Miscellany: Insanity

fn my visit to Blckwell!8 island, few things ii terested me so miich as the ineanc. In the peiiitentifiry was one poor Lnscar youtli, wh'o had been ilierc ten yeun?, becoirèe tliere Was pp one to claim liitn, nnd Ijc was loo mischicvous :o po at liirge. ] khow not why he was not placed n the insana !io.pilal, near by; for it seemed a clenr ense oflunacy. IJe sits on the gronnd, in the sunshine, all the time, generally in a state of stiipor, luit nt times ennpping Iiis fingers, and laughing at something hc sees or hears ju wardij; lor he tafces no cogniz-incc of what is going on aronnd him. He is at all times averse to leaving the open air; and sometimes retiste, with troubleeome vio'ence, all efibrts to coax or carry him with in wails. Poor felJow! ho lost hia way comewhere in the battlc of lifi.-; the vvorld i i!l never knuw liow or where. From litó own niemory theiecord is blottcd, never to rc-appear until he enters into that e.xistence where every word is brought inlo judgtnent. Thnt lie has suffered grievous wrong, ihere is no donbt. Probably, the son of eomc vicious mothrr, who eold him ton sea captüin, to get rid of him; on sbip-board, he learned sensuality nnd violence; ihence transferred to the pen.itentiary; doomed to live and die, without ever knowing the restoring power of gentleness. I did not go into the mad-house, for I hekcd nerve to witness insanity in its most violent forms; as I passed tl. e bnik'ing, I heard Bhrieks and groans, and langhler stil! more ternfic. In tho lunatic asylnm, they generally seemed tianqnil; and many of Ihem happy. With the exceplion of intemperance, no cause of insanity is so proÜficas that of religious e.citemeut; a fact which betrays an exceedmgly unnatural and false staie of tliings in theologicnl teaching. But in this more iban in other things, it seems as f mankind were faled to exhaust every species of error, befare thev arrive at truth, The most amusing form of insanity that came nnder my eye, was n óiseased c:.lirgement of self-ef-teem. One woman, dressod in fantastic decoraiion-s cailed herself Lady ry, and pouipouely displayed hor patent bility; annther imagiiied tierself the widow of j General Washington, and tnlked largely of the bat les {■he had fougbt and still woüld figh', if her troops woiild only rally round her; a third was rolling' off Lat in sentences with i great volubility, and complaining cf the mis pronunciatipn of tho vulgar. Plironology has unquestionably been of greaí i use in pointing out the causes of insanity, and in helping to give increased light on the i ject of i!s treatmont. I know many scholars entertain a t-trong conlcmpt for this science, considering it the doraocracy of meiaphysics: but I biilieve it will by no mean? prove a furthing rush liglit in the history of tunease and crime. A case of painful interest is said to have ocenrred a few yea.rs since in Biltimore. A wealthy eentle.nnn had a wife much obeervcd Air her beauty, and winning m.innors. She was qmte nn idp] in jreucnil society, and mijch bolovft! i'V her ncq'iainiance. Her I band was e'.ronglyaUached to her, ond very i proud of hor. Soon after the birth of her Í third child, she had a fover, which endangered her life. Sho recovered, howcver, and appearcd the samo as Ibrmerly. The first ihing which excited alt ent ion to any chango in her charncter, was tlie charge of liaving sïoIpii a j valuable luce voil trom a store vvhore she was pnrehasing other gpïwJs. Uer hus-bnud indigranlly repclled the acciisation; but slie, with a flood of tears, acknowlcdged that it was true. 'But, my dear,' said he, 'vbat could have tempted you? You can have a hundrtd dollars, whenever you wish it.' 'I know that,' fe-he replied; 'but itpeemedas if something ; seased me to take thnt veil, and as if I couldn't ! help it.' . This disagreeablo nfTyir was settled by the payment of money; but it was nol long before a similar case again necurted; and ogain, and again; through cach time the confession was nade with aji agony of lears, and tho most fervent promise of amendment. She eeemed keenly alive to the dislreas'her proceedingsoccasioneel n beloved husband, and ttie shnmc Ihey would on fu-r dailing üttle clulilrcri: but :ill the excuso was, iluit the temptaüoi; proved so slrong at the moment, it scemed as ii'she was poisessed. At Jast, he;oflföji was committcd againet on3, who irisisfcd iipon bniiging it to trir.I. The caso was nccordingly bropg-lit rito coiirt, and miicli compásbíod recitad by the pnle countenaneo of t'iE liiK-baiul, and the agotvzod expression of iliE bèaiitifu] culprit. Hér pbyfcièiari testffied that. according to his belief, it was h case of parlial insanity: Hint so fer as emild be nscertainedby diligent, inquiry, no til ing of the kind had ever happened, from chiWfiood lipwnrd, until nf'tér that niemorübje fcver. In one respect, her piïferings differed rcmarkably from usual tlieft: ehc attumpied to paake no concenlmRit of her stolen good.=, butwitiia sort óf cliililisli eagerness; wnnld c i.liy thein to everv acquniñtance who came in !ier wny: tcüiüir the n;mie of : !l store, nn! ndvisin them to go r.nd parchase of tlie s.une. The sympatliy excitod wassopreaf, thal it produced a leaction otnöng t!ie popülace: au) thcy complüined loudl.v that i!:e cr'unra oi'ilie ricli werc very apt o be ci.llcd insunify. S.'ie wos relüctantly fcentenced 10 tlie pcnitontmrv, but in consefjtïonce of o petiton, very mitnerj ous!y síjtmhI was fiiially pardoiiod, and ihe i wiio!e farnily left the country. I have fieard ; of ot'.er casea sinjilar to thig&t uhen pJjrenoJj ogicolly examined, it was found thüt sickne?s iiau grea'.ly enlurgëd llie organ of ncqu silivnnnss. Some are ümfillihg to be ccnvinccd of iacts li!;e these, because they say tfiey tct;d !o fatniiiy, But ia it not likeyvise o most unfortmmte fatali y, that men inlierit insanity ansi neivous mèlanclioly from their anre.4ors? Among the irimntes of tlie Innatic ssylum were two crpzy cïiildren. I iind never happened to tliink of such a tiiiiií', and the Bfght struck me painf'ully. In botli cases, the deraügement was occasioned by ün; but one wr.s luud and violent, the olher was quiet aiid idiotie. The laticr caino to me, wit h great joyfulness of look and tone, and displáyihg an apron fuli of cliips, excla'med, Tve got sticks in my lap?' The poor liLtle thing hml dcop, afíectionale ejes, end as sho lookcd up inio mine, I invi.hintarily Ibldcd her to my hearr, and p;irte} her hair tcnderly. It was a transient moveinent, occasioned by an impulse of pity; but frotw that moment, she clung to my side, and followed nio everywhere. - To every word addressed to her, the answered only, 'I've got sticks in my lap!' And this she repeated fifty limes over, to every one that looked ai her. At last one of the women superinteiideñts cnme alonLr,and sornewhat slern ly ordered her to give up her slicks. The ehild lookeddispppointed, bnt at once emptied her apron, and, ceased to repeat her joyf'ul phrase. It was a simple incident, but nolíiing t saw in Blackwcll's ílan'l so cut me to the heart. The pnor littlc diseased thing seemed so happy with her sticks! I inqtnred vvhy they must be laken from her, and tho rep! y was that she would soon have thom all over 'he iloor. I thoiiirht to myself I would raiher set' liorhnppy in building chip houses on the floor, than In see everytliing eo elaborately nent. In nll these creat estohn'shrnënls, I apprehend thnt tlie templa! ion is great to ottoml more to the appearanca of tilines to visitors, th;in to happinesü of fou! in the inrratei?. The bii'Iding was airy and clean, and nnnv of ilie rooms were decorntod with evergreen anci flowe p. This is a gieat improveiuent upon the olí] rebine of ch:iins and fconrgioe. Tho truth, thrft luve is omnipotentj is siowlv da.wnuiif npon men's mjnds. 3-hey have i coverod thot even the violence of insaniiy is brtter guidci' by gentienefs t han by coerción. Reluctaiitly. fenrirïg and doubt ing, as ihey go, ihey wijl finnlly le.irn that the same tiiing is true of the moral insanity which men cali crime.