Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-04-14
Communicated.

Editor of the Register-A vital sta
tistics bill is before the present West
Virg mia Legislature. Please publish
the following:
The French government. wishing TO
obtain definite statistics on points re-
latinp to certain Turkish provinces,
sent some blanks. with questions to be
answered, 10 the provincial governors.
The replies received from the pasha
of Damascus are worth quoting:
Ouestion-What is the death rate in
your province
Answer-In Damascus. il is the will
of Allah that all should die. Some die
young and some die old.
Ouestion-What is the annual num-
Der of births?
Answer-God alone can say. do not
know and hesitate to inquire.
QUESTIONABLE the supplies OF water
sufficient and of good quality?
Answer-From the remoteSt period
no one has died in Damascus of thirst
General remarks as to local SANTA
tion-Man should not bother himself
or his brother with questions that con-
Germ only God"
Sound, vital statistics are indis-
pensable basis of modern sanitation
A ma ion that does not consider il
necessary, or that is not able, TO pro-
vide adequate means for registering
the births Of its own children, or for
officially recording the deaths of its
citizens, can hardly be supposed to
attach sufficient value 10 human life
to enable sanitary measures for its
conservation to be adequately carried
out.
For Continental United States in
1907 only 48.S per cent Of the total
population was represented in the reg.
istration area from which returns OF
deaths were received by the Bureau OF
Census. For the other 522 per cent
imperfect laws, partial registration.
AS for registration of births. 2
measure which is so supremacy i'm
portant for the knowledge of infan'
mortality for the protection OF infant
life, and for securing the legal rights
OF children, not a single State in the
Union nor a single city of any con.
siderable size makes positive claim
tnat II registers as many as nine
births out of every ten that occur
Even the city of Washington. whose
law for this purpose is direct enact
mem OF Congress, does not arise above
the law limit of efficiency. The total
number of births must be known be.
fore we can make computation of in
rant mortality which will be comparable
WIN the rates given in the vital sta.
tistics of all civilized nations excep
the United States. This ratio depends
upon the comparison of deaths of in.
rants under one year of age with tota'
births. ami as We have no exact req
lstratton of births we cannot presen,
these important statistics (See Page 67
or Bulletin 80, Report on National
Vnalitv, prepared by Professor Irvine
Fisher, Of Yale, CT Cressev L Williams
Chief of Division of Vital Statistics
HELEN B. PENDLETON.
In Pulpit and Pew.
Rev. DR.. E. c. Cronk, of New York
City, has accepted call to become
synodical superintendent of the Luther.
an SYNOD Of Virginia. DR.. Cronk's
decision comes after months of urging
on the part Of Virginia Lu'herans to ac.
cept the position. and is characterize
by prominent Lutherans as "distinctly
gratifying" He is a man of the
oroadest experience along the lines
OF the work he will soon enter upor
In this Synod. For eleven years he
served as the secretary of the laymen's
missionary movement of the Lutheran
Church. and was also for a number OF
years secretary for the Southern States
IN the national laymen's missionar,
movement of the United States am
canada. For the past two wears DR.
Cronk has been directing he confer.
ences and conventions Of the mission.
arv education movement Of his church
and as the result of his work TIE seven
conferences of which he was the di-
rector have reached the peak o. their
enrollments.
The Annual Conference OF the M e
Church closed its sessions in Bait
more on Monday with the readino ~
the appointments. Rev. John A
Grose is returned to Shepherdstown
this being his second year in this
c:narge and his Pensioners are graf
i no 10 know that he will come back
Rev. b. F. DeVries is continued a
superintendent of this the Freder;cl
district Rev. A. R. Snedepar returns
10 Harper's Ferry; Rev. Frank Steel
man Is the new pastor at Martinsburo
rev. w. A. Little returns TO Smitb-
t Uurg, Md, Rev. c. E. Seymour goes to
MMIliIamsport; Rev. ]. L. Prettyman to
HANCOCK; Rev. F. R. Bayley, Rev L,
M M ferguson and Rev. T. w. Llovd to
VTagerstoWn; Rev. A. H. Mckinney 70
heyser; Rev. w. M Depp to Winches,
ter and Rev. c. F. Bonn to Lewistown
Kew: William Hudson Cumns,o,
VINO since the fall of 1919 has hear
rector of Christ Protestant Episcona,
Ihurch "a uray and in charge ~ ~
work at Shenandoah, Ingham and Pine
Grove, last Sunday rendered biS -es;n
nation, effective the Roth ~ th;,
month. II is rennrted Tho. NJ Or VIE