The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-28
THE CHOLERA.

Tho Asiatic cholera having gained .
death grip on German and Belgian sea-
port towns, it will be next to impossible to
prevent it from spreading its deathly
germs over the entire European continent.
Strange as it may seem, quarantine and
sanitary laws are much more difficult Of
enforcement throughout central Europe
than they are either in the United States
or England.
In this country, if the authorities guard
efectaally rail, water and wagon roads,
they are masters of the situation and can
hold the disease confined to the place
where it first appears. Not 20 in Europe.
The peasant there still does great deal of
his travelling on foot by way of paths and
trails, and. though European governments
are not lacking in soldiers and gendarmes
to string sentinels for miles, they can
never guard efiectually their complicated
frontier lines. Another difficulty that
in panicky times is the utter lack of CO.
operation on the part of the people.
The European peasant has absolutely no
confidence in tho scientific value of sani-
tary laws. A spirit of superstition or
rather religious fatalism controls all his
acts and thoughts. He looks ON plague
as punishment from Heaven, and thinks
it . sacrilege for men to interfere with the
will of Providence. Deplorable though it
is, it is nevertheless fact that . great por-
ton Of the clergy quietly encourage this
spirit of fatalism. Some even openly de-
nounce sanitary precautionary measures
as ungodly acts, with the natural result
that the peasant not only disrespects all
sanitary orders issued by the government,
but he resists and rebels against them.
The peasant who will quietly submit to
extortions by way of direct and indirect
taxation, who will stand every indignity
from petty officials, and will, with tears in
his eyes, silently see his crops ruined by
army maneuvers, will rebel and fight when
the superstitions which he calls his relig-
known to the government that officials, in
order to avoid massacres and bloodshed,
stealthily use disinfectants in the dead of
night. Often such nightly work brings
about the worst results.
A peasant seeing the evaporations from
the chemicals used as disinfectants gives
the alarm that the devil is at work spread
ing his evil ghosts over the village, and the
panic that ensues is indescribabls. Re-
ligious fanaticism has full sway. Hos
pitfalls are torn down and burned. No
mercy. is shown to the sick. They are
supposed to be the victims whom the
Almighty has selected for punishment.
And to appease a just God and aid him in
His work of destruction the sick are killed
or driven from the village.
The guards-the military, what of them
Nothing. The European peasant has no
confidence in his government. Centuries
of starvation, suffering and abuse have
taught him to look upon his government
as an enemy, incapable and unwilling to
do anything for his good. In many Euro
pean countries the peasant stubbornly re-
fuses to send his children to school. He
accuses the government of establishing
schools for the sole purpose of teaching
the boys to become good soldiers. He COM
plains that the authorities make him send
his boys to school SO that he will have no
one to tend his geese and sheep. In every
governmental act he sees no other motive
but that of wronging and injuring him.
To illustrate, it may be mentioned that
where the smuggler, army deserter and
escaped criminal receives hospitality. shell
ter and other friendly aid. the pursuing
soldier receives nothing but resent
ment and deception. Under such circum-
stances We can we'll understand the diff
culties that present themselves to the Rus
sian government in enforcing sanitary
laws. Wher the cholera reaches Hun.
garia, Bohemia, all the Slav provinces
and Poland. these governments will
be confronted with nearly the same
obstacles that now confront the Russian
government.
There is one consolation to this gloomy
state of affairs. The summer is pretty
well advanced. The chilly fail weather
will soon set in. To an extent the disease
will check itself The long winter will
enable the governments TO exterminate
the cholera germs without raising the
suspicious of the peasant. And We hope
the world will be saved from a repetition
Of the terrible catastrophe of 1873.
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