New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-14
rHE INCARCERA TION or THE ISSANE.


somewhat important meeting was held in Bos-
ton last week to consider the question OF
the commitment of the insane to asyums Sew
cral gentlemen we'll known TO the whole country
took part in the proceedings. The Hon. Samuel T..
Srwcll presided he principal speech made By
Mr.. Wendell Phillips A dispatch was read from
Dr. William A. Hammond. Of this city, in which he
said Things in this State are even worse than
with you Tho resolutions which were adopted
favored the establishment of Commissioners OF
Lunacy, who shall have free access to all asylums
AID patients. and authority to discharge patient
whenever his health shOuld require it. Another
resolution demanded tnat "a greater freedom of
correspondence should he allowed PATIENTS" and q
third recommended the aIopIon. as fast as can be,
of the Ghccl system OF building small cottages for
the use If the lunatics committee of which the
Rev. Edward Everett Halo IL chairman. vas ap-
pointed 10 memoriaze the Legislature in behalf of
these changes and experiments.
The point Of Mr.. Wood i. Phllp1's speech may
be briefly given in his own words Tie said (: " No
mans life is >afe mans liberty is safe, whose alb
sence would be an advantage to any other person.
" could" he aIdo l. have been put into an insane
asylum any time these forty year, hundred physi-
clans would have signed the certificate; and once ~,
my voice would never nave been heard again. We
thlak Will" he did not entirely cOntrO MS tendency
10 exaggerated statement, Mr. Phillips hit the nail
OH the head when he declared that there should be
no interruption of communication between the cell
and the public" This is to desired for more
Sons han the sake equally of those " no have
the Insane IN charge aud the insane themselves
That there are abuses in some aoylums we DO not
doubt but we are equally sure that they are 10y no
means so numerous or great az the ignorant susp-
cions OF the public lead it to believe. OF course.
some institutions are better managed than Others.
OF course some supcrntendcnts qualified for
their positions morally, intellectually and scient-
cally and some are not OF course, some sane per
sons arc shut mp either by accident nefarious de-
sign We do not think that the number of these
cases il large but there ought be no such cases ct
all.
Whether the Ghee cottage system. which has
proved 80 successful abroad would prove equally
40 here can only be decided by experiment. What
might answer ia Belgium mi ht not answer here
though va express no opinion upon that point, not
having the material for forming one. But there
can be no doubt of the propreY of disabusing the
public mad. If IL ~ wrong in its idea that asylumS
for the insane are often the OF cruelty ne
glect and false imprisonment. If the public is
right 80 much more tina reason for exposure. II
the laws by which those of unsOunl mind are COM
mittcd are detective aud liable to abuse it does not
se..In t. IL t. bs herculean task to amend them.
If we need Commissioners IN Lunacy, let ~ have
them by all means aud at once. Very sen sible per-
sons think that We do need them and il is entirely
possible that we do.