The Cairo bulletin., 1912-10-03
LIFE SAVING IS
PARAMOUNT ISSUE
SAYSR|TTENHOUSE
New York Authority Address
es National Conservation
Congress.
SOME PROGRESS rs MADE
Candle is Still Burning at
Both Ends and More
Work is Necessary
ssociated Press Dispatch.


Rittenhouse of New York, speaking
before the National Conservation
Congress today on the subject OF
Human Life as National Asset
declared that the conservation Of
human life should be the paramount
issue of the American people.
Mr.. Rittenhouse said in part:
THE first item in humanity's bill
of rights is the right to live To
protect human life from needless de-
struction is the primary purpose OF
organized society.
Eve are not only reducing the fer
tility OF our race and also shorten
ing the span of life, bue we are per-
hitting at least 100000 American
lives to be destroyed annually which
We could save by the application OF
simple and well-known sanitary and
other precaution.
This is our real race suicide
problem.
eve have made progress in pre-
venting life waste but it has been
confined almost wholly to CONTAGIOUS
or infectious diseases. AT the same
time, the death rate from the degen-
erative diseases of middle life and
old age against which we have
waged no war. has steadily increased.
Further Work Necessary,
eve are still burning the candle
furiously at both ends-slower at
one and faster at the other.
I'VE may felicitate ourselves upon
all of our past achievements, and at
the same time recognize the exces-
sive life waste that is still goiig on
and also recognize that evidences
are multiplying Of race deterioration
and of our growing contempt for the
value and sacredness of human life
These conditions will not be ar
rested automatically The problem
will not solve itself. The people
alone can check this continuing
waste of national efficiency and VI
tality. Greater efforts must be made
to impress them with the facts and
to arouse them to more effective &C.
ton.
THE economic loss is stupendous,
but it is insignificant compared to
the misery, suffering, poverty, i'm
morality and crime which result
from the needless sickness and pre-
mature death from which the nation
is now suffering.
'The public health service, local
and national, must lead in this life
saving work.
1T is the primary function of the
government to protect the lives OF
the people from needless destruc-
ton; but 1t takes money to educate
the public and to run health de-
partments.
I'm the last analysis, the war
against preventabIe disease is a
'truggle between the dollar and the
death rate.
Prefer High Death Rate.
Most of our communities prefer
4 high death rate to a slight in
crease in the tax rate.
There isn't an adequately ,nanced
health department in the country.
MANY towns have none at all,
some of them are small cities.
"Others have the boards without
funds. Other mere perfunctory
health service.
Some have advanced; many are
efficient but there isn't city in
the Union where the health ordi-
nances are properly enforced, chiefly
because of lack of funds.
''In neglecting our public health
service our people are trifiing with a
most solemn duty
Everybody should rally to the
support of the health service and
Join in the educational campaign
for prevention.
THE National Conservation Con-
gress is especially adapted to lead In
this educational work.
Human life is our paramount as
set. It's conservation should be your
-, 90, ~, aunt tue,1n ~