Evening star., 1898-07-12
WOMEN OF THE N. E. A.
sketches of Several Convention Dele
gates of PrOminence

sketches of Several Convention Dele
gates of Prominence
MISS Mary MCGEE, who had charge of the
interesting display of the work of the pri-
mary department of the New York State
SCHOOL Tor the Blind, left for home yester-
day morning. Miss MCGEE is a teacher of
ie siIts' ana TO her some of the devices
Tor the successful introduction of writing
tipt III that school is largely due. an art
not yet known in other schools for tho
bi1nd By series of grooved lines (raisedl
she enabled the child to follow in a straight
course, and by thumb spacing to Lean
words separate
MI Gardner Fuller, superintendent of the
-Se" ioTk state School, had the finest dis
pay made of handiwork in the sixteenth de-
i,lrI anu MRS. Pierson, one of the best
trainers IN needlework and other fancy
work, was in charge. The most noticeahIe
Sins III the display was the fourteen-foot
nag made by forty-fve blind girls. each
slri having chosen a star as her state
Miss Virginia Osborn SUPERINTENDENT Of
me @tiie oral Public Day School of Cincinnati
'nlo' Is young woman, but already has
SghieVea esLa quite a reputation as teacher
She brought the display of Ohio work
shown in the Franklin building
MISS CARROTS class from the school of
aumo children, Philadelphia gave an ex-
nlpltion drill at the session of the opening
I'd ~
afternoon that was very PLEASING ard q
good test of the ability of this class to con
quer any difficulty of drill that other chill.
dren can. ~
Miss l.. Del. Richards. principal of the
institute for the Deaf at Providence p T
Is one OF the prominent women engaged in
TINS most difficult work. She has been in
@ elle heid Tor eighteen years, and has had
experience In several states She has
taught in jacksonville ILL., state institu
ton, which is the largest in the world. and
now Is under the care of a gentleman we'll
known in Washington. DR. Joseph Gordon
formerly connected with the college AT
Kendall Green. The Rhode Island school
SUCKS strictly. to the oral method of teach
ing, discarding all signs
Inc reception rendered by President Cal
laudet to the visiting teachers of tho deaf
at Kendall Green was largely attended and
on the arrival of the party they were ush
@ etTu INTO the dining hall, where an elegant
COLLATION. was served, Mrs. Gallaudet actine
as hostess, assisted by the CORPS of teachers
IN the institution. The school rooms and
buildings were all thrown open for insnec
StoIi OF visitors Among those present were
superintendent Frank Hall of the Indiana
state institution for the Blind; Mrs p +
CsSood OF Boston, Mass; Dr. Josepoh g
GORDON president of the department; DR.
anu Ars Alexander Graham Bell Prof 8
u Davidson of Mount Airy PbiIadarnb;s.
General Eaton, DR.. George Hampl of tho
state University, Ann Arbor, Mich. and
G1nels, it, VINO We're greatly entertained and
instructed by the trip.
Miss Maud Emerson assistant rr;no;a,
OF the school for the deaf at Mystic Conn
was a member of the class of 'g3 of Srnitb
oonege- She taught for four years in Yer
mont ana Massachusetts before going to
Mystic. Conn. She became interested Il,
the work for the deaf when in the yicinitv
or Clarks school in Northampton Mass
as student, and never lost sight of the
idea until she had thrown in her LOT with
the army of women devoting Themselves tn
this work of patience. Indeed, two-thirds
OF the principals of deaf schools. or schools
Tor the mentally backward, are in the
hands OF women. Miss Emerson's school
uses the oral method only
MISS Margaret Bancroft, principal of
Haddcnfeid New Jersey, school for back
ward or mentally deficient children, is a
pioneer in the work. No man has ever had
anything to do with this school its found
ers and promoters. from the start all being
women, but Miss Bancroft has won her
way 10 recognition one of the most
pdlnstaklng workers, and careful observers
of conditions and methods in this compara-
lively new field of philanthropic effort. In
her paper read at the opening session of
department sixteen yesterday afternoon
she held the attention of the high-clas au-
dience with her observations on "the trend
OF training in backward and mentally de-
icient children" She is a strong, forceful
and somewhat radical speaker, and says
some startling things. She clearly shows
such children need much more care and
tact in development than dealing with the
deaf or blind
Miss M c. MCGOWAN is principal of the
MCGOWAN Oral school for young deaf chill
dren in Chicago, and is also supervising
principal for the Chicago day schools for
the deaf. When she took up this work ten
years ago there were but four such schools
but now there are ten. all using the oral
method of training by special desire of the
parents, who find it so much easier to COM
municate in that way with their children
than through the sign system. These
schools nave all been organized and direct
ed by Miss MCGOWAN, who now is recog-
nized among educators being in the front
rank The children in the schools under
her supervision take the same course that
children of the same grade do in the or
binary public school
Miss Louise Connolly, formerly connected
with the Business High School of this city
and who spoke Saturday afternoon at the
field meeting of the geographic society and
the National Educational Association, is
garded as one of the foremost educators
of the east Long identified with public
school work here and IN the English depart
ment of the High Schools, she inaugurated
new methods and systems which brought
the work up to a high standard. Miss Con-
molly was the first woman to take de-
gree at Columbian College and is a most