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# A SPLENDID TRAINING SCHOOL. % ❖
AH INSTITUTION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEAF CHILDREN
AT COSY CAVE SPRING.
The location of the State School for
the (leaf at Cave Spring was one of the
wisest movements ever made by the
law-makers of Georgia.
It originated in 1846 when Mr. O. I’.
Fannin, associate principal of the Hearn
school, began teaching a few deaf mute
pupils as a department of that great ed
ucational institution.
The accompanying engraving gives an
idea of the old log house where the first
graduates from this favored institution
received the rudiments of learning at
the hands of their devoted preceptor.
A glance at the accompanying picture,
which gives a faint idea of the present
group of stately buildings, illustrates the
spirit of tireless devotion which has in
spired the principal and teachers of the
great school from that time to the
present.
This brings us to speak of one of the
most remarkable men in public life in
Georgia, Professor Wesley <>. Connor,
Superintendent of the State School for
the deaf.
Born in South Carolina and bred in
North Georgia he evinced, at an early
age, that fondness for study and re-
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PROF. W. 0. CONNOR.
search which has characterized his
■whole career.
When a youth of between fifteen and
sixteen, in 1857 he became connected
■with the then Institute for the Deaf and
Dumb, now the Sclvool for the Deaf.
This grand and noble charity was then
in its incipieney and young Connor
quickly became interested in the work
of teaching the deaf and dumb inmates
and develojnng their faculties so that
they might beeoiwe self supporting
members of society.
Mr. Fannin was in charge of the insti
tution then and the methods of teaching
were somewhat crude, the arts taught
being only the commonest employments.
Nevertheless the institution was pro
ductive of good results.
Such proficiency did young Connor
display and such peculiar adaptability
to the work which requires so much pa
tient work and line discernment, that in
1860 he was offered the position of prin
cipal, but he declined the honor and re
sponsibility on account of his youth.
It was not long before the bugle call
fired his enthusiastic nature, and in 1861
he resigned his position of head teacher
and went to the war as a member of the
famous old Cherokee Artillery. A
month or so thereafter, the Board of
Trustees met and sent a special com-
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LOG CABIN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, 1846.
mittee of one—Mr. W. R. Webster, to
Governor Brown, asking him to inter
cede to have Mr. Connor released in
order that he might return to his work
at the Institution, which he consented
to do, provided Mr. Connor would agree
to return, but when Mr. Webster visited
him in camp and begged him to return,
practically offering him the principal
ship the second time, which would have
been to him a bomb-proof place under
the state government for the war. His
reply was:
“I have cast my fortunes with the
Confederate army, and I shall abide the
result.”
If men were to receive rewards of
merit for gallantry and fidelity in this
age, Mr. Connor would be richly en
titled to wear the Cross of the Legion of
Honor, for his war record was one of the
most brilliant'iamong the thousands ; ctf
men whose chivalrous deeds stupified
the world with their number.
All through these hard fought cam
paigns he was ever at his post, and it is
said of him that he never missed a roll
call and was never absent when his com
mand was engaged.
He was one of the sixteen men who
walked out of the regular prison at
Camp Chase, refusing to take the oath .
of allegiance, when an ignorable death
at the hands of his captors seemed to
stare him in the face.
But his life was not to be then sacri-;
ficed, but was preserved for more useful
and noble achievements.
During the war the village of Cave
Spring was on the debatable ground al
ternately occupied by Confederate and
Federal soldiers, and the institution was
dismantled. At the first meeting of the
legislature in 1866 action was taken for ■
its reinstatement, and Mr. Connor, fresh
from the federal prison at Camp Chase,
Ohio, was put in charge. Since that :
time he has held the position of prin- '
cipal to the honor and credit of himself, ,
to the satisfaction of the state and the (
pupils at large and to the greatest bene- ~
fit of those who have received inst ruction <
there.
He has devoted his whole life to the
amelioration of the condition of those !
unfortunates bereft of their happiest
faculties, hearing and speech. He has ;
studied the subject in all its bearings ,
and he has left nothing untried that
might add to the efficiency of the insti
tution given under his supervision. 1 :
During the recent exposition in At-
THE HOME THIkUNE, T» kSDAY, MAY 26, 1896.
lanta, there was a class of deaf children
on exhibition from one of the oral
schools of the north and somehow
nearly every visitor came away under
the impression that the teaching of
speech to the deaf was something new
and original. Mr. Connor has been
1 asked many times if he had witnessed
! the “new way” of teaching the deaf,
I and some kind hearted and enthusiastic
I ladies even went so far as to ask the
governor to intercede to have him come
to Atlanta to see this •‘wonderful new
method.” Heinecke, in the latter part
of the eighteenth century, began teach
ing by this method in Germany, while
the abbe de I'Epree began with the sign
or manual system in France, each work
ing indefatigably and knowing nothing
of the efforts of each other, and each
method has been used ever sinee.
In the department of teaching speech
he has been unusually successful and by
I long and patient efforts he succeeded in
bringing out the latent powers and in
stincts, existing in many pupils devoid
of hearing, so that they can make them
selves understood. In this line Prof.
Connor says that he has had ho cause to
change his views-since he wept on record
twenty-seven years ago as favoring the
giving of every deaf child an opportunity
of learning speech or lip reading, in
which a large proportion of all who enter
the school are more or less benefitted.
Ever since he has been connected with
the school, more or less oral teaching
has been done, and it has turned out
several lip readers who will compare
favorably with those of any other school
in the country. This was not done by
specialists but by teachers in their ordi
nary work, until about five years ago.
He combines the systems of oral and
written instruction as he has been doing
for more than twenty-five years, and
every year goes to prove still more con
clusively the benefits of this system of ■
teaching. In other words, as in nearly ,
every other American school, the Com-I
bined or Electic System is used, and j
this simply means that any method or i
anything that will help on the work of I
giving the deaf a knowledge of the En- I
glish language is siezed upon and used. 1
The school is tied down to no absolute I
method.
Prof. Connor is a man of diversified
talents and untiring industry, a fine con- [
versationalist and a man of extensive
reading and well informed on a most di
versity of subjects.
Prof. Connor has been the recipient of
high honors paid him by his fellow edu
cators. and was last summer made |
President of the American Association
of Teachers of Deaf Mutes. He is the
right man in the right place, and has
wrought wonders in this school, to
which he has devoted the best energies
of his life.
The attendance for the pas< year num- ;
bered 109 white and 38 colored. K total
of 147, and the present year the attend
ance has been largely increased. The
school is not an elemosynary institution
as is frequently mistakenly supposed to
be, but is one of the best regulated in
dustrial schools in the state or in the
south. In fact, it is claimed t> be the ,
pioneer of industrial education and ;
training in the state, having begun on
that line in 1848.
The faculty consists of Wesley 0. Con
nor, principal; C. W. Wright, Samuel M.
Freeman, Mrs. E. F. Connor, Miss S. J.
Posey, Miss Katherine King, Miss M.
Bayard Morgan, teacher of art and physi
cal culture, Henry R. Watts, supervisor
of boys; Miss Della Harris, supervisor of
I girls; Mrs. M. L. Bond, matron; Miss R.
E. Summers, assistant matron; J. C.
Watts, physician; Henry S. Morris,
master of shoe shop. In the colored de
-1 partment there are F. M. Gordon, W. A.
I Caldwell Mrs. F. M. Gordon, matron.
A little more than a year ago a depart
ment of art and wood carving was added
to the school under the supervision of
Miss M. Bayard Morgan, a young lady
of splendid qualifications and untiring
energy, under whose careful instruction
the pupils have made wonderful advance
ment during the year. Many of them
show a special aptitude for this kind of
j work and soon become exceedingly pro
i ficient in the handling of tools. In ad
! dition to this, Miss Morgan has had
! charge of the department of physical
culture which has proven one of the
i most attractive and beneficial depart
ments of this great institution.
In the line of instruction in sewing
Misses Della Harris and Lizzie Foley, in
addition to their other duties have had
charge of large classes, and the girls of
the institution now do a variety of work
, in addition to making their own clot hing
1 and the uniforms for themselves and the
boys. The legislature has not been as
liberal in their appropriation to this
school as it has in the equipment of other
state institutions. Our lawmakers do
not seem to comprehend the immense
scope of the work nor of the incalculable
benefits and advantages that it gives to
those unfortunates bereft of the power
of speech and hearing. The buildings
are now inadequate to the wants of the
largely increased attendance. The
dining room is filled to overflowing, and
it is almost impossible to accommodate
the pupils properly under the present
arrangements. The kitchen, besides
being inadequate for the work that must
1 necessarily be done in it is fco improperly
■ constructed that it is impossible to keep
it in a presentable condition, and is a
sad draw back to this great institution
| and should be remedied at once.
The institution needs a few thousand
' dollars for the shop equipment, for a
; bathing pool and closet for boys, for
i painting, steam heating and for gas and
j electricity for lighting purposes, and
also for the girls’ industrial department.
These things are crying necessities.- and
as the school is an institution of the
I state and one of which any state would
have the right to be proud, those in
I power should see to it that every defi
; ciency is supplied without delay,
i Given the proper apparatus to work
i with and sufficient money to defray ex-
■ penses, the pupils of this school will be
[ taught many useful things, and the vast
l majority of them will be equipped when
, they leave the institution for making
i their own living and consequently not
i becoming a burden on the community or
l upon their relatives who are frequently
i unable to bear the increased demands of
| such a charge.
The terms of admission to the school
; are that all deaf persons of the state
i between the ages of eight and twenty
seven years who are mentally and physi
| cally in a condition to receive instruc
; tion properly, and free from any immoral
conduct or contagious disease, are enti
tled to all the benefits of the school free
of charge, no fees of any kind being
charged for a term of seven years.
The scholastic year begins the second
Wednesday in September and continues
until the second Wednesday in June,
when there is a public examination of
the pupils conducted by the principal.
These are always occasions of rare inter
est to the public and the pupils enter
them with great zest and enthusiasm.
With the means at hand no school in
the country has been better conducted
than this by Prof. Connor and his able
corps of devoted assistants. The pupils
are given every attention as to their
health and comfort, and they soon learn
to regard this as a real home and w ith
ready hands and loving hearts to keep
watch and,ward over them and to sup
ply all their wants physical as well as
intellectual.
In the matter of health the location of
the school is superb. Cave Spring is
located in a cool and secluded valley,
surrounded by swelling hills, and the!
crystal waters of Cedar Creek flow'
through the town and not only adorn and
beautify the prospect, but furnish perfect
| natural drainage.
In addition to this a big w ater wheel
I placed in the current, some distance
I below the institution, raises the water of
I a perennial spring to a capacious reser
voir, whence they are distributed
throughout the buildings for drinking
lavatory purposes.
There is nothing more conducive to
the health and comfort of such an insti
tution as plenty of pure water, and this
is furnished in the greatest abundance.
Coupled with the care and close sur
veillance and attention of the faculty
these auxiliaries have resulted in a
remarkable health record for the State
School for the Deaf.
There is seldom any sickness of a seri
ous nature among the hundreds of pupils
in attendance, and boys and girls who
are sent there pale and sickly soon
develop into the most robust physical
vigor which is so conducive to mental
activity and receptiveness.
The admirable manner in which the
school is conducted is a credit to the
state and redounds to the honor of the
officers, trustees, superintendent and
faculty, all of whom watch with jealous
care over the interests of this noble insti
tution and the well being of the inmates.
There are now 106 whites and 36
colored pupils and all of them are ad
vancing rapidly in the attainments of
such useful knowledge as renders a
graduate of the School for the Deaf a
useful citizen, capable of entering into a
useful and enjoyable life among his more
fortunate fellows.
But there are many things to be done to
fully equip the school in accordance
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BUILDINGS OF SCHOOLS FOR THE DEAF, 1895,
with the advanced idea of Superinten
dent Connor, who has devoted such a
large share of his life to the teaching of
that unfortunate class of people.
As above stated Miss Morgan has very
successfully introduced calisthenic exer
cise among the girls, but the furnishing
of a thoroughly equipped gymnasium
would add largely to the efficiency of
the school for the physical training and
development of the pupils.
True, the boys have the advantage of
ample exercise in ball play and other
games on the campus, but these only
bring out the development of certain
portions oi the body, whereas the gym
nastic exercisesjM’ing into.full play every
muscle of the body.
In addition to this, for the manual
instriction and training of the boys,
Prof. Connor is very desirous of enlarg
ing these departments which now con
sist of shoe making and carpentry, so as
to include black smithing, wagon making
printing, painting, broom making and
chalk plate engraving. In the last
named art the pupils show especial apti
tude and as this class of work is much in
demand and very profitable, it furnishes
another profession peculiarly adapted to
these pupils.
Among the girls he wishes to introduce
scientific dress making, type writing,
*^^□=31. HON. FELIX CORPUT.J-
cooking and perhaps weaving so as to fit
the girls for useful and remunerative
employments.
All these will require money, but Prof.
Connor is convinced, after long experi
ence and thoughtful consideration of the
capacity and adaptability of the pupils,
that it would be money well spent.
It would enable the graduates to take
their places among the wage-earning
classes of people, render themselves
helpful and independent, despite the
bereavement that they have suffered in
the absence of two of the most essential
faculties for human happiness and well
being.
All these things should betaken under
advisement by the Georgia legislature
and the deficiencies of the institution
supplied so as to make happy and hope
ful men and women out of a class of
boys and girls that have been the vic
tims of such deplorable misfortunes.
A REMARKABLE SUCCESS
WHICH THE LIFE OF HON. FELIX
CORPUT ILLUSTRATES.
No man in Georgia has achieved
success in more different directions
than has Hon. Felix Corput.
Born in Belgium and receiving bis
early education in Brussels he came
to Floyd county when yet a boy, and
became not only Americanized but
thoroughly Southernized.
The youngest of four brave broth]
ers who donned the gallant grey, he
joined the Cherokee artillery and saw
service on many a hard fought field
during the war between the states.
After the war he set out to earn a
livelihood and right well did he suc
ceed. In Macon he achieved such
prominence politically and socially
that he was elected aiderman and
mayor protein then honored with the
mayoralty for four consecutive
years, a position which he filled with
honor and distinction.
Returning to Floyd county he
established himself at Cave Spring
and soon became prominently identi
fied with state politics, and as one of
the ablest alliance leaders he was
urged by Grady and other prominent
political leaders to offer for the gov
ernorship of Georgia, but declined
He was elected to the state senate
from this district and served his con
constituency with honor and dis
tinction.
He was appointed one of the board
of directors of the Georgia Experi
ment station, and one of the boa>-d of
trustees of the State school for the
deaf, and is now president of the last
named board.
Genial, hospitable, courtly and
magnanimous, he is one of the strong-
est figures in publie life in the state.
His integrity is unquestioned and
his reputation for ability and probity
thoroughly established
He is now a candidate for legislative
honors. Mr. Corput is a thoroughly
representative man, broad minded, of
sound business ideas, matured judge
ment, and untiring energy, if elected
he will make one of the ablest and
most reliable members of that body of
law makers.
THE BIG GINNERY’
Os A. Redmond & Bro. Being Prepared
For the Cotton Season.
Messrs, A. P. Redmond & Bro., are
getting ready for the fall season with
their cotton gin machinery and long
before the first bale of cotton comes
in their mammoth ginnery’ just across
the bridge in the Fourth ward will be
remodelled throughout and fitted
I with the latest improved machinery
I in every’ respect. It will be one of the
i largest and best fitted up ginneries in
North Georgia, and they will be able
to turn out more bales of cotton per
day than any ginnery in the county.
The new machinery was received
last week and it consists of the most
modern and improved machines for
use in every’ branch of the business.
Mr. Redmond is now busy putting
the machinery in place, and as soon
as this part of the work is finished he
will make other improvements in the
building. With the new machinery he
will have a capacity of fifty bales.
Mr. Redmond has had considerable
experience in this line and the work
he turns out has always been of the
best kind. This season he will be bet
ter prepared than ever and it is need
less to say that those who want the
very best work in this line will call on
him
TO NASHVILLE ANO I ETI'KN.
The Western and ttlantic Railroad Offers
Very Low Kaus
For the inaugural c remonies of the
Tennessee Centennial ami Interna
tional Exposition, Nashville, Tenn.,
the Western and Atlantic railroad
will sell round trip tickets at one fare.
Only’ $6.25 from Rome to Nashville
and return. Tickets on sale May 31
and June 1, good to return until June
5. Direct connection made at Kings
ton with solid trains for Nashvil e.
Call on C. K. Ayer, Ticket Agent.