The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-29
MUNICIPAL MATTERS.
THE err INSANE ASYLUM.

Same other Plan to be Adopted by the
City to Care for the Insane.
The report OF the Grand Jury published yes-
terdAy, regarding the condition OF the city In
sAue Asylum, now occupies the serious attention
al the members OF the city administration. In
conversation with some OF these gentlemen, yes
terday. we were at first led to believe that the
Grand Jury while generating the City Insane
Asylum empioyes) were in error when they
stated that the employees we're prevented
& s'through the alb sence of sufficient appropria-
zion from affording these unfortunate creatures
anything more than q bare subsistence" 10
fsot. In conversation with Mayor Plsbury, he in.
formed MS that the financial condition OF the city,
whatever IL might be. could not deprive these
poor demonted people of any OF the necessities
III their situation.
Facts. however, go to show that his honor, as
well a. Administrator Edwards, is mistaken, and
Shat the employees OF the asylum and the Grand
Jury In It's conclusions, are right Upon spplioa
tion TO Mr.. Brown, the Administrator Of Accounts,
ws were furnished with the information that
within the first ten months Of the year
THE COST OF RUNNING
the insane asylum Salaries OF employees, pro-
visions, Oh thing and everything includsd), was
4i2,g79 30, for the entire year OF 1915 10 was
$40 O0O and for the year 1876, 800, OF which
Last mentioned sum $500 were for salaries OF
employes.
Neither Of these sums, upon investigation, can
10 considered sufficient to run the asylum. as we
propo 10 to chow hereafter.
The writer, about three years ago, when the city
nsRne asylum Was under the superintendeuce
@f Mr.. Henry Andry, spent two days in the insti-
tutiop, and wroe three or four columns Of m 1T, r
On the su ject, VIII Oh was published Ia one OF the
city papers for which. by the way, he never
xOceved any credit. The article was manly de.
scxiptive Oh the peculiarftes OF some Of the in
mates, but incidentally referred to the insult.
essncy Of the trsa msnt received by the insane the
inferiorly Of the food, the want Of serious msdi.
gal attendance, etc. No blame, no wever, was at
tachod 10 Mr.. Audry, who, on the contrary, was
ccmpfimented for tho many beneficial changes
& which he wrought In the institution within few
sweeka alter his appointment as superintendent.
Tue defects IN the management were ascrlbed
solely to the financial embarrassment OF the
ci.y.
las rec0mmended) of the Ladies' Insane Asylum
Association, OF which Mrs. y. N. Moody ia the
PRECEDENT, and which from time to time has
sssisted the asylum with it's limited means.
Two striking instances convinced the writer Mt
The time OF the insnffcienoy Of the food In point
eli variety aud quail W. One WAS the hankerlng
OF an idiot for glpgerscake, which she devoured
when given to her: the other manifested itself In
conversation with yonug lady inmate, who had
been raised In prosperous circumstances. She
said to the writer that she was pc, fectly salts
ned with her treamen and had no desire to leave
the institution except to obtain better food
There was plenty to eat, she said, but il was 40
c0arse that she had
ALMOST CEASED TO EAT IT.
Now let us see If 1t Ia possible for the city
under its present appropriation TO furnish these
insane people with anything but the coarsest
kind OF subsistence.
The Grand Jury report tells US that there are
aA6 Inmates iu the asylum and 10 employees. We
think we can safely adopt the present number of
inmates as q fair average, which would require
$500 ratons year, not including the rations of
She employees.
Al the rate of sl2 $40 80 for ten months OK.
pended on the asylnm for all purposes, il would
take sl5.575 l6 to run IL during the entire year
The salaries OF the employees amount to about
$500 per annum, which, deducted from the total
would leave only $9975 to feed and c'othe the
inmates and pay for all other supplies for the in
etitution. Now. to provide even prison fare to
the Inmates OF the asylum, Mt twenty cents head
daily, would require $40, 65s Where the cloth
Ing, the shoes, blankets, bedding, wood, coal,
tools and other supplies come in we are at loss
10 understand.
Since their cost has TO be deducted from $9975
we apprehend that the rations of the inmates of
che asylum cost very little more than ten cents
each. And We leave II to our City Administra-
tors to decide whether such rations are fit for the
use OF denented people, many OF whom might
be brought back to reason, or at least their suf-
ferngs alleviated. by more delicate and gen.
erous food.
Howbeit the city Administrators propose to
adopt some other plan of conducting the asylum,
and the probabilities that IL will be put pa, ty
under the tender charge Of the Sisters of Mercy,
whose devotion to the afflicted is too well-known
70 be recited here. 1t is also possible hat the
Inmates Of the asylum will be transferred to the
Louisiana Retreat, where they will be cared fol
Tor compensation, to be paid by the city.