The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-01-04
STANTON, VIRGINIA. J JANUARY I, 1883.
What Others Think.

ut is notlour rule to transfer to our col
minus, indiscriminately, fulsome praise ofpub-
I licofifcers.s When men have been entrusted
with important public interests, and dis
charge their duty, it should not be the oeca-
zion of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, for they have
done no more than theirhonor and obligation
imposed upon them. Reitei ated compli-
ments Of this sort, not unfrequentlv turn
the heads Of those who are the recipients.
and sometimes they become SO inflated with
their own Importance that they imagine
their .s.serviees are indispensable-eve
rest under the delusion that they are con-
feTripg q great favor upon the. State or com
manity inlretaining position and drawing
salaries. But the following article is so
just in itself and states so well the reasons
for its appearance. thar we give it insertion
in. our. columns as. an of simple fairness
to the, officers Of thed Western Lunatic
Asylum. 1t giYessthe truth, and as it may
convey assurance to friends abroad Of
patients in the institution, we re-publish it,
endorsing every word of it,. 1t is from the
Marion Patriot and Herald, published in
Smythe county, Va
= Last week we had occasion to visit Staunton,
and at that place the Western Lunatic Asylum,
During our visit there the Board of Directors
was IN session, and we had an opportunity to
see the earnest desire which every member of
the Board felt and exhibited for making the
great charitable Institution useful and tficient
In caring fOr the unfortunate ones who are
placed there for safety and treatment. The
Board is composed Oftrue earnest men, and
no better evidence OF lis capacity and honesty
could have been given than the selection it
made when DR.. 4. S. HAMILTON was elected
Superintendent of the Asylum. He has meas
ured up fully to the demands made upon him
in the management of the Institution. Under
his SUPPLEMENTARY the Improvements have
been So, constant, decided and striking that |
those who, for political reason, have sought for
to critlcise have been batfied and
constrained to keep silent. Even political |
enemies have been forced to .ladmitIthat the |
Institution was never in better condition. |
some saying that it is doing better than ever |
before in its history. The buildings and |
grounds are in thorough repair, many addi-
lions for comfort, convenience and economy
have been made, and every feature shows
marks ofprogress and Improvement that could |
O1Ay lCouib AOll dUlt duu HOTTEST management.
Or. HAMILTON has gathered around him eff
Gent assistants, officers and attendents, every
one Jealous and axious to do his or her duty.
The patients are satisfied and as happy as they
could be under the unfortunate circumstances
that placed them there, the number there for
Treatment being greater than ever before The
people OF Virginia may rest satisfied that the
present management will not turn the Institu-
tuition over to itssuccessors in confused finan-
cial condition, with heavy floating debt, or in
. horrid state of repair. Let the most pune
tilious and doubling Funders visit the ASYLUM.
and give their honest convictions after doing
80. and everything we have said will be yerifi-
ed
We have said this much, because, when our
charitable Institutions were reorganized,
Funderism tried to educate the public mind up
% the belief that something awful and unholy
mad been done by the party in power, when IN
act, our humane Institutions were being re-
ieyed from careless and inefficient management
II the other Institutions have gained as much,
by the change (of which we
have not the slightest doubt as the Western
Asylum, then much good has been done, and
Funder criticism and predictions are pro-
yen groundess and unproyoked.