, 1885-04-28
SCHOOL FOR IDIOTS.
VISIT TO THE INSTITUTION FOUNDED
BY Or. EDWARD SEeUiN.
Methods OF Instruction for Children Who
Are Apparently without n Rem
.nant of MInd-A Couple of
Distressing Cases


New York Cor. Chicago Tribunel
The famous DR.. Edward Sesuin, so we'll
known for his remarkable success in the
treatment OF all brain diseasss began the
school in 1880. Since his death his widow
has carried ipon and has taken his place as
director. She il a bright and most attractive
woman, OF exceedingly agreeable and pleas
mt manner, very gentle and winning, and
just the sort Of woman 10 whom any little
child would feel instinctively attracted.
Tn unfortunate little creatures at Mrs
sezuin's school are all the offspring OF
wealthy parents. There are three
boarders out OF a general attendance
or perhaps twenty-five or thirty. 1t
was a most lamentable and pathetic
light 10 see the utter he~lplessness OF
some Of these afflicted little creaturel, and
the education TO anything like a sensible, not
to say intelligent, condition Of mind, is gem
orally a matter Of years, and no one among
the ulinitiatod can Of course begin to tell of
what infinite patience and endurance. Each
child has TO have individual. and l was
about to say undivided, attention, and no as
sistant can take charge OF more than two.
Mrs. Ssguin herself makes almost hourly
supervision OF her work. and writes down
each day thu progress or relative position Of
each pupil
The method of instructing these appar-
emily totally senseless children is to en-
deavor to educate the mind, or remnant OF
mind, through the senses. Most idiots, it
seems. have little or no sense of touch, and
and are almost entirely helpless with re-
spect 10 their hands, having no idea OF d.
recting or controlling them, or of making
them serve any purpose whatever. A babe
Of six months has intinitly more will and
purpose in the direction of its tiny hands
than the average child of 10 or IL brought to
Mr.. Seguin by its Borrowing parents IN the
hope that it may be taught, it Is
hard to say exactly what, for, as
Mrs. Seguin says, every parent has
a lingering belief that his child must
come out from the temporary, or supposed
temporary. clouding Of its intellect The
first thing, therefore, attempted is to teach
them to use their hands. To this end they
ara taken each morning to the miniature
gymnasium attached to the institution and
are encouraged first to play with the boan-
bag, and in fact TO use their hands and arms
in my way till they finally arrive at thu dii-
t%inction of swinging on rings and climbing
by a slanting ladder backwards. With the
same end in view they are taught imns-
diately to dross themselves. No one, Mrs.
seguin say, has any idea Of the labor Incl
dent to this fact They have at first not tbs
slightest idea Of managing Il button or of get
ting it through the buttonhole.
One little child was shown ma poor for
lorn little boy, OF a distressingly imbscils
eo~untenanee, and who was made to show off
his accomplishments, which consisted of
bnttoning his shoe with a button-hook. This
poor little laddie had been at the school
since last September, and every day Of his
life since that time the patient teacher had
spent the greater part OF each day trying to
explain the relative position of button, but
ton-hole and the use of the ~button-hook as
an instrument to guide one into the other.
The poor child went to work with
an absolute expression Of fierce.
ness on his countenance, seizing the
button-hook as though it had been an in.
strument of warfare, and jabbing it through
the button-hole with an almost savage ex-
preston of delight on his countenance as
each victory was accomplished. Every
time the button showed itself through
tho other side of the hole
corresponding he would look up with
an imbecile grin of triumph, and say,
Isn't that t~hpleniidlp His patient teacher
encouraged him with approving smiles, and
it was easy to sec That this gentle approba-
ton AMI tircless patience and perse verance
comprised tho general method Of managing
the poor little unfortunates.
This same little chap was told after his
victory over his boots to button his coat,
but even with assistance he could not get
his little fingers 10 accomplish this task. Hs
had been for three weeks every day for two
or thres hours, at different times during the
day, trying to master this feat, but us yet
had not succeeded. The lady who has
charge over him told me il might be months
before he would succeed. He was then set
10 try and draw straight lines on a black
board. and after months of practice lie
rA.an.l - 1D ~rn N wkarf - 49, f1Aa - rhA
he was to try to do. His teacher told me it
was weeks before no could hold the chalk
between his fingers, seeming not to have the
slightest idea OF how to grasp it, and after
he had succeeded in this, it was weeks again
before he could make a mark with 1t upon
the blackboard, this being the extent of this
little fellows accomplishments.
was next shown a deaf and dumb girl OF
II, such a bright, dark-eyed little jewish
beauty she was. 1t made my heart ache TO
look at her, aud 1 wondered how her mother
lived. or how she ever could listen 10 sweet
music, or the voice Of birds, and not have her
heart break within her bosom as she thought
OF the afflicted little creature she had
brought into the world, who was to DO de-
prived irrstrievably of so much that was
beautiful and lovely in life. This dear,
pretty littlo thing was being taught to artic-
ulate, and also TO write. She showed me
with touching pride her little writing, COX,
AMI, on being invited by her teacher, went
proudly to the blackboard and wrote some
simple words, such as Shoe "mamma,"
papa etc. She had been months accom-
pisling this, and when, with the greatest
evident e~xertion, she pronounced in a
strange, high pitched, and most unpleasant
voice these same words, her look OF delight
and the evident pride her teacher took in
the child's progress was only pathetic to me,
who could but see the sad and hopeless side
70 tho picture.
IL is certainly a priceless boon to parents
or guardians of such unfortunate and
Athlete little children to know that there is
an institution OF this kind where the whole
time, thought and energy of half a dozen
charming, amiable and accomplished
women, every one devoted TO the cause for
which she labors, is given to the enlightsn-
ment OF the clouded and sometimes totally
obscurod in~tellects Of the little children in
their care. Mrs. Seguin assured me that
the improvement was so great in almost
any case that a child who came to them
hopelessly idiotic and absolutely helpless
personally, eousS Hesasss in a given length
% tims, varied, Of sourse, il different
cases, TO help himself and be useful, besides
being able 10 amuse and employ himself,
and having his general appearance i'm
proved and changed to practically a normal
condition.
Philip Gilbert Hamerton: Is there not a
strange inconsistency in adoring wealth as
10 l. a1Aral A.I 1-.-flt-- a..