Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-10-02
0Qortestet dla1lp Spp.
New York Correspondent. Boston Post

HE IDIOT CHILDREN OF RANDALLs' Is.
LAND.-Of the thousands Of children to whom
TINS phlIanthrOpic plan supplies the lack of n
better home, necessarily many whose physical
condition is unhealthy, and whose mental or.
ganization is imperfect or impaired These
are assigned to appropriate buildings. distinct
irom the 'keiuge, itself resident physician
is charged with the care of these diseased and
ldlotc children, but with what success his
practice meets doth not appear During a re-
cent visit to the Island my curiosity led me to
look IN upon the apartment allotted to the
ldlotc and insane little ones. In a single
room-perhaps eighteen by twenty eight feet
IN area-l found thirty-seven mbecile children
seated closely together upon benches and
chairs arranged around the room, some rock
ing themselves necessarily to and fro some
screaming at the top of their voices some
yelling out laugh itself the token of a vacant
mind, others of them moaned and muttered,
or emitted an unearthly noise, intended for
music. Here they chartered and quarrelled,
and grinned their CHASTITY smiles, seemingly
under little restraint other than might be
needed to keep them glued to one spot Gaz-
ing on vacancy and without the slightest ex-
ternal restlng-place or educement for the little
thought they might be capable Of these chill
dren linger out their fragment of life-imbeciI-
lty becoming idiocy, idiocy flowing into insan.
ity, and insanity finally graduating into death.
1t Is beyond dispute that who enters here
leaves hope behind 1t is a hard thought that
nopetul cases OF mere imbeciity should thus
inevitably be cut off from improvement if not
absolute cure, and by an error of management
or by cruel, guilty carelessness be forced in.
to insanity but the connection of cluse and
effect, premise ana inference, cannot be more
close or certain than that the mismanagement
OF this department of intended philanthropy
l,o I'D
referred to.
"NOr is the absence of all attempt to vary
the monotony, and draw out the spark of rea-
son, the only omission noticeable. The air
breathed by these little unfortunates is pos-
onousy putrid. The very flooring reeks with
a stencil almost intoerable to one who knows
what fresh air is-a knowledge denied, alas
to these little captives Nor is it at all remark.
able that thirty seven chidren-all imbeciIe
idiotic, insane or epileptic--should, by their
offensive breath, their noisome saliva, and the
exhaltatlOns from scrofulCus sores or saturated
clothing, render uncomfortable by others the
atmosphere which themselves are compelled
to breath. What wonder that the Commits
soners had not been to visit the spot for sew
eral successive weeks, Or that the saIaried
doctor had made his calls infrequent and at
somewhat lengthy intervals To be sure a
new building is erecting for the occupation of
this department-but are not the children like
ly to be past removing thither, or beyond the
reach of remedy, when removed to a more
convenient structure | have heard that an
application was made by a gentleman who las
made the cure of idiots his specially to the
president OF the Commissioners for permission
to attempt improving the condition of these
little ones at his own exensc as to time and
labor. He received for reply. %, we can't
attend to that now, we haven't got round to
A.
ly after the profits of his store, the Commits
sioners stay away, the physician ignores the
childrens wants, the matrons labor hard to
keep them still on their seats, and the great
scythe mows them, one after another, into
eternity"