tinuance of the schools, is
none the less commendable,--and indeed is one that should be declared in
every state. Such provision concerning the education of the deaf, more
direct in some than in others, is found in the constitutions of
twenty-seven, or a little over half of the states. These are Alabama,
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.[475]

New York in 1846 was the first state to make reference thus to a school
for the deaf. Michigan, however, in 1850 was the first state to provide
directly for their education, followed in 1851 by Indiana and Ohio. Of
the forty-two states adopting constitutions since 1846, twenty-seven
have made reference to schools, while fifteen have failed to do so. Of
the twenty states adopting constitutions since 1889, sixteen have made
such provision.[476] It is to be noted, however, that many of the states
with special reference to the education of the deaf have comparatively
recent constitutions, while in others where no such provision is found,
the present constitutions often date far back in our national history,
and were adopted before attention had been called to the needs of the
deaf and similar classes. Hence, in general, it is not to be concluded
from the mere presence or absence of a reference in the constitution
that certain states are more solicitous than others for the education of
their deaf children.

LANGUAGE AND FORMS OF PROVISIONS

The language of these constitutional provisions for schools for the deaf
varies to some extent.[477] In all of the constitutions, with the
exception of that in Minnesota, schools for the deaf are coupled with
those for the blind, and unless the provision is under the caption of
"education," institutions for the insane are likewise provided for in
the same clause. In several instances there is more than one reference
to the school for the deaf.[478]

The most usual statement is that institutions for the deaf and dumb, the
blind, and the insane shall be established and maintained, or fostered
and supported, by the state, as in Arizona,[479] Colorado,[480]
Florida,[481] Idaho,[482] Kansas,[483] Michigan,[484] Montana,[485]
Nevada,[486] Ohio,[487] South Carolina,[488] Utah,[489] and
Washington.[490] In the Sou