The Washington herald., 1912-09-28

and 81 at the College Of the City of
New York for the special purpose of
discussing THE Problem Of the Excep-
tional Child" Philander p. Claxton
United States Commissioner OF Educa-
ton, will be the presiding officer and the
topics to come before the conference in
clude: The exceptionally bright child:
the retarded child, and rational human
eugencics.
The entire conference will be devoted
to a recognition of the educational and
social rights of the handicapped normal
child and will be a distinct protest
against the agitation OF the alarmists,
who endeavor to confine public attention
to the feeble minded and degenerate.
Some of the foremost educators, medical
specialists, social workers, and leaders
OF thought in other fields will be pres
ent and read papers on the various
phases Of this great and all-important
problem, and the conference invites the
attention Of all parents. teachers, ply
sicians. students of social problems, and
charity workers.
Attention is called to the fact that
there are at present about 100000 ex-
ceptional children in this country.
Constant Danger Seen.
The committee in charge Of the con-
ference argues that while 1t is perfectly
evident that sufficient provisions must
be made for truly abnormal children. as
their presence in society constitutes a
constant danger, II Is obvious that II is
even more important to save the po-
tentially normal child from sliding down.
ward in the scale of development, on
account of preventable handicaps. and
from becoming fixed charge on the
community. And while the percentage
of the strictly abnormal children is
small, certainly not exceeding 3 per cent
of the entire school population. which
number of atypical and subnormal chill
dren is very large. so that 25 per cent
or 100000 individuals would be a con-
servative estimate.
The subnormal child is subdivided into
three classes by the conference, and in
cludes defective children; children of ar
rested development. and children of rudi-
mentary or atavistic development. The
group of defective children includes
hereditary and congenital causes. such
as epileptics blind, deaf and dumb, de-
formed paralytics, crippled. &c. The
class Of children of arrested development
include children born apparently normal,
but having their development checked
by hereditary causSs; by special causes.
as diseases. fright. accidents. &C. The
group of children of rudimentary or alta
vistic development is stated to be the
primitive type, representing mental,
moral. and social instincts and activities
on the savage, barbarian. or generally
uncivilized level; primitive races. alta
vistic individuals.
Institution Maintained.
The board of trustees of the National
Association, June IA. 1911. maintains an
Institute for Atypical Children which
was founded April l. 1900. by DR.. Maxi
milan P. E. Grosmann. and is located
at watching Crest" Plainfeld, N. ].
The institute is named "Herbart Hail."
in honor of the great German philoso-
pher. Johann Friedrich Herbart, who
was the father of modern child psychol-
ogy. and whose teachings have vastly
influenced the development of Ameri-
can education. The school had original
ly been named after Dr. Groszman in
recognition Of his gift, and because he
was the first educator who evolved the
perspective of the problem Of the ex-
ceeptional child.
Scientists who have made a study of
the typical child say that there are in
stitutions in many places for feeble
minded children and for other plainly
abnormal classes.b ut there are many
thousands OF children who are practically
normal. except in tone, in tune, or in
the rhythm and time of their develop
ment. Many suffer very largely from
slight physical defects. or vary from the
average human type only to a small ex-
tent There are even exceptionally bright
children who either have latent powers
Of excellnce hidden under various condi-
tions of handicap or who are the vic
Tins Of an unstable nervous equilibrium
Usually, they are allowed to draw on
through ordinary schools public or pri-
vate, or outside Of them, without receiv-
ing the expert individual attention which |
they SO imperatively need.
Children Loosely Chased.
In only too many instances they are |
loosely classed with defective and ab- |
normal children andp laced in institu-
tions ill-suited for their particular con-
ditions. Some times in the homes Of 1
wealthy, such children are placed under |
private tutorship which. however, is
rarely competent, since the study and
better understanding Of these cases is q |
matter Of profound scientific experience. !