Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

cents for each rat which is killed.
Baltimore is included among the cities
which the public health service report
names as taking part in active "rout-
the-rat' campaigns The city health
department is trapping rats along the
water front, and all rats captured are
being examined for plague infection at
the city laboratory. The city health
commission has requested the board of
estimates to employ permanently a city
rat trapper. In ST. Louis the city police
have been utilized in making house,
freight-yard districts. and reporting to
the city health department the prem
Uses found to be rat-infested.
Because Of the bubonic plague scare
southern port cities are working to
exterminate rats. In Galveston the
city has offered a bounty of cents for
lead rats and 10 cents for live ones.
An expert has been placed in charge
Of trapping, and over 800 traps have
been attended to under his supervision
along the water front. Charleston. S.
c., has started a similar campaign, and
IS Offering bounty of cents each for
all rats delivered dead or alive, and a
bonus of IS to the first person who
turns in 100 rats.
Various state boards of health are
also cooperating with the public
health service and with city authori-
ties in the plague-prevention cam
paign. Louisiana is, perhaps, the most
active of the states taking an interest
in this work, because of the cases of
the disease which have occurred in
New Orleans. Boards of health of Mis-
,issippi, Ohio. North Carolina, Florida.
also endeavoring, through the use of
the press and by circular letters. to
stimulate interest in the task of rat
determination and plague prevention.
Every state in the Union now has
on it's statute books a law which pro-
vides for the registra-
Registering ton of the births of
M, infants. In the past
oAl 1AS' South Carolina has been
pointed out as the one state which
did not consider the birth of babies of
sufficient importance to make a matter
of public record, but the legislature of
the Palmetto state has awakened to the
need of keeping register Of the births
of children. recognizing that the pos
session of accurate knowledge of births
offers the only key to the determine
ton Of the extent of infant mortality.
The news of the signing and
law came too late to be included
in new report on birth regis
the experts of the United States chill
dren's bureau. Although all Of the
states now have birth registration
statutes, only Pennsylvania, Michigan,
the District of Columbia. the New Eng
land states and New York city have
, a6 q iph hoV
says the report which has just been
made by the governments child well
arc workers.
Twenty-four states, however. have
now under test This group includes
New York. New Jersey. Delaware,
Ohio, Maryland. Virginia, North Caro-
lima, Kentucky. Tennessee, Georgia,
Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Mis-
souri,, Kansas. Nebraska. Wisconsin,
Montana, Idaho, Utah and Washing
ton.
The report names sixteen states
which have Inadequate legislation to
cover birth registration, and which
need either new laws or important
amendments to the measures now on
the statute books. In speaking of the
value of birth records, Miss Julia c.
Lathrop, chief of the United States
children's bureau, says:
"When we have adequate birth ana
death registration all over the coun-
try, the public health authorities can
watch the infant mortality rate as the
weather man watches his barometer.
and they can pick out areas of soclal
storm just as the weather man traces
areas of ordinary storm. but with TINS
one great difference: With our present
knowledge, the weather man cannot
change the weather, but the puni at
health official can change the infant
TO
ical men tell US, half of the present
infant mortality could be preve nted II
the methods already known to the
medical and sanitary science couio oe
.The growing appreciation OF the
use of birth records may De seen ny
the increased frequency with "h ~. II
calls for copies are maze upon ".
birth registration department OF tes
York city. In 1913 there were lo,sso
searches of the birth records MAGE aa
and 123.347 free statements ISSUED N.
school and employment purposes. ha :,
is to say, the birth record on ME ~ y
New York city helped to enforce tne
nersonal or property rlsnls VI
las. 900 persons last year.
THAT the teaching of music as part
Of public education is no longer con-
sidered fad study
Public Musical is the Information
brought out in a re-
EducaLlon. port on the extent to
which music is taught in the schools
of this country which has just been
made for the United States bureau of
education by Prof. Will Earhart, su-
peryisor of music in the schools OF
Pittsburgh. This report was made at
the request and under the direction of
p P. ClaXton, United States commas
sioner of education.
Prof Earhart found in his investiga-
ton of the methods and extent OF
teaching music in the schools that
there are many communities which are
slow to recognize the value OF this
special study, the authorities refusing
to introduce it into the courses. Many
of the reasons given for the failure
of these communities to support the
study of music are humorous, and
speaking on this point, Prof. Earhart
says:
of this entire report is found In the
statements made as to why school
music is not influential in those places
that report it so lacking. The most
frequent explanation is that the sub
iect is too new in the schools, fourteen
places so reporting. That the place Is
suburban and has no individual life is
reported from three places. In many
reports the community is itself round
ly criticised and held to be responsible,
and no doubt with perfect justice. All
,