Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-20 00:00:00

4/-4 "DEAF AND DUN INdirit TI PI..
"1.1

The annual general meeting of the trustees and friends
of this institution was held in the board-room of the
schools, Oxford-street East, yesterday forenoon. The
Rev. Rector Campbell- presided .on the occasion ; and
the general littendance was of an average description.
The following report was submitted to the meeting
by the secretary, the Rev. T. B. Banner

In presenting to the subscribers their report of, the LiTer-
pool School for the Deaf and Dumb for the past year, the com-
mittee can do little more than repeat the statement of former
years, that the institution continues to prosper.,.and is carrying
out with increasing success the benevolent designs of its, pro-
moters.

The whole of , the available space for resident pupils is now
fully occupied. While the rules prescribe that children shall
be admitted "from all parts of the United Kingdom:" it has
been found necessary to discourage applications from districts
beyond the immediate neighbourhood of Liverpool, and to
limit the admissions to children who had the best local claim. '
The girls' dormitory has its full complement of inmates, and
that of the. bays is inconveniently crowded ; and as the number
-of applicants for adinission does not diminish,
,the committee
have entered upon the question of enlarging the building,
which they consider can now no longer be delayed. Plans and
specifications have been prepared, which etettemplate a large
addition to the present available space, and also—what is no
less necessary and important---a vast improvement in the
present arrangements. The building, which was-erected in
1840-1, hes never been supplied with the. proper requisites for
efficiently conducting Such an institution ; yet- it must be evie
dent at once that much may be done by proper arrangements
in the constructisn of a building to facilitate good order and
management, and to carry out the objects of moral.training
and discipline for„which the pupils are-brought hither. '
While it is quite true that all children must learn a great
deal at school, it is most emphatically true that deaf and
dumb children have everything to = learn there. Their afflic-
tion places them beymid ,the reach of home influences of an
ordinary character, and all their moral training devolves upon
those who have the teaching of them at school. Order, ,
method, regularity,, punctuality, and despatch, even common
cleanliness and decency, must be impressed upon the elfarac-
ter while-they-are resident here; and it need hardly be-pointed
out how,mpch this may be facilitated and-helped on' the one :hand by good arrangements, and obstructed and defeated on
the otheriby faulty-ones. The duties of the instructor of the
deaf-mute are always and inevitably very arduous; but.they
may be made immeasurably more- difficult -by defective or
faulty arrangements, which both increase bodily labour and
entail additional mental anxiety.
Of the present building it may truly be said that same Parts
of it are so good that they could not be improved, and others
so bad that.they could-not possibly be W 01143. It is to remedy
these proved defects and to enlarge its accommodations to the
extent required by the increased number of applicants for ,
admission that the committee now apPeal for special help. -
The number of pupils resident in the institution is double
what it was EiX years ago, and three times as large as at the
end of 1851, when the present principal was appointed to his
office. From the pupils of this class the payments have now
reached a sum exceeding £7OO a-year, being an increase on the
last year of £l4O. The subscription list exhibits a slight
increase also ; in new and augmented subscriptions £43 ss. 6d.
have been received; the sum lost by deaths and withdrawals
was £33.6i. 6d., leaving a netincrease of £lO Is. • but this will
now,disappear, in consequence of the decease of'several of the
subsc'ibers 'since the last year's payment was made. No
legacies whatever have been received during the year, and the
amount of donations is unusually small. This may be pointed
out-as justifying the committee for keening in view, as they
striae invariably to do; the necessity of making the ordinary
income cover the ordinary expenditure, and it is gratifying to
see that. the exces's of cost-for pro Visions, &c., during the p:'lst
year, required by the increased number of inmates, is fully
met by the increased amount received 'on account of the pupils
themselves, but the whole-income of the year falls short of the
expenditure by, the sum of £36 ls. . ;
A commencement has been made towards raising a special
fluid for extending ehebuilding, -and the committee hope that
an institution so economically conducted, so unquestionably
beneficial to a"blase-iini cad by no other means be benefitted at
all, and which has never for twenty years made any special
appeal or preferred, any extra n•dinary claim upon public
beneficence, will-notnow appeal in vain for the means to make
it increasingly, useful to the class it is designed- to benefit,
andel-lore suitable than it ever has been for the accomplish-
ment of its Own peculiar purpoSee.
In the election of, the committee for the ensuing year some
new members will have to be appointed in the room of those
who have been removed by death beyond the reach of thanis
.for their kind interest and good service to the institution. It
is also necessary to nominate a gentleman to supply the place
of the able. and efficient honorary secretary, who after 13 years'
'occupancy-of that office, finds himself obliged, by the increased
pressure of other engagements, to res.gm. it. The value of the
earlier services of Mr. Edwvd Banner is now only known to
.ferie; but it Would not be right to allow him to vacate the office
he has so well, filled without recording the lact that it was
mainly through him that the difficulties which led to the
change in the-management 'of- the institution some, years ago
were successfully overcome, and that beneficial change fully
carried out; to which the subsequent success and, the present
high position and character of the institution are unquestion-
ably due. As the successor to Mr. Edward Banrier, the com-
mittee-have much pleasure in proposing his brother the Rev.
Thomas B. ,Banner, whose church the pupils regularly attend,
'arid who has for several years taken a warm end lively interest
in all which concerns the welfare of the institution.
Observation of the pupils, as they pass through the various
classes in the school, affords striking proofs of the value of
education to those from-WES& wioona is at the principal
"entrance quite shut ,out. - But-no evidence is so touching,
and none can be so ,satisfactory, as that_spontaneously borne
by the parents and friends of the pupils, who, remembering
what the children were before education, and seeing from time
to time with thankfulness, and .often with wonder, what they
are graduallyy, becoining, express themselves, incidentally, when
writing to-the principal, in'terms of which the following are
specimens. It must be added, too, that these statements are
not-in answer to questions—else.they might bemultiplied fifty-
fold—but are voluntarily made, and extracted from ordinary
private correspondence: , One mother writes, " I take this
opportunity to express my gratitude to you for the great pro-
gress he has made in-his schooling. He has been a very good
boy 'hiring his stay at home. " This the resident clergyman
confirms in 'another letter_by saying, "I am glad to See hiin so
much, improved in every way. He is not like the same boy
he was two yea:a 'ago." A gentleman writes Concerning two
brothers, "I: conducts himself well at home. T. gives way
to temper, but both have improved very much." A grateful
father writes, " I consider I Cannot speak too highly of you
and the establishment; and the deep obligations I am under
to. you Lmarneyer be able to repay, but they will always fill
my heart with thankfulness and gratitude." And again he
says, " I received a letter from E. some time ago. We were
greatly pleased to see so much improvement. She speaks highly
of you being gool to he and all the children. I feel satisfied
on that point, otherwise I would make inquiry after her oftener.
Allow me to say I feel under a deep obligation to and
----; and your- kindness will never be forgotten by me." A
lady writes concerning another child, "Mrs. -- and the
friends of E. W. are much gratified with the great progress
attainmentsnheeryartrel
she has made in so short, a time under Mr. Buxton's care."
writes
—nr-‘l3ililieaasttseention
accept
myare
very
bestowed upon him
con-
siderablethanks
f an k ones
by o
for
allfor
a his
thef deafthk
in connection with his stafelinge 6ins" Of another his parents
father wyodn, rie
say—" We are all, delighted with. the progress he has made,
and bat for this institution, he would have been doomed to
ignorance and poverty of mind." The vestry-clerk of a rural
pariah, writing. about a boy who left school at midsummer last,
says —" It is with much pleasure that I can beer streng testi-
s
mom, to the very good conduct-of W. T. since he left you. We
have apprenticed him to a- steady man to learn the trade Of a
shoemaker, that being the trade the boy fixed on himself. _ He
also attends the Sabbath school in this place the managers of
which speak well of him."
It is to maintain and extend this good work that the com-
mittee ask for a continuance
,of the accustomed support, and
for the additional means now required to enlarge the capacity
and improve the accommodation of the present building. It
is believed that this may be-accomplished for about £l3OO or
£l4OO. Ahoy will not permit themselves to doubt the success
of their appeal when it is known how much is done here for
those'for whom nothing can be-done in any other , way ; how
%heir mind are cultivated, their affections guided, their souls-
enlightened with the true " wisdom which is from abeye," so
that, "through the tender mercy of our God," it is the high
privilege and duty of this institution "to give light to them
that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide
their feet into the way of peace."

On the motion -of the Chairman, seconded by Mr.
Elias Arnaud, the report was unanimously adopted.
The financial statement showed-the receipts for the
year to have been £1,460 14si 6d., against an expendi-
ture of £1,523 2s. 9d. The institution commenced the
year with a balance, which had- been absorbed; and the
total balance at present existing against the institution
amounts to 136 is. 4d. -
Thanks were voted to the president, the members of
the committee, Mr. Buiteii,lnd others, for their services
during the past year ; and aispecial vote of thinks was
accorded. to -Mr. Edward Banner; late honoraiy secre-
tary, for his great attention-to the interests of the insti-
tution during the period he had held office.
On the motion of the Rev. T. Moore, seconded by
Mr. -.E. Arnaud, a resolution was passed, in accordance
with-the recommendation contained. in the report, to the
effect that in consequence of the crowded, state of the
schools, and the number of pupils rather increasing than
diminishing, an
.enlargement of the building was abso-
lutely necessary, and that an appeal be made to the
public for the requisite funds.
Avoteof thanks to the chairman terminated the
proceedings.

RARE DOMESTIC•
EvE,yr —We find the following in
daughters—one bl,ornlB6oon. the
paper Silverhillocks, Gamrie, the wife
tt
caei;no dh ae
informationur
was given of
Ex ENS ROBBER ATTILE INLAND REVENUE-
of Charles
sFSCtic ohcpaTEtrte.licisehemoiWvbnEeirl,swolnetidson9f:
another most mysterious and peculiar robbery, which of
late has been so frequent in the metropolis, and which
has occurred at the Collector's Inland -Revenue-office,
North London District. The premises in question are
in Gresham House, Old Bioad-street, City. It appears
that some repairs were found necessary in the office,
and the workmen tame after the clerks left the office.
On returning to their duties in the morning they at
once discovered that a Spanish iron safe, about two feet
square, had been carried away, containing about £l2O
in gold, £6O in £5 Bank of England notes, besides a
quantity of half sovereigns, copper moneys, and light
sovereigns, amounting to nearly £2OO. The safe is
supposed to have been moved away by two men in some
matting. A most searching investigation is being made
by the City detective police, but up to the present
time not the slightest clue is obtained of the thieves. A
_most handsome reward is offered for their apprehension.

0(2 -2-csus,7:o,frb;l'T
-Friatiy, January --2 u, It6o.