The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-05
Recital of Its Purposes, Its Methods
of Work and its Management
by supt Vance and
Reporter.
is LOCATED AT vINToN
College Supported by the State But
it is Not an AsyIum-ls
Well Appointed School,
A Real College.

vinton Eagle: The article following
this preface was prepared by Superin-
tendent Vance of the college and re-
porter of the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
It is one of the best articles regarding
the school that has appeared for a
long time. 1t is we'll written and COW
ers all the material points. By read
ing it you will gain a full knowledge
of the purposes of the school; its
method of operation and its manage
ment. We are sorry it can not be
read by all the people of the state.
The college for the blind is one of the
most complete blind schools in the
United States. 1t has always been
well managed. The former trustees
of the school took personal inter-
est in it's success There has been
but little change in its management
for the past twenty-five years. The
late Supt T. F. McCune was an assist
ant principal before he was promoted
to the principalship, the position he
filled for so land ond so acceptably.
He has been succeeded by Superin-
tendent Vance, who is trained school
man, having served in the school OF
Linn county for so many years,
and also serving as county superin-
Sc fIo% txr
years. While under the superin
tendency of Mr. McCune the school
won the first places at the exposition
at Philadelphia and New Orleans
and was shut out at the exposition
at Chicago because the other blind
schools of the country would not
exhibit unless the Iowa school was
barred.
1t seems like a shame when the
state has prepared so magnificent q
school that 1t is not taken advantage
of by every parents of blind child
or a child whose sight is so defec
tive as to prevent it from attending
a seeing school. The lay is very
liberal in its construction and appli
cation. SO that no child in Iowa neeG
be without an education. If it can
not attend seeing school it can at
tend the school for the blind
A few friends have now interested
themselves in having enacted a new
law that will tend greatly in raising
the attendance both at this schoo
and at the school for the deaf Fol
lowing is the article to which We
alluded:
The college for the blind is sup
ported by the state But the insti
tuition is not an asylum. 1t is {
well appointed school-a real col
I lege, that offers to the blind sucf
advantages as they cannot Obtain
/ elsewhere in Iowa The school yea
! is similar to any other school year
it begins the first of September ant
ends about the thirty-frst of May
when the pupils leave for their home;
for the summer.
j 1t is, of course. permissible tina
students enter at any time durin,
/ the school year, but the schoo
F +
plating attendance that they take VI
the work at the beginning of the year
for in so doing they make the creates
progress themselves and help the gen
eral progress of the school.
Every effort is made to give thor
ough instruction One needs only t,
glance at the course of study to under
stand that the institution is a colleg
that aims to give its students a goo
education The curriculum embrace
raised print, point system, arithmetic
spelling, geography, history, grammar
natural philosophy. algebra, rhetoric
4 physiology. civil government, geome
try. English and American literature
i political economy and Latin.
Music is one of the principa
things taught at the college for tn
blind The department Of music |
supplied with two dozen pianos, pip
organ, cabinet organ, and violins
guitars, bass viols, brass instruments
and everything needed to give an
musically inclined student good edr
cation on the instrument of his choice
The sc lool does not lose sight of tn
industrial training of it's students.
is expected of every student that h
or she will take up some phase of II
dustry and become proficient therein
In the industrial department there ar
taught: Bead work, cane seating
knitting, fancy work, hand sewing, ms
chine sewing, broom making, carpe
weaving, netting and piano tuning
And the blind or near blind pupils VIII
take up industrial studies become jus
as proficient as seeing persons.
The college authorities this yea
began instruction in manual training
Work bench and tools have beel
added to the equipment and the ia
ent which many of the students pos
sess will be encouraged and developed
The manual training equipment will b.