With the girls generally the introduction of the musical training, the domestic training and the fascinating forms of handwork — embroidery, fancy work, etc. has opened up many natural sources of feminine interest and pleasure. This greatly broadened life has apparently made a permanent change in the relation of the girls as a whole to the school and to life generally. As a class they have become much better contented, better behaved and have become infinitely more like normal women in every way.

This noticeable change in the apparent mental condition of so many of our girls has opened up a new set of perplexing problems, as has already been called attention to in the report of the trustees.

It often happens that a girl is committed to the school because she has been found impossible at home and in the community. She is dull mentally, idle, untidy in dress, disobedient, willful, incorrigible, inefficient at any kind of work. Probably she has been unchaste, perhaps has had one or more illegitimate children; she may have a court record. She comes to us hard and unattractive, impudent, insolent and useless. She is put in school; she is taught to read and write, to sing, to cook, to sew, to knit. With good, simple food, regular bathing, physical exercise, regular habits, etc., she becomes strong, bright eyed and attractive. She becomes quiet, obedient and well behaved. Her friends see the change, but do not realize that the improvement is the result of and depends upon the environment of the school, the influence of association with refined women, absence of temptation, and constant supervision and direction. They demand that she may be sent home, that the family may have the benefit of her work or that she may be put out to service for wages. They do not realize that with the best possible home supervision the girl will almost always rapidly deteriorate, and quickly return to her old ways. They do not understand that the mental weakness which was the cause of the moral delinquency is a permanent condition, and in all probability will reassert itself if the constant supervision is taken away. We now have at least twenty cases where the friends are urgently asking for the discharge of female patients whose history before and after entering the school closely cor

responds to the hypothetical condition described above. The apparent fitness of a girl of this type for home life, as a result of the school training, is so real that a magistrate would hesitate to commit the very girl he unhesitatingly committed, at the urgent request of the same relatives, only a few months previously. The fact that every one of the girls of this type almost certainly returns to her previous troublesome mental, social and moral habits is well understood by every one familiar with mental defectives.

This year, two girls who had been admitted to the school under the conditions described above improved so much in every way that the relatives honestly believed that it was not fair to keep them here longer, and also wished to have the girls at home to assist with the housework. Prominent people became interested and urgently requested the discharge of the girls. The families promised to closely watch and guard them. The trustees finally permitted these girls to return to their homes. They quickly became unmanageable and wayward, and both became pregnant within a few months of their discharge. Both girls were then recommitted to the school.

The existence of this large institution is largely due to the demands of parents, physicians, clergymen, court officers, social workers, and thoughtful people generally, that feebleminded women should be permanently removed from the community. In this State there is an urgent demand for the commitment and permanent detention of the higher grade cases of defect, where the social incapacity and the moral weakness are more obvious than the mental backwardness. These cases cannot support themselves, and are most undesirable and troublesome members of society. Under institution conditions, protected, supervised and helped as they are, they soon behave much like normal women. If sent out into the community they almost invariably return to their former habits. It is not difficult to obtain powerful pressure to discharge these cases. Indeed, the fact, well known to alienists, that these girls are often attractive and bright-looking, and are able to talk glibly and plausibly, is very convincing, even to the courts. We have, therefore, to face the anomalous fact that it is easy to have a class of patients committed to the school under a permanent

commitment who in a few months are likely to impress the same court as cases who ought at least to be released on trial, on the principle that no person ought to be permanently deprived of his liberty on the mere assumption that he will in all human probability misbehave or commit crime.

This state of affairs is largely due to the fact that the medical and popular appreciation of the existence of this most dangerous class of so-called moral defectives has not yet been adequately formulated into workable legal definitions and precedents.

Each year several boys or girls are properly committed here as feeble-minded who have been arrested, and are in the custody of the criminal court for some crime or misdemeanor. The commitment to the school causes the criminal proceedings to be abandoned. In the majority of these cases, within a few weeks after admission the parents urgently demand the release of the patient, on the plea that he has been sufficiently punished. It is not easy to make the friends understand that a commitment under these circumstances ought not to be considered as a mere excuse for evading legal punishment for crime.

During the past year 4 boys and 2 girls under the custody of the juvenile court have been sent to the school for observation. and diagnosis, pending the final disposition of their cases by the court.

The current expenses of the year amounted to $238,640.07, or $3.67+ per capita.

The following important improvements and repairs have been made during the year and charged to current expense ac

count:

The fire escapes on the girls' dormitory, north building, east building, north-northwest building and administration building have been lowered and rebuilt, and access to them is obtained by doors instead of windows. Nine new fire escapes have been added to these buildings. Over 1,000 feet of fire hose have been added in standpipes attached to the buildings. A new standpipe, with a hose wagon and 200 feet of fire hose, has been placed at the farm group. Nineteen tinned fire doors have been placed in the buildings. A new electric garmentcutting machine has been placed in the sewing room. One

thousand sixty-six square yards of telford road have been constructed. The excavation for two new buildings and the grading around six new buildings have been done by our regular force of employees and the boys. A new tennis court has been made on the girls' playground. A 220-yard oval cinder track has been made on the athletic field.

The work of controlling the ravages of the gypsy moth has been continued at the proper seasons, and the cost, about $2,000, charged to current expense account. We seem to have the pest under good control, although the work will have to be continued for several years to come.

The farm colony at Templeton has had a prosperous and successful year in every way. The boys have enjoyed excellent health. We have cleared and drained 40 acres of wild land. Notwithstanding the drought the crops were good, and eight full carloads of fruit and vegetables were shipped to Waverley.

We have again been called upon to lose the services of an experienced and valued physician. Dr. G. S. Bliss, who had given earnest and most efficient service to the school, was appointed medical superintendent of the new Maine School for the Feeble-minded, and assumed his new duties in August, 1908.

In February, 1908, Dr. W. O. Brown and Dr. F. J. Russell were added to the medical staff, and have rendered efficient and satisfactory service.

At the close of the year we have a population of 1,311. When the new buildings at Waverley and at Templeton are occupied we shall have 1,440 inmates. The development of the new institution at Wrentham should relieve the pressure on this school for the admission of new cases. For many years the energies of the school have been largely spent in the construction and organization of the rapidly growing institution. We hope that the time is near when more attention may be paid to the scientific study of the rich material furnished by our large population. As a first step in this direction we are now elaborating our system of case records.

The rapid growth of the school, the admission and assimilation of a large number of new pupils, the reorganization of the

manual and handwork classes, the marked increase in the mere work of feeding and clothing and caring for our inmates, have made a very busy year for the officers and employees of the school. I wish to thank them for the splendid, loyal, cheerful spirit, and the faithful work which has made this one of the most happy and successful years in the history of the school.

Respectfully submitted,

WALTER E. FERNALD, M.D.,

DEC. 1, 1908.

Superintendent.