Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1883-02-08
IsIrIY rHE ATMOSPHERE ?
4 pheory JEhick is Commencing % hare
BeiierePs, aud ga sraicit there
may be more thaG ir0aid
iprCdi..

exemplitcation OF the theory. The pre-
vailing mania appears rs = form Of dei'ri-
um. which believes in no silver lining to
even the least portentOus of dark clouds
/ but would nave it that each speck in the
horizon OF existence is an uDerriEg indica-
/ ton OF very t0rnadoes of distraction and
death. The perfect accord OF the weather
prophets in their yoluminous predictions Ok
storms and disasters has undeniably produ-
ced an effect upon people the nervous strain
7 Of which has BY no means been lessenei b.
the series OF calamities with the terrible de-
tails Of which the ublic press has tecmcd
these many weeks.
4 very large class of men as vel o. cl
women. grow timid ard anxious, and an
other class morbid by the fEequent rccital-
I Of blood curlling accidents and incidents
while still another class foster % most un-
natural appetite for such dread food, aad
would fain see that the supply should ever
exceed thcdemand. This latter species mag
nifty m0les hills into mountains the morbid,
! looking through kindred speciaclcs, behold
! the horrible in veriest shadows, while the
timid become as children in dark places and
see specires on every hand. But for s0me
such sort Of prevalent atmosphere the Bal
;imore so-called scouree would have passed
as a simmer breeze, creating the merust rip
( pie, TO be speedily forgotten in the every
| day tide Of life.
None of the larger cities are ever during
| the winter months entirely ire, from small
pox, and as a rule, Baltimore may fairly be-
| stated rs more excmp. from the scoarging
of loathsome pests than almost any Of t.ir
/ great commercial centres.
II has, in the topography Of its site, 10.
Vulnerable advantages, ~ the numerous
/ hills create such power 10 d0wnfa.l!ng wa
/ ter as to most thoroughly cleanse The streets
/ at every rain storm. Strangers frequently
I remark the cleanliness OF thethorough ghiarcs
and cite the natural surface drainage ~ q
source Of uniailiug health.
Ballimore's mortuary reports have iof
years been Of the lowest Of the great cities,
! and at no time curing the winter has the
weekly death-rate increased f.ty per cent
over the average This statement may ap-
| pear imcomprelonsible g. tho.e who hayc
| permitted themselves % be carried away
/ with TIE be icf that half the population of
Baltimore was In danger oi speedy aunihi-
lation from the smallpox /, cannot. how-
ever, prove apy mon, comprehensive than
the reports Of the raYac,s Of the disease
which have been circulated outside Ol the
city. II has been 20 l}altimofoans the old
saying over again Of going away from home
to hear the news. That there was an at
tompt 20 work Up a scare In the city j NJ
u1deniable as that Is origin was in the
spleen Of disappointed place-hunter
" The outs" insisted that the" ins" were
incompetent and not few Of the mo,i dis
interested citizens believed that the contest
of words might tend TO a practical demog-
s;rai.on Of competency, which would lead
to q condition Of purlication thai would
( make the spread OF The disease impo. iD.c
/ The newspapers. believing the test Ons
worthy Of experiment, assisted ,he scare
/ by publishing statistics 80 placed as TO cge-
/ ate some alarm, bat uhen carefully aualy-
( zcd really gave groand for nothing beyond
/ an apprehension Of what the result nigh
/ be if energetic methods were not inluguTa-
| ted.
The effect within the city was straight
way apparent IN the almost immediate de-
crease in the number Of cases, but outside
/ the city it was anything but assuring. Ri
I val business centres at once set about max
| ing all the capital possible out of IT, 80
I more rapidly swcllcd the ranks Of fais'ah
opponents n tie golIble hTagadOcia Of The
I ShakesDerian br1ggaH than the number ~
small pOx cases in Baltimore in thc schem-
ing brains OF interested competitors for
trade ard commerce. As has hitherto been
/ remarked, the atmosphere this winter ha-
appeared ever rpe for the rapid spread OF
the belief IN evil, and there are dOuJties
many good people who to-day labor under
the de.usiOn that theFc have been and are
still, foF that matter, thousands of pcrsous
in Baltimore down With ibe smallpox
Assuming the population Of tie city AZ
four hundred thoGsanl, there has never
been q dag when TIE percentage of thc sick
reached one IN eight hundred. Icd.y
there is hardly one ina thousand 70 indeed
one IN twelve hundred The highest tho
weekly death rate reached was lcss than one
hundred, and upwards OF seventy per cent
were children under the age Of ten. The
disease has been confined % the poorer and
more densely populated sections Of the city
No one visiting Baltimore has contracted
the disease, and not a siBgie iBstsnce Eas
been known where it has been carried away
f.0m the city. II is a5sdrd b. ciaiin the
siightest danger Of contracting smallpox Or
any other disease by visit % Baltimore,
and throughout business and social circles
there has most positively been no alarm.
/ Indeed, the talk about Il has been Of the re-
ports circulated olside of Baltimore rathcr
/ than Of the ravages Of the pestilence within
municipal cOnfnes That there has been 4
very general vaccination j. true. and there
/ in lies the grea'ee possible II vent " ~
1 the increase Of the disease The teli-tale
I yellow flag has been thrust forth from many
I window where il was made 70 indicate
f possible rather than an actual danger, in
T order tha. whether smallpox itself or only
yarielOid contact Of the uncCmtaminated
should be ayerted.
Food, money and attendance have been
lavished With unstinted hand upon the sick
and the disease kept 20 closcly within IT.
centre Of origin that even in Did-Wintef,
when il prevails ~ O much greater extent
than any other time, IL spread has been
stopped short and quick. So vigorously
and 50 successfully has it been HANDLED,
that il Is hazapiiEg little. If anything. %
assert that there are to-day actually q les
number Of smallpox sufferers than IN any
Of the large cities On the Atlantic Coa-t.
FOrawarned has led to a forcanming If a
F character none other 0f the great 90 amer-
cial emporiums can boast Of and with an
almost universal vaccination thcr Is moth
ing for the disease 20 feed upon.
\ Farmers and others desiring gen;eel.
lucrative agency business, by which - 70
$50 day can be earned. seud address az
once, on postal to II. &. WmEISsoN x Co,
ls5 and lS7 Fulton Street, New York
Dec. Z5 lSsz-6m