The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-09

Science and hygiene offer an ex-
ceilent use of mans propensity Tor
destruction.
Instead of hunting beautiful birds
and deer. killing happy and harmless
animals. let man turn his whole men
tai forces on the most effective
method of Kidding the land OF mos
auitos and aeas and such other In.
sec,s and reptiles as destroy com
fort or endanger health. Were all
the hunters who infest our woods and
seashore resorts at this time OF year.
bruising the silence with their irrt-
tating rife shots and leaving earth
and water strewn with the dead
creatures they have killed only for
sport. were all these men to study
the problem OF mosquito and fiy
elimination, the world would soon
become more comfortable, and
pleasant place for the sojourn OF
human beings
There is not the slightest need of
having ones enjoyment OF the out
door life married by the little pests
which carry disease on bsak and
wings.
Havana, the hotbed of mosquitoes
and yellow fever, was made sanitary
and safe from their attacks in brief
time by the concentrated thought and
untirIng effort of one man.
America should have an organixa-
ton in each State for the purpose of
clearing every locality OF the insects
which are q menace to health and
comfort
And every village and town should
have It's organizations until as much
shame would cling to the locality in
Tested with mosquitoes or flies as now
clings to the housekeeper who per-
mits beds TO be unsanitary.
Education is making US realize that
insects are to be classified like plants.
That just as we remove poison ivy
from a garden. so we must remove
poison insects from the atmosphere
in order to promote the hes. in
terests OF humanity.
While we know this fact now is a
scientific truth. comparatively little
is being done about 1t by people who
ought to be making the world more
comfortable dwelling place.
In the Orient plaques and mafadies
of the eyes are alarmingly prevalent
through the ignorant superstitions of
the people who believe 1t is wrong
to even brush away a fly that set
ties on the body OF a man or child.
~
sect
The jams are one OF the many
religious sects which flourish In In
lila, for Just as in the Christian lands.
there are countless sects, all basing
their beliefs and creeds upon the
Bible SO in the Orient may be found
as many varying orders, all pointing
to the Vedas. for proof OF their claim
to righteousness,
The ycdas like the Bibia nave
had many interpreters beside which
the lack of education in India, leaves
large percentage OF the people, VIC
Tins OF hordes of priests. who cater
to their superst.tions, in order to Kesp
them under subsection Of priest
made laws. The jams however. are
Intelligent. and many educated men
and a few educated women are TO
be found among them. Their one
mania Is virtue gone rank. until
1t has become vice; as any virtue
may become II not guided by COM
mon sense and good Judgment.
The jams, like the majority OF
the Oriental religious sects. believe
1t Is a sin to take life. "yon can
not give life; you must not take 1t"
they say But the jams have car
ricd the idea to such An extreme that
they carefully refrain from destroy
ing insect life. Files and fieas and
vermin Of all kinds are permitted
to live: and the only way the fol-
lowers Of the faith are enabled to en-
dure existence under ouch conditions
In BY the most scrupulous cleanliness.
Their temples are ofttimes very
beautiful and notably clean. yet all
ct them are not OF this order; and
II Is stated that the keepers OF some
OF these temples nnd the fieas SO
numerous that they hire street beg
gars to sit inside In order TO give the
hungry fieas something 70 feed on.
a man Of scientific knowledge In