[at-l] AT Sanitarium (OB)

[RoksnRoots@aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

In a message dated 1/14/02 7:14:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
orangebug74@yahoo.com writes:


>  In MacKaye's words: "Most sanitariums
> now established are perfectly useless to those afflicted with mental
> disease - the most terrible, usually, of any disease. Many of these
> sufferers could be cured. But not merely by "treatment." They need
> acres not medicine. Thousands of acres of this mountain land should be
> devoted to them with whole communities planned and equipped for their
> cure."
> 

     *** I kind of agree with you here on organically insane (brain defect) 
patients. That is one of life's crueler sides. Camps would not work for them. 
I think MacKaye is speaking of marginally, or temporarily, psychologically 
distressed patients. Sort of like shock camps for troubled youth. MacKaye was 
convinced that forest and field surroundings would keep things simple and 
allow them to breathe pure air and feel like they served a function in their 
daily duties. Nature -the most wholesome holistic cure. If you read closer, 
he ultimately associates this with civilization represented at its worst in 
the urban scene.
      If MacKaye was trying to get park borders established before he knew if 
this would actually work, I don't know. But at least it would have been a 
healthy, sunny sanitarium. 



> I doubt that MacKaye had visited many sanitariums as his proposal had
> been attempted many times to simply displace the mentally ill to
> distant acreage, to raise their own food and build their own housing
> and communities. We call them State Hospitals. They were underfunded
> then and remain so, simply warehousing unfortunates on acreage. We have
> seen the more recent response of emptying these warehouses and creating
> thousands of homeless, some attracted to the AT and appropriating
> shelters for private use.
> 

   *** What if they were given the option to do CCC type work in the fresh 
air? Seems better than being homeless and alcoholic destitute. What if these 
hands assembled solar panels or replanted forests? You seem to be pointing 
that way in what you say...
      Though there are some squatters, with this history they almost have a 
grandfathered exemption on the AT. They are usually harmless and few...



> This is an area in which MacKaye was ignorant. MacKaye has many peers
> in ignorance, including my profession, judiciary, government and
> insurance weasels - among others. 
> 

   *** Perhaps. Maybe he had hope beyond the usual rat race. Something our 
economic system and society discourages... 



> He was an ignorant dreamer - creating the sort of dreams that sometimes
> prove prescient and sometimes foolish. Gushing over MacKaye as if he
> were on a level with Washington, Jesus and other BIG DREAMERS is - well
> - silly. If "MacKaye and the AT are living proof", I'd suggest that RnR
> is a living spoof. "Superior race" my ass...
> 
> Bill...
> 
       *** I want to defuse the antagonism OB. I think that would be 
psychologically healthy. Benton probably dreamed big and didn't expect to be 
undercut by deliberate cynicism. When you walk the AT, you are walking the 
actual percentage of MacKaye's vision that actually manifested itself in 
reality. We owe that ignorant mountain perch dreamer a debt for that. When we 
walk the Trail we are ALL superior.

      Before I also digressed into the usual fighting over intentions and 
interpretations that inevitably ensues from "Trail dogma", I was glad to see 
that a minor discussion had occurred over MacKaye and his intentions. I 
sincerely thank those involved for that and think some good was gained. 
Perhaps this would be a good time to rest it a while, unless someone has an 
urge. 

   I hope, in a few months, after I read more on it, we could just discuss 
brief passages and there relevancy, for anyone interested...




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