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FEEBLE-MINDED CHILDREN

A NATIONAL PROBLEM MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Replying to a question; in the House of .Representatives, tho Minister of Education (the Hon. j. A. Ilanan) r made a statement with regard to the treatment of feeble-minded children. "As a result of investigations recently made," ho said, ,; it has been found that there are at least six hundred feeble-minded young people under twenty-one yeurs of age in 'tho Dominion. The question nf, the feeble-minded is receiving attentive consideration. It is becoming more and more generally recognised that from its ranks the criminal element, in the population is extensively recruited. It is also well known that illegitimate birth.? are numerous yamong feeble-minded women, that inebriate habits are common among such people, and that generally tho subnormal individual is a serious menace to society. In the protection of itself society must segregate and care for such unfortunate people for life. "Feeble-minded children may be divided into two classes—the educable, cases, who are capable of receiving training and instruction, and custodial cases, who are of low-grade intelligence and cannot be trained to any extent. The Education Department can only be concerned with the educable oases, while the custodial cases should be. taken charge cf by the mental hospitals. Unless tho question is dealt with at the present juncture there seems no doubt but.that in tho near future the problem will have become, us has been the case in other lands, a matter quite beyond control. Under the agency of the Education Department about one hundred and fifty cases have already been selected and admitted to the special school for boys at Otekaike or to the special school for girls at Richmond. The remaining cases are being examined and classified as quicklr us possible with the present limited staff. "The number of inmates in the institutions referred to is being steadily increased. It is quite dear that when n full classification has been made there will be need for extending the present facilities, particularly for girls, since not only are they in greater need of protection than the lxiys, but because the results of neglecting to provide for them are more serious. Too much should not be expected in the way of improvement even in these educable children by means of the training given in the special schools. The most that can be expected is that their health and happiness may bo improved under the special conditions that the schools ran offer, and that whatever intelligence they may have may lie mmntnmcd and in some caees somewhat developed. Tn addition to this the children may be trained in such occupations as carpentry, dairy-work, domestic work, boot-mending, mat and basketmaking, and similar forms of manual work, and become useful in attending to themselves, assisting others in the institution, reducing the amount of attendance reqnircd to be provided, and profitably using- any powers of body and mind they may possess. "I very much regret that we have no special school for cripple?, epileptic and other abnormal children j yet it is impossible us a general mle to yield to the many pathetic applications for the admission of well children to the schools for the feeble-minded, where an undue variety of types would lend to disorganise the special work for which these schools have been established. Tho provision of special institutions of a custodial character in connection with the mental-hospital system, whereby the most distressing cases of feeble-inindedness may be transferred from ordinary homes and the dangers so far reduced of the propagation of this form of feeblc-mind-I'dness by hereditary means, will be appropriately the special concern of the Minister of "Public Health, with whom I shall be glad to discuss the- matter." Mrs. Eliza Ann Foster, of Dunedin, has died in her one hundredth year, The correspondent of a southern paper states that deceased, who was born in Cornwall in June, 1818, landed at Port Chalmers ip 1549, and had been a resident of Diinodin (with the exception of one short visit to Wellington), uuintvrruvtodly for sixty-eight years. Don't envy a good complexion—use "Sydal" and HAVE one. "Sydal" has wonderful properties for the successful treatment of the skin. Keeps it soft, Bincoth, velvety and healthy: Equally beneficial in whitening and softening the hands and arms. Good for the hair, toes promotes a silkiness and glossiness which Is really, charming. Ask your chemist for a pot of "Sydal" to-day—price 25., at all chemists and stores.—A dvt. The ladies' auxiliary of the Y.M.C.A. will hold a sale of work en Wednesday next. The proceeds of the r.alo are to be devoted to the decorating of the interior of the Y.M.C.A. Goods may be sent to lie Y.M.C.A., Willis Street, on or ttfore Wednesday next.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19170727.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3147, 27 July 1917, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
785

FEEBLE-MINDED CHILDREN Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3147, 27 July 1917, Page 3

FEEBLE-MINDED CHILDREN Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3147, 27 July 1917, Page 3

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