The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-01

| children for Thanksgiving Thursday
| i'm connection with the bountltul crop
of corn this year. All this was beau.
tifuI idea. Then the handling OF
cubes, and squares, and cylinders OF
wood, the fashioning of these into diff
| ferent shapes, the fashioning OF many
| things into forms of things used by
| people. Precision, perception, asso-
| citation of ideas, somewhat OF the
! philosophy of life, performance, pic
| ture after picture, the coincidence OF
/ Use aud Beauty, Progress in human
| thought--the seed of all these VIII fall
| into the mind OF these children during
| even years training. 1t seems to me
that nothing has been found that
should get Il child's mind and heart IN
order more quickly and more sWcetly
than this system so intelIigently, even
enthusiastically, applied Miss Jones.
! I understand that in few days, Il
class of physical culture viii be be-
gun under the management of Mrs.
| Elizabeth Harllee, OF Arson county,
| who has been specially trained for
such work i'll the Conservatory of Bos-
ton. The effect of this should be felt
in less than a month throughout the
1T is needless to go technically
through this institution: that is not
the object here. The Blind Depart
ment was established in 1851 and the
Deaf and Dumb Department in 1845.
Only the blind are now taught here,
a separate institution having, last year,
been provided at Morganton for the
Deaf and Dumb. The pupils are do
ing good and self-maintaining work in
many places. Two of former grad
yates are now teaching music in South
Carolina; some are in other institu-
tions; one is teaching mathematics in
North Carolina: one farmer, and there
are many who have gone to farming,
lives fifteen miles from Newborn and
drives in alone whenever occasion de-
mandS, attending in the meantime to
all his farm duties. AS Professor
Simpson remarked, the object, as far
as possible, is to make intelligence a
Substitute for sight
The State eXpends annually about
$4,000 for the maintenance of this in
Stitution and one for the colored chill
dren-for what? In order that
all North Carolina blind children may
learn something by which he or she
may earn a living. And while these
children are learning, happy home and
religious influence surround them, and
besides that, they eat well, sleep we'll
and keep well. | have never seen any
children more contented looking. One
does not expect any rollici<ing exhibit
tons among blind children. Yet all
their faces are interesting and, better
still, interesting-looking.
1t cannot be that the parents in this
t..%xN III IL
things; for | am told that only about
two-thirds OF the blind children in the
State between the ages of and 81 are
at this institution, whereas the Board
of Trustees, through it's chairman, Mr..
u. +. Montague, have put forth all
kinds of efforts to gather all the blind
children to this home Mr.. Monta-
CUES presentation of the subict in his
report of 1894 was at times eIoqunt in
its plea to parents to send their chill
dren here. instead of letting them
grow up unable to handle the powers
that are left them. 1t is one of the
giories of this century that this chair
man of these trustees should be writ
ing thus, begging parents to put their
helpless blind children, free of charge,
into helping hands that will fashion
them into men and women of useful
ness.
More, too, | happen to know that
during the sweating blistering days of
last summer, superintendent Young
was here and there. everywhere
throughout the State taking this and
that child by the hand to the end that
it might find its way toward proper
development. How kindly and sue
cessfully he did this. many know. not
from him, however
Mr.. Young has been connected with !
this institution since before the war |
A tender man, withal, whose very |
heart, by the habit of years, has been |
fashioned in a place of relief for hui |
man affection. A true man and man
of charity, giving of his substance to |
the cause of Christ, which all his life !
has been his canse. He is a Christian /
man, whose ear and hand and walk are
five, whose ear and hand and walk are /
strangers to nearly everything else
except the needs of those who are !
blind or deaf or dumb. His under
standing intonations, even, seem to |
find their way along those subtle and !
hidden by-paths that lay so deep and |
so covert in the life of those who are |
sightless. He takes up the work now
for the blind with an interest that |
must be single only. as, perhaps, no !
one in this State could take it up. His |
presence is felt along the corridors, in |
the halls everywhere about, and hun
dreds who have been with him as pu-
pills have heard kindly echoes of his
voice many times since, as well as that |
of his wife, who during her noble life |
touched chords that are still alive with !
the love of her pupils, as well as reson- |
ant through the great building with |
the music with which she filed her /
years.
The new steward of the institution, |
Mr.. William II. Rand, of Wake county, !
has entered upon his duties with ear
nestness and enthusiasm, and is more |
than justifying the commentator !.
that his friends gave him when they /.
urged his election.
nld People