The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-09-12 00:00:00

hich has advanced so rapidly

mation as the school in Liverpool. Or

evidence

gratiryit.

tide which we subjoin. It is taken fr(

the " Churchman's Companion," for the present month,
published by Masters and Co., London ; and is entitled

TUE EDUCATION OP TUE DEAF AND DUMB

It is believed that the number of the deaf and dumb in
this country is not less than fourteen thousand. The pro-
portion of these who are actually under instruction is
considerably less than one-tenth of the whole. Before
Institutions for their education were so numerous, or so
well known as they are at present, great numbers now
living must have grown up without instruction ; and
from want of means, and other causes, many are now
growing up past the eligible age, who, unless rescued in
time, must also remain in the darkness of perpetual igno-
rance. But besides these, there must be a large proportion
of adult persons, who, having pupils in their youth, have
then gone forth to the performance of the duties which
devolved upon them in their own sphere., and rank of life.
Yet, until a century ago, not one of this afflicted class,
in any country of the world, had any opportunity of
obtaining education. At that time, private enterprise
originated a school in Great Britain; personal benevolence
set another on foot in France ; and a third grew into ex-
istence in Germany. From these beginnings have arisen
the various schools, which are now to be found, in so many
of the larger cities and towns of Europe and America.
We propose describing, in the present article, a visit
recently paid to the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb in
Liverpool. The pupils there,—sixty in number,—of both
sexes,—are between the ages of eight and sixteen years,
and are in every stage of advancement —from the earliest
quickening of the torpid intelligence by the first inlet of
knowledge, up to very creditable degrees of acquirement
in the ordinary topics of instruction, and in the knowledge
of revealed truth.
It must be obvious that a child who never heard sounds
can have no knowledge of words, either spoken or written.
He will at once recognise a multitude of common objects,
when he sees them represented in a picture, and he may
be familiar with their uses,—but he can have no know-
ledge of their names ; for if you tell him, he cannot hear
you, and if you show him the written or printed word, he
cannot read it. How then would you begin to convey
instruction to a mind so entombed— so painfully isolated,—
in its utter, helpless ignorance ? This question at once
suggests the whole difficulty of the work, and reveals the
nature of the very curious and interesting process which
is being carried on daily in our schools for the deaf and
dumb. _ _

The first thing to be done is to teach the pupil that
written characters have the same signification and value
for us which pictures or imitative gestures have for him ;
that the word " cow," for instance, calls up to our minds
the idea of that animal as effectually as a picture would do.
You teach him, therefore, that his imitative sign is to be
associated with words, as well as with pictures. To his
vocabulary of nouns, thus acquired, and constantly in-
creasing, he proceeds to add a knowledge of those words
which describe the qualities of objects ; and at 'first, these
too see confined to the representation of what is •visible.
The "cow" is said to be—a brown cow—a black cow—or
a large, a inlet, or a lazy one. From adjectives, he goes
on to verbs, and supposing the same noun to be the nomi-
native, is tauAt to say that the "cow " walks, or, ,eat 4,

ng classes —i. e., whether the atteudanc

stify the necessary

tional expense and labour-and also whether it would

ach an additional tax on the ti

more profitably employed in

ad sick of the district. On all these points serious doubts

atertained ; but, at all events, a Daily Evening

Service might be attempted, with a Lecture twice a week, say
on Wednesdays and Fridays. In the evenings the poor are

ged, and many of them, I a

Itend a central Church c

vice were not too I

John's Church on Tuesday evening

and there is every

that, with a proper system of effective pas

itation, their numbers might be largely increased

I may add that, from what I know of the Ineumb(
' St. John's Church, I believe that he would be qu

willing to enter into the ideas of those who would desire t

at Church a model, where the system of the Churc

enjoys the confidence of the working-c

attachment to the Protestant principles of the National

Church, and is, therefore, favourably circumstanced to make

the experiment, whether a Church might not be at once
strictly rubrical in all that pertains to Divine worship, and,

1 the same time, decidedly evanr,

lical in matters of doctrine

It cannot be denied that the censure, lately cast on the

present mode of conducting Divine worship in some of the
Churches of this town is but too well founded. Still it should
be borne in mind that these irregularities are not always the
result of intentional violation of the Church's order, but of
the laxity which prevailed in years gone by; and they are

now persevered in simply because of an unwillingness to

depart from established usage. In one particular especially
is this the case. I mean the Offertory. Some of the Clergy
would gladly resuin it, were they not deterred from so
doing, lest it should be esteemed an innovation. I need not
point out what an inestimable blessing it would prove, if our
congregations were trained according to the Apostolic
exhortation, "Let every one of you, on the first day of
the week, by by him in store as God bath prospered him,
that there be no gatherings when I come." It would do away
with that very questionable excitement connected with annual
sermons and popular appeals, from which our people are now
hardly ever free. Trained to give every Sabbath Day, they
would soon learn to do so on principle. It should be charged
upon them, from time to time, to make it a matter of con-
science before God, bow much each could spare out of the
earnings or profits of the past week. Thus a habit of giving
for the glory of God would be established in them, and the
coffers of our religious institutions would be filled to over-
flowing. Nor need this do away with occasional sermons, or
meetings, for the purpose of imparting informati.in on the
workings and success of the various societies. The disposal
of the moneys thus collected would be, of course, left to the
discretion of the clergy and wardens, who would not only
have enough for the poor, but at the end of the year might
appropriate a large surplus to the general cause of Chris-
tianity, according to the exigencies and claims of the various
societies.

Trust int that the suggestions you have thrown out may be
taken up in the proper quarter, believe me, yours truly,
Liverpool, Sept. 8, 1854. ANGLICANUS.

VISCOUNT AND VISCOUNTESS CANNING have sailed in
his lordship's yacht, the Fair Rosamond, on a cruise in
the Baltic, where the noble Postmaster-General will visit
the English and French fleets, returning to England at
the close of the month, when her ladyship will go in
waiting to the Sovereign at Balmoral.
MILITARY NEWS.—(From the London Gazette).—
War-office, Sept. Bth :--46th Regiment of Foot. Lieut.
Thomas J. Barlow Connell, from the 3rd West India
Regiment, to be Lieutenant, vice Perry, cashiered, but
allowed to receive the value of his commissions ; Lieut.
the Hon. William Henry Herbert, from the 43rd Foot,
'to be Lieutenant, vice Greer, removed from the service,
.h allowed to receive the value of his commissions.