The Newtown bee., 1909-03-19

needs be tempted of the devil as the
 fitting prelude to His great work of
 salvation, there must be some
 deep, eternal significance in all our experience of trial, sorrow, evil,
 suffering and sin.
 The anti-vaccinationists are pre- pairing little paper called The COLntcti nt Anti-Vaccirat r. In
 the last issue Prof DeMork of Bridge
 port, who has many friends in New
 town, writes a strong letter on the subject. He spys: "TG the Editor of
 In@ Ccnnec'icut Anti-Vaccinat0r
 Dear Sir-I am pleased to learn that
 the Connecticut Anti-COmpulsory
 Vaccination League isgoing tosupply our legislators with a paper contain ing arguments, statistics, etc., against compulsory vaccination. It seems a strange situation that, in the land of the free and the home of the
 brave," citizens are forced to organ ize and take supplicative measures to and through, our legislators to save our children from what they should consider their obligated duty to protect them from. Especially is this true when we consider that the
 people, the laity, those most inter- ested, have never solicited any legis- lative action on vaccination, and that among the medical profession itself there is vast difference of opinion as to the efficacy of vaccination as preventative of smallpox. it should .be sufficient that those who desire to ESQ afflict themselves and their chil- dren have the opportunity and privi- lege, and that if there is any truth in the claim of prevention from con- tagion from smallpox they certainly can have no fear of contracting the disea%e iron! tf.e ur:vaccinat, d. Vii; fication of those who favor and ad- vocate compulsory vaccination is no argument against it, but nc degree of denunciatory condemnation can be severe enough for those who, because they have the pOTer, would force it upon others not desiring it, for what seems to them the most person al, potent and serious reasons. Al pr nearly all, persons now oDr OCnd to vaccination, at some time favored it, and have reached their present po- sition upor the question throuoh study, investigation, and unm;stak- able, undeniable and unouestion- able evidence, in many instances in their oWr families, and their interest in and for humanity is fully equal 70, if not in advance of their opponents on this question, and they cam i ne accused of selfish or mercenary mo- lives. It is unfortunate that those who advocate and would en, rec compulsory vaccination rest iheir case' on dogmatic assertion and miG- leading statistics, and refuse to dis cuss the question in proper split in public debate, for the people would soon be educated to such a degree that no legislator would dare advo- cate or support so unreasonable, un- just and barbarous a measure. On the contrary, the present law would be wiped from our statute books as quick as the unanimous vote to that end could be recorded. My friend. Dr Peebles, of Michigan, who had over 30 years active experience with vaccination and treated hundreds of cases of smallpox in this and other countries (mOre, perhaps, than any two or three living yaccmators) says 'VaccinatiCn is neither @ sciei tifiC discovery nor is it's claimas apropAy- tactic against smallpox valid or philosophic. l have adducel alple evidence that the vacCinated arc just as liable as the InVaCCin3ted-- eSpe cially during a smallpox eEcdLnic. It is indeed a most int0lerable ty- rarny to compel vaccination by law. It is un-American. It is unc":Sti- tutional. It is dangerous, often causing death. Compulsory vaccia- ation is the most dastardly crime ever perpetrated against the libert! of the cit.zen," etc. I earnestly hope for the repeal of the law as it now stands, and will be glad torender any service in my power Yours truly Prof DeMork, Bridgeport, February ,, 1909.