Report of the Board of Trustees and officers of the Georgia School for the Deaf, 1906

REPORT
OP THE
BOARD OF VISITORS
TO THE
..
Georgia School for the Deaf

Atlanta, Georgia. The Franklin Printing and Publilhfug Company
(lJIO. W. HUJlUOlf. OK KB4L M4N4GKB.
lQ06.

REr$=1 EO

JUN.

09

1904-
I"

REPORT
OF TilE
EO l{D OF ISI1'ORS
TO Till;;
Georgia School for the Deaf
Atlanta, ,eolI;I... The Franklin Printing nnd Pnbli,hing Company
GKO. W. rLUlllS N. GKl'~~"'L MANAGER. 1906.

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REPORT.
To His ExcellencyJoseplt Jf. Terrell Go,<-'enzoyof Georuia.
SIR: The undersigned members of the Board of Vi itor , appointed by you to inspect the Georgia'School for the Deaf, visited the Institute on May r6th, 1906, and beg leave to report as follows:
The chool i admirably located and well arranged in many of its appointments. So far as we could jndge, the buildinO's have been snb tantially and neatly bnilt for the amonnt appropriated. The grounds show excellent care and contribute largely to the comfort of the pupil, to whom the school becomes a temporar) home, adding much by the artistic beauty of lawn and g-rove to the esthetic sense of the children in proce s of development.
vVe fou:ld a complete record of all accounts covering every expenditure for the maintenance of the school. A thorough system of auditing and indexino- all vouchers "and checks i sued, and duplicate files for all order for supplies of whatever nature, was very satisfactory. The equipment for each department is checked tl p and accounted for in a businesslike way.
The buildings were neat and clean. The academy schoolrooms are well lighted and equipped for the instruction in the oral and manual methods. The steps and some of the hall floors seem worn and ont of repair in the main school building. The dormitories are getting old j part of the huilding was erected nearly ixty years ago, and the hall floors here that have withstood

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the ,year of restle. s feet for a perioJ of fully tw generations should all be relaid with be t fl oring.
The sleepin",-rooIll5 are badly crowded. The beds are all si ugle iron frame and are kept very clea n, bu t the rooms are entirely inadequate for the accommodation of so many tudent. \Ve found n b~dro III with less than five to seven occup:lnts and often a many as ten and ele en beels were in rooms not m re than I 6x r 8 feet. In the girls' dormitory one room about r8x50 feet contained twenty-five bed. 11 of the b ar.J said he thought it Il1 re crowed than the hospital in Atlanta were during the Civil "Var after the wounded had come in from a bio' batLle. The lavatories wer hardly equal to the demand upou thelll, but were clean and well kept. F ire- scap are provided f r the secoud and third floors.
\ e consider the 101 mitory capacity equ d to about one- half the pre eu t need". \ e understand a bi II i pending to appropri te enou",h to build a large dormitory for girl, t accomm date a' many girls a' are now crowded into the old buildinlY for b th exe-. \Ve can only urge the pJS a e f such an act and ill ist that even then onl th comfort and proper care f r the present student can be met, hardly allowing any ro 111 for the least growth. The old dormitory sh uld b~ placed in proper repair and u ed only for m Ie tudents.
The latest census gives to Geor",i about 600 deaf mutes of sch I age. The attendanc at the S ho I for the Deaf this year covers a little over one-third the deaf school p pulation. '\.pplicant from mallY counties are dismissed with the reply"n ro m here". This should not be the case in Georgia. The State owes it to the deficients who can not enter the comU1on schools of the

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co ... ntry to provide ample opportunity for an education that will enable then to earn a livelihoo.l.

Not only larger dormitories but increased schoolroom
space and a larger and better paid teaching f'orce should

be supplied. The present faculty gives a well-equipped force for the work and greatly do they all deserve praise for what they have done. The salaries of some are so meager that the sums show how consecrated the teachers are in the work of acrifice and humanity that they continue in it with moi'e lucrative positions offered to them.

The different departments were inspected as they were in the regu.1ar school work for the day. In fonr grade' the oral instruction wa given. The students beino' taught to utter words and to read the lips of teacher show some ad ancemen t. The effort is well worth while, for the student will be able to meet a

larger world by peech than by sign and finger language. The patient effort must bring results that will enable the child to peak and read by lip the English lan-

guage.

The manual dep,utment shows up well under such

competent instructors a Prof.

1. FreenJan, Mrs.

Connor aud their associates. Good prog-re was shown

in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and history

and other common school branches.

An exhibition in sign language ano. pantornime was . very TIl uch enjoyed, among the numbers were sign recitations of "The Lord's Prayer," "Nearer, my God, to Thee,"" ow I Lay me Dowu to Sleep," , The Charge of the Light Brigade," 'The V\ atermelon Thieves."
The Indian club drill by twenty girls was equal in accuracy and concert to the best calisthenics showu by our city schools.

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In the industrial departments there were many gratifying resnlts shown.
In art the drawing and conventional designing, the raffia and rattan basketry compare well with similar work in the grammar school grades of our regular public schools.
Sewing is taught, plain garment-making, mending, drawn work and simple ornamentation. All the uniforms and cap used are rnade by pupil and the cost of maintenance of the school is greatly reduced thereby.
Laundry work is done by the pupils, the wa hing by machinery as in a steam laundry, the ironing of garment being done by each girl for herself and al 0 her share of ironing the boys clothes.
In the shoemaking, printing, woodworking and blacksmithing departments boys showed great proficiency. Shoes are furni hed for the school. All the dining-chairs u ed were made by the students. All the c1Jiffoniers and simple furnitnre come {rom the school hop. Be ides plain woodwork, pupils are taught cabinet work, joining, and wood-carving, and they du excellent work in this, using method of the be t technological chools under the direction of competent in 'tructors and experts.
The negro department gave evidence of careful and efficient work. The sewing done by the girls was very creditable. Everything abcut the place was scrupulously neat and clean, no unplea. aut odor of any kind being detected. The main building need r pain;, the floors being considerably worn.
The board was unanimous in the expression that the school be known and considered in all its workings as an educational institution, and not as an asylum. It should be co-ordinated with the common school and university system under State snpport, being the de-

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partment where the deaf are taught the grades of which they are capable and the indu tries in which they may support themselves ju t as some other depart;nents of the State s schools teach law, medicine, scientific or literary branche<;. There is a popular belief ~ottnter to this theory, but that it is erroneous would be proven by a single visit to the school.
The board recommends definitely: 1. The-passa.ge of an act appropriating funds out of which to build a girls' dormitory. 2. An appropriation of r,soo.oo for the increase of capacity of water tower. The preseut tower is about 40 feet high, whereas it should be 90 or 100 feet, so as to increase fire protection for all the buildings and afford water for a motor to generate electricity for twenty-five all-night lights in dormitory halls to take place of lamps now used that are a menace to buildings. The same water motor could be used ill daytime to increase power as needed in blacksmith and woodworking shop. 3. The members of this board desire to co-operate with the trustees in urging the above appropriation . We were all impressed by the cleanliness and general air of thrift about the school, and by the practical side of all the instruction, looking not only to the educational development, but also to the opportunity to be afforded the pupil to make his own way honestly and not to be a dependent though a deficient. The cheerfulness of the pupils, their efforts in the oral work, their eagerness to learn in all departments, their attachment to 'kind teacher and their development in an atmosphere as of a refined Chri tian home, show how faithfully and intelligently all the school work is beino- done. The devotion of the trustees to the interests of the chool is greatly to the credit of these gen tlemen.

\Ve commend in highe t terms Prof. Wesley O. Connor s work as principal. The direction of the schoo) has been safely entru ted to hi hands and the va t amount of goo~: accomplished by it for the money expended could not well be computed.
We appreciate the presence of your excellency during the time of our visit and thank you for the courtesie extended u. vVe feel a urec1 that your per anal views after an inspection of the scho')) wi 11 enable ~ou to gi ve empha i to the ugge tions we have made a to the funher needs of the institution.

All of which i respectfully submitted.

C. M. LEDBE'I~['ER) Chairman,

\ . F. CR SSELLE Secretary,

T. P. GORD T,

IOORE,

\V. W. BI ION) A. H. GLETREJ<:,
J. L. FINCHER, J 1I W. BALE)

1\1. 1\'1. EAKES, JNO. A. CR MARTIE)

W. B. CLARK,

J. C. JARN I(;:\ J

Board of \' isi tors.