The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-08
PAUPERISM in INDIANA
BULLETIN ISSUED By THE STATE
BOARD OF CHARITIES.
Feeble Mindedness shown to BE the
Principal Cause I'm This State
Some Statistics.

The Board of State Charities has made
some effort to ascertain the causes of pad
perism so far as it relates to the poor
asylum population of this State. A oulle-
tin says:
THE principal cause Of pauperism Ia
shown to be feeble-mindedness. $50 in
mates of the asylums being reported as
feeble-minded-46S males and 421 females.
Those who are feeble in body, who in old
age require a protecting hand. come sec
ond in the lst-475 males and 2u females:
total 746. The next principal cause is In
sanity-51S of the inmates, 352 males and
166 females, are insane Those who have
been crippled follow closely. numbering
497-363 males and 134 females. The sickly
number almost as many-2S2 males and li7
females: total. 429. Two hundred and nine
ty-three of the poor asylum population are
epileptic-157 males and 1876 females. In
this group and that Of the feeble-minded
the men and women approximate each
other closely in numbers. The number of
blind and deaf is not particularly large,
there being of the former l67-1l1 males
and Sc females. and of the latter 90 equally
divided between the two sexes. 1t will be
observed that the principal causes of pau
insanity, feeble-mindedness and epilepsy.
The number of persons affected with these
three is loo. Some of these are also
physically defective.
Those between the ages of seventeen and
sixty would under ordinary circumstances
be classed self-supporting. There
1,53S-S63 men and 575 women-between those
ages for various reasons in our poor
asylums. There has been a gradual i'm
provement in the care of persons in most
poor sylums In some counties the adj
vance in their management is notable; in
others IL is not so good as IL was two or
three years ago. Much of this is due to
the frequent changes, the cause of which Is
chiefly political
THE lack of care of poor asylums i'm some
counties and the dilapidated condition OF
these buildings in others is cause for just
censure upon the officials On the other
hand, the steps that have been taken in
other counties are worthy Of sincere COM
mendation.
THE condition of some of the insane and
epileptics In our poor asylums is truly pitt
able. The State has not performed its duty.
as II has heretofore agreed, i'm caring for
the insane. The most notable Improvement
In the care of the insane is in Tippecanoe
county, where the old undesirable building
has been remodeled i'm accordance with
plans submitted TO this board, so as TO
make more satisfactory provision for these
unfortunates.
The law prohibiting the retention of
children in poor asylums is quite generally
regarded. For the year ending Dec 81,
lSOl, the ninety-two county poor asylums
In the State cost for maintenance, as
SHOWN by the reports made to this board
by the county auditors $349 947.67, and for
land, new buildings and extraordinary re-
pairs, S29, 749 36, total of 1878, 697. O3. Re-
ceipts from the farm amounted to $50 232 S.
making the net cost 1913. 4646s IL is plain
from this that the institutions. taken alto
getner, are far from self-supporting."