The New York herald., 1869-06-24
the DEAF AND DUMB.
Public Exercises at the New York Institu.
tion for Their Instruction.

Public Exercises Mt the New York InstItu.
tion for Their Instruction.
The public exercises following the annual exami-
nation of the pupils Of this institution, which is
situated at 1921 street. on the North river. were held
yesterday In the chapel OF the building at half past
two O'Clock in the afternoon very large audience
was present
some few opening remarks on the nature
OF the mute language were made by Mr.. Isaac
Lewis Peet, the principal, whose celerity
and apparent exactitude OF manipulation are
quite remarkable. He stated tnat besides the sign
language there was also department OF articula-
tion, but OF that was only possible Of accom-
pishment within certain necessarily narrow limits.
A curious illustration OF the eject OF vibration
upon deaf people was then given. Six boys were
called upon the platform and wrote down words
propounded by persons In the audience and whi ich
they were not permitted to see beforehand, such
words being spelled for them or IN some way indl.
Gated by taps on the drum repeated at brief
intervals between what appeared to be the sylables
the pupils all tins while having their faces turned TO
the wall and not seeing the mot ons OF the drum
mer. The words "Drum," Good" aud 'Conun-
drum were thus accurately spelled.
six OF the higher class-three young men ana
three young ladtes-then gave various correct and
intelligent answers 10 questions on subjects OF gene
raj knowledge put 10 them by visitors. They also
expressed on the blackboard their thoughts sug
gested by the OCCASION appropriately, In good and
A pantomime was then gone through with by
young man, who with graphic gestures, somewhat
exaggerated, doubtless, to impress their meaning
more f0rcIbly upon the audience, shot mythical
arrow, nung an imaginary ball and transmitted him
self into tailor, apparently negotiating Tor pur-
chase Of an unlimited amount OF needles and thread
and then into pantomimic cat In pursuit or
o mouse. the whole performance being ac-
companed by the most ludicrous c0ntortions
OF countenance, which caused considerable
merriment among the audience. The good taste OF
this part OF the exercises although undoubtedly ac
tuated by the most excellent motives, and appar-
emily giving considerable satisfaction TO the unfor
tunate pantomimist may be doubted, as IL was
calculated 10 excite at least among thinking per-
sous, too painful consciousness Of his terrible be-
reavement
A rather posing question suggested by one OF the
audence-vlz-, what II palindrone WAS witn-
out any generalization, answered by pupil writing
on the blackboard, "A sentence winch reads the
same backward and forward" The pettions IN tue
Lords Prayer were correctly enumerated, ana %
pupil, IN answer TO the question, "What IL Gods
first awfn wrote down, 81 think tnat order was thc
first law OF heaven. No law could be maze unless
there was some one to make It, 80 think GODS nrst
commandment was Order.m
The high class, rom which these pupils were
selected, numbers twenty mine, under the lnstruc-
tion OF M. q. ID. Cooke assisted by MISS lda Mont
gomery. The studies or the course are arithmetic,
algebra, grammar, rhetoric and logic, vegetable
phy s0logy, natural philosophy, chemistry, mental
and moral science and the Bible. The class whi en-
has just graduated has gone pretty th0roughy
through these branches OF knowledge, as appears
from the report OF the distinguished examiners.