The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-10
a Startling Increase.

If i nrohable that not many people are
o,,.o,o nat the number % lunaticS in the
J-ri,ed Stofes is increasing with eXtraoTdi-
nary and portentous rapidly. such, how
over j. the unpleasant fact. a. the incon-
troNertible evidences Of official stauStic.
shnndantly testify. Every year cases OF
insanity are becoming more frequent III
,,ronortion 10 the total number 81 inhdDl-
taufs which this country contains. men me
con.u. Of 1870 was taken 1t was FOUND tial
Tho insane population amounted TO 3'.ii2,
which cave a ratio Of one TO cach l'IoV ~
the aggregate population. ms i II'io
,rbicb in 1850 had been very nearly doupleu'
Gov in that wear il was discovered that lhe
Inv ~ the insane had increased untli II
,yaS not far short Of 100000 strong pu,
r;ng The ten wears ending with 1850 IL ha1
,,creased much more than tWoloiu, anu
tho ratio had risen from one In l'io0 10 ohS
in 800. Though this Is remarAapie anu
most unwelcome state OF thlhgs' II II Que
Tor which it is not matter vi AL!
ditHcnity TO account. The struggle Ioi III.
comforts OF life and for the hecessaries Va
existence. which is every year grow Ims
sbarner and more strenuous, was e>po0'a"'
snvere during the decade which THESE s'"-
'I' M neriod Of imitation and OF unsuD-
stantial prosperity which reached IT. va, ~
mination in 1872 had been followed .! ny
innoest and most disastrous panic III o,s
Which this nation has ever passSu' a'iu ~
The MEASURE OF that memoranie pollou
Tbich began in the fall OF 1910 anu Sv vi.
,inued with more or less intensi! un TN; en'
ciose O, 1878, much Of the increased I,,sE w
itv winch has been noted ma! pIol%iS AZ a.
attriluted. In those five years thous,'ai|'
- nnonle who had always llNed III lieI e's.'
and who during the flush times nau ,, ou,,
tracted habits Of extravaganza iVI'liu
saIves being swiftly and lrresisupI! p", J ~ y
~ he wall. Their wealth disappears ~
tbongh by magic; financial i1un a,."riOit
MI n.y. secned 10 be as solid as the e'eIE'9',
NH I'M dcraycd and crumblcd away anu =
,'l;,l, a desnairing sense OF helplesshess anu
,~s,;iderment rich men found theihseiSe =
sinking into poverty and want NJ 49, =
tho.e who were poor at the "I H.,
escane the blighting influence OF Tue 80 80,
rev,iIsion. To every deep there Is "oopu'
I'm and men whose hard WORK hau ni'''n :,
ta;nsG them in poverty when W's a.
i"u, derent and not wholly devoid OF com
"a ,vere driven 10 despair by hnuihs
Themselves without the means Oh suJ I;,,e
NC because the work at winch lno"
HOOD and that OF their families was VA :"
"a had periorce been discontinued. a., do
ed pi i. not surprising that during the t,a ae
IA. !. i IN Nv which the hardest Of hard tune ne
Sa aS Comprised co insanity should nave te ,ea a
creased. There i Is nGM tbe statistics revea
that o tue wholly to be explained in this way ay
The spirit OF American , 1900 Of menta
D,,;itIrium. and that very eauc','on " Zen
which we Justly pride S o%rssI minds ' to tn
dency to expose the , wg''1,' This appear
S rS@ the S iu which show The rSla,s
,ions In the New England sa sas, w, % "a
the U average Of education Is I higAc wlere III
ito is one 10 1851 in i y o SV II Is one
eaac Ra I, dees not follow that educa,l :,
& i'V' bad ' thing Philadelphia Norm A''''
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