Newark post., 1910-04-20

and the pupil will afterwards be |
able to stay in the regular grades :
and in many cases be able to re-
gain most, if not all, the ground he
has lost. In any event he can
make sufficient progress to be
able to care for himself when he
leaves school. For him no special
school is necessary. for he is prop
erly speaking, not mental defec-
tive.
| If the retardation is due to a lack
of family environment, poor at
tendance, and poor nutrition, he
is plainly not to be cared for in the
regular grade. Although he is
not a mental detective, he is so
much retarded that it almost
amounts to defect, and he must
be sent to school where he may
receive special attention, and
where he may receive the care,
foe d and training the home has
failed to give. 49,,
If he belongs to that unfortu-
nate class of imbeciles of high
order, special school is the only
place in which he can be cared for.
i,nbeciles need the attention oi
highly trained teachers and spec
ial school room in which is rro-
vided the apparatus necessary to
their training, This training is at
first OF almost purely motor char
acter and its ultimate aim is to
prepare at least part of the pupils
to enter the regular grades. -..~...~
| There is still another class OF
pupils the school has to deal with.
They may be physically normal,
| and seemingly So mentally. but
they are habitual truants, and seem
i'll other ways morally irresponsi-
| Bile. For these there must be
| special schools in which the work
is the same as in the regular
grades, except that the discipline
is strict but kind and attendance is
! strictly enforced.
If in a truant school bov
shows himself decidedly moral
pervert, he should be removed to
d reform school. A boy who is a
truant is not necessarily moral
pcrvert, and it is not we'll either
for his sclf-respcct or his reform to
indiscriininately class him with
perverts.
| have endeavored to show the
causes of retardation and have IL
dicated the four classes OF special
schols that are needed to meet the
situation. In New Nork again the
actual working OF this system may
} be shown. There are special
schools ior those who are rctard-
ed because of poor environment
or previous poor attendance.
There are separate special schools
for the true mental detectives. The
sexes are not necessarily separ-
: ated i'll these Two schools and the
aim is TO prepare the pupils
through the special training to en-
ter the regular grades again
There are special schools for tru-
ants and as soon as a pupil shows
marked Improvement he is put
back into the regular grades on
: probation. There are special
schools for moral perverts and in
/ corrigibles to which children may
: be committed by juvenile Judge,
, and released on parole when they
: show Improvement. New York
has not made the mistake of plac.
ing backward. defective, truant,
, and incorrigible children indiscri-
ninateiy i'll one school, as some
+ cities have done and are now I'M
, doing. Each class requires diff
: ternt treatment and it is only when
segregated and trained according
: to intelligent methods that society
can aid these unfortunates. Iii
, passing may say that the COM
t puisorv school law is in Our own
: State. while on the whole good. is
: seriously defective in providing
I that truants shall be committed to
r the Ferris Reform School there to
S be confined with negroes. house
Y breakers and other incorrigibles