The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-17
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
How the District Poor and Petty
Criminals Are Cared For.
Tract of Ninety Acre, in South
west Washington the Sent of Nm
merous Institutions Almshouse,
WorkhOuse. and Hospital - The
Food Problem Suggests Cow Herd

Workbouse. and Hospital - The
Food Problem Suggests "a Cow Herd
The name applied to TIE Washington
character of the institution, or of it's
services to the District of Columbia. 1t is
both a charitable and penal establish
ment, while it's hospital department, now
grown to considerable proportions, takes
the place. temporarily, and in measure,
of public department for the care of the
| INDECENT sick. Within it's limits are to
! be found the almshouses for men and wo-
| men, the warehouses; for both sexes. and
| the general accessories belonging to such
| institutions. To go through the several
| departments under the guidance of Walter
| H. Stoutenburg, the Intendant of the
| Washington Asylum, as a reporter of The
I Times was privileged ito do on Satur-
/ day, is to receive an intelligent and prac-
i teal idea of the methods employed and
the success achieved by the District in
caring for its helpless poor and sick, and
in melting out humane punishment to its
petty criminals. % &c
In the same tract ofsabout ninety acres,
situated between Band G Streets south
| east, and between Nineteenth Street and
/ the Anacostia River. are also to be found
the District Jail, the Smallpox Hospital
the Health Department fumigating labora-
tory. the nursery of the Parking Commits
sion, and the potter's field. The last
named institutions however, with the
single exception of the potter's field, have
no connection with the Washington Asy-
lum, except that of juytaposition.
The original idea of the Washington
Asylum was that OF an aImshouse and the
first building erected ON the grounds many
years ago, and s;ill standing. has always
been used for that purpose. This build
ing is the executive centre, and attached
20 ii are the kitchen, the bakery storage
rooms. and repair shops. A few years
ago two buildings were erected south of
the female workhouse TO accommodate the
colored men of the almshouse and both
of these are In crowded condition. This
week, Int endant Stoutenburg informed the
reporter, the colored women of the aims
house Will be moved into the new build
ing recently erected fof them. This will
remove fifty-eight people from the old
almshouse, and to that extent will relieve
its congested condition. At present there
are thirty-two white women, fifty-two
white men. and fifty-eight colored women
in the almshouse, and it is necessary TO
accommodate from four to six in each
room of the building. This, Mr.. Stouten
burg said. was wrong in principle and
practice. The greater number of the peo
pie in the almshouse. he said, are old men
and women, many OF them having seen
better days and some Of them whimsical
and irritable. For these reasons the in
tendant said, II is very difficult for each
-
mony. He thinks that it would be vastly
better if it were possible for each inmate
of the almshouse to have a little room,
cot and furniture by himself or herself,
where the whims of each, within certain
limits, could be gratified. The inteufant
stated that the old people had stood the
hot weather exceilently, and there had
been practically no illness that could be
attributed to the heat. The reason, he
thought. was that they live very regular
lives, eating plain and nutritious food and
obtaining plenty of sleep.
The Home of Old Men and Women.
The reporter was shown through the
women's ward by the matron, ans there
were pointed out to him five blind
women, one suffering with epilepsy, and
enc welI-pTeseryed old lady of ninety
six. The latter was a little deaf. and
paired. but she returned the reporters
salutation and stated that she was N
good health and hoped to live to look
over into the second century OF exist
ence.
In the mems department were seen
come of the aged, whose means of SUP
port vanished with the limits of the r "a
tive life, and who in consequence. hive
become public charges. Some of them
are helpless and in their dctage, AMI
some are able TO do light work about the
asylum grounds, such as looking after
the pigs and the COWS and helping to
keep their rooms and the building III or
der. The apartments for the colored
men, as stated above, are at the other
end of the grounds, south of the female
workhouse. Here are CHARTERED eighty
men, whose ages ,'auge from fifty to nine
ty years. Their buildings, two in 2um-
Der are one story high, and the hunks
are placed along ca ch side in the man
ner of a hospital ward. This department
is crowded to suffo cation On hot nj hts !
in summer, and in winter, when it is |
necessary to keep the windows closed !
Gntendant Stoutenbure explained that he
should recommend strongly to the Com |
missioners the ACCESSIBILITY of connecting |
the two buildings Tor the colored men by |
a two-story structure on the land he |
tween them which would serve as an eX- !
ecutive office and for bathrooms which /
the colored inmates of the almshouse ara /
now denied. In ne upper story the in
tendant said eouid be placed additional |
hunks to relieve the corridors now so
fun.
Mr.. Stoutenburg stated that his expe- ,
rience had taught him that busy men are
more contented than those who are idle :
Therefore il is his constant aim 70 give
some sort of employment to everyone (,
within the limits of his jurisdiction. This
idea and its beneficial results were made
apparent al the colored mems almshouse.
Here little patch of ground was set
apart for the old men TO cultivate a gar /
den in their OWE way. The intendant /
sends down a team and pillow in the
spring TO turn up the ground and the pa
tient industry of the old negroes does the
rest. Last Saturday there were growing
on this little plot sweet potatoes. melons.