The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-25

/ tional anthem with the American flag,
for instance, marks the mental effort
sometimes of months. This, however
is only IN the case of the most back
ward. There are others who show
marked progress after a few weeks
! learning rapidly to dance and play the
piano. to take intelligent part in sim
| pie games; dress and undress them
| selves, etc.
1t is believed by Dr. Seguin, who
rounded the Seguin school, that an in
calculable amount of benefit could be
gained by those mentally deficient from
simple contact with healthy magnetic
I people. that each different personality
imperceptibly affected the patient or
pupil, and that the best results were
gained from a variety Of such impress
slonS or emotions, especially when the
i work required necessitated in itself a
degree OF routine or monotony as do
/ number work" (arithmetic) and let
ter work" the herculean accomplish
ment OF learning to read and write
Botany and natural history do not pre-
sent such difficulties, as even mentally
deficient little peopIe-most of them
take naturally to trees, seed planting
| and flower gathering, and rambles in
the woods after new bugs and birds.
Dehclency in some cases is marked by
! an utter lack of imagination and indi-
vidual mental iniative
In the Seguin school one little fellow
CT five, a beautiful boy physically,
with big blue eyes, golden curls and a
| roseleaf complexion, has never asked
a question in the whole of his short
life. He does what he is told, appar-
emily remembers what he hears and
sees, but so far as any other mental
| EFFORT is concerned. he might as well be
a sponge. Another. a little girl of the
| so-called Monaghan type" term
designating phase of mental disorder
marked principally by abnormal abili-
ties for imitativeness and mischief, a
ulstresslngly coarse voice. poorly shap-
60 head and somewhat distorted fea-
| lures. is. it seems, blessed with some
thing more than her share Of the in
Vent1Ve faculty. Having been an inter-
ested but unsuccessful member of nu-
merous excursions whose object it was
| to find new kinds of birds, this small
romancer gracely informed her teach
ers and companions one dinner time
that she had just heard a whippoorwill
cackle and seen a bird with two tails
and one eye" She added that it was
hardly worth while for any of them to
look for the latter creature as it had
noWn instantly away, and also that, no
lnatter what new birds they discovered.
they would certainly never be able to
see anything like this, as it had told
her 1t was never coming back again.
Even perverted mental effort. how
ever, Is better than none in such cases.
and the mere repetition Of phrases heard
also, when aptly applied. marks dis
t1nct gain. Thus while eating straw
berries one little girl asked her teach
er II she liked the fruit. Then this is
a dellclous opportunity for you" replied
the mite. on being answered in the af
ilrmauYe, and the teacher recalled hav-
!Hs used tnat expression in reference
10 something else not long before.
or;t
studied for twenty minutes twice a day
was Tor this reason called the number
room, but later, when it was also used
Tor basketry by another twenty-min-
ute class and for crocheting, ETC., by
sun another, 1t in this way acquired
I sucn q . i1111uitipHc1ty of names that even
b experts might readily have been nuz-
-zied one day at dinner Mrs. Seguin
suggested that some single name be
CHOSEN and the others dropped AS the
chlidfen We're present there was a va
rely OF more or less remarkable sug-
gestlons made. Presently small bow
SAID: Il call it the stunt room. for T
90 my writing there and I make stunts
OF It. Under the circumstances the bit
OF slang was welcomed with an en-
tnuslasm that can scarcely be i'm
ag1ned by parents of little people who
PICK up new word hourly perhaps
and revel in new IDEAS Another little
eienoW who had previously confined
nlmself to yes and no was especially
backward one morning in letter
work, and in answer to the teachers
question as to whether he were i'll re-
pied: mo, just miserable" 1t was the
nrst time he had used the word. and
the sinner that repenteth' could not
nave caused greater rejoicing than did
this intelligent use of a single new
sound. A small boy who had received
a light, f1aky cereal for the first time
was asked how he liked it. After some
patience. an opinion was secured: "Its
good, but feel like I'd eaten snow
The school numbers among it's pu-
plls ! TWO 2so-called "Cretins," a type
marked outWardly by smallness Of
!, stature and skull measurement and
the absence of the thyroid gland. OF
late years this last defect is partially
supplied by regimen of tablets con-
s1st1ng Of the thyroid secretion taken
from sheep. A marked mental inn
proVement Is noticed when these are
administered in connection with the
proper training.
1t is believed by teachers that in the
majority Of cases mental deficiency
Will succumb to persistent personal
EFFORT when it would probably become
confirmed and hopeless if the child
Were allowed to take its chances in the
ordinary routine Of family or school
life. 1t Is also contended that a single
teacher for child is an Injurious ex
pedfent, as both teacher and child
weary and exhaust each other. To Sc
cure the best results those who have
to work with mentally deficient chill
dren must keep themselves in the hest
spirits, best health and happiest frame
OF mind. Health and happiness are
contagious, can literally be radiated
and are absorbed by the mentally
starved little folks, to whom their
teachers are all the world.
In sense training such simple de-
wees as oeanbag throwing, ball rolling,
lac1ng and unlacing shoes, stringing
buttons and picking up coins are en-
ployed. There are articulation teach
ers, many children being backward in
the expression of ideas in words.
though otherwise normally active. In
number work" buying and selling
takes an important place, the change
being made with real money"
In one school it is the aim to reach
the imprisoned brain through the hand,
the eye etc. During the daily exer-
else "bell-ringing music Is accom-
panied by swinging arms, and when
the pupil, as is usually the case at the
beginning, shows marked distaste to
any personal effort the little arms are
gently moved in unison by the teach
ers, and after months, perhaps, Of this
patient practice the instructor is re-
Warded by seeing a feeble flutter of
hands when the wonted chords are
struck Some Of the children who have
been in the care of the school for wears
are now almost normal; they can read.
write converse, ride wheels, play the
piano, etc. One distressing case was
that of girl who when only fourteen
years of age weighed over 40 pounds.
and never Of her own volition moved a
muscle, being unable to say more than
yes and no. After three years train
ing her weight was hv exercisn nln,ao