The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-11-22

Ame-
The Continental vocalisis
Will appear at Washington Hall, for
one night only, on Saturday week. See
advertisement.
81 nc System oflD Tarr and Profcs.
scr Fcther.n
From the Detroit Post.l
Some writer describes the adventures
of curious traveller in private mad
house in the Southern part of France.
He made visit to it, was introduced to
the Superintendent and invited to din
ner. The establishment had been con-
Quoted on what was known as the
soothing system, which consisted in
treating inmates like rational beings,
allowing them full liberty and full
right to indulge their fantastic fancies.
But the Superintendent had abolished
the system, and the affected patients
were at this time strictly confined to
their cells, and great vigilance practiced
in order to prevent their escape. The
visitor went to dinner. The table was
loaded with rich feast, and flanked by
costly wines. A band of musicians was
present, but the music was neither very
sweet nor very harmonious, the players
lacking, apparently, both knowledge
of the instruments and all ideas of con-
cord. The parties at the table consisted,
as the visitor was assured by the Super
of his family and assistants
engaged in managing the affairs of the
asylum. They were somewhat odd,
both in dress and manner, and lunacy
seemed to be the principal topic of con-
versation. They were bedecked in os-
tentatious finery, and their dresses were
evidently not made to fit the wearers.
Their principal occupation at the table
consisted in representing the oddities
and whims of the patients who had
been inmates of the asylum. A little
fat gentleman would rub himself with
q piece of buckskin in limitation of
lunatic who fancied himself teapot;
q tall man would kick out his heels
like the one who thought himselfa dom
key; another pretended to slice himself
off with knife to illustrate the man
who supposed he was cheese; in the
same way and in illustration of the
whimsicalities Of other former patients
respectively, one fixed like cham
payne bottle, lean man croaked like a
frog, an old lady crowed like q cock,
and tapped her arms with great vigor,
while one man made speech under the
impression that half of his head be-
longed to Cicero and the other half to
Demosthenes, and another spun around
lik q teetotum. Some allusion was
made to the general management peva-
lent in former times, when some ex-
claimed, "but matters have changed
very much, as you see" and the whole
company chimcd in at once, "yes-have
changed very much, as you see." The
soothing system" had been abolished,
and the plans invented by the distin-
guished DIR. Tarr and the celebrated
Professor Fether had been substituted
therefore.
While this somewhat interesting but
rather confusing carousal was in pro-
gress, there suddenly burst in upon
them dozen strong men, who seized
and bound the whole company-includ-
ing the ochestra "that scrambled upon
| the table and broke out with one accord
into Yankee Doodle" and reduced them
all to silence. 1t then appeared that
the superintendent" two or three years
before had been at the head Of the estab-
lishment, but grew as crazy as the pa
tients themselves. While the soothing
system. was in operation, and the pa
tients were behaving remarkably well.
just as the insane do when they are con-
cocting some insane plot, they rose mp
with the old Superintendent at their
head, seized their keepers, dressed them
up in suits of tar and feathers, and
threw them into the cells, where they
were attended as though they were the
lunatics by the lunatics themselves,
who had usurped the Offices of the keep
ers. The porpose Of this insane Super
intendent, according to the story, "was
to try q new system of government of
his own invention, better system than
had ever been heard of as he believed
and so he united with the patients to
seize possession of the government.
1.-THE lunatics DOTTED their shabby clothes
and made free with the family ward
robe, jewels, larder and wine cellar, and
lived we'll until they were interrupted
by the escape of the genuine managers.
1t is a great question with physiolo-
gists, whether all men are not more OF
less insane, and that the difference be-
tween men out of the asylum and those
within, is only question of degree, the
walls being the line of demarkation
between the insanity that needs con-
finement aad that which is harmless
enough to 60 at large, without infring-
ing too much upon the rights of others.
However this may be, it is certain there
is sometimes great resemblance Be-
81 gi.V.as go e5-T * I.E 'ao71 .1h-i25