The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-18
THE CHOLERA IN EUROPE.
The Sanitary Condition of LondOD-The
Situation in Paris.

The Sanitary Condition of LondOD-The
Situation in Paris.
Special to New York Times.
When will the cholera reach Londonl is the
question that is now in the mouth of every one
The papers are deyoting columns of space daily
to dispatches from Paris and letters from Paris
urging hygienic reforms at home. 1t is now
argued by all that it is folly to hope that London
will escape, and few persons look to see the Wis
itation postponed until next summer. The Soir
and other Paris papers insist that London, for
over week, has been suffering severely from
cholera, but this is, of course, mere nonsense.
1t would be possible, perhaps to conceal one or
two isolated cases, but a genuine outbreak in
London no one could cover up. The world may
be sure that when the pest visits London knowl-
edge of it will become general
Despite the warnings of the past six months a
great portion of the metropolis is still in fear
full condition. Across from my office, between
the Strand and Hoborn. in the heart of London
there is very nest of contagion in
a vile little street 1t would be a
prolific breeder of the pestilence when
once the disease had started A quarter of an
hours walk northward brings one to whole
square mile of streets in an even worse condi-
ton Smithield, Clerkenwell and Hackney
are all as bad as Aubervilliers, Clichy, while the
slums about the Seven Dials, about Soho
YOUNGSTOWN, and along the river near the
Tower and across the Thames in Southwark
are all fearful They have about them revolt
ing squalor which not the lowest quarter in
Paris could match The children especially are
underfed and rickety. For the past week have
been much about these places and cannot find
that the authorities are taking any precautions
against the dread spectre, which is literally
knocking at the door. At the recent Lord
Mayors show, when the slums vomted their
fearful contents into the chief streets, the
stencil among the filthy crowds was simply indie
scribable. The bloated, frowsy faces and
wretched rags spoke of quarters ill-prepared to
cope with the epidemic. | believe that
nothing short of the miraculous in
tervention of icy weather could
keep the death rate of London below 10 900 if
once the cholera should fairly strike us. The
dire experience of Paris has proved the truth Of
what said in July, that well-fed, cleanly peo-
pie need not fear The classes which have sut-
fered have been those who rarely eat meat aud
who eat great quantities of slop such as bad
salads and poor fruit
The revelations that are forced forward now
on the manner in which half q million Of in
habitants in Paris live are calculated to shock
Europe. Extreme poverty has reduced human
beings there to the level of brutes, with food of
the meanest description where there is any food
at all Habitations are fostering with filth
There is no credit to be had anywhere save in
besIal ruIfrholes, were poisonous liquors are
bought to drown misery. The crowd is so bitter
and hopeless, that the pestilence in the midst of
them only provokes savage jests, The lack of
work is almost universal now, thanks to the pro
lection idiocy which has crippled manufactures
The same agency has doubled the cost of meat