Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-03-15

than to q post. Put an icicle or q red-hot coal in
his hand and he would scream with pain, but he
would not know enough to turn his hand over 10
let it drop. Throw yonder club at him, ind he
would not lit a finger to save himself, but would
Laugh insanely MS it struck him down, and never
know what hurt him. A desperate task, indeed, tn
teach these eyes to see, ears to hear, and benumbed
brains to think
The teacher hargs one Of the boys on the ladder
by the hands. lie has but to let go to drop Il few
inches upon the soft bed beneath. But no has no
sense to teach him that. He clings tightly to the
round, and perhaps cries at the pain the act gives
him, but he does not move. The teacher puts his
arm round him md lifts him up, lifts his hand,
places it on the next round and cheers and en-
courages him in a kind, loud voice. Then the
other hand. And SO after repeated lessons it is at
last almost forced upon his sluggish mind, that he
can usa his hands and feet to reach the floor.
Another, who has been some months at the in.
stitution, is called to show his requirements. His
delight runs over out of his eyes, and he breaks
into a broad grin at the opportunity. lie runs up
the ladder, down it, under it, over il, backward,
forward, head foremost, feet foremost, and finally
throws himself into the teachers arms with an eX-
ulting burst Of irrepressiblo laughter; He Las
been taught to do only what can be taught to dogs
and cats but with less natural intelligence than
they, it is Il wonder that he can be taught at all.
Another means of rousing ard fixing the dorm
ant faculty Of attention is by throwing from hand
to hand IA ball or stick, as boys play catch" Two
NIO huhO AIGlb " lnlo tnHuHc III Us, WIN
a nervous straining Of every muscle, that denotes
what a tremendous mental effort the simple act re-
quires when such i~ntellects are called upon to per
form it.
The little circle around the first table are being
taught to put, first one white then one read bead,
alternately, upon a string. Then two white, and
two red, etc. They do not lea n it Immediately,
nor in an hour, nor q day, perhaps not in a week or
a month. But when they do learn, they have
gained an idea of numLer-the first in all their
lives. And when they have learned it-such ex-
t%ravagant JOY When an idea does enter their
poor darkencd drains, it is like the thought that
occurred to the Greek philosopher in his bath
making him leap out half-dressed and run through
the streets shouting-"Eureka'-"Ihave found it"
Nowhere is there a pupil that is so grateful to you
for a new thought ms this poor idiot that has never
learned the use of thoughts at all.
Thus the system proceeds. 1t begins with the
simplest of all impressions, the very foundation.
Here is n row of circular blocks of different sizes,
and there is q row of holes into which they re.
sp~ectively fit. The idiot is taught to put each in
its appropriate place, and thus he makes his first
comparison and gets his first idea of size. There
is a set of red, green. blue, yellow, md white balls
and cups. To tit each ball to its proper cup leads
him to a comprehension of difference in color
Another set of various shaped blocks teach him
form.
When he has advanced thus far he can be taught
to recognize a word printed on a card. But he
recognizes it as you do a face, by its general as
pect, not by its component parts. Upside down,
or right side up, it is all the same to him. By de-
grees he is brought, first to know its meaning, then
its separate letters. and then to trace it on the
blackboard. When he can do this, he has reached
the Threshold on which ordinary children stand
when they first go to school. Thenceforth his ed
ucation is much like theirs, only requiring infinite
w more patience and perseverance and gentleness.
Next you pass into the main school-room, where
two dozen or more arc assembled. Some are sit
ting at their desks and books. AT one end of the
room is a class spelling simple words, and at the
other another class naming places, as they are
pointed out, on an outline map. The studies are
like those OF other schools, but not so the pupils
Time after time do the listless ears turn away and
the dull eyes stare in vacant stupidity. But the
teachers whole heart seems to be set on making
them compreher d-she rouses, questions, answers,
encourages, smiles, mods, and commends, IN rapid
succession and with unfagging, gentle PATIENCE
"Now, Eddie !" Quick, Fannie spell it. dear"
Think, Harry, that's a good boy" "You can
tell that Kitty !-patting one on the head, smiling
encouragement to the other, and clapping her
hands to arouse the attention of q third-for all
the world as il they were sound asleep, and she
was bound to force the information into their drow-
sy ears and out of their sleepy mouths in order to
wake them up. Sound asleep they are intellectu-
ally, and SO they would remain if her look and
voice were not every moment reiterating some
thing to arrest and fix their irregular wandering
train Of thought.
At last the slow h%esitating answer comes, given
with q trembling eagerness of manner, but with
the imperfect lisp Of early childhood, for few of
the idiots when first brought here can speak dis
tinctly. Great is Eddie's triumph if the answer
happens to be right. Besides the concentrations
of the teacher, the whole class beam with sympa-
thctic exultation-for in these simple natures there
is an implicit trusting confidence and lack of jeal-
ousy that we educated and wise people are stran-
gers To-.
Every thing in the studies is made as simple as
Il nOSsIhla Whom thp non1a nf n n nhIaof - to ha
spelled, the object itself is shown, that they may
= understand the connection between the word and
the thing. Abundance of pictures, maps, globes,
! and medals illustrate the geographical and histo-
S rlcal lessons, In short, no pains are spared to
Y strengthen the two faculties, especially weak in
INSTRUMENTATION and conception.
Pass now into the last room. AT the blackboard
q boy of ten is copying an outline drawing with re-
~markable fidelity. Another will write his own
name, and yours, if requested. Another is perform
ing a difficulty sum in long division. Here is q girl
Of fourteen who can not speak the simplest word
!" without more exertion than it would cost you to
halo across the street, yet she will name the diff.
e ferent countries as you point them out on an out
e line globe, describe their inhabitants, productions,
g and physical condition. There is a boy who, be-
sides his idiocy, was pronounced deaf and dumb
from his cradle, and came here from the Asylum
for Mutes, yet in less than three years he has
learned the elements of English grammar, and
will parse you q s~entance and give the syntax.
And here Is another little fellow with q paraliZed
J arm, who can sit down and work out an a~lgebratiC
formula better than most bost boys who possess all
their faculties. When the idiot can master gram
mar and mathematics, it is clear that he is an lido,
no longer. lie can cary out a train of reasoning
and reflection. and Plato and Newton had no diff
ferent process whereby to attain the greatest phi
lososphic truths.
1t seems strange, and yeti it strikes you that some
how those advanced pupils have a more staid and
! sober look than those whom you saw at first. Blu
I so 1T is. As they exchange a mere animal nature
for a human one, they gradually ldse that perpetu
al manifestation of glee so characteristic of idiocy
1t is not that they have made intellectual progress
at the expense of physical, for they are as plump
and rosy. 1t is not that their development, open
ing as it does, sources OF enduring and deep hap
piness has ma lie them grave, Bot it is because g
wise Providence partially compensatss the poor un
fortunate On Indior wno i iavss e tbal oooSn e,Ss S;s o Sis ing p' enS