Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In the life and times of Thomas G. Moses, it’s September of 1918. Moses is now working for New York Studios, having resigned as president of Sosman & Landis on September 1, 1918. On October 10, he will be injured when a boy riding a bicycle accidentally knocks him down in the street. Of this incident, he wrote, “October 10th, I was knocked down by a boy on a bicycle in Oak Park. It was dark and I did not see the wheel. It was thought by the doctor that I had fractured my skull. It was a couple of months before I recovered. Only a few days after this I was forced to go to Cleveland to look after a big Masonic order and I hope we will be able to get the contract.”
Keep in mind that this is all in the midst of 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. The first wave of the Spanish Flu hit that spring and the second wave was already in play fall. The second wave would become recognized as the one with the worst death toll. By the end of December 1918, there was the reopening of schools, theaters, churches and business, believing that the worst behind them. A third wave hit during the spring of 1919, a full year after the first wave.
Early in October, the “Chicago Tribune” published illustrations on how to make a “germ screen,” a mask (6 Oct. 1918, page 17). Next to the instructions was another article entitled, “Influenza Cases Here Estimated 40,000 to 60,000. Majority Declared Light Attacks; No Cause for Alarm” (page 17). The article continued, “Anxious to avoid unduly alarming the public, the officials hesitate to make the big figures known generally, but they did so in order to impress upon every individual the necessity of his protecting himself against infection. As a whole the public is said to have headed the warnings issued, but thousands of Chicagoans, it was said, are still exposing themselves carelessly.” Six days later, the “Rock Island Argus” announced “Begin Manufacture of Face Masks for Rock Islanders to Wear as Preventative Measure” (12 Oct. 1918 page 12).
By Dec. 1, 1918, the “Decatur Daily Review” reported, “Flu Death Toll in Illinois 22,566.” The article continued, “Springfield, Ill., Nov. 20 – Spanish influenza during the recent episode took a death toll of 22,566 in Illinois, according to figures announced today by Dr. C. St. Clair Drake, director of the state department of health. The disease is still prevalent in southern Illinois, and Dr. Drake estimates that the number of fatalities due to it will reach 25,000 by January 1. A total of 350,000 cases of the disease have been reported to the health department. This is only about one-fourth of the number believed to have existed in the state. The death rate was given by Dr. Drake as about 2 per cent of the cases.”
Moses does not make any mention of the Spanish Flu at all. In perspective, he only mentions WWI starting and ending, so his diary entries are not really a barometer to indicate historical significance of worldwide events. Overall, Moses’ memoirs don’t really highlight, or describe in detail, many things beyond theatrical projects and personalities. After all, his memoirs were to be published as “Sixty Years Behind the Curtain Line.”
We here about the constant comparison between the Spanish flu and COVID-19. For many, this is such a distant event that one might as well compare it to the Black Death. For my family it is a little more relevant. My grandmother was 25 years old when she survived the Spanish Flu; it was the year before she married my grandfather. This may have been why I was raised in a household where you stayed home when you were sick, taking caution to not infect others. I grew up making sure that I would not spread germs, especially around young kids and the elderly, almost to an extreme. It made sense to me even as a young kid; sometimes you alter your activities for the betterment of others – no big deal. It makes me think of those who now explain that they don’t wear a mask for themselves, but for others. In my opinion individual rites does not mean that you get to endanger others.
There are a lot of similarities between how people acted then and now, those who care and those who justify their actions of non-compliance. Masks were recommended and public activities restricted. Certain people rebelled, citing individual liberties and freedoms. I often think that these are not people who have lost loved ones or friends to the virus – yet.
And as far as masks go, there are two kinds: those that protect you from your environment and those that protect the environment from you. I was astounded one year when I returned to my alma mater and found surgical masks in the place of particle masks. It was the first time I had to explain that surgical masks do not protect the wearer; they protect the environment from the wearer. We wanted masks that protected the worker from their environment. Again, I thought that this was common knowledge, but I was wrong. When considering the big picture about the mask debate now, the general public may not understand how masks work; after all, some theatre professionals didn’t.
To be continued…
