Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-08-11
THE SODA FOUNTAIN.

1t is discovered that a good many
things supposed to be modern go back
to remote origin; in fact. SO far that
they cannot be traced definitely to
their source, but only some distance
toward it. The steam engine, the
printing press, its corollary the news
paper, gunpowder, even the corset
turn out to be mere re-discoveries of
things known to the ancients. One
fond illusion after another thus goes
out and new force and meaning are
continually lent to Solomon's declara-
ton that there is no new thing under
the sun.
That celebrated dictum, however.
goes rather too far. 1t is not every
thing belonging to modern life that
can be hunted back into crypts and
caverns of antiquity, and among the
limited number of such devices the
soda fountain must certainly be rank
ed. There is no hint of it In the
sculptural remains of Thebes and
Memphis; no such thing adorned the
Pplae of the Memnonium or the
Labyrinth; none was to be seen in the
Peristyle of Diana's Temple at Ephe-
sus. When Lais or Phyrne or Aspasia
Jared abroad there was no Athenian
pharmacist at the corner in the fore
ground of his array of bottles filled
with fiavoring extracts. with flexible
finger lowering along the silvered
spigot line to hand forth to her the
foaming nectareous urn Not know
ing how cooling and soothing and in
spring its contents were, those ia
nous old-time ladies could not be
aware how much they lost, but It was
a good deal-enough to strip the gar
land of life of one of its most fragrant
blossoms. They were no doubt stayed
with other fagons and comforted with
apples galore, put so far as the am
brosia of the soda fountain is con.
cerned, with its foaming and various
ly tinted nectsrs, worthy of Gany.
mede's offering to Jupiter. they could
have no experience of it. A more
smiling fortune reserved it for their
successors of later time, and almost
any popular stand, particularly in hot
weather. will supply evidence that the
gift has not been thrown away on
them.
Considering how proud trophy of
the modern time the soda fountain is.
its root owning to nurture from the
mold and moss of antiquity, it seems
not in keeping that its record should
be blemished by any acts OF its min
istrants. But the Commissioner of
Excise brings forth the charge that
good many of them do what is prac-
tically saloon business by purveying
wine, whiskey. and other alcoholic
drinks under the guise of innocent
soda water which even fay and fairy
and seraphim might taste with no
dread of disturbing the delicate poise
of their faculties. This gives token of
state of things to invite further in
vestigation and such correction as the
case may be found to require It will
never do to have our soda fountains
tempered with in this way and almost
the only original device which the
modern time can boast thus turned
away from its true and innocent flmc-
tion to noxious and destroying one
If hard drinks are necessity of the
social order let them be purveyed by
themselves under the responsibilities
which the law attaches to such pur-
veyance, but at any rate let us guard
the innocuousness of our soda foun
tains and see that nothing is dis
tributed from them which ought not
to be.