[Sixth annual] report of the trustees of the State Idiot Asylum : Feb. 4, 1857 / New York State Asylum for Idiots.
- New York State Asylum for Idiots
- Date:
- [1857?]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: [Sixth annual] report of the trustees of the State Idiot Asylum : Feb. 4, 1857 / New York State Asylum for Idiots. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![points ; he is now much more quiet, and withal quite free from his former mischievous habits. J. H. C.—Came Nov. 1853, a boy 12 years old ; deaf and dumb and quite deficient in intellect • he was a stout boy, well formed but very awkward; the son of a poor widow, he had run at large with the boys in a city till he acquired many vagrant and mischievous habits ; his tongue protruded from his mouth and his chin and dress were wet with saliva. Though naturally good tempered he had grown by bad companionship to be very quarrelsome and uncontrolable. Our whole course of instruc¬ tion was necessarily modified by his deafness. He remained with us nearly three years ; when he left he was a neat, good- looking and well-behaved boy ; he wrote a beautiful hand ; he could draw well ; he could read many words ; he understood the principles of addition and multiplication ; he was very capa¬ ble and useful on the farm and in the garden ; he left us to enter the institution for the deaf and dumb in New-York. I subjoin extracts from two letters, the first sent me soon after his removal, by a gentleman who had always known the lad, and the second kindly furnished me by a professor in the New-York institution, in reply to my inquiries when he had been some four months under their instruction. u I never saw as much improvement in any human being.” u Dear Sir.—Yours was duly received, and I have delayed answering it till now that I might be able to give an answer to your inquiries about C. His teacher tells me that he learns very well and is among the first in his class. There is quite a spirit of rivalry between him and another boy, and thus he im¬ proves more rapidly. He enjoys good health and is quite a pleasant boy and engages with the others in their sports.” The description of the four following cases I give in the language of one of the commissioners appointed by the Legisla¬ ture of Connecticut to investigate the subject of the education of idiots, written after a visit to our asylum : “ N. and W., now eleven and twelve years of age, were taken from the idiot house on Randall’s island, by Dr. Wilbur, in Dec., [Assembly, No, 90.] 4](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30317848_0025.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
