Year: 1876

consolidate and utilize her resource s
for the building up of her clti,s and
for the growth and developmeEtOf the
country. And should the links I'm the
chain be disunited and the Va. &c
Tenn. section be captured and
placed under control foreign to Vir-
glnia would fear its effects up)n her
well being. But enough of this. Our
train was delayed about 8 hours and
we concluded, as we could not make
connection, to stop at Staunton. Here
we were joined by one who anxiously
awaited our arrival, and the meeting
after separation was warm and pleas
ant, such as should be between parent
and child.


Half the day Friday was spent in
visiting places of public interest We
were received with, courtesy and
shown with politeness through the
Institutions for the Deaf, Dumb and
Blind, and for the Insane. Magnifi-
cent institutions they are, and should
receive the fostering hand of Virginia.
They are monuments other charity
| will say Christian charity, and of
benevClence to her affected sons and
| daughters. The exercises at the for
mer were over few days before, and
nearly all the pupils were gone-a few
remained one who bad no home to
go to =; blind, with finely developed
| talent for music. He seated himself.
on request, at the organ, and soon the
room was filled with strains of de-
| lightful music. This was in the chap
| ell, the walls of which were hung with
beautiful painting-mostly landscapes
executed by the deaf and dumb,
there were specimens of their needle
| and bead work, and also that of the
blind. From this institution we went
to the Asylum for the Insane. A no.
BILE charity We were met at the
door by one of the assistants and kind
ly shown through many of the wards.
They were sumptuously neat and
clean, and provision seemed to be
made for all the wants of the patients.
Mysterious are the workings of
Providence ; strange to us that the
reason should be dethroned and mind
should he impaired until nearly a
blank. l saw one, who, was inform
ed, was from your county, and had
been all inmate of the Institution from
period dating near its organization.
A woman that seemed to have been a
person of good bearing, and possibly
once of strong mind-now advanced
in life, yet retaining the appearance of
good looks and something of dignity
in demeanor, and yet possessed of sin
gular halluoinatlons that discovered
themselves at once in her speech.


The grounds at both Institutions are
beautifully laid off and handsomely
adorned with flowers and evergreens,
and fine shade trees. i am glad to see
it,. Those to whom so much of this
beautiful, though fallen world is for
ever sealed book, should have the
opportunity the more fully to crafty
the few senses that may still remain
to them. 4T E


fear debt, both public and private;
think 1t is to be deprecated and
avoided but when / look upon these
unfortunate persons and see what
science and skill and kindness have
done for them, and when | am in
formed and partly know that persons
mot few-are confined in our Jails
and elsewhere, not for crime, but of
the visitation of God, and for want of
room in our public IAstltution, | say
let the State appropriate for the build
ing of new Institutions or enlarging of
the old ones. And you reader, tax
payer and voter, while you should be
thankful for unclouded intellect and
unimpalred reason, and for the full
enjoyment of all the faculties common
to our race. should be willing TO APP
prove such appropriation, though it
should require of you greater labor
and selfdenial, But l must stop ;
fear the length of this now, hut you
can use the ''knife" mercilessly upon
1t if you wish s4 aN4i- ~ F.


VIATOR.
June 25th, 1876. n.N .a