St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-03-23
Correspondence.
LETTER FROM CONCORD.

JohBsbury Man.
Correspondence OF the cALEDoNiAN1
CONCORD, n. H., March 2l.-During
recent visit to this institution | was
deeply impressed and interested in its
yastness and skillully systematized APP
pointments in all the varied and most in
tricate channels OF management that !
venture to ask your permission to use
the columns OF your esteemed paper III
giving a meagre account of what ] saw
and learned in the short time ! spent
within its walls. From the moment !
passed over its threshold until ] babe
adeu to its courteous and most efficient
Superintendent, Dr.. Chas. p Bancroft, ]
received the most kindly attention from
the attendants in charge of the various
departments All the appointments in
the varied departments of this institu-
ton seemed to have been anticipated
and carried out by wonderfully wise
and discreet mind.
The asylum is located at the extreme
west end Of Pleasant street and quite
outside the settled portion OF the city.
The buildings are constructed of stone
and brick and are of the most modern
style of architecture, and being on an
elevation Of several hundred feet above
the Merrimac valley, afford the purest
OF air, perfect drainage and most
charming view
There are about 126 acres OF meadow
land connected with the asylum which
was a gift from the town of Concord
over so years ago The grounds about
the buildings arc charmingly and artist
cally laid out in parks, walks flower gar
dens, drives etc, and all finely shaded
with tall elms and wide spreading maple
trees, aifording the most cheerful and
cxhilarating influences which nature can
give.
The asylum is divided into twcnty-four
wards which are capable of accommo-
dating from s to 20 patients each. In
the female wards from two to eight
trained nurses are employed, and in the
male wards from one to three nurses are
employed, they all being graduates from
the training school for nurses connected
with the asylum.
There are at present 800 patients, the
larger number being females. OF this
large number of inmates comparatively
few are under restraint. Many of them
are allowed the liberties of the ASYLUM
and grounds, and quite a number are al
lowed the liberties Of the city. A large
per cent of the patients are of the class
who arc mentally diseased and come
here for treatment of their own choice
and accord The wards in the female
department are located in the broad cor
ridors, leading out OF which are parlors,
reading rooms, music rooms and sleep.
ing rooms-each patient having neat
and tidy litteroom to herself, furnished
with single bed, dressing-case. COM
mode, and one or more chairs MANY
OF these rooms are adorned and made
very pleasant by display of photo
graphs of relatives, friends and familiar
views OF their home surroundings. In
one OF these rooms occupied by an ac-
qualntance of mine whom | visited |
noticed n photograph of sister and
brother OF the occupant, and bv the
neat and conspicuous manner in which
they were displayed upon the dressing
case concluded that they afforded their
posscssormuch comfort and consolation.
The nurses are so gentle and kind TO
their patients that they seem constant
" in study devising means and WAYS
to make their charges happy and con
tent
To all who have near relatives or dear
friends in this institution can say
that the confidence which they have
placed in its guardians is and eve,
will he most sacredly regarded.
There is IN the asylum a large hall. in
which the inmates are allowed to amust
themselves in many ways. They get NJ
concerts, tabeaux, pantomimes, mas
qucradcs, etc, into which they ente,
with much soul and real enjoyment
There is fully equipped printing ant
publishing plant connected with tn,
asylum, which is largely conducted b,
the patients, There are also workshop,
and many harmless games provided fo
the male inmates where they can anus
themselves and prevent their driftin,
into melancholy. The ladies, for tn
greater part, occupy the corridors ant
parlors, where they amuse themselve
by reading, writing, singing, pavin
the piano,or engage IN fancy needle orl
according as their tastes direct
Each ward has one or more dinin
rooms, where they are served at state
hours with such food as their sever;
physical and mental conditions reouir
The cuisine is perfection itself, and II
scale on which the substantials and del
cacies are prepared and served out in Il
kitchen are simply huge Think of tie
boiler holding 300 quarts, a coffee boil
holding $50 quarts and a soup caldrc
holding 300 quarts of chicken sou
al steaming and filling the roo
with their pleasant aroma. This w
what greeted me as entered this q
nartment Just before the hour of dim,
This department is kept in almost il
maculate neatness, and as the tea. cofi,
chicken soup vegetables. cake, and otl
dellcacies were dishcd out into neat
dish S and placed upon the trucks to
conveyed to thccleyators leading to