The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-10-30
AN APPEAL TO BAMBERG.
Former Citizen Calls on People to Rid
the Town of Its Worst Curse.

| never been raised an issue of greater
| Importance nor any matter with such
unlimited possibilities for the future
good of Bamberg as the eradication
of malaria, which subject is being
| discussed so freely now. From a
distance I have watched with the
keenest interest the progress which
The movement has been making and
aside from the strong appeal wh;c'
am sure it must have made to the
| thinking people of the community it
has stirred me as only an issue thai
| is extremely close to my heart can
and has inspired me with hope for
the ultimate success of the movement
and with courage to brave the most
adverse criticism possible in order
that might give expression to few
thoughts of my own on the subject.
In this paper only short while
ago DR.. Carter was quoted as having
said that fully eighty-fve per cent of
the entire populat on of Bamberg
suffered from malaria in some form.
I very heartily agree with the Doc
tor, except I believe his statement
was rather conservative one as
could easily be determined by close
canvass of the town. Let us suppose
for the sake of argument, however,
that the case was overstated and that
there could only be found an infected
percentage of fifty, or even twenty
five, would that not be sufficiently
startling to arouse the soundest
sleeper within the confines Of the
town to action? II it isn't, then that
fellow is past redemption and should
be either induced or forced to buy
one-way railroad ticket out of town!
Viewed from purely economical
point, malaria is responsible for the
greatest waste which the town has
ever suffered from the time the first
effort was made to convert the cy
press pond, which was the source of
supply for the water tank beside one
of the oldest railways in the United
States, into a thriving little city such
as Bamberg is today. In time past
this was unavoidable and eXcusable,
but not today when the progress of
medical science has enabled the
national government to lay at the
feet of Bamberg's citizenship thor
oughly tested and approved method
for the eradication of that which has
cursed the town since it's inception.
What a precious gift that is, my
friends! And what are you going to
do with it?
Treating this as purely business
proposition, and assuming that any
criticism which is free from the nag
ging of the faultfinder will be vel
coined since the critic assumes the
obligation of suggesting remedy
for the correction of the fault, I shall
take the liberty Of saying just what
is in my mind. Reviewing mentally
events of the past twenty years and
better, a period which has meant
more to Bamberg's development
probably than all others combined,
one must be willfully blind who
could not see, and extremely biased
who will not admit, that when op-
portunit'es to promote the interests
of the general public were presented
we have had more talk than action.
We have always been willing to dis
euss these matters, but there was al
ways that something lacking which
can best be described by resorting
to the vernacular of the modern
salesman; he would call it the lack
of "closing power" None other
than a fool would attempt to say
that discussion of any problem or
proposition is not beneficial and the
proper preliminary measure, but like
the salesman who lacks this closing
power referred to above, we may be
able to present the case clearly and
with precision up to the point where
action is the only other thing to Sc
cure and then fail because our weak
ness becomes our master. "But," l
hear you say, "now that you have
INDUCED freely in criticism, what
have you to suggest that will correct
this grievous fault?" I say that first
YOU must forget all selfish interests.
Get out of your mind the idea that
the money>you are giving to this cause
in helping to meet the generous offer
of our benevolent institutions is CIV
en- for the purchase of a personal
privilege. Let the man who has
money realize that he is merely