260 THE COMMON SENSE OF THE MILK QUESTION 



caiising them to rely too much upon pasteurization, rather 

 than upon cleanliness. 



Considering these objections in their order, not 

 much need be said with regard to the first. The 

 bugaboo of "paternalism" has been raised whenever 

 any advance has been proposed. It was raised against 

 the proposal to make education free and compulsory; 

 it was raised against the establishment of municipal 

 hospitals and dispensaries, parks, playgroimds, baths, 

 recreation piers, and lodging houses for the homeless; 

 it was raised against the factory acts; it has been 

 raised against every proposal to bring the great cor- 

 porations under public control. On the other hand, 

 it is difficult to see that pasteiurization of milk for 

 infants would be more paternalistic in principle than 

 the elaborate system of inspection necessary to insure 

 pure milk. 



With regard to the second objection, that the use 

 of pasteurized milk ought to be optional with the 

 parents, since there is some doubt as to the efficiency 

 of the process, it need only be observed that only a very 

 small minority of the advocates of pasteurization 

 would dispute that claim. Most advocates of the 

 establishment of infant milk depots for the sale of 

 pasteurized milk would be quite willing, I am con- 

 vinced, to have raw milk also sold at the depots, 

 provided that it reached a certain high standard of excel- 

 lence. No objection, I imagine, would be raised to the 



