| Summary: | Newsletter of the North Dakota School for the Deaf. The North Dakota Banner. Vol. VII. Devils Lake, N. D., April 16, 1898. No. 16. THE ROSE OF STARS. When love, our great immortal, Put on mortality And down from Edei.’s portal Brought this sweet world to be, At the sublime archangel ITe laughed with veiled eyes, For he bore within his bosom The seed of paradise. He hid it in his bosom, And there such warmth it found It brake in buc3 and blossom, And the rose fell on the ground. As the green light on the prairie, As the red light on the sea, Through fragrant belts of summer Came this sweet world to be. And the grave archangel, seeing. Spread his mighty vans for flight, But a glow hung round him fleeing Like the rose of an arctic night, And sadly moving heavenward By Venus and by Mars, He heard the joyful planets Hail earth, the rose of stars. —G. E. Woodbury. MECHANICAL INSTRUCTION AT SCHOOLS FOR THE DEAF. From time to time, at conventions of teachers of the deaf, and in papers published at institutions, articles on the above subject have been read, and while the writers entertain different opinions on some minor points, all agree that the teaching of trade in these schools in connection with intellectual and moral training is of the greatest importance. To dismiss our pupils from school without a knowledge cf some handicraft whereby they can obtain profitable employment is considered very unfortunate. In this age, and especially in this country, where so much remains undeveloped, skilled labor is always in demand —so much so that foreigners possessing the requisite skill on the mechanical arts, readily find employment,and not a few are promptly made foremen of the shops. The writer of this article has a lively recollection of the occasion when he, desiring the construction of an article of his own invention, applied in New York city and only succeeded when he entered an obscure shop kept by a German, not three months in this country. This trivial incident may and it may not prove the superiority of foreign workmen over those of this country, but it does prove that to know how to do a thing and to do it well is of paramount importance. There may be much force in the statement that it is better to have but few trades at our schools for the deaf, rather than to have a great number, so as to give our pupils a thorough knowledge of that art. However, we will leave this subject for settlement to wiser heads than ours. We are advocating and upholding the great importance of mechanical instruction at our schools, be they few or many. Some years ago a gentleman whose occupation brought him in contact with hundreds and even thousands of deaf-mute graduates, undertook to collect statistics relating to the different trades which they followed. ITe discovered that the deaf readily adapted themselves to almost any trade in existence and became proficient in their calling—so much so that all (when they had work) were making a comfortable and altogether satisfactory living by it. Another point, which was brought out by this collection of statistics was that they very seldom followed the same trade which they undertook to learn while at school. At first glance this would seem to furnish a strong argument why the teaching of trades at the schools should be abandoned as of little or no practical benefit to the pupils after graduation, and that more attention should be given to their intellectual and moral education. But further inquiry elicited the information that in nearly every instance where a deaf-mute had mastered a trade after leaving school and had become proficient in it, he had received more or less instruction in some sort of handicraft while at school, although he abandond it later to adopt his present calling. In other words, he had received the preliminary instruction, without which he might, could,or would not have succeeded as he had done, nay, he might never have even thought of learning a trade at all, simply from lack of confidence in himself in handling tools of whatever name or nature. This is positive proof that the pupil who does not educate his hands to the handling of tools while at school, is doing himself great injustice, and the parent, guardian, or principal of the school, lacks good judgment when he is not obliged to make mechanical training a part of his education from a distaste or disinclination for the trade. A great majority of our pupils will be obliged to depend upon the labor of their hands for support. It is impossible to make the statement too strong, that the struggle in life to obtain the means of sustenance is no* joke. It is really a good part of their education to be able to realize this; and when they do, half the battle is won. " There is always room at the top,” is as true to-day as it was thousands of years ago. If we .succeed in impressing upon our pupils the necessity of perfecting themselves in the art which thev are endeavoring to master, little else will be required of us. We believe it has been the experience in every school for the deaf to find pupils who were sadly deficient in intellectual capabilites, in fact were scarcely able to ever learn to use the English language, but who possessed mechanical skill of no mean order. The great importance of giving such pupils an opportunity while at school to master a trade need not be enlarged upon. The writer knew of a boy who, while at school, could never get beyond a few words, but who was a prefect genius at shoemaking. It is needless to add that every opportunity consistent with the discipline of the school was given him to perfect himself in that trade. On leaving school he readily commanded the very highest price paid to workmen in that calling. Instances similar to the above might be multiplied. The Jews commanded every man to learn a trade. It is not considered necessary in these times, where there are so many professions in vogue. Nevertheless, when a man has more than one string to his bow, it often happens that when one string fails him, the other may save him from penury. At any rate, no one has ever been known to be worse off for possessing a knowledge of some useful handicraft, and while he may not always be sure of obtaining employment, his chances are doubled. A man out of employment and having no means of subsistence is a most unfortunate being; indeed, he had better be out of the world than out of employment.— The Mentor.
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