The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-07-12
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HON. HERMAN
STUMP AT THE THIRD MARYLAND
CONFERENCE OF CHARITIES
AMI COPQFCTION
AND CORRECTION.

dations and maintenance for all idotic,
imbecile and feeble minded children of in
digent parents in the state, and home
for those who are able to pay therefor,
in an Institution owned and supported
by the state and conducted by state
officials.
The care of insane demanded and re-
ceived early and prompt attention. The
General Assembly recognized the necessi-
ty OF taking into custody and restrain
ing the patients for their own good and
safety of the community, and from time
to time wisely expended large sums of
money in erecting asylums and maintain
ing the inmates. Yet the care of the
feeble minded, not being so direct a
menace to the people at large, but
having equally as cogent and imperative
claims upon the body politicin humani-
tartan and economical administration of
it's affairs, did not receive recognition
until the year 1883 when at the solicita-
ton of Drs Pembroke, Thorn and Gun
dry, the Hon NliltonG Urner and others,
the General Assembly gave serious con-
sideration to this subject and granted a
charter to the Maryland Asylum and
Training school for Feeble Minded, and
authorized the expenditure of $4,000
for site and $4,000 per annum for
IN
tanning about two hundred acres, was
purchased, the dwelling thereon was con-
verified into an asylum and thirteen
children admitted From this small be-
ginning this institution, under the foster
ing care of the state and its board of visi-
tors, has gradually grown to its present
proportions, capable of housing two
hundred children in substantial granite
built cottages with a commodious ad-
ministration building, all furnished and
equipped with every convenience neces-
sary for the comfort, health and safety OF
the children, its officers, teachers nurses
andattendaDts, and the state annually
appropiates sufficient money for thecloth
ing, training, nursing and feeding of them
All the cottages are now full and there
are two hundred and eleven applications
for admission on our waiting list, and
many more would apply if they were not
aware of the utter inability of the board
of visitors to grant their requests.
The great benefits resulting from the
withdrawal of these imbeciles from every
section of the state were acknowledged,
and the Legislature in 1894 passed an
act, CHI 500, sec. 4, which provides,
That the Maryland Asylum and Train
ing school for Feeble Minded shall receive,
care for and educate free of charge all
idotic, imbecile and feeble minded per-
sons of this state, the board of visitors
shall consider proper subjects to secure
the benefits of said Asylum and training
school, who shall present a certificate OF
the Orphans Court or county commits
soners of the city or county in which
such persons respectively reside, that
they or their parents or guardians are
unable to pay for their maintenance in
whole or in part, etc, etc"
This Act is most comprehensive in its
terms and is an unequivocal recognition
of the claims of these unfortunate objects
of humanity as wards of the state, and
Pts mandatory upon the board of visitors
of said institution to receive, care for, and
educate all of them making application
who are found to be proper subjects for
admission.
Theexpenditures of our commonwealth
for the support of the insane, blind. deaf
and dumb, and other helpless persons in
state institutions, and by contributions
to various private charities is commen'
dable, but to neglect to appropriate
sufficient funds to enable the board Of
visitors to obey the express provisions
of the act of 1894 is a matter of great
regret, not only to sympathetic public
but to a great mass of taxpayers, who
readily perceive the economy OF eradicat
ing, at its source, and of preventing the
further spreading of this ever increasing
disease, the burden of which falls upor
them either directly or indirectly.
The board Of visitors some years ago
estimated that there were five hundred
INDECENT, feeble minded children in thi:
state, who were proper subjects for adj
mission and that suitable building OF
buildings should be erected to accomo
date the number. With this endin view &
committee was appointed and an archi
tect selected to visit similar institution:
in other states in full operation, and tc
study and devise the most approved plar
and modern advantages for our institu
ton. After visiting the asylums in New
Jersey, New York, Massachusetts anc
Pennsylvania, the architect, under tkeii
instructions, prepared a system of cot
tases, constructed of granite of hand
some appearance and moderate cost
and an administration building, credita
| BILE to the state, all admirably suited fol
the purposes required. These plans were
adopted, and from time to time, as funds
were appropriated. the administration
building and cottages were erected, unit
the capacity of the institution grew from
thirteen to its two hundred.
| Application was made to the Legisa
ture of 1906 for an appropriation tt
build more cottages but the great anxiety
of our law makers to liquidate the State
Indebtedness and reduce the tax rate
caused them to appropriate only the sun
of twenty five thousand dollars of thu
amount asked for, not sufficient to erec
a new cottage, but which is being applied
to placing an a EDITION to Pembroke Cot
tage, capable of housing fifty more in
mates, wi ich will probably be com
peted about January, 1908.
! Applicant IN will be made to the Legis
lature of 1908 for the building of tire,
more cottages, costing about $35, 00(