The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-20
The Presidenrs Report of the Institution
for the Deafa and Dumb and the Blind.

The Presitient's Report OF the Institution
for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind.
Since our notice OF this document in our
issue Of Saturday, we have examined it
with the object Of comparing it with itself,
and with recent statements from the same
source.
We learn from the document itself that
II Is the report Of the conduct and pro-
gress OF the Institution for the school year
ending June 1870, with statement Of the
receipts ami disbursements OF the same
for the fiscal year ending September 80,
1879.
The readers OF the ISrELLIGENcER will
remember that Just before the meeting OF
the Board OF Regents oi ills Institution,
held in June last, aiter the close OF tho
school year Of 1880, we proposed a series
Of questions to the Board, and among
them tho following:
What was the average attendance oil pu-
pills during the year 1889?
To this question the Board replied that
It was impossible 10 give the exact aver
age attendance, inasmuch as no account
Of the daily attendance had been kept.
The report now before us, however, in
forms us that the average attendance Tor
that period was exactly 81. From what
source has the Principal obtained his
knowledge on this point2 Last June the
Board OF Regents went in search OF this
same information, but could not find it.
Their examination developed the fact that
1t was impossible for any one to make a
reliable statement on the matter for the
simple reason that the records OF the in.
stitution had been SO kept that they did
not afford sufficient data on which to
make calculation. Since then, however,
the Principal has found out all about it;
and in his report, printed now for the
first time, but read to the Board ut their
annual meeting in October last, asserts
that "the average members present last
session were deaf, 62; blind, 10; total, 81"
n the answer by the Board to our ques-
ton was correct, and we do not doubt it,
then the Principal in his report makes
statement the truth OF which, 1t would
seem, he has no means OF ascertaiuing.
We have more than once published the
fact that at no time during the first eight
weeks Of the session were there more than
seyenty.one pupils present. and for the
first three or four weeks MOI more than
half that numbe,, and II, as the principal
now reports, there were for some unknown
number OF weeks eighty.seven pupils
present, this Is certainly not sufficient
data to calculate, with any degree Of &C.
curacy, what the average attendance was.
It is sufficient to show that it could not
have been eighty.one as the principal
now reports. To have been candid, the
principal should have acknowledged his
inability, as the Board did theirs, to state
exactly tho average attendance; or else he
should have remained silent on that point,
as he has heretofore. Instead OF that he
has embodied in his report statement
which he cannot verify, and which he
ought 10 know cannot be Trustworthy.
The next statement Of the principal is
that the average cost per pupil last year
was s967 ia. This. of course, is based on
the assumption Of an average attendance
OF 81. fortunately the Principal has given
us the means to point out and correct this
error. The Principal reports the "ordi.
nary Current Expenses to be s2l,e4l 81,
and dividing this by 81, the assumed av.
erase attendance, he arrives at the aver.
age cost, s267 l73, nearly SO per pupil
more than the cost at Columbus, Ohio,
Raleigh, N. O., Knoxville, Tenn, India
uapoIls, Ind. This, OH his own showing.
But We claim that the report shows that
the cost per pupil, on the assumed aver II