An Important Letter From The Mayor

All householders in the city will appreciate the following important letter from the mayor on the subject of the cholera: City of Anu Albor, I Mayor's Office. Aug. M, 1S!1!. f To the Honorable the Board of Health of sald City: Gentlemen - It seems to me that it is imperatively necessary that your honorable board take immediate and if necessary summary proceedings to place our city in proper sanitary contiition to ward off the scourge of Asiatic cholera vvhich now menaces the land. Almost any morning we may read of cholera making its appearance upon the Atlao'ic seaboard. And then it will be only a question of days for it to reach the great di - tributing centers of the northwest to be carried from thence along the arteries of travel to the cities and towns which invite its devastating presence. So far as human wisdom and approved sanitary precaution can protect our beautiful city, it is our duty as officials and good citizens and lovers of our fellow men to exert ourselves to the utmost limit of our authority, to protect the precious lives, committed, in a degree at least, to our official keeping. ut me, therefore, to suggest that 'ou inaugúrate a house to house in)ection of the city's sanitary condion, noting particularly the cessools, drains, closets, ponds, alleys, putters, etc. , and demanding and nforcing the proper cleansing and isinfecting, or even destruction nd eradication of all things and onditions which menace the public ïealth and safety. Prompt municipal and domestic Drecaution now will cause the isease if it reaches us to fall upon terile soil. It is said that previous pidemics of cholera have been most irulent in undrained and filthy ities and those with a polluted ater supply. It is possible that the )eculiar soil upon which our city ests and its natural drainage will ïord us some immunities from oxious exhalations, far beyond ïose of other unsevvered cities of ur class. But it is not possible that ilth and polluted water will be any ifferent in their dangerous charcter in Ann Arbor than in any of ur sister cities. Therefore, while urge upon your honorable board nd upon our municipal authorities ïenerally prompt and decisive and ïarmonious efforts to minimize our anger, I am reminded that our abors will avail but little unless ie citizens themselves assist by uch wise and provident domestic )recautions as your honorable body may see fit to recommend and which anitarians have approved. It can do no harm at least, to boil 11 suspected water used for drinkng and culinary purposes, to preare and liberally apply disinfectnt Solutions to closets and gutters nd to cleanse and purify wherever ffensive odors betray the germs of isease. Let us remember that "cholera is ot caused by fear," neither is it to )e apprehended from any particular rticle of diet alone, but from the - ■ - ■■ germs which directly or indirectly spread from the person or persons infected. Let us sterilize the soil upon which these germs will seek to find a resting place. Let us hope that God 's mercy will avert from our shores "this pestilence which walketh indarkness and this destruction which wasteth at noonday." Respectfullv,