The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-06
Wednesday, March 8. l9o7'
Paternalism.

That the tendency OF this government ID 10
ward p%aternalism is not to be denied.
We are striving for compulsory educatlon.
We are struggling for compulsory ldleness
on the part Of children.
We are striving for a law which Woulo con-
pel impecunious children to refrain no"
he,n,ng themselves to food, clothing ana otn-
or necessaries.
We want legislation that would enforce
,d,eness ON hundreds Of children thst may
live in mill towns. This, too, in the lace Oh
tho foot that idleness Is acknowledged 10 %
the DEVILS workshop.
We want legislation that would compe'
that idlepess among young people WHICH luz
ness may have a tendency to immoraiity
where a great multitude OF idlers are ofo"o-
ed together.
We are so intent on preventing Inc pour
people from lettering their condition. tna'
NO attention has been paid by law makers W
either their health or their morals. They al
Iow all sexes, sizes and ages and different
families to be damned together In littie
houses.
Rpt the greatest imposition on defenseless
naonle ia the law which compels poor people
10 submit to vaccination against small po1.
r. ia we'll known that vaccination Is q pre-
yentive of small pox. Then, why force men
to be yaccinated, II they want to take me
chances of having that loathsome disease!
It cannot properly be claimed hal bis usnr-
patton of one's rights is for the public good.
The disease cannot be impaired to the gen.
eral public, for the simple reason hal nobody
that cares 10 protect himself can be given
Aa4 with ANAL n0Y can
not be said TO be a menace to the public
health, bis rights should not be interiereo
with. He can infect only such persons as
may have willingly or perversely taken the
chances.
In speaking OF vaccination, we learn that
the children OF the public school at Due west
were lest week compelled 10 submit to Vaccl-
nation. The vaccination was according 10
law. The authorities obeyed the law. The
law is without reason, and We believe. that II
ia unjust, but the school authorities who en-
forced hat law are not TO blame. Although
the mothers and the fathers have reason TO
complain Of the treatment to which their
children were subjected, that complaint does
not Justly rest at the doors OF the school au-
tborities, who are presumed to set an exam
nile in obedience to law. But their grievance
lies at the door Of the politicians who have
tnnoceutly and with the best intention de-
priyed their constituents Of a natural born
right.
In speaking of the fidelity with which the
school authorities discharged an unpleasant
duty, we are glad TO hear that the college au-
thorities OF that town took the view that In
their case at least, the breach would be more
honored than the observance, and they dlo
not enforce vaccination on the students In
the respective colleges, which are not 30 d.
rectly controlled by law. Young gentlemen
were either vaccinsted or took chances al
scales and scratches, while young aides sub
mitted TO the infectious process, or risked
their facial beauty TO fortuitous clrcnm-
stances.
II our legislators would do a real good they
would legisIate against the hog, whose pres
ence is q menace 10 the health OF the commu-
nifty whose atmosphere he contaminates.
mo sort of reference Is here had to the ami
NAL that sits on the end Of the church pew,
80 that others, coming In after him. must
crawl over him.)
II, instead Of providing an unpleasant duty
for school authorities, our lawmakers would
look after the hog and his pen, great good
might be done. 1t Ia true that there are no
vaccination fees in protecting a community
from the perils incident to the presence Of
the hog pen. There is no vaccination against
typhoid fever. We can only remove or pre-
vent the presence OF well known causes Of
this terrible stfllction, which Is q thousand
times more to be dreaded than small pox.