Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-07-07
From the Utica Telegrafh.
Religious Insanity.

w = lSaf IL II ollt correspondent W uO
writes us from Honeoye Falls, Monroe
Co., N Y, that an individual in or
near that place, by the name of Jason
Du Plantz, killed his wife on the oath
ult., while laboring under insanity. But
during the recent revival, he has been
much excited on the subject of relig-
ion, and finally his mind lost its balance,
and he became a maniac. In one of
his violent fits he imbrued his hands in
the blood Of his companion, and sent
her suddenly to an untimely grave
Thus he has deprived his children of
their mother, and he himself is incar-
cerated in prison. Christian 4nabas-
sador.
The Way of Life, a new organ of
the selfstyled evangelical denomina-
tions, has an article on Religious In
sanity, in which it speaks somewhat
lightly on the subject, and terms the
victims to religious error, like the one
mentioned above, as unfortunate
wretches," individuals of weak facul-
ties and inactiye brains" Now Mr..
Editor, with all due Difference to the
dozen or SO Doctors of Divinity, who
conduct the Way of Life, / contend
that the preaching Of he doctrines of
the so-called evangelical denominations
Of this country, does cause insanity,
and not unfrequently DEATH The fact
is i,atisputoble The records and re-
ports of our lunatic asylums, all over
the country, abundantly substantiate
my assertion. [ need not 60 abroad to
find testimony to fortify myself with in
this matter. We have, Mr.. Editor, a
Lunatic Asylum within a few minutes
walk Of us. From the annual report of
that institution, made in 1916, 0 have
none by me of later date,) by the Su-
perintendent, the late DR.. Amariah
Brigham, we are made acquainted with
some startling facts in connection with
this subject. The Asylum went into
operation January l6, 1s43, "since
which time s44 patients have been re-
ceived, and $50 discharged" Among
the various causes that are mentioned
as having produced insanity, it is stat
ed that out of the s44 patients that had
been received into the Asylum during
the first three years ofits existence, 1O2
were brought to insanity by ''religious
aaeiety," and l9 by "INillerisna," max
ing in all from ''religious causes l2l !!
or one seye,,th of the whole number,
and averaging at the rate Of forty per
year! Now this is horrible. To think
that the religion of Jesus which was in
stituted to bless mankind, to bring
peace on earth and good will to men,
to give them the spirit Of love and
sound mind, should be SO perverted
from its legitimate object and intention
as to shatter the intellects, as to de-
throne the reason of human beings, is
awful, us lamentable indeed. And
who are they who thus exert this tre-
mendously Geleterious effect upon our
fellow creatures ? DR.. Brigham tells
US, in his valuable work, entitled ''In-
tiuence of Religion upon HEALTH" a
work, which when first published, was
for it's truthfulness and faithfulness, as
sailed by revival preachers and editors
with the bitterness rarely equaled, that
this moral ruin is brought about by
'denoMciiag preachers"--preachers
who "delight," as he says, s'to dwell on
the terrors of the world to come, and
on the power and vengeance of the
Almighty" "who PREACH" as he furth-
er says, ''exciting and alarming dis
courses respecting shining away the
day of grace committing the unpar-
donable sin," s'dropping into hell inn
mediately," and who discourse, as he
says in another place, "on the certainty
Of eternal danaaaotioa :" 1t is by hear
ing such preaching, says the Dr., "that
men become religious mela,achoies,
and not only attempt to destroy them
selves, but also their friends and dear
est kindred" 81 have" he says, "the
particulars of above Ninety cases of SUI
icide from religious melancholy, which
have occurred in six Of the Northern
States, (the New England States and
New York; within the last twenty
years, and most of them have occurred
within very few years; and also, of
thirty cases in the same State, of this
disease leading the unhappy sufferers
to kill, or to attempt to kill, their child
rem or their dearest relatives, believing
they should thereby ensure the future
happiness Of those they destroyed.
/ have heard of many more cases of
like character, and have seen ac-
counts of others in public papers, and
have no doubt that if all which have
occurred in the Northern States within
the last twenty years, could be known,
together with those cases of insanity
from similar causes, but not attended
with the propensity to self-destruction,
or to the destruction of others, the
great number would as much surprise
and grieve the friends of humanity, as
did the first published accounts of the
ravages Of intemperance in this eoun-
try. Now, whoever will carefully, and
without prejudice, examine this subject,
and call to mind the immense amount
of machinery in operation in this coun-
try, to excite the minds of men, women
and children, and to keep them excit-
ed by numerous meetings, &c. &C.,
will not be surprised at the number OF
the insane being SO great, but rather