THE USES OF WATER.
Adaptation of Water to Human Needs. Few people who enjoy the benefits of water think what a wonderful and unanswerable argument is afforded by them in favor of the goodness of an all-wise Creator to his creature, man. Of all the fluids with which we are acquainted water is by far the best adapted to the almost infinite variety of human wants, and it is the one of all others most abundant in nature, constituting as it does about three-fifths of the surface of our globe, and nearly seven-tenths of the bodies of man and of most animals. If the common fluid upon which we had to depend were quicksilver, or oil, its boiling-point would be so high that articles of food which we attempted to cook in it would be seriously injured in the effort to prepare them by its aid; and, on the other hand, nearly all the advantages of ice would fail us, in consequence of the exceedingly low temperature at which these substances remain fluid.

This is the beginning of a new section book 3 and in this book they extensively cover the uses of water.  Its a resource that we often take for granted but its not as unimportant as say a tv stand or even a second pair of shoes.  Understanding how to protect and keep this resource safe was extremely important for every day life.