Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1914-12-24
THE STATE SCHOOL
FOR The BLIND
Interesting Facts From the
Bathgate Institution

Bismarck, Dec. 23.-(SpeciaD. -
OF the many institutions under the
direct management of the board of
control, one of the most interesting
reports comes from the School for the
Blind, located at Bathgate. This
school was established by an act of
the legislature in 1895 and was
opened for reception of students on
February 1S, 1908.
The report shows that there were
81 pupils enrolled for the 19131914
year and that since the school has
opened there have been SO students
enrolled, good many of them having
graduated and, after leaving the
school, becoming self-supporting, and
all of them in every way superior to
their condition when they entered.
TO be eligible to entry to the
school, the prospective student must
be between the ages of Z and 21
years. 1t has been found in every
state where it has been tried that it
is not possible to successfully operate
school and home for the aged
blind or a hospital for the invalid
blind under the same management.
The instruction given is along liter
ary, industrial and musical lines, all
of which the blind seem to have a
peculiar adaptability for. One grad
uate of the school now has position
! in a school for the blind in a neigh
| boring state where he is instructor
| in industrial work, and another grad
uate is making big success in the
business of piano tuning. When it is
considered that it has been estimated
that it costs the state $4,000 to care
for one non-supporting blind person,
it will be seen that, figured from the
financial side alone, it is great saw
ing to operate the school. Under the
present management, the average
c1ft per capita for the students it
$4S3 per,year. There is another con-
| liberation to i,e membered, and that
is that since the opening Of the school
up to the present time all running ex-
penses, repairs and some improve
ments and some money for new lands
has come from the interest and in
come fund. Only the permanent i'm
prcvements have come from the ap-
preparations made by the legislature.
The pupils are given everything
except their clothing and travelling
expense. Medical attendance, care
and support all come from the school
fund. Despite the fact that the av-
erage physical condition of blind per-
sons is not that of otherwise normal
persons, there has been no serious
illness at the school since it was
started.
One of the features of the school
is the library, and while 1t is yet
small, 1t is being added to each year.
There are now $50 large volumes of
raised-point books, 60 small ones
with the same type and $50 with ink
print. The raised-point type books
are made so that the blind may read
them by the sense Of touch. BY an
act of congress, free postage is fur
nished when it is desired to send any
of the books from the school to
blind person, and also for the return
rof same.
Farming operations are carried on
on rather large scale for the age of
the pupils, and during the 1913 sea-
son, which is the last one covered by
the report, there were 800 bushels
of potatoes, 12 tons of hay and tons
of other hay raised on institutional
grounds, besides a great quantity of
garden truck that is used for the
needs of the school. Each one of the
institutions reporting to the board
of control this year is required to
give sample Of the menu served and
the following detail of the meals
were served on February 16, 1914:
Breakfast.
Puffed Wheat. Milk
Griddle Cakes and Syrup.
Toast. Coffee. Milk.
..H Dinner. e
g.. Mashed Potatoes.
Roast Pork. Beans. Pickles.
Bread and Butter.
Rice Pudding.
Supper.
Potatoes.
Calls Liver. Bread and Butter.
Apricot Sauce.
There has been an average |
Of ten persons on the pay roll and
the average monthly pay roll amount
ed to $495.59 for the biennial period |
ending June 80, 1914. Especial at
tention is paid to the fire drill in this !