The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-01-31
fourth day perhaps seventy per cen,
had Joined the masked army.

fourth day perhaps seventy per cent
had Joined the masked army.
On the fifth day the record was to
Re 100 per cent. The San Franciscans
did not do quite that well. but 1t was
marvellous how splendidly they heed
cd the new law. Even the Christian
Scientists took the position that they
should wear masks because it was the
law and because they could see no
benefit in creating public disturb
ances. Every man, woman and child
who walked the streets of San Fran
cisco appeared to be masked for near
ly month. Sometimes a man would
rush from his home with his breakfast
half eaten and his mask still pinned to
TIE bathroom window after its bath
of disinfectant Usually he discovered
his terrible error before he had
climbed into his auto or boarded a
street car. But not infrequently he
awokc only when frowning blue
coat held him up in the downtown
dire threat of arrest or actual arrest
During the first few days that the
ordinance was in effect the police. OPP
Grating in squads. rounded up many
maSkless ones early in the morning
packed them into police autos and
whisked them away to Jail. Fines
were imposed end even Jail sentences
VIXEN it appeared that the law was
being stubbornly defied
In a word, the mask law was en-
forced to the limit Also the quaran-
tine.
On the day the mask ordinance be-
came law there were about 400
new cases, If my memory serves me
Alright. The next day there We're still
about that number On the third day
there was IA slump of several hundred.
On the fourth day there was another
drop of 200. and the G@cline continued
in about that ratio for week or 50.
In less than a month the influenza
epidemic WIS declared officially at an
end. Only the or fifteen new cases
were being reported day.
OF course. there was much disputa-
of tnl bpa In u
We're wont to say that the masks sim
ply had the effect OF eliminating fear
and that, fear being absent. sickness
mist necessarily be absent. One edi-
tor wrote awesome articles headed
like this: Fear and Disease. No. L."
He meant thereby that he would soon
put the trumpet Of advice to his lips
and blow blast mo 9" BY the time
tn" epidemic was vanquishcd he had
got up to Fear and Disease, No. 10"
DR.. Hassler did not close the depart
mcnt stores or other shops, but he
did shut the theatres, stop all cabaret
performances and public meetings
and prevent the churches from hold
ing indoor services. A number of the
churches held service in the open air
1t was "A dismal month There were
not enough ambulances to handle the
situation adequately and the eXped-
lent was adopted of driving them
through the streets at appalling speed
while the horns walled balefully. In
tEis way several pedestrians were run
down and killed before the authorities
INTERVIEWED
The din OF the ambuanccs gave
warning that Plague and his conlrade,
Death. were always at our elbows.
am reminded that | began this ar.
ticle in "A lightsome vein. We are told
thai when the BLACK Death" swooped
down upon the cities of Italy in the
middle ages the people sought to for
get the horrors by resorting to leyity
and frivolty. Cheerfulness has its ad-
vant'ges in fighting Plague and
Dcath.-EX.