St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-06-25
Some Rambling Thoughts.
COPYRIGHTED BY MEMO"

Some Rambling thoughts.
COPYRIGHTED BY MEMO"
Some months ago | dared to suggestto
young men who had more energy than
they could exhaust on the ordinary al
fairs of life, that it might be well to ex-
pend that energy for their fellow men, by
devoting themselves heart and soul to
bringing about justice for workingmen
in the form Of employers liability for in
iuries suffered while at work. pointed
out that by modern conditions a work
man was unable to guard himself fully
against the criminal carelessness of his
fellows, and also showed that nothing
but law equal in its obligations in all
states would be fair to the employer.
Where this suggestion may have lodged
effectively, may not know, since these
Thoughts" are not like bread cast upon
waters, to return after many days, but
more like arrows shot forth at random,
hitting sometimes and missing often.
leone now with another subject that
affects every community and that is
clamoring for proper answer with louder
and louder tones as the years roll by;
question that must be answered prop
erly by this country or it will remain
problem for the Goth century that is abb
solutely frightful to contemplate--the
question is as to the proper care OF the
feeble-minded. Now mention it, you of
course admit that there is such a ques-
ton, but its Importance and its magni-
tude are hardly likely to be felt by you,
save perhaps in your community there
are but few such afflicted ones. Bear
with me as l lead you to deeper feeling.
According to the Bureau OF Statistics
at Washington there are in this country
over one hundred thousand such people
i am not referring to either Idiots or
insane but. only to those of insufficient
intellect. This 100000 includes only
those who by their parents or guardians
are acknowledged to the authorities;
and learned ones on this subject think it
fair to suppose that there are halt as
many more concealed and unreported by
sensitive relatives; so that our problem
resolves itself into the care-taking of $50,
900 people too lacking in intelligence to
properly look after themselves. They
are pining out limited existence in our
towns as the butts for all sorts of jokes,
in our poor-houses as those who may
be abused without fear, in our jails as
those who have done crimes that seemed
to be committed without any sense oil
wrongdoing, in our land as vast army
whose dull eyes look out upon life as ii it
were dream. What is being done for
them? The total accommodation in all
the institutions that already exists for
their proper care and training is 5000
Full twenty states give them no atten
ton at all. In South Carolina, Virginia
Missouri and Oregon some few of then
are sent to the insane asylums, the yer,
last place they ought to be, since the,
can be trained to some degree OF use
tulness. In Montana they are grouped
with the deaf and dumb, classification
that must be of damage to the deal
mutes. Main, Vermont and Wyoming
pass them on the other states, if accom-
modations can be found. In the case o
Maine and Vermont, Massachusetts, il
looked to for help, though its own stat
applicants exceed by hundreds every pos
sible accommodation at either Waverl,
or Barre. North Carolina, Georgia, Ar
} kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas
Utah, South Dakota, Colorado and I
few other states do nothing for them
unless the fact that many of them nat
urally gravitate to the poor-house
, be regarded as something done.
Now then, am merely setting up
man of straw in order to make grea
show OF bravery in demolishing him
A glance around your own communit.
will confirm or disprove what say.
Unlike the idiot, the feeble-minded ma
is able to reproduce his kind, and stron
intellects do not come from feebe-minde
} parentage. Look around your neigl
borhood and see if this correct.
In nearly every poor-house of the cour
> try will be found one or more feeble
minded woman; all the inevitable pre-
of depraved men, and year after yea
their offspring are augmenting TIL
the number OF idiots or feeble minde
children. Such women often prove yer
! table fre-brands in community, to
weak. minded to know the evil of wha
, they do, too animalish to find peasur
) except in grossness, too feeble to resis
r If your knowlege confirms this, bear i
? mind that in every community it is III
, same.
Again, let it never more escape you
9 mind that feeblemindednes is incurabl,
t The brain of such may with advantae
be trained to a certain point, and tt
hand acquire facility in handling tool
| h.t ,.f%a.. I'll &c doue tho faal>Ia ,,,,, Il a