New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-17


Recent reports of rapid increase in the IN
sane population Of Kansas call forth nighl!
Interesting letter from a physician, which we
publish in another column Of this issue lie
does not believe insanity In Kansas Is on the
increase but that more careful attention TO the
disease has resulted In gathering larger pro
nortion of the lunatics into asylums. Ncverthe-
less. he Is perfectly frank 10 say: mat III
SANITY in every degree and the most various
forms Is much more rampant there than III
"anv other part Of the country. am fully con
"vlnced"
This statement reinforced by citations from
his professional experience, suggests search
for causes We have no means OF testing ny
statistics the accuracy Of his judgment. II
insanity is and has been rs prevalent as ne
believes there must be strongly influential
phvsical and social conditions Of when IN
ouiry ought TO discover some hint whether
the State is actually prccmncnt in insanity or
not. the undoubtsl fact that II apparently has
q larger insane population than might be- eN-
nectcd in an orderly and simple community
whore there are no large cities with their
nervous wear and no gathering of the criminal
classes is enough TO arouse curiosity.
the early life Of Kansas which might possibly
promote insane tendencies Will almost surely
first think Of solitude. It IS commonplace or
observation that loneliness is potent cause
If mental breakdown. The prevalence of in
sanity among the women on Isolated NrW-hhS-
land farms is proverbial. The isolation OF me
settlers of the Kansas plains was worse. Inc
New Highlander. even in loneliness. had Il
broken country and varied scenery 10 give re-
lief The WEAKNESS from n fat and treeless
expanse. unmitigated by society. must be lar
qreater Then there IS the exhaustion OF pioneer
life 10 be considered Eccentrcity has been
characteristic Of the outposts Of American ciylli-
cation. The swarm Of religious sects when
grew ND Ike mushrooms in backwoods com
munjtlcs from Western New-lork 10 Georgia
corly in the century was manifestation OF H.
The American. when ne left the settled region
started ont with a restless. active brain lie
was inventive speculative, full Of nervous en-
crrv. which at one point was enterprise ana
LITTLE further on lack of balance. He TOOK Ms
family into regions where he and they shaved
70 build a new civilization. This work bore
particularly hard OH the women Inc com
hned burden Of loneliness. mOtherhoQd' ana the
/ killing labor OF pioneering was enough TO drive
I
thousands Of them insane. and. perhaps leave
n tendency 10 insanity In their children. Even
/ the mon with their superior chance for com
nanionship away from the farmhouse. were
/ solitary and oyerhurdencd in comparison witt
tho most remote tenant of the old Eastern
farms Under such circumstances IT wouI'
bc remarkable. indeed. If the peoplns OF The
plains did not develop every ecccntricity laten
in the settlers
Put any such development ought to have
taken Mace rs well in Nebraska or Iowa as II
Kansas. on the supposition that there Is II
the last named state greater proportion o
insanity. is there anything to account for It
ANY positive expression or even opinion OF
tlot question would be- rash. Yet Kansas his
tory suggests some points for speculation. ONE
Mains states were settled by men who wen
thnrc for homes Kansas was peopled In The
strugqle over an idea fierce and fanatlcal Ih
moderate. we'll balanced farmer either from TIN
North ar the South was not the one who rushed
~ Kansas 10 determine us political complexion
We do NOT mean to say that the early kanSan
wore insane. but the line between sanity an
insanity is often narrow one. and It nigh
eoenv he POSSIBLE that large sprinkling %
fanatics I'm the Foundation Of a community, sui
ioct 10 the hardships and loneliness common
r. MI the surrounding country would leay
Traces In the character Of the population half
century later.