Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 74.djvu/274

270 careful in handling their ashes, waste paper, etc. These neighboring damages are always collectible at law in Europe and the regulation is one of the most effective of fire-preventative measures.

These are not heroic or revolutionary methods and yet, wherever applied, they would work marvels in the way of bettering conditions There is too much apathy in this fire matter and the authorities who know what it really means are fearful of applying the restrictions that are needed because, forsooth, some of these might too nearly touch powerful constituents or friends. We may only hope to attain the desired ends by forcing these authorities to do what is right via the pressure of public opinion. It is passing strange how those things run, but interesting withal to find that in all reforms the masses have to be compelled to do certain things by authority and the authorities have in turn to be compelled to apply these compulsory measures by the weight of public opinion; public opinion in turn is molded, created by printers' ink and I know of no cause that deserves better at the hands of the press than does this one of fire-prevention.