How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History
Tea met all the definitions of intellectual property: it was a product of high commercial value, it was manufactured using a formula and process unique to China, which China protected fiercely; and it gave China a vast advantage over its competitors.
Robert Fortune was a plant hunter sent to China by the East India Company to steal tea plants. He shipped them to Great Britain’s greatest possession, India, where they would be grown, giving England its own source of a precious commodity, thus bringing the price of tea down and making it available to England’s citizens.
This is a fun book on many levels: 19th century, England, China, espionage, horticulture, tea and opium.
I listened to the audio book, read by the author. I found her voice a bit off-putting. I have found few audiobooks read by authors that I’m crazy about. My interest lagged at times. This is the kind of book which required close attention: unfamiliar place names and era, scientific, political and economic considerations of a complex subject. I listened to several discs more than once to keep up with the details.
Recommended for history buffs, tea enthusiasts, and science lovers.
I enjoy participating in Semicolon’s Saturday Review of Books.
Were I to make a poem of a day Of housework, I’d not write of dust and brooms So much as of the sun in spotless rooms, Of bowls of freshly cut sweetpeas—I’d say Less of vegetables and kinds of bread, Of endless dishes washed and scraped and dried, And more of children’s hunger satisfied— I’d tell of warm soft lips on mine instead.
O more than ceaseless duties I would sing Of happy hearts and of contentment, of Ambitious dreams—yes, more than anything I’d tally every blessing, wherein love Is greatest of them all: is the leaven Exalting toil, turning home to Heaven.
The other reason that I make music is to celebrate the certainty of the Lord, since there is no other way I can understand the contradictions and confusions that surround me. — Anthony Trollope
I was raised on hymns. They were my mother’s milk, my first solids, my daily bread, my cup of tea. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t sing hymns, nor a time that I haven’t loved hymns. I sing hymns that sweep my soul up and bring me to the gates of heaven. I sing hymns that mourn, a haunting melody in a minor key that alone reaches the nooks and crannies of my grief. Hymns, well-done, show me how great my God is and how much that affects my life. They remind me of what is true, they teach me how to respond, they encourage me to change.
I’ve worshiped with Plymouth Brethren, Baptist, Evangelical Free, and Presbyterian churches. In other words, I come from a broad range of hymnody: English melodies, Fanny Crosby, revival hymns, plainsong, German chorales, psalms from the psalter, Welsh hymns, folksongs, Vaughn Williams, Luther, and one of my favorites: Claude Goudimel.
Just as in books, there are good ones and there are raspy ones. I when hear certain hymns I think: All Skate! Other have a sing-song rhyming scheme that sounds like a seventh grader wrote it. True, some tunes are dated and just bad. There are bouquets of flowery, sentimental sap that may not even be orthodox in their theology.
Hymn geeks know that each tune has a name. The name of the tune may come from the city where it was composed, the first words of the hymn—often in their original language—or some phrase that identifies it. Or in the case of one favorite, the tune is SINE NOMINE, meaning without a name. I included the tunes because two people out there will care to know to which tune I sing that particular hymn.
1. DoxologyOLD HUNDRETH This should be the first praise song every toddler learns. And perhaps the last song with the last breath of life. Our church sings this, a capella, at the end of every service.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
2. Come, Thou Fount of Every BlessingNETTLETON
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
3. My Soul, Now Bless Thy Maker (Psalm 103) NUN LOB, MEIN SEEL The truth is that many of my favorite hymns are based on Psalm 103. Unfortunately this one is obscure. How do I translate to you the joy and thrill it is to sing this? Almost every audio version I’ve found has a slow, dreary tempo when this is a vigorous and confident tune. So here’s the best combo I can find: Listen to this version (click on 519) after you’ve opened a window with the words.
My soul, now bless thy Maker! Let all within me bless His name Who maketh the partaker of mercies more than thou dar’st claim.
4. Shout, for the Blessed Jesus ReignsTRURO I love TRURO like my friend Steph loves HYFRYDOL. We are kindred spirits in our hymn geekdom. Listen here.
Shout, for the blessed Jesus reigns; through distand lands his triumphs spread; And sinners freed from endless pains, own him their Saviour and their Head.
5. Only Begotten, Word of God EternalISTE CONFESSOR There is gravitas in this ninth century hymn. Tune is here; words are here (pause the music that automatically starts).
Here in our sickness, healing grace aboundeth, Light in our blindness, in our toil refreshment: Sin is forgiven, hope o’er fear prevaileth, Joy over sorrow.
6. Jesus Shall ReignDUKE STREET Besides loving ancient hymns in minor keys I love triumphal anthems. Tune here and words here. I love to modulate up a half key with each new verse.
People and realms of every tongue dwell on His love with sweetest song; And infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on His Name.
7. O Sing A New Song to the Lord (Psalm 98) LYNGHAM To hear a large group singing this four-part fugue is glorious.
O sing a new song to the Lord, for wonders He has done. His right hand and His holy arm the victory have won.
8. O the Deep, Deep Love of JesusEBENEZER The music matches the words in this piece better than any other hymn I can think of. I hear the ocean currents.
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love; Leading onward, leading homeward, to thy glorious rest above.
9. Praise To the Lord, the AlmightyLOBE DEN HERREN If you don’t know this hymn, please learn it. Every phrase is rich, solid, steady.
How oft in grief hath not he brought thee relief, Spreading his wings to o’ershade thee!
10. For All the SaintsSINE NOMINE Alleluia!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine.
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong
11. In Christ Alone Music and lyrics here. What is it about this modern day hymn that is so potent? The words speak to the core issues of life and death. The soaring intervals.
And as He stands in victory Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
12. Great Is Thy FaithfulnessFAITHFULNESS No other song evokes memories of mom like this one.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
13. Holy, Holy, HolyNICAEA
Though the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see, Only thou art holy: there is none beside thee Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
14. Jesus, Thy Blood and RighteousnessGERMANY
Fully absolved through these I am From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
15. Come, Ye Disconsolate CONSOLATION
Here bring your wounded heart, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
16. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms
17. Trust and Obey One of the first hymns I sang as a girl.
For there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus
18. O Come, All Ye FaithfulADESTE FIDELIS After I learned about Athanasius, I lift up thanks for him when I sing this carol. Why? Because much of the doctrine in it was defended by him.
Word of the Father now in flesh appearing
19. All Glory, Laud, and HonorST. THEODULPH Bach wrote a great harmonization on this tune.
Thou didst accept their praises, accept the prayers we bring, Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious king!
20. We Are God’s People This is one of our church’s favorite anthems.
He wills us be a family, diverse yet truly one, O let us give our gifts to God, and so shall his work on earth be done.
21. Like a River GloriousWYE VALLEY
We may trust Him fully all for us to do, They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.
22. Why Do the Heathen Nations Vainly Rage?POURQUOI FONT BRUIT
How blessed are those who trust without dissembling, Who kiss the Son and bow in reverent fear.
23. O for a Thousand TonguesAZMON There are 19 (!) stanzas in the original lyrics. We have great fun singing it to this tune, like a fugue. Click on the link. Do it!
Assist me to proclaim to all the earth abroad The honors of Thy name.
24. All Hail the Power of Jesus’ NameDIADEM, CORONATION, MILES’ LANE Diadem is my favorite setting of this anthem.
And crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, And crown Him Lord of all!
25. The Lord Bless You and Keep YouLUTKIN A fitting benediction.
The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord life his countenance upong you, And give you peace.
26. God Himself Is with UsARNSBERG Simple, solemn beauty.
Like the holy angels who behold Thy glory, May I ceaselessly adore Thee.
27. All Creatures of Our God and KingLASST UNS ERFREUEN Mr. Bean almost ruined this for me.
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on Him cast your care.
28. Jesus, Lover of My SoulABERYSTWYTH Another minor key masterpiece!
All my trust on Thee is stayed, All my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head With the shadow of Thy wing.
29. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly This Polish Christmas carol is a simple lullaby packed with truth.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, Praises voicing, greet the morrow, Christ the Babe was born for you!
30. Now Thank We All Our GodNUN DANKET Not just for Thanksgiving, this one is always relevant.
Who, from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
31. O God Beyond All PraisingTHAXTED
And whether our tomorrows be filled with good and ill, We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still.
32. O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High!DEO GRACIAS THis one is dense and thick and chewy.
That God, the Son of God, should take Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!
33. What Wondrous Love Is This?
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be, And through eternity I’ll sing on.
34. Amazing GraceNEW BRITAIN How did I forget about this before?
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
35. God Be in My Head
God be in my head, and in my understanding. God be in mine eyes, and in my looking. God be in my mouth, and in my speaking. God be in my heart, and in my thinking. God be at my end, and in my departing.
36. St. Patrick’s BreastplateST. PATRICK
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.
37. Awake, My Soul, in Joyful LaysLOVING KINDNESS
When trouble, like a gloomy cloud, has gathered thick and thundered loud, He near my soul has always stood, His loving kindness, oh, how good!
38. The Church’s One FoundationAURELIA
Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One, And mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.
39. Rejoice, the Lord Is KingDARWALL
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
40. When All Thy MerciesST. PETER Fernando Ortega sings this well.
When all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view, I’m lost In wonder, love, and praise.
41. The God of Abraham PraiseLEONI I love this Jewish melody.
I shall behold His face, I shall His power adore, And sing the wonders of His grace forevermore.
42. Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners!HYFRYDOL
Jesus! what a strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him; Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my strength, my victory wins.
43. How Sweet and Awful Is the PlaceST. COLUMBA This lilting Irish melody is quietly powerful.
‘Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in; Else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.
44. O Lord, My God, Most EarnestlyTHIRD MODE MELODY If you’ve seen Master and Commander, you’ve heard this haunting tune.
Beneath the shadow of Your wings I sing my joy and praise. Your right hand is my strong support through troubled nights and days.
45. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep SilencePICARDY This French Carol has very little ornamentation. It is solemn, simple, and powerful.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly-minded, for with blessing in His hand Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.
46. Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?MARTYRDOM One of the foundations of my youth.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do.
47. And Can It BeSAGINA
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me?
48. Children of the Heavenly Father One of my brother’s signature songs.
Neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord His children sever; Unto them His grace He showeth, and their sorrows all He knoweth.
49. Fairest Lord JesusCRUSADER’S HYMN
Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, praise, adoration Now and forevermore be Thine.
50. Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, World without end. Amen, Amen.
51. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore TheeHYMN TO JOY
Teach us how to love each other, Lift us to the joy divine.
52. My Jesus, I Love TheeGORDON
I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath.
53. I Will Sing of My Redeemer
How the victory He giveth Over sin, and death, and hell.
54. Stricken, Smitten and AfflictedO MEIN JESU, ICH MUSS STERBEN Wow. This hymn. Oh, my.
Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great Here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate. Mark the Sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load; ‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.
55. Christ, the Lord, Is Risen TodayEASTER HYMN Belt this one out at the top of your lungs!
Lives again our glorious King; Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died, our souls to save; Alleluia! Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
What are a few of your favorites?
Okay, I’ve already realized a few glaring omissions. Humor me?
♥ To God Be the Glory (we sang this at our wedding) ♥ Blessed Assurance ♥ Before Thee Let My Cry Come Near (Psalm 119 X)
About 15 years ago I started keeping a commonplace book, copying favorite poems, quotes, sentences, phrases, and words into a journal, making a personal anthology of my reading life.
Here are selections from a few of my journals, a slice of delight.
4. You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me. — C. S. Lewis
5. Fair is where you take the hogs in August. — Anon
6. When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age. — Victor Hugo
7. If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing. — Zimbabwe proverb
8. The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest. — Albert Einstein
9. God will not guide us into an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness. — Thomas Kelly
10. The other reason that I make music is to celebrate the certainty of the Lord, since there is no other way I can understand the contradictions and confusions that surround me. — Septimus Harding in The Warden, by Anthony Trollope
11. Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgivings. — W. T. Purkiser
12. History is a vast early warning system. — Norman Cousins
13. Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun being serious. — Wynton Marsalis
14. Calm sinning leads to catastrophic suffering. — Terry Tollefson
15. If you try to make something idiot-proof, the world comes up with a better idiot. — Jack Van Deventer
16. Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances we know to be desperate. — G. K. Chesterton
17. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle
18. I am practicing the art of grabbing minutes, perhaps the single most important art the homeschooling mom can develop. — Cindy Rollins
19. The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. — e.e. cumings
20. Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. — William James
21. Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now on and make a brand new ending. — Carl Bard
22. Never get into a rut. You cannot afford to do a thing poorly. You are more injured in shirking your work or half-doing a job than the person for whom you are working. — Booker T. Washington
23. Your absence has gone through me like a thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color. — W. S. Merwin
24. Never, never, never give up. — Winston Churchill
25. Sit loosely in the saddle of life. — Robert Louis Stevenson
26. There’s nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself. — J. S. Bach
27. Plan as if you will live a short time and live as if you will be here another twenty or thirty years. — Ken Weddle
28. Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one. — Oscar Wilde
29. A good theology will invariably produce a good meal. — Anon
30. Every load of laundry starts with a choice. You can make it a chore, approaching it with dread, performing it grudgingly. Or you can choose to take pleasure in the act of caring for yourself and your family. — Monica Nassif
31. We labor under the tyranny of perfect heroes. — Gary Barber
32. Eating has always been important to me, because the focal point of the day is the dinner table, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. The dinner hour is a sacramental time for me, a time for gratitude for whoever is gathered around the table, for the food, for our being part of the greater story of creation. — Madeline L’Engle
33. For a second, the woman’s heart quailed before the fresh difficulties, but she forgot self at the look in her husband’s face. Her quiet reply, “We will wait, for God is in the waiting,” filled him with courage again. — Eric P. Kelly
34. I have always known that happiness is a gift, not a right. — P. D. James
35. A perfect day should be recorded. It can’t be relived except in memory but it can be celebrated and remembered with gratitude. — P. D. James
36. Order is the shape upon which beauty depends. — Pearl Buck
37. Life itself is the proper binge. — Julia Child
38. A phone call to say I’m thinking of you yields benefits all out of proportion to the time investment. — Andree Seu
39. Maybe I’m a Luddite because I feel sorry for children who read “Goodnight Moon” on a phone. — Dan Newman
40. Give me a man who sings at his work. — Thomas Carlyle
41. A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. — Honore De Balzac
42. To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. — Cicero
43. Children are durable and don’t necessarily wilt under adversity, just as our children don’t necessarily thrive under luxury and comfort. — Garrison Keillor
44. Get off your attitude. — Terry Tollefson
45. Only by God’s grace is a promise sure. — heard at a wedding
46. A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules. — Anthony Trollope
47. Good prose is economical. — PSAT prep book
48. Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words. — Jeremy Taylor
49. A man who does a good job is OK by me. — Abraham Lincoln
50. He who would not be frustrate of his hope to write well ought himself to be a true poem. — John Milton
51. Really cool things happen on the brink of disaster. — Bob Jensen, local potter
52. Putting other people before our own tidy plans is a reality that needs to be observed by the next generation. — Edith Schaeffer
53. Good humor makes all things tolerable. — Henry Ward Beecher
54. Never think because you cannot write a letter easily, that it is better not to write at all. The most awkward not imaginable is better than none. — Emily Post
55. What people truly crave is appreciation. — William James
Now I give you 55 pictures of the guys I wrap my life around. 1 husband, 3 sons, 5 grandsons (no pictures of the 6th until he arrives)
Only one girl—my sister-in-law—is included because I couldn’t bear to omit one of the best pictures taken in the 1960’s.
If pictures of dead animals bother you, click away. Now. My guys hunt. My guys fish. My guys eat. Please know that I held back. And I will hear complaints about inclusions and omissions from my sons. I could have done 55 Field and Stream Photos.
There is no order and I didn’t count pictures per person. I didn’t try to be fair. Fair is where you take the hogs in August.
1. Come with me on a journey
2. It should make you smile
3. What does this mean?
4. Let’s go!
5. Misty Morning’s Ebony Splendor — our beloved first pet.
This is the kind of book which can create a thirst for history. There are 20 pages of solid text, denser than a typical picture book, but with illustrations that keep kids interested. Imagine it is 1826, and a nation that had never seen a giraffe. Think through the logistics of moving such a large animal before the time of cars and trucks or trains. A ship was fitted to transport her from Alexandria across the Mediterranean Sea to Marseilles. She walked from Marseilles to Paris, about 425 miles! The illustration shows one man leading the giraffe. Actually it took four men with four ropes to keep the giraffe secure. A gift for the king can’t be running off! For France, it was the Next Big Thing: there was an explosion in giraffe art, giraffe china, giraffe linens, and even a giraffe hairstyle.
I am fascinated how one animal can so greatly impact a culture. If you happen to be in Paris, you can see La Girafe’s remains (what does one call the non-living specimen?) mounted, on display. If you happen to be in Paris, make sure you visit Jardin des Plantes, the second oldest zoo in the world.
One could easily springboard from the reading of this book to a short introduction to geography, zoology, taxidermy or meteorology.
Here’s a fun quote:
It isn’t easy to make a raincoat for a giraffe, but Professor Saint-Hilaire designed a good one that covered her whole body and buttoned down the front. It even had a hood to keep her head and long neck dry.
I was spearing some brussell sprouts when the truck motor caught my attention.
I looked out the window and the blood drained from my face. The words Oregon State Police were painted on the truck door. The speed was slow; the driver looked carefully at the numbers on houses.
I walked to the screen door and stood there. My guys are out hunting. I waited to see if this officer was sent for me.
He drove past the house; I blew out the air that I’d been holding in reserve. Two doors down, he pulled into the driveway and turned around. Again, the truck idling, he tilted his head and scanned the fronts of houses.
“Walk with me, Jesus,” I prayed/commanded as the truck slowed in front of my house. In these moments—silly me—, I begin lining up pallbearers.
Then the Oregon State Police continued down the block. Breathe deep. Exhale.
(
. An inter-library loan (thank you Enterprise Public Library) allowed me to test-drive it with a 7-year old and a 3-year old. Two thumbs up!
and Judith St. George’s 
.
A Living Pencil 