The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-06-15
PREVENTION OF DISEASE.
Excerpt From the Address Given by
Aretas E. Kepford, Before the
Leon Summer School.

1t is indeed significant that upon an
occasion of this kind a discussion of
the prevention of disease should be
invited, but the opportunity is great
err perhaps than is afforded before
any other group of people in the
state. 1t is the public school linking
itself to great social movements; it
is displacing at the disposal of those,
supposed to be equipped for citizen
shop, more potent influence for
general public welfare than could be
brought about from any other source.
The contest against prerentable dis
eases is a struggle of knowledge
against ignorance; OF sanitation
against dirt; of social justice against
social injustice; of righteousness
against oppression.
The eradication of any scourge
involves the whole gamut Of social
activity. 1t brings before the public
mind great questions. tuberculosis
cannot be stamped out SO long as
society remains unrefDrmed, and the
reformation of society involves not
it's destruction but reconstruction
of the present order of things. So
long as men and women are over
worked and underfed; SO long as
people are compelled to live in I'M
ventilated, unsanitary, over-crowded
houses; so long as women and little
children are underfRd; so long as
the greed of gain 1ransmutes nerve
and muscle into cold dollars and
cents; so long as men and women are
compelled to work long hours at the
most exhausting toll and compelled
to live on a low wage; so long as
factories and shops and department
stores are unsanitary in construction
and exhaust the vitalities of those
whom perform labor within them; so
long as pale-faced and underfed
children come from the novels of the
poor; so long as men do not realize
that they are brothers in the truest
sense of the word; that long will we
he compelled to tight against the
greatest disease this world has ever
known.
And I might interpolate here, my
creed: "You can call it political, So
cial, moral, or what-not, but I believe
in the betterment of human condi-
tions-better tenements, pure air,
pure and nutritious food, pure
water, shorter hours of labor in the
industrial occupations, better pro-
lection of laboring women, better
and proper care of children, more
Fairgrounds. civic improvement,
municipal reform, just taxation laws,
well-built cities, enlightened schools
and a stable, free and expert gov
eminent" The questions which in
timately effect every man and, wom-
an and child in the state, have to
do with their daily lives and the
environments in which these lives
are lived.
We have written many statutes
and placed them on the books of the
law, but we have so far failed to ap-
preciate the value of human life,
either from it's physical, economic
or spiritual worth. 1t cannot be de-
MED that public health is the great
est asset the state has but if you
will examine the laws which apper-
tain to the health of the people of
this state and the equipment avail
able for health administration, you
will find them pitifully weak and a
disgrace to a great state such as
ours. Because of our lack of atten-
ton to the betterment of human
conditions and just laws for the pro-
lection of the health of our people,
we have been sacrificing every year,
from tuberculosis alone, enough
money to supplement the appropria-
ton of the. state for the biennial
period more than a million dollars,
b.
the preventable diseases, due to the
lack of proper health legislation
were to be taken into consideration,
the sum lost is appalling. What is
needed today in Iowa, is a political
Moses who will devote himself to
sanitary and economic statesman
ship. just laws should be devised
which will protect one neighbor from
the ignorance, carelessness or avar-
ice of another. 1t is little less than
g. - - ~.