some useful hints to the friends of the blind, who in their mistaken
kindness, are every day, and every hour, increasing the infirmity of
the sufferer. They will not let him do anything for himself; they
crush his faculties by keeping him in idleness; they continually
remind him of his inferiority and his infirmity, by condolences and
expressions of pity, as well as by unnecessary and officious inter-
ferences in short, they kill him with kindness.'

6

Now such conduct is unwise- nay, it is cruel. The only philo-
sophical way of teaching the blind is to throw them upon their own
resources; not to abandon them, but to guide them to a path where
they can go alone. Treat them as beings born with four senses,
the blind in sections of the country so small, as those in regard to which the
writer of this paper attempts to do it; nor do we agree with him in the causes
which he assigns for the apparent variations. The fact is, that we cannot make
any accurate calculation of the number of the blind which will be found even in a
population of one million; for it varies from temporary causes, and in different
generations; but we may calculate with some degree of certainty, how many
blind persons will be found in a population of ten millions, the latitude and the
climate being given.'

persons

The following is the table referred to, showing the number of Blind
in the United States; also the relative proportion to the population, &c.
Proportion of Proportion of Proportion
Proportion to blind whites colored blind of colored
whole popu to whole to whole to the
lation....I to white popu- colored popu whole pop-
lation....I to lation....I to ulation.

STATES.

BLIND.

Maine, .

White. Colored. Total.
159

1 160

New Hampshire, 105

Massachusetts,

218

who have to earn their living among those who have five; and with a little care and attention in youth, they will do it. But they want not charity, in its common sense; it is not charity indeed to throw a dollar into the hat of a blind beggar, if other means can keep him from becoming one; it is not charity to build for him almshouses and places of refuge, if means exist by which he can be kept from them. The utility of institutions for the education of the blind, which shall prepare them to take care of themselves, has been too clearly shown both in Europe and in this country to need any demonstration here; and we shall merely make an estimate of the number requisite for the wants of our blind.

Of the 5,500 blind in the United States it will be found that nine tenths are born of indigent parents. Perhaps, indeed, we put the proportion too low; for the poor are more liable to those accidents which cause blindness; they do not have that immediate medical assistance which in diseases of the eyes of infants can alone be of any avail; and then, when blindness has once become hereditary in any family, it will soon become poor. There are 5,000 blind, then, who are unable to provide themselves with an education: the next question is, how many of these are of an age to be benefited by education. We have remarked that very few are born absolutely blind; a very large proportion, however, become so in infancy;fewer during childhood and youth, except from accidents; and a few lose their sight during manhood. Old age dims the vision often, but seldom destroys it entirely. Among 777 blind in New England, 52 are over the age of 50 years: and we may calculate from this that certainly one fourth of the blind will be under 30 years of age, until when, they may be advantageously instructed in various subjects and taught handicraft works. To be within bounds, however, let us suppose that only 1000 out of the 5,500 blind in the United States, are of an age for instruction, and let us see what provision should be made for them; for as yet there are not 60 under instruction in Institutions designed for them, and 30 of these are in the Institution in Boston.

An Institution well regulated may accommodate 150 inmates - it is to be hoped the New England Institution will do this, and that no other will be needed for this section of the country. The New York Institution is now organized, and will doubtless suffice for that region; and another is going into operation in Philadelphia. In order to provide for the blind in the South and West, there should be a fourth in Richmond, a fifth in the extreme Southern States, a sixth in the South Western, and a seventh in the Western States. Then, and not till then, will the inhabitants of this country have discharged their duty to the blind.

For a full view of this subject, we refer to the July No. of the North American Review, for 1833. 49*

VOL. III.

NO. XII.

ART. VII- PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF BOSTON.

Report of the Primary School Committee on Improvements. October, 1833. Boston: J. H. Eastburn, City Printer.

THE Primary Schools of Boston contain about 4000 children, 'embracing,' in the language of the Committee, a large proportion of all those in the city, between the ages of four and seven; by which the whole population becomes interested in the subject.' They are designed to teach spelling, reading, and the elements of arithmetic, in order to prepare the children for the English Grammar Schools,' in which a complete knowledge is given of the ordinary branches of common school instruction. In the Primary Schools, therefore, is laid the foundation of all the education given to the mass of our citizens; and on the health and knowledge and habits here acquired, depends in a great measure, the future happiness or misery, the useful or injurious influence, of those who constitute the families, and elect the government, and control the laws of our city.

These schools are under the direction of a general Committee on Primary Schools,' divided into District Committees, assigned to the several districts, one member of which takes charge of each school. Repeated and urgent demands for improvement in these schools have been made by members of the Committee and others; but have often been resisted. In June last, a sub-committee was appointed 'On Improvements, whether any and what, as regards physical education, means of instruction, and books for study in the Primary Schools.' The sub-committee having had the several subjects under consideration,' presented a report on the 1st October, which was accepted, and returned to them to be prepared for publication. The pamphlet before us is the result. From the mature deliberations of a select school committee, in a city peculiarly celebrated for its intellectual character and its improvements in education, our readers will natu rally expect much; and the frequent inquiries addressed to us for some account of the Boston schools,' satisfy us that our distant friends will be much interested to learn their conclusions.

In examining the report, we are highly gratified to find the Committee decided, in urging the necessity of providing suitable rooms for the accommodation of these schools, at the public expense. With some persons, we are aware, that economy would have more influence than any argument which could be urged on the score of the health, or improvement, or safety of the children of our citizens. It is encouraging to find that there is no fear of irritating the 'pocket nerve' of the people; and that some appropriations are already made for this purpose on the grounds stated by the Committee, that the interest on the money which it will cost to provide suitable buildings for the purpose, will not exceed what is now paid in rent.' We cannot but hope, therefore, that the proper authorities will be justified in listening to the urgent recommendation of the sub committee, when they

are compelled to state, that 'a very large number of the rooms now in use are badly situated, and too small either for the health, or comfort, or proper education, of the rising generation.' What a statement this, to be presented to the world, concerning the schools of the children of Boston! But we rejoice that it is made; and we are gratified in being able, from inquiries, begun before we were aware of their views, to confirm, in detail, the account of the sub-committee, and to press upon the public the importance of the measure they propose. We are the more gratified, because we are well assured of the great and persevering efforts made by the district committees, to obtain suitable rooms in private buildings, and of the pleasure they would feel, in being relieved from this improper and heavy tax upon their gratuitous office.

The recesses or periods of relaxation, during school hours, recommended by the Committee, are not less important to the well being, and even the improvement of the children, and we earnestly hope they will be required, and the exercises proposed be practised, in every school.

Our attention was called to this subject by the remark of a gentleman, familiar with our prisons, that the children of the city of Boston were, in many cases, confined for the day, in rooms so unsuitable and unhealthy, that they would not be assigned to the convicts of our penitentiaries.' A subsequent conversation with Dr J. D. Fisher, whose experience in the School Committee had excited a strong interest on this subject, led to a joint resolution, that we would ascertain facts precisely, and make them known. The result of our inquiries will be found in the following letter, addressed to Moses Grant, Esq, the Chairman of the Primary School Committee.

To MOSES GRANT, ESQ. DEAR SIR; The imperfect provisions made for school rooms for our primary schools, and the persevering but fruitless efforts of the district committees to secure better accommodations, has long been a source of deep regret to one of us, for some time, on the Committee. We believed that we could not render a more acceptable service to the committees, or to the children of our city, than by ascertaining by inspection and measurement, the size and state of primary school rooms, and thus presenting facts, which have been stated so generally as to gain, apparently, but partial credence. We have spent some days in ascertaining the condition, on these points, of every primary school, with the exception of those in South Boston, and avail ourselves of your permission, to communicate to you the results.

We ought to say, that we commenced our examination with the conviction, founded on the experience of physicians and boards of health, and observing teachers, that impure air, and that which is exhausted by too long breathing, impairs at every breath the purity of the blood, and thus, with every pulsation of the heart, sends an unhealthy circulation to every limb and organ of the body, which tends to enfeeble and disorder, instead of invigorating, the whole

system. We are satisfied on the same evidence, that confinement to one position, for a long time, especially, on a seat without support, in the early period of childhood, not only enfeebles the limbs and checks the growth, but also interrupts the operations, and affects the vigor of almost every organ, and often lays the foundation for permanent debility and disease.

We know of no mode of guarding against these evils in our schools but by providing for them large rooms, with proper means for ventilation at all seasons; by allowing them a recess of not less than half an hour in three, for relaxation of body as well as mind; and furnishing a suitable yard, or play-ground, of sufficient size to permit the free movement of the children in the open air during this period. We have regretted to find, as will appear from details annexed, that in most of our schools, no one of these points is fully secured; and in many, all are neglected.

We would premise, that our own views of school rooms, correspond with those expressed by the Prussian government, as found in the Edinburgh Review for July, 1833, and in a document on this subject, published under the authority of the American Institute of Instruction,' in 1832,* from a careful examination of the best authors on this subject. In the latter, it is stated, that 'the smallest dimensions of a room for thirty pupils, should be 22 feet by 20; of one for fifty pupils, 30 by 25; and of one for seventy pupils, 35 by 80, — a liberal allowance would require one third more. This first plan gives to each pupil, 15 square feet, in a room 10 feet high; and by allowing less than this to each child, we hazard his health and constitution.' We would merely add, that in two Infant Schools, sustained by private benevolence, we found a space 24 feet by 52, assigned to seventyfive or one hundred pupils, from eighteen months to six years old; and a room 27.5 by 19, with an adjoining room of 17 by 12, to fifty or sixty pupils, making a space of 12 square feet for each child. In view of these statements, we beg your attention to the inclosed table. [We can only insert an extract from this table, which will show the condition of one district selected at random - EDITOR.]

No one of these schools, except No. 6, which is kept in the vestry of a church, has a place for exercise for the children. No one has

* By Hilliard, Gray & Co.