The times., 1898-11-06
AGAINST VACCINATION
The English Opponent Of Com
pulse Poison in America.
is COSTLY CRUSADE
Five MiIlion Dollars spent Before
Securing Parliamentary Relief
Eleven Times Fined for Contempt
Carrying His Movement Into Com
tinental Europe and America.

Everybody was surprised when the
compulsory vaccination laws in England
were repealed and the matter left to the
judgment of citizens. The New York Sun
has the following about the man who
did most OF the work:
Mr.. William Tebb. leader of the cru
sade against compulsory vaccination in
England. is at the Park Avenue Hotel
Mr.. Tebb Is anything but a physical
giant, and his personal appearance gives
no indication Of the perseverance which
marked the fight he made for years
against what he considered a violation
of personal liberty as well as a direct
interference with parental authority. His
figure Is slight his body is frail, and his
eyes are mild and blue His head how
ever. Is massive and well-shaped. and his
long white hair and beard give him the
appearance of patriarch. For nearly
thirty years he labored with tongue and
pen to have set aside the provisions of the
law which compelled all English parents
TO have their children vaccinated and on
August II he saw his labors crowned with
success. for on that day the queen signed
the measure allowing conscientious par
ents to make a declaration of objection
to vaccination before a magistrate, and
thus free themselves from what they con-
slider persecution. This victory was not
won without a mighty struggle and a
vast outlay of money and energy. II is
estimated that the anti-vaccinists spent
So.oVo,OOO in the cause. Ii is known that
Mr.. Tebb alone contributed a fortune
now much he Is too modes; to say.
Mr.. Tebb is very willing to talk about
what he describes as the evils of vac
cination. and he is armed 10 the teetn
with facts and figures to show the harm
that mas been done to mankind by inocu-
iaion OF the human system with virus as
preventive for smallpox. Mr. Tebb
IS sixty-eight years old. He was born
In Manchester, and in his boyhood days
"orshipped at the shrines OF Golden and
Bright Later he became an ardent abo-
huonist and journeyed to this country
10 lend his voice to the antebeiium ag;-
tation for the freedom of the slaves He
was the friend and co-laborer of William
Lloyd Garrison. Wendell Phillips and
Iheodore Parker. and he often spoke
from the same platform with them
MT Ieoo advocacy of the anti-yacci-
nation crusade was born of personal ex-
perience with England's compulsory law
Iwenty-nine years ago his wife took
their second daughter. Christine. to the
family doctor for vaccination. The vac
cihatlon, Tor some unknown cause, did
not take" and few weeks after Mrs
Tebb took the child to the family ply
sician again to have the operation re-
peated- The doctor. however, was Ioath
TO vaccinate the child a second time
would advise you he said, not to
nave the operation performed again.
vaccination does not prevent smallpox
and 1t may do the child harm
Mrs Tebb took the physicians ad-
vice. She repeated to her husband what
the doctor. man OF high professional
standing, had told her. and Mr.. Tebb be-
came very much interested in vaccina-
ton The more he read about it the
more he became convinced that what the
family physician had said was true TIE
medical journals. he found, contained
contradictions and confusions of med cal
opinion on the subject. He was struck.
he says, by an article in the Lancet of
July l5 ISL, admitting that in the epi-
demic of that year. 600 vaccinated
persons had been attacked with small
pox, and that 1900 of them had died
So. when his youngest daughter Bea-
trice, was born, he and his wife deter
mined that she should not be vacci-
mated. Their determination became
known to the local authorities. and. after
receiving many threatening notices. Mr..
Tebb was summoned before the Maryle-
bone Police Court-he lived in London
| and fined. He paid the fine. but still
persisted in his refusal to have the child
vaccinated. The result was that he was
summoned eleven times more to the
Marylebene Police Court and fined each
time. Mr.. Tebb carried the case to the
Court of Queens Bench. but he was de-
feated again. The thirteenth prosecution
| in the police court, however. was finally
withdrawn by the st. Pancras Guar
dams, who concluded that Mr.. Tebb
would Withstand law against which he
| had conscientious scruples to the bitter
end.
I'm 1850 Mr.. Tebb founded the London
Society for the Abolition of Compulsory
Vaccination. The first meeting was held
ir an upper room in Chancery Lane and
only seven persons attended Mr.. Tebb
was not discouraged and he soon sue
ceeded in arousing the interest of the
people in the anti-vaccination crusade.
An office was opened in Victoria Street.
Westminster, and the Vaccination In
quirer, which Mr. Tebb had started in
1879 was adopted as the organ of the So
ciety. Branches were established in all
parts of England and the membership
increased SO rapidly that it was finally
| found necessary to weld all the various
organizations into one association, which
| is called the National Anti-Vaccination
| League. Mr.. Tebb was elected President
| and he held that office for twelve years.
He was also chairman of the executive
| committee which bore the brunt of the
| hardest part of the battle, for sixteen
| years. In the early years of the ag1ta-
| ton the feeling against the members OF
| the league was very bitter. The people
| of England did not take kindly to the
| notion that vaccination was not pre-
ventive for smallpox, and the anti-vacein-
| lists were looked upon as lunatics and
/, persons dangerous to the community.
| The medical profession was the chief
| stumbling block, but after time the
! opposition of the doctors began to relax
I and many of them Joined the league.
| Statisticians and scientists also became
members and respect for the cause IN
| creased.
that the government was obliged to take
1 notice of it. In 1883 royal commission
/, was appointed to investigate the matter
/ of compulsory vaccination LorA Her
/ schell was the president. One of the first
| witnesses summoned was Mr.. Tebb. he
| was before the commission for five days.
| He testified to over 5000 cases or injury
| and over 500 deaths due to vaccination.
More than 150 witnesses were examined
and 100 of them testified to the failure OF
| vaccination to prevent smallpox. The up
shot Of the investigation was that the
commission recommended the introduc-
4. tion in Parliament of measure to &c
away with compulsory vaccination Sucn
4 n measure was introduced and 1t Is now
a law.
.During the characterization agitation,