Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-08-11
THE SODA FOUNTAIN,

/ II II ulSCNNtfCu lnaJ EOou many
things supposed to he modern 30 back
\ to remote origin; in fact, So far that
I they cannot he traced definitely to
. their source. but only some distance
toward il, The steam engine, the
printing press, its corollary the news
paper gmpowder even the corset
turn out to he 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
cd There is no hint of It IN the
sculptmal remains of Thehes and
Memphis, no such thing adorned the
Pplae of the Mcmnonium or the
Labyrinth. none was to be seen In the
Peristyle of Diana's Temple ut Ephe,
sus, When l.ais 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 favoring extracts, with flexible
finger lowering along the sIvcred
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 oldtime ladies could not be
aware how much they lost, but II was
good deal enough to strip the gar
land Of life of one of its most fragrant
blossoms. They were no doubt stayed
with other hagons and comforted with
apples galore, but so far MS the am.
! brosia Of the soda fountain is con.
cerned with its foaming and various.
ly tinted nectars, worthy OF Gany,
mede's offering to Jupiter, they could
have no experience Of II A more
smiling fortune reserved 1t for their
successors of a 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 n trophy of
the modern time the soda fountain is,
its root owning to nurture from the
mold and moss Of antiquity, II 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 a
good many Of them do what is prac
tically saloon business by purveying
wine, whiskey, and other alcoholic
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
a state Of things TO invite further In.
vestigation and such correction as the
case may be found to require. II 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 f,mc.
tion to a noxious and destroying one
II hard drinks are a necessity OF the
social order let them be puryeyed by
themselves under the responsibilities
which the law attaches to such pur
yeyance, but at any rate LET us guard
the innocuoHness Of our soda foun.
tains and see that nothing is dis
tributed from them which ought not
70 he.