Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-27
Insanity Among Foreigners.

That the percentage of insanity among
| the foreign born who come to this ceun-
! try is much greater than among the
native born was asserted by DR. White.
/ This was largely due, he said. because in
| the hurry and crowding at Ellis island
| it was difficult to determine even physical
! defects much less mental ones.
| To show something of the magnitude of
| the problem, DR.. White pointed out that
| one-fourth of all the money expended ny
the state of New York was spent III the
| care Of the insane feeble minded and
| other detectives. and explained that this
did not take into consideration the money
spent for the same purpose by nunlci-
palities.
Alcohol is one Of the factors in pro-
ducing insanity, he said. but by means
the greates1 or worst factor Much
| less alcohol is being used now than was
,, used a generation ago. he SAID. Tor
by the public. No places of response
bility are available for the alcoholic.
One venereal disease IN one aspect alone
he said, was responsible Tor large
amount of INSANITY in this country. and,
he said, an employer should use more
care to avoid putting a man suffering
from this disease into place of respon-
sibilty than III putting an alcohohc INTO
a similar capacity. For said he, the
man so afflicted will go to pieces under
d stress of circumstances and SO Will the
alcoholic, but the former will break i'll a
much more subtle way.
Care of Feeble-Minded.
That by the proper treatment the de-
pendent feeble minded child can be made
into useful citizen. was asserted by
DR.. Kicking who urged that there is
lots we can do and lots We should do
for the feeble-mnded child that is not
now being done
He spoke briefly of the degree OF re-
sponsibility of the individual for his acts,
saying all were not equally responsible for
their deeds. and that punishment should
not apply to the crime. but to the indi-
vidual No man has ever been saved
by the penitentiary. he said. improved
by it, and only few have been saved
from fear of it.
Many recommendations of especial inn
portance to the District We're made at
the meeting, one of the chief of which
was the provision of free textbooks for
pupils in the high schools. This recon-
mendation, together with approval OF
the appropriation by Congress for the
erection and maintenance OF suitable
buildings for the Central and NJ Street
High Schools: and of a further appro-
priation for the purchase of proper
site and for the erection of suitable
building for the Eastern High School. re
ceived the boards approval, as did also
the proposition for the wider use of
school buildings. The board disapproved
any proposition to change, at the pres
ent time. the general authority of func-
tons of the superintendent of schools and
the board OF education
Urges Purchase of Land.
On motion of former Judge Charles S.
Bundy of the Municipal Court the board
recommended the purchase of the land
known as the Patterson tract for a park
Judge Bundy. who is chairman of the
committee on PARKS and reservations,
save a history OF The park plan of the
District, and explained that this city did
not at present own even a large per-
centage of park lands which it had plan
ned to own.
Recommendations made by the commit
tee on public order through Odell s
Smith included the following: An increase
in the number of privates in the police
department: provision of fund for pen
sloning members of the police and fire
departments and the widows and children
OF deceased members: a new building for
the National Guard of the District of CO.
lumbia; a new hui ding for the Juvenile
Court and new building for the house
of detention.
Opposition to the true consideration bill
now pending before the Senate District
committee was registered by Matthew f.
OBrien, who gave the report of the COM
mittee on law. The board approved the
Other Recommendations.
Other committee recommendations
adopted by the board were as follows:
Approval of the plans for the conversion
Of alleys into minor streets and of Sc
curing legislation tending to eliminate
effectively existing alley conditions and
convert alleys into thoroughfares cred
table to the nations capital and that
the Commissioners be requested to pro-
mulgate a building regulation that will
insure in the erection of buildings sub
stantial parallelsm of their main ia
cade or elevation with the line of the
street. to the end that symmetry in the
elevation of buildings in square or block
may be preserved. These recommended
tons We're made by the committee on
streets and avenues, of which II. l.. Rust
acted as chairman.
Appleton J.. Clark, jr. on behalf of the
committee on water supply, approved the
Immediate provision for increasing the
water supply, and Endorsed the plan pro-
posed by the chief of engineers of the
army. as embodied in the report Of Lieut.
Col w. c. Lansfitt, SO far as the increase
Of water supply Is concerned.
A vote Of thanks was extended to the
three lecturers. Cuno H. Rudolph, the
president, presided. Proposed amend
ments to the bylaws relating to the
election of officers were laid on the table