EDUCATION OF THE BLIND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 169, 17 July 1907, Page 3

EDUCATION OF THE BLIND.

(By '• RANGATIRA.)

Education to the ordinary child is a weariness to the flesh, though aided by every contrivance, and made possible by sight and ordinary intelligence. Nine or ten long years are employed in the acquirement of the weapons of the daily head fight. As to the result, opinion is divided. The education of the blind child is something much more than a flesh weariness, it is an uphill fight against nearly overwhelming odds, and the handicap is a heavy one out of all proportion to that of other competitions. The Blind Institute has produced an M.A., and the public claps its hands and shouts '"Bravo!" while ignorant of the price of that degree and the cost paid by the recipient. A few hours spent during school hours at the Institute, gives an infinitesimal idea of the fight which is crowned now by victory. The leading idea one carries away is that, for patience and pluck, the blind and their teachers are beaten by none.

At the hour for studying, the blind children enter in single file, each with one hand on the shoulder of his leader, and, crossing the room, file off in threes to their respective desks. Methodically they start work, taking out papers, books, or slates just as sighted children do. The Jubilee School children one and all show the result of the main principle of their training—self-respect and no self-pity. They are all cheerful, and, of necessity, immenselypatient and brave. They look happy and speak happily, and desire no pity from anyone. Without a doubt they are a brave lot, both pupils and teachers. The Braille system is the foundation of all the education which is not oral and kindergarten. To the ordinary mind the Braille system presents great difficulties, as it is wholly dependent upon touch instead of sight, yet these small undaunted people man- , fully tackle it, and overcome obstacles big enough to deter men.

Braille, which is the universal means of communication all the world over, among and for the blind, is a s3-stem of reading and writing by dots in various combinations. The dots, or indents, number six, on three linos, and form the alphabet, with a method resembling Pitman's shorthand, in such sounds as eh, th, etc., and prefixes and affixes, it is much shortened. Braille is acquired -entirely by touch, and the two first fingers are the sensitive ones, practically taking the place of two eyes. WitlT the points of these two fingers, the blind child learns to read and write, for he writes Braille just as he reads it. The beginner learns it alphabetically, the second grade pupil learns it with simple sound combinations, and the third grade or advanced pupil learns .condensation. A reading lesson is a curious enlightenment to the on-looker. One child reads aloud, and the class follows minutely, as can be seen by the instant taking up of a sentence at the teacher's direction. The sighted teacher uses an ordinary book, and the pupils use large, singularly light, volumes, three of which make up an ordinary one shilling crown royal lesson book. These books are expensive, for Braille needs much space, and the three volumes contained by the shilling reader, cost, landed in Auckland, 6/6.

In writing Braille the blind use a wooden frame and a long sub-divided metal frame. The paper, thick special paper made by the.paper mills, is placed between these two, and the pencil, or rather instrument, is like a short handled bradawl, rather blunt pointed, and indents the dots through the subdivisions of the narrow metal frame. Braille is taught by numbers, read by touch, and written by indents, all of which entails an immense amount of memory.

Arithmetic is taught on metal slates, punctured by octagonal holes, into which metal pellets fit, the numeral being'decided by position of pellet to puncture. This is laborious and intricate work, and every child must learn it, in spite of its difficulty.

Here, too, the first fingers are used to distinguish and locate the eight positions.

It is a pitiful but inspiring sight to watch these bright-faced children plodding quietly on, buffetted by adverse fortune, spurned to ambition by ceaselessly patient, untiring teachers, who have to teach every lesson ..to every gugil individniallj', and. yri&. many, repe-

titiona. Blackboards are useless, and oral teaching is useless in the greater part of education, so nearly everything must be demonstrated by touch.

The scarcity of models of every sort must increase the difficulties of teaching, for the'only way to convey size, shape, symmetry, and texture is by touch, and however great the ingenuity of the staff may be, to give blind people right ideas on these subjects, it is almost impossible without models. There are two excellent models for teaching physical geography, and also a raised map of New Zealand, but objects and, models are wofully scarce. With good and sufficient of these most necessary adjuncts to teaching, the already overtaxed faculties of the blind would be eased of much effort, and the patience and difficulty of the staff would be spared and decreased. Of -all the marvellous achievements of these blind children, perhaps typewriting ranks first. They put in their own paper, taking time and infinite care, and do in some (especially one)', cases, excellent work. In placing, spelling, regularity and style some of the work is quite equal to good sighted work, and some of it' is taken down in Braille shorthand. The work is rapidly done, all things considered, and neat, well-spelt work, done by a blind child of 13 or 14 years of age, would be a credit to any sighted of the same age. Music also is taught by Braille, which means that both treble and bass have each to be committed to memory by touch, and when both are played, memory is the only guide. Eveiy piece of music played by blind people is played ronr"mem"ory. Several of the girls and boys play, some well, one especially giving promise of musical taste by touch, and expression. One lad plays .the violin with ability, and singing is taught. At the present moment more pianos are urgently wanted. They need not be good, those secondhand degenerates, which" go at auction for a few pounds, would be greatly appreciated by the Institute, as there are not enough for the number of pupils. Also some old instruments, fit only to take in gieeeg by : gugils of pinaofojte

tuning, as it is necessary for pupils to understand the mechanism of pianos. Sewing is, taught to blind girls, and they hem and oversew, but this work is very hard to teach, and among children it is not satisfactory, though the blind women produce good work.

The kindergarten training is done by one teacher only, and she has a dozen pupils, instead of the proper number, sis or eight at most. The other tsacher who takes the education proper, actually has thirteen pupils instead of six, and she teaches Braille, reading and writing, typewriting, arithmetic, history, geography, mental arithmetic, sewing, .knitting, Scripture, and ether things, Such a list would be a long one where the pupils are sighted, but is hardly credible when they are blind. The principal, while devoting as much time' as possible to the school, of course, lias the management and surveillance of the whole establishment on his hands, so that, compared with all first-class biiud institutions at Home and abroad, our Institute is certainly understaffed. The kindergarten training includes plasticine work, in which the children show wonderful comprehension and originality. A boy will make an admirable tree, holding in its branches a symmetrical bird's nest containing symmetrical eggs. Another will produce an elephant ridden by a Child, which is in explanation of the devious wanderings of the blind mind in its search for truth and symmetry in its conception of objects. Chains, simple and curb, tables, chairs, cups, in fact numberless objects, are made in" plasticine, and they bear a remarkable likeness to those objects for which they are intended.

Bone and bead work is taught, and the blind children make clever baskets in two colours, and so keen is their sensitive touch that they make no mistakes in placing the two colours in patterns. Perhaps the boys and girls enjoy gymnastics more than anything else, and some of them do Professor Potter great credit. Their ladder drill especially is good. Dumb-bell exercise is wonderfully good, ■ an<J, considering their blindness, the time is excellent. Unfortunately, they, use icon dumbbells instead of. the

large wooden ones. Judging by their strength of wrist and good condition, they are physically fit, as a rule. The right age J;o begin the education of the blind is si years, but unfortunately they often come when much older. By sixteen years of age they are supposed to be educated, but the underinanning of the educational staff retards their education to a. large extent. In some cases, where dullness of intellect and non-sensitiveness of toucJi inakq education almost impossible, the teaching of a trade is advisable, but owing to rule, and probably the Education Act, education must be given whether the pupil is capable or not.

the education and manual training of the blind is an inexhaustible subject, which, the public, by visitingkthe Jubilee Institute in Parnell, can study for itself. One little-known and vitally important fact is worth the attention of all parents. There are 500 blind people in New Zealand, and judging by the English specialists' opinions, probably two-thirds of these people owe their infirmity to want of care at the time of birth. When a child is born, the first care should be to wash and thoroughly clean the eyes. Otherwise the inflammation of the eyee which ensues will cause blindness, -whole or partial, in time to come, if not immediately. Thus, by neglect of a simple precaution, many lives are blighted and darkened.