Wichita eagle., 1888-01-29
SMALLPOX VS.. PNEUMONIA.

Boston Correspondence OF tie Eagle.
My previous, or, perhaps, ''too pre-
vious' letter Of last month commenting
upon the epidemic of abuse which has
broken out among certain class oil
western newspapers does not seem to
have served as a setlative for that sort OF
editors who find it impossible to boom
their own localities without holly assail-
ing some other.
The last canard, or rather the latest
as you probably have not yet had the
pleasure of recording the lasts Wich-
ita's tremendous smallpox scare, an
nounced under flaming head lines and
double-headed sentences. Aside from
the refutation so promptly published by
the EAGLE, | have received private adj
vices from your city assuring me OF the
falsity of the reports and attributing
them to that spirit of jealous rivalry
which leads to reckless and Incorporate
statements and of which | have pre-
viously written. In this instance the re-
ports seem to have been far more ma
lignant" than the disease.
To show you what "a direfui calam-
ity your smallpox scare really
is. or was, compared with Boston S
quiet and uneXciting pneumonia, about
which we do not scare worth a cent,
owing to the familiar New England re-
spectabilitv. need only say that to rival
the actual death rate here, Wichita's loss
II lagt 1x-naly ChnllII have
been tifty-nine. And to equal the fatal
itv. in Boston alone, from bronchitis
and consumption also, 1l3 in all must
have succumbed to your sweeping and
deadly epidemic, for one week only.
Wichita has had a narrow escape.
The Shakesperian idea that there's
nothing in "a name doesn't hold good
for much. outside of sentiment and
poetry For example. however. sudden
and dangerous pneumonia with Its at
tendant ills may be. the name doesn't
cause ones back hair to stand in terror
at its sound. q don't mean the sound
of the back hair as it stands while at
the whispered mention of small pox,
ones entire wig is electrified worse than
that of 1.-The fretful porcupine." And
this explains why your rivals are ready
to make deadly blizzard out of Wich-
ita's fieeting touch of contagion, while
here in Boston we don't even causually
allude to the ravages OF pneumonia. The
name" makes the difference.
There is no valley Of perpetual health or
some booming Kansas town would have
bought it up and copyrighted it long
ago Whether in Kansas or New Eng
land we have to take the fat with the
lean and make the beSt" of our
Ills and aches. You remember that in
Stockton 5 story of Rudder Grange, Jonas
had chills enough to shake his teeth out,
and vet refused to vacate his ague spot
because, after studying a health map
and learning that every section had its
full assortment of complaints, he con-
cluded that he was too old TO change
his diseases with comfort. Like Jonas,
we prefer to rather bear those ills we
have than fly to others that we know not
Of" This is why we take our pneu-
monia straight here in Boston, and look
upon it as an old. even If not a welcome
friend, one we cannot turn from our
door if we would.
One probable advantage to Wichita of
its small pox episode Is the benefit ensu~
ing from the exercise of increased watch
fulnesS and a natural seeking after the
best sanitary measures and precautions.
The scare" will be soon forgotten,
leaving these precautions as its legacy
and permanent reward. +. A. w.
Boston, Jan. %. 1883.