INSTITUTIONS FOR THE BLIND. 



BY Q. L. SMEAD. 



fCi. L. Smoad, suporintondont of the Ohio Statn school for tho blind at Columbus, O., 

 hos been for years ono of thn leading authorities on tho education of the siphtless. 

 He has devised many plans for adding? to the produrtivity of their labor and making 

 them self supporting in part. He h;us also introduced many novel methods into the 

 school of wliieli he is in charge and has delivered addresses and written articles tell- 

 ing of his theories.] 



In Ohio, and I presume in other states, we have to con- 

 tend against the asylum idea. Our school has been called the 

 blind asylum from the beginning, and at the present day this 

 name is oftencst upon the lips of the public. This may be 

 partly due to the American tendency to give the shortest 

 name to every thing, and then push on to pleasure or business. 

 We have hardly time to call any thing by its full name. We 

 designate thousands of miles of railroad by a few initials. The 

 Ohio state university is 0. S. U. A laboratory is a lab. A 

 gymnasiiun is a gym. The young ladies in the co-educational 

 schools are called co-eds. In one state university the young 

 ladies' waiting room is the gab room. A bic3'cle is a bike. 

 And the sacred name of Christmas is cut short into Xmas. 

 What wonder then, if some should give as short a name as 

 possible to institutions for the education of the blind and call 

 them asylums with the A sometimes left off. But the use of 

 the term asylum in some sections of our state, at least, signifies 

 an ignorance of the true purpose of our schools for the blind. 

 I have had many contentions with friends of imbecile children 

 for their admission to our school. Even members of the legis- 

 lature have urged the admission of such children. A long 

 petition of citizens was once presented to me for the same pur- 

 pose, and that too after the child had been repeatedly rejected. 

 We have applications from paralytics and epileptics and from 

 those too old to go to school. And, what are your terms for 

 the admission of patients? is a question sometimes asked, as 

 though the school were a hospital. The board of state charities 

 counts us as proper members of the association of charities and 

 corrections, and we, as officers, are appointed delegates to the 



. ' ■ . 93 



