The Importance of Knowing the Arkansas River

The Arkansas River is 1,469 miles long. How wide is it when it reaches the Mississippi? Can you sail a boat upriver? Is it a clear and fast river, or sluggish and muddy? If water from the river is used for farming, does that mean that it has been dead? The Boy's Book of Mechanical Models by William Stout encourages both direct experience of mechanical forces and the spirit of irresponsible play. Such heights of ignorance could never be attained in Mr. Gradgrine's time.