New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-20
THE INSANE KEPT AT WORK.
A SUCCESSFUL PLAN ON WARDS ISLAND.

| TEN
| The question Of employing the inmates OF insane
asylums in some useful way Is being agitatcd. not
only in this country, but in England. 1t has been
stated that a practical solution has been given To
this problem in the English asylums which places
them far ahead OF the best Of those in this coun-
try To find out how much attention Is given
to this matter in New-YOrk reporter
Of THE TRIBUNE recently visited the City Asylum
for the Insane on Wards Island, Of which DR.. 4. +.
Macdonald is the superintendent. The building is
a large structure of brick with white facings, and
stards the southern end of tho island 1t IS In
tended for only similar institution for women
being on Blackwell's Island. There only four
counties in the State which support their own In
| sane of these New-York is one. In common with
the rest of tho State these four counties have pay
! their quota toward supporting the state Insane
Asylum. AS they send no insane patients to IL, an
extra burden is thus imposed on them which
they have thus far in vain tired
! to have removed. The burden is made even greater
| in the case of New York from the fact that many
| lunatics in neighborng towns and even States are
shipped into this city and abandoned on the streets
and, nothing being known of their antecedents
they have to be taken care Of by the city authori-
| ties
| In the Wards Island Asylum there are now be-
| tween 900 and 1850 patients falling under the
general divisions of mania mclanoholn, demeltia,
amentia and parcsls generate. Many of these are
not only insane but sick and under medical treat
ment; some are too feeble to do any work some
are too violent and some are too imbece. But,
after subtractng all these classes there are left
large number who have the intelligence the strength
and the skill necessary to make them valuable in
the workshop. In regard to the employment of
such persons these. DR.. Macdonald gave the fol-
lowing facts from his experience
Ont Of tho or rno nattenta ohOut 400
available for work. In this estimate those who do
hight chores in the building not included. but
simply those who pursue somo regular calling for
seven or eight hours day. II might be supposed
that they would manifest unwillingDess to
work but, on the contrary, they often show much
enthusiasm. OF course much care must be e1cr-
ciscd In selecting men for occupations which re-
quire the Of tools. But only the most dOcile
and intelligent are chosen for these depart
ments and they carefully searched every night
to see that they have secreted 10 tools. 1t some
times happens that patients become sullen or
tightly and refuse to work. In such they are
allowed to remain idle until the spell passes away
when they arc glad to begin again. In the mechan- |
cal departments, of which more will be said farther
on, a sane foreman is employed who directs the |
workmen. Though they fond Of employing |
themselves yet. with the capricousness of lunatIcs
they soon grow weary of dong the same thing all |
Ine Time ana so recreation or some KIM Is neCeS-
sary They are therefore taken out for walks or |
allowed to play football in the yards, or to |
play sort of Quos in the halls. which consists in
pushing a round wooden disk over the smooth floor,
the OBJECT bel ng TO make 1t land IN a chalked circle
There is also a pleasant amusement ROOM with
stage. in which concerts, plays and readings are
given from time to time The patients enjoy thesa
entertainments with all the delight of children In
fact, In their work and play they have TO be
treated as children. On Sundays there are two re-
l...;x,, In. aha, n,I..
the morning and Protestant In the afternOOn-and,
are enjoyed by the patients mainly as a
recreation, especially tho music. These pre-
liminary remarks will serve to show just What can
and cannot be done, in the way of employing tie
insane In remunerative labor.
Have You" asked the reporter Of DR.. Macdon-
aid ANY knowledge of the way in which the Eng
lish E asylpms are manqgedi"
and made careful inspection OF some of the best
English asylums. In few points they may be SUI
vastly ahead of them 1t would not be true there
fore to say that they are generally superior. A
the insane in work In England. Much Of that al
English asylnmns If man carries
dish from one table to another be is put down
Oh the records as employed In work. Now, we
don't call that work here. II we did | could say
that the great majority If not al Of the patients
their rooms clean. Bnt We only say that a man Is
working when he Is working a liked number of
hours every day al some trade. Our object In tle
City Asylum is to put every man to the work he Is
acquainted WITH if possible; but if not then the
nearest to It, There are more than 100
obviously impossible to start them all going here
What we ain at Is to have a few of the more COM
mon trades IN practical operation For instance, all
the carpenter work and brickaying and general re-
pairing of the Asylum arc now done solely by the
patients. That of itself is no small item. In the
twenty or more assistants are patients. The
engine and boiler-room, one of the largest in the
city, e attended to entirely BY patients 1t is not
their assistants are patients In the summer about
100 patients are engaged in farm work. But
would ike to show you some of our workshops so |
that you may sec for yourself what we are trying
to do"
The first room visited was the mat room. About
fifteen patients are engaged here, principally old
sailors The men were working as busiy as though |
they were paid the highest wages, and the majority
of them did not stop even on the arrival of the vis
You soc" said Dr. Macdonald, they arc very
skiful in using the r, commoneSt materials
which that man Is unwinding and braid |
ing again. thus other man, you see, is sewing the
long braIds together. Here Is another man who is
making long bralds ont of old Army cOats-Gueer |
material isn't itT And yet 1t makes a very hand
some mat when sewn together. Those other mats
made out of old wOOen rags. and odds and ends
aud they are as nice mats as you would want. We
don't do any outside work. you Will understand;
all this work Is done for the various institutions on
the different islands But let us to the tailor
shop"
In this department about twenty-five men are |
employed. aud they make all the clothes for the In
sttution When the visitors entered none stopped
working, except one man who e1citedly de- |
cared that he was an English Christian
and desplsed the Yankees. With the strange deu- {
sion of the insane, all the others manifested signs of
pity for this poor lunato ono Of them came up to
the reporter and whispered Don't mind him, he's
q 'luny'I we have to let him say what Lie wants ;
to-" Having thus vindicated the honor of the shop
lie began working again. !
his IS a very important work with US" said a
DR.. Macdonald. They make all the clothes for h
the patients and the attendants-about 800 /
people. The only salaried man l. tie forema, I'll I