The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-10-24
KILL SOCIAL. EYIL..,....:s,,............ -.
PLEA OF DANIELS

Chicago, October 22.-Dealing
frankly and boldly with the social
evil as menace to the nations mill
sary efficiency, Secretary Daniels, of
the navy, in an address here tonight
before the Clinical Congress OF Sur
geons OF North America, appealed to
the medical profession ITO end the
false double standard that decreases
| military effectiveness" The profes-
sion. he declared, must Share its part
of the blame for the objectionable
/ prudery that endured a fostering evil
| rather than have it exposed and eradi-
| Gated"
There is not an army in the field
whose effectiveness is not reduced
! by reason Of immoral disease" said
Secretary Daniels, ''thc navy suffers
likewise and business hats because
veneral diseases destroy the man
hood OF workment and fathers Dur
ing the last statistical year men of the
| American nayl lost 14l 1873 days sick
ness from small group Of absolute
/ ly prevcntable diseases, or rather dis
eases contracted by sin. This means
that every day throughout the year
! there were 456 men disabled by this
| disgraceful malady Add to that num-
Der those required to care for the
disabled and we have enough men OH
the non-etfective list each day TO man
a modern warship. And this does not
count those who, though diseased, ).
were not disabled or the evil of the
loathing danger of contagion to the
clean members Of the crew
! Pay of Diseased Men Stopped
] TN the navy in 1915 there were adj
: rnitted for treatment for veneral dis
eases liz persons in every 1000, and
i in the army 81 for every 1000, the
number in the army having decrcas-
| cd from 1874 to the 1000 after the pas
Z! sage OF an act stopping the pay of all
J soldiers admitted for treatment for a
veneral disease. The new navy law
stops the pay of men SO afflicted, and
will probably reduce the number to
the army rate. But these figures show
| a condition of immortality upon the
part of the minority in both arms OF
the service that challenges the
thought of the authorities
I'm civil life the number afflicted is
quite as large proportionatcly as in
the military service. 1t has been
printed that Hech. of Vienna, stated
that at one time the equivalent Of
three entire Austrian divisions OF co.
900 men was under treatment for We
neral disease. while the German army
in Belgium, representing only small
part of the total German forces, is
reported during the first FIVE months
of its occupation to have furnished
| $4,000 such patients. Canadian and
| Australian officers have deplored the
ravages of this disease The late fig
ures from the British army gave 78,-
| have been weakened.
Sir William Osler places these in
| fectiuS diseases at the top as me-
mace in war and in peace The time
has come to realize that this subtlcAt
foe of humanity must be conquered,
and it cannot be conquered by deny
ings its existence, saying that it is
necessary evil, or applying palliatives.
1t is deadlier than smallpox, or can
Ger, or tuberculosis. A Canadian au-
thority says its ravages today are
more terrbi, for Brjtain and Cana
da than Nimy Ridge. the Somme and
Lens
Confluence the Only Remedy
The remedy? There is but one
confluence. 1t must be preached in
| the home, in the school, in the marts
of trade, in the pulpit and in military
camps and among. shipmates afoat |
The eradication of the evil effects
must be thorough, but the teacher
who will be heard and needed when
the teachings Of all others will fall
on deaf ears, is the, word of authority !
from the medical profession Young
men expect ministers of the gospel
to call them to. clean living The
preacher seeks to save the souls, and
too many youths hardly realize they
have a. soul. But. they know they
have bodies, and the doctor is, the
man to whom they must give the
treatment of their bodies. When he
breaches confluence as the only rule
l'of life to young men and points out
] the dire penalty for lapses, his words
have weight no other admonition
! possesses.
you, gentlemen of the medical
profession, deal with life and death.
You bring the bodies into the world
and you close the eyes of the dead.
| You're sc Tho ,,,;,,.eto~:-