The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-20
CRYSTAL WATER GOSSIP
CHAPTER II.

anu ABDUL udlN&AG AAACilQllS llldl We
should use it or she would not put it
here. a little investigation on this point
may not be out OF place on this Sunday
morying. so beginning here at home We
will indulge in a few reflections as TO
whether or not this assertion is TO be
verified or set down as a dangerous fall
, lacy.
IN the first place we find Wichita to
be situated at the junction Of two rivers.
each of which furnishes two different
kinds Of water, one Of them a great deal
harder than the other. Wichita formerly
drew its water supply from the Little
river, but now draws it from the big river.
Which of these waters 90 you suppose
nature intended We should use?
Then again; If you go southwest about
ten miles. just beyond the Cowskin and
put down a well YOU will get a soft water;
different from both OF the waters pres
ent In the rivers here at Wichita. or
if you go east the same distance and put
down well you viii get what the natives
OF that district call 'gyp" water. ''Gyp"
water tastes very much like a dose of
Quinine.
The question naturally presents itself,
which Of these waters is the natural one,
and which the artificial? If one Of them
is of just the right composition the other
three must be wrong. Now the question
is, which is right and which is wrong?
Then again: taking the arkansas river
with its hard water and the Missouri
with its soft water. Which Of these is
right and which wrong? In St Louis
the Mississippi carries hard water and
the Missouri soft. Which of these is ma
tural and which artificial!
There are millions of people in the
world, drinking from millions of different
wells and streams, with no two OF them
furnishing water of the same composition
In other words millions Of people are
drinking from wells and streams where
the water is soft. while other millions are
drinking waters OF varying degrees Of
hardness. To say that each of these
wells and streams furnishes natural water
might possibly be true. but TO say that
the particular well or stream nearest to
each of these millions OF different peo-
PIE furnishes the particular kind of wa
ter which is best suited to his needs
eeems 10 require definite proof before be-
ing accepted as true.
Since nature furnishes her children
with all kinds Of water to drink II seems
20 US that possibly she intended we should
use our brains 10 study the effect of each
system, and then call our brains into
further use to select and provide for
ourselves that which has proved itself
20 be the best and safest.
Nature IS a rather ruthless mother.
She does not point out to us what is best,
but compels US TO weigh the evidence as
70 the fitness or unftness Of things, and
20 determine for ourselves that which is
good and that which is bad. In the same
field where she grows the benefcent corn
or wheat or fruit tree she also grows
the deadly nightshade. Side by side with
the delightful bunch of wild grapes we
find poison ivy. In the same pasture
with the grass which delights the palates
OF our domestic animals we find loco weed
and other death producing vegetables.
and side by side with the mushroom
grows the destructive toadstool
To prevent the use of these unhealthy
poisonous things nature has given in
stinct 10 animals and animals will not
touch them except it be under the direst
necessity and to prevent starvation. To
man she has given no such instinct. He
must use his reason TO guide him away
from the hurtful things and to aid him
in selecting the beneficial things And
man can only reason from a basis OF
facts furnished by his observations.
All this leads US back to the water pro-
position again. Since nature has furnish
ed all kinds Of water, varying from per-
feet purity 10 extreme hardness it only
remains for US to observe the health con-
ditions of the districts in which the two
different kinds are used IN order 10 ar
rive at something definite in regard TO
the effects that each has on the health
OF him who drinks it.
in beginning an investigation Of this
character our first impulse naturally is
TO look TO the character the water of
aTl the great health resorts. whore peo-
pie 80 solely because OF the curative
powers possessed by the waters. We
gre also led TO investigate the character
Of such waters as have proven themselves
sufficiently valuable in their effects to
justify botuing and shipping for their
curative powers.
The nearest Of these great resorts 10
Wichita is Eureka Springs. These springs
certainly have an enviablc reputation for
curing people. II is said that they have
q greater percentage OF cures TO their
credit than any springs in the world and
when We test the waters Of the best
springs at Eureka We find absolutely no
trace Of foreign matter Of any character
They are almost as pure and perfectly
soft as Crystal Water.
Next in importance would probably
come the Wal,esha Wells in Wisconsin
Thousands OF people so there every year
to set the benefits Of The water and hum
dreds Of car loads are bottled and shipped
out every year. Almost any big drug
store in the nited States can Furnish
you with some brand Of water from the
Naukesha Wells on demand It's fame
is such that Il is even shipped in car lots
70 Japan and other foreign countries
And Yet when il is PIT 10 the test il IS
nothing but a pure soft water. contain
Ing no foreign ingredient whatever; diff
feriag in no way from Crystal Water ex-