Volume 2

Histories of American schools for the deaf, 1817-1893 / prepared for the Volta Bureau by the principals and superintendents of the schools, and published in commemoration of the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America ; edited by Edward Allen Fay.

Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Histories of American schools for the deaf, 1817-1893 / prepared for the Volta Bureau by the principals and superintendents of the schools, and published in commemoration of the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America ; edited by Edward Allen Fay. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    256/966 (page 16)
    Gas pipes were laid, though, at the time, there was no gas manufactory in town. March 17, 1868, St. Patrick's Day, was the long antici- pated day for removal. As evening fell, the last load of furniture and household goods was transported, and the Minnesota School for the Deaf was established in its per- manent quarters. Who can picture the delight of one and all, from the Superintendent down lo the youngest pupil, at taking possession of their warm, bright, and roomy home on the hill, and bidding adieu forever to the old wooden struc- ture, with its cold draughts, its rats and mice, and the hun- dred and one other discomforts that had been endured for five years? That old building has long since disappeared. No trace of it now remains save the excavation that once did duty as a cellar and rat rendezvous. The opening of the school year following the occupation of the new building, witnessed a large increase in the number of pupils. The Annual Report, submitted in December, showed an attendance of 53. As the building had been originally planned to accommodate 50 pupils comfortably, it will be seen that the Board of Directors and the Superintend- ent were fully justified in urging upon the Legislature the desirability of at once commencing the erection of the South Wing. They were so far successful that sufficient money was appropriated to lay the foundations of the building up to the first story level. The year 1870 was memorable in the history of the School as mai king two important events. The first of these was the introduction of manual training by the open- ing of a cooper shop in January. More will be said on this point under the head of Industrial Training further on. The second event was the completion of the regular course of study of five years, together with the special addition of two years, by a class of five pupils, and the severance of their connection with the School, in June. Two of the five re- ceived the regular diplomas of graduates, while the other three were given certificates of honorable discharge. The two graduates were