Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-10-28
Delegates to Charities
Conference in Portland
Inspect the Institutions Of That
Character There.
Dr. Bliss States Needs Of Home tor
FeebIe-Minded at PoWnal.

Portland, Me-, oct. 27.-Nisits to the
local institutions were made today by
the delegates to the Maine State Con-
ference Of Charities and Corrections.
A report was made by Dr. George
S. Bliss of the Maine School for Feeble
Minded at Pownal for the committee
on DETECTIVES. In his report DR.. Bliss
included n sketch on the history OF
the Maine School for Feeble Minded,
a bin for which was passed by I'll"
Legislature of 1907 A tract of 1909
acres was secured lying in the town
of New Gloucester, Gray, North Var
mouth ard POWnal. In conclusion ne
said:
THE work has been well started.
but only started The money appro-
pr.ated by the last Legislature has
been or will have been expended on
The new building. sewers. temporary
water supply. running expenses, and
repairs to the old buildings already
there, which we lave endeavorcG 10
utilize us Ear as possible.
"A great deal remains to i" done.
applicants now on our waiting list
We must haze acentral heating plant,
a permanent water supply large
enough to meet our needs. barns for
more cows, that we may provide our
own milk and butter, schoolhouse.
and dormtory.
There are at the most conservative
estimate possible 1900 of these detectives
in the State of Maine. Estimates have
been made as high as $500 feeble minded
persons in the State, but this estimate j.
probably too high. If we are to properly
care for 1900 of these people surely need
ing much care, we must continue ths
work begun at PoWnal"
The feature of the afternoon session
was an address on divorce by Prof
Maine. 1T seems to me-" said the
speaker, that divorce in Maine has
reached point where it needs some at
tention.' The speaker showed that di-
vorce in Maine had increased from
25ll in the five years following 1877 tC
1889 in the five years following 1902. l.:
The five years following 1867 there were
bnt % divorces for intoxication amd
J27 in the five following 1892.
"Habitual intoxicatiOn." said the eDAak-
er, is a comparatively easy thing to
prove. Maine now has the largest di-
vorce rate of any state east of the Al
leghany mountains" The speaker be
lieves that divorces granted for a suf-
ficient cause We're a benefit but he sat
our courts must not permit temporary
passion and freakishneSs to bring mora
chaos to result Mat may be worked
out by limited divorce. The real evi
of the country, he said, is not divorce
hut the diseased and unhealthy family
Lax marriages were mentioned as one
cause for divorce. He advocated the
publication of marriage intentions in the
newspapers and suggested that more
preparation. dignity and impressivencss be
required in the civil marriage.
Judge Levi Turner Of the Cumberland
superior court spoke on the great need
i'm the state for a reformatory for men
and boys. Dr. Hastings II. Hart saw
no reason why the state prison could not
become a reformatory institution by 4
system of conditional pardons.
| Mrs. Alvah r. Scott of Bangor spoke
on the care of Families in the Homes.
This evening Prof. Alexander Johnson
of Font Wayne. Ind, and Roht IT. White
house of Portland spoke in AdV""arN "i
a state board of charities.