Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1895-06-27
DAM ED WITH ANNA.
AN OHIO LEGISLATORS EXPERIENCE
IN AN IDIOT ASYLUM.
Tie Is a Congressman Now. but He Will
Never Forget the Time When the Teach
er Had Cause tn Consider Him the Great
est Idiot In the Asylum.

"You have no doubt noted how COM
pletely the felon man looks the moment
YOU charge him with crime and lock him
upYn 1t was congressman from Ohio
who asked the question. Without waiting
for reply, which was bound to be In the
Affirmative, he went on;
MANY years ago, in Columbus, while
was a member of the legislature, couple
Of fellow statesmen, who were on COM
mittee which had to do with the institu-
ton, were called by dint of business to
nav n visit to the State Asylum For Idiots.
1t was an evening enterprise, and as l was
without any programme / accompanied
them. 1t CHANGED to be field day, or
rather field evening, at the asylum. The
inmates were in long hall with n hard
floor, IA cross between "a ballroom and a
gymnasium.
At tho far end of the hail. on several
tiers OF seats, much like that luxurious
upholstery one finds at "A circus, were hud-
died the more irresponsible. But down in
the body of the big room were probably
100 persons of both sexes, ranging from 10
years To 40 and 90 years, and who were
equal in mental way TO going through
kind of drill i'm calisthenics with wooden
dumbbells. And they did 1t very nicely,
as noticed from my place, with my fellow
visitors up in front. There was brass
band too, the instruments being managed
by inmates who had taste for the melo-
dious. | am bound to say that. 1t was
good band far better than many which,
might boast more brains. The zany who
operated the Is fiat cornet was wonder.
| was much interested in all L saw, and as
many of these weakminded folk were
girls, and pretty ones mt that, my reflec-
tions, as I gazed on the scene, were not
without a cast of melancholy. l felt sorry
for them; their fates seemed very hard.
| To be born into an easy world like this ono
of ours and then not to be granted suffl-
cient wit 20 take advantage of 1T was hard.
perhaps an hour was taken up in the
dumbbcll exercises of the boarders and
the music Of their band. The meeting
then lapsed easily into an informal dance
quadrilles being rapidly arranged. Every
now and then waltz or round dance Of
some sort was pulled off. 1t all went
smoothly enough, too, the gentlemen
seeking their partners with the most stud
led, if not labored, politeness, and the Ia
dies conducting themselves in all respects
! like bellies of the first water.
My fellow statesmen had been over
there before and appeared, like the horse
thief in Louisiana, to feel perfectly mt
home. 1t was no time at all when L be-
held them, each with a partner, take their
places in quadrille. And to their credit
be il said, they did yeoman service and
danced every bit as well as the idiots.
While l was feeling proud ef them Mrs.
Doren the vi ff1 Of Or. Doren, the superin-
tendcnt of this home Of little light, and
who felt somewhat responsible for my en-
tertainment, asked me if ever danced.
admitted that on one or two occasions,
casting caution to the winds, l had in the
teeth of the advice of my friends given
way to this frivolity
&c. .yvh.,-l if,,.t toll ne9'. criad Me-