The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-05-27


more favored brothers and sisters. Partly sus-
tanned by State aid, and partly by private sub
scriptions, the ''Trafning SCHOOL, at Media has
already given the best evidence Of its usefulness in
the manifest improvement, both physical and men
tai of the children who have been so fortunate
as to be brought under the care of its able and
energetic superintendent DR.. PARRISH. At pre-
sent the Directors are engaged in building at
Media a commodous and su bstantial edifce,
specially adapted to the peculiar wants of the
pupils; the main body and one wing of the struc
ture being already in process of completion. The
plan of the building, as we learn from the Sixth
Annual Report of the Superintendent, is neces-
sarily comprehensive one, because it was
essential to provide not merely a home
for imbecile children, but instruction and
occupation also, and provision has, therefore,
been made for the most appropriate mental cul-
ture as well rs for suitable industrial employ
ments. The Superintendent exposition of the
general condition of the Institution is a remark
ably interesting one. 1t shows ''what has already
'fbeen done; what is now doing; what is yet to be
'done, and how to do it," At present, we are
told, that the "household" comprises forty-seven
are scrofulous, one is deformed, and but four are
perfectly healthy. -Four of the above are Mutes,
fifteen are Sem-NIutes, fifteen have Defective Ar
tculaton, and the remaining thirteen articuate
correctly. All but four, therefore, of the whole
number are either diseased or malormed or are DOS
sessed of imperfect speech. These unfortunates
divided into four classes: the first being COM
posed of boys from seven to seventeen years of
cage who are under physical training almost eX-
''clusively. They occupied with marching,
''block carrying and building, swinging climb
ting, and other gymnastics and their attention is
interested by sights and sounds, that may at
'tract and improve them. But few are able to
'talk, and all have been unclean in their habits"
The second is an infant class of girls and boys
ranging from four to eight years of age
''who are under the of a female trainer
"by whom they are entertained with toys
Sand various amusements.' The third class is
composed of more promising materials. 1t is an
attractive group of boys and girls who are not so
much in need of physical exercise as of mental
development. These are employed with lessons
on the form, color, and size of visible objects
They construct designs in block work, thread
beads, and are taught also the elements of lam
guage, singing primary geography, the use of the
pencil, the formation of letters, &c. &C. The
fourth class consists of pupils who have either
passed through the preparatory classes already
alluded to, or were possessed of sufficient inte-
gence on entering the Institution, to be open to
instruction in the lower branches of common
school education. All the classes are required to
take bodily exercise. A singular feature in the
exercise of the fourth class, is that of the dumb
bes-the motions being rhythmicaly regulated by
musical notes. which followed from printed
charts. And now for the results. Taking first
the simpler forms of training, we find that Zone
"of the children has learned to walk eight have
'learned to feed themselves; five to carry blocks;
"nine to build toy houses; sixteen to thread
'beads; nine to pencil; six to do light house
work; five TO sew; two to knit three to make
''bead baskets; two TO do crotchet work; thirteen
'idiots have been taught cleanliness; eight violent
'idiots have become tractabl, and nineteen con-
''scious of their moral obligations" The pro-
gress made in other respects is even more graf
flying. eight Semi-Mutes have learned to
''speak in sentences; eight Mues to speak in
'monosyllabes and four in sentences twenty-five
"alphabet; ten to read short sentences seven to
Tread stories, &c; ten to write; nine to cipher,
''and eight TO understand the outlines of geogra-
F'phy.n There are others besides, who are exer-
cised in recitation, mental arithmetic and Scrip
ture narrative. If so much has already been
done for the forty-seven inmates of the ''Traning
'School," what might not be accomplished with
larger means and more perfect appliances? In the
State of Pennsylvania alone there are two thou
sand five hundred idiotic, imbecile and feeble
minded children-the number of these being esti-
mated to be ''as to one thousand of the entire
population Of the State-equal to the number of
"the insane" If the rule of proportion,
according to population, will apply also to Mary
land, we have at least six hundred children among
who similarly afflicted; but if we estimate the
number of imbeciles by the number of our insane,
in that case the former will not fall far short of
thousand. To what extent the same causes exist
throughout the UNITED STATES to produce similar,
or even approximate results, we have no certain
knowledge; but assuming that we have popua-
ton of twenty eight millions, and that one child
in every t,co thousand inhabitants is either
physically or mentally in no better condition than
the pupils who have been received into the Penn
sylvania ''School for Imbeciles,' we have fourteen
thousand children for whom the only hope of i'm
provement lies in providing for them home and
suitable tranng'in Institutions of like character
Seventy-three additional applications for entrance
into the school at Media have been recently made
but although the Directors are firmly convinced
that there are many feeble-minded children who
may be reclaimed, and that the condition of all
may be amelorated, they are not capable with
their present means, and with their build
ings only partially completed, of increasing the
number of pupils Dr. PARRISH in his report, alludes
to the fact that there are many children who
cannot obtain admission into the public schools,
by reason of their eccentricities, or iufrmities-
They are not low idiots, but are lacking in ordna-
ry intelligence, and are in danger of degenerating
into idiocy for want of proper and training.
This class he considers ''quite susceptible of cure
"under proper management, as the insane" In
confirmation of this opinion, he gives in his report
the fac-simile of letter which was written by a
boy of twelve years of age, who presented on his
entrance, the abnormal condition to which he re-
fers. The chirography is remarkably neat and
clear for child, and the letter itself is very SIM
pie and touching. 1t reads as follows:
~ am poor boy without father, my mother tried to
keep public school, but the teacher would not have
me- for they said queer She tried to get ME into
many places but they sent away. came here four
teen months ago. and am learning fast, and love my
place. JOHNNIE"
In abiding to the duty which society owes to the
unfortunate DR.. PARRISH remarks, that while there
are many public evils, which result from the present
imperfect organization of communities ssthere is
no more offensive eye-sore upon the body polite
'''''S' aud he distinctly charges that
tele Is no more prolific source of il than tho 1oI
O anu o','e' excuses to which we, as a peopIe
are addicted 'imprudent marriaocs ), r. H.
refers darkly to marriages between 6r,. -.
may 1t is true, be the cause of faulty offs,r,,
but, IN many more instances the evil can ba 81,
to scrofula and drunkenness, arising from inten,
perate eating and drinking 'sThe fau,t }, ~
AYERS, lilies between our social education and our
claws" But whatever may be its origin, even
the rough estimate which has been made of the i'm
mense number of children who suffer for the sins
or the follies of their parents from some wholly
uexplicable cause, admonishes us of the necessity
of providing for their personal comfort, and for
the amelioration of their condition m
The bark Mendi, belonging to Liberia firm sail
ed from New York on Tuesday for Liberia with A
passengers, thirty three of them emigrants. r.
Deany, who goes to explore the Niger valley re-
w