Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-25
week ago, be was 50 helpless that he could
not put on his own clothes.
PENDENcE THE FIRST LESSON

INDEPENDENCE THE FIRST LESSON,
He was physically strong and healthy,
but he was ignorant, and because he was
blind had been brought up to rely upon
others taking care of him. Yesterday
Tommy was able to distinguish, by the tips
of bis tender little fingers, the A, B, Cs of
of the alphabet, to spell some small words,
and to dress himself The principal aim of
this institution is to so train the blind that
they may be sent out in the world to take
care of themselves.
1t has now been determined that the ca
pscity of the present building will be for
the accommodation of 25 or 30 pupils only.
For that reason great care is being shown in
the admission of applicants Although
only u are there now, there could have
been 10 or 1Sas we'll But some applicants
were rejected, with the request that they
wait until the institution gets into its per-
manent quarters. For instance, one
of the applicants could rec just
little. The board reasoned that there was
not the pressing need to admit that individ-
ual that there was to take in some more
helpless person, like Tommy Little. for in
stance.
SOME OTHER DESERVING CASES.
Other deserving cases are those of wholly
helpless boys aud girls, growing up to man
and womanhood, to whom a years training
just now would be very valuable Every
minute counts for them. Consequently,
those who can RELY on themselves some
little will be asked to wait until larger
quarters are secured.
The present home of the Institution is the
property and former residence of Mrs. Can
tain james Irwin, now of Philadelphia.
She leased it to the projectors of the ASYLUM
for one year or longer, selling them the fur
niture with which it was filled. This is of
the most elegant character. There is Quite
a little story about how the institution came
to take the house. As is well known. the
project OF opening a school for the blind has
been talked about for at least five years past.
All that time it hung fire, with nothing
being done. During that time proposition
was made to build a magnificent building,
get Mrs. Schenley to donate ten acres of
ground for the site, and put the whole thing
in charge of DR.. Campbell who is one of the
most distinguished instructors of the blind
in the world. He is at the head of the
ROYAL Institute for the Blind of London,
England.
A CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC PROJECT,
Communication was opened with DR..
Campbell, and he expressed his willingness
to come to Pittsburg and look around. Rev.
Z. r. Donehoo was sent to England to In
vestigate the foreign blind asylums, and
after that Prof Campbell came across the
ocean to Pittsburg. Then it turned out that
his idea was to establish grand conserya-
tory of music here for the blind. and per-
haps leave the fundamental schooling tiy as
the tail to the kite.
The idea seems to have been to start ont
on big scale, build a great institution, for
example, like that for the education of deaf
Inutes in Williamsburg. Rev. j. G. Brown.
d. D., was then just retiring from the prin.
cipalship of that establishment, and know
ing bis vast experience with the education |
of detectives, he was elected a member of |
the Board of Trustees of the Blind Institute. |
and bis counsel sought.
you are wrong" he said. "It takes I
years to reach point were you can build
and maintain the big buildings for such OBJ
jects as these. People will not give their
money to something that is as yet visionary.
First show them the need of such an institu-
tion, and they will see you through. Make
q small start. The way to resume specie
payment 10 10 resume The way to educate