The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-31
AN0IHER BLOW FOR LIFE.

AN01HER BLOW F0R LIFE.
Civiliza ion from time TO time adds new arts
aud sciences TO her dadem. OF those which have
marked her progress in the nineteenth century,
none affect the well.heing Of the human race
more considerably than Sanitary Science This
may be defined as a classification digestion, aud
application of facts bearing upon the preservation
of the public health II Is true that various pre-
cautions were taken, in Edwardian and Tudor
tiules to prevent the evils rising from the dis
persion # eiluvil, the sale of diseased meat, and
Overcrowdng, and that the several provisions
now mace with the same end in view are to a
great extent only eabOralions OF medlpVal enact
mtnts but the elevation of sanitary knowledge
into a science is the work Of the nineteenth CEN
tury.
e. Its novelty will he acknowledged, when il Is
rene plbtTCd that the Industrial Exhibition of
l65l ignored It al'Ogother; and that II was 20 t
the International Exhibition Of 1862 that a ella -
was set apart for sanitary contrlvtnces. Not
wiibstsnding this Otirial recognition of
the value of certain conditions in our home,
and towns the new science has made 0ut little
way In quarters where its reception Is most desr-
able. The rico ana learned lis en-, are cJnviure1,
and act upon It's suggestions; buG tue residents
OF poor neghDorhoOds have heGrd but title OF $
pTop0 itioDs One of It's peculitrties consists in
the general rather than individual pen iities it
imposes. Break bu one of its laws, and the in-
nocent we'll as the guilty suffer
Oyercrowd tenemtDt ami the unconscious
infant IL the first TO pine. Should tne care eSs
oCcupier of one dwelling accumulate TO ting off,,
the residents OF the next are exposed TO the
cbaucrs of the sickncs TO which It is likely 70
give rise. The proximity of foul sewer IL as
libely to poison the staunches sanitary ref,rmer
rs the negligent person who mas neglected TO see
it ceans,d. Thus, nothing short OF general
cooperation In iuIthering sanitary requirements
eDce in the mortality rates There is need, there
fore, of many worker to disseminate iniorna-
tion concerning q subject that 80 materially
affect us all.
A. health has ever been esteemed the choicest
OF blessings, and mankind bs, always acknJw-
LEGGED that prevention is better than cure IL Is
curious that the spp ation of che aXom % the
preservation Of heath, in contradt tnC.OR t. tue
cure OF disease, has been 50 long IN IecstyIng
rcogniti n.
"Another Blow for Life" is the title of five
shilling ume, written by one OF tue pioneers Of
tsnitsry reform, Mr.. George Goodwin. As its
name suggests, il Is one OF series of efforts to
call publ attention TO matters aud places call
ing for Improvement. Those who cOndne Their
walks about the metropolis aud principal manu-
faciuriBR towns TO the main thorpnghfares aud
public prOmenades aud parks. will hear with sur
prise o the CONDITION of the homes of the poor in
Out-of- -the-waS places Butt, for the most part,
with "a view TO the prom able Investment OF CHp-
tai there are 10 he found in such neighbOrnnots,
rows aod rows of houses without back-windOw.,
water and without drains. Some of these rows
of houses have cellars, which, like the rooms
above, frr occupied As homes.
Thus, in twO-rOOmed houses having cellars,
there are three families packed, aud there are
many instances in which lOug rs are ndded 70 the
Ersups. AS may be supposed, heal h hangs upon
the slightest Of tenures in such cases as these.
II fev plan his tOlt upon threshold, one
victim seldom sufices; four, five ami six deaths
are by no means unc mmO.n. aud Vheu, gltnOut
the pr sence OF aclnal disease there IS an absence
OF vital power, that by no means ligh'eus the load
ofpo'erty Another class of unsahiary homes
p1inteo out by M. GoowIu con Is of those
larger houses, built Tor the Occupation OF one
family, IN neighbOrhoods once tashIOnape, hu
now decayed, anl in the days of heir dtlap da
ton let OUT iu tenements 10 80 en,l. In these
there is a better chance OF ventilation; but, from
the fact q the cooking and Laundry operations
being conducted NJ gra G. iutended only 70 warm
bedrooms, there Is bat little real comfort or do
mestic economy.
It's Iot unusual 10 find from thirty to forty
people living in "a house Of tni, description. L
seems 90 be tns fate Of haclg-y ards ot sucn pro-
perties % fall into he most unsinitary state
wateT-l utts overflow, drains choke, spOutS leak,
and ruin claims all as its own. rIen, - II
poverty pursued with relentless il-luct
the suburban tea-gardens, trequente1 by way Ot
relaxation by the dwrllers Ia these neiRnDlr-
hoods, are ofe in damp, sickly situations sur
rounded bY open sewers, the Odors OF which are
likely 20 impair rather than recruit health; and
the pla es where the daily bread is earue (, the
workshop and workroom, are often mu more
artist Collaboration furnishes views " a shoe
maker's workshop aud an artidcal nogcr work
room, both Crammed with busy workers, all OF
whom are upon a very short allowance ofair.
Again, in manufacturing towns, where good
price is paid for female labor, aud mothers leave
their infants In charge of women too old for
factory operations, the same tll-luck presides.
It is ten to one but that the old nurse lives in
damp, dark cellar and is so ignorant, that she
does not know she is doing harm, when, 10 keep
her numerous charges quiet, she doses them
all round with laudanum, passing under the
harmless name OF "quctucss.' And when death
closes the scene, there is the same departure
from the rules that would preserve health in the
long delay That custom onfOrces in the removal
Of the dead from amongst the living. From n-
fancy h dea.r, in 6ne, the poor, In some places
appear 70 be linched for air, Light, space, and
water besides the uXuries OF life, aud TO take
the deficiency as a questioniess matter Of course.
Mr.. Goodwin does good service in pointing this
fact out.
That most startling results accrue, among the
lowest classes especially from due attention 70
matters likely 10 affect health, is apparent in the
Say rSSay oM m0rtality-ra of the pauper schools
P1T P,aSSu nhoef proper management. In the Cen
tha ia,n onp1n ps District Pauper School at Hanwel
- Ia 49, 80 nuVm succeeded ia reducing the rate
~ ~ 80 t1nn 1 tNo per cent, notwithstanding that
the scholars were taken from The ver,, bsart ~
LOnuOni many OF them being haif ete,.yed
stunled, scIOiulous, and SUFFERING &C., 49, 80
worm and optthamia, II canuot he 90 - iiioh ~
spread abroad that the secret of This elever a,'9
phnanthfOIical SupefintendeDt'B rule cons;e.as
IN the practice and mainienance OF extraorairsv
cleanliness. The eight hundred OF nine huf
dred children under his care were well waghed
all over In warm water twice week as well AZ
down 20 their waists twice day and the younger
children were washed alter every meal.