The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-01-24
Miscellaneous.
The Deaf and Dumb Speaking.

n DR.. Elisha Bartlett of Lowell, who is ex-I
A ,nsively known for his ability and attain
" rents in his profession, is now travelling in
n Europe. In letter from Vienna, dated Oc-
II yter last, he mentions two remarkable insti-
n aious he had visited, the one for teaching
tie deaf and dumb to speak, and the other
\ for the instruction ofidots.
\ lie thus describes the first;
Twill devote my present letter principally
% description of my visit to the German in
4 ,,.utions orteaching the deaf and dumb 10
1rk ! must confess, that before leaving
lone. had but small faith, will no, say ex
lcJy in the possibility, or the practicablity of
a. achievement, in individual instances, but
ID is general usefulness and applicability, as
lsysten of education for the deaf and dumb.
a visit to the institutions in Leipsic and Ber-
n nhas wholly changed my opinions, which
we're, before these visits, the offspring of ig-
a6rauca, but which are now founded on posi-
tive knowledge. | went TO the establishment
uLaipsic one of the oldest and best in Ger
many, accompanied by DIR. Vogel, and y. p.
Will. and his brother. We were shown by
the excellent director, and by several of the
teachers, tie processes and operations made
use otia enabling the deafa dumb TO give
distinct vocal utterance to their thoughts. 1t
would not he easy to convey TO you n clear
and adequate conception ofthese processes.
by any description that can send you in my
Letter. and will not attempt To do so. II win
be sufficient for me to say. that the pupil by
placing his hands or fingers on the throat of
the teacher. so as 10 feel the voice, and then
by placing them on his own, for the same
prpose,-by Initiating the motions of the
eacher's lips and tongue aud jaws-and by
similar means, comes at last to utter the ele-
mentary sounds. He is then carried along
from the easier and simpler elements Of
speech to their more difficult and complex
combinations, until, finally, as witnessed i'm
several cases, he is enabled to speak with
readiness and distinctness sufficient for all
the daily and important purposes oflife. 1t
IS hardly necessary for me to say that rs they
have no hearing to guide them, there can be
neither musical meditation nor expressive ac-
cent IN their speech; but was agreeably sur
prised at the general absence of every thing
positively diSagreeable or offensive. You
will be.satisfied that thsy can be Taught to
speak distinctly enough, when / cell YOU that
Al Berlin understood at once and without
difficulty the short and simple sentences ofa
little girl in answer TO her teacher. He ask
I'd her first how many brothers and sisters
she had, TO which she readily answered, and
then gave their names. She then told him
the color of the table, its shape,-saying, IL is
no! round, II Is squTre,-the kind of wood of
which it was made, and so on. II requires
long time, and good deal ofpractice, for an
English or American ear 10 become enough
accustomed TO German, merely 10 cutch and
nuke out The Icori5, although their enuncintion
is generally much clearer and more distinct
than our own own. Twas, a few days ago,in
the Catholic church in Dresden, while the
priest with very clear voice and a sharp
clear uttcrance. was preaching; and I could
make out only few of his words; and still
understood readily the simple sentences Of
the little deafand dumb girl at Berlin: l. and
Mrs. s. were bothwith me during nv visit
10 the Berlin school and were both of them
more delighted and interested than with any
thing that they have seen in Europe.
Ofthe school for IDIOT children, he gives a
shorter notice:
Imust appropriate the remainder of my
sheet to few words about still another en-
terprise, hardly less wonderful than that of
winch | have been speaking, undertaken
within few years by the director of the Ber-
I'm institution. This is schooI for the efucG-
ron Of in5eciLe children. The distinguished
phy'Ioog ist, DIR Muller, had already spoken
10 Inc Of this establishment and after we had
gone through the apartments of the deaf and
dumb the good directors took us into little
room where seated around table, engaged,
In teir studies, We're some eight or ten of
these poor creatures-boys and girls, with ia
ceS more or less indicative ofthe absence of
reason. The result of their efforts thus far
have been remarkable and most successful.
one little fellow, with now thoughtful and
intelligent face, interested us exceedingly
lie Was very intently and earnestly at work,
writing upon his slate; and for three months
,i'ef his enterance he was unable to fix either
MS attention of his eyes upon any thing. An
other boy, considerably advanced-we can
not say in the recovery, but in the creation, or
dereiOpment of his reason-was endeavoring
TO instruct third. on whose face still rested
me blank and void expression OF idiocy.-
>uch are the labors that are going quietly
and noiselessly on under this hallowcd roof
the lamp of reason lghted-not in bosoms
where passion or disease had extinguished or
Gimmed it, but where it had never been kin
qled-and the dumb literally made to speak!
The director inquired particularly after Mr.
Horace Mann and DIR. How, of whom, and
MS interesting child Laura Bridgman, we hear
atall these places.
In our own country nothing has been at
tempted in either of the above modes of in
s'ruction; and though the first institution has
oeen represented as failure by certain trav-
eHers, DIR. Bartlett is good authority against
their statements.
IMPORTANT INVENTION. A. W. Gray, of
Niiddletown, VT, has invented one horse