The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-08-25
Cecil Comfy Aims House.

On Monday last the whole country was shocked by
the publication Of abstracts of report made To- the
Governor of Maryland Icy DR.. Chancellor Secretary
the State Board of Health which represented the
un of the aims hOu>rS of the State of Mar Wand
lisgustim" ens of NTH and prostitution sickenns:
and disgusting to contemplate and declared the
and iinric inmates to hr utterly cast down AMI
neglected. half fed, and chastity in their wrctchrdne>S
In this report the Cecil County Aims House and several
others are distinguished, A. exceptionally vile
These grave charges. and, if true, should bring
down upon tn management the Just Indignation Of a
deceived and outraged people Without pretending
that til" government of our aims house is f,ultcsS, or
that there not evil, which relu re immediate
formation, and susceptible of it, yet the picture
portrayed in such vivid coors by the Secretary. and
which has surprised and shocked the whole nation.
j., far aims ho> Is concerned, greatly
drawn. The sudden rryu'>uE ut feeling which his
statements has excited will undoubtedly stimulate
greater popular interest IN institutions which
much NEGLECTED y III" benevolent and charitable, and
bring ahvut Il rigid discipline and other ncccs-
Sary, Though minor. reforms, and thus far the exa%crt
lions Toe jnstiahr but, i'll the interests of truth
and Justice, ii would aV" been better if his inspections
ll been less hurried and his data and statistics
To illustrate: He states that have nineteen
ami iiotr inmates of whom hut is cplorr,l
In TRUTH there only sixteen, and Of these five are
c"l"rrd. am thor" has been change in the p.>Dn,i
since his visit.
house lac makes no specific charges, but they made
ly mplicati II. That this is cruel Injustice
will tail To lac convinced Will visit the prem scS and
the many visitors who. during the past year have fire.
qu-ntel the place must attest. Mr.. Il. 5. Griffith the
President of the Prisoners Aid Association. gentle
Of vast experience. made visit to the house about
month since" and very emphatic in his expressions
# approval of what he AMI Rev. Mr.. Doll, the
agent 0i the same society i'll recently published report
especially commend the cement of tho n>titu-
ton after riNU GHi residence Of SererHi GtyS the
horse. And further the very OF the secretary
Inspection, he cNprcs.d 10 Mrs. Pluck his satisfaction
with tht general condition of the property.
From own experience and II is necessarily large,
inmates we'll fed and clothed, aul Infinitely bet
tor housed and warmed than the common lahprers of
the mcghhmrho1d. Is ii reasonable that more should
Ice cNpCrtnd There IL better settled principle in
social science than that the more you increase the
comfort of the ranpers the more you encourage the
growth of paupcrisn
But it is with the specific charge that the house is
" den of prostitution with which directly
concerned iur tho present. lie saHs.
In Cecil County tm-hnusc in both buildings the
departments tur ma. and females separated only
10y a narrow passage, AMI the evil result ut tn, free
rommun iratiun h"twrru III" Is manifested in the
number OF illegIimatc children born lt"r>o.-
There are tw" instances IN this auI-n" in Whit. the
mothers aud children born IN isi>i.Tdy under its
root ono, Uiine white wup:,.. iuTy years OF AZ,
herself born in the nI3 loi-r Ia, iNu birth to >ix
children in this institution. Another. whit" woman.
in tn, house has born two rllIdrru here and still All
other insane white the mother Of lHlfnrsro
child hegottrn and torn in This Institution
II is hard 10 deal with the general charge except bv u
"Hrrtl d"uia. Although it Is admitted that the sexes
muglr during the dIya state of things practically
impossible L. prevent yet, in the main building where
nearly al III" females lodged the part appropriated
!, then: i secured from the mems apa' rrcmt boy 1t