The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-01-01
INMATES ENCOURAGED TO
WORK IN GARDEN AND ON
BIG FARM NEAR FARMINGTON
Prove Their Ability to Make Good by
Capturing Many Prizes at Missouri
State and Southeast Fairs.
(BY RoBERTUS LOVE-

The attendants and other employees,
about ITO in all, live within the hos
pital grounds. Some of them have
rooms in the cottages for patients.
Others are quartered in Folk Hall,
named for former Gov. Joseph w.
Folk, which has several suites for
families This building is one of the
bright spots. 1t is something like
resort hotel, having a pool and bill
lard room in the basement and a
large amusement hall above, which is
gathering place for the patients on
certain occasions. Every Thursday
night there is a dance, the insane per-
sons doing the dancing. Occasion
ally visitor selects a parter from
amongst the patients and does whirl
on the floor. Some Of the patients
are skillful dancers.
The Thursday evening dances in
the amusement hall are famous
throughout the country. Officers and
attendants frequently take part in
the dancing and the social elite Of
Pennington also attend. Music is
supplied by an ofchestry directed by
Hugh Porter o. Pennington, a mu-
sician- of mGchs more than local repu-
tation. These weekly dances are i'm
portant because of the beneficial eff
feet they have on the patients 1t is
said that they do much toward bring
ing about mental cures.
In the rear of the amusement hall
is moving picture machine Every
Monday evening a program of films
is run off for the entertainment of the
patients, who are said to enjoy it.
Some of the patients, as matter of
course, are not taken to the picture
show. They are too far gone down in
to the dark. Life for them no longer is
a series of cinematographs; it is a set
piece, dull and dismal-and dark.
They are the hasbeens of the world of
mind, and above the head of each sits
the invisible raven that croaks
"Nevermore!"
The attendant in the billiard-room,
| learned to my surprise, is one of the
patients. He appears rational. Dr.
Scrutchfield says he is on the road to
the outside. There is, in fact, a con-
siderable number of patients who seem
to be measurably sane. One of these
is highly interesting character. He
is called ''the Major" He held that
rank in the British army, where he
fought through the Boer war. The
Major is one of the private patients.
The monthly stipent of $15 which the
State receives for his board and keep
is sent over by firm of solicitors,
or lawyers, in England. The Major
is hospital trusty. He has the run
of the grounds. He goes to Farming
ton every day and brings back the
hospital mail bag. He is thrifty
person, conducting by permission
sort of "canteen", where he sells to the
patients such commodities as tobacco,
candy, chewing gum and fruits. The
Major is a salaried patient, receiving
dollar a week for carrying the
mails. He can tell funny story
like vaudeville star.
There is, necessarily, a kind of
clockwork routine about the hospital
operation. Bed time for all patients
is 1880 At $50 getting-up time ar
rives fne patients make their beds,
clean tie floors and tidy up generally
The cleanliness Of all the hospital cot
tages strikes visitor as remarkable.
1t ID the more remarkable because Of
the overcrowded condition Of some of
thescottages, particularly those o.
cupied by the men. st. Louis Re-
public.
Concluded next week.)
-----------------