New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-04
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
THE PUBLIC CHARITIES OF OUR CITY

THE PUBLIC CHARITIES OF OUk VII
,.ro,,r or A COMMITTEE OF THE CITIZENS
ASSOCIATION
IN The Citizens association Of Ner- york; your |oii'
,itteo amounted to examine into the cohulIion anu
management of the institutions under the chaIRe VI
tbe Commissioners of Public Charities anu Coii'0
ton of the City of NewYork and to report 'cr'O''
respectfully begs leave to
REPoRT:
The Department of Public Charities and Coifec,
ton has the care and maintenance OF four classes Vi
institutions; .. -, ,,r,son
First Prisons for the temporary confinement Oh lii'oH
ers-Penitentiary, WorkhOusc.
Second. Almshouses, luuatic asylums asyums for IN
ebiates.
Third Hospitals
Fourth: Nurseries for children
There Is no department OF the City Government Wnero
o,,acitv economy and honesty more required tah
- pt,io C,or,ties and Correction; but in this de-
rt,,ert te,e Is also required love OF the WORK ana
strong sympathy with tho unfortunate classes WIN
,bo,n the department deals In other public matters
honesty is desirable and the want OF u 10 the cause %
,beIoss Of so much money merely to the puohc Du' III
, department the want Of honesty not only causes
loss OF money to the public, but is positive cruey 10
the poorest the most unfortunate the most helpless III
the community.
Your Committee visited the various institutions exam
ped by the Committee Of the Association last year, ana
was pleased to find that the same ORDER eihciehey anu
which we're evident in the management OF every
department under charge Of the Commissioners year
AGO continue to distinguish this branch Of the public
service. .,,.
Yor Committee does not consider 1t necessary at this
fine 70 make detailed mention Of the condition and man
ngement Institution separately, but refers the
members Of the Association to its report OF last year Tor
specific information connected herewith.
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.
The Commissioners are entitled to commentator for
the credtabe beginning they have made in the Inaugural
ton Of the Industrial School Harris Island into which
ere gathered those boys known as lncorrglble heI9
they are thoroughly Instructed in the essentials Of good
Common School education under competent teachers
The DESIGN "a TO edHcae this class Of boys specially
The science OF navigation and by the authority of the late
1--WE item lro prGceal instruction in this direction The
Industrial school gives great promise of yonr
system whereby the 10000 or $4,000 children in our city
growing with only the education OF the street may De
rescued from ideneSs andmmOray andreared 10 hOuest
pursuits. -
Your Committee would recommend that the Association
should assist Commissioners obtain the legislation
necessary TO enable them to provide better and
ample accommodations for the insane. The buildings
devoted to that purpose are more than tn anu arr en-
rely inadequate the present and growing wants OF
he public in this regard Spacious cOmmOdious, and
Wer-yenated buildings should be erected wherein this
provided for At present the accommodations are SO
meager that only the greatest attention and most Oh
eent management the part OF the Commissioners and
their subOrdinaes make the condition OF the insane
In such center of population and business NewYork
City the accommodations for the insane should DO most
Sir Henry Maudsey in his late work The Physi-
ougy and Pathology of the Mind, justly observes that
the feyersh activity Of life the eager interests the nu'
erous passions and the great strain OF mental WORK n-
cden to the multiplied Industries and eager competition
of active civilization can scarcely Iall one NAV sup
pose, TO augment the liability TO mental disease. There
seems therefore, good TO believe that with the
progress Of mental development through the ages there
Is Is the with other forms OF organic develop
ment correlatiye degeneration gong on ana Inat a,
increase OF insanity Is penalty which an increase oil
our present civilization necessarily pays In the treat
ment OF the insane il should be remembered that al
vanced science has established the position that insanity
Is nothing but disease Of the mind, and that like the
disease the body it be cured. An insane asylum
should be considered hospital for lncuables 70
which the insane TO be sent aud provided Tor until
death removes them.
The Commissioners have in most successful operation
school for the elementary instruction OF idiot children
The proficiency OF these children mOst OF whOm before
they entered this school, unable even to distinguish
color form is most remarkable many VI lhem leaut
INFANTS HOSPITAL.
Your Committee would respectfully call the attention
OF the Association to the fact of the completion Of IN
new Infants Hospital on Randals Island. Pho object
and results OF this institution for fOundngs spec
ally referred In the report Of the Association of las
year. In connection with the building. your Commite
would respectfully state that u Is very large ana cOmnG
hOus built OF the best material and well laid out and
ranged 10 100000, OF which $4,000 was paid gu
OF the savings effected by the Commissioners from the
appropriations Of previous years by judciOus economy
Ia the other departments under their control
SAVINGS BY THE COMMISSIONERS.
In this connection your Committee furnishes the Asso
citation with the following statement showing the
amount OF money saved by tie Commissioners since
April g. 1865 and applied 10 worthy purposes. indepen
dent Of the objects contemplated IN the annual estimates
This cash obtained stated above, by savings in
the expenditures Of the money appropriated for the gen
eral purposes of the Department.
% fana ekNalWa Ia.ard o.