Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-03
OWENS RIVER IS
SERMON SUBJECT
PASTOR is CONVINCED MORE
WATER IS NEEDED
Finds Great Project Has Religious
as Well as an Economic End,
and Speaks In Its
Favor

Owens river was the subject of a
sermon by Rev. Edward H. Brooks,
pastor of the Figueroa Street Baptist
church, to his congregation last even
ing. He took for his text Rev., 22:1,
And he showed me a pure river" He
said in part:
1.-The one great purpose of the Chris
tian pulpit is to bring the life of God
through Jesus Christ into the souls of
men and to vitalize all the forces in
human society. 1t is, therefore, right
and proper for the Christian minister
to find his themes in the whole field,
not only of Bible teaching, but of
nature and human life. For many rea-
sons 1 am justified in taking for my
subject tonight, owens Rivera Thing
of Beauty and a Joy Forever 1t
comes to view in several particulars.
"First-As a water supply for the
city of Los, Angeles The proposition
as given in the published report and as
discussed in all the papers l have read
carefully While I am not an eyewit-
ness, 1 have conversed with leading
men in whom have all confidence. As
citizen of Los Angeles for twelve
years, deeply interested in its welfare,
and a careful observer of existing con-
ditions, I am led to approve most
heartily OF this method of water sup
ply. surely d large dIHOunL Oh WdLeT
will be needed for our city, which is
growing so rapidly If the reports are
true, there are no sources around Los
Angeles that are adequate to meet the
demand. The abounding flow of water
in Owens river, from $500 acres of
watershed and from forty-three noun
atins 1900 feet high is reason enough,
it seems to me, for the cost of bring
ing 400 cubic feet per second to this
city and vicinity.
viii Make Desert Rejoice
"As I have in my vision that COM
pleted aqueduct, giving abundance of
water for the homes of a million peo-
pie, for the irrigation of $4,000 acres of
suburban land now unused, thus max
| ing the desert rejoice and blossom as
the rose, and also for the generation by
water wheels of electricity in great
abundance, do not in my enthusiasm
| hesitate to call the Owens river thing
of beauty as its crowning excellence
and Joy forever.
Emerson says: The beautiful has
| it's foundations in the necessary and
surely we must have that water II
possible Some people say the water
there is not pure-but it seems that
now we are drinking in our present
water supply thirty-nine grains OF
| SOllQS, DuL WI6H we get lne OWehS
river water we will reduce those grains
to twelve We must not expect per-
lection in this world. Comparatively
speaking, it will be, in the language OF
my text, a pure river
''Second-As a most effective pro-
moter of unity among the people. The
sooner all the great natural sources o1
utility can be owned and operated fol
the people on the principle of the
greatest good to the greatest number
| the sooner will the kingdom of GOD
fully come, and his will be done or
earth. The great trend of all socia.
| development now is in this direction
and it rejoices my heart as no tongue
can tell
"The Owens river is also a thing OF
beauty as a marked instance of the
sacred possessions of Jesus Christine
larger Christ, who is incarnating him
self in q new humanity and who is
vet to have dominion from the river
| to the ends of the earth. That river
| is also a symbol of spiritual truth ano
prophecy in its full development OF
the heavenly city that is to be-'the
one far off divine event to which the
whole creation moves
/ Until that happy time arrives lei
us endeavor to make the city we now
| live in as much like the heavenly as
we possibly can, and one good way tc
do this is to unite as one man on cleo
ton day to vote for sufficient money tc
bring here the copious waters of the fal
/ <ef x,,o.rfafYaa