Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-02-15
DIR, FERNALD'S ADDRESS

The address was by Guy G. Fernald,
A. NJ, NJ. D., director survey of the ma
tonal committee for mental hygiene,
and secretary of the Maine commits
sion on provision for the feeble mind
ed, with offices at the State House.
Augusta, His subject was "Mainc and
Her Dependents" Summarized he
said that Maine provides adequately
for her dependents; but it is largely by
bestowing instead of enabling. Her
problem is to enable certain Of her de-
pcndents to become more nearly inde-
pendent. especially by discovering
cases of intelligence defect and char
actcr deviation in childhood and then
providing industrial training. Avoid
ably dependent fecblemindedncSS may
be almost eliminated in Maine in a
generation. The world war has has
tened by many years the precipitation
of this problem and its appeal 70 pub
lie opinion: though specialists have
appreciated it for a generation and eff
fective work began upon it in some
states ten years ago. No bequest,
probably. that we can make to future
generations will so greatly benefit as
ltidl eIillcpitu III t'lC ''fbi
elimination of defective and degenerate
human breeding stock.
But the words of DIR. Fcrnald are 50
important for the consideration OF
Maine at this time that excerpts are
given as follows:
Maine spends nearly million and
half of public funds every year in
maintaining her dependents, not In
Guiding the cost of courts and police or
of the military and naval dependents.
Since there are about 1000 dependents
this maintenance costs about $1,000
each These figures seem rather large,
but are easily verified by consulting
the reports Of the department Of Chari-
ties and Corrections. IT is not that the
taxpayers arc unwilling TO make the
sacrifice necessary to maintain the
states dependents and their own; but
that by taking thought the burden may
be greatly diminished, and that hu-
namely, injuring no one. Dependents
we shall have with us always; but
their numbers may be greatly cut
down and the feebleminded may almost
disappear as the present generation
disappears. Furthermore. the human
efficiency of the next and succeeding
generations may he much increased by
cur taking thought how our million
and a half OF public funds Is to be eX
pended.
1T is not that Maine people have
been remiss or have Jagged behind in
caring for their dependents. On the
contrary they are doing all they have
been expected TO do and more. The
point is that we of this generation
must expect in this crisis more of our
selves than has hitherto been de-
manded We must devise new meth
DDS to meet "a problem which is new to
our developing population. Tine
States Institutions are not to be at
tackled or adversely criticized. They
have done their work we'll and are do
ing all that has been expected of them.
What served our fathers as standards
in the easy days of peace and plenty
surely needs revision upward, how
ever in these days of crisis and sharp
demand for the conservation of human
energy with which to maintain our new
army and supply sustenance to half
us have multiplied in the last three
years 1t Is for the purpose of con-
sidering possible means of conserving
some of our energy with which to meet
these demands that l invite your atten-
tion this evening.
Our friend. the enemy in Germany
has seen this problem and with char
acteristic disregard OF principle and
the humanities in his methods has ex-
tended military discipline to include
women of childbearing age. and has
arranged by military decree for the is
suance of the next generation rom the
most vigorous stock. But before be-
ginning the war the Germans ap
preciated the Burden of Feeblemind-
edness" and for some years have been
utilizing the limited abilities of the
mentally defective by finding their in
dividual form of maximum economic
usefulness and having found this have
seen to it that each individual was kept
steadily at work at his occupation.
Such oversight as was needed was
furnished. While we shall never adopt
methods which involve riding rough
shod over the morality and sensibili-
ties Of women: we are face to face