The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-09-23
McCracken County Badly Needs
One.
The, Present Institution Should Be
Sold and Q Modern One
Provided.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS

While the question Of city hospit-
al Is being agitated. and no institu-
ton l. worse needed, the building Of
a new county almshouse should not be
neglected. The financial part of the
construction of a new almshouse is
provided for by the value Of the land
in the present county poor farm, which
is a much larger tract than is needed.
Besides it is now within the city linn
its, and should be sold anyway and
located further out. The amount
which the property would bring would
be more than sufficient to buy enough
land for farm further from town,
and TO erect upon it an almshouse
modern in every particular.
This plan has indeed been proposed
by the fiscal court. but the board Of
magistrates appointed to look after
the sale have been holding the land,
for a higher price, realizing that it is
enhancing in value.
From q financial standpoint this is
commend BILE, bot from humanita-
rian one it is question able. The pres.
ent institution is hopelessiy made
quate for the proper care and comfort
of the inmates and a disgrace to the
county. Would it not be better there
fore to dispose of the property at once
for q reasonable price and provide a
suitable home for the county's poor?
The institution is probably as we'll
cond noted as is possible considering
the building and equipment. but il
would be hard to imagine any place
more thoroughly cherries, or out OF
keeping with modern ideas Of what
this kind Of chsriitv should be. In q
long row Of bare rooms on one side Of
the keepers quarters, which are also
without comforts, white and colored
women are indiscriminately houses.
while on the other side, two rooms,
even more desolate and uncleanly,
form the apartments Of both white
and negro men. No color distinction
10 made in 0 dining room, one serving
for all
No other attempt IL made in CLASH
castion. and indeed none 10 possible
Ia the present building. No provis-
ion IL made for the sick beyond the
care Of the county physician with in
adeq uate facilities and nursing that
the keepers wife and other inmates
can give them. and yet suoh institu-
tions in the present day are supposed
to have ct least simple hospital accom-
modations. Besides the lack Of means
for giving the proper care to the sick,
that 10 no way of even isolating infec-
tious diseases. and giving one inmate
the proper protection from another in
any way.
This Is not q question Of sentimen-
talitv or . pampering, Of the class that
usually become dependent upon pub
lilo instit ution OF this kind for sup
port. True they are mostly without
any fine sense of discrim instion, and
vet they have right to expect from
charity which deserves the name, 1t
least q sanitary and reasonably COM
Portable place in which to live, and
the means Of prolonging and protect
ing life, which it 10 true chari.y's first
instinct to give.
With winter coming on IL is not
possible to make the house sufficiently
warm. and it is in no way what IL
should be.
II the county were without the
means of properly housing its paupers
It would be different, but with the S8
acres of land. on which the present
DOOR house is located, which would
bring at least eS. 900, and the possibil-
itv of buying enough land further
from town. on which to erect another
for about $500 leaving large surplus
for q Building, the matter should not
be long delayed.
The officials in charge Of the poor
fund have announced their intention
TO make arrangements for a new aims
house next year, but it is something
hat has been put of too long already,
and in the meantime, the county's poor
are insufliciently provided for.
NEIVl MOTIFS