Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-12-29
The Disgraceful Obstacles
Of Prejudice and Ignorance

Of the prevalence Of malaria. except
BY the poorest pind Of people whc
couldn't afford 10 live elsewhere.
For years 1t was not possible tc
build fences sufficiently strong to keeI
cattle grazing on the very rich veget-
alton which surrounds the lake. be-
cause Of the hordes Of mosquitoes in
Testing the section. To escape the
pests, cattle often broke through wire
fencing strong enough to hold any
herd; and farmers soon abandoned the
effort to fatten cattle on this luxurious
grazing ground because those that re-
NAMED became so badly infected with
malaria that they were practically
worthless. The same was true Of
horses. Neither man nor beast could
long resist the pernicious activity Of
Tie malarial mosquito.
Ii was on high spot of ground, 10
the northwest of the body Of the lake
that DR.. Campbell erected his first sue
cessful bat-roost, completed on April
2, 1911. Since that time the commun-
ity Of bats who inhabit this roost have.
grown until to-day there are literally
millions of them. And as the number
of bats increased, the malaria in the
community decreased, so that for the
last four and half years there has
not been a single case Of malaria in
the neighborhood of Mitchells Lake.
For the bats have literally r 1 the
whole country round of malaria y de-
stroying the mosquito which carries the
parasite.
1T is but natural consequence that
an experiment which has proved SO
outstandingly successful should be du-
Dlicated in other communities. Fam
BUS naturalists from all over the world
have duplicated the bat-houses. and
have written to DR.. Campbell express
ing enthusiastic approval. The great
est scientific authorities of the known
world have written inquiries and offer
ed flattering comment upon the dis
covery and development Of the bat as
the eradicator Of malaria.
THE City Of San Antonio caused
to be erected in the southwest section
Of the city, the first municipal bat
roost ever built in tie world. This,
too, has resulted in most remarkable |
reduction Of malaria in this particular
section. Later, the State Of Texas
erected bat-roost at the Southwest
em Insane Asylum, just south of the
city limits. AT his summer home and
farm near San Antonio. Albert Stevens,
prominent business man has erected a |
successful bat-roost, and the comfort
Of his family during their summer res
idence at the farm is assured, so tarl
as the mosquitoes are concerned.
But the latest bat-roost is in tt,e
campus Of the West Texas Military
Academy, in Alamo Heights, erected
there by popular subscription by the
residents of Alamo Heights, in the in
terest Of science and educational ad-
vancement.
These facts Of four and one-half
years Of experiences have been publish
ed not alone in the San Antonio Ex-
press, but in Americas supposedly
leading scientific paper, the Scientif-
ic American, and bat-roosts have been
built in Europe on DR.. Campbell's
plans, and European scientists and, In
situations have given honor to DR..
Campbell; but in the U. S A., for
some inexplicable reason, neither the
u. S. Department of Agriculture, nor
any State College of Agriculture, nay,