88 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Jan. 21,

construct suitable buildings, where the inmates may be judi-
ciously classified, and means furnished for such occupation as
is contemplated by section 6, of the Act of Incorporation.

The necessity for such an Institution will not be doubted.
The inebriates of the Commonwealth, who are unable to pro-
vide for themselves, are very numerous. They should be ac-
cepted as the wards of the State, and prudent provision made
for the recovery of as many of them as may be within reach
of recovery; and for the custody of such as may be incurable,
and who would otherwise be burdensome or dangerous to-
their families and to the community.

The protection of the families of inebriates, and the saving
of their property from waste, seems to be the duty of the
State, and while it is true that under the seventh section of
the Act of Incorporation, "any Circuit Court of this State,
and also the Superior Court of Baltimore, shall have the power
to arrest any person alleged to be a drunkard, incapable of
taking care of himself" or his property, and under specified
legal proceedings, appoint a Committee, who shall have the
power, with the "written consent of the Court," of confining-
such person in the Asylum; it is equally true that further
legislation is needed to enable the Trustees to provide suita-
ble buildings in a convenient and permanent location, where
the provisions of the charter can be fully complied with.

It is well known that many such persons do not realize
their condition till reduced to want by the loss of property
and reputation; and hence the necessity for provision being
made for their custody and employment, that they may not
become a public burden as paupers, or swell the records of
crime by violations of law. In this view of the case, it is
clear that the safety and economy of the Commonwealth will
be served by such appropriations as will meet the demands of
the class referred to.

In addition to the fact that the families of inebriates need
the protection of law, it is an encouraging feature of the sub-
ject that a portion of inebriates are reclaimed, and may be-
come again the protectors of their households and contribu-
tors to the welfare of society. It would indeed be remarka-
ble if some inebriates are restored by their own efforts, some
by the aid of Temperance Societies, and some by the influ-
ence of religion, if, in Institutions where all the agencies of
self-help, abstinence and Christian effort are combined, there
should not be more positive results.

The Board of Trustees have held six meetings during the
year, and the Executive Committee eight—in all fourteen.