The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-07
DEAF AND BLIND
SHOW PROGRESS
Remarkable Exhibition Before
State Teachers.
PROFESSOR BRIGGS PAPER
RELATION OF STATE TO DEFEC-
TIVE CHILDREN EXPLAINED.

the dumb spoke, before the Utah State
Teachers association in Barratt hall,
yesterday forenoon. Children from the
state School for the Deaf, Dumb and
Blind We're present as an exhibit" of
what the state is doing to help the
afflicted ones within its borders over
come their deficiencies and bring it
about that in the present time the
Bible prediction is fulfilled. and the
lame man shall leap as an hart and
the tongue Of the dumb man shall
sing"
The children did not sing, but the
deaf ones carried on converse lions with
persons not thus afflicted and, together
with the blind. in other ways showed
how they had surmounted the obstacles
nature had thrust upon them.
As the children fearIeSsly stood in
front of the crowd and talked and
read, more than one eye in the audi
ence was moist-and by no means all
the eyes had feminine owners.
A paper by Professor F. NJ. briggs.
superintendent of the institution, led
up to the exhibition by the pupils.
Address by Professor briggs.
Professor briggs spoke on The
State in Its Relation TO the Defective
Child" He said:
This is. think. the first time that the
Blind has been rightly recognized as an
educational institution by the State
roo often thought TO be asylums or char
liable Institutions. Permit me- Mr.. Pres
for this recognition. to thank you for the
opportunity to say few words for the
child who struggles in unequal and often
oiscOuragfng circumstances
At the outset let US understand what
we mean by the defective child. The de-
1ecttve child is one that does not prop
erly fit in the public schools because of
defective hearing, sight or mind We
class such children as being deaf. blind,
deaf blind and feeble minded. The first
three classes, the deaf, the blind and the
deaf-blind are capable OF the highest
mental. moral and physical development.
while the feeble-minded. whose progress
is limited, may under proper instruction
telligence-
There are many grades of deafness as
there are many shades Of a particular
color from the child who is hard OF
hearing to the one who is as deaf as q
post There are also many grades Of
TO the one who is totally blind. To be
deaf-blind is to be deprived Of both hear
veIops girl, Helen Keller, with whom ]
had the pleasure of conversing a short
time since There are about thirty such
States. The feeble-minded child IS one
who hears, but often does not speak, or
speaks imperfeCtly. or incoherently, acts
shy or silly, swears when aneered, or IN
some other way shows a defective mind
Says All Should Be Educated.
The question is. The State in It's ReIa-
ton to These Defective Children" we
all know that no nation is as great as
the sum Of the achievements of all ma
ttons; that the best nation is the one
whose corner stones are based upOn 2
thorough education of its citizens! and.
further, that system of education IS
as good or as complete as the one that
provides an open way for the education
their Observation-Disclosures or how fiefecfiv~a +Rbei
capacities. I believe all children should
be educated. the bright boy and the dull
boy. the normal child and the defective
tat has fpgbf to he ~
tial in its distribution of knowledge. and
IL cannot afford TO be The state should
not educate your boy because he can hear
and see, unless il provides similarly fol
my boy VINO cannot hear. or see. or speak
1t would be an unjust discrimination
But YOU may say. Mr.. briggs why
must the state furnish these defective
children with a home and board and
shelter? II does not provide such things
for the ordinary child
The reason is plain. The state provide:
q free education for all it's children. For
the ordinary child II places the publ,
school at the very home door: Il otter
consoIidates school districts in order K
give greater advantages, and when chill
dTeu live at inCOnvenient- distances fire
queutly transports them to and from
less than IL would to bring the schOo
10 the child On the same principle. th'
state finds it more convenient and more
economical. as well as productive of su
perior results. 20 establish and maintain
central school for its defective children
paying for their board and shelter dur
ing the term. The state provides hom'
as a necessity incidental to education, no
as an act Of charity Parents submit Il
the necessity of separation from their un
fortunate children as painful sacrifice
and the benefit Of the state.
Deaf and Blind Usually Bright.
II ought here to be understood that tn,
deaf and the blind are generally bright
intsliigent and happy boys, aud girls; tn
been spoiled because OF their affiictfOn
also that the state school at Ogden i
thoroughly and wholly school an edu
catiOnal institution. The methods en-
ployed in educating the deaf and IN
blind are thoroughly pedagogical and pro
gressive. We believe that to do is equal,
as important as to know; that we shoul'
have positive. not negative. education
that deprivation OF pleasure or priviIeg
IS effective punishment: that man,
agencies besides books NAV devotion tn
child: that education means development
We believe also with Ebert Hubbard tina
we cannot make a plant blossom. but W
can place IL in the sunshine and supply i
with food and moisture that we mus
work 70 get an education and then worl
10 make il profitable.
Methods That Are Used.
our methods do not differ greatly from
those You employ, but the means Of com
munication and instruction and the wavi
Of obtaining knowledge are of course
much more difficult We communicati
with the deaf child in the following ways
by speech reading. by writing ny finse
spelling by pantOmime. or signs Tn.
child receives his knowledge through al
municate with the blind child BY sDeecI
and by writing. the writing being
peculiar yet simple system Of six TaseC
dots. called the Braille. The blind chill
receives his knowledge through all hi
senses, except sight. He reads wit n hi
finger tips To better show how we be
gin and what accomplish ! havs
brought with me "a live exhibit TO pres
emily illustrate our work.
The state today aims to give to ever
deaf child "A common school education
and TO prepare those who desir" nighe
education for entrance to the Nationa
College for the Deaf at Washington. d
G, the only college for the deaf I'm tn
world II also provides courses IN manua
and physical training and domestic
science and turns out young mep ans
women as honorable citizens. Capa bic o
earning an honest livelihood. in place o
letting them grow up in ignorance.
burden to the community and little bet
ter than the flOcks and herds OF the field
Our manual training might moro prop
crly be called trade instruction. as W
teach such trades as carpentry. shoe
making. blacksmithing. printing barber
ing. and horticulture Among Ou- eradu
ates and eX-pupils we have teacher TIVE
instructors surveyor. a photographer
blacksmith farmers. shoemakers print
ers. dressma kcTS. housewives. and labor
all bearing evidence OF tho state
wise provision IN their behalf Ever,
graduate of our institution is today en-
ployed at some useful and remanerativ,