Greetings! In today’s class, we shall learn where intemperance begins, and who is often at fault.

*all information about tea is referring to caffeinated tea 

Intemperance Begins at the Table

“Intemperance commences at our tables, in the use of unhealthful food. After a time, through continued indulgence, the digestive organs become weakened, and the food taken does not satisfy the appetite. Unhealthful conditions are established, and there is a craving for more stimulating food. Tea, coffee, and flesh-meats produce an immediate effect. Under the influences of these poisons, the nervous system is excited, and, in some cases, for the time being, the intellect seems to be invigorated and the imagination to be more vivid. Because these stimulants produce for the time being such agreeable results, many conclude that they really need them, and continue their use. But there is always a reaction.” CDF 427

“The nervous system, having being unduly excited, borrowed power for present use from its future resources of strength. All this temporary invigoration of the system is followed by depression. In proportion as these stimulants temporarily invigorate the system, will be the letting down of the power of the excited organs after the stimulus has lost its force. The appetite is educated to crave something stronger, which will have a tendency to keep up and increase the agreeable excitement, until indulgence becomes habit, and there is a continual craving for stronger stimulus, as tobacco, wines, and liquors. The more the appetite is indulged, the more frequent will be its demands, and the more difficult of control. The more debilitated the system becomes, and the less able to do without unnatural stimulus, the more the passion for these things increases, until the will is over-borne, and there seems to be no power to deny the unnatural craving for these indulgences.” CDF 427, 428

“The only safe course is to touch not, taste not, handle not, tea, coffee, wines, tobacco, opium, and alcoholic drinks.” CDF 428

Mothers at Fault

“Many parents educate the tastes of their children, and form their appetites. They indulge them in eating flesh-meats, and in drinking tea and coffee. The highly seasoned flesh-meats and the tea and coffee, which some mothers encourage their children to use, prepare the way for them to crave stronger stimulants as tobacco. The use of tobacco and liquor invariably lessens nerve power.” CDF 234

“The ill effects of excessive tea drinking are referable to its action upon the digestive and nervous systems and are cumulative. Tea precipitates the digestive ferments, retards the activity of digestion and may occasion gastric irritation and catarrh. Constipation usually results, and more or less flatulence (gas). The effect of the ‘tea habit’ on the nervous system is to overstimulate and then depress it, first predicting restlessness, worry, and insomnia, and finally muscular tremors, sensory disturbances and palpitation.

Tea should be avoided in dyspepsia, gastric irritability from any cause, constipation, anemia, insomnia, nervousness and gastric catarrh. A case of multiple neuritis caused by drinking between two and three pints daily of strong tea has been reported by Sprawling… with one or two similar cases. In a report upon insanity, in Ireland, tea is mentioned as a contributing factor.”

Coca-Cola is Pernicious

It is not necessary here to discuss the end effects of the coca-cola habit; it is serious, and is especially harmful to children and youth. The cause of the habit is the caffeine in the mixture. It is not pertinent to discuss the amount that one glass may contain, or that the civilized world drinks tea and coffee freely. The coca-cola habit is pernicious.

Spurious Happiness

David Starr Jordan of Stanford University, classes alcohol, opium, tobacco, kola, tea, and coffee together as drugs which give happiness when happiness does not exist, and which destroy to the same extent they give happiness. Their function is to force the nervous system to lie. “As a drop of water is of the same nature of the tea, so in its degree is the effect of alcohol, opium, tobacco, cocaine, kola, tea, or coffee.” “Each of them, if used to excess, brings, in time, insanity, incapability, and death. With each of them the first use makes the second easier. To yield to temptation makes it easier to yield again. The weakening effect on the will is greater than the injury done to the body.“

Discussion Time: Today we learned how parents  “prepare the way” for their children’s tastes. Please share with us, from the Bible, “the way” in which parents should help their child to go. Please explain, in the comment section, below!

Grab a friend and share the wealth, from what you’ve learned in the School of Health! In our next class, we shall discuss how tobacco leads toward alcohol and also we shall learn how some painkilling remedies can be  harmful.  Until then, God bless!

  Previous Class: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5