nt to the old-time privy that
no sort of comparison is possible.

It should always be remembered that the principal advantages of this
closet are that where it is used we are able to collect all of the
evacuations, which may then be properly deodorized with soil or ashes,
and that it may then be finally disposed of in such a way that it cannot
be reached by hogs or other animals; of very great importance also is the
screening of the closet, since only in this way is it possible to prevent
flies from gaining entrance to the fecal material in the receiving pails.

_Water supply._[2]--In the location of houses and schools an eye should
always be had to selecting a site where it is possible to obtain good,
pure water. To those fortunate dwellers in the mountainous regions of our
country this is usually a matter of little difficulty, since it is always
possible to find a location in the neighborhood of which the purest
spring water may be obtained. In less favored regions the well becomes
the main reliance, while cisterns are used in some portions of our
country, in which water is collected during the rainy seasons of the
year. Of the two, the former is undoubtedly to be preferred, provided a
pump be used instead of the old fashioned bucket. The writer is strongly
of the opinion that a very large proportion of the contamination to which
sources of water-supply are subject comes from the bucket being drunk
from or handled by persons with contagious diseases, or from germs being
blown into the well with dust, or carried in by means of insects and
small animals. It is inconceivable that any appreciable amount of
contamination from the surface can reach the underground streams that
supply wells in localities that are thinly populated, though it is
unquestionably true that a well might be infected as a result of the
entrance of surface-water where its top is not properly protected. On the
other hand we have in an open well or cistern every facility afforded for
the entrance of bacteria.

It is unquestionably of the utmost importance that wells be carefully
covered over, and every precaution should be taken to prevent
surface-water leaking into them around their edges. In order to comply
with these conditions a pump is essential, since it is the only means by
which water can be brought to the surface without exposing the contents
of the well to contamination. It is likewise of the first importance to
have the walls of the well c