The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-02
FARMS :.
PROTECT MANY
This Fact Is Proved by Sur
vey of Such Institutions
in Mississippi.

JACKSON. Miss. Jan. 9.-Missis-
slppi county poor farms shelter many
paupers who are parasites simply be-
cause they have not enough brains to
make their own livings, A particularly
striking instance of this has been found
by DIR. Thomas II. Haines, scientific
adviser to the Mississippi mental by
giene commission. A North Mississip-
pi county poor farm is sheltering eight
white persons. Every one of these per-
sons is in the poor farm for no other
reason than that he is ~ 1rt-witted.
There are three males and five females,
ranging in age from 20 to rs.
That feeble mindedness run in fam
lilies is emphasized by this group of
poor house inmates. Twin sisters and
a brother, all post 10, have been in
this poor house for Is years. Two 9TH
er members Of the same family came to
the poor house with them. They were
fe~eble-minded. They died in the poor
house. There were three other members
Of this family. feeble minded, who died
before their father. These three old
short-witted paupers, brother and sis
tiers, are useless to society. They have
always been parasites upon the COM
munity, as were the rest of their fam
lily. such a family of parasitic feeble
minded persons certainly raises the
question as to the wisdom of allowing
such children to be born into the
world.
Some intelligent control in this coun-
~ years ago would have prevented this
family Of paupers coming into exist
ence. This county is now spending over
one thousand dollars a veal on the mere
food and shelter of eight feeble-minded
white persons. Half of this sum spent
annually would be ample to prevent tine
Increase of feeble-minded families, and
would be doing away with the neces-
sity for a poor farm. This is what is
called preventive medicine applied to
feeble-mindedness.
work. II must be statewide in its
character. in order to he effective. Mis-
sissippi needs a school and colony for
the predetermined, where the sexes will
be segregated and where the feeble
minded will be trained to work. Had
the father and mother of this family
of eight feeble-minded paupers been Jpu
into such training and segregation 50
wears ago, there would have been no
feeble minded children to inhabit the
county poor farm all these years.
A sum equivalent to half the sum
spent annually on provision for pau
pers in the counties of Mississippi would
provide amply for the establishment and
maintenance of a state institution to dc
'tthis work In preventive medicine. This
sum spent in this preventive way would
not only support nearly half of the
present inmates of the houses, but il
would, AT the same time, do away with
a part of the future work of the poor
houses. iails, p~enitentiary and orphan
ages Of the state. Criminals and pau-
pers come in stocks ana families. A
state can greatly improve it citizen
ship, and also cut down the expenses
OF maintaining pauDerS, and dealing
with delinquents, by restraining the in.
crease Of certain known poor stocks.
The Mississippi mental deficiency bill
to be considered this winter by the leg.
Stature, will provide for this "curtail.
ment Of bad stocks. 1t establishes 4
Mississippi school and colony for the
feeble-minded, and provides a plan for
tn" chancery court to commit feeble.
minded persons to this institution.