The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-10-30

their lives with ali the happy and un-
happy incidents. We had now reached
the shanty devoted to tie insane men,
and my cicerone began again
INSANE MEN OF BRooME COUNTY.
"This first apartment is used as a re-
cention room for the visitors, and is also
occupied by the man who has charge OF
this ward. | am he. Everything ls neat
enough here, but not gaudy. We Will
now walk back through'the main CORR
dor, past the cells. This man to the LETT,
quiet as he appears" The was sitting on
d chair reading an old newspaper) "ls
yery dangerous at times. We have to
keep him locked up all the while; we
even serve his meals in his cage. The
other doors are open, you will observe,
and the lunat c's sitting room back OF
this. The beds are hard, as you say
but, you know, many physicians insist
! that the demented should sleep on hard
mattresses. There may be something IN
it. Others have doubted it besides you.
We will now step into the rear room"
Throwing open door. Here You see
about dozen men in all conditions OF
mind. Some are ConValescent; others
hopelessly mad. None are dangerous TO
themselves or Others, as the warrant
reads, so far ss we know.
WHAT 10 NEEDED.
"Here, as you rightly observe, is
where reading matter is wanted. More
than one. half of the people you see in
this room are sensible enough and have
education sufficient to read, but as they
have neither papers nor books they can
only sit and worry and curse their fate.
You have several papers? Thanks. Bee
how grateful the poor fellows are. ln
the yard without as you will see from
this door, 1--WE stood at an open door
from which a few wooden steps led
down into dusty inclosure), few OF
the men are taking the sun. You won
der that more Of them do not 60 out,
perhaps, when this room is so warm and
tho air is so bad Well, the truth is that
they do not appear to care much for
health or pure air. Open q window
there, Johnnie. That's better. (Resum'
ing) The fact is they get careless of lif
and, after all, why shouldn't they
Pears to me should. They will close
the window just as soon as we go out, and
the door also. That is all there 10 to see
here" Not word had been uttered by
patient in the room while was pres
ent. could not clearly decide, ignorant
as was of the pecularites of each anC
all, whether such was the case, because
they had no ideas to express. or because
they wished to disguise mental lame
ness which they were sane enough to re-
alize.
1t was only few steps to the front
door of the brick house in which the de-
mented women dwelt. We had already
viewed the messroom in its basement
reached from the mems quarters by q
covered way. The front door having
been unlocked by the young woman in
charge, we entered reception ROOM
displaying a few comforts in the shape
of lounges and cushioned chairs. My
guide, VINO had been anxious to resume
the conversation, said:
"The women whom you see sewing in
| this room are ConValeeCent. Several of
them have been here long time, but a
few have come in recently, That pale,
blue-eyed young woman over there is a
late arrival. She will not tell US any
thing about herself, but seems wrapped
in deep melancholy. The comforts of
the world are not all lost yet, as you will
notice pot of flowers on the window,
and a piece OF carpet on which the sew.
ing women can cit. 1t is strange fact.
as you remark, that the women like to
have a strip of carpet or rug to set their
chairs on. It's queer, isn't ilP It's like
the old problem of the debating socie-
ties, "Why does dog turn round sever
al times before he lies down." Some
times they will use strip of calico if
they can not get carpet. This door we
now open leads into Bedlam itself" Suit
ing the action to the word, my attendant
turned the key, and led the way into a
| long apartment with cells along on both
sides. On benches placed at intervals
sat some of the wretChed inmates, chat
tering singing, self communing, others
paraded up and down the hall. Not an
instance was seen where one poor Great
ure stopped to converse with Compan.
| ion in misery. 1t was a region of uni
versal distrust. Speaking generally, the
cells were not so bad as those | have
seen and already described at other pla
ces. There was no question as to plenty
of air and considerable sunlight. The
intimate association of at least twenty
women deranged, in all conditions of
mental disease, can not, however, be too
severely condemned. Where there are
so many patients as Broome county sup.
ports, there should be at least an attempt
at classification.
We had walked to the end of the low
er floor, and were about to return to the
entrance, when fanCied / detected an
exchange of glances between my guide
and the female attendant who had &C.
companied us into the ward. This Caus.
ed me to look toward large, solid door
which might have escaped notice.
"What is in here ?" asked, going up
and laying my hand on the door.
THAT is where the very bad cases
are" said the young woman with some
hesitation, as she jinged the keys.
"We do not show that room to visit
OIbi hhlAA bhO gOubb ihohl AS wv VIVA
tion of Horace's we'll known rule regard.
ing the bad taste of introducing three
speakers in dialogue.
"We mean--we thought you would not
care to see anything 80 unpleasant, said
the female attendant, who saw that her
coadjutor was making matters worse.
/ will not say how, exactly, Convinc-
ed the youOg man that it was safe to per-
NIT me to enter the region beyond the
mysterious door. Suffice Ii to say, after
brief psrley, he addressed the woman
attendant:
Unlock the door, and see II We can
get in. Oh, we have nothing secret
here. You shall see all"
The young woman unlocked the door
and entered, closing 1t after her. The
explanation was, that some of the wom-
en- might have torn off their clothes dur
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