The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-10-28

delivered an ADDRESS WHICH CdhS i'I iiiotS
than passing attention. Referring 10 the
scheme OF segregatlng the unfortunate
patients in cottages. in lieu Of combining
them in one vast building. be began By
expressing the wish that the population
Of the village OF Bangour might not grow
but rather diminish, until it become an
even more deserted village than the ham
let Of Oliver Goldsmlths poem lie then
remarked that sum OF no less than
Sl59,000.o00 has been invested IN these pu5-
lie asylums for the insane in the United
Kingdom. which he described as tombs
for the intellectually dead. lie added that
sl5.0c0.o05 was spent annually for their
maintenance but POINTED out that all
this enormous amount OF money is eX-
pended by the nation, not for those for
whom IL can have any hope In the future.
or in whom IL cen have any confidence as
good citizens, but for those who repre-
sent their waste and decay-in short,
that it was Of oil public investments the
most unproductiye. Lord Rosebery did
not condemn this expenditure as extrava-
CANT. nor did he intimate that the lot Of
the insane should be rendered more cruel
by the dminishmeut Of their comforts.
But he argued that some steps should be
taken to arrest the altogether phe-
uomeual increase OF insanity; during the
last fifty years while che population Of
tho United Kingdom has increased by .
per cent. the number Of lunatics had
augmented by 25o per cent
With regard 20 the causes OF this
growth Of lunacy, which IS by 10 means
confined 10 England but which extends
20 all the civilized countries. he was un-
able 10 speak with any degree % sssur-
ance. and save Tor the fact that - per
cent Of ins3sIity is medically Gscribcd 10
heredity, bc was compelled to restrict
himself 10 the expression Of opinions Of
lis owu. some OF which will commend
themselves 20 the readers Of The Herald.
while Others are likely 10 be contested.
OF course, It cannot be denied that in
America the absence Of repose Is every
year becoming more pronounced, and 20
those who can recall conditions here
twenty-five and thirty years ago the
change in this respect appears most
marked. People, especially I'm the Big
cities. allow themselves so little time
for quiet reflection. from the moment
that they arise until the hour when they
retire TO bed, that they may be said 70
dn everything On the spur Of The moment,
and without due consideration That they
should make so few mistakes under the
circumstances speaks volumes for their
intuition, their mental aiertness, and
their soundness OF Judgment. There Is
an old adage ia Europe 10 the effect that
second thoughts are always the best. But
/ here in America II IS the first thought
which always obtains, and almost inVa-
riabiy with advantage. That Americans
/ experience occasionally the need for quiet
Indisturbed reflection. however. +
I shown IN d very curious manner. In
those of the churches which are situated
in the business districts OF the various
great cities. and which remain open
throughout the day there are usually
to be found prominent business men who
retire thither al the noon hour. not for
purposes OF prayer. but nereIr-to have
q quiet think. often about business mat
. tiers. free from any kind OF interruption.
In New York. St Peters. Barclay street,
one Of the Oldest churches in tho me-
tropolis, st PauPs Church. which has
an even still larger number OF years 20
+ It's credit and Old Trinity arc used IN
this way, and that, too. not merely by
! Christians Of every denomination. but
! also by Jews. There alone they find the
I =
element which is denied to them every
where else from their waking until they
ere overtaken by sleep
Thus, Lord Rosebery is inclined 10 at
tribute much OF the spread OF dementia
to the haste and TestlessneSs Of our mod
I ern, twentieth century life. watch show
themselves in IN entire absence Of re-
/ pose. and in the development OF a perfect
mania for speed. not only where motors
/ are concerned, but also in steamship and
railroad travel To tnls. many viii be
disposed 20 take exception. IN no coun-
try Of the world Is hurry developed TO
such a degree as in the United States
Yet statistics so 10 show that the ratio
OF insanity 10 the population Is not in
any sense larger but. on the contrary,
rather smaller. than that among many
+ European nations. where more Ieisurely
WAYS and methods prev all II people are
kept SO busy here in America that they
I have but little time FOR thought and quiet
reflection, they likewise have no time 10
brood upon the subject Of their real or
imaginary wrongs and miseyies. and the
result Is that We find here much less of
that morbid intTosDectiOn which. when
allowed free rein. too frequently deVel-
mind and of body are TO such degree
regarded by the leading alieniSts as bene-
fetal IN cases Of diseases Of the mind
that We fiud them eudeavoring 10 cure
Queen Sophia OF Sweden OF her religious
melanchoHa BY compelling her TO perform
the most arduOus kind of homework ano
of gardening, while chess, the most intel
lcctualiy absorbing OF game. was pre-
scribed with some success for the lat,
d 49,
greater part OF his reign under restraint.
Leisure exists TO much greater extent
in the Old World than IN America, where
everybody is led by Necessity. by hered-
ity. and by custom. TO labor for the sake
of fame or Of wealth. Where leisure is
applied to philanthropy. To study. &c, il
ceases to be leisure. But when not thus
employed. 1t becomes idleness. and the
latter is one of the chief promoters Of in
sanity.
While strenuosity is beneficial to body
and mind, worry is net, and it is the alb
sence OF worTy, resulting from Oriental
fatalism, that accounts largely for the
relatively small ratio Of insanity I'm both
Africa and Asia. True, statistics are
almost impossible to obtain concerning
the prevalence of lmacy in these two
continents, owing 10 the fact that the
mentally afflicted are rarely kept under
restraint. But the very fact that they
are permitted to wander about az will.
/ regarded from the Atlantic coast Of
Northern Africa TO the Pacific coast Of
EaaterumoSt Asia. SIS under the particu-
( lar protection of the divine powers, and
treated Ia consequences with the utmost
kindness and generosity, enables one 70
form some idea Of the relative pauCity of
their numbers, as compared with the