Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-05

of heart that nature unfolds all her
amenities-whom she soothes with
ge%ntlest whispers of comforting and
hopeful things.
A Word More as 70 the Plague.
n. Y. Tribune.l
With the comming of frosts the
reign of the plague was virtually over.
1t was to be expected that there
would be little decrease in the death
rate for q week, as the cold weather
usually is fatal to those already at
tackled, and the slightest exposure to
frost usually brings a relapse even to
con~valescents, but there is no proba-
bility Of any further increase Of the
disease. Up to the present date there
have been about 1900 deaths from it
in all, about one-third the number of
cases. This death rate, however, but
family expresses the amount Of suf-
fering' want and absolute want en-
tailed by the scourge. Yellow fever,
as we have stated before, differs from
any other plague in that it requires for
its cure the desertion Of homes and
cessation ofbusiness in the community
in which it appears. The actual deaths
in the South, great as was the suffer-
ing which they produced, were almost
overbalanced by the disaster induced
by want Of employment, panic, and
loss of home, clothes and food to the
great mass of the poorer classes.
The terrible story has its bright side,
as we all know. The hearts Of the
whole nation have been aroused to
brotherly sympathy by this sudden
blow it has done more to dispel the
rancor and hatred of the war than
half a century Of ordinary events have
done Northerner and Southerner
have been forced to look each other in
the face, as man to man, and are not
likely to forget what they saw there.
No man mistakes the meaning Of a
sermon when death is the preacher.
From Europe, and even from far-of
China, came, too, the response of uni
versal brotherhood and practical help,
We can count no event as absolute
disaster, which summons a whole PEG.
pie to show themselves in their noblest
character, and offers in its record the
history of so many martyrs, men and
women, who threw themselves into
the deadly breach, and whose names
only God knows and has counted.
But now that It'll all over, it will moi
do for us to sit down, bemoaning it as
a visitation Of God, and rejoicing in
our own creditable behavior in meet,
ing it. A meeting Of devout men, /;
week or two ago, besought the Presi
dent to appoint a day of fasting snC
prayer to allay the anger ofan offended
God who was furnishing us for som,
unknown sin. The sin for which W,
were punished was bad drainage ant
accumulations of filth. Fasting anC
prayer we suspect will please the All
, wise Ruler much better if we supple
ment them now by the rational mean
Of prevention which He has placed il
our hands.
The facts Of the case are that tn,
country this year has been scourged I,
an exceptional degree, not only by vel
low fever but by every form Of malari
GUS disease. The death rates in som
of our larger cities rose during tn
warm, muggy weather of Septembe
: 30 per cent over the same space 0
thine last year, The primary caus
was doubtless the prolonged dFough
/, and the uncovering Of the miasmati
I borders of the streams, but the seed
Of disease thus engendered would no
have brought forth such prolific death
crops if they had not found abundan
/; soil in the foul air, poisonous smell
] and fermenting Alth about our towns
e country houses, even resorts Of health
e In the South this fact was patent frOI
the first. Grenada is a fair sample {
small southern towns, in its absolut
y neglect Of drainage Of ever
sort, bad or good. New Oh
e leans has been a breeding plaC
Of pests for fifty yeaEa, Burial Is in
Il possible In most Of the cemeteries, an
at high tide many Of the receivin
vaults in which the dead are packe
are under water. Thirty years ago Il
It visitor to n Of these rose-plantel
% shell -paved cities Of the dead wouI
be forced to drive through it at FL
q gallop, so terrible was the odor Notl
y he has been dane 70 remedy II sine
IS Neither have Northern cities any re
d son TO boast. New York, with Il
Of pure air of the bay blowing constant
y through her streets, has managed
Of times past TO load it with as many VII
disease breeding smells as Q pest he
le pltall Boston Is little better. The 81
t Of Atlantic City, Cape May and q
re cheaper religious seaside resorts "
pregnant this season with malaria.
a Philadelphia so defective Is the sewt
age that to live near q culVert Opeli
to is TO insure an attack of fever The
r are unpleasant facts, but they are fat
he which are telling on our weekly bi
r. Of mortality. What is to be don
IS Galveston, as our readers know, FRI
one Of the most sickly, is now one
the healthiest, because the clean.
ct city IN the uliqn. The eommissi
OF will find out, probably the cause a
cure Of yellow fever, and other feve
but it will not hinder the cause I
or ADVANCE the cure, That IA ftp "a
d. iown. village and housaholder To
The matter Is one Of national imp
MS lance, but It Is also one Of indivldI
effort.
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