Later, when David the smith was going to America and wished to leave his forge with the half-witted Billy, he proposed the smith’s work as play. “Te-he,” laughed Billy, “am I to play wi’ all your fine tools, David?” “Ay, just that. I’ve taught ye the way o’ them and Dan Foster’s lad from Brow Farm shall come and blow the bellows for you.” “Will that be work for Dan Foster’s lad, or play?” “Hard work, Billy--grievous hard work, while you are just playing at making horseshoes, fence railings, and what not.” “And I’m to play at making horseshoes,” went on Fool Billy, “while Dan Foster’s lad’s sweating hard at bellows-blowing.” CHAPTER III _Community effort is needed to make better conditions for all, in streets and public places, for water and milk supply, hospitals, markets, housing problems, etc. Restraint for sake of neighbors._ Quite slowly but surely, the idea is dawning on the social horizon that the persistence of conditions prejudicial to human prosperity is discreditable to a civilized community, and that economics if not ethics calls for their control. _Alice Ravenhill._ It is the new view that disease must be understood and overcome; that hospitals, dispensaries, surgical and medical treatment, nursing and preventive measures must be developed and dovetailed into a general social scheme for the elimination of preventable diseases and a very substantial reduction in the prevalence of such diseases as cannot as yet be classed as preventable. _Edward Devine, Social Forces._ Nature endows the vast majority of mankind with a birthright of normal physical efficiency. It is the duty of those who aspire to be known as social workers each to do his share in confirming his fellow beings in this possession. _Dr. H. M. Eichholz, Inspector of Schools. Paper before Conference of Women Workers, London, 1904._ We know now that if we do the things we ought to do, we can prevent sickness. We have reached a point where it is recognized that it is the duty of the community or state to effectually protect itself against the ignorant, the selfish, the filthy, and the diseased. We believe now that we must have proper sewage disposal, pure water, decent tenements, clean streets, good-sized playgrounds, supervision of factories, protection of child labor, and pure food. _Eugene H. Porter, Report, 1909, New York State Department of Health._ Next after himself, man owes it to his neighbor to be well, and to avoid disease in order that he may impose no burden upon that neighbor. _Dr. William T. Sedgwick, The Call to Public Health._ CHAPTER III HOPE