Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-07-27
Ice Water.
A SPEECH FROM THE "FAT Contribution" !"


They dedicated gorgeous fountain In
Cincinnati last week, with marble base
and bronze uperstructure-yett to come,
In fact it was the foundation which was
dedicated, and at the dedication Mr.. Pro-
basco, the architect, so to speak, of the
fountain, had contriged to let on a SUP
ply of ice water, which was duly cele.
brated by Mr.. A. II. Griswold, the "Fat
Contributor" in the following speech,
which the Gazette says, occasi0red great
merriment whereby Mr.. Griswold,was in
nowise abashed: x.
Having been an enthusiastic cold
water drinker all my life, as one might
say perfect slave to ice water, TO the ex-
clusion of every other beverage, with,
perhaps a few unimportant exceptions,
and having upon all occasions, in season
and out of season, and sometimes when
ice was not in season always advocated
the use of ice water as a steady drink,
think may be pardoned for considering
this great triumph of Mr.. Probasco as in
a measure my triumph. Laughter. In
fostering and sustaining ice water as
beverage, be by his fountain and by ex-
ample, we may almost be said TO have
worked shoulder and shoulder together.
During the progress of this magnificent
work, now so rapidly approaching a tri-
umphant realization, he has had big
load to carry, and IL have sometimes
carried pretty big load myself-of ice
water, gentlemen. [ sllude to ice water.
You will please to remmember that we
are considering ice water to-day, aud no
allusion should be made TO any superior
beverage.
The history of ice water, I believe, has
never yet been written. 1t didn't come
over with the Pilgrims, for, as near as L
can ascertain. they only brought over
little New England rum. 1t must have
been known among the Aborigines medi-
cinally, for when an old chiet was once
asked what remedy he applied when bis
suuaw behaved badly, he replied, with an
emphatic and significant movement Of the
arm. 81 Slodter !'-meaning, of course,
ice water-over the head.
I have sometimes wondered who the
individual was who first discovered ice
water as a beverage. Now, if il had been
left TO me to discover il, am afraid If
would never have been discovered. i
have pictured in my fancy the man who
was the first 70 taste ice water, and the
circumstances under which he did it. ]
see him en a hot, sweltering August day,
n wanderer, on foot and alone, across the
burning sands of the Great Desert Of Ss-
hara. The chimes of his far away village
home are lost to his ear, but
'The bells they go ringing for Sahara"
The sun shines as if il knew it had but
that one solitary day lift to shine in, and
was determined to make mp for the loss OF
anv succeeding ages IL felt itself entitled
to by the original COMPACT. Its fierce rays
beat upon his unprotected head a. if 1t
were the head of drum. E.ch particle
If sand be treads upon with his bare feet
seems transposed into a red hot darning
needle. point up. The ethermometers stands
/ at 100 degrees in the shade, and site down
at 275 degrees in the sun. So you see
they were making it very warm for the
! boy.
Suddenly he recollects that be is dry.
/ Many of you have doubtless recnllected the
same thing over g0ur desert. He strives
in vain to quench his thirst with the in
ferior bydrant water of the desert-they
! na0D commenced lDelE new F6N6ik'4E
yet-but in vain. 1t Is too thin. This
was Sunday, you must reeoliect, and
Mayor Davis had closed up all ,he siloons
along the entire route. He sits down
filled with despair, being unable to fill
himself with any more palatable bever-
age. He is about TO give up to his fate,
when suddenly, right in his pathway, he
discovers-d chunk Of ice!
! Now it il of no Use 10 inquire how that
| ice came there. That is none of our busi-
ness. Sufficient for US to know it was
there. He put piece in a cup of water,
drank it off, and was filed with such
ecstatic delight as be never knew before.
/ Strengthened and exhilarated, he ha~tens
on, proclaiming with joyful shouts his
great discovery to thirsty world!
This may seem a trifis farfetchsd-per-
haps it is-but it must be remembered l
had to go long way after it. Bat ]
think it will compare favorably with many
of the scientific theories of the day.
| Well, blessed be the mortal, iwhoeVer
| he was, who first introduced ice water to
the world as a beverage, and thrice bless
ed that generous man whose munifieent
| donation to Cincinnati introduces ice-wat-
er to us to-day. [Great applause,