The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-05-08
IN BEHALF OF BLIND BABIES
First state Law Providing For Their
Care Maintenance and Education.

FIRST state Law IrOVlO1ng FOr lnelr
Care, Maintenance and Education.
During the sessions OF the last
Legislature no bill created more In
terest or enthusiasm than that
known as the Blind Baby Bill, in
troduced in the Assembly by Assem-
blyman Speaker, of st. Lawrence
county, and in the Senate by Sena-
tor Coats of Franklin county.
Not long ago, this paper publish
ed short item stating that the only
institution in the United States Civ
ing proper care to blind babies from
the day they are blinded, was estab-
lished and is maintained by the In
ternational Sunshine Society, a phil
anthropic newspaper association, of
which Mrs. Cynthia Westover Alden,
writer and publisher, is president
general Now the Catholic Institute
will care for the Catholic blind.
Several years ago, Mrs. Alden, in
the rounds of her newspaper work,
discovered that there was no pro-
vision for blind babies in the State
of New York under the age of eight
years; that is. the Commissioner of
Education could not appoint blind
child under eight to any educational
institution for care.
On further investigation she
learned that children blinded in in
fancy could not live to the age of
eight without special care and not
become hopelessly idiotiC or feeble
minded; that children of the poor
blinded in early infancy were rele-
gated to the idiot departments or
public institutions, or to the poor
house in county districts, where
,i1lyaJ tbpir avaG with thpir
fingers, bumped their heads against
the wall, pounded themselves with
their little fists, until some injury
would result in the baby dying. Or,
if the child lived, it met a worse
fate-mental blindness. The queer
actions of the child led the general
public to jump at the conclusion that
it was an idiot, when it was simply a
little soul trying to find itself, and
no friendly hand extended in help.
Little Racnel was taken from
Randall's Island when a tiny little
thing, where she had been sent be-
cause of having had spinal menin-
gifts, also measles, which left her
blind. From the hospital there she
was taken by the International Sun
shine Society and put with other de-
pendent blind children that could
be collected, all thrown away by the
public as not worth saving.
Eighty-two of these little folks
were given the best possible nursing
under graduate nurses, the best
training under graduate kindergart-
ners, with the result that only two
failed to respond mentally-one was
little boy who had bumped his
head against the wall until he got
it ont of shape.
The next thing was to get the
world to understand that it should
at least give its blind babies the
care that it was giving dumb ami
mails. The Society got a bill
through the Legislature in 1905
which provided for the dependent
New York City children. That was
four years ago. But the blind bab-
les outside of the city had no pro.
lection, so the Seaker-Coats bill just
signed by Governor Dix gives the
State Commissioner of Education
power to see that blind children are
educated and cared for from the
day they are blinded, appointed, not
committed, to an institution for
care.
Little Rachel is only one of eigh.
ty or more children who have been
educated IN Ine Bllnu BdDleS home
demonstrating the fact that they
needed only care to prove them.
selves bright, normal, healthy
youngsters.
The story of Rachel Askenas, ter
years old and blind, and how she
lobbied for the Blind Babies Bill
probably has no parallel in interes
and sentiment in the annals of the
State Legislature.
1t appealed with additional force
to the people of Troy for the reason
that a Trojan, Seymur Van SAINT
voOrd, the Governors legal adviser
figured conspicuusly in the steps
that marked the progress of the
measure. In fact, the little blinC
girl selected Mr.. Van Santvoord a!
her special champion, and a strong
attachment sprang up between them
He has in his possession letters anC
photographs sent to him by Rache
from time to time that he values
highly and will ever cherish as me
mentOs of one of the happiest anC
most impressive incidents of hi
career.
THE HOBO-WHY?
Every country newspaper publish