THE MICHIGAN HOME AND TRAINING SCHOOL

Location. The Michigan Home and Training School is located at Lapeer, Lapeer County.

Purpose. The purpose of the Home is "to provide, by all proper and feasible means, the intellectual, moral and physical training of that unfortunate portion of the community who have been born or by disease have become imbecile or feeble minded or epileptic, and by a judicious and well adapted course of training and management to ameliorate their condition and to develop as much as possible their intellectual faculties."

History. The bill establishing the Michigan Home and Training School was passed June 2, 1893, and it is now one of the permanent charitable institutions of the state. It was located by the Board of Building Commissioners at the city of Lapeer, on a tract of 160 acres of land, donated by the city. The sum of $50,000 was appropriated for the construction of buildings. The Home was opened in August, 1895.

All feeble-minded and epileptic persons above the age of six years, who are legal residents of the state of Michigan, may in the discretion of the probate court be admitted to the Home without charge for tuition, boarding, washing, medieine or medical attendance. Persons who are insane or afflicted with contagious disease will not be admitted.

In 1913 the legislature provided for the Michigan Farm Colony for Epileptics at Wajahmega, in order to relieve the overcrowded conditions of state institutions. Since that time the adult epileptics have been transferred as rapidly as possible from Lapeer to Wajahmega. Because of the splendid school facilities already established at the Home and Training School the epileptic children will not be transferred for some time.

Buildings and Equipment. The Home is built on the "cottage plan." The present value of the property is $891,371.72 and now consists of 710.5 acres of land, twelve cottages for the care of inmates, hospital, power house, laundry, school building, storeroom, bakery, cold storage building, carpenter shop, three dining rooms and kitchen, chapel and amusement hall, farm cottage and dormitory, and farm and dairy buildings.

A new hospital was opened March 1, 1916, and is in every way adapted for the most unfortunate class of children in the institution, those who can neither walk, talk nor dress themselves, in fact require the attention that children under one year of age require.

Work and Courses of Instruction. Instruction is given to inmates as follows: kindergarten, primary up to fifth or sixth grades, sense training for custodial cases, instrumental and vocal music, calisthenics, sewing, rug and carpet making, basketry, cabinet and furniture making, and picture framing.

There are about 350 children in school. The value of school work for the defective is beyond question. Educational training to best develop mind and body must be largely manual, tending to fit the individual to better help himself and contribute to his own support within the institution.

A number of industries have been added which provide suitable occupation for children of mentalities ranging from six to ten years. In the manual training department are two looms for making toweling. The toweling made is serviceable and less expensive than that purchased on the open market. In this department all tables and many of the cottage chairs have been made, besides all pictures are framed. A cobbling department has been added in which children are engaged in keeping the shoes in good repair. In the industrial department all rugs used in the institution are made and the children are taught to cane, iron, make lace and baskets, and do plain sewing. The band and orchestra make excellent progress and have been a source of great pleasure for the whole institution. It is planned to give every child the training adapted to his mentality. By doing this the children will be happy and not only useful to themselves but to the institution, which will no doubt be their permanent home.

As a result of the increased interest in the education of retarded school children there has arisen a demand for teachers adequately trained to take charge of special classes, which are now being formed in so many of our towns and cities. In order to meet this demand and to develop a greater interest throughout the state in the education of exceptional children of all types, the Lapeer Training School for Teachers was organized during the summer of 1914. Later it was decided to transfer the training school to Ypsilanti and make it a part of the Michigan State Normal College. However, the last week of the summer school is still spent at the Michigan Home and Training School for Feeble-minded at Lapeer, in order that the students may have the opportunity of observing and studying large numbers of defectives of all types, as well as becoming acquainted with the institutional methods of training, instructing and caring for the feeble-minded.

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