The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-04-04
PUBLIC HEALTH CAMPAIGN.
Successful and Largely Attended
Meetings in Rural NeighbOrhOOtls-
DIR. Riser Delivered Nine lectures.

Meetings In Rural Nc1ghDOrnOOtlS-
DIR. Riser Delivered Nine lectures.
The outcome of the public health
whirlwind campaign In Sumter coun-
ty cofhpleted at Shiloh School last
night was that a number of commit
tees were appointed from Bethel,
Wedgefield. Rembert. Pleasant Grove
and Shiloh, with a committee Of
voluntary citizens from Oswego who
will meet the county board Of COM
missioners next Tuesday to ask that
the county appropriate two thousand
dollars for the county health survey.
DR.. L. A. Riser. director of Rural
Sanitation of the State Board Of
Health delivered nine lectures on pub
lie health, and at the night meetings
and two day meetings delivered his
stereoptican Illustrated lecture.
The sentiment of the people Of the
rural districts was felt out and after
tr had heard DR.. Riser's lecture and
:planatiOn of what county health
survey will mean, numbers of repre-
sentative farmers and other business
men Of the rural districts spoke In
advocacy Of the health survey. 9th
er sections of the county will have
representation tnext Tuesdays meet
ing of the CO -nty commissioners, ac-
cording to information received.
DR.. Riser impressed his hearers in
such a way that they were intelligent
ly Informed, and erroneous impress
sions were corrected as we'll as many
untruths exposed and refuted. At five
OF the meetings. Oswego. Bethel.
Wedgefield, Rembert, and Shiloh more
than one hundred men and women,
boys and girls attended the high
meetings. the attendance averaging
one hundred and twenty-five and in
two instances one hundred and fifty
people.
Secretary Reardon of the Cham
ber Of Commerce followed DR.. Riser
at every meeting, explaining the eco
nomic value Of the proposed health
survey. and asked for expressions OF
opinion from those present. In not
one instance was there an expression
Of disapproval, and numbers of tax
payers voluntarily stated after the
meetings that since they had heard
DR.. Riser and seen his illustrated lee
lures to the school children and the
patrons Of the schools, that they sim
cerely hoped the county commission
ers would Immediately appropriate the
necessary two thousand to supplement-
the four thousand dollars from the
International and state health boards.
The visiting party composing the
whirlwind health and food produc-
ing campaign were Misses Mary
Lennon and Minnie Jones, Homo
Demonstration Agents: DR.. L. A. Ris-
er. and Secretary Reardon, these four
In three days from nine In the
morning until IL o'clock each night,
three public health meetings
each day. and one on last Tuesday
night at Oswego school. DR.. J. H.
county superintendent
Of education and Mr.. j. F. Williams
local farm demonstrators attended
some Of the meetings and made
speeches advocating the health sur
vey and planting OF the proposed
bumper grain and other food crops.
Some one has been putting in some
pretty shady work circulating all
Kinds of false reports about the pro-
posed health survey. For instance
one very fine citizen of a certain sec
ton said that the report had been
circulated that the State and Interna-
tional Health Board sanitarians were
going to arrest every negro in Sum-
ter county and put him on the county
chaingang. but that as soon as the OBJ
1ects Of the survey were explained
that those opposed would be glad to
cooperate with the officials of the gov
ernments.
Miss Mary Lennon. home demon
agent, Is due the credit of in
cucing Dr. Riser to visit this county
to talk to her home demonstration
and domestic science clubs, and his
presence here was utilized by the
Chamber of Commerce to do
some missionary work in favor of the
health survey. Miss Lennon drove
her automobile for four days. day
and night, and besides did some good
work talking up the health survey.
The ladies and gentlemen of the ru-