Triumphs and Wonders of the 19th Century: The True Mirror of a Phenomenal Era: A volume of original, entertaining and instructive historic and descriptive writings, showing the many and marvellous achievements which distinguish an hundred years of material, intellectual, social and moral progressBoyd, James P. (James Penny)
History
Triumphs and Wonders of the 19th Century: The True Mirror of a Phenomenal Era: A volume of original, entertaining and instructive historic and descriptive writings, showing the many and marvellous achievements which distinguish an hundred years of material, intellectual, social and moral progress
Boyd, James P. (James Penny)
Inventions; Progress
Then, in the matter of streets, how much more attention is now given to
small parks! When about the middle of the century interest in public
parks was revived, the efforts of the various cities were directed to
the securing of large tracts of ground and beautifying them in every
way. They were open to every one, it is true, but too often too far
removed to be of use to the submerging tenth. Now, while not adorning
these with one garland less, the effort is making to break up the
congestion of the crowded districts by breathing spaces, to the comfort
and vigor of those who must make the surrounding houses their homes.
The streets, too, no longer paved with the unsightly cobble-stones,
are made noiseless with the asphalt paving and, what is more to the
purpose, can be easily cleansed by flushing. When practical business,
and not practical politics, prevails in the municipality, there is no
opportunity for the household refuse to accumulate, although no longer
rushes are available to receive it, for it is regularly and promptly
removed.
The exigencies of trade compelled our government to establish its
bureau for the inspection of meat. The necessity of an inspection of
foodstuffs for export demonstrates the possibility of adulteration for
the home market. While, possibly, the ingenuity of the sophisticator
has more than kept pace with the keenness of the inspector, the health
of the people has been maintained, their comfort promoted, and their
resources husbanded by the inspections carried on by the various city
and state boards of health.
The welfare of the people at home, in their dwellings and at their
tables, does not limit the efforts of the sanitarian. He takes
cognizance of the daily toil, the ceaseless grind, to win one’s daily
bread. He recognizes that some callings are dangerous or annoying to
the people, and devises methods to overcome this, or failing in this,
insists that such occupations must be carried on remote from the
dwelling-place of man. Others, he finds, bring danger to those who are
employed. This may not be an inherent danger, but one acquired by our
crowding of operatives, or in other ways not securing to them proper
comfort; and factory inspectors are at work to reduce these dangers to
a minimum, and to prevent child labor as well—giving to youth, as far
as cessation from overmuch toil can give, an opportunity to develop
into physical manhood or womanhood. The sanitarian insists upon proper
ventilation in mines, and tries to devise the means to remove the
danger from those trades that ordinarily are inherently dangerous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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