The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-12
A CITY OF "INNOCENTS. "

i
Gheel, in Belgium, Harbors in Its
Homes About 1900 Harmless Luna
| tics.
The town of Gheel, in Belgium is not
often heard of outside of the borders
of that country, writes an Antwerp cor
respondent of the Chicago News. Even
| if the name is known, the nature of the
municipality is seldom mentioned
Gheel is a town of fools, a town where
simple minded folks dwell in peace
with each other and the world at large;
stroll about the streets; patronize the
local taverns and go about their daily
routine with perhaps more common
sense than great many worthy citi-
zens who have the reputation of being
healthy in mind as well as body.
| Gheel is twenty-seven miles from
| Antwerp and is the home of about
| 1900 lunatics, who are taken as dodgers
| by the townsfolk, though all dangerous
cases are passed on to the outlying
villages Gheel harboring only the
harmless. The treatment of the patient
| is novel, cure being due to the kindness
| and tact of the townsfolk
The fees for taking the "innocents,"
as the patients are called, vary from
$50 to 5000 year. according to the man
in which the patient wishes to be kept.
No matter how much he pays, however,
he is always the spoiled member of the
family. The people of this curious viii
lage understand the management of the
insane better than any other commune
lty. The patient is always given the
arm chair the best seat the table and
enjoys the most attention, so that he
grows to value the esteem in which he
Is held to such an extent that we will
make the greatest effort to master his
disease lest he should forfeit his priv
|ileges.
The Children of Gheel seem wiser than
other children, from their contact with
their elders in years, though only their
equals in brains Children may be
seen walking about hand in hand with
great robust men, to whom they chat
ter in the most familiar manner. Often
the boarder patient is told off to take
care of the baby of the household, ana
in most cases he makes an exceHehl
nurse or course, Gheel surpases Lon
don Paris or Berlin as a rendezvous
for amnerors. kings, queens, popes arch
hisbons nashas, millionaires and such
c,,aracters all of whom are humored In
their strange and weired RANCHES. oie
kiro. irfornes new corners that ne mas
two left legs and Is obliged to nave ms
boots and trousers made accoroihslS.
Another old gentleman, who thinks him.
self the pope of Rome, says ne IS per-
fectly able to fly to heaven, but that lor
The moment he is too fat His landlord
h,,,,,ors him to the extent of offering
to assist him to make start from the
window sill of the first story, put warns
hin, that he. may fall and preak ms
neck. whereupon the pope THINKS pet
fer Of If and prefers to wait until after
tea"
One inhabitant of Gheel is always on
the lookout to borrow a Ratchet be-
cause he says he has grown so STOUT
all of a. sudden that he must chop away
the doorway in order to get INTO the
house.
Visitors to Gheel need not be surprised
If they are accosted by an innocent
in the street, with tears in his eyes,
q skiing for protection against some
butterfly or bird that was about to at
tack him and eat out his brains. An
other fancies himself SEED ana pegs
the first conner to put him in his pocket
that the wind may not blow him away.
Only the other day he was in terrible
vvav because he fancied himself mus
tard seed and that the birds were sure
IN swallow him. His landlord took him
70 task. though humoring him at the
same time. "Have / not told you,' he
said ga dozen times that you are per-
fect1v safe. Birds do not eat mustard
seed After this the unfortunate man
became quite calm and contented. or
course there is a 'Dryfus' at Gheel,
who enjoys the sympathy of a host of
fellow patients. but in addition to the
belief that he is Dryfus, he considers
himself made of glass and so brittle
hat he avoids coming in contact with
any one or object.
AT the Gheel hotels the landlords |
show the greatest politeness and con-
sideration toward the ''innocents,
1umoring all their fancies and often I
pretending to carry out their wild ideas. |
rhe snectacle is curious and a visit to |
4heeI is almost as strange as Alice's |
visit in Wonderland. 1t has its very |
,omical side and its pitiful side as well, |
out the tenderness and good will that |
Ire shown to the supplemented folk |
Ind the entire absence of all restraint |
would astonish our latest and most up
asylum arrangements. A visit /
o Gheel would be beneficial to leading |
on the treatment of the in
ane, for at Gheel there are not only |
many cures, but, during treatment all |