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Show I JTAH IS PIONEER j; IN II BLIND j ' History of Ogden Institution ? Told in Issue of Own Publication 1 Tho history of tho blind department .of the Utah school for tho deaf and j -' blind is given in the current number I fc of the Utah Eagle, the publication of ; T the state institution here. ! " The latest number is a particularly t fine one. The cover design is done by '! hand in water colors. The pages are newsy with items of interest about tho 1 school and its students and teachers, n Tho text of tho history of the blind department as printed in the publica-I publica-I 5 tion, follows: ! - Tho first dream of a school for the blind in Utah found expression in 1884. Jcweph Robinson of Fillmore, in that I i4 year, fostered a resolution in the tcr-1 tcr-1 ritorial legislature to memorialize court cou-rt gress on the subject of establishing a school for the deaf and blind in the old state house at Fillmore. The mem-1 mem-1 orial failed, but, in the following year, J Mr. White and several parents of I deaf children established a school for deaf in connection with the university at Salt Lake. Frank W. Metcalfiof ; the Kansas School for the Deaf, took ' 1 over the management of this small institution in-stitution in 1889 and set about immediately imme-diately to investigate tho condition of " the blind of the territory. The ensuing ensu-ing census recorded with the aid of I. President John It. Park of the university, univer-sity, pushed a bill creating a school for ,1 the blind through tho legislature in 189-1. Although the school was established, estab-lished, it remained, through tho lack 1 of an appropriation for maintenance, - merely an institution upon the books. School Established. Utah became a state in 1S96 and the - Enabling act .that gave birth to ,thc new sovereignty established the long-desired long-desired school. The two schools, one for the deaf and the other for the blind were moved to Ogden and put under 1 it.. .Jlnlntmtlnn Mr AT rf pnlf II LUU SttUiU uuuiiuiiiwoi'u"' ..... continued as superintendent until 1901. At that time he was suceeded by Frank i M. Drlggs, the encumbent, Mr. Met-- Met-- calf had imported from New York, 'Miss Sarah Whalen, an experienced ! teacher of the blind. Miss Whalen 3 taught the rudiments of learning bas-ketry bas-ketry and music to tho eight pupils, who entered at the first enrollment. Mr. Drlggs added another teacher to take care of the increase in enrollment enroll-ment during tho four years. The policy of the new administration i(Vas progress throughout the institution. institu-tion. Tho blind department was soon "moved to its present quarters in the upper stories of the annex building. "New subjects and varied courses of "manual work were added. In 1904 Mr. Driggs realized tho first great ambi-Ution ambi-Ution for the department. He had been hoping for some time to put the school Sfor the blind upon a purely educational education-al basis, and make it conform as nearly near-ly as possible to the public schools of I the state.- to mis ena, mo new ieacn-,Jers ieacn-,Jers from the Normal school of the University Uni-versity of Utah were brought In. These jTwero D. J. Thurman; Jr., and Miss ' ,Jean Cox. They imemdiately regraded ,'the department and, in the spring of 1905, the first eighth grade graduates were given their certificates. To provide pro-vide further schooling for these pupils a high school department was opened the next fall with a cour-o of study "embracing algebra, English, physical geography, ancient history, and Latin. As the years passed, the course was expanded to meet the advancing needs. ,"ln 1909, the first high school graduates 3vere turned out. Since that time, there have been eleven pupils to re-.ceive re-.ceive high school diplomas. Altogether, Altogeth-er, the department has enrolled 11 pupils. pu-pils. Thirty-two of these children are 310W in the institution and about forty "have been graduated from the eighth ;grade. ' Vocational Pursuits. . . Corresponding to the general advance ad-vance in educational lines, there has Ibee;i a wholesome growth in vocational vocation-al pursuits. Each pupil is busy through All the hours of the day at some useful use-ful occupation. The boys spend their afternoons in the weaving shop, learning learn-ing basketry, chair-caning, and carpet yeavlng; and "the girls have their fancy fan-cy work and music. Every pupil sings in the school chorus and nine are members of tho orchestra. The girls and boys alternate by years in managing manag-ing the poultry department and the blind department in maintaining a candy can-dy store. Each child spends from 20 Co 30 minutes daily in the gymnasium Under the instruction of a trained Vher. Z State Spends Thousands ' The state spends annually upon the school for the blind, many thousands Si dollars, but feels justified in doing Iso in me success ot tho blind graduates gradu-ates that the institution produces. Ev-ry Ev-ry progressive commonwealth feels morally and economically bound to educate its educable children. The cUizen who can. give most and require least is the beat citizen, whether he be deaf, blind, or possessed of all his faculties. fac-ulties. It Is the aim of this institution so to fit tho blind child that he shall depend entirely upon his own resources resourc-es through life and not be a burden to anyone; and that he shall be a positive pos-itive power for good and for advancement advance-ment in his oommunity. There is no sense of charity connected with the school. Every blind or partially blind child is as free to enter its doors as the child is to enter the doors of the public schools. The only difference is that this school provides the child's living while it Is educating it. In a succeeding suc-ceeding number of the Eagle, we shall give the stories of some of our graduates gradu-ates and permit the public to see through our columns how successfully the Utah School for tho Blind is holding hold-ing to its aims. |