Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-10-30
From the Connecticut Journal.
.Ns,v-H aren, Oct. ss.
TNTERESTING.

zen of the Legislature OF the town Iof
The purpose of giving tiiem an oPpertuni--
y OF witnessing the efficacy OF his yene-
lrable instructor. the Able Sicard's mode
lof teaching the deaf and dumb. Mr..
CLERK prepared an address for the coca
sian. copy Of which we lay before our
READERS, assuring them at the same time,
| On the authority of his friend, MIR. Gal
llaudet, that, with the exception Of a few
corrections, which we have faithfully and
infinitely printed, it was entirely his own,
both With regard to thought and style,
without any thing being suggested, OF dc
ttated by any other person, e under
stand, also. that it was the fruit Of about
tour or Ave hours laber. Our simple OBJ
Iiect In stating this is to show the entire
efficacy of that mode OF instruction
which is capable of produc ing such re-
suits. We also add several replies which
were made by Mr.. Clerc to questions
proposed on the spot.
Gentlemea--I am stranger, but !
| hope You will deian to attend (to attend
! tol Frenchman who has come In (to}
Anne lea to do good. Since my arrival
lat (ia) your country, | have been in ma
my of your principal towns Every
where have seen Numerous and public
monuments of yosr benefcenee towards
humanity establishments for the in
struction of youth, retirihgs fer tie poor,
hoscitals for the sick, prisons for the MA ]
letactors. To my greatresret have
seen none for the Deaf and Dumb per
sons, and nevertheless these unfortunate,
who are innocent and interesting beings,
deserved no less right to your bsneve-l
lence.
1t isa great benefit, without doubt, To
rescue from their misfortune those whom
nature has deprived of the sei Sc of hear
ing I; to restore them to society, to their
families, to the cultivation of their under
standing, in the same degree as if they
could hear and speak to render them
proper to almost every kind Of la5ours
(labour) for the acquisition Of all the arts
and OF all the sciences. and fer filling
every [erery was erased in the address
as read various empIoyments in this
manner, to bring comfort to their parents,
to whom they are in the indulgence IN
iadigenee] painful burthen. and in the
easier and higher raaks of the life Tot
life a subject of affection to preserve
perhaps some of the exalted geniuses
who ad@ance the bounds of our know
lodges knowtedge] who do homer 10 hui
manly, and who are its benefactors.
Pray occupy yourselves, Gentlemen,
with this important object. Mingle yout
generosity with that of Europeans
Urge the establishment of this school
Give the example to the Legislature
{ Legislatures of the other States of A.
merica. Call on all enlightened and
feeling minds to assist you. Touch
them with that ardent zeal which ami
mates here an entire nation for every
thing which tends to the instruction OF
infancy, to the soothing of misfortune,
and to the prevention of crimes.
Ifthose who have told me it, are cor.
rectly Informed, there arc more than sOoo|
deaf and dumb in the United States of
America without education. I have seen
many of them either [both young and
old in Hartford, Boston, Salem, and n.
Haven. They are, must confess it, en-
lowed with considerable intelligence i
they have idea IAN ideal of the most
common uses and customs, and of what
strikes the sense of sight; but who cant
prove to US that they may have Tha!
they also haze idea an ideu ne abstract
qualities of the objects purely intelligihle
Cintelltctual] and Of all that exist in the
understanding It is almost impossible
to have IDEA sa ideal of metaphysics,
the mysteries OF religion, the faculties of
the mind and of the heart. if at first " eI
have not learned to write and to read,
tor it is in proportion as we instruct our
selves, that we can acquire the know
hedges kno'eteage of ineligible IN
tellectaat things, and then the language
lot signs on ineligible Iinteheetualli
things, as simple as nature is capsule OF
extending itself like her, and of attaining
the further limits OF human thought.
have conversed by signs, with
Those deaf and dumb abovema ntion-
,ed; we have undertaken (aaderstood)
each others {other) perfectly we'll, be
because we have spoken of material OBJ
ijects and this language is universal.
tt shall never forget the days in which II
made acquaintance with MIR. Thomas
Aspiuw,ll,a deaf and dumb person of
Roybury, near Boston, and more espe-I
icialsy with young lady of about (about)
|taelve years old of Hartford, and sur
iDrisinoly intellioent for her 400 and