invested funds, subscriptions, and the sale of work done by the pupils in the institution. When the pupil leaves the school, the director goes to his intended place of residence and secures the promise of a clergyman, the mayor, or some manufacturer to recommend and advise the future citizen, and to keep the director informed about him. When a pupil leaves, his outfit consists of a bed, clothing, tools, and material for his trade; all of which have been paid for out of his savings. Raw material is sent at wholesale prices on demand.

Differences of national institutions and the large extent of territory militate against the adoption of this system here, and the result is being accomplished in another way. In the workshop, or working home, for the blind provision is made not only for former pupils of institutions who can not support themselves, but also for the large number of those who, losing their sight after maturity, seek to learn some handicraft by which they can support themselves. Of this class of institutions the Pennsylvania Working Home for Blind Men was the first. In 1875, the year of its opening, 13,900 brooms were made by its six inmates, and the sales amounted to $4,600; for the year 1886 the 105 inmates made 373,294 brooms, and the sales were $60,827.11. The inmates are charged $2.50 a week for board, which is deducted from their earnings, which in all amounted to $15,688 during 1886. The State appropriates $10,000 for maintenance and the city $1,000, while legacies and donations swell the total for 1886 to $17,000. In 1885, when there were 123 blind persons connected with the institution, of whom 24 were unskilled persons admitted during the year, the average loss for each was $33.80. Dr. Armitage computes the average amount given by the Dresden, Saxony, institution at $25.

Mr.

Convention.-The American Association of Instructors of the Blind held its ninth biennial meeting at the New York Institution for the Blind, New York City, July 6 to 8, 1886, with an attendance of 43 delegates representing 24 institutions. Wait, superintendent of the New York institution, in welcoming the association briefly reviewed its life. The first convention, at which fourteen out of sixteen schools were represented, was held in 1853, the next, the first of the current series, in 1871, since which the association has met regularly at biennial intervals. Mr. J. F. McElroy, in his paper on "Building for the Blind," advocated the subordination of architectural beauty to the requirements of the use the building is to be put to. As the noise of piano tuning and practice "is one of the most persistent nuisances," the isolation of such sounds becomes highly desirable. In the Michigan school the eighteen rooms for piano practice occupy wings and are on the sides most remote from the large open court in the rear of the main building and from its centre. The corridors of these wings are shut off from the main corridors by doors and heavy brick walls. The floors are concreted over a false flooring, upon which is laid a covering of ash, terminating at the partitions of the room, in order to prevent vibration. The partitions are double and are filled with "mineral wool," a hair-like mass of silica, which is almost impervious to sound and vermin. Mr. McElroy predicts the gradual downfall of the "old congregate dormitory system," "the indiscriminate herding of pupils into one room," through the provision for comfortable private rooms for pupils, and he urges such provision as tending to remove the reproach that institutional life tends to educate the children out of sympathy with their homes. Another point of construction specially relating to the blind (it is only such that space will permit here) is the important one of separating the sexes. If the sexes are completely separated, the building must be constructed to prevent communication; if they are to meet during recitation, such rooms must be centrally located and approaches must be arranged to prevent intermingling in coming and going. In the discussion that ensued Mr. Clement said he would supplant the congregate with the cottage system, a set of cottages for each sex.

Doctor Anagnos in his paper on "Workshops for the Blind," after speaking of the splendid achievements of the institutions for the blind, continued thus: "With all this success and progress, however, there is a proportion of blind adults, who can not maintain themselves by their unassisted labor. What shall be done with these classes?

#

Of the various measures which are proposed #

# the establishment of special asylums or workshops for both sexes seems to be recommended on all sides." But Dr. Anagnos would not have men and women herded together as in an asylum; he would give them an opportunity to support themselves in commodious and well-equipped workshops; he would pay them in cash and leave them "to the wholesome responsibility of taking care of themselves." These industrial auxiliary institutions should be located in large cities where ready market obtains, they should be non-political and non-sectarian, should offer high salaries to officers, should encourage the blind workman to remain at home by transacting his business for him, and finally should have a permanent fund, the interest of which should be devoted to eking out the earnings of those who can not support themselves by their labor. Two cardinal principles must never be departed from in endeavoring to ameliorate the condition of the

Proceedings of the Ninth Biennial Meeting of the American Association of Instructors of the Blind, 80, 107 pp., Fort Plain, N. Y., 1887.

blind: they must be dispersed in general society and subjected to the ordinary influ ences of life; and the sexes should be strictly and absolutely separated. Mr. Chapin's paper dealt with the difficulty of the blind workman in procuring employment (see p. 838, Workshops for the Blind) and the hygienic necessity of work to him. He advocated an industrial establishment for the blind on the model, with a few modifications, of the Pennsylvania Working Home for Blind Men (see p. 839). This paper was followed by one from Mr. Hall, superintendent of the home just referred to, descriptive of the character of that institution. Mr. Huntoon thought the question of providing for the adult blind not germane to the education of youth, while Mr. Wait considered it as quite legitimate by reason of its being a legacy that had come down with the other principles borrowed or inaugurated by the pioneers in the work of educating the American blind. Every Institution," says the resolution of the First Convention, "should afford employment to all its graduates of good moral character." The experience of his own institution proved this to be impracticable, and the necessity must be met by the incorporation of private associations for the purpose of furnishing employment to the blind workman, and of intruding their care into his private affairs only so far as his inability to care for himself demands. Statistics show that in 1879, of 307 biind persons in the almshouses of the State of New York, 88 per cent. had lost their sight after their twentieth year, and that 87 per cent. had pursued some useful or skilled occupation before losing their sight; of the 1,200 persons who had been instructed at the New York institutions only 21 were in the almshouse at the above date. At the close of the discussion Mr. Battles introduced the following:

"Whereas, deaf-mutes and the blind require entirely different methods of education, and whereas a number of States co-educate these two defective classes, "Resolved, This association disapproves such co-education."

The resolution was unanimously adopted. The session was then closed by Mr. Battles's paper on "The Powers, Duties, and Responsibilities of the Superintendent," and a vote of confidence in the Society for Providing Evangelical Literature for the Blind.

Mr. Huntoon, in his paper entitled "The General Character of the Embossed Literature which the Schools for the Blind Demand," had the purpose 66 briefly to summarize what the [American] Printing House has already done," and to protest against the purchase of apparatus with a part of the income from the Congressional fund for printing embossed books. Speaking of the point system, Mr. Huntoon remarked: "The points have come to stay, and they have come to dominate." Mr. Hall acknowledged that he had been converted to the New York point system. Mr. Dow trusted that it would soon become the system universally used. Mr. Battles said that the boys of the Pennsylvania institution averaged in reading only twenty-eight words a minute, while in the New York institution (Mr. Wait's, the author of the New York point system) the average was about sixty-three, although, so he stated, the comparison between the schools was hardly fair as a test of the relative merits of the systems on account of the conditions under which the trial was made at Philadelphia. Mr. Wait thought that the sentiment of the profession is uniting, and the sooner it is decided that the funds of the American Printing House shall be expended upon books of one character of type the greater will be the supply of literature for the blind. Mr. Babcock considered the point as greatly superior to the line in tangible power, and that the one system should be the New York point. Mr. Harvey said he would be glad to know that all the books from the American Printing House were to be in point printing, which, on the principle of the greatest good to the greatest number, should be adopted. On the other side, Mr. Graves maintained that children complained to him that they could not read the point as long as they could the line, because their "sense of touch becomes weak," aud Mr. Wood did not think that the test referred to by Mr. Battles was at all final.

Mr. Wait, in his address on the important question of "A College for the Blind," said that as the kindergarten and the university were the educational extremes, as the blind had shown their ability to follow with advantage the higher studies--witness Saunderson, mathematician and successor of Newton at Cambridge; Foster, professor at the same university and postmaster-general; Nelson, of New York, professor of languages; and Carll, blind graduate of Columbia College, New York, and author of theCalcuins of Variations"-and as blindness is a bar to those vocations to the praetice of which light and sight are indispensable, and as our public policy recognizes higher education as being the right of all who are competent to receive it, "is it too much to ask that those who must work in darkness shall be given special facilities for enlarging the contracted sphere of their opportunities aud for preparing them to do their work well?" To those who would have the blind enter the colleges for the seeing, Mr. Wait responds by saying that experience has shown it is impracticable; the difficulties that Mr. Carll surmounted, aided by the most favoring surroundings, outside of the class room, would prove fatal to the progress of the majority. During the last day of the session (July 8) it was resolved by the association: “(1) That in the judgment of this association, an institution for the higher education of the blind has become a

pressing necessity for the intellectual, professional, and moral advancement of the blind of this country; (2) that this association warmly endorses the efforts of those earnest friends of the blind, who have, by unwearied endeavor, sought to establish such an institution; (3) that a committee of ninel be appointed from this association to take up and carry forward this work on behalf of the association, said committee to be appointed by the chair." After the passage of the resolutions, papers were read by Mrs. Little on "Methods of Teaching," and Mr. Dow on "The Idiosyncracies of the Blind." Mrs. Little spoke of the great difficulties under which the congenital or practically congenital blind pupil labored in acquiring ideas, and of the assistance they derived from the objective methods of the kindergarten, and advocated the employment of tangible apparatus in the higher grades. The study of geometry is especially valuable, as it affords the blind pupil the best means "of acquiring the power of forming a correct conception from a verbal description."

Meeting of the board of trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind.-This body, composed of the superintendents of the institutions for the blind, held its annual meeting July 7, 1886, at the New York institution, New York City. After some discussion, Mr. Graves, of the Alabama institution, who presented a proxy from Mr. Johnson, principal of that institution, was admitted as a trustee by a vote of 10 to 7. Mr. Dow then introduced the following resolution: "That requisitions by any institution for the blind upon the American Printing House for the Blind, for books or tangible apparatus, printed or constructed elsewhere than at the American Printing House for the Blind, shall be duly honored, provided that such requisitions do not exceed 20 per cent, of the income from the subsidy fund of the Institution making such requisition." An amendment to strike out 20 and insert 25 per cent. was lost by a vote of 10 to 8. The original question then coming up, Mr. Huntoon opposed the resolution, as it "would cripple materially the resources and the business affairs of the American Printing House." After an extended debate the resolution was passed by a vote of 14 to 5.2

II. NOTES FROM CATALOGUES AND REPORTS OF INSTITUTIONS.

ALABAMA.

Alabama Academy for the Blind, Talladega, Ala.-Although this school entered upon its life as a separate institution in February, 1887, the source from which the following facts are taken covers a period previous to that event. In the literary department the course is continued above the common school studies, and in the department of music instruction is given on the piano, organ, violin, etc., and in the theory of music and in harmony. The print used is the Braille, New York point, and pin-type. Although the boys are employed in manufacturing mats, mattresses, etc., the object of the school is to prepare as many of its students as possible as instructors in literature and music. In order to secure competency the senior pupils are required to teach several hours every week.

ARKANSAS.

Arkansas School for the Blind, Little Rock, Ark.-This school opened in 1860 with 10 pupils in attendance. In 1870 the attendance was 38, in 1880, 32, and in 1886, 63. The "frail, dangerous, aud unsightly wooden shells" formerly used as school rooms and dormitories have been demolished, and a handsome and commodious structure of ⚫ brick erected, lighted by gas and heated by steam, capable of accommodating 120 children, and permitting a complete separation of the sexes. An annual appropriation of $500 is asked to enable the superintendent to supply worthy indigent pupils with the tools necessary to the successful prosecution of the trade they have learned in the school. After the kindergarten, the benefits of which are marked, the school is classified in 4 grades, each of 2 divisions; in the highest grade the course is academic. In the music department 37 pupils have received instruction on the piano, 11 on the organ, and 8 on other instruments, while 10 have been taught thorough-bass and barmony, and 6 tuning. In the industrial department shoe and brush making have been added to broom and mattress making, and it is expected soon to add willow work.

Subsequently increased to 33.

2 The local board of trustees of the American Printing House for the Blind having asked an opinion from the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States as to the legality of this resolution, the First Comptroller of the Treasury, under date of March 12, 1887, responded as follows: "It is my opinion that the act authorizes the trustees to use the fund set apart by the act for the purchase of the supplies mentioned through the American Printing House for the Blind, at Louisville, Ky., alone; that said trustees are not authorized by the act to make such purchase from other sources, as it appears a majority of the trustees think they have a right to do, and that such a diversion of the fund would be unlawful." The fund here referred to is that established by Congress.

COLORADO.

Colorado Mute and Blind Institute, Colorado Springs, Colo.-Of the 23 blind children that have entered the institution, only one was born blind. The line and the point print are used, and vocal and instrumental music are taught to those competent to derive benefit from the instruction. Very little manual training is attempted in the blind department as yet. An appropriation of $500 is asked for the purchase of the necessary machinery to introduce broom-making and carpet-weaving.

ILLINOIS.

Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind, Jacksonville, Ill.-During the 2 years covered by the report, great effort has been made to find the blind persons in the State that were not in the institution though entitled to enjoy the benefits that it offers. Although 7,000 letters were sent to persons most likely to furnish the information, the correspondence did not result in increasing the attendance, forcing the trustees to the conclusion that all are in the school that are entitled to its priv ileges, or that non-attendants are not to be discovered in their retreats. In the literary department the course carries the pupil through and beyond the common school studies; in the musical department piano-tuning is taught to those capable of profiting by the instruction; and in the industrial section broom-making, cane-seating, and mattress-making are taught.

INDIANA,

Indiana Institution for the Education of the Blind, Indianapolis, Ind.-Of the 130 pupils in this school, October 31, 1886, 32 per cent. were born with their infirmity. Sixty per cent. were not totally devoid of sight, the cases shading down from those unable to distinguish form to those only and barely able to distinguish light from darkness. The object of the literary department, consisting of 6 grades, is to give the pupil a sound English education; all are instructed in music, and special instruction is given to those showing talent; 12 pupils receive instruction on the cabinet or pipe organ, 69 on the piano-forte, and 18 are individually instructed in voice culture. To prepare students intending to become music teachers, "normal teaching exercises" are given, in order that they may anticipate and rectify any deficiency that might interfere with the practice of their future vocation. Piano-tuning receives the attention its importance demands and the inadequate facilities will admit of. Broommaking and cane-seating are the only industries that the blind workman can rely on, and are taught from 1 to 3 hours daily.

IOWA.

College for the Blind, Vinton, Iowa.-This institution was established that the citizens of the State might have for their blind children advantages similar to those offered by the public schools. In view of this, the difference between this school and the public schools has been reduced as much as possible, the course of study covering twelve years-four primary, four grammar, and four academic. The system of government is dual. A principal has charge of the pupils, the educational apparatus, and the building and its domestics, while a secretary has charge of the property and employés outside of the college building, and of the buying and selling. This system," says the principal, " is eminently satisfactory to the secretary and myself."

KENTUCKY.

Kentucky Institution for the Blind, Louisville, Ky.-Earnest efforts have been made during the year to acquaint parents with the character of the school, and not without results. The pupils are required to exercise daily in light gymnastics. On entering they become members of the kindergarten, where the sense of form and touch are educated.

MASSACHUSETTS.

Perkins Institute for the Blind, Boston, Mass.-The family system of this institution has prevented the evil effects of crowded quarters, but the institution has reached the limit of its capacity, and has been compelled to refuse several eligible applicants. In the literary department the pupils are divided into small classes and receive a certain amount of individual instruction in a simple and natural way. The course in natural science consists of zoology, followed by botany and physiology. Throughout this course the teacher's explanations are supplemented by models, and clay is largely used to enable the pupil to form his ideas correctly. "We know that

a girl understands the articulation of the skull and the vertebral column when she can take a bit of clay and show it." In the music department 88 pupils received instruction on the piano, 10 on the organ, 6 on the violin, and 27 on brass or reed instruments; 25 received individual instruction in vocal music, and 38, divided into 7 classes, studied harmony. A full and systematic course of training is given in the tuning section, which is splendidly equipped for the study of musical acoustics and for the development of mechanical proficiency, the pupil receiving instruction in the theory of scales, harmonics, beats, and temperaments, and then, by the use of models and the dissection of instruments, in the construction of the piano and its repair. The trades taught at the institution are cane-seating, broom and mattress making, and upholstering furniture.

MISSOURI.

Missouri School for the Blind, St. Louis, Mo.-The principal events in this insti tution for the biennial period, 1884-86 are a radical change in its discipline, subjecting its inmates to rules of conduct that are consistent with its character as a public school, and the addition of a kindergarten. The talent of the pupils in the musical department was not such as to produce high results, but there is every reason to believe that the high standard of years past will soon be reached. The superintendent is inclined to think that the industrial rather than the music department is that from which the most benefit is derived, since for every one of the many good musicians instructed by the school ten workmen have been turned out capable of making salable brooms and brushes. Superintendent Sibley suggests as good policy that 10 acres be purchased in the suburbs of Saint Louis, and that a new institution be built on the cottage plan.

NEW YORK.

New York State Institution for the Blind, Batavia, N. Y.-Of the 163 blind children in the institution during the year 11 per cent. were born so, the other cases resulting mostly from inflammation or accident. The literary department, in which both the line and point are used, consists of five grades, of which the last two are academic; kindergarten instruction is also given. In the department of music, 11 pupils received instruction on the organ and 88 on the piano; 28 were taught harmony and almost all were in the singing classes. In the industrial department 18 pupils were taught broom-making, 5 of whom acquired the trade and left the school, 12 were taught mattress-making, and 24 cane-seating. Three of the 27 scholars instructed in tuning left the institution to engage in business.

NORTH CAROLINA.

North Carolina Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, Raleigh, N. C.-The literary division of the blind department has a curriculum in which studies of an academic grade are included. Although the liberality of Congress has well supplied the school with books, it lacks the apparatus and appliances that are essential to the instruction of the blind. A kindergarten and a gymnasium are also required. In the department of music instruction is given, mainly to prepare for teaching, in vocal culture and harmony, and on the piano and organ. In the industrial division, in which are 11 boys, cane-seating, broom and mattress making are taught for 2 hours daily.

PENNSYLVANIA.

Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, Philadelphia, Pa.-In the literary department there are 88 classes for males and 67 for females, an average of 5.6 pupils in each; in the music and work departments the teaching is, in general, individual. A large majority of the students are pursuing the common school studies, some 14 or 15 studying algebra, astronomy, and political economy, and 22 literature; 34 are in the kindergarten. In the music department 67 are receiving instruction on the piano, 15 on the organ, 26 on the violin, and 74 in the theory of music, and 22 in piano-tuning. In the vocal classes there are 105 pupils. It is in these classes, says the superintendent, that a foundation for that further education by the music department is given that has enabled its pupils and graduates to obtain positions again and again, though competing with seeing persons. The tuning department continues to receive the attention that its importance demands. In the industrial department broom and mattress making and cane-seating are pursued. The Legislature has been asked to leave the duration of the pupils' residence to the discretion of the board of trustees.