EDUCATION

early training. as more sensations are received through the eye than through any other organ, the mind of a blind child is vacant, and the training should begin early or the mind will degenerate. indirectly the loss of sight results in inaction. if no one encourages a blind child to move, he will sit quietly in a corner, and when he leaves his seat will move timidly about. this want of activity produces bad physical effects, and further delays mental growth. the blind are often injured, some of them ruined for life, through the ignorance and mistaken kindness of their friends during early childhood. they should be taught to walk, to go up and down stairs, to wash, dress and feed themselves. they should be carefully taught correct postures and attitudes, and to avoid making grimaces. they should be told the requirements of social conventions which a seeing child learns through watching his elders. they have no consciousness that their habits are disagreeable, and the earlier unsightly mannerisms are corrected the better. it is a fallacy to suppose that the other senses of the blind are naturally sharper than those of the seeing. it is only when the senses of hearing and touch have been cultivated that they partially replace sight, and such cultivation can begin with very young children. blind children have a stronger claim upon the public for education than other children, because they start at a disadvantage in life, they carry a burden in their infirmity, they come mostly of poor parents, and without special instruction and training they are almost certain to become a public charge during life. public authorities should adopt the most efficient plan for preparing blind children to become active, independent men and women, rather than consider the cheapest and easiest method of educating them. we cannot afford to give the blind an education that is not the best of its kind in the trade or profession they will have to follow. there are many seeing persons with little education who are useful citizens and successful in various industries, but an uneducated blind person is helpless, and must become dependent. the surroundings of the blind do not favour the development of activity, self-reliance and independence. parents and friends find it easier to attend to the wants and requirements of their blind children than to teach them to be self-helpful in the common acts of everyday life. a mistaken kindness leads the friends to guard every movement and prevent physical exertion. as a rule, the vitality of the blind is much below the average vitality of seeing persons, and any system of education which does not recognize and overcome this defect will be a failure. it is the lack of energy and determination, not the want of sight, that causes so many failures among the blind. physical training. a practical system of education, which has for its object to make the blind independent and self-sustaining, must be based upon a comprehensive course of physical development. a blind man who has received mechanical training, general education, or musical instruction, without physical development, is like an engine provided with everything necessary except motive power. schools for the blind should be provided with well-equipped gymnasia, and the physical training should include various kinds of mass and apparatus work. large and suitable playgrounds are also essential. besides a free space where they can run and play, it should have a supply of swings, tilts, jumping-boards, stilts, chars-a-bancs, skittle-alleys, &c. any game that allows of sides being taken adds greatly to the enjoyment, and is a powerful incentive to play. the pupils should be encouraged to enter into various competitions, as walking, running, jumping, leap-frog, sack-racing, shot-pitching, tug-of-war, &c. cycling, rowing, swimming and roller-skating are not only beneficial but most enjoyable. mental training. the subjects in the school curriculum should be varied according to the age and capacity of the pupils, but those which cultivate the powers of observation and the perceptive faculties should have a first place. object lessons or nature study should have a large share of attention. few people realize that a blind child knows nothing of the size, shape and appearance of common objects that lie beyond the reach of his arm. when he has once been shown how to learn their characteristics, he will go on acquiring a knowledge of his surroundings unaided by a teacher. again, a careful drill in mental arithmetic, combining accuracy with rapidity, is essential. a good command of english should be cultivated by frequent exercises in composition, and by committing to memory passages of standard prose and poetry. in his secondary course, the choice of subjects must depend upon his future career. above all, stimulate a love of good reading. early manual training. from the earliest years manual dexterity should be cultivated by kindergarten work, modelling, sewing, knitting and sloyd. blind children who have not had the advantage of this early handwork find much more difficulty when they begin a regular course in technical training. early manual training cultivates the perceptive faculties, gives activity to the body, and prepares the hands and finger for pianoforte-playing, pianoforte-tuning and handicrafts. choice of occupation besides a good general education, the blind must have careful and detailed training in some handicraft, or thorough preparation for some profession. the trades and professions open to them are few, and if they fail in one of these they cannot turn quickly to some other line of work. those who have charge of their education should avail themselves of the knowledge that has been gained in all countries, in order to decide wisely in regard to the trade or occupation for which each pupil should be prepared. it may be some kind of handicraft, pianoforte-tuning, school-teaching, or the profession of music; the talent and ability of each child should be carefully considered before finally deciding his future occupation. the failure to give the blind a practical education often means dependence through life. pianoforte-tuning. pianoforte-tuning as an employment for the blind originated in paris. about 1830 claud montal and a blind fellow-pupil attempted to tune a piano. the seeing tuner in charge of the school pianos complained to the director, and they were forbidden to touch the works, but the two friends procured an old piano and continued their efforts. finally, the director, convinced of their skill, gave them charge of all the school pianos, and classes were soon started for the other pupils. when montal left the institution he encountered great prejudice, but his skill in tuning became known to the professors of the conservatoire, and his work rapidly increased and success was assured. montal afterwards established a manufactory, and remained at its head for many years. tuning is an excellent employment for the blind, and one in which they have certain advantages. the seeing who excel in the business go through a long apprenticeship, and one must give the blind even more careful preparation. they must work a number of hours daily, under suitable tuition, for several years. after a careful examination by an expert pianoforte-tuning authority, every duly qualified tuner should be furnished with an official certificate of proficiency, and tuners who cannot take the required examinations ought not to be allowed to impose upon the public. musical training. music in its various branches, when properly taught, is the best and most lucrative employment for the blind. to become successful in the profession, it is necessary for the blind to have opportunities of instruction, practice, study, and hearing music equal to those afforded the seeing, with whom they will have to compete in the open market. if the blind musician is to rise above mediocrity, systematic musical instruction in childhood is indispensable, and good instruction will avail little unless the practice is under constant and judicious supervision. the musical instruction, in its several branches of harmony, pianoforte, organ and vocal culture, must be addressed to the mind, not merely to the ear. this is the only possible method by which musical training can be made of practical use to the blind. the blind music teacher or organist must have a well-disciplined mind, capable of analysing and dealing with music from an intellectual point of view. if the mental faculties have not been developed and thoroughly disciplined, the blind musician, however well he may play or sing, will be a failure as a teacher. the musical instruction must be more thorough, more analytical, more comprehensive, than corresponding instruction given to seeing persons. in 1871 dr armitage published a book on the education and employment of the blind, in which he stated that of the blind musicians trained in the united kingdom not more than one-half per cent were able to support themselves, whereas of those trained in the paris school 30% supported themselves fully, and 30% partially, by the profession of music. royal normal college. to provide a better education and improve the musical training of the blind, the royal normal college was established in 1872.[3] its object was to afford the young blind a thorough general and musical education, to qualify them to earn a living by various intellectual pursuits, especially as organists, pianists, teachers and pianoforte-tuners. from the first, the founders of the college maintained that the blind could only be made self-sustaining by increasing their intelligence, bodily activity and dexterity, by inculcating business habits, by arousing their self-respect, and by creating in their minds a belief in the possibility of future self-maintenance. a kindergarten department was opened in 1881. in july 1896 queen's scholarship examinations were held at the royal normal college, for the first time, for blind students, and the institution recognized by the education department as a training college for blind school-teachers. educational needs. from the first day a pupil enters school until he finishes his course of training, care must be taken to implant business habits. blind children are allowed to be idle and helpless at home; they do not learn to appreciate the value of time, and in after years this is one of the most difficult lessons to inculcate. having drifted through childhood, they are content to drift through life. the important habits of punctuality, regularity and precision should be cultivated in all the arrangements and requirements. a great effort should be made to lift the blind from pauperism. as soon as pupils enter a school, all semblance of pauper origin should be removed. they must be inspired with a desire for independence and a belief in its possibility. in the public mind blindness has been so long and closely associated with dependence and pauperism that schools for the blind, even the most progressive, have been regarded hitherto as asylums rather than educational establishments. a sad mistake in the training of the blind is the lack of an earnest effort to improve their social condition. the fact that their education has been left to charity has helped to keep them in the ranks of dependents. the question of day-classes versus boarding-schools has been much discussed. it is claimed by some that a blind child gains more independence if kept at home and educated in a school with the seeing. this theory is not verified by practical experience. at home its blindness makes the child an exception, and often it takes little or no part in the active duties of everyday life. again, in a class of seeing children the blind member is treated as an exception. the memory is cultivated at the expense of the other faculties, and the facility with which it recites in certain subjects causes it to make a false estimate of its attainments. the fundamental principles in different branches are imperfectly understood, from the failure to follow the illustrations of the teacher. in the playgrounds, a few irrepressibles join in active games, but most of the blind children prefer a quiet corner. for the sake of economy, schools for deaf-mutes and the blind are sometimes united. as the requirements of the two classes are entirely separate and distinct, the union is undesirable, whether for general education or industrial training. the plan was tried in america, but has been given up in most of the states. to meet the difficulty of proper classification with small numbers, blind boys and girls are taught in the same classes. the acquaintances then made lead to intimacy in later years and foster intermarriage among the blind. intermarriage among the blind is a calamity, both for them and for their children; some who might have been successful business men are to-day begging in the streets in consequence of intermarriage. in every school or class there will be a certain number of young blind children who, from neglect, want of food, or other causes, are feeble in body and defective in intellect; such children are a great burden in any class or school, and require special treatment and instruction. educational authorities should unite and have one or two schools in a healthful locality for mentally defective blind children. more and more, in educational work for the seeing, there is a tendency to specialize, and thus enable each student to have the best possible instruction in the subjects that bear most directly on his future calling. to prepare the blind for self-maintenance, there should be an equally careful study of the ability of each child. a scheme of education which has for its object to make the blind a self-sustaining class should include: kindergarten schools for children from 5 to 8 years of age; preparatory schools from 8 to 11; intermediate schools from 11 to 14. at 14 an intelligent opinion can be formed in regard to the future career of the pupils. they will fall naturally into the following categories:--(a) a certain number will succeed better in handicraft than in any other calling, and should be drafted into a suitable mechanical school. (b) a few will have special gifts for general business, and should be educated accordingly. (c) a few will have the ability and ambition to prepare for the university, and the special college should afford them the most thorough preparation for the university examinations. (d) some will have the necessary talent, combined with the requisite character and industry, to succeed in the musical profession; in addition to a liberal education, these should have musical instruction, equal to that given to the seeing, in the best schools of music. (e) some may achieve excellent success as pianoforte-tuners, and in a pianoforte-tuning school strict business habits should be cultivated, and the same attention to work required as is demanded of seeing workmen in well-regulated pianoforte factories. the united kingdom stands almost alone in allowing the education of the blind to depend upon charity. in the united states, each state government not only makes liberal provision for the education and training of the blind, but most of them provide grounds, buildings and a complete equipment in all departments. although it costs much more _per capita_, from l40 to l60 per annum, the blind are as amply provided with the means of education as the seeing. the government of the united states appropriates $10,000 per annum for printing embossed books for the blind. most of the european countries and the english colonies provide by taxation for the education of the blind.