The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-11-11
SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN. SATURDAY. NOVEMBER II, 1882


gings will be in vain during their life
But let them incarnate the spirit o
the times, and their efforts will b,
successful. The spirit of the church i
to save life, to Tighten burdens, to re
move misery, She puts in her creed
81 believe in the resurrection of the
body from disease. | believe in soci
ETY. redeemed from the curse of dirt
| believe in a sanctifcation that puri
fies air, water and food"
(a) This effort is demanded by the
conditions Of social life.
The heart sickens at the horrors
caused by accidents. Colliding trains
with their crash, sudden deaths, and
the means of the injured; the ship
wreck, with its moments of agony
and the shock to the bereayed homes;
the fire with clouds of smoke and
tongues of flame, its hiss, crackle and
roar, bodies sufocated or burnt: the
floods and storms sweeping away the
works Of men and destroying many
lives by its fury, the horror of war
with mangled and crushed bodies.
make these evils conspicuous. But
these cause only part of the destruc-
ton of the body. Quietly disease de-
stroys its millions; vital powers fail
with no outcry. Ia the 18th century
fifteen epidemics overran Europe, and
many famines. In the next century
twenty epidemics swept away millions,
and nineteen tamines harvested thous-
ands Of lives. In the 14th and 10Th
besides eight epidemics, the Black
Death destroyed twenty-five million.
In the next two centuries the sweat
ing plague came five times and the
Black Death reappeared. Small pox
decimated Europe every ten years.
Up to 1889, out Of every million in
London $4,000 died of this disease.
hen it reached Mexico, three and a
half million died from it. In France
$4,000 annually. In Berlin, one-half
Of the deaths, and in England one
tenth, were due to this cause alone.
In 1872 this disease cost Philadel-
phia S2O,OOO,OO0. 1t is reckoned that
ablebodied men between the ages Of
20 and 20 will by sickness, lose seven
days in a year. One-fitth of the pop
ulation are producers. The value of
freeman is placed at 81 800. Skilled
labor increases the value. When we
ascend to the work of artists, scientists
and professional men and the worth of
woman as helper, we enter the meal
culable. Enough, that in our own
State during the last year there haye
been 4, 80 deaths, and 37,714 cases of
disease-every one Of which might
have been prevented. This sickness
and death Is represented in money val
ne at S10,O00,O00
But what can represent the home
bereaved, the sunshine gone, plans for
a happy future broken, poverty driv-
ing away comforts, the pain, anguish,
even agony that casts down the once
happy souls? As we gather around
the death bed, willingly would we give
all our wealth to save that agony and
that life, but oh how helpless!
We may remove these evils.
(D BY we'll organized charities.
Humanity is touched by the sight of
suffering. Before the splendid chari-
ties started by Christianity, Egypt,
100 B. c., had colleges of physicians,
and headquarters for healing. The
doctors were under control of the gov
ernment and paid by it to care for the
poor. Athens had a hospital five cen
turies B. c. In India, king Asoka
established hospitals for man and beast,
How the true principles of religion
stand out here. Asoka being more
Christ-like in his provision for even
wretched animal, than many churches
which neglect their worn out servants,
leaving them to nibble the wisp Of
charity or end their days on the pub
lie dole. In Spain, the first hospital
for the insane was established under
Mohammedan auspices. In Judea
the Essenes studied the bible for Gods
service, and the laws Of the body for
serving man.
The charities of the church often
desultory, are we'll developed. Or
carnations are formed, committees
appointed, towns districted, houses
visited and relief given. Hospitals,
Poor-houses, asylums, reform schools,
homes for the iriendless and the aged;
lodgings, aid societies, Sisters Of char
ity ana mercy, Rcd Cross Lcgions,
Bible readers, night missions, picture
and flower missions, are all engaged in
the work Of lifting up the fallen. The
country is abiaze with reform in civil
service, III State constitution to tack
on amendments (for legislation } to
stamp out the evil Of intemperance.
Societies for suppressing vice are wag-
ing strong warfare against grossly
bad literature, lotteries and gambling,
and many victories attest their puis-
sance. If only these mountains can
elevate the plains and continue to
draw them up; if these reforms be
based on existing principle and not
sentiment, we should cheer
along the whole line. Cutting off the
head of thistles may stop the scatter
ing of the seed, but unless repeated
persistently, it will not avail If all
this money and this effort going on
with such good, though temporary it
may be, could be turned to uproot
these evils, how much nearer would
a millennium be. The people would
tire Of giving millions of dollars to re-
Heve the suffering caused by the yell