Even after that publicity, nothing material was done for a period of eight years despite the pleading of the medical superintendent and members of the staff of the institution. It was a visit by a mass delegation of Detroit physicians and their scathing report which started the beginning of reforms in 1868, and once started, progress in sanitation, decency and humanity never stopped. As a result the institutions at Eloise compare favorably with the best in the country and the work of betterment is still in progress.

Treatment of the insane has been divided into three stages, the barbaric, the humane and the remedial. The first existed from early times to the middle of the Nineteenth Century. Humane treatment has advanced steadily for more than 50 years, and the remedial is a recent development which is due to the promotion of scientific medicine, curative and preventive, which attempts to trace all human ailments to their cause and source. Insanity has always been a baffling mystery so it is not strange that in early times it was attributed to possession of the individual by one or more demons. Modern science is not content to accept theories or suppositions. It keeps at work patiently, often blindly and under the most discouraging conditions, but ultimately it uncovers the trail and begins to follow it with the same persistence as that which led to the discovery.

E

CHAPTER LXXII

PRESIDENT VAN BUREN IN DETROIT

X-PRESIDENT MARTIN VAN BUREN made a

trip to Lake Superior in the summer of 1842 and on July 8 arrived in Detroit on his return trip. The steamer Fairport, with a party of citizens on board, went up Lake St. Clair to meet the Great Western, on which Mr. Van Buren was a passenger. The two boats were lashed together and Maj. Jonathan Kearsley, chairman of the welcoming committee, delivered his address on the boat. Dr. Douglass Houghton, who was then Mayor of Detroit, and Gov. John S. Barry met the steamers at the dock, where a great procession was waiting to escort the former President to the American House on the south side of Jefferson Avenue, just east of Randolph Street.

A great crowd gathered in the street and the visitor was led out upon the balcony where all could see him and at the same time listen to another address of welcome by Ald. Ten Eyck. By this time the visitor had his fill of eloquence so he was conducted to the dining room, where many curious citizens peered through the door in the hotel, after which he was shown the town. In the evening another reception was tendered by Dr. Houghton at the residence of Dr. Zina Pitcher. Evidently Mr. Van Buren wanted to make a good impression to offset the savage criticisms that had been made against his administration. On Sunday morning he attended service in the Methodist Church at Woodward Avenue and Congress Street and in the afternoon visited the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. Fate still pursued him, with another reception held in the American House in the evening.

On Monday morning he made a visit to Ann Arbor and returned to Detroit in the afternoon believing his troubles were over with reception committees, but he was met by a large delegation of German citizens, to whom the prefix "Van"

seemed as good as "Von," and a fourth address was delivered by John B. Schick on behalf of the German residents of Detroit. At 8 p. m. he boarded the steamer Fairport for Cleveland and the last utterance of Detroit in his honor was a parting salute of 26 guns. Mr. Van Buren never returned to Detroit.

Stevens T. Mason, first Governor of Michigan, died in New York, January 4, 1843. Funeral services were held in his honor in St. Paul's Church, on the east side of Woodward Avenue between Congress and Larned streets. The military bodies of the city turned out, and all the civil officers. Although he died at the age of 31 years, Gov. Mason had a remarkable career. He was a handsome man with a winning personality. He could

deliver an able address and his letters and papers show unusual ability. Although he made serious blunders as Governor because of his youth and lack of experience, he was highly esteemed by the citizens in general and was the most popular man in Detroit in his heyday.

On June 4, 1905, the remains of Gov. Mason were brought from New York to Detroit, accompanied by his sister, Emily Mason, then 92 years of age; his daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Mason Wright; his grandson, E. H. Wright, and his two brothers, and also several grandnephews and great-grandchildren. Ceremonies of an impressive nature were held in the Light-Guard Armory. Rev. David M. Cooper, who had known Gov. Mason during his sojourn in Detroit 70 years before, conducted the exercises. Gov. Fred M. Warner, Mayor George P. Codd and other public officials were in attendance. From the armory a procession proceeded with the remains to Capitol Square, the site of the old State Capitol, where the interment took place. Later the fine bronze monument, representing the Governor as he appeared while in Michigan, was erected over the grave.

In 1841 the people of Detroit numbered about 11,000 and there was some discussion regarding police protection. This would involve considerable increase of taxation, so a group of men organized a volunteer night watch. Previous to that time there had been several similar organizations, but they had been sporadic and short-lived.

The Blackburn riot in 1833 was followed by three months of voluntary night watch service. Again during the Patriot War in 1838 a watch had been established. In 1843 a series of robberies caused another revival of the practice, but the service was always performed in a careless and irresponsible fashion. It was not until 1854 that definite steps were taken for the maintenance of a paid police service.

In the early days of the old town strict fire regulations were enacted, but the laws were not well respected. For many years it was the practice of the city to buy fire engines, hose and other equipment and to depend upon volunteer firemen for the

public protection. In the lack of a fire alarm service the common council in 1836 posted a standing order offering $5 reward for the person giving the first alarm of a fire or ringing the bell. The fire alarms were usually sounded from the bell in the steeple of the Presbyterian Church at the northeast corner of Woodward Avenue and Larned Street. For this purpose the bell rope was allowed to dangle down into the open porch directly under the spire. The sexton of the church kept a little candy shop directly across Woodward Avenue, but when he was not on duty, any person discovering a fire or a great volume of smoke would shout "Fire! Fire!" and running to the church entrance he would ring the bell with all his might. Later a watch was established to look out over the city from the church belfry at night, and presently a bell code was established so that citizens, aroused from their beds at night, could tell by the strokes of the bell the direction of the fire.

The old Fireman's Hall at Larned and Bates streets was the first firemen's headquarters, but others were established from time to time. The firemen were all volunteers from the young men of the city. They enlisted the most aristocratic young men of the town as well as some of the best fighting men. They were the idols of the town and the rivalry between the companies was very keen. As the streets were generally in bad condition the firemen preferred to run with their apparatus, all pulled by men and hand-ropes, along the sidewalks. This damaged the walks and often destroyed the picket fences, but when "the boys" were out for a fire they were almost beyond control. No complaints against them had much standing in a court of law.

The firemen dressed in picturesque fashion, wearing stiff leather helmets like those worn today, red flannel shirts, blue breeches stuffed inside the legs of tall boots and girded about the waist by an ornamental belt. In 1837 there were three active fire companies and one hose company. As the city grew, others were added.

These companies raced to the fires with frantic speed and the company which first got a stream of water going raised a loud