greatest credit on all
concerned with it.

The board of health had one great advantage in the fact that the San
Lazaro contagious disease hospital had been completed. This building,
with its cool wards and attractive surroundings, made it possible to
give cholera victims the best of care.

There was at the outset little or no fear of this hospital, but
apparently this condition of things was not satisfactory to that
small but dangerous element of the Manila public which from the time
of the American occupation has never let pass any opportunity to make
trouble. As usual, the medium of attack was the local press. _Soberania
Nacional_ published a most extraordinary article painting in vivid
colours the alleged horrors of the San Lazaro Hospital, and stating
among other things that the naked bodies of the dead, tagged and with
their feet tied together, lay about the entrance of that institution. A
more false statement was never published.

Within twenty-four hours after its appearance terror reigned among
the lower classes, and living and dead cholera victims were being
smuggled out of the city to neighbouring towns.

Feeling that the vicious attitude of a certain section of the press
had cost lives enough, I sent the editor of this paper a courteous
invitation to call at my office. He made no response. I then wrote
him, demanding a retraction, and sending him a correct statement to
publish. [502]

He was at first disposed to argue the matter, but finding that I
meant business published the article which I sent to him and made
the following retraction:--

"We are exceedingly glad to affirm in the honour of truth and justice,
that the news given by us on the seventh instant under the title
'Painful Scenes,' and 'Naked Dead,' is absolutely absurd, false and
unreasonable.

"We have investigated the truth of the said notice, and can affirm
to our readers that it is entirely inaccurate, as in the courtyard
of the said hospital the naked dead that we have spoken of are not
now exposed, nor have they ever been so exposed.

"The truth is above all things, and to rectify a baseless piece of
news should not be a doubtful action on the part of the person who
gave the news, but rather something in his favour that the public
should appreciate it at its full value.

"To conclude, we must record our gratitude to the Secretary of the
Interior, the Hon. Dean C. Worcester, for the investigations made in
the premises with the p