Connecticut western news., 1871-09-29
LAKEvILLE SCHOOL, No 3.

MT. EDITOR At the clase of my last article, I said that the directors of this in- stitution having received thirteen thousand dollars ;-eight thousand of which came from private benevolence, and five thous- and from the state ;-proceeded to expend twenty thousand. In all, to day, about twenty five thousand dollars have been expended, of which thirteen thousand has come from the state treasury, and the balance has come from private benevolence. Within few weeke I have learned that some people in our town have supposed this corporation a sort of Joint Stock com. pany, which carried on business for the sake of making money. I am sorry if any in this community have been so uniformed in regard to this whole enterprise. Per init me now to say, that every dollar which has ever been received from the state or from individuals, has been sacredly used to provide accommodations for pupils. It is right that the state should assist in this work, so that poor children may be main- tained cheaply. In Hospital phrase it has cost SO far, five hundred dollars to estab- fish bed here for feeble-minded child; it has cost the state triae over two hun dred and fifty dollars. This includes tue original purchase of the estate, the erection of large house, stables, &c. A bed in the general hospital for the insane" has cost the state about two thousand dollars. of 0f poration may give an idea of the spirit in which this work is carried on, and the way our "Joint Stock company was formed. l Sec. 2, of the charter, Art l. reuds: This corporation shall be called The Connecti- cut school for Imbeciles.' Persons con- | tributing for the use of the corporation at any one time the sum of one hundred dol lars, shall be members for life: Persons contributing the sum of two hundred dol lars, shall be directors for life Those con- tributing five hundred dollars shall be vice. presidents for life: Those twenty five dol lars shall be members for five years and those ten dollars shall be members for one year." The pga1a of the organization of this institution is that of the Hospitals at Hartford and New Haven, and believe of every other benevolent or humane institu- tion in the state, with exception of the Reform school at Meriden and the General Hospitals for the insane, at Middletown.
 The state makes no annual appropriation to this school. It makes an annual appro- priation of $3oO0, for the benefit of the indigent imbecile or feeble minded children of the state, if the governor of the state sees fit to use it. The Governor is com missioner of that fund or appropriation: If | he finds poor child who needs the benefit of a school like this, whose friends are unable to send the child here, he can if he thinks best make that child beneficiary of the state. He can send so many here as will use up that fund. We had in the school last year, 46 pupils. Of these, 35 were from Connecticut twenty were ben eficiaries of the state to the amount of $3 per week the friends of 15 supported them wholly. Of the 35 children from the state, 2l had lost one or both parents: Imbecile and orphaned, should they not receive the parental care of the state?
 At the last session of the General Assem- bly,, plans for the enlargement of our house, so that we might receive 100 pupils, were placed before the proper committed, and an appropriation of $2O,OOO. asked for. The committee reported unanimously in favor of it, and the bill which the con- mittee recommended, passed the Senate. The house changed the resolution to the following:
 GENERAL ASSEMBLY. May Session, 1871. RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY
 That the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated to the "Connecticut School for Imbecilcs," at Lakeville. Conn.,, and the Comptroller of public accounts is hereby directed to draw his order upon the Treasurer of this State in favor of the Treasurer of said School for said sum.
 That Ex- Gov. A. H. Holley, Edward w. Seymour and H. M. Knight, are hereby appointed Committee to superintend the expenditure of the aforesaid sum in the construction of enlargements and additions to the present building occupied by said School.
 This resolution was amended SO as to take effect only ''whenever sum of five thousand dollars shall have been subscribed by parties, satisfactory to the gentlemen named in the resolution" and then passed So it will be seen that all aid from the state treasury has been to provide accommoda- tions, and based upon contribution from the benevolent also. Whether the neces- sary five thousand will be forth coming, SO that the last appropriation can be made available is uncertain. K.