The Northern star, and farmers' and mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1837-1849, 1849-03-24
BUTLER HOSPITAL.

table, a handsome pamphlet Of thirty pa
ges, embe llished with an excellent en-
CRAVING OF the ed,fce and grounds. -
For the first thirteen months ending Jan
!, I849, tho whole number oil patients
admitted has been 1866. Al The last
named date, 100 remained in the hospit-
al.
We have read the various documents
with mingled ieeI,ngs.-wah deep res.
pect for the liberaiity that endowed and
the judgeme Vt that has managed the in
s,itution, with utter astonishment. al the
parsimony or negligence that has pre-
vented so many oi our towns from ,ating
advantage Of the liberal provisions Tor the
accommodation OF their insane poor -
Whist tins city sus,aias 81 patients at
Its own charge within these charitable
walls, all other towns in the State ioge,h-
Or have sent only seven. Thus in com-
munities where there ore Christian
churches and The usual appearance OF
humanity, the old barbsrism still contln-
ues, and rather than pay the small GUN
OF Two dollars week, our town commit
tees keep their insane poor immured ire
quentIy IN dens not fit for brutes. Some
time ago, these poor unlo'tunates were
Put into jail and treated worse than lelons
in cases Of violent mania. BY the law
Of l847, the hospital was substituted for
the jail, aud ought, with like reason, to
substituted for the cells oi alms-houses.
Let lhls simple siatement be read to show
that they who shut up a dersnged person
in gu improper place,aro guilty Of his mis-
cry and rob him Of his mind.
We received one OF this class Of per-
sons who had been confined for eleven
years. During all this time, constituting
50 large o share Of the period allotted 10
man; he never left his cell except 10 pass
lnlo an adjacent one; he bad never plac-
ed his foot upon the ground, nor breathed
the air Of heaven excep. through grated
windows. One may family conceive,
but language cannot describe, the luxu-
ry OF the sensations which thrilled through
every netye and muscle in his body, az
he paced our galleries, aud once more
walked abroad, with nothing between him
and the open sky above and the solid
earth benea,h. Alter staying with os ..
bout ninz months, he was dischsrgedsl !
and from that day I'LL this, he has been
earning an homes. livelihood by working
on o railroad HaG this person commit
ted any crime OF unparalleled atrOcity, that
he should have buen subjected to a pun.
lshmcnl which for duration and severity
IS uneaqualled by a single penalty in the
statue book? Far from it; he had COM
muted no crlm,na! act whatever; he was
only insane.
The same depIorablo result is often
produced in this as we'll as most other
communities, in another but no less rep.
rebeoslble manner. Many one who
would shrink from the Tremendous re.
sponsibllity incurred by The management
OF this poor man, can find, doubt not, il
:hey will take the trouble 10 look for il, IN
tho poor house Of their own town,a paral-
lei to this case, which for many years
together, has equally failed 70 awaken a
sing 10 emotion OF active and earnest in.
terest They will there find sufficient
occasion for some portion OF their sympa.
thy with the suffering insane. without
expending II ell upon the inmate oi the
county jail. Ii would be hard 10 choose
between the cell OF The jul and the cage
Of The poor house, as u place Tor the IN
sane. 10 many cases, unqnestionatly,
the advantage is decided, in favor Of the
former.
We are g,atifed TO observe that DR..
Ray has 10 ell the l56 cases under his
charge ielt hlmseli obliged 10 use me
chaG,cal restraint but IN one insta0ce, and
then merely TO prevent the peispn from
tearing open the wound. THIS Is q mai
vellous Improvement OIL The old foggIng.
chs,nlng, ard strait jacket system. ii
looks very much like what we read 10 the
New Te.tamen, as 10 the way Of curing
violence and overcoming evil.
For valuable Suggestions as 10 the
msnsa ut Of such hospitals and the
proper views Of the cure Of paiienls, we
must reler our readers TO the reports
themselves We believe that all persons
may de,ve advantage from the best lIlef.
u,u,e OF mental disease and us cure,-a-
like for their conduct towards ;he insane
OF those disposed TO insnrl,y, and for the
better regulation Of tho minds aud bo-
DIES Of those Who think themselves sane.
P,oper knowledge and sell-managemcn,