2 TEA 



teapot by being shrivelled into a form with which you 

 are all familiar. 



Can you recall the time when you first began to take 

 an interest in tea ? Let me try to assist your memory. 

 Am I not right in thinking that all of you, like myself, 

 can trace back the origin of that interest to nursery 

 days ? You remember how much you wanted to taste 

 and try the contents of the cups that were handed to 

 big brothers and sisters, in those days when your cup 

 was filled with milk and water ? At this stage in your 

 life, you were ready enough to ask such questions as : 



"What is tea?" 



" Why is tea bad for children ?" 



And maybe you made the latter of these very general 

 inquiries more of a puzzle by adding some such 

 remark as : 



" Nurse couldn't play with us this afternoon because 

 she had a bad headache ; but she was all right after tea, 

 and then we had fine games. Was it the tea that 

 made her well, mother ?" 



At last came a birthday, or some other festive occa- 

 sion, on which you were promoted to drinking tea. 

 For a few days after, you impatiently awaited the 

 coming of teatime as a treat-time, but the regular 

 repetition of the treat quickly led you into the habit 

 of regarding a cup of tea as a very ordinary part of the 

 repast which is named after it. Whilst getting used 

 to tea as a beverage, you learnt to like it more and 

 more ; at the same time, you came to think slightingly 

 of tea-leaves as the mere refuse of a teapot. 



As a first step towards reawakening your intelligent 

 interest in tea as a product, I will ask you to imagine 

 that you have before you a collection of tea-leaves. 



