The Washington times., 1901-11-02
insanity Among Farmers.

1t has been stated, somewhat care
lessly, by two or three well-known
writer's, that two-thirds of the inmates
of lunatic-asylums are farmers wives.
This is rash declaration on the face
of it, and could only be justified by be-
ing absolutely in accordance with facts.
Less radical statements have been made
to the effect that the loneliness and
poverty of the farming districts cause
insanity to be more common there than
in the city.
All of this. according to a Pennsyl-
vania physician who has taken pains to
write to New York paper on the sub
ject, is without foundation in fact. He
says that in-the- insane -asylums of
Pennsylvania. in 1896, there were ad-
mitted sixty-six women from farmers
families. and sixty-one from the fami-
lies of merchants, although the farmers
in that State greatly outnumber the
merchants. This certainly does not look
as II the alleged rule held good in Penn
sylvania.
The truth is that this matter has
been discussed more or less sentimen-
tally. by persons with a theory to prove.
In some cases they have found statistics
which appeared to prove what they
wanted, and they have not looked deep
ly enough into the underlying causes to
find out whether the facts really had
much to do with their argument or not.
There is more or less sentimentality,
as a rule, in discussions of the farmers
life The city woman comes into the
country, with nc interests except that of
Willing away the time, and the farm
house seems to her insufferably dull
She wonders how women can live in
such an out-of-the-way place. with such
petty duties and pleasures to occupy
their minds. Hope springs eternal in
the human breast, but SO does discon-
tent, and the enquiring lady soon dis
covers farmers wives who are full OF
miseries and disappointments and ennui.
If she went into the average factory
town she would find exactly the same
state of things among the operatives;
and she might even find it in the classes
of society supposed to have nothing to
do but seek enjoyment. But she goes
back home and delivers jeremiads on
the terrible isolation and ceaseless
round of hard work endured by the
farmer wife.
Another type Of person comes TO the
country with nothing to do but enjoy
the bracing air. and the scenery, and
the general freshness Of everything.
with nerves jaded and wearied by city
life; and it all looks like a paradise.
THE ,,areo,, ,yoac homo aud raiIc agaipct
the unreasona BILE farmer who will per-
sist in complaining when he is so much
better off than he could be in the city
He is making a living-what more can
any man want? He is bringing up his
children in a healthy place, amid sur
roundings which tend to make them in
dustrious and intelligent. What reason
has he got 10 complain?
Like most extreme views, neither of
these is exactly right The fact proba-
bly, is that insanity is not as common
among farmers as among city dwellers,
if the population of the whole country
is taken into account. There are neigh
borhoods here and there in which in
breeding. isolation, or, more often, the
generally unbalanced condition OF
things consequent upon sudden changes
in the fortunes Of the town. tend to pro-
duce insanity in the inhabitants. When
man has spent his whole life in pay
ing for his farm, and then something
happens to depreciate the value of his
property so that II is no longer worth
the trouble of paying taxes. 1t is likely
to Gauge him anxiety and grief enough
10 unbalance his mind. When a con.
munity is so shut off from the rest of
the world that the people for two OF
three generations intermarry among
themselves. so that two or three fam
lilies gradually absorb all the people of
the village. that is also bad for the