W''' m-^^''
0^^
^';t'.i-^'
:XA
AMERICAN Foundation
ForTHEBLIND inc.
r-.
Digitized by the Internet Arciiive
in 2010 with funding from
Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/ahnualreportoftr7072perk
SEVENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
THE TRUSTEES
Perkins Institution
Massachusetts School for the Blind,
FOR THE YEAR ENDING
August 31, 1901
BOSTON
Press of George H. Ellis, 272 Congress Street
1902
CommontDealtl^ of jHa^sjsacl^ujsetw.
Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, South Boston, October 17, igoi.
To the Hon. Wm. M. Olin, Secretary of State, Boston.
Dear Sir: — I have the honor to transmit to you, for the use of the legislature, a copy of the seventieth annual report of the trustees of this institution to the corporation thereof, together with that of the director and the usual accompanying documents.
Respectfully,
MICHAEL ANAGNOS,
Secretary.
OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION.
igoi-igoa.
FRANCIS H. APPLETON, President. AMORY A. LAWRENCE, Vice-President. EDWARD JACKSON, Treasurer. MICHAEL ANAGNOS, Secretary.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
S. LOTHROP THORNDIKE, Chairman. MELVIN O. ADAMS. WILLIAM ENDICOTT. CHARLES P. GARDINER. JOSEPH B. GLOVER. N. P. HALLOWELL.
J. THEODORE HEARD, M.D. HENRY MARION HOWE. FRANCIS W. HUNNEWELL. GEORGE H. RICHARDS. WILLIAM L. RICHARDSON, M.D. RICHARD M. SALTONSTALL.
STANDING COMMITTEES. Monthly Visiting Committee,
whose duty it is to visit and inspect the Institution at least once in each month.
igo2.
Henry M. Howe. Francis W. Honnkwbll. George H. Richards. William L. Richardson. Richard M. Saltonstall. S. LoTHROP Thorndikb.
|
ig02. |
||
|
January, . |
. . Melvin O. Adams. |
July, . |
|
February, . |
. . William Endicott. |
August, |
|
March, |
. . Charles P. Gardiner. |
September |
|
April, . . |
. . Joseph B. Glover. |
October, |
|
May, . . |
. . N. P. Hallowell. |
November, |
|
June, . . |
. . J. Theodore Heard. |
December, |
Committee on Education.
George H. Richards. Francis W. Hunnewell. Melvin O. Adams.
House Committee.
William L. Richardson, M.D. Charles P. Gardiner. George H. Richards.
Committee on Finance.
S. LoTHROP ThORNDIKE.
William Endicott. Joseph B. Glover. N. P. Hallowell.
Committee on Health.
J. Theodore Heard, M.D. William L. Richardson, M.D. Richard M. Saltonstall.
Auditors of Accounts.
J. Theodore Heard, M.D. S. LoTHROP Thorndikb.
OFFICERS OF THE INSTITUTION.
MICHAEL ANAGNOS, Director.
LITERARY
Boys' Section.
ALBERT MARSHALL JONES.
Miss CAROLINE E. McMASTER.
Miss JULIA A. BOYLAN.
Miss JESSICA L, LANGWORTHY.
MALCOLM C. SYLVESTER.
LOUIS B. ALLYN.
Miss ELLEN B. EWELL.
Girls' Section. Miss GAZELLA BENNETT. Miss SARAH M. LILLEY.
Miss SARAH ELIZABETH LANE, Librarian.
Miss LAURA M. SAWYER, Assistant.
Miss ANNA GARDNER FISH, Clerk.
DEPARTMENT.
Miss FRANCES S. MARRETT. Miss ALICE B. DEARBORN. Miss ELLA J. SPOONER. Miss JULIA E. BURNHAM. Miss ETHEL M. STICKNEY. Miss EDITH M. THURSTON. Miss VINA C. BADGER. Miss AMELIA W. DAVIS. Miss LILIAN MABEL FORBUSH.
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC.
Boys' Section.
EDWIN L. GARDINER. Miss FREDA A. BLACK. Miss HELEN M. ABBOTT. Miss MARY E. BURBECK.
Miss LILA P. COLE. Miss MARY E. RILEY. Miss LOUISA L. FERNALD.
W. LUTHER STOVER. JOHN F. HARTWELL. JOHN M, FLOCKTON. LORENZO WHITE. AUGUST DAMM.
Girls' Section.
Miss ANNA L. GOODRICH.
Miss BLANCHE ATWOOD BARDIN.
GEORGE W. WANT. EDWIN A. SABIN.
TUNING DEPARTMENT.
GEORGE E. HART, Instructor and Manager.
DEPARTMENT OF MANUAL TRAINING.
JOHN H. WRIGHT.
JULIAN H. MABEY.
ELWYN C. SMITH.
Miss MARY B. KNOWLTON, Sloycl.
Miss ANNA S. HANNGREN, Sloyd. Miss FRANCES M. LANGWORTHY. Miss M. ELIZABETH ROBBINS. Miss GRACE E. SNOW.
DOMESTIC DEPARTMENT.
ELISHA S. BOLAND, M.D.,
A ttejiding Physician. FREDERICK A. FLANDERS, Steward. Mrs. FRANCES E. CARLTON, Matron. Miss ALICE GARY, Assistant.
Housekeepers in the Cottages.
Mrs. M. A. KNOWLTON. Mrs. CORA L. GLEASON. M4SS JESSIE BENTLEY. Mrs. SOPHIA C. HOPKINS. Mrs. L. ADA MIXER.
PRINTING DEPARTMENT.
DENNIS A. REARDON, manager. Mrs. ELIZABETH L. BOWDEN, Printer.
Miss LOUISE CHISHOLM, Printer. Miss ISABELLA G. MEALEY,/'r2«/«r.
WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS.
EUGENE C. HOWARD, Manager. \ Miss ESTELLE M. MENDUM, Clerk.
Miss ELLEN B. WEBSTER, Book-keeper. Miss MAYBEL J. KING, AssUtant.
MEMBERS OF THE CORPORATION.
Abbott, Mrs. M. T., Cambridge. Adams, John A., Pawtucket, R.I. Adams, Melvin O., Boston. Agassiz, Mrs. E. C, Cambridge. Ahl, Mrs. Daniel, Boston. Alger, Rev. William R., Boston. Amory, C. W., Boston. Anagnos, Michael, Boston. Anderson, Mrs. John F., Boston. Appleton, Gen. Francis H., Boston. Appleton, Mrs. R. M., New York. Appleton, Dr. William, Boston. Appleton, Mrs. William, Boston. Apthorp, William F., Boston. Atkinson, Edward, Boston. Bacon, Edwin M., Boston. Baker, Mrs. Ezra H., Boston. Baker, Miss M. K., Boston. Baldwin, S. E., New Haven, Conn. Baldwin, William H., Boston. Balfour, Miss M. D., Charlestown. Ballard, Miss E., Boston. Barbour, E. D., Boston. Barrett, William E., Boston. Barrows, Hon. S. J., New York. Barrows, Mrs. S. J., New York. Bartlett, Francis, Boston. Bartlett, Miss F., Boston. Bartlett, Mrs. John, Cambridge. Bartlett, Mrs. Mary E., Boston. Bartlett, Miss Mary F., Boston. Bartol, Miss Mary, Boston. Bates, Arlo, Boston. Baylies, Mrs. Charlotte U., Boston. Beach, Rev. D. N., Minnesota. Beach, Mrs. Edwin H., Springfield. Beal, James H., Boston. Beebe, E. Pierson, Boston.
Beebe, J. Arthur, Boston. Beebe, Mrs. J. Arthur, Boston. Bigelow, Mrs. Prescott, Boston. Binney, William, Providence. Black, George N., Boston. Blanchard, G. D. B., Maiden. Boardman, Mrs. Edwin A., Boston. Bourn, Hon. A. O., Providence. Bowditch, Alfred, Boston. Bovvditch, Dr. H. P., Jamaica Plain. Boyden, Mrs. Charles, Boston. Brackett, Mrs. Henry, Boston. Brimmer, Mrs. Martin, Boston. Brooke, Rev. Stopford W., Boston. Brooks, Edward, Hyde Park. Brooks, Rev. G. W., Dorchester. Brooks, Peter C, Boston. Brooks, Mrs. Peter C, Boston. Brooks, Shepherd, Boston. Brown, B. F., Boston. Brown, Mrs. John C, Providence. Browne, A. Parker, Boston. Browne, Miss H. T., Boston. Bryant, Mrs. A. B. M., Boston. Bullard, Mrs. William S., Boston. Bullock, George A., Worcester. Bumstead, Mrs. F. J., Cambridge. Bundy, James J., Providence. Burgess, Mrs. S. K., Brookline. Burnham, Miss Julia E., Lowell. Burnham, William A., Boston. Burton, Dr. J. W., Flushing, N.Y. Cabot, Mrs. Joseph S., Boston. Cabot, Mrs. S., Boston. Cabot, Walter C, Boston. Callahan, Miss Mary G., Boston. Callender, Walter, Providence. Carpenter, Charles E., Providence.
Carter, Mrs. J. W., West Newton. Gary, Miss E. F., Cambridge. Cary, Miss Ellen G., Boston. Cary, Mrs. Richard, Boston. Case, Mrs. Laura L., Boston. Center, Joseph H., Boston. Chace, James H., Valley Falls, R.I. Chace, Hon. J., Valley Falls, R.I. Chadwick, Mrs. C. C, Boston. Chamberlin, E. D., Boston. Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar, Bpston. Chapin, E. P., Providence. Cheever, Dr. David W., Boston. Cheever, Miss M. E., Boston. Claflin, Hon. William, Boston. Clark, Miss S. W., Beverly. Clarke, James W., New York. Clement, Edward H., Boston. Coates, James, Providence. Cochrane, Alexander, Boston. Coffin, Mrs. W. E., Boston. Colt, Samuel P., Bristol, R.I. Cook, Charles T., Detroit, Mich. Cook, Mrs. C. T., Detroit, Mich. Coolidge, Dr. A., Boston. Coolidge, J. Randolph, Boston. Coolidge, Mrs. J. R., Boston. Coolidge, John T., Boston. Coolidge, T. Jefferson, Boston. Cotting, C. U., Boston. Cowing, Miss Grace G., Brookline. Cowing, Mrs. M. W., Brookline. Crafts, Mrs. J. M., Boston. Crane, Mrs. Zenas M., Dalton. Crocker, U. H., Boston. Crosby, Joseph B., Boston. Crosby, Sumner, Brookline. Crosby, William S., Brookline. Cross, Mrs. F. B., Cincinnati, Ohio. Cruft, Miss Harriet O., Boston. Cummings, Mrs. A. L., Portland, Me. Cummings, Charles A., Boston. Cunniff, Hon. M. M., Boston. Curtis, C. A., Boston. Curtis, Mrs. Charles P., Boston.
Curtis, Mrs. Greeley S., Boston. Curtis, Mrs. Mary S., Boston. Dalton, C. H., Boston. Dalton, Mrs. C. H., Boston. Darling, Cortes A., Providence. Davis, Miss A. W., Boston. Davis, Mrs. Edward L., Boston. Dexter, Mrs. F. G., Boston. Dillaway, W. E. L., Boston. Doliber, Thomas, Boston. Dow, Miss Jane F., Milton. Dow, Mrs. Moses A., Brookline. Draper, Eben S., Boston. Draper, George A., Boston. Dunklee, Mrs. John W., Boston. Durant, William, Boston. Duryea, Mrs. Herman, New York. Earle, Mrs. T. K., Boston. Eaton, W. S., Boston. Eliot, Rev. Christopher R., Boston. Elliott, Mrs. Maud Howe, Boston. Ellis, George H., Boston. Endicott, Miss Clara T., Boston. Endicott, Henry, Boston. Endicott, Miss Mary E., Beverly. Endicott, William, Boston. Endicott, William C, Jr., Boston. Ernst, C. W., Boston. Evans, Mrs. Glendower, Boston. Everett, Mrs. Emily, Cambridge. Fairbanks, Miss C. L., Boston. Farlow, George A., Boston. Farnam, Mrs. Ann S., New Haven. Faulkner, Miss Fannie M., Boston. Fay, Mrs. Dudley B., Boston. Fay, H. H., Boston. Fay, Mrs. H. H., Boston. Fay, Mrs. Joseph S., Boston. Fay, Miss Sarah B., Boston. Fay, Miss S. M., Boston. Fenno, Mrs. L. C, Boston. Ferguson, Mrs. C. H., Dorchester. Ferris, Mrs. M. E., Brookline. Ferris, Miss Mary E., Brookline. Fields, Mrs. James T., Boston.
Fiske, Mrs. Joseph N., Boston. Fitz, Mrs, W. Scott, Boston. Folsom, Charles F., M.D., Boston. Foote, Miss M. B., Cambridge. Foster, Miss C. P., Cambridge. Foster, Mrs. E.W., Hartford, Conn. Foster, Francis C, Cambridge. Foster, Mrs. Francis C, Cambridge. Freeman, Miss Harriet E., Boston. Frothingham, Miss Ellen, Boston. Fry, Mrs. Charles, Boston. Fuller, Mrs. Samuel R., Boston. Galloupe, C. W., Boston. Gammans, Hon. George H., Boston. Gardiner, Charles P., Boston. Gardiner, Robert H., Boston. Gardner, George A., Boston. Gardner, Mrs. John L., Boston. George, Charles H., Providence. Gill, Mrs. Francis A., Boston. Glidden, W. T., Boston. Glover, Joseph B., Boston. Goddard, William, Providence. Goff, Darius L., Pawtucket, R.I. Goff, Lyman B., Pawtucket, R.I. Goldthwait, Mrs. John, Boston. Gooding, Rev.A., Portsmouth, N.H. Goodnow, Mrs. L. M., Cambridge. Goodwin, Miss A. M., Cambridge. Gordon, Rev. G. A., D.D., Boston. Gray, Mrs. Ellen, New York City. Green, Charles G., Boston. Greenleaf, Mrs. James, Cambridge. Grew, Edward W., Boston. GrifBn, S. B., Springfield. Hale, Rev. Edward E., Boston. Hall, Mrs. F. Howe, Plainfield, N.J. Hall, Miss L. E., Boston. Hall, Miss Minna B., Longwood. Hallowell, Col. N. P., Boston. Hammond, Mrs. G. G., Jr., Boston. Hammond, Mrs. G. W., Boston. Hanscom, Dr. Sanford, Somerville. Haskell, Edwin B., Auburndale. Haskell, Mrs. E. B., Auburndale.
Head, Charles, Boston. Head, Mrs. Charles, Boston. Heard, J. T., M.D., Boston. Hearst, Mrs. Phebe A. Hemenway, Mrs. Augustus, Boston. Hemenway, Mrs. Chas. P., Boston. Henshaw, Mrs. Harriet A., Boston. Herford, Rev. Brooke, England. Hersey, Charles H., Boston. Higginson, Frederick, Brookline. Higginson, Henry Lee, Boston. Higginson, Mrs. Henry L., Boston. Hill, Dr. A. S., Somerville. Hill, J. E. R., Boston. Hill, Mrs. T. J., Providence. Hoar, Gen. Rockwood, Worcester. Hodgkins, Frank E., Somerville. Hodgkins, William H., Somerville. Hogg, John, Boston. Hollis, Mrs. S. J., Lynn. Holmes, Charles W., Canada. Holmes, John H., Boston. Hooper, Mrs. R. C, Boston. Horton, Mrs. William H., Boston. Hovey, William A., Boston. Howard, Hon. A. C, Boston. Howard, Hon. Henry, Providence. Howe, Henry Marion, Boston. Howe, Mrs. Julia Ward, Boston. Howe, Mrs. Virginia A., Boston. Howland, Mrs. O. O,, Boston. Hunnewell, Francis W., Boston. Hunnewell, H. H., Boston. Hunnewell, Mrs. H. S., Boston. Hutchins, Mrs. C. F., Boston, lasigi. Miss Mary V., Boston. Ingraham, Mrs. E. T., Wellesley. Jackson, Charles C, Boston. Jackson, Edward, Boston. Jackson, Mrs. J. B. S., Boston. Jackson, Patrick T., Cambridge. James, Mrs. C. D., Brookline. Jenks, Miss C. E., Boston. Johnson, Edward C, Boston. Jones, Mrs. E. C, New Bedford.
Jones, Miss Ellen M., Boston. Joy, Mrs. Charles H., Boston. Kasson, Rev. F. H., Boston. Kellogg, Mrs. Eva D., Boston. Kendall, Miss H. W., Boston. Kennard, Martin P., Brookline. Kent, Mrs. Helena M., Boston. Kidder, Mrs. Henry P. Milton. Kilmer, Frederick M., Somerville. Kimball, Mrs. David P., Boston. Kimball, Edward P., Maiden. Knapp, George B., Boston. Knowlton, Daniel S., Boston. Kramer, Henry C, Boston. Lamb, Mrs. Annie L., Boston. Lamson, Miss C. W., England. Lang, B. J., Boston. Lang, Mrs. B. J., Boston. Lawrence, Amory A., Boston. Lawrence, James, Groton. Lawrence, Mrs. JamesGroton. Lawrence, Rt. Rev. Wm., Boston. Lee, George C, Boston. Lee, Mrs. George C, Boston. Lillie, Mrs. A. H., Richmond, Eng. Lincoln, L. J. B., Hingham. Linzee, J. T., Boston. Littell, Miss S. G., Boston. Livermore, Thomas L., Boston. Lodge, Hon. Henry C, Boston. Longfellow, Miss Alice M. Lord, Rev. A. M., Providence, R.L Loring, Mrs. W. Caleb, Boston. Lothrop, John, Auburndale. Lothrop, Mrs. T. K., Boston. Lovering, Mrs. Charles T., Boston. Lowell, Abbott Lawrence, Boston. Lowell, Miss Amy, Boston. Lowell, Charles, Boston. Lowell, Francis C, Boston. Lowell, Mrs. George G., Boston. Lowell, Miss Georgiana, Boston. Lowell, Mrs. John, Boston. Lowell, Miss Lucy, Boston. Luce, Matthew, Boston.
Lyman, Arthur T., Boston. Lyman, J. P., Boston. Manning, Mrs. M. W., Brooklyn. Marrett, Miss H. M., Standish, Me. Marrs, Mrs. Kingsmill, Wayland. Marvin, Mrs. E. C, Boston. Mason, Miss E. F., Boston. Mason, Miss Ida M., Boston. Mason, I. B., Providence. Matchett, Mrs. W. F., Boston. Matthews, Mrs. A. B., Boston. May, F. W. G., Dorchester. Merriam, Charles, Boston. Merriam, Mrs. Charles, Boston. Merriman, Mrs. D., Cambridge. Merritt, Edward P., Boston. Meyer, Mrs. George von L., Boston. Minot, J. Grafton, Boston. Minot, The Misses, Boston. Mixter, Miss Madeleine C, Boston. Morgan, Eustis P., Saco, Me. Morgan, Mrs. Eustis P., Saco, Me. Morison, John H., Boston. Morison, Mrs. John H., Boston. Morse, Mrs. Leopold, Boston. Morse, Miss M. F., Jamaica Plain. Morss, A. S., Charlestown. Moseley, Charles H., Boston. Motley, Mrs. E. Preble, Boston. Moulton, Miss Maria C, Boston. Newell, Mrs. M. Abbie, Boston. Nichols, Mrs. Frederick S., Boston. Nichols, J. Howard, Boston. Nickerson, Andrew, Boston. Nickerson, Miss Priscilla, Boston. Nickerson, S. D., Boston. Norcross, Grenville H., Boston. Norcross, Mrs. Otis, Jr., Boston. Noyes, Hon. Charles J., Boston. Oliver, Dr. Henry K., Boston. Paine, Robert Treat, Boston. Palfrey, J. C, Boston. Palmer, John S., Providence. Parker, Richard T., Boston. Parkinson, John, Boston.
lO
Parkinson, Mrs. John, Boston. Parkman, George F., Boston. Peabody, Rev. Endicott, Groton. Peabody, F. H., Boston. Peabody, Frederick W., Boston. Peabody, Mrs. R. S., Brookline. Peabody, S. E., Boston. Perkins, Charles Bruen, Boston. Perkins, Mrs. C. E., Boston. Phillips, Mrs. John C., Boston. Pickman, D. L., Boston. Pickman, Mrs. D. L., Boston. Pierce, Mrs. M. G., Milton. Pope, Mrs. A. A., Boston. Porter, Charles H., Quincy. Potter, Isaac M., Providence. Potter, Mrs. Warren B., Boston. Powars, Miss Mary A., Boston. Pratt, Elliott W., Boston. Pratt, Mrs. Sarah M., Boston. Prendergast, J. M., Boston. Proctor, James H., Boston. Proctor, Mrs. T. E., Boston. Rand, Arnold A., Boston. Rantoul, Robert S., Salem. Reardon, Dennis A., Boston. Reed, Mrs. Wm. Homer, Boston. Reynolds, Walter H., Boston. Rice, Mrs. Henry A., Boston. Richards, Miss Elise, Boston. Richards, George H., Boston. Richards, Mrs. H., Gardiner, Me. Richardson, John, Boston. Richardson,Miss M. G., New York. Richardson, Mrs. M. R., Boston. Richardson, W. L., M.D., Boston. Robbins, Royal E., Boston. Roberts, Mrs. A. W., Boston. Robertson, Mrs. A. K., Boston. Robinson, Henry, Reading. Rodman, S. W., Boston. Rodocanachi, J. M., Boston. Rogers, Miss Clara B., Boston. Rogers, Miss Flora E., New York. Rogers, Henry M., Boston.
Rogers, Mrs. William B., Boston.
Ropes, Mrs. Joseph A., Boston.
Ropes, Joseph S., Boston.
Russell, Henry G., Providence.
Russell, Mrs. Henry G.,Providence.
Russell, Henry S., Boston.
Russell, Miss Marian, Boston.
Russell, Mrs. Robert S., Boston.
Russell, Mrs. William A., Boston.
Sabine, Mrs. G. K., Brookline.
Saltonstall, Mrs. Leverett, Newton.
Saltonstall, Richard M., Newton.
Sanborn, Frank B., Concord.
Sayles, F. C, Pawtucket, R.I.
Schaff, Capt. Morris, Pittsfield.
Schlesinger, Sebastian B., Boston.
Sears, David, Boston.
Sears, Frederick R., Boston.
Sears, Mrs. Fred. R., Jr., Boston.
Sears, Mrs. Knyvet W., Boston.
Sears, Mrs. P. H., Boston.
Sears, Willard T., Boston.
Shaw, Mrs. G. Howland, Boston. Shaw, Henry S., Boston. Shaw, Quincy A., Boston. Shepard, Harvey N., Boston. Shepard, Mrs. T. P., Providence. Sherwood, W. H., Boston. Shippen, Rev. R. R., Brockton. Sigourney, Mr. Henry, Boston. Slafter, Rev. Edmund F., Boston. Slater, Mrs. H. N., Boston. Slater, H. N., Jr., Providence. Slocum, Mrs. W. H., Jamaica Plain. Snelling, Samuel G., Boston. Sohier, Miss E. D., Boston. Sohier, Miss Emily L., Boston. Sohier, Miss M. D., Boston. Sorchan, Mrs. Victor, New York. Spaulding,Mrs. Mahlon D., Boston. Spencer, Henry F., Boston. Sprague, F. P., M.D., Boston. Stanwood, Edward, Brookline. Stearns, Charles H., Brookline. Stearns, Mrs. Charles H., Brookline.
II
Stevens, Miss C. Augusta, N.Y. Stewart, Mrs. C. B., Boston. Sturgis, Francis S., Boston. Sullivan, Richard, Boston. Swan, Robert, Dorchester. Swan, Mrs. Sarah H., Cambridge. Taggard, Mrs. B. W., Boston. Talbot, Mrs. Isabella W., Boston. Tapley, Mrs. Amos P., Boston. Temple, Thomas F., Boston. Thaw, Mrs. Wm., Pittsburg, Pa. Thayer, Miss Adele G., Boston. Thayer, E. V. R., Boston. Thayer,Rev. George A., Cincinnati. Thayer, Prof. James B., Cambridge. Thayer, Mrs. Nathaniel, Boston. Thomas, Mrs. Joseph B., Boston. Thorndike, S. Lothrop, Boston. Tilden, Miss Alice Foster, Milton. Tilden, Miss Edith S., Milton. Tilden, Mrs. M. Louise, Milton. Tilton, Mrs. W. S., Newtonville. Tingley, S. H., Providence. Tompkins, Eugene, Boston. Torrey, Miss A. D., Boston. Tower, Col. William A., Boston. Tuckerman, Mrs. C. S., Boston. Turner, Miss Abby W., Randolph. Turner, Mrs. M. A., Providence. Underwood, Herbert S., Boston. Upton, George B., Boston. Villard, Mrs. Henry, New York. Vose, Miss Caroline C, Milton. Wales, Mrs. George W., Boston. Wales, Joseph H., Boston. Warden, Erskine, Waltham. Ware, Miss C. L., Cambridge.
Ware, Miss M. L., Boston. Warren, J. G., Providence. Warren, Mrs. Wm. W., Boston. Washburn, Hon. J. D., Worcester. Watson, Thomas A., Weymouth. Watson, Mrs. T. A., Weymouth. Weeks, A. G., Boston. Weld, R. H., Boston. Weld, Mrs. William F., Boston. Wesson, J. L., Boston. Wheelock, Miss Lucy, Boston. Wheelwright, A. C, Boston. Wheelwright, John W., Boston. White, C. J., Cambridge. White, Mrs. Charles T., Boston. White, G. A., Boston. Whitehead, Miss Mary, Roxbury. Whitford, George W., Providence. Whiting, Albert T., Boston. Whitman, Mrs. Sarah W., Boston. Whitney, Miss Anne, Boston. Whitney, Henry M., Brookline. Whitten, Mrs. Elizabeth S. Whitwell, S. Horatio, Boston. Whitwell, Miss S. L., Boston. Wigglesworth, Thomas, Boston. Wightman, W. D., Providence. Williams, Mrs. H., Boston. Williams, Miss Louise H., Boston. Winslow, Mrs. George, Roxbury. Winsor, Mrs. E., Chestnut Hill. Winsor, J. B., Providence. Winthrop, Mrs. John, Stockbridge. Winthrop, Mrs. Thos. L., Boston. Woodruff, Thomas T., Boston. Woods, Henry, Boston. Young, Mrs. Benjamin L., Boston.
SYNOPSIS OF THE PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CORPORATION.
South Boston, October 9, 1901.
The annual meeting of the corporation, duly summoned, was held today at the institution, and was called to order by the president, Gen, Francis H. Appleton, at 3 p.m.
The proceedings of the last meeting were read by the secretary and declared approved.
The annual report of the trustees was read, accepted and ordered to be printed with the usual accompanying documents.
The report of the treasurer was read, accepted and ordered to be printed.
The corporation then proceeded to ballot for officers for the
ensuing year, and the following persons were unanimously
elected : —
President — Gen. Francis H. Appleton.
Vice-President — Amory A. Lawrence.
Treasurer — Edward Jackson.
Secretary — Michael Anagnos. Trustees — William Endicott, Charles P. Gardiner, Joseph B. Glover, J. Theodore Heard, M.D., Henry Marion Howe, George H. Richards, Rich" ard M. Saltonstall, and S. Lothrop Thomdike.
The meeting was then dissolved, and all in attendance pro- ceeded, with the invited guests, to visit the various departments
of the school.
MICHAEL ANAGNOS,
Secretary.
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES.
Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, South Boston, October 9, 1901.
To the Members of the Corporation.
Ladies and Gentlemen: — In presenting our cus- tomary annual report to the corporation, the sev- entieth in the series of these documents, we are very glad to be able to state that the financial year ending August 31, 1 90 1, has been in most respects a satis- factory one.
Faithful and efficient work has been done in every department of the school with excellent results.
The teachers and all the other officers have dis- charged their respective duties with earnestness, in- telligence and fidelity, while the pupils have been industrious and orderly and have made very credit- able progress in their studies.
The record books show that, at the beginning of the year, the total number of blind persons registered in the various departments of the establishment was 264. Since that time 30 have been admitted and 24 have been discharged, making the present num- ber 270.
We deeply regret the nature of the record, which we are obliged to present, of the state of health of the different families of the institution during the past year. The outbreak of contagious diseases in every department of the school, with the sole ex- ception of the primary one for boys at the kinder-
14
garten, brought in its train the attendant ills of irregu- larity of work, loss of valuable time, isolation of the infected quarters from the rest of the school and in- tense anxiety and uncertainty for the other members of the household. There have been seventeen cases of scarlet fever, four of chicken pox, one of diphthe- ria, one of erysipelas, two of bronchitis and one of facial paralysis. We are grieved to report that four of those who were attacked by scarlet fever died at the City Hospital, namely, Miss Edith A. Flagg, an able teacher in the literary department for boys at the parent school in South Boston, who served the interests of the establishment during six years and a half with diligence and efficiency, Alice E. Leach of Orland, Maine, a pupil in the girls' department, and two little boys of the kindergarten, Walter F. Mills of Thornton, Rhode Island, and Lawrence F. Giles of Bethel, Vermont. Every one of those who fell vic- tims to infectious diseases was immediately removed to the hospital, the room in which he had been taken ill was thoroughly cleaned and fumigated and the books which he had handled were burned. Delicate children who were especially susceptible to sickness were sent to their homes, and those who remained with us were watched with the utmost vigilance. It is mainly due to these precautionary measures that the contagion was checked and prevented from spreading more widely and from breaking up the ses- sions of the school entirely.
For a detailed statement of the operations of the institution during the past year, as well as of its con- dition at the present time and of its urgent needs for the future, you are respectfully referred to the report of the director, which is hereto appended.
15
Character and Objects of the Institution.
As there seems to be in the minds of some per- sons not merely a confused or imperfect idea but a positive misapprehension of the character and objects of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, we deem it our duty to make a full and clear statement of these and to remove all doubts both as to the mission and functions of the estab- lishment and as to its relations to the state.
This institution is not in any sense an asylum or retreat for adults. It is a school, purely educational in its principles and operations. It was incorporated solely and specifically for the purpose of instructing and training such boys and girls as are excluded from the common schools for lack of sufficient sight. Therefore it is a valuable link in the magnificent chain of the public school system, the advantages of which are extended to all classes of children regard- less of physical defects ; it is not a refuge or working home for grown up persons.
As soon as the institution was organized in 1832, the state of Massachusetts came to its assistance, making an annual appropriation for its support from that year up to the present time, on condition that its doors should never be closed against any indigent sightless child, resident in the commonwealth, who was of sound mind and a fit subject for education.
This yearly allowance was very small at the begin- ning, but it was increased from time to time until it reached the sum of $25,000. In 1869 this amount was finally raised to $30,000 in order to cover the enlarged expense involved by the plan of removing the girls from the main building to the cottages and
i6
of separating the sexes entirely. Since then no ad- dition whatever has been made to it. On the other hand, on the first day of October, 1869, — that is, at the time when the last increase in the appropriation took place, — the number of beneficiaries of Massa- chusetts registered was 54, while there are at present 153 pupils under our care, admitted by warrants of the governors of this state.
It has been our constant aim to provide for these children those advantages which are so freely given to their seeing brothers and sisters through the me- dium of the public schools, and to add to these such other exercises as are calculated to remedy their physical imperfections and to promote their harmo- nious development. Moreover, unremitting efforts have been made to keep abreast of all pedagogical advance, to utilize every improvement in methods of instruction and training and to render the school a model one of its kind. Thus, the work has been steadily growing, the curriculum has been expanding along every line, the equipment for the instruction by means of sensible objects, indispensable in the case of the blind, has become more extensive than ever before, but the amount of aid from the state has stood absolutely still. There has been no change in it.
In order that our school might attain to the degree of efficiency and thoroughness, to which we aspire and which it is the right of every pupil to expect, we have found it necessary to call upon the philan- thropic public for aid, and most generous has been the response. Thanks to the benevolence and liberality of the friends of the blind, substantial additions have been made to the pecuniary resources of the estab-
17
lishment by direct gifts and testamentary bequests. A good part of these funds has been spent judiciously for the increase of our educational facilities and the improvement of the institution as a whole, the value of which is now not very far from ^800,000, while twenty-five years ago it was only $319,889.15. The funds necessary to defray the corresponding increase in the running expenses of the school have been secured through the same channels.
Owing to the fact that the educational advantages enjoyed by our pupils are far superior to those which can be had in any other establishment of similar nature on either side of the Atlantic, the actual cost per caput is also much higher, amounting to $422.23. Of this sum the commonwealth pays only $202.17 and the balance, $220.06, is supplied from the income of the school.
The relations between the state and the institution are defined by the act of incorporation, whereby the election of a board of twelve trustees was vested in the corporation and the executive. In the choice of these there has never been any restriction. The office is open alike to seeing and sightless. Indeed, the blind historian, William H. Prescott, was one of the original trustees and was retained in his place as long as his health permitted him to serve. The only req- uisite is that the managers shall be men of moral integrity and intellectual fitness, of sound judgment and financial ability and of high standing in the com- munity. It is because such has been the standard by which the trustees have been chosen that the in- stitution has enjoyed the confidence of the public and has prospered by the beneficence of outside friends. Ceteris paribus, any man, seeing or sightless, is eli-
gible for election to the board of trustees, and it would be unwise to restrict this freedom of choice by spe- cific legislation, which may prove injurious in its ap- plication.
The maximum age at which pupils may enter the institution was fixed by the by-laws at nineteen years. This was the best and most reasonable arrangement which could be made after a careful consideration of the subject in all its bearings. In the first place, it may be taken for granted that any one who lost his sight after that age would have already received a common school education. Then, long experience has shown that the exclusion of adults from among the students of the institution was not a matter of preference but of expediency, from the fact that the presence of grown persons of formed habits and settled propensities is likely to have a deleterious in- fluence upon the character and education of children. Furthermore, the parents of blind boys and girls are decidedly opposed to such a course. Hence no other conclusion could be reached in the matter.
But, although no person over nineteen years of age is ever admitted to the home life of the school and brought into contact with young children, never- theless everything is done for the adult blind, which lies within the power of the institution. With its own funds it has established a workshop in which indus- trious and meritorious sightless men and women are given an opportunity of earning a livelihood by man- ual labor in making mattresses or in reseating cane- bottomed chairs. In addition to this many blind men have been permitted to come regularly to the institution from their homes for the purpose of learn- ing the art of tuning pianofortes and some other me-
19
chanical trades or to receive instruction in any direc- tion within the means and the scope of the school. No deserving blind person seeks assistance in vain within our walls, if in any way help can be rendered to him.
Industrial conditions have changed materially dur- ing the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The application of machinery and the consolidation of manufacturing enterprises and business interests by trusts and combinations have produced a new order of things. Manual labor has been pushed aside, indi- vidual undertakings have been crushed, and many trades which formerly were pursued on a small scale with good profit have of recent years been largely abandoned. As a consequence the blind man, even more than his seeing brother, has found nearly every channel of occupation closed to him. Thus, it is evident that his only hope now rests upon higher education, upon enlargement of his mental horizon and upon full development and discipline of his fac- ulties, accompanied by intellectual and artistic or pro- fessional attainments of a superior order. Under these circumstances, since it is impossible even for a limited number of these unfortunate members of the human family to derive adequate benefit from any sort of handicraft and to live in decency and comfort upon its returns, further extension in this line is use- less and impracticable.
For these reasons we have been obliged to turn our attention toward the higher education and the com- plete development and thorough cultivation of the physical, intellectual and moral nature of the blind. The sightless boy or girl should be trained and fitted to occupy the same plane of thought and action and
20
to receive the same social recognition as his seeing brother or sister, and the obstacles with which the path leading in this direction is beset are by no means insurmountable. On this basis we have already assumed the task of remodelling our scheme of edu- cation, so that every blind child may begin in the kin- dergarten and from it may be taken through the different grades of a comprehensive preparatory course of study to the thresholds of leading colleges, univer- sities and professional schools. We have made as much progress towards the attainment of this great end as the means at our disposal would allow^ Our director stated in his annual report two years ago that the solution of this momentous problem involved an expense of about ^300,000 for additional buildings both at South Boston and in Jamaica Plain, and, as we have no funds in reserve for this purpose, this amount has yet to be raised by gifts, legacies and sub- scriptions. But in the perfection of the organization of our school and the entire reconstruction of our plan of education lies the salvation of the blind youth of both sexes, and this we are striving to effect. More- over, an appeal has been made to the public for the establishment of a fund, by means of which a deserv- ing but indigent scholar may be carried through col- lege or conservatoiy of music to independence and a respectable position in the community.
This is the goal toward which the management of the institution is steadily pressing. This is the high- est aspiration of its friends and the limit of its under- takings. Beyond this it is not prepared to go. It will be impossible for its managers either to provide room for adults or to supply the means for their sup- port. If the state should deem it necessary to main-
21
tain an asylum or " working home " for the blind in addition to this school, the conjunction of the two establishments would be entirely out of the question. We would take the liberty of suggesting that such an organization be absolutely distinct from our own in every particular and that its buildings be located at a considerable distance from those of the Perkins Insti- tution.
The charter and by-laws of the corporation form the foundation upon which the ministrations, the success and the prosperity of the establishment are based. They make education the great end and aim and the centre about which our entire system revolves. They also constitute the contract between the corpo- ration and the state and contain the terms whereby the former educates the wards of the latter in the best possible manner, and at an expense to the common- wealth which has been gradually diminished to even less than one half of the actual cost. In view of these facts we shall be reluctant to agree to any changes in the act of incorporation and the ordinances emanating therefrom, which would be prejudicial to the interests of the school and injurious to the efficiency of its great work, with which the welfare and destiny of the blind of New England are closely interwoven.
Teaching the Blind Adults at their Homes.
By direction of the general court of Massachusetts the state board of education made a thorough inquiry into the feasibility of teaching the adult blind at their homes, and the results of this investigation were embodied in an elaborate report, written by its able secretary, the Hon. Frank A. Hill. This document
22
was presented to the legislature during its session of I9<X), and in consequence thereof the following act, submitted by the committee on education, was passed: —
There shall be allowed and paid out of the treasury of the Commonwealth a sum not exceeding one thousand dollars, to be expended by the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, for the instruction of the adult blind at their homes ; but no expenditures shall be made under this act until the plans for such instruction have received the approval of the state board of education. It shall be the duty of the institution aforesaid to make a report to the state board of education of its doings under this act.
As it was on the fifth day of July that this act was signed by the governor and became a law, nothing could be done about it during the summer months. Early in the autumn, however, our attention was formally called to it, and at the regular quarterly meeting of our board, held the first week in October, we considered the matter in all its aspects and con- cluded that, since this work was purely educational in its character, it came within the scope of our or- ganization and that it belonged by right to our insti- tution. Accordingly, it was decided by a unanimous vote to undertake it, and the director was authorized and invested with full powers to make the necessary arrangements to carry it into effect.
This was promptly done. A plan was prepared, which was revised and approved by the state board of education, competent instructors were employed and a circular was issued, announcing that everything was ready for the beginning of operations and asking the cooperation of those who might know of such persons as were " waiting in darkness for the intel-
23
lectual light to shine upon them through these means."
Two of the teachers entered upon their task on the first day of November, 1900, and a third one was added to their number a month later. They have labored assiduously and with unflagging earnestness. They have canvassed most of the cities and not a few towns in the state in search of blind adults who would avail themselves of the opportunity offered to them by the act of the legislature, and they have found as many as they could instruct advantageously, giving them lessons not only in reading but in several branches of handicraft, suited to the sex and the physical condition of each person.
The experiment was unquestionably tried under many difficulties which are inseparable from the in- auguration of any new enterprise, yet it has proved entirely successful in every particular. Hence, the state board of education became firmly convinced of the practical value of the movement and petitioned the general court for an annual allowance large enough to cover all current expenses and at the same time to supply the means for enlargement of the field of operations. In compliance with this request the sum of ^3,600 has been appropriated for the present year.
Although this beneficent enterprise is still in its infancy, yet its possibilities are seen to be most prom- ising. There is no doubt but that its future develop- ment, by giving both occupation and solace to a large number of afflicted persons now living in idleness and despondency, will help to solve in a satisfactory man- ner some of the most perplexing problems concerning the treatment of the adult blind. It will open a far
24
better and more humane way of caring for them by teaching them at their own homes and keeping them with their kith and kin than by removing them from the communities to which they belong and gather- ing them together into a large cheerless receptacle, wherein all is darkness and gloom.
It is simply just and proper to state in this connec- tion that the work of teaching the blind adults at their homes is carried on not wholly at the expense of the commonwealth. The institution is a most generous contributor to it. Our library is the fountainhead, whence is liberally supplied all the printed matter which is required either as a means of instruction or for the use of those who have learned to read. These have at their disposal, free from cost to themselves, hundreds of volumes of excellent books, published in four different kinds of raised letters, and they are entirely at liberty to choose from our collection what is suitable to their taste and capacity without any restriction whatsoever and without any cost to them or to the state.
Destructive Fire in the "Howe Building."
On the afternoon of the eleventh day of February, between five and six o'clock, from some unknown cause, a fire broke out in the basement of the brick school-house, known as the Howe Building. Its presence was soon discovered by one of the instruct- ors, who quickly communicated the alarming news to the other teachers in the building. While one of them ran to call the engineer, each of the others marshalled her little flock of pupils, engaged as they were in sewing, singing or practising, and led them
25
out of the building without confusion or delay. Every one of the girls went directly to the cottage to which she belonged. Each matron, assembling her family at once, accounted for every member, and great was the relief when it was proved that no life had been lost.
The engineer, finding the flames beyond his control, despatched his assistant to ring in an alarm and gave his attention to closing the fire-proof doors in the basement and on the second floor, — a similar precau- tion having already been taken by one of the teachers on the first floor, — and to ensuring the safety of those in the building. The value of the fire-proof doors was well proved on this occasion, for, although warped and twisted, they resisted successfully the passage of the flames, and these were restricted to the north wing, save on the third floor where the existence of such a door was unknown to the teacher and, conse- quently, it remained open.
Unstinted praise and heartfelt thanks are due to the fire department, for their prompt response to the call and for their valiant and effective service in con- fining the fire within the walls of the school-house and in subduing the flames so rapidly ; to the Protective Department, through whose exertions the valuable stereotyped plates of books and music and the un- bound copies of the former, stored in the fourth floor of the building, were preserved with a small amount of loss ; and to the police officers, who cleared the grounds of intruders and garrisoned the establishment until all excitement was at an end.
It was 7.10 o'clock when the "all out" signal was sounded and the danger was conceded to be over. The ruined part of the building comprised the manual
26
training rooms in the north wing, both in the base- ment and on the first floor (although some of the specimens of handiwork in the upper room were fortu- nately saved, including those of Laura Bridgman's manufacture together with her picture) ; the physics and geography rooms on the second floor of the north wing, with their appliances and specimens ; the entire third floor, devoted to the musical work of the girls' department, together with its contents including four- teen pianofortes and a quantity of music. In addition to this the girls who were in the building suffered personal loss through the destruction of their cloak- room, while the books and plates on the fourth floor were damaged by smoke and heat. The building was well protected by insurance, but the books and musi- cal instruments were not insured to their full value, and we have sustained an actual loss of about ^7,000.
In the southern portion of the school-house are situated the sloyd-room, the general assembly hall and two school-rooms, all of which were not harmed in any way and in which the work of the school was carried on uninterruptedly from the time of the con- flagration to the first part of May, when the damaged building was thoroughly repaired and made ready for use.
Disastrous as the fire has proved and deeply regret- table as it must always be, we have great cause for thankfulness in our fortunate escape from injury to life or limb and from the spread of devastation to neighboring buildings.
Finances. The treasurer of the corporation, Mr. Edward
27
Jackson, has prepared his customary annual report, which is herewith presented.
This document covers the financial year ending on the 31st day of August and gives a detailed account of the receipts and expenditures of the institution, which may be condensed as follows: —
Cash on hand September i, 1900 $57,021 96
Total receipts during the year, 206,729 26
^263,751 22 Total expenditures and investments, .... 187,076 63
Balance in the treasury August 31, 1901, . . $76,674 59
In order that we may be able to accomplish the best attainable results in the education and training of the blind and that the school may be entirely dependent upon its own resources for its support and growth and not upon outside aid, we need much larger funds than we now control. There- fore, we earnestly hope that generous additions will soon be made to the endowment of the estab- lishment.
Bequests.
Only two legacies have been received during the past year. The sum of ^1,000 which was left to the institution by Mr. Alfred T. Turner, late treas- urer of the city of Boston, has been paid to it by his sons, Messrs. Alfred T. Turner, Benjamin S. Turner and William B. Turner, the executors of his will.
We have also received from the estate of the late Thompson Baxter, through the executor of his will, Hon. Charles T. Gallagher, $200, on account of the
28
amount of $250, which was bequeathed to the school by the testator.
Both Mr. Turner and Mr. Baxter were New Eng- land men of the best type, — citizens of upright life and sturdy character, of unimpeachable integrity and of charitable disposition, of fine public spirit and of rare business sagacity. Indeed, it is very pleasant to feel that our work in behalf of the blind meets with the approbation and appreciation of such prominent citizens, noted for their intelligence and their active sympathy with suffering humanity.
The Howe Memorial Press.
Owing to the lack of sufficient room and to the mechanical limitations and numerous inconveniences resulting therefrom, the Howe memorial press has continued to labor under increased difficulties ai)d serious disadvantages. Nevertheless, its operations have been prosecuted with perfect regularity and undiminished energy. The list of the new books which have been published in the course of the past year comprised Washington Irving's Sketch Book in two volumes and the Story of Siegfried in one volume.
Whole editions of many of our valuable publications in raised characters were stored in bundles of sheets in the two attics of the Howe building which was partly destroyed by fire last winter. Although none of these unbound volumes were consumed by the flames, yet hundreds of them were so seriously dam- aged by water and the dense smoke that they were rendered worthless and had to be discarded. The work of reprinting the lost books has been already begun, but it will take a long time before it is finished.
29
Workshop for Adults.
During the past year this department has been favored with a fair amount of work and has been as- sisted in keeping fifteen bUnd persons in steady em- ployment and in enabHng them to earn their living and to be self-supporting citizens and useful members of society.
When we decided to transfer the salesroom and ofBce of the institution from Avon street to No. 383 Boylston street, we were in hopes that this removal would prove very beneficial to the interests of the establishment in more ways than one. We take very great pleasure in stating that this expectation has been fully realized. Through the change of the loca- tion of its store the industrial department has been brought to the direct notice of a large number of peo- ple more prominently than ever before, its business has been increased, new names have been added to the list of its patrons, and its accounts show that there is an amount of $1,854.56 standing on the right side of the balance sheet. This result is exceedingly sat- isfactory, and we are very thankful for it.
We cannot refrain from saying in this connection that the industry, sobriety, steadiness and skill of the men and women now employed in our workshop are worthy of praise. The goods manufactured by them have continued to receive the marked approval of in- telligent customers, and their quality as regards both materials and workmanship is their best recommen- dation to the attention of experienced housekeepers and all other prudent purchasers.
30
Commencement Exercises.
The crowning point of the year's effort of our pupils is reached on commencement day, when each young graduate reaches the goal of which he is proud, and the one which every younger student aspires to gain. Our exercises were held upon the afternoon of June 4 in the Boston Theatre, which through the kindly interest and unfailing liberality of Mr. Eugene Tompkins was again placed at our disposal with every convenience and assistance which the establish- ment afforded. That so spacious an auditorium was an absolute necessity was clearly manifest when, as the hour of three o'clock approached, a splendid au- dience poured in through the doors of the theatre and filled nearly every seat on the floor and in the balconies.
Promptly upon the stroke of the hour. Gen. Fran- cis H. Appleton, the president of the corporation, stepped forward and greeted the audience with the following words : —
Friends and patrons of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, members of the corporation and all others : — It becomes my privilege as the presiding officer to welcome you all to the commencement exercises upon the first year of the new century.
You do great honor to the occasion by being present in such goodly numbers, and these young men and women, who are about to graduate, will feel for years to come the sense of encourage- ment and pleasure, which they derive from your attendance. They realize that many of the members of this great audience belong to the number of those who have taken an active interest in the institution and who by their gifts of money have made it possible for it to enlarge the field of its operations and to promote
31
the welfare of those who truly need both its help and its benefi- cent influence.
It is not the purpose of the managers of the school to refer to its financial affairs on every public occasion and to press their call for funds ; but it will be utterly unjust to the cause which has been committed to our charge to be absolutely silent and to make no allusion to the increasing wants of the establishment. These exercises will give to you a clear idea of how much good has been accomplished by means of your gifts, and we cannot refrain from stating that the institution is in need of further assistance and that it depends entirely upon your generosity for the enlargement of its scope and the increase of its usefulness.
The kindergarten owes its rapid growth to your hearty apprecia- tion of the noble work which is done under its roof. You became its friends and benefactors, and through your Hberality it has been enabled to expand the field of its ministrations and to reach a larger number of afflicted children, most of whom were grievously neglected and sorely oppressed by lack of care and training. But, by looking at the last page of the programme which you are hold- ing in your hands, you will find a concise statement in which the director shows that there is imperative need of the erection of a building for girls to be devoted to the work of the primary grade. He makes an earnest appeal for the money which is required for the accomplishment of this purpose, and it is fervently hoped that his plea may touch a responsive chord in your hearts. It is hardly necessary to observe that the number of the little blind children who must have at an early age the advantages afforded by the kindergarten becomes larger as the country develops and the population increases.
We are again deeply indebted to Mr. Eugene Tompkins, the proprietor of this historic and splendid theatre, for making us anew at home, as it were, by allowing us to hold our exercises in this spacious and most convenient of all public places.
Later on Mr. Anagnos supplemented the last words of President Appleton by the following remarks : —
For more than thirty-five years the pupils of our school have enjoyed advantages in the line of their musical education, which
32
the blind of no other state have received. Since 1865 a number of our students, varying from fifty to seventy-five, have been gen- erously invited from time to time to attend many grand operas given in this magnificent temple of music and the drama. The late Dr. Orlando Tompkins was one of the best and most thought- ful friends whom the blind of New England have ever had. Dur- ing his management of this theatre he had always a corner for his sightless profSges, and there is scarcely a person bereft of the visual sense who does not remember him affectionately or who does not cherish and revere his blessed memory. His son has proved to be a worthy heir of his father's kindly and generous disposition toward the blind. Mr. Eugene Tompkins has followed with un- deviating fidelity in the footsteps of his sire, and many a time he has sent invitations to our pupils to attend operas given in this place. He has done more than this. From 1893 to the present day he has granted to us every year, with a single exception, the privilege of holding our commencement exercises here free of any charge whatsoever, and he has greatly enhanced the value of his gift by the heartiness with which he made it. For this rare boon we are everlastingly grateful to Mr. Tompkins. Not he alone, but everyone of his assistants and employes, — Mr. Pond, the manager, Mr. Kilby, the treasurer, the engineer, the ushers, — all have been exceedingly kind and helpful to our pupils and have won their re- spect. Now it remains for me to add just a few words concerning Mr. Lawrence McCarthy, the present lessee and manager of the theatre. I am exceedingly glad to be able to state that he is known to have in his large heart a warm spot for his blind friends. This fact is significant in itself, for it leads us to believe that he will not deny them the inestimable privilege of holding their com- mencement exercises here next year. Hence let us hope that those of us, whose lives may be spared for another period of twelve months, will have the pleasure of meeting in this place on the first Tuesday of June, 1902.
The exercises were then begun by the singing of the Hunting Song by a chorus of girls with orchestral accompaniment. This number was espe- cially interesting, since its musical part was composed by one of our graduates of the class of 1900, Herbert
33
A. Strout, who is still connected with this school and is pursuing an advanced course of study. The young musician, choosing Sir Walter Scott's poem for his setting, gave to it a dignified and harmonious treat- ment, which reflected no little credit upon his talent. The orchestration was well conceived and wrought out, and the rhythmical strength of the work was steadily sustained from beginning to end, while the spirit of the poem was strikingly reflected in the tones of the composition. The number was admirably rendered alike by singers and players and formed a most delightful opening for the exercises.
After the singing came the part taken by the kindergarten children, a full description of which will be found in the special report on that branch of our school. While it was proceeding, the three young women of the graduating class were employed at a table at one side of the stage upon the con- structive work of their exercise in geometry, which followed the departure of the little children from the stage. It was a lucid, logical and comprehensive demonstration of the problem which had been given to them to solve, and it was accorded earnest attention by an interested audience.
The exercise in " wireless telegraphy " which was next presented by the young male graduates was a practical illustration of a subject, which is excit- ing universal discussion and was to most of the audience a novel revelation of the wonders of Mar- coni's discoveiy. After a brief explanation of the experiment and of the apparatus needed for its performance had been made by Owen Wrinn, a message was successfully sent out by Barnard Levin in the Morse telegraphic code, from the transmitter
34
in the second balcony of the theatre, opposite the stage, and as successfully read at the receiving station on the stage by the remaining members of the class, who interpreted it to the audience to be " suc- cess to the fund."
The clearing of a large portion of the stage for the gymnastic exercises preceded the approach of a group of young girls who marched in, two by two, enlivening the stage with their pretty costumes of red and white and forming a most pleasing picture against the painted woodland of the background. At the direction of their teacher, in perfect unison, they performed skilfully many difficult feats, the balance movements in particular eliciting warm applause from the onlookers. Edith Thomas was a member of the class, and, receiving the command, imprinted by her companion in the palm of her hand, in an abbre- viated form, as rapidly as the instructor could utter it aloud, she was ready to move in harmony with the rest, held to the rhythmic motion by the light touch which stood to her mind for " one-two."
The regret felt at the retreat of this attractive column was relieved by the advance of a company of young soldiers whose drill was characterized by military bearing, by alertness and by absolute pre- cision in the execution of every order. The commen- dation which was heartily given to both of these ex- ercises was well merited by the young performers.
The seven graduates, Emma Lena Carr, Mary Etta Ellingwood, Annie Swazey Ricker, Samuel Currier Bond, Everett Manly Harmon, Barnard Levin and Owen Eugene Wrinn, then stepped forward and re- ceived from the hands of Gen. Appleton the diplomas, which are the visible reward for their patient, unre-
35
mitting effort through many years, and the sign and token of their dogged determination and triumphant conquest of difficulties. For, although it is true that today everything is within the reach of the blind student, it is also true that strenuous mental toil is alone the price of victory.
The spirited and well modulated rendering of Se- lections /rom Ernani by the military band brought to an end an exhibition, which could not fail to con- vey to every one in the audience a truer insight into the comprehensiveness and scope of this field of edu- cational activity, and make clear to them the value of bringing to these darkened minds and to these minds deprived of so much of physical perfection in- tellectual light, which shall irradiate their whole being, until their deprivations and limitations are forgotten in the zest of mental labor and in the joy of attain- ment through earnest thought and deep research.
fin nDemoriam.
Members of the Corporation.
•
While the institution has not lost so large a number of friends during the past twelve months, as in some years, nevertheless the hand of death has been repeatedly felt and we mourn the loss of twenty- two of the most useful and highly esteemed members of the corporation. The list comprises the following honored names : —
Rev. Cyrus Augustus Bartol, D.D., died in his home the sixteenth day of December, 1900, at the age of eighty-seven years. He was an idealist by nature, an original thinker and a messenger of light and
36
cheer. Poetic in conception, his thoughts found expression in words of beauty. He tasted the joy of constant mental activity, — the sweet surprise of swift- springing ideas from never-failing fountains, — and his brilliant powers were set in perfect sincerity to the charming service of learning, teaching and living the truth. He was a radical in going to the root of things, while in sturdy support of the everlasting rights of the human soul he was a conservative. Like a bird in the air, his mind moved unhindered among the problems of the transitional period in which he lived. Freedom indeed was with him the vital condition, without which speech and thought were impossible. He said once that none could put forth his strength or his talent with his elbow bound. Although a democrat to the core of his heart, he emphasized the just distinction between intelligence and ignorance, reason and brute force, virtue and vice, and seized every occasion to urge the need of higher standards of society, citizenship and government. In years gone by his house in Chestnut street was the resort of some of the most interesting and choice spirits of that time, James Walker, Emerson, Way- land, Father Taylor. They were attracted there by his richly stored mind, his charming kindness and his face so full of tenderness and benevolence. He was noted for his independent thought, his courage, his gentle manner, his strength of intellect, his sweet personality, his genial disposition and his bountiful hospitality. For these qualities he will always be remembered. In some respects he was a unique figure in the Boston pulpit. In his sermons, as well as in all his writings, there was a quaint imagery that never failed to attract and a sincerity that carried
37
conviction. His style was often ornate, yet there was always meat in what he said and wrote. When his heart was touched by the memory of past scenes, a lyrical strain was infused into his prose, and at times his sentences glowed with warmth, but his enthu- siasm was tempered with sweetness. He was most highly respected and dearly beloved by his people and by all those within his immediate circle. Dr. Bartol was a most earnest champion of many worthy causes. In the brilliant Emersonian sentences of his discourses, as well as in all the keen, quaint argu- ments characteristic of the man in his discussions, he ever manifested a deep, true love for humanity. He took always an active interest in our institution and in the widely diversified work of its distinguished founder, and later on he became a member of the corporation through generous contributions to the kindergarten.
Dr. George Reid Dinsmore died at his home in Keene, New Hampshire, on Monday, the twenty-ninth day of April, 1901, in the sixtieth year of his age. He was a man whose personal worth, courteous de- meanor and blameless character raised him high in the esteem of all who knew him well. His decease cast a gloom over a large circle of friends, and the community in which he lived is poorer through the loss of a true and manly citizen in the ripeness of his powers and influence. In 1888 Dr. Dinsmore 's atten- tion was drawn to the work of the institution and he became then a member of the corporation by means of a gift of money, which he sent for the kindergarten.
Miss Mary M. Dutton died of pneumonia at the home of her sister, Mrs. Samuel R. Mandell, No. 302 Commonwealth avenue, on the eighteenth day of
38
April, 1 90 1. She was the youngest daughter of the late Henry W. and Ann Spear Dutton and one of the principal owners of the Boston Evening Transcript, of which her father was the founder. She was greatly beloved in the community for the rare simplicity, sin- cerity and nobility of her character, the modesty of her demeanor and the unobtrusiveness of her benevo- lence. She made the lives of all who knew her stronger, richer, happier, more serious and more help- ful. For more than half a century a warm, active sympathy with the cause of the blind had been cher- ished in the sanctuary of her honored family, and she was as faithful and as helpful to the institution as her parents and sisters had been before her. She took great interest in public affairs and rejoiced in every sign of progress.
Mrs. Anna S. Faulkner, widow of the late Charles Faulkner, died suddenly at Magnolia on the four- teenth day of June, 1901. She was dearly beloved and very highly esteemed by innumerable people who have been benefited by her generosity. Thoroughly imbued with the spirit which thinks ever of others rather than of self, she was full of charitable works, the greatest portion of which was only known to the recipients of her benefactions. Her kindliness was equalled by her modesty and humility. She was a liberal giver to the cause of the blind and to various educational and philanthropic enterprises, but she avoided publicity as much as she could. The in- fluence of her sterling character, her broad and gen- erous sympathies and her quiet faithfulness will bear abundant fruit for many years to come in the hearts of the wide circle of friends who were attracted and held by the force of her goodness and liberality.
39
Jonathan French died in his residence, No. 230 Marlborough street, on the twelfth day of May, 1 901, in the ninety-eighth year of his age. He belonged to that group of honorable citizens, whose unimpeachable integrity, judicious wisdom, high moral worth, strict justice and impartiality in their dealings with others were manifestly recognized and very highly prized by their fellow men. He was born in Boston in the famous old French mansion, which formerly stood at the corner of South street and Waverly place. He inherited a large fortune from his father, who was one of the old-time merchants of this city and a colonel in the war of independence. In comparatively early man- hood he acquired the Wyman estate in Roxbury and married Miss Hanna Williams, daughter of Mr. J. D. Williams, the well-known merchant and philanthropist. In 1869, Mr. French bought the house No. 32 Com- monwealth avenue and lived there for a long time. Of late years he has resided at No. 230 Marlborough street with his daughter, Miss Cornelia Anne French. He was very fond of books, and his library contained a re- markable collection of rare editions.
Thomas Gaffield died of apoplexy at his home, No. 54 Allen street, on the sixth day of December, 1900. He was born in Boston on the fourteenth day of January, 1825, and received his early education in the public schools of his native city. He was a lover of good reading and withal had a bent toward scien- tific research, which led him to make a special study of the chemical effect of light on the color of glass. He was remarkable for his steady, persistent industry, never giving up anything which he had undertaken to do until he brought it to a successful issue, and he interested himself in a great variety of things. Abso-
40
lute integrity and well-balanced mental powers happily characterized him. By numerous acts of generosity and all-embracing kindness he won the esteem and affection of a large number of people. Those who knew him best most respected and loved him. He held his worldly possessions as a trust, and, being tender-hearted, he was also open-handed. He was for many years a member of the corporation of this institution and has by his will constituted it one of three residuary legatees of his estate.
Miss Matilda Goddard died at her home, No. 251 Newbury street, Boston, on the twenty-fourth day of April, 1 90 1, at the age of eighty-six years and nine months. She was born in this city in Mason street and continued to live there until driven away by the changed conditions of the neighborhood. She was the daughter of the late James Goddard and Rebecca Frothingham Goddard, the sister of the grandmother of the late Roger Wolcott. Throughout her long and active life, after she grew to womanhood, Miss Goddard was identified with many charities and re- fomis. She was constantly going among the deserving poor. As a vice-president for many years of the old ladies' home in Revere street, she gave much time as well as money to promote the welfare and comfort of the inmates of that institution. It was her custom to visit them at least once a week and to go among them and all about the house, giving a cheery word here, administering relief there and bestowing more material aid where needed. In her younger days she was es- pecially interested in oi*phan and destitute children, and many hundreds of waifs have been provided by her with good homes and have grown up to become men and women of credit to the community. Our institu-
41
tion was one of the many establishments which she aided with money.
Hon. William S. Hayward, ex-mayor of Provi- dence, Rhode Island, died of Bright's disease at his home in that city on the fifth day of November, 1900, at the age of sixty-five years. For nearly a generation he had been a prominent figure in the life of Provi- dence and Rhode Island. He held several positions of trust and was connected with many charitable and religious societies and several secret organizations. He was mayor of Providence in 1880, 1881 and 1882. In April of 1882 a movement was inaugurated in that city for the purpose of raising six or seven thousand dollars, the sum necessaiy to complete the printing fund of this institution. In order to facilitate the ac- complishment of this plan, a public meeting was held in the music hall, where the needs of the blind were most eloquently presented by half a dozen prom- inent speakers to an audience which filled the audi- torium to overflowing. At the close of this stirring meeting the matter of soliciting subscriptions was placed in the hands of a strong committee, consisting of such distinguished men as Hon. A. H. Littlefield, then governor of the commonwealth, Hon. Charles C. Vanzandt, Hon. Amos C. Barstow, Rt. Rev. T. M. Clark, bishop of the diocese, Mr. Heniy G. Russell, Mr. Amos D. Lockwood, Mr. George W. Danielson, Rev. Augustus Woodbury, Mr. Charles E. Carpenter, Mr. Francis W. Carpenter, and Hon. Albert C. How- ard (treasurer). Mr. Hayward, then mayor of the city, gladly consented to serve as a member of the citizen's committee and at the same time made two liberal con- tributions of money, one from himself and another from his father-in-law, Mr. .Fitzjames Rice.
42
Edward William Hooper died at Waverley of pneumonia on Tuesday, the twenty-fifth of June, 1 901. He was born in Boston in the month of De- cember, 1840, and was one of its most prominent and public-spirited citizens. By every instinct of his nat- ure he was averse to strife ; yet early in the rebellion he enlisted in the army under the command of Gen- eral Saxton and manfully did his duty as a soldier. At the close of the war he returned to his native city and opened an office. Soon afterward he was chosen treasurer of Harvard college, and for twenty years his administration of the financial affairs of that in- stitution was remarkable for its skill and success. On his retirement from this office in 1898 he received the honorary degree of LL.D. Mr. Hooper was the soul of honor, fidelity and truth. Though sometimes curt of speech and brusque in manner, he never lacked heart nor the true politeness, which has its well-spring there. He was the kindest, sincerest and most loyal of friends. He was earnestly devoted to art in its different forms, and his knowledge of matters per- taining thereto was astonishingly extensive and ac- curate. He was one of the original trustees of the Boston museum of fine arts and rendered to it con- spicuous help from the time of its establishment to the end of his life. Indeed, ever since its incorpora- tion he has been a most important factor in its man- agement and has taken a very active part in promot- ing its growth and development. His career had a well rounded completeness, a variety and fullness of service and success. Large interests were often put in his charge and were administered by him with singular care and exemplary honesty. His energies were not wholly absorbed, however, by these enter-
43
prises. Nor did he neglect to take his full share in charitable works. He had given largely of his strength and remarkable ability to the philanthropic, educational and religious interests of the city, as well as liberal financial aid. To deserving causes in gen- eral, but especially to that of the freedmen, for whose liberation he had carried the sword and fought bravely, he was a constant contributor. He responded readily to appeals for the relief of distress or for the support of beneficent enterprises, and his charitable deeds were numerous and invariably characterized by per- fect simplicity, unobtrusive modesty and sound judg- ment. Benevolent, just and wise men we still have and shall have with us; but Mr. Hooper's goodness and wisdom were joined with an individual charm, which made a character as rare as it was beautiful.
Mrs. Alice Maria Rowe Jackson, wife of Dr. Joseph A. Jackson, died at her home in Manchester, New Hampshire, on the second day of October, 1900. She was a gentle, refined, kind-hearted and delicately organized woman, and her untimely loss is deeply lamented not only by her bereaved family but by all who knew her. She was greatly attached to the institution and avowed her sense of gratitude to it for what it has done for her only son, Clarence Addison Jackson. He has been one of its pupils since 1887, first at the kindergarten and afterwards at the parent school, and graduated in 1898 with great credit both to himself and to his alma mater. During the last three years he pursued an advanced course of music partly in the institution but mainly at the New England conservatory, where he gradu- ated last June.
George B. Neal, for fifty years treasurer and
44
manager of the Charlestown gas company, died at the Massachusetts general hospital on the seventh day of July, 1901. He was born in Newton Lower Falls on the twenty-first of May, 1823, and received his early education at the Seth Davis school in Newton. He was prepared for college under the direction of private tutors and entered Harvard, whence he graduated in 1846, having as classmates such distinguished men as Prof. Charles Eliot Nor- ton, Prof. Lane, Senator Hoar, Judge Webb and others of note. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1849, but he pursued the profession of a lawyer only for a few years. He soon became inter- ested in several business enterprises and devoted his time and energies to them. He was prominent in many corporations and in not a few social and religious organizations. He was an accomplished musician and a man of public-spirit, of sterling integrity, of spotless character and of blameless life. Both he and his only surviving daughter. Miss Caro- line F. Neal, have been of recent years actively interested in the cause of the blind, as was also his wife, who died a few years ago.
George Augustus Nickerson died at his resi- dence in Dedham on the second day of September, 1901, after a sickness which had caused him severe suffering during the last two months. He was the son of the late Joseph Nickerson and Laura Winslow Nickerson and was born in Jamaica Plain in 1854. He was a graduate both of Harvard college and of the law school connected therewith. He inherited a great fortune from his father and was the wealthiest resident of Dedham. He represented large manu- facturing and railroad interests and was active and
45
influential in promoting a number of extensive finan- cial operations. He was a careful, trustworthy man of affairs, and those who met him in business life re- spected him very highly. He was also possessed of a fine taste, which showed itself in his surroundings and in his love for choice books, music and horticulture. His house was always a hospitable one and he the most thoughtful and graceful of hosts. His home relations were beautiful and happy. Believing that he might be of service in public life, to which he was attracted by inclination and for which his leisure and wealth gave him exceptional opportunities, Mr. Nickerson sought and obtained election last year as a member of the Massachusetts house of representatives. As a legislator he was faithful and diligent in the perform- ance of duty, doing the commonwealth excellent ser- vice. He was a clear and forcible speaker and his experience and honesty of purpose gave weight to his opinion. The untimely death of such a man is a serious loss to the community, which can ill spare one, who added so much to its 'commercial vitality and who had so many graces as a private citizen.
The community in general and the cause of the blind in particular has met with another severe loss in the unexpected decease of Mrs. Julia Bryant Paine, who died at her residence in Boston on the fourth day of September, 1901, at the age of fifty-four years. She was the wife of Gen. Charles J. Paine, well known as a railroad financier and for his public spirit in building several yachts for the defence of America's cup. Mrs. Paine came from a prominent family identified with the business interests of the city. She was the daughter of the late John Bryant, the senior member of one of the leading mercantile
46
houses of Boston in the past. She was greatly be- loved for her deeds of generosity and mercy and highly esteemed for her zeal in behalf of all good causes and her administrative ability. She was of a metal that rang absolutely true and that nothing could corrode. The genuineness of her character shone forth conspicuously among her many other high qual- ities. Strength and purity were hers. She was scru- pulously considerate of others and always ready to do a kind or neighborly act. Her sympathies were wide- spread and made her the friend of all sufferers. She possessed a practical wisdom which enabled her to see clearly and decide rightly. Through the influence of her intimate friend Mrs. Anagnos, Mrs. Paine be- came deeply interested in the institution and its work and contributed generously to its support.
Mrs. Mary J. Phipps, widow of John Alfred Phipps, died at Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the twenty- sixth day of April, 1901. She was a woman of kind heart, discriminating judgment, unwavering rectitude and marked firmness of purpose. She manifested a friendly interest in the institution and its work and was elected a member of the corporation in 1894. She was noted for her charitable disposition and thoughtfulness for others, and she taught all those who came within the sphere of her influence lessons of sweetness, wisdom, gentleness and refinement. The memory of her sterling worth and exemplary goodness will remain a rich heritage to the sorrowing friends who miss her earthly presence.
Mrs. Charlotte Pickering, widow of Edward Pickering, died at her home, No. 84 Mt. Vernon street, Boston, on the twelfth day of May at the age of eighty- two years. She was a woman of great worth, con-
47
scientious, sincere, diligent and of sterling character. The evening of her long life was serene and calm, as befitted one whose days had been devoted to duty and to deeds of unselfishness. To those who knew and loved her she brought unending comfort.
Mrs. Georgiana Crowninshield Saltonstall, widow of Henry Saltonstall, died at her residence. No. 26 Commonwealth avenue, on Friday, the twenty- fifth of January, 1901, in her seventy-seventh year. She was a woman of large kindliness of spirit, of broad. sympathies, of peaceful temper and of unstinted liber- ality ; in other words, she had many of the qualities which win the affection and high appreciation of others. Her life has been a shining example of be- nevolence, generosity, purity and unselfishness. She has stood as the type of unsullied goodness, probity and rectitude, — as a gentlewoman of the true order of nobility.
Dr. George Grosvenor Tarbell died of pneu- monia at his residence. No. 274 Marlborough street, Boston, on Friday, the twenty-eighth day of Decem- ber, 1900, in his sixtieth year. He was a member of the visiting staff of physicians at the Massachusetts general hospital. From 1878 to 1883 he was as- sistant superintendent of the Massachusetts school for idiotic and feeble-minded youth, having suc- ceeded Dr. Henry Tuck, whose appointment to that place in 1875 was made necessary by the failing health of the illustrious founder of the institution. Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, who discharged the duties of general superintendent from the time that he organized the school in 1848 to the day of his death without receiv- ing any salary. Since 1884 Dr. Tarbell had been con- stantly a member of the board of trustees of the
48
institution and for the last year the president of its corporation. He took a most profound interest in the enlargement of the establishment and the welfare of its inmates, and there was no scheme for its develop- ment or new plan of administration and change in its method of control, which did not bear the impress of his keen mind and kind heart. He devoted the best energies of his life to the amelioration of the condition of a class of afflicted children who could little estimate or appreciate their value and who could not even re- ciprocate his kindness by gratitude. He was a tender- hearted and generous man, entirely different from some members of his profession, who not only refuse to render the least sei-vice to a public institution with- out exacting ample pecuniar)' compensation, but strive to prevent others from doing so, using the argument that such liberality on their part would be both dis- courteous and'prejudicial to those who do not care to work for nothing. Meanness of this sort could not abide in a noble nature like that of Dr. Tarbell. On the contrary he was always ready to assist his fellow- men, and thus he led a life of unselfish usefulness and service to others. He comforted the poor, treated the sick, cherished the unfortunate, counselled the weary and dispensed help and cheer to all who needed them. The untimely loss of such a character gives emphasis to the saying that " death loveth a shining mark."
Miss Rebecca P. Wainwright, daughter of the late Henry and Anne Brooks Wainwright, died at her home in Boston on the first day of January, 1901, in her eighty-first year. She was a very generous and tender-hearted woman, one whose mind habitu- ally dwelled in an atmosphere of goodness, benevo- lence and moral beauty. She had many traits of character, which made her very dear and exceedingly lovable to her friends. Saintly, gentle, gracious,
49
patient, sympathetic, intelligent, " none knew her but to love her." She was singularly pure in heart and thought, firm in her convictions, charitable in her judgments and loyal in her friendships. Her good deeds were many, and among the numerous causes, in which she manifested an active interest, that of the blind held a prominent place.
Mrs. Maria Gill Wilson, wife of William R. Wilson of Boston, died at Nahant, on Sunday, the second of June, 1901. She was a most estimable woman, respected universally and beloved by a large circle of friends. Her life reached a full maturity of years and has been one of purity and sweetness, of noble aspiration and devotion to duty, of helpful- ness and sympathy with the unfortunate and suffering members of the human family, of generosity and self-sacrifice in a most marked degree. She was a pronounced friend of the cause of the blind. Those who knew her during her useful and beneficent life are full of gratitude to her and praise her for her domestic virtues, her beautiful character and charit- able disposition.
The death of Hon. Roger Wolcott, former gover- nor of Massachusetts, which occurred on the twenty- first day of December, 1900, at his winter residence on Commonwealth avenue, Boston, brought the shock of acute grief not only to his bereaved family and to the large circle of his personal friends, but to the public as well. He was a splendid type of manhood, — handsome, stately, sound and vigorous in body and mind, graceful in speech and action. His very pres- ence was an inspiration. In the simplicity and transparency of his character he reminded one of a beautiful, clear and flawless crystal. Upon a solid
50
stock of ancestral worth were grafted the latest refinements of private and public life. He united in an unusual degree dignity with kindliness, self-control with strong convictions, unswerving determination with tolerance, uprightness with charity, firmness with chivalry. He possessed the integrity of the early colonists and the old-time scorn of meanness, together with an amiability and sweetness exceeding that of the Puritans and a fine sense of the duties and responsibilities of the living hour. He w^as the friend of the blind on all occasions. A man of broad views and liberal culture, his sympathies were wide enough to include sufferers of all classes. Although a de- scendant of one of the oldest and best families of New England, and himself a man of wealth and recognized position, arrogance and pretension were as far from the ex-governor as from the humblest of his constitu- ents, and the " grand old name of gentleman " was never more worthily worn by any citizen of Massa- chusetts. His standards of justice and propriety were of the loftiest. He served the state with ability, fidelity and distinction, and he won and retained to a remarkable degree the confidence and affection of the people of the commonwealth. In many respects he was a model governor. In the civilities and courtesies of office he excelled. With the charms of an exemplary politeness he combined so sensitive a conscience and such resoluteness of character as made him always ready to stand forth in defense of principle. The iron hand of the veto power was within the velvet glove, and the legislature repeatedly felt its force. Few men have been able to rise so high in public favor, while exhibiting at the same time the steadfastness of purpose and strength of
51
will which characterized Roger Wolcott. Born fifty- three years and five months ago, he was in the very prime of his powers and in the height of his useful- ness. Undoubtedly not only the citizens of Massa- chusetts but the people of the whole country would have made an irresistible demand upon him for future and longer service. He has left behind him an un- tarnished reputation and a legacy to the state and the nation, which owe him a debt of gratitude. His noble nature will always be his greatest monument, and the testimony of his contemporaries will remain a tribute not only to his personal worth but to the age which could appreciate and honor the virtues of which he was the best living type among his compani- ons in the public service.
Benjamin Edward Woolf, well-known as play- wright and also as a musical and dramatic critic, died at his home in West Brookline street, Boston, on Thursday, the seventh of February, 1901, in the sixty- fifth year of his age. Born in London, England, the son of an eminent musician, he belonged to a family of liberal culture in art and in letters, and his recep- tive nature blossomed into early maturity. He was a man of brilliant and versatile mind. He was en- dowed with many talents, and through unremittfng industry he had acquired a wealth of learning. He was a litterateur of a high order, a painter of no mean character, a poet of merit and an authority on sub- jects pertaining to music. His work as a writer was always excellent, and in several directions it was of surpassing accuracy and value. In private life Mr. Woolf was a charming companion. Possessed of notable intellectual and artistic gifts and trained to a habit of picturesque expression, he delighted with his
52
conversation those whom he met. His election as a member of the corporation was due to the interest which he manifested in the institution and its work.
Charles L. Young died of pneumonia at the home of his brother-in-law, Mr. Robert H. Stevenson, in Beverly Farms, on the ninth day of September, 1901, at the age of seventy years. He was a man of charit- able disposition and genial manners, public spirit and of spotless character. He possessed sterling qualities of mind and heart. His well-poised temperament and genuine sympathy with his fellow-men put him in kinship with them to an unusual extent. He was widely known by his many deeds of generosity to the unfortunate, his strict rectitude, his loyal friendship and his purity of life. He endeavored to leave the world better because he had lived in it. He gained the confidence of the community by his wisdom and his high sense of honor just as he won its love and appreciation by his kindliness and goodness to all human beings. He was actively interested in the cause of the blind, and he remembered the institution generously in his will, bequeathing to it a legacy of ^5,000. Mr. Young was always ready both to render personal service to benevolent enterprises and to re- spond quickly to appeals for pecuniary assistance, and the record of what he has done for the benefit of his fellow-men and of the liberal aid which he bestowed voluntarily upon numerous deserving causes will ever be the best and most enduring monument to his memory.
On account of the removal of his residence to a neighboring state, Mr. Robert H. Gardiner has ceased
53
to be a member of our board and Mr. Melvin O.
Adams has been appointed to fill his place. All which is respectfully submitted by MELVIN O. ADAMS, WILLIAM ENDICOTT, CHARLES P. GARDINER, JOSEPH B. GLOVER, N. P. HALLOWELL, J. THEODORE HEARD, HENRY MARION HOWE, FRANCIS W. HUNNEWELL, GEORGE H. RICHARDS, WILLIAM L. RICHARDSON, RICHARD M. SALTONSTALL, S. LOTHROP THORNDIKE,
Trustees.
THE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR.
Tomorrow hath a rare, alluring sound ; Today is very prose ; and yet the twain Are but one vision seen through altered eyes. Our dreams inhabit one ; our stress and pain Surge through the other. Heaven is but today Made lovely with tomorrow's face for aye.
— Richard Burton.
To the Board of Trustees.
Gentlemen: — The report of the director, which I have the honor to submit herewith to your board, contains an account of the operation of the institution during the past twelve months and at the same time embodies some general views on the education of the blind, which may be of interest to those who concern themselves with this subject.
Before proceeding with my story, I cannot resist the desire of indulging in a few remarks of a personal character, suggested by the twenty-fifth anniversary of my superintendency and management, which occurred some months ago.
It was on the twenty-eighth of March, 1876, that I was chosen by a unanimous vote of the board of trustees to fill the vacancy caused by the ever lamented death of the distinguished founder of the establishment. Dr. Samuel G. Howe. That day was the beginning of the quarter of a century covered by my service.
55
During these long years I have put aside all other aspirations and plans in ife and have thought of my- self solely and exclusively as the director of the Per- kins institution and as nothing else. I have applied myself steadily to the accomplishment of the work and the execution of the projects which were laid out by my illustrious predecessor, and I have concen- trated all my energies on the enlargement of the scope of the school and on the promotion of its va- rious interests, — educational and financial, as well as social and moral.
No efforts have been spared on my part in any of these directions.
When I assumed the duties of my office I firmly believed that the institution had a great future before it as it had a glorious past behind it. To facilitate the fulfilment of its grand mission and to hasten the realization of its almost unlimited possibilities has been the single task, to which I have devoted my powers of body, mind and soul without any reserva- tion whatever, and for the achievement of which I have labored in season and out of season with very little rest or recreation. If notwithstanding my stren- uous striving I have not been fully successful in my endeavors, let the cause of the failure be attributed where it belongs, namely, to the inadequacy of my native endowments and not to lack of honesty and earnestness of purpose, of devotion to duty, and of assiduous industry, nor to the want of hearty appre- ciation of the valuable assistance, which a staff of faithful and loyal coadjutors can give.
In reviewing the work of the past year, we realize that we have not as yet reached the goal of our ex- pectations and that we are still far from approaching
56
our ideal ; we feel nevertheless that we have made reasonable progress towards them, and that time and unremitting effort will accomplish what remains to be done.
Enrolment of Bund Persons.
I pray, let them be admitted.
— Shakespeare.
The total number of blind persons registered, at the beginning of the past year, in the various depart- ments of the institution as pupils, instructors, em- ployes and work men and women, was 264. Since then 30 have been admitted and 24 have been dis- charged, making the total number at present 270. Of these 173 are in the parent school at South Bos- ton, 81 in the kindergarten at Jamaica Plain, and 16 in the workshop for adults.
The first division includes 160 pupils, 10 teachers and other officers and 3 domestics ; the second com- prises 81 little boys and girls, and the third 16 men and women employed in the workshop for adults.
The number of applicants for admission has been increasing so steadily of recent years, especially in the girls' department, that, in order to make room for them, we have been obliged to discharge several pupils who had enjoyed the advantages afforded by the institution to their full extent and who had derived as much profit therefrom *as their native capacities would allow.
The Record of Health.
Health shall live free and sickness freely die.
— Shakespeare.
The year under review has been one in which a
57
succession of troubles and difficulties of a grave char- acter arose and had to be promptly met and judi- ciously settled. Partial destruction of the Howe building by fire, loss of musical instruments and of educational apparatus, sickness in a severe form, death, all these things have occurred in the course of a few months and have interfered most seriously with the regular performance of our work.
There has been an unusual amount of illness among the pupils and officers in the boys' department of the school. In addition to a large number of cases of influenza and of other ordinary ailments, there has been a siege of scarlet fever, three pupils, two teachers and the assistant matron having been attacked by it. The disease was brought to the house from some unknown source by one of the instructors, Miss Edith A. Flagg. She was taken ill with it on the first day of March and was at once removed to the city hospital, where she died on Friday, the eighth of that month, mourned by numer- ous friends and relatives. She was a bright young woman, an earnest student and an able and pro- gressive teacher. She graduated from the state normal school in Framingham in the summer of 1894 and joined our corps of instructors in the autumn of the same year. She rendered good, faithful and efficient service to this school, and her untimely death is deeply lamented both by her associates and her scholars.
In the girls' department there has been only one case of serious illness, but that proved fatal. Alice E. Leach of Orland, Maine, a pupil, was taken sick with scarlet fever at the beginning of the spring term in April and died in the city hospital, where she was
58
placed for treatment and where she had had careful nursing and skilful medical attendance. With this exception the general health of the occupants of the five cottages has been as good as usual.
Great as have been the drawbacks and disadvan- tages under which we have labored during the past year, the work which has been accomplished is such as to encourage us to hope for better results and higher success under more favorable conditions and auspicious circumstances.
Scope of the Departments of the School.
How should a man be made —
Of what choice parts compounded ?
With skill of schools how well arrayed, And with what graces rounded ?
— Henry D. Ganze.
The system of education adopted in this institution is broader and more comprehensive than that which prevails in the public schools. It is not confined merely to literary and scientific or musical studies but goes beyond these. It aims at an all-round develop- ment and embraces the cultivation of the physical, intellectual, moral and aesthetic natures of the learners. It includes a variety of subjects, and therefore it is carried on in several separate departments, each of which is coordinate with the others and forms an in- tegral part of the whole scheme of education. Start- ing from the kindergarten, it goes through the regu- lar grades of the primary, grammar and high schools and brings our graduates to the gates of the leading colleges and universities.
59
Our school curriculum is carefully arranged, and its main object is to strengthen the pupil, both physi- cally and mentally, and to render him healthy and hardy, to develop and discipline his mind, to take him out of himself and bring him into a broader and clearer atmosphere of loyalty to larger ideals ; to open to him wider vistas of thought and action and enable him to realize his highest possibilities in his inter- course with his fellow-men. The strength and skill acquired by means of gymnastic exercise and manual training, the lessons learned at school, the experience and mental alertness gained through study and in- vestigation, all these can be turned to account in various ways. Hence a thorough education supplies an intelligent student not with ornaments but with tools to do his work in life. It is not a jewelled cane which he takes away with him to swing elegantly in paths of dalliance, but an alpenstock that helps him up the heights. It is a most powerful assistant in every department of human activity. A healthy body and a well developed and thoroughly trained mind are of no less value to the musician, the painter, the merchant, the engineer, the tuner of pianofortes, the masseur and the mechanic than they are to the scholar, the scientist, the physician, the clergyman and the lawyer.
Although the work of the various departments of the school has as a whole been uniform, steady and progressive, yet it is difficult to present its essential features in a paragraph and to give in a few sentences an adequate idea of its results. Therefore a brief account of what has been done in each of these de- partments is in order here, and will be found in the following pages.
6o Department of Physical Education.
As the bird wings and sings,
Let us cry : " All good things Are ours ; nor soul helps flesh more now
Than flesh helps soul."
— Browning.
The proper physical development of the blind and the cure of such of their bodily defects as may be re- mediable are of the utmost importance in our scheme of education. First and above all we must attend to these before attempting to do anything else.
Any institution that is abreast of the times must endeavor to secure for the recipient of its advantages the highest attainable degree of physical perfection.
It is needless to say that no school for sightless children and youth can fulfill its mission to the ut- most extent unless it makes their bodily training the foundation of its work and bestows unceasing atten- tion upon their somatic requirements and on the pro- motion of their health, the most precious of human possessions and the one thing necessary to every en- joyment in life, without which all other temporal blessings are vain. Hence, if a curriculum, pre- pared for the special benefit of those who are bereft of the visual sense, does not comprise ample provi- sion for the systematic exercise of their muscles and nerves and for the improvement of their physique by all available means, it has but slight value for them.
In making plans for the education of our pupils and for the amelioration of their condition, we must study religiously the laws of their growth, together with the concomitant requirements of the nascent
6i
periods of their life, and execute them as punctiliously as we enforce the settled principles of morality. This is indispensable for the achievement of satisfactory results.
The idea that a sound body is absolutely necessary for a vigorous mind has been so widely disseminated of recent years and is so universally accepted that it has become a veritable truism, which is on the lips or on the pen of every speaker or writer on pedagogical matters.
Science has shown conclusively that the human or- ganism, like a stately tree, is a perfect unit, absolutely indivisible, and that neither its trunk nor any of its branches can thrive without sound and wholesome roots. This fact renders it imperatively necessary for us, before we can expect to see the mental faculties of our pupils grow strong and alert and their moral na- ture blossom into excellence, to devote ourselves to the cultivation of their physical well-being, the foun- dation on which their whole lives rest, and to spare no effort, which may secure to them the fullest de- velopment and most perfect health.
In order to be able to attain this end we must con- sider the matter in all its aspects and arrange a com- plete system of training, which should include the following : Perseverance in systematic bodily exercise and daily play ; abundant sleep, with regular hours of rising and retiring, as well as work and recreation ; simple and nutritious aliment; the adaptation of dress to the variations of climate ; rigid and unrelaxed at- tention to cleanliness, and temperance in all things. These are the necessary branches of the regimen of health, and if they are fully accepted and faithfully carried out they will contribute largely to the im-
62
provement of the corporeal organism of the blind and to the increase of its powers and capacities.
Tyndall aptly remarked that the physical is the substratum of the spiritual. This statement is unde- niably correct, and should give a transcendent signifi- cance to the exercise we get, to the baths we take, to the food we eat, to the water we drink, to the repose we obtain and to the air we breathe.
In former reports we have treated at length the subjects of physical exercise and of cleanliness in their various phases, and we have shown their importance as principal factors in our system of education. It was our purpose to speak in this one of alimenlaiion and sleep ; but unfortunately the space at our disposal is so limited and our time is so thoroughly occupied that we are obliged to postpone the execution of this plan until next year.
We cannot leave this topic, however, and pass on to another without adding a few words in regard to the course which is steadily pursued in the training of our scholars. Their physical well-being commands our constant thought and unremitting care. Their mental and bodily development, the cultivation of their heart, the nurture of their aesthetic nature in general and of their special aptitudes and individual inclinations in particular, all receive due consideration. As the pupils are under our exclusive control during three-fourths of the year, we have a good opportunity not only to look after their physical and manual train- ing and their literary and musical studies, but to pay special attention to their diet and sleep, their recrea- tions and amusements, their cleanliness and habits, their manners and their morals. The excellent effects of this system are distinctly noticeable in the physical
63
and intellectual condition and in the moral character of most of the graduates of our school.
Department of Manual Training.
A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands.
— Holland.
Manual training is an invaluable factor in the phys- ical and mental development of children and youth. It is not merely an ordinary auxiliary to a system of education, but bears a most important part in it and supplies it with an element which is indispensable It promotes concentration of attention, cultivates log- ical and connected methods of thought in the adap- tation of means to ends and provides the requisite exercises for quickening and strengthening the will and for rendering the hand capable of obeying spon- taneously the commands of the mind and of execut- ing them promptly. It affords special opportunities for the development of the faculty of relation in trac- ing cause and effect and in perceiving how successful practice depends upon a firm grasp of underlying prin- ciples. It is a form of expression coordinate with lan- guage. By embodying in a concrete form ideas and images conceived in the mind, it stimulates the proc- ess of thought, promotes the keenness of the intellect and invigorates the faculties, while, by cultivating the sense of beauty it encourages organic action and rouses the creative faculty.
From this it becomes evident that any scheme of education, which leaves out the training of the hand, omits one of its essential and most effective agents.
In this institution manual training has already as-
64
serted its claims and has been recognized as an educa- tional factor of vital importance. It has been gradu- ally adjusted to the fundamental principles, which underlie our course of instruction and training, and has become an integral part of the work of our school. It occupies a prominent place in our curriculum and its effects upon the improvement of our pupils show that it supplies the muscular movements, upon which a certain region of the brain depends entirely for its development.
Physical exercise in the gymnasium and play in the open air strengthen the body and promote the health. The study of literature, mathematics and cosmog- raphy, of natural history and physical sciences appeals to the understanding, the memory, the imagination and the judgment of a pupil and cultivates thoroughly a great part of his brain ; it opens to him new vistas of reflection and wide fields of knowledge and brings him in contact with the thoughts and ideas of men and the mysteries of nature. Music satisfies the aroused aesthetic conscience of the blind, gives them ineffable pleasure, refines their taste and enables them to obtain an adequate perception of the beautiful. All these are potent agencies in our scheme of edu- cation and contribute largely to the intellectual and moral development of our pupils and to the increase of their bodily powers and mental resources ; but they do not cover the ground completely, leaving parts of it wholly untouched. Something more is needed to fill the vacant space, and this is supplied by manual training.
Owing to the close connection which exists be- tween the hand and the brain, the exercise of the former awakens large areas of dormant motor nerve-
65
cells in the latter and renders them prompt partici- pants in whatever is going on in the cerebral region. This action reacts upon the mind and increases its energy and alertness, and stimulates the growth of its intellectual vitality.
Thus our pupils are taught to use their hands in work that is correlated with their studies or serves as an ally to them, and at the same time they not only gain clearer ideas of what they do, but they become capable of performing tasks which would otherwise be formidable and impossible. They advance gen- erally from concrete things with which they can deal understandingly to those of greater diflBculty, which demand the exercise of their increasing powers.
The work of this department is prosecuted in ac- cordance with the methods which were adopted some years ago. Additional observation and experience have confirmed our conviction that sloyd is the best and most beneficial system of manual training for our scholars. It advances towards a definite end and bases its activities upon universal pedagogical prin- ciples. It is progressive in its exercises, logical in its treatment and educational in its effects, as well as flexible in the employment of means for the attain- ment of a definite aim and rich in the arrangement of a series of models, admitting of the use of a great variety of tools for their reproduction and, although simple and easy in the beginning, growing more com- plex and difficult as the work proceeds. It increases the control of the muscles. It aims at ethical rather than technical results, at general organic development rather than at special skill. It gives to the learner a variety of occupations, which are no less useful and instructive because they are as attractive and as pleas-
66
ant as play. Moreover, the methods used in sloyd are fitted to train the faculty of attention and the power of concentration and to cultivate patience and perseverance, carefulness and accuracy, self-reliance and manual dexterity.
The results obtained from the introduction of sloyd in our school curriculum exceed our most earnest an- ticipations. Through the agency of this excellent sys- tem of manual training, our pupils have acquired a greater degree of intelligence and quickness of percep- tion than they would have gained without it, have learned to rely upon themselves and to express their thoughts clearly and have made greater progress not only in studies which involve the employment of the laboratory methods, but even in those which depend mainly upon the use of the reflective and reasoning faculties.
There has been but one change in the corps of the teachers of this department. Miss Flora J. McNabb, one of the former pupils, who has held the place of assistant instructor in manual training since 1887, has declined a reappointment at the close of the school- year for the purpose of entering upon a new field of occupation, and Miss Grace Ella Snow, one of our graduates of the class of 1899, has been chosen in her stead.
Literary Department.
He who seeks the mind's improvement
Aids the world in aiding mind ! Every great commanding movement
Serves not one but all mankind.
— Charles Swain.
The operations of this department have been faith- fully prosecuted and diligent care has been exercised
67
in selecting the best ways and employing the most appropriate means for the mental and moral develop- ment of the pupils.
In making up the programme of our work we fully realize that we have to deal with problems of great moment and that we must strive to keep pace with the discoveries of science and the progress of modern pedagogy.
Of the many important things, which we must keep constantly in view, the following are the most prom- inent and cannot be overlooked without serious detriment : —
First. The undisputed fact that the different mental processes have different nascent periods corre- sponding to those in which the different portions of the brain develop.
Second. A new psychology that regards ideas as the result of nervous action or excitation.
Third. The accumulation of knowledQ:e in mod- ern times that makes selection and discrimination indispensable.
Fourth. The numerous demands of a complex civilization.
These have created a necessity which compels us to examine carefully the various branches of study with a view of selecting those, which seem peculiarly adapted to our purpose, and to pursue such methods of training as are based upon the principles of mental philosophy and are calculated to give prominence to the practice of learning by doing.
In addition to the usual literary and mathematical studies, several others of a scientific character have found a place in our curriculum. The evolution, habits and lives of animals ; the nature, growth and
68
fruition of plants and other inhabitants of the vege- table kingdom ; the anatomy and functions of the human body; the physiology and hygiene of the nervous system ; physics and chemistry, all have been taught in an objective way with the aid of zoological and botanical specimens, philosophical and chemical apparatus and models of various kinds.
The methods of instruction which are in vogue in our school are simple and rational. The teachers are perfectly free to exercise their ingenuity in the choice of means and processes for the attainment of definite ends ; but the burden of all exhortation to them has been, is and ever will be that they should lead the pupils to "observe, to investigate, to think, to dis- cover and to do." This is the key-note of our work. When we stop to think of how significant and far- reaching in its effects is the ability to observe, — that is, the power to read the meaning into the object present to the senses, — we fully realize that a true act of observation requires nothing less than the complex activity of all the faculties of the mind, — perception, memory, imagination, judgment and reason, accom- panied by feeling and volition.
It is impossible to refrain from emphasizing in this connection the importance of bringing the blind into immediate relations with the outer world and of enabling them to gain knowledge through their fingers and mental exertion and not to take it ready made. The facts of nature are more valuable for the strength which the search for them imparts and which contact with it must yield than for anything else. The vegetable kingdom should be treated not merely as a study of the names of the inhabitants of the plant world and their anatomies, but as an active
69
component of the great vital forces of the universe, in which human existence is one of the related factors. In zoology likewise there should be examined and ascertained not only those general conditions and characteristics which have been brought about by the influence of environment, but all other causes that affect the social life of animals, their relations to one another, to plants and to the human race.
The study of poetry is of the utmost importance to our pupils and we can hardly urge them too strongly to apply themselves to it. They need to study its form and imbibe its spirit with more zest and greater thoroughness than any other class of people ; for it is one of the two fine arts, which alone open to them a wide field for the nurture of the aesthetic nature and the sense of beauty, as well as for the refinement of the taste, the development of the artistic tempera- ment and the cultivation of the imaginative and de- scriptive powers. Especially must those among the blind who apply themselves to music read the ideal creations and " morning dreams " of great minds of the human race, clad by fancy in habiliments of grace. Nearly all the great musicians, — Beethoven, Schu- mann, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Chopin, Wag- ner,— these and many others loved the poetry of their own land, while not a few of them were familiar with that of other countries.
During the past year our collections of educational appliances, type-writers, models, specimens and tan- gible objects of various kinds, have been thoroughly replenished and have received many valuable addi- tions. The department of physics and chemistry has been supplied with a large assortment of new appara- tus and with all other facilities which the increase of its efficiency seemed to require.
70
The vacancy in the corps of teachers, caused by the lamented death of Miss Edith A. Flagg, has been filled by the appointment of Mr. Louis B. Allyn, who is an experienced and painstaking instructor and promises to do good work.
Department of Music.
Yea, sweep thy harp which hath a thousand strings ! The joy that sometimes is in the darkest night,
And the strange sadness which the sunshine brings, The splendor and the shadows of our inward sight, — All these within thy weaving harmonies unite.
— Owen Wister.
Music is the most subjective as well as the most creative of the fine arts, and conduces to the welfare of man more directly than any other. It addresses itself to the head, and ministers to the intellectual and aesthetic life. It sways the heart and by means of one of the subtlest of mental approaches, — a direct appeal to the sense of beauty, — it builds up character. According to Cousin, the peculiar power of the ac- cord of sweet sounds " opens to the imagination a limitless career and awakens the sentiments of the infinite."
Music holds a peculiar if not a unique relation to the emotional side of our being. It is the natural language of the feelings and of the high-wrought ner- vous sensibility. It moves to aspiration and enables humanity to grasp the idea of the divine. It stirs up and calls into action the most humanizing and uplift- ing forces in society. Herbert Spencer claims that our strange capacity of being affected by melody and harmony implies the possibility that our nature may attain through them the ideal life which they suggest.
71
To the blind music affords supreme enjoyment ; it seems to them to be life itself. It introduces them into the world of sound where they are entirely at home and where their infirmity offers certain advan- tages and no hindrances. It quickens their percep- tive and receptive faculties through exercise in rapid discovery, recognition and concentration. It affords one of the best and most powerful agents for their mental development and discipline, and in its higher forms it furnishes material of a superior kind for stimulating the intellect, cultivating the imagination and training the memory. It conduces to their social and moral elevation. In nobility of expression and in power to excite joy and grief or to give pleasure or pain it is not surpassed by any of its sister arts, while its influence in subduing the passions, purifying the heart and uplifting the sentiments is more than equal to that of poetry or of painting and sculpture. For every one of the masterpieces of those great com- posers, whose place in the pantheon of fame is already secure, has, when adequately interpreted, a message of art for a sightless listener, which is clearer and more deeply impressive than any that can be con- veyed to him either by the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, the dramas of ^schylos and Shakespeare, the Divina Comniedia of Dante, the Faust of Goethe, the Paradise Lost of Milton or the Sistine Madonna of Raphael and the Hermes of Praxiteles.
In consideration of these facts music has been made one of the prime factors in our scheme of education, and unremitting care has been bestowed upon its study as a science and its practice as an art. The department devoted to it has been conducted with vigor and efficiency in both its branches, and
72
pupils and teachers alike deserve great credit for the progress that has been made in it and the results that have been obtained from its operations.
Mr. Edwin L. Gardiner, the principal teacher in the boys' section of this department, has written the following statement of what has been accomplished under his direction : —
Of the 48 boys who have received instruction in this depart- ment during the past year, all but 2 have practised the piano- forte. Eight have studied the pipe-organ and 8 have received special instruction in singing. The violin class has contained 7 members and 2 pupils have studied the violoncello.
Among the players of the wind instruments, i lad practised the flute and 9 the clarinet, while 16 boys have given attention to various other instruments of the military band.
The study of harmony and theory of music has been pursued by our pupils throughout the year, some of them having been taught in class and others receiving private lessons in these and kindred subjects. Earnest efforts have been made to stimulate the creative faculty in our students, and two of the young men made very commendable progress in composition, their produc- tions receiving very favorable comment from competent judges.
One evening each week has been devoted to the reading of books and magazines relating to music. Biographies of eminent musicians, musical reminiscences and current musical topics were the principal subjects of the readings to the pupils, and to them they have listened with deep interest.
We have maintained a regular weekly hymn-class in which the whole school has participated. The playing of the accompani- ment of the hymns, both in this class and at the regular exercises in the hall, is done by the members of the class on the organ and is a valuable aid to them in acquiring practical experience as organists.
Our military band, consisting of 25 members, is not only larger in point of numbers but is more proficient in technique than it has been for several years past. The band has devoted one hour each day to the study of good music, arranged from the works of the best composers, the list comprising such names as Balfe, Bizet, Meyerbeer, Mozart, Verdi and others of equal merit.
73
Our orchestra is steadily growing in numbers and is improving in technique and tone production. Two hours each week are devoted to the rehearsal of concerted music, the intervening time being used by the players for individual practice of the parts assigned to them. In regard to the choice of music, our standard is a high one, only the most worthy compositions finding a place in our repertoire.
We have devoted considerable time to the stereotyping of music in the Braille system. Among the long list of composers repre- sented in our collection are the names of Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Heller, Loeschhorn and Schumann.
Miss Lila P. Cole, who is at the head of the girls' section of the music department, has furnished the following account of the work which has been done under her supervision : —
In the girls' music department the work has been satisfactory, and the progress of the pupils steady throughout the past school year.
Sixty-five girls have received instruction in music. Of this number 47 have studied the pianoforte; 11, singing and piano- forte; 4, violin and pianoforte; i, singing, violoncello and pianoforte; i, violin, singing and pianoforte; and i, organ and pianoforte.
Much attention has been given to the supplementary studies of harmony, musical history and fundamental training. Two classes in harmony have met once a week throughout the year with good results. They have acquired a thorough knowledge of scales and triads and have done good work in harmonizing. Special attention has also been given to the training of the ear.
The study of musical history was taken up by two classes, one of 5 members, the other of 12. Both classes have met once a week and have progressed steadily along this line.
The class in fundamental training, comprising 15 little girls, has studied the elements of music in a very interesting and prac- tical way. They have gained a knowledge of rhythm, keyboard- work, intervals and simple transpositions, and so are well pre- pared to enter more advanced grades.
74
Nearly all the girls have received class instruction in vocal music, two chorus classes meeting three times each week for this purpose.
In three divisions, all the girls of the school have assembled, on one evening of each week, to listen to the reading of works relating to music. This has been varied, consisting of biog- raphy, letters by musicians, criticism and items from musical magazines.
Pupils' recitals have been given during the year, which have been of great benefit to the students of music in the school.
During the past year many of our students have been frequently permitted to attend a large number of the best concerts and operas given in Boston, where the choicest compositions of the great masters both of the classical and of the modern school were interpreted by eminent artists, and thus to gain that degree of aesthetic culture and critical acumen which can be obtained from listening to musical perform- ances of a high order. These advantages are of inestimable value to the blind no less in an educa- tional and social than in a musical point of view, and we can hardly find words to express adequately our sense of gratitude to the kind friends who have so generously remembered our pupils and whose names are thankfully recorded in the list of acknowl- edgments..
Two of our scholars continue this year their study of music at the New England conservatory. One of these, Clarence Addison Jackson, graduated last sum- mer from the regular course for teachers adopted in that institution. At the commencement exercises of the conservatory, held in Tremont Temple on the nineteenth of June, he was among those who were chosen to take part in the programme, prepared for the occasion, and played the first movement of the F
75
minor concerto by Chopin in a spirited and artistic manner. Indeed, his performance was so exquisite in every detail that it elicited repeated and enthusi- astic applause from the audience. It was exceedingly gratifying to us to see one of our own pupils standing side by side with a large number of clever and clear- sighted young men and women possessed of all their senses and receiving with them his diploma from the hands of the president of the board of trustees of the conservatory, Mr. Charles P. Gardiner. In testimony of the excellence of his work on the pianoforte young Jackson has been awarded a scholarship for that in- strument. He is now pursuing with great earnest- ness an advanced course in organ playing with the purpose of gaining the diploma of a soloist.
In the course of the past year valuable additions have been made to the equipment of our music department. Fourteen excellent pianofortes have been purchased to replace those which were destroyed or seriously damaged by the fire in the Howe building last February. Thirteen of these were made to order for the institution on reasonable terms by Messrs. George Steck and Company of New York, and they are fine instruments in every respect. In purity and even- ness of tone and in perfection of workmanship they are quite equal to those which we bought from the same firm in 1896. We have also obtained a concert grand pianoforte and several -flutes and brass instru- ments, so that our collection is at present fully as complete as the needs of the school seem to demand. Moreover, the family of our dear and most honored friend, the late Henry Lee, presented to the institu- tion a Chickering grand pianoforte which had been in its possession for a long time. This instrument
76
has been thoroughly renovated and put in good working order by our own tuners under the direction of their instructor, Mr. George E. Hart, and besides rendering excellent service, it will remind us con- stantly of one of Boston's noblest sons and most ideal citizens, whose public spirit and unstinted generosity constitute his everlasting monument.
The corps of teachers remains almost the same as last year, there having occurred only two changes. Miss Anna L. Goodrich, a faithful and well-trained teacher and a young woman of sound health and amiable disposition, has been appointed to take the place of Miss Grace L. Wilbour, whose lack of physi- cal strength made it necessary for her to engage Miss Goodrich as a substitute during the greater part of the school year. Mr. William A. Taylor, who has rendered good service both in teaching and in stereo- typing music, has declined a reappointment and has been succeeded by Mr. John F. Hartwell, who re- ceived his education at the New England conserv- atory of music.
Tuning Department.
Now, gentlemen, Let's tune, and to it lustily awhile.
— Shakespeare.
Of all the mechanical or technical pursuits with which the blind are occupied, the art of tuning piano- fortes is the most profitable and attractive to them. It is peculiarly suited to their taste, presents fewer difficulties in its practice than any other calling of a similar nature and opens to them the way to lucrative employment.
For these reasons this art continues to hold a dis-
tinct place in the curriculum of our school, and even greater attention is paid to it now than has been heretofore.
The department devoted to the art of tuning has maintained steadily the high state of efficiency which has characterized it since the present manager took charge of it, and the results obtained from its opera- tions are exceedingly gratifying.
During the past year twenty-seven pupils have received instruction in tuning and repairing piano- fortes. The time devoted by each learner to the study of this art varies from five to thirty-five hours per week according to his requirements, his circum- stances and to the degree of his progress. For beginners the smaller number of hours named is sufficient, while those who are far advanced in their work need the larger.
The course of instruction and training pursued in this department is systematic, comprehensive and thorough in every particular and is calculated to enable the students to become good tuners, well prepared to take their places among seeing com- petitors. It unites correct theory with constant in- telligent practice and comprises every subject that seems indispensable for the mastery of the art of tuning.
The pupils have been taught and trained with great care and assiduity to make ordinary repairs and to use a variety of tools. They have also had ex- cellent opportunities for acquiring valuable experience in this direction. More than one dilapidated old pianoforte has been turned over to them in order that they might renovate it and put it in good working order. They have restrung these instruments en-
78
tirely and have replaced all the hammers and other parts of the action which were broken or worn-out. This practice is of inestimable value to our students, for it teaches them how to remedy such defects as may appear unexpectedly in the execution of their work and thus it tends to strengthen their confidence in their own ability and to increase their self-reliance. Moreover, those of our scholars who are advanced in the art of tuning derive an immense benefit from the experience which they gain by keeping in excellent condition the sixty-eight pianofortes, which are owned by the parent school and the kindergarten. Among these instruments nearly every characteristic feature of mechanical structure and of style is found.
The equipment of this department has been thoroughly put in order, and all necessary additions to it have been made. Ample facilities have been provided for the analytical study of the mechanism of the pianoforte. Tools, appliances, models, mate- rials of various kinds, all have been supplied with un- stinted liberality. Two pianofortes have been added to the collection, increasing the number to fourteen.. Twelve of these instruments are used for the purpose of tuning and two for practice in repairing.
Great credit is due to the manager of this depart- ment, Mr. George E. Hart, for giving close and undivided attention to every detail of its work and for the invaluable service which he is rendering to his fellow sufferers in helping them to become skilful tuners and self-supporting citizens. Quietly and un- ostentatiously he is incessantly laboring in their behalf, and his efforts deserve their grateful acknowl- edgment and our highest commendation. He cer- tainly is the right man in the right place.
79
Entertainments on Washington's Birthday.
Teach them to guard with jealous care
The land that gave them birth, As patriot sons of patriot sires, —
The dearest spot of earth.
— S. F. Smith.
The pupils of this institution are becoming more and more ambitious in their endeavors to furnish fitting entertainment for their friends on Washing- ton's birthday, and each new year sees fresh laurels won by their further incursions into stage-land.
On this occasion the capacity of the auditorium in each department was tested to its utmost, and it was a matter of deep concern that every guest whose in- terest in the blind boys and girls had brought him to the building could not be accorded the comfortable seat, which he had the right to expect and the true spirit of hospitality prompts us to give.
But since no murmur of disapproval was heard from any visitor on that day, it is reasonable to sup- pose that all were so carried out of themselves by the excellence of the performances as to forget their discomfort.
At eleven o'clock, the centre of attraction was the museum where the girls gave scenes from Alices Adventures in Wonderland, which were well selected from the rich store of fun in Lewis Carroll's world- famous book. The girls did marvelously good work, entering thoroughly into their roles, whether of human being or of beast or of imaginary monster and filling every scene with life and action. Their freedom of motion and their spirited interpretation of the parts called forth frequent praise and applause
8o
from the audience, and the pretty and realistic cos- tuming added not a little to the brilliant setting of the pictures. The following scenes were given, call- ing for the appearance of twenty-one characters : —
Alice and her Sister.
Advice from a Caterpillar.
The Duchess at Home.
A Mad Tea-party.
The Queen's Garden.
The Mock Turtle's Story.
The Trial of the Knave of Hearts.
Alice and her Sister.
The play of Dido, dramatized from the Aeneid^ which was given by the boys at three o'clock in the hall of the institution, presented a marked contrast to the programme of the morning, for this epic tragedy was as intense and dramatic in its action, as the per- formance by the girls had been gay and sparkling. To say that the boys lived their parts is no exagger- ation of the fact. Their appreciation of the depth of feeling, described by Virgil's words, and their por- trayal of these emotions in act and tone showed a masterly grasp of the tragic subject and a remarkable power of dramatic representation. The more espe- cially is this true in view of their limitation. To them, at the theatre or opera, an actor's voice alone may speak, — his gesture and his expression, often so fraught with meaning and suggestion, are altogether lost.
Here, again, it seems important to lay stress upon the educational value of this work to these boys and girls who, through their own study of the delineation
THOMAS STRINGER.
EDITH THOMAS.
MARION RO.STRON.
ELIZABETH ROBIN.
CORA ADELIA CROCKER.
of characters, are enabled to comprehend in greater or less degree the power and marvel of the actor's art, as no mere description, however true and graphic, could ever impart it.
Thus, the work, in which these pupils cheerfully engage, in order that thereby they too may have a share in the carrying on of the kindergarten for the blind, — a department, to the value and beneficence of which none is more keenly alive than are these fellow- victims of a larger growth, — has a reactionary force. It brings with it an answering blessing to themselves, and imparts a new pleasure to life, where otherwise only a dreadful blank would exist.
Education of the Blind Deaf-Mutes.
Deaf, dumb and blind! What sorrows here combined To chain a deathless soul Ere it hath reached its goal.
— Kate M. Farlow.
Through the great kindness of Mr. Purdy of the firm of J. E. Purdy and Company, we are enabled to present here a picture of the five blind-deaf pupils, who now find within our hospitable walls a great store of intellectual treasures and of wonderful in- formation, which their starved minds and disused faculties drink in eagerly as soon as they realize the beauty of knowledge and its satisfying qualities.
During the past year two more have been added to our little group of blind-deaf children, almost doub- ling its number. Three of these pupils, Edith M. Thomas, Cora Adelia Crocker and Marion Rostron, belong to Massachusetts and the means for their edu- cation have been provided by an act of the legisla-
82
ture ; Elizabeth Robin came to us by special arrange-, ment; Tommy Stringer alone is a stranger within our gates, a waif who, thrown in our way, was taken into our child-garden. The entrance to this delight- ful abode could not be closed against the appealing little wanderer, who, once revived and refreshed in this sunny spot, can never again be turned out into the cold.
We have often had occasion to revert to the begin- ning of the work of educating the blind-deaf, but a repetition of this will not come amiss, since to some it. may be new.
The first blind deaf-mute who was ever taught the use of language was Laura Bridgman. Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe heard of her sad condition when she was seven years of age and immediately hastened to Hanover, New Hampshire, to see her in her home. Her parents were easily induced to consent to her coming to Boston, and on the fourth of October. 1837, they brought her to this institution. Dr. Howe entered with enthusiasm upon his novel task. The work was necessarily experimental, but the principles of the method of instruction were apparent to him and 'guided his efforts. He saw that the only medium for the transmission of thought was the sense of touch and that the connection of an object and its name must be the principal mental process. The first experiments were made by taking articles in common use, such as knives, forks, spoons, etc., and pasting upon them labels with their names printed in raised letters. These she felt of very care- fully, and soon of course distinguished that the crooked lines spoon differed as much from the crooked lines key as the spoon differed from the key
S3
in form. Many weeks elapsed, however, before Laura understood the meaning of these exercises.*" " I could almost fix upon the moment when this truth dawned upon her mind and spread its light to her countenance," wrote Dr. Howe — and the battle was won. Whatever heights she may have attained after years of development, however deep her compre- hension of the beauty of language and the value of thought may have become, nothing could exceed the force and significance of that simple beginning when a hint of what the Doctor was aiming at first entered Laura's mind and awoke her dormant faculties. " She became one of the wonders of the world," says Mrs, Howe, " furnishing a new chapter in human history." We quote farther from her remarks on the subject : —
I remember how my husband was received when he went abroad after the story of Laura Bridgman had become known in both continents. It was considered so wonderful that a blind deaf-mute had learned not only the use of language but the value of thought. The great English wit and critic, Rev. Sidney Smith, compared him to Pygmalion, the ancient sculptor, who was said to have bestowed the gift of speech on one of his statues. In England and elsewhere, the foremost people were glad to do him honor.
We have already pointed out the fact that Laura was the first deaf-blind person to receive instruction in the use of language. But not only was Dr. Howe a pioneer in the work ; he accomplished the mighty task in the face. of direct evidence from the highest authorities in the world, as they were then supposed to be, that such a feat was absolutely impossible.
•With Oliver Caswell and his later pupils Dr. Howe began with the manual alphabet instead of with the printed labels.
84
There was at that time in England a boy, named James Mitchell, who had suffered the double loss of sight and hearing, but who gave every evidence of a mind struggling against its barriers and yearning for the light. The case of this boy was noticed and debated by several of the most competent scientific and medical authorities in that country, whose de- cisions were unquestioned, and they pronounced the task of educating him impossible. By opening to Laura the world's treasury of thought Dr. Howe nullified this declaration and proved the feasibility of this great work in the face of down-right denial of its possibility. This achievement is well characterized by Mr. William Wade of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, in the following letter, which he addressed last January to the editor of the Silent Hoosier in Indianapolis under the caption : " Honor to whom honor is due."
I most heartily join in your tribute to " the ingenuity, patience and love of the consecrated lives, which have made it possible " for the deaf-blind to be educated. But few recognize fully the courage that animated Dr. Samuel G. Howe, when he initiated that work in Laura Bridgman's case. Not only did he have the inherent difficulties in such a new and thorny path to confront, but the still more discouraging feature, that numbers of the fore- most men of the day, Sir James Mackintosh, Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, Sir Astley Cooper, the distinguished oculist, Mr. Vaughan, and Dugald Stewart, the essayist, had seen and investi- gated the case of James Mitchell, in England, and all either con- cluded that nothing could be done for him, or did not see that anything could be done. Yet Mitchell was one of the most promising cases of deaf-blindness ever recorded, apparently much above Laura in mentality, and most of all, his sister had taught him fully enough for us, now, to see that his further education would have been comparatively easy. To face the opinions of such men, and patiently carry on his work, was more courageous in Dr. Howe than any other feat in education that I ever heard of.
EDITH M. THOMAS.
85
Today we see the blind-deaf standing on the same plane as their seeing, hearing companions, accepting their own responsibilities, exercising foresight and en- joying common interests with their fellows.
Massachusetts was the first state to recognize the right of such children to receive an education with their normal, blind or deaf brothers and sisters and took measures to provide for their care by an act passed on the twenty-eighth of May, 1886, which is reprinted in full on the thirtieth page of our sixty- seventh annual report. Since that time other states have come to realize the importance of this subject and provision for this purpose has already been made by several state legislatures, while in others the matter is under discussion. Instruction to the blind-deaf is now given in New York, Ohio, Illinois, South Dakota, Texas and Mississippi. It is a matter for congratulation that such a movement has been inaug- urated, and we doubt not that it will expand until every state in the union has followed the excellent lead of Massachusetts.
Edith M. Thomas.
Her life is a load ; encumbered with the charge, She longs to set the imprisoned soul at large.
— Dryden.
In spite of the barriers due to her double affliction within which her mind and spirit are confined, Edith possesses capabilities and qualities of a high order.
As has been distinctly stated in these reports, she is not gifted with a brilliant intellect and superior talents, nor do any of her mental endowments go beyond the average standard of girls of her age ; but
86
she has more than her share of good common sense and a remarkable character. The latter is unsur- passed in its strength and beauty, for it is founded upon the virtues of truthfulness and sincerity, of honesty and frankness, of purity and uprightness ; of industry and cheerfulness, of perseverance and of genuine sympathy. Not less striking than the force of character is her moral integrity. She scorns all falsehood and deceit, loathes hypocrisy and dissimula- tion, and is outspoken in the expression of her con- victions of right and wrong. She unquestionably is a puritan of the modern type, mollified and modified by the social and humanizing influences of the nine- teenth century. The following words are peculiarly appropriate to her case, the key-note of her life : —
No power on earth shall sever My soul from truth forever.
The results of Edith's work for the past year are concisely but faithfully and most accurately given in an admirable statement, prepared by one of her de- voted teachers, Miss Frances S. Marrett. This ac- count contains few incidents significant of the young girl's progress. The difficulties which have presented themselves so frequently in the three studies, which she pursued last year, United States history, Latin and algebra, have not been so triumphantly overcome by her indomitable will as they have been in the past when an ambitious purpose manifested itself in her struggle with duty. Nevertheless, in the first-named study, which she called "the favorite," she has shown an excellent spirit for work and has been undaunted by the labor which it entailed. The result has been satisfactory and shows an encouraging feature in her
87
increased ability to form logical statements and to arrive at intelligent conclusions from the course of events.
Her work in Latin was well done during the first term, but after beginning the reading of Virgil's j^neid she lost interest in the subject to a great degree and evinced her indifference by faulty lessons and poor results. This continued in spite of every attempt to arouse her better nature until the work with her classmates had to be abandoned, because she could not keep up with them.
In algebra her success has been of a varying quality, and her independent work has progressed slowly but, in spite of this, her faithful application has brought the year's course to a successful close.
Edith has manifested an ardent desire to follow out advanced lines of work in manual training rather than to continue her literary pursuits beyond the required amount. This branch of activity calls forth her best endeavor and furnishes her happiest form of expression. In her handiwork she is quick, skilful, accurate and independent, but modest in her estimate of her own ability and incredulous of any statement which ranks her work as superior to that of another. She shows excellent judgment and can be trusted to decide for herself the amount of cloth and trimming which may be needed for such a task as dressing a doll, — a labor of love which she gladly performs each year as her contribution toward that beneficent charity, the Elizabeth Peabody free kindergarten.
In the care of her personal belongings, she not only takes an active part by keeping her clothing in good repair, but has also undertaken independently some alterations which have seemed to her necessary and
88
has accomplished them neatly and accurately. In addition to her work for charity's sake, her kindly nature finds in this talent an opportunity of aiding the younger pupils in our school, and she often assists them in making Christmas gifts, valentines or maybaskets.
The end of the school-year brought to Edith most delightful anticipations of a trip to the Pan-American exposition, early in July, planned by one of her good friends and benefactors, and of a visit later to a school-friend in Maine. Her joy and gratitude over- flowed in expressions of the utmost happiness and appreciation of such great good fortune.
Here is the story of Edith's efforts, achievements and failures as told by Miss Marrett: —
The record of the past year of Edith's school life con- tributes few significant incidents to the story of her progress. An atmosphere of more advanced work has prescribed closer limits to periods of recreation and required of her deeper concentration of thought within the class room. The tide of mental energy has been directed chiefly along the course of uncongenial duty, and the measure of achievement has been proportionate to the strength of continued effort. Edith does not meet the difficulties of new tasks with the ambitious purpose which insures success, and this truth suggests a reason why the welcome signs of growth are not as clearly apparent in the work of the past year as in that of the pre- vious ones.
The studies which have claimed her time in the literary department are United States history, Latin and algebra.
The first-mentioned subject was early denominated " the favorite," and, in spite of its demands for earnest labor, Edith has adhered to the appellation with characteristic loyalty. Again and again, from a labyrinth of misty facts have come the words, " I like history and I am willing to work hard."
89
Her eagerness to begin this study was doubtless stimulated by the conviction that on more familiar ground she would be free from the perplexing problems, which had severely taxed her powers in the study of ancient history. She was intelli- gently responsive to the general questions of the introductory lesson, and, from a written outline, she prepared satisfactorily her first recitation on the physical advantages of America for colonization.
Although the lessons in history have presented truths not altogether new and strange to Edith, it has been necessary for her to devote to their preparation one or two hours each day, outside of the class room. Her fund of general knowl- edge is still very limited. Many words and facts whose meaning is clear to the other members of the class must be carefully explained to Edith. " How did King James regard the Virginia colony ? " was a question which she considered as signifying in what way he was pleased with it. Her ignorance of political and commercial relations required a careful interpretation of every section of the stamp act, and a thorough understanding of the principal articles of the constitution was the reward of weeks of patient striving.
Of the study of this important document, Edith said : " I like it very much. It is interesting to know how we are governed ; but I find many things which I do not know about. I do not know much any way. I ought to have known all these things long ago."
Edith enjoyed the story of Washington's administration as that of an era which, through the loyal devotion of a grateful people, brought to her favorite hero his grandest triumph. Amid the turmoil of the rise of the political parties repre- sented by Jefferson and Hamilton, she could not easily grasp the salient points of difference between the great factions ; but she was always ready to declare Jefferson the wise and noble man, who thoroughly understood the management of the affairs of government!
Any question pertaining to the rights of an individual or of a nation has never failed to call forth Edith's strongest sympathy in behalf of the oppressed. She deeply resented
90
Pizarro's treatment of the Incas and, in emphatic denuncia- tion, said : " Pizarro was selfish and that was why he was so cruel. He had no right to treat a trusting people so." De Soto was the hero whom she delighted to contrast with Pizarro as a man who was merciful and tried to do right to the Indians.
Edith found it exceedingly difficult to reconcile the duties, imposed upon a president of the United States by his high social position, with his responsibility for the welfare of a great republic. A reference to a lavish entertainment of foreign ambassadors at Washington was met by the ques- tion, "why does a president need so much pleasure?"
From time to time throughout the year Edith has been glad and proud to introduce into her recitations facts gained from self-imposed readings upon subjects of particu- lar interest to her.
The benefit which she has received from a study of United States history is most apparent in an increase in her ability to form logical statements and to draw intelligent conclu- sions from related facts.
Edith was pleased to continue the study of Latin by read- ing from Virgil's ^neid, and her work during the first term of the year, although not equal to that of her class- mates, was satisfactory inasmuch as it gave evidence of faithful application. The structure and language of the Latin verse presented especial difficulties to Edith in her task of translation. The practical trend of her mind sug- gested as English equivalents for the Latin words the com- mon phrases of every-day speech, and she was extremely impatient of the necessity of such a selection and arrange- ment of words as would be best adapted to the interpreta- tion of the rhythmical thought of the great Latin poem. She soon became weary of a mental exertion which had not the stimulus of a deepening interest in the narrative of the adventures of ^Eneas, and, amid an atmosphere of discour- agement, she one day announced that she considered " the study of Latin a loss of time."
After this declaration there followed a protracted period of heedless indifference to the daily lessons and in conse-
91
quence many hours of extra work to meet the requirements of the class room. This lack of progress, due to her un- friendly mood, has proved so serious that she will not be able to continue the reading of the ^iieid with her class another year. When this fact was made known to her, she said in sturdy self-defence : " I dislike Latin very decidedly. If I had a talent for languages as Longfellow did, I might enjoy it."
The arrangement of Edith's school duties has assigned to the study of algebra two hours of each morning's session. Under the best conditions she is very slow in independent work with numbers ; but accuracy is usually the result of her concentrated endeavor.
Her efforts are still controlled to a certain extent by her moods. In proof of this it often happens that more time is spent upon the solution of a simple problem than is given to a difficult one, and many errors are due to an indifferent spirit on her part. A contest with equations is frequently brought to a successful issue by drawing from Edith's own experience a parallel illustration of the meaning of the writ- ten numbers. When thus forced to recognize their simple elements she has sufficient pride for an easy victory.
Considered as a whole, her year's work in algebra has been satisfactory. She has gained a knowledge of the fol- lowing subjects: — simple equations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of monominals and polynominals, theorems of development and factoring.
Not long ago as Edith was contrasting her own school life with that of a college friend, she said emphatically : " I should not succeed as well in college as I do here. I have not the taste for such things. I hope that I won't go to college. I should like to go to a school for dress making." At another time when she was enumerating her tasks at the institution she warmly stated her preference for the work in the manual training department, giving as her reason, " it is just what I like to do."
For the past year she has been a zealous member of an advanced class in sewing, and during the lesson periods (two
92
hours each week) she has cut and made a child's underwaist and a shirtwaist for herself. Her teacher's testimonial states that Edith works always with intelligent independence and that her success is assured by her remarkable exactness and skill.
The care of her wardrobe has this year extended beyond the common task of mending. The sleeves of a waist, which had been purchased for her, were not at all satisfactory. She knew what should be done to secure a proper fit, and with scissors and needle she quickly made the desired change, saying nothing about the work to any one until she had finished sewing the sleeves into the waist. When the success of her achievement was revealed, she received with true joy the hearty commendation which was her best reward.
Her skill in handiwork gives her a generous medium of beneficence and cheer to many friends. It has become an annual pleasure for Edith to dress a doll for the fair which is held in behalf of the Elizabeth Peabody kindergarten. This sweet charity is in the fullest sense her own. She buys the doll and selects the cloth and trimmings which she deems best suited to her chosen style of costume. Her large experience as a doll's dressmaker enables her to estimate with remarkable exactness the amount of material required for her work.
At the approach of each bright Christmas season her fingers are busy in fashioning dainty, useful gifts, and it is much that can be accomplished when heart and hand are in perfect accord.
She is always ready to help the younger girls of our school in the making of valentines and maybaskets, and she has not yet outgrown the delight of being herself a mysteri- ous donor of the pretty tokens of wholesome merriment and good will.
Edith has always had a modest estimate of her aptitude * for every form of manual work. She has evidently con- sidered the large gift of nature as a very general blessing. One day she asked her teacher why people praised her work and said they could not do as well. There was a shade of
ELIZABETH ROBIN.
93
trouble in her fear that she had detected in the praise a tinge of insincerity.
As in former years, Edith has received much benefit and pleasure from daily practice in the gymnasium. Its free genial atmosphere has promoted excellent work. Edith was much pleased to be one of the girls who were chosen to give an exercise in educational gymnastics as a feature of the programme for the observance of our commencement day last June. Upon this important occasion she demonstrated her appreciation of individual responsibility by an earnest attention and a quick and accurate response to every com- mand.
As the school year drew near its close, a wonderful sur- prise came to Edith in the tidings that a generous bene- factor had made arrangements for her to be included in the number of those blind and deaf students who with their teachers were to be at the Pan-American exposition during the first week in July. There was also the glad news that she had received an invitation to spend the remainder of the summer with a dear friend in Maine. When she had begun to cherish as an experience of real life the large anticipation which at first had seemed only a bright dream, she ex- claimed : " I am happy beyond doubt, happier than ever today because I have never travelled so much in my life as I am going to do this summer." This sentence, beautiful in its fullness of joy, breathes words of good omen in its token of new impulses for another school year to be gathered from this marvellous pleasure trip through fresh fields of knowledge.
Elizabeth Robin.
Her heart is gentle as her face is fair,
With grace and love and pity dwelling there.
— F. B. Sanborn.
We are very much gratified to be able to speak in high terms of the general progress in the education of this interesting girl during the past year and to
94
commend most favorably the work which she has accomplished.
Elizabeth has made marked progress both in her physical growth and in her mental and moral de- velopment. She is tall and stately, straight and graceful, alert, vivacious, light-hearted and beautiful. To use Pope's words, she is —
Polite with candor, elegant with ease.
Her cheerful temper, together with her amiable dis- position and her genuine goodness, make her per- sonal appearance unusually attractive and her company exceedingly charming. She is modest but not timid, independent but not bold, self-reliant yet unassuming. She is strongly attached to her associates and school- mates and the soul of good fellowship. She loves warmly her parents, her. brothers and sisters, her other relatives and all her friends, the dearest of whom are Mr. and Mrs. Albert T. Whiting of Boston for whom her affection is almost that of a daughter. Elizabeth's education, like that of Edith Thomas, is based upon sound pedagogical principles and is carried on in a rational, systematic way, in which as much attention is paid to the removal of the diffi- culties caused by her deprivations as is indispensable in the case of one so afflicted. Both these girls are regular members of the classes to which they belong, and their standing therein is determined precisely by the same tests as those applied to the other pupils. The end sought in their training is to bring them into contact with the outer world, to give them the means of communication with those around them, as well as to develop and cultivate their intellectual and moral nature, to strengthen their physical powers and to discipline their mental faculties. They are taught to
95
observe accurately, to perceive clearly, to think logi- cally and to express their thoughts correctly, — in a word to gain definite and thorough understanding of the subjects under consideration and to obtain knowl- edge at first hand.
From the notes kept by Miss Vina C. Badger, Elizabeth's special teacher and companion. Miss Anna Gardner Fish, the clerk of the institution, has se- lected with great care and praiseworthy discrimina- tion the materials, which she has used in writing a full statement of what has been accomplished in Elizabeth's education during the past year. Here is the account written by Miss Fish : —
The passing of another year of Elizabeth's life leaves her no whit less sunny-hearted, vivacious or attractive, but stronger, deeper, better poised and more self-possessed.
The harvest for the year shows a goodly gathering, and if a few weeds appear among the grain their presence need not be deplored where there is so much of excellence.
The studies which have occupied her school-hours are reading, composition, Latin, geography and arithmetic. Gymnastic exercise has, as formerly, offered relaxation from close mental application, and work in sewing and crocheting has furnished opportunity and reason for the activity of her nimble fingers.
The carefully chosen literature for the reading lessons has afforded a range of subject and of style, which has had a broadening influence on Elizabeth's mind, while at the same time it has ministered to her need of knowledge of the details of life, which do not present themselves naturally to one with her physical limitations. Thus, while Stories of American Progress have formed pictures in her mind against a rich historical background and The Song of Hiawatha has furnished a study of romance and of choice poetical diction, the story of Six Girls, which has been read to her in the period for recreation after supper, has given her an enjoy-
96
able taste of the happy every-day life, which has not entered largely into Elizabeth's experience.
She had no bright anticipations in taking up the first- named book, but she remarked cheerfully that she was glad it was not poetry, evidently feeling that the study of prose would impose less strain upon her intellectual powers, and after the first hour she accorded to the book a slight meed of praise in pronouncing it " better than the Land of the Pyramids'' — a work for which her dislike had been out- spoken.
During the winter several opportunities have come to Elizabeth to attend lectures, the subjects of which have fitted in well with these historical studies and have enriched her reading. Thus, after she had heard and enjoyed one by Col. Higginson on American Orators, many of the names mentioned by him appeared in the chapter which formed the next reading lesson. Elizabeth gave careful attention to the subject, saying suggestively: "The lecturer last night changed us." When an explanation of this remark was re- quested she said : " He told us about those men, so we were interested today."
An examination upon the subjects contained in the book showed that Elizabeth's understanding of them was fair. Her answer to the question : " What was the cause of the war of 1812 ? " was as follows : —
" England did not agree with America so they had a war in 1812. The former claimed the Americans that were born in England as English people forever and she seized some of them as prisoners. It was dangerous to communicate with England because she would capture our vessels and because she was a bother to us we had war."
When the Song of Hiawatha was taken up for class-room work, it seemed best to preface the study by cautioning Elizabeth upon the necessity for careful attention to accent in order that the reading might be smooth and rhythmic. Without waiting for further explanation, she quickly opened the book and read the first line which her finger touched : —
And beside them dwelt the singer.
97
Although she placed undue emphasis upon the accented syl- lable, she gave correctly not only this line but several others, selected at random, thus proving it was not by chance that she had found the true swing of the verses. She was greatly pleased by her success and remarked complacently : " You see it is easy for me."
As the story advanced, the members of the class were re- quested to choose portions which they liked best. Eliza- beth's selections were always for the purpose of showing Hiawatha to be " brave " or " obedient " or " loving," but seldom did she succeed in choosing a true description of these characteristics.
Elizabeth's increased vocabulary and deeper comprehen- sion of the author's meaning have made the hours devoted to reading very enjoyable ones, and she has completed the allotted course satisfactorily, needing very little extra time for it.
In leisure hours and for one special period each week she has read to herself from some book in raised characters. Some of the engrossing tales, to which she has devoted her attention, are Heidi, In His Name, and Wild Anivtals I Have Known. Among her Christmas purchases for her sisters, which she selects herself, she included Heidi and Six Girls, — a sure sign of her approval of these books.
During one hour on Saturday morning she reproduces in her own language stories or poems which are read to her. She has succeeded well in following the thread of the story and in establishing its point and has accomplished her task very creditably, but in purely original work she fails in fancy and her language lacks charm, — a loss which is not offset by care in structure and attention to correct spelling, punctuation and capitalization.
After giving an original definition of a well educated person, she wrote the following criticism of herself : —
" I do not think I am well educated because I do not do enough of my duty as others do and I have not done my studying and very many sensible things to make me well educated because I have not much power."
98
The satisfactory standing in Latin which she had attained by her work of the previous year was fully maintained dur- ing the first part of the school-year. Her record was excel- lent, and she seemed to have gained an intelligent grasp of the subject. In her account of how the summer had been passed, she had given evidence that this was no ephemeral interest, for she had stated: "I read my Latin grammar through." It is worth noting that her mistakes were those common to the other members of the class, showing that the addition of deafness to blindness did not inflict any in- creased difficulties upon her. She has found the task of translating English into Latin much easier to perform than its reverse.
But alas ! as the work grew more complex, the impetus of interest under which she had made so good a start failed her, her attention wandered and her marks in this lesson suffered in consequence. After many attempts to reclaim her from this unfortunate, listless state of mind, she was made to understand fully that the forthcoming examination at the beginning of the winter term would determine whether she could continue in her own class or must review her work in the lowen class which had lately begun the study of Latin. As the intervening Christmas recess afforded an opportunity for her to make up her deficiencies had she cared to do so, it was hoped that she might be prepared to pass a creditable examination. This desirable end was not attained, however. She received a low mark in her examination and was thus obliged to take up the work in the next class. This was a severe chastening for Elizabeth, and it was with drooping head that she entered the class-room for the first time after she had been dropped to the lower grade. Nevertheless the discipline of a thorough review was of the utmost benefit to her and has laid a firm foundation which it is confidently hoped may give strength to her advance work next year.
The summer months had robbed Elizabeth of little of her hard-earned knowledge of geography when a brief survey of past work was taken as a preliminary to farther instruction, and the subject of tropics and zones, which had become con-
99
fused in her mind, was the only one in which she needed additional instruction before she went on with more advanced work. More than ever before she has been able to share in every detail of the class-room work, and, when a point was reached where it seemed no longer necessary to simplify test questions for her use, a distinct gain was noted.
Asia has been the special topic for study, and it was replete with interest to Elizabeth as well as to other mem- bers of the class. She has shown more pleasure in the study of the semi-civilized countries than in that of the more complex conditions among higher types of civilization, and she is first surprised and then amused by the peculiar cus- toms of the natives.
An interesting example of her ability to make the most of a meagre store of information appears in her written answer to the questions "what cities on the Ganges.'' For what famous .-• " " The cities on the Ganges are Calcutta and another one called Benares and Lucknow and still another one. Benares is famous for the temples and sacred animals and pilgrims to bathe in the water. Lucknow is famous for its beauty, gardens. The city that I did not name is famous for shawls and carpets."
When, after India and China, Japan was taken up in regu- lar order, Elizabeth exclaimed : " I am glad. I know about them. They do not have chairs." This country was fol- lowed in turn by Australia, and when that subject had been mastered, " now for Africa," was Elizabeth's cry.
She followed the accounts of the explorations and advent- ures of Stanley, Livingstone and Emin Pasha with the most intense interest and could not bear to have a minute's pause in the reading of these descriptions. She traced their routes on the maps and asked the reason why Stanley did not take the most direct line in his journey to rescue Emin Pasha. In a sermon on children's day, the minister gave some incidents in the life of a famous man, leaving the children to guess who he was. When Africa was mentioned, Elizabeth was sure that it was either Stanley or Living- stone, and a reference to the rescue and Stanley's connec-
lOO
tion with it narrowed her choice to Livingstone. She was much gratified by her success in naming him correctly.
She had the pleasure of attending a lecture on South America, which she followed intelligently and with close attention. She was much wrought upon by the tale of the meeting of a Chilean steer and a man on horseback in a narrow pass of the Andes. She clenched her left hand excitedly as disaster to the rider seemed imminent and could hardly wait for the fortunate outcome of the affair.
During the latter half of the year the class entered upon a careful review of the subjects comprised in the studies which they had made of various countries, and they were frequently examined in regard to these, both to determine the relative standing of the pupils in the class and to fix the information they had gained more thoroughly in their minds. Elizabeth's success is shown in a most pleasing way by her marks in these tests which range from 78 per cent to 86^ and even to 93. The second of these percentages was the highest in her class save one, but greatly as she rejoiced at this, still deeper was her joy over the last-named mark. "I am glad. I tried so hard. I never had 93 before," were her happy exclamations. Of the less desirable marks and the errors which they represented she has said earnestly : " I will try to do better next time." While her memory, not naturally very retentive, has aided her success in this study very little, she has shown an earnestness of purpose, which has been conducive to satisfactory results.
Arithmetic is still a source of alternate happiness and woe to Elizabeth and her daily achievements in it have varied greatly. In the subjects studied this year, — interest, simple and compound, present worth and true discount, bank discount, taxes, insurance, duties, the paper currency of the United States, stocks and bonds and partnership, — perhaps more than at any other point of the course in mathematics, one is made to realize how hampered Elizabeth is by her abstraction frorti common affairs in life, held aloof as she is both by her physical infirmities and by the care which hedges her about. Thus, it is only within five years
lOI
that she has learned the meaning and use of a "fare," and a realization of the meaning of many other details of every- day life, which any girl of her age may be expected to know, comes to her only through a visible effort when her lack of such knowledge is perceived.
In one examination she answered correctly that the United States government is maintained by indirect taxation, but further questioning elicited the fact that she did not know why the government needed support and a certain element of indifference had kept her silent on that score. Again, a long delay ensued over the expression, " five ten-dollar bills," which puzzled her completely, as she never had heard of a bill of that denomination. It was after such a wearisome delay that she cried one day : " I have no more recitation in me than some people have music."
Similar difficulties have arisen constantly during her in- struction in these subjects, and have required such lengthy explanations that it has been found impossible for Elizabeth to complete the course in the same time- as her classmates. She has been obliged to devote many extra hours to this study, but by this means she has succeeded in bringing the year's work to a satisfactory conclusion.
Since she has understood the meaning of an average per- centage Elizabeth has watched over her marks with jealous care, until, finding by her own observation that her teachers could be trusted to arrive at accurate conclusions, she was content to accept these unquestioningly. It has had a good effect upon Elizabeth to be marked strictly on the same basis on which the other girls are judged, and the comparison of her triumphs and defeats with theirs has stimu- lated her, while at the same time it has brought her into closer union with them and has caused her to feel a class pride which affords a standard of comparison higher than that furnished by her individual efforts.
But besides this, one of the most favorable signs of Eliza- beth's growth during this year is the fact that she has begun to have ideals and to strive for their realization. No longer accepting her own best work as the criterion by which all
I02
else must be judged and as the highest point which she may be expected to reach, she is learning to look beyond her own attainments for the goal of her efforts.
She has used the word "fair" in her conversation as never before, and a sense of justice has been thoroughly entrenched in her mind. When her teacher was reading to Elizabeth from Van Dyke's Footpath to Peace, she made emphatic signs of her appreciation of his statement that there is need of fearing nothing but cowardice and of despising nothing but falsehood and meanness.
Other parts of this extract also gained her eager assent, as where the author says that we should be glad of life because it gives us a chance to play, and, at his reference to spending much time out-of-doors, Elizabeth exclaimed laughingly : " I think he must be a jolly man."
Jollity is one of her own strong characteristics and appeals to her in every one else. In a playful encounter in the gymnasium one day, her fallen adversary found herself securely pinned to the floor by Elizabeth, who seated herself on her captive's dress and was to be neither coaxed nor coerced into moving. " I shall sit here for days and days," she quoted from Alice in Wonderland, just then in course of preparation for the entertainment on Washington's birthday. The call for Elizabeth to take her turn at the apparatus brought a speedy change to her situation.
So pleasant are her relations with the other girls that she is accounted one with them in every experience. They are always considerate of her and helpful in every way, never giving her an opportunity to feel herself apart from them. In addition to her affectionate regard for Edith, a warm friend- ship has grown up this year between Elizabeth and a little school-mate, who has the advantage of a slight degree of vision and of a large degree of good sense, good nature and good fellowship. Elizabeth has gained much through this companionship and is ready to follow the lead of her young friend on every occasion.
At the breaking out of the serious fire in the school-house, one day in the winter, Elizabeth was engaged in sewing in
I03
the room above the spot where the conflagration began. Her own account of the experience is this : " I knew we were excused and I put my work on the table, but it fell on the floor and Mabel said ' come ! ' She pulled me and I ran and smelled the fire as we went through the hall. When we got down the steps, I said 'is it a fire ? ' and she said *yes.' " One of the school girls could add to this brief statement, that when Elizabeth and Mabel were safely out of the build- ing and on the way to the house, the latter heard some one call for help in getting out of a basement window. Saying to Elizabeth : " Wait here," without explanation, she ran to see what she could do. Another girl, seeing Elizabeth standing still and thinking that she did not know in which direction the danger lay, came to her to lead her away, but Elizabeth refused to move, saying : " Mabel told me to wait here." She went willingly, however, when she was con- vinced that she would be safer in the house and that no point of honor was involved in her going without Mabel. She was very quiet throughout the time of danger, but she seemed glad to receive the reports which the girls were so thoughtful as to give her, as they came in. When the ex- citement was over and the family sat down to supper, Elizabeth was somewhat rebellious in spirit. "The worsteds cost so much money," she said, frowning and shaking her head, but she was comforted upon being reminded how much they had to be thankful for, in spite of the destruction.
In the morning, when asked if she had had a restful night, she replied : " Not so very. I had terrible dreams but I did not dream about a fire." She confessed to having been excited during its progress and added : " I was anxious." A few days later she accepted an invitation to visit the ruined school-rooms. She approached them gaily exclaim- ing : " Won't we have fun ! " but she grew very sober as she visited one familiar spot after another and realized how much havoc had been wrought. " It is worse than I ex- pected," she said gravely as they left the building. When she was led to feel how much worse it might have been if the fire had extended to the cottages, she clasped her hand
I04
impulsively, exclaiming : " Oh, there were so many more things there than in the Howe building ! " referring to per- sonal belongings.
Elizabeth has taken a great interest in Cora, the deaf and blind girl who has recently entered the school, and has seemed to feel a personal responsibility for her progress and good behavior. She has lost no opportunity to encourage Cora's use of the manual alphabet, by spelling greetings and brief phrases in her hand, whenever they meet. Cora shows a great affection for Elizabeth and expresses it fre- quently by caresses of a more or less gentle nature. This is naturally distasteful to Elizabeth, but she never repels Cora and bears it patiently and good-humoredly. One day she laughingly gave an imitation of Cora's vigorous hugs, and when asked if that was once her way she replied emphati- cally : " No." She found it difficult to tell how her manner differed from that of Cora, but she readily accepted the sug- gestion that she was not so affectionate. "No, I was not so affectionate. I pulled people and liked my own way but I did not do as Cora does." A little later she added : " I liked my own way better then than now. I don't care for it so much now."
At the beginning of the school-year Elizabeth had, as a room-mate, a girl younger than herself, one who was not able to converse with her or to assume much responsibility in the care of the room. Elizabeth's feelings in the matter seemed to combine dismay at the loss of a congenial com- panion with pride at the thought that she had been deemed worthy to give assistance in the training of a younger girl. She accepted the situation with a good grace and was often found helping her little room-mate and exercising a super- vision over her and her work, which was effective even with- out the medium of speech. It was plainly a relief and a source of pleasure to Elizabeth, when a change, later in the year, brought to her room one who could be more com- panionable to her. " She is accompanying," was Elizabeth's explanation.
As her share of the household tasks, it fell to her lot
I05
one day to set the table for the next meal. Piling a tray high with the dishes, she took it up carefully and walked backwards from the pantry to the table. Clearly, this was done to avoid any danger from a chance encounter with some obstacle in her path, — an exhibition of forethought which deserves notice and commendation.
Aside from Mr. and Mrs. Whiting who continue to treat Elizabeth with parental affection and care, she has made many friends, outside of the institution, whom it i§ one of her pleasures to meet. Sometimes she has had the happiness of visiting them in their homes, and in a few instances she has been the hostess and has entertained them in her school home. Her own enjoyment of such occasions is extreme, for her vivacious nature responds readily to social demands ; but she is never forgetful of her companions' pleasure and is solicitous that they shall share her joyousness. Several times upon meeting acquaintances Elizabeth, with true po- liteness, has inquired of her own accord about mutual friends and has sent to them appropriate messages.
Her home ties have been strengthened this year by the fact that her two sisters, as well as her mother, have learned to write to her in the Braille point system, so that, through this increase in her correspondence, Elizabeth is put into close touch with all the little details which make up the home-life. She speaks often of her desire to graduate as soon as possible so that she may return to her beloved family in Texas, This ardent desire often serves as an incentive when other ambi- tious motives fail, and, although the date of this great occasion seems to her very distant, it pleases her to plan for it, her mother's presence being an indispensable part of her anticipated pleasure.
At the close of the school-year a crowning joy came to Elizabeth, as well as to both Edith and Tommy, in a visit to Buffalo and the Pan-American exposition, which their good friend, Mr. William Wade, of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, ar- ranged for them in every detail. Among their happy antici- pations the fact that the two girls could travel together for the first time in their lives stood foremost in their estimation.
io6
The visit opened to them an inexhaustible mine of pleasure, information and interesting experience. Favors and benefits were showered upon them from all sides and they met with universal friendliness and helpfulness. The buildings devoted to agriculture and manufactures yielded riches, hitherto un- guessed, to their delighted investigation and eager explora- tion. Visits to the United States building and those of our sister republics and our colonies gave them some idea of the extent of the exhibition and a comprehension of the term Pan-American. Nor was the lighter side of the fair neglected. The street in Cairo proved as instructive as it was enchant- ing, and after riding in nearly every variety of conveyance at the fair and trying nearly every mode of transportation, — trips which afforded much merriment to the young people if not to their elders, — Elizabeth unhesitatingly gave her preference to the camel. One day was happily spent in a visit to Niagara, and their enthusiasm over the mighty waters was as real as if their impressions had not been limited to those received from the ^ivid descriptions of their companions and to the clear realization of the grandeur of the scene, which came to them from their sense of time and distance and from the vibrations which told them of the thunder of the tremendous cataract.
There was another feature of the visit to Buffalo, which was second to no other in interest and was far-reaching in its importance. This was the meeting with other deaf and blind students who are being educated in other institutions, — an object lesson which must bring to them fresh resolu- tions and courage as they realize that they are not alone in their terrible struggle against the powers of darkness and silence, which have bound them down and from which their only hope of emancipation lies in the attainment of intellect- ual vigor.
This account shows clearly that Elizabeth is stead- ily growing both physically and mentally and prom- ising to be a fine young woman in every respect.
CORA ADELIA CROCKER.
I07
Cora Adelia Crocker.
A grave unto a soul ; Holding the eternal spirit.
— Shakespeare.
During the past year the doors of this institution havejopened to another doubly afflicted child in need of those ministrations, which can nowhere be better rendered than within its walls. Cora Adelia Crocker was born in Pittsfield, Mass., on the seventeenth of February, 1885, with perfect senses, but without robust health or the other happy concomitants of childhood. No peculiarities are recorded of her parents, save that her father became a victim to softening of the brain and finally died of paresis.
At the age of eight years Cora was attacked by acute conjunctivitis and by measles, which destroyed her sight and greatly impaired her hearing. On the twentieth day of September, 1896, she was brought to this institution, but the condition of her health was such that her presence among the other pupils was regarded as a menace to them, and she was returned to her home after a very few days.
From that time until last April she has been a charge of the city of Pittsfield, receiving kind care and attention, but no regular instruction. Her deaf- ness, which has constantly increased during these last years until it has become total, added to her lack of sight, has placed a barrier about her, insurmountable by the good people who have supported her but could not concentrate their attention upon her individual needs because of the many other demands upon them.
During the past year our attention was again called to her case, and a doctor's certificate gave us evidence
io8
that the physical disability, which made it necessary for us to keep her away from our children, had en- tirely disappeared. Therefore, on the eighth of April, 1 90 1, Cora was once more installed as a regular pupil of our school, this time under the special instruction, which her loss of two senses has rendered imperative. She is fortunate in having retained her power of speech to a considerable degree and from the first has been able to make herself understood readily by those about her.
In spite of the serious disadvantage under which she labors on account of her age and the time during which she has remained untaught, she has made a good start on the difficult path to knowledge. This is abundantly shown by the following interesting ac- count of Cora's progress, which has been prepared by her teacher, Miss Amelia W. Davis : —
Cora Crocker has brought to us a strongly marked, but undeveloped individuality. A mere child in most respects, the outline of her character already shows more form than that of the child, who is merely "father to the man." If she is a sad specimen of what education sometimes means to the individyal, she is also an example of what brave deter- mination may do for its possessor, even against seemingly overwhelming odds. It is Cora's will that must work out her future progress. Of her intelligence there remains no doubt. Each and all who have come into anything like close contact with her find her unusually bright. The problem is to teach her self-control and application.
Cora's alert and eager attitude was from the first a pleas- ant exchange for the apathy which had been dreaded. It was a surprise to find her so merry and boisterous that she needed to be checked, rather than drawn out and encour- aged. That this condition is the preferable one does not admit of doubt, but it has also its difficulties. Cora is not
I09
childlike in respect to docility. She has not been accus- tomed to learn about things unless she wished to do so, and she is unwilling to make any effort unless she fully under- stands the advantage of it. Now, it retards the progress of education very much to stop at every step to explain its aim to the pupil, especially when the pupil is not always able to comprehend the scope of the purpose. Cora fully appreci- ates that it is a good thing to have an education. She wants to go to school as the other girls do. When she works at reading or writing, she feels that it is worth the effort ; but she despises the manual alphabet, which she must be able to use before she can make any considerable progress in her studies.
When Cora came to South Boston, on April eighth, she had quite a goodly store of "knowledge never learned of schools," but the extent of her school acquirements was the ability to spell Cora, cat, rat, pig, and cow, and to count, at least far enough for ordinary purposes. She also knew the story with the little sticks, — One and one make two. Her only method of communication was to ask questions, and receive answers by nods or shakes of the head. So intelli- gently were her questions put, that she almost never failed to find out all that she wanted to know, and there was almost nothing about which she did not want to know.
This was a mind that seemed very hard to reach, but it was one that was itself already reaching forth. External barriers, even when they are as formidable as the loss of sight and hearing, are, after all, less hard to deal with than mental dullness.
Cora now knows nearly all the capital letters in embossed print, and forms them nicely with a pencil. The closer print proved so difficult, that it appeared best to save the effort for the manual alphabet. She is learning to write the square hand, and doing very well. She does small sums in addition and subtraction with blocks, and with figures pinned on a cushion. "Three — one run away — two left," is her formula for subtraction.
This work, however, has been wholly secondary to the
I lO
main undertaking, the learning of the use of the manual alphabet. It will be in place to preface the account of Cora's progress here by a statement of some of the diffi- culties which have beset it. The first is her age. She has a very good memory, but it is not the child's memory, which retains impressions without effort. She must understand and perceive the importance of a thing before her interest is aroused so that she can remember it. Moreover, she has formed no habits of study during the years which most children spend in constant training. On the contrary, she has formed habits which make study very difficult. Chief of these is the habit of guessing. She had, at the first, no desire to know a thing, so as to be able to say it correctly the first time. The twentieth, or the fiftieth, did just as well. Indeed, her joy at the final success seemed very nearly proportioned to the amount of guessing which had preceded it. Also, she could not spell. Add to this, that Cora was perfectly happy without the manual alphabet. Her ingenuity supplied all the needs she felt. Clever guesses and quick divinations of meaning have suited her far better than that laborious talking with the hand.
In view of this, it may be believed that our path has been an up-hill one, from the ninth of April, when Cora laughed when eggyfaji, and book were spelled to her, and cried again and again : " What are you trying to learn me } " to the end of June, when she knows seventy-five words. " Bothering " is Cora's name for the study. It requires more plodding than her agile mind is used to.
Cora realized the purpose of the study within two or three days. " Are you trying to talk with me because I am deaf.-*" she asked. In less than a week we said "yes" and " no " on her hand. To be sure, it was several days before she wholly surrendered to this. If we spelled "yes," she would bend our heads forward. " Shake your head 'yes,'" was her indignant exclamation. At this period,//^ was her favorite word. She thought that she had mastered the study, because she knew that.
The turning point in Cora's progress was the abandon-
Ill
ment of the word method. It was discovered that she would not learn a word until she could spell it. She soon learned all the letters commonly used except d, s, and f. She re- jected all words containing these letters, until she was allowed to call them do, s-s, and fer. This gave her all the letters except/, v, and xr, of which, at the end of June, she is still ignorant. From this point, her progress was steady, if not rapid.
Cora does not yet love this botJierijig. If she can be in- duced to begin the work, she usually becomes so interested, that her attention can be kept, but the difficulty is in the beginning. She has often said she would not come to work ; two or three times she has disobeyed when told to come, and there have been occasional violent outbreaks of temper on this account. On the whole, however, there has been a gain, not only in the number of words known, but in power of control and application. Most of our work lately has been a pleasant contrast to the constant struggle and strain of the earlier period.
Cora has reached the point now where the manual al- phabet is of service to her. We must, of course, use words from the list that she knows, and leave much to suggestion. She is made very happy, when we walk in the park, by hav- ing things described to her in this way — "Lady — baby — cry — sit — tree — rock ; " " Girl — see — boy — play — boat;" "Big dog run — bark," especially if we can pat the dog's head. If we ask her, "how is Cora .'' " she spells " Cora Crocker good." " Good-night," she spells, instead of speaking, and she is particularly proud of knowing " good- morning," because Elizabeth taught it to her. By repeated test, she shows that she really knows at least seventy-five words, although it may sometimes be necessary to spell a word two or three times before she will fix her mind on it.
In this account of Cora's progress, scant justice has been done to Cora's self, to her remarkably happy disposition, to her humor and quaint originality, to her independence of action, joined to a craving for love and sympathy. Her neatness and thoroughness in all that she does are the out-
112
ward sign of a healthy and wholesome mind. She is not a thoughtless child, but she never broods. Her questions show that her mind is busy with problems of the universe, but she uses it also in every day life. All her manual work is well and intelligently done.
This is Cora, as she now is, a nature that gives, as every child-nature must, much to hope and much to fear. It is impossible, however, in looking to the future of one who wins our affections so entirely, not to have good hopes at least, if not great ones.
Marion Rostron.
A lonely stillness, so like death.
— Joaquin Miller.
The latest addition to our increasing number of deaf-blind pupils comes to us in the person of Marion Rostron, a girl twelve years old, who is totally deaf and has very defective vision. The daughter of vigorous English parents, she was born in Fall River, Mass., on the seventh of May, 1889, and although a delicate child, she was free from any serious physical defect and escaped the usual afflictions, to which children are liable. The terrible infirmities which have later come upon her were first observed when the unfortunate child was seven years of age and have steadily increased until the sense of hearing is totally gone and the visual sense is fast failing.
Marion possesses a bright, sunny disposition and gives every evidence of good ability to profit by the course of instruction afforded by this institution. She has taken her place among her school-mates with whom she is rapidly becoming on the best of terms, and in class room and home life as well as on any un- wonted occasion her special teacher. Miss Lilian Mabel Forbush, is at her side, as instructor, counsel- lor, helper and friend.
MARION ROSTRON.
, 113
The Deaf-Blind at Buffalo.
Pleasure that come. "Jooked for is thrice welcome.
— Rogers.
The lives of those children who must toil on to the goal of their ambition under the burden of a double affliction are necessarily laid down along regular lines of systematic work, exercise and recreation, as a safe- guard to physical health and mental strength, for although we believe that no height is beyond their reach, the difficulty of attaining it is inordinately in- creased.
Under these circumstances it may be readily im- agined what immeasurable happiness came to them, as a reward for their patient and strenuous efforts during the year past, in an invitation from their gen- erous friend and benefactor, Mr. William Wade of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, to visit the Pan-American exposition at Buffalo.
It was Mr. Wade's kind and wise thought that, in addition to the pleasures incident to witnessing the great fair, such a meeting of deaf-blind students would be far-reaching in its consequences and helpful to all, — to the children, as an incentive from meeting others who are pressing onward under the same dis- advantages and difficulties ; to their teachers, as a fresh impulse in their chosen life-work, gleaned from the consensus of opinions and the interchange of a wealth of experiences ; to the onlookers as an object lesson in the possibilities in the training of defective children and in the opportunity for a helping hand.
All this and much more was realized as the out- come of the magnificent entertainment, planned and
114
executed by this most generous of givers, Mr. Wade. Eight deaf-bhnd pupils from various institutions throughout the country, each accompanied by a spe- cial companion, met at Buffalo at the school for the deaf, St. Mary Le Conteulx, on the first day of July, and during more than a week every attention and kindness were lavished upon them by their kind host. Suggestions of the joys both of anticipation and of realization are found in the special accounts of Edith Thomas, Elizabeth Robin and Thomas Stringer, all three of whom, with their teachers were among Mr. Wade's guests.
It was a rich experience, to which each feature con- tributed,— the delight of travelling which no discom- fort from the heat could lessen ; the revelations through the wonderful exhibits of the exposition ; the awe induced by an appreciation of the mighty force of Niagara, and the pleasant companionship and conversa- tions each with the other. For, differ as the schools may in the details of instruction, which must meet the requirements of each individual case, in its fundamen- tal principles the work for the deaf-blind follows essen- tially the same course, — a path " which had been hewn out by the magnificent force of Dr. Samuel G. Howe, in the teaching of Laura Bridgman, and thus instituted forever for the training of all similar cases." The teachers also were busily employed both in giv- ing descriptions and imparting information to their charges and in observing on their own part, compar- ing notes and exchanging helpful suggestions and theories.
It was a true holiday season, during which lasting impressions were made upon the receptive minds of these eager boys and girls to whom touch contact is
115
everything and lack of it isolation. Their hearts overflow with gratitude toward the dispenser of such boundless hospitality, while all who rejoice with us in each fresh pleasure and every good thing which'comes to these brave, sincere, hard-working boys and girls will join with us most earnestly in expressions of the deepest thankfulness to their good friend, Mr. Wade.
Conclusion.
Let this end where it began.
— Shakespeare.
The story of the work which has been performed during the past year in the various departments of the school must of necessity end here. In closing it I beg to acknowledge the cordial cooperation of my assistants and coadjutors in the execution of all plans relating to the improvement of our pupils, and to thank them for the valuable aid, which they have given to me in the discharge of the duties of my oiiice.
There has been only one change in the staff of officers. The assistant matron in the boys' depart- ment, Mrs. Emma W. Falls, who has rendered faith- ful and diligent service since the autumn of 1897, has declined a reengagement at the close of the school .year. The vacancy thus created has been filled by the appointment of Miss Alice Gary, who appears well fitted for the position and adequately qualified to meet its requirements.
The seventieth year of the existence of the institu- tion, upon which we are now entering, is as rich in enthusiasm for the future as in traditions of the past. We begin a new era in the history of the education of the blind, and I cannot lay aside my pen without
ii6
renewing my earnest appeal for such financial aid as will enable us to reorganize the school and enlarge its scope and to provide for the pupils the best that we can give them out of the wealth, which has been handed down to us from the past century, and to make them sharers in the promise of the new one, upon which we have entered.
All which is respectfully submitted by
MICHAEL ANAGNOS.
LIST OF PUPILS.
Allen, Mary K. Bennett, Annie F. Browne, Mary I, Burke, Norah. Chick, Alice E. Cole, Carrie W. Coogan, Jennie. Cooper, Goldie May. Coyle, Mabel. Crocker, Cora A. Cross, Ida. Cummings, Elsie. Dart, M. Fernette. Diotte, Corinne. Dodd, E. Elizabeth. Dolan, Ellen. Durant, Rose M. Elliott, Bessie M. Elmer, Edith M. Elwell, Gertrude. Flaherty, Margaret. Forbush, Vinnie F. Foss, Jennie. Gavaghen, Annie. Gavin, Ellen A. Gee, Katherine M. Gilman, Lura. Goullard, E. Edna. Griffin, Martha. Hamlet, Ethel. Heap, Myra. Hilgenberg, Johanna. Howard, Lily B.
Hughes, Mattie. Ingham, Beatrice E. Jones, Maud E. Jones, Louise. Keegan, Margaret M. Kennedy, Annie M. Kennedy, Nellie A. Kent, Bessie Eva. Keyes, Teresa J. Knowlton, Etta F. Langdon, Margarita. Lawrence, Anna. Lee, Sarah B. K. Lewis, Jessie. Mather, Flora L. Matthews, Clara. Mattimore, Augustina E. McClintock, Mary. McKenzie, Margaret. Miller, A. Marion. Muldoon, Sophia J. Murphy, Frances A. Myers, Mabel. Newton, Eldora B. Norton, Agnes E. O'Neal, Kate. Ovens, Emily A. Paine, Elsie G. Pike, Fanny. Puffer, Mildred E. Reed, Nellie Edna. Ricker, Annie S. Robin, Elizabeth.
iiS
Roeske, Julia M. B. Rostron, Mafion. JRyan, Margaret. .'Sheehy, Margaret M, :Smitih, Florence G. 'Smith, Nellie J. .Spring, Genevra S. Stone, Clara E. Thomas, Edith M. Thurley, Blanche M. Tye, Gertrude. Viles, Alison P. Wagner, M. Alice. Warrener, Louise. Wells, M. Esther. Wigley, Florence M. Wilde, Agnes. Aberg, George H. Amadon, Charles H. Baker, Frank G. Barnard, Richard J. C. Bartlett, Joseph. Belehumeur, J. Oscar. Black, Charles. Bond, Samuel C. Bradley, Edward F. Butters, Albert W. Cahoon, Joseph O. Carney, Frederick. Casassa, Stephen. Clark, George H. Clenon, William T. Cummings, Edwin. Cunningham, James H. Day, Joseph F. Dewhurst, Henry. Dodge, Wilbur. Drew, Francis. Fuller, Albert. Furrow, George.
Gibbs, Reuel E. Hagopian, Kirkor D. Hai-vey, Lyman K. Heroux, Alfred N. Henry, George G. Hickey, Bernard. Howe, Charles E. lerardi, Francesco. Jackson, Clarence A, Jennings, Henry M. Kenyon, Henry C. Kirshen, Morris. Levin, Barnard. Lord, John W. Lucier, George. Lund, Olaf H. Matteson, Benjamin G. McKeown, Thomas. Mills, George. Moriarty, John. Muldoon, Henry M. Muldoon, Robert D. Nilson, Frank. O'Neill, Patrick. Osborne, Patrick. Paige, Franklin H. Parks, Edson A. Peabody, Eugene. Putnam, Herbert A. Rand, Henry. Ransom, Francis. Ray, Edward R. Robinson, William E. Rochford, Francis J. Ryan, Edw-ard D. Schuerer, Edward. Smith, Eugene S. Stamp, Charles. Sticher, Charles F. Sticher, Frank W.
Stover, Alfred. Strout, Herbert A. Stuart, Edwin. Thompson, Robert. Van Vliet, Henry. Vaughn, William M. Walsh, Frederick V.
119
Walsh, William. Washington, Arthur. Wetherell, John. # Wilder, Charles H. Williams, Albert L. Winchell, Charles L. Wrinn, Owen E.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
Among the pleasant duties incident to the close of the year is that of expressing our heartfelt thanks and grateful acknowledg- ments to the following artists, litterateurs, societies, proprietors, managers, editors, and publishers, for concerts and various musi- cal entertainments, for operas, oratorios, lectures, readings, and for an excellent supply of periodicals and weekly papers, books, and specimens of various kinds.
As I have said in previous reports, these favors are not only a source of pleasure and happiness to our pupils, but also a valu- able means of aesthetic culture, of social intercourse, and of men- tal stimulus and improvement. So far as we know, there is no community in the world which does half so much for the gratifi- cation and improvement of its unfortunate members as that of Boston does for our pupils.
/. — Acknowledgttieiits for Concerts, Operas, Recitals a^ui Lectures.
To Mr. Eugene Tompkins, proprietor of the Boston Theatre, through Mr. F. E. Pond, for an invitation to one hundred pupils to attend the operas Barber of Seville and Do7i Pasqiiale.
To Pres. C. W. Eliot and Maj. Henry L. Higginson, for twenty- five tickets to the course of symphony concerts in Sanders The- atre, Cambridge.
To the Cecilia Club, through its secretary, Mr. Charles C. Ryder, for an average of twenty-nine tickets to each of three con- certs.
To Mr. Richard E. Newman, for an average of twenty-five tickets to each of a series of eight pianoforte and vocal recitals in Steinert Hall and for seventy-eight tickets to each of two concerts by the Leipsic Philharmonic orchestra.
To Mr. Henry G. Tucker, for an invitation to a [number of our pupils to attend his series