, 1874-03-01

Causes Of EEsanity---The Victim Of a
Practical loke.
The Incarcerated Artist-..An Unfortunate
Girl,

Girl.
That humanity is trail, is proposition e
sen-evident that it needs no further proof tha,
ie tefore our eyes to establish it. Tho Wort
frailty seems well applied to tho whole race. Il
it, however, there ara degreea, as in Ill else, ant
30 long as . m=n is nble to maintain certain
limit or boundary, which defines tho area Of wha
VIC call aanity, he is held to personal responRi
bility, beth by law aud society but. tho moment
he steps beyond the confines, the laws are abro.
gated in hi. caso and h= becomes . charge on
others, or, in other words, insane 10 become
insane frequently mems, therefore, to step JUS
over an imaginary line drawn By society for it.
own protection. It would be ! somewhat curl.
ous study to inquire whether this circle is nov
naE1ow enough for social protection, and
whether in the years to come, which, by the au'
thority OF our best men,-presunabIy our
prcachers,- are said to be bright with promise
Of virtue hitherto ouly dreamed Of in which all
men shall do the right, i: will not hnp-
pen that it eha!l be SO narrowed that any
kind Of sin may be deemed an act Of
insanity nubjecting its author to confinement,
in being defined as any act On the part OF any
individual making any other unhappy or uncom-
Portable. Tho world is full OF harmless 1unatics
who, never treading roughly on the toes OF
others. are not rent out to Jefferson. There are
young men who write, and ayen pHbliBh, poetry;
people who fancy tLat they chine in amateur
thcatrica.s; and Zen with schemes for paying
OF the national debt. But there are others who
hours in the insnne belief that they nro pleasing
their constituents; men who lave theories on
capital punishment, which they will vent in
newspaper Offices; and othcr offenders against
tie time or ideas Of men-wko deserve to DO
brought before the County Court, tried By Il jury
OF their peers, and sent to the asylum It is
indeed not unlikely That ono-haf tie world
might be psodtably employed in looking up tho
But it is net tho expectation that these some~
what radical views will nee. with immediate
adoption. This condition ia one Of the beati-
t=des which appeals to hope rather than to
of it wo are indulgiDg in more or less Of Mnacy
ourselves which privilege, by the way. ia not
denied, "ithin certain Eualts.
It is conceded principal OF the ethics OF civil
Enton that the intelligence OF race is shown in
its mnnner Of treating its unfortunatcs. Assum-
ing, then, that any barbarian is q species OF
insanity, or rather tho evidence Of lack Of
Eanity, it follows thnt the treatment ne extend
to those who full under our protection is 9
measure Of our sanity By tlus standard re find
that nc have m.de great progress. But ne also
fnd mere practical lesson, namely, that tho
recovery Of Tie insane depends largely upon tia
srca.men: they receivo Mt cur hands; aud ex-
perience has proven tLst the best treatment is
simply kndnoee.
IN oTuEn DAYS.
TIE atrocities that were precticed upon tho
unfortunate mad men and women, up to the time
Of Connolly'a great reform in 1859, is some-
thing horrible to look back upon. They we're
tlcn chained in restraint chairs with h.ndcuffs
upon their wrists and 1cg-locks upon their
ankles, while the atraight-jacket bound the body
10 q constrained and Interchangeable position.
Not content with this, a strong chain was welded
to each lock on the ankle, and thence WAS fast
eaed to EtapIe LII ths wall Of tho prison cllam-
ber.
Frequent bea.ings and foggings varied the
terrible monotony, aud when it is considered
that this Imprisonment, and certain black doses |
that tho doctor in attendance administered from |
time to time, Tere tho only methods adopted |
for the cure OF the patient, it is wonderful that
even one Ont OF ten should have recovered their |
REASON, as the statistics CO. to show.
THE REFORM i
About tho time mentioned, d reform WIS en- |
tered upon under the auspices Of some Of tho |
advanced thinkers and humanitarans Of that |
dag, among whom were number OF noted au-
thore, who pictured tho scenes OF treatment in |
the asylEns in such riyid language az to cali /
forth genera! popular indignation, and q marked
entered upon with exceedingly beneficial re-.
sults- 1t tho present time. the proportion Of |
insane to the Inhabitants is one in every $50
souls, and Of recoyeries one IN three. while all
the checkfes and chains anC other implements /.
OF torture have been discarded and abandoned.
IT IS NOW TILE PRACTICE
to condne what are known as dangerous cases in |
rooms With pedded walls, and in the.e, with their
hands confined in leather muff Of simple con-
etruct1ou, and only used to keep them from do
ing themselves an injury, they are allowed al
the freedom that it ia possible to give consistent
with tncir own safety. As thcy might hurt
themselves with my hard substance, they are
not allowed to wear anything on their feet Hay
ng thus secured them from personal danger, it
s the duty OF the nttondan! to 8uTound them |
nth every diversion, and, by the practice
IT ingenuity, cast over their dark thoughts !
Is aauch OF the light Of chcorfulness
'erieuca to be the only one that can minister to
mind diseased. Chee1fulnces is THUS tho anti
ote for tho dark despair Of insanity. This
ractice shows CREST Improvement in tho csre
nd recovery of the insane, and yet it ia stated
h competent authority that tho beginning Of
11s new branch OF pathology, which draws upon /
act for its multfarious methods Of expressing
indness. is only ii its infancy, aud that, Thcn /
pportunity is given for making il = distinctive |
:ience with al adequate expression, the | t
unbet Of recoveries may be raised to SO or GO
er cent or over one-balf.
MENTAL DIVERSION. III
The importance of new scenes, diversity OF in-j /
dents 1nuscai and social pleasures, can scarcely
estimated, and in the sane proportion the {
ant OF facilities and opportunities to express
1890 mosns Of cura consign many to hopeless
ID i1renediab1e insanity. it being the general I t
10 that unless 3 patient is cured inside Of | Il
1
+ recovery, although tho most violent arc al q
ays subject to relief under tho conditions Il
med. Having thus looked over tho general e
Id, it is time the narrator draw his remarks to Il
local application and in order to do so it is his ii
sire to carry the reader or a visit to Il
TIE COUNTY ASYLUM Il
Cook County, which ia located ct Jefferson, | b
GUT miles out on the min line ct the North e,
stern Railway. This institution is one of | n
oss which accommodate the insane of this Il
It c. the state, tho others Is is rell known, Il
ing located 1t Jacksonville and Elgin. I'm a
ovenents which have just been completed, r
,sisdng Of the addition OF another storv to hs
} building, Aave added considerably to tho
IN and conveuiences Of this sasylum, which now is
pleasant quarters for $50 patients, but en- vi
talns 270I an excess Of ninety over what the | to-
7c:i.:endent Dr.. Tope, thinks should be put Vi
the limited wards. tn
TEE DTuDIEd | tif
credital!e but by no means imposing one, vt
og plain brick structure with frontage OF At
feet md four stories in height, surmonnted liz
| cupo!s which adds some finish and grace to m;
otherwise seyerp plainness. Standing as it
s In the open prairie, with the shabby Poor ins
1se ~ its nearest neighbor,-it was sense =
fdoneft tn link raavarfy md inasuitv liz