The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1915-06-12
INSIDE LOOKING OUT.

which is interesting, the following
article is also of great interest as g
human document, and for both reasons
ii is commended to the readers of this
paper. 1t is written by patient at the
East Louisiana Hospital for the Insane
concerning the farm colony picnic
Editor.l
AS lawyer, before / became a pa
tient in the East Louisiana Hospital
for the Insane, my business led me at
times ). into the criminal court room
and there have more than once heard
from an interested negro, as he gazed
upon a luckless prisoner in the hold.
over, the trite expression: 81 ruther
be on the outside lookin' in than on
the inside lookin out"
The Write-up of this institution s
fourth annual farm colony picnic, held
May 10, by your correspondent, is from
the viewpoint of the man ION the out
side lookin' in" With no intention to
disparage the article referred to,
boldly assert that it was inadequate,
and without few lines from thh man
ION the inside lookin' out" is incom-
plete. This is right, las surely as the
first atom has two Sides"
Many weeks ago the first faint rays
of the glorious picnic day fell athwart
the fertile minds of some of the pa
tients, sprouting the germ of wonder
full stories-stories which grew as the
picnic day grew nearer-so great that
nothing could exceed the expectations
of the credulous. There were a few
new patients who doubted the wonder
full prophecy up to a late date.
A day or two before the holiday some
OF the more skilful patients enjoyed a
car ride out to the colony grounds,
where, under the supervision of our
kind head-carpenter, they built the
tables-good and strong that would
not groan, but stand up cheerfully,
under the heaped up viands placed
upon them.
At the mother institution where
everything is kept in the best of order,
to put on finishing touch for the
guests, the day before the picnic small
squads Of patients could be seen
smoothing up the lawns and court
yards = picking up blowing papers;
pulling up few tricky weeds that had
lodged the mowers blade; moving and
rearranging great tubs of begonias and
ferns and the other ported plants that
make the Hospital so homelike and
beautiful. The flowers in the great
garden were spruced up bit, too; and
here in this topsy turvy land one
would not be surprised to have run
across the gardeners that Alice found
in the Queens garden in Wonderland,
who with pots of paint were changing
the colors of the roses, so that her
Majesty would not detect the error
that the gardeners had made in plant
ing the white rose where the red should
have been.
In the ovens of the bakery hundreds
of square loaves of good bread were
uncomfortably crowded by the deli
cious pies-Whole rounds of delight;
while in the kitchen, where other vic
tuals were being prepared, the chief
cook had to be alert to avoid being
run over by his busy patient assistants.
The kitchen is large one, too, for in
1t, three times day, are cooked meals
for more than sixteen hundred persons.
The enthusiasm for work was infec-
tious, for even those attendants whose
greatest exertion is put forth in dodg-
ing work, seemed to catch the spirit,
and could be caught at intervals doing
something worth while. Of course the
good attendants-and there are many
of them; fine, good-natured, big-broth-
erly sore of fellows-were as busy as
bees. Our alert, capable Supervisor
was here and there and everywhere,
giving necessary instructions, himself
giving helping hand wherever need
ed. ct is this trait that made him
Supervisor. He was an attendant once
upon time). Great wagonloads Of
benches and settees were sent out to
the picnic grounds.
At the accustomed hour for rising
five o'clock-the patients were awak-
ened by the tintinnabulary call of the
Institutes big bell: Get up! To-day
is the happiest of all the glad new
year"
The clothes room on every ward (of
course, the patients had to wear his
or her best bib and tucker) were full
of eager customers.
After breakfast 1--WE have breakfast
at six o'clock the journey to the
colony picnic woods fonr miles east