The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-03-14
there is not a trace. not even in the

| closets.
AS we walked along DR.. Mckee
spoke OF the curious fact that ~ per
cent. OF the female patients dipped
snuff. while 10 per cent used tobacco
He said he was striving to cure them
of these injurious habits. There are
snuff eaters as well as dippers. He Is
also uniforming the patients in neat
dresses Of blue n white check. with
white stripes at the lower part of the
skirt and the waist
The attendants are now known as
nurses. In the female wards Miss
Eagles is the e nurse and she has
eighteen assistants. They are all mi
uniform. neat. healthy and attentive.
The Oldest patient Is 81, the youngest
IA. There Is a 3-year-old inmate. born
in the hospital some months, after the
arrival there OF its mother. She is I'M
one OF the wards. One of the nurses
had the tot who Is devoted to It. Thel
mother came forward from a group and
said: Cant you send me In another
ward. I'm not crazy. certainly not as
crazy as these people in here"
h Is really very crazy indeed. Mo-
doubt four fifths Of the patients would
saw the same thing. IT is beneficial to
the patients 10 see visitors, lust asl
dancing and music are highly beneficial
TO them. One of the new features in
the industrial line is the rug depart-I
ment. There is a wide variety of rug
work. The designs are drawn by
patients. An apartment on the third
floor has been set aside for physical in
struction for females. There Is also an
infirmary. in which Wednesday there
male ward and today the appliances,
room is the newest feature in the fe-
male ward and today the appliances.
including oprating tables. all of nickel
n glass. were placed in it. The equip
ment will be that in use in the best
hospitals. Most of the persons operated
on In the hospital are of course the fe-
male patients.
DR.. Mckee pointed to a number of
rooms in which there are two beds and
added: This ought not to be. There
ought to be only one inmate Of a room,
but we can't help it, so pressing are the
demands. md yet there are now 20
applications for admission on file.
There are pianos in the female ward,
billiard tables in the male ones. The
women sew and knit and crochet. One
came up with bright eyes, at sweet
smile and dimples of which a girl might
we'll be proud. "She is cured" said
drsw doctor York | g6e 5oe sts the aTbs bsau Idbt
said she and added "oh. how I enjoyed
'Floradora.' 1 can go to "Francesa la
Rjmini.' can 1 not" she added. Yes.
indeed said the doctor. "a party will
be made up to CO." Not far away a
delicate looking young woman was
playing the piano with a loving touch
n singing her best. Near her, hang
ing against a window. was a young
stout and healthy woman. almost Of the
Cuban type, with the sweetest voice inl
the building. Pressed to sing then she
would only say IT can't. I am dying."I
sitting down was a woman of middleI
age making a cape. with little flowers.
az IL 49, LIZ -. AI-I
doctor. She reptile in a most luqu-I
brious tone of voice. "~shrouds." Them
she added. They are all wearing flow
cred shrowds this season. The writerI
in with her mad fancy and said
and the angels frocks are all
flounced this season too. / saw four Of
them in the capitol square yesterday.
They had just lighted there" Her eyes
grew bright: her face became interest
and she said ooh. how I would love
to see them. Can't you bring them over
here to see me?ii And then she began
to talk about the angels. There are
wits too among the insane. One wom-
when told 81 am glad to know you"
instantly. "Well if you knew
me you wouldn't be glad" while a.
went round at the writer's eX-
pense.
A hospital for the insane is a sad
place. blu it has it's bright side too.
Think of the times when the insane
were kept chained in houses. o%uthousesi
or confined in jails which were mere
dungeons. Think of the awful horrors
of this and of the yet more awful one
of the case which occurred in this state,
in an eastern county. not a great whilel
before this hospital was opened, in
which a nan of means too kept his in
sane wife. once beautiful and admired,
chained in a log clubhouse as if she
was a ferocious beast and finally. utter
ly firing of her even in this wise MUIR
dered her. The only relief to this
black picture is that he was hanged for
his crime of crimes. Contrast that,
scene and those days with the bright
ness. the care and the loving kindness
of this hospital. Once they were termed
Warehouses;. and were jaillike in treat
ment and surroundings: then they be-
came asylums, with kind treatment,
and now they are hospitals. with all
that blessed word means.
-D-H TIC