The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-07-23
SILENT CONTMRNCEMENT.
Peculiar Exercises The Orators OF
the Washington Deaf Mute College.
Cbffplbondonce uoston Adveriisar

the Washington Deaf Mute College.
CotreApondcnce boston Advertiser.
Anything so impressive as the church ex,
ercises l have rar, ly seen. These young
mon were more graceful Than any othoi
college boys Of my Acquaintance. Hands
and arms are b nuisance to q young mnn
when in public or society; he can get along
with his feet but he never Knows what 70
do with his hands-thoyNr always in his
way; he is sure they arefbigRpd roughput-
ting them into gloves merely nggravatcs
matters; if he wants to describe n circular
sweep,he only accomplished an irregular
Triangle If no undertakes to gesticulato
from the shoulder, he gets nervous ut Soc
ing his hand before his face, and at find
ing his fingers SPRAYING about in unkind
disorder. But these gentlemen had mono
Of these troubles; there was no dead or
foreign matter a%boutthem; they spoke with
fingers and hands and arms and faces and
eyes and bodies; IL was you, the spectator,
who was deaf aud couldnoth hear, dumb and
could not answer. In the gallery sat two
or three scores of little boys and girls,
from tho preparatory school, To. be sure,
but wiser than You in this universal lam
guago. You could not speak with the
President from Your seat near the platform
yet while the Grafton was deliyeringJ / saw
him frequently speak. with teachers and
students one hundred feet away. IL YOU
wanted to give u of the young men q boz
quet, you could do nomore than send j tup
with your nnmo on a card. When bright
Mrs. Gollaidets boquet was delivered aud
thorecipient looked toward her seat, she
brought her gloved hand into sight and
kindled a new light in the lads oyes,. with
words Of womanly praise which you and /
could uot hear.
When the name of the orator was called
or announced, he rose, bowed 10 the prcsi-
dent, rs is customary, stopped TO tho front
Of the platform, aud delivered his Grafton
in tic sign language speaking with such
force and elegance aud information, that.
deaf ns You were 10 his words, you could
hardly help hearing many ideas. For
your particular benefit, however, Pro-
lessOr Pratt stood mt his left
aud rear, and read the pages
That he spoke. He interpreted for
two thirds OF the audience what the orator
said 10 the other third reading faster or
slower as the orator argued his PROPOSE
tons or glowed in his fervor. In spite of
myself, ! found that I was trying 10 hear
both the reader and the speaker hearing
n with the ear and the other with the
hNNs h'AfAh AAA' A1N MAAN W u lAbEANnNANA
so far in my involuntary study that i could
frequently catch tho drift of what was
spoken TO the eye, before / heard what was
spoken to the ear. DO you remember Ben
Johnson's
at Iis not growing like o tree,
IN bulh, doth make man better boz"
and have you thought hatyou understood
its fall force2 Icauglit a new meaning in.
the fine words when / saw them spoken so
oloquontly by Hotchkiss.
The most thrilling moment of tho day
came at the close OF the valodictory. il
was impressive 10 sec Prof. Fay stand and
repeat tho words of Mr.. Kendall and DIR.
Sunderland, and Gen. Howard and DIR.
Sampson, for the benefit of the graduates
and students good to see the glow onthoir
faces and the intelligence in their eyos at
the rounded and feeling periods of the
speakers; but the final scene thrilled me
with nm emotion almost 10 tears. Whetherit
was or was not done by design, is more
than / know; but tho fact is that Professor
Pratt read the valedictory very ~apidly,and
finished IL n couple of moments before tho
yaledictorian did. When he had conclud-
cd he turned the last leaf of the manu-.
script and silently stepped back TO his
seat. Hotchkiss stood alone, tender and
emotional even in his attitude; swept over
by the feeling that must come to all when
the last word is said; CHANGING out upon
the new life, his spirit leaping within
him to be gone in among the throngs
of men, his eye and heart full of the
sweetest memories given to young men; the
final farewell pressing for utterance, and
the hand holding it back with knowledge
that its enunciation opens the door upon IN
alive with the burden of the moment that
it seems MS if his tongue must catch its
Office and lend It's sad but hopeful melody
to the occasion; turning the last pgood
bye" gracefully and feelingly in the hushed
atmosphere, bowing low to his fellows and
teachers, pausing an instant on his feet to
check the tide Of emotion before he took
his seat. Then the whole house broke out
into electric applause.