Perfect protection rests only behind a strict quarantine.
It is not sufficient to bar the seaports of a country against
infectious physical diseases.
The greatest need of quarantine is against germs of disorder that
originate within the gates.
Quarantine can never be partial, for, unless complete, it ceases to be
quarantine.
Quarantine means, in brief, exclusion--keeping without the gates.
There are gates, however, other than seaports, and germs of
pestilential contagious disorders other than the bacilli of smallpox
or yellow fever.
Social Quarantine and Moral Quarantine are even more essential for the
protection of communities and individuals than quarantine against
epidemics of imported physical sickness.
Quarantine is less expensive than correction.
All languages have a proverb similar to the Anglo-Saxon, "An ounce of
prevention is better than a pound of cure."
Centuries of experience with quarantine, and occasional neglect of it,
have demonstrated that the smallest neglect may engender endless
mischief.
* * * * *
Why not profit by this experience in dealing with all questions of
social and individual concern? Why not adopt social and moral
quarantine with the same thoroughness of aim in order to escape the
evils of ignorance, waste, poverty, fear, worry and unhappiness when
we know that these disorders are more harmful to a people than the
most virulent imported diseases?
Moral and Social Quarantine are the bases of all forms of prevention
and protection. They guard against ignorance and thereby insure the
wisdom that institutes other branches of quarantine which throw a
cordon of protection around society.
Social quarantine stimulates and embraces moral quarantine.
Seaport quarantine is maintained only while the _last_ microbe is
prevented from entering the gates.
Social quarantine must extend its protection to every growing human
life in a community during the period of its growth, and influence the
formation of its character, in order to be signally effective. It must
reach the _last_ waif with its loving care. Reaching the _last_ waif
necessitates reaching _all waifs_, and that constitutes, and must be
the aim of, Perfect Social Quarantine.
The character of the _last_, or _least_, unit of a nation is a vital
test of the strength and consistency of a nation.
* * * * *
Society is indebted to the mother instinct of the race for the finest
expressions of its character.
The functions of social quarantine are clearly within the province of
maternal care.
The first necessity of social quarantine is to protect the dawning
intelligences of children against evil or false impressions by
furnishing ample facilities for gaining wholesome suggestions, so that
good ideas shall dominate the mind and leave no room for the
assimilation of harmful impressions.
The second necessity of social quarantine is to surround all children
with good-character-forming and health-giving industrial facilities
and make them so attractive that none shall escape their allurements.
Society fails of its most important duty while there is any lack of
facilities for the best known methods of child protection and
training.
More kindergartens or manual-training schools than are needed to
accommodate _all_ growing children that need them, is an evidence of
the forethought, wisdom and strength of a community. One waif turned
away from care, through lack of facilities for care, is evidence of
criminal neglect in which each member of the community shares. Care of
the _last_ waif is worth more to a community than the care of hundreds
of the first ones reached.
* * * * *
As the "family is the basis of society," so is the kindergarten the
basis of education, and _Character-Building Schools the basis of Good
Government_.
The strength of early character-building tuition--of social
quarantine--is mother love exercised without prejudice or
over-indulgence.
The instinct of mother love in the hearts and souls of women who are
not themselves mothers has been the means of developing the blessings
of the kindergarten, and the wonderful enthusiasm of all good
kindergartners is evidence of the value to growth--of true merit--of
the method of Froebel.
In the development of the kindergarten woman has shown her strength
and capacity as an architect and builder of character, and in the
establishment, maintenance and management of character-building
institutions she has proved that she is master of all the branches of
administration of these fundamental nurseries of good government.
The evident, urgent and growing need of beginning at the root of
society and building character from its first foundation as the only
efficient means to social reform; the proving of mother care to be the
most potent factor in character-building; the increasing willingness
of woman, in this era of our civilization, to share the division of
political responsibility; and the need of complete and thorough
measures to attain speedy reform, all together, call for a stride in
evolution that shall provide for a system of Perfect Social Quarantine
and for a Mother Organization to establish and maintain it on lines of
the best intelligence.
* * * * *
This is the sum and substance of the contention of this book; and
hence the title.
An argument of the case for the contention, although it should be
unnecessary at this present stage of the development of
Character-Building schools, follows, inspired by the hope that an
earnest presentation of forceful simila, striking contrasts,
uncivilized inconsistencies and a heartfelt appeal (as we see and feel
them) may arouse a sympathy, of national breadth and strength, that
will not rest short of the accomplishment of Civilized Social
Quarantine.
There are illustrations and suggestions pertinent to the subject that
may prove interesting to those who are trying to find and eradicate
the last germs of evil that are a present blight upon the normal
happiness of mankind. Inasmuch as cleanliness and sanitary care are
certain results of the influence of character schools, quarantine
against uncleanly and unsanitary conditions of neglect is sure to
follow.
There are also some attempted exposures of neglect and inconsistency
within our gates that impeach our vaunted assumption of first place in
the vanguard of progress.
The main plea of the book embodies suggestions relative to the
formation of quarantine or character associations in communities, and
a national organization of gentlewomen and gentlemen whose aim shall
be to nurture and protect society at its weakest roots and at every
point, so that the fruit shall be the best material for good
citizenship. And the call includes all who have experienced the
blessings of forethoughtful care and parental love.