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The cardinal features of idiocy and imbecility, the inferior physical organization, undeveloped special senses, defective muscular co-ordination weak will, feeble power of attention and observation, moral obtuseness and obliquity, all of these are as truly the essential condition of mere feeble-mindedness as of imbecility or idiocy. It is a difference of degree and not of kind.

The causes of idiocy and imbecility are the causes of feeblemindedness. The pathological conditions found in idiocy and imbecility differ only in degree and extent from those found in the brain of the feeble-minded.

Practically all of the American institutions for mental defectives were organized as strictly educational institutions. In one of his earlier reports Dr. Howe said, "It is a link in the chain of common schools, the last link indeed, but still a necessary link in order to include all the children in the State." From the beginning in 1848 to the present time, in nearly, if not all, of these schools in admitting new pupils, preference has been given to the cases with lesser degrees of mental defect as offering greater opportunity for useful development.

The admission and retention of low grade idiots and imbeciles to these institutions and custodial care of adults in large numbers came about slowly and gradually.

There has been a general belief that even the slightly feeble-minded could be successfully trained and educated only under institution conditions, where not only the proper school instruction could be given, but where the child's whole life could be controlled and regulated. At the same time it has been recognized that in institution life, notwithstanding the many advantages not to be obtained elsewhere, there is more or less loss of the opportunity for profiting by the teaching of experience obtained in normal family life in the home and in the outside world. It is possible, however, that on the whole the child gains more than he loses.

"In a well regulated institution the child's life is carefully supervised; he is told when to get up in the morning, what garments to put on, when to go to meals, what articles of food he shall eat, how much he shall eat, and he is kept from danger of all kinds; his daily duties, conduct and even his pleasures are plainly indicated and prescribed, and finally he is told when to go to bed at night. This guardianship is absolutely necessary, not only for his immediate welfare, but that he may acquire proper habits of life. But we try to accomplish all this in such a way that the child's personality shall be developed and brought out, and not lost sight of and extinguished. We spare no effort to bring into each child's life and experience that knowledge of common events and familiarity with the manners and customs of ordinary life that are just as essential parts of the real education of normal children as the usual instruction received in the school-room."

The hopes of some of the earlier leaders in this work that a large proportion of the higher grade cases could be educated to the point of supporting themselves, have not been realized, although each year a certain proportion of the trained cases leave these institutions and lead useful, harmless lives, supporting themselves by their own efforts. Of the great majority of these trained cases it has well been said that they may become "self-supporting but not self-controlling."

The one great deduction from the sixty years' experience in the education of the feeble-minded, is that under the best conditions only a very small proportion even of the higher grade cases become desirable members of the community. They need protection and care and the family and community should be protected from their certain tendency to drift into pauperism, prostitution and crime.

Notwithstanding the opportunities for the instruction of feeble-minded children in the existing American institutions, there are certain reasons justifiying -sic- the organization of special classes in the public schools of the larger cities of this country.

It has been fairly well proved that Dr. Warner's estimate holds goad here, and that at least one per cent of the children in the public schools under fourteen years of age are defective mentally.

I can readily understand that a parent with a refined, comfortable, well-regulated home, would greatly prefer the special classes to an institutional school. One of the greatest benefits would be the relief which these classes would afford to the normal children in the public schools, who are annoyed and hampered by the presence of defective children.

Every child has the right to receive education suited to his need and capacity.

It is a great hardship to the child and parents to send a child of tender years away from home to a distant institution to be cared for by strangers.

In spite of the great advantages to be obtained in the institution the child is deprived of normal home life, the moral and social influence of the mother and the wholesome relations with the community. As a rule the pupil would be put under special training much earlier if such classes were available. Many pupils would receive training who would not be sent to an institution. Under present conditions many cases are entirely deprived of opportunity for education.