Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-11-02

New Yorker recently took drive of
some DAYS with his wife through Vermont.
One day they stopped for dinner at pleas
ant country inn, situated in beautiful liz
tie village. which from its location should
Toe the abode of health After dinner the
New Yorker fell into conversation with the
pastor of one of the village churches. 1t
soon came out that the clergyman had pre
vlousiy lived for some years in one of the
larger cities of New England, having been
forced To abandon the charge of an impor-
tanl church there 10y impaired health which
he was here seeking TO recruit The stran-
ger, naturally enough, asked the minister
whether he thought there was more sick
ness or less in the village where they were
talking than among people in equally good
circumstances who live in our larger cities.
81 hardly know what to say" the cler-
gyman replied. "Of course there is more
disease to every thousand of the whole pop-
uiation in a city like New York than there
is IN rural county in Vermont, by reason
of the great excess in the tenement house
districts but have grave doubts whether
there Is aN mucn sickness propOrtionallv in
those quarters of cities where people live in
comfort and under rigorous sanitary reEu-
latons as there is in this village Certain
lN there is great deal of sickness. and a
number of deaths every wear. in a place
like this, which might be prevented and
which would he prevented bv the authori-
ties IN a well governed CITY To mention
only single case and this is not one To be
talked about here One of the most promi-
nent families in this town well TODD peo-
pie living in an excellent house. and pre-
sumed 10 he intelligent in matters of health.
suffers constantly from disease They have
mad typhoid fever and diphtheria, and
somebody is ailing most of the time. They
think 1t strange but YOU would not. The
truth Is, that If they lived in city they
would Ice hauled before the health board
within twcnty-four hours for violating the
ordinances in letting all the waste from
their kitchen flow into the ward and ooze
there polIuting the air and breeding dis
ease
That there was nothing exceptional in
the village referred to is proved bv a very
interesting and valuable paper which was
read Toy DR.. Lucy NJ. Hall of BROOKLYN. at
the recent meeting of the Social Science
association ln saratoga, upon The Santa
ny Condition of Country Homes She had
gathered the necessary data for judg-
ment 10y the examination. during her vaca
tons, of slXty-tve ordinary farmhouses in
New England, the Middle aud the Western
states She found that little care is taken
as 10 the character of suhsoil. and that over
half were located on wet CLAY soils In
more than half the cases, also. the houses
were too closely shaded and sunlight was
too much excluded from all parts of the
house. In majority of cases the cellars
were found 90 he damp or wet Barns and
stables in New England averaged not more
than fifty feet from the houses. and out
N. H.....
ply being undoubtedly contaminated hv one
or tho other of these causes in "A number of
cases. Stops were thrown into the ward
from the back door in three quarters of the
New England tarmhouses examined
Now for the result DR.. Hall found that
lung affections, diphtheria, typhoid fever
and rheumatism had played sad havoc in
these tarmhouses Ninety three per cent
of the whole number in New England had
record of lung fever and diphtheria. and
NIFTY five per cent of typhoid fever There
0, not particle of doubt that the greater
part of tins disease was directly due 10
damp cellars, neglected Stops or contain
mated water IN other words. was prevent
able, ought 90 have been prevented. and
would have been prevented if the sufferers
had lived IN "a city with "a thoroughly eff
cleut health department
We are glad that attention has been call
eel 20 tins Important matter hy an orgaui-
cation of such weight as the Social Science
association 80 many city people pass "a
considerable part of the warm weather in
the country, that the danger is 10y no means
confined o. the permanent residents One
of the Incidental advantages of the vaca
ton season ought 70 be the spread Of the
fundamental principles Of sanitary science
visitors Frank Lrsli,', Illustrated Nsir,-
LL-L----