The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-09-25

There is no heart that has not Sympa-
thized with our Southern neighbors in
their deep distress under the terrible Wis
itation of the yellow fever, that is even
yet ravaging their towns and cities. The
example of spontaneous benevolence that
has characterized the Northern people,
whose borders have been exempt from
the destroyer, is worthy of all commen-
dation. Money and material sup
plies have been poured into the
lap of our suffering sister cities of the
South with unstinted and ungrudging
hands; and all men rejoice that it is so.
Brave men may face danger and dare
death when their foe comes visibly and
bodily before them, but none but the
hearts OF heroes can remain firm when
the invisible destroyer turks in the very
air they breathe, and whose unseen
poison strikes at the lives of those they
love.
The dreadful scenes that have attended
the ravages Of this scourge can never be
uGpltUCu. FiS oOIllt SAlllDlt VI lllo NtlI LII
val of death we quote the vigorous Ian
guage of the Memphis Appeal, which
says:
Surely there is not one so lost to shame to the
ConmOnest deCenCy, as TO laugh while all the
world is serious our sorrow and the open
hand of charity ministers to our wants from all
parts OF the earth To lose over twelve hundred
men, women and children in tWenty-sevcn days
out OF population OF fifteen thousand, white and
black, and 10 be eXpending over $4,000 for twelve
hundred nurses and forty doctors, and for medi-
cines and food, for more than three thousand sick
and ten thousand INDECENT, is to us a sad reality,
enough to move even stone to tears But besides
this there comes the tales of individual sorrow of
whole families swept away in week, leaving not
even one OF the name; of nurses dying Mt their
posts; of priests and ministers and good sisters
following those they succored so fast as to appal
the stoutest heart and ''give us pause" amid the
general wreck and ruin. No pen can do these
scenes and sights justice; no tongue eXaggerate
them. Lisping childhood, hoary and venerable
old age, the vagrant aud the merchant, the man
of God and the unbeliever all are taken all are
claimed alike by the awful pestlenCe. 1t thins
all ranks and brings sorrow to the mansion, the
cottage and the cabin The cry OF the fatheress
is heard every hour, claiming the pity, the sym
pathy, and the tears Of the most hardened vet
eran.'
And, again, the same paper says:
"The business of the hour is the succor OF the
sick, the burial OF the dead, and the care Of the
u0eul llfIlS. Inc IuSI WORDS OF lUOSt VINO are
well are at night fareWclls to the dead, and the
first in the morning, "Who lives and who has
diedV All day, and every hour Of the day, this
question is repeated, and every heart sckens at
The report and the soul grows weary over the rep
cttion And yet there is no relief nor any release
Worse and worse the epidemic has grown, until to-
day 1t has capped the climax and the hearts of the
brave men who have stood in the breach are
blanched with fear, with dread that annihation
awaits US, and that we are destined 10 be blOtted
IRON the earth. Fear sits on every face and dread
on every heart we work, not in the shadow, but
in the very face Of death. We meet him on every
hand and at every moment in the names of his
victims and i'll the dGsOlatiOn he has spread about
US. Hope we have none. We despair of any re-
lief but we are nerved for the end. We pray bless
ings upon the generous who have helped us in all
the States; we pray for the safety Of those who
have come among us to nurse the sick and minis
ter to the dying"
These are, indeed, most appalling pic
lures of human woe, and yet far below the
more appalling realities.
And still, while sympathizing with
those stricken cities, men may well in
quire-why and whence this horrible pes
tilence2 1t is well known that even dis
7 ease has its laws of origin and spread
among mankind. The knowledge and
observance of these laws are of the ut
most consequence to the welfare of.soci-
ETY.. And yet comparatively little has
been done for promoting the common
recognition of those laws, and that little
confined almost exclusively to the medi-
cal profession.
We notice that some steps have re
Gently been taken to this end by petit
tioning the Federal Government to in
stitute measures to investigate this mat
ter, with view to future avoidance of
such distressing public calamity. This
may be wen enough But it must strike
any one as strange that during all this
frightful season since the pestilence has