The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-07-17
The Country PrIvy Again.

1hC NOuiti IIlNy again.
An article credited to the New YORK.
Medical Journal has been re-published
in various medical magazines, in which
the writer is searching out the ources
of Asiatic cholera. One remarkable
custom of the Hindoos is referred to
which quite shocks our sensibilities.
1t is a matter of religious obligation
with them to always defecate upon the
open ground! AS the population of
Hindostan is nearly 800, 900, 900, at
least 100, 600, 600 pounds of fecal mat
ter is deposited on the open ground
every day. Now, those who learn this
fact for the first time will doubtless
exclaim in no uncertain terms in re-
gard to a habit which seems u~ncleanly
as well as injurious to health. But,
after all, is this practice any more in
furious or really any more uncleanly
than depositing the faces in vaults
day after day, week after week and
often year after year, as is often the
practice in rural districts. For instance,
a friend of ours who was in the coun-
try the past summer demonstrated
with the folks for not having the privy-
vault cleared out, and they seemed
quite surprised that any fault should
be found with 1t, for they said it had
been thoroughly cleaned only two
years ago! Think for a moment of
piling up these excrementitious mat |
ters for even one year without removal; |
think of the decayiDg mass undergo
ing al sorts of impure metamorphoses
and emitting the most foul and noxious
gases.
After SO considering, is it not rather
a surprise that the human family keeps
so we'll than that so many fall sickp
PROFESSIONALLY the best plan for dis
posing of such material is that adopted
by the authorities of Paris, where il is
caught in tubs from the various water
closets of the household and the tubs
are removed during the night. Their
contents are disinfected, mixed with
other compost matter, and supplied in
large quantities to the peasants for
purposes. Here are real
sanitary regulations united with econ
omy. In New York and other Ameri-
can cities all such material is carried
of into the sea or other water ways,
while many of the farm lands lying
to the large towns are
really suffering for this very material
with which to enrich the soil. If
would resort to some porta-
BILE tubs instead of vaults, the tubs
could be removed daily or weekly to
some remote portion of the family do
main and there mixed with other COM
post material for manuring the soil.
In thickly-settled villages and small
1eighborhOods where the homes occu-
an acre or less, there can be moth
ng better than the earth-closet. We
Know of at least one small farmer who
ten acres and who has on his
,lace a privy which is nc more obnox-
Gus than any room in his house; and
Who furthermore greatly values the 1
'arth taken from his earth-closet as a
ertilizer. Farmers might, perhaps,
'e induced to send their wagons for
UGH material in thickly-settied small
laces where the acres are not broad
nough to receive and properly utilize
!. The further civilization advances
l the way of sanitary reform the
lore plainly are we shown wherein
e have been habitually reckless, and
nothing, perhaps, at the same time,
re we more indifferent and careless
ian in the disposition we make of
I-crementitious matters. DR.. Foote's
eaM Monthly.