St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-26
MINNEAPOLIS.
TREATMENT OF THE INSANE.

Rev. William Wilkinson on Inr-
provement in the Ways OF the
World.
In st. Andrews church Yesterday the
rector, Rev. William Wilkinson, in
sermon on the influence of Christianity
in our own day, said:
"No man can look over the past with
interest and clearness of vision but he
will see that at all times and in all
places there have been two forces OF
tremendous power in operation, each
calculated to neutralize the other. As
the first. greed has been dominant, the
savage state has been uppermoSt, no
matter what has been the name OF tue
age or nation in which this has been the
fact. As the other, love, has joined the as
cendent civilization the Christian spirit
has been uppermost, with all the beneh-
cent things the word implies. The trst.
greed, says. 1t is my destiny and duty
to look out for myself, and L will do 1t
well'. The second says, All the IN
terest and the rights have in life are
limited by the rights of others. and the
general good From these two SEMI
nal views and positions, whether men
know it or not, conduct and character
spring. They are ever in conflict. No
age has been without its Seers, who, in
in some measure, have discerned
this, but they have not been able
to make their fellows under
stand and practice its teachings.
If we would behold the degradation OF
the human mind we have only to exam
inc the records of the past in regard to
the way the mentally deranged for ages
were treated For thousands of years no
public organic provision was made for
them. And when at last 1t was made,
it was such as is disgrace to the age
which made it. Every inquiry made
into the working of mad houses as
conducted up to the last fifty years, has
been to condemn .them. Insanity In
itself was less to be looked upon with
dread than the way it was treated.
There is not to-day living man to de-
tend the methods of the past. Pub
to chain an insane man, and
never for an instant release
him in twelve wears. The dungeon, the
straight Jacket and instruments of tor
ture of all kinds were devised and
used, until persons at first not seriously
wrong became raving maniacS. Ii we
want to know how miserable was the
lot OF this class of the community, we
have only to read small part of the
library of literature which is accessible
on this subject. George Crabbe has left
in his poems lasting records of the
ideals of the eighteenth century on this
subject.
LAS love has won its way and the
press has scattered knowledge through
the land, the cause of the insane has
had defenders, opponents and most de-
voted students. Mrs. Camp, with her
umbrella, ignorance, superstition,
cruelty and gin, is not now, as once
she was, an important parsonage In the
insane ward. 1t was said she always
prescribed gin, which she drank, and
then rubbed the patient with the bottle.
She has been relieved of her charge;
out of disorder order has been evolved,
till the insane now is an object of ten
der pity, love, sympathy, care and hope.
For him the highest minds in Europe
and on this continent are at work. Any
fact or observation which can throw one
ray of light OH his case is heralded over
the land with pleasure. The results
are most wonderful. In some cases
persons insane over ten years have been
restored to mental SOundneSS. In this
state, i'll one year from one hospital for
the insane over $50 persons have been
sent back sufficiently restored to sound
ness as to be dismissed on trial.
LET no one think am speaking of a
subject of small importance or which
concerns few people. There have been
in the state hospitals for the insane
over eight thousand persons. If twelve
persons are directly interested in each
one it gives a hundred and four thous-
and persons who are directly concerned
in them apart from the larger public
concern which we all have. The chang
ing benefcent view of this whole sub
ject is now beginning to write itself in
the language of the people. Not long
go it was looked upon as a disgrace
full or criminal thing to be insane.
Those so afflicted became the sport of
vulgar people, jest or worse. They
were looked upon as burden to be got
rid of as soon as possible. All this
is changing quickly. The prison
idea is going, never in this connection
to return. Ali which can suggest penal
ideas is being eliminated. All which
can suggest sickness, need, sympathy,
love, care. relief, hope, enjoyment,
happy occupation OF time, virtuous
pleasure and final restoration to sound
mind are in the air. They fill the
thought of the best men in insane hos
pitfalls, in the medical profession. The
world has come along with rapid gait
this last hundred years when it has i'm
proved the thinking from madhOuse to
hospital for the insane. On exact eX-
animation il will be found that the pro-
fOundest principle upon which the
Christian religion rests is loving help
for those who cannot help themselves.
How divine, then, is the ideal hospital
for the care of mental affection.