INTRODUCTION 



age is one of peace, comfort, and re- 

 finement As these qualities are all 

 associated with the ways of women, 

 it is to them, therefore the real 

 rulers of the world that tea owes its 

 prestige and vogue. 



Further peeps through these pages 

 prove this to be true ; for nearly all 

 the allusions and references to the 

 beverage, by male writers, reveal the 

 womanly influence that tea imparts. 

 But this is not all. The side-lights 

 of history, customs, manners, and 

 modes of living which tea plays in 

 the life of all nations will be found 

 entertaining and instructive. Linked 

 with the fine feminine atmosphere 

 which pervades the drinking of the 

 beverage everywhere, a leaf which 

 can combine so much deserves, at 

 least, a little human hearing for its 

 Yiii 



