Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-06

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where 1t has proved defective and nnsatis-
factory. Close in shore On both banks of
The Cumberland there is little current in
low water, and in some places so little that
mosquitoes can and do lay their eggs in
these eddies of still water. No enc can
doubt that water still enongh to raise sue
cesslve broods Of these and many other in
sects, Is still enough to develop in any
quantity the germs of cholera To make
the Cumberland FOUL open sewer, as is
now done, is not the way to suppress
cholera, or pestilence of any kidd.
A gentleman who had charge of the
Agricultural Department; In Washington,
four years, and during that time experiment
ed in the art and science of utilisiug the fe-
cal matters in cities, tells us that the first
great mistake lies in diiutiDg The residuum
Of human food at all. Il has no business
in any sewer, river, water-tube or pipe Of
any kind. Properly dried the dejectio Is do
not weigh in a week or year, over half as
much as the food consumed. A man of
science in Edinburgh reduces this focal
matter after it is dried, one half again, by
charring ,perhaps as gas is obtained from coal.
At one-tenth the part the cost of extract
ing illuminating gas from coal, after one has
coal ready and the gas works in order, a fer
tilizer, tnodcrous and highly concentrated,
may be obtained from human excreme nts.
1t is sale to say, if the food of person is
worth at wholesale ten cents day, the raw
material resulting from such food is worth
one cent TO form wheat, CO. n, milk and meat
for human subsistence. This fact disposes
Of what is great nuisance in every city,
and the best known food of cholera, with
out any expense to the corporation.
A commercial. article will pay its way.
The moment that anything derived from
the daily food or drink Of man is seen or
made visible, it should be put into an air
tight and water-tight vessel and not opened
to the atmosphere till in the night-soil fac
wi W 10 NOhOtaIbCu Olt
principles. This cures the whole evil of
contamination from clodcG; AMI nothing
short of this ever has, or ever can. The
cd Hebrews covered slvine objections with
little loose earth SAINT airy practice which
no Christian p ople have improved. In
provements can and will come from sciepce,
knowledge is the best preventive of dis
ease; yet mankind appear more willing TO
die from pestilence than use this remedy in
small doses. Dispose of human ercretd
properly, ard there will be no trouble in
the management of the undesirable atoms
that come from washing soi'ed linen, bath
ing and proper kitchen !abors. Under
draining is proper, but need not be so ex-
pensiVe as many believe. It has become
fashionable to rob tax payers in cities on
very shallow prstenses. The nomi-
nal preventive Of cholera may form
good plea for an operation of this kind.
Men who speculate in fat municipal con-
tracts rarely take an economical view of
the subject from Taxpayers standpoint.
Common ser Sc sees that when horse or
pig eats grain. the product is valuable ma
nure. What is the product when this grain
is ground, made into bread and eaten by
man? If man eats meat with bis bread, a
much richer fertiliser is obtained than from
the herse or pig. If this rich manure has
real value, why throw il away aud pollute
the Cumberland river by so doing?
The remark is often made th,t the men
who rule Cities, States and nations have all
sorts Of sense but plain, common serse.
They all exact large pay, often repeated,
for work which they never perform.
The city ofNsshville must do something
more to become healthy than put any
quantity of manure in the Cumberland, at
whatever expense. The practice has no
Other foundation than the assumed moral
right, not only Of Nashville, but of all other
cities, towns and villages, TO rob the soil of
its natural fruitfulness. Is that the true
policy Of the human family? |
What would be said of the practice were
the farmers OF this county 10 throw into |
the Cumberland every year manure enough |
to make million bushels Of wheat? Some |
thing like this has been done for ages; yet |
common sense no longer sanctions this |
waste Of plant food. But have not farm
ers as good right to destroy fertility, and |
render both bread and meat dear to all |
consumers, as the governing power of
has? A plenty of good food at
q moderate price, is an important element
Of health in any city; yet all cities do their
b sst to raise the price of -four beyond the
each of the poor. The policy seems to be
% kill part Of this class of citizens by
oestilence, and starve out the rest. Sound
health and sound economy demand the
anne practice in dealing with manure. 1t
must be concentrated to compete with fer
ilisers that sell in Baltimore, Charleston
md other Giles, st from forty to eighty dol
ars ton. The most conspicuous thing 10
Nashville on the morning of July 9th is the
,reat number Of flies, that swarm 10 the
treets. These do not, and can not subsist
m pure air, pure water, or pure clay and
and; but they do breed and mul.
iply in manure and filth.
'ou cannot starve the microscopic germs of
holers without starving the larger germs
II gnats, mosquitoes, house and stable flies,
t the same time. Providence is as careful
# its created life in one form as in another.
/ is only by obeying the laws of its Crea-
OF that human life is abe to subdue all
nferior beings. Impoverishing land and
rivers are crimes which God pun
shes.
GOVERNOR Dix has vetoed a large num-
'er Of bills left in his hands at the time of
be adjournment of the New York Legisla-
ure. In the bills thus vetoed are numerous