The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-04-17
A COLONY OF MERCY.
The Wonderful German Prototype of
EngIand's EpiIeptic Settlement.


Skipping's farm is to be the site of
the first English epileptic settlement
a settlement, that is, whose patients
will find in work of some sort the main
cure, or alienation at least, for their.
ailments of mind and body. The idea
of such a settlement is by no means
new. The first settlement or colony of
the kind in Europe, and I suppose in
the world, was founded at Gadderbaum.
near Bielefeld, in Westphalia, more
than twenty years ago. Skipping'S
farm colony will be established to some
extent on the German model. The gen.
eral purpose Of the National Society
may be described, in Sir James Crish-
ton Brownies words, as 'athe establish
ment of colonies which will be busy
like hives of industry. with two sorts
Iof products-the fruits Of the earth
and manufactured articles for sale and
mental contentment and improved
health, which are beyond all price,
1t will be unnecessary to begin the
colony on a grand scale. A colony Of
this kind, to be at all successful,
should grow mainly by its own re-
SourceS-Should be nearly self-Support-
ing. The Bielefeld colony began with
twenty patients, and is now a large
well-built, prosperous village Of about
l,5OO patients, with splendid workshops,
gardens and farms.
In the Bielefeld colony, of which
SkppingS farm colony is to be a kind
of copy, all the epileptic patients do
something or other. Those who are
fit for nothing else collect and assert
postage stamps, from the sale of which
the colony derives considerable
revenue. The head of the stamp office
is acknowledged to be one of the high
est authorities on stamp values in Ger
many. He showed me some of his
Irarest treasures; their prices were sim
ply astounding. In a word, the colony
at Bielefeld is a self supporting COM
munity of epileptic farmers, epileptic
tailors, epileptic bakers. carpenters,
shoemakers, blacksmiths, washer
women, dressmakers, printers, etc.
There is no finer bakery in London
than the epileptic bakery in Bielefeld.
In every workshop, school room, farm
house, dwelling house in the colony,
and in its large church as we'll the
couches are reaSy for the reception
of any workman or workwoman, wor-
shipper, scholar. inmate. who may drop
down in the midst of his or her duty
OF course, those who are subject to
frequent and violent fits are not put
in positions where they cannot be con-
stantly watched. The BieIefeld colony
is one Of the most pathetic sights in
the world. And yet, how happy that
little town of epileptics really isl 1t is
marvellous. And the secret of it is
work, the kind of work that each can
do best, and even then no more of it
than is good for him or her. Some
who are good for nothing else carry
messages.
An old baron acts as colonial post
man. He sometimes falls down in a
fit, but his fits are never severe He
knows when they are coming, and has
a knack of clutching his letter bag in
the nick of time so that when he
l<ne a again in q half or
so, he may find his trust uninjured.
These epileptics build their own houses,
till their own fields, grow their own
flowers. bake their own bread, black
their own boots, do their own wash
ing, mending, darning, ironing clip
each others hair, shave each others
cheeks and chins, and watch over
each others fits-in other words
they save tens of thousands of
pounds which otherwise would have to
be spent on imported labor, and by do
inging their own work they are follow
ing the very best means of effectinS
their own cure. Occupation for body
and mind-such is the secret Of the
marvellous success of that unique colony
at Bielefeld. The too common practice
in England of sending epileptic patients
to lunatic aSylumS is as stupid as it is
cruel. An epileptic patient is not nee.
essarily a madman. But many an cpl.
leptic patient has been driven into in
sanity by enforced association with
lunatics. The number of epileptics in
England is estimated at 10000; that
is the estimate which has been given
me, but cannot just now vouch for it's
accuracy. In any case the total must
be very great. The colony at Skipping's
farm, even if it ever be comes as great
and flourishing as the WestphaIian
colony, can only shelter a small fraction
of that immense multitude.--LoDdon
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