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After making every reasonable allowance, however, I presume I only utter the common sentiment among us, when I say, that all our hospitals are liable to an indefinite amount of real abuse on the part of those who, in one capacity or another, are employed in the care of the patients. It is this with which we as Superintendents, are chiefly concerned in this inquiry, and if the importance of the subject implicitly requires plain speaking, I trust I shall have the credit of doing it in a spirit of candor and friendliness of feeling. Seeking nothing but the good of the cause, and disclaiming any intention to offend, I do not see how difference of opinion on this point more than on any other, should necessarily give offence. I presume no member of this Association will say that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, at no time, in no way, has an instance of abuse on the part of attendants, occurred in the institution under his charge -- that nothing has ever been said or done by them calculated, if made known, to impair the confidence of the public. The question, be it observed, is not whether such abuses are inconsiderable in comparison with the positive and unquestionable benefits by which they are accompanied, but whether they do not actually create disaffection towards these institutions, and diminish the amount of good they would otherwise accomplish. Unable as we are to ignore the fact implied in the question, it becomes our duty to provide, as far as we can, the necessary remedy.

When we consider the moral and intellectual calibre of the class of persons whom we employ as attendants, in connexion with the traits of character which we require in them, it is not surprising that improper practices should sometimes occur. They must manifest patience under the most trying emergencies, control of temper under the strongest provocations, and a steady perseverance in the performance of duty, disagreeable and repulsive as it oftentimes is. They must be kind and considerate, ever ready to sacrifice their own comfort to the welfare of their charge, cleanly in al their ways, and unsaving of any pains necessary to render their charge so also. In all respects, their deportment and demeanor must be precisely such as refined and cultivated persons have indicated as most appropriate to the management of the insane. In short, they are expected to possess a combination of virtues which, in the ordinary walks of life, would render their possessor one of the shining ornaments of the race. Now, although there can be no objection to a high standard of excellence, that man can be little better than a fool, who supposes it will be often reached by the persons whom we employ as attendants. They have been prepared for this delicate and responsible duty, by no special course of self-discipline, and, we know well enough, are seldom distinguished by the beauty or abundance of their moral endowments. They are in fact, plain every-day men and women, with the common infirmities of the race, losing their temper under extraordinary irritations, and sometimes guilty of downright abuse of their trust. This is the truth, and there would be as little wisdom in denying it, as in expecting that persons, on becoming attendants upon the insane, are transformed by some mysterious process, from ordinary men and women into angels. In this view of the case we might rest with tolerable satisfaction, but there is much reason to fear that the future will bring an additional difficulty which cannot be contemplated with quite so much philosophical composure. Although in New-England, we are still able to secure the services of a class of native Americans, possessing, for the most part, some sterling qualities, it seems as if we should be driven ere long, like our brethren south of us, to the employment of foreigners.

Relinquishing all idea of obtaining perfection out of imperfection, it is incumbent on us to circumscribe the abuses of attendants within the narrowest limits, and this can only be done by a suitable organization of the service. Without thorough organization, and the strictest discipline under it, I am well assured that no amount of vigilance will quite secure the object in view. Different men will have different ways, of course, of arriving at the same result, but there are some ways so grossly defective, that I see not how they can be followed under any circumstances whatever. Let us consider for a moment, what used to be the practice, and which, for any thing I know, may still be found to some extent among us. An attendant is placed in charge of from ten to twenty patients, and, with almost unlimited authority for certain purposes, he is truly "monarch of all he surveys, and his right there, is none to dispute." He controls every movement, and by a stricter rule than that by which the school-master governs his pupils. He directs their uprising and their down-lying, their incoming and their outgoing, their meals, their labors and amusements. The refractory are made to obey, and the turbulent are stilled in some way or another, or turned over to somebody else. His will is law, and no appeal lies from his decisions. His orders are general, and he is responsible to none but the chief. If desirous of farther orders, he leaves his charge to take care of themselves, and goes in quest of the fountain of power; and thus whether it be to call the doctor, to procure a dose of medicine, to hunt up an article of clothing, to make a poultice, or to inquire for his letters, he must leave his gallery and go to the centre-house, and if there he happens to meet a female-attendant on a similar errand, or encounters any one as little in a hurry as himself, where is the harm in saying "how d'ye do," and exchanging a little gossip? No one can charge him with neglect of duty. He has reasons for being just where he is, and if he says he came to the kitchen for hot water, it will not be easy to prove, that it was to make an appointment with one of the girls. The radical fault in this way of conducting the service, is the idea of the attendants being directly controlled by the officers. When we consider how small a portion of the twenty-four hours, any officer, much less the Superintendent, can be in any particular gallery, nothing can be more preposterous than this idea. The truth is, and it could not possibly be otherwise, that, to a very great extent, the attendant does what seemeth good to himself, and if any of it happens to be wrong, his chief may find it out if he can, in spite of the dust he can easily throw in his eyes.