF eX-
tracts mixed with suglr so that all that
Wds necessary was to i'd a little to cup
Of hot water. j was an unqualified sue
cess An important objection to coffee
compressed into tables is that such tab
lets do not keep long. The reason for this
is not well understooG but probably IL Is
because OF the eVaprauon or the arc
matte elements. This difficulty is overcome
In a patented French preparation. the COT
fee being roasted, ground, compressed ana
put up in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tablets, so
chat the aroma is rrtained. Ii has been
supplied to the FreIch army and navy.
Many old campaigne's think that for field
use tea Is a better stlmulant than cofee.
In cold climates tea is preferred by the
natives. \ compressed tea that has OBJ
tanned approval by the British government
is put up In the shape of tablets, each
OF which is divided into eight pieces. Each
piece weighs half an ounce and is equiv
alent to three teaSpOOntulS OF ordinary tea
making two cups. British troops have tax
en- this tea into The field in various parts
of the world, and ii is proved success.
Compressed tea is more economical than
tea leaves, because the compression breaks
up the vegetable cells which contain the
alive principle theme" and the arc
matte substances. These are liberated,
pressed tea the whole strength can be
taken up by boiling water in five min
utes. while the same result cannot be ac-
eomplished with the crude tea in less than
hVe hours.
Capt. Charles f. Woodruff, u. S. A., is
authority for the statement that military
men generally recognize a necessity tor
stlmulants other than tea and coffee for
soldiers. Such additional stimulants are
required to revive tired troops just before
a pattle, after forced marches or after long
hghtng. For this purpose any form of
alcOhollc beverage is not appropriate. Not
only does the allowance of such beverages
cultivate drunkenness, but the stimula-
uon IS disorderly and is followed by de-
preston that is apt to render the men in
capable OF duty. our own war depart
ment does not approve of the system
ADOPTED In nearly all the European armies
9l issuing regular rations of brandy or
WHISKY, from one TO four ounces for each
sQlaler Usually, however, the spirits are
sven Olly when food is short or eXcep-
uo9al fatigue has to be borne. Wines
ana beers are included in the ordinary ra-
ions OF some European armies but their
States.
our war department looks for stimu-
ldIts IN articles that do not intoxicate
anu 40 not cause depression. Beef tea
ASs lohs Deen recommended for this sort
Is eSF I'll me popular notion that beef tea
~ lood mas very little basis in fact;
! ooil talns almost no nourishment though
tHSHly STIMULATING. When a person is
MioI med that a teaspoonful of a certain
SSIdct OF peer represents several pounds
uii uetl ne is apt to suppose that this i'm
sHVs d concentrated nOurishment, where
h az IN truth the nourishment has been left
ocmftlu W the boiler. Baron Won LieDig
R2n.tessed 10 this fact thirty years ago.
DVet Yea IS well adapted as an emergency
a s,5oiL serving 70 restore the system when
~1"istins' Beef extract is now put up in
eerrIIqiune capsules, one of which makes an
srn.,.dty cup Of bouillon. The British
faHs u supplied with dry beef powder
o Vi q IKE purpose, but the stuff Is relied
cI Vnly as stimulant, four ounces of IL
cyn'dlhlng only as much nourishment as
we ounce of beef
fan OF the stimulants thus far mem
ss4isSGl though refreshing, fail of complete
forU5.aaC loIlhess. Military authorities look
f9r T,dlIu 10 a time when something better
dr. 'e purpose will be furnished to SOL
1b Ihey have viewed in this light
wber' %iInous cocoa plants, whose leaves
Cd h. tueWeq not only revive the exhaust
e ON, out also lessen hunger and thirst. and
can C Hucn more work to be done than
i ITagR oe performed otherwise. Under siich
sceoC,' e extraordinary marches could be
lnd's Pisneq. For many centuries the
Coo" OF south America have used the
PANE making long trips across the
desia"a without food. Weston the ne.
ins Jan, was detected In the act OF cat-
btloTr0 - Ia leaves during one of his eXhi-
Tho MdlRs IN London many years ago
polnt Vuole with cocoa from a military
10 tho' ~, view Is that its use is apt TO lead
prnclr',o ~ lIllnS or habit, ana the active
ua KY, cocaine, Is dangerous, DESTROYING
M mlnu when taken continually For
am, ,Itsson cocoa VIII never serve as an
T3 slmulant % GU