August 1928
475
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Water and Life B y P rof . R oland C ase R oss ( Nature Department, Los Angeles City Schools )
are some people who object to rain. They t the Father in heaven to hold off His rs while they are detained outdoors, for- l that God sends rain upon the just as well unjust. That very impartiality is one of perfections and all flesh should give Him
tems scourges rage unchecked. Civilization owes daily thanks for the never-failing waters, the blessing from the skies above. ■The thanksgiving spirit for the things of common life is a bit too primitive and child-like for many o f . us. We are too wise in laws of nature and science to turn our face above and say “ Thank you, Father.’ /; Yet wherein does knowledge o f God’s method excuse us from common cour tesy? W e still receive the benefits, ignorant or learned.
thanks when the earth is blessed with rainfall. The trees tense their fresh-washed leaves, the grass leaps with new growth, the beasts frolic with the prospect o f a, shower: ungrateful man alone complains. W e have assorted cli
And just how does stat ing the principle destroy the miracle? The never- failing waters from the thin, open air are still marvelous, and still enig matic. Who can lift to high heaven and spread abroad over the earth the 'tons o f water that fall d a i l y throughout the world ? Not all mankind working night and day could even lift into the sky a noteworthy frac tion of the daily rainfall, while the carrying power of the winds that come in their seasons loaded with water vapor is something titanic and is in principle
mates here in the W e st: snowy mountains, torrid valleys, foggy c o a s t s , parched plains. Where the rains abound there are the forests, the rich farm lands, the contented people. -Where rains are scarce, we have mostly— climate. The dry lands of the Southwest have as good or better soils than the productive regions, but nothing grows in such rich but parched soil save sagebrush and dwarfed t e n a c i o u s shrubs. The sun shines
still a mystery. The greatest source of power now avail able for industry is the cascading mountain torrents rush ing to the sea with mighty power—power enough, if har nessed, to do all the work there is to do at present. This very power is from the absorptive air that lifts up and drops again the water that seeks so vigorously through rill and river the mother sea. W h y T he S eas O verflow N ot And why is not the sea full since all the rivers run into it? (Ecc. 1 :7), W e know that evaporation lifts from the ocean beds each year just that amount which the mighty rivers of the world pour in. But knowing that does not explain the mystery o f matter heavier than air floating on air. Nor does it guarantee that high land will be rained upon—yet because of mountain rainfall the lowlands have constant Supplies o f water in the dry and rainless season. We drill into the parched plains and along dry river beds and there, ever flowing down from the higher lands, is the water of life, hidden from the scorching sun as it creeps down hill, underground. “ He watereth the hills from his chambers” (Psalm 104:13). Another providence is that rainwater soaks into the earth and then turns around and comes up again. The pores in the soil allow water to penetrate and sink deep in the ground. Should the water not thus bury itself, it would run off or else be gathered back to the air by evaporation. But rain water enters soil and dampens it to considerable depths. I f it continued downward to the underground streams, the surface would dry and bake
gloriously, the scenery is inspiring, but you can’t live there. It is a place of the dead and you, too, will die if you stay with an empty water can. The one thing lacking is water— the water o f life. A desert is beautiful and remarkably fascinating, but it is dead: dead for lack o f rain. One can buy “ dry” land for next to nothing an acre. I met a man far back in the desert ranges who proudly pointed out the bounds o f his estate by the distant peaks across the plain, m|any thousands o f acres. He had a great domain, but a few acres o f watered land would bear crops enough in one year to buy it all. It was dry land. In the West, it is not the title to the land that costs: it is the water rights. Townsfolk are apt to forget that daily food and drink come down from heaven. But the grain farmer watches the fall of snow and rain minutely. He knows that after all his labor, it is the rain from heaven that gives the har vest ; his income is determined by the rainfall. The cattle man rejoices when the ranges are drenched; but when the draught comes he raises no beef and even loses Stock. The townsman groans also when meat and grain prices are high; he pays dearly because o f lack of rain. T he N ever -F a iling W aters Again he must give heed to the heavens when he finds his water limited. The springs, the streams, the high mountains all depend upon “ the gentle rain from heaven.” No city can exist in decency and health without abundant water supplies. The first problem o f any community is its domestic water and sanitation. Without sewage sys
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