The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-12-06
A Visit to the Aims House and Insane


House and Insane Asylum held their
annual November meeting for the present
year on Saturday last. The occasion was
marked by quite an .assemblage of invited
guests and @menbers of the board OF
County Commissioners. Cecil county
aims house is an ancient institution,
though the building has been renewed
several ti1ffes. The first aims house was
built in 1879 was a log structure and OF
necessity very primitive affair. The
present building is quite substantial, COM
modious and fairly we'll fitted up and
arranged for the purpose it is designed.
The insane asylum is built of brick and
is located few yards distant and across
the road Immediately opposite the aims
house. The former has been built only a
few year, and the mistake of the design
ers is already apparent. The building is
too small.
For & public institution, so old as
the aims house, the evidence of gross
neglect, incompetency or criminal care
lessness on the part of the many and
divers men who have come into and gone
out of Office, filling the role as executors
of county government, the unkempt and
| neglected condition of the property testi-
fes against them. 1t is only within few
years that anything for improving and
identifying the surroundings and the
farm, has been done. In the grounds
about the insane asylum where all shonld
have been shade, tidiness and comfort, a
few shade trees have recently been plant
ed. The high board fence round the yard
of the insane asylum made the spot a
prison pen where the breeze was shut out
and the hot sun poured down on the heads
of the unfortunates, making bake oven
rather than park where fresh air could
be enjoyed. The trees now planted will
give shade in few more years, and a
pavilion has been raised in the middle of
this walled-in yard, some fifteen or twenty
feet above the ground, where cool breezes
can be enjoyed and a fine view of the
surrounding country had. An orchard
has been planted and in a few years, if
properly attended to, will produce an
abundance of fruit A fine herd of cows
is kept on the farm at the head of which
has been placed an imported Swiss bull, a
fine looking animal and breed said to be
remarkable for dairy purposes and good
beef stock.
The herd of swine has been almost
exterminated by hog cholera. Some fifty
pigs and shoats and fifteen or twenty
large hogs having been swept off, only
four or five being left.
There is remarkably fine barn.pn the
place, recently built, with we'll arranged
stabling and large tnows for provender.
There are some we'll titled fields on the
farm but Large portion of it is little bet
ter than common If the county pro-
poses to keep the farm it should all be put
| in the best condition possible and made
model farm.
The trustees believe if the Commission
ers would levy $4,000 year for two or
three years that the farm could be placed
in the best condition and the returns from
it woald ,sbe greatly Increased. Eight
thousand dollars is now appropriated by
the. county for the institutions. The board
of trustees that was summarily ousted and
gave place to the present board had run
up bill against the county of SIG, 200,
and accounts showed that regular ring
business had been carried on of "you
tickle me and I'll tickle you" The pres
ent board appear to take much. interest in
their work and accept it as a conscien-
tious duty.
Among recent additions to the farm is
very nice carp and ice pond, fed by a
spring, and the management hope to add
to the bill of fare good supply of fresh
fish during the season. On account OF
the loss of nearly all of the hogs four or
five thousand pounds of pork will have to
be purchased for the use ofthe institutions:
A committee was appointed, selected
from among the visitors, to view the prem,
ises and make report which will appear
as part of the minutes where details Of
the management will be given. We can
only give brief summary of what could
be gathered by birds eye view of the
institutions and the property, and neces.
sarily a very brief one. There is one de-
tail, however, we would call attention to-
The trustees have had five cells fitted UP
on the upper story of building apart
from the main buildings and used as a
laundry and for other purposes These
cells are roomy, light and provided with
comfortable bedding They are vel
secured by iron CRATES which make then
safe for insane persons, and there
are several in the Jail which would be
much more comfortable in these cell:
than where they are, and would be main
tanned at about a cost of ten or twelve
cents day to the county. In the Jail i
costs the county .forty-hve cents. If the
asylum building were larger persons from
other counties of the State could be cared
for by the same management and suf
ficient profit OIL their support and care
derived to pay the employees.
We cannot close this desultory sketch
without complimentary notice of the
most excellent dinner enjoyed by thu
guests, but this feature of the occasion We
feel safe in leaving for we'll deserved