The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-05

work, that they undertake, more as
siduously than do seeing persons. The
reason is obvious. And SO applying
themselves. it is but natural that
many individuals who have not the
gift of eyesight become prodigies, or
near prodigies, in their work.
The Industrial Work.
Students in the college for the blind
become not only proficient in their
literary and musical studies, but also
very proficient in their industrial work.
They become expert piano tuners; the
boys excel in cane seating, reed and
raff1a work, broom making and carpet
weaving; the girls in carpet weaving,
hand and machine sewing bead work,
netting and fancy work. 1t is very in
teresting to watch the workers in the
industrial department; no one can
admire the deftness with which they
perform this labor The teachers of
the blind make the requirement of
industrial trades by the students a
specially, adding to the curriculum
whenever it is possible to do SO. The
source OF greatest trouble to the blind
person is lack Of employment A man.
ual trade is the natural employment of
every person, and the blind person Of
especially misses the opportunity to
apply himself. In the extension of
opportunity for the people of defective
vision, the college authorities have
added manual training. The students
can handle tolls quite we'll. Many Of
the boys can make some very artistic
trinkets out of wood, with no other
tool than a jack knife. The boys like
such work. And because they are
blind is no sign they cannot saw a
board straight.
Superintendent Vance is a believer
in the theory that blind persons can
acquire proficiency in typewriting and
telephone operating, and can earn a
good living at such work. Blind per-
sons have made as high as 50 per week
as copyists and in Iowa there are sew
eral blind telephone operators.
Favors Compulsory Education.
Superintendent Vance of the Col
lege for the Blind believes there
should be a compulsory education law
affecting the blind, the same as ap-
plies to seeing children. In a recent
paper Mr.. Vance read at quarterly
meeting of the board of control, Mr..
Vance said
There is at present a compulsory
attendance law in Iowa with reference
to public schools and to my mind no
more beneficent statute has been en-
acted in recent years This law has
increased the efficiency of our public
schools to marked degree and by the
efforts of vigilant truant officers and
faithful teachers almost countless
numbers of boys and girls have been
saved from the streets and the life Of
shame and degradation that SO often
| follows. How many boys and girls
have thus been saved from their pa
rents? How often has the state
stepped into the breach and saved the
boys and girls to useful citizenship?
less need of a compulsory law for the
blind, in order to conserve the inter.
ests of the state both morally and fin
ancially, there is no small need for
such enactment of law in the interesr
! of the children themselves and it is
for those afflicted | plead. What is
there in life for the uneducated blind
man or woman as compared with the
! Joy and satisfaction of a life of educa.
! ton and culture? Not few young
men and women, enter the Iowa Col
I lege for the blind at ages ranging from
sixteen to twenty years, without any
/ previous education. There is no small
number of boys and girls in Iowa to
j day, almost ready to enter manhood
and womanhood, who have never at
tended any kind of a school for a
single day and whose parents will moi
consent to their entrance to school
| 1t is for this class of boys and girls
/ l plead. May they not be saved from
their own parents?"
A great many parents are, it is said
afraid to send their children to the
college. They appea to be prejudiceG
against state institutions They dc
not understand conditions under
which the students live and they dc
not take the trouble to investigate
They imagine because the college is
under the control of the state just as
are the institutions at independence
and Anamosa that the inmates are tt
be classed with the inmates of Ana
mosa and Independence They fail tt
/ recognize that there is a vast differ
ence-that the Vinton institution is
simply a school--that the only differ
ence between the Vinton college and
the public school is that pupils in at
| tendance at the state college stay
there all the time-board and room
there instead of at their homes.
Some Parents Prejudiced.
Then there are parents who fea
that the inmates of the college TO
! the blind do not get proper care
! that there is an insufficiency o
| 0ood uf1o1 acou,o food Iora apaap