Quaint corners in Philadelphia, with one hundred and seventy-four illustrations . actual charge. Thegreat misfortune lay, of course, in the fact that theabuses, neglects and tyrannies naturally fell on the mosthelpless. There was little expectation of curing the in-sane, and if they could be kept quiet and out of theway it was well enough. If they were too violent, astraight-jacket, a chain, a lancet or a shower-bath sub-dued them, and visitors were sometimes taken to thecells to see them sitting alone, beating the floor, tearingtheir clothes, or waiting in wicked, sullen insubordina-tion for
Quaint corners in Philadelphia, with one hundred and seventy-four illustrations . actual charge. Thegreat misfortune lay, of course, in the fact that theabuses, neglects and tyrannies naturally fell on the mosthelpless. There was little expectation of curing the in-sane, and if they could be kept quiet and out of theway it was well enough. If they were too violent, astraight-jacket, a chain, a lancet or a shower-bath sub-dued them, and visitors were sometimes taken to thecells to see them sitting alone, beating the floor, tearingtheir clothes, or waiting in wicked, sullen insubordina-tion for a chance for revenge. If they recovered theirsenses it was in spite of their treatment, and never be-cause of it. In the Spruce Street Bettering-llouse women who either could not or would not work were THE BETrKRTXG-lIOUSE. 433 put on tlic treadmill, and if one was too ohstituite or tooweak to raise licr lout in time to take each step as itcame down she was struck and bruised on the in>tep ;but that was her own lookout. In the old houst many evils existed in eon^equenee of. mmm -^ \. IX THE SLUMS. the crowded, ineonvenient condition of atTairs, but thisnew (me gave room for much reform. And it was men were set to work in the quarries and on thefarm, and the women knitted stockings for the houseand sewed. The treadmill was not allowed to emiirrate 424 A SYLVAN CITY. from ^^priu-c Slivct, and Ihc showtr-l)atli was al)()lislud,cxocpt when it was ordered by tlu doctors, who liadfaith in it as a curative remedy. The well were nolonger bled nor cui)i)ed, the insane were visited, andevery litth* while some one who showed gleams of rea-son would be l)rought from the cells into the MainBuilding, clothed and set at some congenial work, andthe experiment often ended in the fmal discharge of thecured patient. There was great faith at that time, inthis institution, in the of interestingemi)loyment and the absence of irritating surroundings ;and so it hai)pened
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbarberedwinatlee18511, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
