The evening times., 1896-11-14
RUMORS OF
WAR WITH
SPAIN.

VIII PICK Il quarter
with this country for
the sake Of thus being able to surrender
Cuba without loss of nat onal prestige
or damage TO national pride, is the
mereSt rubbish. In the event Of the rccOg-
milton Of the c uGan irsurGentSas hclligcrcnts,
or the independence of Cuba as a republic.
by the United states, which is sure to come,
If not during Clevcland's administration,
then shortly after Mckinley ; advent, Spain
will swallow the pill with as good grace
as she may tc able to Command, and not
use 1t as prcteXt for making a warlike dem
onstration against this country, much less
go to war with it.
PerChanCe the Spanish government Will
recall the fact that Spain fairly fell over
herself in her haste to acknowledge the
bclligercnCy of the Confederate States. and,
regarding the course of the United States
in the present instance as "a species of re-
tributiye justice. accept the result with
contrite heart and becoming humility.
But if the proud Castilian blood should
boil, fcrmcnt. and otherwise become agi-
tated, and the government, yielding to
popular pressure, attempt to put itself
in warlike trim, il would still he but an
idle show. 1t takes money, as we'll as men,
to fight battles; perhaps even more so.
Spain's finances are pretty kIoCk kneed
now, and she would hardly find any of the
great European bankers ready TO advance
her funds for so fOolhardy and eventually
disastrous undertaking as a war with the
United States.
Spain Will give up Cuba TO the insur
gents and acknowledge its independence,
because before long she viii be at the end
OF her resources without being any nearer
TO suppreSsing tn e rebellion than sheis now.
THE unusual prevalence OF diplltheria in
different sections of the city and the
necessity Of closing one OF the public school
buildings ON that ac-
count calls the atten-
AN OUNCE tion of the people OF
the District and Of
OF those who legslate
for them to the need
PREV EN- IloN' OF measures OF pre-
vention, as Well as Of
cure. tits clear that,
as regards the schools, far strictcr sys-
TEN of inspection is required than is now
provided. This relates not merely to the
buildings and their surroundings, but to
the pupils. Few parents are competent to
Judge the first symptoms Of so insidious
a disease as diphthcra, and yet it is in its
incipient stage that the cure is most cas-
lily and effectively applied. If attended to
at the very outset hardly any case of diph
iberia need be fatal. Delay is the danger
element III great many instances when
a child complains of sore throat the
mother gives him Some simple little rem
edy and. to use a current slang phrase,
lets it go at that.
1t should be quite evident that such a
condition Of things should not be permitted
to exist. The remedy, which cannot be
applied too soon, is a daily inspection of
the children in every school by some physi-
clan connected with the health department,
as is done now in Boston. In that city, as
soon as n child is discovered to be in a
condition giving ground for the suspicion
that he may be afflicted with diphtharia,
he is sent home with the recommendation
to the parent that physician be called in.
At present, OF course, the health officer
has neither the men nor the means to put
such a system of inspection into operation,
but it would seem that by utilizing the force
of physicians for the poor-increasing their
salaries for the purposc-and with an addi-
tional moderate appropriation for the em-
ployment of a few additional physicians,
the plan might be put into practice. At any
rate, 1t appears to be the most practicable
method OF checking the spread Of diphtheria
in the schools.