Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-02-02
School for the Deaf and Blind.

and drove out to the School for the
Deaf and Blind, which is located about
midway between the A., Il. & S. +. de-
pot and the penitentiary. Superintend-
ent Larson and his wife met the visit
ors and showed them over the building
and into the class room, where the
scholars deaf and mute) surprised the
visitors by their specimens of handwrit-
ing and spelling and aptitude of expires
sion of thoughts without speech.
One blind pupil was present and read
from the raised letters and printed the
names of several members in the curi-
u alphabet of the blind. He is a ma
tive of New Mexico who speaks English,
but is totally blind, although he readily
reads and writes with the raised letters.
The members We're evidently impressed
with what they saw of the good that
has been accomplished by the persist
ent efforts of Superintendent Larson
and his wife in behalf of these unfortu-
mates, and We're satisfied that no eX-
~travagance has been INDUCED in by
that institution.
A bill has been prepared by the COM
mittee in charge to properly recognize
this school as a territorial institution,
which has never been the cast before,
and has Deer shamefully neglected;
wen the name has been changed, or
miscalled by every legislature since it's
organization in 1887, and this is the first
time in it's history that the legislators
have shown the slightest interest in
what should be one of it's chiefest cares.
Bills have been introduced time after
time for the purpose Of properly recog-
nizing this school, but as one of the
Legislators remarked yesterday, 'The
superintendent couldn't lobby" and
there has been no regular board of man.
ayers to interest themselves in it's well
fare, and had it not been for the inter
est taken by the w. B. T. at this time,
this visit by the legislature would not
have been made.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Fitzpatrick
boNS Nv . any ppm ~ ~ WA
simply provides that it be recognized
by the Legislature as a territorial insti-
tuition by proper name, n that it be
governed by a board as other public in
stitutions are, with a proviso that two
of such board may be women. 1t is
recognized that at this time, while the
necessities are very great for repairing
Of the old and the construction of new
buildings suitable for the purpose, the
territory is not in condition to provide
the same, although the five and a third
acres of ground and the building there
on, together with the meager furniture
and appliances have not cost the ter
ritory one cent in bonds or direct taxa
ton; they all having been procured out
of the refund of the wal tax by the gen
eral government, IS, 900 of which amount
was granted to this institution by the
legislature of 1893. But in the appro-
priation bill the Legislature will be ask
ed for sufficient money to keep the
school open for nine months for the
benefit of the blind as well as of the
deaf. The appropriation made by the
last Legislature of $4,000 produced 81, 200
the school open last summer as it
should have been, but it was reopened
in October, and with the greatest econ
omy and by cutting down superintend-
a,+ ,,l tnoal,o.,, no., -, 4, .+,,,r+;o,
point, it will be kept open until April,
with II pupils in attendance. When it
is considered hat these pupils are not
only furnished with free education, but
with board and washing, at the en-
pense of the territory, the amount of
economy exercised is simply wonder
full. Both Mr.. and Mrs. Larson are en-
thusiasts in the cause of educating the
deaf and the blind and have spent their
W money in providing clothes and
other necessaries for the poor children.
MI. Larson has attended, at his own ex-
pense, the national gatherings of in
structors of the deaf and blind, so that
he is fully abreast of the improved
methods of educating them. The Unit
ed States government has set aside a
fund of $3.50, 900, the income of which is
used for the purchase of embossed text
books, maps, etc, for the education of
the blind children; these are distributed
free among the schools for the blind, in
proportion to the number of pupils at
tending. This institution received some
of these benefits up to two years ago,
when, for lack of appropriation, the
blind department was closed, but when
it is re-opened it will again be entitled
to it's share of these books. The census
of 1890 showed that there were in the
territory 225 deaf and mute persons and
300 blind in both eyes. By reason Of
their affliction they are barred from
participating in the benefits of the very
liberal school laws, and must be es-
pecially instructed in an institution Of
this kind or be left in mental silence |
and darkness as they are physically.
The New Mexican Is satisfied that all
that is necessary for the Legislature to
do, for the benefit of these unfortunates |
will be done if it only appreciates their
needs; and we believe that their visit
o n Tuesday gave them this information,
and that the Fitzpatrick bill will be