r in the same place for the same time. These "dust gardens," as
the children called them, "took the place of the family album" for
callers, and spread knowledge.

Hundreds of similar experiences should convince any intelligent,
earnest Board of Health that a teacher by nature or training should be
in their employ, to be sent WITH POWER, like any other inspector,
wherever ignorance--usually diagnosed as stubbornness--is found.

The health officer whose mother was a good housekeeper, not afraid of
work, has no idea of the attitude of half the housewives of his
district. Having been made as a boy "to get the dustpan and brush and
sweep up his whittlings," he does not realize that these houses in the
tenement district have no dustpans, and that no one would bend his
back to sweep up litter if there were. It is all swept into the alley
or the street. Cheap, long-handled dustpans would be valuable sanitary
implements. As has been elsewhere suggested, the garbage question in
the tenement house needs study and must be solved by a practical
housewife. There are such, and Boards of Health are wasting effort and
the town's money until they avail themselves of this help in the
enforcement of their rules.

All Health Boards use the strong arm of the law, _i. e._, a police
inspector's club, to drive the ignorant and careless householder to
keep his premises from becoming a nuisance. The newly-arrived,
prospective citizen, or more often citizeness, fails to understand
what it is all about--neither the words nor the pantomime convey an
idea, except that this country is topsy-turvy anyway, for everything
is different in this new land.

In the process of learning what not to do, the dwellers in the alleys
flee when the health officer appears, and oppose a stubborn
indifference to his threats. When his back is turned, matters go on as
before and nothing is gained, but an opportunity is lost. Law is a
potent educator when rightly applied, but it may work more harm than
good.

Rules of action clearly explained are soon accepted--like traffic
rules, notification of contagious diseases, disinfection, etc.

The placing on the force of each town of at least one specially
trained "Explainer" would result in cleaner back yards and less
illness and, better than all else, a more friendly feeling between the
officials and those they honestly wish to help; for I do not think
there is often justification for such remarks as were made to me by a