The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-01
4 DAY With THE BLIND
WHAT BLIND CHILDREN ARE
TAUGHT AND WHAT IN
sg.S HIM.
HOW TIE gLIaO LEARN 10 READ

ages 81 an, am t.ta,iou % the Homes
q, Al IA slaG CHILDREN Of the
S,...as..el. 81 ii I;f.-- RrigRe P1c5use
81 she s,fs.s1. "a d las Puplis.
wednesday morning, as & reporter OF
the News and Observer was passing
bv the Fairgrounds in the rear of the
Raleigh Institution for the Blind, two
pupils, among a score or more who
were out for exercise, were strolling
arm in arm together down the walk.
In the midst of their charming chat
unconscious of the presence of anyone
10 hear. one said to the other:
How many more pages you got to
read in that book2'
This was all of the conversation |
caught, but it was kind of a dial
needle pointing toward lots of things
about those two blind boys.
First, their minds were on their
books; second, they talked about it as
if they could see to red; third, and,
best of all, they were interested in
their life.
Thi. thing of blind pupils talking as
if they could see-when the sight goes,
somehow the other senses seem to rush
to the rescue of the comrade-sense
that is in trouble. Touch, hearing,
taste, smelHthey all, to use slang
phrase, chip in, do more than nor
NAL duty as a compensation for the
sense that is missing. And so 1T is
that these remaining senses that come
to the rescue, together, also, with
heightened sensitiveness in feeling,
memory, Imagination, all bring the
afflicted one somehow to the point OF
speaking as if he saw with the eye.
And so the two boys in their morn
ing stroll were talking of how many
more pages they had to read.
This reading, as ] learned after go
ing through the institution a little
while later, is in the nature of line"
reading and point reading, the for
mer being reading by raised letters,
such as the seeing use; the latter being
raised points, standing symboicaily
for letters. This point" reading is
fast supplanting the old alphabet sys-
tenn, and there are little machines,
with six keys, like typewriter keys,
that turn out writing almost, ii not
quite, as rapidly as typewriter. Thus
pupils everywhere, without trouble,
can correspond one with the other.
The music. too, is written in point
is all for the better, mad is among the
revolutions for the advancement OF the
blind. The music these pupils learn
is not learned Icy ear, but read, and dis
tinctly and teDaciously remembered.
SUPERINTENDENT Young was kind
enough to let me hear some selections
by the orchestra. The music was in
every way delightful, The orchestra be-
ing in charge of Prof. w. A. White, as
teacher and director. The selection,
also, by Mr.. Hampton on the piano
was excellent. The singing by Miss
Downey. as well rs tie chorus after
ward by the class, was quite indistln-
guishable from the performance of
those who could see.
The senior professor in music IS Mr..
John A. Simpson, II. A. who also is
professor of mathematics. In niathe-
mates the pupils are carried from
arithmetic through algebra, geometry,
trigonometry up through calculus.
They are educated in all branches. The
training now in force enables pupil
to be teacher, a piano-tuner, thor
ough musician, harmony also being
taught. Then the boys, besides these
things, are taught the broom trade.
understanding, cane-seatlng, bas-
ket-making, etc. The girls also make
baskets. The point here is that these
pupils. on leaving this institution, can
do as many things, if not more, than
children taught in ordinary schools.
There is only one thing in which the
pupils turned out from the public
schools have the advantage over them:
they can see.
Outside of the faculty there are two
natrons who look to the home comfort
specially of the pupils. These are Mrs.
Iottie S. Harrison and Miss Nina Far
ker. The children were all at DINNER,
III of them, this years attendance, so
far, and the two matrons were supply
ing the mother-touch to what seemed
almost big family scene. Then, too,
in case of sickness, ] noticed that the
charming little brass bedsteads with
hair mattresss were next to the sleep
ing changer of the naatron, so that the
patient may feel that atmosphere OF
home, which, after all, is more healing
than pills. Then, too, servants rooms
are sandwiched here ard there in order
to keep intact that feeling Of security
so helpful 10 the heart Of the blind.
The arraBgc1re Is and eonVeaiences
for sleeping and eating aGd living are
ndppA anu iitJtGfH s4k''f o. it.nASA s@-
any parent could ask. The bath
rooms and Dasi.-roonis and water con-
yeniences are generally distributed
about the buiiJin&s oB each floor, and
the wide porches enclosed by lattice
work are spacious aud long for daIEI,
weather promenading.
The broom-nlakirg department IS
in charge of Ar. HivhoargcF, and the
brooms are noficeabl because there ia
no short measure oI straw in them.
The cane-seetse X gooa. ait. We
wieker-baskefs are io rG7nv cases eX-
auisitelv artistic. went through the
class-rooans 81 s5as. Simpson, Miss
Cosby, Miss Crom GE3 Mss Jones and
Professor Blair. The mental authen-
tic exercises in Mrs. Simpsons depart
ment were surprising. The little folks
put together a list OF figures in addi-
tlon with remarkable iapidity. They
read there 900. When Superintend-
ent Young wanted cns 70 read a little
boy, called simply Sammy" said
Mrs. Simpson Iet nle read. He was
very ambitious. a733 went through his
task like breeze. Sammy said he
wasn't going "to lct people go ont of
here and say | amt smart" Any re-
quests they have to make. they make
TO Superintendent Young with the
seeming freedom Of children OF his
own. The understanding seems TO be
complete and cordial between them
and him, which was one of the most
pleasant things | noticed. The exhi-
billions in geography, physiology and