The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-04-12
The Weak and the Wicked.

a quarter of million of people insane,
idiotic, blind and deaf and dumb in the |
United States. In every million of pop
ulation there were 1884 victims of in
sanity, ,533 idiots, 976 blind and 675 |
deaf and dumb.
apparently there was large increase |
in the proportion or these defective peo-
pie as compared with 1870, 1860 and
1850. But the proportional increase
seems to have been due chiefly or alto
gether to more thoroughness in gather
ing the statistics concerning them. An
exact and trustworthy census, of the in
sane especially, it is almost impossible
to get. In the first place, what is the di-
viding line between sanity and insanity2
We have seen how, in a recent case,
jury decided that q man was sane who
was pretty generally pronounced a lu-
natic by the professional experts in men
tai disease. Whether Guiteau was a
responsible agent has hardly yet been
decided, though the brain of the assassin
has been dissected. And, sane or insane,
he went abroad among men during life,
and doubtless was about as well balanced
mentally as thousands of men and wom-
en- who are on the streets to-day. Very
many drunkards are the victims of as
genuine and as dangerous a mania as
that which affects large part of the
population of our insane asylums, and
the number of people who are subject to
insane impulses, or who are what is
called half-cracked, is multitudinous.
Besides, families are slow to acknowl-
edge insanity among their members, pro-
vided it is not of sort to compel seclu
sion in an asylum. But, to cover such
cases so far as possible, the Census
Bureau sent out blank forms of return
to 100, 900 physicians in the Union, four
fifths of whom responded with the de-
sired information, and by the lists they
| sent the regular returns of the enumera-
tors were corrected. Under such Cir
| cumstances, of course the total number
obtained was pretty sure to be much
| larger. proportionately, than it was in
previous censuses, when equally thorough
| methods of obtaining returns were not
| adopted. But even then we cannot take
the figures with entire confidence. The
result is an approximation only. At
least, we do not get from the census for
1880 sufficient data to enable US to answer
the question whether insanity is on the
increase-that is, whether the ratio of
new cases to the total population is grow
ing larger.
1t seems fair to conclude, however,
that there is no decline in the proportion
of insanity. The number of the insane
nanifestly grows at least with the in
crease of population. More than that
cannot be deduced from the census table.
Out of total of 81, 1897 insane re-
turned in 1880, A, 408 were males and
47.5s9 females; 65,651 were natives and
26,346 were foreign; S5, $40 were white
and 6,157 colored, We see, therefore,
that insanity attacks women oftener than
men. OF idiots, however, the total OF
1886 was made up of As, ,309 males and
81, 1856 females. The negro population,
too, is much more liable to idiocy than
insanity. the number of colored idiots
being 1919 to 6,157 lunatics. The for
eign population, however, contributed
only 4,OO7 to the idiots, while its insane
numbered 26,346. The tendency TO in.
sanity among the foreigners is very
striking, they furnishing considerably
more than one-quarter of the whole mum
ber of insane, while there were only
about one-seventh as many of them id
the Union as natives. 1t is suggestive
to observe also that there is the same in
creased tendency to insanity, but in 6
less marked degree, in natives who re
move from one part of the Union h
another, especially from the Atlantic Il
the Pacific coast. The immigrant is sub
iected to an unwonted strain, and thu
law of the survival of the fittest works
with especial rapidity in his case. Lift
in the old grooves he might sustain with
out mental damage, but in new paths b
loses his wits. 1t is the strong bird
which stand the migratory flight; the
weak ones drop by the way.
Of the blind there were more male
than females, the total number having
been 1928, made up of 26, TAB male
%, 1S0 females. The same was the cas-
with respect to the deaf and dumb. Gu
of total of 33,878, there were 1886
and 5,311 females.
The total number of paupers enumer
ated in almshouses was 1867, beside
whom there was great body of outdoc
paupers, of whom the statistics are man
testify so incomplete that they are of n
account whatever. The total, accordin
to the census, was 2l,59S; but ho'
, worthless these figures are is shown b
the return from Boston of only thirtee
, outdoor paupers for the whole city.
The number. of prisoners in confin'
ment in the United States was So, ,25'
against 40, 942 lunatics confined in as.
lums In the number of prisoners, hoV
) ever. were certain persons charged vii
, offenses and awaiting in county jai
.. their trial; and there were some insan
Prisoners held for debt, however. wei
not included, nor were witnesses locke
up to secure their testimony. vi in
prisoned debtors the total was fort
; eight, and of imprisoned witnesses 10
1t is creditable to our civilization tn
these figures are so small; but that the
3 are any such prisoners is blot on OF
I. legal system.
5 The total number of felons at ha
: labor in prisons and penitentiaries W
. 80, ,G23, and 1888 convicts were at wo
n outside of prison walls, under lessees
g under county officials. About 5000
the prisoners did some work, and 16, on
were maintained in idleness: 81, 1S6 we
; males and 5,O69 females. 46,338 natl
:, and 1917 foreign, 1921 white al
It l5, 9G1 colored. Among the colored we
1t included 531 Cinnamon, one Japane
,,ss and 161 Indians.-M. Y. Sun.
The curious Stebbins, who b
n marching Through Georgia. al
.Good-by, My Lover. Good-by," SUI
by request at his grave, was once a
pointed Consul to the Philippine Islant
He was informed, however, that it W
Z very hot there and there were numero
v and severe earthquakes to give him t
d. shakes He wired" at once
ip Washington: 81 like hot climate a
1s 1s don't care for earthquakes" He h
IN hardly set foot on the islands when the
es was an earthquake which nearly thr'
he him back into the hold of the steam
ty He didn't 60 ashore again, but return
he home on the same steamer.-N
re Herald.
ge
'r- "A new anonymous prophet
ut arisan and lifting the curtain VIII