The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-04-20
THE FEEBLE.MINDED.
Report of the Committee of the Women's
Council

Report of the Committee of the Women'f
| Council
| At the meeting of the Women's Coun
Gil in Portland, April 18th, Mrs. Arbella
F. Pollister, chairman of the committee
| on institution for the feeble-minded, re-
ported as follows:
>'In bringing to close the work of
the committee appointed by the council
| to work for the establishment OF State
home and school for the feeble minded
recapituation would seem advisable.
Three years ago two Maine women,
Miss Sanborn and Miss Weber, began
| newspaper agitation for State lnstl-
tuition for the feeble minded in Maine.
These women had been connected with
the Massachusetts school at Waverley
and there the many cases in Maine suf-
ferlng for the care and training OF an
institution became known to them.
They appealed to philanthropic men
and women and to the public through
the press. In Nav, 1902, Mrs. Andrew
Halves and Mrs. Bracket addressed
the Portland Woman's council and so
| convincingly urged the duty of every
State to provide and care for its own de-
pendent, defective and criminal classes
| and especially to protect feeble minded
| girls and women, that the members of
the council, after mature deliberation
| voted to use their efforts to establish a
home and school for the feeble minded
III Maine, and from that time, May,
| 1902, the work of the council has been
an earnest endeavor to prove to the
public the large number of feeble mind
ed in the State, rapidly increasing liv-
ing at public expense. the unknown
number in private houses, which are
made wretched because there is not
place to which these helpless ones can
be sent and properly cared for; and the
problem of economy to the public.
Our 800 petitions for 1908 had S,672
names. This year 5000 names have
been sent in, nearly 1900 individuals
demanding this institution. Five thou
sand folders were printed and distrib-
| uted widely. The members Of the COM
mlttee were untiring in their efforts
| for JudiciOus circulation. The cor
respondence has included many council
members outside of the committee,
many personal interviews with legiS-
laCors and letters to them have helped
the cause.
We CoApCS OSCl-CoGlHdUC Jul III.
debtedness to the editors all over the
State and especially to our local papers;
they have been most generous and have
never refused an article however long
it may have been. We shall hope and
expect great assistance from all the
newspapers in Maine in educating the
people in regard to dull pupils and de-
fective children as we'll as the feeble
minded and helpless imbeciles. The
New York and Boston papers give edi-
torials and whole columns to this sub
ject. | was delighted to find in the Ar
gus March 9th an article from the New
York Sun on dull pupils. | hope you
all read it. 1t mentions the cIetins
from the Swiss valleys, about which l
have some interesting cures to tell you
at some future time.
There are far more defective chill
dren in our homes than is generally sus-
pected. They associate with other chill
dren for the sake of appearances, but
they stay at home and the matter is
huShed up. Some cannot learn to read.
Others cannot learn to figure. A promi-
nent example of this, who was chased
home as Ounce because he could not
learn to read, is now master con-
structor in the Brooklyn navy yard.
Blind Tom is a we'll known case. The
rule is that whatever defective child
loves should be quickly seized upon as
the means of inducing it to learn and
succeed.
''Feeble-m n d ID ess is a disease
which breaks out in all grades of So