The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1922-02-10
WHAT ABOUT
YOUR RECORD?
rs IT WRITTEN THERE7 SMILE
AT DEATH.


tected by walls OF solid masonry and
guarded by q steel door are the rec
ords Of more than 10000 citizens Of
Georgia. In this vault, side by side,
with the birth records are death rec
ords OF more than 10000 individuals,
who died since the Bureau Of vital
Statistics was organized in 1919, and
many are the tragedies to be found
in these records, while few comedies
are also recorded there.
Many records are not complete The
record of the little family, on the way
to an adjoining state, whom fate leads
to hotel, which was destroyed by
( fire cannot be completed for none
were loft to furnish the necessary in
/ formation. The death record of the
( recluse Of a noble family, known only
I as John in the community caused uuca
Z trouble or no one knew his parentage
or birthplace and his relatives were
put TO much expense in Completing the
record.
Little was known Of Bukumba Ka-
! lamba Wakanauga, but the record of
/ Tiney Bugs was complete. She was
near one hundred years Of age and
had resided in Georgia all her life.
Many peculiar names appear on
! the records. Combinations which oc-
cur by accident when looked at care
/ fully, although the record is one Of
death, causes a smile. There was one
whose name was Polly Pod, another
Ivory Hooks, another Rosie Posie.
/ With very common names the colors
or fruits were mixed. There were
Pink Brown, Green Yates, Green
Berry, Henseta Blue Little Bit White
and Loved Cherry. Other combina-
tions appear on the records as Cry
stal Music, Early Guest, Noble Shaw
er, Morning Mayes and among the sur
names are to be found Eyestone, Bean
row, Colddough, Pickles, Eeasterbug,
Hogtimihon and Handalong.
The ultimate aim and final purpose
of all public health work is the limita-
ton OF preventable diseases. Com
plete death records are necessary to
the checking Of such work, for with
out such records properly tabulated,
it is impossible to tell whether the
number of such deaths are on the de-
cline or the increase and likewise
whether the appropriation for such
WORK has been judiciousIy expended
or not.
In the enforcement Of the Compul-
sorry School Attendance Act and the
Childs Labor Law, the officials will
find the birth records an unerring
basis for its administration. 1t is be
lieved that by such records the
scholastic, census may be purged Of
thousands of names OF those who are
not within the scholastic age TO the
detriment Of those children who are
justly entitled to participate in the
division of the school funds The
Legitimacy, the age and the parentage
of each child so recorded is establish
ed and many questions as to its right
may, in the future, be settled by
simple reference to the birth record.
The Federal Government, in the issu-
ance of passports, is now demanding
the establishment of citizenship,
which can be most easily done by
certified Lirth certificate and in the
settlement of the Veterans claims
for additional compensation birth
record is required in such cases.
The solution CT many social prob
lens now confronting the State may
be found in these records. The lin
itation Of the family to one or two
children among the better class with
an average Of six children among the
uuneducated negro race. means that
tht State must double her educational
fund or that the voter Will, in the next
generation, be more easily controlled
by INSCRIPTIONS politicians. With
the emigration OF the negro to the
northern states, the foreign born ele-
ment becomes a problem and a close
! and accurate record Of such must be
kept in order 10 protect the native
born citizen. Rather than relax the
records of such immigrants as to
name, age, birthplace or parentage,
it would be better to take the finger
prints OF each child born of foreign
parentage in Georgia so that the race
of anarchists and bolshevists might be
identified regardless OF such changes
they might make.
In the past the Importance of keep
ing the birth record Of a child has
been compared by unthinking people
with the keeping of the pedigree of
standard bred hogs and dogs, the com
parlson is not fair, especially when
applied to human being, for none
are 10 be compared in any way with
hogs and dogs. With the modern
legislation to protect, develop and edu-
cate the child at the expense of the
tax payer. the tax payer has the right
to demand complete record of all
children, SO that he may not be i'm
posed on by INSCRIPTIONS parents.
The State has the right to a complete
record OF all citizens since it places
certain age qualifications as to the
enforcement Of its laws. And certain