New-York tribune., 1869-04-10

pkn
Legislature Of every State should pass special laws
to punish such villains severely.
The general appearance of the pupils indicates
marked intellectual deficiencies. Some heads are
extremely small with others the foreheads are no
more than All inch high. Some heads are largest on
one side, decayed teeth are common ana YET. When
assembled in a well-lghted room the whole BODY
presents marked mental development, resembling
the marked mental development OF distinguished
persons some in one respect and some IN another,
but this prominence arises from great deficiency Oh
other faculties and the single evidence of mentality
is like mountain cliff Overhanging n dark and I'M
known gulf L remarked that there were ldlois'
"Yesr was the reply, but we like the term feeble
minded best; it shocks parents less STILL the term
mbecile would be better" ,
Ii is singular that, the boys get ideas, they he
come mischevOus In the proper season they labor
on the farm and engage in other work. by which they
acouire many ideas of growth construction and
wants. While all were In largo room and receiving
instructions by mental object lessons, Dr. kerlin
asked this question; What caused the plasterng in
the north wing 10 come ONT Some said there was
too much sand Others not enough, or there was too
little or too much hair. and one, that the last coat
should have been good hard finish. la short there
all sorts of reasons but the real cause they dld
not state although they knew 1t. which was, them
selves had pulled it OIL Dr. kerlin related curious
casee A boy who could hear, but could not speak,
was under instruction q long time, but not word
would he inter AT last in exercise which aroused
him to an uncommon degree, for the first time In his
life he spoke and il was with an oath, calling upon
tho Almighty to % lnlllGt Upon tne pOftor areaai
and it seems that oaths are the most energetic
words in our Ian nmage, and that they are nsed To
express an aroused and destructive c9ndlIlon on
the mind. We came upon another little boy who
had never spoken, and who was hid IN corner. The
Doctor tried to get into conflict with him. and gave
him slight slap; he turned the other side. and
uttered sharp inarticuate cries Sometimes on
such occasions he turns, and the doctor runs He Is
q hopeless epileptc he has protracted hts which are
so dreadful that il seems as If he must die, ana
preparations are made for his funeral but he still
lives In the same room little girl abont hye
years old, scrofulous, aud mostly blind, deaf, and
speechcss well dressed. standing 9y the WINDOW,
where the wintry sunbeams shone through lifting
snow and she waved her hands and danced as she
felt the faint beams. When the sur shines bright
she loves to get within the light on the noor
as il by so doing she could communicate wifi good
which her nature tells her exists Similar IDIOTS arc
attached to paythIngs, to pieces or glass croekeiy
or other smooth substance which they rub and
polish or suck in their mouths for hours These are
links which connect them with the great world oi
being and intelligence; aud the extension ana hIai m
ont growth of these is the religious sentiment ny
which we ourselves family reach forward into the
immense into the new future. So,
In oner pom wo found perhaps dozen men sitting
AGAINST fine wall on a bench with "a shovel or fork
living on the floor before each. They seemed sllnpe
creatures and were there rs undervtU1u. because t
IL aons of narents able to pay their board. They
looked as If they might DO 30 or 90 years od, ana
their clothes were such as laboIerS wear S,ll tnSy
had fair Use Of their limbs and at the word OF the
teacher they took mp the tools and went through the
various motions of digging dirt and throwing 10 right
and left Not q word did they speak, and the eXer-
ClSc CUllinutu lVoi i' '''"N'" ~ ""~ wv
so strange u sight, t. "a.
The IDEA has generally prevailed that idiots are
Icentions bu except In few instances, this ~ far
from being the case for generally the distinguishing
sexual development does not take place until after
10 wears of age, and sometimes not at all, Ihs tie
fciency is symptom of idiocy, aud tho idlocy may
be AN indication of exhaustion but other causes are
named Want of nutrition is assigned for 30 TINS Is
asrribpd the arrest of development Those who Ike
10 limit causes and final results wholly 10 ths llfe
delight i'm stating that in the first stage of develop
ment of the human brain, t Is identical with the
brain of fish, in the second stage, with the brain OF
n calf I'm the third with the brain Of hog; and
finally with the brain ot baboOn: after winch
comes the full developed human brain. Idiots
therefore have the ebuin OF some animal. This - alb
surd because if the idiot hfs the brain, or even part
of the brain OF any animal, that power or interior
and invisible pattern which gives form to the
body will give the body an animal form.
II * true that the heads OF some OF the IDIOTS
slightly resemble the head of hog, hut this Is only
apparent and it arises from what Is called arrested
development not from the presence, IN any degree
of an animal Some say that idlOcy is rapid nm
| cong of the progress made through many ages
But nothing Of this kind causes the idiocy arising
from sickness fright, or casualty. which, geheihIy
| is less iinproYable than when inhorn There have
been many cascs in this institution of blsnk minds
in which few ideas, with difficulty. were implanted
These Lelped other ideas 10 dawn, ana nnally such
pupils were restored 10 their friends able 20 earn
their bread and loving and kind and dong harm u
no one they put Ia shame those philosophers who al
lege that man grows out of n lislI. When a parent
goes through this bnding, and sees tho sad sights
he will not ask genius for his children but he VIII NE
we'll conteiited If they have plain common sense.
and he will be wise If he understands that. with
common sense for basis persevcrng industry wii
DO able 10 superadd the brightest gits which the hn
man mind eau possess. Nc NJ