Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-03-25
naLnMBus ooRRNsPONpENoE

oolrrnus. Mareh 81. lsel.

oorUHBus, March ~, 1861.
OF all the benevolent institutions IN and
about this city, there is none Of more interest
than the Idiotic School, where idiOtie and
imbeoile children are cared for and taught
And so, in the fsce Of all insinuations that
"a fellow ioelihs makes US wOndFous kind"
o. others of that ilk, propose to say a word
a5out the institution, having visited it to-
day.
Some time since, a resolution was intro
daced into the House, inquiring into the ex-
pediency Of disseminating Jhe Asylum, which
was referred to a select COMMITTEES, consisting
Of Messrs. Stout Rukenbrod, Cox, Herrick
and Kessler. Two reportshAve been made
BY this committee, the minority one, signed
by Messrs. Stout and Kessler, accommodating
the disoontinuance, and the majority report
drawn By Mr.. Rukenbrod, setting forth the
good that this school has accomplished and
promises to accomplish, and strongly recOm-
mending its continuance by the State. Th
matter has excited much interest in the Leg
ishture, and is Of great interest TO the whole
State. not so much from the comparatively
small amount asked for its support, out from
benevolent point OF view. We have insti
tutions for the benefit OF the Insane, Blind,
and Deaf and Dumb, and why not extend the
hand Of charity to those, more unfortunate
than all, who lack not organs Of sense, but
the mind that moves those organs. Are
there any objects more helpless or more de-
serving Of pitp and relief2
from the majority report We learn that
this institution was organized and put iu ope-
ration in 1857. The State leased private
house directl, opposite the Asylum for the
Bind, and fitted it up for the reception OF
pupils. There are now about thirty pupils,
which is as large a number as the building
viii accommodate. The school is under the
charge Of DR.. DOrau, Super intendenti Miss
Purple, as Matron, and Misses Burbank,
Whitman and HutchisOn, as Teachers. All
of these seem excellenty qualified Tor their
positions, the Superintendent being tireless
and energetic, and the teachers combining
grace and sociability with that patient labor
and ready tact so nesdful in training such
subjects.
The labor requisite to impart knowledge TO
such deficient intelleots is necessarily i'm
mense. Every device that can aid in giving
them habits Of attention and of memory is
brought into requisition. Some of them,
when brought to the institution, cannot ar
ticulate word, some cannot distinguish col
ors, and some cannot hear. Their minds are
like those OF the inant-not diseased, but
undsyeloped, and they are to be trained as
so many infants. We were shown through
the scheol rooms, where counting tables, col
ored cards, blocks, letters, movable frames
for letters, and many other appliances are in
use, each designed to catch the wandering at
tsntion and aNaken an childish interest
Some Of the children, who could not speak
when entering the school, now read, write
and talk, others make marks upon slate
and add them up, and 50, though the pro-
gress be slow, it is still sufficient to satisfy
any candid mind tLat the school is no longer
an exy pertinent.
We then visited the gymnasium, perhaps
the best department Of the school, for with
out physical education, it is absurd to look
for advance in mental endowments. Here
they go through exercises with dumb beds
march as a military company, with wooden
guns; practice clapping their hands in con-
cert, and dance quadriIles. Let no one style
these exercises silly or useless. They are
nothingof he sort but on the contrary, most
admirable provisions for their benefit And
the best of the whole is, they learn to do
these in perfect time, to the music Of the
piano, sometimes accompanied by sing
ing Your readers cannot find more pleas
sut and interesting institution to visit than
this Idiotic School 5aT
And yet, Notwithstanding all the benefits
this school is conierring upon both its pupils
and the State, it is proposed to abolish it,
because Of its costt In view Of the strong
efforts made by certain parties, to do this, ii
viii surprise my readers to know thatall that
is asked for its support the coming year is
$4,000, a tax which the gO0d and charitable
people Of tae Reserve alone would rather pay
than to see the school discontinued. The
minority report Of the special committee re-
eommends discontinuanoe on the ground Of
this cost, but does not Offset this cost by the
benefits. Such q one-sided argument might
with equal force, be applied to the institutions
for the blind and the insane Indeed, the
obiector might say to the people OF the State,
Your Legislature costs you annually so
many thousands; therefore, abolish it. Your
Supreme Court costs you so much, for which
it does not return you an equal amount of
gold and silver; therefore, it should be dis
continued Such reasoning, let US hope,
will not prevail with he Legislature.
The importance of this subject, present
and prospective, is sufficient excuse for the
length Of my letter. ed. P.
LEGISLATIVE.
CoLUuBUs, March 23d.
The Honse yesterday voted to adjourn
from Friday Of next week to Tuesday of the
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