Coffee and tea are supposed by many to contain nourishing elements, that actually give strength to the body. They strengthen just as does whisky, beer and other alcoholic beverages. They are stimulants, pure and simple. The only food they contain is the sugar and cream that are usually mixed with them to hide their real favor. In fact the same natural test that can be used for all liquids, or foods, to determine their value as a food, can be applied to tea and coffee. Every natural wholesome food has a pleasant flavor, the very first time it is tasted by a child or adult in perfectly normal health, barring occasional peculiarities manifested by taste in certain persons. To the entirely normal throat and mouth whisky burns just as would fire if swallowed, and coffee or tea, if the real flavor is not disguised by sugar and cream, has a bitter, acrid taste that no one could possibly endure the second time if it were not for the bad influence of others who have acquired the habit.

" We thoroughly believe that more harm is done at the present time by tobacco, tea, and coffee, than by all forms of alcoholic drinks combined; and we deem it of the greatest importance that the efforts of temperance workers, should be turned in this direction." - J. H. Kellogg, M.D.

Many who preach temperance, as applied to alcoholic liquors, are as much slaves to the coffee or tea habit as others are to the poisonous alcoholic liquors; and, though tea and coffee do not manifest their evil effects so plainly, many victims of these mild stimulants do themselves as much injury in the end as the alcohol tippler.

Tea is especially bad as the large amount of tannin, a virulent poison, which it contains has a peculiarly stimulating, brightening effect for a time after its use, though, like the alcohol stimulant, the depressing after-effects, when the stimulating influence has disappeared, are marked. Again, like alcohol the quantity used must be gradually increased to secure the same effects, thus it is not at all uncommon to find some tea topers who have gradually increased their indulgence until they are drinking four to five cups each meal. The injurious effects of such intemperance will soon become apparent in every case. Of course, those whose vital strength is very great may be able to continue the habit for years without any serious results, beyond occasional periods of illness, but they are paying the price for their indulgence, and gradually, with as much certainty as day follows night, the "cup that cheers" will become the cup that inebriates.

Coffee, though not so injurious as tea, contains poisonous elements that have an unfavorable influence upon the body if its use is long continued. Notice the yellow skin of those who have been for a long time addicted to the coffee habit. It is often the sole cause of biliousness, and troubles of this nature have been known to disappear almost immediately after the abandonment of the habit.

"The evil effects of the use of these popular beverages have made too evident their injurious character to allow of room to doubt their deleterious influence, notwithstanding the apologies offered for their use by those who are accustomed to employ them.

"By the experiments of Dr. Smith, M. Ga-zear and many others it is shown that the consumption of the body is greater under the influence of tea or coffee than at other times, since the amount of carbonic acid eliminated is greater than natural, the amount of carbonic acid sent out from the lungs being the best known measure of the rate of waste of the body. The amount of extra waste thus occa-sioned is shown by Dr. Smith's experiments to be from one-fourth to one-tenth that of the whole waste of the body, whence Dr. Smith very consistently remarks that it is specially adapted to 'those who usually eat too much.' This is a tacit confession that at the least the use of tea is an expensive and wasteful habit.

"When taken upon an empty stomach, these beverages produce, as is well known, serious irritation of the digestive organs. When taken with the food, impairment of digestion is produced in several ways: (a) By taking into the stomach too large a quantity of liquid. (6) By relaxing the stomach by the use of liquids of too high a temperature, by which, also, the activity of the gastric juice is impaired, (c) By precipitating the pepsin with the tannin which they contain.

"That the use of tea and coffee is a common cause of dyspepsia is an observation made by all experienced physicians. At the last meeting of the British Medical Association, an eminent physician from Australia testified that dyspepsia from the use of tea and coffee is very common in that country. Sir William Robert has shown that both tea and coffee, even in small proportions, prevent the action of saliva upon starch, thus producing one of the most common forms of indigestion. The writer has demonstrated the correctness of these observations, both by experiment and clinically, having recorded a great number of cases in which grave disorders of digestion were evidently due to the use of tea and coffee.

" It is well known that whatever excites vital action above the normal standard, without supplying an extra amount of force to support the extra expenditure, invariably produces, as a secondary result, depression of vital action below the normal standard, or what is known as a reaction. That this is one of the secondary effects of the use of strong tea, is well known. Tea may be used so weak that the reaction is not noticed, but no doubt it is still felt in some degree by the organic system, if not by the nerves of animal life. This continued alternation of excitement and reaction must certainly result in injury to the nervous system, increasing the liability to nervous diseases of a functional character, such as neuralgia (neurasthenia), hysteria, etc." - J. H. Kellogg, M.D.

Both the tea and coffee habits can be easily discarded if the victim cares to make the required efforts. The principal attraction in both tea and coffee lies in the fact that they are warm, they increase the temperature of the contents of the stomach, and often enable one to obtain greater pleasure from eating, and to digest their meals with less noticeable signs of distress. Though there are some diseased conditions of the stomach when a hot drink can be advantageously recommended it should be taken a few minutes before a meal or an hour or two afterward. As stated in a previous chapter, if eating wholesome foods only, and thoroughly masticating them, there should be no desire for a drink either during or immediately after a meal; though, do not forget that if an actual, unmistakable thirst exists, I believe it is better to partially satisfy it.

After you have determined that you desire to break off from the tea or coffee habit, and there is but little use of making any effort in this direction unless there is some real seriousness in your desire, begin first by gradually day by day lessening the strength of the decoction and also the quantity. If these instructions are carried out carefully you will find yourself entirely free from the habit without the slightest craving for it in a short time.

Of course, after the strength of liquid has been greatly reduced you can then resort to some wholesome warm drink as a substitute. Hot water with cream and sugar to taste, is used with advantage by many. Gradually, however, the necessity for this should disappear and the quantity used should gradually grow less until you find that it can be discarded altogether.

Any of these habits, can of course, be dropped immediately with greater benefit, without this "tapering off" process, if the will is sufficiently strong, though when this is done there usually follows digestive and general functional disturbances that often make life rather uncomfortable for a few days.