Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-04

lanes and alleys converted into torrents foul canals
The living and the dead huddled together. In the
numerous corpse fields around the towns vutures
sit and dogs lounge lazily about gorged with human
flesh In fact, declares Bishop Wilson Of Calcutta,
there is end to the misery and humiliation the
horrors Of which unutteablc but are eclipsed by
those of the return Journey
The survivors reel homcward staggering under
their burden of putrid food wrapped up in dirty
clothes. Every stream is flooded, and the travellers
have often to sit for days in the rain river bank
before boat will venture TO
At all such points the corpses lie thickly strewn,
and this accounts for the prevalence of cholera on the
banks OF brooks, streams and rivers Some drop and
die by roadside; crowd into villages; groups
huddled under trees long lines arc stretched
among the carts and bullocks on the roadside their
hair saturated with the mud in which they lie; hun
dreds sit rocking themselves to monotonous chant
throughout the long hours OF tho dreary ni0lt.
Is such disease to be added to the Norrors OF
European warfare? Who would dare this is un
likely unless peace intervenes. There are two main
routes by which, war or no war cholera has been &C
customed through many centuries past TO travel
from fateful Hndostan westward The first is by way
of Mecca to Constantinope and thence to the Levan
and the Mediterranean countries by this route Aus
tra has i'll times past been invaded Trieste being the
main entrepot, and Italy is likely become in
vaded should she enter the war game.
The second route is through that region where
Russia is fighting the Germans, the Austrians
and the Turks, from Constantinopie to Odessa and
thus through Russia, especially Poland. From Con-
stantnople Also Vienna. has often and so
sadly happened in the past. The Wandering Jew
that personifcaton Of the cholera-has done his
travelling in Europe mainly by waterways-the
Mediterranean, the Don. the Vstua, the Danube. the
Dnieper
Russia indeed has almost never ceased from hav
ing to entertain her Asatic guest The moujik has
every Fall been to pray for early Winter,
that the cholera may mitigate its activities and its
severity Unlike the troops battling in the East
cholera has been prone to into Winter quarters to
he regularly expected to destroy it's hosts (many
thousands in years hundreds in others) with
the coming OF the fructifyng warmth Of the vernal
Every year with the melting has the
cholera been thus ineXorahle Its hosts being regu
larly unprepared for the ''vistation"
And now is like to be harnessed the CHASTITY team,
her sisters had to with terrible enemy
than swords and bullets in the Crimea Men recover
from wounds; practically never from cholera which
disease begins where other diseases end-in death.
And how inadequately can cholera be fought in
tho smelling vermin-rdden trenches; the
melting Of the weeks hence. the past,
indeed, Russia has been to Europe very much what
India has been TO the Orientshe all unwillingly
sent forth, like armies, successive cholera plaques
that have swept down Europe, by which, without
any need OF ordnance. vast numbers have been slain,
vast tribulaton and vast economic loss effected
Though Russia would assuredy have it otherwise.
deadlier agent than all her leves and all her
weapons-an agent, however. destructive ndiscrimi-
nately OF both foe and ally.