Evening journal., 1913-01-28

Auhibs Nhcil iidh VI Aht Btid " al Z
Commission for the Blind, has sub
nitted to the General Assembly the
eport Of the census Of detectives in
Delaware. The report says there are
6S blind, 157 deaf and 1863 feeble
minded persons in the state State
i'd is asked for the detectives and
lready State Senator Reinhardt has
bill appropriating SO a
week for the support of ten of the
Hind persons who are learning trades
The commissions report follows:
To the Hon. the General Assem-
bly,, Dover. Delaware.
Gentlemen: Pursuant to a res
olution of the General Assembly
Of 1911 this Commission has made
a thorough canvas of all defec-
tives, the blind. the deaf mute and
the feeble-minded. in the State
and begs to present herewith
their report on this subject:
The canvas was made in the
following manner: During the
summer Of 1911 we we're FORUM
ately able to secure the services
Of an expert on this subject who
is an instructor in one of the
great schools for detectives. He
covered rural New Castle. Kent
and Sussex counties. Though the
difficulties we're great and the ter
ritory large, automobiles and car
riages were used to the best adj
vantage and it is believed his fig
ures include very large portion
Of the actual conditions. During
the spring Of 1912 Wilmington was
thoroughly blocked by a woman
canvasser. The difficulties in as
pertaining reliable and complete
records are to be taken into con-
sideration in this connection; the
defective is generally considered
reproach or a modification 10
most people and is therefore kept
in the background and in some
cases sedulously secretod; we
have even had a doctor whose
child was afflicted with Retinitis
Pigmantosa an incurable and
fatal malady to the eyesight de-
clare there was nothing the mat
ter with the girls eyes On the
teeble-minded there were no pre-
vous figures whatever. On the
blind and the deaf the u. S. census
statistics were found to be very
imperfect and we have been able
to furnish the bureau of statis-
tics a much more reliable and
complete record of the Delaware
detectives.
The record of the results Of the
canvas was made in a card file.
each card bearing the name and
address, color, lge. cause of de-
feet, degree, period. education be-
fore and after and treatment and
report OF such other data as seem
ed useful. This file is preserved
in this Office and may be inspected
by persons interested in the sub
ject. A schedule of the results Is
herwith appended classified as
follows: Male and female, black
and white location Wilmington,
rural New Castle, Kent and Sus-
sex counties, four classifications
of ages. viz, infants up to six
years. children six TO twenty-one
years, adults twenty-one TO fifty
and the aged, fifty and over.
This schedule shows the follow
ing general facts:
The blind of record are two
hundred and eighty-six (2S6), of
which the number of infants are
u. children of school age 35.
adults of working age so and the
aged 179. Eleven children in spe-
cial schools for the blind.
The deaf of record are total Of
one hundred and fifty seven (150
of which the infants are 16, school
age 50. working age So and the
aged "a. Fifteen children are in
special schools for the deaf
The Predetermined of record are
total of three hundred and sixty
nine 1861. OF which Is are in
fants, school age 207. working
age 109 and the aged &c. Four
teen inmates in institutions for
the feeble-minded.
The u. S. census of 1910 gives
the number of blind 1873. of these
SO names we're on our old records,
80 we're new names, 10 names not
located at all or dead or removed
or erroneous reports Of blindness
in both eyes. Our old records
contained Ga names not on the
census and the present canvas
adds 81 new names. The U. S. cen
sus contained the names Of So
deaf mutes; there we're no pre-
vious records and the present
canvas adds 102 new names. In
the case of the feeble-minded
there we're no previous re-
cords and this class was not
counted in the L. S. cencus.
Professor Johnston, OF Vineland,
\. j., an expert upon the subject
Of this class of detectives stated
he would expect to find four hun
dred mentally defective persons
beside the insane and unimprov-
able classes, which checks our
enumeration to satisfactory de-
gree.
State Aid Small.
The conclusion forced upon us
by a consideration of these sta
tistics is that Delaware is doing
very little for these her less for
tunate fellow citizens Under the
statute for the education of blind
children IL blind children are at
/, tending school out of a total OF
30, Is deaf children are receiving
these advantages out Of total oil
81. When 1t is considered that the
Importance Of an education to Z
blind or deaf child is far greater
than to a normal one. and the in