The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-10-19 00:00:00

WESTERN COUNTIES IDIOT ASYLUM.

PUBLIC lIIIITINO AT TEO T.ATII HALL.

On Thursday last, under the preddency of the Earl
f Devon, a public mseting we held at the Town-hall.
Dorchester, m 'drily for the purpose of bringing before
the county the objects sod principles of this excellent
Institution.
The noble chairman was supported by Lord Digby,

John Floyer, Erq., M.P., Colonel Digby, M.P., H.
N. Middleton, Erg., the Hon. and Rev. Spring-Rioe,
the Hon. and Rev. Preb. Courtensy, the Rev. H.
Everett, the Rev. T. W. Knipe, Captain G. Peacock,
F.R.S., R.N., the Mayor of Dorchester, (W. Durden
Esq.), Captain Hodges, Mr. K M. Marsh• Dunn, Mr.
W. Lock (secretary and superintendent).
There were also present :—Lady Ann Maria
Courtensy, Mrs. Hugh Courtenay, Colonel Steward,
Rev. Canon Nash, Rev. Canon Biogham, Rev. Prob.
Deyman, Dr. and Mrs. Aldridge. Mrs. Knipe, Dr.
Lush (Weymouth), Colonel Oldlleld, Rev. A. A.
Leonard, Dr. Symes (Medioal Superintendent of the
Doreetshire County Lunatic Asylum), General Wyth.
yard, Dr. Fisher, Miss Campbell, k.c.
The Noble Cumulus sail be need hardly apologise for
occupying the position which be then occupied as chairman
of that meeting, but according to all roles of etiquette in
such matters it should have been occupied by the Mayor.
He, being Chairman of the Board, bad requested the Mayor
to take the chair, but it was thought proper that he (the
noble earl) should assume that position, it being the
ordinary annual meeting of the subeeribers of the Western
Counties Idiot Asylum. It was thought well to hold it
for the first time at Dochester, in order to make the aims
and objects of the institution more known than it was
before. With these few observations he would proceed in
the usual way by calling on the secretary to read the
minuted' of the last meeting, held at Plymouth.
The minutes having been read and duly confirmed,
The Cuattuusi again rose and said :—That formal duty
having been terformed. be should now foe a very few
minutes address himself to the more immediate objects of
their meeting that day. Their object in meeting there
that day, by the kind permislion of the Mayor' was to
endeavour to make known rather more generally than be
believed at present was the case, the object and mode of
working of the institution. It was established about 10
or 12 yens ago for the purpled) of making better provision
thin had previously be-n the cue been made for the
itup-ovement of thou idiot children whose cue it was
thought was so miserable. They all knew, and knew with
thankfulness, the great improvement that load been made
during the la- I 40 or 50 rearm in the mode of treating
lunatics. And none amid taii to be aware thatthat
improvement was to a very considerable degree attribut-
able to the exertions of the noble lord of their own county,
wk.', al verylne.kne.er.,. w.as !associated with • good

,
and noble work—Lord Shaft,whury. (Applause) Ms era
sorry to learn he was unavoidably prevented from being
present, bi.t at the some time be expreseed, as on former
occ isions—b ith ex or,' ed and manife4 el, • cordial i nearest
in the oldicts which try had in view. (Rear, hear.)
Uuder the,e circumstance' 'hey believed the institution
was calcultaed to deserve general support, and it WWI a
fact that must recommtni itielf to all those who krew his
herd Shaftes'iury'e) ju lament. (lieat, hear.) Ile (the
chiirniin) hid sp,ken of the great improvement
'hit had been ffected in the mode of treating lunaties in
Ma time., and many if those who visited the asylums in
the different counties would see that improvement carried
into operation; hut there was one class of poisons of
uniound mind, who until the last eight or ten years had
been neglect•d„ those tint so dangerous as to render
necessary nutting them in public asylum., but tho
whose minds biles imperfectly developed, were Incapable
of taking care of themsel VOA and were left either to the care
of their parents or sent necessarily to the workhouse—those
who were popularly designated by the name of idiots.
Now those) who had any experience of country parishes or
workhouses would know that the condition of the Idiot in
either circumstance was not all one could wish. If the
poor idiot was left in his country Pariah the chances were
he would be left to wander about the streets, that he
mizlit become the sport of thousibtless or unfeeling boys
or men in the village streets. Oa the other band it be
were received into the workhouse, while his physical
welfare was wall attended to and he would be preserved,
in well-managed workhouses from the experience of any
injurious or inhuman treatment, still he would be not the
object of any improvement and such scintillations of
intellect which he might pose as would not be developed
into a wider flame of intelligence as they would be if
subjected to the trettrovit that would b,. afforded by these
eitablishment

agyfuma: That feeling lo I years ego to the
of cntain asylums f,,r idiot. neer Loudon. and than was a
very interestio4 on) which he had more than once visited,
near Manchester snotbey on a very much larger and

-
iuoreezensiveacaleatKlswoed;theye was_nno hTch w r
ha had never aeon at Lancaster, one for Warwickshire,
and there 'night he one or ten other whose object was the
ieproeinc the condition, physical, morel, and Intellectual,
of the poor Idiot, hitherto tho neglected outcast on
community. In the rear rf on, or two of than, had
followed the Western C unities Asylum, established at
Starcroe• seven Mil 38 (r on Exeter. It was felt that while
the other inoti•utions were doing great good in their
respective sph s, they were not situated so as t, meat
the wants of the other West we counUrs, therefore
It was decided to endeavour to getsblisli an asylum in the
county of D van, !twins for Its ohj.mt the treatment of
inmates in the four western counties. That bad been iti
operation eight or ten years, sad during that time, he
rejoiced to be able to say, that under God's blessing it had
been instrumental in affording cousiderable benefit to •
large numb-r of poor children. They had had from time to
Um various children from the county of Dorset, and he
was told that at present they had nine children from
Doreetehire in the luau ion. But the subscriptions from
the county towards the institution did not amount to more
than .412 19.. while in p mint of fact the oat of those
children so far exceeds that amount that the "remissions"
made up towards the cost of those children from the
general funds of the institution were £1.5, so they
ventured to think they had some claim on the county,
even on blast lower claim. It was therefore they were
wishing to draw the connection somewhat more clesely
with the county in which be had now the plefiguni of
speaking. The incomes that had attended the treatment
of imbeciles In their institution had on the whole been
eatisfantory and enamraging. They would see in greater
detail from the report, which would shortly be reed, the
state of the funds, and he had also before him the report of
the honorary chap'ain of the institrition. from which it
appeared that not only was the physical condition of the
inmates attended to, and not only seers they taught such
trades and occupations which might fit them for employ-
ment in after life, but in his j idgment they had leis
benefitted by instruction, so that roil gloss impressions had
been produced upon them, the cif seta of which IMO
apparent in their ordinary mode of life. (Hear. bur.)
It was thus they presented themselves in the town
of D wagger. in order to mske known by this
meeting, and through the medium of the Press, the
objects and wants of the Institution. Their objects
would be stsfileiently explained by the report which
would supplement his observations, and the requires
menta oonabitod of tide—tent after the most etxmonsima
management of their excellent and assiduous secretary.
they had been se Idled with a deficit durine the last three
or four years., which amounted to £300; and if that
continued it would be necessary to reduce the numbtagl
inmates, and thus deprive themselves of the opportunity
of extending the benefits of the institution as widely
they would wish to do. Toey could not do that wi
funde—they could not look for any large ineweees of
in Devonshire, although it was really very little—Esuner.
setshire had done its part, but not as fully as they could
wish, and they now came very confidently to Dometehire.
D dug the best they could for nine poor children, they
now asked D smetabire to inereue their annual subsoil u..
tient' in aid of the work. They had In the Institution 75
children, ft was capshle of holding, and was intended
oririnsily to hold 100, but the buildings were not com-
pleted. Still they had vacancies for 1.3 in one side of the
existing building, if they had funds. The classes for
which it was in.endel were two or three in number. They
received either those for whom 11 eards of Guardians paid,
or they received those for whom in some caseepoor people
pad a reduced amount, -ha a considerable number
. . .

--- - • ---- - they hat a
who pabt-the whole amount, and they had • number who
by election were admitted without cbarge If the funds
s'ooi in they were now they would be °Grovelled
to limit the number of those who were admitted by
tote' or partial renVaelon of portuent, and would require
the full amount in every els,. They rolled with Confidence
upon their support. Kg Petrie., os h aisbown their institution
to bee mat awful one, an I he asked them to strengthen
their hands in the work. (Applause)
The SIICIETAST then re,d the report from which it
appeared that at the date of the laet report there were 70
patients in the asylum; there are now 711. a whom 46 were
males. and 30 female+. The new build,ing was designed
for 100 patients. les: co boys and 40 girta, but the fund,
hitherto available pertnitte I only the erection ol a portion
of the boys wing. sufficient to accommodate 40. it wig
'hue he seen that the pmst•n: nune,er exceeds by Mx th•
number intmded ,he ace ,nented.,ted. bet, by Woo two
entoil bedrooms adjoining the pramt dormitorint, the
C mmitta hove been babied to received the additional
number. It is therefor, evident that, snug. addlii
meet wart!. male t :I:o wing ft- hoyen or. the Coln-
mtttee 10111 /PI unilne 01- painfal heatedly of refining
forther Aeolic ,ti,mo *0- ielon r4ie3. tiering spoken
of variome improrem at., whirl, hal been chargeable to
the Building Furl, thee beb,g no ether fund for the cone-
mltee to draw upon, at app.al we wale for funds to
make duo provision on the premise, for aville worship,
either by the erection of a chapel, or by an a Idition to the
dining ball fat in the case of a school chapel) of a distinct
chancel. They hope th at such a fund will shortlyenahle them
to carry out the object they have in view. The emennt
oirooat remind or rcg dyed is£lTh. Again the °moraines
have to Point with regret to the fact that the annual
income is Maclennan to the needs of the Institution, the
accumulated deficit last year being £3lO Oa 41. can
only attribute the want of support to the fact They
the
asylum. its obi•ntil, and its aims are not euficiesaily
known and understood, and therefore they are anxious to
brine the suhleot more prominently under the notice of
the public- Its obi eft 14 to prrpri.ie care end loninaetnal
awl fedi:atrial keener for 'diet and imbecile children,
belonging to the four Wert!ru Ootit.ttlesi to admit, as far
as the funds allow. patients free - of sub-
. .

_ _____ _
‘.s irselshire, bo-t the
- as retws-Of moopho you wOO% like at first ; th.-y he io,reii ear
Wm- in it; liawlogaZik. to ambit persons In narrow elm:mantises' finding out If
_Ton lire there at aIL al yen yzsrs noyli
iiesiouves hands. The total number of Juvenile
__ member, belonging to the lower twiddle dm, bfiewittiniPetieede whillim 8116 u melte uP their t ) eel' Pnw;
in the order was at the end of the last year 43905. h las upon • redure4 Ph7coont amoeding to •oircurnetsumis of you, but when you do know them roll bi delisht
an Increase of A 199. amolauso.) rends amounted lb. friends. Unfortunately, the limas' anistleillY derived (Laughter.) But he bossed in.,. to that it did n,t
t01:39,510, an increase cf /.4.765. (Applause) There had from subscriptions and other morose IS Ms, small, take him 14 raftt do - out they were as watinAsaried
been gBlO mambas trand_terad to marts. had 8.677 amounting only to shoat £4OOO. Iran AM he the roma ha charitable, aud as liberal • let of I Poop •AM an county
admitted during the year. (eapiamm) at going meek good ;to much to indeed that, they ask in Eeileed• (40lettra) That wet maim*