The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-19

A small engine, to which was at tached a solitary baggage car, footed q sharp warning, and with a chatter and a shrdH screech of the brakes. came to a standsttl1 before the station Of Bedburg. Rhendsh Prussia Im- medtately 1t was surrounded by a swarm of workmens who proceeded to unload bricks. luTnber. window frames and other building material, various kinds.
 These they trundled and drayed to . two-story brick and frame building in process of construction-one of many which occupied a considerable area of the little town.
 Commonp1ace enough; hardly of sufficient importance to warrant a second glance-excepting that engine driver, trainmen and the sturdy crew of laborers were Iunattcs.
 That is, we should call them .1unatics.'' There they were called patients For in Bedburg they are not crazy" The word ssver reicht'' is never heard. They are merely sick And they are not 'confined,' but are treated" Those who are not homi-. large body of the mentally unfit who are merely victims of delusions or hallaGinatiOns, paresfs, paraecox, al- cohoIisn, or melancholia-are ac- lT9G0Onl patients in any ordinary hospital
 Simply because sb9hey are mentally i'll instead of physically i'll. is not considered sufficient reason for treat ing them as conv1cts. The padded cell, The manacIess the straight-jacket the brutal repression by brutal guards have been replaced by the application of the Golden Rule.
 To help bring about a, return to sanity. they are treated as sane. For the, German doctors have proved by experience that the function of an i'm sane asylum is to treat and cure pa tfents; not merely to provide se- cure place for their confinement.
 This is in decided contrast to the method employed in most of the mod #ern European institutions; also to many in our own land. The trust hfzn'' practices of Daddy Fuller. 5rdge Ben Lindsley, Sheriff Frank Tracy, and Governor West have again been vindAcated. They have been shown to apply also to those in whom the white light of reason no longer. burns clear and bright; to those men tai derelicts who are drifting without rudder compass on the uncharted seas of brain incompetency.
 At Bedburg wholesome out-of- doors occupation, without restraint of any kind. takes the place of the pad ded cell and straight-jacket. It would be easy for any of the inmates to es- cape. No guards are there to pre- vent them But so comfortable are they, that freedom consists in com ing home regularly to wholesome meals and their own quiet beds, and nightly hanging their hats upon the same hook.
 The Prussian alienists are trans Iafing Horace into every day experi- ence- Mems sana in corpore sano--- "a sound mind in 8 sound body''- has, to them, a tangible significance. Blue sky, bright sunlight, pure air, the odor of fresh 1oan. and the we'll being that comes from working with growing things, and from contact with nagugtfcaffy=cnar earth these are all essentials of the "course'' Upon these they place their great est reliance in bringing balm to hurt minds.
 An essential part of the "cure,' they operate a model farm and raise all their own vegetables, fruit, and gar den stuff. A complete dairy and creamery is run by the woman in mates, who also do all the kitchen work of the institution. They have their own ice plant, bakeries, water works, tailoring and dressmaking es- tablishments, and also workshop, slaughterhouse and laundry. All the work is done by patients, under com petent supervision.
 These shops differ from most oth- CTS in that all work involuntary. Any workman may knock off and call it a day. whenever he or she feels like quitting. Thus they enjoy some ad- vantages which are not shared by their sane brothers and sisters con the outside
 Every reasonable opportunity for hea1fhful and cheering amusement also Is afforded. Games of all kinds areeplayed, and among the 2,5OO tsres- idents' are many who excel even in
 
 ssskatSs s'---Al1y one who is familiar with theeee complicated forms of ofErecreation will appreciate their value as mental discipline.
 DurinG work or play these are un- der constant observation for favor ablenor Qrafavorab1e symptoms in the progreeas- of their various disorders Cafefuri records are kept, which are at thea disposal of visiting aIienists and exHxy ID ossible effort is made to obtain E1ae best and most authortta- tive advice.
 W4than t1e last few years, this method hzsN yield ed such excellent re- su1ts sGhnh many of those who came, 'sfEz1E Ofrsgound and fury are dis chaEged#Aa #Aafter but a few months treatment The restorative influences of unlimited fresh air, good food, reg ular habftSS and LnremItttng attention to the physical by some of the world S most famous psychtartrists are work 1ngsWonders in knitting together the threads of their travelled mentality.
 In Gheed, Belgium, is another insti- tuition of the same general character as that located at Beoburg. Here the ssma1ades'' Cpatients1 are housed in aAcolony, consisting of groups of cot tages, each of which shelters not more than two or three occupants. EThese are permitted absolute freedom E.-svens more marked than at Bed fburg. They are met everywhere in E1he little town. If, during converse sfion, they refrain from riding their sparticular hobbies, one has difficulty in distinguishing between them and the town residents.
 Confinement is resorted,to only as a last extreme. It is claimed that, on the average, rarely are more than sixty out of nearly two thousand.