New-York tribune., 1907-06-16
THE CITY OF FOOLS"
H Belgian Tozon, Where Demented
Persons D1ceU IN Peace.
BY III. T. Sherman.

has often been heard of outside the borders oI
that industrious and thrifty little country and
even if the name Is known the nature of the
municipality Is probably ignored. save among
the mind specialists of the medical profession
Gheel is, in fact, a town of fools, town where
the demented dwell in peace with one another,
stroll about the Streets take their monday re-
freshment at the cafes, and go about their daily
routine with perhaps more common sense than
a great many of own worthy citizens who
have the reputation Of being healthy in both
mind and body.
have just come from there. Do not mis-
understand me-not patient. but as an OBJ
server although I frankly admit I found some
of the patients able to floor me in lucid argu-
ments on subjects with which they were more
familiar than myself. which gave me food for
reflection
This pretty country town. with its picturesque
old Flemish church. is about twenty-seven miles
from the now great metropolis OF Antwerp
which by the way. has just given such shock
to London by its vast projects for the extension
OF its already wonderful seaport. Gheel shell
ters about fifteen hundred harmless lunatics as
dodgers who are taken in by the townsfolk- The
most dangerous cases are, of course, confined IN
the asylum. while the violent ones are sent for
cure to the outlying farms. where they cannot
come IN contact with the villagers. The harm
less receive a moral treatment. cares being due
to the kindness and tact of the townsfolk- The
fees for taking in an innocent" they are
called, vary from 500 10 $500 year. according
TO the manner in which the patient wishes TO be
kept, or to the desire of the patients family.
No matter how much he pays, however he is
always the spoiled member of the family, for
the people of Gheel understand the management
of insane persons better than any other known
community. their experience in this direction
dating back for hundreds of years and the art
I OF caring for the weak minded having been
handed down from father 10 son. The patent
gets the armchair and the best seat at table
and enjoys the most attention, so that he grows
To value the esteem in which ne Is held TO SuCh
an extent that he will make the greatest efforts
10 master his disease lest he should forfeit his
privilegea The children of Gheel seem wiser
than others from their contact with those who
though their elders in years. are only then
EQUALS in brains. Dozens of children may be
seen walking hand in hand with great. robust
mon, II whom they chatter in the most faml!lar
manner The boarder-p patient Is often told 70
take care Of the baby Of the household and in
most cases he makes an excellent nurse Ot
. course. Gheel even goes ahead Of London. Paris.
Berlin or any other capital as a place o1 resi-
denc6- for "emperors. kings, queens,
'millionaires." "popes. 'arChbishops' and
'pachas." all of whom are fully humored in
their fancies.
has two left legs and is obliged 10 have his
boots and trousers made accordingly Another
old man, who thinks himself the 'Pope Of
Rome" SAYS he is perfectly able to fly to
heaven. but that for the moment he Is too ia :.
His landlord humors his boarder 10 the extent
OF offering 10 assist him in making start
from the window sill OF the first story, but
warns him that he might fall and break his
neck. The Pope thinks better of II and de-
+ cides to wait till after tea" One inhabtant
. OF Gheel IS always the lookout TO borrow
a hatchet. because he says he has suddenly
grown stout that he must chop away the
doorway in order to get in.
1t would not be surprising were the casual
/ visitor 10 Gheel to be accosted by the tndl-
vidual who, with tears in his eyes, tells all Ina
meets that he wants their protection against
! some horrible butterfly or bird that is about
To attack him and eat his brains out or by
another who fancies himself a seed and asks
/ TO be put I'm the pocket that the wind may not
/ blow him away.
In the course Of my recent visit. Of the
7 "innocents' was in "A terrible way because he
/ thought himself a mustard seed and that the
. birds were about 10 swallow him. His land
/ lord scoldcd him for being SO foolish. Have
/ ! not told YOU that you safe because the
I birds only eat hemp seed and the unfortunate
I man became calm and contented Another one
/ conhded To the distressing fact that he was
. made OF glass and dreaded coming in contact
with any object for fear he might break. he was
terribly brittle. This he said. was his only
/ trouble IN life; and; sure enough, on all other
/ subjects ne appeared perfectly lucid.
J made ceremonious call upon the Queen
I Of Holland after having made formal de-
! mdnd for an audience through her Grand
/ Chamberlain the latter being the landlord ~
the house I'm which she was a cherished and
/ highly humored boarder. was told 70 make the
/ necessary bows and compliments If in the
/ presence of a sovereign After greeting ane, she
TO waive formality for a moment. Then in a
| shrilI. uncanny voice she started singing well
! known airs from the popular operas. She re-
! GREETED deeply that she had not known of my
/ intended visit else she would have called ont
/ the troops Of the garrison and given me a
/ CeremOniOuS reception, surrounded hV her whole
court. Unfortunately the court was out for a
/ picnic and would not be back until nv trair,
/ had started. AS I bale her farewell she rushed
| upstairs TO her room and from the open window
! gave commands 10 imaginary troops passing
in review in my honor l learned from her in
/ dulGent landlord that she the daughter of
/ a cabinet minister in Holland.
| An old woman Of no less than ninety summers
| who had grown a full beard and mustache, in
4 as she none other than the Holy Ghost "
She regretted that Mary" her daughter-n-law
she would soon be in. II made you and all the
world. and do with YOU what I like" she
said she took a liberal pinch of snuff and
| Glared at me as II I were only the meanest OF
/ microbes.
At the Gheel inns the landlords show the
| greatest politeness and consideration toward the
! "innocents,' humorng all their fances and
/ often appearing TO carry out the realization OF
/ some of their weird Whims. The spectacle is
indeed unCanny. and n visit 10 Gheel is AS
/ strange as Alice's visit 10 Wonderland Though
/ II all has its ludicrouS side, there is much that
/ is painfully pathetic. l talked iengtf
with q fine fellow from New York who, all tht
time chatted kept looking at the door and
I taking out his watch II am waiting for mQther.
he would say intervals. although there was
no question of the dear crossing the Atlantic
at least for many months
The tenderness, tact and good will shown tC
the simple minded folk. and the absence of al
restraint. would astonish our latest and moss
up-to-d date asylum managements. Doctors have
! visited II from all the civilized world. anC
the United States. visit to the place is most
edifyIng TO all who are interested in the treat
and the patients all seem happy and 10 enjoy
their strange lives.