The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-12-06
INSANITY LOOSELY TREATED.

The remarkable attempt which was made
Friday on the life of Russell Sage is only an
additional evidence of the laxness with which
! insanity is treated in this country. That the
man who committed the act was demented IS
shown not only by his Indifference to exist
enoe as exemplifed in his own destruction
which was foregone conclusion from the
moment the dynamite bomb left his hand
but also by the announcement in Albany
which identified him with an escaped lunatic
| 1t is only the more sensational crcum-
stances which diferentiate the case Of this
man from that Of Rath. who few DAYS ago
came so near 10 assassinatng DR.. Hall as he
was ascending the steps Of his church. Both
men were undoubtedly insane. and yet.
though their mental weakness was known to
great number of persons, both were at
large.
Are there any other people under the sun
who are as slow in taking all the necessary
precautions for their own personal safety as
the American people, This is country in
which liberty is carried TO such point OF
license that there is really an indispostion to
confne even lunatics because it is regarded as
an encToachment upon the personal right Of
freedom. If the man suspected Of being a
lunatic can move about without attracting an
undue amount Of attention. and can restrain
himself from blowing out tho brains of his
acquaintance, it is looked upon as being
more or less an outrage to remove him
to an institution where by nc possibility. can
he inhict harm upon others. The great
Northern cities appear TO be infested with
murderous lunatcs. who roam at large as
freely as If they were in the possession Of we'll
balanced intelleets. No systematic effort is
made TO withdraw them from the community
The consequence is that every man who fills
a prominent place in the public eye is wholly
at their mercy.
1t is entirely consistent with the spirit Of
American society 10 find that the great fnan
cier is the principal object of homicidal attack.
Abroad. it is the emperor and the king. In
this country it is the leaders Of the stock ex-
change. like the late William H. Vanderbilt
Jay Gould and Russell Sage These are the
men who are the most envied in the Northern
communities because they possess the highest
degree Of financial power and are in posses-
sion OF the largest fortunes.
Money is what the average American mind |
worships most ardently. and the most i'm !
portant individual. therefore, is he whose |
purse is the longest The disordered wits of |
the lunatic are infamed by the enormous
weight attached to fortune. The men who |
possess 1t become to him objects of supreme
regard, and he feels all irrepressible desire
to share their possessions. Animated by this
love of money in its most deadly formi he
seeks the presence OF the first millionaire who
can be approached. demands fortune of him.
and when refused strives to destroy the man
who thus declines to comply with his wishes
1t is idle to say that the individual who
could precipitate the tragedy of Friday was
not known before as 6 man unbalanced in his
intellect. The fact that such man is ut LARGE
in any community is an evidence that its laws
are loosely administered The time has come
when the crank with tendency to violence
should be dealt with with the utmost firm.
ness. He should be confined to an insane asy.
um and kept there for life unless his recoy.
ery is so unmstakable that it would be gross
tyranny to retain him.