The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-10-16
PUBLIC PLACES
=, CLOSED TO HELP
CHECK INFLUENZA
So CASES REPORTED IN CITY
CHURCHES, PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
THEATER, ETC, CLOSED.

The Spanish influenza epidemic has
got things on the run IN this city and
on Tuesday morning the school bells
failed TO ring their usual call to the
students and scholars of the city.
Monday night the Empress theater
failed to open it's docrs and on Sunday
the churches of the city will hold no
services, owing to a determined eff
fort of the board of health of the
city to step the spread of and stamp
out the disease.
About55 cases have been reported
to Health Officer Little TO date and he
acting in conjunction with the other
members of the board of health de-
cided that the best thing to do to
prevent the spreading of the malady
was to ask the owners of all public
gathering places in the city to close
their places of business for period
of not less than ten days and perhaps
for two weeks, at which time it is
thought that the disease will be so far
conquered th1t it will once more be
safe to open the places to thep ublic.
With this idea in mind DR.. Little
took the matter up with Messrs.
Wright & Joslin, proprietors of the
Empress theater and the latter were
only too willing to comply with the
request and closed their theater, can
ceiling all bookings for pictures which
they had and at total loss to them
up. John Dehn, proprietor of the
Smoke House at the corner of Pleas
ant Main streets, volunteered to close
up his card and smoking room. This
place is one of the most popular
hanging out places in the city and
accommodates hundreds Of people
daily, but Mr.. Dehn, with two sons in
International service, felt that he would
rather close the entire place than to
see the disease spread.
The ministers of the city, when re-
quested to keep the churches closed
to the churchgoers next Sunday and
during the nights Of tile week at which
times services are usually held also
gladly offered to do anything that
they could in aiding in stamping out
the epidemic, which seems to be sc
Infectious that it spreads with alarm
ing rapidity.
Up to date there are no deaths in
this city due to the epidemic, although
there are some very sick people who
are suffering with the disease and il
is only by the strictest attention that
the health of the public can be pro
tected during this time. A child in
school who had the disease and who
thinking that she could keep on at
tending to her studies exposed SO
many that the day following her owl
seat and the seats of practically every
child sitting near her were vacant.
The board of education took the
matter up on Monday and the teach
ers asked the pupils in the various
rooms how many there were who had
someone sick with the epidemic IN
their homes and great number stooC
up to testify. These children were
! then sent home. On Tuesday morn.
ing it was decided that the schools
would not reopen until Monday morn.
ing. October %.
The epidemic of Spanish influenza
seems to keep on raging throughout
the nation, although reports coming
i'm from the various army camps anc
environments state that At is on the de.
crease The number of deaths among
the soldiers has been more than the
number of casualties in the expedi.
tionary forces in France and bodies
of dead soldiers have waited for day:
waiting for collins to contain them.
The action of the health officer and
the board of health is to be commend-
ed as is also the action Of the boarc
of education and extra precautions
should be taken by each and everyone
to fight the first symptoms Of the dis
ease when they become apparent.