Year: 1877

Last year the Mayor of Boston appointed


three Commissioners to consider and report


upon the treatment of drunkenness in the city


institutions and in private ssylums, define the


proper relations between society and drunk


ards and suggest measures for the reform OF
inebristes. The report of the Commission is


short and sensible. The Commissioners seem


to have spent much time and thought upon


the subject which they were appointed to
consider, but they have had the lf-deniai
to oondense the result of their observations
into such brief space that their conclusions
can be readily presented at second hana.
They condemn the method OF dealing WIN
drunkards which is common in all our large
cities, by which men and women atres'eo
and charged with intoxication are hneo 10
come small amount, generally elO, or sent 70
workhouse or penitentiary for come snort
period, commonly thirty days. II the nne 10
paid the burden falls upon the family OF
friends of the drunkard. who ere innocent of
all fault aud are sufficiently punished by the
mere fact of his drunkenness. II ne 10 sent
to prison the term OF his conhnemenC 10 long
enough for him to get sober, but not long
enough for him to acquire habits OF sooriety'
The consequence is that restoration TO
liberty is f6llowed by new spree and "a another
and New York establish this fact beyond
peradventure. and the cases cited by the
Boston Commissioners of a young woman who
had been committed in this way fifty seven
times and another who had served ont eleven
sentences of thirty days imprisonment in a
year may be alluded to merely as Illustrations
OF we'll Known Lueuo Al huuibiou " sno
tendency of this method of punishment TO
bear upon the innocent and unfortunate and
| it's failure to reform the vicious, the charge
may be brought that it is not economical.
| since it prevents the continued and adVanta.
geous use of the labor of those who are I'M
| prisoned. Its worst defect, however, is its
| failure to make any distinction between


drunkards and criminals. By confounding


both in the same punishment the former are
| degraded in their own opinion and in the esti-
nation of the community, aRd eventually
| driven to crime. Drunkards are weak, diseased
| beings, troublesome to society, but they
should not be classed with thieves and burg


lars, who are directly and consciously at war
| with society. These conclusions lead natural
| lly to the recommendation which the Com.
| missioners make for q new departure in the
| treatment of inebriates. They suggest that
the city of Boston should convert the institu
ton at Deer Island into o sort of reformatory


where all kinds of agricultural and mechani
cal labor can be carried on. Thither drunk
enable their constitutions to recover thorough
ly from the effects of alcohol and to give then
an opportunity to acquire habits OF industry
In come cases year would be sufficient fol
this purpose; in others three years might b'
req uired. There would be enough of punish
ment involved in the reformatory process tt


make it thoroughly salutary. 80 long as th'
prisonments serves to manufacture drunksrd
instead of reforming them this topic of th'


relation and duties of the community to


wards inebriates should be zaalously studied
and we trust Boston will adopt the recon
mendation of it's Commissioners 80 that thu


rest of the country may profit by her @ ex
perience. It is one of the advantages Of ou
multiplied State and local governments tina
they afford admirable facilities for trying new
experiments with little risk.