Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-11-23


money! there was also allowed n certain
proportion of Excise revenue for the benefit
ofthe Institution Whatever may be thought
of the consistency of protecting and foster
ing tigers, and then establishing HOSPITALS
for those who are wounded by them, some
thing very like il has been done.
What is the matter?
It seems TO be q case of Trustees. Tho
/ New York State Inebriate Asylum has had
one honorable President after another, and
Board of Trustees, composed of men held
in honor all over the State; and Trustees
are men entrusted" with affairs, and sup
posed to be both able and willing to manage
them. But here the Trustees seem TO have
been such only in name. Some of them
never attended the meetings and knew moth
ing of the affairs of the Institution; others
went merely to the annual meeting and said
"aye" to matters cut and dried before hand.
Such convenient men were never before
found. If any one attempted to do his duty
and to know anything of the management,
he was quietly dropped from the list at the
next election. The truth is simply this and
let it ring in the ears of all nominal Citrus
tees"-One man lCds the Asylicni One Tur-
ner, calling himself Doctor, but with no di-
ploma to show, collected the funds, got the
charter, had it altered TO suit his pleasure,
obtained grants, also the farm, contracted
for the building, managed it, wrote letters,
was Secretary, Superintendent, Steward,
| Doctor, Farmer, Dictator and Solicitor Cen
eral. There was nominal Treasurer, but
Turner managed all the funds He was
willing to undertake it all, and nobody him
dered. If any interfered, he brow beat them
| and crushed them out. all he wanted of
Trustees was to meet once year and en-
dorse his acts. 1t is one of the most Curl
GUS and painful records of trusteeship the
world has ever seen.
At present the buildings are unfnish-
cd and comfortless-th grounds uniinish-
ed-everything begun on grand scale
and nothing done. And here few patients
have been received, badly fed, badly man
aged, beaten, dosed, ill-treated, at The will
of tyrant treated more like maniacs or
convicts than men, gentlemen, coming to a
retreat from temptation and needing care
and kindness. Wonderful self-control they
showed in staying there, and in spite of all
these iniseries some of them have beer
saved.
Lest any should say that any part of this
statement is the result of prejudice, we have
only to add, that it is proved that Turner
opened letter to u man who was not an in
mate of the Institution and took copy
which is not pleasant oflense, as the law
regards it; and that he stands indicted by
the grand jury for arson, they having evi
dence that he set fire to one wing of the
building which was burned sometime since
and obtained the insurance. Grand jurie:
are not governed by prejudice, and are not
supposed to act hastily.
The remaining chronicle of the acts Of
Turner stand set forth in detail in pamph
let of AZ pages signed by good and respon
sibe men, who have the good of the Institu
ton at heart and would feign save it. There
is hope for the inebriate yet; the experiment
has been tried in other quarters. With {
home. kind treatment, encouragement, sym
pathy, moral and religious influence, the,
may be saved There is hardly any one un
der the power of this terrible appetite, wh'
has not periods of repentance and firm re
solve to abstain from the deadly draught
The nerves are quiet and he feels safe. Blu
there comes on again n diseased action o
the abused nerves. and a terrible craving TO
the stimulus which has destroyed them
Then the power of self-control is lost ant
left to himself the victim falls, only to arts
) again. repent again and fall again. Then i
the time for help, to keep all stmulants on
of his way. encourage him, strengthen him
give him if need be such paliatives ant
soothing treatment as may allay the terrbl
, fever, till the excitement is passed.
This the Inebriate Asylum may accom-
plish, has accomplished in many cases, an,
restored the man to himself, to his famil,
and to the world. This result may yet b,
hoped for in the New York State Asylum
under proper management
AT present it is case of Trustees. LIE
all Trustees look to their duties. If we mis-
take not, there are similar cases, though
hardly as fragrant, in both benevolent ant
monetary Institutions.