The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-30

enquiries are quite frequent A lady Sit
ting upon the porch of one of the smaller
buildings. upon an attendant bringing her
her hat at once proceeded to pet and ca
ress it as though 1t we're an infant, during
| the course OF which occupation she sud-
/ denly looked up to the sky and uttered the
| incontinent exclamation, Where's the
moon?" Unon the attendant bringing her
a bunch Of flowers she turned her whole
attention Immediately to the floral gift,
entirely forgetting the affection lately Law
ished upon the hat, which she then allowed
TO be placed upon her head.
Traits of MeIanchoIin.
One woman, doubtless a type of many,
leaned close to the fence, plunged in the
depth of melancholy reflection. 1t is this
class OF the insane that most frequently
| commit suicide. The extreme apathy TO
| all that is passing around them manifested
by the victims OF meiancholia is their pre-
dominating trait AS an instance of this
may be taken a case which occurred some
time ago. Two women, inmates of the
same rooms, both suffered from the same
form of melancholia. They were never
known to hold any intercourse together
and each seemed unconscious OF the 9TH
! er's existence. At length one of these
women hanged herself In the presence of
| the other, who did not make the slightest
attempt at interference. as she was found
sitting in her usual position close to the
| suspended body Of her companion.
At times cries like the baying and yelp-
ing heard in a menagerie, but infinitely
more hideous, startles the ear even before
entering the grounds. These fearful sounds
proceed from men or women. In their ami
NAL cadence there is positively no indica-
ton that they are even human. Through
the windows of the female wards can be
heard very often monotonous chant, ac-
companied perhaps by the beating of the
singers hand or foot upon some wooden
substance. Often two figures, young
women engaged in a mad waltz, will fit
across the open easement.
In the building devoted to the colored
women, a dark face VIII peer out on the
spectator like one of the demoniac fan
tastes Of an old painter come to life The
tragic honor Of some phases of the mad
house 1t would be impossible to depict
The tormenting demon and the tortured
soul seem united In one.
There is bright side, however even In
the madhouse. The worst cases are not
held TO be incureble and as the visitor en-
tiers the main building, that resembles an
old abbey, with castellated walls, he will
be shown the names of all the inmates en-
u
be explained that the reason these cards
are movable Is that frequently patients
are changed from more violent wards into
those which stand for an advance on the
road to recovery, and thus their names
are arranged so as to provide for such
transfers.
The corridors of the main building ara
wide, clean, and well ventilated, fully
lighted by windows set in alcoves, as large
as the rooms which also open out OF the
main passages, while not suggesting, like
the latter, the idea OF confinement The
patients sit, for the most part, within
these alcoyes, and on benches along the
sides Of the corridors. This is the case
even in some of the most violent wards.
The plan of eliminating, as far as possible,
the suggestion OF constraint and conHne-
ment, may be described as the most nota-
Die advance, in late years, IN the treat
ment OF the insane, and IL is found in this
me- hod that fits Of violence are much less
frequent than under the old system.
Many Of the wards are designated ac-
cording TO the kind of wood of which the
trimmings and settings are fashioned.
Thus the first ward is known as the
walnut" division. Here are confined
those who have yet TO be subjected to
medical examination in order to deter
mine the nature OF their madness, and the
ward TO which they viii be permanently
assigned. That many II not most of the
men here realize to a certain extent their
situation, there can be little doubt. One
example OF this presented itself Yiyidly