The Washington times., 1920-08-10
The Law for the Leper
He Takes You Back Three Thousand Years. Or to the
Great PLAY "Ben Hur" and It's All Encouraging

The American theory is that everybody is entitled to
e liberty and the pursuit Of happiness But nothing Is
ABSOLUTE everything has exceptions Suppose you scat
ter trouble and disease for OTHERS while pursuing hapP
ness for YOURSELF? What then?
This question has arisen in Chcago's law courts
Mrs Barramore boarding house keeper is "a typhoid
carrier This that typhoid germs constantly
actively and dangerously alive within her and threaten
everybody with whom she in contact the theory
of the doctor be correct.
carrier of disease, having become immune, is not
injured by the poison within and threatens only other
people poisonous serpent only threatens others with
his venom, never himself
What should be done about Mrs Barramore and others
that carry typhoid?
What should be DONE if anything, about hundreds of
thousands that carry and scatter consumption and other
diseases?
To be disease carrier is misfortune, not crime
The unfortunate carrier is not to be blamed 1t is what
od-fashioned people would call "a visitation of Provi
dence."
Today have too much scientifc knowledge and too
much respect for Providence think that apoweful
Being would thus cruelty aflict weak human creature
We know that business the business Of science to
attend to the situation
The Corporation Counsel of Chicago declares that the
overue Mrs. right liberty and the pursuit
of happiness So the called upon deprive her
of liberty that others may be protected And here is the
interesting part Chicago goes back across the ocean, and
back through five hundred years. to old English law
governing the control of lepers and leprosy.
The law says: where man is lazar, eper, and
is dwelling in any town, and he will into the church.
amongst the neghbors where they assembled to talk
with them to their annoyance and disturbance then he or
company"
The judges decision regards the unfortunate and
in ways be blamed typhoid carrier will interest the
public Liberty is the most sacred of all humantys pos
sessions. But you must first say WHAT liberty is
You at liberty to smoke cigarette the stone
pavement of the city, You would be knocked down by the
farmer properly he found you smoking that cigar
cite in his hay
No man has freedom to carry flaming torch among
nhammable buildings and the law would probably say
human being has liberty spread disease among his fellows
The Chicago official appealing the ancient English
law prosy takes you far back of all English laws
the days when there England when Phoenician
sailors from the east end of the Mediterranean sailed
through the Gates of Hercules Straits of Gibraltar to
buy tin from savages that lived British Islands who
used paint their stomachs blue and their enemies
Now, in year, you hear of leper typhoid
carrier some other threatening public health
but easily taken care of by science.
In the ancient days eprosy curse that afflicted
thousands
And the power of the stage to educate greater
than any other power Goethe said and proved demon
strated in this fact.
Thanks to single great play Lew Walaces "Beu|
H there hundreds of thousands in the United States
that know leprosy and its meaning well though they
had lived in the days when Christ spread His radiant light
upon the earth and healed the leper.
The poor creature calling out Unclean, Unclean" to
others perfectY distinct the