Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-01-09
SOME ASTOUNDING FACTS.
Military Records Of Camp jackson
Reveal a Menace.

Columbia, Jan. 3.-Thirteen out of
every 1000 South Carolina men mus
tered into the service OF the United
States at Camp Jackson up to De-
ccmber 13, 1917, we're subsequently
discharged from the army because
they were feebleminded This fact
vas ascertained through study of
the medical records of reflections at
camp Jackson made for the State
Council Of Defense and the State
Board Of Charities and Correction9by
o. Hastings II. Hart, Of the Russell
Safe Foundation, and Secretary AL
Der, s. tombstone, Of the State board
Pcrrnission to study the medical rec
rrds at the camp was granted by
uon. Bailey, former commander Of
Camp Jackson, at the request of Gov
ernor Manning.
Crhe astounding fact that out of
e"ory 1000 South Carolina men mus
tered into service at Camp Jackson
I 3 we're rel cted for feeble-minded-
Eos$ Twill doubtless add to the alarm
% nose citizens of the State who are
niyyidy aroused over the merace Of
the problem Of the mentally deficient
and who are urging the Senate to
pass the bill providing for the State
CnStodial Training School for the fee
hIomined white people of South Caro-
UuFO
(rte State Board Of Charities and
rorrections,) which. with expert as
aiSca nee rendered by Miss Helen f.
!iiu, a trained psychologist, has been
stud ying the problem of the feeble
minded In South Carolina for about
t"o years, has never claimed that
more than three people out OF every
1900 Of the general population were
tochle-minded. However, the official
medical records at Camp Jackson
shoe that the ratio is really over
tnnr times three out Of every 1000
among the men between 81 and 81
years of age sent to the camp for
army service up to December 18th,
1917.
("lom the ranks Of the feeble-mind-
o' re recruited a large percentage
"j lie paupers of the State, many of
t"e criminals, many of the disease
"nr"ading prostitutes, and many
other social undesirables.
eeble-mindedness is due very
'arEely to hereditary causes which
can be controlled by stopping the
p'opagation of children by persons
one or both Of whom are feeble
minded. Experience has proved that
best way tH put an nnn To uupa-
ion among the feeble minded is 10
zee thnal in q arsNeclal Institution Nv
; emsoivos where they, 8inrr they
are nothing but ciiliuren ia nina, ca.
ne kept happy and contented and
trained by special teachers to become
At least In a measure self-supporting,
i"stead of being as they are without
raining, economic burdens.
AT it's 1917 session the House of
representatives passed bill provid-
lg for the establishment OF the State
aiming school for the feeble-minded.
This bill IS now on the calendar of
ne Senate with favorable report
trom the finance committee. It's
rassage early in the session Of 1918
by the Senate is anticipated.)
In a Forthcoming issue of "The
Quarterly Bulletin" the State Boa, ,rd
# Charities and Corrections terms the
hill for the training school for the
feeble-minded "a war measure" be-
tause, with the war taking the best
hen and the unprotected feeble
minded continuing to propagate
children who are burdens to the
state, the civilization Of South Caro-
ina is being attacked at two points,
and one of the attacks can be stop-
ned in measure by the passage of
he bill providing State care for the
eeble-minded:
The representatives of the State
'oard Of Charities and Corrections
md the State Council of Defense in
making their cooperative study OF
he medical records Of the causes Of
'ejection Of men from Camp Jackson
Included the records Of men from
Eorth Carolina and Florida. Tabula-
ION OF the data showed that out Of
every 1000 men mustered into SER
ice from these three States 14.5
"ere subsequently, rejected because
they were feeble-minded. The rejec-
IONS per ] 900 on account of feeble
mindedness for the three States sem