New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-29
MANY ABUSES CORRECTED.
IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONDITION Of
TIE DEPENDENT INSANE,

REPORT OF rlIE STATE CHARITIES AID ASSo'
CATION TO TIE COMMISSION IN LrNAcf-'
Asyr1.,is IN AND NEAR NEw-YoEK
r,,, 1-.t annual report Of the State Charities Ana
.ssocot,on to the State Commission IN i-"i'1S'
which has Just been issued. is an extremely i.'e'
a.,,,, document Soine extracts from 1t are given
below .,.,,,n ora
.rha s.ondi.g coInraitices OF the Association are
.r in number: Cpon children. Adult ADle-bou'e'
Paupc:s Hospitals. a Subcommittee OF 'HT I".so
nresentng the insane. The fourth
Committee collects through voluntary ''',
,,ons the small sum OF money needed anhua"y i0
rar. OF healquarters office In New-NoTK ,''F anu
o,src.l assistance: for stationery. printing anu
hostage: for the salaries and travelling eApeH''
the secretary and assistant secretary Hun'e Va.
last ten months the total receipts. mciud'ns '"''
years balance. from annual soo'o' ""o go ~
,Ious and sales Of publications amounted 10 go" '
fxnor1,,urcs for the sam" period $il27 a. Baiahc''
sontor,her % 1896 81 CS2 So No money Is OF MAJ
been received from public sources nor Wou" 'n'N
h. accented as the Association wishes TO DE- niue
pendent of all outside influences an" 10 '''''" 10
G!stnctlyeiv volunteer character
"Vsrv cry In our history We were c1A'd np'n -
dao,o o,- nositon ami decide whether TIE inhuehce
~ tho Association should % thrown in b"hai oil the
State care or county care for the depe"deh' III
s,ua There was no hesitation. The memory Oh
Miss Dx's earnes: plea. of Dr Wizards strong de-
q
renorts Of legislative commissions the TRADITIONS
If the entire reform element Of the Siate-au "''f
IN c found ON the side Of the removal OF the III zane
from the poorhouses of placing them under the care
OF che State Stronger than any theory born OF
tradition was the testimony of the visitors OF the
Association. a. eye-witnesses OF the suiferingS OF
these poor aad neglected people Hungry ana cod sill
ting in the through the long winter afternoons
and evenings because light was TOO expensive cow
ering in cells. sitting in a;,ics without prope' meH'
cal ATTENDANCE. ovcrWOrked on county Farms, or
brooding without occupation in crowded wards or
dered about by rough pauper ATTENDANTS they were
OF al be.nSs most miserable That the worst abuses
were corrected in many PAGES as the years went by
Is matter of record and yet eighteen years after our
visitors began to know what the inside OF poor
house mean. for the insane, as one reads the hrst
annua, report Of the Commission in Lunacy. written
In 1880 glowing with Indignation as it recounts the
suffering. Of these poor people, one is surprised TO
hnd how lttle progress had been made in all thosc
years The system OF poorhouse care has proved IL
system is now a thing OF the past.
The Commissioners Of Charities of Kings County
haV. recently passed resolutions advocating the
transfer of their land and buildings at st. John
.na 70 the State and Is hoped the authorities OF
in regard TO the asylums Of this county Alhougi s
solely in the interest of the dependent classes and
not in behalf Of the taxpayers. it regrets that the
Sar and inF Hss fN Countess a to maintain their own
insane than to have them maintained by the state
Figures furnished from the office OF the commits.
sion in Iunacy show concluslvey that the annual
saving to New-YOrk County were he- insane main
;ained by the State would be about $4,000; 10
Kings County annual saving of over SlSlVp
These counties. from financial point of view. msht
therefore well afford to lease or to sell their prop
erty TO the State for State hOspital purposes al
nominal rates We would advocate for New York
the concentration of all the insane upon Wards
Island and the county farm at ls!ip; for Kings
County. their concentration at St. John.and. all
three county asyums to be recognized as State hos
pltals Thus the insane would derive the inesti lima
HE advantage being cared for by the state there
would be one uniform system and equalized
taxation. =, -,
The whole number of patients in the New-York
County asylums October l. 1898. was 60sf CSl5
men. & 2Se women. increase of 81 QU men. liO
women) since October /. 1892 The patients were
distributed as follows: