The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-09-01
1Hf LAND OF yERBA MATE

rarp,pondence of The Journal.
'' .taN. PARAGUAY, August l.,
} rrs tar-away country ought to
--sYed The Land of "Yerba
..,ause it's native tea known
U.s.. ., name is its most prominent
.rty more ubiquitous here than
.tIe Levant, pulque in Mexico,
| -. Brazil, or "tangle-foot" in
mining towns. There is no
-+, world where Chinese tea is
.1 py its inhabitants in as
.tsrtion as mate by the South
and especially in Paraguay,
I bome of the plant. 1t is a
.oHy, which commonly grows
H ret high along the banks
ut Tie borders of the wilder
.muu entire forests of it,
niles in extent, are some
Q i'll Paraguay In Brazil
Il is occasionally found in
-.~.t the mountains. In the
.aug lage it is called caa; the
...- Godfrey st. Hilaire named
.nt.uarienSis: and its most
SPANISH title is pronounced as
. ...-. ~lD-ah mah-t tab, both words
.a. the first syllable.
....N.ats everybody drinks incred-
rites of it, from the infant in
$ .landsire tottering on the
....- e grave: from the President
-tauue to the beggar summing his
.-... f. -ude-rags, sores and defOrm-
,-.. le cathedral steps; from the
... augAter of the aristocracy,
asug hours are divided be-
-. -s and mandolin, hammock
s mild Irritation, to the bare
..... --uales who till the fields and
Is beasts of burden. Mate is
.... tie inst thing in the morning
asst thing on retiring for the
meals and between meals; at
., If day and night, and between
ta.. ITS. Whenever you call upon
.-4avan, whether on mission of
f,s II friendship, and whether
.5g ever met him before or are
.,-5 ~ again, mate is Immediately
,.r- ana ike the Arabs salt and the
h. sing of the desert, it is thus
-- local mark of politeness and
s.1 ut kindly feeling. The true
7-s-4ydu would no more refuse a
mate at any time or on any
...- Than an freshman would his
.-- cuban his cigarette, a Ger
...- class of beer, or a Brazilian
black coffee. When going
T. hey outside his own country
Hy takes along a generous
I've dried leaves, because un-
. .rr with life without it and it
.... obtained in the markets of
.JuJ North America.
..."I- it to any alcoholic bever-
yerage Paraguayan imbibes
Fe TO twenty cups ior rather,
it per diem: and it is one of
rmely rare instances wherein
..l habit OF excessive drink
JIG TO the mental and physical
HIt OF the people. Instead
eharias and pulquereas of
. .4Its of Spanish America, the
as. beer gardens, saloons and
~- II more prosperous lands,
g.. ple of Paraguay-women as
y as inen-are continually
ST., ing mate through a tube, in
places as we'll as in private,
b. 4. doorWays and parlors and
The plaZas and markets and
9rNS by the wayside, at the
-'r IN the ball-room-Wherever
llree are gathered together,
mate-cup is sure to be in the
them,
.4 truly, it is the cup which cheers
not inebriate, being a gentle
a4 t whose tonic, exhilarating
-f felt for several hours, but is in
"l 0armtul, like the Supplying
"t Bolivia from which cocaine is
-1- uerye-shaking Chinese tea, or
-St coffee of Brazil, which local
'.os says should be 'black as night,
rs death, strong as love, and hot
Chemists assert that mate
'.aas both caffeine and theme, to-
with caffeo-tannic acid; and,
r-'eT procurable, it is especially
"'b ueuded by physicians for the
-t Il lgspepsia and other ills of the
s4s'i'e organs.
admirably adapted to this eli
bale having cooling effect in hot
-taef and the reverse during the
ally iampness of the rainy season,
'4eh here answers for winter, and is
'"d5s trunk at a scalding temperature
-e" brings tears to the eyes of the I'M
.l4lStlcated. Its bitter, herbal flavor,
wy unlike that of strong catnip tea, is
:sDeIdLly disliked at first taste; but
'1slsAeTs soon become as devoted to
- Use as natives to the manner born.
WI 'aia9uay, mate is always offered to
t II little gourd, which is perhaps