The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-06-23
Here and There in Maine
BE a Hog and BE Worth Saving.

Be Hog and BE Worth Saving.
One time little mother, who was
only % years old, began to feel tired
all the time. Her appetite failed her
for weeks before the tired feeling
came. Her three little girls, once a
Joy in her life, now became burden
ito her. 1t was mamma mamma all
day long. She never had noticed
these appeals, until the tired feeling
came. The little mother also had red
spots on her cheeks and slight, dry
cough. One day, when dragging her.
self around, forcing her weary body
to work, she felt a sharp but slight
pain in her chest, her head grew dir
zy, and suddenly her mouth filled
with blood. The hemorrhage was not
severe, but 1t left her very weak. The
doctor she had consulted for her
cough and tired feeling, had said:
You are all run down, you need a
tonic For a fee, he prescribed Bit
ters made of alcohol, water and gen
tian. This gave her false strength
for a while. for it checked out her
little reserve. When the hemorrhage
occurred, she and all her neighbors
knew she had consumption. and the
doctor should have known it and told
her months before.
Now, she wrote to the state board
of health, and said: 1 am told that
consumption In its early stages can
be cured by outdoor life, continued
rest, and plenty of plain, good food.
do not want to die. | want to live
and raise my children to make them
good citizens. Where can l get we'll?
i he reply was: The great Christian
state of Indiana has not yet risen to
the mighty economy of saving lives of
little mothers from consumption. At
present the only place where you can
go Is grave. However, the state
will care for your children in an or
phan asylum after you are dead, and
then In a few years a special officer
will find a home for them. But save
your life--never.' That is a cranky
idea,' for member on the floor of the
65th assembly said so. Besides said
he, 1t isn't business, the state can't
afford it. So the little mother died
of the preventable and durable dis
ease, the home was broken up and
J the children were taken to the or
phans' asylum.
"A big, fat hog one morning found
he had pain In his belly. He squeal-
ed loudly, and the farmer came out
to see what was the matter. He's
got the hog cholry, said the hired
man. So the farmer telegraphed to
Secretary Wilson of the United States
agricultural department (who said the
other day he had 5000 experts In ami
NAL and plant diseaes) and the reply
was: Cert I'll send you man right
away Sure enough the man came.
He said he was ID. V. s., and he was,
too. He had a government syringe
and a bottle of government medicine
In his hand bag, and he went for the
hog. 1t got we'll 1t wasn't cranky
for the government to do this, and 1t
could afford the expense, for the hog
could be turned into ham, sausage
lard and bacon.
Anybody, even a fool, can see 1t
would be cranky for the state to save
the life of little mother, and 1t could
not afford it, either.
Moral: BE a hog and be worth
saving"
But the state will not pay the Or
phan any fair value" for the loss OF
parents. From Dec. 1, '08 to Dec. 1,
49, the State of Maine paid $64,998.57
for diseases among cattle. horses and
sheep. While during the years of
1909 the state paid to the Hebron
Sanatorium, SAT 800 Out of this sum
$4,000 was appropriated for old debts,
$40 900 for a new cottage, $4,000 for
water works and $500 towards board
for patients who were unable to pay
full price.
or course, no one wishes to use milk
from tuberculous cattle, nor do we
question the wisdom of appropriating
sufficient funds for supporting the
work of the cattle commission.
If the chief source of contagion for
the people were in tuberculous cat
tie, we should urge greater work and
appropriation, but the danger from
cattle is very small in comparison to
the danger from people. Indeed, many
doctors question the possibility of
human beings taking tuberculosis
from cattle, while all are agreed that
the main source of danger Is from the
sputum of diseased people.
The whole civilized world Is waking
to the truth that tuberculosis Is pre-
ventable and durable. Therefore, 1t is
economy in lives and in a nations
wealth that they should prepare plac-
es and appropriate money for curing
every person and destroying all cattle
afflicted with the dread disease.
NEW pORTIkNn