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Dr. Edward E. Allen, the Director Emeritus, continued during the past year to give his usual lectures, even though he is now in his eighty-fifth year. The present Director gave a number of lectures, but most of the work of administering the course falls to Dr. Samuel P. Hayes, for many years professor of psychology at Mount Holyoke College, but now a resident member of the staff at Perkins. This is Dr. Hayes's fifth year at directing the course, and during these years he has done much to enrich it and to raise the standards, so that all of the work is on a graduate level, and the courses are so grouped that academic credit can be given.

Another department of the school showing the widespread service of Perkins is the Deaf-Blind Department, which from its origin in 1931 has accepted from all parts of the country children who are deaf and blind. The Department has had eleven pupils s year One new pupil was admitted -- Perry Norris, a fourteen-year-old boy from Alabama. At the conclusion of the year Carolyn Edmundson from West Virginia was transferred to another school, and Betty Rimsen from Minnesota did not return. To fill these two vacancies James Brown, a five-year-old boy from Mississippi, and Pauline Mansfield, a fifteen-year-old girl from Washington, were accepted for admission in September 1946. Further extension of the work of this, department has been hampered by inability to secure teachers well qualified in the two fields of blindness and deafness. There are now six teachers and four attendants in the department who are able to give effective service only to ten or twelve pupils. We are therefore restricting the program to that number.

CHILDREN OF THE SILENT NIGHT

Because we accept deaf-blind children from all over the country we have for several years made an annual appeal on a national basis asking for assistance for this special department of the Perkins program. In November over ten thousand letters were sent to persons throughout the country, and with each a calendar picturing two the pupils: Robert Smithdas of Pennsylvania and Juanita Morgan of Colorado. The response to this appeal was gratifying as contributions were received from 1386 persons totalling, $13,185.71. In September 1946, Robert Smithdas was admitted to St. John's University Brooklyn, and had an article in the October issue of Vogue.

While writing of the Deaf-Blind Department, record should be made of the death on October 11, 1945, at Fulton, N. Y., of Thomas Stringer, who was one of the notable deaf-blind pupils at Perkins in the nineties. Tommy came to Perkins in April 1891 "a mere lump of breathing clay." At Perkins he grew up and became exceedingly proficient in woodwork. In 1913 he went to live with Lee Edgarton of Fulton, N. Y., where he made his home until his death. During this time he was profitably employed using his skill at woodwork in making of crates for fruits and vegetables grown on the farm.

The library, which also serves beyond the school as well as within has had the busiest year ever. Within the school 3626 textbooks were taken out for voluntary reading. In addition, the school used from library 1884 Talking Books. This number far exceeds the previous year's record. Beyond the school, the Perkins Library has provided reading matter, both embossed and talking, for the adult blind of most of New England. Here again a record has been set, with the report that there were circulated 7513 embossed books, and 17,827 Talking Books. 1082 embossed volumes and 868 Talking Book sets were accessioned by the library during the year. This represents 124 titles of embossed books, and 135 titles of Talking Books. In rendering this service, the library acts as one of the twenty-seven regional libraries sending out books which are provided by the Library of Congress.

NEW LIBRARY NEEDED

The increase in the service of the library has again brought to the fore the need for larger quarters. The library shelves are overflowing, and the facilities for shipping books are entirely inadequate. Plans prepared several years ago for a new building for the library have been reconsidered, and a committee has been appointed by the Trustees to formulate plans for the raising of money and the erection of a library building. The proposed building would not only house the library but would provide greatly-needed space for the Harvard Class and a center for the teachers, which would be a very important factor in the social life of the school. There is now no place on the grounds where the staff can meet for leisure-time activities. The building may also provide space for some of the work of the Howe Memorial Press.

The Howe Press has also had a busy year as the report printed elsewhere in this volume indicates. It has continued to produce Braille slates, writing boards, games for the blind, and other appliances for which there is an unceasing demand. The Map of the Month continues to grow in favor, and requests for it are received from all parts of the world. This is an embossed map featuring a portion of the world prominent in the news each month. The Press has not been able to put into production a Braille Writer but looks forward to that shortly; nor have they been able to produce recently any of the shorthand machines which are made only at the Howe Press. Considerable thought has been given during the year to the extension of the Howe Press activities and the exploration of new fields of service for the blind. As a result of this consideration it was felt advisable to move many of the activities of the Press from South Boston to Watertown. An extension on the present power house for the machine shop of the Press was authorized and constructed during the summer. It will begin operation early this coming year. It is hoped that all machine activities will be transferred to this new shop where Mr. Abraham, for many years connected with the Manual Training Department, and on leave of absence during the war for special mechanical work, will be in charge. Beginning in September Mr. Waterhouse, for several years a teacher of higher mathematics at the school, and on leave of absence for special mathematical work in connection with jet propulsion at the General Electric Company during the war, will assist in the managment of the Press. He will relieve the present manager, Mr. Bryan, of certain parts of the work, and in time will assume full management, as Mr. Bryan has reached the retirement age. Mr. Waterhouse was in charge of the WPA Map Project which was conducted at Perkins, and through his long association with Perkins has a good knowledge of the problems and needs of blind people whom the Press can serve.