--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before school, there had to be…" description: "\"“Before school, there had to be vaccination. That was the law. How it was dreaded! When the health authorities tried to explain to the poor and illiter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/betty-smith-1012_children_before-school-there-had-to-be-vaccinatio_433098.png" --- # Before school, there had to be vaccination. That was the… ![“Before school, there had to be vaccination. That was the law. How it was dreaded! When the health authorities tried to explain to the poor and illiterate that vaccination was a giving of the harmless form of smallpox to work up immunity against the deadly form, the parents didn’t believe it. All…” quote by Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/betty-smith-1012_children_before-school-there-had-to-be-vaccinatio_433098.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/betty-smith-1012_children_before-school-there-had-to-be-vaccinatio_433098.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/betty-smith-1012_children_before-school-there-had-to-be-vaccinatio_433098.png) > ““Before school, there had to be vaccination. That was the law. How it was dreaded! When the health authorities tried to explain to the poor and illiterate that vaccination was a giving of the harmless form of smallpox to work up immunity against the deadly form, the parents didn’t believe it. All they got out of the explanation was that germs would be put into a healthy child’s body. Some foreign-born parents refused to permit their children to be vaccinated. They were not allowed to enter school. Then the law got after them for keeping the children out of school. A free country? they asked. You should live so long. What’s free about it, they reasoned, when the law forces you to educate your children and then endangers their lives to get them into school? Weeping mothers brought bawling children to the health center for inoculation. They carried on as though bringing their innocents to the slaughter. The children screamed hysterically at the first sight of the needle and their mothers, waiting in the anteroom, threw their shawls over their heads and keened loudly as if wailing for the dead. Francie”” [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compulsory vaccination laws clash with personal liberty, creating fear and resistance among marginalized groups. **In simple terms:** Vaccination mandates can feel oppressive. Key Takeaway Balance public health with respectful communication. Themes public health freedom education trust authority Mood concerned critical Type social policy When to use this quote - school enrollment - parental decisions - community health campaigns - legal enforcement - public discourse Key Concepts bioethics social policy Questions to Reflect On - How can authorities build trust in vaccination? - What role should education play in health compliance? A Different Perspective Mandates may overlook cultural concerns and misinformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [First sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-sight/) [Free country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-country/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Vaccination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaccination/) [Vaccine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaccine/) ## Related quotes > [“A free country? they asked. You should live so long. What's free about it, they reasoned, when the law forces you to educate your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/a-free-country-they-asked-you-should-live-so-long-what-s-free-about/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Wouldn't it be more of a free country," persisted Francie "if we could ride in them free?" "No." "Why?" "Because that would be Socialism,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/wouldn-t-it-be-more-of-a-free-country-persisted-francie-if-we-could/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Anybody," said Johnny, carried away by his personal dream of Democracy, "can ride in one of the hansom cabs, provided," he qualified, "they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/anybody-said-johnny-carried-away-by-his-personal-dream-of-democracy/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [Vaccination is a public health issue because influenza is a highly contagious disease. If you don't vaccinate your child, his or her schoolmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/vaccination-is-a-public-health-issue-because-influenza-is-a-highly/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [“Here in Bosnia I had already seen several cases of rheumatic fever and a case we thought was miliary tuberculosis, diseases now rare in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-grim/here-in-bosnia-i-had-already-seen-several-cases-of-rheumatic-fever/) Pamela Grim > [Compulsory vaccination is an outrage and a gross interference with the liberty of the people in a land of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/compulsory-vaccination-is-an-outrage-and-a-gross-interference-with/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [Some parents are ambivalent about vaccination after reading misinformed pieces and watching misleading videos on a popular mobile chat application. By electing to avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shabana-azmi/some-parents-are-ambivalent-about-vaccination-after-reading/) [Shabana Azmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shabana-azmi/) > [“..."You're getting a sort of vaccination this year. If you don't know it now, you'll find it out some day. But it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-sawyer/you-re-getting-a-sort-of-vaccination-this-year-if-you-don-t-know-it/) [Ruth Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-sawyer/) > [Vaccination is pretty special because you can do a vaccination campaign anywhere in the world. All you are doing is gathering women from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/vaccination-is-pretty-special-because-you-can-do-a-vaccination/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“I attained a triumph so complete that it is now rare to meet an American with marks of small pox on his face... Benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-waterhouse/i-attained-a-triumph-so-complete-that-it-is-now-rare-to-meet-an/) Benjamin Waterhouse > [In different places you run into myths around vaccination or around family planning. In the United States, one of the myths that existed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/in-different-places-you-run-into-myths-around-vaccination-or-around/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [I am absolutely not in favor of any compulsory vaccinations. Vaccination against coronavirus should absolutely not be mandatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-duda/i-am-absolutely-not-in-favor-of-any-compulsory-vaccinations/) [Andrzej Duda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-duda/) > [“The problem, and I am making this percentage up, is that like 80% of the country did receive their vaccination, were infected, and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-tomasso-iii/the-problem-and-i-am-making-this-percentage-up-is-that-like-80-of-the/) Phillip Tomasso III > [“At the time, though, vaccination was controversial. Many were opposed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-wright/at-the-time-though-vaccination-was-controversial-many-were-opposed/) [Jennifer Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-wright/) > [Vaccination is the medical sacrament corresponding to baptism. Whether it is or is not more efficacious I do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/vaccination-is-the-medical-sacrament-corresponding-to-baptism-whether/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) ## More by Betty Smith > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Several times that day, the name or thought of Papa had come up. And each time, Francie had felt a flash of tenderness instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/several-times-that-day-the-name-or-thought-of-papa-had-come-up-and/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [As long as one can suffer, one is living…live and suffer until life is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/as-long-as-one-can-suffer-one-is-living-live-and-suffer-until-life-is/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Sissy told them they were way behind the times; that midwives were things of the past. Besides, she informed them proudly, she had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/sissy-told-them-they-were-way-behind-the-times-that-midwives-were/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Why, Mrs McGarrity's all right. Mr McGarrity's all right, too. Only I guess they aren't all right to each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/why-mrs-mcgarrity-s-all-right-mr-mcgarrity-s-all-right-too-only-i/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“I drink because I don't stand a chance and I know it. I couldn't drive a truck and I couldn't get on the cops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/i-drink-because-i-don-t-stand-a-chance-and-i-know-it-i-couldn-t-drive/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Pipe dreams, he thought to himself, even while he was telling her about his dream winnings. But oh, how wonderful, he thought, if everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/pipe-dreams-he-thought-to-himself-even-while-he-was-telling-her-about/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to-live-look-at-that-tree/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [It takes a lot of doing to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/it-takes-a-lot-of-doing-to-die/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“She sat in the sunshine watching the life on the street and guarding within herself, her own mystery of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/she-sat-in-the-sunshine-watching-the-life-on-the-street-and-guarding/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [...the reading, the observing, the living from day to day. It was something that had been born into her and her only - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-reading-the-observing-the-living-from-day-to-day-it-was-something/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [People always think that happiness is a faraway thing … something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/people-always-think-that-happiness-is-a-faraway-thing-something/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Hildy O’Dair is old for her age,” she thought. “It’s like powder was sprinkled on her yellow hair. But she’s not much older than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/hildy-o-dair-is-old-for-her-age-she-thought-it-s-like-powder-was/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“One day they’re babies in buggies and the next day they’re in here taking picks. Kids grow up quick in this neighborhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/one-day-they-re-babies-in-buggies-and-the-next-day-they-re-in-here/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“If she never had any lovers, she kicks herself around when the change comes, thinking of all the fun she could have had, didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/if-she-never-had-any-lovers-she-kicks-herself-around-when-the-change/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) [Explore all 306 Betty Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. 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All they got out of the explanation was that germs would be put into a healthy child’s body. Some foreign-born parents refused to permit their children to be vaccinated. They were not allowed to enter school. Then the law got after them for keeping the children out of school. A free country? they asked. You should live so long. What’s free about it, they reasoned, when the law forces you to educate your children and then endangers their lives to get them into school? Weeping mothers brought bawling children to the health center for inoculation. They carried on as though bringing their innocents to the slaughter. The children screamed hysterically at the first sight of the needle and their mothers, waiting in the anteroom, threw their shawls over their heads and keened loudly as if wailing for the dead. 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