Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-03-25

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-EATaI@Yh factories where hundreds OF girls
SSSEYll5E-lY1 and boys must work are heated
with death. h.dealing consumers of
natural gas. There is no blame to be attached to
the gas. Natural gas furnishes one OF the most eX-
cellent aud convenient means Of heating building
ever discovered. But the trouble OF the whole mat
ter is an impression, which is abroad among those
who consume this gas, that no stove pipe Is need
ed or other vent for the gas. All that is thought
to be necessary is that the gass be perfectly cOnsum
ed.
If the gass is all burned up, they say, and there
being no smoke, Why is q stove pipe neededf This
is downright ignorance. It makes no difference
whatever whether the fuel is gas or coal or wood,
carbOnic acid gas is always produced wherever there
is 8 fame This carbOntc acid is a newly OrdOrless
gass heavier than the air and absolutely poisonous
to the human system and will certainly undermine
any ones health who must breathe 1t any length
OF time.
It isa crime against helpless humanity to fill
buildings full OF people and then fill the build
ing full of carbOniC acid gas. These people are
sure to be troubled with colds, coughs, catarrah;
and pneumonia will claim many victims to such
gross mistreatmentG Our retail stores filed with
lady clerks, our restaurants with lady walters, are
death traps simply because OF the miserable cOntrtV
ance for heating.
The French have learned the use of carbOniC acid
Gas in committing suicide. The Of little port
able charcoal stoves in France has made these
people aware Of the deadly qualities OF carbOnic
nc10 gas, ana IL Is frequently I65OELou 10
cidal purposes. All they have to do Is to take one
Of these little stoves into closed rOOm ell it with
charcoal, set it afre, shut up the doors and win
dOws, lie down and await the end. Such person
is sure to be found dead soon after The death is
an easy one and is the iavOrite mode Of committing
suicide in Paris.
In this city there have been two such deaths.
But unlike French suicide, these deaths we're
brought about in utter ignorance Of what they we're
doing. We say two deaths have occurred in this
city. No doubt others have occurred, but only two
have fallen under our notice. A stalwart young
man was found dead in bath room which was
heated by one Of those CHASTITY cOntrivances for
burning natural gas without providing any escape
for Carbonic acid gas. The other case was . man
found dead In bis bedroom. 1t being cold night,
he brought one OF those heaters from his bath room
into his bedroom, set Is going lay down on his bed
never to rise again.
Hundreds OF bath rooms In this city are heated
by these portable stoves which burns natural gas.
Remember, the blame is not to be attached to natu-
raj gas The same thing would occur If coal were
burned. tt is not the fuel that is to blame. It Is
the Culpable stupidity of those who COntriVe such
means for heating.
The average person consumes one gallon Of air at
each respiration. The average number OF respira-
tions is about tWenty-One 3 minute. The average
gas burner consumes as much air as seven persons.
What, then must be the result Of crowding three
or four hundred people into one room lighted by
several dozen gas ietsf OF course, t is rare that
one is killed outright but great many people have
received injury from which their death will finally
result.
We happened into a mission hall the other eve
ming. About one hundred people were present.
the missionaries making great noise, exhOrt-
ing singing, praying, shouting, laughing, Capping
their hands, rejoicing Of their salvation from the
aIedged wrath OF God. They we're doing ell this in
the midst OF an atmosphere reeking and redOlent
with invisible poison emanating frem sweaty bodies
and exhaled from overtaxed lungs.
Oh how much these people needed salvation from
their own ignorance. Salvation from thick.headed
ness and the emptymindedness Of not knowing
better than to abuse their bodies in such sensees
performance. Some day these things viii be called
wicked They viii be called debauching
It is just as bad to surcharge the lungs with car
| bonic acid gas as 1t to fill the stomach with pOO
whisky. One is Just as unwhoesome, just as IN
healthy, Just as wicked IS the other.