The national Republican., 1869-06-24
NATIONAL DEAF MUTE COLLEGE
FIRST CoNIMENCI1MENT
Address of President Edward
NJ. GalIaudet--Remnrks of
Hon. Amos Kendall
And Others.


morning at II o'clock ut the Congregational
church, corner Of Tenth and @ streets, and
the occasion will long he remembered by the
large audience OF ladies and gentlemen who
witnessed the interesting exercises.
Among the prominent gentlemen occupy
ing seats upon the platform were Rev. T. A.
Starkey, d. D., pastor OF the Church OF the
Epiphany, Rev. Byron Sunderland, of the
Four-aud.a.half street church; Rev. @. W.
Samson, D. D., president of Columbian Col
lego; Hon. Amos Kendall, Mr.. J. c. Nc
Guirc, Mr.. VIM. stickney, Mr.. W. W. Cor.
corau, Judge Sherman, Major General o. o.
Howard. DR.. G. II. Nichols, OF the Gov
crnment Asylum for the Insane; Rev. Mr..
Turner, of Hartford; Mr.. Jenkins, Of Kan
sas; and the following composing the faculty
Of the National Deaf-Mute College: Presi-
dent, Z. II. Gallaudct, and Professors Por-
ter, Pratt, Fay, and Spencer.
The gallery TO the right of the platform
was occupied by a number Of deaf mutes,
and the spoken exercises were translated
into the sign language by Professors Fay
aud Pratt, OF the faculty Of the college, with
the rapldity of speech.
Aflcr music by the marine band, Rev. WIN.
W, Turner, cx-president Of the American
Asylum for Deaf and Dumb at Connecticut,
offered prayer.
The Prcsllcnt of the National Deaf. Mute
College, Edward NJ. Gallaudct, NJ. A., then
delivered the following address,
PRESIDENTS ADDRKss.
| The occasion which brings us together to-
day marks an era in the history OF civiliza-
tion. II stands forth without precedent, a
bright and shining beacon In the higher
walks OF philanthropy and bencvolcnce. The
unrc1cctlng and cold indifference that, be-
cause OF their deprivation Of a single sense,
degraded half million OF Gods rational
creatures to the level OF the imbecilc, has
given place within the lapse Of a single Gen.
tury to the largc-hearted practical philan-
thropy which first discovered the key at
whose magic touch the mental prlson-bolts
should ily back, and has since declared iu
all the nations Of Christendom that the deaf
mute Is no longer n parlah Of society, but Is
entitled to the respect Of his fellow-m and
Is capable of a mental culture as full and as
valuable to the community rs that of his
hearing and speaking brother. From the
early days Of imperfect result, wherein was
claimed for deaf mutes only development
that might fit them to perform the humble
|
mate has been placed upon their capabilities
which to-day advances to the high position
of according them the academic degrees Of
college graduation.
Where, In all the march OF educational
effort since time began, does q greater cen
tury stride appearl From mental midnight,
starless even by reason Of the thick clouds
of prejudice and misapprehonsiou over
shadowlng IL, TO the high noon OF scholarly
| hnnnFs rayaaIinU briUht pathwava not n
few wherein the so-called imbeclle Of a hun
drcd years ago may walk onward and upward
to usefulness and Influence and fame. From
moral darkness, deeper even than that Of
heather Ignorance, wherein no proper idea
Of God or religion could germinate, to the
full light Of comprehended and accepted
Christianity, stimulating the soul to the
highest development possible In our world
Of many clouds, and revealing the glorious
hope Of ripened fruitage under the rays Of
the Sun OF Righteousness In the land OF
eternal day. For no class of intelligent
beings does education perform so great a
work as for the deaf and dumb. The starting
point is so much lower, the plane Of attain
ment so nearly as high, and the time spent
in school training SO nearly the same with
the deaf mute as with the hearing and
speaking, that the return purchased by edu.
cation is actually far greater In the case OF
the former than that Of the latter.
Many Of the Intellectual phenomena pre-
sCnted In the transition from a state of ignor.
| auce to the condition of enlightenment In
which the training of the schools leaves the
mute, arc unique and, In not few instances,
intensely interesting TO him who would study
the operations of the human mind in its va
, rlous processes Of development. 1t Is not,
however, our purpose at this time TO con.
slider the education Of the deaf mute from a
philosophlc or even an economic stand
point; nor yet to tell of the origin and detail
the history OF this peculiar work In the world
but rather TO relate briefly the story OF
the particular institution which has invited
your attendance upon its first commence.
ment festivities to-day, and to show what
grounds Its friends have for thanksgiving tC
that power which has crowned their laborI
with results exceeding in speediness of at
tainment their most sangulne expectations.
II will be remembered by q few here pres
4 cDt that In the year 1856 an adventurer from
the city of New York brought with him t
Washington five little deaf mute children
which he had gathered from the aims s-housei
and streets Of the metropolis, With the ait
of number of benevolent citizens lie sue
r cccded In setting up school and in collect
| Ing half score Of deaf and blind children
, belonging 10 the District Of Columbia. Hi
, ostensible object was the establishment O
! an institution for the education OF thcs
classes Of persons, and In this he was sup
? ported by n number Of influential gentlemen
. most prominent among whom, both Il
giving aud doing, was tho Hon. Amos Ken
/ dali, to whom belongs the honor Of beluG
|. named the father and founder OF our instl
tuition. The sharp disceTnment of Mr.. Ken
. dali soon laid bare the selfish purposes O
the adventurer, as well as his entire unwor
thincss and unftncss to direct the work h
b. was aiming to inauguratc. Good, however
| I,,ftt oil .fT. -. Il.
: of an association having as its aim the pei
Z fOrmance of that work, which he would fail
u have used as cloak to cover his selfish ends
: On the 10th OF February, 1857, an act q
/. Congress was approved incorporating tn
l. columbia Institution for the Instruction O
l. the Deaf and Dumb and Blind" and au
|. thorizing the education at the expense @
l. the United States OF INDECENT mute and bin
If children belonging to the District of Colum
biu. On the 18th Of June following, in ten
porary buildings provided by the liberallt
l. OF Nr. Kendall, the school was opened
&c During the progress Of NJ first year Il wa
n discovered that the provision made by Con
s. grcss fell very far short of being adequate t
:, meet the objects for which Il was granted
!, aud on May %, 1858, a supplementary &C
n was passed supplying the deficiencies of tn
l. first law. This second act also extended th
privileges Of tho institution to children q
men In the military or naval service OF tn
y United States. In the spring Of 1859, Cor
o grcss up to that time having appropriate
l. nothing for buildings, Mr. Kendall added I
4 his former benefactions by erecting a sul
r stautial brick structure, and deciding thi
d together with two acres of ground, TO III
1t Institution.
Thus far the directors had limited then
selves to the work of afiordng the deaf au
. the blind Of the District OF Columbia an
,,e the army and navy an education suited to I
IL them for mechanical and Industrial pursuit
., " But in the annual report for 1869, purpoi
- was announced, which has been in conten
= plation from the outset, of extending Il
scope Of the institution so as to include
,c collegiate course Of study, the benefits
a which might be enjoyed by deaf mutes frO
Pr all portions Of the country. This extensio
,r OF the work wRs plainly suggested by Il
=. organic law Of 1857, the NTH section there,
A. permitting the directors 10 receive pupils fro
any OF the States aud Territories OF the I'm
ted States, and no limit beng placed in Il
IN act on the duration Of the course of stud
or Early in the year 1864, Il was determined
FH.tlIgp II TtpEEit1a tIta p.ti,n,I