The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-11
CRAIG COLONY'S SUCCESS.
STA Tn CIRE or ErILEPTICs A WIS.,
BENEFICENCE
A. Present There Il Room In the COLONY
for 900 Patients. hut This hummer WIN
~. MuIiInIiad nv Eixe-Mhnt IL Neeueu.

The report of the Board OF Manhhc'" ~
Craig Colony OF Epilsptics for the year ennlnH
Sept. 80 last was recently sent 70 me o'n'.
Board OF Charities and exhibits the success ot
this i'm portant charity and the wisdom o''hoso
Who induced tho State to establish
The site OF the colony il at ron Yea a ior.
ner Shaker colony In Livingston county NOV
very far from Danvllls. 1t was opened lot pa
,ien,s on Feb /. 1896. II IA designed for tho
care and Treatment Of INDECENT eploItcs' ~
,lsptic, have a mighty hard time OF II In this
vorld even those OF them who are
vell of. They are as well able 70 earn
~.IIvinp and 10 enjoy themselves mos, OF tho
Tina as the rest Of the people OF the world.
Uhe, ,he attacks OF the malndy come upon
them they are regarded as are tn" violently IN
.ane Most people who know that Il man IS
an entente ana Is liable at airy time To he over
eoue by an attack Of the disease fear hin anu
recnrd him with aversion. II Is almost im-
possible for an e~p!ieptic who Il not VOL on 10
6nd means OF supporting himself. The hos
p,tals are too oycrcrowied with folks VINO are
IN steadily and consecutI vely ~ undertake the
care OF those who are III at only irregular IN
teryals. The poorhouse Ia a p.ac" Of torture
for the ep,leutic because no knows he does not
b.long there. and because the TOOL ana sur
roundings nre such as are likely TO increase MS
nalady very greatly.
There ara said to he $4,000 eplleptlcs In
this State, Of whom 1000 are not able 10 sup
port them selves. The Craig colony VIII nave
room for this 1000 when 1t has been fully de-
vploped. Its present capacity IL about lour
hundred, but tho new buildings now hchr'y
comrleted and Others that are going up VIII IN
crease III. capacity to n total Of 72O beds.
The new buildings will be filed "a soon as
they are completed. and there will still remain
some hundred, Of INDECENT "rIleptics Tor whom
Accommodations should be provided VINO are
now being cared for IN almshouses. hospitals
and outdoor DEPARTMENTS OF dlspensaries
Throughout the state,
Sine, the colony was opened I. hns received
b04 ra,lents o. whom 37S remain. Mr. Sidney
Brooks, in an article In the current number OF
the Rafrc Of RpTte,rs. asserts that ~ the whole
number who have been admitted to the colony
less than 3 per cent have failed to show freat
tmproyemcnt as regards the number and vio-
lencs Of their seizures, Will n considerable
number have been discharged each year "a
cured. Others have been a owed 10 go out to
earn their living because they were &C. nlch
improved In condition as to be able totake care
THE craig Colony was estab shed as n re,
suit Of the efforts ~ Or Frederick feterson OF
this city, who in 1886 visited Bialoield IN Vest
phaIia, where there Is n similar colony. ani Il
number OF other European INSTITUTIONS where
much experience IN the Hudson River state
Hospital Tor the Insane and in the a niernIt
Clinic, and he was thoroughly convinced ihat
the State ought to DO something NOR" man
was being done for the indlE"ui sufferers from
epilepsy. He got after the New luIk legls'ht-
ture with great enthusiasm soon after his re-
urn from abroad and !uInrl with HIM wore
the late Oscar Craig Of Rochester and " nam
I. Letchworth, whom he I'D known as fresi-
dents OF the state Charities Board.
In 1897 the state approrrtatei money 'or the
purchase Of u Shaker iarm II SDnyra. aud at
Gov, flowers Suggestion thH name OF Mr.
colony $3.50 a year for each patient, AMI each
county allows go year for euch r'rson from
within its boun iarles who Is, cared Tor But
The work OF the ~cOluntsts themselves goes a
long way toward paving the running expenses
oil The place. So far as is possible he colony IA
conducted NE, a very snhn village. the
big farm. They have "A lum Der camp. a brick
yard, q printing office. and blacksmith and
carpenter shops. The womel are employed
in light outdoor work and 30 all the house
work and needle work Of the COLONY. The
steadier Of them are allowed to act as wait.
resses. There are also tailor shops and straw
mating factories and upholstery schools.
There are a large number OF children In the
schools connected with the colony, They are
taught the ordinary branches aud recHiye a
certain amount OF manual training. Eplleptic
children are even more unfortunate than their
elders. for their affection has generally resulted
III the utter ~ lF'l VI ll'AI ''ld'dll'ls ! ilf
beginning Of teaching them Is usually n very
difficult task, They seem to Ike tie manual
training much better. A part n tho wort VI
building the toLt new uOrmltorles Tor male
patients Was done by patients who have
been trained In carpentry 1T the colony's Lloyd
school. The need OF primary education Is not
because many of the adult patients have re-
ceiysd little or no education before being taken
under state care. ana these attend me nlght
In these schools the ordinary common school
branches OF education are taught. but only the
lower branches have been attempted as yet.
Besides these there are kinder9artens, nature
study; manual training. industrial aud trade
schools.
average attendance Of twr n~ty-four In the de-
partment oi manual training. In March. after
having worked seven months At manual train.
ing. and having completed the prescribed
course, ten girls were sent to the Sloyd school,
where they made drawings and models Of tho
grammar school course.
In mechanical industries the patients earned
during the rear more than $4,000. The prin-
cipal items were rs follows: Printing Office
work done by p]atielts, s1l4g2: Sloyd schooi
SAC as: blacksmith shop. s4s023; carpenter
shop, 81. "a 10; brick yard 100000 bricksl.
3239 "a; ss ,S,nY. sEG 22@ SS%is9'Ains manu'A''ar'd''
Besides this there is a department where
mattresses. hair r%ushions and Ike articles are
mads BY the women. The women also put up
alarge amount Of canned fruits and IN" men
worked the gardens. The steward asks for
more land for gardens.
Among tho improvements made or begun
In the year the report mentions in addition 10
the mems dormitortes eleven dormitOry build
ings for women aud chlliren. the superIntrnd-
snt's residence. tho new laundry and minor
I'm provements made as dire ted by Legislative
enactment N, lSNS.
There will be urgent need" II says. TOR
dormitories when the buildings now under
construction are completed. part cuiarly for an
innrmary for each sex. The per capita cost FOR
buildings OF this type will natural ly be higher
Akap gnr NrAipa rv l.pVntf .rtsG M NIB tor "a
appropriation Of 100000. which should be
sufficient for two infrmares for 1ity or sixty
helpless patients Of each sex. and for ordinary
dOrmitories to accommodate seventy or
eighty able-bociel patients
For this yeaI the board asks for an anrropri.
alton for IMPROVEMENTS OF ! i2,.H75, divided as
follows: For dormitprles. including intrm-
aries for helpless cases, 100000. fur furnish.
ing, 1880: Tor sewerage and water. 5000;
Tor changing highway and hui ding ahuirleuts
and bridge across ki-lUQua Creek GA -ite OI
the old canal Hquclurt. $500. for installing a
p~ssoiene plant amt cquIpp,nG the 'aundry with
appliances for use OF saIn- 1925: for nre hose
Quirements OF u state law. $500; for in1u.,ries
& 900; for general repairs and improvements,
$1,000.
For maintenance. beginning Oct. /. 1900, IT
asks for $4,000. and Tor scientific Observe.
ton and research $4,000. This latter tom.
although small. represents one Of ~ mos,
important elements Of the work done at
tiles have systemstlzed the work Of
collecting data aud hope in time 10 be
able to furnish students Of epilepsy the test
possible means for carrying on then work
that is 10 be found In the world. In connection
with this 4, /, Interesting 70 motto that Dg.