San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-15
The New Way of Treating the
Feeble-Minded Patients at Letch-
worth Village in New York Being
Taught to Dig bitches, Which
Monotonous but Useful Work
Exactly Suits Them Because Ii
Enables Them to Use All Their
Mental Energy.

CCIENCE believes it has found a way
to make the imbecile and moron val
liable and paying members of society
instead of an "aristocracy of idiots as at
present, living on the rest of us.
The Bible says: "A rod for the FOOLS
back; but science has never been able,
by rod, medicine, kindness, nor any other
method, to cure the Predetermined. Their
minds have small capacity, and all the
professors in the world can't put into a
mind more than it will hold. No matter
hoW many gallons you pour into a pint
measure, when you get through it holds
one 1pint-just that and nothing more.
While the brains of these unfortunates
are feeble, their hands and muscles are as
good as the average, and when put to
work at the right kind of labor, they
prove to be satisfactory, efficient workers,
and, best Of all, are happy at their toll.
Thsoiobs for which they are fitted are the
very ones which normal persons hate and
have deserted.
The farmer is in despair because his
bright son has gone to the city and he
can't get enough farm hands at any price.
The thing the farmers son and the farm
hand hate is routine. Running the thresh-
ing machine and the tractor is fun, but
the everlasting chores break their hearts,
because these things, once learned, are
exercises for their muscles only, not their
brains.
The feeble-minded, on the other hand,
love just such routine work, for il exer-
cises their faculties to the full. Though
it takes time and patience to teach an
imbecile the chores, when he is taught,
he will always do them the same way.
just as if the farmer We're looking on,
with the reliability Of d machina.
Experiments in New York, Massachu-
sets and elsewhere have now T owed that
there is an Abundance Of work for the
mentally deficient. not only on the farms.
but on tho roads. railroad, mines. fac
tories, hotels and many other places, with
out taking the bread from anybody's
mouth"
To understand what great blessing
this promises TO BE- for everyone, il should
be realized what a staggering burden or
the race the mentally unfit are. IN New
York State the cost Of institut ons foi
these DETECTIVES j. equivalent to q dollar
a year tax on every man, woman ant
chA. This is nothing at ali compared Z
the indirect tax Of the army of beggars
charity patients, criminals, tramps, in
competent workers and trouble maker
who all have their hands in our pockets
Weary these people on our backs.
We pay for them, not only IN our taxes
but"in the cost Of living; and when w
draw our pay envelope, the moron an,
imbecile march in ahead Of US and gral
theits to an extent that has been estimate,
as high as so per cent.
The different kinds of mentally def
Gent must not be confused. For instance
TIE. insane and the feeble-minded are a
different as cats and dogs As DR.. Waite
Z Fernald, Superintendent Of the Masss
chusetts School for the Predetermined
said:
"Feeble-mindedness is not a disease
like. scarlet fever; it is lack of norma
development resulting from damage t
the brain by disease or injury sustaine
before birth, at birth or during the frs
six years Of life, or from imperfect dc
velopment Of the brain structure. Feeble