Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-06-16

in Panama and in New Orleans.
The trouble is that the country
will not take the matter seriously.
We look with pity and contempt
upon the ignorant Egyptian woman
who allows the flies to gather in
black clusters on the poisoned eyes
of her sleeping child and who tells
us that it is wrong to take their
lives.
And we laugh at the ignorant
Hindoos with their vile monkeys of
Benares, and their ridiculous relig-
ion that protects even the vermin of
their bodies.
But our indifference and careless
ness are as stupid and as harmful as
their religion and without religious
excuse.
Every manure pile should be COW
cred, on the farms and everywhere
else. The intelligent farmer knows
that this increases the value of the
fertilizer more than 80 per cent. 1t
decreases the breeding of flies to a
greater degree. The manure pile,
the heap of filth, such are the breed
ing places of the fly.
No accumulation of filth in stables
or elsewhere in a big city should be
permitted to stand more than six
days. 1t takes the common fly nine
days to hatch. Compel by law the
removal of manure from stables
every six days-and you remove the
unmatched fly from the city.
This should be worked out by gov
ernment through pressure of public
opinion. When we have some slight
threat of smallpox or of Asiatic
cholera we are all excited, health
boards become active and quaran-
tines are established, although there
is very little danger now in such dis
eases.
Yet, with the buzzing flies every
where, carrying disease germs on
their spongy feet to the faces of chill
dren, depositing these disease germs
on food of all kinds, to be eaten
later, and although these flies cause
annually tens of thousands of deaths
that are unnecessary, WE REMAIN
CALLOUS AND INDIFFERENT.
If the foot and mouth disease
breaks out among cattle, the county
and state are quarantined, Hog
! cholera, sheep diseases and other
cases are watched and suppressed
with all the energy of the govern
ment.
And in the meanwhile we have in
every city the billions of disease
carrying flies hurrying from the ac-
cumulated filth to the able, and
there is no effort for a change.
And we have the swamps breeding
their endless billions of mosquitoes
to keep alive malaria in the blood OF
human beings, and there is no real
war against that plague. 1t is use
less except for the protection of the
individual family to suppress the fly
nuisance in one place or drain the
swamp or cover the cesspool in an.
other.
Darwin told us that one single
pair of flies in As hours-the quick.
breeding African fly-will lay
enough eggs and breed enough mag
gots to devour lion, leaving moth
ing but the white bones.
A few flies surviving through the
winter start the plague afresh thu
following year.
And one careless citizen leaving {
breeding ground for mosquitoes sup
plies enough to infest the Who'll,
country.
Fortunately, for two or thre,
years the people have been alive t.
the fact that their enemies are tn,
tiny fly and mosquito and the invisi
BILE disease germs-enemies NOR,
deadly and dangerous than ever wer,
the great monsters of prehistori
times or the wolves and lions of ou
day.
Discussion has begun, newspa
pers have taken it up and offere,
prizes. A few public officials hav
at least TRIED to do something. Blu
= only a beginning has been made.
: The country must realize the dan
r ger and the duty. Children must b
S taught that the killing of flies is
good and necessary act, painful as
, Is to take life.
r Do what you can to arouse publ
S feeling for the sake of the publ
: safety.
And in the meanwhile DO VIVA
: YOU CAN INDIVIDUALLY.
KILL THE FLIES!
When w. w. Meredith, farme
i at Woodland, Alberta, Canadi
IS dressed somp duckc for tbo loo,