The Washington herald., 1913-08-24
BY WILLARD d. PRICE,

Exclusive Service The Survey Pres Bueau-)
NE Fly, undesirable citizen, official
distributor of typhoid. cholera, infantunl
dysentery, tuberculosis, spinal meningitis
is having the fight Of his life In Cleve-
land. The city has gone swat the fly
one better and carried through an early
spring head 'em of" campaign with re-
suits that are nothing less than sensa-
tional.
Cleveland already has been proclaimed
''hyless city,. II is hardly that yet.
But thousands OF householders have
found it possible to disp use entirely
with screens at doors and windows, and
lone fly creates more excitement now
than a swarm of flies would have few
years ago. In a recent inspection of the
city markets. where quantities Of meat
and provisions are exposed. only two
flies were found. Two yers ago there
were myriads.
The head 'em. on campaign was
tried last year with such good effect
that this year, with improved methods
and a notable marshaling Of forces, the
war was a still greater success.
Tne present attitude OF the community
is pretty well expressed in this sentence
from letter by Mayor Baker TO the
city council: "The anti-fly campaign Is
a movement of more far-reaching ind
portance and more promising OF pro-
Ionged life and freedom from diseas sc
than, perhaps, any other single activity
going forward in the community From
the beginning the movement has been
under the leadership OF DR.. Jean Daw-
son, professor Of civic biology at the
Normal School.
The big emphasis has been on the
sure, hundreds OF thousands OF nies have
been "swatted." but countless millions
have been prevented, which is better.
Miss Dawson began with the claim that
10 per cent of house flies come from I'M
clean stables owners throughout the
city were forced to clean up their stables
and keep them clean. Public opinion
focused sentiment, the Board of Health
passed rules, and the Junior sanitary
police" saw that they were enforced.
The Junior sanitary police" are boys
recruited from the sixth, seventh, and
eighth grades of the city schools. In
each school district the force is Ofticered
by a chief, an assistant chief. and four
inspectors. The principal OF the school
appoints the entire force. Needless 10
say, 1t is considered no small honor To
be appointed member OF the Junior
sanitary police. Inc OUlCl4l DduSe Il
priced highly. The girls have a part,
too, some of them being made sanitary
aids
The school district is sectioned on and
each member OF the force made respon-
sible for one section. He must make
regular inspections. When he finds a
dirty stable, a rubbish-filled back yard.
a neap or rermenung lawn clippings. or
a leaking garbage receptacle, he has, OF
course. no power to compel the owners
10 ciean up, out IN nIne cases out OF ten
ne can persuade them TO DO so. AND
the children are proving splendid educa-
tors. Now and then persuasion fails and
the aDuse Is uHcorrecIed. linen the case
Is rererred to a boy inspector ana later
TO the boy cnleI. II the courteous ei-
forts OF these high officials also prove
una availing, the report goes to the Board
of Health, and a threat Of suit brings
the ouender Sharply TO ume. he as
covers that the alert consciousness OF
a wnole city is DacK OF these oadSen
children.
The schools were further utilized as
stations for fly pamphlets
and circulars. Each bit of educatve
literature, as it came out, was placed