Omaha daily bee., 1890-08-17

was talking about the ''sluns OF London
and what to do with them. There
was a genetal agreement that some
thing must be done, and soon. The
only differences of opinion we're
what that something should be. States
men again declared the existing condi.
tion of affairs to be Disgrace to ciyili-
zation and that il must be changed at
any cost. IA
Andwhat was the result? The effect
of the pamphlet died out; scandals
among the nobility and intriguos of the
politicians increased and the hungered,
melancholy procession grew larger and
larger until today their condi tion is ap-
paling,
report to our state dcpartmc mt at
ashington, by VIM. Z. Smytho, of
ST. Louis, commercial agent at
Huddcrsficld, England under date
OF June ., which has just been
printed in the consular bulletin
showsm alarming aspect OF pnuperism.
Mr.. Smy the says the progress OF lunacy
seems to be spreading with a sad and al
most startling energy. In lSS0alono in
the county OF Lancashire there wore
about siNty-ei ght hundred lunatics Of all
grades. In 1870 this number has in
creased to nine thousand The returns
for England and Wales for 1880 showed
that over siNty-one thousand lunatics
were under treatment or hOpelesSly af.
fected, while the report for 1890 shows
that these figures have increased to
seventy-five thousand. The port says
that it is characteristic of the English
tramp W hen drvento necessity to choose
between the poor houseand starvat tiOn to
simulate amillform oflunacy, and thcre-
by become a legitimate and inoif fcnsive
charge on an insane asylum
These figures on lunacy show that tho
English system OF caring for paupers is
all wrong. The idlenes5 of poor houses
and the ill treatment received by
beadles and superintendcntS in their
brief authority stimulate lunacy and
pitiable wretchedness. a recent report
of the state committee of Pennsylvania
on lunacy shows an interesting fact in
regard to the mental condit tion of the
oul iNOA > VI tlt - OHllSlbN II ul9o'ICl ttiiu
furnishes proof that u great percentage
of insanity is the result Of continued
mel lancholy. 1t was thought by many
that the survivors of that great
disaster would lose their reason
but itappears that lytlfteen cases wer
in any way caused by the catastrophe.
The secretary says Of the showing: I'm
reviewing this very small total the co n
viction is strengthened that the great
| and overwhelming trials of life are much
less liable to overthrow the reason than
the continuous worry and attrition OF
minor evils and unavoidable contact
with depressing surroundings.
So it appears that the alarming in
crease of England's insane is due alone
to the ending idleness of the poor
house, where hope and ambition are
both imprisoned.
And it is indeed a sad Wavesty upon
Nineteenth century Christian progress
when with public treasures overhowing
with accumulated wealth wrung from
the toiling masses, and millionaires
counted by the score, that pau
perism should be anywhere al
lowed TO exist. 1t is the
duty of every ma ton to care for its own
poor, not by keeping up almshouses and
supporting the occupants in idleness
but by devising ways and means to give
honest, self-supporting employment to
such unfortunates as by any chance are
thrown upon the public charity. Few
persons are pnupers through choice,
Tramps and beggars are made more often
by the failure to secure employment
than by inability or disinclinatiOn to
| labor. Healthful exercise with some
reward in sight would make but few
| lunatics. Unfortunates unable to man.
age their own affairs should be treated
| as children ofthe government and shown
| the same consideration of the apprentice
bound out to learn a trade. In this way
| thousands who are doomed to despair
under the present system would become
| self-suppOrting.