The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-09-24
MR.. MITCHELL ON WATER.
He Denounces the Passaic Filth from
His Pulpit.


The Rev David Mitchell preached to
a large congregation in the Scotch Pres
byterian Church last evening, and said
many unpleasant things about our water
He said in part
II doubt not the water from the well
of Jacob was just the thing-pure and
good Do we know about such an article
in Jersey City? Why, what is this hoW-
ing into our bathrooms and ktchenA
Well, certainly it is not water. Would
you call that black, Shiny, dirty liquid,
leaving thick deposit on every vessel
it touches, by such a sacred nameE COO
forbid. What have we then? II not
water, for what do we pay out money
oh, see what our Passaic Commission
ers are after. In these dull times they
want to give us more than water for
our cash. Yes, here is an indescribable
liquid, the like of which has never been
seen before, except perhaps where it is
now For we cannot forget the kind
ness of our authorities in supplying this
very material in previous years. Only
1t is more mixed up, it is queerer look
ing, more likely to raise deep questions
in thinking minds. If we had to say
what this stuff is we would be puzzled
indeed. No one would think of calling
it water. You can't drink it.
.The smell follows one, and you can't
wash clothes with it. 1t seems too sohd
for the bath. Possibly our water friends
are after supplying us with a happy-go-
lucky article that will do for food as
well. If they are, we may be thankful
they give US plenty of it. There's enough
for every man, woman and child, ana
plenty to spare for poor folk and strang-
ers. We have sufficient for donkeys,
too but it is funny they do not take to
the delectable potion. But these are
| only asses and are stupid, they say.
Well, we cannot help asking whether the
Commissioners agree to give water for
our money, or is it some unknown sub
stance for which black letter ink would
be no name. or for which mud in a
Shiny condition would be mild term. 1
wonder whether it is not some medicinal
| mixture that is specially prepared with
an eye to business. We dare not repeat
the Judges allusion to the subject.
"But then, even lawyers are sometimes
mistaken We should like to see the
| question solved what really is this
muddy stream having the right of way
| to our houses? There must be some good
| in it, for we cannot conceive our city
fathers furnishing other than healthy
| drink to the community. We should like
to have this point proved before going
| further Because if we get both meat
and drink in one let the fact become
widely known and it might attract
strangers to our fair city. And were it
once given out that this colored, sticky
liquid is not merely health-giving as
food, but that it is actually medicinal
even our lower Jersey would become a
shrine-a very Mecca drawing the weary
pilgrim from afar. Why not have a
grand commission to determine such a
| question? Let it be made up of our able
! household queens, and as they are to
! distinguish the finest perfumes, we are
sure their decision would be wholesome -
| The Pastor took for granted there was
still such thing in nature as the pure
| crystal stream, and proceeded to give
| a vigorous sermon upon the spiritual
! qualities of which water was a sugges-
4 tive emblem.