New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-12
LITTLE BLIND GIRL IS
CHAMPION CAKE MAKER
Viola Proves Her Title at ExhI-
bition Held in Education
Board Rooms.
SPECIAL CLASSES AT WORK
Sightless Children Do Many
Wonderful Things to Show
the Great Value of Par
ticular Training.

How many nine-year-od schoolgirls
with perfectly good eyes could make
= chocolate cake all by themselves for
Sunday tea? Viola does it, and Viola is
blind.
Viola was one Of ffty-six blind boys
and girls from the special classes in the
public schools who gave an exhibition at
the Board VI Education Building ycster-
day What did they do? What didn
they do? They danced folk dances; they
jumped the rope. and ran races. and wen,
through complicated gymnastics. they
wrote on typewriters and with pencils
and with Braille machines they de-
claimed from Shakespeare. and worked
examples i'm arithmetic. and bounded
states. and picked out rivers and cities
on maps they had made themselves with
cushions and little brass tacks.
And Viola in little white cap and apron
showed what a nice housewife a little
nine-year-old blind girl could be. First
they brought out a dolls bed and sheets
and blankets. and Viola made up the bed
neatly and smoothly Then she set the
table for supper. spreading the cloth and
putting all the china and silver exactly
I'm place with her quick little hands,
which seemed almost as II they could see
And then she made mullins for supper
From a table before her. laden with -four
and baking powder and shortening and
no
lccted the right things unerringly, meas
uring and stirring-and never spilled a
drop. She couldn't bake her mullins, be-
cause there wasn't any stove, but sine
creased the pans and put the batter IN
and then her teacher led her away. amid
applause.
Viola is young TO he having lessons in
domestic science" said Miss Gertrude b.
Bingham. director OF the work for the
blind in the public schools. but the blind
children are allowed these manual
branches earlier than sighted children
Work like this teaches them to use their
hands
Viola's mother, proud a 5 could be OF hei
little daughter, was there, and II was
she who told how Viola made the cake
for Sunday tea. Miss Bingham said the
progress made by Niola-who demon
stated Yesterday that she could typeWrite
and do many things besides cook-waS
really wonderful considering that she
had had no teaching at all before Pubic
School l57. in Brooklyn. found her ano
took her IN hand.
There are thirteen schools in greater
New York where blind children arr
taught. and in each one there is Z
,peCiai teacher for them, though thel
study and play with the sighted children
-Four years ago. when Miss Bingham cam'
here TO introduce the work ABSOLUTELY
nothing was done for blind children eX
cept In institutions. There was no place
for them in New York's school system
Here and there. tucked away in tene'
ments. scores Of them sat in darkness
learning nothing.
Now. several Of them are sTadrauns
with honor this year Two blind boys
who are graduating from high school leaC
their classes. \ pretty girl who detained
some Of Portals lines from the Mei'
chant Of Venice" Yesterday IL GRADUATING
second in her class.
And nearly all the credit FOR this work
with the blind children. city Superin-
tendent Maxwell said in an Introductory
talk at The demonstration. is due Miss
Bingham But Miss Bingham said she
.ould nave done nothing without her tnr-
teen special teachers.
\ number u sighted Children came with
the blinG ones and took part la theiI
games. Just AS they do recesses IN
school The blind onesswere Of all ages
rom kindergarten babies ny 10 the III
grade Smallest and dearest of all Is
Harold a curly haired fye-Vear-old. who
only entered kindergarten last Thursday
Alfred. tiny boy. Just little older
showed the visitors how he folded paper
10 make lines he could feel and ther
wrote on it neatly with a pencil
The children came from Schools l., %
20. 10. III, l06, in Manhattan, and 50, 80
j2i. AZ. l57. Brooklyn. and - in Queens.