Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-07-19
From the S. S. Journal.

LIE LEAF AND UUMB.-1ne 2lSt an.
nual report of the directors Of the asylum
at Hartford for The Education and Instruct.
ion oflhe Deaf and Dumb is very inter.
setting document. The institution has 100
pupils, under the care of Mr.. Weld, as
principal, and nine assistants, besides
steward and matron. Twenty-one of the
pupils are supported by their friends, and
nost ofthe rest by seven different states
which have appropriated funds for this OBJ.
ject. The charge is one hundred dollars
annually, and the term Of instruction is now
fixed at five years. The expenses of the
institution for the last year for salaries and
the maintenance of the household were
about $2l ZOO.
One of the present benefciaries Of the
asylum is woman now. thirty years Of age
who has been an inmate for twelve years,
and deprived. ne,.-4aslx-~.al-A>.-;;
speech, but also of sight. She is native
of Hartford, and was deprived Of these
faculties, at the age Of four and half
years, by typhus fever. A moro hopeless
subject of instruction can scarcely be i'm.
magined-the senses of touch, taste, and
smell being the only remaining means of
external communication to the mind. Yet
she has been so far enabled to understand
the language Of felt signs as to present the
following results:
"She is sent for an article Of dress, for
her scissors, thimble, or any thing of her
own, witt entire ease and with as much Ger.
tainty that she understands what is wanted,
and will procure #, as could be had ia the
case Of almost any other person. If one
whom she knows is SIX, she is informed
of it; or if death occurs, she makes the
sign for weeping, for being sorry, and per.
haps for burying, and is desirous of going
to see the corpse. II permitted, she ex.
amines the grave clothe, feels the face and
hands of the dead body with great delicacy
! and carefnlness, makes the sign for being
dead, says the friends are sorry, etc. Still
we do not know what her ideas of death
are. She cannotfai to know that great
change has passed upon.the body, and that
soon after it is carried away; but farther
than this, all is probably MYSTERIOUS. Sew.
eral deaths have occurred in the asylum
since her residence here. all Of which have
been deeply interesting to Julia. From
the first, she undoubtedly obtained her os.
lginal ideas, whatever they were, Of SO
great change; for when after careful
Examination, she satisfied herself that the
body was incapable of motion, and had
ceased to breathe, she seemed filled with
horror. In succeeding instances she has
been less deeply affected, Though the impress
sion in each has been agitatins and dis.
tressing in considerable degree. She is
disposed to make signs about the event
while it is recent, to herself sometimes, and
to others, whenever it is alluded to.
"On the Sabbath, Julia dresses herself
in her best clothing, and taking her rocking.
chair, begins the observance of the day,
by abstaining from all her customary EN-.
movements. She never fails to know when
tbe Sabbath returns, nor to keep it through.
ont. negatively at least, in the strictest
manner. This, so far as we know, is simp.
lv the result of habit, and in imitation OF
the example Of those around her. She
probably recollects nothing of What she
NAV have been taught previous to her
misfortune, in regard to the nature of the
Sabbath; nor indeed is it probable that she
was, at that early age ever taught at all on
this subject. except by the examples other
friends. She shows certain regard for
the Sabbath in another way. When per.
mitted 10 visit her mother, and spend some
days with her. she can never be persuaded
to remain longer than till the afternoon of
Saturday: but gets her bonnet and insists
upon returning soon after dinner. What
her reason is we cannot discover, unless
perhaps desire to enjoy the quiet and rest
Of This daY 10 her own rocking chair anc