Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-08-13

value, must be understood and sup
ported by the public. 1t is extremely
important, then, that for legal and
social reasons we lose no opportu-
nifty to inform ourselves as to the
marvellous advance in scientific
knowledge regarding the causes of
disease, the methods of transmission
and the most effective means of pre-
Nention. The rapid advance OF sci
entific knowledge to-day, not only in
medicine, but all along the line in
the allied sciences, fill us with won
der. Scarcely a year passes that
some actual life-saving remedy or
measure has not been brought for
ward for our benefit.
1t is lmost inconceivable that but
little oItr 100 years ago our fore
fathers were burning witches at the
stake. | mention this here because
to certain extent the witch may be
considered the predecessor Of the
modern scientist At time when
no systematic knowledge of nature
existed, it was taken for granted that
the future could be predicted and
! controlled by appropriate actions and
expressions, through sympathetic
magic" or potent formulas, of which
the wise" man or woman was the
repository, often possessing also such
skill in the use Of drugs, simples or
surgery as belonged to the period.
, The discoverers Of the fact that many
of the most deadly diseases were
caused by germs placed at once their
fingers on one of the most vulnera-
Bile spots of the home and home life
All honor to the memory of Pas
teur, Koch, Lister, Reed and others
like them. Think you that the Amer
lean home is safe, both within and
without, and that our fears are un-
necessarily aroused? If so, you are
mistaken. Listen: In the Lancet
! Clinic of July 5th we find the follow
ing: A house Of seven rooms in
which 800 men sleep daily was dis
covered yesterday by the police of
South Chirncr Tho ~oomers are en-
! piON2o in the sleci mills nearby and
s}gnp IN eighi-hous shifts, fuc off
, Gers were called 70 thc place 10 i'd
/ re&tiga'c d reported death. Cropping
their way along narrow aisles
through tiers of cots, upon each a
sleeper, they found one of the lodg-
ers to be seriously i'll. Commenting
upon the situation this leading jour
nal of the Middle West says: What
! possible contribution to the happi-
ness and wOrthwhileness of a nation
can such herd as this make? There
is not even a pretense of real Ameri-
can citizenship among any of them
although it is quite probable that
many, If not all of them, vote at Chi
cago's elections. No homes, no
wives, no children, no interest in
schools or churches, the drama or
art. They are indeed 'toiling Ver-
min. In many instances the Ameri-
can whose family few years ago
had home Of their own where the
| children grew up at the public school
and had card at the public library
and pew in the church, and a fam
| ily physician who was a family
friend-this man is gone, he and his
family, the schools, the churches and
the family physician, and we have in
| place of him and his neighbors, 800
men sleeping in seven rooms, fit for
nothing but to destroy our civiliZa-
tion and disseminate the filth dis
eases that wait hungrily upon over
crowding, exhaustion and sitting at
mospheres. This picture may be
slightly overdrawn, but that it is pos
sible at all in this country should
serve as a warning"
Outlining Program.
We are here this evening, | be-
| lieVe, not so much to discuss theo-
ries as to enunciate facts and endeav-
or to map out something definite for
the future. To this end, therefore,
I shall briefly direct my remarks.
| There is no doubt in my mind but
that the home-owner, generally
speaking, stands for the best citizen
ship. Others will point out how this
may be accomplished. | desire to
encourage, however, the idea from
the health standpoint in behalf OF
both the individual and the State.
The first reliable statistics ever
compiled in this country On the rel
atiye longevity Of the married and