A CAMPAIGN AGAINST FLIES IN A TOWN OF 6,000 



[Editor's Note : Following our announcement that papers of inter- 

 est to parents will appear in the Review throughout the year, this account 

 is given in the hope that it will suggest to teachers and school patrons 

 certain lines of practical work in nature-study which will serve to bring 

 home and school into closer relation and aid in arousing to action soldiers 

 of peace, both young and old. The writer's name is withheld by request.] 



This town of western Illinois is, perhaps, so far as clean- 

 liness is concerned, neither better nor worse than the average 

 small place. Flies always have been very conspicuous around the 

 grocery stores and restaurants from June till October, swarming 

 about fruits and meats which were most inadequately protected. 

 Members of the Woman's Civic League had often discussed the 

 matter, and from the time of their organization (March, 1908) 

 talked of a campaign against flies, but had no idea of what would 

 be the most effective way to go about it. They had had a few little 

 extracts from magazine articles published in the local papers from 

 time to time. This summer a member reported that they had been 

 remonstrating with their grocers and butchers, and almost invari- 

 ably had been assured that "flies don't hurt anything" ; "flies aren't 

 bad now — they are usually lots worse", etc. The women became 

 more and more aware of the fact that the great majority of 

 people still look upon the fly as merely a harmless nuisance, and 

 realized that nothing short of a most vigorous educational cam- 

 paign would do any good. 



Finally the American Review of Reviews for July, 1910, 

 came out with an excellent article on the dangers of flies, with 

 facsimilies of two posters. This furnished the somewhat definite 

 and tangible suggestions they had been looking for. Consequently 

 at the July meeting of the League (July 1), on the recommenda- 

 tion of the Committee on Public Health and Utilities (which had 

 been created two months before) a sum not to exceed fifteen 

 dollars was appropriated to be used at the discretion of that com- 

 mittee to start the campaign against flies. The committee immedi- 

 ately decided to do three things. 



1. To publish conspicuously a series of eight or ten short articles 



in the local papers. 



2. To have enough large posters made to put one in each place 



of business in town. 



3. To place in each home a hand bill with essentially the same 



reading matter as that on the posters. 



