The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1911-09-29

Stoihihe ooioou IA A~he
land they have been these. the
graphic title Of dread pesti.
fence. The word plague" has some
how come to be identified almost sole
ly with the great plague of 1865. pos.
sibiy by reason of the many records
and histories Of that particular vista.
ton. Yet for hundreds of years the
plague paid England periodical visits
coming from no one anew where.
For a century. perhaps, the country
would go free. The plague might be
heard of in other countries. now In
the east, now threatening so near as
Amsterdam. And then. when the peo-
pie had come to feel safe. suddenly
there would come the pestilence,
striking down its thousands.
Plaques First Visit to Britain.
OF the first visitation of the black
death in 134S many terrible things are
related. II broke out in Dorsetshire
in August Of that year. From there
II moved on to Bristol and Gloucester
shire Then II made a sudden ap-
pearance in Oxfordshire. From there
the infection was carried to London.
and. while that city was busy with the
burying of its dead. the black death
was sweeping its way almost over the
entire country.
IL Is curious to note In connection
with the recent outbreak in Suffolk
that 1t was the eastern counties which,
oftar opdap cpAaraJ vnnvt sayaralv
from the visitation. The parsons of
more than 500 parishes in East Anglia
were counted among the victims. and
in some cases these clergy had TO be
replaced not once. but two or three
times. Nineteen Of the religious
houses in Norfolk and Suffolk lost
their abbots and priors.
Appalling as these figures may be.
they are as nothing to the toll taken
by the black death from the inhabit-
ants Of London. Details of that time
of terror are sparse enough. but such
records as exist tell a grim story.
Stow, in his Chronicle" says that
the pestilence so waste the people
that scarce the tenth person OF all
sorts was left alive. and churchyards
were not sufficient to receive the
dead" Still more startling figures
were set down by the same chronicler,
and he states that more than $4,000
bodies were buried in one piece of
ground. bought for the purpose by one
Sir Walter Nanny. In spitue Croft.
now known as the Charterhouse.
The number. no doubt. was exag-
gerated. Indeed. such a death roll
would almost have depopulated Lon.
don: but II is likely enough that one
third Of the population Of the whole
country were carried OF by the pesti.
lence.
Four seourses In 18th Century.
After that first visit four more out
breaks of plague swelled the tables of
mortality during the fourteenth CEN
tury. Between 1890 and 1440 II came
again four times. and there were two
or three more epidemics before the
great plague Of 1865.
some measures of precaution came
into use. In its earlier stages the
plague probably had much q. own
way.
II was not until 1543 that there is
any evidence Of an organized attempt
to prevent the spreading of the infec.
ton. The first plague order was 10
sued In that year. among other things
. forty days quarantine for any house
where there was q case Of plague.
Those Of independent means should
keep within doors for one month after
recovery from plague Others who
could not live without their daily Ia.
Dor should refrain a. much a. possible
from going abroad. and for forty days
Shen out and abroad. had 70 carry Q