The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-06
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ALABAMA SCHOOL
 FOR THE BLIND
By A. E. PAGE, Pastor of East Birmingham Baptist

| Ie AlaDalla SCHOOL TOT the Bil0u IS SlN- uated at Talladega, and is one of the | most important schools in the state, be- l cause 1t affords training to a class of students who cannot be reached in the
 usual way.
 It is incumbent upon t1e state to edu- cate it's blind, its deaf and dumb and Alabama has recognized this fact; hence, the Alabama School for the Blind has | been established for a number of years at Talladega, where the unfortunate blind may receive the same education that is given in our public schools The school for the blind is situated in the suburbs of the beautiful ante-bellum town of Talladega, surrounded by great oaks and elms with a large, expansive campus. in which grow quite a variety of flowers. It is only about mile walk from the city and is well worth the ex- ertion of a visit
 It Is impossible in a short article of this kind to do justice to the work done in this institution, and I shall not at- tempt to say everything that might be said.
 The pupils all board in the dormitory. where they are cared for by their teach CTS and the others in charge of the school
 The days work begins promptly at 8 o'clock, when the school assemblies in the chapel for devotional services. The devotional servicey consist of Bible read ing and the Lords Prayer set to music From the chapel the pupils go into the school rooms, where the days work be- gins in earnest
 There are three departments: Intellect ual, industrial and musical The super intendent of the school Prof F. H. Man hing, teaches advanced mathematics It is Interesting to a person with two good eyes to try to imagine how those blind students manage mathematics Most of the work in mathematics is mental how ever, they use the Braille system, which takes the place of the tablet and pencil. In geometry each student is furnished large cushion and a short piece of wSre to each end of which is fixed a pencil and with these wires and pencils they draw thesgeometric figures on the cushions. It is worth @ days Journey from Birmingham to Talladega simply to know the manner in which these blind students solve geometrical propositions. To see them feeling with chalk, wire and pencil for curves, angles and straight iHoS IS 'oACSeulHBly interesting. They seem to understand geometry, algebra and arithmetic as well as the average stu dent with two good eyes.
 But how person born blind can ever imagine how a straight line looks, or what curve is or an angle Is myster- ious to the visitor There Is not a dull moment in the recitation rooms; one is kept continually busy trying to solve what the pupil will do next. It ia wonderful n ia int fa1r !. l. children in their studies, especially math- ematics
 Can the blind study geography? Well, they do 1t anyway. They cannot see the map but they can feel it, for they use the raised map The class is ar ranged about the map, the teacher call ing the name of river, mountain, lake or city The pupils locate 1t on the map as readily as the public school pu- pil would. The class In geography seems to be as well posted as the average class in the public schools
 Of course 1t is not hard for us to see how these blind children can study Eng fish literature. With the Hraille sys- tenn and the raised letter system for the blind they soon learn to read readily if the training is begun in childhood.
 Helen Keller Is an illustration of what blind mute can accomplish in the way Ol tdllulc anu CduCdllOU. Ind BTedIeSL difficulty in the education of the blind is in learning the Braille system and the raised letter system but when once mas tered it Is never forgotten.
 Then sense of touch in these little fel- lows is very keen. Think of running ones finger ends over sheet of paper with 10000 holes punched in 1t and distin- gushing one group of holes from another, yet this is what every child must learn if he goes to the Alabama School for the Blind.
 The musical department is conducted by Miss Julia Champion and Messrs A. w. and T. L. Williams, who are also blind These teachers are themselves very fine musicians and apt at teaching They have chorus composed of the entire school. There is a magnificent pipe or- gan in the chapel and several of the pu- pills are taking lessons on the pipe or gan.
 Probably the greatest musical prodigy of the world was Blind Tom, the negro musician. He never had the opportunity of studying at a school for the blld. or any other school but hisf ability as musician was a gift There has been. however, quite a number of young men and women graduated from this insti- tuition for the blind who have been very fine musicians.
 lh tne lhuustrlal department With Mr. Charles Petty as master of the shops. the boys are taught to make collars, | brooms, to bottom chairs, etc. MT. Pet ty himself is totally blind but he is a genius in his way. Under him the boys are taught every useful trade that it is possible for blind person to follow. Many of the boys are being taught l the tuning and repairing trade Profes- sor George s. Ham, a graduate of the Philadelphia School for the Blind. IS teaching this useful trade. In his room he has models of grand upright and square pianos. in several of which new pieces have been made and placed by the pupils
 Co ordinate v'ih the industrial class fol the boys, khe girls also are taught