Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-09-22
DANGERS in our Homes.

Dangers in our Homes.
I: is popu.aS beliet that throughout 1neif
existence 10 this world, men end women sre
doomed to continusly combst dirt, disease
and the deviI. Giants IL theology have long
taught the people how his satanic majesty
1 iu to be met and routed, only, however, 10
reappoar with renewed energy Tor fresh
ccpfict. The fathers In medicine have
taush. how disease is met, bur, for three
thouBerd years, disease has staiked at mid
day suoug the children Of men, Staying
allks tbs egsd men and the ippocsnt De0e
ss lts mothsr's bresst. 1t is cniy recently thst
| Intelligent men have hegun to understand
this causes of disease and the conditions
which make il 2ceetois for disease to exist
| an0 To spyead ana still moro recently, they
haze secured the knowledge which will, In
| tins. hanish many common diseases alto
gether II past centuries. the plague, tae
cholera, the amalI-pox and other dtseases,
| swept over Europe repeatedly, destroying
! people Sy the thouaopds AID eVep hy 'he
millions, In some essss lesying no. more
then one-tenth of the people alive; In otaer
csses, whole districts were abandoned anC
bacsu,e the abode OF Wild bseets. But these
diseases with sourvy aud typhus tsVer Usii
| ieyerl. are nearly unknown now ip cigi:iz'
communities, and we are iust or the poiot OF
banishing, n liae Eauner, the scousges OF
childhood, diphthersa, scarlet fever, mea-
ses and who:ping cough, and the p!sgnes
| Of manhood, pu!munary consumption a0c
typhoid fever. We believe that we naVs
knowledge enough to-day to enable Us to
Iva aud avoid greater portion Of the diseesss
| TO which thu buman family Is subject. ana
we fully believe with che cid philosopher,
| John Locke, that "preven!ion ls better than
cure, and far chtaper."
| Il is In aod ebout our homes that the
most of the cause Of diseases will De ios4nd
and because the most OF US have failed to
detect them, they are here called Hidden
| Causea Of Disesse." Let us begin our search
| In tho cellar and proceed through the house
10 the garret.
| As rule. the most dangerous place in az
American houae Ia the cellar. II is often
damp, snd too oftsn not thoroughly clean.
Damp, foul odc,s a,iss from the Unvent-
lated 6nd dark cellar, and pass to every
roou in the houae, carrying the seeds OF
rheumatism, dtphsheris, pneumonia, colds,
consumption, etc., to the inmates. Many
families who wonder why it Ia tha children
are click, could discover che reason by going
into the cellar. Dr.. & G. Kadzie, of the
Michigan Agricultural College, thus speaks ::
Go down into the cellar and examine the
foundation Of life; SEQ whesher the cellar is
dry and well ventilated, and the cir sWeet
and wholesome that no vegetables and
useless rubbish Of any kind are left to rot 10
your cellar; or do you find all kinda OF
things going to decay, the cellar wet. the
walls siimy, mould sDreadiDg over e7erg-
thing, and close, sitting odor peryadiag
the cir OF you. cellar? II these insnimate
things could gigs voice to their warning,
what q sould would stsrtle our ears in hun.
dreds Of cellsrs iu our State. Here lie In
smbuah dIphthers and membranous oroap,
the dastroyers OF childhood, and typhoid
| fever, that strikes OF eli ages here lurk the
! secds of consumption 20 bring forth the slow
| bat snre harvest OF iamentatiou and woe y
| For the stones shal! Cry out OF the wall
and the bosm out OF the timber shall an
swer IT, But slough these voioeless things
speak no word OF warning, they hang out
| the flag of danger the spotted mould and
iungos attacking the timber OF your CELLAR
show that destructive tendencies are at
work. Why, man, death ia gnaWing the
very sills ofyour house. and shall he spare
these tender morsels. your children? These
damp, musty, mouldy cellars are the seed
beds OF disease
Do not hope to preserve health over such
o chRrnei house. Do not leave vegetables
to rot in yonr cellar to spread rot.enness
through all ycur house. The wet cellar
toretels wet eyes up stairs. D.aIn it, and
nuder-dra;n the surroundipg SOIL 30 that
your cellar shall always bs dry. Driye ont
all mustiness by ventilation and abundant
use OF Whitewash. Make the air of YOU.
cellar &c all times sweet and wholesome hs-
cause % uch of this air will find its way into
tho rooms Above. But II you neglect all of
these things, and the Angel Of Death spreads
his daik wings ever your household, do not
; charge the effects Of your nsstiness and !ez.
mesa TO very mysterious Providence. "A
prudent man foreseeth the evil and hidsth
himself; bat the foolish pass on and ere
punished The cellar shcu'd be ss dry. "a
clean, 90 sweet as sny room up stairs, It
should be whiteHashed, not once q year.
but II at ali musty, once q month. Open
all Its windows, aud ventilate ccmpletelv.
You may wonder how dirty cellar effects
the dwellers In the room above 1t is be.
cause the disease germs, which are In the
air of the cellar, psss with that cir into the
rooms above. There are 6res lighted 10
winter, the cold air on the outside presses
iuto the cellar, and the air there passes up
into the house. There s no such thing as
k6oplDS iOul Sif III tue CcsiSLs IL HNi So
through the house. The only thing to do In
the matter is to keep the cellar clean and
dry, else fevers. malaria, Group and con.
sumption mag be e1peotsd above.
From the cellar, VS. pssa up TO the k!sch-
en-, where we examine tne drain end sewsge
p!res. These ara often inlets for poisonous
gases. Even dish watsr will cost S dsan
with foul subs.snces Nhich gill decouposa
and send into the house uoat Dangerous
gases.
Every drain pipe should be trapped, but
that Is not enough. Proper disinfactsnts
should be dissolved in hot water, and ss
least once week poured Toto the draius.
The bsst substance that know of for this
purpose is green vitsiol, pound TO gallon
of hot wster. Iu towns aud cities connected