The Natchitoches enterprise., 1912-11-21
The Closing Of the Normalt

The closing of the State Normal
School last Friday, by Presidens Roy,
on the advise Of DR.. Seaman of the
State Board of Health because of the
preyailance of fever, the diagnosis OF
which has not yet been determined, and
the source of which is still unknown,
that effected a large number OF the
Young lady students of the Boarding
Club came as a surprise not alone to
this community but to the entire state.
The action. taken by President Roy
was wise and timely is universally
agreed, That it was necessary the evil
dence is not at hard to pass judgement,
save on the score of caution, it was
halter to suspend the school than take
chances with an unknown disease.
After several days examination by
the state Health Board representative
and local health officers, after every
test known to science, the fever was
pyf4ounced e "Para-typoid, and that
mined.
That the trouble 10 local, ID clear tc
the lay mind, that it does not come
from the water supply is evident froH
the fact that the water used 10 the
same as is used by every citizen OF the
town and by hundreds of the surround.
idg section, among whom there is moi
Single case of the fever or q suspi'
cious case; That it is not from the dairy
supply. the fact is the forty young mer
who live in the boys dormatory, or
Normal hill, who use the same watel
and drink the same milk have not de-
yeloped single case, that it is not the
phvsical conditions of the school is evi
deEt from the fact that the hundreds
of town children who are students have
not been infected, and further the resi-
dents who live on oil sides and adjasent
to the school grounds have not beer
infected, and the general good health
of this community at this time disprove.
anything or idea that it is the results
of the water supply,
From the facts stated and known
here. we are constrained to believe
that the disease whatever it is, wa.
imported by some of the students from
other parts of the State, who devel
oped it here and contaminated other
that the first case to develop was thai
of q young lady student from Soutt
Louisiana, convinces US more strongly
to this idea,
That schools are often closed because
of the appearance OF diseases IN ths
students body is not unusual, that tht
closing of the Normal should attract
any special attention is because OF the
fact of its remarkable record, unique
in the history of the large schools OF
the country, it has been established ant
operated without moments lost OF
time, until now, for twenty-seven years
which attests more strongly than words
can tell to the healthfulness of this
community, which by statistical report
stands first in the State and South, ane
second in the whole country.
Since writing tee above, the repori
is made in the New Orleans papers that
the water supply is the trouble, this il
strange to US, as we understood from
those who mape the examination, thai
after thorough examination the water
supply idea was Illuminated in the search
for the source, it being found to be per
fectly pure and wholesome.
We understand that DIR. Bowling
President of the State Board Of Health
with Drs. Mayer and Archer of the
State Board arrived here yesterday
(W sdnesday) to take charge of the sit
uation and made thorough investiga,
tisn- We and the people here anc
throughout the state await with inter
est their finding; and we will expect re.
port in full and in detail. That we consi
der the suggestion that our water supply
is the cause as stander upon system
that has been in use for more thar
ten years, and which has time and time
again been tested by the most eminent
chemists of New Orleans and Chicago
and pronounced absolutely pure, goe:
without saying, and we win demand K
be shown before we believe it Is true.