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An Informed Public An Approving Public
The January bulletin of the Massachusetts Society for
Mental Hygiene reprints the annual report , dated November
1948, by Dr. Clifton T. Perkins, state commissioner of mental
health.
In an introductory word , the Society re fers to the Com-
missioner's report as "forthri ght and courageous" and "one of
the most significant events since Dorothea Linde Dix started her
crusade in this state more than 100 years ago." The Society, by
publishing this report , is trying to arouse public opinion , feeling
that it has a responsibility so to do.
Those who saw not long ago the showing of " The Snake
Pit" at the local moving picture houses, as well as those who have
lead the article of the same name, have already had their atten-
tion arrested by presentation of conditions in our mental insti-
tutions. This, then , is a healthy time to consider the report of
the Commissioner, which could not be accused of being fanciful
or distorted , but which would be accepted as fact portraying.
Some one who saw the movie said, after leaving the theatre ,
"What a misfortune for anyone to need commitment to such a
place; but I suppose out of all of us who have witnessed that
picture, not one of us will do a thing about it. "
That is the pity, of course. It will be somewhat of a relief ,
then , to learn that an organization , working with the Commis-
sioner , is aiming "to do something about it. "
In his report , Dr. Perkins says that the state has a virtual
monopoly of the care of the mentall y ill. This is necessarily so,
because, as he says, such cases are charges over a long period of
time and most families cannot finance them. The state , there-
fore, must shoulder the burden.
The state willingly assumes this responsibility , its statutes
making adequate its promises.
Questions arise, however , in the performance of these prom-
ises. The medical standards in the state program were reduced
materially during the World War II period and have not yet
regained ground lost at that time. For proper care, Dr. Perkins
says "we haven 't enough well-trained doctors , or nurses, or
occupational therapists, or other indispensable personnel." And,
although the working personnel can leave when the competitive
employment situation is not met , the patients must remain in
the hospitals, Dr. Perkins pointed out.
The patients are all human beings and . . . have an equal
claim to an opportunity to get well ," emphasizes the Commis-
sioner. -?
"Money " is indicated as the most needful ingredient, for
greater facilities and more personnel. Inform your representative
that you are back of him in supporting the governer 's program
for adequate appropriations for our State Mental Hospitals. An
informed public will be an understanding and approving public.
In closing his report, Commissioner Perkins says, "It is my
hope that . . . our patients may never be permitted to feel that
they are "out of sight, out of mind' ."
His label for the report is "Not Enough"—"not enough
of anything to meet the crying needs of our patients. "
i This subject has been treated as an Editorial at the re-
quest of one of our readers. )
E D I T O R IA L S —
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When Fix-up Time Rolls Around
Lumber plays n leading role . . , both outdoors anil
in . . . I'roin screens to new bookcases ! We have in '
vnrities of hard , dry lumber . , . cut to your order I
JOHN HINCKLEY & SON CO.
Hardware Lumber Buildin g Supplies
: , 2 YARDS TO SERVE YOU
| Hyannis Yarmouthport
j | Tel. Hyannis 700 Tel. Barnstable Id-2
Fp1
[ FUNERAL \
i SERVICE j
¦ f
i — ;
I
Doane, Beal & Ames;
Telephone Hyanni*
land Town Meeting ,nJ
h
^
about. Going on the theory „?"*
things for everybody-p ul ,„ °f
J
Town Warrant everything " ° ""
(
wants. When a meeting
^
the Moderator shall read th|s
rant to the people gathered n
,
? '
after the office holders who k
been duly elected have ben „«
in If that Is In order. He will M
"™
say "all those in favor of accem.n!
this warrant subject to the ru2
of the various committees that exl.
or may be appointed , will say
aye'—contrary minded W~.it J
so voted—Meeting will then ho ,j
journed." '"'
The tax ate would not van
much from L. ,t resulting from a
all day session. After endle^ ,|„
bate and work and advice 0f Mi
Finance Committee—who U8Uali!
do what is best for the town—tin
voters go right over their heart
'
A lot of oratory would be lost-
like "It's cold here—more hJ
wanted ," keeping the Janitor bun
Janitors have come to be more .P.
portant men than teachers or n,
perlntemlents of schools—nothing
doing in cold weather wlthoul them
on the jobs— schools would be
closed half the time , without ftrei
und hot water and all the comforU
a Janitor can keep provldine for
the comfort of all who occupy null
lie buildings. What next?
We now have a breathing wtt
until the result of actions taken «
the March meeting develop result)
There is reason to believe th
whales may be leaving our water
soon. They have been "tickled" li
a machine gun so no wonder the
resent it. It seems like u crude wa^
of tickling but their hides are no
as sensitive as the bottom of on
feet.
The filibuster has gone on si
long it has received a new name
"Talkathon "—1 think that's a gooi
one. Maybe some of us womei
would shine on a Job of that kim
—we are supposed to like to nan
the last word.
Which seems to be long on the
way—"An optimist today my ho),
is somebody who cannot poEBlblj
have read the front page of an;
newspaper for the past toe
years."—From Omnibook , sa.itojs
of Bennett Cerf.
No wonder we have so tt\ ol
those cheerful people around.
r -- Radio Beams -»
By Hattle Blossom Fritzo
Th* Perennial Bordtr
What a punch below the belt
this month has given us! After all
the warmth and sunshine of a mild
February to have so much wintry
weather crowded Into the first half
of March has been rather hard to
take. I suppose our compensation
comes from added uplift and pleas-
ure when we do get a really fine
day.
On BUCII a day old dirt gardener's
steps will lead to the perennial
border to check on winter damage,
or perhaps just to hunt up and
greet old friends. For what is more
satisfying than finding the sharp
points of the tulips breaking
ground , or fat daffodil buds in their
neat shout hings of green ? And
when , on close investigation , one
finds spikes of tightly packed buds
among tbe month's old foliage ol
grape hyacinths, then indeed may
we laugh at cold winds and snow
/lurries for we know that Spring Is j
already well settled into our gar- j
dens. It is heartening Just now to
notive the columbines unfurlin g
their tiny fan-shaped crimson leaves
while booth iris and hemerocallls
are pushing up bright green begin-
nings.
Now Is the very best time to rid
the beds of old die-hard clumps of
grass and weeds. "Ed Pointer " of
the Boston Globe says that "none ,
hut n fanatic will garden now," but i
in my experience 1 have learned I
that one hour devoted to weeding i
at this time , when the roots have
become loosened by many freezes
anil thaws, is equal to many later
ones after they have caught them-
selves in again. Such vicious "slicli-
1
ers" as clover , wild carrot , ragged
robin and last but not least those
discouraging grass tufts that often
come up spang in the middle of
some prpized perennial clump and
really defy removal without 'the
I wrecking of the plant. You can get
at them now from the top and they
can be extracted quite, easily and
i painlessly,
So here's wishing you all good
gardening—and an early start.
I Rediscovery
This column is open to our read-
ers for the expression of their
opinions on any subject in the pub-
lic interest. The views and opinions
expressed are not necessarily those ,
of the management and tbe PA-
TRIOT assumes no responsibility
regarding them.
Drawer F„ Palmer, Mass.
February 14, 1949
Dear Editor:
I am a patient at the Monson
State Hospital for the Epyleptic.
Epylepsy is classed as a mental di-
sease. Therefore, the hospital here i
at Palmer 1B one of many similar
institutions under the Mass, Dept. j
[of Mental Health , and I suppose, '
|like In the Monson one there are a
large number of working patients
In the other institutions.
When a patient first enters the
hospital , and the doctor sees that
he is able to work, he is given a
1
parole card and n job. The parole ,
, card gives the patient tlie privilege ]
' of attending the movies, going
down town once n month , etc.
The patients work in the carpen-
ter, shoe, paint and plumber
shops, in the bakery, store house,
kitchen, piggery, hen houses, gar- ,
ages, hot houses, sewing rooms, I
dining rooms, on the ward s, on the
farm gang, and various other tasks.
The uverage pallen! works six
hours a day for li mill sometimes 7
days a week.
What do the patients get for the !
work we do? We get a place to I
sleep, three meals a day, and a!
little care when we need it. When |
a patient refuses to work he loses I
his parole privileges and is trans- 1
ferred to a locked ward , where he |
is forced to stay until he agrees ;
to go to work again. j
I believe the State of Massachu-
setts pays the Inmates of its pris-
ons, people who committed crimes
against society, a little money for
the work they do, But the patients
l working in the State hospitals get
nothing,
l understood that New York and
Pennsylvania give the working
patients In their mental Institu-
tions a small weekly allowance. I
hape to see the day when Massa-
chusetts will give its working pa-
tients a small caBh allowance.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Johnson
HELPFULNESS
Lend a hand ! Do not think that be-
cause yours is small ,
Or because from its fingers no
riches may fall ,
It was meant you should render no
succor at all,
—J. Walcott.
wive what you have. To some one
it may lie better than you dare to
think. —Longfellow.
They who scutter with one hand,
gather with two, not always In
coin , but In kind. Nothing multiples
so much aB kindness.—John Wray .
Goodness and benevolence never
tire. They maintain themselves and
others and never stop from exhaus-
tion.—Mary linker Eddy.
The Letter Carrier
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I CAPE COD J
1Real Estate 1
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I Sales Summer Rentals I
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I Evelyn Crosby I
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Tel. Hy. 192-R Centerville 1
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Town of Barnstable
Cape Cod
March 17, 1949
Dear Theodosla:
While I was In New York, I hail
' handed to me a calendar of the
Church of the Covenant in that
city, In looking it over , I came
across an Item about the food the
poor people of Europe are eating.
Here is a menu given out by u re-
lief center in Poland , representing
one complete meal for one person :
Soup made with water (no meat
stock), V* small cabbage, 1 small
potato, V6 carrot, V» onion , spoonful
lard , dash of salt; 1 slice of dark
rye bread: 1 cup tea.
It means more to our understand-
ing of the situation there to learn
about this actual moal than to hear
in general about the fact that
there Is a scarcity of food. Just
imagine any of us sitting down to
such a lunch or dinner or supper!
This church 1B printing in its bul-
letin each week during Lent an
actual menu served in Poland , Aus-
tria. Italy, Hungary, France, China,
or Bulgaria. The church is asking
its parishioners to eat one sacri-
ficial austerity meal per week and
put in a jar the money saved on
refraining from the customary
meal of plenty. The church gives
out a blue label to be attached to
such a jar and expects from the
combined efforts of all its people
to gather together a tidy sum with
which to send food to the needy
of Europe. The church calls this
; act of sacrifice "breaking bread
|with our Christian brothers over-
seas who are dying of starvation";
! and says to its people, in issuing
the request , "You probably bad a
good dinner last Sunday . . . you
will probably have a good dinner
today . . . no doubt you have had
several good meals between. Does
it not concern you that millions are
hungry and many die of starvation
whom you could help '.
' Will you
share a meal a week with those
who are starving?"
No doubt other churches in the
land are taking part in the same
appeal. 1 know that an interna-
tional prayer circle was held on
the World Day of Prayer, March
4, when "millions of women in 70
countries, thousands of different
tongues , gathered in thatched chap-
els and high cathedrals, were
united in prayer. Some prayed for
bread and clothing. All prayed for
peace and a deeper communion
«Ith God."
Your loving
Aunt Jane
CROSSING BRIDGES
Bureaucrat: "If we are unable to
figure out a way to spend that two
hundred and twenty million dollars,
we'll be out of job s."
Secretary: "How about building
[a bridge across the Mississippi?"
Bureaucrat: "That won't cost two
hundred and twenty million dol-
lars."
Secretary : "Lengthwise?"
; CIVILIZED?
"Just think!" beamed the mis-
sionary. "Only 20 years ago I came
here and brought enlightenment
and civilization to your land . And
now I return and find that you are
entirely civilized. "
"Civilized is right ," replied the
Chief of Boogooboolund. "We are
so civilized that we had to double
the police force and build a new
jail. And some of our divorce cases
j are almost unlit to print,"
i
A Letter From Aunt Jane
To Her City Relations
By tfAteMto
I THESE WOMEN!
f« ¦««««««« >«»»«»»»»«»>»»«««»»»»»»»«»•»»«•»*»««»««»»***«******'
The Barnstable Patriot
Founded 1830
PaMlahet every Thursday at 14 PICMMI. Street, Hyannis
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" TWUBi Ml Ht T«M l« advene*. »U ¦
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DOROTHY WOHB«l,U ¦*
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RICHARD It. HASKINS. Pabllaaer
IWrtgq W. CARTER. Ha—are*
The Barnstable Patriot It entered a* ¦•Mnd-elu.
a matter at the
Hyannis Post Ofllee under the Act of Congress of March «, 1171.
We assume no flnanolal responsibility for typomphloal •?«»*» .£
advertisements, but will reprint that part ot an advertisement In whleh
; an error oocers.
M
M
!Patriot BallaJa*. H
yanla. Hank Telepaonei
"31*****
"Lift Hi' your hearts!" We lil ' i them, Lord , to lliee ;
Here at th y feet none other may we see ;
"Lift up your hearts!" E'en so. with one accord,
We lift them up, we lift them to the Lord.
Above the level of the Conner yours .
The mire of sin , th e slough of guilty fears,
The inisi of doubt , the blight of love 's decay
it Lord of Ligh t , lit 'f ;ill our hearts today,
Abov e the -.tonus tli.i t vox our low estate,
Pride, jealousy, and envy, rage und hate ,
And cold mistrust, that holds e 'en friends apart.,
o Lord of Love, lift every brother 's heart.
Then, as the trum pet call , in after years ,
" L i lt up your hearts!" rings pealing in our ears ,
Still shall'those hearts respond , with full accord ,
"We lil' l them up, we lift them to the Lord!"
Words by H enry Montague Butler,
from The English H y m n a l ; time u Welsh
melody, "Fligysbren. "
Pen Points
When Dennis Day heard that "it fool and his money arc
SDOII parted ", ho quipped. ! "How did they ever get tog
'
ethei
in the first place .
'"
Poem For Lent CROSSWORD PUZZLE