European languages, and is taken from the Mexican name of the drink,
"Chocolate" or "Cacahuatl." The Spaniards found chocolate in common use
among the Mexicans at the time of the invasion under Cortez in 1519, and
it was introduced into Spain immediately after. The Mexicans not only
used chocolate as a staple article of food, but they used the seeds of
the cacao tree as a medium of exchange.

No better evidence could be offered of the great advance which has been
made in recent years in the knowledge of dietetics than the remarkable
increase in the consumption of cocoa and chocolate in this country. The
amount retained for home consumption in 1860 was only 1,181,054
pounds--about 3-5 of an ounce for each inhabitant. The amount retained
for home consumption for the year ending Dec. 31, 1908, was 93,956,721
pounds--over 16 ounces for each inhabitant.

Although there was a marked increase in the consumption of tea and
coffee during the same period, the ratio of increase fell far below that
of cocoa. It is evident that the coming American is going to be less of
a tea and coffee drinker, and more of a cocoa and chocolate drinker.
This is the natural result of a better knowledge of the laws of health,
and of the food value of a beverage which nourishes the body while it
also stimulates the brain.

Baron von Liebig, one of the best-known writers on dietetics, says:

"It is a perfect food, as wholesome as delicious, a beneficient restorer
of exhausted power; but its quality must be good and it must be
carefully prepared. It is highly nourishing and easily digested, and is
fitted to repair wasted strength, preserve health, and prolong life. It
agrees with dry temperaments and convalescents; with mothers who nurse