The times., 1898-04-24
YELLOW Jack.

This is a good time to say few words
on yellow fever. and the Columbia Is.
@ State has a timely editorial on the
subject for the benefit Of its citizens
who are afraid of it in connection with
the war in Cuba. 1t is not at ali unrea-
sonable for South Carolina people. and
Southern people in general, to be some
what in fear Of this terrible disease.
Many of them have had experience with
it, and most Of them have lively tradi-
tons on the subject.
It is more to be dreaded, perhaps,
than any other feature Of the coming
war Many men viii calmly face
deadly fire of musketry, or unhesitat-
ingly storm a fortified position, or even
lead a forlorn hope, who would rather
not go where they are certain to die Of
yellow fever. There is no particular eX-
element about lying in camp waiting
10 be taken down with an epidemic. Il
wiH produce a panic, but that is not
the sort of excitement conducive to
bravery. Yellow Jack has a Weyler-
like disregard Of the sex, age or condi-
ton in life of its victims, and its APP
pearance in the Southern States as a re
suit Of war with Cuba and its deadly
effect on our Army have very naturally
been among the strongest arguments
against war
AS a matter Of fact, however, yellow
fever is a filth disease. New Orleans
had a regular siege OF it every few
years up TO the time when the town
was occupied by Gen. Butler, who
waged a fiercer war against dirt than
he ever fought in field. New Orleans
/ received a housecleaning at that time
which almost made her lose her iden-
titv. but since the war yellow fever
has appeared there with much greater
rarity than il did in the first half Of the
! century, and il might disappear alto
4 gether under the rule of an extremely
/ rigid board Of health. 1t is said that
I this disease was first seen in towns
which were ports Of slave ships, and
that il has never been known TO origin
/ ate elsewhere. a form Of fever which
1 closely resembles il is TO be found in
/ some cities where coolie ships land, in
the Orient, and the conditions under
which the coolies are shipped are much
. ike those Of the slave ship Of old times.
. The horrors Of the middle passage pro-
/ duced among the human cargo a dis
ease almost exactly like yellow fever,
Of which very many died. 1t used 10 be
said that one-half usually did die, and
that the traders profits had to be made
off those which remained-that was In
the West Indian trade. The slave,
therefore, was in a measure inoculated
against the disease, as the white man
is protected against smallpox by the
fact that his ancestors have suffered
from ii for centuries before him. Among
savage races smallpox RACES with a
violence which often decimates whole
tribes The peculiar germ which is
the cause Of yellow fever seems to have
been produced under these inhuman
conditions, and it appears to feed on
filth The only way to prevent its work
in places where the climatic conditions
are favorable to it, is to starve ii out
and that is what must be done in Ha-
vana The disease does not appear out
side the towns, and might not be SC
I prevalent baASie IL IL "cic ii"I t'l 'ii'
herding together of Spanish sold cry
and reconcentrados and the unsanitary
conditions which prevails. Our Army
viii do its work almost entirely in the
interior, where the country is hilly ol
( mountainous, and on the sea, in nava
battles and blockades. With good hos.
pital service, good habits and ordinary
precautions. our soldiers are not likely
TO suffer from it any more than they
would if stationed on the coast of Ala.
bama or the Carolnas. When Havana
is once taken it will be put under stric