New-York tribune., 1869-04-10
EDUCATION.
THE TRAINING OF FEEBLE MINDED
CHILDREN.
rFRoM OUR own CORRESPONDENTS

MEDIA, Delaware Co., Pa, Feb, S-foung people
often think highly of themselves and they are aPV ~
imagine that they will succeed where othelS Ian
In particular do they expect to have chlluIen P"P
Iior to some they daily see which they !ooh "Pou
with pity and if the parents are ric1 WIN 'no'nVi
kind of feeling. Some of the hopes OF sou'" arc az
WAYS blasted for each bears within hiisoil iiuuo"
hereditary tendencies brought down .iio"sn ho"
eratons now mOldering in dust anu 'l'eS ,o"PIO"i,
often after having been long ios' W n"',iDi' -o
oronts 20 tho dust Among 900 children, born any
where in our country, five at ieas' VIII 10 INSANE
idio+ic inteuperate or criminal and no parent can
,th certainty declare that his children will not be
to,nd onono some of these. And yet the best as
rooo that they will not be so found will arise from
tbe sanpuine expectations of youth. Although the
mind is as delicate as the almost invisible gossaneT
il still has the power of constructing from antlcpa-
finn n strength and will capable of fixing the hke-
ness of that which is to cOne and 1t 10 the rosy
imagnatOns of youth that the human race has Oeeh
indebted for strength TO force its way out OF the saw
age state and in our age, TO form the vanguard OF
civilization. ......
In 1865 tile Legislature of Pennsylvania estab-
lished a training school for the feeble-mnded chli
dren of the State; location was made at Media IL
miles from Philadelphia, and the school was opened
in due time. The building has an extensive hOnt; ~
is sconstructcd of gray stone. and 1t stands on hgh
hill where one has view of a seml-lnountalhous
country. which includes portion OF the famous
darv region whence comes the butter celebrated in
the Philadelphia market 50 extensive Is THIS bulld-
ing that to visit all the wards and rooms,
threequarters of hour is required All the apart
ments are warmed by heated air forced ventilation
was intended but the apparatus is defective and
is not operated; in other respects the devices and
Tor al ha milling COmDlete
that could be desired. The number of the pupils at
the close of the year was $50, of which 1896 belonged
10 Pennsylvania and the remainder to other States
The general yearly appropriation from the State is
$4,000 and as the total expenses abont $4,000 1t
would seem that tho charges on half of the pupils
are paid by the parents At the commencement OF
the war many OF the charitable institutions OF the
North contained inmates from the Soath. Hosuhties
prevented rnittances and large sums were lost nor
was this school exception This the Oldest nstitl
iOn OF the kind IN our country and ~ ,s M onoI 10
is DIR l. n Kern, under whom are an assistant
physician matron. honse-clerk, honsekecper'
and six teachers Having arrived late the Only lasks
remaining for the day was singing ana EXERCISES
with the dumb-bes. These are simply pieces OF
wood turned in a lathe, with knobs on each end ana
the pupil takes one in each mana; ticheI PiaSs III
the piano and great variety OF motions are ihauo
with these dumb-bells, seeming 10 bfihC lhto use
every muscle in the arms, and many mnscleS IN
other parts of the body, while lle Is kePt 70 tno
mnsic ON the wall charts winch m
dicate the order in which these motions are TO pe
made the characters of which are not letters, but
infections or species Of hyerogyphlcS having Deeh
invented by deaf pupil, who, unable 10 near me
calling of the motions, devised these, ana tneS nave
been fo,nd SO useful as 10 be adopted ln similar IN
stiutiOns This exercise ahd tle SINKING no.o ~ ~
and simultaneously exact, notwithstanding Inc pu-
nils were of low order III Incntally, ana II was
seen with what facility one child learns rom ai,
othe Indeed, children learn many Things hfoin eaoh
other better than from adult persons IL elngl-
lar fact that two children OF about eqnal CaPieiy
win learn more from Gacn otei una rah e ~ 'Vu ro1 vg
nersons fhe individual lS one, companion Is u
second and the reaching out OF one 10 the 0ther pro
duces. by rofexion what may oe eaileH u@,nu @
common to both, which Is spiritual creation, eapa-
ble of infinite expansion aud which exhibits itself 70
onr apprehension in these days in the vast mnlnlmdc
of objects which form progressive clyliZati0n. ms
process is carried out among the feeble,mlnded
children in the same manner that II is carried out IN
! the highest conditions. but IN lower degree =,
| The supper hour for the pupils having arrived
wns conducted 10 the basement where all were
| collected The food was brown bread and milk.
IL was busy and curious scene. The whole OF the
force attendants aud teachers was on hand to pre-
serve order and to wait on the table. The majority
eat with proprety, but some were IN great haste'
Others carried food to their mouths In an uncertain
manner and one, at least grabbed right and left,
Some had decidedly low, animal faces, ana there
were those with heads resembling some animals
One of the feeble minded is head waiter he has a
general care of the kitchen and table, and he under
stands that the Institution would ial II be dld not
keep busy There were perhaps ~ qnuef ~ - yeais Oh
| 20 and 40. Prayers were said aiterward, anu all
stood. First. the Lords Prayer, then, Now, lay
me down to sleep repeated IN concert and the
ATTENDANTS were busy behind the pupils in making the
tloughtless bow their heads reverently.
After supper there "a general Eathcring IN tho
assembly room with singing and light gymnastcs
lasting full hour for u is desirable that the chll
dren 60 to bed tired. After these came dancing IN
which the majority readily engaged; but q ieW wfrg
hack ward and the young lady teachers hurried
around TO find them partners, and, bringing them on
the floor place them in their proper places but after
along as well as any, Some require q great deal Of
teaching; they showed this way and that, and
special examples required to make them shuttle
with their feet On the whole the dancing lively
but perhaps much Of the eOherency was due to the
participation of the young lady teachers and men-
bers of the families OF the establishment was told
that ali the dances which are fashionable in high
society were performed, and i must confess that
never before saw company SO well lifted TO engage
One Of the first duties of the day is for such need
medicine and walk. TO come to the doctors Office
The room filled with those yarlolisly afflicted
many having contagious sore Eyes Whlie 2lners lad
terrible scrofulous sores. With Gamers tirpencil
dipped in lotion, the doctor would receive young
gentleman or lady, put his arm around the head and
then run the pencil around upder the eyelld with
dispatch and then turn to another, or the sore on
the neck or eg would DO painted Each came up iSr
cation evidently was paInrul, few shed Tears One
boy sat in chair while an attendant carefully rs
moved the rags from bis foot when mass OF red
iely marked by the fonr lines of his toes, was pre-
sented, which the doctor said were getting well
went through tho various school-roons A first
lesson is to distinguish objects which differ slightly
from each other, and blocks OF various colors or
shapes are to be placed together different colOred
beads are to be strung. There are many other simi-
lar tasks not only in the elementary classes but in
the ascending ones aud it is in the system that the
known shall always lap over upon the unknown.
forming connected chain the building up of which
is the universal condition Of growth construction.
and development whether in the mind. OF in any
mechanism or in the world itself with its nDity Of
details and agencies When we shall realize the in
pOrtance of this method called the objective, but
which at present is nowhere fully applied We shall
have q means of teaching more worthy Of the name.
In other rooms classes were taught pronunciation.
that the voice might inter tho elementary sounds of
lannna 90 which of enmrsA Was Y the nhnnetic Rva-