Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-07-25

could to encourage the people to SUBJ
NIT to incubation. In few months
upward Of $4,000 persons, out OF a pop.
ulation Of some $4,000, had undergone
the operation. The results were almost
Immediately apparent. and triumphant
ly vindicate the merits of the plague
prophylactic. In Poona city, which
adjoins the cantonment, plague was
raging furiously. There the accepted
policy OF the day. policy forced on
Lord Curzon by the blind fanatacism OF
the people of India, held full sway. In
n short time there were upward of g.
900 plague cases, with 4,311 deaths out
OF a population Of not much more than
100000. The cantonment, as stated. adj
joins the city. Communication be-
tween the two is as incessant as be-
tween Fleet street and the Strand; yet,
thanks to the precautions adopted by
Gen. Burnett and the military authori-
ties, the cases In the cantCnment only
numbered 2lo, with 143 deaths, out of
population Of upward of 10000. The
native soldiers, who mix freely In the
bazaars, were inoculaated Only one
case occurred among them, and that
proved mild. the patient recovering.
Calcutta has never shaken off the
plague, but somehow OF other II does
not seem very favorable, place for the
spread of the epidemic. Elsewhere In
Bengal, however the outlook is more
disquieting. Patna, Monghyr, Gya and
other towns and districts are now abso-
lutely In the grip Of the pestilence. The
mortality in these places has for weeks
past been Of an alarming character.
The plague is spreading. From Patna
1t has crossed the Ganges into the
planting districts of Behar Thence Il
has gone to Ballia, somewhat fanatic
al place in the northwest provinces.
From Ballia the plague has lately
spread to Benares. II could hardly have
taken more fateful course. Benares
Is the sacred city OF the Hindoos.
Thither flock from every part of India,
hundreds of thousands of devotees, OF
both sexes and Of every age, eager to
worship at the sacred shrines and
battle In the holy Ganges. Thus from
Benares Infection Is carried to every
portion, however remote, of India. An
outbreak OF plague in such center Is,
therefore, one of the most serious
calamaties which has so far occurred
In the history of that pestilence in
India. 1t is rendered more serious by
the character of the population. All
that is most bigoted, most fanatical,
opposed to British rule and the spread
OF Western science and civilization Is
concentrated at Benares. There are to
be found in hundreds the fakirs, jorgis,
sanysis and other mendicants, and as
cetics. the majority of whom are the
bitter enemies OF our rule In India.
There the flame OF religious fervor
burns at It's brightest. To attempt In
such place to check the pestilence by
ordinary and common-sense measures
OF sanitation would mean an immediate
tumult and bloodshed. The disinfiec-
ton OF houses Is regarded as wholesale
deflement; the segregation Of the sick
AS possible preliminary to their muir.
der.
. Sir Anthony Mcdonnell, the Lieuten-
ant-Governor, has just visited the
place, and has spoken to the people on
the necessity of adopting such precau-
tons as the vacation of houses, dsin-
lection and incubation. After him
there got up a retired Judge, an intel
liFCrt ger tiCman, well acquainted with
thu prei ices OF the people, He de-
Glazed u they would have neither
house VI ..tion nor incubation, though
the r,'' enlightened amongst them
might perhaps allow disinfection. With
prejudices such as these TO contend
with, II may be imagined how great are
the difficulties Of the local authorities
in dealing with the plague.