year to the family of any person who should, while so acting as nurse or physician, contract the smallpox and die of it.
There never have been lacking, in any civilized community, a few devoted persons willing to expose themselves to the dangers of plague in ministering to the sufferings of their fellowbeings, and that without hope of extraordinary reward. Still more were thus willing when special honors were to be reaped and provision was to he made for the future of their families. The smallpox was not just then in existence in Aristopia, but in some of the other colonies there were local epidemics, and thither went Aristopians, to try the efficacy of vaccination.
Every one of these persons became firmly convinced that vaccination furnished either entire immunity, or immunity from all except a very mild form of smallpox. Their testimony was published in newspapers, pamphlets, lectures, and by the teachers of public schools all over Aristopia. Many persons, including physicians, lent the governor their aid in urging general vaccination. When a smallpox epidemic at last broke out in Aristopia the efficacy of vaccination was so fully demonstrated that
