Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-08-29
ADDRESSES AND REPORT
Governor Mead Points Out I'm
poitance of Public Health,
while President Thomas
Urges Cleanliness.

VI thc iftH annual school or instruction
Governor Mead and President Thomas o.
Middlebury College were the speakers
urging, respectively, the Importance O
conservation of public health, and a clean
er, as well as greater Vermont DR.. G
Caverly of Rutland, president of tn,
state board of health, occupied the chair
GOVERNOR MEAD'S ADDRESS.
Away back in the dark ages" said the
Governor. who began his career as 9
physician. II thought that | knew a littl,
about medicine. But how things have
changed since that day. Bacteriology
has made of medical science a different
thing. understood by you men of the pro-
fcssion to-day. but largely a mystery tc
me. Or. Caverly tells me that he doesn'
dread dphtheria. He can deal with IT,
But In my day we didn't know what to do
with it. And the future promises more
In the horse we found an animal immune
to diphtheria. and capable of producing
anti-toX!n. In the COW we have one i'm
! munc TO smallpox. In like manner. be-
| lcve there is some animal immune to each
dreaded disease. To the man who finds
the animal or the vegetab Bile from which
we can obtain such a cure. there will be
the greatest possible reward.
THAT reward may be either mer-
icenary or phlanthropic. The discov-
erer of "A great remedy can name his
price. I have n little grandson, the joy
of my lif" suppose he had tubercu-
losis--would hesitate to pay any
sum in my power that | might see
again in his checks the bloom of
health?
In my threcscore and ten of years
/ | have learned that the object of life
isn't to minister unto self. The
pleasure of life is in doing for others
The Na2arenc showed us the secret Of
happiness--to heal the sick and do
good to others. Is there no reward in
the consciousness of having been to
mankind Pasteur. whose work is Il
blessing to unnumbered millions?
What chance there is for you to
! study out some of these problems
! Il never cnjoved any other vocation
as | did the practice of medicine No
other vocation has such great oppor-
tunities for enjoyment. financial gain
and satisfaction in service to ones
followman.
Governor Mead placed his feet
squarely upon progressive plank
when he urged national bureau Of
health.
we are living in an age of conserv-
etlon' ne said. In every walk of
life the word is conservation. And
! why not look to the conservation of
life and health as we'll as to conserva-
ton Of the physical affairs? Vermont.
among the first to study conservation
of resources, can we'll he the first to
| promote conservation of our peonle
Inc value of our national physical
affairs is 100 billions of dollars The
value of our national human life is
estimated at five times that figure.
Yet every year there are 1900. 600
persons unnecessarily i'll, and 1.5Oo 900
needless deaths.
Year by year your great work as health
officers Is coming to be more appreciated.
We are coming to realization of the fact
| that everything depends on the health
of the community. DIR. Wiley says. what
benefit is it to a man to accumulate n
million dollars ana lose his health in the
effort" In the face OF these facts, isn't
there some one to advance the study YOU
are pursuing by forming a bureau of
u
Of public health?'
DIR. Caverly said that a college president
Is proper speaker at such IA gathering,
hcause it is essentially an educational
meeting, and introduced President
Thomas.
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT THOMAS.
II am not a medical man." said the edu-
profession.
Each man can be a patriotic citizen
by doing his own work as well as posi-
BILE, whether ne runs a farm. a college OF
church--wlth possibly a little politics
on the side But now and then come calls
out of the air-or perhaps from the inner
self, as the case may be-to represent
ones fellows II. the Legislature or to
hold other public office. aside from reg
ular problems The duty'in such cases is
to put into that service the same enthu-
siasm and energy and loyalty that en-
tiers into his own work.
Il favor a campaign of public education
as to personal and community hygiene.
In every public school there should be a
regular course of study along this line.
such course has equal value with other
SClcntlic SUBJECTS III tHc ulltclIoli VI '"-
ture and mental training.
President Thomas portrayed the condi-
tons of - years ago In New fork's East
Side. that district the most densely pop
ulated in the world describing the filth,
darkness. and lack of ventilation in
back tenemonts." and the ignorance
and prejudice of the dWcllers In them.
These he contrasted with the high stan
dards shown by the milk traffic oidin-
ances of Nontclair, the New Jersey
suburb of the metropolis. Urging better
care in the production and handling of
milk for city children, he said
"What has all this to do with you In
N,raont" The future of Vermont lies
in her dairica. Make high grade OF pure
milk, aud yea can sell 1t at almost any
price, if you can make Vermont as
famous for milk as for marble, scales
and maple sugar.
"A sick baby Is the saddest and most
pa hctic object in the world. Who Will
not respond to the pleading of sick
child? Who will not listen to the cry of
a little baby
II wei. remember how we used to
milk when | was a boy. The rain would
sometimes wash dirt into the pail 1t
is a crime to send unclcan milk to v city