The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1912-05-17

The crusade for the preservation of
the public health has invoked the aid
of the powers that be, and the result
was the enactment by the recent legis-
lature of what is known as the Public
Drinking Cup Act.
The law forbids the use of common
drinking cups on railroad trains and
in railroad stations, hotels, boarding
houses, restaurants, steamboats,,
stores, ''or other publicly frequented
Places" No person or corporation in
charge of such places shall permit the
use of the drinking cup in common,
and warning in cards must be posted
in conspicuous position. A violation of
the provisions of the act is punishable
by fine of not less than 81 and not
more than $40, and each days viola
ton of any of the provisions of the act
is to be considered a seperate offense
This law upon its face looks to be a
piece of foolishness, but if one will
stop to consider, they will perceive
that it is good measure, a splendid
step in the right direction, the p-even-
tion and stamping out of that dread
disease, consumption, which every year
demands a terrible toll of life of the
state of Kentucky. Eminent scientists,
physicians, men who have made a life
study of the white Plague" say that
one of the most dangerous means of
contracting the disease is that of
drinking from a utensil which has been
used by some person afflicted with it.
At first thought our friends from the
comfy will be incensed because of the
fact that they may not walk into the
hotel, banks or other public place, pick
up dipper and draw them a drink of
ice water from the cooler, but if they
will stop to consider that perhaps the
last person to use that dipper was a
consumptive, and that by using it they
might contract the disease, the result
of which would be, perhaps, not only
the loss of his own life, but that of
some or all the members of his family,
their ire will turn to gratitude. The
only way of doing away with this
probability is the abolishing of the pub
lie drinking cup.
The best way to odviate the incon,
venience resulting from the doing away
with these cups, is to purchase and
carry with you constantly an individual
drinking cup; these may be secured at
small cost in the form of a neat col,
lapsible metal cup, which may be folded
and carried easily in the vest pocket
In short while these cups will be or
sale at all the hardware and drugstores.
The hotels and banks, the stores anC
will continue to keep a supply of ice
water, and with an individual cup with
you, you will be free to get drink OF
water when you choose and without
cost. Hotels will provide public cool
ers, but they of course cannot be ex.
4
pected to, and will not go to the ex
pense of providing individual drinking
cups; they however. or at least a great
many of them will, install a penny-in
the slot machine, into which you may
drop penny and secure a neat collap
sible paper drinking cup, which yor
may take to the cooler and secure al
the water you may wish.
Oiling the roads to lay the dust
''swatting the fly and now the in
dividual drinking cups are all new limo
vations, and to many may seem foolish
ideas, but if they will save the life Of
one person from the ravages of tha
dread disease, consumption, we will
award them their need of praise, any
way they are worth trying, so let III
fall in with the spirit of the times ant
provide ourselves with an individual
drinking cup, so that we may have /;
drink of water where ever we may be