The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-19
MENTALLY WEAK TO
HAVE GOOD SCHOOL
Menace to Normal Children Is
to Be Removed From Pub
lie Schools.
UNIVERSITY WILL HELP
PHYSICAL As WELL AS MENTAL
AILMENTS TO BE CORRECTED.

Experts of the University Of Utah viii
Cooperate with officials of the Salt Lake
public school system iu the establishment
Of several classes in the city for the psy-
Geological study Of the mentally inef-
ficient boy and girl who now prove a
hindrance and in some cases an actual
menace to the normal children in the class
rooms in the grade schools.
Superintendent d. II. Christensen Of
the city schools has been busy for several
weeks collecting data from the principals
OF the schools upon which 10 work as
soon as the system is authorized by the
board of education. He has found about
fifty children I'm the Salt Lake schools
who are 10 be classed as inefficient and
who win be taken from among the other
children and given individual and expert
attention.
Members of the board Of education have
eagerly accepted this new scheme for the
eouCa don of the unfortunate children
for whom no provision has been made by
the state, and the matter VIII likely be
brought 10 q head H. the near future,
with the grouping of children IN one or
more classes In the city as stepping
stone 10 one of the most important
branches of work taken up by the board
of education i'm recent years.
in the annual report of Superintendent
Christensen, which is soon TO be printed
s. the following reference to this feature
of the public school work:
Menace Shown in Report,
But there is still another group. g,
small one. TO be sure, one i'm which the
members are deficient mentally some few
bordering on idiOcy. Unfortunately, our
state has not yet made provision Tor
them. They do not belong I'm the mental
hospital as it is at present organized I'M
der the law, and Justice forbids that
they be permanently excluded rom the
benefits of the public school until SUCH
a q
their care and training. However, most
of these children have no place IN the
regular class room. All are direct
hiDdTanCe to the progress or the OLneE
children and q few are menace to the
welfare of the other pupils For their
own sake and for the sake Of their asSO-
Ciates they should be segregated from the
other children and brought together III
small groups i'm an environment especially
suited 10 their own needs. Inelr NUMBER
in this city at present Is suIIlclehl 10
justify the organization OF Two rooms IOI
the Weak-minded, and ] trust that II may
he possible to take such action during
Ehe next school year.
"A room in the old Twelfth ward, which
has been practically abandoned WouIu
suit the purpose well for the east sldes
and some other COnVe nieuuy located room
might be organized on the west side. In
an emergency, q room In one or the otileI
schools might be used, although there are
manifest objections to this plan Inc
course Of instruction for such children
should be quite narrow in It's scope, ana
st should aim largely to give motor ana
Eensory training. IT Follows, or course,
that the chief equipment would be Tor
manual training.
"a special advantage Of the plan sug-
sgestad would be the opportunity afforded
Tor careful. individual study and ooseTYa-
lion of these unfOrtun2tes. 1t is Aheiy
that the conditions IN some cases are due
TO remedial mental or physical ueIects,
With some aid from the department or
psychology and the department Of medi-
cine OF our state university such cases
might be effectively reached"
Teachers Are Not Responsible.
ctr is an unfortunate circumstance that
there is no provision made Tor these emil
dreu," says Superintendent Christensen.
we have q number or cases IN SAN
Lake which have been Investigated ana
which need attention. Under the present
system it is absolutely impossible for the
children to get the proper care from itie
teachers fn the rooms. The teachers nave
their hands fun with the normally con-
h' !.f,Tnerin-ents in other places have
shown that the mental iuefficienCy OF the
pupil is generally attributable 10 physlcal
causes. If that Is the case, experts VINO
give the matter careful study viii be
able 10 attend TO the physical faults and
thus restore the mentality. We nave
lust started into the work, but feel con-
fident that the board of education VIII
nd once take steps TO put this important
matter to the front in the schools Of salt
Lake
FtrIlcted bv the board members to com
nile more figures for their guidance I'm the
Establishment of a system which Will
mean much to the children who fall un-
der this class.
rv1s matter has been taken up with
Professor j. T. kingsouIy and others OF
4Ee University of Utah, who have gwen
assurance 90 members of the board or
-l5-,r9+f-7 that the university will do ave
erything in it's power to aid the public
schools On this work.