The Portland daily press., 1892-11-28
QUALITY NOT IM7fIRED BY ACE.


but his progress is necessarily very slow.
He must be taught individually al
most everything. It is quite impossible
until he has attained some degree of ad-
vancement to put him into class with
others, and even when so placed he has
to have many little difficulties explained
to him separately. Every device must
subject of study. He is taught counting
by the objects with which he is familiar,
by different colored balls, by buttons,
corn, by bits of cardboard and every
device which the teacher can invent
There must always be as nearly as pos
sible a material representation of the
idea which she is trying to convey.
From molding figures in kindergarten
schools he advances in the higher
grades to molding maps, and so gains
better idea of geography than by any
other method. In connection with the
work in the schoolroom, and following
out the manual training idea, the pupil
is taught to sew. The girls make under
clothing, dresses and bedding. The boys
learn tailoring. Physical culture. too,
receives urge share of attention.
Every child who is not helpless and
crippled is put into gymnastic class
and spends one-half hour each day in
exercise. The benefit is incalculbale, for
many Of the children are, physically
weak and imperfectly developed.
In the lower classes the child is taught
to properly lift his. feet, use his arms,
follow a leader, obey an order and keep
time. In consequence of such drill he
advances little by little until he is able
to execute complicated movements in a
remarkably perfect manner. The love
of melody is. as often an instinct with
the feeble minded child as with the
bright one, and music is a powerful factor
in his education. 1t attracts and holds
him as nothing else can.
The children sing beautifully part
songs as we'll as simple melodies, and
learn from dictation by heart the words
of all their songs, so that they sing fire.
with an abandon not found
among children who read their songs by
note and word.
After shes boy has progressed suf-
fciently in the schoolroom to enable
him to learn trade he is put to work
at one under the immediate super
vision of trained mechanic. A large
number of boys are in the shoe shop,
make all of the shoes worn by the chill
dren and do all Of the mending. In the
tailor shop the suits are made for all the
bows in the institution, and the plumber,
blacksmith, carpenter and painter is
each teacher in his speciality Of num-
Der of pupils.
The farm employs the largest number
of boys naturally, and employs class
incapable of employment elsewhere ex-
cept in the cleaning department. Many
of the children can be taught the sim
plest branches of teamwork who could
not understand the more complicated
trades.
All of the cleaning about the house is
done under direction by the inmates,
and one feels almost tempted during a
morning journey to the institution to
paraphrase the "Song of the Shirt and
make it ssScrub, scrub, scrub" there are
such armies of scrnbbers everywhere.
The girls after leaving the schoolroom
are taught dressmaking and mending,
cooking, laundry work and general
Homework. In the sewing room are
made all the dresses worn by the pupils.
After the training given at the institu-
ton is completed the child, if capable of
independently caring for himself, is sent
out into the world to earn his living. II
not, he is kept and made useful at the
institution until his place is required by
smaller children coming in, when he is
returned to the officials of the county
from which he came as being the only
agents responsible for him. Many of the
children could be made self supporting
under competent supervision who, if
allowed to go out into the world alone,
become burdens to society and propaga-
tors of their kind.
Mental weakness means invariably
moral weakness, and though the institu-
tion NAV make the child ordinarily Ca
pable and self supporting under it's man.
aoen,ent it cannot in all instances make
him so when he is sent out into the