The prisoners' hidden life, or, Insane asylums unveiled : as demonstrated by the report of the Investigating committee of the legislature of Illinois, together with Mrs. Packard's coadjutors' testimony

University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, E. P. W. (Elizabeth Parsons Ware) Packard, Mrs. (Sophia B.) Olsen

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• Publié par: zoev
• Nombre de lectures: 17
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 32 Mo

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/I E> RAR.Y OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HISTORICALTHE OR Insane Unveiled:Asylums AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE of the Committee of theReport Investigating oflegislature Illinois, WITHTOGETHER BY MRS. E. P. W. PACKARD. "Ye shallknow the truth." CHICAGO: PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. A. B. Printer' 139CASK, Monroe St 1868.3op. to act of A.Intend according Congress D., 1868, by MRS. E. P. W. PACKAEB, Illinois.Dist Court for the Northern Hist, ofID the Clerkl offioe of thePreface. The of human is the evillegalized usurpation rights great our social fabric. From this center underlying corrupt spring the evils of our social This has culmin-system. corruption ated in the Insane of the nineteenth LetAsylums century. the Government but remove this cause of and theinsanity, * would beneed of such Institutions lessened.greatly o- So as the mothers of thelong enlightened present day ownare to assert and defend their sim-obliged identity, because the Government fails to so will theirdoit, longQ ply bear the seeds of unbalanced which'*7 offspring organization, . waits for" circumstances to intoonly develop insanity. -jjj It is one of the writer in her narrative to the object giving to fasten the this as theworld, public eye upon evil, great cause of the of the germinating insanity present age. The evil of our Insane liesfj great present Asylum System ' in that is there treated as a insteadthe fact, crime,insanity a is indeed a act ofof which^ misfortune, gross injustice. our Government should establish a Charitable In- ^"Supposing ' < the of all who have had the mis-stitutiori for purpose taking n fortune to lose their and whereproperty, imprison them, they could be to without for this ca-^ extent, appeal,punished any Govern-which had befallen them. too,thlamity Supposing1^' 212359IV PREFACE. ment forced this class to the of this Charit-accept discipline able without their own on the verdict ofInstitution, consent, a that had lost their would thispropertyjury, they guar- of human be as hnmanitarian ordianship rights recognized just? But defenders ofthe such Institutions shouldsupposing contend that it is for "their and the ofgood," good "society" to thus entomb are no comfort tothem; "for, themselves,they nor their while saddened the loss of their for-families," by tunes and business and we do not call thisbesides,reputation; Institution a but an "where canPrison, Asylum, they rest, and be cared for." kindly But me to that it an when itpermit reply calling Asylum, is in a where are for their mis-Prison,reality they punished does not the matter. Andfortune, materially help besides, whether ever the of theinjustice promotedlegalized good or is a to be settled.individual, society, question yet To lose one's and become and ispoorproperty dependent a and such unfortunates to receivemisfortune,great ought our and be and to rise andcommiseration, encouraged helped retrieve their instead of castout of asfortunes, being society to be branded as men whose busi-public nuisances, publicly ness are henceforth to be with capacities regarded suspicion and distrust. If it would be unreasonable to treat the mis- fortune of on this how can it beprinciple,losing property reasonable that ofto treat a misfortune one'slosinggreater reason on this same ?principle In to the blinded the real character ofdisclosing public their Insane the author relied herhasAsylums, mainly upon own and asthree dataobservation,personal years experience,