The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-03-01
Have You a Blind Baby?

Until a few years ago there was
no institution fully equipped for the
care, maintenance and education of
the baby blind. But now there is an
exceptionally fine one, known as the
Arthur Home for Blind Babies, on
Pinegrove Avenue, Summit, N. j. 1t
is a large stone building, with nur-
sery, hospital, home and kindergarten
departments.
There are twenty-five children there
already. The kindergarten teachers
are graduates. The Hospital Depart
ment is headed with one of the best
graduate nurses to be found, with
trained nurses the hospital staff is
composed of the best surgeons and
doctors of the country
The institution is maintained by the
International Sunshine society, the
largest philanthropic newspaper club
in the world. Headquarters, SO Fifth
Avenue, New York City, n. Y. Orlgi-
nally all the members were newspa-
per writer's, but since the dues are ons
ly kind deeds, the ranks have been
Joined by good people from all parts
of the country. These newspaper
workers discovered there was DO pro
vision for blind babies; that they
were put in the Poor Houses of the
different counties, or sent to the Idiot
Departments or Institutions for Fee
BILE Minded.
Mrs. Cynthia Westover Alden, a
newspaper writer and editor, is the
president of this society, and right
! fully maintains that we have no right
to assume that a child has no brains
because it is blind The society has
proven that If proper care and train
ing is given, the blind baby will
grow up into a beautiful normal,
health-loving child, with the exception
that it has no eyesght. The socie-
ty took the so-branded idiots and fee
| BILE minded from the different states,
put them in the institution and gave
them the best care and training that
could be secured, and has proved the
| truth OF Mrs. Aldens statement, for
out Of eighty-two children supposed
to be beyond all help, only two failed
to respond to the training.
It has also been discovered that the
mortality among the blind babies is
something alarming The light hun
ger Is greater than that of food, and
the blind babies, instead of sucking
their thumbs, dig their little fingers
into the eyes and rub for the light
Chat never comes) until the eye is
injured, and as a result often blood
poisoning sets in and the baby dies.
When the Summit Home was open
ed, of the thirty.one children on the
! list. when the workers began to pre-
pare the Home, only one could be
found. Not one OF the children now
in the home. were on the list for adj
mission when the Home was opened
Love and money will not save a
blind baby's mind. The very mother
love that hugs the baby closer and
closer to her, is the greatest enemy
the child can have. Daily, the moth
er will see her baby grow more feeble
and feeble right under her eyes. il
takes a graduate nurse to carry out
| the doctors orders as to its physical
care, and 1t takes a graduate kinder
] SUI Ah'A w AlNlh inc Illllu Alldl huOulI
be trained daily, yes, hourly. The
mother can no more save her blind
baby from becoming feeble in mind
than she can give il college educa.
ton and do her other duties at the
same time.
II you know OF a blind baby. tel
the parents of this institution, where
l Do can no cout and no eavad from GROW
ing up feeble in mind and crippled
physically.
Letters directed to Mrs. Cynthia
Westover Alden, SO Fifth Avenue
New York City, PresidentGeneral. IN
ternational Sunshine Society or &c
Mrs. Kate Coleman. Superintendent o
the Summit Home for Blind Babies
Pinegrove Tvenue, Summit, ~ j., vii
receive prompt attention