The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-29
HAS A BIC JOB.
f. w. Knapp Appointed to q
New Position.
On Local Advisory Committee to
Promote Health.
lie is IN DOU b L.
Not Sure Honor Thrust Upon
Him Is Appreciated.
Duties Outlined in Rather Alb
struse Language.

F. w. Knapp, secretary of the state
board Of control. has been notified
that he has been appointed on the
local advisory committee of an asso-
ciatinn organized to promote the
health of the United States. It is
quite a job thet the association has
undertaken.
But the interesting part to Mr..
Knapp Is that he is expected to con-
tribute 800 CT so to help the thing
along.
The movement appears to have
been started by the American Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science.
This association organized a COM
mittee of one hundred.
The Committee Of One Hundred
organized an American Health league.
The American Health league
elected an executive committee.
The executive committee elected
officers.
The officers appointed local ad-
visory committees in each state in the
union.
Mr.. Knapp Is one of the members
of the Kansas local advisory COM
He figures that 500 is a little high
for the honor which has been thrust
upon him.
However. the American Health
league has some very commendable
endorsed by President Roosevelt. Its
first object is to find out what to do,
and it proposes to Mr.. Knapp several
subjects on which it asks his advice.
It wants to know which of them he
considers of most Importance, In or
der that the important subject may
oe presented to congress.
The officers of the executive COM
mittee of the American Health league
of the Committee Of One Hundred Of
the American Asso citation for the Ad-
vancement of Science have prepared
three subjects; each member OF the
advisory committee is allowed one
guess as to which is the big one. If
you guess wrong, you lose the 500
which you have put up; If you guess
right, ycr are allowed to CONTRIBUTES
500 to the cause. At least that
seems to be about the system.
These three subjects, having fl
tered through SO many associations,
and committees, and experts, and Off
Gals, are naturally somewhat dis
tortad and mashed out of shape.
They sound a little as though they
might have been written by Col.
Major Jeltz One has an instructive
feeling that something important is
being said, but II Is SO wound up In
verbosity that It takes sometime to
ur,tangIe the idea The trouble with
the organization as it now exists is
that 1t needs a new subcommittee Of
one to take charge of its literary
bureau and write its letters.
Here are the three subjects for
consideration, just as they come hot
for the pat of the mighty aggrega-
ticn of scientists an6 leagues and
committees:
1. The facts that the Ohio river
represents q thousand miles OF ty-
phoid fever and the Hudson river a
cloaca maxima from Albany to the
sea; the prevalence of deadly infec-
ton among millions of our people
arising from the contamination OF
drinking water, and of ice. and the
rapid increase OF the pollution OF our
rivers, the boundary lines between
states, which only federal authority
can control.
3. The facts that out of $4,000, 900
of our people, 100000 must perish
from tuberculosis. the white scourge,
which with proper regulation enforc-
ed by the federal power can be exter-
minated as completely as the once
dreaded smallpox; and that the uni
form enforcement of national health
regulations in all states Is absolutely
imperative, because infected persons
travel from state to state spreading
disease.
8. The facts that the public has no
means Of obtaining reliable health in
formation and the thousand questions
which anxious fathers and mothers
ask themselves go unanswered simply
because there is no office at Washing
ton equipped for the purpose. If
Strawberries wilt In New Jersey or
lambs fall sick in Arizona, the depart
ment Of agriculture gives elaborate
instructions as to what should be
done. But two millions Of human be-
ings die each year, large proportion,
and literally because they can not find
how fo Iva