Smyrna times., 1925-11-04
THE FEEBLE MINDED COLONY
Friends of Colony for Feeble Minded
Hear Review of Years Work

EIAcltuS VI OOIOlty IOf FeeDle Minded
Hear Review of Years Work
At the recent field day meet at Del
aware Colony, Stockly, near George
town, the home of the Feeble Minded,
Mr.. Howard T. Ennis, superintendent,
submitted his annual report as follows
"The presentation of this report to
you today is a task that would be
easier had wee been able to accom-
plish all of the things during the year
that our hearts and minds pictured to
us as desirable at the beginning of
the year. We had aimed to improve
and perfect our established activities
and also to expand our activities to
include new lines of work and train
ing. In the first instance our aim has
been accomplished to a very marked
degree, but in the second instance it
has been accomplished to very linn
tied degree. However, happy in the
thought that the future never looked
brighter for this highly important
work of discovering, providing and ap-
plying the proper treatment for our
subnormal population, we greet you on
behalf of these unfortunate children
for whom, as influential citizens of
this State, you have so generously
provided, and we will tell you briefly
what we have done and accomplished
and acquaint you with some of the
| problems that We are facing.
Many of the children come to US
imperfect not only mentally but ply
sically. Believing that before much
could be done in the way of mental
] development, everything possible must
be done for the physical development,
I we have endeavored at all times to
give close attention to the health of
our charges. Our physician is more
than an emergency doctor. He not
only prescribes for the children in
/ dividually, but he studies and advises
us concerning general conditions, with
special emphasis upon the food diet.
The matron for the girls and the boys
supervisor require every child that is
able, to properly exercise both occu-
patiOnal and recreational. We teach
and require regular habits. A few
] weeks ago a mother whose 12-year-
lOd son being home on a visit, after
having been at the colony a little over
a year, while complaining that we had
not taught her bay to talk Che never
having been able to talk assured us
that we had broken him of the habit
of running off from his home. She
stated that before he came to the
colony she never knew where he was
and now he never left the house with
out knowing he had her permission.
Another boy we have been work
ing with for over three years, en-
deavoring to eliminate one particu-
lar habit, the elimination of which is
necessary to his emotional stability.
This one habit when fully and finally
overcome, will, we believe, bring about
a complete renovation, making the boy
a real economic asset to himself and
to the community in which he even
tually locates, because he can do some
things with the some skill as a nor
NAL person, but he is wholly unre-
liable. Imagine our joy when, after
three years of effort without any ap-
parent progress, about three months
ago we noticed unmistakable signs of
what seemed to US a remarkable
change.
"The defective child in his early
years in his home should have even
stricter discipline, if it be intelligent,
than the normal child, but what he
actually receives is just the reverse;
so that habit-training alone is an i'm
portant feature of our daily activities
1t would be of little avail for us to
teach these children to do things and
send them out as helpers, unless we
also taught them to be reliable help
ers. Our experience has been that
the psycOpathic child needs physical
training and habit-training under fav-
orable environment before much car
be done to improve his mental cOndi-
tion. Again, a great deal of emphasis
/. is placed upon the agricultural work
here, along with lairying, poultry rails
, ing and concrete work. 1t will in al
, probability be better for those chill