Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-09-27
FEEBLE MINDED GIRLS.
Effort Being Made to IIstnblish "A Home
for Them in Vermont.

Effort Being Made to I1stnbIish a Home
for Them in Vermont.
An EFFORT is being made to find homo
for feeble-mnded girls in Vermont and
the following extracts from the opening
address of the Hon. william II. Stewart,
president OF tho New York state board
of charities. at the twenty-fifth annual
session of the national conference of
charities and corrections. seems to be
timely as we'll as to the point.
Into the public institutions and in
deed into some OF tho private ones. find
admission from time 20 time, insane
persons. feeble minded. idiots. epileptics,
and the deformed, for whom no separ-
ate asylum has been provided and who
have become a source OF disturbance to
the inmates for whose care these in
situations were opened. while the unfort-
unates themselves are condemned to
needless suffering for want Of tho special
care and attention their condition re-
quires. Hence arises an intelligent de-
mand for State care for the insane, the
criminal, the idiot and for other unfortu-
mates.
The organic law of every State should
explicitly acknowledge the obligation of
It's people to make provision for the des-
ttute insane. idiotic, feeble-minded, de-
formed and epileptic and the delinquent
or criminal The State owes no higher
duty than the protection of it's citizen
ship from the dangers and pollution in
cidental to her restrained comninglng
OF these OBJECTIONS with the people gem
orally, nor Is there a greater evil than
Increase of their kind. Wise public policy
requires that for these unfortunates uni
form and suitable CUSTODIAN care or re-
straint should be provided by the state
There should be no delay until abuses
In private, municipal or county aduIins--
tration enforce the extension of State
care. Before the need has arisen. the
duty should be acknowled ged and the
promising men that the State will as
sumo the care of all the classes of un-
fortunate or defective people named,
whose relations are unable to make suit
able provision for them
MIR. Stewart emphasized this funda-
mental principle. that 1t Is the duty Of
the State to regard as its wards all citi-
zens belong cling to the classes called de-
pendent or delQuent. This does not i'm
ply State maintenance for all, since
many will be relieved or reformed,
through other public or by private char
ity. 1t does imply. however. that, wher-
ever within the borders of the State. the
dependent and delinquent exist. the pro-
lection of the State should follow and
cover them.
There is Il uniform tendency toward
separation of the different classes cared
for at public expense, and the placing Of
each distinct class under n separate head
Let me give a few extracts from a paper
on THE Prevention of Feeble minded
ness by James {. Carson, NJ. D.. supt.,
Syracuse State Institute for feeble
minded children. After stating the bene-
fts OF education and training for these
persons, he goes on to say
Granting, however, that these children
cannot be SO educated ana trained as
to fully of properly care for themselves
without supervision, what Is to be their
future, and what the future Of those
yet unframed and abroad in every COM
IN unity Their number. now over one
hundred thousands in this cuntry, pre-
cludes the hope Of securing safe and
tutleage for those dimissed af-
ter terms of training and yet. left to
their present environment and lack Of
control we see among mem imbeclle
women and girls everywhere an easy
prey to the wiles and lust Of brutal men
and becoming mothers Of children like
The abandonment OF the original hope
OF elevating these children to q normal.
mental and moral standard and an appal-
ling increase in the ranks of the feeble
minded and insane. the criminal and the
pauper have within recent years been
more and more strongly attracting our
attention to the possible prevention of
feeble mindedness: and this question in
our judgment takes precedence to-day
once all others connected with this phil
anthropic body in demanding a speedy
solution.
This question takes It's Importance
from the fact that the ranks
Of the feeble-ninded are being constant
~ multiplied by the feeble-minded. and
secondly by the fact that they are pro-
life in the production Of crime pauperixn
LEGITIMACY, prostitution. insanity and
epilepsy. In 1850 there We're reported in
the United States census 9,14s idiots, |
The census OF 1890 gives 1851. Tho num-
Der OF feeble minded TO one million In
1850 was GG. In 1880 1t was 112s. In other
words. in forty years, an increase in
'ound numbers from 10000 to 10000 OF
his number. only about 1000 are provid-
ID for in public institutions especially !,
designed for them The fact that there |
las been such an increase in their num- |
Der and that SO many are unprotected !
Ind unprovided for Is sufficiently de-
olorable In itself: but even more so ia |
he fact, that the existence Of go many
eeble-mnded establishes a center from
which emanates an almost endless chain
If evil. These 5000 are not only a bur-
len to their relatives snd friends. but
llso burden and menace to the pub