Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-11-28
LOCAL MEN VISIT MARATHON
COUNTY INSTITUTIONS,
Find Places in Spick and Span Con-
ditiOn-Inmates Do Much
of Work.
(From the Merrill Herald.)


to the Marathon County Insane asy-
lum, County home and hospital, locat-
ed at Wausau, for the purpose of
getting an idea of what is being done
in the care of unfortunate people in
modern communities. AS few people
in Lincoln county may be interested
i'll what our progressive neighbors to
the south are doing along the lines
indicated above, I will endeavor to
tell what saw.
The Marathon County Insane asy-
lum, County home and hospital are
located on the east bank of the Wis
consin river about two miles south
from the court house. The two plants
are separate and conducted separate
ly, though one man has charge of
situations are under one management.
At the present time there is some
thing over two hundred inmates in
the asylum and about one hundred in
the county home. cit should be re-
membered that the asylum is for the
chronic insane.)
Marathon county is building tuber
culosis sanitorium on the west side
of the river about five miles from
the city. When completed this, too,
will be placed under the same man
agement as the asylum and county
home.
In connection with all the three in
situations, three farms are conducted
and extensive agricultural operations
are conducted. One farm is located
east of the city-the old county farm.
On this farm beef cattle are kept.
On the asylum farm a fine herd of
Guernsey cattle is kept. Also
pure bred Percheron stallion and four
pure bred Percheron mares. And, of
course, hogs and poultry.
On the sanatorium farm a large
herd of Holstein cattle is kept. The
cream and milk from this farm is
transported to the asylum farm, the
headquarters for all the institutions.
This states the fact about these in
situations. l will not attempt to
give any description of the equipment
of the plants or the money invest
ment.
The chronic insane are mostly all
middle-aged people, men and women.
They are naturally capable of doing
a great deal of work. In fact, /
understand that the inmates of the
asylum have in the past six years
cleared up-made-the three farms,
and do great deal of the hard la
Dor in the operation of the farms.
Yesterday about thirty of them, with
seven or eight teams, were engaged
in hauling out manure. Others were
the place. In the laundry were at
work about dozen ladies, engaged
in washing, ironing and sewing.
Everything all over the place seemed
to work as smoothly as if the insti-
tuition had been military camp.
For the past six years the asylum
and county home have been in charge
Of Mr.. and Mrs. M. H. Duncan, and
as l have said, they will also have
charge of the tuberculosis sanatorium
when completed Evidently Mr.. and
Mrs. Duncan have a genius for that
kind of work. The two institutions
from Easements to garrets, were as
clean as any modern home could pos
sibly be. Not a speck Of dirt or rub
bish could be detected anywhere.
Even the barns, hen house and hog
house were as slick and clean as
buildings of that kind possibly could
be. Every bed in the two institu-
tions had freshly washed and ironed
linen on them. To person, not fam
iliar with institutions Of that kind,
it would seem almost impossible that
such state of cleanliness could
be maintained in two institutions
having more than three hundred in
mates that were physically and men
tally incapable of caring for them
selves, left to themselves. Add to
this that with only few attendants
these two institutions are practically
self-supporting, and that the machin
cry operating them, if l may use
such an expression, works as smooth
ly as well regulated family or mil
itary camp; am justified in saying
that Mr.. and Mrs. Duncan have
genius for that kind of work. In
reply to a question, how it was pos
sible to keep things in such state of
perfection and order, Mr.. Duncan
said he could not tell. Just keep it
so, that's all"
This is a public service. 1t is public
service on the part of the people of
| Marathon county to take care under
modern conditions those who, for one
reason or another, cannot take care
of themselves. That is twentieth CEN
fury civilization. What do we of
Lincoln county do? Lincoln county
needs an insane asylum and a tuber-
culosis sanatorium Just as badly as
Marathon needed them six years ago.
Lincoln county started out bravely
and wisely twenty or more years ago
when the present splendid county
home was built, but we have made no
progress since. Not an acre of land
has been added to the place. Other
counties, like Marathon county, pushed
forward Lincoln county stands still.
Why?
Are we. as a people. so poor that
we cannot do anything? That can
not he il because institutions such