Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-09

The last words hear with contrite heart
Aud fix your pail back when you start.
sCENEs N A MAD HOUSE
A Young Man who Thinks lie Cas-
Put "a suspensiOn Bridge Across the
Atlantic.
New York Sun.
Here you will see the people who
own the world aud everything in it,
That is what DR.. Troutman. of Ward's
Island, told me as be led NE to the first
ward Of the Insane Asylum one Wedues-
day not long ago. DR.. Troutm Il is the
assistant superintendent there. asd he
was very polite to me. The doctor pu. a
polished brass key iEto the big oaken
door. and. admitting me into a long cor
ridOr with floor scrubbed until it
shown like wax, quietly locked the door
again and dropped the key into his
pocket. Groups of men, nearly all
dressed alike in grayish clothes, were
walking about aimlessly. Some were
talking to ther fingers in an animated
fashion; others were having An earnes,
debate with the blank wall: two were
talking to each other simultaneously
but what in the world they said
couldn't make out. An orderly in a
blue uniform walked about among
them. The keys dan9led below his waist
coat They were fastened to stout
cord tied around his waist. This was
done to prevent the patients from taking
the keys ffom the orderly to use as
weapons. What particularly struck me
~ surveyed the strange scene was that
nearly all the lunatics had high fore
heads. IL f0rcibly impressed me with
the truth Of she saying Of a certain
anonymous modern philosopher, that il
requires the possession of brains to be-
come a lunatic.
These men," the doctor said to me,
"are the paralytics. There is no hope
for them. Their disease is fatal. 1t is
general paralesis. Here you zee. for ex-
ample, one of our billionaires."
The doctor stopped TO shake hands
with a little man with a thoughtful look.
"Yes, yes" he cried in an animated d
tone, "Im worth just one hundred
thousand millions of dollars, and the
fortune is increasing day after day."
"You see," remarked the doctor in a
kindly tone, 'Uur friend here IS labor
ing under one singular disadvantage.
He possesses all fhi, V st wealth, 4.nd
ye. "a powtr holds .lm baok SC that he
can't yet ai il. But he Is perfectly
happy in the Co .sciJGs 1855 that it is in
creasing steadily. every Yacht that
y ,s,es here be will ,e,i you is his. and
all the vast shipping ot the ocean is
operated Ill lis In:etesi."
The iuuatio sa.cI At tn: doctor with n
lOol, OF real gratitude. and shook hands
he srlily with me u, We passed on, stop
ping now and then to note other inter
esting examples OF moltal hallucina.
tiOn.
"Uow old are you today. my friend?''
the doctor asked ons patient with q
strikiu2ly pr jmlnent f,rehead.
Now, IT'S uiltcult to estimate that
said the pa;ien; with a sui 9. My
methods are different from the ordinary
worlds. have ieen here long, very
long. l find by careful computation
that arn three tines tue cirou u ference
Of the world OLD"
But l am the Spirit of Good" cried
another, running up Lost We should miss
him. "Dou't forget that, please. AL
the women Ut the world are my wives
am going to have more, too. have
lived thousands of years az IL spirit.
can see you all, but you can't See me.
have wings, and | fly throu sh the all
seeking to better the condition of NOR
tails. Yes, yes, we're having a beautiful
day, beautiful day, bu: not half s,
beautiful As the Spirit of the Good.
Wish you farewell" and he ran off.
4 brOOding iunatic caught me by tn
hand as We passed further on by th,
neat and airy rooms. How do yo,
do? how do you dor" he cried heartily
lyon are my old friend. You $50 an
the King of Prussia now, and you ar,
all my subjects"
"Who else are you today?" inquired
the doctor, pattinR the patient on th,
back encouragingly.
"Ah yes, the King of Ireland, too
"And something else!"
"Ihe Rock of Truth"
"Now. what else are you todayY
The iunatic appeared annoyed. II,
frswned aud exclaimed "Ths King o.
Prussia, King uf Ireland, aod the koct
Of Truth; for PHYS sake, amt tina
enough for one day!"
We went to the opposite end of th'
ward, and the doctor turned and bid al
the patients good day, and they returned
his salute cour;ecusly, all smiliug ant
full of glee. Tnen he opened the door
and locked it behind him carefully anc
quickly.
They will all be that way until the,
die" he said, a We were ascending III,
stone steps leadinr to another ward
"lt is the happiest form of the disease
They gradually lose all control of them
selves. SO ia. as the power to talk, wall
and think Is concerned. Then they die
Life goes out Ike a ficker,ng candle
The mex: ward viii show you types O
what are known as chronic diseases
They. too, have hall JcinatiOns."
We went through the ward az before
! One of the most interesting patient
Was q young man whose brain had ~
tangled up hopeiessly about the Book
lyn bridge He consumes an am .ZluG
guam ity o! foo.scap paper and 10 81
pencil daily figUring out his pans fJi
| bridging the Atlantic by IA suss snsi II
bri ge. He Will SIT down and Ge. .aoE
s;ra,e lis possibilities By t.ar, wa~a-
ever q visitor viii listen.
Another patient Was n e.aeYiv man
who had once been IL professor III Coi
umbia College. Since he h,' been /,
the asylum he has written work o,
art, aud is now daily Occupied IA u tex
ook on tbs cai:ulus. The ex professo
talked vith perfect c!carnrs, AMI sanit'
upon learned sabj-c.s, bu. he was pos
scssod with the idea that both the doc
tor and myself were what be called dog
in the maneer, aud ieep!ag hin from
his freedom.
A one-legeed patient seemed overioy
| ed when he caught sigo, of me. IL
bowed low, held us his hand and cried
''Ha. weisosae to our so.ae. Ine nex
instant the man was hopping mp AM