The greatest is charity

At an age when many would be thinking of retirement, Andrew Reed, minister of Wycliffe Chapel in the East End of London and founder of three orphanages, could not rest while others were suffering acutely.

In the 18th and 19th centuries a number of asylums had been built for those declared insane, but little was done for those with severe learning difficulties. In 1840, Andrew Reed had confided in his Journal the hope that he might one day be able to help those whom society deemed less than human, but of whom he firmly insisted ‘the Divine image is stamped upon all’. This conviction of the fundamental human dignity of those with severe learning difficulties was a crucial motivation.

Before launching a scheme, Reed’s approach was always to undertake thorough research, and planning. He began an extensive correspondence with the leading figures in the treatment of those with learning disabilities. In 1847 he was able to visit some of the leading centres in Europe, and he gathered statistics from England and Wales which suggested there were over 30,000 people suffering from serious mental handicaps. He found that many were consigned to live in workhouses, or were mixed with the mentally ill in asylums. Some were chased from one community to another, hounded by jeering crowds. Others lived in a state of absolute destitution, or were cared for by relatives who had very low incomes. Although it was time consuming, his preparations ensured that he was operating at the cutting edge of research and practice into the care and treatment of those with mental handicaps.

Mother and son beginning

As his research reached a crucial stage, he was approached by Mrs. Anne Plumbe, a member of his church, who sought advice as to where her son with severe learning difficulties could find support and care. Reed saw this as God’s Providential leading — now he should move his own project forward. In July 1847, he reported to a small committee he had formed, and explained his plan. He made the first subscription to the society, and Anne Plumbe the second, then, drawing on all his previous experience of founding charities, he launched himself into an exhausting round of visiting and letter writing, urging the assistance of individuals from all ranks. In October of the same year the charity was formally launched.

Sadly, over the years words change their meaning, and the name chosen for the institution, the Asylum for Idiots, would not be appropriate today. However, in the 1840s the word ‘idiot’ was a medical term to describe a person with a particular type of permanent mental handicap from birth or early age. Reed had come to the view, radical for the time, that children with severe learning difficulties could be helped by education and by appropriate physical exercise, to overcome at least some of their mental handicaps. This made him one of Britain’s pioneer thinkers in the field.

He urged on the public the vital necessity of the charity. He also expressed his higher spiritual hope that not only would the children be educated for life, but also that they would learn of Jesus Christ.

Poverty was to be no barrier to entry: admission was granted to those who could pay little or no money. Most of those helped were between 8 and 14, deemed ‘most likely to profit by the course of treatment and education to be adopted’. When the asylum opened in April 1848, 17 patients were admitted, but numbers rapidly rose. The following month the stables of Park House were converted into a gymnasium. A washing room, workshop, playroom and infirmary followed soon afterwards. Reed encouraged the employment of a specialist nurse who sought to establish best practice among the staff, and ensure continuing high standards.

To an observer without the eye of faith, the scene in Park House in the first few days after the arrival of the patients was not a promising one. Reed described the early scenes vividly:

‘Some had been spoiled, some neglected, some ill-used. Some were clamorous without speech . . . and some unconscious and inert. Some were constantly making involuntary noises from nervous irritation and others hid themselves in corners from the face of man as from the face of an enemy. Windows were smashed, wainscoting broken, boundaries defied, and the spirit of lawlessness was triumphant’.

Many supporters were shocked at the spectacle, and despaired at any prospect of success in what they had undertaken. Others, however, were far more visionary. Among these were members of the Royal family. The Duke of Cambridge, uncle of Queen Victoria, was a supporter and frequent visitor. Another was Prince Albert, who donated funds to endow in the name of the Prince of Wales a bed for a child ‘in perpetuity’. The following year Queen Victoria granted her patronage, greatly boosting the fund-raising efforts.

Early success

Andrew Reed’s strong evangelical faith ensured that an important aspect of the care of those in the asylum was the provision of religious instruction. This was delivered at a level appropriate to the capacity of the children, and focussed on simple Scripture texts, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Creed. Those with severe learning difficulties possessed innate dignity because they were made in the image of God. Under such an enlightened regime a number of the children began to respond positively. Reed was thrilled with any signs of progress, and noted in his journal, ‘We have advanced steadily. I will do what I can by the help of God.’ He hoped for significant improvement in at least one in three of the children accommodated, and any signs of progress were carefully noted. One small boy was admitted who had been unable to walk, and could only slide about on the floor on his stomach. Through the work of the staff in patiently exercising his muscles, Reed was delighted to see him first stand, then walk, and then run. He also gained the power of speech and began to make educational progress.

Positive responses

As the care of the staff brought improvements in the physical and mental condition of the children, many of whom had previously been left to vegetate, or run riot, the chaotic scenes of the first weeks were replaced by a more settled and harmonious routine. Children began to speak, read, write and do simple arithmetic. They responded particularly well to music. In addition to other activities, time was given to occupational training, such as gardening, carpentry and weaving. This reflected Reed’s hope that the residents might not only improve their motor skills, but also one day find useful employment in the community. By the end of 1849 Reed also discerned signs of increased spiritual awareness in the children, and more active participation in simple services of worship.

Burdened with a sense of the importance of this work Andrew Reed became convinced that a permanent home for the asylum was needed, one that was of national significance. Despite the constant struggle to support Park House on a day to day basis, the charity took a step of faith in December 1850 by agreeing the purchase of the Earlswood estate near Redhill in Surrey. The strain on Reed took its toll, and in 1851 he suffered a stroke, but he earnestly prayed that he might be spared to see the project through: ‘Thou didst not need me; but perhaps thou wilt condescend to use me. I will endeavour to be more diligent in my work, more faithful in my trust, and more cheerful beneath the burdens and trials of my service!’ After a period of convalescence he returned determined to press on in the cause, no matter how slowly. He was in fact to be spared for another ten years of useful service.

Earlswood Hospital

Reed worked tirelessly, laughing off continued concerns about his personal wellbeing. In the summer of 1855 Prince Albert officially opened the impressive building, and in September the patients were moved from Park House to the Earlswood Hospital, designed to accommodate up to 500 children. With its own farm, gymnasium and cricket ground, it was an attractive location.

At the forefront of this work for those with severe learning difficulties stood Andrew Reed, an evangelical pastor, whose visionary approach helped to change attitudes to their care and education. Earlswood’s status as a world leader in its field was enhanced by the appointment in 1858 of John Langdon Down as resident medical superintendent. He undertook outstanding work in the treatment and classification of patients with mental disability: Down’s syndrome is named after him.

Letters of gratitude

In his labours Reed was sustained by witnessing the demonstrable improvement in the health and abilities of many of the children. He remembered the mother who came to visit her child who had entered the asylum in a state of near immobility. When the boy ran to greet her, she emphatically asserted: ‘This is not my child’ — the improvement was so great she could scarcely recognise him. The letters of thanks written by parents on the discharge of their children are filled with expressions of gratitude and appreciation for the work of the institution.

News of such physical and mental improvements delighted Reed, but what thrilled him above all were the indications of a growing spiritual awareness in many of the children. He once came across a little boy quietly sitting by a fireside. When he asked him what made him so comfortable, the lad spontaneously replied, ‘My Saviour’. Reed persisted, ‘What did He do for you?’, and the boy expressed his simple but real faith: ‘Died for me, for my sins, that I may go to heaven’. As he neared the end of his life Reed looked back on his ultimate motivation in the work — that the children might through this work of compassionate care learn of God and come to love him. He recalled: ‘I have always had their souls in view. Who was it once asked me if idiots had any souls? … Yes, and I remember that little fellow at Highgate who said, “I love God.” — nothing that loves Him shall perish. No, they shall not die. I shall meet them soon in heaven.’

Dr. Ian J. Shaw is Lecturer in Church History at International Christian College, Glasgow.