Mentally Defective Children: A National Problem: Drastic Measures Needed: Lecture by Dr. Garrett: … … The necessity of the aftercare of those arrived at the age to leave school had been appreciated by persons with experience of the special schools; and something had been done by voluntary effort in Manchester, Birmingham, and London, in which connection he acknowledged the service of Mrs. Hume Pinsent and Dr. Caroline O’ Connor in providing him with particulars of the methods employed by the Birmingham subcommittee. In Birmingham it had been found that the only feasible plan for exercising adequate supervision was by collecting all the worst cases together in a resident colony, for the following reasons: — 1) To enable them to contribute to their own support: (2) to save them from vicious habits; (3) to save them from harsh treatment at home and in the streets; (4) to prevent them becoming drunkards, criminals, and prostitutes: (5) to prevent them giving birth to children who would only further burden the community. He gave statistics of the results of the efforts in Birmingham to find employment for these as free workers and drew the lesson that the business of dealing in a voluntary way with them was hopeless, and that it was absolutely necessary to take all into permanent public charge in industrial establishments or colonies. …
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive
Referenced
GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949