The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-04
NESB|T PLEASED WITH CONDITION
 OF INSTITUTIONS
State Homes for Unfortu- mates In Fine Shape and Doing Great Work,
 Says Economist

Of the 700 inmates of the Mt. Vernon hospital, 70 per cent are engaged in use ful activities, W. D. Nesbitt, chairman of the state board of control and econ omy, reports after an inspection of that institution
 The board of control has charge of the purchases for all state institutions, and the members are required to make inspec- tions and ascertain their needs from time to time.
 MT. Nesbitt spent day or two at the Mt Vernon hospital last week and when , he came away he was enthusiastic over the conditions he had observed there. The Mt Vernon hospital is the domicile of ne- groes whose mental derangement makes them wards of the state.
 T had an idea, and l suppose every one else not familiar with the facts had the same idea, that hospital for the in- sane was sort of jail, or at least place of confinement, where those un- fortunate enough to be sent there were kept in constant restraint,p said MT. Nes- bitt in telling of his visit to that institu- tion.
 "I was told by those in charge that the inmates were given some occupation in the open air to keep .heir hands busy as d means to relieving their mental con- dition This system, originating at the Bryce hospital at Tuscaloosa, when the late pr. Peter Bryce was in charge, has been adopted by nearly all similar insti- in, fI,a ap ig r1rnVjpp fft1 be the most humane and the most effeo- tive way to handle the persons placed in their care.
 Open air exercise or work contributes to the restoration of the mind to it's normal condition, though of course, all persons so affiliated are not cured, and cannot be.
 ALL CLEAN
 q observed that the re groes at Mt. Vernon were clean and they had on clean clothing; those at work in the garden or in the field seemed to be happy and con tented l was impressed with their clean lness. It was a bright spring morning that 1 was there and these persons with diseased minds were taking up their tasks cheerfully. On investigation 1 found that less than twenty of the TOO inmates had to be kept in close confinement be- cause of their mental condition"
 The cost of maintenance at the Mt. Vernon institution, Mir Nesbitt said, had been materially reduced by the elimina- ton of about 50 per cent of the cows kept on the place Until recently they had fifty-six cows, some of them dry and others giving but a small quantity of milk. Twenty-two of these were sold ana only such feed stuffs as tended to im- prove the quality and the quantity of milk fed to the cattle. The thirty-four cows retained now produce more milk and of richer quality than was obtained from the fifty-six. This improvement has been brought about in four months.
 SAVING MONEY
 Mir. Nesbitt stated that there are 6,Uo0 persons in the states penal and eleemosy- nary institutions and that a saving Of only two cents per meal per person would make a total saving of $131 400 year. In the one item of milk at the Mt Vernon hospital the saving amounts to almost two cents per meal per person.
 Mir Nesbitt has recently visited the schools for the deaf, dumb and blind, for white and black, at Talladega. There are 1S0 in the deaf and dumb institute, and eighty in the school for the blind. He found that children between and 3 years of age deaf and dumb from birth, were able to read tho lips of any person talking to them when the sentences were confined to their vocabulary. They had learned about seventy words each, and these they could artculate distinctly.
 ITO them it is like pardon" MT. Nesbitt said. For in their condition they were in reality in confinement, the con fnement of ignorance, of inability to un- derstand others or to communicate their own wishes. The state is doing a great work in these institutions, and I am sure that no taxpayer would care to reduce his taxes one cent if he knew that it would be taken from these unfortunate children