VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN
Published each Thursday
Palmer, Alaska
Entered as second class matter on Oct. 21, 1947, at the post office
at Palmer, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription rates .50c month, $5 a year
Viola Daniels .Editor
No printed material in the Valley Frontiersman may be
reproduced except by permission of the editor.
Mailed to all points in Alaska and the United States
DANIELS -- In The Lion's Den
< Since the following contribution is somewhat lengthy for any
but this editorial page, we are substituting it in the Den this week.
The letter is timely and it reflects astringently and at length still
another point of view on the question of whether a mental hospital
should be located in or near the town of Palmer).
Dear Editor:
He who does the Will of God shall never be stigmatized with
shame. Nor shall any man’s shoulders be weighted unduly by charity.
Behind these facts I rest my disagreement with you, when you
speak of positioning a mental hospital here in Palmer.
Your editorial about this topic has a touch of the “snake-pit”
of ages ago: has a tauntness of the chains with which we secured
our insane to a cold wall in a dark, solitary corner of a damp dun
geon, less than two centuries ago. Your editorial has a touch of the
unforgivable ignorance which permitted such conditions to exist.
Your editorial has an odor of expected remunerations for
charitable services rendered. In short, your editorial speaks un
wittingly of a problem too sensitive to tolerate, and thus easily
ignored and “pushed back,” if necessary.
And yet, less than a year ago, you lauded the possibilities of
a Native Service school, a tuberculosis sanitarium—not to mention
the wonderful expectations of a Methodist college. Are these really
more important than the mercy and understanding due those who
are mentally ill? Is a town which rejects such care and mercy and
understanding worthy of a college, where students will be taught
these virtues, and will expect to see them exemplified in the town
folk?
The ignorance we have today, concerning the mentally ill, is
quite similar to the ignorance of other generations, who condemned
these poor unfortunates. They condemned them—we refuse to un
derstand them, to shelter them. Is this refusal of shelter any better
than a dungeon? I think it is worse. In any case, the similarity
of “passing over” the situation is striking.
How long will it take man to realize that a person mentally ill
is no worse than a person with a broken leg, or a lung disease, or a
sore finger, or a splinter in a big toe? There is absolutely no differ
ence. All are forms of discomforting ills, needing medical atten
tion. And if we are to recognize this fact, we must convince our
selves strongly that there can be no such thing as medical dis
crimination.
My short experience as a physchiatric aide at the Neuro-Psvchi
atric Institute of Hartford, Conn., does not qualify me to speak flu
ently on these seemingly strange mental illnesses. But while work
ing there, I learned too well that the stigmk applied to such cases
comes from the not-knowing, the not-understanding people outside
of the institutions. I saw wives visit husbands; and, indeed, there
was no less love for their afflicted loved ones. I saw' a daughter
visit her father and look longingly into his eyes for a sign of recog
nition; and surely, she did not feel less proud of his paternal posi
tion within her heart. And I saw a sister visit her brother, who
would not accept her visit. I cannot forget her words, spoken above
the tears in her throat, “If we could only make him understand we
are not ashamed, that we still love him, no matter w'hat.”
But these examples do not explain away the “stigma” of placing
a mental hospital here in Palmer. Nor do they advance other
methods for securing financial embellishments. And they certainly
do not deny the righteousness of a free people to decide whether or
not they shall tolerate the presence of a mental hospital within
their midst.
No, these examples can do nothing about all of these things.
Simply because there is no stigma, outside of that which the people
themselves wish to place upon any illness or disease or sin; simply
because there is no such thing as seeking the “almighty dollar” over
charity; and simply because there is no such thing as a free people
righteously turning away a suffering brother.
Christianity would have been doomed before it started, if
Christ had turned away Mary Magdalene, because of her illicit pro
fession. Christianity would most certainly have been doomed, if
Christ had bought Himself a seat in the Temple with the money
changers, instead of driving their selfish, mercenary interests from
the halls of charity.
We should not be talking about “how much” we can make on
this deal; nor about “stigmas” and “shoulder-weights” of an insane
asylum. As a growing community, anxious to help ourselves, we are
in no position to turn away those who need help more than we do.
On the contrary we should be looking upon this project as a bless
ing, not a curse; as a sound spiritual investment, not a pecuniary
enrichment; as a providential opportunity to take a firm stand
against the ignorance which proclaims boisterously and unjustly,
"We will not have you mental incompetents, who are below our
standards. Away with you! Into a dungeon, if you like, but not in
our proud Palmer.”
A man who thinks so, has no standards, no ideals, no principals.
He will stagnate, as history has proved too often, within his own
pitfalls of intolerance and ignorance.
But what could be more appropriate than these words of Christ:
“What you do to the least of these, you have done to Me.”
Don’t turn them away. Don’t turn Him away. Fight for both.
Our town and Valley will be blessed a hundredfold, if we do this
thing unselfishly and proudly.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH E. HUDOCK
Paving Moves Rapidly
The paving project extending
from Palmer to Anchorage, is
making very satisfactory prog
ress, according to recent reports.
Crews are at present concen
trating on that portion of the
road at Eklutna Flats, and ad
vance crews have carried their
operation as far as Fire Lake.
It was expressed by the con
tractors that if the present fair
weather continued for a reason
able length of time it will help
immeasurably in hastening the
completion of operations for this
year.
COFFEY INSURES EVERY
THING—REMEMBER/
M. D. SNODGRASS
Real Estate
Dairy and Vegetable Farms
City Lots — Acreage
VALLEY REAL ESTATE —
THEATRE BUILDING
SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE
VALLEY FRONTIERSMAN.
Potted Plants
Cut Flowers
MATANUSKA
VALLEY GARDENS
School Supplies
Complete Line
PENCILS — ERASERS
NOTEBOOKS — TABLETS
CRAYONS — PASTE
COMPASSES
Clara's Variety
GIL ANTHONY'S
AIR SERVICE
Headquarters at Al King's Garage
Call 25 for Information
— Reasonable Rates —
AIR TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN ALASKA
GREEN'S FLYING SERVICE
STUDENT INSTRUCTION, GI TRAINING
CHARTER AND SCENIC FLIGHTS — PASSENGER RIDES
TWO- AND FOUR-PLACE PLANES AVAILABLE
Phone 67 Palmer Airport
We make 'em any size you want in our shop!
Severns Cabinet Shop
Steaks, Salads, Sandwiches
• WE SPECIALIZE IN EVERYTHING •
Tasty Chicken Dinners Every Weekend
Open All Night Saturday—7 a. m. to 1 a. m. Weekdays
BAR-B-Q
Steve Cutuk, Prop.
It#s the Ron-Da-Voo Cafe