Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-07-07

we hold a term for the adult blind.
Last year was the first that this state
had ever maze provision for teaching
the adult blind and about 20 took
advantage of it. 1t is our under
standing that there is no other sum-
mer school for the adult blind in the
United States outside of this state
and the state of Minnesota, and the
establishment of this summer school,
which will be regular feature each
year, is one of our achievements of
which we are justly proud.
The parents or friends must pay
the railroad fares of the students to
and from the school and must furnish
their clothing, shoes, etc. The state
furnishes all of the maintenance and
supplies the instruction free of
charge. There are no tuition fees.
There are many blind children in the
state whose parents have never
awaited themselves of the privileges
of the school and this is to be much
wondered at. 1t is an ideal place for
the young ones thus handicapped,
and every blind child in the state
should by all means be sent there and
instructed. The superintendent is a
good, Christian woman, whose every
thought is for "her children" as she
calls them, and the children love her
and always aim to conduct them
selves so that it gives her pleasure.
Erecting New Building.
The administration or school build
ing is an old dilapidated structure,
but we are at present building and
will have ready for occupancy at the
beginning of the next term in Septem-
Der, one of the most modern and up
to-date structures for the blind in all
of the Western states. Seventy-five
thousand dollars was appropriated for
this building by the last legislature
and the board of control appointed
architects julius A. Zittel of Spokane
and Dennis Nichols of Vancouver, and
let the contract for the erection of
the same to S. c. Erickson of Tacoma.
The new building will have three
stories and full basement and will
be strictly fire-proof. On the first
floor will be the students dining
room and also the dining-room of the
teachers and superintendent; linen
room, drug room, offices, superintend-
ent's quarters, guest rooms for the
governor and board members and a
reception room. On the second floor
will be the auditorium, class and rec
itation rooms. On the third floor will
be the teachers and officers bed
rooms. In the basement will be the
plunge, where swimming will be
taught to every pupil; the gymna-
SUM, manual art training room,
wrestling dens and dressing rooms
for both the boy and girl pupils. The
building will have roof garden for
the benefit of the teachers.
Other buildings at the school are
a boys dormitory and a girls dormi-
tory. Both Of these buildings are
fire-proof. The population of the
school has grown SO, however, that
another dormitory is now needed.
especially for the boys. as that build
ing is filed to overlooking. There is
a first-class engine and boiler house,
which was constructed by the boarc
OF control when the present governor,
Ernest Lister, was a member Of that
body.
1t is difficult for the public in gen.
eral to understand how much the
sightless can really accomplish in a
practical way. One thinks of the
blind as simply folding their hands
and sitting in idleness and as being a
constant object of care. At our school
for the blind the girls make pillow
eases, dpTOHS, SHeoto, tOWclo, udphiHS
and laundry bags. They also make
hammocks, nets, rugs, do all kinds of
fancy work. The boys make ham,
mocks, nets, rugs, caned chairs and
brooms, and tune pianos. We re-
Gently supplied other state institu-
tions with brooms that were made by
the boys at this institution.
The children do some of the work
about the place. All make their own
beds, the girls wash and dry the
dishes in the pupils dining-room; the
boys split and take wood to the
kitchen and assist in keeping the yard