The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-02-09

studying, all of them, blind or def
and blind and mute. The pupils
range in age from SIX to nineteen
years.
Henry is doing regular high school
work and is specializing in mechanical
professions, such as piano tuning, weav-
ing cord hammocks, broom! making,
typewriting and carpentry-sloyd,
which has to do with piano parts and
tuning of the cord instrument. He is
also taking up the violin and is already
rated a fine player on that instrument.
This is Henry's daily school routine
S-l2, Ia and music As. 10. =.
The young Honolulu boy writes under
date of January 80 to the School Page
of The Advertiser on the subject Of
"The Making of Independent Citi-
zens," as follows: '
Henry Bindt's Letter
words cannot express the great Joy
with which was filed upon the receipt
of the information contained in the
School Page of The Advertiser that
the Hawaiian Islands are about to give
some attention to the education of the
defective children dwelling in the Ter!
ritoTy. p >. ....' Z
"In deep sincerity am writing
these lines in hopes that they will en-.
courage the movement to establish the
proper institution for the education of
the defective children in our Paradise
of the Pacific, which for the detectives
will always be far from a paradise until
this is realized. .,Et'}. .... .
II sincerity ask Hawaii TO hasten
the great day when she will have an in.
stitution to this nature which will
make Independent and useful citizens
of those who are now burdens on the
community and which is more heart.
breaking to these detectives than upon
those on whom the weight of their sup
port falls. - g..
Education oflsets Handicaps
"By some whose narrow range of
mental vision will not permit them to
see beyond near horizon, blindness,
deafness, dumbness and lameness are
considered terrible affections; others
view the same as great handicaps, but
the nobler and more ambitious eharac.
tiers who are deprived of sight, hearing,
speech or the power of locomotion look
upon their lacking ability as q mere in.
cident of life. -
Mental deficiency has no hope and
no goal for which to work, but persons
physically defective can attain the
highest reaches of their loftiest ambi!
tons with education and training.
"Long since gone, like horrible
nightmare, is the day when people be-
lieved a defective person incapable of
3elf.support. New revolutions are be.
ing unfolded daily, showing that such
people are capable of becoming indie
pendent and happy citizens, and Ha!
waii should do all in her power to give
those living under her jurisdiction the
opportunity to become such.
Hawaii Needs Institution
Hawaii needs an institution for the
education of her defective children,
who have been so sadly neglected for
many years. Unless the opportunities
of education are extended to these
children, they must inevitably be sub.
merged in time and waste their days in
activity, and imbeeility as burdensome
and useless citizens,
1T 10 therefore WIN the deepest
sincerity and aloha for my native Is,
land home that urge that all true ard
loyal citizens press the movement on
to secure an institution that will rescue
perishing childhood and some day
such may Develop into happy and self
maintaining citizens and become an
honor to any community.
1.-THE sooner this step in the right
direction is taken the more magnificent
will be the reward reaped by all in re.
turn. All the attention that win be
given TO the defective Children in the
Territory win be amply repaid by
grateful men and women, who will be
able to face the world on an almost
equal footing with their more favored
fellow beings" 49,.