The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-20
TOOTH CHILD IMBECILE?
MANY DULL1RDs IN THE REMAINING
NINETY VINE

How Mental Detectives Are Taught in
n Small Museum and Geological Garden,
1T seems hard that one child In every hun
dred should be predestined to he mindless. or
nearly 80. but such Is the fact. and the sooner
the educational authorities OF great ommon-
wealths take it INTO their calculation the bot
ter for all parties concerned"
The speaker was DIR. James I. Hnney. we'll
known to the school world as n lecturer on
physiological pedagogics and the supervisor
Of manual training In the public schools OF
Manhattan borough.
"Dullards are of various classes." said the
doctor to a SuS reporter. Some children are
born with a sluggish brain and start at the
bottom Of the class and remain there. Others
have an active mind. but are born sick and
weak or else are enfeebled by disease from
childhood and so do not possess the physical
strength which Is required by all students.
Then comes tho largest class OF all, children
who are born with u defective. incomplete or
imperfect organization. In the old days.
where little discrimination was made in regard
10 children, oil were put into the same class.
made to study the same lessons and treated.
partly. according TO their behavior. but chiefly
according to progress made in the school
curriculum. This was not fair either to the
billiards on the one side or the bright. active
minds on the other. The former. by reason
Of their limitations. were unable to keep pace
with their colleagues. and the latter were held
back until all the Joy OF learning was taken
from them.
THE subject is OF deem interest in view OF
the statement OF physicians and students of
social science that the number of billiards or
detectives Is on the increase. and that. in
many districts OF the large cities, the ratio IL
approaching . per cent. In Europe much at
a -. l-@- -g.... - a .l.-- - --
schools Of special character. or special classes
in ordinary schools. have been established and
conducted with considerable success. SO
great has been the progress in this respect
that IL can lie said there are classes for every
grade of mental deficiency. from the dullard,
whose condition is. due TO physical weakness.
Town to the imbccile. who can be instructed in
onlv the simplest matters of life. We have
been so engrossed with the material questions
OF NE thht we have not given the matter the
Lately. however. we. have made remarkable
progress and can point to many sch ools and
credit with any of the Institutions OF Europe.
The work began by the establishment OF spe-
strmction Of dullards OF all kinds.
There is sill much to be done. It has not
tives should be conducted By the municipality.
the State. By private generosity or private en-
mands upon it that many investigators are of
the opinion il should not increase its burden
by conducting schools for the benefit of the
hand. students of equal authority believe that
the State can better CONDUCT schools of this
class than can private. individuals or even
philanthropic organizations. The task. il |
may use a paradox. is both easier. and more
difficulty is not so much in teaching defective
children as it is in finding out what and how
f ]tises t are alike HHieV and nd the h method S Which, ETo sue %e-
ceeds with one will seldom succeed with the
other. and yet below this difficulty lies the
great principle that nearly all detectives may
lesson training, Much Of the work which has
been accomplished has, been done along these
lines. Some schools have done away with
nearly all books and rely upon an equipment
mer and autumn ! visited many Of the leading
schools of the United States Of this type and
studied their systems and examined their
The leading institutions of this class are to
Haddontleld. Nj: Chicago and in Providence.
r. !, The model school OF its type for the
s S9Grld Is az nn &nvepfy. T 1fs Hia nssita1iGe is s xefs
large and can accom- modate more than its
present attendance. which is about, 600, The
t%ractiye both within and Without, Within
the highest class 10 the lowest. The rooms
are large. high and well yentiIated. The
pleasant or disturbing echo in any recitation
room or any direct avenue for noises from the
outside world; Walls. ceilings and partitions
are treated with Il scientific color scheme, so
that there is no strain upon the vision.
There is considerable decoration employed.
this taking the form OF paintings. engravings.
carvings and other artistic objects, In even
the defective mind there is some love Of the
carving exerts q strong educational Influence
upon an undeveioped or imperfectly developed
child. There j. a large and well-furnished
gymnasium, Of which n feature is a music gal
| lery. which is used by Il well-selected orchestra
at every lesson. When calisthenics are taught
without music. detectives soon weary. Music
Increases their interest and delight and an or
chestra or hand seems to produce a strong.
In detectives there Is the same play and dance
instinct, which is SO noticeable in little chill
drcn. Whenever a street organ plays 2 dance
tune IL Immediately attracts n lot OF healthy
u]rchins. who form a circle of dancers about
it. 1t is SO in'the schools for detectives. When
assembly room ali the pupils become excited
and keep time with their muscles and their
linus. For the Eirls there u a large and hand
orator. No matter how difficult a sewing ma
chine may seem to a dpllard at first it soon
becomes familiar and the very. difficulty Of
ali the more after She has once learned.
but as play. They go TO it eagerly and usually
require TO be stopped and sent from the sew
1 piace FS as the 70 do !Hs s SIasdinRIS@ calls 2r fo sue" other
To every classroom there is attached what
may he called a museum. This, is u collection
tration is possible, Thus to give II correct
ronception of different nations and races there
are IL lot Of carved manikins. co!ored and cos
tuned g represent the negro. Indian. Mon
goliGn. Malay and Paluan, as well AS such ma
tional types as the Hawaiian; Japanese, Chi
nese. ilindOo. Arab. Turk, Cossack. Italian.
Swiss. and liussian. The manikins represent
Vocntions. military, maritime; police. musical.
highly appreciated by the little detectives, and
are treated more as good friends than as IMAM
innate creations.
Attached 10 the school are a small menag-
erie and geological gardens which are employed
for educational as well as recreational pur-
poses. Thetame sheer ARE driven into the class
room to illustrate. wool. weaving and cloth.
After the general statement has been made by
the teacher. some Of the wool is cut of ard
passed around the class to exemp'ifv its nature
aud IT'S mode OF growth In a second stage
the wool is washed and dried. A model
mechanism combs il and converts II into vnrn
or thread. A miniature loom weavcs this into
cloth and a small dyeing contrivance gives It "A
well-delned color. Every step In this nrocedd are
eXerts n deer fascination upon the dullest child
and leaves an impression far more enduring
than an ordinary lecture would upon an aver
age child.
''One collection OF objects consists u lars OF
spices. bottles OF essential oils aud nat Iral per,
f,vnna Eba tnnular taarba-E puIl IN IA small