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The Village school was destined to furnish help in generous measure. It had recognized these difficulties from the first; had realized the essential need of understanding its children, not en masse but individually. It knew that this understanding must be reached through patient, persevering study of each child by specially trained teachers, cottage and other employees; that every possible facility in the way of equipment for school and manual instruction, for recreation, physical development, useful and directed work adjusted to their capacity, scientific research, diet, habit training, any and everything to supply their needs, must be utilized.

There were nearly two hundred and fifty of these different, difficult, and misunderstood children in the village by 1900. The first important step for them had been taken when they were rescued from homes and schools where they had been compelled to compete with, or at least were judged by the standards of normal children. The Village had received these boys and girls voluntarily. Therefore its responsibility to and for them was all the greater.

During the early years of the Village its methods of training, adjusted to the individual needs and capacities of its slowed-up children, were drawing it into the educational spot-light. Educators, teachers and others, were asking questions from a distance or coming to learn at first hand. This outside interest moved the Superintendent, now Director of The Training School, Professor E. R. Johnstone, to establish in 1903, a summer school for teachers, which still continues. Out of this, in 1906, came the present Research Laboratory. Both of them grew out of the creation, in 1901, of a Paidological Staff, composed of scientists and educators, unpaid and serving in an advisory and consultant capacity. Each of these has its own place in the stories, as will appear.

The work of The Training School's Research Laboratory, first of its kind, beginning in 1906, early confirmed the necessity of conforming the life of the individual child to a level adjusted to his capacity to occupy continuously without undue effort. Apparently light responsibilities placed upon them, though seemingly well within their physical and mental powers and carried for a while without apparent strain, resulted in breakdowns if continued too long. Here was clear evidence that the level of life for such children in their own little world must not be too high.

Susie, for example, had done well in her school classes, in bedmaking, dishwashing, laundry work. Because she was apt, neat, ambitious, she was placed in the officer's diningroom as a waitress. For many months there was no evidence that the finer and more exacting responsibilities and the new atmosphere in which she worked for three hours a day, were beyond the normal use of her powers. Presently, however, she showed signs of fatigue, lost weight, spilled food, dropped dishes. Susie was getting nervous. She was making every effort to force herself to keep up the pace. The harder she tried, the more mistakes she made. She was unhappy. The hill had been too steep for her -- yet she had climbed it and reached the higher plane. She had succeeded. For many months she had lived joyously and worked happily on this higher plane; but it was too high -- the atmosphere too rare to sustain her much longer. She didn't realize that she was already stumbling toward the precipice. Her stumbles were spilled coffee, dropped dishes, inattention, over-anxiousness, hurry and consequent mistakes. She was using the last of her nerve to keep up with the other girls. The going was too hard. Fear -- fear of failure, held her.

What would have happened to Susie if she had been working outside for her living? She'd have lost her job. And then? The answer to that is found in the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Susies who are all about us, striving just to live; struggling blindly with their own incapacity against callous indifference and misunderstanding. If only society could see what it looks at -- and understand!

What did happen to this Susie? Well, there were seeing and understanding eyes in that diningroom. At the weekly meeting of the "Children's Committee," (The Director, School Principal, Superintendent, heads of Research and other departments of the School), there was a consultation over Susie. Beyond question something must be done. It was. Susie got a few days of quietness and rest in the hospital. Then her readjustment was placed in the hands of the School Principal, Alice M. Nash.

Mrs. Nash has organized and directed the school and industrial training of all of the children for many years. It was her eyes which saw the beginning of Susie's difficulties; her knowledge and experience that correctly diagnosed the real trouble. She didn't take Susie from the diningroom -- the sense of failure that would have been Susie's if that had happened would have completed her downfall. No, Susie was promoted from the diningroom to the domestic science classroom. Domestic science is a part of the school curriculum; therefore in Mrs. Nash's own department. The domestic science teacher, (how beautifully it all seemed to happen!) wanted a girl helper. She wanted Susie, who could do many of the simpler tasks, even aiding with the younger and less competent girls, and all without carrying too heavy a load of responsibility. Susie's fear subsided; the going was easier. Her happiness returned.