COFFEE 



latter acts on the meat exactly as it does on hides in a tan- 

 ning factory. It forms a substance resembling leather, which 

 taxes the powers of the strongest digestion. 



Once upon a time in those fertile mountains of Abyssinia 

 which have never yet been explored by the white man, there 

 was a very holy and pious hermit. He used to live entirely 

 on the milk of a few goats which he carefully tended with 

 his own hands. One morning he noticed that one of these 

 goats showed signs of unusual excitement. It was frisking 

 about, and obviously was exceedingly well pleased with 

 itself. 



That was not a usual experience with the holy recluse, who 

 watched the animal carefully. He soon discovered that it 

 was in the habit of grazing on the bright red berries of a 

 very handsome shrub in the hills. The anchorite tasted 

 those fruits and discovered that he also became both pleased 

 with himself and somewhat excited. 



His disciples soon discovered a brightness and exhilaration, 

 an unusual "snap,'" in the good man's sermons, and they 

 watched him and also discovered Coffee ! 



The author refuses to take the responsibility of more than 

 the discovery of the above story. Coffee was, however, 

 introduced into Arabia by the Sheikh Dabhani in 1470. It 

 was taken to Constantinople about 1554, and about a hun- 

 dred years later coffee-houses and cafes were regular and 

 habitual daily resorts in London and Paris. 



As usual with stimulants of all kinds, the watchful eye of 

 a moral Government discovered something objectionable in 

 coffee, and Charles II in 1675 imposed heavy taxes, or rather 

 forbade the use of it altogether. 



There was in 1718 a coffee-plant in the botanical gardens 

 at Amsterdam, and in that year some of its seeds were sent 



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