The Greeley tribune., 1906-01-25
ON DECREASE
INSANITY AND SUICIDES IN
RURAL COUNTIES
According to William E. Curtis
Telephone and Rural Deliv-
cry Responsible for I'm
provement

William E. Curtis, the eminent
writer and lecturer, in recent arti-
Gle gives some unusually interesting
statements, which from actual obser-
vations in this section seem born out
by the facts. He says:
'Sociologists are observing with
great interest the decrease in the
number of insane people and the
number of suicides in the rural
counties of the United States, which
is attributed directly to the influence
Of the telephone and the rural free
delivery service. Formerly farmers
families we're practically shut out Of
the world and deprived of human
society for four or five months Of the
year, especially in the colder regions
of the northern states. Sometimes
it was not possible for them TO leave
their homes or see anyone hut the
members of their own families for
two or three weeks at time, and
the minds and nerves of the women
folks would become perverted be-
cause of the lack of nourishment and
diversion. Physicians say that If a
man will keep his arm or his leg in
the same position without exercise
or change it will ultimately become
paralyzed. and the human mind, par
ticularly among people of limited
education and limited knowledge OF
the world, Is even more sensitive to
stagnation and idleness. That is
the principal cause of insanity and
suicide among women. Life becomes
intolerable; they are weary OF living.
and either go distracted or end their
existence.
Since the introduction of the rural
delivery almost every farmer in the
country receives visitor every day
in the year, and it is not only possi-
BILE TO have daily newspaper, but
the bringing of the mail to the
doors has been an incentive to write
letters, to renew old acquaintances
and resume correspondence with
relatives and friends. One of the
postotfice inspectors, while travelling
with a rural delivery carrier in Yer
mont not long ago, was given some
very interesting information on this
subject. The carrier gave him a
review of the record of the county for
suicides and insanity for series of
years. 1t is particularly lonesome
part of the country. There are no
towns and no railroads, the churches
and country stores are far apart, the
people are scattered at wide inter-
walls and the roads were formerly
very bad-so bad as to be almost i'm
passable in the winter and spring
months. Every year considerable
number of the wives and daughters
of farmers became insane. and there
was an epidemic of suicides, but
since the rural delivery and the tele-
phone have been introduced there
have been no suicides; nobody has
been sent to the insane asylum, and
there has not even. been case of
nervous prostration, for the cause
has been removed.
Commissioner Leupp tells an in
teresting story of farmers tele-
phone company out west, which
gives concert every evening dur
ing the winter months for the bene-
fit of it's patrons. The manager has
powerful phonograph set up at the
central office, has it so arranged that
the music can be conveyed over the
wires wherever they go. After the
subscribers have had their suppers
and the tables have been cleared
away he gives signal and then lets
the phonograph loose. The members
of the families having telephones in
their houses take turns at the re-
ceiyer and enjoy the concert.