The farmer and mechanic., 1910-02-22
226 2-3 BUSHELS TO THE ACRE.

and has but one room one or two a
most, beds. and a family Of four OF
five, that of necessity must live to-
gether, what could you expect HIM
to accomplish by his training? Then,
how much worse the picture without
the training. The latter condition is
the state of the INDECENT incurabl tu-
bercular. He is the greatest distrib-
utor of tuberculosis. He is the fla ms.
that continually ignites the fuel. The
only argument against the home yet
raised IS that you cannot force people
tc go to it. AS Yet we have no law
by which we may compel people 70
go, but many would GLADLY and Will
Ingly go, and for those who would
not, it would not be too much to ex-
pect, that soon law would be among
our statutes compelling those who
would not go-when it could be
shown that it was for the public good.
and that his running st large was a
menace to his felloWman. Just as iS
the case with smallpox now, We put
every man in the pest house now with
smallpox for the good Of others. not
for his own. Compared with tubcrcu-
1osis, where smallpox kills one tuber-
culosis kills a thousand. ana it is not
dreaded Z. thOuSandth part IS much
as smallpox. 1t will keep on getting
in its awful death rate until we re-
gard it as We do smallpox. The
strongest argument for q fight against
tuberculosis as we make against
smallpox is found in the statistical
report Of deaths from each. for the
years from 1903 to 1907. While in
smallpox the deaths decreased from
1882 in 1903, to Il in 1907, in tuber-
cuIosls the deaths increased from
1,487 in 1903, to 1860 in 1897. And
since this statistical report is made up
OF only 4S per cent OF the population
n no mi tod cf.*0 f,o>r
! Of deaths from tuberculosis in the
United States would naturally be
more than doubled---and perhaps
frebbied. for in the registration area
it Is to be supposed there are bet
| ter public health laws Even doubling
! $3.50, we have the appalling num-
/ Der Of 153, 800 annually from tuber-
culosis alone. There have died in Ra-
| leigh five times as many people from
| tuberculosis as from all the other
contagious diseases put together in
the last six months. And IN Wake
county the proportion no doubt would
/ be greater.
| The State does provide ISOLATION for
him if insane. And the State goes
/ further: The General Assembly OF
1909, chapter 18, page 40 Public
Laws Of 1909. said:
Duties and Powers OF County Conn
| nlissioners.
| Is. To Esta blisi1 Public lI0spita Is
To establish public hospitals for the
! county in cases Of necessity, and
| maintain wholly or in part one or
! more tuberculosis dispensaries or
sanltOtlums. and to make such rules.
regulations and bylaws for preventing
! the spread Of cOnta gious and infec-
| tious diseases and for taking care OF
those afflicted thereby. the same not
| being inconsistent with the laws OF
| the State, and to raise by taxation
/ moneys to defray the charges and
expenses incurred
! If there is wisdom, if there bc jus
/ tcc IN taxation to prevent one insane
! person, who, while insane from catch
ing tuberculosis from another insane
| person; upon what ground can YOU
stand to argue that YOU should not
] take steps to prevent the healthy,
! happy, innocent little babe from walk
] ing into the death trap. Should you
! be stunning by the precipice and the
! little one should come struggling by
/ doomed to meet its death upon the
/ crags below, would you not interfere
! Would you stand still and not lttemp
! TO save him? And now, What are Ta
! going to do about it?
/ l hope no one will Tnisundcrstan,l
or msconstrue by motive in writing
this letter. If anything other than 3
/. desire to attempt to discharge in part
W hat i conceive to be my duty to my
\ fellowman i1npels me, 1 have vet to
make the discovery. l hope some
more influential person viii lend q
! hand to this feeble beginning and let
! the good work go forward.
THOMAS NJ. JORDAN.
Raleigh, y. G.. Feb. -16. 1910