The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-09-22
DECLINED TO PERMIT
VACCINATION OF SON

Thus Scotland's premier peer. the
Duke OF Hamilton and OF Brandon. q
retired officer of the British navy. and
a member OF the British House
of Lords, absolutely declined
to permit the vaccination OF
his son and heir, tho young
Marquis Of Douglas. as required by the
law of the land. The duke renamed
deaf to all the threats OF fine ana I'M
prisonment that are provided Tor tne
offense, defying the authorities to put
him into Jail, until finally the govern
ment driven TO the wall ana unWiiA'
ing to infiict this indtgnIty upon the
duke, granted him government certin-
cate exempting the child from the COM
pulsory vaccination laws ION conscten-
. lious grounds" The duke 10 by no
means the only peer who fe,is TINS
way about vaccination, and .ne late
Earl of Darnley even went to the
length OF organizing regular crusade
to encourage people to defy the laws
on Che subject. devoting large sums
of money 10 the payment of the nnes
and of the legal expenses Of those in
6icted for neglecting to have their
progeny yaccinated. He would not
permit his daughter-who u now Ba-
roness Clifton and q peeress in her own
right--to be vaccinated as long as he
lived. anc after having been fined sew
eral times by the courts. was event.
ualiy granted . certificate Of exemp-
ton similar TO that accorded TO the
Duke OF Hamilton by the government.
which preferred dealing with the mat
ter in this fashion rather than to De-
come involved in the elaborate legal
proceedings in which he was only 700
anxious to embark. for the sake OF the
publicity to De derived therefrom.
i, is only fair TO add that Lord Darn
lev was a very eccentric man, and that
when some years before his death he
wrote orerins his support to the Irish
Nationalist leaders, they declined II.
on the ground that the addition OF such
a crank to their platform would In
1ure rather than advance the cause OF
Erin.
These exemptions from the laws Of
vaccination granted by the English
government to the Duke Of Hamilton.
TO the Earl Of D,rnIey, and to other
personag.s OF legislative and social
Importance and of wealth. naturally
served to encourage and pro-
mote pupuiar opposition TO vac
eination. and those less fortunase-
Iy situated who were In con-
..,u.acc thereof subjected to the pen
attic, in tina way OF nre and tmprtscn-
mont provided for infractsca OF the
statutes rendering vaccination obiiga-
tory. naturally acquired the conSiction
that there was one Law IN Eng land TOT
those who are rich and of high rank.
and another for the poor. The only
excuse that the government was epse
10 put forward for its attitude was
INA. there was less probability Of the
shiIdr.n Of wealthy peers becoming
danger TO other children BY failure 60
observe the statutory precautions
against smallpox, th1n there would De
In the case OF children OF the poor. VINO
cannot be isolated.
Every American traveller who has
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Oh. picturesque Island Of sark. famous
Cor IFS magnificent ciia scenery ana
caves. " forms part Of the bsiiiwick
Of the Island Of Geornssy. but 70 cwn.
ed nv q man os the name OF WuIsam
frederick Ceilings. WHO exercises msn-
sr.ai ana fsvasl sights 6atSeG back