The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-12
TRUTH INCARNATED.
REV. THOMAS DIXON SHOWS THE REA-
SoNABLENESS OF THE DOCTRINE.

a Prelude on Politics and Health, APP
ropos to Recent Interferences with the
Board of Hcaith-Scleneo Confirms tho
Doctrine of tho Incarnation.
New York, Sept. 11.-Rev. Thomas
Dixon, Jr., treated his review of cur
rent events this morning to the subject
OF partisan interference with the board
Of health of our cities. He said:
Few Christians realize as yet how
great Is the responsibility laid upon the
citizen. There are many men who hon
estly believe that the least they have to
do with politics the better Christians
they can be. The truth is no man asn
be true Christian in America and not
take an active part in politics. Politics
Is as mean as the devil today simply be-
cause it has been given over to the
devil. 1t can never be redeemed 80 long
as the devil is left to run it to suit him
self. The time has come in the history Of
our country when every Christian citi-
zen must carry his religion with him to
the polls. Let us not forget that the
man who sings like an angel on Sunday
and votes like the devil on Monday will
be found with the devil when the final
count is made.
What immense possibilities are in the
hands of a corrupt city government
They may poison the water you drink
and the air you breathe, destroy the
character of the street in which YOU live.
grit your school house and your church
with dives and saloons, raise the death
rate of your city and let loose upon you
every pestilence that crowds the open
ports of the world.
Tnmmany Hall has at last laid its
dirty hands on the board of health of
the city of New York. We face today
the possibility of o scoarge of cholera.
Are we prepared for such dread possi-
bility? Drs. Janeway, Prudden, Slim
son, jacob, Smith, O'Dwyer, Derby and
Valentine have all resigned from the
consulting medical board because the
board was being manipulated in the in
tercst of Tammany Hall in the appoint
ment Of its ruling officers.
DR.. W. A. Ewing sanitary superin-
tendent, was forced to resign to make
room for the man with pull" When
DIR. Ewing was forced out, the president
of the board frankly said to him: II
cannot place my finger on u single act
OF yours or any failure on your part to
act which has not given me perfect
satisfaction. You have been careful,
5udicious and prudent always; but the
pressure for your place is so strong that
i am unable to withstand it, and you
must hand me your resignation or
must get out myself" At the same
time Colonel W. P. Prentice, counsel
Tor the board, was asked for his resig-
nation for political reasons. DR.. Roger
& Tracy, register Of records in the
health department, was also displaced
for political reasons.
POLITICAL MURDER.
A recent number of the New York
Medical Journal contains vigorous ed
itorial reviewing the report of our vital
statistics for 1891. 1t says that "the
total number of deaths was 48, ,805 in an
estimated population Of 1880 900. This
Is equivalent to mortality rate of 25.9
(really 900 in 1000, against 24.5 in the
previous year. The aggregate mortality
in 1890 was 40,103. Bearing in mind
that the difference between 1890 and
1891, when all deaths by all causes are
considered, was 3,509 deaths, let us
look at the contagious diseases account.
Scarlet fever in 1891 carried off / ,22O
persons and measles 1893. In 1890 the
comparable figures were 408 and 730.
The respective differences are Sl2 and
939, and the total difference for these
two zymotio causes alone-scarlet fever
and measles-is 1,745 deaths.
hNOw this axpaaa In 1901 ouar 1onn
will, IL adjustment is made for increase
Of population, account for fully so per
cent. of that alleged influential mortal
ity, and we surmise that II the compar-
ison should be carried into other zymotio
causes 1t would be found that the steady
increase in the death rate of the city was
referable in even greater measure to
preventable causes. These are the dis
cases that our sauitarians classify along
with scarlet fever and measles, and CON
CeTning which it Is maintained that they
are ameliorated when there is compe-
tent and cleanly city government. When
they are not ameliorated the fault should
be fixed. 1t has been demonstrated a
hundred times that when city falls
into the hands of indifferent and care
less health officials the bills of mortality
Immediately expand. Mislnanagement
cannot be hidden. Other influences may
expand the death rate, but none more
surely than incompetent sanitation.
sit is entirely probable that an ener-
getic and whole souled sanitary corps in
1893 could reduce the death rate to 22 in
1000, possibly still lower. This means
that the saving in that year would
aUnp3tnf 70 OSn liyaa Tba
of London In 1891, If we remember cor
rectly, was 2l.5 to 1000; that of Paris
was about the same, while that Of Ber-
lin was less than 81 to 1,000 These
comparatiyely-no ideally-low rates
have been accomplished, in the case of
each OF these great cities, in the face of
many discouragements and difficulties,
by sanitary measures, no one of which
may not bo brought into play for the
saving of human life in this metropolis,
"Any board Of health--in this CITY or
any other-that has for its head a mere
politician, Is like pyramid built upon
its apex instead of its base. It is practi-
oally impossible for its best work to be
brought out. The community suffers in
consequence"
Such is the unbiased testimony of
scientific journal of highest authority.
HOW LoNG2
New York, with its natural advan-
tages, should have the lowest death rate
of any great city in the world. We
have the highest. And we have to
thank the gang Of brigands who have
broken into tho board of health and
threaten the life of the city for the sake
of the few paltry salaried offices in
volyed. How long will the good people
OF New York and other cities tolerate
such men In powor2 Will it be until God
shall have sent some dreaded scourge to