Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-15
NATURES BEST BEVERAGE.
A Flash Of Eloquence From a Man
Of Genius.

We give below beautiful extract
from speech delivered by the late
Emory A. Storrs, the subject being
glass of water. In this day and time
when water is at such low ebb, it is
refreshing to read such an encomium
upon it, emanating, as it does, from
such distinguished parsonage. We
commend the sentiments to our read
ers as being worthy to be read, con-
sidered and remembered.
"How do you expect to improve up
on the beverage furnished by nature?
Here it is-Adam's ale about the on
ly gift that has descended undefiled
from the Garden of Edenl Natures
common carrier-not created in the
rottenness of fermentation, nordistill-
ed over guilty fires Not born among
the hot and noxious vapors and gases
of worms and retorts, confined in
rocking watts, placed in clammy bar
rels and kegs, stored in malarious Gel
lars full of rats and cobwebsl No
authorizations fill it with sulphuric
acid, spirits of inter, stramonium, or
other deadly drugs and poisons, un-
til it is called forty rod death and
bug juice fusi oil' and Jersey light
ming 1t is not kept standing in the
fumes of sour beer and tobacco-smoke
and saloons, exposed for weeks and
months before it is drank, 10 the odor
of old cigar stubs and huge spittoons.
Virtues and not vices are its compan-
ions. Does it cause drunkenness, dis
ease, death, cruelty to women and
children Will it place rags on the
person, mortgages Oh the stock, farm,
and furniture? Will it consume
wages and income in advance, and
ruin men in business? No! But it
floats in white gossamer clouds, far up
in the quiet summer sky and hovers in
dreamy mist over the merry faces of
all our sparkling lakes. 1t wells the
woods and hills of earth's landscapes
in purple haze, where filmy lights
and shadows drift hour after hour. 1t
piles itself in tumbled masses of cloud
domes and thunderheads, draws the
electric flash from its mysterious hid
ing places and seams and shocks the
wide air with vivid lines of fire. II
is carried by kind winds and falls in
rustling curtains of liquid drapery
over all the thirsty woods and fields
and fixes in Gods mystic eastern
heavens His beautiful bow of prom.
Use, glorified with a radiance that
seemed reflected out of heaven itself
1t CLEANS in the frost crystals of the
mountain tops and the dews of the
valleys. 1t silently creeps up to eacl
leaf in the myriad forests of the
world and feeds and tints each fruit
and flower. 1t is here in the grass
blades of the meadows, and there
the corn waves its tassels and the
wheat is billowing! 1t gems the
depths of the desert with the glad
green oasis, winds itself in oceans
round the whole earth, and roars its
hoarse, eternal anthems on hundred
thousand miles of coast! 1t claps Its
hands in the flashing wave-crests oil
the sea, laughs in the little rapids Of
the brooks, kisses the dripping moss.
covered, old oaken well.buckets in 9
countless host of happy homes Lis.
ten to its fairy Jingle against the
brimming glass, that sweetest music
in all the world to one half-faintine
with thirst. And 80, in the Language
of poor old man Cough, l ask you
brothers all, would you exchange tina
sparkling glass of water for alcohol
the drink of the very devil himself?'