The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-12
ZEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

tentlon of the readers of this column, he Ross bill, introduced by him in the house of representatives in January, 1919
 
 It was drafted by a committee of the Alabama Society for Mental Hygiene after a careful study and survey of the situation in other states as well as in Alabama. and seeks to have the follow ing; In order to accomplish the purpose set forth and to provide the necessary grounds, buildings. furniture, light, heat and water connections, sewerage and other equipment, the sum of fifty thous- and $50, ,oOooo) dollars per year for five successive years hereby appropriated out of any money in the state treasury not otherwise appropriated.
 
 Provided that the money shall remain in the state treasury until it is drawn out on requisition of the board of man. agers with the approval of the governor for the purpose of paying for the build ing material. machinery, labor, furni- ture, and other equipment as it is actu- ally needed, and not until such material, machinery. labor, furniture and equip ment shall have been delivered, perform ed or done.
 Now asking such an amount of money, and adopting along with many other states, the right of sterilization of the Predetermined, is we'll to try and get at some of the salient facts as related to Inc ~ta in A 1a1 1ooy tb need. number and cost of enacting such measure.
 In the first place, the Ross mental deficiency bih provides a home for men, tally inferior children, where they can make the most of themselves, and be happy. Take the matter Of those in or phanages In 1918 MT Lee Bdgood found iiS9 children in IS Alabama orphanages. The statement is made that at present there are probably one hundred feetle- minded boys and girls in orphanages in this state.
 In May, 1919, a mental survey of Ala bamas four industrial schools made by pr. w. D. Partley and pr. Thomas H. fIaines, they found fl feeble-minded out of 309 at the Alabama Boys Industrial school Ii out of A at the state training school for girls; out of 30 Mercy Home industrial school for girls; 70 out of N0 Alabama Reform School for juvenile ne- gro law-breakers. Certainly this is a de- plorable state of affairs and needs to be remedied.
 In May, 1919, county health officers reported to Dr. Glenn Andrews, state prison Inspector, a total population of I'll in 54 county almshouses. Of these TIA persons, 240. (21s adults and P children) were reported as feeble minded Now these facts have been reported by the roper constituted authorities in the ex- ercise of their duties, and should there fore carry more weight than if gathered by self-constituted reformers, however so worthy.
 One of the saddest things is the figures set down of 100 feeble-lninded children in orphanages. It is bad enough for a strong, healthy, wide-awake boy or girl to be an inmate of an orphanage where they are supposed to have the best possible care from those who strive to stand as much as possible in the place of parents and make the institution a real home in which they are not merely treated humanely, but prepared for life
 
 I confess the plea put forth by the committee behind the bill that it will be money saving measure, does not ap- peal to me nearly so much as the thought so far as the children are concerned that it will make for their comfort anu happiness l suppose the lessening of taxes is set out in order to try to catch those who are not interested from hu- manitaran motives. to give support to such a bill.
 But after making provision for the care and the comfort of the little ones who came into the world so severely handi- capped for lives Of pleasure and useful ness, we must face the fact that in our spending money to reform and educate l29 feeble-minded boys and gir.s. The committee says;
 They must be paro.ed and discharged from the industrial schools, for tlese schools are not Vtended to be asylums for permanent custody. Now here is the danger to society. After overlook .ng the misery of the mentally and nor ally unfit, when discharged they vii either become paupers, criminals, pros titutes, or in some cases all of these, and many will become fathers and moth CTS and rear brood of social para sites.
 CountH~almshouses do not prevent the breeding of the feeble minded, and sta tistics show that many feeble-minded fe- males are very prolific One a.mshouse in Alabama shelters feeble minded woman and four of her feeble-minded children. That is why the the committee argues that money spent to support fec be minded females would just as well keep them in custody and prevent them having children. The Alabama home 10, the feeble-minded would keep mental in- feriors in custody.
 It is an established fact that mental Iferiority runs in families.
 Three feeble minded boys at the Ala bama Boys Industrial school are broth CTS.
 Two other pairs of brothers are all four feeble minded
 Two other feeble-minded boys at the Boys Industrial school have feeble-mind- ed sisters at the State Training school