The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-22

lated to the pedigrees of the various
inmates. These charts showed the an
cestors for many past generations and
the results of the intermarriage of
normal and weakminded persons and
the resulting generations. In several
of the cases shown the weak-minded-
ness skipped a generation and reap
peared in the third, but more often,
especially when one of the parents
was physically diseased, 1t appeared in
one or more of the children of the
following generation.
Alcoholism also plays an important
part in the propagation of weak mind
edness, said the lecturer. This he
showed in the case of the marriage of
a normal man with woman addicted
| to drink Several OF the children were
weak minded and one of them was in
the institution. In the case where both
parents were of normal mental develop
ment but addicted to excessive drink
| the children were without exception
weak minded. This answers the aues-
| ton according to Mr. Johnson as to
where weak -mindedness first originates
! in family. 1t takes generations for
the weakness to be overcome ana OFTEN
| there is no cure. degeneration increas-
| ing and continuing until the STRAIN
| finally peters out.
PREVENT
| The intermarriage of feebleminded
persons is undermining the nation, in
| the opinion of the lecturer and can be
! prevented only by institutions sucn as
! that at vineland, There they are safe
! from the world in which, II allowed TO
| be at large they become prostitutes,
| and criminals of the most vicious tynes.
In one case quoted by the speaker a
deaf, mute and feeble minded woman
married n feeble minded man. The
child of this union may be imagined.
| During the lecture many interesting
stories were told Of the various types
with which those conducting the insti-
tuition had to deal. One of them was
| that OF boy who cared only for fire.
| 1t was his god. He would burn barns
and wheat stacks just to see them burn.
| The instructor placed him in the boiler
| room of the building and taught him
| to feed the furnace. He was In his
| element and never allowed the furnace
! to want for coal. He would draw up
| close to the open door of the furnace
| and gaze for minutes at time into the
| fiery blast. When given candy CIR other
! edibles the greater portion of them was
| shared by the furnace. his god. Such
! persons as this, stated Mr.. Johnson,
/ II at large would become firehug and
I IN short ttr71e- be semitic t,rtsefs- ftF
arson. AS 1t is he Is a useful member
of society ard is doing good work
Mr.. Johnson stated last night the
| the cost Of maintaining an institu-
/ ton for the feeble minced would not
be as great as that Of keeping a
lunatic asylum. He estimated thai
| the per capita cost would be about
$3.50. He favors the State institu-
| tons for such work because most pri-
vate places of the kind aim TO make
a profit and for this reason their work
cannotsbe depended upon. Then. too
the larger the institution the better
| work It is able to do. The inmates
are given the advantage OF mixing
freely with their peers even though
! the latter may be classed as feeble
minded also and In this way be aid
ed
Upholds Mrs. Light
AS Mrs. Light. the matron Of the
Bon Air School for Girls. stated during
| "A recent investigation of the home
Mr.. Johnson declared last night thai
| the best way of controlling inmates
of such institutions was to give them
plenty Of work While at work they
are happy and unable to rebel If they
! should desire to do so. and after they
have worked for seven or eight hours
| day they are too tired. The lee
turer stated that most OF the inmates
are vigorous physically. but that or
account of their low state of mental
development 1t was necessary to de.
vote a great portion of their time
even while in the schoolrooms to what
IA normal person would term as play
DIR, johnson delivered an interest
| ing fifteen-minute address yesterday
afternoon in the hall Of the. house o,
delegates to about two score of Rich,
mond social service workers. lie was
introduced by DR. T. j. Mastn, wht
presided at the p1eeting.