The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-03-25
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CAUSES OF INSANITY.


Alcohol In AsylumS for the ln9sns-poc1Ois -
Disagree -Impradent AarriAses-Ihe WITTY VI
-oVerstrAin In Schools
They have FIVE Luuatic Asylums IN
the Province of Ontario, and the reports
NJ the Snnerintendents contain some val
nabIe and interesting reading, Inc
Tondon Ont. Advertiser thus refers:
The reports of the different medical
snnerintendents are quite elaborate, some
ofthem lengthy and even eloquent. Inc
Toronto Superintendent is specially. Wig
Orous in his discussions and speculatlons,
and even occasionally etfloresces into
poetrv. He holds very different opinions
from his London brother on the necessi'
tv for the use OF alcohol, and 1t need
scarcely be added that each is very con-
fident about the correctness OF his own
net theory, The Toronto authority mas
nssd alcohol very freely among his pa
tients. and he says be has found 1t very
beneficial. The London doctor, now
ever, condemns it altogether as Dev.
eraoe. and declares that as q medicine IL
is Of very little use, It's the ola story,
HWhere DOCTORS" etc.
Dr. Clark .has an especial controversy
with the ordinary plan Of selecting hus'
hands and wives, and would almost have
Il made penal for any body to court a
wife before there was indubitable med
ical evidence that everything was right
with the fair damsel's upper story, and
that none of her relatives had been In
sane at least for the lasttw generations
Just let anyone ponder over the follow
ing sentences, in which, with terrific We
hemence, he "goes for" marriages Of
convenience: "The fondness OF shoddy
and show, of tinsel and tawdry, of peli
and power, sinks all other considera-
tions. The cold .blooded considerations,
Che Wilv conspiraCies, the well-laid bats
to entrap the heirs and heiresses. be-
cause of and solely for the well filled
purses, would give the material for the
saddest chapter in the worlds history
Many of these perquisltes are not TO De
despised, were the slbjeCt matter made
the subject matter of the matrimonial
law, next to pure affection for a worthy
object"
When the Doctor comes to discuss the
"worry of life" as a cause Of insanity, he
becomes positively terrible, almost sub
lime. We are at one with him IN MS
denunciation of the "senseIess mental
overstrain to which the school children
of Ontario arc subjected" Every sensi'
bic person will sympathize with the
Doctor in his horror in the way In which
idiots and semi-idiots are made out Of
our poor school children by trying to
make them know great deal of every
thing, and by ending with them know
ing nothing to purpose. He says: Chill.
dren are put in the worst ventilated
houses which can be found in the coun'
trv, and these, too often, are literally
crammed with them. In this foul all
thew must study for hours at time
Evening brings no relaxation for them
for a task needing several hours study
must be done before bedt time or early
in the morning, and this becomes q
dreary, uninvlting round, from weary
chime to chime Besides the four ele'
mentary studies, a smattering of almost
every other branch of learning is re-
uuired from mere children. They sue.
Cessfully, or Vainly endeayor, according
to their strength, to overcome their daily
burdens and obstacles to health by a
constant effort which produces mental
tension. Tue result is many never re-
cover from the struggle during the re.
mainder OF lengthy life, Night and
day, except few hours of sleep, from
the age of seven up to manhood or
womanhood, the susceptible and tender
brain is on the rack and this strain is al
time when only moderate exercise is
healthy to this impressive organ" All
trne, and a good deal more in the same
strain equally 30. We can but quote an
other sentence which any one will say ls
as true of London as If Toronto. "a
visit to any of the schools Of Toronto
need only be made to convince any one
that the flabby muscles, beaChed faces,
weak and huctuating pulses, languid
movements even in the play ground,
and the weary attempt to learn lessons
are not much like the buoyant responses
of nature in healthy children" In fact
there is scarcely a family where there is
not at least one member permanently
injured in brain and made martyr to
headaches for life from this stupid effort
to make children walking cyclopedias
instead OF active and intelligent boys
and girls as they ought to be. If our
educators only had little more common
sense, what mercy it would be. They
make school years weary time Of
drudge and drill to be- ever afterwards
regarded with horror and dislike instead
of being cherished az among the bright.
est and best of the whole life. How can
we wonder that many never open book
after fairly escaping from school. 1t Is
the most natural thing in the world
That everlasting, meaningless and mind
less grind, naturally, almost necessarily
ends in this. Well if the result is not
great deal worse.