VIII. NEW YORK STATE IDIOT ASYLUM,

AT SYRACUSE.

On the 13th of January, 1846, Hon. F. F. Backus, of Rochester, in the Senate of the Legislature of New York, of which he was a member, moved a reference of that portion of the State Census which related to idiots to the committee on Medical Societies. Of this committee he was chairman, and on the 15th of the same month, in behalf of the committee, he submitted a report, in which an institution for the care and instruction of idiots was proposed, and which was followed on the 28th of March by a bill for the purchase of a site, and the erection of suitable buildings for an asylum. The bill, after passing the Senate, was lost in the House. The subject was again presented to the Senate by Dr. Backus, in 1847; but no further action was taken till 1851, when the Legislature, influenced by an exhibition by Dr. S. G. Howe of the results of the training and teaching of this class, in a number of pupils from the Massachusetts Experimental School, provided for an experimental school at Albany, under the management of Dr. H. B. Wilbur, who had, since July, 1848, conducted a private institution for idiots at Barre, Massachusetts.

The success of the experimental school at Albany was such that the Legislature, in the winter of 1853-54, made provision for the erection of a suitable building for the accommodation of the school and for its annual expenses.

On the 8th of September, 1854, the corner-stone of the first state institution for this important class was laid, with religious ceremonies and appropriate addresses, by Ex-Governor Hunt, Dr. H. B. Wilbur, Dr Seguin, Rev. S. J. May and Dr. F. F. Backus. The building, with accommodation for one hundred pupils, was so far completed in August, 1855, as to be opened for the reception of the school from Albany.

The building occupies a commanding site, one mile from the center of Syracuse. It is 153 feet front, with two wings each 53 feet from front to rear. The main building is three stories, and the wings four, including the basement. The cost of building and furniture is about $80,000, and the grounds, eighteen acres in extent, about $10,000; of which, ten acres, (valued at $7,500,) was the gift of the citizens of Syracuse.

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The government of the New York State Idiot Asylum is committed to a board of nine trustees, of whom four are members ex officio, viz., Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer, and the remaining five are elected by the Senate on the nomination of the Governor.

No. 11.-VOL. IV., No. 2.1-27.

The trustees have the general direction and control of all the property and concerns of the asylum, and take charge of its interests; they receive no compensation for their services, though they are reimbursed for their actual and reasonable traveling expenses in attending the meetings of the board. They hold semi-annual meetings, and, during the intervals between these meetings, they exercise a proper supervision over the affairs of the asylum through their executive committee. This committee visit the asylum on the first Monday of every month, to examine into its management, inspect the condition of its pupils, audit all bills presented for payment, and decide upon the admission and dismission of pupils; they also keep a record of their proceedings for the inspection and approval of the board.

The treasurer draws from the State Treasurer all monies appropriated by the Legislature for the institution, and receive all monies collected from counties for the clothing of pupils, as well as the sums derived from the tuition fees of paying pupils. He pays all bills properly audited and indorsed by the executive committee, making a report of the bills thus paid, and a return of the vouchers thus received, at the semi-annual meetings of the board. This statement of the treasurer is embodied in the annual report of the trustees to the Legislature. The few contingent expenses of the asylum are presented in the form of a monthly bill from the superintendent, and are audited as any other bill. By this arrangement the pecuniary responsibility resides in the executive committee, and no bills are paid by the treasurer, except they are indorsed by at least two of that committee.

The general supervision of the affairs of the institution, with the advice and counsel of the executive committee at its monthly meetings, is intrusted to the superintendent.

He has the sole charge of the management and instruction of all the pupils sent to the asylum, and the direction and control of all persons employed in any capacity about the establishment. He makes provision for all the wants of the asylum, and is responsible for a prudent and judicious expenditure of its funds. He keeps a journal of all his proceedings, for the inspection of the executive committee at its monthly meetings, and subject at all times to the examination of any member of the board. The success of Dr. Wilbur's management and training of the asylum has more than justified the anticipations of its founders, and of the parents and friends of the pupils, "in the exercise of more judgment in small matters, in improved habits, in more ready obedience, in more self-control, and finally, as the result of all these, in a greater capacity for useful occupation. The capability for useful occupation, and willingness to be thus occupied, satisfies the greatest need of the idiot, and will insure his future comfort and happiness, if he is subjected to right influences, after he shall have left an educational institution."

The following brief description of some of the pupils who have been in the asylum during the past five years is taken from Dr. Wilbur's sixth annual (1857) report:

EXAMPLES OF TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION IN THE NEW YORK STATE IDIOT ASYLUM, AT SYRACUSE. From Dr. Wilbur's Report for 1857.

A. T.-A boy 7 years old. In this case the organs of hearing were very slightly affected, but there existed an almost complete want of perception of sound. He did not speak, and had very little idea of language: he was quite a good looking and active boy; he has been under instruction a year; he is now beginning to read simple words, both printed and written; writes in a very good hand a great variety of words, names of familiar objects, names of all the pupils in school. He displays considerable imitative faculty in copying various figures from drawing cards and upon the blackboard. In geography, he has learned the principal points on the map of the United States; he is just beginning in numbers, writing them as far as fifty. He hears more readily, and articulates most common words. He would not now attract attention by any peculiarities, even in a common school.

M. R.-A little girl, nine years old, came Oct., 1855; deaf and dumb as well as imbecile. She has now been with us a year, and is in a condition to enter an asylum for deaf-mutes. She knows many written words; can herself write the names of all familiar objects; has been taught to sew and many other household occupations. No one can doubt the success of our labors in this case.

M. A.-A boy of twelve years, small of his age, and with a very idiotic look and very disagreeable habits. He was described, when brought to the Asylum, as generally good tempered; but, if aroused, dangerous in his intercourse with other children-as not being very cleanly in his habits. There was a want of development in his physical frame, his extremities being very short. He spoke with effort: he is now in our first class in reading, and with but little difficulty reads words of two syllables; he is very studious, and is making marked and constant progress; he copies from a book the written characters, and forms sentences simple and compound; he writes easily and quite accurately; he is very familiar with the map of the United States, and tolerably so with that of Europe; he is but just beginning with numbers-writes numbers up to fifty, and can add two to any number. There has been a great change in his personal appearance; he will undoubtedly be capable in a few years of useful labor on a farm.

A. P.-A boy of ten years, who came only about four months since, an idiot from birth; he was not cleanly in his habits; was very mischievous, passionate and troublesome; he could not speak distinctly; could not distinguish forms or colors; had no idea of written language; he is now improved in his habits; he speaks much more dis tinctly; can distinguish quite a variety of colors and give their names; can read forty or fifty printed words, and can count as far as eighty.

S. Q.-Came November, 1853; a little girl, twelve years old; she was small of her age, and with a very small head; she could not speak, but attempted to say yes and no; the saliva was constantly flowing from her mouth; she had received no instruction; was very passionate, and when once aroused, it seemed almost impossible to conquer her, either by coercion or kindness. She has now been with us three years; is in our first class; she is improving in her articulation, and is very earnest in her attempts to speak; she can read and write a great number of words; is a good scholar in geogra phy; can count and write numbers to one hundred, and can add two to numbers as far as twenty; she is now very easily managed; can sew very well, and is very useful in household matters, performing daily duties in making beds, washing dishes, &c.

J. W. R.-A boy of twelve years, rather small of his age: his head is smaller than any whose dimensions I have seen recorded; the greatest circumference of his cranium is only 13 1-4 inches; he was not cleanly in his habits; had but little idea of language; was passionate; could not speak at all; he has now been under instruction a year; he can distinguish a variety of forms and colors; he knows the names of all objects in the school room and about the house, and also the names of all the pupils in school; he recognizes a great number of pictures of objects; he is beginning to speak, and has already learned several printed words as the representatives of familiar objects; he is now making sensible progress every day.

J. M.-A boy of eleven years, who came to the asylum December 11, 1851. He was well formed and healthy, though slightly affected with chorea; his eyes were prominent and staring, he had an inordinate appetite, and ate ravenously whatever was placed before him; there was an excessive flow of saliva, but otherwise he was cleanly in his habits. In appearance he was quite imbecile; he was an imbecile from birth, and had an idiot sister; he had none of the every-day knowledge of childhood, having lived only for the gratification of his appetite; his speech was imperfect and indistinct; he was very good tempered and affectionate, and easily managed. The change of residence, in his case, insured more reliably the gratification of his appetite, and he was contented and free from homesickness; he had never had any instruction; he could not distinguish forms or colors; had, therefore, no idea of pictures as the representatives of objects; he is quite a neat looking boy; he has improved very considerably in school

matters, but is especially changed in his capacity for useful labor; he works quite intelligently on the farm, conversing very well about common concerns.

L. S.-A boy of twelve years old; came November, 1853; he was stout and healthy; his speech was peculiar; the attempt had been made to instruct him, but without any success; he could neither read, nor write, nor count; he had been three years under instruction. He can read understandingly in words of two or three syllables; he can write a tolerable hand; he can construct sentences, introducing different parts of speech, such as the noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, &c.; he is quite a good scholar in geography, being familiar with nearly all the common outline maps, the geographical definitions, &c.; in numbers he is making good progress; he can add and multiply, performing simple problems in these rules very rapidly; he spent the past summer at work in the garden and on the farm, making himself very useful and not requiring any oversight; he can be instructed to go to the city or to church; he will soon be in a condition to be bound out on a farm.

C. E.-A little boy, 4 1-2 years old; came to the asylum in the autumn of 1851. He had been apparently healthy and intelligent till about two years of age, when he began to have convulsions. These continued till a short time before he was brought to the institution, affecting his intellect till, in the language of his father, "his mind was a complete blank;" he had begun to speak before the appearance of his convulsions, but the later ones had entirely severed the connection between the brain and his vocal organs, so that, for the space of two or three years, he never made or attempted to make an articulate sound; he was small of his age, but with a large head and lustrous eye. He not only did not speak, but had no idea of language; he had no ideas of form, or size, or of color; he had no idea of obedience; no sense of danger. His father mentioned, in illustration of this point, that he would walk into a stream of water like the canal without fear. Not having any legitimate exercise for his nervous and muscular power, he was constantly restless, constantly occupied in the simplest acts of mischief; he had no idea of personal cleanliness, and in all respects required more care than an infant. Commencing with the simplest physical exercises, this boy has been through the whole course of our system of training. He now associates with our best class of pupils ; he understands almost every thing that is said to him; he can articulate almost any word of two syllables; he can count; he can read in the first reading-book used in our school; also reads the written character; he is in a class in geography, being able to point out on the outline map of the United States all the prominent points; he is now much more quiet, and withal quite free from his former mischievous habits.

J. H. C.-Came November, 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 uncontrollable. Our whole course of instruction 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 capable and useful on the farm and in the garden; he left us to enter the institution for the deaf and dumb in New York.

N. and W., now eleven and twelve years of age, were taken from the idiot house on Randall's Island by Dr. Wilbur, in December, 1851. Their appearance, as described by persons who saw them at that time, must have been painful and disgusting in the extreme. Both had been idiots from birth, both were partially paralyzed, and both entirely dumb, and not capable of understanding more than a dozen words. So hopeless was their condition that the physician at Randall's Island, who was absent when Dr. Wilbur selected them, on his return, wrote to Dr. W., expressing his regret at his selection, as he feared that it would only bring disgrace upon the effort to instract idiots, to attempt the instruction of those who were so evidently beyond the reach of improvement. Both now exhibit as much intelligence as ordinary children of their age. Neither speaks very fluently, in consequence of some paralysis still existing, but both are improving rapidly in this respect. Both write well on the blackboard. In thorough knowledge of grammar and geography very few children of their age are their equals. In a very severe and protracted examination in geography, embracing minute details in regard to the topography of most of the countries on the globe, and many particulars in regard to physical geography, and drawing maps upon the blackboard, neither they nor the other members of a class of six or seven missed a single question. In grammar, both supplied adjectives, nouns, verbs, or adverbs, to given verbs and nouns, with remarkable promptness, and to an extent which would have severely tasked my vocabulary. In arithmetic both exhibited perfect familiarity with the ground rules, and Nattie gave at once any and all multiples of numbers as high as 132, and added, multiplied, and divided fractions with great readiness.