was best to leave these institutions as nearly as possible under existing supervision. And this, with the one exception of placing reformatories for male adults convicted of felony under Commission for Prisons, was ultimately agreed

the new

upon.

Before the amendment was finally reported to the Convention a very important section was added to the original amendment, for which the association is not responsible, although fully in accord with its general spirit and purpose. This is designed to prevent the appropriation of public funds for sectarian education in charitable and correctional institutions, and also to regulate the payment of public funds to private charitable and correctional institutions, by obliging inmates supported by public funds in any such institution to be received and retained therein pursuant to rules established by the State Board of Charities, such rules to be subject to the control of the Legislature by general laws. It also prohibits the Legislature from requiring (although it may authorize), the authorities of any county, city, town or village to make payments to any private charitable or correctional institutions.

Following is the full text of the amendment, which now forms sections 11-15 of article VIII of the State Constitution, and was known as the "Charities Article" during the debates in Convention:

THE CHARITIES ARTICLE.

(The amendment as proposed by the State Charities Aid Association is in plain type; additions made by Committee in Italics.)

Article VIII of the Constitution. § 11. The Legislature shall provide for a State Board of Charities, which shall visit and inspect all institutions, whether State, county, municipal, incorporated or not incorporated, which are of a charitable, eleemosynary, correctional or reformatory character, excepting only such institutions as are hereby made subject to the visitation and inspection of either of the commissions hereinafter mentioned, but including all reformatories except those in which adult males convicted of felony shall be confined; a State Commission in Lunacy, which shall visit and inspect all institutions, either public or private, used for the care and treatment of the insane (not including institutions for epileptics or idiots); a State Com

mission of Prisons, which shall visit and inspect all institutions* used for the detention of sane adults charged with or convicted of crime, or detained as witnesses or debtors.

§ 12. The members of the said board and of the said commissions shall be appointed by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and any member may be removed from office by the Governor for cause, an opportunity having been given him to be heard in his defense.

13. Existing laws relating to institutions referred to in the foregoing sections, and to their supervision and inspection, in so far as such laws are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution, shall remain in force until amended or repealed by the Legislature. The visitation and inspection herein provided for shall not be exclusive of other visitation and inspection now authorized by law.

§ 14. Nothing in this Constitution contained shall prevent the Legislature from making such provision for the education and support of the blind, the deaf and dumb and juvenile delinquents, as to it may seem proper, or prevent any county, city, town or village from providing for the care, support, maintenance and secular education of inmates of orphan asylums, homes for dependent children or correctional institutions, whether under public or private control. Payments by counties, cities, towns and villages to charitable, eleemosynary, correctional and reformatory institutions, wholly or partly under private control, for care, support and maintenance, may be authorized, but shall not be required by the Legislature. No such payments shall be made for any inmate of such institntions who is not received and retained therein pursuant to rules established by the State Boar▲ of Charities. Such rules shall be subject to the control of the Legislature by general laws.

§ 15. Commissioners of the State Board of Charities and Commissioners of the State Commission in Lunacy, now holding office, shall be continued in office for the term for which they were appointed, respectively, unless the Legislature shall otherwise provide. The Legislature may confer upon the commissions and upon the board mentioned in the foregoing sections any additional powers that are not inconsistent with other provisions of the Constitution.

*The amendment proposed by the Association contained the words " (except reformatories)" after "institutions," These words were omitted by the Committee,

Should it be asked why is it necessary to incorporate in the Constitution of the State what might equally well have been provided by the Legislature, the answer is not far to seek. For the past twenty-five years the growth, in numbers and wealth, of the public and private charitable institutions in this State has been enormous. The estimated value of their lands, buildings and appurtenances, October 1, 1893, was $84,154,392.37; the total amount of money expended by them in that same year was $20,407,982.94.* These institutions are very powerful. No State supervisory body dependent solely upon the Legislature for its existence could fearlessly perform the duties required of it, by law, without danger of being abolished. Our amendment protects our supervisory boards from this danger. And yet, as the power granted by the Constitution to them is that of inspection alone, leaving with the Legislature the right to confer additional powers and to determine all details of organization and membership, no undue autocratic authority need be feared by the institutions.

Number of Dependent Insane.

On October 1, 1894, the total number of dependent insane persons in the State of New York was 17,545; an increase of 900 since October 1, 1893.

Of these, there were in the New York city asylums, October 1, 1894, 6,395; in the Kings county asylums, 2,747; or a total of more than one-half of the entire number.

New York City Asylums for the Insane.

The New York city asylums for the insane, located on Ward's, Blackwell's and Hart's islands, New York city, and at Central Islip, Suffolk county, have been visited regularly during the year by the members and officers of our New York county visiting committee. The following is taken from the annual report of the committee.

* Report of the State Board of Charities for 1893.

The census of asylums and the movement of population during the year are as follows:

During the year ending October 1, 1894, the average daily census of the four city asylums, taken together, showed an increase of 356 patients over the average census of the preceding year; and there were 311 more patients (195 men, 116 women) at the end than at the

*Including the patients still remaining on Blackwell's island.

beginning of the year. There were 65 more admissions during the year than in the preceding year.

In the spring of 1892, after the "Advisory Committee on the Care of the Insane," appointed by the mayor in the preceding January, had made its report, and in pursuance of its recommendations, the Legisla ture authorized the issue of $500,000 of bonds for the purpose of erecting additional buildings for the city's insane; and about the same time the city acquired the title to the whole of Ward's island and devoted it to the uses of the asylums. Various changes were forth with planned and some of them have been carried out. The worst of the old buildings have been abandoned, most of the lunatics on Blackwell's island have been removed to Ward's island, and additional buildings have been erected, both there and at Central Islip. But the total result of two years' work has been that on October 1, 1892, there were 5,767 lunatics, with accommodation for 4,313, and on October 1, 1894, there were 6,395 lunatics, with accommodation for 4,826; that is, the asylum had an increased capacity of 513, while the number of insane had increased by 628.

Great changes have taken place during the year, and others are in progress; indeed, the whole institution is in a state of transition, and a just and accurate report can not be made from observation of conditions which are subject to incessant alteration. We can, therefore, offer only a brief sketch of some of these changing conditions.

BLACKWELL'S ISLAND ASYLUM.

Little of special interest was noted in this asylum last winter beyond the continuous increase in the number of patients, with the consequent crowding, and the insufficient force of attendants. On March 6, 1894, there were 1,847 patients in the asylum; the attendants numbered 179, of whom 16 were out on pass or furlough and 6 ill, leaving only 157 actually on duty.

The buildings were always clean; the clothing, when examined, was found clean and comfortable, and the meals well cooked and of better quality than elsewhere in the department.

About November, 1893, a school taught by an attendant was opened in the asylum with 27 pupils, and the acting superintendent, Dr. Dent, hoped to enlarge it, thinking that regular mental training adjusted to their needs would be of great benefit to the patients. This school did good work through the winter, but was 'broken up when the patients