MENTAL DEFECTIVES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23489, 28 October 1939, Page 18

MENTAL DEFECTIVES

WORK AT ENGLISH SCHOOL STUDY OF EPILEPTICS SELF-SUPPORTING COMMUNITY Unusual experiences encountered while nbrond studying music were described yesterday by Miss Dorothy Davies in an"address to members of the Travel Club. During her 15 years' absence from New Zealand Miss Davies studied at the Sydney Conservatorium, later taking a studio in London, and afterward continuing her studies in Italy under the tutorship of Artur Schnabel., The last two years she spent as riccompanist to her teacher's wife, Therese Schnabel, during which period she lived in a small village inn at Como, Italy.

Miss Davies-said that as a rest from her musical career during her period in London she helped in the kitchen at a school for mentally deficient children at Clent, Worcestershire. This,school had been founded by antbroposophists, a body- of people who favoured the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner and by whom much constructive work was being performed. She explained that the headquarters of the movement were in Switzerland, a school for the cultivation of arts being situated at Dornach, and the practical development _of science being investigated at Arlesheim, with outstanding results. The school at Clent, which . originally had been financed by Quakers, was entirely self-supporting and worked by a voluntary staff of teachers and doctors, Miss Davies said. It contained a farm, . herb garden, laboratory, theatre and orchestra, all of which were run by the staff, with the help of the children, who were included in everything arranged by tlio adults. Music and plays composed at the school were performed in the theatre and every effort was made to teach the children something which would enable them to take part in normal life, rather than to live in institutions as the wards of society. There were many epileptics at the school, Miss Davies continued, and experiments were carried out in methods of treating these cases without the use of drugs. During the morning songs were sung by Mrs. L. M. Grey, accompanied on tho piano by Mrs. N. Hayward, and a piano solo .was played by Mrs. V. C. Smart. Sprays were presented to Miss Davies, and to the artists, by Mrs. Orr Walker. The president, Mrs. Victor Maclcy, who presided, welcomed several visitors, among whom were Miss .T. Mo'rgenson (Sydney), Mrs. A: .T. Coleman (Wellington) and Mrs. R. Stevens (Te Aroha).