Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1916-04-14
TALKS on States WARDS
CONTINUED from page y

\SOAN4AAANV ALUM 3s~6~ -
ebriate hospital at willmar, which is
only a few years old. He stated that
it cannot be said yet that it is a
success, although it has done some
good, the improvement being more
marked with the women in relation to
the drug habit. He mentioned that
among those who are sent there for
treatment are users of various drugs
and even kerosene and gasoline fiends.
Most of the men are sent there to be
cured of tie liquor habit. The popu-
lation at the present is about 100
men and II women. IT the institution
is found not to be success later it
may be converted into an insane hos
pital.
At Red Wing the state has a train
ing school for delinquent boys. More
and more the boy who is brought be-
fore the Judge is placed on probation
or is sent to the detention home and
is given chance and it is only after
the clergyman, the teacher, and the
parents nave done all that they can
for him, that the delinquent boy goes
to the training school and for that
reason he usually is hard customer
to deal with. Before the probation
system was begun there were more
higher grade boys at the Institution
than now. The average 1Syear-old
who goes to Red Wing is usually more
dangerous than the grown criminal
as he has no sense of responsibility.
: Many of them, however, prove to be
very good later on and when one of
these boys makes up his mind to be
good he usually makes it up just as
hard as he did to be bad.
Many trades are taught at the
training school, among which are the
printing trade, for which there is
quite a demand. Some Of the boys
progress from the training school to
the reformatory and from there to the
state penitentiary, but these are COM
paratively few. -~ ..: :....,7l p.
Mr.. Vasaly mentioned briefly the
Sank Centre school for girls, which is
under the supervision of Mrs. Fanny
French Morse. He commended Mrs.
Morse highly on her able supervision
of this institution and said that the
inmates there are given the finest of
care. He did not say much about the
school as Mrs. Morse gave a Halk
here very recently on that institution.
In Phalen Park, St. Paul, the state
> has a home for INDECENT crippled and
deformed children. This is the only
state institution of its kind in the
United States and people should
make an effort to visit it when in St.
Paul. At the present time $50 chill
dren are receiving treatment there
and accommodations are expected to
be made for more soon. Miss Nc
Gregor is the superintendent in
charge. DR.. Gillette, one of the best
surgeons in the state. gives his ser
vices free of charge in treating the
children. He has staff of twenty
assistants, all of whom also give their
services entirely free of charge. Mr..
Vasaly stated that of all institutions
he must visit in the state, and he
must go to all of them, he ,els most
cheerful when at Phalen Park, as the
children there are the happiest lot
one could desire to see, even though
they are crippled. They are we'll car
ed for.
For feeble minded and epileptics
there is an institution at Fari-
bault, which has population of 1000
and is the largest Of the state insti-
buttons. There is waiting list of
PTS at the present time. At that
school 300 children are taking the reg
ular school course, which includes the
industrial and domestic arts.
Feeble mindedness, said Mr.. Vas
ally, is something that cannot be cur
!. ed and those who are that way must
remain so. They are different from
the insane, with which they are some
times confused The feeble minded
person is mentally efficient and can
never be otherwise. The increase of
feeble minded is from 311 to 4 per
cent per year.
In connection with this school the
state operates farm colonies for cpl
leptics, or miles from town, where
they can work on the farms. There
is also research department. in con-
nection with the school, where exam
ination is made into the mental age
OF the children. Feeble mindedness
is hereditary to large extent and
can be traced far back. The tracing
of one family for 100 years back
showed that IS per cent Of the men,
bers of that family were afflicted and
had been in crime, vice, etc. Other
examinations have brought out similar
disclosures. In one instance in this
state settlement has also been found
where large percentage of the in
habintants were Predetermined. The
reason given is that the people set
tied in that particular valley and were
secluded from other people, that they
intermarried and thus each generation
that grew up became weaker and
weaker. All Of this shows how ire
mendous the problem of the feeble
minded is becoming.
Lastly Mr.. Vasaly told about the
state penitentiary and the reforma-
tory, the two largest penal institutions
in the state. He said that the people