Report of Board of Visitors to the Georgia School for the Deaf, 1907

REPORT

GE RAL LIBRARy'
OCT 6 1939
UNfVE !TV OF fED ill

OF THE

BOARD OF VISITORS

TO THE

School for the Deaf

LOCATBD AT
CAVE SPRING, GA.

1907

REPORT
OF THE
BOARD OF VISITORS
TO THE
School for the Deaf
LOCATED AT
CAVE SPRING, GA.
1907
ATLANTA, GA.
THE FRANKLIN-TURNER COMPANY
PRINTERS, PUBLISHERS, BINDERS
I907

REPORT.
To Hs Excellency) Gov. J. M. Terrell) Atlanta) G(JJ..
The under igned member of the board of visitors appointed by you to visit the School for the Deaf at C~ve Spring, Ga., visited the Institution on April 30, 1907, and beg leave to report as follows, to wit:
\Ve made a careful examination of the entire Institution and found everything in <Yood condition. The grounds are well cared for, and everything about the whole premise, both out and indoors, extremely neat and clean. In fact, it was a matter of some marvel to your committee how they could keep everything in such a clean condition with the funds in their possession and the many needed repairs.
We found, as did the hoard of last year, that the buildingis badly crowded, the rooms containing from ix to twentythree beds to the room. This i a deplorable state of affair. a reflection upon the State and hould not be allowed to continue. The projected new buildin<Y the foundation of which is being laid, 'will <YreatIy relieve the situation in the girls' department; but the boys' dormitory will be overcrO\ 'ded till with only the present number of pupils. to ay nothing of the several hundred deaf children that should be in the institution and are not there.
VIe examined all the indu trial department -wood and workshops, shoeshops, sewing departments cooking school, andit is putting it very mild to ay that we were plea ed. The State of Georgia has no real conception of the excellent work done in these departments. The tud nts make their shoes, clothes, the chairs, table, wardrobes and other things needed in these lines, and everything i well made indeed. The printing office 'is a valuable adjunct to the In tit1,.ltion. The pupils make

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their own blank books, account book of all kind, run a paper and take in a good deal of job work. The work turned out of the office is of a very high grade.
The Institution ha a very high grade of instructors who are doing efficient work on inadequate alarie, the salarie ranging from $180 to $600 a year. This is not enough, and ometimes cause us to 10 e excellent teachers, who go to other
tates because they get qetter salarie. Then the number of teacher i too mall, there being only thirteen to 201 pupils. You 'will readily recoQ11ize that this i insufficient when you remember that a teacher can only teach about half as many tudents in a deaf chool a in the ordinary public schools. Every pupil in th is kind of an in titution ha to be taugl1t sep~ arately in a great mea ure.
Your committee would urgently recommend the following much-needed improvements be provided for a early a possible, a the Institution is crippled for the lack of them:
1. There hould be at lea t ten or a dozen more cows bought. s a to provide the milk and butter needed by the Institution without having to go out and buy. This would be economy in the long run.
2. The pre ent tand-pipe i too low and does not contain enough water to upply the needs. \ Ve would recommend that at lea t twenty feet be added to the height. Thi would supply the additional amount of water needed and at the same time <rive enough water power to run the lathes for the work hops in the daytime and run a larger dynamo for electric lightin<Y at night. By doing this all the kerosene lamps now being used could be done away with and reduce the risk from fire.
3 \t least 5,000 i badly needed for repair on the buill. ings. The floors are badly worn-in some places alma t clear through; the stair are very much worn, and in many places the pIa tering has fallen off so badly that it has a very bad appearance. Then need of painting appear all oyer the building. All these repairs are needed to preserve what we have in the way of buildings.

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4. \ e recommend that an appropriation be obtained ufficiently large to extend the main building about forty feet and put an "L" on the outhern end. This i badly needed to provide for the pre ent number of boys, to ay nothing of the many who are kept out for the lack of room.
Your committee doe not doubt that the General embly would readily O"rant the e requests if they could all go and vi it the In titution and see the e uwent need ; and we feel ure that if the people of the tate could 0"0 there and ee the need and at the ame time see what i beinO" done they would rise up and demand these appropriations.
\Ve can not clo e thi report without comil1endinO" Prof. 'vV. O. Connor and hi corp of a i tants for the noble work they are doinO", e\ en thouO"h they have not the equipment and the alaries they hould have.
Your committee would like to commend the pre ent sy ten: vf teachinO" the pupil to talk orally. It i a wonderfl1l improvement on the old y tem of ign talkinO" only, anc~ put the pupil \\here he can communicate with people who 10 not unc1er tand the siQ11 languaO"e.
Very re pectfully,
JOR \V. i\L-\DDOX. hai rman.
C. 1\1. LEDBETTER, ecreta ry.
J. . PARSO JOTT \ . BALE,
\ \ . M. CLARK, . lVI. MICKLE,
T. S. \iVRIGIlT,
. C. RILEY,
J. 1. BRITTAIr ,
OLIN CARLTON, T. 1. SEWELL,
J. T. :McGEHEE, J. R. 1ILLER.

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