New-York tribune., 1912-02-08

story from the mothers" own lips. priv
ilegc which New York is enjoying this
week.
The Rev. Caroline Rartlette Crane Is with
Us. Uon-profossionally. She Is not here
10 analyze Croton water or make remarks
about our system Of garbage collection
When Robert Erskine Ely. director of the
League for Political Educatlon, urged her
the other day to stay and tell us about
our sins and our follcs" she dtmurred en-
phatiCally.
Il never go where I'm not invited she
laughed.
We'll. the league ought to invite you.
insisted Mr. Ely. New York certainly
needs you. for Of all foolish. concelted,
vain. hopclessly provincial towns we are
the worst. All our city officials who were
any good would welcome YOU, and those
who did not would show what they were
And there the matter rests.
Mrs Crane is "A tall, quiet. Gcntlc-faced
woman. who would be suspected OF nothing
more daring than an essay. may be. on
browning before "A literary club II 1t were
not for the little air OF assurance about all
she says.
81 saw 1t with my own eyes. You cannot
deny it
Incidentally. this seeing with her own
eyes IL Mrs Cranes peculiar method. She
does not sit in an office and study up. she
goes and sees. This is constantly being
noticed as she describes her adventures.
81 was asked to investigate the water
supply Of a certain Western city" she
told the Tribune reporter. There was
nothing the matter with the sewage mains
mr. the reservoirs, hut / walked along the
hank OF the little river which supplied the
town with water and counted thirty small
priyate sewers emptying into it.
In another place she tells again OF walk
ing beside a brook where COWS waded.
This brook was known 10 be contaminated.
and tho water itself was not used, but i'm
nur,tIes were carried on the cows bodies
and transferred to the mems hands and
,b.n IN the milk supply of the city.
,Irs Crane has investigated in this prac-
ticoI way the sanitary conditions OF more
than fifty towns of the middle West upon
,ny,,a,ton Of the civic authorities or OF local
welfare associations. She began her caree.
as an Investigator IN her home town Oh
Kalamazoo Mich, about 1907.
previous to this she had been engaged
I'm the professions of teaching reporting
editing and preaching. She was pastor OF
the Unitarian Church In kalamazoo' ana
later Of the Peoples Church. creedless
institution, much praised by the late COLO
mel Robert G.. Ingersoll, OF this city, VINO
became a personal friend Of the woman al
its head. IT is, by the way, at Colonel IN
persoll's home, No III East 2lst street. that
Mrs. Crane is staying now, the guest OF
his daughter, Mrs. Walston Brown.
This abundant religious work Mrs. Crane
gave up, she says, because she fet she
could do more good by making people real
ize the Importance OF having the places
they lived in clean and safe
"paonle do not understand she said
again and again "They do not realize
that most OF the deaths and suHerlngs
from disease are wholly unnecessary, and
could be avoided by taking simple precau-
tions about their meat, MILK water ana
otber sunplies. There are many like the
little town TO which a former citizen, grown
wealthy. offered a filter for the water sys-
tom Ue reuembered the epidemics OF ty-
nboId which had swept II I'm his youth. The
town committee waited on him, saying as
for the filter. II IL was all the same to
him, they'd rather have soldiers monu-
ment.
"Another obstacle in the way OF the re-
former of course" Mrs. crane continued.
lis the avarice OF politicians out as soon
as they can be made TO see the advantage
to business OF healthy town. they are
eager to cooperate. witness Baltimore
which has lust voted TO install a sewage
disposal plant. because the oyster crop was
being endangered. Not human lives. you
understand, but oysters, L