670 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



side aid had not been given. The Provincial Stande, which send 

 their pauper imbeciles to Bethel, however, voted a contribution 

 of £2,838, and £12,260 was raised by voluntary subscriptions. 

 Three thousand four hundred and fifty-two pounds does not, of 

 course, represent the full value of the work done by the colonists 

 in the course of a year. Their labor is in a great measure em- 

 bodied in the real property now held by the institution, in the 

 two thousand acres of land which have been brought under cul- 

 tivation, and the various houses and other buildings which have 

 been erected in the colony, together with their furniture, etc. 

 Much of this real property is the produce of epileptic labor, and 

 its value is estimated at £133,429. If Bethel had restricted its en- 

 terprise to farming and market gardening, its balance-sheet would 

 no doubt be more satisfactory reading ; but, on the other hand, its 

 usefulness as an institution would have been impaired. The col- 

 ony was established as a philanthropic experiment, and as such it 

 is a brilliant success. Those responsible for its management have 

 acted wisely in choosing to postpone indefinitely the day of its 

 economic independence, rather than sacrifice, in the slightest de- 

 gree, the interests of the sufferers under their care. 



The colony is at present in a most flourishing state, and it is 

 increasing in size and usefulness from year to year. The village 

 itself is charming, with its quaintly formed, bright-colored houses, 

 which stand out in bold relief from the dark forest behind them. 

 The Church, the headquarters of the Westphalian Brothers, and 

 Sarepta, the home of the Deaconesses, are quite imposing build- 

 ings ; and there are also public baths, a hospital, a museum, and 

 even a savings-bank. Hermon and Bethany, the cottages re- 

 served for first-class patients, are most attractive abodes ; they 

 stand in the midst of beautiful gardens, and have lawn-tennis 

 courts attached. It is, however, the air of general prosperity 

 about the place which renders it so delightful. All the people 

 are well clothed — well fed, too, as one may see by their faces. All 

 sorts and conditions of men are there, all hard at work — at work, 

 too, with their hands, be they princes or beggars. That is the law 

 as of the Medes and Persians : there is no " leisured " class in 

 Bethel. It is this incessant work and bustle that makes the vil- 

 lage so cheerful. The people have no time to brood, no time to 

 wonder why their lot should be cast thus apart from their fellows. 

 Considering their condition, it is startling to note the expression 

 of content — nay, happiness — on the faces of many of these colo- 

 nists ; even the imbeciles among them seem at least, to have found 

 rest. Of course, it is not always thus ; ghastly scenes are wit- 

 nessed from time to time ; and here and there — but only in those 

 hidden nooks remote from other dwellings — one comes across a 

 something that is hardly human. These eleven hundred colonists 



