The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1889-11-07

In the issue Of the 10th inst of the
HERALD is an item, the subject is one
furnished by the St. Peter insane asylum,
in the person of one miss Ensign" re-
Gently discharged from that ignoble in
stltution, having been incarcerated there
eight years, then turned out alone, on
an untriendly world to seek her friends,
If she had any. The kind hospitality of
Mr.. Geo. Botz, secured to her temper
airy shelter and food, but apparently
overcome by Disappointment in not find
ing relatives the poor creture was over
come and bewildered in mind and wan
dered, not knowing where. This is but
one case of hundreds of the same charact-
er. No matter! they have been insane,
and in the asylum, not worth noticing
now. Oh! glorious highly praised
insane asylum system. 1t blinds the
public mind of charity, and steels human
sympathy for its inmates, and.by The
high confidence of friends, of the sup
posed kindness and parental care as
well as medical treatment reposed in it's
managers, they loose kind affection and
forget their once dear ones. If they per-
chance to recover and are so fortunate
as to be discharged from the institute,
although their condition is better, the
public sympathy is unaffected in their be-
half. The system is wrong; it's practice
is cruel and barbarous to its inmates
and ruinous to the public sympathy for
the unfortunate, and still controlling
politicians and men in high official posi-
lions having the oversight of the institu-
lions for the insane, not only permit them
to prosper in their present management,
but white-wash the investigations made
by better disposed officials, and exoner-
ate perpetrators of malasence in Office.
May all news papers in the lan1 of free
dom publish every such instance as has
the HERALD, and largely comment on the
same, so as to arouse the public sympa-
thy in behalf of this poor unfortunate
class, that a better system may soon be
provided for their care and treatment.
1t is awful to contemplate such case
as the HERALD noted; young lady once
beloved by friends, became mentally
sickened, was sent from home and friends,
supposed to be- doctored, and after eight
years confinement without mental Gull
ture nor sane and intelligent associa-
tons, mentally dwarfed, unable to labor
as servant even, no money, no friends,
turned alone with strangers to seek her
llvelyhood. Is not such inhuman treat
ment? Take the case home, consider it
well and if ever you have an opportunity
to assist such an unfortunate one do
not pass it by.
The result of such conditions is in the
present system OF asylums. The public
are ignorant of it's effects, and it's VIC
Tins are so scattered they do not see the
results. The recent Investigations of diff
ferent asylums show conclusively the
system is defective, and can be but little
WullC d SIdIS II. nc
patient is taken away and secluded from
the watchful care of family friends and
local officers and tax payers, and are
placed so near the public treasury that
the eye of the controlling officers can
look upon both at the same time, and
the reader can judge which is most at
tractive.
Some persons may object to my re-
Elections, but have seen the reality, and
for proof, refer to those institutions,
carefully compared with observations of
any intelligent man acquainted with
their management. May the next legis-
lature of Minnesota make a grand re-
form in caring for the insane OF the
state. May they be kept home.
H H VEIIE