Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-29

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Dected that many OF these children
thus eliminated from the schools really
discontinue because of mental incapaci-
~ to acquire common school educa-
ton.
The present investigation, as well as
others elsewhere, indicates that of this
class of pupils, with limited mental ca
pacity, there is seriously large num-
| bcr--largcr indeed than has generally
been suspected even by those closely
observing teachers who have recog-
niZcd the existence Of the defective
class.
NO ENCOURAGEMENT
The stimulating encouragement which
comes from the smiling word of cheer
full approbation--thnt natural food of
child growth, and common heritage Of
normal child lifc-is largely denied the
sub-normnl child IN the regular schools.
SO manifestly inferior ne is among his
more favored classmates, that even the
sympathetic teacher who seeks to rive
the needed encouragement finds it df-
iicult to select words OF praise that are
| obviously Il fabrication.
| Furthermore, each day OF class rcci-
tatons is n depressing demonstration
OF their inability to progress with their
| classmates. Added to this Is the oc-
| casional Snub or slam" Of playmates
1 :.
inevitably becomes the suhnnrmal child
| A common historical attitude of many
| teachers is found to be il! error to {,
| serious degree. Teachers frequently
F! have presumed. and institute lecturers
| have often declared. that If every child
| in Il class does not progress satisfac-
| torly enough for promotion, then either
| the child should be punished or the
| teachers ability should be discredited.
| =
| have worried much over their inability
| 10 advance their mentally defective chill
| dren, and impatient teachers have i'll
treated many an unfortunate child be-
cause lie failed to do that which he
was by nature totally incapable of do
| ing These pedagogical attitudes must
now be modified. at least TO some cx
tent, in the minds of school teachers.
NEW CLASSIFICATION.
1t is with reluctance that some
what new though tentative classified
ton of subnormal children is here pro-
posed. SO many classiiications have
been given. ana the same common
terms nave been used in such variety
OF different meanings. that any new
attempt ut classification would seem
but to add confusion to confusion.
In Justification. however. we may de-
clare one belief that this proposed clas-
sification in some respects comes near
or to the pedagogical outlook of the
teacher and hence more disable and use
full in the school room. than perhaps
others have been found to be. Fur
thermore. each new attempt to analyZc
and define classification types will prob
ably hasten the time when leading
specialists will get together and adopt
q generally acceptable classification.
Inasmuch as scholastic training in
hooklearning has proved to be largely
failure with subnormal children the
natural conclusion is that, if feasible.
these children should be provided with
some other kind OF training. Since they
are incapable of receiving anywhere
nearly proper benefit from ordinary in
struction in regular classes, their evil
dent need is individual training in
special classes, where they may be
treated in agreement with their develop
mental possibilities.
Nothing is more fundamental among
accepted legal conceptions than that q
man Is not held accountable for acts
either of omission or of commission
when they are beyond the control OF
human will. An invalid husband is not
punishable for failure to provide for his
family. The weak and infirm IN times
of war are not held subject to conscrlp-
ton. The child under seven years
OF age is incapable Of committing crime
however criminal like be his acts
Even insane murder goes unpublished,
Yet, with blind injustice. compulsory
school attendance laws drive mentally
deficient children into the school room
for the purpose of trying to fiji their
dry mouths with dry bread. Then IL
tho child rcscnts this treatment, he Is
punished as Il truant or an incorriGiblc.
The fact that there Is such Il thing
as subnormality in mental capacity,
compcls the conclusion that until the
law shall take consistent cogniZnncc
Of this fact, our compulsory school at
tendance must be laws frciglted with
signal injustice.
Whatever be our definition of tho ed
ucational aim, we observe, so far as
mentally subnormal children are con
cerncd. most wretched craftsmanship.
Whether we consider the common
school training in its aim as cultural,
disciplinary. social, or vocational. In
any case the common means and meth
DDS when used with mentally defective
children, far oer-shOot the mark.
Tho conclusion hero forced upon us
Is, that such wild craftsmanship is un.
worthy of our modern civilization, and
calls for immediate rcctlhcation.
SERIOUSLY QUESTIONED.
That common school education IL
essential to individual success and to
the social requirements of good citi-
Zenship Is n proposition that has been
seriously questioned. Conclusive evil
dencc, however. has been lacking. The
fact that boys have left the schools
early, ana have made good" in life
without n complete common school cdu
cation, has hud two loop holes In the
argument: in the first place, such boys
may have secured, out of school and
without a teacher, practically the same
training AS Is given In school with n
teacher: and, in the second place, such
boys may have been OF supcrnormal
mentality. and hence lcss in need of |
school training than ordinary children.
Now, however, observations III the |
field OF mental deficiency seem to COM
pei the conclusion, with final evidence,
that the above proposition has been
rightly questioned. The fact that boys
who are mentally incapable Of acquir-
ing a common school education seem
to DO industrially and socially eff |
ficient In practical life throws bomb
shell into the ranks Of those teachers
who are clinging tenaciously to the
booklsh education Of scholarship train
ing. The currculn Of the common |
schools ns Mt present organized may |
be needful training for boollkccperS,
bank accountants, brokers, engineers. |
latvyerS sphySicinns teachers, scholars, |