The San Francisco call., 1905-01-04
Continued From Page IA.

.dairying, animal industries and other
branches of farming.
Blt wherever the farm is located and
whatever the course of instruction es-
tabIished thereon. there should be no
separation from university control, the
experience of other States showing that
the duplication of courses and conflicts
of interests where colleges of agricul-
tufe and State universities are inde-
pendent of each other are bound to be
injurious to both. Neither are the So
called colleges of agriculture which are
conducted apart from universities gen
orally successful in attracting large
numbers of students in agriculture, the
. engineering and other scientific courses
usually leading in popularity the pure
. ly agricultural courses. Concentration,
not dispersion, is the true educatlonal
policy and in no educational field is II
more necessary to bear this in nina
than in agricultural instruction. wnlcn'
on account of the equipment required
is confessedly more expensive than al
most any other.
In what way the courses of instruc-
tion on the farm can best be organ
lied is a question that must pc deter
mined when the time comes. out lt ID
likely that they will be largely popular
in character. They must be so IL tney
are to draw large numbers or students,
for in no agricultural college or depart
ment is the number of full four-year
course men very large, wnlle the most
successful schools of agriculture ana
the short courses draw many students
and meet the needs Of a majority or
. those who will become actual farm
ers.
The burden Of the expense of caring
for the insane in the State hospitals,
which amounts now to about 100000
he han NJ
year. and will of course, continue to
grow with the increase Of population;
but there is hope that hereafter 1t will
grow at less rapid rate than former
ly There has been a material falling
off in the average annual rate OF in
. crease of patients, due not to fewer ad-
missions, but to a larger number Of
deaths and discharges. The increased
number of deaths is explained by the
greater average age of the patients,
while the more numerous discharges
may be explained in part by more sue
cessful treatment, resulting in more
recoveries, and in part by change OF
administrative methods. A factor or
considerable Importance is the legali-
cation of the parole system under the
new law. There are now from two to
three hundred patients out on parole
all the ti1ee, and many of the dis
charges are made from among those
whose fitness to go at large has first
been tested in this manner.
The establishment of the Commis-
sion in Lunacy, seven years ago, did
much to give the State definite and
permanent policy in the conduct Of its
hospitals. Previous to that time each
Of the five hospitals was governed en-
tirely by its own board of trustees, and
no matter how faithful the members
of these boards might be, there could
not be the same system in the manage
ment of the institutions as If there
were supervision by common author
ity. This the Commission in Lunacy
has established, and the effect of it's
careful revision of estimates and
scrutiny of accounts may be seen in
the fact that since it was created there
has never been deficiency in the sup
port fund Of any one of the hospitals.
In future, If present policies con-
tinue to prevail, there will be an avoid
ance of both an increase in the num-
ber of hospitals and of the erection
of very large buildings in adding to
the accommodations of existing hospi
tails. Cottages can be built for the
patients at less per capita cost, and
this method of housing them is more
in accord with the current medical
opinion of what is more desirable. A
number of cottages have already been
constructed by applying to this use the
contingent funds Of some of the hos
pitals, and others will be provided for
in the same way.
In the direction of specialization in
the treatment of the insane the prin-
cipal innovations are the proposed hos
pital for the criminal insane, the erec-
ton or which at Folsom after an ap-
preparation had been made was neces-
ear1ly postponed on account of an un-
fortunate oversight committed in draw
ing the statute; the establishment of a
separate department in two detached
buildings at Agnews for the acutely in
sane, and the adoption of the tent plan
at Ukiah for the insane who are af-
f1icted with tuberculosis. In each of
these instances the new departure is
in direction which is sanctioned by
the best authority. The acute1y insane
can be treated with more hope of cure
IL cared for under the special condi-
tions best adapted to them, and tent
accommodations for the tuberculous in
sane are deemed the most heaithful
The collections on account of nav
patients are more closely made than
formerly. through the methods intro
duced by the Commission in Lunacy. II
was also owing to the secretary OF that
body that a very serious shortage in
the accounts of a former clerk in the
Southern California State Hospital was
discovered, and since then a checking
system has been devised which is ex-
pected to remove the opportunities for
such frauds.