Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-30
THE FEEBLE-MlNDED.
A PATHETIC STORY OF LABORER
IN THEIR BEHALF.
How the Unfortunate Ones Are
Cared Their Physical and
Mental Development.

James B. Richards, one of the most emf
nent workers in the philanthropy of saving
the Predetermined to society and making
them nseful and self-reliant, delivered the
following brief address at the Twelfth An
nual Conference of Charities and Correc-
ton, held at Washington, D. c., in 1885:
ADDRESS OF NIB. RICHARDS.
How are we to reach these unfortunate
innocents? Can they be taught by the or
binary methods? What is the difficulty?
These questions can, perhaps, best be
answered by drawing comparison between
the normal and the abnormal child, laying
down some general principles, and Illus
trating the methods of teaching by giving
one or two cases which have come under
my own observation.
The normal child has all his senses
acute, keen, on the alert. He recognizes
his mothers voice, sees any bright object
near him, grasps firmly the fingers placed
in his hand. The senses Of the abnormal
child are all dormant sluggish, perhaps
morbid. A film seems to be over his eyes;
TO the mothers voice he never responds;
his limbs are useless; he is also deficient in
will-power. | was once asked by the late
DR.. Bellows, OF New York, What consti-
tutes an imbecilef The imbecile child is
one who has the fewesi of wants. Perhaps
his only want is to be made comfortable,
that is all; but, from that one simple want,
We climb, step by step, the ladder of wants
and so ascend in part the scale of all human
development.
Now, what are we 10 do for these chill
dren that have no wants. We are to create
wants. How? By giving them that on
which wants feed Did you ever see
y
as if her soul were OVERLOOKING with truly
sacrifcial love? That is the way you are
to take these little ones,-in your arms.
Make them feel your geDtleness, your ten
derness, your love for them. The work
requires faith,-faith in God as your heav-
enly Father, and in these little ones as
truly the children of God. With this love
and this faith you can conquer any case
that ] have ever seen.
One of the most trying cases that | ever
saw had to deal with in rny early exper-
fence. 1t was boy about eight and q half
years old. He had never known his
mother, so she told me. She had never
seen smile upon his face. His father had
tried TO send light from some shining
object into his eyes, but he never blinked
but once. He had not the power of loco
motion, his lower limbs were paralyzed.
Not even the sense OF pain or the sense of
touch did he have. This boy | found
dressed in red flannel gown, lying upon
the floor. He could not even roll over; he
could do nothing. There are great many
others as bad as he. but let us see what we
did with him.
took the boy with me with the greatest
care to the institution, and dealt with him
as babe. He WAS held in arms, fed,
rubbed, manipulated. worked upon, to see
if we could arouse the energy of his body
He was properly bathed and exercised, and
everything possible done to develop him.
After a months careful study of his case,
L made up my mind that | must get down
to him. Where did l get my lesson2 l
observed one day how mother, bright,
intelligent woman, managed her child.
She was upon the second floor, and her
boy, who was upon the lower floor, dis
obeyed her. She did not scream to him
from the top of the second fight of stairs,
saying Jack you must not do that !"
She came down stairs, both flights, and get
ting right down to him, on the same level
with MIN, eye to eye. she said: My dear
boy, don't you know that that is wrong?"
The boy melted, and threw his arms about
his mothers neck. That is where l got
nay lesson. Get upon the fioor-get down
where the child is, right down there. If he
knows anything, it is down there. You
must take hold of the slightest things in
your favor. Day after day, an hour at
time, for three months. took a book and
read aloud to that boy-intelligently, as if
be understood every word | said, adapting
the intonations as if l were reading
to an intelligent person. When
mothers talk to their little babes,
telling them little goo goo" stories what
is the effect? The bright child wakes up
by and by to this pleasant voice in the ear.
And so it might be with this unfortunate
boy here. And SO it was. He finally
heard this voice that was ringing around
him in a musical tone month after month;
aud one day, when / came and simply sat
in a chair and read to myself, | looked
enc side to see if he missed me- and the
child actually appeared uneasy Imagin-
ing that he missed me. | lay down on the
floor beside him as usual, saying, Oh. you
want me, Sylvanuse Well, | am here
my first want. He wanted me and he
wanted me then. He had felt my infu-
eBce there; / was too fsr off in the chair.
So | read to him two or three months
more. Then, instead of reading aloud /
read 10 myself one day After long time
l saw he was trying to do something. /
watched him. Gradually he lifted his
finger and laid it on my lips. "oh, you
want me to read to you, do you" And so
read to him every day, letting him al
ways have the privilege of opening my
lips. At last he smiled-the first
smile of recognition that ever came
upon that unfortunate childs feat
ures. 1t was enough TO pay me
ten thousand times over for all had dope
If we can redeem one" / said to DR..
Howe, I'VE will redeem them all over the
country. We will open the doors so wide
that every State shall pass an Act to found
an institution for these uDfortupates, and
every intelligent being shall feel that it is
q privilege TO enter into this great work
This boy, step by step. went on Finally,
/ could take him mp and have him where
pleased. He was near me, we were one
He felt it and knew it, He was glad to be
taken up. This training went on until l
found one day he could move his limbs.
pni him on his hands end knees. to teach
him TO creep. This was nearly year and
q half after he came into the institution.
As placed him there. / said 81 wonder if
] can help him to talk lie had not
talked any. / said to him, 'sNow move
this hand: that is right Now the other:
that is good boy" guiding them as l
spoke. did this every day for months,
tn finally found he was trying TO do it
himself between the drills. After while
/ thought / saw his lips moving as he did
il. Putting down MY ear very c.ose, |
found ne was talking He was whispering
to himself, Move this hand: that is right
Now the other; that is a good boy. Now
move this leg: that is right. Now the
other: that is good boy He had heard
nee talk IN such way, and il had ar, used
HIM to talk.
Ne went on. Object lessons came in.
Il must go down 10 the shoemaker's every
dsy 10 see the shoemaker make him a pair