The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-10

|
| some of the large Eastern institutions
for the fceble-minded and will make
| every effort to secure all the points nee
| essary, that I may present them to
those AT the head of the movement. aud
thus assist IN Il work which | think
demands the attention of the State au-
thorities. and of every citizen who PAYS
taxes, or who has any philanthropy IN
his makeup.
'sSuch children as these are a dis
tress TO them parents, III cases where
they are kept at home, aud they be-
come more SO as they grow older. They
should be kept in R place OF training,
and, by all means, should not be al
lowe,. to marry aud perpetuate their
kind \ surprising amount of Ell;
cheney can be gotten out of many of
the cases that, as it is, become public
charges until their death.
II really consider thai, from So
ciological standpoint alone, that these
people should be separated from socie-
tv. that common human consideration
should eutitle them TO some chance to
become all that they can be that is
good and useful. Eliminating any
question of sentiment, the financial
gain to the State should prompt such
an institution.
DR.. Ewing's View.
DR.. W. Brown Ewing, who is. also
member of the clinic, and who has
made q study of the conditions In the
State, when asked az to whether or
not he considered the reform school
proper place for the feeble-mlnded'
and as TO whether or not he thought
the State had proper faclhtles tor
caring for this class of people, fepl!ed
with an emphatic "No. he nad TINS
this to say relative TO the subject,
81 consider the reform school abSo-
lutelv unfit for this class Of people,
aud think that its tendency IS. IN the
majority of cases, to turn out worse
people than 20 in, when they are
feeble-minded. 1t is not only harmrul
to the feeble-mindad, but IT also has q
bad effect upon the other inmates l
should cite as the greatest polnt III the
whole question, the restraint of these
people from marrying and reproducing
their kind. As conditions are today,
they are free to marry and intermarry,
and thus pcrpetuate their species, thus
becoming a nover-endlng source OF
feeble-minded classes of one degree or
another.
''These people do not need restraint,
such as is provided in the reform
school or the mental hospital. Ihe
trca trnents and environments by which
they are surrounded simply have the
tendency OF making them worse IN,
stead Of better, because Of the taet
that they so much more easily learn
evil than good. | think | may say
that absolutely no benefit IS derived to
the patient or TO the State. or to
society by sending the imbecile and
the idiot to either Of the present state
institutions. Anything that does not
benefit the patient is useless, and, IN
natural sequence, q dead loss to the
State, and TO the taxpayer.
''In my twenty-ope years of eXpe-
rience and study Of this class, | have
found that environment IN their early
vouth has much to do with the shaping
Of their lives and their acts In after
life. When they are left to the streets,
TO be prosecuted by those more fortu-
nate, they simply become criminals,
that is, as a rule, or become insane
In many cases the child, if It be q
female, becomes, as she grows to
the prey OF men, and
sooner or later brings into the world
terrible Of all stains, illeeltLmate
-di0cy.
State Would be Benefited.
f'While I do not think that such an
institution could be self supporting, IN
fact it would be only safe to say that
for every inmate who would be capable
Of bringing in revenue through his
work, there would be two incapable OF
supporting even themselves, yet, |
think the State would save money;
much money, when the cost of prose
3utlng those who become criminals,
and Of supporting those who become
insane, is considered Aside from any
standpoint of humanity, 1T would be a
good financial investment. Above all
.hings, people Of this class should not
le permitted To intermarry and per
their kind. They go on, and
IN, and on until it becomes apparent
hat, so long as the present conditions
exist, there viii be no end to the
moral peryert, the criminal, the idiot,
me imbecile, and the insane.
''In my own practice, many cases
,ome up. where, If the child were tax
IN, put into proper training, given the
proper surroundings and associations,
md q Glance to develop what little
mental capacity he may be possessed
II, he would grow into a self support
ng manhood. Only last week a case
was sent from the Juvenile court TO
business there than ] have. Some time
ago another case was sent to the State
Mental hospital which should have
gone TO some institution OF the proper
sort, where the patient would have a
,hance. Yet, what is to be done}
There Is no place else 10 send them.
We expect TO go ahead and do all we
;an; we. intend TO present this matter
% the State legislature, and press it
for action, and I am of the opinion,
when all things are considered, the
state will get the institution, or, if it
ioes not, it should.
"There IS no institution, in my opip-
on, FOR which there IS greater need,
for which the. present demand is great
er, and which should receive more
prompt consideration than an infirmary
for the feeble minded, where they may
be trained under people who make a
specially of this kind of work, and
where these human beings, unfortu.
nate as they are, can be given chance
TO be something else than criminals.
or public charges, and, as T
said before, where they may be pre-.
vented from intermarrying and bring
ing upon society more of their kind TO
become menace and power for evil
n the years TO come