The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-02-24
Filthiness i'm India.

The oriental does not see that there is
any connection between cleanliness and
either comfort or health. He does not
believe In its connection with goodness,
addition being regular part of his
worship, but he sees no objection to
using the same tank for his ceremonial
bath and for his drinking water. The
Indifference which exists to polluted
wells is indeed amazing, or would be
but for the fact that we have not long
learned to recognize their danger even
in England. This Indifference is not
confined to the poor. DIR. M. C. Furnell,
speaking of Madras, observes that most
natives, even of the highest caste, have
no objection to use, both for domestic
and drinking purposes, water which
may be described as simply filthy. The
doctor noticed people washing their
clothes and themselves in tanks from
which the women were taking home
water for cooking and drinking The
only desderatum is that the
water shall be "soft." In some
places in this presidency it has been
found useful to set apart by municipal
authority certain tanks for washing,
and others for the supply of drinking
water, but the regulation can only be
carried out by appointing watchmen to
enforce it. Satisfactory progress has
cen made in improving the water sup
ply of the great cities, and it would
seem that as regards some of these
there is not now very much to, complain,
of. A curious and instructive instance
of the danger incurred by English SOL
diers from drinking impure water is
afforded by an instance reported from
kamptee. A detachment OF the second
/, battalion of the, thirteenth regiment
stationed there suffered from an OUT
break of enteric fever. 1t was speedily
noticed that nearly all the patients were
teetotallers. Whence arose this extraOr-
binary su ceptibility of abstainers to
disease? 1t turned out thatthe teetotal
soldiers had recreation-room of their
own, where they drank tea. coffee,
aerated waters, and what was supposed
to be pure water: On animation,
however, it was found that the latter
fluid was drawn from well close at
hand, which had been polluted by per-
co alton from neighboring drains. The
other men had not drunk from this well,
and nearly all escaped the epidemic.
The Government of India regard in
structiop in the elements of sanitary
science as an important branch of popu-
lar education and for some years san
itary primer, in the different vernacular
languages, has been in use in the
schools. In the year reported on this
publication was circulated in Bengal to
the extent of $4,000 copies. "A transla-
ton into Assamese is in the press, and
an edition of II, 900 copies is being is
sued in British Burmah. AS many as
1OO, 900 copies of the annual have been
issued since its first publication. and it
has been translated into fourteen YER
nacular languages. One great difficult
,ty in inducing the people of India,
whether in towns or villsges, to prac-
tice cleanliness in their houses and sur
roundings isthat they have not learned
the value ofrefuse and sewage as ma
nure. Only in one place-a small vii
lage called Lohi, in Barara, of some
l.5OO inhabitants - have the people
adopted this practice. London Globe.