The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-09-22
ADVANCE OF THE PLAGUE.
Moving from Man 20 Man and from
Port to Port.

letter to the Figaro. declaring that the
Asiatis plague Is in Europe, and calling
for an international commission to "pre-
tect Europe in Europe itsoif." In bis
letter NJ. Hanotaux Gays:
"The plague is In EuIops. l have not
seen any evidence of the discovery OF the
preolss circumstances under which 1t has
been introduced, hut It's p-sssnoe Is
officially announced and Is denied BY no.
body. Moreover. the people 81 Europe
have now for some time Teen expecting
It. Il may almost be said that its adj
vance has tesn remarked beforehand,
just like the evolution of malady in a
body threatened and contaminated.
AS usual the plague originated In
Asia. A terrible epidemic rayaged Indie.
It's progress was facilitated by an accu-
mutation Of frightfui miseries. the result
Of famine such as the world has rarely
witnessed. The two scourges, famine and
plague, marched together. The spectacle
presented by the mcss beautiful En- ellsh
colony during tine pest three years has
been dreadful. If such thing had oo-
Cured In a French ,olony, heaven only
knows how hoarss the English threats
would be from shouting about our In
aptitude for colonizing. But at all
events, the plague, the daughter Of mise
~ and famine, took up Its quarters in
India, and 1t has not yet been extirpated.
"Once in India, enc might as well
say that 1t had reached Europe. We all
remember the panic that was aroused to
years ago when the announcement OF
the advance of the plague was spread
abroad. Msrseiiles, which is always the
first to be attacked, closed its port.
Doubtless the city recalled the horrors of
the plague of 1870. In the days OF the
Bishop Belzunce. Aiarseillss had good
reason to remember that plague. but was
wrong to close the port, which it was or
llged to reopen, not without some oonfu-
sion. At the same time the governments
OF different countries began to occupy
themselves with the measures to he take D
TO guard against the Invasion of the dis
ease. An International conference was
called. Propaylactic measures were de-
bated at length and carefully enacted.
Then the conference adjourned. believing
that u had thoroughly guarded against
But the plague cares little for resolu-
lions on paper. 1t simply sInbarksd on
board ordinary vessels, that Is to say, the
boats that take the Musselman pilgrims
from India to Arabia. There its presence
was discovered by the doctors. They
asked the plague for its papers. 1t pre-
sented them. They shut 1t up in the
lazar-houss OF Tor. 1t submitted good
humoredly. Onos In this place of prsdi-
lection, 1t had only to walt aud take
things quietly. A year passed on, and
then suddenly it was found In Aiexan-
dria. In the land of the Pharoaks 1t was
somewhat tenign. 1t appeared and dis
appeared-two or three cases here and
there, and then no more for some time.
As rule the malndy attacked the poor
natives, but the exceptions go to show
that 1t is by no means inclined to tpare
any class or to go away in a hurry.
"Let us not forget the excitement that
arose on ths southern shores of the In
dian Ocean when the plague suddenly an
peared In Tamatave and weakened for a
moment the energy of our colony in Mad
agascar. We were still thinking about 1t
there when the malady maze another
bound and reached Oporto. Doctor Jorge,
student OF the Pasieur Institute, recOg-
nized 1t and informed the world Of his
terrible discovery. The population came
near tearing him to pieces, and one OF his
colleagues. .eoctor Corts. assaulted him
In the street. A riot was created. The
shops were closed and the people shouted,
Down with him l. TO the water with
himf just as II Sebastian Faure himself
Were at the head of the movement. The
police charged the mob. The wounded,
as usual, were policemen.
THAT was all very well, but it did not
drive the plague out of Oporto. The
mob may gut more stores and attack
more doctors and police officers, but that
Will not prevent the plague TO continue
slowly but surely its deadly work.
"but now that the thing is manifest
and the prophecies realized, will Europe
at last take the trouble to open its eyes
ana adopt the necessary precautionary
measuresf The first OF these measures.
1t seems to me, Ia to fix the responsible
ty, immediate and direct, in the clearest
manner. II plague which for two GEN.
turtles has been kept away from Europe
Is now brought to cur doors, we should
know exactly how it came, why 1t came,
and where has been the negligence or the
opposition to the safeguards established
to keep 1t out.
Everybody knows now that this dis
ease Is not transmitted through the air.
1t needs direct vehicle for its expan-
sion, such as water or immediate contact
Spiders and rats have been blamed for
IL. They have strong backs, and a joke
Is sometimes improved by being 81 sinis-
ter and lugubrious. The plague is trans.
mitted In the most natural and the most
to rnnn, from Loaf to boat, and from port
10 port Nothing can be clearer than
that. International rules have been es-
tablished to prevent these contacts and
transmissions. Why and by whom have
they been violated? That Is the question.
The public, which Ia sometimes care
less even in regard to matters that con-
Germ 1t most, has not always followed
with proper attention the admirable
efforts made by science, and particularly
French sciences. to resist the propagation
of contagious diseases. People should
read the clear and convincing reports of
Dr. Rrouardel and peruse again the mas
terly studies of DIR. Proust. They will
then sse that everywhere and always
science has pointed out the danger and
prescribed the remedy. But the French
doctors have not stopped there. They
have been the leaders and chief factors In
the conferences which In Dresden, in
Paris, and in Vienna have drawn the
great lines Of international defence
against the epidemic. The rules which
were mnde in the name of science still
exist, but they ars not enforced. Why
hu ha kk.~~ h.. ~.