REPORT
of THE
BOAl{D OF VISll'ORS
T l'L1E
Georgia School for tIle Deaf
Atin Ill:\., Geor:.;if\.. The Frtlnklin Printing and Pnb1i~hing omptlny
1':0. W. UARI:I~ON. C:>~NE"\I. ~IA AGEIl.
IDeo.

REPORT.
To His ExcellencyJoseplt .11. Teri-ell G07 er1ZOY of Georgia.
SIR: The undersigned members of the Board of isitors, appointed by you to in pect the Georgia School for the Deaf, vi ited the Institute Oll fay 16th, 1906, and beg leave to report as follows:
The chool is admirably located and well arrano-ed in many of its appointments. So far 3. we could judge the buildinG" have been substantially and neatly built for the amount appropriated. The grounds show excellent care and contribute largely to the comfort of the pupil, to whom the school becomes a temporary home, adding much by the artistic beauty of lawn and g-rove to the esthetic sense of the children in process of development.
We fou:-Id a complete rec<;>rd of all accounts' covering every expenditure for the maintenance of the chool. A thorough ystem of auditing and indexing all vouchers and checks i sued, and duplicate file for all orders for supplies of whatever nature, was very atisfactory. The equipment for each department is checked up and accounted for in a bu ine slike 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 out of repair in the main school building. The dormitories are getting old; part of the building was erected nearly sixty years ago, and the hall floors here that have withstood

4
the wear of restle feet f(j)r a peri J of fully two generations should all be relaid with be t fl oring.
The leepin oro 111 are bJ.dly crowded. The beds are all si IIgle iron frame a nd are kept very clea n, bu t the rooms are entirely inac1 quate for the accOll1tl1oc1ation of so man y tuc1enls. \Ve found II b,-c1 room wit h less than fi\'e tn se\'en occup.1l1l and often a many a ten and ele\'en beJs were in r ms n t III re than I 6x r feet. In the o-irls' dormilory one room about 18x50 feet contained twentyfive b~c1 . II of the b ad said he thought it m re crow led than the hospital in tlanta were during the Civil \Var after the wouuded had come in from a big ballle. The lavatories were hardly equal to the demand up n them, but were clean and well kept. Fire-e capes are provide 1 f r the second and th ird floors.
\Ve con ider the dormitory capacity eqn.:d to about one-half the pre ent needs. \Ve understand a bill is pending to appropriate enoucrh to build a large dormitory for airls, to aCC0l11111 dale as many girls a are now crowded into the old building for both sexes. \Ve can only urge the p.l saoe of such an act aud in i -t that even then only the comfort and proI er care for the pre ent students can be met, hardly allo ving allY room for the lea t growth. The old dormitory should b~ placed in proper repair and u:5ed only for m:ll students.
The latest cen us give to Georgia abou t 600 deaf mutes of school age. The attend nce at the School for the Deaf this year covers a little over oue-third the deaf school population. Applicants from many counties are dismissed with the reply' n room here". This h uld not be the case in Georoia. The State o.wes it to the deficients who can not enter the common schools of the

5

CO., n try to provide am pIe opportunity for an e'd ucation

I

that will enable then to earn a Ii, elihoo 1.

I

ot only larger dormitorie but increa ed choolroom pace and a larger and better paid teaching force should

be supplied. The present faculty o-ives a well-equipped

force for the work and great! y do they all deserve praise

for \\' hat they ha \ e done. The salaries of some are so

nleager that the sum' show how consecrated the teach-

er are in the work of sacrifice and humanity that they

continue in it with more lucrati\'e po itions offered to

them.

The different departments were inspected as they were in the regular school work for the day. In four grade the oral in tructioll wa given. The students being taught to utter words and to read the lips of teacher show some advancement. The effort is well worth while, for the student will be able to meet a larger world by spe ch than by sign and finger language. The patient effort must bring results that will enable the child to sp ak and read by lip the English lanO'uage.

The manual depnrtl1lent shows up well under nch com petent in tructors a Prof. . 1\1. Freeman, Ir. COllnor and their a ociates. Good progress was shown

in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and history and other common school branches.

An exhibition ill ign language and pan tomill1e was very llluch enjoyed, among the numbers were sign recitations of "The Lord's Prayer, ' "I earer, my God, to Thee,'" ow I Lay me Down to Sleep," "The Charge of the Light Brigade," "The \Vatermelon Thieves."
The Indian club drill by twenty girls was equal in accuracy and concert to the best calisthenics hown by our city schools.

6
In the industrial dep-artments there were many gratifying re nIts shown.
In art the dra wing and conventional designing, the raffia and rattan basketry compare well with sim ilar work in the grammar school grades of our regular public cbools.
Sewing is taught, plain garment-making, mending, drawn work and illlple ornamentation. All the uniforms and caps used are made by pupils and the cost of maintenauce of the school is greatly redllc d thereby.
Laundry work i done by the pupil, the washing by machinery as in a team laundry, the ironing of garments being done by each girl for herself and al 0 her share of ironing the boys' clothe.
In the shoemaking, printing, woodworking and blacksmithing departments boys sho\ ed great proficieucy. Shoes are furni hed for the school. All the dining-chairs u ed were made by the student. All the c1liffoniers and simple furnitnre come (rom the school shop. Beside plain woodwork, pupils are taught cabinet work, joining, and wood-carving, and they do excellent work in this, u ing methods of the best technological chools under the direction of competent instructor and experts.
The negro department gave evidence of careful and efficient work. The ewing done by the girls wa ver), creditable. Everything abc.ut the place was scrupulou ly neat and clean, no unpleasant odor of any kind being detected. The main bl1ildi ng needs repair.'), the floors being considerably worn.
The board wa 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 support, being the de-

7
partll1ent where the deaf are taught the grades of which they are capable and the industries in which they may support themselves just as some other departments of the State's schools teach law, medicine, scientific or literary brancheo.. There is a popular belief counter to this theory, but that it i erroneous would be proven by a single visit to the school.
The board recommends definitely: I. The passage of au act appropriating funds out of which to build a girls' dormitory. 2. An appropriation of $1,500.00 for the increase of capacity of water tower. The present 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 ha1ls to take place of lamps now used that are a menace to buildinO's. The same water motor could be used iu daytime to increase power as needed in blacksmith and wood working shop. 3. The member of tbis board desire to co operate with the trustees in lltO'ing the above appropriations. 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 OWll way houestly 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 hOllie, show how faithfully and intelligently all the school work is being done. The devotion of the trustees to the interests of the school is greatly to the credit of these gentlemen.

\Ve commend in hio-hest terms Prof. \: e ley O. Connor s work a principal. The direction of the school has been afel)' entrusted to hi hands and the \'ast amount of goo;; accompli hed by it for the money expended coull not well be compnted.
'\Ve appreciate the pre ence of your excellency during the time of our visit and thank you for the conrtesie extended u. We feel a sured that your personal views after an in pection of the cho')l will enable you to give emphasis to the suggestion we have made as to the further needs of the in titution.

All of which is respectfulIy submitted.

C. M. LEDBF,1'TER, Chairman,

W. F. CR SSEr.T~E Secretary,

T. P. GORDO" O. . l\fOORE,

V . W. Br ION, A. H. GLETREE,

J. L. FINCHER, JOHN '\ . BAr.,

M. 1\1. EAKE , W. B. Cr.ARK,

JNO.. CRO;\r RTIE,
J. C. JARNIGA )

Board of Visitors.