New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-31
THE POOR AND THE INSANE.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HOUSING AMI
CARE OF KINGS COUNTY
UNFORTUNATES.


NEW BUILDING FOR coNvALEscENTs TO PRE-
VENT cRowDING THE HOsPrTAr--AwN1NGs
FOR THE NURSERY WINDOWS AND THE
SCHOOL FOR FEEBLE MINDED.
The old country '1ean-up' or shed, that stood so
long between the Almshouse and the hospital and
which was such eyesore to Mr.. Burtis. has van
ished and the spot will be either sodded or seeded
for lawn The forest OF large trees that formerly
obstructed the view from the windows OF the
womens apartments has been thinned out TO the
requirements Of the city rather than the forest and
the grounds are beautifully laid off In fower-beds.
one circular bed containing $50 plants. These I'M
provements have not cost the county one cent. as
they were made by the prisoners In the Kings
County Penitentiary.
In time the bread which Is now baked IN a
bakery Just back Of the mems quarters VIII De
ba ked in the penitentiary 1t takes 40 hree-pound
loaves OF this bread for the Almshouse alone be
tween the hospital and the mems quarters VIII DC
erected n building In which TO keep the GONZALES
cents At present there are no quarters FOR that
class Of people who neither fit for the hospital
nor the Almshouse. For instance they are old'
many OF them have troubles peculiar TO old age,
need supervision and care. but are not sick enough
to occupy beds In The hospital and could not ana
should not do So AZ the hospital is nearly always
crowded. There is room for 400 patients IN the
10 make place for $50 and in the winter time II IL
not an unusual occurrence to have to take care OF
COO DR. Arnold says that the hospital facilities
should be doubled In addition to home Tor the
convalescents Then they would have a few beds
to spare. which every hospital should have
Among the recent improvements may be men
toned the awnings for the windows Of the nursery
This building has a southern exposure and as
there were formerly awnings the sun poured
in there with its hot scorciing rays without let or
hindrance To this nursery come unfortunate
women who mothers. bringing with them their
homeless and many times. fatherless Infants Here
they may remain until the child Is two years old.
The Commissioners try to find good homes and
people to adopt the babies but II they are not
successful the children sent off 10 some inst-
tution-the Catholic children to Catholic insttu-
tions and the Protestant children to institutions OF
the faith o, their parents and relatives. And the
mother II she is not able to earn her own living or
there are that can be held responsible Tor
her care must stay at the Almshouse
There are classes OF independent people IN
this world the monaires and the paupers or
the two It is probable that the pauper is the harder
to deal with. There Is no grade or life IN
which doe. not exist a sect feeling These inmates
Of the Almshouse and nursery have theirs. ana
they stand up for their rights with vim. 1t has
been found mpractlcable to keep the white and the
colored IN the same room or ward, 80 the
''colored population" have quarters Of their own.
There are neat men and neat women, well as
both kinds that are not neat. but woman in the abb
stract is heater than man. Nowhere Is this moro
strikingly illustrated than in the Almfhouse The
quarters OF the women both white and colored. arc
as clean as soap and sand can make them They
are obliged to keep them clean themselves Every
place where the woman can get bit or ribbon a
flower or a small picture. she has used 1t to decor
ate the few feet in the ward that comprise her only
substitute for home. If an old woman has been In
the habit OF smoking or taking snuff. she Is per
is no substitute for that disgust called the cuspidor
in the place Across the yard in the quarters OF the
the difference between that which Is passable ana
that which is perfect Here and there are boxes
filed with sand or cinders but never ribbon never
a picture never tiny flower. 1t is the barracks OF
men
THE WORK OF THE CIvITAS CLUB
At this place is also the school for feeble-mnded
children, which first organized by the Ctvitas
Club The first year of this work the ladies OF the
Civitas Club engaged teacher at salary of SIS a
month. OF this sum the club raised all but SIS.
which the Commissioners provided This year they
have reduced the price they pay their teacher 10
$50 Of which the Civtas Club pays $40 and the Com
missioners $50. One OF the young ladies or the
Civitas Club pays visits week to this
school, so that she may famliarize herself with the
progress made in this seemingly forlorn hope Here
also do they need more room. They are obliged at
present TO keep the ebe-minded and the hopeless
idiots in the same room; TINS has been proved proved by
Randalls Island and elsewhere to greatly retard
the progress OF the feeble minded Their surround
ings should be those who know more and not less
than they do themselves.
II it ever was an easy matter to put anybody who
might chance to be in ones way into an insane
asylum In Kings County, such state or atairs
has ceased TO exist since July l. The quantity of
red tape that was formerly necessary to commit an
insane person has been more than doubled While
the doctors at the Kings County Hospital are not
disposed to murmur at anything that throws an
extra guard against villany. the new regulations
they maintain that the Kings County Hospital was
difficult hospital TO manage as IT was Every
and looks stolidy at the floor with melancholia to
the sailor who runs amuck must have just so much
red tape before the doctors OF the asylum can re-
ceive the patient But before this red tape can be
measured off. the insane person must go to some
place he or she Is taken 10 the Kings County
Hospital, the Amshouse, while the legal formal-
ties are being compiled with In this time II he or
she is in the Almshouse or hospital and suddenly
takes notion 10 set the place on nre or TO 40 otner
mischief that only disorde ere brain bra would thinR
hospital and the heplessness OF those who lie there
sha6aer at he ays shr the new regulations
to get the proper order Of commitment for an in
can. and probably would refuse to receive any one
whose papers were not all In order. A man cannot
being thought in conspiracy to put or keep sano
person in asylum for the insane and between tho
patient who was waiting to get the signatures Ok
doctors. Judges, relatives and friends, it IS the hos
think that for the sake OF those who might be the
sufferers, there should be proper place provided
subsequent examination may reveal, can be placed
Even in well-reguated pay hospitals there are not
enough nurses protect the sick In violently
insane person suddenly breaks loose. and In the |
Almshouse there is scarcely any guard around the
old and feeble.
GEORGE r. WEBER SURRENDERS HIMSELF |
George r. Weber. against whom warrant was
issued on April IS charge OF sending an insult
ing postal card to his wife walked into the Federal
Building yesterday morning and gave himself up |
ard. her
TO furnish the SJD bail imposed upon him and spent
the night in Raymond-st. Jail He will probably |
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