The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-14

Modern methods of caring for feeble
minded and epileptics were discussed at
the general session of the Conference of
Charities and Correction this morning. y
number of Interesting papers was read
The section meetings were of the usual
nature. This afternoon several hundred
delegates are enjoying a trip down the
Potomac The steamer Samuel J. Pentz
left the Seventh Street wharf at 2:30
o'clock for River View where a plaHked
shad dinner viii be served. The party
viii return about 8 o'clock.
The only matter OF routine business this
morning was the report of the auditing
committee which was adopted. John n
Glenn, President OF the Conference. then
introduced Dr. William A PoIgIase. Su-
peTintendeut of the Michigan Home Tor
the FeebIe-AIinded- He submitted pa
per on The Evolution Of the Care of the
FeebIe-Minded in the Nineteenth Centu-
Ty-" Dr. PoIgIase stated that the study
OF idiocy was first begun at the opening
of the nineteenth century and that the
United States was the first to turn att1n-
ton to Governmental care and education
of epfIeptics and feeble-minded- In ISIS,
he said, few epileptics were given .expe-
TlmentaI instruction at deaf mute asyluTns
IN the Eastern States.
At present" he continued. there are
more than one hundred large institutions
for the care of idiots. the feeble minded
and epileptics in this country. None
once started were ever abandoned. It
Las been learned through experience that
few epiIeptics can be turned out in the
world because they have no seIf-restraiRt
OF judgment. They are easily Influenced
10 evil and make rapid increase Of pau
perism. Consequently there is a necessi-
y for the lifelong detention Of this class.
For this purpose the colony plan Is best
suited. Many of the patients are able to
do enough WORK to pay for their support
Dr. PclgIase closed by predicting that
g decade hence would see few States with
out adequate accommodation for the care
Of epueptics.
Miss Margaret Bancroft, Superintendent
Of the Training School for Predetermined
at HaddOnfeid. " j. read a paper, The
Classification of the Mentally Deficient
She said that she deemed the large insti-
tuition for the care of fseble-minded or
epIeptics an erratic principle, as she did
the isolation of these unfOrtunates by
themselves She advocated the plan of
assCciatfng the child who was mentally
deficient with those who were not. This
principle was IL direct opposition to the
ideas Of Dr. POiglase VINO IS strong ad-
herent Of the colony system
\ paper of popular aS well as technical
interest was that OF A. c. Rogers SU-
Perintendent OF the Minnesota School for
/ eeDie-Inlnded, on Legal Restrictions on
the Marriage Of the Unfit It was read
by Arthur Wiley. Of FdiTbauIt. MINI.
The paper reviewed III q general way ii
number of bills recently introduced in
State Legislatures with view to restrict
ing marriage between certain classes. The
Lindley bill. which failed Of passage in
Indiana, provided Tor the appointment OF
a commission 10 pass upon eligibility az
TO marriage.
a bill introduced IN PENNSYLVANIA stin4r-
he'll y.F
age should pay SI10 for a marriage Ii
cenSe, the proceeuS To he used for the sun
port Of old maids homes. did not receive
serious consideration Bis IN Colorado
and Wisconsin authorized the appoint
nent of q medical con mission to pass
upon applicants for iCeTSeS- The idea Of
these bills was to prevent marriage Of
these afflicted with dipsOT1ania. true IN
sanity. tuberculosis. or epilepsy
Mr. Wiley said that the principal OBJ
JecU0nS 10 the legal restriction Of mar
rage was lack OF public sentiment on the
subject interference with personal liberty
6Ila tendency 10 increase immortality In
response 70 these objections he predicted
that public sentiment on the subject would
De CeNeIoleai that the law had right 70
interfere with personal liberty when il was
injurious TO society.
The paper closed with the advice that
legislation on the subject be applied only
50 I2r as there was absolute knowledge on
which 70 base The law The restrictions
Sould DC altered from time 10 time as The
increments Of knowledge Of the laws OF
hEEedIty and generation increased.
IN the discussion which followed. DR.
" llllam J SDTatling. of New York Cx-
pressed the opinion that restriction Of the
marriage OF the unit was the onIv way
20 prevent increase Of this already large
and unfortunate class
AIexan der Johnson. Superintendent Of
the Indiana School for FeebIe-8Iinded
sald that his Institution now took in pa
tlELtS 40 10 the age OF IOTJy-tve years
MISS Margaret Bancroft and Dr. J NJ
MGrCOck- Of the State Institute for -
ble-MiHded Of Pennsylvania also spoke
~ 81 Hon
ing TINS morning vas that on destitute
ana neglected children The merits and
advantages Of State supervision in con
AecJloa win Chiid-saElng work WAS dis
Cusscd BY those who have worked in
states Tnere pUEEc aid IS given TO the
Undertaking and those from localities
where public support IS denied g d
Randall, Of COIdWater. Mich. who has
been called the father of the Michigan
pubic schools, on account Of his work il
l!ie carry cas- OF Statehood for edUca-
u01aI interests. talked Of the system
WITH the aid Of = State school Thomas
T. Ellison tailed Of the urogress of child
saving work there. .ChiId-savina EVorj,
without state Supervision" was the sub
Jet OF an address by Joseph P Byers
secretary Of the Board Of State Chart
lles OF ohio The general sentiment of
these papers and that evinced in the dis
cUsslon which followed favored State So
pervision-
At The meeting Of the section on fIve-
nile TefcrEnatOries the only address was
oeilyered by G Dewey HilIes, SUperin-
teodeEt Of the Boys Industrial School q
Lancaster, Ohio He told OF the growth
OF that Institution and of the oDporturi-
ties which could be taken advantage Of IN
other institutions Of q similar nature
The section On the insane held an in
terestlng meeting in the main building Of
the university Wilbur Olin htwafer
Professor Of Chemistry IN Wesleyan Uni
NsrsIty, delivered an address on The
DieJaTieS Of Insane HOSPITALS and Other
Institutions, and brought cut q number
OF new ideas regarding the condition and
best methods OF care OF those mentally
deraused- Some Suggestions for Colonies
and Psyschopathic Hospitals for the In
sane was the subject dealt with in q pa
Der by L Pierce Clark, II. D., Of Craig
Colony. SoHsomyea. y. Y.
FHEfghr Tho general session viii he given
over to the section on refOrmatOrfes and
Industrial schools Addresses VOL be de
Hvered by =. 2. Wentworth Slperia-
teudenJ Of The State Reform School of
Maine and by William 9. FaIrbank. Su-
perinteudeut OT the State Industrial
school for Girls at Middleton Conn Al
this meeting the results Of the work Of
the nominating committee viii be made
pubic Tomorrow afternoon Il large num-
Der OF the delegates VIII visit the Nation
al Junior Republic at Annapolis Junction
a Happy Combination.
RF "Cf the many deutifrfces /
=. - have in 9