Gilpin observer., 1913-10-09
ARE CLEVER
Many in AsyIums Earn Excellent
Salaries.
There Are Scores Of lunAties Who
Are Good Artists, and Some Of
Them Make Big Incomes by
Their Art-Work 10
Unreliable. i

Unreliable.
Il am sure,'' said a well-known
mind doctor, in an interview with the
New York Press, you would be
lmazed at the clever work that is
lone by hundreds of men and women
Who are hopelessly insane Some of
at least is as good as that done
'y sane people who earn large in
.omes
Among my patients today is one
nan whose skill with the brush would
Utmost surely qualify him for high
'ank If he were only in possession of
lis senses. There are few of the
great exhibitions which do not con-
ain one or more of his canvases, and
lie has often received as much as $500
or picture And yet this man is
Is mad as hatter,' the victim of
errible delusions and subject to vio-
ent homicidal attacks.
Naturally, his. work is unreliable.
One week he will produce a mastery
md beautiful picture, with genius in,
every line of 1t. The next he will
paint the most weird picture, per-
ect nightmare in color which, curl
>usly enough he always considers a.
masterpiece.
And this man is no exception, for
here are scores of lunatics who are
luite excellent artists, and many of
hem make good incomes by their art.
Several years ago an exhibition of
pictures, the work of insane patients
If the Bethlehem Royal hospital, was
open to the public, and l can assure
you many of them are beautiful
works of art.
There are hundreds of other luna
lies who are just as skillful in music
and literature. One of my own pa
tents. who is hopelessly mad on one
subject, and who is perfect musical
genius, has composed operas and
symphonies and scores of songs which
nave won considerable fame for him
and have brought him a small fortune
And know of many other insane men
and women who earn small and reg
liar incomes in the same way.
There are, similarly. hundreds of
he insane who make a hobby, and
sometimes a very profitable one. of
writing. Indeed, many of our asy
.ums have magazines which are al
most entirely the work Of the pa
| .ient3.
Even in our public asylums there
are hundreds of patients who make
money by skilled work of one sort or
another. Thus, in a county asylum L
I know well one man who does the most
exquisite water color sketches, for
which he receives from SIS to $50
/ each, and he has a market for as
many as he can produce. Unfortu-
nately, like SO many mad artists. he
IS often unable or unwilling to finish
picture, and thus at least four-fifths
If his work is wasted.
Another patient, former sea cap
lain, spends his time in making the
most perfect tiny models Of ships.
carved with infinite skill and pains
from bone or ivory. for each of which
ne gets IS to SO. For one very elab-
orate and beautiful model of cathe-
1ral he was paid as much as $3.50,
and 1t was certainly very cheap at the
price, A third patient in the same
|
cutting the cleverest silhouettes out
of colored paper.
"Other patients are equally skilled
IN very wide range of industries.
from inventing toys and puzzles to
making watches and picture frames,
and from breeding canaries and mice
% raising flowers One very ingenious
man actually made clock. with no
other material than pins, buttons. iron
oed laths and pieces Of knitting nee
lies.
The women, too. are just as cfever
AZ the men. know one demented
woman who writes the most charming
books for children, and verses for
Christmas cards. another who makes
good income. in her lucid hours. by
illustrating books. and a third who
iraws several hundred dollars a year
from royalties on her plays. And
here are countless women in our
public asylums who earn money in
scores Of ways. such as knitting. lace
making straw plating and leather
work