The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1917-03-17

us where we're going TO, well finally
here. So. i'm Investigations OF systems
for the administration OF state func-
tons one must steer a pretty certain
middle OF the road course. III he
gives ear to the devotees OF system
he will be lead to believe that the pin
nacIe OF success has been attained
through Il while II he turns his ear
o the alarmist he will be told that
khere Is nothing right about II and
everything is going to the bow vows,
Thus, in reviewing the work done
for the care and management OF the
insane OF Michigan our starting point
is a mean between two extremes; "a
condition and not a theory II dis
closes to us a system in a pretty good
state OF preservation system that
will average up with that of any OF
our sister states. II is by no means
perfect. In this progressive age there
Is no such thing as perfection. One
hundred per cent is like the milien-
MUM. unattainable.
But, this fact must in no way deter
us from striving TO reach that goal,
We must keep on trying TO improve
for in this age II you're not going
ahead in some degree you're retro
grading. There is no such thing as
standing still and keeping ones head
above water.
IL Is with an eye towards progress
that this Joint Board has been consid-
ering some kind OF change within its
makeup that will better enable II to
carry out the trust which the state
has imposed upon II to administer the
care and management OF the insane
ia the best manner II can devise.
One cannot say that there has been
any particular line of development
followed in the states care of the In
sane. It's a great deal like Topsy,
1T Just growed" From the initial
necessity, evidenced in the pioneer
hospital at Kalamazoo, the burden in
creased with the increase in the states
population and when that institution
developed a burden that II couldn't
care for; a sort OF "hang over" as
we call II in the printing trade. we
took lesson from the pee; split the
hive up into two swarms, one of them
following a new queen to some new
home which some alert influence had
arranged for II. Then all was quiet
until swarming time came again when
new splitting up occurred and some
other fellow hanging around lured
the new hive of by guudy show or
promises TO some other location.
At that we have Jared pretty we'll.
It's true that had locations been Sc
lected with an eye to natural advan-
tages or community resources there
might have been some shifting OF po-
sition but we did the best we could
under the circumstances and we find
ourselves today in pretty fair state
OF advancement, thanks 10 the faith
fulness OF the servants in whom the
trust has been reposed.
With the end in view OF improving
cur position. the Joint Board has
asked itself the question. Are we so
equipped within this board that we
can carry on this development work
TO the best advantage" To this query
there has been an unhesitating mega
tive reply. So apparent are our short
comings that the attention OF those
interested in the progress OF this
work has for some time past been
engaged In devising remedy. II re-
NAMED for our late friend and CO.
worker. DR.. Noble. TO sound the ap-
peal that took root. lie left us a mes
sage that closed career Of usefulness
- institutional work. That message
babe US organize. Organize that this
Joint Board may not be supplanted
BY some experiment that may bring
the extreme or Capitalization. con-
dition which all who have studied the
question agree is not for the best.
II Is evident that DR. Noble after
having studied this question in all
Of les details. concluded that this Joint
Board ought 10 be continued but that
II should be so reconstructed that the
good features Of centralized board
might be written into its makeup.
This same conclusion is. think. the
one that all who have studied the
question from all sides have arrived
at. We have had imposed upon us by
this last message OF our friend a duty.
that OF giving the subject careful and