25 MARCH 1916, Page 3

It will no doubt be said that the hospital authorities

ought to have power to allow a freedom to the virtuous A and B which has to be denied to the careless and irresponsible 0 and D. In theory this is perfectly true. In practice, however, it is most difficult to give privileges to some patients and not to others, ,when there has been no misconduct of any kind, but there is merely a general feeling that one sot of patients will make very good use of their privileges, and another —not through any wickedness, but from inherent carelessness—will make a very ill use of them. Tn have two sets of rules is always regarded by the inmates of a hospital as favouritism, and nothing is so bad for that discipline which must be maintained in any institution as favouritism.