The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-12
NJ LYMAN BEECHER STOWE.

OF the Board OF EuucatloH Hne
started upon O gigantic task OF
social salvage and the saving OF
human waste. The number Of mentally
defective, abnormal or feeble MINDED
children Of school age In the city has
been variously estimated at from 5000
to 5000. The larger figure Is probably
more nearly correct.
Until recently these unfortunate and
Irresponsible children were hanging like
millstones upon the regular school
classes, committing petty depredations
IN the public streets and parks and maxi
ing life uncomfortable for their dis
tressed and bewildered parents. They.
In their turn, were made constantly
more wretched. sullen and desperate by
the demands Of their parents. their
teachers and sometimes the police. that
they do things to them utterly impos'
sible or stop doing things which they
we're equally unable to avoid.
They were ordered to keep silent and
they could not. They were ordered to
sit still, and they could not. They were
ordered to master abstract sums In arith-
metic. and they could not. Appreciation
being to them even more than to normal
children the very breath Of life, they
received nothing but denunciation. fire.
ouently accompanied by kicks and
blows from ignorant and tired parents.
Finding the upward strait and mar
row path Of industry and virtue for
them impossibleS many Of these un-
,hAppy youngsterA turned I'd the. easy
downward path Of crime. In ever
greater numbers they sulleniy trooped
through the courts into the reforma-
tories and the prisons. Thus were thou.
sands Of them yearly offered up as vic.
Tins on society's altar Of unconscious
cruelty.
These poor children, as speedily al
they can be Identified by Miss Elizabeth
FARRELL and her staff. are now being seq.
regated into classes Of their own In which
they are taught in the only way the,
can be taught. by teachers especially
fitted for the task both by temperament
and training. OF such classes there are
now $50 OF Is children each. In some
Of these classes are the hopelessly fee.
bic minded children for whom the mos,
pied and happy. For them self-suppor,
care for life a necessity.
'
m0rons-the highest grade Of feeble
minded-who may as manual workers
become self-sustaining. happy and, In
their humble way, useful citizens
Among the latter are constantly found q
certain number Of children who prove to
Be. after greater or less period Of
proper care and training. perfectly
normal and sometimes even bright and
promising. Being starved or neglected
and abused or merely different from
most children, they were insists in a
system which in its very nature can
take little account Of individual peculi-
arities and needs.
One Of the most interesting Of these
ungraded classes Is at Public School r.
ON the lower East Side in Manhattan
This class is in large, We lighted room
labelled THE Work Shop" Here are
gathered together fifteen seemingly in
corrigible little toughs, who in the regu-
lar classes. themselves learning nothing
had prevented others from learning
many Of whom had gained at tender
years an infamous notoriety for driving
to desperation their parents. their
teachers and even the police.
I found these desperate characters
all busily, contentedly, yes-happily EN-.
ployed. They were Gaming chairs (and
thus saving the city rs cents a chair)
making tabourets. tool chests. book
shelves and all manner Of things. They
were also at work upon the three Rs
but In a manner so different that one
would hardly recognize them.
A class in arithmetic is for instance
thus thrillingly disguised. A large
square Is drawn upon the blackboard
and subdivided into small squares Eact
small square is given number and an
other number is placed over the centre
Of the large square. Then. two teams
Of boys. known respectively as the
Giants and the Red Socks, line up on 6
chalk mark a certain number Of pace!
away and throw a rubber ball at thu
numbered squares.
After each shot the thrower multiplie'
the number Of the square he hit by thu
number over the large square and tina
IL put. down as the number Of points
scored for his team. Each member o.
each team has a certain number O
shots and the team making the highes
score wins. Miss Shaw. the teacher
who. by the way. appears to enjoy thu
proceedings as much as the boys. toll