Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-11
WILL STUDY CONDITION
OF THE FEEBLE-M MINDED
Miss Alice G. Hinckley Discusses
Plans for Developing Back
ward Children.
HOME MAY BE FORCED TO CLOSE
Lack II Support for Institution for
Wori ing Girls, Opened in February
by the Social Service Federation,
May Cause Abandonment.

.rf. 10 me hundreds OF mothers
throughout the State who have strug-
sled Intellectually with or wept over
feeble minded children, or those in
whom some irregularity OF mentality
exists, there came last week 4 ray OF
hope. This hope Is expressed in the
person of Miss Alice c. Hinckley, a
psycholoE cal expert. who has come to
the city to make study OF children
mentally handicapped or mentally un-
developed. 1t Is the generally nc-
copied theory that true fecbleminded-
ness is to all intents and purposes in
durable. and experts In that line adopt
the attitude that, since the child's
weakness can never be thoroughly re-
moved. the best thing to do for It is
to develop it's strong points. generally
along the line of manual training. that
some occupation in life may be found
for which 1t can be fitted. In opposi-
tion to this. Miss Hincklcy's idea is
TO discover the child's weak point or
defect and bend all her energies to
correcting 1t. believing that this is.
in many cases. possible. For example.
there Wa once brought to her n girl
OF about fourteen years of age, who
showed no power whatever 10 reason.
She could not. for instance. make
change for a quarter.
GIRL LACKED ALL
POWER OF ANALYSIS
81 talked 70 her" said Miss Hinck-
ley. and decided that what she lack
ed was the power Of analysis. Origi-
rality and judgment depend on our
power to put together various ele-
'nentS OF different ideas, to perceive
likeness and unlikcness in two ideas
and know them in their proper rela-
uon. To do this, we must first have
analysed, 10 some extent, everything
we are thinking OF and have seen the
different parts OF which IT is COM
I,S
lar child never did. A table was to
her merely table. 1t had never oc-
Cured to her that it was made UP
OF top and four legs, and not always
the same In size and shape. Conse-
Quently, OF course, she could not tell
YOU the difference between a table
and desk, although she recognized
them by sight. therefore undertook
TO teach her how to analyze everything
she saw. We began on the furniture
took each piece and pointed out all
the parts and made her tell them over
to me from memory From that we
went to more difficult things-animals
insects, flowers. Al the end OF six
weeks she showed a marked improve
ment and had on several occa sions
showed ability 20 think intelligcntly
and make judgments.
SOMETIMES POWER OF
OBSERVATION IS LACKING
Sometimes it is the power of obser-
walton that is lacking: sometimes the
immediate memory. Sometimes there
is trouble with one OF the nerve CEN
tiers. resulting in the weakness or loss
OF some faculty OF mind Whatever
the trouble is. I endeavor to get to
the root of II. no matter how long
II may take, and, " possible, to cure
it,"
That there is need for such a school
here is very evident. Though the sta
'isttcal results Of the recent investt.
cation OF the school children of Rich
'nond made by Mics Elizabeth Webb
nave not yet been made public, SINH
lar Investigations in other States go
!" prove that from TO per cent
the entire school population Is
'cble- minded II TO this number were
Ided the children who are backward
rom some durable, physical defect.
such as adenoids, deafness. poor eve
sight or some undeveloped nerve con-
ter, large increase would be an
parent In establishing two ungraded
classes for defective children, IN,
state has recently made some EFFORT
to meet this problem. The ou.stion
is by no means settled however. for
many OF the cases need far more care
'ul study than the teachers are able
10 give them, as each one !s a soma
rate problem.