The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-12-04

> management of almshouses. This Is wha
q he says of the Burlington county institu
ton:
The Burlington county house is prob
ably the oldest structure of its kind IL
New Jersey, having been built the first
year of the century. AS seen from dis
lance it looks like an extensive farm
house with numerous outbuildings sur.
: rounding it, Repeated additions have
been made to it, the "lunatIc asylum" be
ing one and relatively very large one
The original structure shows its age plain
ly, and the additions, as if by kind OF
sympathy, seem old also, although the
asylum" was built only seventeen years
ago.
The whole number of indigents in the
house was, on November l, about $50, Of
whom Sc were insane and 20 we're chill
dren. The connected farm contains 6OC
acres of which 40 are tillable.
Theodore B. Gaskill IS steward, and
Mrs. Martha c. Gaskill, his wife, is
matron. Mr.. Gaskill has a salary of $3.50
a year, Mrs. Gaskll serves without salary
They employ no assistants, the whole es-
tablishment being conducted with help
chosen from among the inmates, sane and
insane.
Mr. Gaskill is a Republican. who has
been steward during a period of twenty
three years. He was first elected by the
Freeholders in 1871, and was once re-
elected by them. The Legislature in the
session of 1S7l-72, passed law under
which the steward of the Burlington
county house was thereafter to be elected
directly by the people. Mr.. Gaskill was
chosen at the first election held after this
went into effect, and has since been seven
times reelected, once by a majority of
600, when the other candidates on the
same Republican ticket were defeated.
But Mr. Gaskill ssys-what is no doubt
very considerably the fact-that it is his
wife who is popular with the Burlington
county voters, and that it has been Mrs.
Gaskill who has been the motive of their
frequent choice of himself as steward
Mrs. Gaskill is certainly woman pecu-
liarly fitted for such administration, being
endowed with tact, good sense, energy
and good health, remarkable combina-
ton of qualities in such place.
There have been three changes of ply
sicians within seven or eight years. The
present medical attendant is Dr. John w.
Webb, Democrat and homeopathic, who
was elected by the freehoders year ago
the board being Democratic-to sue
coed DR.. Enoch Hollingshead also a
Democrat and an allopathist. DIR. Hol-
lingshead was attendant for eight or ten
years preceding DR.. Webb's election, ex-
cept an interval of two years, during which
period Dr. Grigg, also a Democrat and
an allopathist, was attendant. All these
changes. although of persons of the same
political party. were made for political
reasons. personal or otherwise, by Demo-
cratic freeholders. DIR. Webb lives at
Pemberton, three miles distant, where
Drs. Hollingshead and Grigg were also
resident while in Office He visits the
house once in each week. His salary is
$3.50 year, small sum apparently, but
small as it is, it appears to be an object of
party consideration and struggle, and be-
tween the physicians.
Mr.. and Mrs. Gaskill both disapprove
of unnecessary changes in the officers of
these houses particularly, of course,
with reference to their effects upon the
insane, and regretted those that had been
made in the medical attendants. The
several physicians are highly respectable
gentlemen, but the insane are extremely
sensitive to such changes-which may
probably be said with truth of many per-
SONS who are quite sane. When they be-
come accustomed to a particular physi-
clan, a change disturbs and irritates
them. Some of them neutrality-suspicious.
many of them-notice and dislike a
change in the character of the medicines
prescribed by different schools; and they
are not in the least ignorant that DIR. Hol-
lingshead is an allopathist, and that DR..
Webb is homeopathist Considerations
like these may not influence people; al
though it is very certain that some peo-
pie have a decided choice In such matters
as well as the insane.
There is but one person IN cell in this
house, woman of whom it was stated
that she. is subject to excitable periods,
during which it is necessary that she shall
be secluded. Mrs. Gaskill expresses her
disapproval of imprisoning these people;
she practices the largest liberty for them
all, and no evil consequences have re-
suited. In all her twenty three years ex-
perience she has but two or three times
had trouble with any of them.
The Asylum" is connected with the
main building; is three stories highs
said Ito have accommodations for about
sixty people; it is fully occupied when
fifty-six are in it; probably it is somewhat
crowded; but, upon the whole, is as we'll
adapted for its purpose as any place of the
kind is likely to be under county man
agement The sitting rooms, both male
and female. are very small, too small, ]
should not hesitate to say.
j But the whole place was very clean and
well-ordered; and perhaps there is some
merit in the fact that it does not have the
formal official look observable in the state
and county hospitals of Camden and
Essex counties. 1t is very likely, indeed
that the whole surroundings are more
: consonant with the former circumstances
J of the inmates than the more elaborate
, fittings of state institutions would be.
With respect to the children, the same
condition exists here that exists else
where in the almshouses Paupers, in
sane and children come into more or lesi
continuous contact and association,
/ condition for which no superintendent o
D matron is responsible, since there is n
very effective way of preventing it. a
these houses are now organized. Probs
bly, it exists in the least offensive form il
this house, but mInimized as the associs
!, ton here probably is, it is an association
: still greatly to be deplored.
!. Mr.. and Mrs Gaskill have some view
y about the treatment of the insane, which
in view of their long experience, are in
: teresting. Mrs. Gaskill is warm part
, san of the cottage system, and agrees wit
> Mr.. Gaskill in his belief that small inst
tutions are preferable and that great al
, gregations of the insane in one place al
> to be deplored Mr.. Gaskill said tbs