an innocent man; and it is, moreover, cowardly and cruel to abridge that of an unfortunate lunatic." (p. lxxxix.)

In the next place I quote from G. Fielding Blandford's work on "Insanity and its Treatment" (London edition, 1870, American edition, 1871). He says:

"Doubtless, you have all heard of the moral treatment of insanity, but shutting a man up in an asylum can hardly be called moral treatment." (p. 379.)

"In asylums they dwelt from year to year, a few walking beyond the premises, but none sleeping beyond, or going to any places of amusement like ordinary men. Now, from all asylums patients are sent to the sea-side, to the theatre, the picture galleries, and each proprietor vies with his fellows in providing recreation and entertainment for his patients-in proving, in fact, how little they need the restraint of an asylum." (p. 383.)

[The above passage applies only to a special class of private asylums in Great Britain, but its bearing on the general question is obvious.]

"As the last generation did away with the fetters and mechanical restraint used in asylums, so let the present release from the restraint of an asylum all those capable of enjoying a larger amount of liberty and a freer atmosphere than that in which they now fret and chafe." (p. 385.)

Dr. John Charles Bucknil is known to the profession in this country as an eminent authority upon the topic in hand.

He has this spring given us in book-form the series of papers on Lunacy Law Reform which appeared in the British Medical Journal in 1879. The purpose of these papers is mainly warfare upon the private or proprietary asylums as they flourish in England, but scattered throughout the volume are numerous passages proving how thoroughly Dr. Bucknill, after a most varied experience with the insane and with asylums, coincides with Dr. Maudsley in the opinion that for many cases of insanity or mental unsoundness confinement to an asylum, subjection to asylum routine, and deprivation of liberty and social enjoyments are cruel, and legally unjustifiable.

I quote a few sentences only:

"Custom-blindness (which is more than color-blindness, because it blurs the outline of things as they are) often leads official people to associate unsoundness of mind with detention under care and

treatment as correlative if not identical conditions; but with the general public it is not so, and still less with the medical profession, and still less again with that of the law." (pp. 25–26.)

66 *

* And, therefore, it would appear to be imperative to a proper certification of a lunatic for detention in an asylum that the reasons for which such detention is needful should be fully stated upon the face of the documents, and distinguished from the facts which simply indicate lunacy." (p. 26.)

"But it is not merely the happy change which takes place in confirmed lunatics when they are judiciously removed from the dreary detention of the asylum into domestic life, it is the efficiency of the domestic treatment of lunacy during the whole course of the disease which constitutes its greatest value, and of this the author's fullest and latest experience has convinced him that the curative influences of asylums have been vastly overrated, and that those of isolated treatment in domestic care have been greatly undervalued." (p. 114.)

"Many a suicidal patient can live as safely with two faithful and skilful attendants in a villa or cottage as in any asylum, and in the free air he will walk or drive, employ or amuse himself in various ways, and recover without the asylum brand or the asylum danger of falling more and more into subjective ways of thought and shunting into the sad list of incurables." (p. 116.)

The PRESIDENT (Dr. Wilbur): In connection with this paper I will make a single observation. When in London the last time, I visited the Bedlam Hospital of centuries ago, an endowed institution of a semi-private character, where they are able to take patients from what are called the middle classes, and among other patients in it are many infirm actors and actresses, and as an act of grateful recognition on the part of the profession for the kindness vouchsafed by that institution, complimentary tickets are often sent to it; and on the morning of my visit, while present with the officers, a list was made out of those in the institution who should be selected to attend the theatrical performance of the evening.

The PRESIDENT (Mr. Sanborn): I will now read a letter from one of the oldest lawyers and philanthropists of MassachusettsMr. Samuel E. Sewall, of Boston — whose ancestor - Chief Justice Sewall- was one of those judges who sentenced the Salem witches to death, and, some years after, stood up in church on Sunday and repented publicly his great sin in that matter. The letter makes a valuable suggestion for the Conference to consider:

DEAR MISS CHEVAILLIER:

BOSTON, June 25, 1880.

The circular in regard to a “National Association for the Frotection of the Insane," with the invitation to attend a meeting of the Conference of Charities, was duly received. I certainly desire to be enrolled as a member of such an association, if one be formed. I had intended to write some remarks respecting the laws regulating lunatic hospitals, but I have been so pressed by urgent affairs that I gave up the design. One point, however, I hope you will bring before the meeting. It is the importance of having a full abstract made of the laws of all the States regarding lunacy. It is a laborious task, but when done it cannot fail to be highly useful. Among the immense mass of crude and unwise legislation there cannot fail to be found some valuable suggestions for future reform, a few ounces of gold in a ton of stone. Could not a committee be appointed to undertake this work, and also the same, or another committee to prepare annually a summary of all important facts to be gathered from the reports of the lunatic hospitals throughout the United States, in a tabular form, or otherwise; and to collect from them useful ideas for reform? I cannot act on any committee, but throw out these thoughts for your consideration.

I am very glad you are to be at the meeting in Cleveland. It makes me feel sure that something will be done.

Yours, very truly,

S. E. SEWALL.

The President said: This concludes the papers which were to be read at this session. There is now an opportunity for debate, if the members of the Conference care to debate the questions raised. If not, the Committee from New York, which has introduced these papers, has decided in consequence of its correspondence with friends of the insane in various parts of the country, to organize a National Association, and they will meet in another room for this purpose immediately.

PAPERS ON DEPENDENT AND DELINQUENT CHILDREN.

On Wednesday afternoon, June 30, on taking the chair, the President said: The time has arrived at which the Committee on the care of Dependent and Delinquent Children was to report. Mr. Letchworth, of New York, is the chairman, but as he is not here to present the report, Rev. Dr. Byers will act for him, and will also present a paper of his own.

[Dr. Byers being temporarily absent, the first Paper read was that of Col. Tufts, but the whole are here printed in their natural order. Debate was postponed until several of the Papers had been read, such being the vote of the Conference. The whole subject is taken up here, a little out of its order, because the Papers did not all come into the hands of the Publishing Committee, properly revised by their authors, until after the Papers on Insanity had been begun. Mr. Howe's Paper has been slightly abridged, but not in any material portion. The Papers were all read by their authors, except that Mrs. Leonard, of Massachusetts, read Mrs. Richardson's - the latter being absent - and Mr. Dupoy, of New York, read Mr. Brace's Paper.]

I. THE OHIO SYSTEM OF CARE FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN.

BY DR. A. G. BYERS, SECRETARY OF THE OHIO BOARD of

STATE CHARITIES.

Under the laws of Ohio, commissioners of any county in the State are authorized, when," in their opinion, the interests of the public demand it," to submit, after due publication, to the qualified electors of the county, the question of establishing a children's home for such county.

The question thus submitted involves the levy of taxes for the purchase of a suitable site, and the erection thereon of necessary buildings. The law further prescribes that the maximum amount of money proposed to be expended in establishing a county home, shall be published in the notice to electors. If a majority of the qualified electors favor the establishing of a home, then the commissioners shall provide the site and buildings, and having thus provided they are further authorized to organize said home by the appointment of three trustees, and to designate some suitable person to act as superintendent of said home, who shall also be clerk of said board of trustees. The trustees receive no compensation for their services. They have under the law" entire charge and control of said home, and the inmates therein. They may appoint a matron, assistant matron and teachers, whose duties shall be the care of the inmates, to direct their employment, giving them suitable physical, mental and moral training."

These officers may be removed at the "pleasure of the trustees, or a majority of them."

The home shall be "an asylum for all persons resident of the county under sixteen years of age, who, by reason of abandonment by parents, or orphanage, or neglect or inability of parents to provide for them in the opinion of the trustees?" Children of corresponding age from other counties may be received on contract under conditions prescribed in the law.

Persons eligible to the provisions of the home are admitted by the superintendent on the order of a majority of the trustees. The order must be accompanied by a statement of facts signed by them, setting forth the name, age, birth-place, and present condition of the persons named in such order, which statement,