The Penn's Grove record., 1907-03-22
Disregard For Life.
BY the Editor of Tie Century.

When one reads the accounts con-
stantfy appearing in the newspapers
of instances of the heroic saving of
human life, especially in fire and
mine disasters, n is impressed by
the value put by all men upon life,
The rescues of miners, continuing
sometimes from day to day, have the
whole country, sometimes the whole
world, for sympathetic audience. The
city of New York vas thrilled lately
by the story of the rescue of a fire.
man, after t~wenty-four hours Of eX-
ertion on the part of his comrades,
the frst hours of which were with the
hope Of finding his dead body only.
Incidents like these awaken a passion
Of tenderness, of heroic struggle, of
widespread sympathy. AS for fire.
men, they are proverbial for reckless
courage in saving endangered lives,
and when it comes to the rescue of
one of their own number they will
actually fight for the privilege of
finging themselves into positions of
deadly peril in order to save a threat
ened comrade. There never was a
time, moreover, when such good care
was taken Of the sick and afflicted;
or when SO much time, money, equip
ment and individual devotion were
given to the discovery and applica-
ton of remedies for disease, and of
means for the prolongation of human
existence.
Reading of such things from day
to day, and nothing else, n might,
as we have said, come to the conclu-
sion that in America the ~sacredness
Of life is keenly felt throughout the
community. But as a matter of fact,
the newspapers that give US minute
details, in column upon column, of
these heroic rescues, on the same
page chronicle events which bring the
observer to the very opposite conclu-
sion.
Here we read Of scores of men
working day and night, without
thought of self, to save a single life;
and then we read, for instance, of
automobile tragedies where the
speed craze leads to the loss not only
Of the life of the speed crazy, but of
the innocent passerby. We read of
railroad accidents where many lives
are lost through some phase of reck-
lessness. We are given the appall-
ing statistics of railroad fatalities
and Of often easily ~preventable acct
dents in the various trades, and we
find that America is far behind Eu-
rope in the use of safety devices in
the various occupations.
Such exhibitions of safety appli-
ances as that held in New York, un-
der the auspicies Of the American
Institute of Social Service, inform the
public usefully of specific means of
saving life and limb. But perhaps
the most useful function of such a
demonstration-and this we believe
was the first in Americas the
awakening of public opinion.
1t is an aroused public opinion
that we need-a sort of national con-
version. There is need to spread
abroad a new respect for the human
frame; a conviction that it is I'M
~neighborly; that it is wrong; that it
Is wicked; that it is uncomfortable;
that people should amuse themselves
in a way that endangers the bodies
and the very existence of their fellow
citizens. Railroad trains, electric
trolleys and automobiles are con
stantly put to a speed that implies an
outrageous spirit of recklessness.
A. mar has no business to take
reckless chances Nth his own life,
much less with that of his fellow cit
izen, who has an equai right to the
safe use of the public highway. This
would seem to be a truism, but too
many people act with total disregard
of so elemental a principle as this.
There are SO many delinquents, there
is such a lack of persistent defense
on the part of the public, that per-
haps those are wise who think that a
counter movement should be. started,
and that the scattered and ineffec-
tual Indignation of the community
should find effective expression in a
special organization.