The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-03-03
The Ohio Asylum.

| The Ohio asylum has been demon
strated u mistake. 1t had its origin, no
doubt, in unbounded goodness of heart,
bat IL is not practical, and works in
Justice. The asylums were 10 sooner
built than they were filleI to overflow
ing, and to lay there are as many defined
cases of insanity outside the a-ylums as
those outside are more entitled to treat
ment aud the benefits Of an in stitutiOn
than two-thirds oil the inmates. The
infirmaries and jails are full of needy
and bad cases. This system OF caring
for every body at the expense of the
State is grossly. absurd. Hundreds of
people are allowed to become wards OF
the State whom their own county Of
| ficlals would not tolerate at their ex-
pense for one day. This class is main-
ly idiots and aged people. Of the 81
who died Ia the Cleveland asylum last
year, five were over 20 years old. or
the 2l3 admitted, 81 were between the
ages OF 90 and s5 years, and thi, is the
best showing in this respect made by
any of the Safe Asylums. One in.ti-
tuition shows about half of the admis-
sions to be aged people. The question
naturally arises, can the taxpayers Of
the State afford TO pension all it inhabi-
tants over 90 years of age? Nobody
feels disposed to neglect or leave at all
uncared for the insane-old or young
but setting up permanent free lunch
| for everyb body is not caring for anybody
or even inculcating good morals or Ill
ial affection. Affording facilities for
mean and penurious people to impose
upon The Taxpayers the care of their
id,otic children or the INDECENT parents,
sisters, cousins and aunts is, to say the
least, questionable charity
There is little doubt in the minds of
those fully competent to judge that If
the State would care for the pauper in
sane at the expense of the State, and of
other insane at fair compensation, the
number Of asylums woul.l decrease, the
present accommodations be nearly
ample, and the epileptics might be sep
arated and cared for in wards of pres
sent Institutions. The subject demands
attention at the hands of practical,
honest men, who have the welfare Of
people, aud also that Of the poor un-
fortunates at heart. 1t would be u hope
less task TO undertake to build asylums
enough to hold the useless people, and
| friends of such should not lie permitted
to get them out of the way in this man
ner. But under our present system il
can not be avoided. Any old couple
that acts little ''queer" and are of no
use may be packed off to the asylum,
and town aud county officials permit it
because the State foots the bill. Ii
their own town or county had to foot
the bill, they would not permit it.
Under The favorable sanitary conditions
there and the excellent food and care,
they never die, and We can go on build
ing asylums until the State is covered.
Those who are opposed to proper, in
telligent treatment of the subject, who
are opposed to enlarging our pres
ent rs, lums, or wedding them out, and
are advocating new asylum for epi-
leptics, should recall the fact that there
are 6O0 epileptics i'm asylums now i'm the
State, and 200 at least in infirmaries
and prisons, ready to fill an Institution.
Will they Immediately enlarge il
for more or build another?-Cleveland
Leader.