, 1876-06-10

height and in it's results, aud when the
germs of ito c~ontagion live for weeks, and
are 50 subtle and powerful that they
have even been carried hundreds Of miles
in a lette Ell.
We fear the smallpox, it would appear,
chiefly because it robs US Of what beauty
or comeIiness we may possess; because it
i%solates us from neighbours and condemns
us to some weeks of solitude because it
occasions so much more fuss and iucOnVe-
njeuco in the house than most forms Of
illness do. It can hardly be any thing
else that moves us particularly IN regard
to it, since it is not more loathsome, not
more painful, seldom if ever more deadly,
than the other diseases named. To be
sure, these other diseases are the particu-
lar foes of children, while the former at
tacks ourselves as we'll, and 50 brings a
more selfish element into play when we
are people who have no children but
when we are people who have children,
there Is no suffering we would not take
upon ourselves rather than have scarlet
fever and diphtheria come where our chill
dyen are. But every physician will assure
you that he prefers to deal with the small
pox rather than with the others, for that
has a plain aud open course, and he always
knows where to fud it day by day but
the fand Of its kindred fever burrows in
the dark, and sometimes undermiues the
whole foundations Of life before its deadly
presence is suspected. When there shall
be abroad among all people, as there is
no among intelligent and well-informed
people, the same wholesome horror of scar
let fever and diphtherja that there is Of
smallpox and of Ieprosy aud of typhus, the
world will begin to make some Roadway
in the effort to be rid Of these cruel desola.
tors.
We all love our children as we love our
selves it is, in fact, an instinct rather
than a virtue and we would protect them
at the sacrifice of our own lives. But
let there be an epidemic Of this nature
In the town whore we live, and, heroic
as our will may be, with what discretion
do we exercise it 2 In the first place, we shut
the babies up from the free air lest a Whit
Of the sickness should enter at the window
or door, and 50 we force them to breathe,
to large extent, a yitiated atmosphere that
makes them the easier prey if attacked.
Then we allow them to play with the cats
and the long haired dogs which have access
everywhere, running up every body's back
yard at all hours, and prevented by no
thing known from carrying the contagion
OF any disease in their convenient coats.
In tie mean time, if a stranger comes to
the house, ignorant though we may be of
what he is and where he came from, we
never think Of such a thing as hinderiug
him from p%etting the children if he pleases.
We keep no disinfectant in constant use
after we know the epidemic exists; and
finally, we let the children have as much
as they wish of the companionship of the
maids, who, by reason of their crowded
church-going, are so very likely to gather
the contagion in their garments. Look a
moment at that last statement. Disease
finds it's favOurite food in the region Of
poverty, bad air, narrow quarters, and in
the unhealthy blood made by poor and in-
sufficient diet. 1t is universally acknow-
lodged that such spots are the hot-bed and
propagating ground Of everything of the
sort. The unfortunate people whom the
disease thus victimizes, frequently going
through the trial without a physician,
knowing nothing of fumigation or di%sinfec-
ton, and laughing to scorn what they hap
pen to hear of it, seldom denying them
selves the pleasure offree going and comings
can not but be the means Of sadly spread