The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-02-06
SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
Miss Sweet Elected Principal of the School
for the Deaf. r.

| A special meeting of the School Com
mittee was held yesterday afternoon.
Mayor Baxter presided and there were
| present Messrs. Blake, Allan, Mcdonald
and Brownson.
It was voted that Mr.. Brownson write
| the annual report of the Board.
Mr.. Blake, chairman of the special
committee on School for the Deaf made
| the following report, in behalf of the
| committee: tr-r fu~ 4
| Since the return Of your committee
| from an inspection of the schools for the
deaf at Hartford and Northampton, con-
slant thought has been given to the
question of how to increase the efficiency
of the Portland School for the Deaf. 1t
seems best for those children already
afflicted, who may follow them, to con
tinue the school, and this was recon-
mended and voted at d previous meeting.
Being now able to examine understand
ingly the condition of our school, and to
compare the results which are apparent
here with those which we have seen &C
compIished elsewhere, your committee
have to report that, in their opinion,
broader and more flexible methods should
be employed. While there should be no
lessening of the efforts to teach speech and
lip reading, more attention should be paid
to instruction in the fundamental branch
es in short, to the furnishing of an ade-
quate education, according to the num-
Der of years attendance at the school,
Among advocates of the purely oral
system, there is hardly difference OF
opinion that mot over three-fourths OF
the deaf can be successfully taught ny
the oral method. Our school IS SO small
that it is not practicable to send to other
institutions pupils who do not show
satisfactory progress in learning speech.
We .believe we must provide for such
pupils here. With this end in view I'VE
recommend that ,the.posltion of principal
be offered to Miss Caroline G. Sweet, of
Hartford.
Miss Sweet has taught in the Hartford
school for over twenty-five years, and
has attained eminence in her profession.
She is thoroughly yersed in all systems
of instructing the deaf, orallsm, signs
and the manual alphabet She is the
author of a series of language books
which are widely used in all parts OF the
country. Miss Sweet is lady of prepos-
sessing appearance, fine address, energet-
ic and alert. In the class room she has
the most kindly and winning ways. She
is, without doubt, eminently Quallted
to have charge of the work here, and we
unhesitatingly advise her election.
While she has not stated that she
| would accept the place, the committee
have reason to believe that she can be
induced to come. In the near future, it
is hoped that way may be opened to
supply accommodations for lodging all
the pupils under one roof, in the con-
slant charge of the principal and other
teachers. A large dwelling house would
well answer the purpose for school the
size of ours.
On motion of Mr.. Mcdonald the report
was accepted and adopted. On motion
of Mr.. Mcdonald they proceeded to bal
lot for Principal for the School for the
Deaf, and Miss Caroline G. Sweet was
unanimously elected at a salary OF $500.
the same that was paid to Miss Barton.
Miss Sweet is a native of Vermont,
has devoted her life to the instruction of
the deaf, and is the most experienced
lady teacher at the Hartford school. A
series of language lessons, of which she is
the author, has brought her into promi-
nence among instructors of the deaf
throughout the country. and these books
are used in many of the large deaf
schools, both east and west. About one
third of the last number of the American
Annals of the Deaf is devoted to a dis
cussion of Miss Sweets book. In this
discussion Francis B. Clarke, principal
of the Michigan school for the deaf,
which has over four hundred pupils
says: 81 look upon Miss Sweets language
lessons as the greatest contribution to
the cause of the education of the deaf
that it has received since have been in
the work"
Miss Sweet is lady of the highest
culture and education, and eminently
delightful socially. Her long experience
would instantly make her a great
favorite, both with parents and pupils,
as well as with the citizens of any city
so fortunate as to secure her services