then what remains is the magnificence of the imagery and the sonority of the diction. To extol the one over the other in these respects would indeed be invidious. It is enough to place them side by side to manifest their equality. If Milton writes:

'Him the Almighty Power

Hurled headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky,
With hideous ruin and combustion, down

To bottomless perdition, there to dwell
In adamantine chains and penal fire,
Who durst defy th' Omnipotent to arms';

Dante writes:

'Diverse lingue, orribili favelle,

Parole di dolore, accenti d' ira,

Voci alte e fioche, e suon di man con elle,
Facevan un tumulto, il qual s' aggira
Sempre in quell' aria senza tempo tinta,
Come l' arena quando il turbo spira.'

Withal, it would show imperfect impartiality if one failed to allow that there is more variety in the Divina Commedia' than in Paradise Lost.' Milton never halts in his majestic journey to soothe us with such an episode as that of Paolo Malatesta' and 'Francesca da Rimini," or closes it with so celestial a strain as that describing the interview of Dante with Beatrice in Heaven.

No third poet in any nation or tongue could be named that equals Dante and Milton in erudition, or in the use they made of it in their poetry. The present writer is himself too lacking in erudition to presume to expatiate on that theme. Others have done it admirably, and with due competence. But on this ground, common to them both, I reluctantly part with them. To each alike may be assigned the words of Ovid, Os sublime dedit,' and equally it may be said of both, that, in the splendid phrase of Lucretius, they passed beyond the 'flammantia monia mundi.' Finally, each could truly say of himself, in the words of Dante,

'Minerva spira e conducemi Apollo.'

'The Goddess of Wisdom inspires me, and the God of Song is my conductor and my guide.'

ALFRED AUSTIN.

Art. 9. THE CONTROL OF THE FEEBLE-MINDED. Report of the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feeble-minded. [Cd. 4202], 1908.

THE appointment of a Royal Commission may be taken to indicate a widely-spread feeling that there is something wrong which may be amended; and that, before taking any definite steps, it is well to seek information from all those who may be able to give it. The present Government is not the first to have been impressed with the importance of the consideration of lunacy in England. Some Commissions doubtless are forced upon governments as party moves; and such, having served their object, are forgotten. This one, however, seems destined, not only to live, but to be effective. The recent Commission for the investigation of the feeble-minded originated first as a recognition of the fact that there was a large and growing population for whom there was not any proper provision, either in the Lunacy or other Acts; and that such a class was not only useless to the State, but contributed to increase the dangerous classes. Soon after the Commissioners had commenced their labours, they found it was impossible to limit their work to the mere consideration of those who could be called feeble-minded. The work therefore was extended so as to embrace the care and administration, not only of those who were feeble-minded, but of those who were actually insane; and, in considering the Report, it will be seen what a wide territory this investigation covers. It is probable, indeed, that the work of the Commission was concerned even more with the actual insane than with the feebleminded; for, when one considers the enormous increase of insanity, as recorded by the Annual Reports of the Commissioners in Lunacy, it is evident that either some alteration must be made in the present cost of administration, or the burden will become almost intolerable.

The Report represents an enormous amount of careful investigation by men, and by one lady, who must be considered to have been most wisely and carefully selected. There was perhaps one deficiency. Although both medicine and law were represented on the Commission, and

although it comprised members of Parliament and per sons connected with municipal administration, no one definitely concerned in the management of idiot asylums was on the Board. However, the idiot asylums were well represented by those who were examined, and thus no real harm has been done.

The Report itself is well arranged, and allows of careful analysis: and the last volume, which contains the summary of evidence, with recommendations, is so full of information that it is no easy matter to select for a general review the most important and most noteworthy parts. In the following paper I shall endeavour to set forth the general results of the Report, with such observations and recommendations as my personal ex perience leads me to think may be of service.

A prefatory note to the Report states the object of the Commission, and explains the general method adopted and the plan of observation followed by the Commissioners. This division finishes with a very important statement, namely, that almost at the outset they dis covered there were no trustworthy statistics available as to the numbers of the various groups of feeble-minded. The Commissioners called before them a very large number of medical witnesses, especially those who were directly or indirectly connected with the administration of the Lunacy laws; and, as they found that the statistics supplied by various institutions for the care of the epileptic, inebriate, and feeble-minded, even those com piled by the Commissioners in Lunacy, were unsatis factory, they took pains to select experts who investigated the condition of the feeble-minded as seen in schools, reformatory schools, prisons, workhouses, epileptic colonies, and the like. They were thus enabled to add materially to the statistics already available. They come to the conclusion that there are probably as many unrecognised feeble-minded people in England as there are recognised lunatics; that in fact, taking both lunatics and feebleminded of all groups together, not less than 0.83 per cent. of the whole population may be placed under this head. Personally, I should say that this was quite within the limits; for experience has shown me that the tendency to conceal from the public the fact of feeble-mindedness or mental disorder is rather increasing than decreasing

with the advance of education. It is certain that a very much larger number of persons of unsound mind is at present unrecognised, at any rate uncertified, than at any previous period. This may, to a certain extent, be explained by the strong feeling which has developed that insanity ought to be treated rather as a disease than as a simple misfortune. Be that as it may, though time will show that, even in the acute cases, only a certain amount of medical treatment is of service, yet it is noteworthy that a very large amount of insanity is certainly not recognised in any statistics that we now possess.

In the Introduction which follows the prefatory note a clear outline is given of the objects aimed at by the Commissioners and the conclusions at which they arrive. In fact, the Introduction is a kind of table of contents. The Commission found that there are many feebleminded children who are not being properly educated or looked after. It is true that, in many large towns, special schools are provided; but these are few and scattered, and in no way provide for such numbers of feeble-minded children as exist. Where the attendance at such schools is optional, and is not supervised, they are attended by only a limited number. The lack of power to enforce control of such children produces, as the Commissioners show, a great defect in the system and in its working. Similarly, they recognise that large numbers of morally defective persons, who are a danger to society, and who by their frequent criminal acts are constant inhabitants of prisons whence they issue to repeat their crimes, are without any definite system of control.

The chief idea of the Commission will be seen to be that all those who are suffering from permanent mental disorder, whether it shows itself in simple mental enfeeblement or in defective moral conduct, ought to be permanently under control, and not merely secluded pending treatment or punishment. As pointed out, if the children have to be taken in hand, it is of the utmost importance that the training should commence early; therefore imperative that the educational

and it is

authorities should have the power of selecting the feebleminded who are unfit for ordinary school education, so that they may be placed in the special schools or colonies for regular training. In fact, the proposal is that every one

although it comprised members of Parliament and persons connected with municipal administration, no one definitely concerned in the management of idiot asylums was on the Board. However, the idiot asylums were well represented by those who were examined, and thus no real harm has been done.

The Report itself is well arranged, and allows of careful analysis; and the last volume, which contains the summary of evidence, with recommendations, is so full of information that it is no easy matter to select for a general review the most important and most noteworthy parts. In the following paper I shall endeavour to set forth the general results of the Report, with such observations and recommendations as my personal experience leads me to think may be of service.

A prefatory note to the Report states the object of the Commission, and explains the general method adopted and the plan of observation followed by the Commissioners. This division finishes with a very important statement, namely, that almost at the outset they discovered there were no trustworthy statistics available as to the numbers of the various groups of feeble-minded. The Commissioners called before them a very large number of medical witnesses, especially those who were directly or indirectly connected with the administration of the Lunacy laws; and, as they found that the statistics supplied by various institutions for the care of the epileptic, inebriate, and feeble-minded, even those compiled by the Commissioners in Lunacy, were unsatisfactory, they took pains to select experts who investigated the condition of the feeble-minded as seen in schools, reformatory schools, prisons, workhouses, epileptic colonies, and the like. They were thus enabled to add materially to the statistics already available. They come to the conclusion that there are probably as many unrecognised feeble-minded people in England as there are recognised lunatics; that in fact, taking both lunatics and feebleminded of all groups together, not less than 0.83 per cent. of the whole population may be placed under this head. Personally, I should say that this was quite within the limits; for experience has shown me that the tendency to conceal from the public the fact of feeble-mindedness or mental disorder is rather increasing than decreasing