The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-05-25

mother eighth negro and eghths Indian. They
bad the smallest heads perhaps, These were
the pure idiots OF spurzheim
Secondly of low physical organizations who,e
heads not small III shaped and In this class may DO
enumeratcf the kydrOcephalic aud the like These have
many deficiencies, aud among them the departure from
the standard Of natural hea. IL noticeable rheir animal
heat several degrees less than the normal standad
Thrd)y-Those where this situation functional disor-
gsnizaton in chorea Great is requisite to the
treatment OF these lest insanity occur, To which they are
The treatment or the idiot only The smu Of dor
mant faculties; sensation and perception evinced in cat
no wants no prations Each case has s pecuiaries
which require individual treatment which first vocal
and Ky mnasc Cleanliness is espc Naly attended W, but
II is found that their feeble organization will not permit
bathing more than once week in winter and twice In
summer. Air, exercise, a nutritious diet, well cooked
twelve hours daye absolutely requiret to repair
exhaustion Of mind aud body. The attempts to convey
direct instruction have been conn principally 10 giving
lessons upon objects which address themselves imme.
diaely the In all the exercises Tor trsnng the
senses some knowledge Of the qualities of the objects
must of course gained but the conveyance of know
ledge in those exercises s secondary to the Improvement
Of the themselves The unttored idst gives so
little attention the appearance of things that often he
does not even distinguish bright colors, unless his
attention is directed to them large pieces Of
Sefors him him, and he is required to distinguish
between red and black, and blue and green,
snd the like AT the time, thenames ofthe celors
Rivcn and he required 10 learn and To repeat them In
this Of the disposition imitation must be relied
upon because the scholar does not understand the words
II his teacher, pointing TO the black board says 'say
black board he will try to repeat say black board }"
and II he allowed 10 do number of times when the
object is pre ented he win learn to think that say b ck
boardn ID the name Of the black board Mr. Richards was
obliged to make boy of thirteen years Of age repeat
three consecutive words six hundred and forty times be-
fore be could be he would do correctly The
process has 10 be gone through with in order TO teach
them other qualities of objects.
Particular attention paid physical training only
for the purpose fnvgorang the heath and developing
the muscles. hut means Of fixing the attention and
subectipg the muscular and nervous systems 70 the
troll OF the will For this purpose they subjected IN
several hours exercise each day in walking, running
placing the hands and feet in different Positions the OF
the dumb bells &c This Is done, when practicable, In
classes so as to stimulate rivalry The training in the
gymnasium and elsewhere having induced to extent
habit of attention. this habit Is still further cultivated In
the school The pupils taught 10 string buttons
upon thread To distinguish varieties of form, by blocks
of different shapes made 70 Ut corresponding cavities in
board They next exercised In arti ;uation and in
singing II Il often two three years before they be
taught To ariculate single word distinctly
They taught 10 read by the word method,
fully ntr 'duced into this country oy Dr. Gaaude next
drawir and writing upon the blackboard introduced
and the andhand pacced by working patterns with
crewel upon perforated paper spelling and grammar
taught by exercises upon the backboard geography by
outline maps and oral instruction arithmetic in majority
of the most difficult Of ALL by careful and patient
exercises, by objects and by the blackboard.
Very few Idiots count ten. In class Of about
twenty pupils, under Dr. Wilbur, only three could count
Gluttony a very general fault Of idiots, but under
proper training and discipline the behavior Of nineteen
Of most children at boarding schools.
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS FOR TEACHING
IDIOTS
The movement for establishing institutions for idiots is
OF very recent date The movement In this country
cotemporaneous with similar In England. On the
18th OF January 1916 Hon. r. r. Backus, OF Rochester,
New York, at that time member Of the Senate of this
State moved reference Of that portion OF the State
referring 10 idiots to the Committee Medical Soce
ae. o. which ne CHAIRMAN , ana on the 10Th Oh tne
great care and embodyng the results Of inquiries made
the previous autumn, ging the necessity Of an insta
Of similar institutions in Europe But decided
| action taken uponn
On the 22d Of January, ls4e Hon. Horao Byington or
fercd resolution in the Massachusetts, House Of Repre-
senatives for the appointment Of committee 70 inves
gate the condition of idiots that State The resolution
ed both houses For the purpose OF testing the capa
city Of IDIOTS for instruction, however experimental
school ~ established a South Boston, under Dr. Howc's
personal supervision. This resulted IN establishment
1851 Of the Massachusetts school for diotc and feeble
minded youth, a South Boston, q which Dr. Howe has
In July, Is4s, Dr. H. B wilbur, of Barre, Mass, who
bad for several years1aken deep interest in the cond
ton which both der his administration that OF his
successor Dr. George Brown, has met with the most era
flying success. The school contains about twenty five
| pupils.
The legislature Of New York. though before any other
In taking cognzance Of the subject OF idocy,
ardy in is action than that OF Massachusetts,, and IL
ill 1851 that experimental school established
Albany and m wilbur who had already had three years
experience the instruction OF imbecics at Barre,
elected its president In 1884, the Of the
State ASYLUM for idiots was aid at Syracuse and In Au
gust 1855 the school al Albany already permanently es
tabshed removed 10 the location. IT, situation
most desirable AMI is arrangements most admir- able
II is Of the most successful schools In the country and
u attended by 125 pupils.
Rhode Island made an appropriation in 1882 for the pur
pose Of educating part Of her idouc population in Mlsa
chusetts schools
private school was established In Philadelphia Penu
In Feb. ls-, by James Richards which, in the course
Of year and bali, became state institution Il con
tains about rs pupils.
Ohio last winter made an appropriation Of $40 900 for
the propose Of opening State institution Ia Columbus
Or J. II. Patterson In Of the head of H.
Connecticut has made a great effort 10 establish an
idiotic school, sDd Ia It'll making great effort do So,
but appropriation ha' yet been made by the State 10
Kentucky has moved in the ma,tep but, yet, has not
established such an institution.
These, with Dr. Richards hool, nj Harlem comprise
all the Institutions OF this class, either publ; private,
In America.
c.tStx ~ DiocY.
II parents and people generally understood the causes
that produce diocy there would be fewer Of those poor
unfortupa,es cast u,on the world.
Physic gists have examined the physical condt OF
the progenors of idiots ann sought for satisfactory
Of the very vice defect In the organization which
causes idiocy.
Inquiries. One OF the most important Is that cghenbs
Of the IDIOTS are born OF wretched stock Of families
which TO have degs Deraed 10 the lowest deg OF
bodily and mental condition; ~ho-e blood s satery
WHOSE bumors yiisted, and whose scrUfunus ten.
dsncy shows en S,op,ons sores ana cu "a, ssi
Int importance Of Of various kinds, commei FOR
the part ignorance Of their dreadful Consequence
They lean. nervous puT y and eyed they have
salt rheum ksg's evil add kindred Affections they can
not dget ell. cannot sleep well, and III y young
Their mental and moral condition Is or their bodily
But Of a2o OF congenl'sl idiocy which
amined IN Massarhuset t, ZONE Information obtained
respecting the proRenitos " $50 Now, in ali these $50
only four, found that the other,
BOTH 81 the immediate rogentors Of the unfortunate
sufferer bad IN some way widely departed from the normal
ooDoion OF health, aud violated the natural laws That
h say the other both OF them had been very
unhealthy scrOfuous; heredtarily predispsod "
affections o the brain causing occasional insanity: had
iniermarred with blood relatives; hal been intempe
rate; had been puy " sensual eScccs which impair
the constitution. The tOc child " just much the
suit of organic vice weakness In the const tuition
nnhc Ia