The Strand Magazine, Vol. 01, No. 06, June 1891: An Illustrated MonthlyVarious
General
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 01, No. 06, June 1891: An Illustrated Monthly
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
Even now we have not exhausted the possibilities of enjoyment which the
grounds afford the pupils of the College. During the summer time many
of the girls have their little plot of flower garden. They take the
greatest interest in the cultivation of plants which they cannot see,
and to place in their bosoms a flower which they have grown themselves,
is one of the delights of their lives.
[Illustration: THE KINDERGARTEN.]
So much for what Dr. Campbell properly regards as the generation of
the motive power of his young people's lives. The steam being ready,
along what lines does he make the human engine travel? We start with
the Kindergarten class. Half a dozen little girls are sitting at a
table interweaving slit paper which presently is to decorate baskets
and other things. One is a mite recently from Port Elizabeth, South
Africa. She has mastered the theory of her work, and her little fingers
only need practice to make them as efficient as those of her older
companions. In this room is a glass case containing some clay models
of pea-pods, buttercups, and other things that grow--which one would
imagine they could never readily grasp in detail--every one executed
by the pupils of the College. Even a small dog has not proved beyond
the powers of these magic modellers. From the Kindergarten to the
Geography class. Embossed maps lie on the table, and the pupils put
their fingers on The Wash in England, or on the Andes, or on Tasmania,
as quickly almost as one's eyes can travel from point to point. They
answer questions as to what grows in a certain place, or who discovered
it, accurately and readily. Other classes are learning geometry, the
rudiments of agriculture, French and arithmetic. The reading class is
one of the most interesting. Books in the Braille system lie before the
pupils, who are running their fingers deftly over the mass of dots, and
delivering passages from "Hamlet," with sufficient hesitation to prove
the genuineness of the reading, and yet with an intelligence not always
displayed by those with eyes who read Shakespeare aloud. Now and again
the pupil comes to a word such as "Fortinbras," and it gives her just
a moment's pause, creating an impression on one's mind of difficulties
overcome, which only _naïveté_ or the highest art could convey.
Some idea of the extraordinary pains necessary to teach the Braille
system--and it is unquestionably the best invented--may be gleaned from
the fact that it has to be written backwards. For instance, the paper
is placed between two strips of brass, the under strip being impressed
with a succession of holes, and the upper divided into small squares
through which the stylus or punch is passed.
[Illustration: CARPENTERING AND PIANO-MENDING.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account