Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-05-17
The Dumb Speaking and the Deaf Hearing.

One OF the wonders of the age is the great
| discovery IN the above named Institution.
where the Deaf are taught to hear, and the
| Dumb to speak
Edward Gould Buffum, Esq, sends the .fol
towing interesting description of his visit % the
| Institution
| The guide took his visitors into n room where
teacher, surrounded by thirty or forty BOYS.
/ between the ages OF six and fourteen years. was
writing some grammatical exercises on the
oiack- board The teacher said he was glad TO
receTve visitors. and that he would exhibit
some specimens of the proficiency to which his
/ pupils had attained IN speaking, although they
were all born deaf. The boy first called up
looked closely at the teachers lips while the
later told him to bid good day The boy
immediately enunciated his words Clearly aad
distinctly, and with very correct accention, and
said
L replied, and the teacher requested me to
ask the boy question. l did 50, merely rnov-
ing the organs of speech without utteriug any
sound, and asking with my lips how old he
was?
He instantly replied, thirteen years AID a
half"
Upon being told by the teacher, he asked me.
" where did you come from 2"
replied in the same manner before, from
America
The boy repeated America" and then talk
ing piece of chalk wrote upon the black
board
You have come from great distance and
must have seen great many sav2ges, W no
were very wicked"
During all the time had been conversing
with the teacher, he giving me inform alton
about his pupils, aud requesting me to question
them, without ever having 4 suspicion that |
was talking with deaf man and listening TO a
dumb one, and should have remained in this
state of ignorance, had not the guide, after he
had permitted me TO enjoy my error for quar-
~ Il, Il.
well as the pupils. had been born deaf, and un-
til within the last five years had never spoken
word.
Two of the boys stood upon platform, al
the teachers suggestion, and held conversa-
tlon with each other, and then wrote sentences
on the board and read them in a loud and dis
tinct voice. Another boy called up ard
handed book, which | opened for him ran
dom, and from which he read three pages
rapidly and with but the slightest hesitation,
and with really musical, agreeable voice.
The pupils, of course, receive the idea intend
ed to be conveyed TO them through the forma-
ton of the lips, and once twice, when the
teacher was speaking to them, they made a
motion signifyIng that they did not fully un-
derstand him, and one of them drew him to the
window, where the light played fully upon his
lips while he was uttering quite a long sentence.
OF course they can have no idea what sound IS
aud the only difference ! noticed between their
differences and those of other children was that
the dUIatIonS were not alway, correct, and
some If them kept the voice at The same pitch
while speaking reading an entire sentence
But so perfectly can they interpfe5 the move
ment OF the lips, that when placed that they
could not the side of the teachers mouth
they understood him evidently as when looking
directly at his lips. So perfect, indeed, was
the whole Exhibition, that had | dropped in ac-
cidently without knowing where | was going
the last place | should have suspected NV
self TO be in would Ia.e been among deaf and
dumb children
1t was in his room alone I learned from the
teacher that spoken Language employed and
here signs used, the children being
taught their lessons either by speech writing
and the smartest and most capable children
placed here. | remained there hour, and a
crowd of strange suggestive thoughts came over
me as left. here, after such exhibition
as | had witnessed, could bounds be put to the
results of patient labor where be placed
the limits of possibility l doubt whether the
good Abbe j. Ebec, who founded the institution,
ever dreamed that in so short time the truths
of the text from St. Mark, which is inscribed
over the chapel altar, bien fat to'cs chooses
II fat enteqdre les so'trds ct Tarier les m,4tcs
would have been so terally verified as | had
seen 1t during my visit.