Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-06-27
ABUSE OF TEA.
Its Excessive Use by Women in Eng.
land and the Result.

Its Excessive Use by Women in Eng.
land and the Result.
Nothing has more seriously injured
the health of women that the cheaper
ing of tea. | have no hesitation in
saying that it is the constant drinking
of strong tea which makes the ~onen
of our toiling masses delicate and
their children anaemic; for not only
do these latter inherit thai weakness
from their mothers, but become even
greater sinners in this direction than
their parents.
1t may be wondered whether the
house keeper or mistress of an aver
age establishment has any idea how
often their servants drink tea in the
course of the day, or of the strength
of what is imbibed Just as III their
own homes, they put the teapor on the
hob and let it stand there from morn
ing till night, the stuff itself being a
stewed concoction. They drink tea
before breakfast at breakfast, at IL
o'clock, after midday dinner, at tea
time, and sometimes even before go
ing to bed, the tea being so strong as
to be almost poisonous. One of the
constituents of tea, as everyone
knows, is tannin, and that, taken In
the quantities consumed by our SER
wants, is absolute destruction to the
digestion, so that none of the whole
some food they take is properly as
simulated, with results of i'll nourish-
ment, bloodlessness, want of breath,
and weakness. One after another in
large household fails, and if one
takes the trouble to inquire it will be
found that they have all been living
on strong tea.
Tea is, of course, mild sort if stim-
ulant, and for the moment refreshes
and pulls them together. They know
nothing of the effect it has on their
health, nor do they believe the warn
ings that are constantly sounded in
their ea,rs. When China tea was the
only description procurable the guam
tity that could be imbibed was much
less. Moreover, it was not nearly so
potent as the Ceylon and Indian teas
which have taken it's place; nor did it
contain so much tannin, and, conse-
quently, people could drink it with
greater impunity. In every well or
dered household the quantity of tea
per head is regulated, and if that
amount were adhered to the mischief
would be lessened. Nearly every SER
want, however, buys tea over and
above her allowance, so that there is
no check on the habit.
We take every precaution that our
women servants should be sober, and
yet we allow what is quite as bad as
dram drinking to go unnoticed. The
effect of drinking tea in the quantities
and of the strength INDUCED in by
nearly all our domestics is really
very serious matter, and every head
of household should make it her
business to find out it's extent and
stop it, as far as she can. One cause
of the increase of tea drinking is the
custom of giving beer money, instead
of, as formerly, allowing a certain
quantity of beer per head, and it is
constant occurrence when engaging
servant for her to mention that she
does not drink beer. No doubt this is
true, but as substitute she takes tea,
which, in the quantity she consumes,
is more harmful than beer
At this moment experienced house
keepers could put their fingers on
dozens of girls who are unfit to re-
main in their situations from this
cause, and unless some stand is made
against it the numbers will go on in
creasing. If the strong tea is stopped
the remedy works like magic, and
strength and color are soon regained,
because food nourishes and the blood
ceases to be impoverished. Inquiries
from any doctor practicing among SER
wants will bear out these contentious,
and it is well that the attention of all
mistresses should be directed to them.
Coffee and cocoa are not only harm
less, but nourishing, and can always
be kept ready. The evil is, perhaps,
even greater in the kitchen than in
other departments of the house, owing
to the heat in which cooks and soul
lerymaids have to work, and these
beverages are as easily prepared
there as tea. 1t may seem, perhaps,
small matter in itself, but it deserves
attention, as the habit is really under
mining the health of our servants all
over Great Britain.-London Tele-
graph.