THE LESSONS OF THE CRISIS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1912, 7 December 1918, Page 4

THE LESSONS OF THE CRISIS.

WOMEN, THE KEY TO THE REMEDY. (By “Veritas,” in' the Palmerston Times.) The same line qualities have been shown throughout the country- in meeting and lighting the epidemic. Men and women have arisen, as it were, out of the ground, thrown themselves sell*-regardless into the battle with the inevitable end of all morally, tine organised attacks — the subsequent rout of the enemy.

That end has no t been accomplished without scars, but we are not here going to give blame or praise to particulars. Praise is often enough a weapon bestowed by weak people on the strong to protect them from attack; while blame is useless unless leading to remedy. Some facts, which are essential to a right understanding of the problem, seem to have escaped public observation.

The first is that any disease of long standing may, under favourable circumstances, become pandemic and may riot through the country in a death -dealing form. Whether it be inllnenza, typhoid or scarlet fever, diphtheria or measles (which diseases we have stupidly come to look upon ’as inevitable) once let public opinion and public health control regard them as such, (nice let them relax their vigilance upon them —the rudest awakening is at hand. All of them have the same factor in common. They thrive upon those conditions winch arc inimical to good sanitation; dirt, overcrowding, bad housing, large families gummed up in cities, ami families and people with syphilitic and scrofulous taint.

We cannot waste any time upon the responsibility of the Public Health Department and City Councils. The key to the whole business lias been missed.

Let us grip tight hold of the essentials of this matter. There tin; two main causes for the insanitary evils which have been discovered.

(1) Women. Their lack of education. Their waul of discipline. Their misuse of the right of ITaucli-

(2) The restles.-ness o|‘ the uneducated, undisciplined younger people who lo escape monotony ( o’islan‘iiy travel with wives and (diildron lo fresh a.nd doubtful oecuimtions.

it is repeatiug the obvious, lo say that my country in (lie habitable world is so favourable to happy humanity as our country. Yet we are reproducing a London - Glasgow Liverpool-slum people amongst a third of our inhabitants.

Yearly the whole of the responsibility for this ghastly condition of .New Zealand lies on the women of New Zealand. “The path of a good woman is strewn with (lowers.” Yes hut they grow behind her steps, not before them. The women of Yew Zealand have had the power of altering these had conditions by (heir votes for twenty-live years. They have done comparatively nothing with it. ■ They have taken freedom to mean freedom from restraint, and liberty to mean liberty to do as they liked. And so we have the spectacle from one end of the country to (lie oilier of a man and woman with one child living in one room with mudbrown sheets, blankets, walls and underclothing, while knee high paten! leathers and fur coals litter the room —on (he plea (ha! what they do is no concern of anyone hut themselves.

The Slale must realise the need to educate these people, and do it soon. The girls of New Zealand have the future of the country in their keeping. They must be taught in (he schools that courage, at its highest and most desirable, lies in service for others, self-reliance, self discipline, and in happy marriage. That cowardice, at its worst and vilest, lies in self-ahnse by dirt, uncleanness, selfishness and, selfindulgence.

No spee[ac ie was more deplorable i!i;ui [he way women withheld themselves from service during (he epidemic (or more splendid limn (he courage end ability of (hose who gave of ilieir very best). The reason iay in ihere being no tradition of it. -No girl scouts pledged lo clou linn ess and kelp, common (o evei'v school. .\o cadet girl-forma I ion trained to home nursing and efiiciency. .No organised army of young v/omen lusting for opportunity to show their splendid fitness when the occasion came. There was no discipline in the women of the country. They had I ailed. Are women, who for reasons beyond their control have not been asked in marriage, going to be eontent to see other less Jit women live in dirty, insanitary, ‘‘cheap” dwellings and bring up little children in the loviiest country .in the world like young rabbits; Are thev going to stand by and say nothing at all about it;

Are they still going to join the throng at the haberdashers' buying 4-gmnea hats while the future history of (he country lies in (heir keeping and seals arc to he had in Darliamenl ? Are they going to say Hint it has nothing to do with 1 hem ? Thai all the situation needs is a. few more men inspectors to tel! the women what to (hi for the best?

Do they think this epidemic, juts shown any need for an organised nursing service, for a national medical service, or for an organised

-yskm of national thrift and insurance against sickness and unemployment —or are they satisfied? The female sex cannot exist on its beauty in a country like this, unless it organises for good deeds and proud accomplishment. Men have

cheerfully conscripted themselves to defend their country. No less should women put some duties upon themselves and upon their children to keep it.