The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-15
In Today's Mail

on most buildings the bars were re- moved from the windows, new em- ployes are submitted to a physical and psychological examination but 1t is still possible for eighteen year olds to land jobs as attendants and not every superintendent IS as care- full as one outstanding Massachu- sets State Hospital head who in- vestigates the background of every applicant for an attendants job. In this way cx-convicts, men con- victed for rape and burglary, find no place in the personnel of his institution. But how general is this investigation in most institutions? A felon just released from jail is very glad indeed to take a job as an attendant in a State Hospital. where he is assured good food and a clean bed even. though the pay is small and the hours long. When ever some public spirited legislator has demanded higher, pay and bet ter working conditions for hospital help certain element among the politicians has prevented favorable action being taken. The average State seems to have plenty of money for about every thing else except the efficient stafflng of the mental hospitals and one legislator recently expressed the general sentiment when he said: Hospital help have plenty of good food to eat, much better than many of them ever got on the outside, as well as comfort- able quarters, so why all the squawk- ing?" Now and then, however, a legislator rises to demand better treatment of the State Hospital enploye, especially the nlenial at- tendant on the disturbed ward where he is expected to dodge the blows Of the infuriated madman and take 1t all as part of the days work (And all this for $45 per monthD The other day Rep. Ralph Lerche of Northampton led a successful fight in the Massa- chusetts House that may result in additional time of to State Hos- pital employees where they have to work on holidays. Lerche told his colleagues how these employees do the most menial work, sometimes under hazardous conditions" Even laborers within the State House are given Saturdays off during the summer and an afternoon off the day before a holiday. Is 1t to be wondered at that "bums" try to sneak in as ward help-and still do in some States--and that the patients suf- fer and scandals" come to pass to keep alive public prejudice G. gainst State Hospitals?
 That an incerasing number of men are entering the State Hos pital service who are honestly in- terested in the welfare of the pa- tients is now Q part of the record of our more progressive institutions For instance, at Danvers State Hospital there Is an attendant named Pat Davis, who was a ser geant in the first World War and whose heart and soul seems te be in making his patients as com fortable as possible. We generally think of a sergeant as "hard boiled but Attendant Davis is just the opposite of that and one reason fol his humanitarian outlook is that he saw great suffering in the war As he puts it:
 "Any fool can find fault ant scold and most fools do. But il takes character and plenty of sell control to be understanding ane forgiving. Carlyle had the right ides when he said "A great man show, his greatness by the way he treat. little men, Instead of acting towarc the mentally Ill as though the, were less important than ourselves