The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-21


gross the duty of an establishment OF
this kind, supported by dues from the
soldiers and fines and forfeitures, and
in 1910 Captain Robert Anderson, since
so famous, outlined plan. In 1914
General Scott induced the house com.
mlttee on military affairs to take tho
matter up, and i'll 1913, in transmitting
to the secretary of war draft for $780,
900, part of the tribute lowed upon the
City of Mexico, he urged that it be used
for beginning an army asylum. The
suggestion was adopted, and OH March
=, 1851, the act became q law.
An Ideal Home.
Twenty years service entities tho vet
eran to permanent home here, but OH
any shorter service he can remain only
30 long as his disability continues, ana
30 far rs can BIO determined by an in
spection of tho rolls not more than half
of those now here may be considered
permanent. One sees about the place
quite number Of very young looking
fellows, some of them much younger
looking than their inscribed age. but
inquiry shows that surprising pro-
portion of these arc permanently dis
abled. And what sort of a prospect must
this world present to man of 25 who
has received his sentence from the sur
geons of chronic disability? No wonder
there are suicides.
And yet the death rate is not large.
In tho year last reported there were
!, OSO on tho rolls ut the close, of whom
$50 were there at the beginning. There
were 512 admitted during tho year and
nearly as many discharged after remain
ing various periods, and yet there were
but 81 deaths There is not in all this
region a more healthful place. The high
location, the open gravcly subsoil, the
rolling land, splendid drainage and pure
water, together with good food and
ideally perfect buildings, combine to
mako it first class sanitarium.
The Scott Building.
1t was here that Lincoln used to say
that he found tho most satisfactory rest
and comfort during his troubled admin
istration. The old homestead building.
known since being refitted as the Rob
ert Anderson building, was the sum-
MGR home of Mr.. Lincoln. Mr.. Buchan-
an also occupied it at various times
during his presidency, as also did Mr.
Hayes and Mr.. Arthur, and General
Garfield had arranged to occupy it dur
ing the latter part of the season of 1881.
The various buildings arc named after
our most famous generals, but the
Scott so far exceeds all the others
that 1T is the only one to excite the en-
thusiasm of the artist and the architect.
1t is indeed magnificent structure, in
the Norman-Gothic style, 25ll@ feet
long and l5S1a feet wide, and construct
ed of white marble. Besides offices.
library and other convcniences it has
rooms for 40 inmates. The chapel is
built of rcdstonc, and Protestant and
Catholic services are regularly main
tanned 1t only remains to add III the
statistical limo that most of the inmates
receive pensions, and those of the tran
slents arc reserved by the managers and
paid to tho family of the inmate or to
him i'll lump when he leaves while
those who havo 10 pensions get ST per
month each for spending money. Liu-
uors are of course rigidly excluded,
but tobacco is used i'll every way known
to man, and immense quant of it,
should say.
An Alsatian Hero.
Walking down the beautifully over
achcd avenuo from whichf the capitol is
sen through Il long gre} vista like n
picture OH blue background. talked
at length with many of the veterans
who sauntcred that way or roposed on
the grass, noted their varying speech
and marveled at the strange vicissitudcs
which have brought so MANY men from
SO many lands together in this harbor
Of battered humanity They are indeed
of many lands and speak many Ian
by 7Ts <4.1e
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