Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-07-31
DAILY NATIONAL ERA.
STATISTICS OF IDIocY. INSANITY, AND PAU.
PERIsM

Inc newspapers anu tohucianS ~ uno Aio-
Slavery school had the temerity some years
ago, to challenge q comparison Of the slave
with the free States as regards wealth and
general prosperity They have been routed
and driven from that position, 80 completely,
by the incon.estable facts Of the Census, that
they no longer venture to contest tho matter.
They now content themselves with making
garbled and unfounded statements relative to
criminal and church statistics, which we have
already set correctly before the public, or in
reference to the number of idiots lunatics and
paupers On this head, we find the following
statement going the rounds Of the Southern
press:
Population Of Massachusetts 9s3,399
Population Of Tennessee l,OS2625
Tennessee excess Of inabitants 1926
Pduperism.
Massachusetts, has (pauperf) 5,549
Tennessee 531
Excessin Massachusetts, 4,95S
Massachusetts,, with &c., 26 inhabitants less
than Tennessee, has over eight times as many
paupers.
Massachusetts has 1,647
Tennessee 478
Excess Of Massachusetts 1859
This partial comparison is accompanied with
the usual Qualifications over the moral superb
ority Of the South to the North, when it only
proves that Massachusetts has been at greater
pains to provide for the destitute classes than
Tennessee. But the latter State being some
six times as large as Massachusetts, and with
little more population, for the most part en-
gagged in agriculture, must of course be better
supplied with the mere necessaries of life than
the former. This is particularly true in refer
enoe to fuel and clothing, owing to the milder
climate Of Tennessee. Still, we will proceed to
show, from comparison Of other Northern
and Southern States that the great contrast
between Massachusetts and Tennessee, as to
the number of paupers, is owing to the better
provision for that class by the former State.
There can be no doubt that this is the true
secret of tho matter in regard to lunatics and
idiots Miss Dix, who has made personal
exploration of the Southern and Western
States, in which the claims Of these unfortu-
mates have been greatly neglected invariably
made reports to their Legislatures which as
tonished every one by the number Of lunatics
whom she found scattered over the country,
often without any public provision for their
necessities. 1t is not probable that any ap-
proach has yet been made to the truth in this
matter, in any Southern or Western State,
while in Massachusetts the greatest pains and
expense have been incurred, in order to provide
for the physical wanta, and even the education,
of idiots and lunatics.
1t is nell knoscn fact, that a large number
of ltnatics are sent from the South to Baltimore,
philadelphia, and other Northern eitres. They
have few Lunatic Asylums in the South, the
general practice being to confne insane per-
sons in the county jails unless they or their
friends have tho means Of paying the expense
Of residence in Northern asylum.
We present the following tables, showing the
numbers Of insane and idiots in the Northern
States, including New England, New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware the
Western free States, and the Southern or slave
States.