New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-14
TOTS WITH STUNTED MINDS.
MISS MARY f. MARVIN HAS SUCCESS
WITH BACKWARD" CHILDREN.

HER METHODS DESCRIBED AND HER CONCLUSIONS
STATED BY HERsEI.F-MIssroN TO THOSE
WHO WALK IN DARKNESS.
The methods of Miss Mary r. Marvin In develop
ing the minds Of what people are pleased TO cail
backward children attracting good deal OF
attention from the medical world at large. She
has a clinic at the Philadelphia Polytechnic Hospi-
tai and free class in connection with the psyche
logical department OF the University OF Pennsyl-
vania. Besides these two sh. has home where
she cares for not more than Ave feeble-minded
children at one time.
She says that the injury done 20 bright and duh
children who are placed in the same educational
harness" and driven with equal speed cannot b
overestimated The bright child Is retarded In his
progress and the backward one Is made to feel his
own stupidity and the utter hopeiessness OF his
ever being able to acquit himself OK the charge OF
being hockhead.
My idea" she says. is to prove that a MIND
can be developed II properly treated. unless there
Is epilepsy. | work in cooperation with the phy-
sician; indeed my first act when assume the
care Of a weakminded child is to try to locate
It's physical disability and have 1t attended TO ~
specialists Sometimes the child seems 10 b en-
Toying the best OF health but always find that
there Is a physical weakness somewhere. and the
physical as everybody knows drains from the
mental.
MISS MARvIN's EXPERIENCE
IT suppose have handled one hundred and my
cases In two wears mostly clinic cases Of de-
fective speech. I find that detection in speech
usually evinces little knk In the mind, IL thers
IL not any actual physical weakness. The most
curious case ever came across was that or = lad
OF sixteen years who had gone through the public
schools OF Philadelphia bright in every way except
that OF expressing himself verbally. lie had never
spoken n single ineligible word. lie thought ana
wrote in our language. but when 1t came to read
ing or speaking ne had language OF his own,
! combination OF ten or twelve primitive sounds
carefully transcribed in phonetic fashion what n
said but when any one attempted 10 speak 20 MIN
IN his own language he did not comprehend Wei.
teaching baby how to talk; at the end Ct thre.
months he spoke before the medical convention AZ
saving that he lacked the Initiative faculty had
TO teach him the use OF the o0Ga hn nasd for
each sound IIoweyer his mind IS our o,, Of p's s.
/ but an ornament In the world
/ Miss Marvin says that she loves the children -
m n ina. Se Of her chief resre,s Is
training sufficiently long to demonstrate what point
OF fitness It is possible 10 attain.
THE NEGLECT OF PARENTS
TIL. neglec, OF parents in Miss Marvins opinion.
"a often RESPONSIBLE. for defective. habits OF speech.
! They overlook incorrect and clumsy or confused
| oral expressions in the youngsters. and even en-
courage them in baby talk that is apt to cling
20 them throughout later years. weak mind IRE
nuentlv causes the loss ~ sense. she says but
| she does not believe that there IL more idiocy
among the poor than among the rich 49,.
! 'Of course" Miss Marvin explains. there may
be a greater aggregate number. because mere AT J
! more Door than rich. but tho h-fed. oNer"orks1
! mother IS not more apt to have detective cnnh
! than is the society slave surfcited Win oVetnch
food and weared by late hours. In my home, where
! all names and Identities arc sacred, more nave
I been about numbers Of bows and girls
Miss Marvin was formerly teacher IN a.t,c ,n
ton at a school for the deaf. and previous 10 ina,
! was teacher In a public school at Milwaukee ann
! II was while studying cases Of arrested mental de-
| velopmert among her pupils here that she Was
first led 20 believe that her field Of work lay among
! lust that class