Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-03-21

The writer is incorrect in saying that Gen.
Dix is 8" near blood relative" to this lady,
since in fact there is no relationship what
ever between the two. Besides, his state
ment in regard to her connection with DIR.
Claiming is calculated to mislead. Miss Dix
was Every intimate" because she was gov
erness in the family. In other respects the
facts may probably be relied upon +
HER EARLY LIFE.
" Boston is the city of her nativity. Her
grandfather was a physician but her father,
| owing to delicate health, never adopted Il
profession. General John A. Dix is not, as
is often stated in the papers, her brother, but
| is near blood relative. Miss Dorothea l..
Dix was once young lady of the American
Athens, in affluent circumstances, and like
thousand others, in a situation to lead
life Of aimless ease. Like John Howard,
she had, when young, very frail and i'm
paired constitution. She was sent 10 Eng
land, and on several voyages to warmer
climes. to recover her health. When SHE
tirst arrived in Liverpool, she was prostrated
with illness, and it WAS eighteen months be-
fore she was able to I've borne In the arms of
her nurses TO the home bound ship. 1t il
probable that she rescued herself from
chronic in,slidism by her strong will anl
he inspira ion Of the phlanthropic labors
which she began before her girlhood was
'nded
One Sabbath, as she was coming out oi |
DIR. Lowelrs church in B 'ston, the step |
were crowded in front, and she overheard |
sw0 benevolent g,ntlem N talking about the |
horrible condition of the Jail in East tam
bridge, where til, re were n number of young |
prisoners awaiting trial. Eirly that week.
,ithough under the rare OF Il physician, sh'
visited this institution, and there found, il
.ddition to the other INN ties, thirty insane
persons, IN the most wret Lrd state of fifth |
md rags, breathing II pc tilential air, shut
lp in dark, damp cells, and receiving nu
treatment whatever. Til, surroun,in gs oI
he others confined thcr, were not much |
,etcr. She began her task by cord ciiDs
1T ''ous ,ervires IN the in on the Sabbath, |
which had been wholly neglected. SION
ante, she set about rclie.ing the phi. sica!
uiit rings Ut these unbrt mate Outca-ts %
e,ciety. AS the accommodations for the in
,,ine were insufficient in her own State she
applied to its Legislature. and ON the facts
wing brought to their knowledge an appro
'riaton WAS niAd for enlarging the calmci
of their asylums In her younger day>
ifiss Dix was very intimate In the family OF
William Elery Charming, the celebrated
Unitarian Divine, but it dDts not appear that |
&c gave direction to her pbianihropic en-
erprises. for while sympathizing fully with |
heir purpose he rather opposed her en- |
ntustive excrtions on the ground that she |
would destroy her health. After her success
in Massachusetts she went on a visit to
Washington, and while there examined into
The condition of the insane. and found sad
need of reformation. She called on John
quincy Adams, then II representative in
Congress, and the sympathies of the ''0ld
man eloquent were at once excited. He
secured, at her suggestion, the passage of a
hill making very adequate appropriation
for the care Of the insane in the District of
Columbia.
Her life-work was now fairly begun.
WHAT SHE HAS ACCOMPLISHED.
In lS43 she visited every county aims
house in the State of New York, and early
| The next year presented a memorial to its
Legislature as a basis for asking an appropri-
alton for hospitals, to meet the pressing
needs of the INDECENT insane, the most help
less and wretched OF the victims of misfor-
,une.
This document was submitted January l2,
1874. and is one of the most interesting and
carefully prepared papers i'll the public ar
h yes Of the State.
The result Of this noble appeal was not
then to obtain ''four" or ''six" new hospi-
tails, as she recommended, but she did secure
an appropriation Tor large addition to the
Utica Asylum, which greatly augmented its
capacity and accommodations.
Miss Dix continued her philanthropic la
bOrs in this field with uniiring assiduity,
iraveling through every State east OF the
Rocky Mountains, visiting all their jlils,
lms-houses, prisons and Insane asyiums,
making herself thoroughly acquainted with
,heir condition, and applying to their Legis
iaiures to secure the needed appropriations
nd reform. Her success in accomplishing
licsc ends has been truly wonderful, and III
his way she has contributed largcly-in
most Cases being the original project0r-in
he establishment o, hospitals for The insane,
u Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana. Iii
aois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Rhod,
sland and New Jersey
But She did not stop with invoking Stat
i.es sislaturcs to the help ot suffering human
~. In lsis-+9, she memnriulizcd Congress
skiing an appropriation %. j,Mi,1 acres q
she pubic land to entlow hospitals for III
ndigneni insane; but the measure was not
;llen successful In 1850, she renewed her
meal. and demanded lO,W0,OOO acres for
The same purpose. The committee OF the
House to whom the memorial was referred
,,.atle iavorauie report; the bill received
he requisite vote, bl failed IN tile Senate for
want Of time. Still. she did not despair.
-Four years later, We find her engaged, with
aer usual d.untless persisichcy, in the same
ndeavur. In April, 1914, such Il bill as she
>ktd passed bHh Houses of Congress, ap-
ropriaiing iO,0u0,O 900 ,cr,s Of sihe Federal
domain 10 the several States Tor the erection
}, hospitals for the insane To the disgrace
ii; President Pierce be il said, he vetoed this
hilantrOphic measure, pretend,diy on con
,iiuiional grounds, though he had assured
liss Dix personally that her scheme would
rceive his appreciation and support.
About the year 1854. Miss Dix visited
| Europe, travelling extensively on the cont
icnt, through England, Ireland, and Scot
and, making herself thoroughly conversant
with the condition and management Of the
ails, prisons and hospitals Of the country
trough which she passed. She also pro
| cured Legislative appropriations for the better
| care of the INDECENT insane from several
| foreign governments, and was instrumental
| in establishing the celebrated asylum ON the
| Isle of Jersey. When this measure was be-
| fore Parliament, an English paper of the
| time says that member, in speech OH this
| subject, remarked that il was humiiatlng to
| his nation that this long-needed reform
should have been suggested by foreigner,
that foreigner u woman, and the woman
| dissenter. Her heiesy consisted in being
Unitarian. Miss DIX Travelled IN Russia, re-
ceived several honorary medals there, and
met Florence Nightingale in the military hos
pitfalls of the Crimea, where she made care
| ful observations and became familiar with
new phase of active benevolence, little
dreaming how soon she was to dispense the
same kind offices among the sick and wound
ed heroes of her own country.
| Returning to her native land, in 1859, she
Immediately resumed her chosen mission
here, for which she was now better prepared
by her enlarged experience, and has con
tinued in it,with the exception of an interim
Of four years and half, occasioned by our
civil war In the winter of 1866, she
obtained an additional appropriation of
800, 900 from the New Jersey Legislature to
extend its State Asylum for its Insane, and
the same year So 900 from Connecticut for
u similar purpose, with view to increasing
the sum to Sion ,0oa, as the money was need
ed. In 1917, she secured the foundation of
the first institution for the insane in Indiana
and this winter Os67) she has visited this
State to ask its legislature for further ap-
preparation of S3i5,000 to provide for the