The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-01-22
A VERY REMARKABLY CASE
MARYELOUs PRoDVcr or MAssA-
0HgsETTS BLIND sCH0OL,

Hero Of THIS years keport-Changed
From Brute Into an Intelligent Boy
His Imagination, His Fun and His
sympathy.
Yeung Tommy Stringer is the hero
of the sixth annual report Of the trus=
tees of the Perkins Institution and
Massachusetts School for the Blind,
says the Boston Jpprnal. IT was only
a few years ago that Tommy was
helpless being. To-day he is an intel
gent as any child of his age. The com
plete, remarkable story of which de-
velopment is told thus in this report:
THE development of this remarkable
child is truly marvellous. When Tom
my was brought to Boston, nearly six
years and half ago, he was nothing
more than mere mass of living,
breathing clay; a spiritless little ami
NAL apparently Of q low degree Of intel
ligence, and not unlike puppy in his
vague and insane instincts and charac-
teristics. On the day of his arrival in
Boston Tommy was placed at the kim
dergarten, where he was welcomed with
open arms, and through the loving care
and rational training which he has re-
ceived under the hospitable roof of the
infant institution, verita BILE miracle
has been wrought In his case. From
the dull, drowsy, weakly, slothful list
less, uncouth, lumpish little creature
there has been evolved a fine child,
most attractive boy-manly, erect, fair
faced, alert, inquisitive, wilful, self re-
liant, frank, truthful, restless under re-
straint in real boyish fashion, full of
life and energy, given more or less to
mischief and exceedingly fond Of play
ing pranks.
Although occasionally he displays
little streak of contumacy, Tommy pre-
SCENTS the spectacle Of an almost spotless
character and of a life which is all upon
one plane. Pure, generous, highminded,
almost incapable Of sin, he is wholly
free from vice and possesses those
graces and attractions which are the
flower of childhood,
'sTommy's training has been carried
on in strict accordance with the kinder
garten principles, and his development
and mental groth afford most striking
Illustration of the Froebelian philoso-
ply Of learning hX doing In his case
education has not been a stereotyped
thing nor examining mechanism, aim
ing to supply him with certain
amount of information gathered entire
ly from books,
from the time of Tommys admis
sion to the kindergarten to the present
day our principal effort has been to
build UP his physique and keep It in a
healthy condition to awaken his intelli-
gence to rouse his energies, to redeem
him from the danger of falling into
mental atrophy, to develop his faculties
in a rational way, and to bring all Of
them into harmonious play.
1.-THE whole course Of Tommys educa-
ton has been such as to lead him by
means of objective methods and of or
binary progression TO think, TO reason
independently, to investigate, to put his
own ideas into execution, and to be-
come self directive and capable of
grasping every opportunity and of
making the most Of IT. In carrying out
this plan we have taken advantage of
Tommy's overmastering inclination to
mechanical occupation, and the gain is
evident.
"This mode of training has unques-
tionably been productive of such excel
lent results in Tommy's case that
thinking scholars and enlightened stu
dents of pedagogy cannot help recogniz-
ing its Importance. and will no doubt
recommend its universal use. The only
persons who are inclined to disapprove
of 1T ostentatiously and to criticise 1t
superciliously belong to the ranks of
superficial observers and arrogant tu-
tors, who have been in the habit either
of INDUCING in the PRACTICE of some de-
ceptive method or Of relying wholly up
on the text book, and who, in order to
produce brilliant and dazzling results in
their teaching, make their pupils memor-
ize the contents Of the printed mage and
repeat them glibly, to the astonishment
and delectation Of their hearers But
what of it? Who cares a straw for
the opinion Of critics Of this kind?
In Tommy's manual training we
have received most valuble assistance
from the principal Of that benefcient
institution, the Sloyd Training school
at North Bennett street, which is liber-
ally supported by the large minded and
public spirited daughter of the illustri-
Gus Professor Louis Agassiz, Mrs.
Quincy A. Shaw, to whom the people
of Boston owe vast debt Of gratitude
for numerous benefactions. Our friend,
Mr.. Gustaf LARSON has most gener-
ously provided an opportunity for Tom
my to study sloyd under his direction
and personal supervision. Tommy has
given four hours per week to this work.
and during the past year he has made
ten different articles. He has also kept
d brief account of his work, writing
down after each lesson In the square
form of letters used by the blind.
Toms reading has been in an en-
bossed edition Of selections from In the
Child World The stories appeal to
him and hold his interest. the words
being largely such as he can compre-
bend, and the stories of a kind to at
tract child During the period from
5:l5 to 5:45 D. m. Miss Conley CHS
teacher) reads to Tom for his pleasure
and instruction by making the letters of
each word with her right hand into his
Seven Little Sisters is the unwear-
out-able tale which has been used for
this purpose this year, and which has
provided subjects for modelling in clay
and for conversation.
Most of the effort of the year has
been put upon articulation. Toms
knowledge of language and freedom in
using Ii is increasing constantly. The
froo1opo ic aspppiallv potfcea HE when