The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-10-10
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1913.
Closing Up the Schools.

the Schools" 1t has been heard In
q rather emphatic manner in the past
few days on account of the spread OF
Spanish influenza in the city and
lot of people with more or less in
formation on the subject have been
considerably 'het" up because the
schools Of the city were not clamped
down on with the first appearance OF
the epidemic of the disease.
The question Of closing schools is
not one that is OF be decided without
q careful consideration of all angles
of the question. Closing of the schools
might eliminate some cases of this or
any other disease, but at the same time
CLOSING of the schools might open the
way for the development of lot Of
other cases.
In every epidemic the hardest fight
ing is made necessary on account Of
lack of supervision of people who are
ill with the disease. This lack of
supervision in most cases is due to-
the lack of knowledge that the disease
exists People suffer from mild
cases 'of a disease and by means of
these mild cases spread the disease.
They do not feel even the need of a
physician. They go right along to
their work, they spread the disease
near and far and from their "mild''
case comes serious cases which result
in suffering and death.
The school is the first line of de-
Tense in fighting any epidemic. It is
through the children of the school
that the Health Department gets the
most of it's information Of disease con-
ditions Careful supervision of every
pupil in the school is necessary-not
now, but at all times-that the Health
Board may get first information of in
cipient epidemics before they become
serious. The child in school has the
benefit OF this supervision and these
examinations. They parent at home
can be promptly informed If the con-
dition Of the child is such to demand
the care of a physician On the other
hand, the child out Of school runs the
STD set mingling with children, without
any supervision or any safeguard. He
may suffer and spread disease with i'm
punity without any hand to stop him.
If the closing of the schools would
mean that every child would be segre-
gated in the home, that the parent
would give the child the care it needs,
that the family physician would be
called in case of illness, the appeal to
close the schools would carry a much
greater weight
The child out of school seeks
amusement. He makes his first break
for the pictures and the theater. He
knows nothing of taking care of him
self He fails to recognize the symp-
toms of danger.
Certainly before any order is issued
to close up the schools of the city or
ders should be issued closing every
public place Of amusement and every
place where crowds of people are ac-
customed to gather.
There has not been any long death
rate among the school children of the
city. There has not been any great
number of children taken ill in the
schools. The children who have been
taken from the schools have been
taken out for the safety of other chill
dren, rather than on account of the
fact that these children were seriously
Ill. Hundreds of children have been
excluded from the schools of Kenosha
on account of the fact that it was
feared that they might be carriers
of disease. The movement was wholly
one of safeguarding other children.
In the school the child is allowed to
live under right conditions. Teachers
and janitors are expected to to know
The rules Of properly ventilating
school rooms. The atmosphere in which
the children live while in school is
known to be the proper atmosphere to
prevent disease and to make the chill
dren better able to Withstand disease
This condition can not be guaranteed
to all the children in all the homes
IF the city. The school is supplement-
ing the home care and for the hours
that the children are in school is
throwing about them protective infiu-
ences.
State and Federal Health Boards
lem. They all declare that the best
are one in the discussion of the prob
method to fight disease is through the
open school, A few men of the med
lcal profession may not agree with the
opinion Of these experts, but it is not
Necessary to believe that the knowl-
edge of these few men is greater than
the accumulated knowledge and ex-
perience Of men who have been long
IN the battle to preserve the health of
he people.
There Is no place in the schools for
he falling child" The place for that
,hild is at home under the care of the
amily physician. AT the same time