Our County Poor

Not ii pcrson In Washtenaw probably but wliat i familiar with the wordt 'Tke County House," or "The County I'oor Farm," but liow tnany have e vit fione through the county house, and know bow the poor people who are so unfortiinate as to be tliere, are cared for? Not onr in n hundred. Many pass the place often but have never taken the time or had the iuclination, probably to look through the establishment. And unless oue bas bWD there he is not capable of fortning ïnuch of U idea of either the inmatcs or their care and management. Last Thursday ye 8cribe shouldered a pencil pocketed a great blook of blank paper, and through the kindness of a friend was driven to the county house. We have been to poor houaes before, but usually at the time supervisors made their annnal vislt, when everything is slicked lip and prepared for the couniy solons, and of course, everything In excellent condiliou. This time we went unberalded and expeeted to liud some horrible discoveries, some barbarities, and cruelties, and tiltil sucb as we read about occasionnlly in the paper, and such as we have often heard people teil about who were never inside a county house in their lifc. Wtll, we dldn't llnd airythiug of the sort. On the contrary, we found everything scrupulously clean in cvery room, in every ward, in fact, in every portion of the great building. There was no dirt discernible to the naked eye from cellar to gsrret, and the inmatcs were clotlied in garments that were clean. Neither did we see imything that would leftd us to believe that any inmatc was in anyway misused; ne itlier did we find any lámate there who looked as if he or she ought to be capable of caring for bis or hersolf. In fact, the mpression one gets by investigation is such as to make him thankful that the poor deinented, unfortiinate, slck, lamo, blind and balt human beings upon whoin God lias seen lit to" send these terrible afllietions, are so well caree for. And it must be an awful care. There were 80 Inmates the day we were there and of these many are utterly helpless In the insnnc wards there are üve wom en, and also one man. There are also four idiotie men, whose miada are about all gout out, and one ronuui ; these all nced constant attuntioti. Of thest idlots there are time from on famlly 'l'hfir names are Shaw, and thcy wer sent from Ypsilanti. Oue of the men i a pitiful sirlit to look upou beino; ill simpen in every way, unable to mak even a sound like a human bftfog, utterl; helplcss, only able to use a brush be ha at hand to keep the flies from pesterino htm ; he lias to be dresscd in the mom ing and placed in his chair and at olgh undiess d and placed in his bed. It i said thnt the parents of this monstrositj and his idiotie brother and sister wer bright intelligent people. How cruell} they were atllicted. All three were care( for by the family for many ye,rs unti the parents (lied when they were sen here. THE HOUSE is kKBted on tlie 1: l r 1 1 1 just three milt! fRMM the cimrt house at Ann Arbor, anc four miles trom the Normal school a Ypsil;ui!i, on what is known the "Mie die Ysilauti raad." It is a very larg biiildiujr, cnminenccd with wood origiu ally and ndded to by briek additions a the needs of the county have dcinaiulei until it has grown to tnammoth propor tions. The original wood structure, o the east front is used by the keeper, Mr J. 8. Mi'Uowell and family, as a residence and is lltted up as a majorlty of the home of the day are titted. The brick portlo of the front building is used principall for the women, the Insane and idiotie Before the state cared for the insane a lier asylums they were contiued here, am grates are stlll up to some of the win dows. The rooms are generally tUppUei with one iron cot bed for tsoceupant though some of the rooms are sulüdentl. large for two or more in cases of necea slty. They were all clean in appaarano a thlog that is often Mgleoted in siu'li ín stitutions. All of the ininatesarerequired to batfa at least once in each week, and inay do .-. oftener if they desire, but some of then object terribly to even once a week, con sidering it an awfnl hardship. For thi purpose a bath-room is provided for eacl sex. THE SOCTH WIU, In the large brick wing extending tt the south are the inen's quiirteii. Tht dormitory is on the congregated plan the usual iron cot bed is provided with a straw tick lilled with frcsli, clean si ruw and such bed clothing as may be necessar' fr ta0 seasoü. There are also rooms used for sitting rooms, chapel (iucluding a (Jatholic chapel) dining-room, etc. Upon the inner or court Bide of the building Is a series of wooden stairs, constructcd as fjre escapes. Should a flre prevent escape by the regular slairways then these would accommodate all the second and third story inmateis - a wise provisión. The women'swardsare heated by a furiiüce, but the inen's apartments bv 8toves. The hospital in the inen's apartment is a bright, clicerful and oom modious room, aud luis not been fice ol occupants for years and }'ears. Tuere is one occupaut, a man especially, briglit, intelligent and a great reader, devoming all the literature he can get liold of. To the east of tuis wing and directly south of the women'a wards, is a smul brick structure, isolated froin all other buildings, exeppt that a wooden passageway froiu the second at ory to the women's wards is the only entrance to what is known as the woinen's apartments. Tliis brick building is the new hospital in which to isolate diseases of a syphililic nature, Beuriet fever, etc. Entrance to the ineii's apartment on the lirst floor is by an outside door. Besides this building tbere is a pest house located a long dittanoe south of the main building 011 the farm, in which cases of sinall pox, md kindrod contagious diseases are to be laced. Not a patiënt has been inside the building so far, Keeper McDovvell tells na. THE DOMESTIC AIUIANGEMENTS are quite complete. There are two kitchens in the house, one used for cooking he food of the family aud of the help, ind the other for the inmatcs. Qood, subtantiul ranges are in eaeh.while the lutter i;is a large baker! oven in which all the Mklng is done. Altrn a manimoth kettle br the cooking of vegetables, for you mow that the getting of three inculs a :iy for this great family is no small unertaking. What struck us parliwilarly was the scrupulous cleanllness of the oors and everything about the cooking ooms, nothing was neglected and what was quite as striking was the fuct that here seemed to e a place for everything md ovorythiii in il place. All was in perfect order. TUK NKO. It s alwaya :i matter of interest tn know what people have Lo est. The following blll of fan1 oonstKntee the ]r'mcipnl irlicli's of fooU: Hrcakhist ('ulier. ir tea, Iried mriil, vegetable, bread and syrup. iiiuur -CoIVit ir lea, ini'iit, pork and beul UHiiully, vegetable in thetr seaHon iut reen cnrn, peau, riicuinberN, bteU, tonMtOM, etc, and quite ciftell milk UciveO all who Wlb It, rpeetally In hol went lier. Myrup taken the place of butter, thut being a luxury tliat bas never yel been provlded. tkpptr- T- ¦ bread, rice or mcal, war I putatoes nsu.iliy , oom bread. ,Siniiiai Din er- Krosh motu of Rome k'nd, nr pcitpie, or tomethtng out of the usual run. Itut two meals are Herved Mundays: Break[Ml kt TV,, illnuer at 2 O'olook. The sick are provided with whatever the plijsicians orders for theni, tea, toast, egg oi' delicacie8 to tempt the taste. There are several inmates to whom raeals have to be carried. MIME FIGURES. To give nti idea of the auiount cousumed by thls greatfamily.we mi};ht state tliat on or ab. nit the lirst of every year, six tous of pork and ujnvards of live toni of beef are salted or cured for use. Last year üve barrels of saur kraut were made also, out of cabbuge grown on the farm. It takes abotit 500 bushels of wbeal to niake the tlour neceasary to feed this fatnily. Besldes tbis tbere are usetl 300 buihels of oats, 'J00 of corn, 600 of potatoea, r0 of turnips, 25 of onions, and so on. About $125 worth of tobáceo is ¦moked op by the inmates, and $1,000 worth of groceriei devoured each year. The wood and coal cost $750 the past year; and the dry goods and bedding about $500. Tlieir lienlth must be pretty good us t only takes about $25 worth of drugs and medicine! to run throuyh a year - but Uien $25 will buy it great deal of pliysic of ci'.taiu kinds. THE FARM consiits of 120 acres, located as we sald before, about half-way butweeu Anu Arbor and Yj)silanti, in the township of Pltteflcld, but on the line of Anu Arbor town. It is mostly of sandy or loam soil, and is kept in a good state of eultivation. On this farm is produced all of the wheat neeessary to nnike the flour needed on the farm; all the oats, hay, graln, all tlie potatoes, oabbage, turnips, onions and other vegetables used, and qu!te ofleu more than is used so that sales are made. This year, however, there lias not been a drop of rain for upwarda of tivelve weeks, and all vegetation is dyiiijf. It seems positively wicked to see the destructlon the drought bas Wrought, hundreds of dollars not covering the loss. WATER. On tliis farm is a never failing spring ol pure cold water. Just opposlte the house riscs a lull and on tliis hill is placed a wuter tank or reservoir into which is forced water from this Bpring. Fiom tht tank pipes liave been lald to various por tions of the building where needed, so that a complete systetn of water works with "reservoir pressure," siipplies the building. If this sliould fail, a tine wel of water at the door siipplies its place So that good water is abund uit fo domestic purposes. TRB VEGETABLE CELLAR consists of a laige "cave" whieh ha been excavated in the hill opposite the dwelling, capable of holding hundi-eds o bushels of roots and tubcrs. If this farm was in Dakota now, this cellar could be utilized for flight of the inmates in case acyclone approached- but thank fortune this is not Dakota. THE OFFICIALS. In name this couuty farm is run by the board of supervisors of the county. In reality the board have very little to d( with it. They clioose three superin'en dents of the poor, whose duty it is to oversee the general management and ap point a keeper and matron who attend to the details, and a physician to attend to the sick. The board of superintendente eousist at present of Lorenzo Davis, o Aun Arbor, D. 15. Greene, of Ypsilanti and Win. Aprill, of Scio, all of theu good men, and well adapted to their posi tions. They hold stalcd meetings in a nicely fitted ap office at the farm, aiu look well to the wants and necessities ol the inmates. The keeper is J. S. McDoivell, who has held the position for the past eight years and his wife is matron. They are both vigoróos, energetlfi people, having a fue 11 It v keeping tliings in order and clean and neat. Eveiything is done methodically and systematically and or der reigns everywhere, both indoors aiu out. There are few loose ends to be noted anywhere. For their labor the keeper aud niatrou receive $700 per annum. The physician is Ann Arbor's talente young M. D., so well and favorably Known to most of oor readers, Dr. C. Q. Darllng. He has regular days for visiti ii r the patiënt here, but is liable to be called at any moment if sickness occurs, and to his on dit be it said that he is as faithfnl to liis trust as though he were receiving a food salary therefor, when in fmt he gets but $100 per year, incliuling medicines. KELIGIOUS SKUV1CES. During the rectoiship of Bishop Gillcspie at St. Andrew's church. Ann Arbor, he adopted the plan of holding regular service at the county house, anc coiitiuued it until he was called to the bllhoprio, and his successors have usually kept up the custom. Other denominations have joined in, aud now services are held as follows: The tirst Sunday in each month the M. E. church, Kev. Dr. lianisay; the secoml Sunday, the (lennan Lutheran, Kev. Mr. Neumann; the third Sundny, the Episcopal, I{cv. Dr. Earp. This leaves one Sunday for any other denominatlou that may dcsire. Catbollc serrloea were held quite often durins r r. v uu x-iips piiM-oraie. vnu 11 was upon retnrnlng froru a service here that the accident occurred which resulted In his gad ileath. DurUijr the holiday season the Episcopal society ilvvays have a Christmas tree for the inmates, and these Sunday services are brijiht oases in the inonotónous Ufa of these poor people. A FEW NEEDS. What is truly astoniuhing is tlie fact that there is no teleplione at the farm! It is a want that ought to be supplled at once. If any little thing is wanted, if an}' one is taken suddenly sick, a horse has to be hitchfd up and some one's time taken to 30 to A1111 Arbor. The saving in hoise fïesh and wear and tear of vehicles alone would well repay a big teleplione rental, to say nothing of the wonJerful convenience. The superintendents would be justified in the outlay ol money for that purpose, certainly. Then the heatinf, wliich is now done by stoves inoslly, ought to be changed to either steam or the Kiitt.in system now jeing adopted by our school board. This 8 a chance that ought to be made at once, or the comfort as well as for the safety of this great family of God's poor. The stove system of heatinj: such buildings is lot only antiquated, dirty, laborious and nsuftteient, but positivfly dangcrous, by luisón of lire. By all incaiis this change s imperative. And then the ventilation needs attenlon. One notices this in many of the rooms as he travele through, espeoially in 11 the dormitorios and every day living rooms. But tbls artlcle il alrendy too lengthy. 'liere are many more tlnnjis, however, bat we should liku to speak of, but space rics a halt. C. C. Itlcomond of Ann Arbor is a deinoratlo oiindldate rorooDgreaa. -llillsdule HusiesM. Kicemoi.d ! Rtcemoad ! O. C. Hiceïond ! Well, really, we can't recall the entleman now. Dosu't he live at Spring .rbor instead of Ann Arbor ? He must !¦ 11 spring chickeu anyway, to want to uu against the gallant colonel. The calla for the state and city conventlons, andward and town caucuses, areadded to the Hst thls week. A senatorial couveutlon remalns to be called, as would appeur froin the county cali, though wh.it In the world ¦ atoriftl convention Is wanted for, when the district ernhraces Just the county, would requlre a Yankee to "guess." The voters should glve good heed to the caucuHes. as there i.s wlure the complexión of the couvenUons Is to be determlued.- Ypsllantlan. If our friends of the YpsiUntiun will read the last lefjislative re-apporÜODment ttiey will lind thut WasUteuaw umi Monroe counties coostitite one senatorial district, consequently it will be necessary to hold a separate senatorial convention.